Organization Spotlight: Healthier Meredith Minds
Healthier Meredith Minds (HMM) is an organization on campus that strives to promote mental well-being among students, according to the President and Founder of HMM, Alysia Rosenzweig, ‘25. Rosenzweig explained that the organization was born from her own experiences. She said that when she got to campus, many of her friends were “struggling with school and balancing their own mental health.” Rosenzweig noticed a lack of student-led organizations to promote mental well-being, so she established the club in the spring of 2023.
On Aug. 29, HMM’s Nature Walk was canceled with little notice due to a heat advisory warning. However, Rosenzweig still went to the meeting spot to ensure students knew about this cancellation. When a student showed up for the walk, Rosenzweig took the time to walk them through the Meredith Mile. Rosenzweig’s Co-President, Caroline Camden, ‘26, said they both had a “great time” despite the heat.
Regarding last year’s walk, Rosenzweig said she felt like those who went on the walk “learned about each other's personal life.” Camden described the walk as a much-needed “vent session” among the students, leaving everyone feeling heard and relieved.
All students who are seeking “a mental break from academic life” are welcome at HMM events, according to Rosenzweig. HMM is already planning its first therapy dog session and the club is hoping to make an appearance at Sizzlin’ September.
Camden’s favorite HMM event is their therapy dog session. Camden explained that she had “the hardest time leaving behind [her] dog” when she came to college and that she “didn’t quite understand how much [her] lab had done for [her]” until the dog was not with her daily. After sharing her longing for canine interaction with some friends, Camden had the idea to bring therapy dogs to campus with HMM. Now, HMM regularly brings dogs from the Alliance of Therapy Dogs to campus during stressful times like midterms and finals.
Rosenzweig said that becoming involved in HMM “is a great way to help plan [the] mental health events [the Meredith community] want[s] to see on campus.” The club meets monthly via Zoom to brainstorm and plan for events. Camden described HMM as “low-commitment” and very student-oriented. Rosenzweig said, “If you have an idea about an event we as a club [will] work together to make it happen in some way or another.” Students are encouraged to reach out to Camden (cscamden@email.meredith.edu) or Rosenzweig (ahrosenzweig@email.meredith.edu) with any questions about the club or how to get involved.
By Cady Stanley, Associate Editor
Photo courtesy of Caroline Camden
President Sapp Adjusts as New Meredith College President
Dr. Aimee Sapp took over as the ninth president of Meredith College on July 1, four months after being named the replacement for Dr. Jo Allen.
Since her introductory email to the campus community over the summer, President Sapp has had more time to settle into her role and interact with students, staff and faculty. The Herald had the opportunity to sit down with President Sapp to discuss her experience at Meredith so far and what she hopes to accomplish in the years ahead.
With respect to her new role, President Sapp shared that she plans to be at Meredith for a “long time” and as such, explained the importance of trying to “pace [herself]” and described her goals for the next year. President Sapp added that she is spending her time “doing a lot of listening” and wants to make an effort to “preserve everything about [Meredith] that is so amazing.” She went on to explain that in taking the time to learn more about the components of Meredith, the next steps to follow would be about growing the college without taking away “what makes Meredith Meredith.”
In discussing her learning experience, President Sapp also shared some of the advice she has received. Sapp described Jo Allen as having been “amazing” as well as “really supportive and helpful in the transition,” but also shared that she has received advice from many other people along the way. For her, the most valuable advice she has received is to “keep your authentic self.” President Sapp believes that each president will be different and explained the importance and effort she is making to stay true to herself.
The Herald also had the opportunity to discuss how President Sapp is acclimating to campus life, asking about her favorite spot on campus, what has surprised her most about Meredith and what traditions she is looking forward to. When asked about her favorite spot on campus, she jokingly acknowledged how “cheesy” her answer was and shared that everytime she thinks she has found a new favorite spot, “something beats it a few days later.” However, she does give mention to the amphitheater and Johnson Hall for a few reasons. In relation to that, President Sapp shared that when looking at schools and being interviewed, she knew that “there is something very special about [Meredith]” and that she has been surprised that the sentiment she believed has been even bigger than she imagined. With respect to traditions, President Sapp “cannot wait” to experience the campus traditions, but gives mention to the Class Ring tradition in particular. Sapp noted her intrigue in using the ring as a way to connect with the community and recognize Meredith community members in day-to-day life, stating she found it “really neat how [traditions] connect students now to people who were [at Meredith] decades ago and people will be [at Meredith] decades from now…” and hopes that students recognize “how special” these traditions are.
