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By Ariel SteinsaltzStaff Writer
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By Ariel Steinsaltz Staff Writer Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg addressed shareholders’ concerns at the Field Museum in Chicago on April 29, following two crashes of the Boeing 737 Max jet that killed hundreds of people, according to The Washington Post. A shareholder criticized the company for not reviewing the safety standards enough before flying the planes. “‘We don’t have to have 300-plus people die every time to find out that something isn’t reliable,’” the shareholder said, according to The Washington Post. Muilenburg tried to assure those present that “when it comes to safety, there are no competing priorities,” and informed them that the company was working to revise the technical failures that led to the crashes, The Washington Post reported. While accepting responsibility for improving safety standards, Muilenburg denied that the planes had been built with a flaw, and instead said that Boeing was only partially responsible for the chain of events that had led to the crashes, according to The Washington Post. Muilenburg said Boeing had “‘gone back and confirmed again, as we do the safety analysis, the engineering analysis, that we followed exactly the steps in our design and certification processes that consistently produce safe airplanes,’” according to The Seattle Times. Despite the planes being certified as safe, the new flight-control system failed on two flights — one with Lion Air and another with Ethiopian Airlines, both due to a single faulty sensor. The failure caused the planes to nose-dive, The Seattle Times reported. Muilenburg placed some blame with the pilots, but also said that the system would be redesigned with two sensors and make the planes much safer, according to The Seattle Times. Family members of people who died in the crashes stood outside in the rain near the Field Museum, where the meeting was held, as they held photos of their loved ones who died, according to The Washington Post. The family members challenged the statement made by Muilenburg, as they believed Boeing should take responsibility for the oversights that caused the crashes. One relative came to the Chicago meeting all the way from California, according to The Washington Post. According to Reuters, reporters asked Muilenburg if he ever considered retiring. He responded that he intended to lead the company through the crisis. “‘I am very focused on safety going forward,’” he told Reuters. “‘My clear intent is to continue to lead on the front of safety, quality and integrity.’” However, the company still has to win back the trust of the public, which was shaken by the crashes, according to Reuters. Muilenburg said the company would win back this trust before walking away from reporters shouting questions at him. The families standing outside were not the only people protesting the day of the conference — Reuters reported that other victims’ families held a press conference at a Chicago law firm after filing a wrongful death suit against the company.
By Ariel Steinsaltz Staff Writer Twelve senior fine arts majors spearheaded the grand opening of their senior showcase, LOUD, on Saturday, May 4 at 1 p.m, displaying their self-designed projects that they have been working on since January. The annual event is open until May 24, according to Liselot van der Heijden, a professor in the fine arts department and coordinator of the event. The faculty set the criteria and then left the planning up to the students, who met once a week to discuss the planning. The goal is for the students to learn how to curate their own exhibitions once they leave the College. “The goal is that the students learn from this experience, so we try to let them do as much as possible, and then we just guide them when necessary,” van der Heijden said. Carly Englander, one of the seniors who planned the exhibition, said that the name LOUD was picked from a long list. The presenters wanted to draw attention to the fact that they were all women, with a throughline of feminism linking one creation to the next. The name represents using their collective voice to express themselves through their art. Abigail Rothman showcased altered versions of the 39 signatures on the Constitution by distorting, shrinking or enlarging them. Since the historic document was signed only by white men, Rothman compared the distortions of the names to not knowing one’s rights and used her art to emphasize that people should know and assert their human rights. Rothman’s second piece that was the Universal Declaration of Human Rights translated into binary code, which she said represented being given information without having the tools to understand or decode it. Despite everyone being entitled to those rights, many do not know what they are, or even have access to the knowledge to learn about them. Cara Giddens created a series of posters that lined the walls and advertised “bubble people” who could be bought for 25 cents. In the center of her exhibit was a gumball machine that held colorful spheres containing tiny people. Giddens explained that the “bubble people” represent marginalized groups who are only considered valuable based on the gratification they can provide to others. “The purpose of this piece is to start a dialogue about the commodification of people, whether it’s through culture, sexualization, objectification, that sort of thing,” Giddens said. She wanted to shed a light on the tendency to claim ownership over not just physical people but their cultures as well. Alison Staple, a senior biology major, said that having taken some basic art classes, she had learned how hard it was to create art and was very impressed by the pieces. The other presenters were Olivia Brand, Lauren Galuppo, Linda Magee, Carolyn Mandracchia, Danielle Rackowski, Courtney Ross, Adrienne Southrey and Emily Warakomski. Kat Magee, a senior marketing major, came to the exhibit to see a friend’s art. “I’m really impressed,” Magee said. “I can see all of the hard work that’s been put into the pieces, and everything’s really beautiful.” Seraphema Menna, a senior English major, also came to the exhibition to support her friend, who was presenting. “It’s really exciting to have this on campus,” Menna said. “(It’s great that) all these hard-working students express themselves into this really well put-together show.”
