Full Print Issue, Corn Edition 10/4
- The Meredith Herald Staff
- 3 hours ago
- 12 min read
Government Shutdown Update
After a 43 day long shutdown, the longest in U.S. history, the federal government reopened Wed. Nov. 12, 2025. The bill ending the shutdown extends funding for most agencies until Jan. 30, 2026 while others will be funded through Sept. 2026 according to CBS News. Although the government has returned to its regular business, the effects of the shutdown still loom over their operation. According to a NPR report, federal employees are still awaiting backpay and air traffic disruptions are still expected to linger.
The shutdown was rooted in the Democratic base’s refusal to continue funding the government until the issue of expiring tax credits of the Affordable Care Act was resolved as reported by The Guardian. Unfortunately, the health care extensions were not granted by the end of the shutdown, turning government focus to an upcoming Senate health care fight according to CBS News. Democrats are now charged with making sure "the health care fight lives outside of the appropriations process and doesn't depend entirely on the government being shut down," Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii told CBS.
According to NPR, it is unclear whether or not the healthcare subsidies will be renewed. Unless enough moderate Republicans strike up a deal with the Democrats, it is likely that tens of millions of people will see their premiums rise. This will then place the burden of increased healthcare costs on the Republican party: a cross they must bear in upcoming elections.
By Grayson Morris, EIC
Meredith College’s Strategic Plan to Enter Development Stage
Meredith College has announced the development of a strategic planning process, intended to guide the College’s direction and priorities for 2025 through 2030, titled “Imagine. Innovate. Ascend.” Development of the Strategic Plan started over the summer with pre-planning sessions and has continued into the listening sessions held during the fall semester. According to Melyssa Allen, Meredith College Director of Public Relations, six pillars will guide Meredith’s strategic planning process: Educational Excellence, Financial Strength, Optimal Enrollment, Facilities & Technology, Marketing & Visibility, and Quality of Life. Allen explained that the Strategic Planning Process consists of a discovery and input phase, a development phase, and an implementation phase.
Allen reported the main finding from the community town halls held in October was that students had more pressing concerns to be heard, prompting the President’s Office to hold two additional forums to address academic and facility concerns. Allen stated that “The community town halls, launch events, listening sessions, and community surveys held this fall, and the pre-planning sessions held with faculty and staff this summer, were part of the Discovery and Input phase of the strategic planning process. The Strategic Planning Steering Committee will soon be focusing on the Development phase,” indicating that no more student or community meetings in regards to the Strategic Plan will be held.
“A strategic plan is a comprehensive framework that defines an institution’s long-term vision, priorities, and measurable goals. It ensures alignment of resources, decisions, and initiatives with the College’s mission and values. The voices of Meredith’s community members are an important part of ensuring that Meredith’s strategic planning process is successful,” said Allen. The development of the Strategic Planning Process comes amidst heightened tension between students in faculty, culminating in a student walkout on Nov. 12 to address the abrupt removal of academic deans from their positions and a demand for student transparency. Currently, the Strategic Plan is intended to be approved by President Sapp and the Board of Trustees in 2026 and will be implemented in Aug. 2026.
By Lola Mestas, Associate Editor
Statement from Jean Jackson on Behalf of the Executive Leadership Team after Student Protest November 10
On Monday, I attended the demonstration by students and others near Johnson Hall. I talked with some students individually and listened to many more who expressed their concerns on a wide range of topics. Meredith College supports freedom of speech and urges students to work through the Student Government Association and its branches to effect the changes they wish to see. As a former Meredith SGA President, I have a deep appreciation of the ways in which students can work for the good of the institution, both in the short and long terms.
Senior Art Exhibition on Display
“Reflections in Fur and Flesh” is the current running art exhibition created by Meredith seniors Bendenur Fidan and Meredith Mills.
The exhibition began Nov. 13, 2025 with a gallery talk and opening reception. The exhibition is being held in the Frankie G. Weems Gallery in the art building, Gaddy-Hamrick. The exhibition will run until Dec. 11, 2025 and can be visited weekdays 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
The press release for the exhibition states “‘Reflections in Fur and Flesh’ is the looking glass into who these women are and the future they envision with their art.” The exhibition includes a gallery of several works by each of the artists, including paintings and sculptures.
According to her artist statement, Fidan chose to work with clay because “The act of shaping clay is therapeutic and self-reflective; the push and pull is meditative and often spiritual.” She stated, “ As I work, the clay takes a life of its own and cleanses my cluttered thoughts and heart and brings me to a place where I am able to take a step back and create space for my experiences in a way I wouldn’t be able to if I kept them caged inside me.” While walking through the gallery, viewers can watch a projected video showing Fidan’s working process.
According to her artist statement Mills paints portraits of animals “to honor the joy and companionship they bring into our lives. By capturing the tilt of a head, the curiosity in the eyes, or a familiar expression, I hope to evoke feelings of warmth and celebration.”
