feb. 17, 2021 volume 98, number 6

FEB. 17, 2021

Spencer GeorgePg. 6

Student Profiles

The Calm Corner

Pg. 4

VOLUME 98, NUMBER 6

by Drew Rachunek

The Fall 2020 semester was unconventional, to say the least. It is the first school year we have started since the global pandemic hit. For incoming students, that semester set the tone for what the rest of their college careers would be like. Masks, social distanc-ing, online classes – the differ-ences from the norm couldn’t be more blatant. So, how has these new students’ outlook on college changed amidst the madness?

When asked how their first semester went, a freshman stated,

“COVID-19 made classes mad easy. I remember that first semes-ter I was so scared to come to school because I thought that the work would be harder. Now class-es are online and the workload is a lot easier to handle.”

Easier classes and online work are the result of the pandemic. It is inescapable. For professors, it can be hard to teach a subject online, which results in different levels of workloads from the various class-es. It is completely a stroke of luck getting “easy classes.” COVID-19 for college students has made classes an unknown variable.

“When I began the semester, I was terrified like most people,” said Karin Powell, an acting major in Greensboro College’s theatre department. “I saw college and thought there was no way I could get through it.”

That is becoming a common feeling to have, which is only amplified by the uncertainties COVID-19 presents. However, Powell said, “As the semester went on and I got my own rhythm, I began to see it was not as bad as everyone said it would be. I had a million expectations of what everyone told me college would

be and, in the end, I realized col-lege was what I made it to be.”

She is right – college is what you make it. Powell has found her own rhythm amongst the uncer-tainties, which is a necessary step to take given the many new chang-es to our lives.

“Last semester was definitely a new experience,” said Arabella Mason, a design tech major. “While it was for sure a shock to the system starting out, my over-all experience was good.” said Mason. “I definitely feel more comfortable and prepared for

Finding stability after an unconventional semester

The Main Building and fountain, the first thing people see when they walk onto Greensboro College’s campus, encourages students to persevere through the challenges COVID has presented in their everyday academic lives. Photo courtesy of Drew Rachunek

Hannah HjerthPg. 8

See STABILITY on pg. 5

The Collegian February 17, 2021

Reviewby Jackie Hines

The new film, “Promising Young Woman,” written and directed by Emerald Fennell, strikes the viewer like a bolt of lightning. This is Fennell’s directorial debut, but one would not know that from the expert precision and singular vision she brings to the screen. Before the release of this film she was best known to American audiences as the actress who portrayed Camilla Parker-Bowles on “The Crown,” and as showrunner/head writer for season two of “Killing Eve.”

The plot follows the titular character, Cassie Thomas, portrayed by a pitch-perfect

Carey Mulligan, as she tries to avenge the rape of her best friend, which occurred 10 years prior to the events of the film. This film has sparked a multitude of conversa-tions about what American audiences expect from films that center around topics such as revenge or sexual violence, particularly because of its uncanny ability to subvert the audience’s expectations at every turn.

I also have to give credit to the rest of the ensemble cast, all of whom do phenomenal jobs rounding out the world Fennell has cre-

ated. Stand-up comedian Bo Burnham plays Cassie’s friend and love interest, and while one would expect him to know his way around a comedic line, he delivers a genuinely believable and captivating performance.

What is most impressive about this film is the way every individual aspect builds to create the overall story. The pastel and neon color palettes, the pop-infused soundtrack, everything added to the sense of Cassie per-forming the femininity that society expects from her, even as both she and the audience know it is just that: a performance.

What this film does that no other film has is tackling the system that allows for these

horrific acts from all angles. Other films that have tried tackling a rape-revenge storyline oftentimes center around a singular man and seem to have the message that once that indi-vidual is dealt with, suddenly everything has been solved. Fennell’s screenplay does not let anyone who has anything to do with what happened to Cassie’s friend off the hook.

Oftentimes, I find myself reflecting upon the films I have seen with different opinions from the one I had when I first left the theater. My uneasiness eventually turns into adora-tion, or my love turns into apathy, but weeks after my third viewing of “Promising Young Woman,” I still cannot wait to see it again.