By Ariel Steinsaltz Staff Writer On April 15, the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris caught fire, destroying the spire that sat atop the centuries-old building and burning through its wooden roof, according to The New York Times. Although the fire was believed to be accidental, Benjamin Mouton, the architect who designed the fire safety system of the cathedral, said that officials mistook how quickly the oak beams in the roof would burn, and they had built a delay into the fire alarm system. The cathedral had been under renovation and the cause of the fire has not yet been officially determined, The New York Times reported. It has since been suggested that the cause of the fire was “an electrical short-circuit” in an elevator and that a computer glitch may have contributed by showing the fire in the wrong place. The flames were believed to have started at the base of the spire, according to CBS News. The cathedral caught fire after 6 p.m. Paris time, and 500 firefighters spent nearly five hours fighting the blaze. By 11 p.m., the cathedral had been mostly preserved, including the two iconic bell towers, although two-thirds of the roof was gone. French President Emmanuel Macron promised that the cathedral would be rebuilt, according to The New York Times. After the fire cleared, people assessed the damage to the cathedral and the many works of art that it contained. The overall structure of the building was still intact, except for the roof and spire. Since the bell towers survived the blaze, most of the bells were believed to have survived too, including the Emmanuel bell, the cathedral’s main bell and a 15th-century relic, according to Slate. The copper statues that sat atop the cathedral were saved, having been removed from the building as a part of the renovation project. Many of the paintings and other artwork inside were also rescued from the blaze. The grand organ in the church was intact, but was believed to have suffered water damage. The iconic stained-glass rose windows also survived the fire, according to Slate. Since the fire, nearly $1 billion dollars has been raised towards the rebuilding efforts of the cathedral. Meanwhile, there have been negative reactions worldwide to the amount of money raised, with some saying that the money could instead be used to solve the world’s social issues, USA Today reported. Officials have said that $1 billion will likely not be enough for all of the necessary repairs, while architects say that despite Macron’s five-year promise, rebuilding the cathedral could take decades, according to USA Today.