While walking through the gallery I felt that the art works gave a look into the artists’ lives and emotions. From a non-painter or ceramic artist, I could immediately understand the large amount of work and lengthy amount of time these artists dedicated. One of my favorite works by Fidan was a ceramic tea set that was different from the other gallery works, but still felt connected to the story of Fidan’s work and story. Of Mills’ works one of my favorites was the glass bottle with the painting of a dog on it because of Mill’s ability to capture the dog's happy expression.
All the artwork featured in this article, and other pieces not included in this article, can be viewed in person. The artists can be contacted at meredithmillsart@gmail.com or bendenur.f@gmail.com.
By Kailey Wurr, Podcast Director
MDT and MJTCo Concert Recap
On the weekend of Nov. 21 through Nov. 23, the Meredith College dance teams, Meredith Dance Theater (MDT) and Meredith Jazz and Tap (MJTCo), held a Dance Concert with special appearances from Meredith College Dance Crew, MerCo Cloggers and Fierce International Rhythmic Experience (F.I.R.E). Both MDT and MJTCo are student-led dance teams. MDT performed on Friday night and Saturday afternoon, and the MJTCo performed Saturday Night and Sunday afternoon with special guest appearances.
On Friday, Nov. 21, at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 22, at 2:00 p.m. MDT performed a total of ten dances centered around the theme of Resilience. Through their movements in every single dance, the theme of resilience was evident. It was shown through the dancer's facial expressions, precise, intentional, repetitive movements and the music. On Saturday, Nov. 21, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 22, at 2:00 p.m., MJTCo performed thirteen dances. These dance styles varied between Jazz, Tap, Hip-Hop, Clogging and more. Each performance brought a story to life and showcased the wonderful dancers' many different strengths and skills. The dances ranged from exciting to heartfelt, making you want to get up and dance with them and feel the emotions they were expressing through their movements. Watching the dancers, you could see the time, effort, and dedication they put into these performances to bring these stories to life. If you would like to watch the dances from this weekend, they can be found here on the Meredith Dance webpage under current season, then under MDT and MJTCo Concert Weekend 2025.
This was MDT and MJTCo’s last performance of the fall semester. However, you can be on the lookout for upcoming performances from the many amazing dance teams at Meredith during Spring Semester; such as: the DanceWorks weekend 2026 featuring Meredith College Dance Crew, F.I.R.E., Meredith Angels Dance team and more.
By Ella Sabroski, Contributing Writer
Winter Fashion Tips and Trends
As autumn changes to winter so do the popular fashion trends and clothing looks.
According to Vogue, the trending fashion of fall 2025 has been filled with reds, browns, preppy looks, barn jackets, sequins and bohemian-style flowy clothes.
According to Who What Wear, winter fashion is making a comeback this year. Look out for layering on the top, big coats of all shapes and funky, loose boots. Glamour states that “smart layering and statement coats can make for some incredible style moments.”
Jackets and coats not only keep you warm during the cold, they are also trending for their layering abilities, being statement pieces and adding interesting structure to an outfit.
Sweaters and cardigans are always cute and cozy. They are especially trendy this year in popular shades of browns and, continuing the preppy trend from the fall, different argyle and plaid like patterns...
For trendy shoes for winter, look out for preppy sneakers and interestingly-shaped boots. Pairing any shoes with textured tights or patterned socks is also in this season.
As finals and cold weather dawn on us , Meredith students are sure to be in sweatsuits and cute sweaters to keep warm and comfortable. The Meredith Campus Store also keeps cute and cozy Meredith gear in stock for anyone to pick up some winter outfits that represent Meredith.
By Kailey Wurr, Podcast Director
OPINION Wicked: For Good Is as Fun as It Is Bumbling
Adapting Wicked’s second act to film was inevitably going to be a challenge. It is riddled with pacing issues, incoherent politics, and underdeveloped, if not completely dropped, storylines. Many of my critiques of Wicked: For Good, Jon M. Chu’s recent attempt to bring this messy, often convoluted, conclusion to the screen, are also issues on stage. The romance arc between Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) is still underdeveloped, which is not helped at all by the lack of development given to Fiyero’s character in both iterations. This is an especially big problem given how central Glinda’s (Ariana Grande) jealousy and perceived betrayal over their relationship is to the conflict between her and Elphaba in this installment. It is a cheap conflict to give the story’s central relationship (the movie is titled after their reconciliatory duet) anyway, but lack of information the audience has about Fiyero’s personality and his relationships makes that even more glaring.
The politics of the story are given slight improvements, but its message still feels half-baked at best. We get to see more of Elphaba’s political action than we do on stage, most notably disrupting the exploitative labor practices used to construct the Wizard’s (Jeff Goldbum) yellow brick road, which is a positive change. However, this is where the improvements end. Near the end of the film, Elphaba urges Glinda to not try to redeem her because “They need someone to be wicked so you can be good,” which is strikingly similar to the Wizard’s insistence that uniting people against a common enemy is the most effective method to do so. Having a character become disillusioned in this way is by no means a problem, but the film seems to agree with this assertion, too, given that it is at a celebration of Elphaba’s death that Glinda successfully reintegrates Oz’s anthropomorphic animals into society. This reintegration happens too easily to feel satisfying, and the film’s agreement with the Wizard here feels like an odd choice, particularly since no effort is made to meaningfully address this need for a scapegoat.
