2021

He

Journal of Student Writing

T
He

Journal of Student Writing

T

2021

Supervising Editor
Bradley Siebert
Managing Editors
Jennifer Pacioianu
Ande Davis
Consulting Editor
Muffy Walter
The Angle is produced with the support of the Washburn University
English Department. All contributors must be students at Washburn
University. Prizewinners in each category were awarded a monetary
prize. Works published here remain the intellectual property of their
creators.

Further information and submission guidelines are available on our

website at washburn.edu/angle. To contact the managing editors,
email us at [email protected].
Table of Contents
First Year Writing
A Breath of Solitude
Chloe Taylor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Weird is Relative
Haley Carlin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Arts and Humanities

A Drug You Can Trust
Christina G. Noland . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Do College Athletes Deserve to Be Paid?

Malick Fall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

To Be the First
Sean Lavin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

An Education Worth Writing Home About

Glorianna R. Noland . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Leadership Analysis: Cindy Wilson

Taton Smith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Natural and Social Sciences

Figuratively Speaking: An Analysis of English Language
Metaphors Based on Familiarity and Context
Shelly Davenport, Tammi Drapeau, Sammi Ford, and
Claire Leffingwell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

The Social Spark in Therapy: Social Factors in the

Therapist-Client Relationship Affecting Client
Motivation in Cognitive-Behavioral Homework
Ethan Nelson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Defining Forensic Anthropological Theory

Taylor Nickel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

When I Got Glasses

Hanna Strader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Creative Work
A Little Fish in a New Pond
Glorianna R. Noland . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Sweater Weather
Max Macheca. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
And Anger
Ethan Nelson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

I Am Not Invisible
Christina Noland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Love Letters
Kelsie Quaney. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Today in the USA: Live?

Hannah Kirby Sanford Pomerantz, Peter Sandquist, and
Emma Staats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Contributors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
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 The Angle • 3

A Breath of Solitude
Chloe Taylor

Category Winner
First Year Writing

As I sat on my bed for my third zoom class of the day for the fifth
day in a row, I heard my loneliness and depression pounding on the
door, screaming to be let inside. I tried my hardest to ignore them and
remind myself that I am wanted and loved, but after so long without
human touch, my door began to creep open, allowing the darkness in
a little at a time. I needed to escape; I needed some place to fight off
my demons. It is easier to fight in an open space than to fight from a
corner of a cramped room. The second my final class was over for that
day, I changed clothes and went on a hunt to find the famous Gover-
nor’s Mansion trails that I had been hearing about since I moved to
Topeka for college.
Eventually, I found my way to the trails. I started my journey
choosing the first path that led me into the woods. The trees were
marked with different colors so that you could follow the blue, red,
black, or yellow trail, but I did not know how to follow the directions.
So while I was lost on the trails for two hours that day, I reconnected
with nature in a way that brought me clarity and understanding on
what I needed to do in my life to put up the strongest fight against the
demons knocking on my door.
4 • The Angle

The weather was gorgeous; the wind was a cool breeze with the
sun shining through the trees and heating streaks of the air and spots
of the ground that warmed me as I wandered through the shadowed
trails. As I hiked, I paid close attention to my senses. Every inhale was
crisp, almost making my lungs sting from the freshness of the air. I had
been stuck inside for so long only breathing humid, musky air that this
new concoction of air was being sucked in with greedy, welcoming
power by my lungs. I felt the pounding of my heart and the burning
sensation in my legs as I ascended many hills after months of rarely
leaving my bedroom. I observed with awe at the many colors among
the woods. The trees were gorgeous hues of red, orange, yellow, and
green. There were places so high that you could look out over valleys
of trees and wildlife. I listened to the pitter-patter of squirrels, rabbits,
and other quick-scampering wildlife as they darted across the paths
made by human travelers and into the safety of the underbrush. I
listened to the songs of birds as they called out to each other. Nature
was breathtaking. Out there, though I was physically more alone than
inside my college house where I lived with five roommates, I felt less
alone than I had in months. I had not felt so connected with some-
thing in ages. Though I was not receiving the human touch that I was
craving, it was as if nature was enveloping me in a promising, hopeful
hug. My gratefulness for life was returning with each step.
I noticed how appreciative I was to be alive when I was in nature.
I had been taking life for granted and going through the motions
without stopping to breathe and appreciate the life that I have. I began
going out into nature as much as I could after that experience. I sat on
my porch for my zoom classes and watched the squirrels scamper up,
down, and across the trees; I hung my hammock and ate breakfast
before my crazy day began so that I could have some peace and time
to breathe before my day got hectic; I went to the trails as often as I
could; I looked up at the sky and breathed in the vastness of the sky
and stars; I stared in amazement at the sunsets. I began taking time to
myself that was much needed and appreciating the beauty of nature.
That day that I decided to go on a hike changed my life. I began living
in the moment rather than merely living passively and waiting for the
day life would return to “normal.” I made my new normal and found
the happiest me that I have ever known. Out there in nature, I was
untouchable; my darkness could not find me in the vast openness, yet
I was able to find myself.
 The Angle • 5

Weird Is Relative
Haley Carlin

I went on a mission trip and served alongside students from

Minnesota. We were talking about our favorite food combinations
and we Kansas kids mentioned eating cinnamon rolls with chili when
we were in grade school. The other kids did not like the idea of this
food combination; this feeling was evident by their disgusted facial
expressions. This is an example from my life where cultural relativism
should have been considered. When considering cultural relativism,
one needs not hold someone to the standard of your culture being
right and theirs being abnormal. Cultural relativism is the fact there is
not a blanket standard for culture. When we keep cultural relativism
in mind, we can be proactive in avoiding and limiting ethnocentrism,
the idea or belief that one ethnic group or culture is inherently supe-
rior to another. Throughout the last few class periods in SO100, my
eyes have been open to the world of global culture. Through the “No
Reservations” episode, the articles, and the animal noise activity, I
was able to see what global culture is and how it affects our ability to
relate to people from other cultures.
I enjoyed the “No Reservations” episode that we watched. I was
honestly surprised by how few differences there were between the
culture in South Korea and here in the United States. Most of their
6 • The Angle

culture is based around eating food and drinking alcohol, as it is

here. In the discussion about the video, in particular the odd foods, I
learned a valuable lesson about culture.
Dr. Park told us not to be disgusted by the fresh octopus, which
was moving on the plate, or the chicken gizzards. When we reject the
food, we are doing more than that. We are rejecting the people and
their culture as a whole. I was also very amazed to learn that we eat
fermented food, like kimchi, every day. Whether it be coffee, bread,
chocolate, or others, I have enjoyed fermented food my whole life
without being aware that it was fermented. Apart from the video, the
articles I read were also very enlightening.
The article that stood out to me the most was the one titled
“McWeddings.” Here in the U.S., McDonalds has a reputation for being
somewhat low-class and unclean. In China, however, McDonalds has
a certain flair and elegance. People pay for the McWedding package
to have the best day of their lives take place in the chain restaurant. In
the U.S. no one would imagine getting married in a McDonalds, but
I bet some of our wedding venues are abnormal in other countries as
well. If you take the venue out of the equation, the weddings them-
selves did not seem to be extremely different from a ceremony here in
the U.S. I was also surprised to find out that emojis are geared toward
Japanese culture and are often inadequate for portraying American
phrases. This did, however, explain why most emojis on my phone do
not seem necessary for me. They might not be useful in my culture,
but they are everyday images in Japan. For example, the poop symbol
may mean that you had a crappy day or that you do not feel good,
but in Japan it can be a symbol of good luck. Emojis are a huge part
of global culture because we all use the same emojis even though
they apply to our cultures in different ways. Emojis are not where we
stopped with Japanese culture.
We watched a video that covered the subject of sento/hadaka-
no-tsukiai, translated as public bathing/naked communication. We
learned that many homes in Japan did not have their own bath or
shower in the past. Even if they did, the whole family would often
use the same water to conserve the water that they use. In my culture,
bathing together would be strange, but I could see in the video that
sento is more about community and fellowship rather than getting
clean, which is still important. At sento, it would not be odd for a
 The Angle • 7

friend to help another friend wash his back. Full families would go to
sento together and it meant something a little different for people of
all ages. Parents and grandparents treat it as a sauna, they wash and
sit and talk with other adults. The kids, however, treat it like another
day at the public swimming pool. At first, I thought the idea of public
bathing was strange, but after looking at it with cultural context, I was
able to see that sento is kind of awesome.
The other articles also addressed well-known companies such
as Disney and Walmart. Disney parks have been very successful all
over the world, including their location in Hong Kong. Disney was
especially careful when planning this park location. They hired a feng
shui specialist to help design the curves in the sidewalk and all of the
paths to make sure that the energy was flowing in a positive direction.
They also had the opening on a day that was considered lucky in their
culture. The designers of the park understood that not every culture
is the same, therefore not every park should be the same. Walmart
discovered this principle the hard way. Walmart tried to succeed in
Germany for years and was unsuccessful. The German shoppers were
not fond of the smiles and warm greetings every time you enter or
leave a store. That is just not how they do things in Germany. Ikea is
another store with major cultural differences. Here, you would go in,
shop, maybe get food in the designated area and leave. In some Asian
cultures, one might go in and take a nap on a bed or read in a chair
for hours before leaving without having purchased anything. Though
these articles were interesting, my favorite of the activities was the
animal noise activity.
At first, I was confused about why Dr. Park was asking students
to make cow and pig noises. After he made his noises, I understood.
If you put a pig from America next to a pig from South Korea, they
would make the same noise. The people are what makes the sounds
different. Over the years Americans have decided that pigs oink and
cows moo. The cow noise is more accurate than the pig one I will
admit. Dr. Park’s sound was not wrong, and neither was ours. It is
just a matter of our cultural differences. This makes me curious as to
what other countries use for their animal noises. I guess the global
aspect could be that none of our onomatopoeias are accurate to the
sound of the animal. All of the discussions and activities were helpful
in understanding the global culture.
8 • The Angle

