Cornhuskin’ season has begun
in this issue
NEWS
Beltline Expansion Update Voting Local Sizzilin S..October Classifieds
A&E Review: Ms. Courageous Review: Searching Fast Fashion at Gaddy-Hammerick OPINIONS The Girl Who Cried Thorns California Dreamin’ Homophobia in the Realm of the Angels
Brightspace
By Mimi Mays, Associate Editor Over the summer of 2018, Meredith broke ties with Blackboard and joined over 1200 schools, colleges, universities, and businesses around the world who use the learning management system Brightspace. Meredith piloted some courses on Brightspace starting in Spring 2018, led by 59 total instructors. It was their feedback that helped facilitate the campuswide transition later in the year. As of 2016, Brightspace’s rate of use by U.S. collegiate institutions fell in fourth place behind the three most popular learning management systems: Blackboard, used by 33% of institutions; Moodle, used by 19% of institutions; and Canvas, used by 17% of institutions. In July of 2015, Blackboard released a new interface that excluded colleges who were self-hosted, like Meredith. “We felt pushed to adopt a managed hosted approach (cloud-based),” says Director of Instructional Design & Academic Technology Cheryl Todd. “The cost of Blackboard’s managed hosting solution and the additional costs they charge to add features that other LMS providers included in their licenses led us to consider researching other solutions.” To tackle this task, Meredith hired an external consultant and formed a Learning Management System Advisory Committee to examine the full needs of the
THE M E R E D I T H
HERALD
@meredithherald @meredith_herald #harktheherald September 26, 2018
Taking on D.C. as Students from M.C. By Abigail Ojeda
On the night of Aug. 20, proteFrom women’s suffrage to Hamilton, Meredith Honors students took over our nation’s capitol last weekend. Every year, Honors students take a trip to explore a new city and investigate a specific topic through a mini-course taught by a Meredith professor. This year’s topics focused on the themes of gerrymandering, the history of marching on Washington, space technology and the Cold War, an important business dinner as depicted in the musical Hamilton, and the history of journalism and news. With plenty of food, walking, and learning, the Honors trip to D.C. created a unique take on visiting Washington. In the gerrymandering minicourse taught by Dr. Manzo, students toured the capitol building, visited the office of U.S. Representative David Price, and learned about the prevalence of gerrymandering. Olivia Slack reflected on her time with the group: “Our experience was fascinating; meeting with David Price’s staff assistants was really insightful because I am considering a future career in politics. We learned about conferences for women in politics and how to build a network of women in politics that we can trust.” Following events in Washington from the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom to the 2018 March for Our Lives, Dr. Robbins’ students learned about the monumental societal shifts that instigated marches on D.C. Student Naomi Hill said: “I think my favorite
part about our mini course was the story we learned at the Belmont-Paul house. The fact that Alva Belmont had mugs made that say “vote for women” shows her intelligence and commitment to the cause. She shows that you can have both humor and
strength.” Dr. Waddelow’s course focused on events portrayed in Lin Manuel Miranda’s musical Hamilton and assessed the music against historical comparisons and evaluated the music itself. The group stopped in at Kramerbooks & Afterwords Café, a bookstore and coffee shopopen until 3 a.m. on the weekends, to fuel their learning experience. Melanie Cusick said, “I loved being able to discuss one of my favorite musicals in depth with other angels!” Former C.I.A. employee Dr. Rogers led his mini-course through the Air and Space Museum to discover some of the technology