A sugar-sweet bolt of adrenalineOPINION

Graphic by Claudio-Vincent Moody

February 17, 2021 The Collegian

Editorial

Executive EditorBlake Hawkins

Managing EditorJosie Gold

ContributorsBreanna Adamick

Alycia ArtisNicholas BrothertonKeyondric Buchanan

Jared CenalDa’von CouncilSaiir Foy-ColesAshley Hawkes

Jackie HinesGeorge Knight

Claudio Vincent MoodyTess Perdue

Drew RachunekCristina Samano-Romo

Nicholas SherbineKariey Anne SmithJordan ThompsonAlexander Trepper

Carlyn UhlirShaMeira Williams

Graphic DesignCarol Brooks

Faculty Advisor Wayne Johns

Opinions expressed in editorials are those of each individual author and do

not necessarily reflect those of The Collegian, nor the administration,

students, faculty or staff of Greensboro College.

The Collegian

Staffby Blake HawkinsExecutive Editor

When I was a kid, I did not just receive an allowance. I had to work for it. Every week, I would be given a checklist of things to do: make my bed, clean my room, take the trash out, etc. Only after successfully finishing my chores would I receive my money. And I hated it. I did not hate doing the chores; I hated being told what to do. The whole checklist thing was unnecessary and annoying.

You see, for me, working to earn what I want is just like second nature. It is a value that I have been taught from a young age. It was not just an allow-ance thing; it is the knowledge that everything comes at a cost. So, what are you going to do about it? Do you really want to make that sports team? How bad do you want the lead role in the school play? Are you going to pass the test or come home with an F? It was just part of my life, and it has made me who I am today.

Maybe that’s why a commercial I saw recently stood out to me. It said, “You want a job? You learn a skill. You want a house? You save for it. You want bigger muscles? You lift heavier weights. You want a girl to marry you? You ask her father. You want respect? You earn it.” The commercial was actually for a beer called Modelo, but that is not the point. It was advertising a “fighting spirit.”

There are actually a number of simi-lar commercials distributed by the com-pany that showcase people’s hard work: An immigrant named Eduardo Pérez fighting his way to the top of an indus-try and becoming an executive chef; Amanda Nunes winning the title of champion in the women’s bantamweight and featherweight divisions in the UFC. You should look them up sometime. They are really well-done commercials and show how anything is possible with a fighting spirit.

In fact, much of American history is predicated on people having the abil-

ity to work for what they want in hopes of accomplishing what they want. Obviously, there are barriers and obsta-cles and not everyone has the same path, but the notion remains. In America, people have the ability to change their station in life if they work accordingly.

The problem is, while the notion remains, the effort and drive often does not. We, as a society, have started to act like we are entitled to what we want, when we want it. America was founded on the principles of unalienable rights and “among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Thomas Jefferson did not say that we are entitled to life, liberty, and free tuition, health-care, housing, food, etc. No, he said the pursuit of happiness. That means we have the right to work and pursue what we want. Now, I understand there are extenuating circumstances, but that is why they are called extenuating.

Let us consider the prospect of allevi-ating student debt that the new presiden-tial administration has proposed. While this may look like a good idea on the surface, it will cause problems. No one will ever be happy, politicians or stu-dents. First of all, how do you decide how much assistance someone gets? If Jim has $30,000 in debt and Joe has $10,000, do they only have their debts paid? If that happens, Joe is not very happy because he should have gone to a different school with a higher rate and simply had it forgiven. So, maybe they should both receive the $30,000. Now Jim is not happy that Joe has gotten a $20,000 credit while he has only had his debt repaid. If they both receive $10,000, Jim is still not happy because he still has $20,000 in debt. The world is not always fair, but this is not the fix-all solution that some people think.

Now, you can complain that young people are forced into college where they sign massive loans without fully understanding them, and you would not be totally wrong. And people should be better educated about available jobs that do not need require a degree, but the

bottom line is that once you have made a decision, you have to follow through with it. You should not act so entitled as to believe that someone else should be obligated to give you a way out. The bottom line is that no one is entitled to an education; you have to work for it.

Also, where is the money coming from? Taxes is the simple answer, but how is that any better? To use an extreme example, you could pay on your college loans for the rest of your life, or you could be paying taxes that will pay for Jane Doe’s kids’ college loans from the other side of the country for the rest of your life You are still paying for college in one way or another. It just depends on whether you are paying for your loans or someone else’s. Not to mention, are you going to forgive everyone’s debt for now, let it accumulate for another fifty years, then pay it off again? This just seems like the start of a cycle.