Maybe if the kids I met from Minnesota took Dr. Park’s SO100
(Introduction to Sociology) they would have known not to insult our
combination of cinnamon rolls and chili. Whether something is weird
or normal should be determined by thinking of it as relative to that
culture not to our own culture. So cinnamon rolls and chili may be
abnormal in the culture of Minnesota, but if you step into Kansan
culture, it is a standard meal for many. I was able to see that not only
do we have cultures in our nations and regions but also across the
globe. I was astonished that the cultural similarities around the world
are more than the differences. Maybe if more people came to this real-
ization our world would be a more inclusive environment and we
could better avoid ethnocentrism. My own experience showed me
that this idea does not only exist between foreign groups, but it is also
present even within our borders. Those Minnesota residents had this
idea that they were superior to the weird Kansas kids that eat cinna-
mon rolls with our chili. This unit taught me valuable lessons about
accepting every aspect of a person’s culture, moving tentacles and all.
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 The Angle • 11

A Drug You Can Trust

Christina G. Noland

Category Winner
Arts and Humanities

Narrative stories have been a staple in our lives for generations.

Stories that children read, watch on television, and every game they
play have one thing in common: they all have a continuous narrative
that builds upon one event. Tabletop role-playing games, however,
have been a huge part of pop culture since the initial release of Dun-
geons and Dragons (D&D) in the mid-1970s. The gameplay features
collaborative storytelling that offers entertainment as well as a feeling
of community. Yet, this type of interaction is believed to be dangerous,
going as far as carrying Satanic and occult influences more than three
decades later. Unfortunately, this perception of D&D has hidden the
therapeutic benefits the game offers society.
The connection between fantasy role-playing games (RPGs) and
the occult became solid in 1982 in an era that became known as the
Satanic Panic. A woman by the name of Patricia Pulling created a cam-
paign called BADD, Bothered About Dungeons and Dragons, after her
son, Irving, committed suicide (Laycock, 2015, p. 103). Pulling believed
that these tabletop games were a “direct path toward involvement in
Satanism” (Laycock, 2015, p. 103). Her influence within the evangel-
ical community would be strong enough to last a decade, spreading
her belief that this issue threatened all members of society.
12 • The Angle

Based on research from Joseph Laycock, Assistant Professor of

Religious Studies at Texas State University, the Satanic Panic origi-
nally started in the 1970s (Laycock, 2015, p. 102). There was already
an anticult movement going around that targeted religious groups.
However, the Satanic Panic was created entirely on fictitious conspir-
acy theories and the like (Laycock, 2015, pp. 101-107). Sociologist David
Bromley describes that most of the population at the time believed
that there was a “vast criminal network” operating at all levels of
society (Laycock, 2015, p. 102). The individuals in question would be
scattered among the demographics from high-level politicians or your
ordinary teenage pranksters. Additionally, these criminals were said
to perform rituals and sacrifice humans to destroy what humanity
perceived as moral fiber (Laycock, 2015, p. 102). The critics of these
fantasy role-playing games claimed that the natural playstyle and
storytelling aspect of these tabletop adventures was “one of the most
effective and ingenious tools for the spread of Satanism” (Laycock,
2015, p. 102). The belief spread like wildfire and then into hysteria.
Because of this prior belief that tabletop RPGs were evil, any
other act perceived as evil was instantly correlated. Thus, as Patricia
Pulling had a Jewish background, her son committing suicide was a
violation of their beliefs. Anything that would pull someone to will-
ingly commit suicide had to be influenced by the devil. Therefore,
tabletop games were to blame as the easiest way of communication
between Satan and the people that walk the Earth. Even though it is
unclear whether or not Irving Pulling had any interaction with D&D
or similar games, Patricia had enough fuel to keep BADD riding the
waves of the Satanic Panic for a decade.
Eventually, the panic over tabletop RPGs subsided due to a few
outstanding factors. Over time, the existence of the Satanic cults was
proven to be false (Laycock, 2015, pp. 101-135). Video games became
more violent and thus a more valid target of scrutiny. While the
Satanic Panic officially ended in 1991, the rumors didn’t start falling
away until BADD disbanded in 1997 following the death of its creator,
Patricia Pulling (Laycock, 2015, p. 103). In a nutshell, the introduction
of D&D simply arrived at the wrong time in history, allowing for reli-
gious practitioners to use the concept of the game as a scapegoat to
influence beliefs.
However, the impact of these beliefs is still felt to this day. The
idea that tabletop games contain Satanic origins based on associa-
 The Angle • 13

tion has led the police department of Natchez, Mississippi to feature

warnings on occult crime. As of 2015, the department has issued the
warning signs of occult involvement to include heavy involvement
in tabletop role-playing fantasy games (Laycock, 2015, p. 103). The
reasoning for this stems from the fact that there are no rules in fantasy
and no guidelines to encourage proper behavior. Additionally, it is
believed that people who are interested in these types of games are
subjecting themselves to blurred lines between reality and fantasy
to the point that decision making is impaired. Other references are
mentioned on the warnings for occult crime but “Heavy into fantasy
games” is on the top of the list (Laycock, 2015, p. 103). But are tabletop
role-playing games as detrimental to players as physically, mentally,
and emotionally as the panic leads people to believe?
A case report from Dr. Wayne D. Blackmon details the play of
Dungeons and Dragons as beneficial in the case of Fred, a 19-year-old
college student with suicidal tendencies. The college student, clinically
diagnosed with free-floating depression, underwent months of formal
therapy from multiple psychiatrists without any benefit (Blackmon,
1994, p. 625). Because of his schizoid nature, Fred’s support circle fell
apart, which allowed for his mental state to become more unstable
within his self-isolation. It wasn’t until two years into unsuccessful
treatments that Fred reached out to a group of “fringe people like
myself” and was introduced to Dungeons and Dragons (Blackmon,
1994, p. 626). The game allowed him to develop complete charac-
ters with the emotions he couldn’t express. Because it was fantasy
in nature, personal content could be released and explored without
judgment looming overhead. Additionally, as the other players con-
sciously used the game as a means of therapy, plots were intentionally
designed to bring Fred’s demons to light within a comfortable, safe
environment (Blackmon, 1994, pp. 625-626). Therefore, Dungeons
and Dragons “made possible the later work of therapy that might not
otherwise have been possible in an individual who was so schizoid”
(Blackmon, 1994, p. 630).
In addition to providing therapy for those suffering from depres-
sion, tabletop RPGs have extended their reach to others that strug-
gle to find their place within society. An article written in the New
York Times mentions a Seattle-based nonprofit organization called
Game to Grow. The organization develops games specifically to help
those who struggle with autism, social anxiety, and ADHD (Gilsdorf,
2019, para. 25). One game in particular, Critical Core, is a D&D-like
14 • The Angle

RPG that helps control players’ anger issues and increase empathy
and happiness, all while promoting fun and cooperative interaction
(Gilsdorf, 2019, para. 25). Adam Davis, co-founder of Game to Grow,
mentioned how returning the therapy of traditional storytelling is
an “accessible and ensorcelling way to get human connection, where
we can work towards a common goal” (Gilsdorf, 2019, para. 26). If a
role-playing game could help an autistic mind reach new concepts,
one could imagine how such a game could impact learning in public
institutions.
Additionally, the inclusivity of such RPGs produces an environ-
ment that is free of racism or persecution. The New York Times article
provides a voice for all people of color, geek culture and queers alike.
Tanya DePass, founder and director of a Chicago-based nonprofit
called I Need Diverse Games, is an African American woman who
was shocked upon realizing that someone of her likeness could exist
in a fantasy game (Gilsdorf, 2019, para. 16). That said, not every D&D
world is perfect and there can be other players that can question why
someone has brown skin, odd colored hair, or strange behavior. But
Dungeons and Dragons provides just enough disconnect from reality
that racial comments are not seen in the same context as they are in
real life. Instead, the RPG gives players the courage to give stand up
for themselves with such remarks as “I have a flaming sword and I
have a talking wolf. Why do you have an issue?” (Gilsdorf, 2019, para.
27).
Similarly, Jeremy Crawford, the lead rules designer for Dungeons
and Dragons and a homosexual man, wanted to remind humanity
how diverse it is and “that it’s also true in these fantasy worlds” (Gils-
dorf, 2019, para. 15). The comfortable space that RPG games like D&D
give the average player is strong enough to stabilize the impact of
conventional attacks on race and personality create. Self-confidence
gained throughout these alternate reality adventures can help combat
the self-loathing some can feel after being persecuted by others over
differences.
However, the power of a game, especially one created to aid mental
development, has never been something Dungeons and Dragons is
known for. On the contrary, D&D is still believed to influence negative
emotions and behaviors, such as personality disorders, major depres-
sion, and substance abuse (Ben-Ezra et al., 2018, p. 215). An academic
paper published in Psychiatric Quarterly addressed how social workers
 The Angle • 15