To conclude the interview, President Sapp described the role of a college president within the context of Meredith. Sapp shared that the role is “very vast” and she shared the importance of Meredith being “healthy and strong” while still maintaining its identity.
Overall, President Sapp hoped that readers will be able to take from this interview that students are “very important to [her]” and that she is interested in helping students grow by becoming “the best version of themselves that [students] can.” President Sapp is committed to interacting and meeting students. The Herald is thankful for the opportunity to have met with the new president of Meredith and the team eagerly awaits to see how the first year for President Sapp will go.
By Shae-Lynn Henderson, Editor in Chief
Photo courtesy of Charlotte McKinney
Summer Election Updates
Election years are often filled with several attention-grabbing headlines made up of complicated political jargon. With the intense volume of news and information being spat into Instagram feeds and the effort required to sort out misinformation and exaggerated claims, sometimes things fall through the cracks. When combined with the need to relax and destress from a long Spring semester, it’s possible to feel a little out of the loop. The Herald is committed to bringing the Meredith community digestible summaries of the 2024 Election and developments.
AP News reported that on May 31, 2024, then-presumptive Presidential nominee Trump was convicted on 34 felony charges and, in another AP News article, discussed his charges of falsifying business records regarding a hush money case from the 2016 election in which he attempted to “bury allegations of marital infidelity.” The AP goes on to discuss how Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, paid off two women who claimed they had affairs with Trump in order to keep the story quiet. The payments to Cohen were incorrectly documented by the Trump Organization as legal expenses. The AP also reported that Cohen had separately pleaded guilty to “violating federal campaign finance law in connection with the payments.” The conviction has not swayed his supporters and allies, however, and a Marist National Poll published on May 30, 2024 found that 67% of voters across the nation said their vote would not be impacted by the conviction. The same poll found that 17% of Americans stated they would be less likely to vote for Trump, and 15% reported that the conviction made them more likely to vote for him. Both NPR and the AP note that Trump claimed that the trial was a “scam” and “rigged,” while then-presumptive nominee President Joe Biden called Trump’s remarks “irresponsible,” according to NPR. The conviction comes as one of four criminal cases against Trump, carrying up to a four-year prison sentence according to the AP. Sentencing was originally scheduled for July 11, 2024, but the AP reports that it was delayed until “Sept. 18 at the earliest” after the 6-3 Trump v. The United States Supreme Court Case regarding presidential legal immunity.
Following his initial indictment, NPR has reported that Trump’s campaign strategy has been to use the criminal case to unify his party and to fundraise. Trump has referred to himself as a “Political Prisoner” and used slogans like “Never Surrender,” which the NPR reports has only bolstered financial support for the candidate. The public response is somewhat similar to the reaction to the release of Trump’s mugshot earlier in 2024, which the Washington Post referred to as an “iconic image” among his supporters. According to Republican pollster Jon McHenry of the North Star Opinion Research,Trump’s supporters will write off the proceedings as “a rigged trial,’” in line with Trump’s own claims about the legitimacy of the case.
The first debate of 2024 was held on June 27, 2024 between former President Trump and then-candidate President Biden. The debate largely focused on immigration, the economy and foreign policy while avoiding key domestic topics like abortion, young voters and climate change. More notable than the policy debate, however, was both candidates’ behavior onstage. NPR’s debate blog noted that the candidates “traded insults, went down tangents and argued about golf.” According to Dr. David McLennan, a professor in Meredith’s Political Science department, the debate was a “disaster for Joe Biden as it highlighted the age issue and raised even more questions about his ability to serve another four year term.” The AP noted the same concerns about his age and competency. Pew Research Center found that the percentage of voters surveyed who described Biden as “mentally sharp” dropped from 33% in Apr. 2023 to 24% following the June 27 debate. It also found that Americans are broadly dissatisfied with the 2024 campaign, with 87% saying that “the campaign does not make them feel proud of the country” and 53% of voters favoring replacing both Trump and Biden on the ballot during the week following the debate.
