LAWRENTIAN

The Student Newspaper of Lawrence University Since 1884

THE
VOL. CXLI NO. 19 Appleton, Wisconsin April 22, 2022

Campus culture and policy shifts as COVID-19 cases spike

Joey Davis
Staff Writer
________________________
In Week 3 of Spring term,
Lawrence University saw an
uptick in COVID-19 cases. On
Sunday, April 17, 67 new stu-
dent cases and 75 total active
cases were reported, the high-
est total count of active student
cases and the second highest
total active cases on campus
for this school year. On Tues-
day, April 19, it was reported
that 19 additional community
members had tested positive.
An anonymous student,
who had tested positive for CO-
VID-19 and was, at the time of
interview, in isolation, spoke
on how isolation affected them.
This student will be referred to
as X. Despite showing symp-
toms on Monday, the student
was unable to test until Tues-
day, when their roommate dis-
covered that they had a spare
rapid test left. According to
the interviewee, the response
from Wellness Services after
they were informed of a posi-
tive test result was quick and
orderly, for which the student
was grateful.
Students in isolation are
given a $50 per day allowance
for food. The anonymous stu-
dent, who was staying at the
La Quinta Inn to wait out their
isolation, lamented that the
room key for isolating students
had been deactivated after day
one of their stay. The inability
to go outside made isolation a
very unpleasant experience, ac-
cording to the student.
“Not being able to go
outside had a huge negative
impact on my mental health,
not to mention my physical
health.” they said. “My space
already felt pretty cramped and
not having fresh air or the abil-
ity to stretch my legs and clear
my head only made me feel
more trapped. It can be kind of
anxiety-triggering to only see
the same walls for a week.”
The student also said that
in their experience, there was a
lack of information about the
process of leaving isolation,
and that it was unclear when
they could come back to cam-
pus and whether a positive test
result would start the 5-day
isolation period over again.
The anonymous student
also spoke on surveillance test-
ing, arguing that it should be
brought back. A student survey
posted on Facebook and Insta-
gram by the Lawrentian shows
that many members of the stu-
dent body agree. Out of 227
responses, 81% of respondents
said that surveillance testing
should be resumed. However,
opinions on whether or not
more precautions should be
taken were less pronounced.
The survey also asked
students if the President’s Ball
should have been handled dif-
ferently. 83% responded with
some variation of yes, offering
potentially valuable insight
into how the student body
wants to see future events han-
dled. 27% of respondents said
that there should have been
testing done beforehand, while
16% of respondents said that
masking should have been re-
quired. 37% of responses said
that both precautions should
have been taken.
Lillian Thompson, co-
president of the Student Or-
ganization for University Plan-
ning (SOUP), talked about
the planning process for the
President’s Ball. SOUP had a
conversation leading up to the
event where it was decided that
because campus was mask op-
tional, the event would be too.
She described the decision as
a calculated risk but lamented
that the case count was more
than expected.
Thompson emphasized
that blame does not rest solely
with the President’s Ball, citing
pregame parties and afterpar-
ties that took place the same
weekend. Furthermore, ac-
cording to Thompson, SOUP
does not regret the decision
that was made given the info
available at the time, but rather
sees the President’s Ball as a
learning experience. Future
events will be handled on a
case-by-case basis, following
the campus’s guidelines as a
rule of thumb.
Another anonymous stu-
dent who tested positive for
COVID-19 and has been isolat-
ing, spoke highly of Lawrence’s
response to positive results,
particularly the relative luxury
of staying in a hotel room or
Airbnb. This student will be
referred to as Y. They see the
virus as just something we
have to live with now and argue
A student prepares to put on their masks as they head into Warch.
that surveillance testing makes Photo by Alana Melvin
little to no difference for how
costly it is. Y was surprised to “Increased student posi- he has navigated this term’s numerous emails from stu-
see the return to yellow light, tivity rates, the availability of COVID-19 rates in the class- dents informing him that they
but thought it was a good shift quarantine and isolation space, room. Sieck acknowledged were close contacts or had test-
overall. as well as local access to hospi- that choir is a higher risk ac- ed positive for COVID-19.
Erin Buenzli, Assistant tals are the indicators that are tivity for an infectious respi- “I’m grateful that we’ve
Dean of Wellness Services, stat- considered for a change in the ratory disease such as COV- been well-masked and pre-
ed that symptomatic students indicator or changes to proto- ID-19. As such, the 130-person vented a super-spreading event
are being tested at the present col.” said Buenzli. choir learning Brahms’s “Ein in choir, but the sheer number
moment and that there are no Buenzli also expressed deutsches Requiem” has con- of infections/close-contacts
plans to institute surveillance her faith in the students to tinued to be fully masked since on campus suggests we need a
testing at this time. However, continue to honor the pledge the beginning of this term and brief pivot.” wrote Sieck in the
should the need arise, Wellness despite COVID-19 fatigue and through the weeks as green email to the choir.
Services does have the capacity the return to masking. light status switched to yellow. This week’s Student Wel-
to do so, she said. On April 20, Stephen Sieck, Associate On Thursday, April 14, fare Committee meeting saw
Lawrence offered a one-day op- Professor and Co-director of Sieck moved choir rehearsals concerns coming from students
portunity for PCR testing. Choral Studies, spoke on how to Zoom after he had received in music ensembles and the-

New LUCC Vice President elected

Nathan Wall
News Editor
_______________________
Sophomore AddaFadila
Louleid was elected Lawrence
University Community Coun-
cil (LUCC) Vice President on
Saturday, April 9. Louleid was
elected in a special election to
replace outgoing LUCC Vice
President and junior LaDora
Thomas. Thomas has stayed
on as interim LUCC Vice Presi-
dent as no one had run for the
position in February. Louleid
will take over on April 27.
The LUCC Vice President
is responsible for a number of
duties, including chairing the
Finance Committee and pre-
siding over council meetings
when LUCC President and
junior Malcolm Davis is un-
able. As LUCC President, Da-
vis chairs General Council and
the Steering Committee, which
oversees club recognition, as
well as meeting with mem-
bers of the administration and
observing Board of Trustees
meetings this May.
Louleid was a member of
the Black Student Union (BSU)
and Lawrence International
(LI) and is a student from Mo-
rocco. She will serve alongside
Davis, parliamentarian Jasper
Kashou, a junior, and treasurer
Monique Johnson, a sopho-
more, among other students on
the Cabinet.
“I always wanted to get
more involved in the Lawrence
community.” said Louleid.
“Once I saw the application for
LUCC VP I thought it would be
a good way to help shape the
campus body and make it a
comfortable and safe space for
everyone.”
Davis expressed a desire
for more structure and stream-
lined processes at LUCC, which
he hopes to work with Louleid
on. Specifically, he talked about
having a monthly newsletter
inform students of LUCC go-
ings-on, as well as revamping
the LUCC website and increas-
ing social media presence.
Photo of AddaFadila Louleid.
Photo from AdaFadila Louleid.

Sports Variety Features A&E Op-Ed

WEEK
THIS

Joe Kortenhof makes Student Recital: Ami Names and statues are
Why SAASHA? Historical Photo Feature
52nd place... Hatori, Piano important, but policies...
PAGE 3 PAGE 4 PAGE 6 PAGE 8 PAGE 10
2 NEWS April 22, 2022
THE LAWRENTIAN

SAASHA hosts events for Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Marzuka Amal Campus Center on Tuesday, relating to sexual assault and tians through the recognition lective.” environment.
Staff Writer April 12 at 5 p.m. trauma and SAASHA not be- of survivors’ safety and needs.” First-year Lydia Wheeler SAASHA will also be host-
Despite the wind and ing taken seriously as an LUCC Even though certain stu- expressed her feeling of ing a series of “Take Back the
Disclaimer: The Staff
rain, the rally drew at least 25 committee. dents’ expressing their frustra- empowerment after being at Night” events for survivors of
Writer for this story is an
students, faculty and admin- Karki, co-chair of SAA- tion with LUCC’s treatment of the rally. sexual assault and allies, in-
LUCC class representative
istrators. The agenda for the SHA spoke multiple times SAASHA was a large part of the “Coming out and being cluding an LU Rock Painting
on the SAASHA Commit-
rally, presented by junior Tee throughout the rally. She in- concerns surrounding the rally, a part of this rally has been event on Monday, April 25 in
tee.
Karki, co-chair of SAASHA in formed everyone present what SAASHA has made clear their great.” said Wheeler. “Being front of Main Hall, a labyrinth
In honor of Sexual Assault
her opening speech, included SAASHA as a committee ex- intention to work with LUCC. able to hear people’s experienc- walk and craft fair on Tuesday,
Awareness Month (SAAM),
various concerns. One of these pects from Lawrence Univer- “At the end of the day, es and opinions paired with all April 26 at the First Congrega-
Lawrence University’s Student
concerns included SAASHA sity. LUCC is here to better the cam- the helpful information makes tional United Church of Christ
Alliance Against Sexual Ha-
not being taken seriously in “We want the safety of pus and we believe our inten- me feel more confident.” and a Denim Day and Open
rassment (SAASHA) in tandem
Lawrence University Commu- survivors to be seen as what tions line up with the values At the rally, multiple Mic event on Wednesday, April
with other student organiza-
nity Council (LUCC) spaces it is, essential for the general they uphold as well.” said Karki students expressed their frus- 27 in the Wriston Auditorium.
tions has been working towards
like General Council meetings. wellbeing of all people on this in her speech. “This conversa- tration and hopes for Law- The SAAM events will end
hosting events and rallies.
Other concerns included sur- campus.” said Karki. “We want tion and rally are not to be- rence University. Karki urged with lighting lanterns at the
To start off the month,
vivors’ well-being not being the voices of those who want to little nor undermine LUCC as students to find out who their Sustainable Lawrence Univer-
SAASHA organized a Rally
prioritized, not being informed speak to be amplified and those a whole, but much rather ask class representatives are and sity Garden (SLUG) fire pit on
with assistance from Appleton
of adjustments impacting SAA- who do not to be protected. We that we work together rather reach out to them regarding Thursday, April 28.
Students for a Democratic So-
SHA such as the hiring of a new want to ensure the basic right than against each other to con- concerns and expectations to
ciety (SDS) in front of Warch
Title IX director and events of holistic safety for all Lawren- tinue making progress as a col- better Lawrence University’s

Co-Chair of SAASHA junior Tee Karki speaks at the rally. A student holds a sign reading ‘Title IX discriminates.’
Photo by Adam Fleischer. Photo by Adam Fleischer.