view role-playing games as well as their impact on mental health. 130

social workers were given a multifaceted questionnaire about RPGs,
specifically Dungeons and Dragons (Ben-Ezra et al., 2018, p. 215). The
participants ranged from 24 to 64 years of age and were selected from
a wide range of psychographics. A statistical analysis of the question-
naire concluded that only 25 of the social workers had knowledge of
role-playing games prior to the questionnaire (Ben-Ezra et al., 2018, p.
216). This means that the majority of the group in the survey had no
knowledge of role-playing games at all. Additionally, of the 130 social
workers, more than a third of them believed there was a connection
between RPGs and mental health issues as described in the DSM-IV
(Ben-Ezra et al., 2018, p. 216). Based on this study, one can assume that
one in every three social workers will have a negative perspective on
the correlation between Dungeons and Dragons and mental health.
That said, of the social workers who knew about RPGs before the
survey, the study’s results showed that “having a higher knowledge of
RPGs was associated with lower perception of a link between playing
RPGs and psychopathology” (Ben-Ezra et al., 2018, p. 216). Similarly,
those who did not know the game’s style had a higher perception
between RPGs and mental issues (Ben-Ezra et al., 2018, p. 216).
While this study focuses on social workers, it appears as though
a lack of knowledge of how RPGs work, such as Dungeons and
Dragons, fuels the negative stigma that surrounds the genre. The neg-
ative correlation between RPGs and mental health could stem from
holding onto past lectures or experiences. Additionally, positive judg-
ments between the two can be perceived among those who have prior
exposure to the concept. Overall, it appears as though a fear of the
unknown prevents the acceptance of RPG-style games, like D&D, into
official use in psychiatric hospitals as a method of treatment. Even
with Fred’s case mentioned above, stumbling upon Dungeons and
Dragons was a desperate attempt to receive help and not something
introduced by Dr. Blackmon or other psychiatrists (Blackmon, 1994,
p. 626).
Ultimately, Dungeons and Dragons has nothing to do with beliefs,
gender, race, or Satanism. Tabletop role-playing games are at the high
end of social gaming because the interaction is not digital. In addi-
tion to supplying a welcoming space, every campaign is unique and
tailored to personal experiences. In some cases, tabletop RPGs may
be more therapeutic than traditional practices or prescription drugs.
16 • The Angle

D&D allows players a chance to look inside themselves, bond with

others, and critically think about situations in a game that can reflect
upon real life. Being able to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes is
illogical if one is trying to understand a different perspective in life.
Creating a character in a tabletop RPG and walking a mile in their
shoes is much more realistic.

References

Ben-Ezra, M., Lis, E., Blachnio, A., Ring, L., Lavenda, O., &
Mahat-Shamir, M. (2018). Social Workers’ Perceptions of the
Association Between Role Playing Games and Psychopathology.
Psychiatric Quarterly, 89(1), 213- 218. Retrieved from https://doi.
org/10.1007/s11126-017-9526-7
Blackmon, W. D. (1994). Dungeons and dragons: The use of a fantasy
game in the psychotherapeutic treatment of a young adult.
American Journal of Psychotherapy, 48(4), 624-632. Retrieved from
https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.1994.48.4.624
Gilsdorf, E. (2019, November 13). In a Chaotic World, Dungeons
& Dragons Is Resurgent. The New York Times. Retrieved from
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/13/books/dungeons-
dragons.html
Laycock, J. (2015). Dangerous Games: What the Moral Panic Over
Role-Playing Games Says About Play, Religion, and Imagined World.
University of California Press.
 The Angle • 17

Do College Athletes Deserve to Be

Paid?
Malick Fall

Being a student athlete is not an easy task. This is something that

most people are able to agree on. Since there is a consensus here, the
best athletes are awarded full scholarships. This might seem like fair
compensation in exchange for the time and energy of these athletes,
but it is surrounded by controversy that needs to be considered
before deciding. Currently, these athletes are not being paid because
in order to be an athlete in the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic
Association), you need to be considered an amateur. Being an amateur
restricts athletes from any form of compensation earned using their
athletic ability. For many student athletes, this means that they aren’t
able to profit from their names, images, or their jerseys, but this does
not affect all the student athletes. A big part of the argument on why
collegiate athletes do not deserve to be paid is because it is believed
that many institutions cannot afford it (Thomas, 2011). “Only a frac-
tion of the programs are profitable while most operate at a cost to
the institution” (Mitchell, Edelman, 2013). This would mean that the
schools profiting are much less in number compared to the schools
that are not. Although this is true, there are fifty schools reporting
an annual revenue of more than 50 million dollars a year (Mitch-
ell, Edelman, 2013). This problem only concerns the athletes in the
18 • The Angle

minority of schools making huge profits from the NIL (Name, Image,
Likeness) of their athletes.
All of these extremely profitable schools are division 1 where
only elite athletes participate in their sports programs. For division 1
athletes there are multiple incentives to attend these schools. For one,
they get to compete against the best athletes below the professional
level, and two, this also gives them the best opportunity at eventually
becoming a professional player themselves. For most kids coming
out of high school these are the goals many of them wish to attain.
These schools understand that division 1 in and of itself is a huge deal
to these athletes and they also realize that in order to get the “best”
athletes they have to separate themselves further with the incentives
they provide.
It is believed that allowing money to be used as a way for schools
to incentivize student athletes would be an advantage that could
shift the power of certain schools based on their money and not play
(Thomas, 2011). The points made by Thomas, 2011, and Mitchell and
Edelman, 2013 were both valid points that should be addressed when
considering this issue, but I do not think they are substantial enough
to end the conversation in the favor of those opposing that athletes
should be paid.
The athletes on full scholarships are generally the ones spoken
about in this conversation. The biggest argument I have found as to
why they should not be paid is based on the fact that they get to attend
school for free and graduate without debt. Looking back at the fact
that many schools are not profitable from their sports programs I can
agree that these scholarships are a compensation for many student
athletes. However, what about the student athlete whose jersey and
pictures are being sold and profited from at a school like Alabama?
Is it fair that his school can profit from his athletic ability, but he can’t
profit from his own signature? The NCAA was founded way back
in 1906 (Weathersby, 2016), I doubt there was any indication that the
landscape of college sports would look like this today. Who knew that
some colleges coaches would be millionaires because of the football
teams they coach?
There is no way that the initial language used when deciding
how student athletes should be treated was made considering what
the times of today would entail. Today college athletes are household
names, and many are cash cows for their schools. In an article titled
 The Angle • 19

college athletes should be paid, author Brennan Schneider gives a com-

prehensive look into the current climate of this debate. “California is
the first state to pass a law that will allow college athletes to get paid
for endorsements, which will come into play in 2023.” (Schneider,
2019). This law was passed because the rules of the NCAA were rec-
ognized as unethical and finally ruled against. This topic has come up
in recent years because only recently has the exposure of these teams
been to the whole country. With this exposure, people from all over
the country are affiliated with teams far from their home states and
are buying the memorabilia of these teams which reflects an increase
in team revenues. This change should be addressed and should be
reflected in new conditions set by the NCAA.
I don’t believe it’s enough that student athletes can only receive
scholarships when attending these schools. Most of the time these
scholarships don’t even cover the full costs of living when attending
these schools (Thomas, 2011). For some of these student athletes, the
revenue they bring in is a drastically larger amount than the schol-
arships that they receive. In recent years, the most popular example
of this would be the quarterback for Texas A&M University Johnny
Manziel. Manziel was an athlete who came into an otherwise boring
school and completely flipped their school atmosphere. During his
freshman season he brought his school all the way to a bowl game
which brought in revenue of about 4 million dollars (Terbush, 2013).
He also was the first freshman to win college football’s most presti-
gious award, the Heisman trophy which brought the school 37 million
dollars in media exposure (Duffy, 2013). Johnny Manziel may have
been the first freshman to win the Heisman, but every year we see a
winner. Without even winning this trophy, and just by being apart of
the race, schools receive exposure get viewers.
Even if scholarship was considered as compensation, shouldn’t
it at least cover tuition and living expenses for the whole year? For
an athlete to have their time fully consumed by the team and the
professors how can we expect to add worrying about money to that
equation. It’s been estimated that scholarships lack about 1,500 dollars
in living expenses (Thomas, 2011). This is a good amount of money
for some people especially considering that many of these athletes
statistically come from lower financial demographics (Thomas, 2011).
As a student athlete myself, I can attest to the fact that playing football
in college sometimes feels like a job. Free time is basically nonexistent
20 • The Angle

because of the expectations that are set by coaches and professors.