By Ariel Steinsaltz Staff Writer Music burst through the air during the Jazz Ensemble’s performance on Saturday, April 13 at 8 p.m. in Kendall Hall. The ensemble, directed by Assistant Director of Music Gary Feinberg, opened with “Strike up the Band” by George Gershwin. After the first performance, Feinberg explained the show’s theme, which was a combination of swing, blues, bebop, hip hop and rock. The band then played “Emancipation Blues” by Oliver Nelson, which is an important piece to Feinberg due to its ability to fuse African-American and mainstream jazz while bringing back the blues and gospel roots. The song began slow but transitioned to an upbeat melody, which pleasantly surprised audience members. This selection was followed by the ballad “Carla” by Bob Mintzer and “Cold Sweat” by James Brown. Feinberg told the story of Brown being given the chance to open for the Rolling Stones in the 1960s only for the Stones to say that they didn’t want to perform after him. According to Feinberg, the piece was special because it was the first funk tune and only includes one chord shift. The song, which included many solos, was also loud and upbeat. “One of the things that a jazz band does, a student jazz band, is you do a lot of sight reading,” he said. “So from the beginning of the semester we read a lot of charts.” Before a brief intermission, the crowd was serenaded in “Donna Lee” by Charlie Parker. Feinberg described this as a bebop song, which was a transformative movement in the revolution of jazz following an oppressive era in music. Popular film and TV scorer Gordon Goodwin from the famed “The Incredibles,” made his song “Whodunnit” popular with the crowd. Pat Metheny, a 20-time Grammy winner, was featured in a “Latin rock” song called “Have You Heard” with a seven-beat cycle that Feinberg said makes it hard to dance to. A diversion from the tone of the program took form in “Take The ‘A’ Train” by Billy Strayhorn. Feinberg explained the nostalgic side of this piece, saying it is a song that everyone should know. David Cohn, a freshman psychology major, played the trombone in the show. When asked which song was his favorite, he said, “I like ‘Take the ‘A’ Train,’ it’s a classic.” Feinberg explained that the jazz band is a class that has been rehearsing twice a week since the beginning of the semester. After the show, Feinberg explained why he chose the songs for the show. “From the charts we read, I just picked out charts that the band sounded good on a couple weeks ago.” “Jazz band is a super fun experience and I really enjoyed this concert,” Cohn said. Gaia Hutcheson, a freshman music education major who came to the show to support her friends in the jazz band, said that although she doesn’t know much about jazz, she enjoyed the music. “The jazz band is always really, really good,” she said. “Everyone is dedicated and wonderful."
By Ariel Steinsaltz Staff Writer After a meeting with President Donald Trump, Kirstjen Nielsen resigned from her position as the Secretary of Homeland Security, according to The New York Times. Going into her meeting with the president, Nielsen hoped to make a plan to move forward with the situation of border security, which had long been a point of contention between her and the president. She came prepared with a list of ways to better the relationship with Trump, and thought in part that she could have a “reasoned conversation” with him, according to The New York Times. In the weeks leading up to Nielsen’s resignation, the president had asked her to close entry ports at the border and stop allowing in those who were seeking asylum, of which Nielsen did not approve. During their meeting, the president wanted to ask for Nielsen’s resignation, which she ended up submitting afterward. “‘I hope that the next secretary will have the support of Congress and the courts in fixing the laws which have impeded our ability to fully secure America’s borders and which have contributed to discord in our nation’s discourse,’” Nielsen said in her letter, according to The New York Times. Speaking out on April 8, Nielsen called the situation at the border a “‘humanitarian crisis.’” She also made clear that she shares Trump’s goal of increasing border security, according to CBS News. Before her resignation went into effect on April 10, the president announced that her replacement would be Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan. Her resignation is part of a large shift in staffing for the Department of Homeland Security, largely organized by White House advisor Stephen Miller, according to CBS News. Nielsen had become known for supporting the “‘zero-tolerance’” policy enacted last year that took migrant children away from their parents as they crossed the border. Nielsen justified the policy by saying it was continued from prior administrations and done to keep children out of danger, according to CBS News. The resignation came while the president is trying to appear tougher on immigration in preparation for the upcoming 2020 election. The resignation also followed recently revealed pressure from the White House to immigration officials and the Department of Homeland Security instructing them to release detained immigrants in sanctuary cities in order to take action against the political enemies of the president, according to The Washington Post. Despite her resignation not taking effect until April 10, Nielsen had left her Virginia home on April 8, where she expressed her gratitude to Trump before officially stepping down from her position. “‘I just want to thank the president again for the tremendous opportunity to serve this country. I’m forever grateful and proud of the men and women of DHS who work so hard every day to execute their missions and support the homeland,’” she told reporters on April 8, CBS News reported.
