1 November 15, 2020 (Issue 5)
News Section
Enterprise
Culture and values play key roles in a person’s outlook on business. Black entrepreneurship isn't highlighted enough in the national media because of perception. However, there are hidden gems that come in the form of black-owned businesses. Alfred’s two campuses have multiple Black students that are making a change in the business world. Young African American entrepreneurs are expressing themselves through their intellect and skillset.
Unfortunately, the majority of college kids struggle financially. The background a student comes from ultimately determines one’s financial situation. These students found a way to support themselves while maintaining cultural values.
These students exemplify black enterprise. There are multiple clothing designers, cooks,
hairdressers, audio technicians, investors, etc. They all have found a safe and productive way of producing products through the pandemic.
5 is Live
5 is Live is an Alfred-based entertainment company established in early 2020. It's run by a collective of students who attend either AU or Alfred State. Their talents vary, but they all play a key role in the operation. The group consists of party promoters, musicians, designers, athletes and investors. Their original objective was to have a good time in a controlled
environment. Luckily for them, they’ve expanded and found ways to stay relevant through the pandemic.
According to members of the company, 5 is Live is an elaborate operating business. Currently, they generate funds through booking and merchandising. Over one hundred of their T-shirts and masks were sold during the Fall 2020 semester. Pre-pandemic, the group was known for
throwing the best parties. There were always multiple live DJs on hand and good vibes for any student.
Criminal Justice major ‘Dj M Live’ Etienne offered his thoughts on black-owned businesses.
2
“I love the idea of black-owned business because we have an opportunity to support our own.
Today, there is comfortable, affordable gear made from people that look like us. You’ll always see me support black business,” said Etienne.
Etienne then gave insight on the way Black entrepreneurship is perceived.
“It surprises me sometimes how people mature and step up. Black people start off with less chances. It’s time people start looking at these young black owners at top bosses," said Etienne.
Seeing everyone as a valuable piece and a leader is how 5 is Live thrives.
During quarantine, 5 is Live took to Instagram live, hosting live dance battles and virtual parties.
Due to the pandemic, there have been no parties on the campuses during the Fall 2020 semester.
When and if order returns, the group will be back operating at a more satisfying capacity.
LayedbyHawa
LayedbyHawa (@layedbyhawa on Instagram) is the face of Alfred’s hairdressing scene. Owner Hawa Gakou is a one-woman force. Gakou found a way to hone in on her talent of
hairdressing. She is based in Manhattan, NY but attends Alfred University and has a number of clients in Alfred.
Gakou makes wigs and installs them. She has the leisure of traveling to her clients or vice versa.
She takes the proper safety measures to remain successful as well. She makes sure to keep a catalog of her clients, as well as their contact information.
Throughout the interview, Hawa expressed her pride in being a black business owner. She also acknowledged the hurdles that these owners face. Due to a lack of resources, black-owned start- ups tend to struggle early.
“It takes a lot of courage and money to build your own business. Being a person of color, things are harder for us to achieve because people already have their opinion on Black people,” said Gakou.
Hawa regarded black-owned businesses as being unique and community-based. Hair is a large part of African-American culture, it’s used as a vessel for unity. Usually, you see people gather in salons; even if to have casual conversation. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, Hawa isn’t able to create that community aspect.
To stay relevant, she’s done raffles to her Instagram account. On her way to the 500 follower mark, she gives away a wig made by her. She is well on her way to be successful because of her determination.
“Hard work and dedication will get me where I want to be. The more I practice different techniques I see growth,” said Gakou.
3 A huge part of being a successful entrepreneur is being marketable. How well you represent yourself can determine the business thriving or flopping. These specific African American students are creating functioning businesses without assistance from their school. They are making a healthy difference in the social dynamic of Alfred.
Kayeef's Kitchen
Kayeef Kelly is an Alfred State senior and a well-known cook. He is the owner of Kayeef’s Kitchen, specializing in Curry dishes. He produces quality food for both campuses. His Sunday menu consists of chicken or shrimp curry with sides of white rice, mac & cheese or roti.
Kelly gave an in-depth and insightful perspective on black entrepreneurship. He explained why black people should take their share of America's markets. Doing so helps with financial gain and economic stance. Kelly also offered what could be achieved morally through business.
When asked about the importance of black ownership, Kelly had a sharp response.
“I think that black-owned businesses are an excellent way for African-Americans to change their financial situation and get in tuned with America's capitalistic infrastructure," said Kelly
"In order to make a change, you have to start with a plan. Will what you produce get you where you want to be? The investments a person is willing to make is important. Black entrepreneurs start with slimmer chances and less opportunities to enter that infrastructure."
Kelly feels that there are lessons to be learned along the way to success.
“Owning a business will teach you all types of different things that will help you. Everything has to click and the functionality of the business to make sense in order for it to be successful," said Kelly.
Anything that takes time and effort away from a student’s college schedule entails sacrifice.
These black entrepreneurs are making a change in the business world. By starting now they are structuring their future in a successful direction. It is important to know how you were perceived to the world. These students are breaking barriers and establishing new relationships daily.
Despite the pandemic, they found a way to make their mark.
By Jamall Lewis
4
Fiat Racial Justice - A statement from Student Senate &
SAB’s Executive Boards
We mourn and honor the lives of Black individuals who have been victims of police brutality and systemic racial injustice. However, we also recognize that none of this is news. The hurt, frustration and anger felt by communities of color is significant and must be acknowledged. The deaths of black Americans such as George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Daniel Prude and countless others who have been targeted and not given justice because of their skin color is deplorable, a disgrace and unconscionable.
We unequivocally stand in solidarity with the Black community and Black Lives Matter throughout the nation as they organize, protest and demonstrate for justice and rights which should be given to and secured for all.
