Category: Sep 21, 2020

An update on the 2020 Presidential Election

TAYLOR PEPITONE
STAFF WRITER

As students get into the routine of classes and their new environment, the time continues to tick closer to Election Day. More updates come daily on who is doing well, who is not, what is being said and what is being done.

CNN recently posted an update on the polls and it seems that the Democratic Candidate Joe Biden is leading by a 9.1 point average. Unlike the 2016 election, the challenger for this round is receiving much higher ratings. President Donald J. Trump seems to be dropping in popularity as most of the swing states are leaning more towards Biden. CNN says that Mr. Trump is in poor shape when it comes to his political career.

“It’s extremely unlikely that [Trump] will carry the popular vote,” said professor of Political Science, William A. Gorton. “He’s still somewhat of an underdog to win at this point, but he has a very decent shot according to some political scientists and statisticians.”

COVID-19 has also had a great impact on the election. Many are concerned with the idea of holding rallies, mail-in voting and potential voter turnout. DailyDot said that when COVID-19 initially became a significant issue, both Biden and Trump cancelled all rallies and gatherings for the upcoming months.

Voting by mail became a highly considerable idea not only for the safety and well-being of all, but it is also much more convenient for those who cannot make it to the polls on Election Day. This would likely increase the turnout for voters, therefore allowing more people to feel engaged in the approaching election.

When it comes to voting by mail, there is also the worry that not all ballots will be counted properly or on time. Mr. Trump believes that there will be voter fraud involved, so he leans more towards people voting at the polls instead of through the post office.

“Political scientists today speak of what they call the Blue Shift, which is the tendency in recent elections for democrats to gain in the days after the election after the mail-in ballots are counted.” said Gorton.

Police brutality has also played an important role in how the election will play out. People believe that Mr. Trump has done a poor job when it comes to handling the riots, lootings and protests, but mainly their worry stems from his failure to acknowledge the intensity of police brutality. Others believe that he has done a great job with handling it; the main issue comes from how polarized both sides of the political system are.

“It has energized, in particular, the black folks, so you can anticipate high black turnout [at the polls].” said Gorton.

The economy took a brutal hit when the coronavirus stopped production of many businesses and corporations, shut down schools, and much more. WEForum said that it could take the economy possibly up to three years to recover from the impact. Consumer demand is now at a low, which heavily affects the quality of the economy itself.

The overall atmosphere of the 2020 election seems to be frightening for most. Tensions are extremely high on both sides of the scale. The worry tends to lie with the thought of who will end up winning the presidential election.

“Our democracy is going under an extreme stress test.” said Gorton.

It is unknown what these next two months will bring, but voting is the way to make your voice heard.

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Alma Confessions faces backlash

JORDYN BRADLEY
SPORTS EDITOR

If you’re an Alma student with a Twitter account, you’ve probably seen tweets shared by Alma Confessions (@scotscandals), an anonymously-run confessions page. Since its debut in January of this year, the page has been the talk of campus for multiple different “scandalous” Twitter threads that have come out of it.

“It was kind of just an idea my friend had and it was supposed to be a fun little account where people post weird and I guess scandalous things about themselves like secrets and whatnot. We did not think that the page would take off or still be active months later either,” said the anonymous person behind the Alma Confessions Twitter page.

The anonymous creator adds that they have been shocked at many of the topics brought up on the page.

Part of the appeal of the Twitter account is how easy it is to post your opinions anonymously without repercussions or people finding out: the account provides a link in a pinned tweet takes you right to the anonymous submission form. However, many students find the easy accessibility and the page in general toxic.

“I do not approve of most of the things that the Twitter page comments on, mainly because it’s not an open-to-discussion type of page,” said Kiersten Rebhun (‘22).

Rebhun added that people use the page to get their opinions across and only their opinions, not to have a discussion about why they believe so or to listen to different opinions.

The Twitter page has seen a variety of posts, from those asking for advice to those fully confessing something anonymously.

In the past, people have asked for advice on their mental health, classes or even relationships; but there have been a variety of posted confessions relating to politics, the COVID-19 pandemic or body image that spark more controversy.

“Not gonna lie, it’s a pretty mixed bag. Sometimes people post funny stuff, others personal, but then recently with all the weight stuff, it can be really toxic,” said Gabe Zerbe (‘21).