By Ariel Steinsaltz Staff Writer A night of comedy, entertainment and activism emerged as soon as performance artist Alok Vaid-Menon took the stage. “Femme in Public,” which was hosted by PRISM on Friday, April 5 at 8:30 p.m. in Mayo Concert Hall, featured stand-up comedy and poetry that highlighted issues facing the transgender community, as well as white feminism and liberalism. Vaid-Menon began the show with a moment of silence for all of the transgender people who have died in the past year. They then performed a poem using a sound mixing board that repeated the refrain, “Where do all the sad girls go?” This more serious performance was followed by a stand-up comedy routine. “New Jersey could win a prize for being, like, the most homogenous place in the entire world,” they said as they joked that cisgendered, heterosexual white people were being erased and should be listed as an endangered species. Vaid-Menon also recounted their experience at the Daddy National Convention and its “Pin the Blame on the Donkey,” a satirical game in which participants placed blame on different minority groups for the 2016 election. They poked fun at the Democratic Party’s attitude that they focused too much on winning over minorities when they should’ve been focusing on white men, who are actually the minority themselves. They also critiqued white feminism by saying it’s really “white women wanting the same power as white men to kill us.” Vaid-Menon also clarified that if audience members thought the performance was poking fun at them, then they were probably right, saying, “Welcome to the drag show — prepare to get dragged.” After this comedy bit, Vaid-Menon transitioned back to a more serious performance, equivocating gender bias to white supremacy and explaining why transgender people of color are the most likely to be killed. They criticised the media’s overrepresentation of fully transitioned white people, even though visibly gender nonconforming people and people of color experience the most violence. Vaid-Menon then performed another piece with the sound board, repeating the refrain “Promise Me” and stressing that people should not have to fit into a certain category to feel like they matter. They also emphasized that people do not always have to be brave or confident to matter. Vaid-Menon counteracted the popular belief that their advocacy is radical, clarifying that they just want to feel safe and the more radical notion is the need to stick to the gender binary. They then criticized the College and other “rich white schools” for using queer and transgender people, as well as people of color, as “fodder for other people’s growth” and stressed the need for more resources for minorities. “(PRISM) wanted someone who we feel is doing really important things in the LGBTQ+ community and who can take the narrative of LGBTQ+ people being for entertainment and turn it on its head,” said Aviva Ron, the president of PRISM and a junior women’s, gender and sexuality studies major. “I was hoping that people would get an experience that we don’t usually get. Especially going to a very white institution, a lot of people don’t often get an experience like this event.” Patricia Nguyen, a sophomore biology major, said the event was “a totally breathtaking experience” that allowed her to learn more about social issues and view poetry in a new light. “I always like speaking at colleges because I feel like there are a lot of trans and gender nonconforming students who are struggling and I want to show them that they’re valid and they should be celebrated,” Vaid-Menon said. When asked what they wanted people to get out of their show, they said, “A sense of validation, education, healing and a good laugh.”