It should go without saying that we are appalled and outraged by the persistent structural and systemic state-sponsored violence which has been perpetrated against Black, Brown and other marginalized populations. Though the most recent egregious murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Eric Reason, Tony Mcdade and Michael Lorenzo Dean highlight the pervasive nature of the lack of respect for Black and Brown bodies, they are not isolated by any means. Instead, they further expose and demonstrate the threats to our nation, our students, and our communities. Our system is broken and Black communities are especially vulnerable. Without economic and social equity Black communities cannot - and will not - have the peace and security they deserve. No student, person, or community is expendable in the name of justice. We must take steps in the coming days, weeks, months and years to change.
As student leaders in the Alfred University community, our mission is to encourage student involvement in both national and local groups and organizations founded under the auspices of empowerment and advocacy, including but not limited to Say Her Name, Black Lives Matter, Black Trans Lives Matter, The Black Caucus, and Umoja. Our role as leaders is to implement meaningful change and embrace our commitment to equity, inclusion, and diversity. We strive to lead the campus community in these developments.
This starts with each of us, and we must hold ourselves and each other accountable. The Senate and SAB will commit to concrete structural steps to be implemented over the next academic year and beyond to improve, enhance, and support our community moving forward.
We will continue to support the Black Diasporic clubs and organizations of Alfred University with financial aid and collaborative efforts:
• The Senate’s Finance Chair and Treasurer are very interested in continuing to provide support for racial justice causes and events. Please contact them at
senatefinance@alfred.edu
• After the covid restrictions have been lifted, the Senate will be looking into funding transportation that will take students from our campus to the Big Flats area, where they
5 will have access to a wider variety of stores (Target™, Best Buy™, Tops™, Barnes and Noble™, Old Navy™ and T.J. Maxx™ to name a few.)
• Utilize, cultivate, and encourage the development of Black, Brown, and other
marginalized population owned business and resources, when possible, for programmatic needs and opportunities intentionally and consistently.
• The Senate will be reaching out to the procurement office with the intention of promoting purchases from Black-owned businesses.
• The Senate will also be working with SAB to promote Black vendors at our events.
• Improve our education on systemic racism, oppression and racialized violence.
• The Senate will be working with Common Ground to facilitate roundtable discussions to bring attention to local systemic racism.
• The Senate would like to promote AU’s social justice and Africana minors, information for which can be found here: https://bit.ly/3dkigPQ
• The Senate will center and elevate the voices of those who are marginalized in global society to empower those who are most often silenced or muted.
• Prioritize clear communication between the different organizations on campus.
• The Senate Diversity Chair will be sending out monthly emails updating you on our anti- racist initiatives.
• The Senate will be working with Alfred for Racial Justice on promoting communication between racial justice groups.
• The Senate will reach out to deans regarding the better dissemination of information among students.
Fiat Justice & Change
By Your Alfred University Student Senate & SAB Executive Boards
“Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability but comes through continuous struggle.” - Martin Luther King Jr.
COVID-19 Testing at AU
Voluntary COVID-19 testing for students will be offered on Monday, Nov. 13 by the Alfred University Wellness Center for students who wish to get tested before they go home for break.
Getting a COVID-19 test at AU wasn’t always so easy.
Until now, random mandatory testing was the only testing done on-campus for asymptomatic students. This semester, the AU Wellness Center was not testing asymptomatic students and those who felt they had been missed during contact tracing.
Currently, the protocol for when an AU student tests positive for COVID-19 is for that student to let the Wellness Center know who they’ve come in contact with.
“Anyone who has been in contact with them [someone who has tested positive] within the last 48 hours are put in quarantine. For any individual who tests positive, we do the contact tracing with
6 the government and we identify all those individuals who have been in close contact with for over ten minutes within 6 feet,” said Director of the Wellness Center Del Rey Honeycutt.
This approach relies heavily on the honor code, the Wellness Center trusts the positive student to be transparent about who they have come in contact with, putting those on that list in isolation.
“We have to go based off what the person is telling us, and we have to trust that they’re being honest with all the individuals who they’ve had close contact with,” says Honeycutt.
However, this contact tracing isn’t very thorough, according to AU art and design senior Julia Lauer. Students who know they have been in close contact with students who tested positive but have not been contacted by the Wellness Center are growing increasingly worried about the biggest flaw in the method of contact tracing: that positive students are forgetting to mention people they’ve come in contact with.
Lauer was contacted by someone she had been in close contact with, letting her know that they had tested positive for COVID-19. Lauer was not contacted by the Wellness Center, so she decided to take things into her own hands. She placed herself in precautionary isolation, and contacted the Wellness Center, alerting them about her case and letting them know that she might be asymptomatic. According to Lauer, the Wellness Center told her to take the Hornell Area Transit bus to the nearest hospital which, in Lauer’s opinion, might not be a very safe option nor one she was comfortable with.
According the Honeycutt, however, “We have also had many people call and ask, ‘I think I might be someone who should be in quarantine,’ we ask them for specific information, you know; who was it that they were in close contact with? What they were doing? When it was? We go through those steps to identify why somebody believes that they might be somebody who was missed. There’s no body so far, that we’re aware of, that we’ve missed through the contact tracing.”
Another art and design senior student, who asked to remain anonymous, had a similar experience to Lauer’s. This student had been intimate with a student who tested positive for COVID-19 shortly after. They were not, however, contacted by the Wellness Center. After days of contacting the Wellness Center about potential exposure to Covid-19 and being denied a test because of a lack of symptoms, they decided to simply lie on the daily screening and report a number of symptoms, which finally led them to receive a test.
Having a few COVID-19 symptoms doesn’t guarantee getting a Covid-19 test either. The Wellness Center uses a COVID-19 symptom formula to predict the likelihood of the presence of COVID-19.
“We only test people who are symptomatic. The reason for that is the testing that we have here is an antigen test and it’s not recommended for testing asymptomatic individuals. So individuals who want to be tested, they have to have symptoms, and we use a formula that was established through the medical community to provide us guidance on who should be tested and who doesn’t need to be tested based on the symptoms they’re presenting with. So, students can be tested but,
7 again, they need to be evaluated by the nurse or nurse practitioner first in order to have the test because, again, they have to fit the criteria for the specific test that we have here,” says Honeycutt.