The real issue is the cost of college, and that should probably be our focus, but let us be clear. Free college is a non-starter. Capitalism is the very base from which the American dream grows, and it is hard to have a fighting spirit when the government puts a cap on what you can and cannot do as a business. Besides, what companies or professors are actu-ally going to work for free?

Maybe the problem lies in the dif-ference between equality and equity. Everyone should have an equal shot at success, but people should not expect to all finish at the same place. Equity is nothing more than socialism because everyone finishes with the same success regardless of their starting point and their effort.

If the American spirit is going to sur-vive this administration and the progres-sives in Congress, we have to realize that, as a society, we have to cultivate our fighting spirits and work toward the pursuit of happiness, not the pursuit of ultimate equity because if we will all end at the same spot, why bother work-ing hard at all?

A fighting spirit


Mental Health

by ShaMeira WilliamsAnxiety is fairly common. This is a

fact: According to Anxiety and Depression Association of America, “Anxiety disor-ders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older.” It is important to crack down the healthiest and most recommended ways to deal with it.

It seems as though there is an endless supply and variety of anxiety medication. Healthline says,”Benzodiazepines help treat many kinds of anxiety disorders, including panic disorder, generalized anx-iety disorder, and social anxiety disorder.

“Examples of these drugs include: alprazolam (Xanax), chlordiazepoxide (Librium), clonazepam (Klonopin), diaz-epam (Valium) and lorazepam (Ativan).”

Healthline goes on to say, “Benzodiazepines are typically used for short-term treatment of anxiety. This is because they can increase drowsiness and cause problems with balance and memory. They can also be habit-forming. There’s an increasing epidemic of benzodiazepine misuse.” There is no doubt in my mind that whoever is reading this has heard of at least half of the medications listed. I doubt, however, that you knew about the

side effects. CBD (a chemical found in marijuana

and hemp) seems to be all the rage recent-ly as well. Mayo Clinic says, “Though it’s often well-tolerated, CBD can cause side effects, such as dry mouth, diar-rhea, reduced appetite, drowsiness and fatigue. CBD can also interact with other medications you are taking, such as blood thinners. Another cause for concern is the unreliability of the purity and dosage of CBD in products.”

J. Cole once said in his song‘FRIENDS’, “Meditate don’t medicate.” I think about this very often. Meditation is a practice that has been around for thousands of years. It is used in religious devotion, but that is not the only use for it. Many people use meditation simply for their relaxation and health benefits. Whatever your reason for meditating is, I have only ever heard of people having good reactions and/or things to say about it. According to mindful.org, “When we meditate, we inject far-reaching and long-lasting benefits into our lives. We lower our stress levels, we get to know our pain, we connect better, we improve our focus, and we’re kinder to ourselves.”

As for me, my morning and nightly

routines were not the best. I am positively sure that many others can relate, but I used to begin and end my days by checking my social media. This, of course, brought down my vibrations. Social media can be extremely toxic, and I did not like the fact that I began and ended my day think-ing about what others were doing, rather than checking in with myself. I now try to start my day with Alpha meditation. This is active rest, laying down with palms

up. I end my day with regular, cross-legged meditation. I have been doing it for months and will never look back.

This is not to say that medications do not help, or that meditation is helpful to every single person who does it – I think it is at least worth a try – the goal is to choose the most helpful and healthy way to deal with anxiety for you.

by Carlyn UhlirOn Feb. 21, we will arrive at

what would have been the 59th birthday of acclaimed author and professor David Foster Wallace. In his 2005 collegiate com-mencement speech at Kenyon College, later published as “This is Water,” Wallace explained that the real value of education is not knowledge, a degree, a career, or any success of a material nature, but rather it is awareness.

During a deadly pandemic, in the midst of a college education ultimately aimed at improving our own fortunes on a particular career path, how do we remain empathetic to the struggles of others? Our “default” setting often leads us to be consumed in our own school day, work-day, practice or performance, our own busy day. True awareness and attentiveness to the lives of

others around us therefore takes focus and effort, but that is what allows us to care – and not just for our friends and family, but also for acquaintances and even strangers.

These are just some of the thoughts that Foster Wallace

alludes to in “This is Water” that can help us reach our full potential as higher thinkers and as human beings. As busy col-lege students fighting to keep up our mental health in these uncertain times, it is pivotal that we not forget to seek empathy for

those who may be struggling in the same ways we are, or worse. Compassion is what will truly get us through this semester, this collegiate experience, and what is waiting for us in life after graduation.