I had several smaller issues with the film, as well. I think there are several more interesting things they could have done with the Cowardly Lion, for example. Neither Jeff Goldblum or Michelle Yeoh are especially talented singers, but it feels more noticeable from Yeoh, perhaps because Ariana Grande’s vocal talents are able to carry “Wonderful,” the only song the Wizard sings in the film. The scene following Nessa’s death in Munchkinland suffers from serious tonal whiplash, and the humorous cat fight between Elphaba and Glinda during that scene was the only time I felt the film drag slightly.
None of this is to call Wicked: For Good an overall bad film. There is a lot to like, and I quite enjoyed my experience watching it. This film, like its predecessor, revels in the spectacle of the medium of musicals and the land of Oz, which makes for a delightful visual experience. The settings are grand, the costumes are beautiful, and sequences like Glinda and Madame Morrible’s (Michelle Yeoh) are bursting with life and color. The visual effects range from passable to genuinely impressive, with the expressiveness of the CGI animals being especially impressive.
The music is mostly good, too. “Thank Goodness,” “No Good Deed,” and “For Good” particularly stand out as particularly well performed. The two new songs, “No Place Like Home” and “The Girl in the Bubble” are both fine additions, although I found the latter a better one. The performances by the cast are as impressive as ever. Marissa Bode manages to stand out as Nessa despite her limited screen time, Jonathan Bailey sells the idea of Fiyero having loving relationships with both Glinda and Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba does a remarkable job showing the changes she has undergone while living as the Wicked Witch.
Especially good about the movie is how it handles Glinda. Her storyline involves her coming to terms with her privilege and complicity in the Wizard’s oppressive regime. She is challenged to find the courage to break out of those tendencies and her overwhelming desire for love and admiration in order to do the right thing, even as she loses her most valued relationships in the process. This arc is written with care, and Grande portrays the internal conflict Glinda feels and the grief she experiences masterfully. “Girl in the Bubble,” her solo song written for the film adaptation, is one of the rare musical additions to a movie adaptation that has the chance to add something valuable to the story by showcasing the moment Glinda decides to “truly become Glinda the Good” as Grande has put it in interviews, and it does so well in my opinion.
Ultimately, I was always going to have a fun time with Wicked: For Good. I loved the world and stories of Oz and these characters too much going into the movie not to find some enjoyment out of seeing them on screen. Even considering that, I feel confident recommending it to anyone interested in watching it. Despite its flaws, it manages to be an engaging, emotionally impactful film, and one I will continue thinking about for some time.
By Haidyn Scott, Contributing Writer
Opinion: Self-Censorship is a Barrier
Self-Censorship is a voluntary act caused by fear, criticism or ostracization where individuals choose to suppress things they would like to share. Like many other forms of censorship, it can occur in media, journalism and especially daily interactions. Self-censorship is usually raised as an issue as far as communication regarding politics and social beliefs are concerned, however, I have been most impacted by self-censorship when it comes to my hobbies and interests.
Growing up I have always been a bit of a nerd or a weirdo when it came down to my interests and oftentimes I repressed these things to fit in with others. I was into Five Nights at Freddy’s, Minecraft, KPop, and of course, Batman, which at the time, while popular in their own right, made you part of the outgroup at school and you became one of the “weird kids” which is like a death sentence when you are in middle school. It wasn’t until I got to college that I started to openly and proudly embrace these interests, and my now not so secret obsession with Batman.
The thing I noticed when reflecting back on those times is how unhappy I was. There’s a certain burden you carry when you withhold the things you are passionate about for the sake of fitting in with others. However, it was more difficult for me because while I still prided myself on being the most authentic version of myself as far as personality was concerned, I never truly embraced the other things that made me happy.
Self-censorship limits your ability to find people with similar interests and passions and therefore assert a group membership based on the things that bring you joy. My mom has always emphasized the saying “a closed mouth don’t get fed,” and I think this phrase is relevant to so many things, but especially this particular topic. By suppressing things about yourself whether they be beliefs, hobbies, interests, passions or anything else, you could never truly know whether or not people will support you or not.
I think that as an individual I have seen the most growth in myself when I started to openly talk about the things that I enjoy. I have found out through writing these articles that people do enjoy the way I can tie things like Batman into larger discussions about social issues. It has given me a greater sense of belonging than keeping all those things bottled up in fear that it would subject me to social exclusion. And truthfully, the way I look at it now is that people who do choose shun you for your hobbies just are not your people.
Basically, what I’m saying is that self-expression is a form of self-care and it opens you up to more possibilities and opportunities to do things you enjoy as opposed to what would come out of engaging in self-censorship.
By: Elaina Irving, Opinion Editor