AU Wellness Center’s Covid-19 symptom formula Lauer is not unreasonably concerned by the Wellness Center’s decision to deny testing to asymptomatic students. According to the World Health Organization, 80% of infections are mild or asymptomatic. If these statistics are accurate, that would mean that the
majority of COVID-19 cases would be denied a COVID-19 test by the AU Wellness Center.
Alfred, it’s one thing to comply with State and County regulations, it’s another to be ethical in doing so.
By Talulla Torthe
Alfred Station Superfund Site
For the last 30 years, Alfred Station has had a toxic dumpsite. It is on the federal government’s Superfund list but is not a priority to clean up.
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), provides a federal “superfund” to clean up uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites, as well as accidents, spills and other emergency releases of pollutants and contaminants into the environment.
Alfred Station is home to a Superfund site. In 1991, Patton’s Busy Bee Disposal Service, a disposable company, was told to close their landfill due to hazardous waste. According to the Department of Environmental Conservation the respondent (Patton’s Busy Bee) had allegedly stored waste tires in excess of 1,000 tires and had accepted waste, both in violation of Solid Waste Management facilities general requirements, and failed to comply with a provision of an
8 Order on Consent which required closure of the
landfill. The landfill also showed evidence of contamination in the groundwater. The
groundwater monitoring results submitted from 1987 to 1991 indicate that the groundwater at the site is contaminated by volatile organic
chemicals, including trichloroethylene and trans- 1,2-dichloroethylene in both the shallow and deep wells, on the western and southwestern sides of the facility. The record shows that Patton’s Busy Bee violated the Orders on Consent by failing to submit groundwater monitoring results for seven sampling dates in 1991, 1992 and 1993.
The organic volatile chemicals listed are colorless liquids used to remove parts, paints, glues, and spot removers. In 1970, these chemicals were banned by the FDA due to the fact that they could cause liver and cervix cancer. These chemicals have no business being in the groundwater within a mile of the Alfred wells that are used for tap water.
Having stored over 1,000 old tires and having volatile organic chemicals in the groundwater, this poses a harmful threat to our environment. The tires that are being stored are susceptible to starting fires. Fires started by tires contain acid smoke, which is harmful to humans and would also leave behind an oily residue. Tires are typically dumped in low-income areas. Alfred is a remote town surrounded by wilderness and barren land, perfect for hiding hazardous waste. The proper way to dispose of these tires would have been to recycle them.
With the coming of the new year in January, we will be “celebrating” the 30th anniversary of these violations. As written in the documents by the Department of Environmental Conservation, the landfill was directed to maintain and monitor the closed landfill and to submit monitoring reports in accordance with Solid Waste Management facilities general requirements for 30 years from the date of this order.
This site is still a current Superfund site but is not listed on the National Priorities List. This landfill was posing multiple contaminated hazardous wastes on its grounds. The last action taken at this site was February of 2011. There has not been an inspection of the site and it is still listed as incomplete.
Alfred and the greater upstate of New York is home to beautiful views of nature and wilderness.
This tragic act of holding old tires and volatile chemicals in the groundwater is an act of betrayal on this beautiful soil. Actions should be put in motion to finish cleaning up this site and restore the land to its fullest capability.
By Frank DePalma
9
The Show Must Go On
As the year 2020 comes to an end, it’s obvious to say nothing went as planned. We faced problem after problem all while trying to continue living our lives as normally as possible, and when we were faced with tough challenges, we started becoming more creative than ever, using art to communicate what we were no longer able to do previously. From the fashion world, to music, all the way down to education, we made almost everything possible. If I were to have a phrase for 2020--a positive one at least--I would say,
“The Show Must Go On.”
“The future of the fashion calendar is uncertain. Each day offers new challenges for designers and their teams to overcome amid a health pandemic, an economic depression, and a global social justice movement. Planning for the next season is no longer business as usual, but small steps are being made,” said Elise Browchuk from Vogue. Shifting the whole format from runways to computer screens is just one huge step towards adapting to this year’s obstacles.
Designers were faced with a problem, as a new season was approaching and Fashion week looking dreadful, they took “The show must go on” to another level. By using the technology available, they made the fashion experience just as immersive as it would’ve been if we were to sit in the front seat at a fashion show. Not only high fashion, but smaller shops and businesses are taking their work online.
According to Statista, “Retail websites generated 14.34 billion visits in March 2020, up from 12.81 billion global visits in January 2020. Due to many shelter-at-home orders and a desire to avoid crowded stores in places where it is possible to shop, consumers have turned to the internet to procure everyday items such as groceries or toilet paper.” Being online isn’t something new either, many people have started their own business behind a computer screen. Ever since March, people have spent more time surfing the web looking for what they need, turning them to brand new shops and less expensive solutions for what they would’ve found in stores. Sometimes they find completely online exclusive items, making smaller online brands on websites like Etsy and Depop gain more recognition.
One thing that affects everyone here at Alfred is how much education has changed. The semester is ending, and we all managed to keep our heads up and masks on. All while attending our classes both online and in person. Yeah, some things were lost, but that’s expected if we want to keep this show moving. The Fall semester has had its trial and errors, but we are looking forward to the spring semester. Hopefully, we will be able to have more things under control and our classes can become more interactive. Dean of the School of Business Mark Lewis says he’s excited for what the Spring semester holds for students. He says that next semester in BUSI105, business students will team up with both engineering and art students to create something unique to Alfred University.
By Isa Hamilton
10
Recycle Now or Die
The earth is quickly deteriorating and America is simply not doing enough to slow it down. America as a country can’t solve this problem by itself. It begins with the states, counties, and towns across America. While spending my time in college at Alfred, I can’t help but notice the lack of recycling in this area.
I am from Grand Island, New York. At home, recycling is just a part of our day to day lives. We don’t view recycling as a task or going above and beyond.
Recycling was introduced to me when I was in kindergarten, my family and those around me have always done it.