One way to show compassion is to devote time as a volunteer in any number of roles. At present, there are plenty of ways to help organizations or communities in the Greensboro area who need it. Anyone looking to volunteer can visit www.volunteermatch.org to browse opportunities. The One Step Further Community Support & Nutrition Program, located at First Christian Church, is one organization who will certainly welcome volunteers from our community, and any interested students can sign up directly at the following link: https://signup.com/go/tjqSSgs.

While volunteerism is signifi-cant in its own way, the truth is that the freedom of spare time or money is not necessary to lead a life of empathy. As Foster Wallace emphasizes, it is all about “being able to truly care about other people and to sacri-fice for them, over and over.”

As our campus is now buzz-ing with a variety of student activities, sports and events, it is so crucial for us to preserve our own mental health and that of our peers. If we value and act on the freedoms of awareness and empathy, meaningful life experi-ences are sure to follow.

You can hear David Foster Wallace’s full 2005 Kenyon College commencement address, “This is Water,” at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CrOL-ydFMI.

Thoughts on empathy, mental health and David Foster Wallace

The Calm Corner: meditate don’t medicate

Photo courtesy of www.istockphoto.com

David Foster Wallace, 2005 Source: Wikipedia.org


On Campus

by Cristina Samano-Romo

Colleges and universities across the country face uncertainty as col-lege enrollment declines in response to the pandemic and its consequential economic crisis. Although the num-ber of high school students graduat-ing has remained stable, undergradu-ate enrollment saw a 3.6 percent decline from last fall. Greensboro College faced a 9 percent decrease in total new student enrollment in fall 2020. There is, however, light at the end of the tunnel.

Despite facing a total enrollment decline, Greensboro College main-tained its steady increase in retention rate since 2017. Even though the fall semester saw a staggering decline, the 2021 spring semester was up 35 percent in applications and doubled the number of students enrolled for the spring term.

When asked how these surprising-ly positive statistics could be possible in the middle of a pandemic, Julie Schatz, director of admissions and GC alumni, ties it back to the “Defining the Path” initiative and changing to a test-optional application. Through “Defining the Path,” GC realigned its tuition rate to $18,500, becoming the third least expensive private college in North Carolina.

The decision to implement a test-optional application put in place a short-essay alternative for students struggling to take a standardized test because of COVID-19. Schatz also stated that “last year, 2020, was an anomaly. We hope it is a year no col-lege or university ever sees. However, fall 2021 is looking very encourag-ing.”

GC admissions administer a weekly report that captures where they stand on the admissions funnel from Oct. 1 to the day of add/drop each year. This weekly report shows that compared to 2020’s numbers, complete applications for fall 2021 have increased by 38 percent result-ing in a larger number of accepted students for fall 2021.

Unlike many schools nationwide, GC decided to hold classes primarily in-person during fall 2020. Schatz believes that showing the public how this was achieved is also influencing new student applications.

“Moms and dads are way more important now to that college deci-sion than ever before, and knowing that Greensboro College was success-fully in-person in the fall also plays into the increase in our numbers,” Schatz commented.

For the first two weeks of the spring 2021 term, GC decided to hold all classes strictly online which was a decision consistent with several other peer colleges. Students were allowed back to in-person classes on Feb. 3 if they submitted a negative COVID-19 test. One of these students, Sydney Rogers, a freshman double majoring in sociology and criminal justice, shared her thoughts on being a new college student in the middle of a pandemic.

When asked about her decision to enroll as a freshman in the fall of 2020 during the pandemic, Rogers expressed that she had made her mind up about coming to GC before the pandemic began. Despite having wor-ries about education in the middle of COVID-19, Rogers was determined to continue her education beyond high school.

“I wanted to be able to continue my education without taking a gap year,” Rogers stated.

Rogers was also afraid of the pos-sibility of losing scholarships if she decided to wait for the pandemic to be over. Rogers’ first year at GC has been unlike any other year’s typical freshman experience.

“I feel like I’m missing a lot of the social aspects of college life,” Rogers stated. However, she hopes to make it up next year by joining more clubs and hopefully being more active on campus. For now, GC can only hope for a more hands-on and engaging student experience, free of COVID-19, for student’s future years on campus.