In the weeks after the debate, ABC reported that Democrats and party leaders began to pressure Biden to drop out of the race. Biden’s campaign started to lose steam and drew heightened criticism. On July 21, 2024, Biden announced he would be stepping down as presumptive nominee and endorsed current Vice President Kamala Harris in his stead. Dr. Whitney Manzo, Associate Professor of Political Science, was “very surprised to receive the news that President Biden was stepping aside” as “It is incredibly rare for a politician to willingly give up their seat,” but shared that she felt the decision was “understandable.” The choice appears to have been a strong one, as in Aug. 2024, a Pew Research poll found the Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters were mostly happy that Harris would be the candidate.
Another notable moment in the 2024 campaign cycle was the attempted assassination of Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally on July 14, 2024, as reported by the New York Times. Donald Trump emerged with minor injuries, while one spectator, Corey Comperatore, was killed, and two others were injured. The shooter, Thomas Crooks, was also killed. Crooks’ motives remain unclear according to NPR. One of the more notable images from the rally, as seen on BBS, showed Trump holding a fist over his head and mouthing the words “fight, fight, fight.” Similar to his criminal convictions, the assassination attempt has had a positive effect for Trump’s campaign. A recent YouGov poll found that 58% of U.S. adults believe that the attempted assassination will increase his chances of winning, with 78% of Republicans surveyed saying the same. The poll also found that 50% of Republicans believed that “the incident was part of a broader plot or conspiracy,” in line with some of the other rhetoric about the legitimacy of the 2020 election and Trump’s criminal convictions and charges. Trump and the public’s reaction showed an increased fervor among his supporters, although it remains unclear whether this will sway new voters to his side, as a FiveThirtyEight poll shows that his favorability rates remain largely the same from July to Aug. 2024. Dr. McLennan echoed this sentiment, stating that “With Biden’s declining poll numbers and the attempt on Trump’s life, the Republicans were confident that they would retake the White House as they held their nominating convention.”
There is also the issue of the controversial Project 2025, a document outlining the transition to a second Trump term and legal pathways Trump could take to achieve his policy goals written by conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation. According to NPR, Trump has distanced himself from Project 2025 while Democrats have highlighted it, noting shared points between the project’s goals and Trump’s, such as the shared desire to abolish the Department of Education (page 352). The document has faced widespread criticism according to Snopes, such as fears that the proposed actions are “precursors to authoritarianism” and concerns over the proposal’s recommendations to severely limit abortion access and end efforts to mitigate climate change. The president of the Heritage Foundation, Kevin Roberts, stated the main goals of the project are “institutionalizing Trumpism,” according to Snopes.
During his speech at the Republican National Convention (RNC) on July 18, 2024, Trump highlighted his intention to “be president for all of America, not half of America,” in what PBS NewsHour referred to as “a sharp departure” from his first acceptance of the Republican nomination eight years ago, in which he “painted a dark portrait of American life” and declared that “[he] alone can fix it.” The article contains several videos which includes Trump speaking about his assassination attempt, referring to his emergence with minor injuries as an act of “divine intervention” and referencing Comperatore (the man killed at the rally). His speech and the RNC as a whole made an effort to “rebrand” the president from brash and “bombastic” into someone more compassionate and relatable. From the source, Trump also shared some policy goals, especially regarding the southern border, rolling back the Biden administration’s climate change policies, and handling inflation as well as bringing down energy prices “very, very rapidly.” Trump spent the majority of his speech refusing to reference Biden by name, at one point calling him “this person.” The efficacy of the criticisms of Biden likely did not have the intended effect on voters, as Biden dropped out only a few days after the end of the RNC. Dr. Manzo pointed out that this left the Trump campaign to “scramble to find a new message, because they’ve been preparing for months to build their campaign around making fun of Joe Biden’s age and arguing that he isn’t fit enough to be President and now their opponent is a younger woman.” According to Dr. McLennan, this radically changed the campaign scene, as “Biden’s announcement to leave the race the Sunday…changed the trajectory of the 2024 campaign as Harris’ candidacy reversed the Democratic slide under Biden and returned the race to one in which either Harris or Trump could win.”