I feel the recycling efforts in Alfred are not where they should be. After reading Tallula Torthe’s article What Happens in Alfred Doesn’t Stay In Alfred, I believe we as a community could do more. Everyone across America has been made aware of the benefits of recycling. In many places across the country, such as California, recycling isn’t even an option, it is required. I believe recycling should be made mandatory. The simple task of separating items when throwing them away makes an enormous impact on saving our earth and protecting the environment. I feel as though everyone should hold others accountable for recycling.
As Talulla said in her article, as an Alfred University student, the only thing you can do to help is reducing how much plastic you buy. A common purchase among a lot of college students is plastic water bottles. Since the tap water in Alfred is not what students would like to drink, and filter systems are expensive, plastic water bottles seem very convenient. In reality, they are a more expensive investment than getting a filtering system. I am advising students to stop buying plastic water bottles. Why? If we don’t know exactly where our recycling ends up, then avoiding plastic water bottles would be a small change that makes a huge difference.
For students who do not have access to transportation, it can be tough to make responsible choices when it comes to recycling. I am proposing an on-campus bottle redemption center.
Students could return bottles for small returns of money. This would make recycling much easier to practice on a normal basis. Students will be more likely to use this service if it’s on campus. It is a better alternative to throwing away their bottles and cans. Ultimately helping the
environment, and picking up on the lack of recycling we as a community and as students do.
By Frank DePalma
11
Growth Stops Growth
* This article was originally a multimedia project that has been adapted for this publication. If you wish to see the original multimedia version of this article, you can find it here:
https://spark.adobe.com/page/ilP59RmLQnDrZ/ *
Expansion of the Sahara
According to a 2018 study conducted by scientists at the University of Maryland, the Sahara Desert has grown by about 10% since 1920. Deserts are defined by their low annual rainfall average (four inches or less). The researchers of this study analyzed the rainfall data of the Sahara and surrounding areas from 1920 to 2013 and found that the area in Northern Africa with less than four inches of annual rainfall was progressively getting
bigger. As the Sahara grows, it encroaches on abundant, fertile, and rich savanna ecosystems.
Cause of Growth
The same study conducted by the University of Maryland found human-caused climate change, natural climate cycles and overgrazing to be the culprits of the growth of the Sahara. The
researchers concluded that about two-thirds of the expansion of the Sahara could be attributed to natural climate cycles, and one-third could be attributed to climate change.
Like all deserts, the Sahara expands in dry winters and contracts in the wet summers. In Africa, however, rainy seasons are drying out at an alarming rate. According to Ming Cai, a program director in the National Science Foundation's Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences, the trends of rainy seasons drying out in Africa are linked with increasing greenhouse gages and aerosols in the atmosphere.
Effect of Growth
The growth of the Sahara disturbing surrounding ecosystems is known
as desertification. Desertification, simply put, is the process where dry, fertile land becomes desert. This is one of the biggest environmental challenges facing the planet because, as the world's population continues to grow, a reduction in fertile land with enough rainfall to support
12 crops could be detrimental to humanity. The expansion of the Sahara predominantly occurred at the northern and southern ends of the desert, a large part of this being the Sahel. Nowhere is the issue of desertification more pressing than in the sub-Sahara, where about 500 million people live on land undergoing desertification.
The Sahel spans the southern edge of the Sahara—the area of transition between the Sahara and the Sudanian savanna. The Sahel was once a green and lush region that supported millions of lives over many generations. It slowly started to degrade and became increasingly dry and infertile. The lack of fertile land to grow food soon spiraled into poverty, food and water shortages, conflicts over natural resources and forced migration.
The Green Front
In 1952, during an expedition in the South Sahara desert, Richard St. Barbe Baker—an English biologist and environmental activist—had the idea to fight back the desert. His idea was a 4,700-mile-long line of
vegetation, running entirely from the east coast to the west coast of Africa. The idea began to gain momentum in the 1980s, shortly after the Sahel became harshly degraded.
In 2007, the concept of fighting back the desert with vegetation resurfaced as the Great Green Wall under the
leadership of the African Union. This African-led initiative brings together more than twenty countries, including Algeria, Chad, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Sudan. Major international partners include the United Nations Environment Programme, The World Bank, and the
European Union. More than eight million dollars have been mobilized and pledged for the Great Green Wall.
From Senegal to Djibouti
The goal of this movement is a simple one: grow an 4,970-mile-long natural wonder of the world across the entire width of Africa. Grow vegetation to stop the growth of the Sahara desert. Once complete, the wall will be largest natural living structure on the planet—three times the size of the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Green Wall is expected to be complete by 2030.
13 Objectives
By 2030, the movement aims to restore 100 million hectares of land that is currently degraded, capturing and storing 250 million tonnes of carbon (carbon sequestration) and create 10 million jobs in rural areas. According to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, this project will help communities living besides the wall to:
• Grow fertile land, one of humanity’s most precious natural assets
• Grow economic opportunities for the world’s youngest population
• Grow food security for the millions that go hungry every day
• Grow climate resilience in a region where temperatures are rising faster than anywhere else on Earth
• Grow a wonder of the world spanning 4,970 miles across Africa Progress
Since its launch in 2007, major progress has been made in the restoration of the Sahel. In Senegal, 12 million drought resistant trees have been planted in less than a decade. In Burkina Faso, 3 million hectares of land have been rehabilitated through local practice used by
communities called the Zaï. The Zaï is a traditional practice invented by farmers in Burkina Faso to rehabilitate degraded land and to restore soil fertility. In Ethiopia, 15 million hectares of degraded land has been restored. In Niger, 5 million hectares of land has been restored,
delivering an additional 500,000 tonnes of grain per year—enough to feed 2.5 million people. In Nigeria, 5 million hectares of land has been restored. Even more dramatic is the Great Green Wall’s potential social impact. The BBC has reported that the progress and improvement in the land quality and economic opportunity in Mali may help to damper terrorism in the country.