D2L are committed to resolving errors and assisting all users maximize their experiences. According faculty, staff and students. They to Technology Services, reviewed the Blackboard features Meredith is “still using and determined the most-used as- the Feedback form with pects and what would be required faculty and students to of a new LMS. “Our primary goal collect information to was to identify a suitable LMS that share with D2L with would efficiently and effectively hopes that it will influsupport Meredith College, supence future updates.” porting face-to-face instruction, “One of the positive blended/hybrid courses, and online outcomes that we’ve course and program delivery,” exexperienced throughout plains Todd. this [transition] process Desire2Learn, or D2L, the is that more faculty have software company behind Brightreached out to our team space, reports that the system is for assistance with Bright“more than just a [learning manspace and have particiagement system], combining all pated in our workshops,” the tools and support you need to guarantees Todd. offer a great teaching and learning At today’s Tech experience for students and faculFair in the Cate Centy.” However, some professors here ter from 9:30 to 3:30, at Meredith may disagree in part. there will be Technology “There are kinks,” said an SMB Services staff members professor who wishes to remain addressing student inquianonymous, “but it’s hard to tell ries. whether it’s Brightspace itself or just how we’ve learned to use it.” Comic by Micah Clark For any hardships, however, it’s evident that both Meredith and
used to propel the United States’ intelligence, power, and exploration. For example, students saw old and new versions of astronaut suits—the newest one consists of thirteen layers. Haley Parsons, a member of the group, said, “The mini course with Dr. Rogers was a great experience. It brought together people from several majors, and we were able to view the spy exhibit to learn about the space race.” After monitoring local, national, and global news sources for several days and taking two trips to the Newseum, Dr. Walton’s minicourse focused on the meaning of news and journalism both in a historical and present day context. One room in the Newseum held archives of the front pages of newspapers since the days of Martin Luther. Katie Thompson described her experience, saying, “While visiting the Newseum, I was opened up to the world of news—the sad, the gruesome and happy stories that occurred and are occurring all across our world.” In their spare time, students visited art galleries, museums, book stores, and restaurants. The best part was that many activities in Washington D.C. are free, making them particularly great opportunities for college students. The next time you’re in D.C., Honors students recommend you check out the places they visited.
News
Beltline Expansion Behind Schedule Sizzilin’ September in October By Sarah Kiser, Editor-in-Chief In August of 2017, the Meredith College community was informed that the North Carolina Department of Transportation was planning to take up to 19 acres of its land that borders on the beltway where there is currently a sports field, foliage, and the Raleigh greenway. The Meredith Herald spoke with NCDOT employee John Williams to cover the issue in that same month. The NCDOT informed the public that a decision on a design-build construction design would be made by February about what to do at Wade Avenue. Months passed and no one heard anything. Meredith students left in the spring expecting to return to wonderland to find it torn and trampled by bulldozers. This was not the case. The same grassy field and line of ancient trees waves in the wind as before. That means either something or nothing occurred which protected Meredith’s land for the time being. Representatives of the College, students, and alumnae raised concerns to the NCDOT that the land they intend to take is the only land Meredith has left for future expansion since this is not the first time the State of North Carolina has closed in on the College’s property.
While documents distributed by the NCDOT in August of 2017 read that the Final Environmental Document was anticipated to be published in Nov. 2017, the NCDOT’s website says, as of Sept. 25 2018, that the document was finalized in May 2018. Sean Williams, a public relations officer for the NCDOT, was not sure why the environmental document was finished later than expected. Williams said that since August of 2017, “the division has been filing requests for proposals.” After three rounds, there are 4 shortlisted teams: Archer Western Construction, LLC, Granite Construction Company, S.T. Wooten-Zachary Design-Build Team, and The lane Construction Corporation. On Oct. 2, the division will open price proposals “with award coming soon after” according to Williams, meaning that a bidder will be picked and the project can move forward. Then the amount of land to be taken from Meredith College’s property will be determined. After that date, the public may hear more news. Right of way acquisition and construction under design-build contract are both planned to occur sometime this year.