Student athletes express hopes and concerns for Athletic

Department as search for full time Athletic Director begins
Nathan Wall
News Editor
_______________________
The search for a new
Lawrence Athletic Director is
ongoing after Kim Tatro, for-
mer Athletic Director, stepped
down from her role and moved
to a position where she’s man-
aging funds that are part of the
Strategic Investment Initiative
for the Athletics Department.
This change was announced
in an email sent to Lawrence
students, faculty and staff on
Monday, Feb. 28, from Chrys-
tin Abaray, Chief of Staff to
President Laurie Carter.
Women’s Volleyball
Coach, Senior Woman Admin-
istrator and Associate Director
of Athletics Kim Falkenhagen
has stepped in as Interim Ath-
letic Director.
A search committee made
up of staff, students and fac-
ulty is looking for a full-time
replacement, and Abaray will
be chairing this committee as
she supervises the Athletic Di-
rector. Abaray added that the
search committee is looking
for an athletic director who is
visible in the community, cares
about students, and has strong
leadership skills.
Student athletes ex-
pressed a variety of concerns
in the Athletic Department
that they are hoping will be ad-
dressed once a full-time Ath-
letic Director is hired.
According to junior Mari-
fé Entenza-Sierra, a member of
the Women’s Volleyball Team,
rules around COVID-19 were
inconsistent, and felt like the
protocols changed too much,
being strict one week and re-
laxed another week. According
to her, this caused confusion,
which led to athletes who didn’t
want to wear masks feeling like
they could get away with not
doing it.
“There was an inconsis-
tency in protocols.” said Enten-
za-Sierra. “Therefore, athletes
feel they can do whatever they
want and get away with it.”
One anonymous student
athlete, referred to in this story
as C, agreed with this sentiment
and mentioned that rapid test-
ing was often done incorrectly
by not putting the nose swab all
the way in, which they believe
led to far more false negatives
than normal when taking rapid
tests. C felt that it was unfair to
waste 45 minutes of their time
in the morning if the test wasn’t
even going to be done correctly.
Both Entenza-Sierra
and C feel that Lawrence staff
have a responsibility to model
good behavior for students by
wearing masks and properly
conducting tests, and that
some staff members were
inconsistent in modeling that
behavior.
Both athletes as well as
a second anonymous student
athlete, referred to in this story
as B, expressed a desire for
better communication in the
Athletic Department when it
comes to policies as well as
concerns.
C stated that they feel
like a lot of Athletic Depart-
ment staff don’t understand
how mentally and physically
draining it is to be an athlete
and a student at the same
time, pointing out that they
often skipped meals in order
to get to rapid testing and then
practice on time. C also men-
tioned the fact that they don’t
get paid, and don’t have much
time to work on campus while
completing schoolwork.
Entenza-Sierra expressed
a desire for more therapists
specifically geared towards
athletes, and feels that mental
health is not being prioritized
in the Strategic Investment
Initiative. C also expressed a
desire for better sexual assault
prevention in the department.
Abaray stated that she
was unaware of the concerns
students had about COVID-19
but acknowledged that com-
munication strategies between
students and staff can always
be improved. She also ex-
pressed a desire to providing
student athletes with the re-
sources they need. Abaray en-
couraged students to come to
her if they have concerns and
need someone to talk to.
“I am always available and
openly welcome any conversa-
tions.” said Abaray.

Campus culture and policy...

continued from page 1 Join
atre productions, considering the difficulty of mask-
ing while performing in both disciplines.
Further changes to protocols include reducing
capacity in the Brengel Dining room and opening up
additional spaces in Warch to eat.
as a writer or photographer.