The most recent debate that occurred on the page was regarding fatphobia on campus. Many students anonymously took to the Twitter page to shame plus-sized students by calling them lazy and telling them to simply eat healthier. These tweets were met by an array of students supporting plus-sized students and calling the anonymous writers bullies.

“I think it becomes toxic when that’s the only thing being posted. I’d say it’s just someone being a jerk if it were one or two posts, but the sheer amount got absurd,” said Zerbe.

Cyber bullying has gotten very real on the Alma Confessions page–even the creator agrees.

“One person [could send] in an anonymous message about how they are feeling and the next moment I get sent stuff by people that are basically bullying that person because they don’t believe the same thing as [them]” said the anonymous owner of the account.

Yet, the creator still posts what they get sent.

“I understand that we don’t want to do censorship because we are a free country and we have the right to talk about whatever we want [and] that’s a really cool thing that we have.

[However,] talking about it and just saying it to say it and be mean [is] just bullying,” said Rebhun.

“I still post about it, even if I don’t agree with it because that’s what a person who runs this kind of page should do: have their own feelings about the subject but still be unbiased and post everything” said anonymous.

The creator of the page did want to note that there have been instances where they have not posted a tweet that they were sent. However, out of the over 2,500 messages they have received, the number of ones they haven’t posted is around 20. This has been due to names being mentioned, the tweet being too out of bounds or it was on a matter that was posted about too much, all three of which are subject to the opinion of the anonymous account owner.

Even though Alma Confessions posts dozens of confessions, they stress that the opinions are not ones that they hold, and that they just post what is sent.

Regardless of your beliefs on the page, the page still stands and people continue to submit confessions and opinions about things that, to be frank, do not need to be discussed. People have no right to comment on other people’s bodies and don’t get to choose who has the correct political opinions. Each person has a different mindset, and it’s funny that people are surprised at this concept.

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Nisbet Hall Renamed in Light of KKK Connection

CHELSEA FABER
STAFF WRITER

Following a review conducted by the Michigan State University Board of Trustees, President Abernathy announced on September 5 that it was discovered that Stephen Nisbet was a member of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), a notorious white supremist group.

He went on to explain that in light of these findings, the Alma College Board of Trustees’ Executive Committee have voted to rename Nisbet Hall. Similar action was also taken by Michigan State University after discovering that a building on their campus was named after a KKK member.

Nisbet was an Alma alumnus and who sat on the Alma College Board of Trustees for 40 years in the mid-1900s. He also served on the Michigan State University Board of Trustees as well as holding other positions within the two colleges.

The revelation of his membership was particularly disturbing considering his notoriety within the state of Michigan to be a supporter of many charitable causes.

The space formerly known as Nisbet Hall has been temporarily named Brazell West until a new name can be confirmed. Nearly every reference to ‘Nisbet’ has since been changed to reflect this change—including outdoor signage, directory references and housing assignment listings. The purging of any reference to ‘Nisbet’ is the first step in a long journey of reevaluating many aspects of our campus.

In the official statement, President Jeff Abernathy stated, “Alma College denounces racism in all forms and is committed to creating a climate where everyone is safe and free to grow intellectually, spiritually and emotionally. We will move forward in these efforts together.”

In the midst of the Black Lives Matter movement, colleges across the nation have begun to reevaluate who is memorialized, why they were important and who they were in the greater scope of the world. Alma College has begun its own audit process in which they will review the campus environment in relation to diversity, inclusion, and equity.

This process is led by administration and students working on the Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Board and aims to make our campus a more equitable space.

“There are representatives from student organizations as well as faculty in order to have a voice on what is happening,” said Darian Jones ’22. Jones also explained that the goals of the audit reach past evaluating the climate of Alma College. She said she hopes students can “have harder conversations, understand and see perspectives that have been overlooked and not heard for a long time. Our campus is very specific in not hearing specific voices, and we as a campus have decided we are no longer okay with that, which is great, but I think we can push it even further.”

Students are being invited to join focus groups as well as other activities within the audit so that the auditors can gain a complete picture of how students view the campus environment in terms of equity and inclusion.

Beyond diversity and inclusion efforts done by administration, students are being called upon to learn about how to create a more just campus and take personal steps to become more aware of these issues.

“Students should take their own initiative to learn and understand what these things mean. It’s been easy in the past to write things off and ignore them, but it is time to call things what they are and get to the point as soon as it happens to change the culture,” said Jones.