COVID influences student enrollment

what I have to look forward to.” This sentiment was shared by

Powell, who stated, “Going into col-lege I was not sure it was for me, but now I’m excited to see what comes next.”

Excitement, comfortability and

preparedness are what these fresh-men are walking away with from their first semester. COVID-19 may be prevalent, but for these fighters, it is merely a speed bump on their road to success.

STABILITY cont. from pg. 1


Sports

by Tess Perdue

This issue’s athlete profile is Spencer George, a fresh-man on the men’s swim team. George is originally from Coats, N.C., a small town in Harnett County. He has been swimming for six years, and while he played other sports like basketball and baseball throughout high school, he decided to “stick with swim-ming.”

Good thing he did! George has already made a significant mark on the men’s team, pick-ing up several wins during the limited season, including the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 53.82, the 100-yard individual medley with a time of 2:13.43 and a 50y freestyle race that marked the fifth-fastest time in the history of the men’s swimming program with a time of 23 seconds.

Reminiscing about his years

on various swim teams, George said that his favorite memories of the sport were “just hanging out with my friends for hours at long swim meets.”

Spencer is a true student-athlete, managing his time between long practices and challenging courses in his criminal justice major. He says that he chose Greensboro College and its swimming pro-gram because he “really liked everything Coach Sheridan was proposing, and GC was the best deal.”

Speaking about what he enjoys about Greensboro College, George said, “I enjoy the smaller class sizes and the friendliness of the professors here at GC and how everyone is willing to help out.”

Though the end of his senior year in high school and the beginning of his career as a GC swimmer has been altered due to the COVID-19 pandemic,

George maintains a positive, laid-back attitude throughout practices and meets, encourag-ing his teammates to be better, though he does look forward to being able to go to more on-campus events once the pandemic has passed. He also says that he is looking forward to the annual ODAC meet as well as getting a break after the season is over, a break which is surely well-deserved.

Coach Jim Sheridan notes that George “drives himself to be better every day.” He says that he has “adapted well to the change in training” even though he is “tired most of the time.” George’s teammates describe him as goofy, encour-aging, and hardworking, and as one of those guys you just want to hang out with.

Fans of the men’s and wom-en’s swim teams at Greensboro College can look forward to a couple more meets before the

final inter-collegiate ODAC meet in March, including a women’s home meet against cross-town rival Guilford College on February 13 and an away meet at Emory &

Henry College in Emory, Va. on February 20. The season will conclude with the ODAC Championships from Friday, March 5 to Sunday, March 7.

by Keyondric Buchanan

The last 10 months of the pandemic have thrown college students across the country into uncertainty – and student-athletes were no exception to the chal-lenges.

Juwarren Byrd remembers being alerted in mid-July. The senior was preparing for a “deep run in the USA South Football division” before receiving the devastating news that the USA South athletic con-ference would be postponing all activities because of coronavirus concerns. Typically, college athletes rarely go home. Aside from a few weeks during the summer, and a short break or two during the academ-ic year, they are on campus, training and competing.

“Staying at home, I feel like it’s a good thing and a bad thing. As student-athletes, we don’t ever get this time to hang out with our families or have this kind of down time or time to yourself. In a way that’s been good, to have a little down time, pick up some hobbies, play some more video games and yet you can get in the same amount of work. You just have to be accountable to yourself and expect your team-mates are doing the same thing” Byrd said.

Since the coronavirus pandemic began in the middle of March, student-athletes have lived a differ-ent reality in quarantine. Classes and team meetings online, rehab and workouts at home or in private gyms, extra family time but also the challenges that come with that. Some dealt with injuries or mental challenges. Others used the time for reflection, self-improvement, and personal time.

Madison Blashaw, a senior on the Greensboro College Women’s lacrosse team, has taken it upon herself to be a sounding board for her teammates, particularly during the last five months.

“I tell teammates, ‘If you want to have a conver-sation, feel free to reach out to me,’” Blashaw said. “A lot of seniors feel that way, a lot of people on the team feel that way, and it goes up to our coaching staff.” She believes having access to counseling ser-vices on campus is very helpful as well.

There has been quite a bit of discussion in the news lately about whether to pause or resume college athletics during the pandemic. Student-athletes have also thought a great deal about COVID-19 and how the virus will impact their lives and athletic careers.