NPR shared that Harris was named the Democratic nominee on Aug. 5. Compared to Biden, she is polling better among most demographics, showing some energy and excitement behind her campaign. Her favorability has risen 8 points to 44% amongst surveyed adults and 18 points to 83% among Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents, according to the Pew Research Center. Pew Research also shows how this difference is most strongly seen in how motivated young voters (Ages 18-29) are to vote in November, where she leads Trump by nineteen points (61% of surveyed young voters.) Dr. McLennan noted the same “sharp rise in [young voters’] enthusiasm,” as well as how “Minority voters—Black and Hispanic—whose support of Joe Biden had dropped since 2020, now support Harris at slightly higher rates [than] they supported Biden in 2020.”
Harris, as a relative newcomer to the race, intends to exploit this disparity and appeal to young voters. NPR shared her campaign’s plan to target Gen Z by “[investing] in new digital ads on campus and social media, [doubling] its youth organizing staff around the country, and [launching] a college campus tour in battleground states.” Her power with the youth vote has been bolstered by an onslaught of memes, according to AP News, sweeping social media since Joe Biden announced his withdrawal, such as the “coconut tree” video. On Jul. 21, pop sensation Charli XcX posted to X (formerly Twitter) that “kamala IS brat” in reference to her album, “brat,” which Time referred to as “a cultural phenomenon.” The Harris campaign has embraced these memes, most notably by changing the banner on its X page to mimic the iconic lime green of the “brat” album cover. While some voters remain skeptical due to nature of Harris’ quick rise to the nomination, Ben Kamisar of NBC’s From the Politics Desk speculates that Harris has “a potential opening” as “a new voice in a race that was shaping up for a year-plus as a rematch of two of the most recognizable politicians in recent American history.”
At the Democratic National Convention (DNC), the BBC reported that Harris’ speech centered around her upbringing in a working class neighborhood in Oakland, CA and her policy goals, although she spoke very broadly about these policies. In the same article, it is noted that Harris also spoke on foreign policy, particularly in regards to the crisis in Gaza, claiming that she and Biden “are working around the clock” to “get a hostage deal and ceasefire done.” Dr. Jefferey Martinson, an Associate Professor of Political Science at Meredith, predicted “little change in terms of US support for Israel, even though Harris has shown some willingness to criticize its current government.” She referred to Trump as an “unserious man” but emphasized that “the consequences of putting Donald Trump back in the White House are extremely serious,” mentioning the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. capitol, his criminal convictions, and Project 2025, despite Trump’s denial of involvement with the document as noted in the BBC article.
On July 15, Trump selected Ohio senator JD Vance as his running mate, according to AP News. According to Dr. Martinson, “Vance’s foreign/security policies, like his legal names, are notably inconsistent,” citing the fact that Vance had at one point referred to Trump as “America’s Hitler.” Martinson noted Vance’s selection “doubles down” on Trump’s platform of America First isolationism, including support for defunding NATO, surrendering Ukraine to Russia, and the desire to confront China.
On Aug. 7, Harris chose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her vice presidential pick, according to AP News. PBS reported that Walz, a veteran and former schoolteacher from rural America, shows promise in being able to connect with conservative and moderate voters. Dr. Manzo was “surprised that Vice President Harris chose Walz,” since he was not favored by political scientists to be selected. Dr. Martinson described Walz as a more traditional pick in regards to security, largely due to his military service. Dr. Manzo also noted that Walz’s “media coverage is much more positive” than Vance’s, stating that “it appears Harris chose better than Trump.”
As of Aug. 29, 2024, 270towin.com reported that Harris leads Trump by two points nationally. Dr. McLennan agreed with this assessment, stating that “Harris has the momentum as national polls and battleground state polls have her slightly up on Trump,” while also pointing out that “This is no guarantee of victory as things will change over the next two months.” In key states such as North Carolina and Georgia, Trump and Harris are polling within a point of each other. McLennan also mentioned the highly volatile nature of presidential elections, noting the potential impacts of “misstatements by either candidate, national or international events, or even the infamous “October Surprise,"” in reference to the political phenomenon in which political disasters occur in the last week of the election season.