CLASSIFIEDS
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By Abigail Ojeda, Features Editor Do you want to meet up with friends that you didn’t see over the summer, or get to know other Meredith students? Save time for the Meredith Sizzlin’ September Street Fest that has been rescheduled for Oct. 12, from 3:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m in the chapel parking lot. The best part about this weekend plan is that it’s completely free, and there will be live music, food trucks, carnival games, activity booths, and giveaways. Students can sign up for free meal vouchers to choose from one of four food trucks (check your emails in the coming days for the link). Emily Berrier, ‘19, said that Sizzlin’ September has been a way for her to spend time with old friends while reconnecting with people she
didn’t know as well: “I went last year with my little, but spent time with friends who I didn’t know as well and wanted to get to know better,” she said. Live music will be played throughout the evening. The Catalinas, a beach music band, will kick off the event followed by the N.C. State acapella group, Grains of Time. Last year, Maggie Mertz went as a freshman and enjoyed the combination of music, food, friends, and having fun: “It’s a great time to socialize and get to know new people,” she commented. This event is sponsored by the Meredith Activities Board, and guests are welcome to come and participate. Don’t miss out on this annual event!
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We Want YOU to Vote! By Olivia Slack, Staff Writer
On November 6, get ready to cast your ballots, because it’s Election Day 2018. For some students, this may be their first time voting, so here are a few ways you can get ready for the big day. First thing first, you have to register to vote. Meredith makes it easy to do this, as they provide a link to a website called TurboVote where you can register to vote. You can find the link to TurboVote on the right side of your Brightspace home page underneath your course list. Make sure to register by October 12, or else you won’t be able to vote in November. Once you’re registered to vote, make sure that you inform yourself on candidates and their positions on issues that are important to you. No matter if you consider yourself a Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, or other, a responsible voter should look into the positions of all candidates. Make sure that you don’t just vote along party lines, but for individuals who represent your beliefs, even if they are from the “other party.” Take just a little bit
of time and research the candidates running for office in your area. Third, be sure that you know where you can vote. You can find your assigned polling place by visiting www.wakegov.com/ elections/voters. If you’re unable to get to the polls on November 6, there are a few options for you. First, you can vote early at one of nine different locations, October 17 through November 3. To find out more information about early voting in Wake County, you can visit www. wakegov.com/elections/info/early. You can also request an absentee ballot from the State Board of Elections website. Finally, please do cast your vote this year; do right by yourself, your country and Meredith College! In 2016, Meredith was given a silver medal for voter registration and participation, and had the highest rates in the state. As a citizen, the best way to ensure that your voice is heard is to elect representatives who will advocate for you. Exercise your right to vote this Tuesday, November 6.
Retraction from September 12: In “Plant Blindness” The Herald mistakenly reported a sequoia tree in front of Harris Hall instead of the correct Sycamore tree.
Arts & Entertainment
Review: Ms. Courageous
By Rebecca Dowdy, Opinion Editor
Ms. Courageous opened last week to the unassuming but powerful sound of isolating radium. The production was held in the studio theater, tucked in an obscure hallway of Jones Hall and ran from last Thursday, Sept. 20, to this past Sunday, Sept. 23. The production tells the stories of Elizabeth Blackwell and Marie Curie, two female pioneers in science, and how they progressed in their respective fields despite the discrimination they faced. Ms. Courageous was a surprisingly sweet and uplifting production. It was perhaps a few dramatic monologues short of cheesy, but overall a fun, educational experience.
The studio theatre that housed the production was small and intimate, with seats surrounding the entirety of the stage. It made the viewer feel like they were sitting right on top of the actors, making their performances feel clear and nuanced in a way one usually doesn’t get to experience. The staging of the studio theater also allowed for some interesting blocking choices, with actors weaving in between audience members, freely moving in organic ways, and playing with rhythm and tempo of line deliveries. The acting itself was clear and competent; the performance of Laura Austin, who played
Elizabeth Blackwell, was particularly enjoyable as she played her character with equal parts tragedy and relentless determination. The actors’ performances, however, were held back by some sections of stiff exposition, but they worked through them admirably. There were many interesting parallels between the lives of Marie Curie and Elizabeth Blackwell, but the two narratives felt oddly disjointed and the play itself might have been more effective if more had been done to interweave their stories together. Georgia Kimbell ‘19, was required to attend for a class but ended up enjoying the production
nonetheless. She mentioned that on the first night of the show, there was a panel of Meredith science professors talking about their experiences. Kimbell heard that it was an interesting talk but was unable to take part in it herself. Overall, an afternoon watching Ms. Courageous was one well spent. It was enjoyable to learn about the lives of these two women and watching their stories unfold on stage. It’s a nice addition to this year’s theme of “women warriors,” and it is certainly a much needed boost of inspiration as midterms loom over the campus.