How to help
The greatest contribution you can make to the movement is by spreading the word. By creating a global movement, Africa's goal of a 4,970-mile-long wonder can be ignited. By making the Great Green Wall famous around the world, citizens from all over can help put pressure on governments to invest in the future of Africa and, in turn, the future of the world.
By Talulla Torthe
14
Opinion Section
Vote for Earth
If you’re voting for the environment this year, your candidate of choice should be clear.
Over the past four years, we’ve witnessed President Donald Trump call climate change a hoax, take steps to remove the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement and refute science. Because of President Trump’s lack of commitment to the environment, the 2020 presidential election will be an important one for an abundance of reasons, with
environmental issues at stake.
At this point, a vote—or lack thereof—for anyone other than Biden would be a vote towards Trump, and a vote towards irreversible climate change. Many liberal-leaning voters who are unsatisfied with both presidential candidates are choosing to “settle for Biden,” a phrase that progressive Americans have been using to describe the moral dilemma of voting for Biden (despite his actions in the past), simply because he is not Trump. If you’re someone who simply refuses to vote this year because of the stale presidential candidates, perhaps a look at Biden’s environmental policies will change your mind.
While environmental issues are the least of President Trump’s concerns, Former Vice President Joe Biden considers climate change an emergency, and environmental issues a priority. Not only has Biden promised to rejoin the Paris climate agreement he has also promised to end the
Keystone XL pipeline project, reinstate Arctic National Wildlife Refuge protections, and will seek to collaborate with other countries to try to get China to stop exporting fossil fuel projects.
President Trump, on the other hand, favors the Keystone XL pipelines and supports the growth of the fossil fuel industry.
Additionally, Biden has proposed spending $2 trillion in an attempt to reach zero emissions by the year 2050 and plans to achieve 100% clean energy by 2035. Unsurprisingly, President Trump has not announced a plan to combat climate change. While visiting California earlier this year amid the devastating wildfires, President Trump revealed his skepticism that climate change was to blame for the natural disasters. “It’ll start getting cooler. You just, you just watch,” said Trump.
It’s no secret that the environment is under severe strain—we’ve seen this through
unprecedented wildfires, consistently rising record temperatures and a global pandemic, to name a few. A vote for President Trump is a leap towards the exponential increase of climate change
15 and irreversible environmental damage. A vote for Former Vice President Joe Biden is the first step in the long walk to heal Earth and undo decades of environmental harm. This year, we have to vote like our world depends on it, because it does.
By Talulla Torthe
Thoughts on Black Friday
As a child, I did not understand the appeal of Black Friday. Who would want to wake up early to go to an absolutely packed store with long lines? As I got older, I figured out that this is when my mother and my aunt would buy the majority of my Christmas gifts while saving as much money as they could. But even as an adult, my feelings towards Black Friday have remained unchanged, for more reasons than one.
Maybe it’s the Gen Z in me, but I would much rather stay home and shop online from the comfort of my own home. Though given the worsening state of the pandemic, it looks like a lot more people will be shopping online this year whether they prefer it or not. Many consumers have already opted to do all of their shopping online or via curbside pickup to avoid contracting covid-19. Curbside pickup seems to offer the most benefits to both the consumer and retailers.
People are able to fulfill their need to leave the house by driving to the store and do not have to wait several days for their order to arrive in the mail. For the retailers, curbside pickup allows brick-and-mortar stores to stay open, more employees to keep their jobs, and no financial loss from shipping items to homes. Many retailers are encouraging this option for Black Friday this year to avoid having crowded stores when social distancing is more important than ever.
Some stores, however, are adapting and preparing to physically welcome customers inside.
Several of the changes being made include pre-booked shopping times, wider aisles, additional registers, mask requirements, and limited numbers of shoppers allowed inside. Other retailers are getting creative. Walmart, for instance, will be offering their steepest discounts online first before making them available in stores. They will also be holding three multi-day supersaver events in stores to avoid having a large crowd on one singular day. Target and Macy’s will be offering their discounts over a longer period of time rather than on one day.
The holiday season brings these already-struggling retailers the majority of their yearly sales, so it is easy to see why they are trying so hard to bring customers in. From a marketing perspective, their approach may have several disadvantages, one being sales fatigue. If there are too many sales for too long of a time, the effect is diluted, and customers feel like they are not getting a deal at all. It is also important to note that there are still supply chain issues as a consequence of the pandemic. Popular items like outdoor patio heaters and indoor fitness equipment will likely be hard to find and might not go on sale at all.
16 2020 may also be the year that brings an end to the early Black Friday store openings on
Thanksgiving Day. Opening stores on Thursday is controversial for multiple reasons.
Thanksgiving is a day dedicated to being grateful for what you already have. Black Friday, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. It is all about getting more of what you want and obtaining more material possessions. Black Friday feeds off of greed – consumers get more things and save more money while companies make more profit. The fact that Black Friday comes the day immediately after Thanksgiving is disturbing enough. Retailers and their sales should not be stealing time from the holiday itself.
When stores open on a holiday, their employees are forced to work. These retail workers lose time to celebrate with their family. Due to a series of unfortunate events a couple years ago, I had the displeasure of holding a seasonal retail position and was scheduled to work on Thanksgiving.
Truthfully, knowing I had to go into work later was a complete bummer to my meal and my day in general. While I was there working the register, customers kept apologizing for the fact that I had to be there and kept thanking me for working. I think that if they felt any form of sympathy for me, they would not have been shopping that night. All of this is a reflection of our capitalist beliefs that work (making money) and sales (saving money) are two of the most important things in life. But the truth is that we, as humans, are more than just our economic activity. We have lives outside of our jobs and we deserve a day to simply be with our loved ones and to not be consumers. Some job roles are essential every day, such as healthcare providers – but is retail really that essential that we cannot go one day without it?