Both candidates struggle to provide clear and specific policy plans, but have motivated supporters who will be voting in Nov. According to Dr. McLennan, “Trump will try to energize his supporters by attacking Harris as unqualified” and as a candidate “whose policies are too radical for the country.” He also noted that Trump’s campaign is “based on a fear appeal–that the country will continue to get worse under a Harris administration.” Dr. McLennan also speculated that Harris “will use a more positive message based on improving the lives of Americans who have it better under the Biden-Harris administration [than] they did under the Trump administration.” Dr. Martinson mentioned that in regards to foreign policy, “Harris's replacement of Biden augers consistent foreign/security policy were she to win in November,” suggesting more traditional foreign policy from Harris, while also stating that Trump’s foreign policy seemed “generally more radical across the board - whether in leaving and appeasing old enemies and allies (e.g., NATO and Russia), or going in more aggressively with them (e.g., Israel and China).” He summarized by saying: “Harris will use a more unifying message, while Trump’s [message] is more divisive.”
To cast a ballot in the coming elections, Meredith community members can check their voter registration on the voter lookup page or learn more about the process to get registered to vote from The Herald’s past election update. On Sept. 17, in partnership with the 2024 Summer Reading Program, a voter registration drive will be held from 12-1 p.m. in the Cate Center lobby.
By Lola Mestas, Copy Editor
Looking back on "BRAT" Summer
Summer 2024 was dubbed “BRAT Summer” by electro-pop musician Charli XCX’s fanbase, according to Today. The release of her album “BRAT” has been huge for music lovers and individuals looking for summer vibes. There have been several other popular releases this summer, ranging from alternative to hip-hop and everything in between.
Back in March, the song “Like That” was released by producer Metro Boomin and rapper Future. GQ reported that there was intense rap beef between rappers Kendrick Lamar and Drake that resulted in a few summer hits. Kendrick Lamar dropped a verse on the song “Like That” explicitly calling out Drake, which later led to the release of other summer hits Lamar like “Euphoria,” released in April, and “Not Like Us,” released in May, in response to songs made by Drake. These songs featured heavy bass and upbeat tempos to dance to with fun lyrics to rap along with that set the vibe for the summer.
Rappers like Glorilla and Megan Thee Stallion, who were on their “Hot Girl Summer” tour, also released fun and confidence-boosting “Hot Girl” music such as their song “Wannabe.” Each artist also released solo albums with popular songs from Megan Thee Stallion’s MEGAN titled “BOA” and “Mamushi” with Yuki Chiba, a Japanese rapper, along with Glorilla’s “Yeah Glo!” and “TGIF.” These songs were arguably super trendy and had several fun dance trends for fans to dance to with friends on platforms, such as TikTok.
There were tons of trending songs in the world of pop by artists like Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!” which was released in April, and hits like “HOT TO GO!” blowing up from her album “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” which was released last year in September. These two songs were a part of Roan’s setlist for music festival performances throughout the summer as well as her current tour. Sabrina Carpenter, a pop musician, has also had a few songs blow up over the summer such as her two most popular songs “Espresso,” released in April, and “Please Please Please,” released in June. These songs, including Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!” and “HOT TO GO!” are upbeat and perfect for singing along to in the car on a beach trip or to dance along in your bedroom. A few songs from Charli XCX’s “BRAT” album also fit this category of songs to dance to, including “Apple,” “360” and “365” which give off a carefree vibe that can be seen in the TikTok dance trend to “Apple.”
To mellow out the vibes for the summer, Taylor Swift released her album “The Tortured Poets Department” which is a bit more emotional and reflective. Some of the album's songs include “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” and “Fortnight” featuring Post Malone. Billie Eilish also released a ballad-filled album titled “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT” with songs like “BLUE” and “WILDFLOWER” and a few upbeat songs as well like “LUNCH” and “BIRDS OF A FEATHER.” Each of these albums reflects on themes of love in different ways and gives the listener just the right touch of emotions.