Photo courtesy of Spencer George

Spencer George demonstrates excellence in and out of the pool

Athletes in times of COVID-19The Collegian surveyed one of GC’s athletic

teams. Asked how they felt they were currently han-

dling being a student-athlete on a scale of “Well” to “Horribly,” the majority 37.5 percent said they were handling things in an “Alright” manner. 12.5 percent said they were handling it “Well.” And 50 percent of the participants were split evenly between “Very Well” and “Not So Well.”

Graphic by Alycia Artis


Sports

by Alex Trepper

The world we once knew was gone in a flash due to the hardships and struggles of the COVID-19 pandemic. While some got hit harder than oth-ers, one group of people hit the hardest were athletes and coaches. The global pandem-ic sent everyone in America and most people abroad into a panic causing quarantine, but one of the worst parts was the shutdown of sports of all levels.

Once sports started back up for high school athletes the new challenge, on top of the challenges of the outbreak, is college recruiting during the pandemic for both players and coaches. When high school sports came back, athletes and college coaches had to deal with the new rules and regulations as part of the new National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) COVID-

19 recruiting laws. Some of the new NCAA recruiting regula-tions due to the pandemic are extended dead periods, zero visits both in home and on campus, and coaches could not go to live games to scout play-ers. These were put in place by the NCAA in response to COVID-19 outbreak to slow the spread and keep athletes and coaches safe.

However, these new rules would end up being costly as now coaching staffs and recruiting coordinators had to come up with new ways to scout, talk and sign high school athletes. The struggles of recruiting during this his-torical era in our lives go both ways, while coaching staffs have to come up with different game plans to look for talent the athletes themselves have to find new ways to get seen by colleges.

High school senior base-ball player and Pepperdine

University signee Bobby Christy had this to say about his coronavirus recruiting experience, “I had to pitch dur-ing a Zoom call so the coaches could see me throw since they were not able to see me throw in person.”

This just goes to show the lengths that athletes went to during the pandemic to get recruited. The new class of col-lege recruits are doing things differently than any other class in recent history but for the coaching staffs it’s a much scarier challenge as there is a possibility they have to recruit with these difficult circum-stances for years to come.

These new obstacles are putting coaches in tough situa-tions as they try to bring in the best possible players they can.

“Tape and video is good but it’s hard to really judge a player without seeing him live because of the new rules.” This statement from the Greensboro

College men’s soccer head coach Tony Falvino gives insight into the difficulties these coaches face during these unprecedented times.

In the end its clear that even though the whole world is struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic, high school ath-

letes and college coaches are also dealing with the struggles of the new NCAA regulations in the recruiting process but as the rest of the globe perse-veres through these dark times so will college coaches and the future athletes of college sports.

by Keita Gresham

The Greensboro College Men’s Soccer team hosted Carolina University, formerly Piedmont InternationalUniversity in their home opener on Feb. 6 at noon in what was the team’s first competition since the fall season of 2019. Despite holding training ses-sions during this past fall semester, complications due to the COVID-19 pandemic limited the team to strictly practices and intrasquad scrimmages.

As part of the NCAA’s pandemic mandates, the team was not allowed to gather for pre-season in August or host practice sessions of more than 10 players at once. Other omittances from the Pride’s usual run of events included team dinners, accessibility to the athletic recovery room, locker room usage and participating in away games. Weekly COVID-19 tests were also required, along with donning masks at practices and in other public areas.

When speaking to senior Christian

Thomas at Friday’s practice before the game the following day, he spoke with humility about being offered the chance to play another season despite the complications that arose from the quarantine.

“It has been a very long year, an even longer fall it seems at times, espe-cially because a few of us on the team were expecting to graduate this spring” said Thompson. “Some of us took on an extra semester to return in the fall as well, so we have got to make sure we take care of business this spring and come ready for the fall.”

He continued in tandem with senior Alexander Bishop.

“Having a shortened schedule with only nine games is a little less than we would have liked, but as our coach says part of becoming men is adjusting to situations as quickly as possible.”

Speaking to senior Jordy Briceno, who has made the All-Conference team selection consecutively for the past three seasons, and junior William

Curry, a prominent goal scorer, it was noted that many of the newcomers had concerns about the immediate future of the program over the next year, and rightfully so.

“This is a situation we’ve never

been in before, and with the last time we competed being about 18 months ago it is up to the upperclassmen to ensure that the freshmen and transfers are given good role models” mentioned Briceno. “This goes for classroom per-formance, behavior on and off the field and decision making during these tough times.”