If interested, visit lawrentian.com/apply

April 22, 2022
Joe Kortenhof makes 52nd place in Boston Marathon
Gannon Flynn
Staff Writer
______________________________
I’ve covered Joe Kortenhof a
number of times in my time at Law-
rence. I didn’t exactly have a choice
– Joe dominated the cross-country
scene in 2019 and 2020, and his
name was always next to some sort
of achievement. He was an all-con-
ference champion four times in his
career, as well as the owner of the
third-best 8000-meter time in school
history. In 2019, Joe received All-
Midwest Region Honors, and upon
accepting a NCAA Division III cham-
Why you should never spend €100 million on a footballer
Sean McLaughlin
Sports Editor
______________________________
Since the astronomical €222
million fee PSG paid for Neymar in
2017, the transfer market has gone
haywire. Gone are the days when
€20-30 million got you a top quality
player, let alone a world superstar. As
we progress into the ‘20s, the €100
million mark has become the corner-
stone number to be banded around
regarding players deemed “world
class” if any club wants to have a try
at buying them. The trouble is, that
figure also seems to be a curse. To
date, there have been eight transfers
that have cracked the £100 million
mark, and they have almost all turned
out to be complete flops. This week,
I’ll be taking a look down the list at
four such transfers and assessing if it
was really worth breaking the bank.
4. Philippe Coutinho, Liver-
pool to Barcelona summer 2018,
€135 million
Antonio Gonzalez
Staff Writer
______________________________
This past week, the bodybuild-
ing community was struck with a
devastating loss with the passing of
world-class bodybuilder Cedric Mc-
Millan. Cedric was a military and
family man and an inspiration to
many in the world of fitness, inspir-
ing all to become their best selves.
Cedric McMillan brought one of the
most complete bodybuilding pack-
ages to the stage, mixing sheer mass
with classic aesthetic lines. His Ar-
nold Classic 2017 performance was
one of the best physiques to ever
grace the bodybuilding stage and his
victory speech afterwards will speak
to all who hear it. With all his great
attributes, it is hard not to find a fan
of Cedric McMillan.
Unfortunately, Cedric suffered a
heart attack on April 12 at the age of
44. His death marks one of the many
that have torn through the fitness
community in the last couple of years.
Particularly, heart failure seems to be
the most prevalent cause of death
among professional bodybuilders.
There are many factors to consider
that make the bodybuilding lifestyle
inherently dangerous, but also re-
cent factors surrounding COVID-19
may account for the abnormal spike
across top level competitors.
A major factor that contributes
to the unhealthiness of the profes-
sional bodybuilding lifestyle is the
sheer weight packed on the frames
of most bodybuilders. Having large
amounts of body mass can put un-
pionships, he posted a 52nd place
finish. It’s a shame athletics in 2020
were cut so short for COVID mea-
sures – by that time, Kortenhof had
added two conference track titles to
his it’s no surprise that Joe is con-
tinuing to pursue athletics after Law-
rence, and he just reached another
impressive 52nd place at the 2022
Boston Marathon.
This past fall marked Joe’s first
marathon run, new for an athlete that
specialized in intense and far shorter
runs. However, this didn’t prevent
him from picking up a solid 2:24:36
in New Hampshire at the Manchester
City Marathon. Such a time proved he
This move at least seemed to
make some semblance of sense at the
time, as Coutinho came in to replace
the outgoing club legend that is An-
drés Iniesta. They seemed to possess
similar skill sets to some extent, with
both being very technically gifted,
diminutive passers and capable of
controlling the game from the middle
of the field. The issue was, Coutinho
didn’t want that role. He wanted to
play further forward as a luxury at-
tacking player, pulling the strings in
and around the box as opposed to in
midfield. As a result, he was left to
compete with Messi, Dembele and
eventually Griezmann for minutes.
He quickly fell out of favor, and even
had to watch as his former side beat
Barcelona in the semifinals of the
2018-19 Champions League before
winning the title.
He’s since had a loan spell at
Bayern Munich where he won the
Champions League in 2020, scoring
twice in an 8-2 demolition of Barce-
Bodybuilding and its risks
due strain on various organ systems
over time. Although overly-muscled
bodies may be the ideal for profes-
sional bodybuilding, it is not the ideal
when it comes to health and longev-
ity. The organ systems most damaged
by bodybuilding tend to be the heart,
liver, and kidneys, but with the recent
bouts of cardiac arrest, the spotlight
will be put on the cardiovascular
system. The heart may become over-
burdened with the task of pumping
blood through 240+ lbs. of a body on
frames that were never meant to hold
that much size.
Considering that the anabolic
steroids and human growth hormone
that are utilized in bodybuilding can
enlarge the cardiac muscles of the
heart as well, the heart can become
very susceptible to failure. Dallas
McCarver, a young promising body-
builder who passed away in 2017 at
just 27 years old, was found to have a
heart weighing over 800 grams which
is nearly three times the mass of the
average human heart. Individual ge-
netic response to steroids and train-
ing can affect the rate of and overall
growth of the heart, but accumulating
250+ lbs. of on-stage weight to even
300 lbs. and more in the off-season
increases the burden of the heart
drastically.
A more recent cardiac burden
that has arisen in the last few years
is the emergence of COVID-19 and
related dangers. We have all heard of
the risk of myocarditis among those
who have suffered from the virus. The
effects of infection can affect the en-
tire population, even trained athletes.
SPORTS
THE LAWRENTIAN
could very well handle a tough mara-
thon, and he set out to train by reach-
ing out to a former coach of his from
Lincoln High School in Portland. Su-
zanne Perry, a teacher of cross coun-
try and an experienced runner her-
self, laid out a plan for training over
the course of three months – much
of which took place during the harsh
East Coast winter. Thankfully, equal-
ly punishing snowstorms in Appleton
gave him plenty of preparation for
these conditions.
During the race, he had some
solid motivation as well – competi-
tion with a former rival. Lake Forest
runner Jorge Villanueva joined him
lona along the way, further embar-
rassing his contractual employers,
and currently sits on loan at Premier
League side Aston Villa. He seems to
finally be enjoying his football again,
but at age 30 and having wasted his
peak years, this move was a failure
for all involved, and an expensive one
at that, with (potential) add-ons tak-
ing his eventual price as high as €180
million by the time he leaves this
summer.
Rating: Barcelona have pulled
another blunder, 1/10
3. João Félix, Benfica to
Atlético de Madrid summer
2019, €126 million
Remember that Griezmann
transfer I ranted about a few lines
ago? Well, here’s how Atleti used the
massive fee they received. They didn’t
exactly cover themselves in glory ei-
ther.
On the surface, this also looked
like a good idea. Félix was the bright-
est prospect in Europe in 2019, scor-
Considering that bodybuilders spend
a lot of time in the gym, undergoing
muscular and cardiovascular stress
nearly daily, it is safe to consider
them athletes in some sense. There
have been many cases of the virus
causing long term effects to the many
high-level bodybuilders who got CO-
VID.
Cedric McMillan himself was
hospitalized after his run in with the
virus. The risk of myocarditis is likely
enhanced by the strain already put on
the heart as well as the stress on all
the organ systems, possibly reduc-
ing overall immune system function.
There is also the risk of myocarditis
due to vaccination that cannot be
ignored if all factors for the spike in
recent deaths are being considered.
No one is certain of long-term effects
of either COVID or vaccination for
the virus, so it is important to keep
an open mind when the bodybuild-
ing community is trying to keep their
athletes safe.
The last factor and one of the
biggest associated strictly with
bodybuilding is anabolic steroids,
performance enhancing drugs, and
diuretics. Clearly, the average hu-
man body is not meant to build and
maintain professional bodybuilder
levels of muscle mass on its frame.
The average person has nowhere
near the endogenous hormonal sup-
port to sustain muscle development
and maintenance on that scale. Not
to say people cannot build large and
impressive amounts of muscle natu-
rally, but there is clear assistance
needed to ever reach the size and
on the day of the marathon, an ath-
lete with his own repertoire of suc-
cess. In 2018 and 2019, Villanueva
received MVP honors back-to-back,
with an All-Midwestern Conference
Award in the 10000-meter run and
an Academic All-Midwestern Confer-
ence award in ’18 as well.
The seasoned runner was help-
ful to compete with, according to Joe:
“We ran the first 12 miles of the race
together, and he helped me keep the
pace pretty conservative at the start.
I was thankful for him to be there.
Because I was more conservative at
the start, about halfway through I felt
amazing and then I was able to start
ing 19 and assisting 7 in 37 matches
across all competitions at just 18
years old. But with a massive fee
comes massive expectations, and Fé-
lix hasn’t met them. Now in his third
season in Spain, he’s never cracked 10
league goals in a season, and seems
to have stagnated. He also faces stiff
competition for minutes from Ángel
Correa to play in his favored number
10 role, meaning it has been difficult
for him to maintain a sustained run
of good form. No one can fault his de-
fensive work rate, as he consistently
puts up quality numbers in pressures
and ball recoveries for a forward as
expected in Diego Simeone’s system.
But he was brought in to be a striker,
and not the average one he’s been
ever since.
Rating: hopefully more to come,
4/10
2. Kylian Mbappe, Monaco
to PSG summer 2017, €180 mil-
lion
This is perhaps the only success-
conditioning needed to step on the
Olympia stage. Anabolic steroids can
disrupt the endocrine system with the
introduction of exogenous hormones
and long-term use can severely hin-
der the ability for the body’s natural
processes to ever recover, hence why
many retired bodybuilders are on
some form of testosterone replace-
ment therapy.
Anabolic steroids themselves
and how they act on the body is not
usually the most dangerous practice
in bodybuilding, but the mismanage-
ment of steroid cycles can cause fairly
severe damage to the kidneys in the
case of oral steroids. Other drugs
such as insulin or diuretics are wildly
dangerous. The use of insulin is a
high-risk practice used due to insu-
lin’s inherent anabolic properties of
preventing cell breakdown and aid-
ing in protein synthesis, but its use
can cause severe and even fatal hypo-
glycemia (low blood sugar) to body-
builders who already tend to be very
insulin sensitive individuals. The use
of diuretics is common to achieve the
grainy shrink-wrapped look that is
desired when on stage. They are not
typically used until the last weeks of
prep for a competition.
Diuretics dry out individuals of
much of the water in their bodies, al-
lowing the skin to press tight against
the muscles, showing striations
and conditioning beyond what can
achieved through diet alone. With
this immense dehydration and severe
electrolyte imbalance, bodybuilders
can pass away suddenly like the late,
great Mohammed Benaziza did in
3
picking up the pace.” Kortenhof’s
good management of pace allowed
him to break through the second
half of the race, where most runners
find their biggest challenge. Heart-
break Hill, a 20-mile marker on the
Marathon’s path, is a steep uphill sec-
tion. Joe didn’t see it as a downside,
though, and had his mind set on the
finish: “It was pretty much downhill
for the last six miles of the race and it
was amazing.” The refreshment of a
downhill run set him up for the 52nd
place finish – 185 places above his
Lake Forest rival.
ful transfer on this list, at least at the
time of writing. Mbappe had promise
to become a world star when PSG
signed him as an 18 year old in 2017,
and he has proved himself. In the five
seasons since, Mbappe has finished
fourth in the Ballon D’or, scored 111
goals in the league alone, played in
a Champions League final, won the
World Cup and scored in the World
Cup Final, and is now linked with a
€200+ million move to Real Madrid.
Mbappe now sits alongside Erling
Haaland as one of the favorites to
dominate world football when Messi
and Ronaldo finally retire in the near
future and is France’s main hope to
retain the World Cup this winter in
Qatar. Whatever the fee they paid for
him, Mbappe was worth it and more.
If he had won a Ballon D’or by now,
this transfer would have a perfect
score.
Rating: stellar, 9/10
1. Neymar, Barcelona to
See page 8
1992 just after competing. The most
conditioned bodybuilder Andreas
Munzer passed away in 1996 after
total liver and kidney failure due to
chronic diuretic use from which he
achieved his iconic look.
The recent tragic losses have
opened the eyes of many fans of
bodybuilding and particularly the
athletes themselves. Many have ad-
vocated for more routine blood tests,
which check for proper metabolic
and hormonal function in people, as
often as possible. Some have advo-
cated for changing the emphasis on
conditioning in the scoring criteria in
order to prevent the use of diuretics,
opting for more of a focus on size and
shape. Some athletes have changed
divisions, opting to go down to lower
weight classes such as Keone Pearson
who went from the 212 division back
to classic physique after last year’s
deaths of former Mr. Olympia, Shawn
Rhoden, aged 46, and Keone’s former
fellow classic physique and 212 com-
petitor, George Peterson, aged 37.
Many have also advocated for
the downsizing of competitors when
they are not competing and or are
already retired, in order to allevi-
ate the stress on their bodies. The
bodybuilding and fitness community
has taken these tragedies as an op-
portunity to advocate for healthier
practices that will allow everyone
to enjoy the sport and lifestyle that
is bodybuilding in the long term.
In Memory of Cedric McMillan.
4 VARIETY
Lawrence University Creative Writing Club Spring Serial Story; Part 2
Been flipping burgers here
at my diner for twenty-five years
now, and I ain’t never seen, heard…
or smelled anything like it. I’m
alone now: Cheryl and Alvin have
wrapped up for the night and head-
ed home. Nothing left to do but
hold the fort for one more hour
in case a final customer stumbles
in. I hope someone does, so I’m
not alone with my thoughts again.
Writing them down on napkins like
this will only keep me from los-
ing it for so long. It’s so quiet, I