Students who are interested in joining the aforementioned focus groups or other diversity efforts should contact Dr. Blake or any Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Board member for more information.

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Mental health in the age of COVID-19

BAILEY LANGBO
STAFF WRITER

The idea of mental health has long been placed on the backburner of our current society, often ignored in favor of illnesses that can be seen. The idea of an unseen illness can be too easily brushed off by those that go unaffected.

However, with the emergence of self-isolation in the age of COVID-19, mental health has become a pressing problem for people all over the world. While the circumstances of disease prevention have become stricter as the pandemic progresses, all of humanity has found itself quickly adapting to change.

While this might prove easy for some people, few could be prepared for the months spent in quarantine while the world as we knew it fell apart. With little to no warning, COVID-19 took over our daily lives and disrupted our plans—the aftereffects of which can still be felt around the world.

As college students, we know all too well the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially when considering the lives we gave up earlier this year when we were forced home in the middle of the semester. Despite the fact that students have been allowed back on campus, things are still not back to normal, thus causing added stress.

“I feel like being back has only made [my mental health] worse,” said Abigail Zerbe (’23). “It sucks that now I’m so near my friends, but I can’t actually spend any quality time with them.”

The newest issue within our campus community is keeping each other safe. While mandatory health screenings have become a part of our everyday lives, wearing masks and social distancing have become the new norm in classes, meetings and events. These measures, however, have caused debate among students, faculty and staff alike; whether or not they’re necessary has suddenly become a hot topic.

“Keeping people healthy and safe has become politicized,” said Natalie Walsh (’22). “It’s scientifically proven that social distancing and wearing a mask can save lives. A lot of people tend to think this is false and will only wear a mask if it’s being required by law but will complain the entire time. A lot of people that associate with the Republican party think COVID-19 is a hoax and refuse to wear a mask or will wear it incorrectly. I would like to add that not everyone who is Republican believes that, but I’ve gotten into arguments about whether or not we should wear masks, when it’s a health issue, not a political one.”

While many people struggled with the idea of self-isolation during quarantine, others used the time for some much-needed R&R, taking time to check out new recipes, work on crafts or binge the newest Netflix series.

“I’m an extreme introvert. I really have to plan out my people time accordingly because there will be a point that I hit a wall and need to go into hiding,” said Nicole Yost (’21). “I was given so much alone time for schoolwork that I really had the chance to improve my mental state. After school was over, I was able to do nothing with no other commitments that I needed to give my time to, which really helped me recharge. It really helped me feel the best I have since freshman year.”

When faced with something that cannot be changed, it’s often best to take it in stride and look at the positives. This could be, for example, taking time to relax after a stressful semester at school, or using quarantine to learn a new hobby or read a book you’ve been putting off to the side. While a global pandemic is stressful for a variety of somewhat obvious reasons, it’s important to remember the good. A global pandemic won’t go away on its own, but it can be slowed down by students remembering to follow safety precautions.

Now, more than ever, it’s important to lean on friends and family for support (while still adhering to social distancing regulations). With a combined effort, the spread of COVID-19 can be slowed and life can return to normal.

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Problems with Mass Testing

WILL BROWN
STAFF WRITER

This is an opinion piece. Every thought displayed and source chosen is to reinforce my own arguments.

As we begin our fourth week of “COVID classes,” it’s important to look back on the first three and reflect on the college’s response to the ongoing pandemic. By this point in time, every student has become acclimated to the new policies and procedures that surround us—with most agreeing with the importance of these policies and procedures, and few blindly disagreeing and disobeying them.

Another method that Alma College has utilized in the fight against COVID-19 is the mass testing of all students, faculty and staff on campus. It is important to note that initially the college was not interested in mass testing due to the point-in-time nature of the results: a student may walk away from the nasopharyngeal swab negative but then immediately come into contact with an individual who is positive, thus nullifying the test.

Clearly, the college has changed its mind on mass testing, but this by no means renders this scenario obsolete. Furthermore, as we continue with mass testing on Alma College’s campus, it’s important to note that this point-in-time nature characteristic of tests is not the only downside of mass testing.

A major problem with almost any test is its accuracy. When it comes to the accuracy of COVID-19 tests, it is often broken up into two parts: sensitivity and specificity. Sensitivity is the ability for a test to correctly identify an individual that has the illness. Meanwhile, specificity is the ability for a test to correctly identify an individual that does not have the illness.