Lastly, bringing in an R&B and a chill hip-hop vibe is Childish Gambino’s “Bando Stone and The New World,” Gunna’s “One of Wun” and popular songs “MILLION DOLLAR BABY” and “DEVIL IS A LIE” by Tommy Richman. Gambino experiments with alternative sounds within the realm of R&B in songs from his “Bando Stone and The New World” album in songs like “Lithonia” and “Cruisin’” featuring Yeat while also bringing in upbeat vibes with songs like “Talk My Sh*t” featuring Amaarae and Flo Milli. Gunna’s “One of Wun” album has a generally confident and chill tone, songs like “hakuna matata” and “whatsapp(wassam)” discuss his financial successes as a popular rapper with nods to his life before fame and wealth. Tommy Richman’s “MILLION DOLLAR BABY” and “DEVIL IS A LIE” took the summer by storm. “MILLION DOLLAR BABY” spent weeks at No.1 on TikTok Billboard’s Top 50 chart according to Billboard. Much like Gunna’s, these songs ooze confidence and swagger and are fun to sing and dance to.
The vibes of music for the summer of 2024 are arguably unmatched with various music genres for any mood or playlist. These albums and songs only make up a few of the summer releases that have happened this year, but these picks are popular among social media users and avid music listeners.
By Elaina Irving, Opinion Editor
'Angels After Hours' Podcast
The Meredith Herald began podcasting under the name Angels After Hours in September of 2022, hosted by co-podcasting directors, Grayson Morris, ‘26, and Destiny Calvin, ‘25. The original vision for the podcast was to be a place for students to go to forget about college for a while. For the past year, Angels After Hours (AAH) has been able to grow the vision to promising heights with a small team and new communications equipment. So far, the team has talked about various topics including social media and pop culture trends, queer relationships, their favorite music and other issues that interest the Meredith community. Some past episodes include “Dissecting Disney Channel Original Movies,” "Stigma on Mental Health,” “Trend Cycles” and “The 2014 Renaissance.”
The podcast team is excited to grow in numbers and episodes . Anyone is welcome to join the podcast team as a guest host or team member, from The Herald staff to the Meredith student body. The podcast team meets every Wednesday at 5 p.m. in CHESS 131 to plan and schedule upcoming episodes. New episodes are available every Friday at midnight.
Listen to Angels After Hours here, or search “Angels After Hours” on Spotify.
Follow on Instagram @aah_podcast.
By Destiny Calvin, Podcast Co-Director
Graphic by Destiny Calvin, Podcast Co-Director
Chappell Roan & Other Celebrities Have the Right to Say No
Chappell Roan, a pop singer-songwriter, recently gained national fame by opening for fellow pop artist Olivia Rodrigo, and performing on several late-night shows, reports NBC. Genius notes how she released her first EP, “School Nights,” under Atlantic Records in 2017 and her official site highlights her debut album, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” under Island Records in 2023. Roan’s performances at Coachella, Governors Ball and Lollapalooza in 2024 launched her into internet fame. Although she has been described as an overnight success, discussed in articles like, The Express Tribunal,Roan’s rise to fame took years of dedication. She began posting music online in 2017, but her career is reaching new heights now.
Recently, Chappell Roan posted two videos on her TikTok account to discuss “creepy” and inappropriate behavior she has been experiencing from fans. A few days later, she elaborated on her points in an Instagram post. Roan highlighted instances where fans got upset at her when she declined to take a photograph while out in public and when fans called her by her birth name. Roan also asked fans to not call her by her real name, explaining that she feels her stage persona, Chappell Roan, is a character she performs in.
In her Instagram post, Chappell Roan wrote that she feels “more love than [she] ever [has]” in her life. She added that she feels “the most unsafe [she has] ever felt in [her] life.” I believe that true fans of a performer would never want to make a celebrity uncomfortable, fearful or feel anything other than loved and appreciated. These so-called “superfans” who stalk and harass celebrities, especially young female stars like Chappell Roan, are not actual fans, in my opinion. These stalkers are threatening, and unfortunately Chappell Roan is not the first female star to experience this and likely will not be the last.