can hear the flickering fluorescent
lights; buzzing, just like the flies.
It’s almost black outside the doors,
but I can still see a bit of sun peek-
ing over the cows and cornfields;
red, just like the blood. It must
have been me. It must have been
that burger I served him, I don’t
see how else it could have hap-
pened. For two days, that poor
guy was pretty much living in that
stall, with what must have been the
worst case of food poisoning on this
side of the Mississippi. I wanted to
call whatever hotel he was staying
at and arrange for him a refund,
but I couldn’t make out a word he
said from behind the door. I left
him some more food and water
outside the stall just in case, but
he never touched it. Can’t say I
Hungry Creatures
By Mara Logan
The Cows Have Eyes
blame him, though, it was all soon
covered in flies anyway. I cooked
his burger on the griddle, same as
always, and the ketchup and mus-
tard both smelled perfectly fine. I
even spritzed some of that fancy
sanitizer on the counter before the
party arrived, and it was as clean as
a whistle, so where did I go wrong?
The name on his receipt is
“Henry Elliot,” and people were
poking fun at him at the party for
being an out-of-towner. Mr. Martin
was even joking that I should drop
a bit of cow pie in his drink to
“give him a taste of country life,
Joe!” but that was just banter. He
didn’t deserve to die… he was polite
to Cheryl, never yelled at me or
Alvin to hurry up with his food,
and tipped well; what more could
I ask for? Not like that old kook
Marlin, or “Detective” Marlin, as
he likes to call himself; he doesn’t
even tip, just grabs his disgusting
chocolate and pickle-slice milk-
shakes and goes… how do you even
think to try something like that!?
I’ve heard Marlin’s mumblings…
he’s convinced Mr. Martin killed
that Elliot fella… thinks there’s an
affair going on… that Mr. Elliot and
Celia Martin went into the bath-
room to do something shameful,
but that’s a bunch of bull. Celia did
THE LAWRENTIAN
By Sullivan Shubert
go with Mr. Elliot into the bath-
room… but that’s just because he
could barely stand without getting
the spins, saying he needed one of
those newfangled x-rays for some
reason. Marlin’s also been harping
on about the guy’s missing brief-
case, but I know he’s lying, I saw
him take it… along with his lat-
est disgusting milkshake. God only
knows what he intends on doing
with it; if he was a real detective,
he would’ve turned it in to the
real authorities right away. I would
report him, but the investigation
might come back to haunt me. I
want to tell somebody, but if I do, I
could lose it all: the diner, my life’s
savings, even my lovely Louise. I
never meant to hurt anybody. I
remember every person who didn’t
like my food, like that time another
out-of-towner threw his burger on
the floor and said it tasted terrible.
I went home and cried that night.
And now… I’ve killed someone.
It’s all black outside now, but
out in the fields, I can see the
glint of cows’ eyes looking into the
building; it’s like they know what
I’ve done… that I’ve killed one of
my own for a change. Are they
the Supreme Court of Potterfield?
Come to think of it… my suppli-
ers say they’ve been acting strange
Song of the Week: "Reality
Check" by Noname
Content warning: There
will be a broad discussion of
Sexual Assault (SA) in this
article.
Last week, SAASHA (The
Student Alliance Against Sexual
Harassment and Assault) held a
rally calling on LUCC to work
with us in prioritizing survivor
safety and fighting back against
SA on campus. I’m here to talk
about why LUCC, student organi-
zations and all students on cam-
pus should work with SAASHA
towards the common goal of safe-
ty and autonomy for us all.
I’m an ethnic studies major
and a gender studies minor, and
one of the most prevalent ideas
in both fields is the idea of coali-
tion building. Black women, and
particularly Black queer women,
going as far back as the Combahee
River Collective of 1974, have the-
orized about how the interlocking
nature of their oppression on the
grounds of their gender and race
has put them at the bottom of
the social hierarchy. In particular,
poor Black and brown trans and
other queer women have never
been historically welcome in anti-
capitalist movements, civil rights
movements or women’s move-
ments, and certainly not in main-
stream society. These queer Black
feminists theorize that because
of their position at the intersec-
tions of these movements, they
lately. They’ve apparently taken to
ambling around in circles for hours
at a time, with hardly a “moo”
out of any of them, and Farmer
Cranston told me they’ve been try-
ing to bite him. Even the… piles
they’ve been leaving behind don’t
look healthy in the slightest. The
last time he remembers behavior
like this was during the war. Is
Potterfield heading towards some
sort of cow uprising or something?
I don’t know, I just cook ‘em, but
judging by what the farmers have
been saying, I’m not finding Mr.
Martin’s joke quite so funny any-
more. Maybe it wasn’t me… maybe
it’s the cows themselves! But… that
doesn’t make any more sense. I
had my burger for the day, same
as always, and when I gave Cheryl
and Alvin theirs on their last break
before the party, they didn’t say
anything was off; the food has been
tasting just as good as ever. I’ll be
sure to check Mr. Fausette’s report
as soon as he’s done examining the
body, and maybe then we’ll finally
have an answer.
I can’t believe I’m saying this,
but the cows are closer. I can see
their faces in the yellow glow of
the streetlight. I wish they were
ambling around in circles, because
this is just plain creepy. I went to
Why SAASHA?
By Madeleine Corum
are uniquely able to pull them all
together. Not one of these move-
ments is as strong alone as they
are when they stand with all the
others, because otherwise, they
can never fully capture the expe-
rience of all members of their
movement.
SA impacts all of us. Men
and women and gender-noncon-
forming people can be victims
and survivors of SA. People of all
economic, ethnic and racial back-
grounds can be victims and sur-
vivors of SA. In particular, Black
and brown women and people
who identify under the umbrella
of LGBTQ are disproportionate-
ly victims and survivors of SA
(Know Your IX). There are count-
less other friends and loved ones
of survivors who are also affect-
ed. I, as a white queer person
assigned female at birth on cam-
pus, am myself a survivor, and
cannot even get close to counting
the number of survivors I know
personally on both of my hands.
Beyond this, the right to
safety and autonomy over one’s
body is one that belongs to all of
us. If Lawrence does not respect
the right to safety and personal
autonomy of survivors on cam-
pus, how do you know they will
protect your right to safety and
autonomy over your body? Your
body as an athlete, who runs and
swims and throws and fences. As
an artist or a musician, whose
body creates the art and music
April 22, 2022
the kitchen to close the screened
window and check the ketchup and
mustard again (which still smelled
fine), and along with the crick-
ets and grass rustling in the wind,
I heard what sounded like some-
thing big plodding by. It sounded
too quiet to be a cow, but I was
so jumpy that reason didn’t mean
a thing to me. They weren’t any
closer when I came back, which
would have been the perfect time
to get me, so hopefully, they’re…
what am I even thinking… and why
am I writing it down!? I’m being
paranoid, and this isn’t helping one
bit. Even if my food had nothing to
do with that fella’s death, if some-
body finds this, they’ll throw me in
the loony bin instead, if the guilt
doesn’t send me there anyways!
Well, the hour’s up now. I’ll
turn on the stove one final time,
toss this in the fire, and be done
with it. God knows what I’ve done…
but I’ll be having lots of sleepless
nights until I know too. To anyone
else who reads this, you’re either
God, or a hell of a snoop.
that we live on. As a student of
color in a predominantly white
institution. We all deserve to have
control over ourselves, to have
a say in what we do and do not
want for ourselves, especially in
a time when we have control over
so little else.
Student organizations work-
ing towards the inclusion and pro-
tection of marginalized students,
Black students, brown students,
first-generation students, interna-
tional students, poor students and
queer students: do you feel that
your body and autonomy have
been protected by Lawrence?
Does Lawrence take you and
your demands seriously? LUCC:
Lawrence is using you to do the
work of protecting and serving us
so they don’t have to. Our safety
and autonomy have often been
placed in your hands, when you
are students too, and just as much
at risk as the rest of us. We fight
for you too.
This is not just SAASHA’s
fight. This is your fight too. We
are fighting for Black women, for
queer people, for all students who
feel they can’t speak up because
of their documentation status or
the scholarships they need to stay
at Lawrence. We need you all to
fight with us.
And when that call comes,
you better say hello. No hesita-
tion, no hiding deep down below,
no beg your pardon, you better
stay and grow your liberation.
April 22, 2022 VARIETY
THE LAWRENTIAN
Weekly Crossword
By Kelly Foy
Tips and Tricks for a Healthy Lawrence Life
Hello, fellow Lawrentians. It
is a cold and windy spring here in
Appleton, but rumors of summer
circulate. Meanwhile, the sky does
not look quite as miserable as it
did only a few weeks prior, and
daylight savings is no more, which
means campus will soon be bustling
with life — students, river bugs,
and so forth. As we emerge from
our winter dwellings, it’s easy to
get optimistic about the rest of the
year, especially for all you seniors
like me. So what is the best way
Bad Lawrence Poetry #1 to spend the rest of the academic
year? Here are some helpful tips to
guide you into spring:
By Kelly Foy 1) Get kicked out of the VR. It
doesn’t matter how you get yourself
banned from the Viking Room, all
Class. Class. Class. Class. Class. that counts is that the last time
Ping. Email. Check? you enter the establishment should
Go home. Home. home. be the last time you’re allowed to
Lights are on but no one’s there. enter the establishment. At a place
There. There. where carving your initials into the
hair . hair and makeup? table is an encouraged practice, it
Breakup. may be difficult to find a way to
The phone is breaking up make this divorce permanent. A
with no power. For an hour. few suggestions: if pool and darts
Hour hour hour. are not to your fancy, come up with
Our campus. something more entertaining. Call
Muddy because the rain. the new sport “Extreme Darts” or
Mudd. Mudd. Mudd. “Hardcore Pool” and make up the
BOOM. Electric fire. In Mudd? rules as you go. Also, if you’re sober
Shout . Box? when you’re forcefully removed
Where… to shout? from the premises, you’re doing it
AAAAAAAA wrong.
Shouting in . the box. 2) Impersonate a professor. So
Consider the box shouted. now that you’re no longer allowed
It feels yelled at. in the campus hangout spot, it’s
I don’t care. important that you make your pres-
Email- ence known in the academic world
No update will update soon. as well. This one will be a little more
Email. tricky, but you can get creative with
No update will update soon. it. The best way to keep the profes-
Email. sor from showing up during your
COVID GUIDELINE CHANGE. lecture is to create a distraction.
Mr. Presidents Ball Received their Booster Find out what car your favorite
Last week. professor drives, then tell them it’s
Email.
Power in buildings.
Power is on.
But no one is home.
Phone is breaking up.
No power.
No one is home.
By Jeff Mason
The following is a work of satire.
being towed. While the professor is
off chasing after their status sym-
bol, take this opportunity to log
into the classroom computer and
put on your homemade PowerPoint
presentation. If you’re in need of
a good one, send me an email — I
have a presentation on the impor-
tance of Minecraft YouTubers and
their influence on the music indus-
try. (You think I’m lying? Think
again.)
3) Prank your roommate.
We’re a little late for April Fools’,
but that’s no biggie. That holiday
is mainly reserved for cute little
ticky-tacky stuff that everyone can
giggle at afterwards. No, our motto
is “Go big and get sent home.” Fill
your roommate’s toothpaste bottle
with Elmer’s glue and record the
results. Or fill their water bottle
with vinegar. A personal favorite of
mine is to find a friend who owns
a cat and borrow their litter box,
then give your roommate a 4 a.m.
wakeup call by tossing the contents
on them. Be honest — you weren’t
going to talk to them over the sum-
mer anyway.
4) Create the next spike in
COVID cases. If you’ve gotten this
far down the list, you’re probably
a little bit afraid to go outside. Or
maybe you’re no longer allowed to,
depending on how successful your
trials have been thus far, or how
many incidents have been reported.
But chances are the legal system
at Lawrence has yet to process the
issues that will lead to your expul-
sion, as long as you haven’t wait-
ed more than a month since your
first formal complaint and haven’t
reminded the administration that
you’re due for a meeting about
your academic status but have not
yet received a time to be scolded.
While you’re waiting for them to
5
get back to you, you’ll likely have
just enough time to contract and
disperse COVID. How you get it is
up to you, but once you have tested
positive, the easiest place to start
a spread is obviously in Andrew
Commons. You’ll want to make sure
you’re being very breathy when you
walk up to random strangers and sit
down with them to tell them about
your senior capstone, and how they
should come see it. If the strangers
ask “Weren’t you suspended?”, or if
Campus Safety interrupts your din-
ner so rudely, simply cough in their
face and bolt. Running will be good
training for my fifth and final tip for
having a healthy Lawrence life.
5) Senior streak. Every year,
hundreds of Lawrentians gather
outside of Memorial Hall to partici-
pate in the country’s largest annual
streaking event, or something like
that. It doesn’t really matter about
the specifics. Besides, do you want
to be just another pair of cheeks in
the crowd, or do you want to cause
a real stir? All those posers will
be streaking midway through the
term, which is why the real play will
be to do your senior streak at grad-
uation. For added thrill, bring this
all full circle by covering yourself in
Elmer’s glue. See how far you can
get before becoming stuck to some-
thing/someone or succumbing to
the hardening of your sticky outer
mold. Scream “Notice me!” into the
crowd. Try not to cry. Cry a lot.
With that, you have suc-
cessfully emerged from your col-
lege chrysalis and into the “real
world” of post-Lawrence life. Your
whole lives are in front of you,
Lawrentians. Now that your four
years here are done, it’s time to
decide where your next four years
will take you — or maybe a judge
will decide that for you.
6 FEATURES April 22, 2022
THE LAWRENTIAN