Considering that my school, Washburn University is not making mil-
lions from our efforts I can confidently say that scholarship is a great
incentive for getting us to perform. We are happy with a full ride in
exchange for football because at the end of the day we know that the
profit made from us is most likely deserved, and the key word here
is deserved. Hypothetically thinking, let’s say this were a division 1
school bringing in millions of dollars, and even though their benefits
increased, they still gave scholarships as their compensation for ath-
letes, should that still be viewed as fair? And from this angle is where
I’ve derived my conclusion that no this is not fair.
Professional athletes are paid millions of dollars a year and it’s
because they bring their teams millions of dollars in return. Why is
it that all professional athletes aren’t paid equally? This is because
athletes are paid based on their individual contributions to the orga-
nization they play for, and this module is viewed as fair. Why is it that
student athletes are all compensated the same when they all bring dif-
ferent things to the table? It feels like this is a model that was created
for a different time and is being used in present context when there are
clear faults. The NCAA has hundreds of institutions declared to be a
part of their association so it would be ignorant to think that this is a
change that could be made overnight. Them considering these athletes
as employees would create huge ripple effects for schools because a
lot would have to change. As of right now the majority of universi-
ties, public or private are considered exempt from taxes (Colombo,
2009). Having student athletes listed as employees would call for a
drastic reset in structure for these schools and would most likely end
with them earning much less. This is a major step which would be
extremely difficult to take and for this reason and many others, it may
take a very long time before there is a consensus on the path to take.
College athletes are some extremely hard-working individuals.
Most have little to no time outside of their sport or school. Inevita-
bly, some of these athletes are bound to the next level of professional
sports. They attend these schools because they can be great stepping-
stones for their careers. Even though a lot of these kids are next level
ready they have to attend college because attending a college is now
mandatory before drafts, making these schools merely a formality. It
is also important that when having this discussion, it is clear that the
athletes spoken about here are a few compared to a large group. For
 The Angle • 21

the majority of student athletes, scholarships are fair because they are
being given to athletes that are not being exploited, however for a
player like Johnny Manziel, the amount of compensation should be
much more than the other kid on the team who nobody has heard of.

References

Schneider, B. (2019). College athletes should be paid. AdvanceTitan.

com.
Thomas, B. (2017). Pay for Play: Should College Athletes
Be Compensated? From https://bleacherreport.com/
articles/654808-pay-for-play-should-college-athletes-be-
compensated
Mitchell, H., & Edelman, M. (2013). Should College Student Athletes
Be Paid? U.S. News Digital Weekly, 5(52), 17–17.
Weathersby, J. (2016). Teddy Roosevelt’s Role in the Creation of the
NCAA. From https://www.thesportshistorian.com/teddy-
roosevelts-role-in-the-creation-of-the-ncaa/#
Duffy, T. (2013). Johnny Manziel Heisman Run Generated $37
Million in Media Exposure for Texas A&M. From https://www.
thebiglead.com/posts/johnny-manziel-heisman-run-generated-
37-million-in-media-exposure-for-texas-a-m-01dxmfnj3rp6
Terbush, J. (2013). How much money has Texas A&M made off
Johnny Manziel? From https://theweek.com/articles/461371/
how-much-money-texas-made-johnny-manziel
 The Angle • 23

To Be the First
Sean Lavin

The idea of being first in a given situation can be a terrifying expe-

rience even for the boldest of individuals. This sensation of fear is
something that spans across all creeds, ethnicities, and races, making
trivial tasks more difficult than they are. Yet there are still some who
find themselves taking that first step and creating a new reality for all.
However, time continues to move forward and can render the memory
of these accomplishments entirely forgotten. An exhibit was donated
to the Mulvane Art Museum on Washburn University’s campus to
help impede this universal memory loss. Created by photographer
Brian Lanker, the “I Dream a World: Portraits of Black Women Who
Changed America” exhibition provides multiple examples of women
who found themselves in situations that allowed them to be deemed
the first black females.
The student body of the campus is the main audience interact-
ing with this exhibit. Many who wander through the gallery may
feel transported back in time to where race was vital in defining
one’s accomplishments. Thus, unfamiliar faces may leave students
feeling as if they did not pay attention in history class. What these
photographs describe are the triumphs of African American women
and their defining moments, like those of sisters Winson and Dovie
24 • The Angle

Hudson, Constance Baker Motley, and Sherian Grace Cadoria.

Because of Lanker’s ability as a photographer giving credibility to
the women, their accomplishments are made as important today as
when they were achieved. The exhibit also reinforces the knowledge
stored in the mind’s eye about the trials and tribulations that African
American women have gone through, both in a physical sense as well
as an emotional one.
In order to forge their place in society, the Hudson sisters, Winson
and Dovie, took on the daunting task of leveling the educational
playing field regarding segregation. They were activists for not only
their hometown of Carthage, but for the entire state of Mississippi.
This became apparent when they became the first African Americans
to register a desegregation lawsuit against the state’s school system
(Wall text for photograph of Winson and Dovie Hudson, 1989). Based
on their prior actions, logical appeal suggests that once they plan to
act that they will ultimately achieve it.
The Hudson’s portrait in the museum shows both of them sitting
in wooden chairs. Their posture looks relaxed as their shoulders
gently slope downward. The sister on the left of the photo wears a
patterned, collared dress, resting her interlocked hands on her waist.
The other sister also wears a patterned dress but her hands rest on her
lap, one atop the other. Each one of them wear glasses, magnifying the
look in their eyes as they stare towards the audience. Behind the duo
is a white wall displaying a little wooden shelf centered about a foot
above them. Upon the shelf appears to be a picture of two women.
Each of the individuals look wide-eyed and carry smiles that show off
their teeth, giving the impression they are full of life and vigor. Just
below the shelf sets a white plate held to the wall by two rounded wire
hooks. At the center of the plate is an image of a black man dressed
in what appears to be priestly garb. On the wall to the left of the shelf
lies what appears to be an old-fashioned school intercom speaker,
possibly reflecting their time spent building preschools (Wall text for
photograph of Winson and Dovie Hudson, 1989).
Upon closer inspection of the portrait, the man’s image etched
onto the hanging plate appears to be very important to the Hudson’s.
Whether or not this man is meant to represent the sister’s father or
priest is up to interpretation as this could reflect strong family or reli-
gious connections, respectively. Furthermore, one may see more simi-
larities between the Hudson sisters and the photograph resting on the
 The Angle • 25

wall behind them. There appear to be shared characteristics between

the Hudson sister on the left of the portrait with the woman on the
left of the smaller picture on the wall. If perhaps one sister resides in
the photo on the wall, one can reason that the other sister may be in
the photo as well. The definition of Kairos can explain a correlation
between past and present, whereas at the current time Hudson sisters
wear a more stoic facial expression than the individuals in the photo.
A possible take away from this portrait is a comparison of youth and
old age and reflecting upon the past while also looking towards the
future.
Willing the future into existence might be described as a dance
between dedication and trepidation. Constance Baker Motley most
likely has her portrait within the gallery because she was appointed
the first black woman to serve as a federal judge in the United States
District Court (Wall text for the photograph of Constance Baker
Motley, 1989). A dark image that appears to be a courtroom, Judge
Motley stands alone in front of rows of wooden benches in the back-
ground resembling the pews in a church. She stands straight and tall
with her arms at her sides while staring off into the distance. Her
facial expression is calm and yet it looks as if she is pondering her next
move, perhaps waiting for someone to challenge her authority. This
power is shown by the elegant, black judge’s robes she’s wearing that
reach down and touch the floor she stands on, allowing her to appear
as if she’s suspended in mid-air. Had she not been wearing this attire
in the photograph, the logical appeal would have been different as
the authority of a judge would have been lost behind the persona of
a regular citizen. Judge Motley’s face is framed by the illumination of
two bowl-shaped lights hanging from the ceiling. To the right and left
of her rest motionless, wooden chairs with leather backs, showing that
this room has and will continue to hold others in the future.
At closer inspection, one might even see the scales of justice being
portrayed within the photo. Judge Motley’s position between the
two hanging lights is centered in a way that conveys that she’s the
focal point or pillar. It’s as if the lights act as the scales that would
tip to either side of her depending on the weight of the judgement
being given. Furthermore, the chairs seem to show that the scale is
unbalanced as there are more chairs to her left rather than her right.
Because of Brian Lanker’s skills and experience as a photographer,
one can easily assume these elements were intentionally placed to
26 • The Angle