By Ariel Steinsaltz Staff Writer On April 1, the TCNJ Today website announced that the English department would become the Department of Imaginary Languages and Cultures and would begin teaching classes on subjects including Klingon and magic spells. The transition was an elaborate April Fools’ joke, a long time coming and first of its kind, organized by English professor Jess Row. “We (English Professor Felicia Steele) talked about it for a number of years, and I just decided that this would be a good year to do it,” said Row. “It just seemed to naturally fit in… lots of faculty in the English Department are interested in magic and fantasy and Harry Potter and things like that, and of course lots of our students are as well.” The entire department was involved, with all of the professors contributing suggestions for the report, including many submitting names of classes that they would be interested in teaching. They dressed in fantasy-related costumes for a ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 13, which College President Kathryn Foster attended. Dave Muha, the College’s spokesperson was also involved, so it could be published on the College’s website. The article listed new classes such as “Vulcan Literature and Philosophy,” “Vibranium, Kryptonite, and Mithril: Fantasy Metallurgies” and “Intensive Mermish” offered in the College’s swimming pool. There were also new names for the professors. Glenn Steinberg, the department chair, stated that his new title would be Arthur Weasley, Muggle Professor of Imaginary Literary Studies. Row was set to become Hrothgar, Master of Dwarvish Studies. Some students were both fooled and thrilled by the news. Members of the Society for the Creative Endeavors, the College’s anime club, were amused by the mention of a class called “Otakus and Otherness.” Nina Brossa, a freshman psychology major and member of the club, responded with enthusiasm, asking when the course will be offered and that she intended to take it in the spring. Freshman math major Cassie Oleniacz said the changes were “really cool” before realizing they were an April Fools joke. “They should have an actual class focusing on imaginary languages,” said Sean Downing, a junior English major. Students were not the only ones being fooled. Word of the prank avoided being leaked, even to official offices at the College. “(The prank) certainly seem(s) to have fooled some adults,” Row said. “The English department got a call from Records and Registration this morning asking if they should start registering students for the new department, so obviously, the joke has worked on some people.” College students expressed their enjoyment over having members of the faculty take the time and effort to produce such a convincing prank, as well as bring to light the culture that surrounds the imaginary languages. “It was a good one,” said Sam Shaw, a junior communication studies major. “(I’m) glad our college is finally recognizing weeb culture.” The prank was successful, but Row explained that he does not know if anything like it will happen in the future. “You’d have to come up with a completely unrelated concept in order to fool people a second time,” he said.
By Ariel Steinsaltz Staff Writer On March 24, The New York Times reported on the state of emergency at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota where a number of residents were stranded by severe flooding in the Midwest. Residents have been stranded in their homes for nearly two weeks and emergency rations can only be delivered to some areas via horse, boat or helicopter. The Oglala Sioux Tribe manages the reservation and officials have said that they do not have the necessary resources or technical skills to deal with such a major crisis. Tribe officials emphasized that they simply do not have enough people to pull off the large-scale aid, according to The New York Times. The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe also declared a state of emergency after the Moreau River overflowed. About 50 people were evacuated, with some having to be airlifted by helicopter. The river was expected to crest at more than 30 feet, according to Argus Leader. Henry Red Cloud of Pine Ridge has lost five homes, multiple vehicles and the location of his solar energy business, has described the situation as a “‘state of emergency,”’ according to The New York Times. Pine Ridge is not the only affected area — many regions of the Midwest have been flooded, destroying small towns, killing three people and causing over a billion dollars in economic damages. However, while aid came quickly to Iowa and Nebraska, Pine Ridge was left in a state of chaos. Many accused South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem of being slow to act. The relationship between the governor and the state’s Native American population is already fraught, The New York Times reported. The reservation is dealing with loss of equipment, jail inmates being required to fill sandbags and new mothers running low on infant formula. Some medical patients also required help and ambulances could not reach them, The New York Times reported. Pine Ridge is one of the most poverty-stricken parts of the state, with 50 percent of people living in poverty and a 20-percent unemployment rate. The poor infrastructure exacerbated the problem caused by the flooding, as many residents live in aging houses far from any roads, according to the New York Times. Eight-thousand residents lost clean drinking water as a result of the flooding. Many fear climate change will only make weather situations worse in the future, The New York Times reported. Many residents were refusing to evacuate due to concern for their livestock and property, causing the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe government chairman, Harold Frazier, to tell residents to take the threat seriously. “‘You are placing not just your life, but the lives of those who will try to rescue you, at risk,’” Frazier said, reported Argus Leader. The tribal government is gathering resources at White Horse and looking for water rescue teams. The Emergency Operations Center sent a water response team, and the Army Corps of Engineers sent a sandbagging machine, reported the Argus Leader.