Retailers like Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Macy’s, and Dick’s have already announced plans to remain closed on Thanksgiving day. E-commerce is expected to break records this Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Swiss bank and money manager, UBS released a report earlier this year with predictions that e-commerce will make up one-quarter of all retail sales by 2025. It also predicts that 100,000 brick-and-mortar retail stores will close nationally by then. Evidence for these predictions can be seen with online retailer Amazon, which has seen huge growth and profit during the pandemic. According to financial data firm Facteus, consumer spending on Amazon between May and July was up 60% from the same time last year.
This Black Friday, it is more important than ever to be responsible. Is going into a crowded store during a pandemic really the best decision for yourself or other vulnerable people you may contact? Do you really need that discounted TV on Thanksgiving or can you wait one more day?
How can you be considerate to retail employees on the most stressful day of work for them? Will your money be more appreciated in Jeff Bezos’s pocket or in a small business owner’s pocket?
Shop wisely.
By Katie Alley
17
Arts & Entertainment Section
We’re Here, You Just Don’t See Us
A melting pot of old and new combined to create the largely unseen arthouse production: UNBOUND: A Loose-Leaf Project on Racial and Social Justice. A 3- night Zoom affair from November 5th to 7th, it took inspiration from emotional poetry, iconic speeches, and shocking headlines to create a stirring overarching narrative.
Told over the course of eighteen vignettes, a small cast of Alfred University students played multiple
characters across time, taking the audience for a journey from the past through to the future, in the form of endearing yet unrelentingly woven sincere and/or satirical pieces that produced a tapestry about what it is like in the heads of those fighting against racial and social injustices in the American climate.
Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, John Lewis, and Malcolm X were among the many
individuals whose timeless pathos were used in this production as a way for the cast to indirectly challenge the audience to be a part of the necessary change and to “redeem the soul of our nation.”
While it would be impossible to take a singular segment from the total piece, the vignettes entitled “I Can’t Breathe,” “What’s My Title/What’s My Name,” and “The Mundane
Afrofuturist Manifesto 24” were debatably the highlights of the evening. Carried by empathetic and charismatic actors, such as Aaliyah Lingard, Danny Michael, Zulaikha Yusuff, and Kirstin Van Renselaar, these segments were brought to life. The former two segments were highly emotional, while the latter was highly sardonic, which was rather indicative of the whole production, with the cast hopscotching through different relatable content to present a cohesive product.
Throughout, the production was fraught with technical complications, as one could expect from translating a project from a physical platform to an online one. From music running rampant, to
“off-stage” actors reacting to seeing themselves “on-stage,” to complete Zoom crashes, these gaffs became gems as they provided a moment of reprieve from the uncertain times it took place during.
As the finale for the show, the cast shared their Statements of Commitment to help bring about change, equality, and justice, while encouraging the audience to do the same. Although there seemed to be a distinct lack of campus-wide publicity surrounding UNBOUND, with audience members averaging out to around twenty-six over its 3-night run, being mainly made up of friends and family of the cast and crew, it was an endearing addition that solidified the
production as something tangible that would leave the audience wondering at their own parts to
18 play. The production was recorded for posterity, causing those Statements of Commitment to hold a little more weight than if they had been passing remarks in the mezzanine.
Overall, the work of the entire cast and crew was not an easy task, but they managed to turn this loose-leaf project into a wholly needed production. If production crewmate and Fiat Lux’s own, Jeanni Floyd’s words are anything to go by, “It was definitely a different experience than any show that I have ever worked on in the past. Surprisingly, Zoom rehearsals are really draining but the outcome of this project was worth it.”
Congratulations on this project go out to Becky Prophet, Zachary Hamm, Debra MacCea,
Autumn Maggi, Maureen Weiss, Marysia Josephson, Katie Maher, Shannon Klotz, Jeanni Floyd, Kirstin Van Renselaar, Aaliyah Lingard, Peter Fleming, Sophie Hopp, Zulaikha Yusuff, Kylie Simkins, Danny Michael, Lashay Santana and Aaron Muntner.
By Sam Sage
Film Scoop: My Favorite TV shows of 2020
Watchmen
In a world of vapid remakes, adaptations, and remixes, Watchmen is a godsend. It builds on the original material by Alan Moore in unexpected ways. It’s refreshing in the way it approaches storytelling, meticulous in its exploration of various themes, and just visually stunning. Not only are the characters amazing, but so much work is also put into exploring the history of racism in America, the inherited trauma of racism, the police state, the moral complexities of vigilantism, and institutionalized violence. It’s action-packed, thought-provoking, and deserving of all the awards it has received so far.
Available on HBO Max True Detective
It’s always good to have a solid crime drama to fall back on and True Detective is one of the best. The show’s grimy atmosphere, intriguing mysteries, and captivating characters are unrivaled in many ways. Plus, each season is different so there isn’t much commitment on the viewer’s part. Season 1 is still the best season though.
Available on HBO Max
19 Avatar the Last Airbender
This is by far one of the greatest animated TV shows ever. Rewatching it this year, I was surprised at the more adult elements. Things like the consequences of war, genocide, imperialism, colonialism, and questions about fate and free will are explored throughout the show in a nuanced and thoughtful way. The series still has its fun moments and the narrative itself is well put together.
Available on Netflix
Harley Quinn
This is an adult animated TV series that pokes fun of the DC universe and Superhero stories in general. But in many ways, it is also a character study about Harley Quinn trying to reclaim her agency after suffering an abusive relationship with the Joker. That duality of humor and heartfelt character moments is what makes this show so special. While the jokes don’t always land, when serious issues are touched on, it manages to surprise every time.
Available on HBO Max
I May Destroy You
I went into this show not knowing what to expect. Much of it explores the trauma of sexual assault and what life is like being a survivor. It does this in such a thoughtful way while adding a bit of dark humor. It’s difficult to convey the nuanced conversations this show has about sexual assault, consent and even rape in a few words. While this is a constant focal point of the show, it manages to also be about so many other things. It’s a coming of age story set in London, it’s about endearing friendships, and what life is like for creatives in the modern world. I May Destroy You is hard to categorize in one box and that is what makes it so brilliant.