Another problem that Searching avoids is making the internet and the people unrealistic. David has the knowledge that you would expect a father would have about the internet. He has no idea what Tumblr is when it is brought up in the film and he misspells it when he searches for it. However, he uses Google Spreadsheets like a professional and has no trouble getting into his daughter’s locked accounts. The movie also doesn’t make the internet seem like an extremely evil place. His daughter’s classmates and the people on the internet act like those one would expect to come across online. For example, the film depicts a You-
Tube video of David overreacting at someone and, rather than all comments being against him, a couple of the comments were sympathetic towards David. Overall, the film was a delightful subversion of what movies about the internet have become. It was realistic and built tension with its great presentation. Hopefully, more films about the internet will strive to be as creative as Searching.
Fast Fashion at Gaddy-Hamrick By Hannah Flood, Staff Writer The Weems Gallery at Gaddy-Hamrick has welcomed a new exhibit by Joyce Watkins King called Fast Fashion Fiasco: The High Cost of Cheap. The exhibit features original sculptures and installations inspired by the phenomenon of “fast fashion”, designed to promote reflection and discussion on personal levels of consumerism. Fast fashion is known in the industry as the process of quickly moving ideas and trends from Fashion Week runways into stores every spring and fall. H&M, Zara and Forever 21 are some of the most popular fast fashion retailers today. Sixteen pieces are on display as part of the exhibit, each focusing on a specific result of fast fashion, from the impact clothing makes in landfills to the effects of dye pollution in water sources. To accompany her exhibit, King has compiled a fact sheet with more in depth information about the serious economical, environmental, and humanitarian issues resulting from fast fashion. The exhibit opened on Sept. 4 and will continue through Oct. 2,
open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. An artist reception will take place on Sept. 27 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. with a gallery talk beginning at 5:30 p.m. To accompany the art exhibit at the reception, Meredith Dance Theatre and the dance department are orchestrating a live interactive dance piece, choreographed and directed by Amelia Bryant, ‘20. Complete with an informative sound score, dancers will represent how “consumer america is wasteful with clothes and we don’t wear things long enough for them to wear out before we throw them away,” Bryant said. She hopes the piece will serve as a worthy accompaniment to King’s powerful works of art. More information on Joyce Watkins King is available at her website, www.jwkingart.com. Seven of the installations on display in Weems Gallery are for sale. Please direct inquiries to gallery@meredith.edu.
Review: Searching
By Kathleen Daly, Staff Writer Aneesh Chaganty’s Searching is an outstanding thriller mystery movie which uses the unconventional presentation of showing the story through a computer screen. With its realistic portrayal of the internet and its great directing, the movie puts you in the shoes of the main character, a father named David Kim (John Cho), whose high school daughter, Margot (Michelle La), has recently gone missing. Teamed with an investigator, Detective Vick (Debra Messing), he searches his daughter’s laptop to find clues as to why she disappeared and where she might be. Unlike most films that present their stories through a
computer screen, Searching does not use the computer screen as an excuse for lazy presentation, but rather uses classic cinematography tricks like a slow zoom and focusing a specific part of the screen to build tension and add details to the story. Like most people do on their computers, David also multi-tasks on his computer to add as much information as possible in the scene without it being overwhelming. For example, he searches up Detective Vick’s background on Google when he is talking to her on the phone for the first time. This is not to say that everything on screen entirely related to the plot; a few unrelated tabs were on the computer screen just to make it feel more natural.