A test with good specificity is oftentimes described as having a low false positive rate. Similarly, a test with good sensitivity is oftentimes described as having a low false negative rate. Both of these rates are typically low for a given test, with ARUP Laboratories reporting the COVID-19 test having a false positive rate of 0.01%. This should hardly concern a single individual who is taking the test; however, as the number of individuals being tested rises, so does the prevalence of false negatives.

If we take COVID-19’s false positive rate and apply it to the population of the U.S., we very quickly see that this seemingly small rate results in 33,000 false positives out of 330,000,000 total residents. Clearly, this is a substantial amount of people. This also pushes the idea that while false positive rates might seem small for the individual, they mean much more when thrown into the context of mass testing.

According to data provided by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Gratiot County has rate of 1.33% when it comes to its inhabitants testing positive for COVID-19. If we take this and apply it to Alma College’s mass testing program, we see that around 23 individuals, out of the 1696 tested, would test positive. Using the aforementioned false positive rate, we can also find that only 1 student would falsely test positive.

In this scenario, the false positive rate is not problematic. However, as one might be able to deduce, if the false positive rate is ever larger than the overall positive rate for a given area, then more false positives will be identified than true positives.

ARUP Laboratories also reports that false positive rates are problematic for two reasons. The first is that it can result in an individual being subject to treatment that they do not need, which can lead to unnecessary financial and health consequences.

The second is that it can give the individual a false sense of security against the virus. They might assume, since they tested positive with no symptoms, that they are somehow ”stronger” than the virus. This false sense of security against the virus could potentially lead to the individual later contracting or transmitting the virus due to a lack of precautionary measures taken by that individual.

While false positive rates in the Alma College community are not a major concern, it is important to keep them in mind when evaluating our response to the pandemic. Mass testing may be beneficial now, but, like most COVID-19 policies and procedures, they will eventually become obsolete as society adapts to the virus. Naturally, the next question with all of this is when will Alma College become safe enough to where mass testing, social distancing, and guest/mask policies are no longer required?

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Theatre department prepares for upcoming show

ALIVIA GILES
STAFF WRITER

With the new school year in swing, the Alma College theatre department is preparing for their first show of the season, Ron Carlson’s, Bigfoot Stole My Wife (and Other Stories from News of the World). The show will be performed four times, with two separate casts each performing twice. In total, the production will feature 18 students.

For most theaters, COVID-19 has put a halt on productions, but for Scott Mackenzie, Professor and Director of Theatre, this was an opportunity to do something a little different. Bigfoot Stole My Wife is not written as a traditional play, but rather as a series of monologues.

After watching his sister perform in a production of Bigfoot Stole My Wife at the Ann Arbor Civic Theatre in 1988, Mackenzie knew it was a show he had to direct. This opportunity finally came in 2006, while he was serving in Iraq with the Army Reserve.

Mackenzie wanted to direct a show and he needed one that would accommodate the hectic schedules of the performers. “I [had] to find something that could still go on, even if a performer was called out on a mission during rehearsal, which did happen, or during a performance, which did not – thankfully,” Mackenzie said.

With that experience in mind, Mackenzie knew Bigfoot would be a great option for this year’s unique situation. With the show being entirely in monologues, each actor will be on stage alone, making social distancing easy.

Along with that, the preparation for this show has been very different from that of past productions. This year, rehearsals are held every night for three hours, with each performer coming in to work on their monologue for a half hour two days a week.

Bigfoot Stole my Wife will be Lucy Woods’s (’24), first show at Alma College. Woods plans to major in English Education and Theatre. As a Freshman, Woods has used this production, not only to strengthen herself as an actor, but also as an opportunity to make friends. “I have only been able to meet some of my fellow [cast members], but the ones I have met are all very sweet and cool people,” Woods said.

Being unable to rehearse with the entire cast has been new for Woods, and while it has been difficult, it has also come with surprising perks. “It’s exciting because the rest of the show will be fresh for me as I watch from backstage,” Woods said, “I have seen a couple ‘sneak peeks’ of the [other performers’ monologues]. The show is going to be fantastic.”