By Ariel Steinsaltz Staff Writer Mixed Signals, the College’s improv comedy troupe, was met with cheers from the audience as its members took the Library Auditorium stage on March 10 at 8 p.m. For the first half of the show, the group performed its standard series of short improvisation games. The troupe led games like “Ding,” in which any member of the group outside of a scene requires those in the scene to change the topic of the last discussion, and “Hollywood Director,” where a director character has three actor characters do a scene in a number of different ways. During the skit for the game “Ding,” a character learned they were pregnant with the anti-Christ, after other previous options were changed. They asked their partner where they were from, and he replied, “The ninth circle of hell.” These games then transitioned into the long form segment of the show, which allowed the troupe to interact with the audience. After the crowd came up with a topic of conversation, that topic was used to start a discussion between three special guests, who were students in the audience. Kate Augustin, a junior elementary education and psychology dual major, served as one guest in the performance. She spoke about a prom held at her high school, which was described as the best prom in the U.S. in 2004 according to USA Today, and featured performers such as Drake Bell. After the show, Augustin was quick to comment on how much she enjoyed the night. “It was so much fun,” she said. “The Mixed Signals can take nothing and make it the funniest thing ever. I like to support my friends, and also they are genuinely hilarious. I don’t think I’ve not, like, cried laughing at a show.” Mixed Signals Vice President and senior communication studies and English double major Samantha Franz explained that there is a certain selection process that takes place in order to find the ideal troupe guest stars. “The guests are selected through sort of a process of the people who attend our show every month and collective audience members who come to every show and know the kind of jokes we like,” Franz said. “People who can tell a very cohesive story.” She also talked about how the improv group often incorporates short games and activities to entertain the audience. The longer activities were newer for the group, but they were pleased with the reception. “This is a theme that we do every year,” Franz said. “Long form is not something that we do very often. We’re a very short form troupe and we prefer to stick to two to five minute games, so this is kind of a stretch for us.” The performance was well-received by audience members and kept them entertained throughout the night. “My mouth hurts from smiling so much,” said freshman history and secondary education dual major Molly Hurst.
By Ariel Steinsaltz Staff Writer On March 12, the Justice Department announced its largest ever prosecution of counts related to college admission and charged 50 people with various white-collar crimes. Thirty-three wealthy parents, which included Hollywood celebrities and prominent business leaders were among the accused who allegedly used bribery and fraud to get their children into top schools such as Yale University, Stanford University and the University of Southern California, according to The New York Times. Among those involved were actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, various business leaders and athletic coaches at the colleges, who accepted bribes to pretend that students were top athletes in order to get them athletic scholarships to schools, The New York Times reported. The parents and school officials who carried out the scandal, which expanded to six states, are accused by the Justice Department of “cheating the system,” as well as cheating harder-working students out of their chance at having a good education. None of the universities or students were charged in the scandal, with prosecutors saying many of the students “were not aware” of what their parents were doing, The New York Times reported. Each parent involved in the scandal was charged with “one felony count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and one count of honest services mail fraud.” Some of the people involved have taken career hits and several of the students are having their admission reconsidered, while others are being allowed to remain, according to New York Magazine. New York Magazine stated that Loughlin and her husband had their two daughters admitted to USC as part of the rowing team despite neither of them having ever rowed. Her younger daughter, Olivia Jade Giannulli, is reportedly not returning to USC and has been dropped by many of the companies for which she has advertised, such as Sephora and Estee Lauder. Loughlin was released from jail on $1 million bail and has been dropped by both Hallmark and Netflix. “When Calls the Heart,” where she was a series regular, is on a “‘creative hiatus.’” Loughlin will also no longer appear as the character Aunt Becky in “Fuller House,” New York Magazine reported. Other people involved in the scandal include Gordon Caplan, who paid Rick Singer, the fraud plan’s reported mastermind, to doctor ACT scores for his daughter by making a $75,000 donation to Singer’s foundation. Another parent, Bill McGlashan, allegedly paid Singer $250,000 to create a football career for his son despite his high school not having a football team. Transcripts also showed that McGlashan asked Singer to make sure his son was not aware, according to The Los Angeles Times. Some also faked learning disabilities for their children so that they could get extended time on standardized testing. These accommodations are mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act to give students with disabilities a fair chance at success. Singer took advantage of those accommodations to bribe a proctor who would allow cheating; he then paid a test taker to take the test for the student or change their answers, Fortune Magazine reported.