Historical Photo Feature: Snapshots of

Lawrence’s changing landscape

Before Youngchild Hall existed, the fantastically named Underwood Observatory stood overlooking the Fox River. In
the aerial photograph above, circa 1901-1910, you can see the observatory next to Sampson House, which still stands
today. To the right, Professor of Physics John Millis teaches students to use the telescope in the observatory, circa
1930.
Photos and information provided by Lawrence University Archives.
Above: ARC2011-012; Right: ARC2009-081

On the other side of the Underwood Observatory stood Alexander Gymnasium I, which was also razed to make space
for Youngchild Hall (photo circa 1919). To the right is a winter scene at the observatory, circa 1920-1957.
Photos and information provided by Lawrence University Archives.
Above: ARC2009-084; Right: ARC2009-085

Have a story
to share or want Scan the
to see something QR code
published in The and submit
Lawrentian? a story pro-
Know of people posal. We
or events on look forward
campus that to hearing
you’d like to see from you!
featured?
April 22, 2022 FEATURES 7
THE LAWRENTIAN

Globalizing the struggle against

occupation: Puerto Rico
Nathan Wall
News Editor
________________________________
In 2017, Category 5 Hurricane Maria hit
the Caribbean, killing 3,059 people, mostly in
Puerto Rico, but also in Dominica, Haiti and
the United States. Maria was the deadliest
Atlantic Hurricane in 183 years. After the dev-
astating storm, former president Donald Trump
drew criticism for holding up billions in aid to
Puerto Rico and calling Puerto Ricans lazy. He
also made the news for tossing paper towels at
hurricane survivors when he finally traveled to
the island.
Discrimination against Puerto Ricans
didn’t begin with Trump, though. For centuries,
the indigenous Taíno population inhabited
the island. After the arrival of Christopher
Columbus and the Spanish colonizers, the Taíno
population declined significantly, not unlike
Indigenous peoples in what is now called the
United States. In 1898, war between Spain and
the U.S. broke out, largely over the indigenous-
led independence movement in Cuba against
Spanish rule. The U.S. seized on the opportu-
nity, leading to the Spanish-American War. The
U.S. won, and acquired the Spanish colonies
of Guam, the Philippines and Puerto Rico.
Cuba gained an independence that was very
closely monitored by the U.S. until the Cuban
Revolution of 1959. Guam remains a U.S. terri-
tory, while the Philippines gained independence
after World War II and Puerto Rico has been
claimed as a territory since 1898.
After annexation, Puerto Rico has been
treated like a colony by the mainland United
States government. Puerto Ricans cannot vote
in U.S. presidential elections, and although
they have the right to elect delegates to the U.S.
Congress, like other territories, those delegates
cannot vote. After annexation, the U.S. appoint-
ed military governors who maintained strict
control over the island until democratic elec-
tions were instated under President Truman.
On May 21, 1948, Governor Jesus Piñero, the
last appointed governor, imposed “la ley de
mordaza”, or a gag law, on Puerto Rico. Gag
laws prohibit discussion about topics the gov-
ernment wants to silence. This law in particular
banned Puerto Rican nationalism and patrio-
tism and forbade the displaying of the Puerto
Rican flag and was not repealed, being declared
unconstitutional, until a decade later.
U.S. doctors have been notorious for con-
ducting medical experiments in Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rican women were told by U.S. officials
that they were receiving safe, reversible birth
control procedures, but were instead subjected
to dangerous experimental treatments or ster-
ilization surgeries to which they didn’t consent.
Many of these operations were approved by the
Puerto Rican Eugenics Board. Dr. Cornelius
Rhoads, a U.S. doctor, purposefully infected
Puerto Ricans with cancer. The U.S. was also
responsible for many massacres of Puerto Rican
people during and after the Spanish-American
War, such as the Ponce and Rio Piedras
Massacres, which killed 19 and 4 people respec-
tively.
The U.S. Navy has also used the Puerto
Rican island of Vieques as a military base. For
decades, the eastern half of the island was used
as a testing ground for weapons, including
nuclear weapons. According to the Puerto Rican
Health Department, Viequenses are 27% more
likely to be diagnosed with cancer than those
living on the main island due to the radiation
from these tests. The Navy was repeatedly cited
by the EPA for violating the Clean Water Act
during the weapons tests, but a federal district
court in Puerto Rico ruled that the Navy was
acting under its legal obligations, and anyone
harmed was “collateral damage.”
Puerto Rico has been subject to neoliberal
values from the Reagan Era to the present.
In the 1980s, Puerto Rico privatized its pub-
lic health and telephone systems, offered tax
incentives to mainland U.S. businesses who
operated on the island and rewrote labor laws
to be favorable to employers rather than work-
ers.
In 2012, the Luis Muñoz Marín
International Airport in San Juan was priva-
tized, starting a new wave of neoliberalism that
functioned as a reaction to the debt imposed
on Puerto Rico largely due to tax breaks for
companies starving the government of funds. In
2016, the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management,
and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA) estab-
lished the Fiscal Control Board (FCB) to handle
economic matters. PROMESA handed over con-
trol of Puerto Rico’s budget from the state legis-
lature to the FCB, which answers to the federal
government, once again putting Puerto Rico’s
budget under U.S. federal control.
After Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico’s
former Governor Ricardo Roselló and former
president Donald Trump set out to privatize
as much as possible, including the energy grid
and the school system. In fact, part of the bil-
lions in aid that Trump held back from the
island were withheld in order to force Puerto
Rico to privatize the electric grid. Part of the
2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which Democrats
and Progressives criticized as a “tax cut for the
rich,” established Opportunity Zones, which
are tax havens overseen by the Department of
Housing and Urban Development. Opportunity
Zones were capped at 25% of a state’s area, but
an exception was made for Puerto Rico, which
saw 98% of the land turned into an Opportunity
Zone, further starving the state of funds. The
Center for American Progress denounced this
as “government-sanctioned gentrification.”
Although Puerto Rico and the U.S. have
new executives, Governor Pedro Pierluisi and
President Joe Biden, the situation remains
largely the same. PROMESA remains in effect,
and Governor Pierluisi is a former member of
the FCB. Even as Representatives Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Nydia Velázquez
(D-NY), both Puerto Rican-Americans, propose
legislation to relieve Puerto Rico’s debt and
allow Puerto Rico more sovereignty, the future
of Puerto Rico’s status remains unclear.

Historical Photo Feature, cont.

On June 27, 1963, Olga Smith ‘24 and a classmate look at the Underwood
Observatory cornerstone as the building was being razed to make space for
Youngchild Hall.
Photo and caption provided by Lawrence University Archives.
Right: ARC2009-088

Aerial view of Underwood Observatory circa 1940-1957.

Photo and information provided by Lawrence University Archives.
Above: ARC2009-083
8 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT April 15, 2022