create a balance between both logos and ethos. This also potentially
evokes emotion within the audience as they step back to a time in
which inequality was widely accepted, thus representing pathos.
Authority mixed with emotion exists side-by-side in the portrait
of a woman by the name of Sherian Grace Cadoria. At the time this
photo was taken, she was the first African American woman to reach
the rank of Brigadier General in the United States armed forces. She
was also one of only four female Army Generals (Wall text for the
photograph of Sherian Grace Cadoria, 1989). While viewing the
portrait, one might realize that she is a high-ranking officer in the
military because of the single star upon her shoulder. She wears her
dress uniform, a white, collared shirt underneath a long-sleeved coat
that is wrapped around her figure, clasped together by four buttons.
Upon closer analysis some may notice that there is nary a crease to
be had, possibly inferring that she took her position quite seriously.
Completing the attire, Cadoria wears a hat with an emblem centered
on the front, appearing to be an eagle carrying items within its talons.
The rest of her uniform is decorated with medals, ribbons, and other
accolades in effort to help convey her accomplishments. Overall,
logical appeal resides in the authority portrayed by her uniform and
her long-standing service within the military.
Just as important as Cadoria’s appearance is the existence of a
memorial wall behind her, carrying the names of fallen soldiers. Taking
into consideration that her biography mentions that she served in the
Vietnam War, one can assume that the wall is part of the Vietnam War
Memorial (Wall text for photograph of Sherian Grace Cadoria, 1989).
Ethos and Kairos can be interpreted here because she can be seen to
portray a walking reminder of the memorial wall. Furthermore, her
shadow is cast upon the wall as clearly as a mirror, possibly a shadow
of her former self. This showcases that there may be some self-reflec-
tion about how far she has come and that she could not have made it
by herself. Cadoria’s posture seems to display a relaxed frame of mind
as her arms are loosely held at her lower back. Similarly, her peaceful
facial expression seems to convey a sense of pride and determination.
This emotional appeal may allow some to feel inspiration or a sense of
security while studying her face.
Overall, the reintroduction of the “I Dream a World: Portraits of
Black Women Who Changed America” exhibit to Washburn’s campus
provides today’s younger generation an opportunity to sculpt their
 The Angle • 27

futures. Being the first to tread new territory is as nerve-racking as it

is uncertain. However, it’s important to take that initial step because
inaction is destructive to those wanting the future to change. Accu-
rately preserving the achievements of the past help to build a better
tomorrow. For if we don’t remember how far we’ve come, there will
be no inspiration for the next generation to take action and make
themselves the first.

References

Lanker, B. (1989). I Dream a World: Portraits of Black Women Who

Changed America. Mulvane Art Museum, Topeka, KS, United
States.
Wall text for photograph of Constance Baker Motley by Brain
Lanker (1989). I Dream a World: Portraits of Black Women Who
Changed America. Mulvane Art Museum, Topeka, KS, United
States.
Wall text for photograph of Sherian Grace Cadoria by Brain Lanker
(1989). I Dream a World: Portraits of Black Women Who
Changed America. Mulvane Art Museum, Topeka, KS, United
States.
Wall text for photograph of Winson and Dovie Hudson by Brain
Lanker (1989). I Dream a World: Portraits of Black Women Who
Changed America. Mulvane Art Museum, Topeka, KS, United
States.
 The Angle • 29

An Education Worth Writing Home

About
Glorianna R. Noland

The room was dim enough to see the faint wisps that long since
burned from a dying cigarette in an ashtray nearby. The home was
not my own, but familiar faces filled my view—two of my siblings
seemed to be pushing through the musty trenches with me. A third
face, however, was not as familiar. My siblings and I were at the home
of a fellow classmate who fervently demanded tutoring in her least
favorite subject: math.
The pen ground against the paper as my classmate frantically
scribbled down formulas, muttering to herself about how difficult
life was and that she would never be able to pass with the grade she
wanted. She was fifteen years my senior, a non-traditional student
that bellowed about how confused she was during every class period.
“The way the question is written will determine which formula
you use,” I had told her, tracing my fingers between key words and
the associated plans of action on the crumpled sheets of paper our
professor had handed out earlier that morning. “You don’t have to
memorize the formula sheet since it’s being provided to us, but you
do need to memorize which words represent the required solution.”
“Why don’t you ever talk this much when we’re in class together?”
My classmate passively commented with an almost disappointed
30 • The Angle

sigh, “I don’t know if it’s the homeschooled side of you, but you’re
always so afraid to talk all the time.”
Her passive words stunned me. My upbringing had yet surfaced
under a negative light. In fact, my classmate often gushed over how I
was raised. “General common sense” is what she would say—some-
thing that I had in spades and that she wanted her children to learn.
Yet, in the dingy light of a kitchen that grew unsettlingly silent, I won-
dered how true her words were. Antisocial tendencies are a common
stigma of the homeschooling community—a stigma that seeps into
other underlying factors, such as morality or education. However,
how does homeschooled equate to displays of social behavior or lack
thereof?
This criticism stems from the idea that children isolated from a
larger society later develop inhibited social skills. Some may argue
that this is the goal of homeschooling parents—to keep their offspring
from becoming influenced by the outside world (Medlin, 2011, p. 107).
In 1995, a survey of public school superintendents found that “92%
believed home-schooled children do not receive adequate social-
ization experiences” (Medlin, 2011, p. 109). However, an article by
Richard Medlin (2011) published in the Peabody Journal of Education
reveals how homeschooling parents argue the negative possibilities
of both this mindset and the harsh reality of the public education
system—that the environment can “stifle children’s individuality and
harm their self-esteem” (p. 109).
Often, parents electing to homeschool their children have multi-
ple reasons for electing a homeschooled approach. In a 2010 analysis
published by the Wiedner Law Review, the National Center for Educa-
tion Statistics cited that environmental concern, dissatisfaction with
teaching, and other religious-based issues are the highest-ranking
grievances that led parents to homeschool (Dumas et al., 2010, p. 70).
However, parental figures or guardians are aware of the additional
effort that “may be required to give their children certain kinds of
social experiences” (Medlin, 2011, p. 110). An article written by Jill
Weiner for the The New York Times mentions that demand for programs
at museums across the country has risen due to the number of homes-
chooling families that turn to these establishments for extracurricular
activities (Weiner, 2012). If parents are willing to seek out and provide
social opportunities for their offspring, then what is the issue?
This question not only lies within the inherent—arguably uned-
 The Angle • 31

ucated—disagreement of socialization practice of homeschoolers, but

also the perceived consequences that these children will face. Medlin
mentions that education and socialization are connected in various
aspects (2011, p. 108). Education may be the subtext hidden among
the rabble; that children hiding in their homes, away from the world,
are not provided for academically. Those in positions of power within
the education system have commented on this. The concept is that
by restricting children from the traditional educational experience,
they will suffer the social—and therefore academic—repercussions
(Medlin, 2011, p. 107).
While the modern homeschooling movement is quite young in
comparison to traditional public institutions, there have been studies
in the past on the efficacy and long-standing circumstances follow-
ing a long-term, homeschooled education. In 1997, more than 230
homeschooled graduates were surveyed, with 69% having attended
some “postsecondary education,” and 31% that gained employment
(Medlin, 2011, p. 116).
It is worth considering that homeschooled students often thrive
within collegiate environments. The analysis published by the
Widener Law Review found that homeschooled students “adjust well to
the college environment,” and reported fewer feelings of anxiety than
those of their traditionally schooled counterparts (Dumas et al., 2010,
p. 77). Furthermore, the analysis conveys how academic achievement,
social skills, and civic involvement displayed by homeschooled stu-
dents are on a level of preparedness higher to that of conventionally
schooled students (Dumas et al., 2010, p. 73). Former admissions
director of Ball State University reported in a published article in
2004 that “homeschooled students had above-average SAT and ACT
scores,” and they performed better academically with a cumulative
grade point average of 3.47—compared to the 2.91 of traditionally
schooled counterparts.
Why such a disparity in scores? Perhaps both the quality of edu-
cational materials and the environment of the student are variables to
consider. The Wiedner Law Review reveals that parents have access to a
wider range of content and opportunities, such as online biology labs
and materials from leading scientific institutions, and even programs
that offer “online learning opportunities” (Dumas et al., 2010, p. 70).
It is understandable when seen from a larger perspective. These mate-
rials are often expensive and costly, even when it is only intended for
32 • The Angle

one child. It would be unreasonable to think that every educational

institution could afford every child a similar curriculum to that of a
homeschooled student. While all parents may agree that they want
only the best for their children, the financial limitations placed on
public schools could be a possible hindrance.
However, materials alone are not the ultimatum that illustrates the
difference in academic performance. What about the environment’s
role in education? The Wiedner Law Review mentions that parents can
tailor a “supportive environment to meet the needs of each individual
child” (Dumas et al., 2010, p. 70). I often struggled with mathemati-
cal equations, whereas some of my siblings thrived with the subject.
Consequently, my mother and father would alter their approach and
explain it in ways I could understand—because I needed an explana-
tion of why something was the answer rather than the answer itself.
Teachers could not afford to spend time devising plans that perfectly
coexist with every child under their tutelage. There are too many stu-
dents, too few teachers, and not enough time to provide every child
with a unique method to success.
That same method was what I offered my classmate—someone
who both praised and harped upon my past.
“Just because I don’t talk during class doesn’t mean I’m afraid to,”
I replied, phrasing my tone to sound playful rather than the offense
that I felt at that moment. While I was on the shy side when interact-
ing with others, it never got in the way of my successes. My GPA was
at a 4.0, I spoke to my professors regularly, and I would always stay
and chat with friends that I met on campus. What really made me so
different?
I had reached down for my math textbook, crisp pages curling
around my fingers as I heaved it onto the table that was littered with
crumbs and stains from years of meals with messy eaters.
“I’m just saying,” my classmate replied, a tired breath passing her
lips, “I think that you need to learn to break out of that shell and live
a little.”
Maybe she was right from her own perspective, but that wasn’t
true for me. It was not important to me if my introverted tendencies
were due to a personality trait or the lifestyle of my formative years. I
was satisfied with what I accomplished—and that was enough for me.
If I am happy with my life, then obviously my parents did something
right with me.
 The Angle • 33

I dryly chuckled, turning the pages of my math textbook that

covered the same section that we were all working on, “Considering
that I’m terrible at math and that I’m tutoring you, I’m pretty sure
we’re both living a little.”