Available on HBO Max
20 Dark
A time travel story done right. Dark is a German Sci-fi family drama about a missing boy that leads to some crazy truths being uncovered. The show has a lot of twists and turns that are sure to confuse you but putting together the pieces is part of the appeal. You will definitely have to bust out a family tree for this one. Overall, the show does a good job of expanding the scope of the story, giving you clues, and delivering a conclusion that is satisfying for a concept that can get dicey really quickly.
Available on Netflix
P-Valley
Strip clubs are a familiar setting in entertainment at this point but rarely is it ever the focus. P-Valley tells the story of a young woman who escapes from tragedy, working in the Pynk under the moniker Autumn Fall. A lot happens within the first 8 episodes and it’s interesting throughout.
Available on Hulu
Ramy
In search of a new comedy-drama? Look no further than Ramy. The series focuses on the trials and tribulations of Ramy Hassan and his quest to live a more spiritual life. Where the show really shines is during entire episodes that are devoted to one of Ramy’s family
members, showing the idiosyncrasies of a Muslim family living in New Jersey. I definitely laughed a lot watching this show but there were also plenty of dark somber moments that got me thinking.
Available on Hulu
21 The Mandalorian
Good Star Wars always creates that sense of wonder and scale that immerses you in a galaxy that never loses its charm. Mando knows what it wants to be and executes that to perfection. I can’t wait for the rest of season 2.
Available on Disney Plus
The Great British Baking Show
Competitive baking, a dash of witty humor and gorgeously decorated baked goods, what more could you ask for?
Available on Netflix
Honorable Mentions: The Boys, Chappelle's Show, Lovecraft Country, and Babylon Berlin By Alpha Bah
Auteur Theory and Stanley Kubrick’s Powerful Signature on Film
The easiest way I started to understand the Auteur Theory was when I compared it to authors writing novels. Just as an author has nearly all the reigns when it comes to writing a novel, the director of a film has a similar power. But when it comes to making movies there are more hands-on deck. To be proclaimed an “auteur director” means that when watching a film made by said director, the viewers would know based on the film’s personality. Film critics use Auteur Theory as a way to analyze a director’s stylistic approaches, and whilst analyzing Stanley
22 Kubrick’s filmmaking career he developed an approach to film that was unlike any other director at the time. I did (and have done) a lot of research about Kubrick’s life prior to filmmaking; so it’s fun when I learn about his auteurism and relate it to his earlier life. It makes sense that Kubrick makes the methodical and aesthetically pleasing films that he does, considering the fact that Stan was an avid chess player and photographer before making films.
He was an extremely thought-provoking director; everything shown or mentioned in his films was put intentionally. Kubrick uses simple ideas in his films, but often uses a “radical approach to movies by adding substance and choosing quantity over quality.” He has a remarkable eye; he simply has an aesthetic that “entices and unsettles” an audience. When further researched I realized he used a number of techniques
that really nailed him down as being an auteur. When looking at Stanley Kubrick’s movie history he is collaboratively
approaching his adaptations of novels with a large team, compared to the one author that wrote the novel. Since Kubrick isn’t a genre director per say, his films have more
“constantly tried to push boundaries, look for new concepts and explore
possibilities.” It’s definitely noteworthy to state that all but two of Kubrick's films
were adaptations from books; he turns writings into his own works of art. Kubrick had a remarkable talent for uniquely approaching cinema. I find that his way of adapting the nuances of the novels was very existential. Many of his films leave the audience fearful, confused, and questioning reality.
As viewers, when we decipher Kubrick’s films, we can come to terms with the fact that he has a consistent use of visual design elements, such as Mise-en-scene and cinematography. Take The Shining for example. Kubrick’s use of Mise-en-scene in that film was out of control. There is Mise-en-scene in terms of location, narrative, lighting, objects, and color. His use of color was extremely telling in that movie, and the cinematography as well. Not to mention The Shinning was one of the first films to ever use a Steadicam; let’s just say directors lost a lot less sleep after that. The Steadicam became important for Kubrick in later films because he was able to use his hands-on interaction with the camera without the issue of having a really shaky shot. Kubrick even once stated that he uses the Steadicam “as it was intended to be used, as a tool which can help get the lens where it’s wanted in space and time without the classical limitation of the dolly and crane.”
Below I inserted some images of Stanley’s early photo work. It is unavoidable to compare his photography to his filmography.
23 I delved into some of his photography work, from before he specifically made films and I was pleased to see the similarities between his photos and films. His love for symmetry and contrast are very apparent in both practices. From personal experience I know that by studying
photography they engrave the concept of framing a photo into you. . . until it’s just second nature. Every single one of Kubrick’s shots could be paused to make a beautiful photograph, and I find that pleasing as all hell.
Kubrick's use of cinematography was remarkable in film history; he breached the use of cinematic space in many films. Such as his use of zoom-in effects to distort the viewer’s
perception of reality. The depth that he creates is referred to in a writing as the “panoptic gaze,”
describing his use of wide-angle, symmetrical, and all-showing shots. The panoptic gaze that Kubrick does so often can be described as so: “it maintain[s] the subject of its observation in a perfectly-framed shot, it can anticipate the movement of characters. This spatial ‘awareness’
marks a significant development on previous camera movements, which are conventionally used to support the story through a character’s point-of-view.”
24 Kubrick is easily one of the most influential directors in cinematic history. Contemporary
directors strive to approach a film the way Kubrick had, they long for his understanding of film.
His voice and vision as a filmmaker was apparent after his very first film. He then boiled down his language over the years into a compressive body of films that put him on the map as an
“Avant-guard auteur director.” Kubrick is not your typical auteur director, oh no, he revolutionized the idea of an auteur director.