By Ariel Steinsaltz Staff Writer Within hours of a tornado warning sent out to the central Alabama area on March 3, tornadoes had reached Alabama, Georgia and Florida, leaving devastation and 23 people dead in their wake, according to The New York Times. All 23 deaths reported were from Lee County, Alabama, which was hit by two tornadoes. One of the tornadoes was at least half a mile wide. The New York Times reported that people were sent to hospitals, homes were destroyed and trees were uprooted. “‘There was a mobile home frame in the middle of the road at one time,’” said Chief Byron Prather of the Opelika Fire Department, according to The New York Times. Rescue teams, totaling more than 150 people, barely had more than flashlights and vehicle lights as they searched into the night for victims and survivors, The New York Times reported. Some people had very little time to prepare for the tornadoes. The first warning in Lee County came at 2:58 p.m., with the first damage report coming in only five minutes later. The warning for the second tornado came at 3:38 p.m., followed by reports of damage after 13 minutes. After the tornadoes swept through, as many as 20 people were unaccounted for in addition to the 23 dead. Some people were receiving treatment for injuries that were said to be “‘very serious,’” according to ABC Action News. According to the Ledger-Enquirer, the oldest of the 23 victims of the tornado was 89 years old, while the youngest was 6. Four of the victims were children, who were 6, 8, 9 and 10 years old. The half-mile wide tornado in Lee County reached wind speeds between 136 and 165 mph. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey extended a state of emergency that was issued last month “due to tornadoes and severe weather,” according to ABC Action News. Alabama was not the only state affected. An airport on the border between the two states was destroyed. In Talbotton, Georgia, six people were injured and at least 15 structures, including an apartment building, were destroyed. A pastor at a church in Talbotton said that because media reports were focused mainly on Alabama’s impending tornado, people in town were not expecting tornadoes to hit their areas as well, which partly prevented them from being able to prepare before damage could strike, according to ABC Action News. According to USA Today, on Friday, March 8, President Donald Trump flew to Alabama to tour the area. The president described the damage as “‘hard to believe.’” Many Alabama residents expressed their gratitude for the president’s tour, including a 7-year-old boy, who wrote a message thanking Trump for his visit. USA Today reported that the president tweeted on March 4 that the Federal Emergency Management Agency would provide “‘A-plus treatment’” to those affected. The New York Times reported that the death toll is more than double the 10 people killed by tornadoes in the U.S. in 2018.
By Ariel Steinsaltz Staff Writer ‘We don’t want to talk about politics.” I hear this phrase pretty much everywhere I go. People often don’t want to get political because it’s not a particularly fun topic or because some might get offended. I understand — talking politics can be unpleasant, heated and it can cause arguments between friends and family. But we don’t talk about politics because it’s fun, we talk about politics because it’s important. These conversations are ones that we need to have. Politics isn’t just some mess that comes up in a presidential election every four years — the subject is always relevant and impacts every single aspect of our lives. The internet that we use on a daily basis is affected by the regulation, or lack thereof, by the Federal Communications Commission. The medications we take are approved or denied by the Food and Drug Administration, which also makes rules about what can and can’t be in the food we eat. On a more local level, the amount of funding in public schools is determined by the level of property tax in a district. The funding of public colleges and universities, like the one we attend, comes primarily from the state government. Some may decide to remain apolitical beause they aren’t as affected by the government as others, which is where privilege comes into play. When the president instituted a ban on transgender people serving in the military, cisgender people didn’t suddenly lose their jobs. If Roe v. Wade is overturned, some citizens would be stripped of their reproductive rights while others would remain unaffected. When families seeking asylum at the border are ripped apart and migrant chil- dren are detained in cages, people living far away from the border may not be directly impacted. But just because an issue doesn’t affect us personally, that doesn’t mean we can just let it go. It’s easier and more pleasant to ignore