Opinion
The Girl Who Cried Thorns By Anonymous
The September 10 sun rose to illuminate a new publication on Meredith’s campus: The Briar Patch. Some students found a cryptic email in their email.meredith.edu inboxes, some discovered a new Twitter follower (from an account which made illegal use of the copyrighted Meredith Lux, I might add), and some spotted hard copies of the blog, printed on unusually sturdy paper, strewn around campus Mean Girls’ burn book-style. The principled tag-line “Behind the oak leaves lies the thorny side of campus life” precedes every blog post, and the writer(s) include a short description at the end of each as well: “The Briar Patch is a new independent publication rooted in Meredith’s tradition of women using their voices to better their communities. The Briar Patch seeks to challenge the existing norms that hinder social progress on campus.”
These noble book-ends to their content introduce and conclude each bout of free expression by reminding their audience that they are the good guy(s). They write with swift keys of justice. They shine a light onto the thorns. But they fail to shine a light on themselves. This strikes many as the largest scandal Joyner has ever seen, and emerges in the wake of the recent New York Times anonymous op-ed. Whether inspired by, fueled by, or published in ignorance of the op-ed “I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration,” they must acknowledge the diminished credibility of their cleverly-tailored words. Just as the NYT op-ed’s secret source leaves America to question the reality of its heavy and serious assertions, The Briar Patch’s anonymity allows its writer(s) to write not only without a fact-check, but also without context, without the ability to be followed up on, and without the normal healthy
circumspection a journalist humbly keeps. This should not discount the many valuable uses of anonymity in journalism. When safety or security are matters of concern, anonymity is an important tool in investigative journalism, key to avoiding selfcensorship and ensuring the emergence of the truth. However, when paired with (albeit wellwritten) satirical banter, it can take necessary sensitivity away from what just may be legitimate issues. It seems to me that The Briar Patch has unclear and conflicting goals as a publication in its infancy. Their most obvious goal is to entertain, which, judging by the many conversations they’ve started, is something at which they’ve succeeded. Their medium is clever, on the brink of witty, and frustratingly void of grammatical error—almost. But inescapable when reading their work is their second goal: to complain. Which relates to their third goal, about which we can only speculate: to correct? They have people talking, and their initiative
towards societal self-awareness is admirable. But their biting words do little to bring people on campus who care and want to help (I promise, there are some) towards any possible ability of doing so. And shaming an entire gender via pusillanimous tripe never stopped any genuinely corrupt old males from doing what they’re allegedly doing. Plus, isn’t it annoying when someone publishes something provocative and contentious under a byline that reads “anonymous”? Their most recent post, a satirical rewrite of the Meredith Alma Mater, was inspired by Rupi Kaur, who is “often criticized for the overly simplistic, arbitrary, and infantile approach she takes in her work.” In my honest opinion, they hit that nail right on the head with this third post. However trivial it is, though, it clearly required ample time to write and will require my ample time to dissect— something few students serious about their studies have to spare. This editorial was written by Herald Associate Editor Mimi Mays.