“We are ready to step onto the field again though,” Curry continued. “We have been running, lifting and train-ing in smaller groups as well as on our own throughout the entire quarantine period.”

The Pride rallied to a 5-0 win over the Carolina University Bruins, two goals from striker Darli Mihindou, fol-lowed by consecutive goals from mid-fielders Christian Thompson, Briceno and Curry. Overcoming the challenge of missing an entire year together, the Pride did not miss a single beat and shutout the Bruins to start the season.

Men’s Soccer Head Coach Tony Falvino combs through footage of potential recruits.

College recruiting during the pandemic

GC Pride topples Bruins in shutout home opener

Darli Mihindou celebrating his second goal.

Photo courtesy GC Athletics Photography

Theatre


by Sai F.Several of the Greensboro College the-

atre performances were scheduled to open just days after we returned to campus on Feb. 1. Adjusting to this new schedule was difficult for theatre students involved in these early productions in the semester. I got in contact with one of the castmates of “Poison,” a show that opened on Feb. 6.

“Poison” by John Patrick Shanley was directed by second-year acting major Jackie Hines. The play revolves around ex-couple Kelly and Kenny, whose relation-ship is failing due to Kelly’s obsession with Kenny. It begins with Kelly going to a for-tuneteller for a special request. This play ran from Feb. 6 to Feb. 7. First-year acting major Rebecca Hawkes played Kelly, and Armani Frazier, a third-year acting major, played the role of Kenny. The fortuneteller was played by second-year acting major ShaMeira Williams.

When asked about the biggest strug-

gle for his cast regarding the pandemic, Frazier’s perspective was that “finding time to rehearse the scenes [and] go over lines” was a challenge. He elaborated on that by saying that though he was satisfied with the Zoom meetings and a low number of rehearsals in comparison to other pro-ductions, he felt as though more rehearsals could have benefited his cast. Frazier said he would prefer more rehearsal time in ear-lier months like December and November because “Poison” rehearsals began in late December.

Jackie Hines, the director behind the production, discussed what the delay meant as a director. “I was satisfied with the Zoom calls. I don’t think it changed much,” Hines replied and later went on to explain how the production was a pleasing experience. For those who do not know, this was an independent production that was not officially tied to the Greensboro College theatre department.

by Nicholas Sherbine

With the continued presence of COVID-19 across the world, industries large and small remain heavily impacted. Among these industries is that of Broadway, which has been shut down indefinitely as of last spring. According to Greg Evans of “Deadline,” the shutdown has led to a 52 percent unemployment rate among work-ing actors in the community. However, the arrival and subsequent distribution of COVID-19 vaccines have reopened the pos-sibility of a gradual reopening of Broadway within the coming months. However, this outlook does not come without its caveats.

According to “New York Theatre Guide,” Broadway is to remain closed through May 30, 2021. The actual reopen-ing of Broadway, when and if that is to take place, is shaping up to be a tricky process. Those working in the industry have shared what they believe to be ways in which Broadway can be further immortalized given the current state of the world. Lin-Manuel Miranda, the composer and lyricist of “Hamilton,” believes that “producers are going to have to start thinking about how they’re going to capture their work because in capturing it they can actually capture a much larger audience for their live show.”

Even with this knowledge in mind, there is still uncertainty among many about

whether or not Broadway will be able to thrive the way it once did, at least as soon as we wish. Josie Gold, a musical theater major, has shared her perspective on the matter.

“It will depend on people’s ability to follow health and safety guidelines,” said Gold. “Broadway would definitely have to make changes if they were to return this year.”

As things stand, the future of Broadway remains up in the air. However, that does not mean live performances cannot exist as we know them. Greensboro College’s theater department has already shown throughout the fall semester and with their most recent production, “You Don’t Know Me,” that live theater can continue to be a functioning art medium so long as the necessary guidelines are put in place and followed through.

Of course, this will severely limit the overall accessibility of live theater for many people.

“Eventually live performances will return,” said Professor Jo Hall. “There may be more streaming of controlled perfor-mances until then. But without a live audi-ence, it is not really theater.”

Only time will tell if Broadway will return to what it once was, but we should not lose hope for the performing arts.

COVID impacts “Poison”

The future of Broadway

feb. 17, 2021 volume 98, number 6

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