By Mia Modafferi
Sofia Coppola, Auteur Princess
Sofia Coppola was born into film royalty in 1971, and consequently was thrust into the arms of Micheal Corleone and starred in her first Academy Award-winning picture The Godfather in 1972 at the tender age of one. She was
surrounded by beauty and film from birth. With her family tree breeding talents such as Nick Cage and Jason
Schwartzmann and the ever-present, figurative shoes of her father, Francis Ford Coppola, to fill. She was always artistically inclined, having started a girlish clothing brand that embodied youthful feminine fashion in the 90s that is now exclusively sold in Japan. Her first experiences with the film industry were not exactly positive, having been bullied out of a film career after returning to film The Godfather III as (my namesake) Mary Corleone. However, storytelling would prove to be her true medium. Her first short film Lick the Star was released in 1998. Fourteen minutes long, on 65mm black and white film, her perspective was distinctly
feminine. It followed a clique of four teenage girls and their navigations of life, and the “traumas of adolescence” that Coppola captures with such quiet intention. Coppola was beginning to form a lens, even while only being perceived in her father’s shadow. The next year, her debut feature film The Virgin Suicides premiered at the Sundance film festival. Continuing her exploration of adolescence, Coppola attempts to go against traditionally formalist and dominant Hollywood cinema styles, therefore categorizing The Virgin Suicides as counter-cinema. Adding to the list of cult cinema under Kirsten Dunst’s belt, the film opposes mainstream cinema by going in an alternative route with the characters and story-line.
25 The plot is fairly abstract; or rather, there really isn’t a set plot. The film is about feelings,
emotions, and the repression of human, or particularly adolescent girls, suffering. The male perception in the film (AKA the neighborhood boys) idolize the girls, and the girls become objects of fantasy, angelic and mysterious. Mary G. Hurd speculates on Coppola’s attraction to Eugenides’ story in Women Directors and Their Films, and the attraction seems to be due to the
sense of alienation between the audience and the story.
When the girls commit suicide, the boys are “frozen in time with their adolescent perceptions of the girls”
(Hurd, 132) Coppola characterized a feeling of isolation and identity, adding complexities to her character’s lives.
Her way of portraying characters as inside their heads, especially in the concept of girlhood, creates loneliness that she wants us to feel in her films. She also does this exceptionally in her other films Lost in Translation and Somewhere. Coppola thrives with material involving sexuality, repression, resentment, and being in a state of limbo, so to speak.
After gaining some reputation as a well-rounded director after her release of comedy-drama Lost in Translation, Sofia’s feminine, blasé historical brain- child Marie Antoinette was released in 2006.
Reviews were ultimately very polarized: Todd Kennedy described the critiques of Coppola as a constant battle of aesthetic over substance. Critics scathed over her artistic liberties and post-punk soundtrack, which were simply written off as
“historical inaccuracies.”
The vapidness and opulence may have been too
much for viewers that wanted a historical drama and could be misconstrued as a weakness of plot, but rather, it cleverly entreats the viewer into how mundane Antoinette’s life may have been, especially as Dauphine. Coppola succeeded in making Antoinette more human – more understandable. The decadence of aesthetics is almost overpowering, the film is overflowing with romantic mise en scéne. Supported by modern touches like The Cure and Dunst’s dazzling close-ups, there’s a measure of heart to the performance which will have you rooting for her rather than baying for blood. The sense of childlike amusement is reinforced by the backdrop of excess and glamour, Coppola’s forte, and the film feels suitably feminine, yet strong. Coppola’s leisurely, feminine shots countered greatly from the points of Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze Theory that a film cannot transform patriarchy and be visually pleasurable. Coppola does not sacrifice her or her character’s femininity for the acceptance of even feminist theorist, but rather lets her characters live in its shameless bliss. I distinctly remember a shot when I first saw the film around ten or twelve years old, as Coppola was a pop culture icon for my older sister at the time, and it had always stuck with me. When the Dauphine goes on an emotion-fueled shopping spree to “I Want Candy” by Bow Wow Wow, trying on distinctively 18th century kitten heels when
26 the camera pans to a pair of blue converse. I had only noticed after seeing the scene a few times, and eventually I came to believe they were in the scene as a surreal symbol for her innocence and being a teenager, something that is often overlooked in the scope of history’s remembrance of Marie Antoinette.
Sofia was never given the benefit of the doubt as up and coming director, but rather always seen in comparison to the suspected intellectual nepotism she had grown up with. Her father’s great works, her cousins’ acting careers – all independent identities as males in the industry- had weight on her career. However the genius of her auteur is more conspicuous than critics would have assumed of her, as she was destined to act beyond the male-dominated film traditions and raise many criticisms in the process. Famously quoted for saying “That’s the way I work: I try to imagine what I would like to see.” Coppola was making what she knew, from the perspective of a female that often found herself in a room full of male perspectives. She made her name known with her glorious aesthetics, distinctly feminine perspective, and emotionally restrictive pacing.
The Beguiled was viewed under close scrutiny as a remake of the Clint Eastwood film (in which he headlines over the seven female co-stars), but it would prove to be significant for all female filmmakers. Sofia became the second woman in eighty years to win Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival. Critics of her films always reference perceived weaknesses such as “self-indulgent” and “fraught over aesthetics”, which almost brings one to ask, when do we consider these “weaknesses” signs of the auteur? It’s almost as if critics such as Dana Stevens from Slate, who had coined Coppola a “The Veruca Salt of American
Filmmaking” are merely more willing to accept that her imagination pays all creative respects to her father before herself. If that be the case, will feminine voices only be seen in comparison to the
accomplishments of men in an industry built by men? Sofia Coppola makes it quite clear, to audiences as well as to young women entering the film industry, that her femininity is at no compromise to how others perceive her auteurship.
By Mary Hemphill
27
Advertisement Section
Fiat Lux Staff
Editor-in-chief: Talulla Torthe Managing Editor: Andrew Wiechert Staff Writer and Editor: Isa Hamilton Staff Writer: Sam Sage
Staff Writer and Editor: Dale Mott Slater Staff Writer: Kailey Reyes
Staff Writer: Alpha Bah Staff Writer: Jamall Lewis Staff Writer: Jeanni Floyd Photographer: Piper Lilley
This issue was originally created as an online blog; information extracted and artificially created as a PDF for archival purposes. https://www.fiatluxnews.com/