Woods will be performing the monologue, “Baby Born with 2,000-Year-Old Bracelet”. In this piece, Woods plays an obstetrician. “My character talks a little about [the baby] and a little about life,” Woods said, “It is one of the more serious monologues in the production.”

According to Woods, the most rewarding aspect of being involved with this production has been seeing herself improve as a performer. “Dr. Mackenzie gives me lots of immensely helpful pointers and advice,” Woods said.

David Troyer (’24) will also be making his Alma College theatre debut in Bigfoot Stole my Wife. Troyer plans to major in Biology and Theatre. Troyer is excited to get back into theatre after taking a break from acting for a year. “Now that I’m in Bigfoot, it feels like I’m making up for those lost opportunities,” Troyer said.

While Troyer has enjoyed being a part of this production, he has also been faced with some obstacles. “I think the most challenging thing is trying to find a unique way of presenting the character,” Troyer said, “I’m not the only one who has this role, so I try to find little things that make my interpretation of the character my own, which isn’t always easy.”

While difficult at times, having another actor playing the same role has also been beneficial for Troyer. “Since I have a partner, so to speak, we both get to try different things, and we learn from each other,” Troyer said.

Under the direction of Dr. Mackenzie, Troyer feels that he is beginning to break his habit of changing lines. “In high school, I was notorious for adding little things here and there to make it ‘flow better’,” Troyer said, “[In this production], I [have been] encouraged to find the flow in the words that are there and how I say them.”

With COVID-19 restrictions in place, performances of this show will look very different from productions in previous years. Normally, the Strosacker Theatre can seat about 190 audience members, but at this time, that number is down to about 30.

Auditorium seating will be limited to Alma College students, faculty and staff. The production will also be livestreamed, although, at this time, Heritage Center management has not decided on a streaming platform.

Performance dates for Bigfoot Stole my Wife are set for Oct. 1-3 at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 4 at 2:30 p.m.

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GEO on strike at University of Michigan

COURTNEY SMITH
STAFF WRITER

Last Tuesday, the Graduate Employees’ Organization, also known as GEO, commenced a strike at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Over three quarters of GEO’s 2,000 graduate student instructors and assistants support the strike, which took place over four days.

Those on the picket lines wore masks and maintained social-distancing guidelines to remain safe while they relayed their message.

GEO’s strike was in response to two major concerns at the U of M campus. The first of their concerns involves the health and safety of students after the university welcomed its 45,000 students back to campus amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Although most classes are offered online, many feel that the close-proximity living quarters on campus facilitate the spread of the virus.

The second of GEO’s concerns involves anti-policing demands after U of M decided to increase on-campus policing as a means of enforcing social distancing and mask-wearing among students. Many feel this increase in policing at U of M could cause a subsequent increase in racist policing activities.

GEO’s decision to strike serves part of a long-running history of workers demanding policy-change by applying pressure to the administrations that oppress them.

“The strike is one of the oldest forms of protests,” said Dr. Ben Peterson, professor of history and political science. “Some point to Secession of the Plebs in ancient Rome as the first example, but I would suspect that strikes have existed in one form or another from the very beginning of the concept of ‘work.’”

With the increase of strikes and protests across the United States throughout 2020, many possess strong opinions about whether they serve as effective, valid forms of creating change.

“Like the power of labor in general, their effectiveness tends to ebb-and-flow across time depending on a variety of legal, social, and economic forces. Despite this they have clearly had a defining impact on the country,” said Peterson.

Many liberties we enjoy today were fought for on picket lines and accomplished through strikes and protests by past generations.

“The strike waves in the 1930s not only improved conditions for striking workers, they established new patterns of wages and labor relations that helped to redistribute wealth throughout the country,” said Peterson. “In Michigan in particular, the UAW strikes in 1936 transformed labor conditions in the automotive industry and helped to build a period of prosperity for the workers of the Midwest.”

Regardless of the spectrum of approval for the rise in strikes and protests across the United States, GEO’s strike at U of M sparks controversy because the state of Michigan prohibits public employees, such as professors at public universities, from striking.

“Public sector employees are regulated under different systems depending on the state,” said Peterson. “Some states treat public workers as regular workers, but others severely restrain what they can, and cannot do.”

In spite of these restrictions imposed by the state, GEO successfully picketed for four days, concluding last Friday. Strikes and pickets such as this may not always conclude in instantaneous policy change, but they open the door to discussing change.

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