References

Dumas, T. K., Gates, S., & Schwarzer, D. R. (2010). Evidence for

Homeschooling: Constitutional Analysis in Light of Social
Science Research. Widener Law Review, 16(1), 63-87. Retrieved
from http://0-search.ebscohost.com.topekalibraries.info/
login.aspx?direct=true&db=asn&AN=56441585&site=ehost-
live&scope=site.
Medlin, R. (2000). Home Schooling and the Question of
Socialization. Peabody Journal of Education, 75(1/2), 107-123.
Retrieved from www.jstor.org/stable/1493091.
Weiner, J. (2012, March 14). The Home-Schooled Don’t Just Stay
at Home. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.
nytimes.com/2012/03/15/arts/artsspecial/museums-welcome-
home-schooled-students.html.
 The Angle • 35

Leadership Analysis: Cindy Wilson

Taton Smith

Leadership, as many know, comes in various differing forms, and

holds many aspects. From communicating with a team to navigating
change, leadership requires a person to be able to adapt and overcome
difficult challenges. An example of this can be found in Cindy Wilson,
the current Executive Director of Corporate Compliance and Internal
Audit at Evergy. Wilson over the years has displayed tremendous
capability to adapt as a leader and has led her followers through diffi-
cult changes along the way.
Cindy Wilson began her leadership journey in the work force
at Westar Energy in the early 2000s. At the time, Wilson explained
that the community and atmosphere of Westar was “not a good place
to work.” The president at the time created many ethical dilemmas
that ultimately caused Wilson to search for employment elsewhere.
After initially leaving Westar Energy, Wilson worked for several years
at Koch, but eventually came back to Westar in 2005. When Wilson
returned, she described it as a “completely different place.” The old
president had since been replaced, and the company had come a long
way since.
In 2018, Westar merged with KCPL, a process that had taken the
better part of two years. However, this was not the original plan. In the
36 • The Angle

beginning, KCPL was expected to purchase Westar, letting them take

nearly full control of the situation. In April 2017, this purchase did
not get final approval; this sent both companies back to the drawing
board. Shortly after in June, the plan to merge the two companies
together was designed and the process began again to form Evergy.
Throughout the merger, Wilson was on the frontlines speaking with
and calming her fellow co-workers and employees.
It was at this time that Wilson explained how important her
leadership skills had been, specifically communication, openness to
change, and knowing and understanding her own ethics. With a huge
change like a merger, Westar employees were terrified of logistics;
were they going to able to keep their job and what is the future going
to look like. With the help of her skills, Wilson was able to ease some
of these tensions and help her company successfully navigate their
biggest challenge to date.

Traditional Change
Since Cindy Wilson shared her leadership experiences through-
out her career, it is easy to spot aspects of Kotter’s change process. In
his article, Kotter explained downfalls that companies and organiza-
tions make during a period of transformation. Kotter’s steps include
creating a sense of urgency, forming a power coalition, establishing
and communicating a vision, empowering others to act on the vision,
creating short-term wins, consolidating new improvements, and insti-
tutionalizing new approaches (Kotter, 2007). According to Kotter, if a
leader were able to avoid common errors and follow these guidelines
not only would they be able to create positive, lasting change, but
improve their own skills as well.
In terms of Wilson’s experience with change, several of Kotter’s
guidelines can be seen. The most visible of which is establishing
and communicating an overall vision. During the KCPL and Westar
merger, Wilson emphasized the level of importance communication
played throughout the entire process. From the first announcements
of selling, and then merging, to finishing the final details, Wilson
communicated consistently with her teammates and employees. She
managed to hold on open door policy, where other employees could
come speak to her about any questions or concerns. Sometimes, they
just needed to feel like they were heard, that they were not alone in
their fears.
 The Angle • 37

While Wilson communicated and listened, she also mentioned

that she constantly repeated information. Even if the person she was
talking to had heard that information multiple times before, she still
went over it again in hopes to put all team members on the same
page. However, she did not only reserve this for employees. Wilson
explained to the public many times what information the company
had and what the end goal was going to look like. This helped cus-
tomers understand the process and feel that they were included as
well.
Even though connections can be made between Wilson’s leader-
ship style and Kotter’s view on change, other characteristics of great
leadership can be seen. In the book Good to Great (Collins, 2001), one
of the components of a great leader is being able to identify the correct
people for the job. Many times throughout Collins’s book, the analogy
“getting the right people on the bus” was mentioned. “If we get the
right people on the bus, the right people in the right seats, and the
wrong people off the bus, then we’ll figure out how to take it some-
place great” (Collins, 2001). Overall, the saying comes down to this;
change cannot occur without the individuals who are going to drive
it.
Again, looking at Wilson’s role in the Evergy merger, it is clear
to see her influence in this Collin’s principle. Wilson discussed how
vital it was during the merger to ensure all employees were “in the
correct seat.” During high stress times, it was important that every-
one in the company was doing their role in the change. Personally,
Wilson assisted by acting as a mentor for others or matching up other
employees with their own mentors. She explained that by providing
mentorship, all employees continued to develop and learn through a
process that required them to do just that.

Adaptive Leadership
When considering different aspects of leadership, chaos is usually
something that strays far from the mind. However, in a theory from
Tetenbaum and Laurence, chaos is viewed as an essential tool for a
leader to command. In their article “Leading in the Chaos of the 21st
Century,” the authors say that disrupting the normalcy of day to day
life by increasing organized chaos will give the leader and their orga-
nization a higher chance to make lasting changes. With that increase,
38 • The Angle

workers will be inclined to perform higher, change their work process,

and become more innovative overall (Tetenbaum and Laurence, 2011).
In this case, the chaordic nature of merging two companies
together drastically shifted the compliancy of day to day work. As
mentioned earlier, many of Wilson’s co-workers were frightened of
the unknown changes that could possibly occur. This led Wilson, and
many others, to shift how they interacted and passed along infor-
mation. An example of this can be seen when Wilson described the
changes she made to benefit her employees. Wilson emphasized that
creating and maintaining a personal connection allowed employees to
feel more secure in their roles, and eventually take more risks to step
outside of the box. Another benefit of forming this connection was
the increase in communication between both parties. Since everyone
felt more at ease, they were able to not only communicate in a more
efficient matter, but also understand where each member was coming
from.

Leadership in Complex Systems

Taking a final look at Wilson’s leadership style, one more concept
can be found. In many cases like Wilson’s experience working in
Evergy, a complex system is studied. A complex system is made up of
multiple parts coming together to intensify the situation and within
that system comes groupthink. Groupthink is a style of thinking that
renders group members incapable of making sound decisions (Bur-
nette, 2011). A prime example that is studied is the 1996 Everest expe-
dition. During this time, many of the team members died attempting
to successfully summit to Everest. It is commonly believed that the
outcome of that situation was caused by many factors, not just one.
When comparing Wilson’s merging experience to that of a complex
system fallen into groupthink, the first characteristic that can be seen
is the setting of a high-tension environment. With the uncertainty of
the future, stress within the company became extremely high. With
that also came an increase in emotions as well. As she explained this
experience, Wilson said that all employees handled the change differ-
ently; some showed their stress and emotions more than others and let
it affect their role. Wilson stressed the importance of being in control
of your reactions. She discussed that controlling your responses to
stressful or unexpected changes ultimately impacted the result.
 The Angle • 39