The Book Club

THE LAWRENTIAN

Mikayla Henry
Columnist
_____________________________
With COVID cases high again,
and the Midwestern weather being as
inconsistent as ever, it’s hard not to
feel like we’re in a poorly written sci-
ence fiction film. While I love terrible
CGI as much as the next person, it can
take away from whatever fragmented
plot remains. That being said, you
might be wondering why I’m talking
about films rather than books in a
book-themed column – I promise
I’m not taking over Levi’s gig! My
latest read has been “Annihilation”
by Jeff VanderMeer, which is the
first book of the “Southern Reach”
trilogy. The book was later adapted
into a film starring Natalie Portman,
and Oscar Issac, the star of Marvel’s
“Moonknight” series. While the
movie may have been far from stel-
lar, I don’t plan on reviewing it in-
depth, but rather plan on reviewing
the book and pointing out aspects of
it that the film unfortunately had to
alter to make it blockbuster worthy.
In VanderMeer’s book, readers
follow a biologist and her team as
they venture into Area X, which has
been cut off from the rest of the
world. The previous teams have all
been lost, killed or return as empty
shells dying of cancer. The teams
are all sent to document as much
information as they can about the
area, the lifeforms that live there and
the origin of this strangely pristine
place. The book is a written docu-
mentation of the biologist, and it’s
both intriguing and frustrating to see
everything from her point of view.
She purposely withholds information
from the readers, even lies, and her
vocabulary fails to describe some of
the strange phenomena occurring.
One of the major points where this is
noticeable is when she discusses the
other members of the team. None of
the characters have names besides
their occupation, such as the sur-
veyor or the psychologist, for she
doesn’t find it necessary to share
anything else – a strange choice on
VanderMeer’s part, but a creative
one regardless. While we are simul-
taneously given a boatload of infor-
mation yet none at all, it was amazing
to see how VanderMeer could create
such a disturbing atmosphere with
limited descriptions. Without giving
too much of the plot away, I can
comfortably say that the ending of
the book doesn’t wrap up all of the
information in a nice little bow, nor
Student Recital:
Ami Hatori, Piano
Helen Panshin bly depicting Robert’s separation from allegrissimo Scherzo with a lento
Staff Writer Clara. When listening, I imagined a Intermezzo in the middle of it. The
_____________________________
does it really answer anything – for man standing alone in a wasteland, scherzo sections were lighthearted
Junior Ami Hatori began her or maybe as the sole survivor on a and seemed at turns to skip along
we know as much as the biologist
recital on Saturday, April 16 by battered ship at sea. Following this, or to waltz, though there were also
tells us, which allows VanderMeer
announcing the piece she would be Schumann began a singable, romantic a few more intimate and reflective
to perfectly extend his mystery into
playing: Piano Sonata no. 1, op. 11 melody, which Hatori played with a moments. Though the intermezzo was
two sequels.
by Robert Schumann, in four move- poignant tenderness. The movement marked lento, it had its share of fast-
Now, where does the film
ments. She proceeded to thank her then progressed into a sort of bitter- er moments, including a presto run,
adaption go right, and where does
friends, family and teacher, George sweet conflict between the desolate one of several moments during which
it go awry? To give the directors
and Marjorie Olsen Chandler and the tender before shifting gears Hatori’s ability with the pedal shone
some credit, they had an interesting
Professor of Music Catherine Kautsky, completely. through; she allowed notes to lin-
plot but not much to go off of with
for their support before taking her In the later part of the first ger and then subside with an exacti-
VanderMeer’s novel. That being said,
place at the piano. movement, Schumann abandoned the tude that made them sing out without
it’s understandable that some cre-
Her chosen piece was dedicated adagio marking of the earlier parts becoming muddied. The movement
ative liberties were necessary. While
by the composer to Clara Wieck, an and opted for the opposite end of ended seemingly flippantly after the
most of the characters in the book had
accomplished pianist and composer in the tempo spectrum, with an alle- reappearance of the scherzo.
limited interaction and failed to even
her own right, whom he would marry gro vivace section. The music took The final movement of
have names, the directors decided
four years after its publication. When on a playful, dance-like quality, after Schumann’s first piano sonata encap-
to make the team more dimension-
I met with Hatori before her recital, which a left-hand melody gave the sulated the struggle of the entire piece
al. This makes sense, since I doubt
she explained to me the backstory impression of a tenor voice singing to by alternating between hopeful and
viewers would sympathize much
of the piece. Robert and Clara were Clara through a flurry of excitement. despairing characters. It began with
with characters named “Surveyor”
in love, but her father disapproved Finally, the first movement concluded grandiose, majestic chords that cre-
or “Biologist”. Instead, they were
of their relationship and did every- with a much less dense texture that ated a ceremonial atmosphere, then
given names, distinct personalities,
thing he could to keep them apart. recalled the sense of loneliness with shifted to a lighter, daydreamy tex-
and they even had moments of kin-
The piece was a love letter to Clara which it opened. ture, and continually returned to the
ship. While necessary, I still didn’t
Schumann, a composer in her own The second movement was by former. This was interrupted by a
find it as effective as VanderMeer’s
right and his wife, incorporating the far the shortest of the four. It was an dissonant and brooding section – per-
approach. Similarly, they also gave
theme from her composition Pièces innocent-sounding Aria which began haps Robert was imagining his and
dimension to our biologist, making
Caractéristiques op. 5, no. 4, titled with an endearing melody in the mid- Clara’s wedding when reality intrud-
her a lovestruck widow of sorts with
“The Ghost Ballet,” throughout. dle register of the piano. Right-hand ed. The piece was then consumed in
a complicated marriage. Our book-
Robert Schumann also struggled octaves soon entered in the piano’s frenzy before it ended with a bang
biologist had a complicated mar-
with a mental illness which is now upper register, and the left hand then and the audience burst into a stand-
riage, but beyond that she seemed
thought to have been bipolar disorder. took over a similar theme in a deeper ing ovation.
mainly focused on her work more
Hatori said she understands the piece register, resulting in an exchange of Hatori told me that she was glad
than anything. She wasn’t exactly
as a musical portrayal of his life, and high and low that could easily be to be able to be in the room with her
likeable, granted that wasn’t neces-
she attributes the constantly changing interpreted as a duet between Robert audience, feeling a connection with
sarily VanderMeer’s intent. But the
character of the piece to his internal and Clara. Because of how the high us as she played. When asked about
movie portrayal didn’t feel remotely
turmoil caused by his unfulfilled long- notes sparkled in this movement, I her perspective on performing, she
like the same woman I had spent
ing for Clara and his psychological envisioned the higher voice as stars said, “I just want to share this beauti-
195 pages with. Beyond that, the
condition. against the night sky of the lower ful music with everyone.” It was clear
film is vaguely similar to the book,
The first movement of the sona- voice. that her efforts were received with
but the plot was changed signifi-
ta, titled “Introduzione”, started by The third movement was an gratitude and appreciation.
cantly, and made to be more action-
creating a scene of desolation, possi-
packed to keep an audience engaged.
And, unlike the book, the directors
attempted to wrap up most of the
mystery in a nice little bow promptly
instead of waiting for two sequels.
However, despite my criticism, I do
give them credit for making Area X
come to life. While our book-biol-
ogist was limited with her descrip-
tions, the directors were able to per-
fectly capture the grotesque beauty
of the environment, which helped
bring out the unsettling atmosphere
that VanderMeer was attempting to
create with his strange plot structure.
While I can’t say I would
recommend the film adaption of
“Annihilation” – you might need to
ask for Levi’s input – I can confi-
dently say that the “Southern Reach”
trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer is perfect
for those in the mood for a slow-burn
science fiction series with a minimal Junior Ami Hatori performs Piano Sonata no.1, op.11.
page count. Photo by Rongyan Song.