these things, but what is right is not necessarily what is easy or pleasant. As South African Cleric and Civil Rights Advocate Desmond Tutu once said, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” I’m not condemning anyone who iden- tifies as bipartisan — you shouldn’t have to align with any specific political affiliation to have a problem with stripping peo- ple of their basic rights. If you don’t want to talk about tax rates, foreign trade or regulation of the internet, that’s fine. But if your response to hearing about the government locking children in cages “that’s politics, let’s not talk about it,” then you are telling me, whether you intend to or not, that you are okay with children being locked in cages. Which you might be, but if that is a case, you should just come out and say it. Many people adopt the mentality that “talking about it won’t make a difference, so what’s the point?” This is an important question, and something I used to wonder about, but there is a point. For one thing, if you educate yourself to form an opin- ion on why certain policies are wrong or harmful, you might be able to convince people to stop isolating themselves from the political realm. If more people realize that certain policies are wrong, then more people can do something about them. The largest protests for change in history all had to start with a few people talking about the issues they were passionate about changing. We have to talk about the problems of this generation or the next great protest might never come to be. Talking about politics might be unpleasant, boring or spark disagreement, but it has to be done. No matter what your opinion is, if you don’t share it, you will never have the opportunity to do your part. Students share opinions around campus Should students prioritize political involvement?
By Ariel Steinsaltz Staff Writer Music filled the air as two music majors took the stage to showcase their skills and love for their craft. On Sunday, March 3 at 4 p.m. in Mayo Concert Hall, two students in the music department presented their senior recitals, which is a requirement for all music majors. Marisa Blackman, a senior music performance major and flute player, and Madeline Kaba, a senior music education major and trumpet player, took the stage. The event opened with Kaba playing the trumpet, accompanied by Kathy Shanklin, a collaborative pianist at the College. The powerful notes of the trumpet filled the room and delighted the audience as Kaba played the “Sonata for Trumpet and Piano” by Halsey Stevens. Next was Blackman, also accompanied by Shanklin, playing the “Hamburger Sonata” by Bach. Blackman produced a pleasant melody with her flute. Kaba then performed the “Concertino for Flugelhorn” by William Himes on the flugelhorn and Blackman performed “Concerto for Piccolo and Orchestra” by Lowell Liebermann on the piccolo. After intermission, Kaba played “Légende” by Georges Enesco and Blackman played “Canzone for Flute and Piano” by Samuel Barber. Kaba then performed “Quintet” by Michael Kamen. Blackman finished the event by playing “Ballad for Flute and Piano” by Frank Martin. “Really the preparation started as soon as I got here freshman year,” Kaba said of the culmination of her work as a music student. “Everything builds to the end.” Kaba explained that she had to do a lot of practicing to make sure that her performance was the best that it could be. For Blackman, preparation for the event started during winter break and carried into the semester. She worked with Shanklin to find songs that were the best possible fit. As far as picking the songs for the event went, the inspiration came from a variety of places. Kaba explained that some of the songs were ones she had played before or heard other people play, but some came from internet browsing. Blackman started playing piano in the second grade and started playing the flute in fifth grade. In high school, she picked up the piccolo but changed mediums later on. “I’m kind of a special case because I switched instruments my freshman year,” Kaba said. “It’s a gut feeling you have, the connection to the instrument.” Christopher McEwan, a senior music education major, came to the event because he is good friends with both of the performers. “I thought it was absolutely fantastic,” he said. “They both did a phenomenal job.” Gina Luizzi, a sophomore music education major, was also present at the event in support of her fellow classmates. “Marisa and I are both in the flute studio, so I wanted to support her, and also I was just really looking forward to hearing some great music,” Luizzi said. “I thought it was really beautiful. I’ve never really heard solo trumpet before. I really loved hearing Marisa play and showing off her amazing talent for an audience because she’s such a great player.”