Another key factor to what causes groupthink is a directive

style of leadership. When a leader’s style falls into a directive tone,
it could mean difficulty. Followers may feel pressured or influenced
to agree with their leader, or inefficiently communicate within the
group. Looking at Wilson’s style, she decided to take a more adap-
tive approach. By working to openly communicate, develop personal
connections, build a sense of community, and work with the changes
rather than against, Wilson was able to guide her team successfully
and avoid downfalls like that of Everest.
Even though this next concept does not fall directly under a
complex system, it still shares many examples. The Hedgehog concept,
popularized by Jim Collin’s book Good to Great, is a “simple concept
that flows from the deep understanding about the intersection of the
following three circles: what can you be the best in the world at, what
drives your economic engine, and what you are deeply passionate
about” (Collins, 2001). By locating where these three sectors meet, a
leader is able to be the best self that they can be and make the most of
their leadership capabilities.
Cindy Wilson does an excellent job of just this. Wilson explained
that she had full understanding of what she was good at doing;
working in a department like IT and being able to assist her employ-
ees hands-on. She also knew exactly what she was passionate about,
discussing heavily on the importance of ethics in her workplace and
how knowing your own ethics and morals improved yourself. Finally,
Wilson was able to match those two circles up with the third, placing
her at Evergy. By utilizing this concept, Wilson was able to boost her
own leadership style and improve her company.
While Cindy Wilson’s display of leadership throughout her career
has been phenomenal, leadership is under constant improvement. By
discussing and explaining her experiences, I was able to critically
analyze her leadership style and compare it to fundamental concepts
mentioned above. From this analysis, the following recommenda-
tions can be made: continue to focus on the importance of ethics in
the workplace and further develop a sense of community within the
company.
The first recommendation was influenced by Wilson’s already
existing passion for the realm of ethics. Many companies fall into the
catch of ignoring ethics or not paying close enough attention to them.
Ethics and morals serve as the backbone for many organizations;
40 • The Angle

ignoring them will only cause damage in the long run. Wilson has
already done an excellent job focusing on ethics, more specifically
integrity, in the workplace. From monitoring the integrity hotline at
her company to recognizing her own ethical code, Wilson is pushing
Evergy to constantly become better and demonstrate proper business
ethics in their field.
The second recommendation, further develop a sense of commu-
nity in the workplace, comes from the examples provided by Wilson.
There is no doubt that Wilson has already provided a community for
the rest of the employees; she mentioned in her discussion that she
frequently got to know all of her employees, taking time to visit them
at their desks among other things. However, there are other items that
can be easily done to strengthen this relationship. By celebrating small
wins or victories or doing something out of ordinary, like personal
recognitions, Wilson could drastically improve the working environ-
ment.
Overall, I am very grateful to learn about Cindy Wilson’s leader-
ship experiences. Over her time at Evergy, Wilson has been involved
in many tough challenges and changes all while continuing to be a
leader in her field. Her experiences, and responses, have been inspira-
tional and informative, giving myself and other students a view into
what leadership looks like through change. I hope that she continues
to make a positive impact, both inside her company and out.

References

Collins, J. C. (2001). Good to great. London: Random House Business.

Leadership in Extreme Contexts Mount Everest Disaster - LE-300-A
- Leadership Skills Development. (n.d.). Retrieved May 4, 2020,
from https://d2l.washburn.edu/d2l/le/content/125029/
viewContent/1718730/View
Leading Change Kotter - LE-300-A - Leadership Skills Development.
(n.d.). Retrieved May 4, 2020, from https://d2l.washburn.edu/
d2l/le/content/125029/viewContent/1718728/View
Leading in the Chaos of the 21st Century Tetenbaum & Laurence
- LE-300-A - Leadership Skills Development. (n.d.). Retrieved
May 4, 2020, from https://d2l.washburn.edu/d2l/le/
content/125029/viewContent/1718729/View
 al
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NaScie
Essays
 The Angle • 43

Figuratively Speaking: An Analysis

of English Language Metaphors
Based on Familiarity and
Context
Shelly Davenport
Tammi Drapeau
Sammi Ford
Claire Leffingwell

Category Winner
Natural and Social Sciences

A metaphor, as a mechanism in the English language, is a figure

of speech in which an object or an idea is described by words that do
not literally represent the meaning of the phrase. Familiar metaphors
include phrases such as “love is a battlefield,” or “the computer is an
old dinosaur.” Human’s comprehension of metaphors and figurative
language varies depending on the level of familiarity associated with
the phrase and/or the context sentences surrounding the phrase. The
purpose of the present study is to investigate the influence context has
on the comprehension of metaphors.
There are few major theories used as frameworks to how meta-
phors are comprehended, with the Career of Metaphor Theory (CMT)
relating most closely to the present study. According to the CMT, indi-
viduals use comparison when processing unfamiliar metaphors for
comprehension, while familiar metaphors are categorized (Bowdle &
Gentner, 2005; Thibodeau & Durgin, 2011; Damerall & Kellogg, 2016).
Due to this difference in how the metaphors are processed in the
brain- comparison or categorization- the time needed to comprehend
a metaphor differs. Holyoak and Stamenkovic (2018) identified that
most studies examining the comprehension of metaphors used single
44 • The Angle

sentences or isolated phrases, not considering the influence of literary

context on the way metaphors are comprehended.
Context has been identified as an influential factor in the way
metaphors are comprehended. Individuals who can draw on con-
textual information to inform their understanding of the metaphors
typically comprehend metaphors more thoroughly. This indicates
that in situations where context is present, metaphors are easier to
understand (Lerche, Christmann, & Voss, 2018). While researchers
have identified that context is an influence in metaphor understand-
ing, there is limited support for how response times of comprehension
are affected.
To further investigate the influence of literary context and fill the
gap in the previous literature, this study will test metaphors that are
pulled from English language poetry written by various authors (Katz
et al., 1988; Meriwether, 2016) with some of them including additional
lines from the poems to provide more context. This study attempts to
support or disprove the CMT and examine if more context about the
metaphor alters their comprehension time. In addition, by comparing
metaphors to randomly generated literal sentences, the researchers
anticipate that the expected differences in response times is due to
the use of context. Based on previously established theoretical frame-
works, the researchers expect that individuals will comprehend met-
aphors situated within literary context faster than metaphors without
context.

Method
Participants
A total of 24 participants, 10 male and 14 females, were used in
this study. All were students from a mid-western university. Twen-
ty-two were recruited from introductory level Psychology classes,
who received credit towards their research participation assignment.
The other two students were recruited by word of mouth and received
no compensation, but just participated out of interest in the study.
The participants ranged from Freshmen to Graduate students, aged
18-28 years with a mean age of 19.92 years old who came from various
majors, with no clear majority being from a single major. Eighty-three
percent of the participants were native English speakers, with nine-
ty-one percent of participants having English as their primary lan-
guage. Participants experienced all conditions of the study.
 The Angle • 45

Materials
Metaphors. Familiarity of the metaphors was operationally
defined as either familiar or unfamiliar metaphors. This two-level
categorization was developed during a study by Katz et al. in 1988.
Katz et al. asked 634 raters to rate familiarity/frequency of the ideas
expressed in 464 different metaphoric sentences using a 7-point scale
where 1 was the lowest rating of felt familiarity and 7 was the highest
rating of felt familiarity. Katz found the metaphors had a mean rating
of 3.3. The researchers used a random selection of 20 metaphoric sen-
tences from Katz. The sentences were categorized as low frequency
metaphors with a felt familiarity score ranging from 2.2-3.33 with
a mean of 3.03. The ten sentences were further broken down by the
researchers into five low frequency metaphors in single sentences
(LFMS) and five low frequency metaphors in poetic context (LFMC).
The five LFMS had a felt familiarity score range from 2.7-3.33 with a
mean score of 3.06. The five LFMC had a felt familiarity score range
from 2.2-3.30 with a mean score of 3.00. The other ten sentences were
categorized as high frequency metaphors with a felt familiarity score
ranging from 4.33-5.93 with a mean of 4.84. The ten sentences were
further broken down by the researchers into five high frequency
metaphors in single sentences (HFMS) and five high frequency meta-
phors in poetic context (HFMC). The five HFMS had a felt familiarity
score range from 4.73-5.93 with a mean score of 5.02. The five HFMC
had a felt familiarity score range from 4.33-4.83 with a mean score
of 4.65. Because Katz et al. only used metaphors in single sentences,
the researchers found the context for the ten metaphors we catego-
rized as in poetic context in their original poems by authors William
Shakespeare, Lord Byron, T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Thomas Hardy,
William Blake, Wilfred Owen, and Valerie Bloom. The remaining ten
statements used were literal sentences (LS) the researchers found
using an online random sentence generator.
Reaction Time. Reaction time was operationally defined as the
time measured in seconds it takes for the participant to respond to
the reading. A basis for reaction time speed was provided by Dam-
erall and Kellogg (2016). Time was measured from the time between
when the researcher finished reading the stimuli and the participant
verbally indicated they understood the reading, ranging from zero to
fifteen seconds. Faster reaction times (1-5 seconds) indicated faster
46 • The Angle

understanding of the metaphor compared to slower reaction times

(7-15 seconds).
Metaphor Comprehension. Comprehension was operationally
defined as whether or not the participant gave an accurate response
to the reading of the stimuli. A list of interpretations for the metaphors
and literal sentences to indicate comprehension was developed by
Katz et. al. (1988). The researcher coded a one if the participant gave
an accurate interpretation of the reading, indicating comprehension, a
two if the participant gave an inaccurate interpretation of the reading
or no interpretation at all, indicating a lack of comprehension, or a
three if the participant gave an interpretation of the reading that shows
comprehension of the reading but is an interpretation that differs from
the one the researcher expected.