Why you should... showed the world the power of the

continued from page 3
PSG summer 2017, €222 million
The man whose transfer made
the rest of these possible, Neymar’s
2017 move reset the bar for transfer
prices in the football world. His price
tag was more than double the previ-
ous record of Paul Pogba, and really
Qatari-backed PSG project. And yet,
has he worked out? With a price so
high, only a perfect outcome would
have been called justified. And that
simply hasn’t happened.
Neymar has been plagued by
injuries since his arrival in Paris.
He has missed nearly 100 matches
through injury. His express goal at
leaving Barcelona was to leave Mes-
si’s shadow and win the Ballon D’or,
which he has failed to do, having not
even made the top 10 in that time.
He has never played more than 20
league games at PSG, and never man-
aged 20 league goals in a season. He
is also regularly injured at key points
in the season, regularly picking up
knocks in the post-Christmas period
when PSG have crucial Champions
League matches. Truth be told, he
many important ones to be consid-
ered a success.
hasn’t made much of a difference. Rating: Underwhelming, 5/10
The only exception to this rule was
making the Champions League final
in 2020, where he was exceptionally
quiet in a 1-0 loss. One cannot deny
his brilliance, with tricks and flicks
galore, but he has simply missed too
many matches and gone quiet in too
April 15, 2022
“Everything Everywhere All at
Once” Review: An original, if
overstuffed multiverse comedy
Levi Homman
Staff Writer
_____________________________
“Everything Everywhere All
at Once”, 2022, directed by Daniel
Kwan and Daniel Scheinert — 4/5
stars
“Everything Everywhere All at
Once” has exploded into theaters.
As of this week, the sophomore out-
ing from Daniel Kwan and Daniel
Scheinert (known collectively as just
“Daniels”) rests above 90% in both
the critics’ and audiences’ sections on
Rotten Tomatoes. It’s also currently
the highest-rated movie of all time
on the movie-oriented social media
platform Letterboxd, and is already
in discussion as one of the best mov-
ies of the year. While the film is
certainly fun, funny, and engaging,
and is almost definitely a step up
from the Daniels’ last project “Swiss
Army Man,” it’s a highly derivative
work that struggles to keep emotional
and narrative intimacy within its own
bombastic premise.
“Everything Everywhere” stars
Michelle Yeoh as Evelyn Wang,
a tired, middle-aged woman who
owns a laundromat with her hus-
band Waymond, played by “Indiana
Jones” child star Ke Huy Quan. Also
supporting Yeoh are James Hong as
Evelyn’s senile but strict father and
Stephanie Hsu as Evelyn’s angsty les-
bian daughter, who Evelyn treats with
as much disdain as her father did her.
When the Wang family is audited by
IRS agent Deirdre (Jamie Lee Curtis),
Evelyn soon discovers that she can
jump into different dimensions, expe-
riencing alternate realities and time-
lines. Once the exposition is out of the
way, Evelyn is tasked with preventing
the collapse of the multiverse, forcing
her to utilize the skills and knowledge
from the infinite versions of herself to
fight an evil galactic entity and learn
how to love her husband and daugh-
ter in the process.
David Pickar
Staff Writer
_____________________________
Like snowfall in late April, some
things are beautiful, but become rath-
er unappreciated in the wrong con-
text. This was my take on the “Bang on
a Can All-Stars'' concert this Friday.  upright bass, and one percussionist
In a spirit of full disclosure, I
must confess: I pre-gamed before the
concert. No no no, not with alcohol.
Even on a Friday night, I don’t get
to drink on the job (unless I would
review a brewery). However, I did
preview their Spotify playlist. I figured
that with a name as eccentric as “Bang
on a Can All-Stars,” I could expect to
hear and see a cross between STOMP!
and the Blue Man Group, complete
with light show and pyrotechnics,
all sorts of percussion and impro-
vised instruments including trash
cans, brake drums and other rattley
things. Sadly, I was very disappointed.
In spite of my preliminary research
which shifted my expectations, there
were no trash cans, smoke machines
or drum solos at the concert.
The first tune, “sunray”, depict-
ed all the things a ray of sun can
do. Seemingly reflecting, twinkling
against different textures, shimmer-
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
The film’s premise is as ridic-
ulous and ambitious as the title
implies, and from a visual and aes-
thetic standpoint the film executes its
ideas to great success. There are some
excellently choreographed and edited
sequences of hand-to-hand combat,
paying clear tribute to the Hong Kong
action films of the 1980s and 90s, as
well as former Yeoh collaborator Ang
Lee. The visual effects, which were
apparently assembled by a team of
no more than seven people, help the
confusing and explosive concepts that
the script conjures become concrete
and digestible. This is especially seen
in the humor of the film, which may
have seemed too silly and juvenile on
paper but come to belly-laughing frui-
tion when realized through puppetry
and CGI — a particular “Ratatouille”
reference is an excellent example of
when to take a joke “too far.” The
cast completes these moments; Yeoh
is always a pleasure, Hsu is a revela-
tion and Quan makes a welcome and
hilarious return to acting.
When “Everything Everywhere”
succeeds, it excels, but there’s almost
definitely a few bumps along the way.
While the jokes are often hilariously
inventive, there are also a fair number
of jokes that fall disappointingly flat,
too childish to even be saved by the
forceful pace at which the story bar-
rels forward. This is made even more
apparent by the way the comedic
moments leave so little room for the
emotional core of the story: Evelyn’s
relationship with her family. The film
makes some bold claims about life,
love and the universe, but it doesn’t
expound on them, and they end up
feeling like an afterthought. The sol-
idly emotional moments are the ones
in which the Daniels wear their influ-
ences boldly on their sleeves, drawing
directly from the style and imagery
of, notably, Wong Kar Wai and the
Wachowski sisters, but even these
See page 11
The Avant-Garde: Like snowfall in April
ing across a windy lake. Lyrical lines
were overlapping, creating waves of
ostinati in perpetual movement cen-
tered around six pitches, punctuated
by pizzicato string plucks. What was
the instrumentation you ask? Piano/
synth, clarinet/bass clarinet, guitar,
manning a still extensive but not over-
whelming setup to me as a biased
percussionist.
This concert in both setup
and sound exemplified the group’s
founding ideology voiced by guitar-
ist Mark Stewart in his witty and
winsome introductions between piec-
es. He explained that the group has
been "making a home for music that
didn't have a home" since its found-
ing. This was a rather eloquent way
of saying that they play stereotypi-
cally difficult, dissonant and unpleas-
ant music. I respect that, to have the
guts to go against the grain, especially
when your livelihood is dependent
on people's perception of an unpopu-
lar music genre. Despite their mostly
melancholy music, a rather humorous
moment occurred when Mark was
trying to remember the name of the
next piece, a recently commissioned
THE LAWRENTIAN
Comic Character Spotlight:
Scarlet Witch
Kat Girod
Columnist
_____________________________
Welcome to this week’s Comic
Character Spotlight! Last week we
were able to discuss Doctor Strange
in anticipation of “Doctor Strange in
the Multiverse of Madness” (2022).
Similarly, this week we’ll be continu-
ing that trend by looking at another
character who will also play a vital
role in the film: The Scarlet Witch,
Wanda Maximoff.
First, who exactly is the Scarlet
Witch? The Scarlet Witch was written
by Stan Lee and the artist Jack Kirby.
She first debuted in 1964’s comic book
series “The X-Men” with her brother,
Pietro or Quicksilver, as a part of
the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. The
brotherhood believed in the domi-
nance of mutants - a unique species of
humans born with supernatural abili-
ties - over humans. However, Wanda
and her brother were shown to be
hesitant to partake in the schemes of
the group and only sought safety from
danger through their membership.
Interestingly, her origins along-
side that of her brother have been
altered repeatedly. In the 1960’s it was
shown that Wanda and her brother
were the mutant children of Django
and Marya Maximoff, both Romanis.
In 2015’s “Uncanny Avengers” it is
revealed that the children were adopt-
ed and given to their parents by a
geneticist named High Evolutionary
who experimented on the children.
This experimentation resulted in the
siblings’ superhuman abilities rather
than the previous storyline where they
were born as mutants.
Wanda’s vast number of power-
ful abilities as a sorceress include
energy and elemental manipulation
alongside flight. Notably, she is able to
access chaos magic, a magic so power-
ful it can alter existence and reality.
In 1974’s “Avengers” Wanda’s
work. It took him awhile, so the clari-
netist shouted out the title, then Mark
turned to the mike and spoke the
title “Fainting is Up, Whooshing is
down… [apologetically] It’s that new!
[At least] I know the notes!” This was
probably the lightest mood through-
out the concert, as the works ranged
in topic from labor unions, and social-
ist idealism to grief and tragedy in
response to 9/11. The meaning of
these various works was explained
by Mark before a composition began,
as there were no lyrics in the pieces
themselves.
There were a couple of other
tunes, with varying textures of equal
parts odd-meter grunge rock and
mid-period Stravinsky, with some
Phillip Glass thrown in for good mea-
sure. Each contained lots of repeti-
tive patterns that slowly morphed and
evolved over time, but not very rap-
idly. At times it felt like watching an
'80s horror film, where foreboding
music suggests something’s about to
happen, but without a screen to view
and dialogue to follow.
At the end of the day, the indi-
vidual and corporate experience of
music-listening still remains deeply
power was amplified as she honed
her sorcery with the assistance of the
Witch, Agatha Harkness. Wanda and
Agatha also worked together in the
2015 “Scarlet Witch” series to com-
bat and examine supernatural threats.
This relationship between Wanda and
Agatha calls into question if the future
Disney + television series “Agatha:
House of Harkness” will explore some
of these older comic book storylines.
Will Wanda seek out Agatha’s help
in understanding her power as the
Scarlet Witch?
The “Scarlet Witch” comic series
also reveals that Pietro and Wanda’s
adopted parents are biologically their
aunt and uncle, while the previous
Scarlet Witch, Natalya Maximoff, was
their real mother. Immense power is
shown to run in the family as Wanda
and Pietro’s grandfather was the
Scarlet Warlock.
The Scarlet Witch also became
a member of the Avengers – a trade-
mark band of superheroes in Marvel
Comics – following her debut.
Romance was in the air between
Wanda and her android teammate
Vision as they first kissed in the “Kree-
Skrull War arc” in the “Avengers”
(1971) comic book series. In 1975’s
“Giant-Size Avengers,” they were wed.
She later used the power of magical
forces to impregnate herself and gave
birth to twin sons Billy and Tommy.
Unfortunately, Wanda and
Vision’s marriage saw disaster in the
“Vision Quest” story arc which was
a part of the “Avengers West Coast”
(1984) series. Vision was disassem-
bled and turned into an unfeeling
being who denied the opportunity to
feel again, ultimately ending his mar-
riage with Wanda. Wanda’s pain and
grief did not cease there as a demon
lord named Mephisto absorbed her
children into himself in order to link
himself with Wanda’s soul. In order to
personal and subjective. You, the
audience member, set the expecta-
tions of the music you listen to, and
you have the power to change them
as frequently as you wish. Mark’s
verbal introductions between pieces
were crucial to this end, to help the
audience choose to better receive the
music from the lens of its intended
purpose, no longer having ignorance
as a cop-out for disinterest.
Was this concert full of intrinsi-
cally valuable works of sonic art? Yes.
The group Bang on a Can All-Stars performs the piece "sunray" by David Lang.
9
destroy this dangerous bond, Agatha
Harkness used sorcery to erase
Wanda’s memories of her children.
In the short story “A Study in
Scarlet” (1992), Agatha’s memory-
blocking spell wore off and Wanda
was able to mourn the loss of her
children properly. She also mistakenly
created an alternate timeline where
she was able to see a life where her
children and husband, Vision, could
remain together. Although this time-
line was fleeting, it comforted Wanda
and aided in her ability to cope with
her loss and suffering.
If any of this sounds famil-
iar to fans of the Marvel Cinematic
Universe, it is because the hit televi-
sion series ”WandaVision” (2021) was
loosely based on a variety of these
comic book storylines. In the series,
Wanda created an alternate dimen-
sion where she could live in harmony
with her husband who passed away
in reality and eventually gave birth
to twin brothers. However, one of the
major themes of the series was the
idea of accepting grief and all the pain
that accompanies it. It was therefore
important that Wanda eventually let
this alternate reality go and accept
her loss.
In “WandaVision (2021),”
Wanda Maximoff was portrayed by
Elizabeth Olsen who also appeared
in films such as “Avengers: Age of
Ultron” (2015), “Captain America:
Civil War” (2016), “Avengers: Infinity
War” (2018), “Avengers: Endgame”
(2019), and the upcoming “Doctor
Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”
(2022).
As the Scarlet Witch is one of
my favorite Marvel characters, I was
eager to talk about her. I’ve always
been fascinated with Wanda as she
has never been firmly on the side of
“good” or “evil” and often would lie
comfortably in-between the two.
Did I enjoy them? Meh. On a Friday
night, I wasn’t ready for a concert
of avant-garde repertoire, but nei-
ther am I ready for more rain in this
week’s weather forecast. Maybe some
dissonance is good for me though.
It’s a healthy reminder that life isn’t
like my Spotify recommended playl-
ist, and more like a concert - a variety
of pieces that I have to learn how to
listen to and experience, even when it
snows in April.
Photo by Alana Melvin.
10 OPINIONS & EDITORIALS THE LAWRENTIAN
April 22, 2022

"Slander" and "Missed Connections": two sides of the same coin

Miri Villerius
Copy Chief
_________________________
Earlier this week, an unof-
ficial Instagram account called "LU
SLANDER" started gaining traction
before a swift deletion. Whether @
lu_slander disappeared due to being
reported or the account moderator's
conscience is unknown. The page's bio
stated unashamedly "THIS PAGE IS
FOR YALL TO TALK YO SHIT" and, at
my last count, had more than 110 fol-
lowers. The page was an anonymous
message board for, as the name sug-
gests, slander between Lawrentians.
Stochastic terrorism is an impor-
tant concept that's become more well-
known in recent times and will help to
understand the issues at hand here,
though I'll save you all the after-school
special on what cyberbullying is and
why it's bad. Basically, stochastic ter-
rorism is the use of mass communica-
tion to target an individual victim or
group with the indirect consequence
of inciting unpredictable violence
against this victim. The unpredictable
violence is what makes it "stochastic";
the targeting and incitement of vio-
lence make it terrorism.
I am already not the hugest fan
of the multiple iterations of Lawrence
"Missed Connections" Instagram
pages (@lawrencemissedconnec-
tions, @missedconnectionslu and @
larryumissedconnections) which are
accounts where people submit anony-
mous messages. While these are gen-
erally framed as positive or cute mes-
sages to crushes, my opinion is that
"Missed Connections" and "Slander"
are two sides of the same stochastic
coin in their anonymity and uncertain
impact on the individuals who get
called out on either.
While I would not call for as
rigorous a demolition of Missed
Connections as I would and did for
Slander, neither of these platforms
are healthy. They create a bastard-
ized, alienating sense of community
at Lawrence.
Missed Connections has, in my
experience, been a place for ironic
jokes, general queries, glad handing
between friends, occasional sincere
attempts to reach out and, worst of
all, anonymous sexualization of fel-
low Lawrentians. The issue with my
description here is that we do not
know and can never know the sincer-
ity, intent or potential harm caused by
EITHER of these pages. Regardless of
how kind Missed Connections might
seem at a glance (and compared to
Slander), this unpredictable anony-
mous nature is what makes the harm
done by both pages stochastic.
While "Slander" in its first
few hours alleged a number of
Lawrentians as rapists and predators,
"Missed Connections" has been teeter-
ing on thin ice for a while with posts
that are clearly meant for anonymous
sexual gratification. These comments
targeting individuals might have a
sexualized compliment or even sexual
ideation concerning the recipient, but
they all lack the same crucial thing:
consent of the person being called
out.
These are two sides of the same
coin. One alleges sexual harassment
to serve unreliable and dubious jus-
tice, one risks sexual harassment to
serve an unreliable and dubious com-
pliment. Both solicit messages anony-
mously, giving them the stochastic,
uncertain nature where the anony-
mous poster has no accountability
whatsoever for the people they might
be hurting or affecting through their
post. Furthermore, whether some-
thing gets posted is left to an unknown
Lawrentian moderator who runs the
page.
While "Slander" (as the name
grossly admits) has individuals walk-
ing around campus not knowing
whether they have been, well, slan-
dered Missed Connections has people
walking around feeling invisible and
isolated for not being posted about
or complimented. They both invite
you to unhealthily check in con-
stantly whether you're afraid of or
desire to be posted about, creating
a Frankenstein's monster of a pub-
lic square for our Lawrence commu-
nity that feeds off of social anxiety
and FOMO for the cheap thrill of
being able to say some outlandish silly
things anonymously.
Also to note, with the state of
internet privacy and security, espe-
cially concerning social media data,
being constantly contested through
various data breaches and data min-
ing scandals, I don't think it's a guar-
antee that what gets posted about a
person without their consent doesn't
come back to bite them down the line.
I cannot emphasize the following
more: following these pages legiti-
mizes them and makes them relevant.
The Shoutbox Facebook group (which
I am an admin of) that has more than
1000 members was founded and is
run by students. It has been unaf-
filiated with the Lawrence admin for
multiple years since its inception. I
think people often join this group
because they want to make sure they
don't miss information on current
events and goings-on at Lawrence
shared by community members, and
it's the 1000+ members that make the
group truly impactful and legitimate.
On the other hand, I think people fol-
low Missed Connections and Slander
because they have a fear of miss-
ing out (FOMO) on the latest wacky
anonymous compliment or insult and,
make no mistake, the 100+ followers
who ended up joining Slander made it
impactful too.
I have been an on-and-off
indulger in and receiver of Missed
Connections and I don't have an issue
with everything posted there (anony-
mous queries which don't single out
individuals actually seem to be over-
whelmingly positive in my opinion),
but I'm taking this "Slander" moment
as a wake-up call to largely disengage
with Missed Connections, and I invite
the rest of you to do the same.