It seems that as a society we have not learned from the tragic deaths of Princess Diana, who died while running from paparazzi; Dimebag Darrell, who was shot by an upset audience member while performing; Selena, who was murdered by a fan she had become close with and worked with; or John Lennon, who was assassinated outside of his home by a fan, according to AP News, Rolling Stone and People respectively. In 2023, videos went viral of “super fans” harassing pro wrestler Rey Mysterio for autographs while he was traveling out of character and unmasked. Similar videos show fans following female pro wrestler Liv Morgan around the airport for autographs until she ultimately gave in, presumably to get fans to stop following her.
When you pay to attend a meet and greet with a celebrity, you are paying for the experience of meeting them, usually for a picture or autograph. Then, and only then, you have the right to be upset if the celebrity declines to take a picture since they are at a scheduled event for which you paid. When celebrities are out in public, they are living their normal lives out of character, unmasked, without makeup and simply human.
Famous people are still people. While being easily recognized and meeting fans in public comes with fame but celebrities should still be able to have personal autonomy.
By Kailey Wurr, A&E Editor
Editorial Board Statement
The Herald Editorial Board consists of a group of students dedicated to bringing accurate, relevant and hopefully exciting information to the community. In a year filled with many changes and new opportunities, The Herald is looking forward to sharing in each of these moments with the Meredith community. The goal for the upcoming year is to encourage and invite engagement as much as possible. We want to hear from you and hope that you will keep up to date on our website, find new stories on our Instagram and comment on posts as well as engage with interactive elements online and our print editions. The aim is to reach 1 500 followers on Instagram as well. The team is also working on creating media content that reaches the campus and incorporates your voices. The Herald is also always looking for new writers and students are welcome to join in on meetings and see how the paper runs.
Cady Stanley, Associate Editor:
I am so excited to see this publication grow in its journalistic rigor under Shae-Lynn Henderson’s phenomenal leadership. I want each writer and Meredith student to feel like they can rely on The Herald and on the Editorial Board to provide exciting and relevant news that matters to our campus. My goal this year is to support each of our staff members as they do this hard work.
Grayson Morris, Co-Podcasting Director:
Building the podcast team over the past two years has been one of the most exciting endeavors I’ve taken on at Meredith. I can’t wait to see how our team grows and expands over this next year, and I am excited to see what new voices join our podcast! I’m hoping to continue releasing as many episodes as we were able to last year, and to incorporate videos on our social media. I’m also looking forward to collaborating with writers from The Herald to help them bring their pieces off the page and into the mic.
Kailey Wurr, A&E Editor:
I’m very excited for my first year being a part of the Editorial Board for The Herald. I wanted to be the section editor for A&E specifically because arts, entertainment, music, movies and pop culture are huge interests of mine. I love being able to write about things that I love so writing and editing for A&E is perfect. Transitioning from a contributing writer to staff writer to section editor has been a great learning experience. I’m looking forward to advising and working with my fellow Herald members while we continue to publish amazing pieces. Currently I have a few upcoming opinion pieces related to music and our staff have upcoming pieces on everything A&E to look out for!
Clary Taylor, News Editor:
I’m very excited to enter my third year on the Editorial Board for The Herald! The team (both of editors and writers) we have this year is incredible and I’m looking forward to keeping Meredith community members updated on the important things happening in and around campus.
Elaina Irving, Opinion Editor:
This is my second year being a part of The Herald staff and my first year as an editor, so I can say that I am extremely excited to take on this new role. I look forward to all the amazing articles my fellow writers will come up with, but more importantly, I hope to see the Meredith community enjoy our work as well. As an opinion editor, I intend to let the voices of our staff shine in whatever hot topics pique their interest and I hope that our work will resonate with our peers.
Liese Devine, Features Editor:
This is my third year on Herald staff, and my second year on the Editorial Board! I may be biased, but features is definitely one of the more interesting sections to edit for. It’s a unique section of the newspaper in that it allows some of our writers to deep dive into a specific topic, and allows our more investigative writers a chance to really shine. This year I hope to get some really interesting pieces out to the Meredith community.
By The Editorial Board
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