nations” (1 Cor. 12: 13) (Matt. 28: 20). This problem is easily surmountable, in that the division between LGBTQ people and Christians can be taken down gradually if only we stop shunning them from our small groups or avoiding any LGBTQ organizations. The Holy Trinity Lutheran Church’s campus ministry has already made steps towards bridging the divide. Its website, under the “What we believe” tab, reads that the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America holds “that all people are children of God, loved by God, and all are one in Jesus Christ. This love and acceptance is extended to all races, ages, abilities, sexual orientations, and gender identities.” That’s not too wacky, is it? The ELCA is saying to the world, “Jesus loves you,” except the “you” truly means everyone. InterVarsity Christian Fellowship student leader Indyah Bryant described IV as “a multi-
ethnic community” including members identifying as LGBTQ. Bryant said “one of our core values is that everyone is created in God’s image and therefore is of great value to God. Our mission statement is to reach every corner of the campus with this good news – to show everyone that they do matter to God and deserve His love.” To this end she said, “I feel it is our duty to love everyone and show them that God loves them as well, no matter who they are or where they are in their spiritual journey.” Spectrum, Meredith’s LGBTQ organization, declined to comment. Believing and acting on love that extends to all doesn’t hurt or cost anything. And genuinely loving people like God loves us won’t result in ‘warping’ core beliefs to suit the liberal masses. It might, however, cause you to have to put out more chairs at small group though, because everyone wants to find love, joy, peace, and kindness.
Senate Bill 100, which Governor Brown signed into law on Sept. 10, requires that 50% of the state’s energy be powered by renewable resources by 2025 and 60% by 2030 before reaching their total 100% renewable goal by 2045. California is the fifth largest economy in the world, and because of this, the policies they enact hugely influence not only the United States, but the world. Recently, the state has made a name for itself by committing to fight climate change even when the current presidential administration has taken a far more relaxed and
unconcerned position on the issue. If California is able to accomplish their goal of going carbon emissions-free by 2045, it will be a large step forward in combating climate change, both in terms of political influence and environmental impacts. By committing to an environmentally conscious stance on the issue of carbon emissions, California is taking the step towards preserving our planet for future generations. Even if you don’t live in California or on the west coast at all, this bill does affect you as a citizen of planet earth, because the actions of even a few affect the lives of us all.
Homophobia in the Realm of the Angels By Sarah Kiser, Editor-in-Chief I don’t have to do much research to assertively say that homophobia exists in Meredith’s campus ministries. As a previously very active member of Summit Church and Cru, two of the largest ministries on our campus, I have seen and felt homophobia permeating the Bible studies and sermons, even the masses at Bojangles on Thursday night. It’s a quiet taboo. Like a mania. The same tempo of shag night when everyone’s trying to find his/ her next life partner on the crowded dance floor, stepping to canned music once the old people have left for the night. It’s the quiet that says, “We love God, and people like us.” This mania, this silent detesting of people we, as Christians, don’t really understand, speaks powerfully. It says “Gay people, you’re not welcome. God isn’t for you; He’s
for us.” I understand that a campus ministry is a branch out of the church, and nobody could reasonably expect to thoroughly tackle homophobia in the church in one editorial. I also understand that it’s not reasonable to blame campus ministries for establishing homophobia that persists on our grounds. They did not create it; instead, simply, they inherited it and brought it with them not necessarily with malicious intent. So, I’ll try not to overstate myself by saying that this is an easily surmountable problem for our campus. This is an ideology that keeps a specific and large group of people away from the Gospel. Homophobic actions against LGBTQ people distorts the Gospel, using it as a weapon when it’s supposed to be welcoming to all, “Jews or Greek, slave or free,” residing amongst “all
California Dreamin’ By Olivia Slack, Staff Writer 2045 may seem to be far in the future, but for California lawmakers, the deadline is most certainly looming. On September 10, the state’s governor, Jerry Brown, signed a bill that calls for California’s electricity to be produced by completely zero-emissions sources by the year 2045. That means that the state will have to rely entirely on renewable energy resources such as solar or wind power as well as alternative resources like nuclear power to generate its electricity, rather than using coal or other carbon-emitting resources.
The reality is that the majority of energy sources humans use today do emit a large amount of carbon, and California will need to turn to renewable and alternative energy sources in order to meet their goal. NPR reported that on one sunny day this summer, nearly 50% of California’s energy was already being produced by solar power. Of course, these percentages vary from day to day as conditions change, but scientists continue to research new ways that renewable energy can become a more viable option for mass power generation.
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.