Names and statues are important, but policies matter more

Nathan Wall
News Editor
_________________________
Over the past several years, there
has been a growing movement in this
country to address our longstand-
ing racist history. Part of that con-
versation has been around statues
of Confederate and colonial leaders
and renaming places with derogatory
words in the name.
For example, since 2015, protest-
ers have defaced and torn down stat-
ues of figures like Confederate General
Robert E. Lee, Ku Klux Klan founder
Nathan Bedford Forrest, and Spanish
colonizer Christopher Columbus.
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, of
the Laguna Pueblo Nation, the first
Native American woman to serve as
a federal cabinet secretary, has called
for the renaming of locations contain-
ing offensive words such as “squ**”,
which is an extremely offensive term
used for Native American women.
In our state of Wisconsin, 28
geographical features currently
use this word, and plans have been
announced to change it. Even the
names of streets, parks and ski resorts
have been changed to reflect a more
tolerant and welcoming society
and language; to be clear, this is a
good thing. Language reflects how
we think, and it is important that
Native American women and other
marginalized people do not see words
used to demean them used to name
parks, bodies of water and streets. It
is important that Black people do not
have to walk through their downtowns
under the watchful eye of long-dead
generals that fought to ensure they’d
be enslaved forever.
However, these actions are sym-
bolic, and meaningless if not com-
bined with concrete policy solutions.
Renaming a lake on stolen Native
land is good, but renaming that lake
does not remove the pollutants and
carcinogens from the lake, nor does
it give the lake back to those whose
ancestors it was taken from. Tearing
down statues of Confederate traitors
does not stop police brutality and
mass incarceration against African
Americans.
Liberal politicians in big, blue
cities will often make symbolic chang-
es like these to seem as if they’re act-
ing on important issues, while they
further ignore systemic problems like
poverty and racism. In 2020, a sec-
tion of 16th Street in Washington,
D.C. was permanently renamed Black
Lives Matter Plaza by Mayor Muriel
Bowser. However, that same mayor is
increasing funding for the D.C. Police
Department for 2023.
These contradictions do not take
away the importance of renaming
offensive names. Language truly does
reflect thought, and a more inclu-
sive language means a more inclusive
culture. Cultural changes are good,
and important, because it’s important
that people feel like they belong in
society. My argument is that cultural
changes do not go far enough. While
it is important, for instance, that a
majority of Americans support same-
sex marriage, that does not directly
address the housing needs of home-
less queer youth. Nor does renaming
a street provide Black Americans with
the reparations they’re owed.
Culture and language are impor-
tant, but we can’t let politicians get
away with just doing the bare mini-
mum. We need to demand that the
same politicians who tear down stat-
ues and rename monuments also pro-
vide the material support that these
A Otāēciah (Crane), 2021, view from inside an indigenous sculpture on campus.
communities need. Photo by Chris Cornelius.
April 22, 2022 OPINIONS & EDITORIALS 11
THE LAWRENTIAN

Students' protest against LU sexual misconduct shortcomings

Marifé Entenza-Sierra
Staff Writer
_________________________
In January of 1969, two con-
ceptual artists set out to criticize and
change the apparent shortcomings
in the Museum of Modern Art. In
this case, a museum in the Upper
West Side of New York claimed to
be honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr., while also perpetuat-
ing elitist institutionalism and evad-
ing minority representation. Although
not related at face value, I believe this
story contains several intersectional
factors of which we may extract with
regards to sexual assault and miscon-
duct in our Lawrence campus.
I first came here in the fall of
2019, and from that winter onward,
various sexual assault allegations
had already engulfed my ears. These
conversations were halted when most
students returned home due to the
original COVID-19 outbreak in the
United States. After two years of coex-
isting in a pandemic, we have settled
into a state of normalcy and compla-
cency. Now, I again find myself hav-
ing everyday conversations in which
people confess to being survivors of
sexual assault in some form. As this
is an extremely sensitive topic, espe-
cially for survivors of sexual assault, I
will not detail the horrific incidents in
and around this campus. However, I
will candidly admit that I have experi-
enced unwanted attention from some
of my peers and have fully known
that nothing would be done if I spoke
out about my experiences. Thus, I
am enraged, disillusioned and disap-
pointed at Lawrence University for
its gross mismanagement and lack of
public acknowledgement of serious
issues plaguing its student body.
In light of this, SAASHA recently
held a protest calling out Lawrence’s
lack of accountability concerning
ongoing cases of sexual assault and
misconduct on campus, emphasizing
the importance of our students’ con-
tinued support and activism.
I now harken back to a previ-
ous time of revolution. Here, the art-
ists, Faith Ringgold and Tom Lloyd,
penned a letter to the director of the
MoMA criticizing a previous exhibi-
tion that honored the late Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. for its lack of repre-
sentation of Black artists. They then
stated that the museum required a
wing that portrayed a harmonized
image of Black culture in the United
States in remembrance of the late civil
rights leader. The artists proceeded
to send a two-part letter to a group
of students asking them to answer a
survey and send it to the director of
the MoMA at the time. The results in
that case were bittersweet: The direc-
tor did resign, but nothing was done
to further include artists of color in
more exhibitions for years thereafter.
However, the Lawrence community
is sufficiently united, educated, and
opinionated in this topic so as to
actively seek out reparations for our
contemporary plights.

STUDENTS’ EFFORT TO BE RECOGNIZED BY LAWRENCE UNIVERSITY REGARDING SEXUAL MISCONDUCT ON CAMPUS

A RESEARCH AND EVALUATION OF LAWRENCE UNIVERSITY’S ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF SEXUAL ASSAULT ALLEGATIONS AND RESPONSIBILITY TO THE WELLBEING OF ITS STUDENTS

INFORMATION
This letter consists of one part. Here, you will fill in, cut out, and insert the paper into a drop box on the third floor of the Warch Campus Center. This docu-
ment will also have a QR code link attached to a survey with the same questions. These replies will be personally sent to the Dean of Students, Chris Clarke, to
demonstrate our solidarity and care for the actual wellbeing of our community. Thank you for your active involvement and support.

1. Does the annual Everfi training help educate you on issues of sexual violence and/or abuse?
YES ___ NO___ UNCERTAIN____
2. Do you feel as if Lawrence protects and cares for your wellbeing as an individual?
YES ___ NO___ UNCERTAIN____
3. Do you think Lawrence could utilize more of its resources for precautionary and accountability measures regarding sexual misconduct?
YES ___ NO___ UNCERTAIN____

4. Do you think Lawrence clearly states its protocols and procedural methods with regards to reports and/or complaints of sexual assault and misconduct?
YES ___ NO___ UNCERTAIN____
5. Do you think Lawrence will protect its own image-driven interests instead of actively supporting its students on an individual basis?
YES ___ NO___ UNCERTAIN____
Scan this QR code to access the
6. Do you feel safe at Lawrence University? online version of this survey.
YES ___ NO___ UNCERTAIN____
7. Is there anything you would like to add from the aforementioned questions?

Everything, Everywhere...
continued from page 9
moments feel like cookie-cutter imita-
tion rather than genuinely developed
relationships between characters.
The central idea of “Everything
Everywhere” is excessively turgid, and
the roadblocks that Daniels encoun-
tered can be clearly seen in their
work, but executing such a nonsen-
sical premise to the level of success
that they reached nears what many
would call a miracle. This is a film of
a new generation made by a new gen-
eration; it’s violently unsubtle, bright-
eyed and good-hearted, and while it’s
sometimes frustratingly boyish and
crass, to an extent that weighs down
its larger themes, it feels impossible
not to love it. “Everything Everywhere
All at Once” is in theaters right now.

The opinions expressed in The Lawrentian are those of the students, faculty and community members who wrote them. The
Lawrentian does not endorse any opinions piece except for the staff editorial, which represents a majority of the editorial
board. The Lawrentian welcomes everyone to submit their own opinions. For the full editorial policy and parameters for sub-
mitting articles, please refer to the masthead, which is located on the back of each edition.
12 COMMUNITY April 22, 2022
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