Design and Procedure

The independent variables tested in the study were familiarity of
metaphors and context of metaphors. All variables were manipulated
within-subjects. Reaction time and comprehension of metaphors
were measured. Literal sentences were used as a control to compare
reaction time and comprehension to. Each participant was in a room
with a researcher who read, verbally, a list of metaphors or literal sen-
tences. Five readings were a single sentence that included an unfamil-
iar English language metaphor. Five readings were a single sentence
that included a familiar English language metaphor. Five readings
were a short paragraph containing an unfamiliar English language
metaphor. Five readings were a short paragraph containing a familiar
English language metaphor. Ten readings were single literal sentences
that did not contain an English language metaphor.
Participants were instructed to listen to each reading and describe
what they thought the reading meant. After the researcher read aloud
the reading, the researcher pressed a button to start a timer. Partic-
ipants indicated verbally by saying “ready” when they understood
what the reading meant, and the researcher pressed the button again
to stop the timer. Participants immediately gave their explanation
verbally of what the reading meant. The researcher took note of if the
participant understood the reading or not, using the predetermined
code. The researcher also noted the reaction time next to the compre-
hension code for each item. Following the experiment, participants
 The Angle • 47

took a five-question reading comprehension quiz and completed a

demographic questionnaire to control for extraneous variables includ-
ing non-English speakers or low familiarity with figurative language.
IRB approval was obtained prior to the start of the study.

Results
There was a difference of average reaction times for the different
metaphor stimuli groups, as shown in Figure 1. To test our hypothesis
of the effect of familiarity and context on reaction time, an analysis of
variance was conducted to reveal that there was a significant effect,
Pillai’s trace = .541, F = 5.29, df = (4,18), p = .005, ηp2 = .541. To identify
where the significance was, pairwise comparisons were evaluated to
show that there was a statistically significant difference in reaction
time between low frequency metaphors in context (M = 4.51, SD
= 2.89) compared to high frequency metaphors in context (M = 3.04,
SD  = 2.28) and literal sentences (M = 2.67, SD = 1.49). The average
reaction time for literal sentences (M = 2.67 seconds, SD = 1.49) was
significantly faster than the average reaction time for all metaphors
(M = 4.78 seconds, SD = 4.42), t(21) = -5.52, p <.001 as shown in Figure 2.
A chi-square goodness of fit test was performed to examine our
hypothesis of the relation of metaphor familiarity and context with
comprehension. Participants’ comprehension scores were significantly
different than expected for low frequency metaphors in context Χ2 (4,
N = 24) = 11.00, p = .027 and for literal sentences X2 (4, N = 22) = 28.909,
p < .001. Specifically, as shown in Figure 3, particularly low and par-
ticularly high scores occurred less frequently than expected for low
frequency metaphors in context, while just below average scores
occurred more frequently than expected for low frequency metaphors
in context. As shown in Figure 4, low comprehension scores occurred
less frequently than expected for literal sentences and very high com-
prehension scores occurred much more frequently than expected for
literal sentences.
To test our hypothesis to see if there was a correlation between
metaphor reaction time and percent of metaphors answered correctly,
we conducted a Pearson Correlation test. No significant correlation
between metaphor reaction time and percent of metaphors answered
correctly was found for any category of context or frequency rs ≤ .110,
ps ≥ .609, offering no evidence to support the idea that processing
48 • The Angle

speed is correlated with metaphor comprehension.

Discussion
To examine the effect of context on the comprehension of met-
aphors, participants were given metaphors with context, without
context, and a control group of literal statements. The reaction time
for participants to report understanding of meaning was recorded,
as well as a (Yes/No) code for comprehension. The researchers also
hypothesized that metaphors with higher levels of familiarity would
lead to faster reaction times and more metaphor meanings correct than
metaphors that are less familiar. Based on the results obtained from
preliminary analyses, mean reaction times indicated that metaphors
in context took less time to comprehend than metaphors without
context. It also showed that literal statements had a faster reaction
time than any of the metaphor stimuli. This supports the hypothesis
that when metaphors are presented, the presence of context assists
with comprehension reaction time. Compared to the control group of
literal statements, metaphor stimuli had overall longer reaction times
than literal statements. There was no significant correlation between
metaphor reaction time and correct comprehension of metaphors,
suggesting that processing speed has little to do with accurate meta-
phor comprehension.
Based on theoretical frameworks, our results expand on how
context is correlated with reaction speed. Many frameworks propose
that the presence of context is correlated with higher levels of accurate
comprehension, but our analyses found that accuracy is not related to
context (Lerche, Christmann, & Voss, 2018). Our results indicate that
having context present with metaphors leads to faster reaction times,
which is an extension on currently existing research.
A limitation of this study is the small sample of participants used.
The participants were all obtained from the same population at Wash-
burn University, which may introduce some confounding variables
including regional similarities, lack of account of age differences, or
others. For example, there may be variation in how different regions
of the country, or the world are taught to interpret metaphors, which
would have impact on the results found. There may also be errors
because the experiment was run using human judgement, with
manual stopwatch timing and manual written coding. The research-
ers attempted to use the E-prime software to account for these pos-
 The Angle • 49

sible variables but encountered technical difficulties. To account for

these limitations, replicated studies should be done with more diverse
samples to ensure results are generalizable and utilize a software that
would likely lack human error.
Despite these limitations, future research could investigate further
the lack of correlation between processing speed and accurate compre-
hension. Now that results have supported that context leads to faster
reaction times but not necessarily more correct answers, research needs
to be done to identify what factors are correlated with more accuracy
in comprehension. This study provides more evidence that context
does play a role in comprehension, specifically that having context
when presented with a metaphor will lead to faster reaction times.
This analysis of English language metaphors and context examines a
small portion of a developing field that needs more extensions before
determining any concrete conclusions. The significance found by this
study about the influence of context on metaphor comprehension
further extends existing theoretical framework and allows researchers
to continue to investigate the concepts.
50 • The Angle

Appendix

Figure 1. Estimated marginal means of stimulus time. This figure illustrates

the mean reaction times in seconds for the different stimulus groups. Low
frequency metaphors in context (LFMC), low frequency metaphors in single
sentences (LFMSS), high frequency metaphors in context (HFMC), high
frequency metaphors in single sentences (HFMSS), and literal sentences
(LS).

Figure 2. Estimated overall reaction time. This figure illustrates overall

reaction time for all metaphor categories compared to the literal sentence
control.
 The Angle • 51

Figure 3. Comprehension scores for low frequency metaphors in context. This

figure illustrates how many people understood low frequency metaphors in
context. 3 people understood 80 percent of the metaphors, 7 people understood
60 percent, 10 people understood 40 percent, 3 people understood 20 percent,
and 1 person understood 0 percent of the low frequency metaphors in context.

Figure 4. Comprehension scores for literal sentences. This figure illustrates

how many people understood literal sentence stimuli. 1 person understood 50
percent of the metaphors, 1 person understood 60 percent, 1 person understood
80 percent, 5 people understood 90 percent, and 14 people understood 100
percent of the literal sentence stimuli.
52 • The Angle

References

Bowdle, B. F., & Gentner, D. (2005). The career of metaphor.

Psychological Review, 112, 193-216.
Damerall, A. W., & Kellogg, R. T. (2016). Familiarity and aptness in
metaphor comprehension. American Journal of Psychology, 129(1),
49-64.
Holyoak, K. J., & Stamenkovic, D. (2018). Metaphor comprehension:
A critical review of theories and evidence. Psychological Bulletin,
144(6), 641-671.
Katz, A., Paivio, A., Marschark, M., & Clark, J. (1988). Norms for
204 literary and 260 nonliterary metaphors on 10 psychological
dimensions. Metaphor and Symbolic Activity, 3, 191–214.
Lerche, V., Christmann, U., & Voss, A. (2018) Impact of context
information on metaphor elaboration: A diffusion model study.
Experimental Psychology, 65 (6), 370–384
Meriwether, D. R. (2016). Sequential difficulty effects on task
performance: Pervasive, persistent, and protean. Unpublished
Ph.D. thesis, University of Minnesota, Ann Arbor.
Random phrase generator (2019). Literal Sentences. Retrieved from
https://randomwordgenerator.com/phrase.php
SPSCC. (2019). Reading Comprehension Quiz. Retrieved
from https://spscc.instructure.com/courses/1345787/
quizzes/2404742
Thibodeau, P., & Durgin, F. (2011). Metaphor aptness and
conventionality: A processing fluency account. Metaphor and
Symbol, 26, 206–226.
 The Angle • 53

The Social Spark in Therapy:

Social Factors in the Therapist-
Client Relationship Affecting
Client Motivation in Cognitive-
Behavioral Homework
Ethan Nelson

As a therapy client for the past twenty months, the topic of finding
motivation to complete the numerous homework assignments given to
me by my therapists has deep personal relevance to me. I was curious
whether such motivation or lack thereof reflected my capabilities and
characteristics as a client, or whether it was influenced by my thera-
peutic relationships. Of the two therapists I have been with, the first
worked with me to address my clinical depression and issues with
anxiety; the second therapist, whom I still work with at the time of
this paper, works with me to manage my symptoms of obsessive-com-
pulsive disorder. Both psychotherapists have given me suggested
between-session assignments. Examples for treating depression
and anxiety included thought diaries, Socratic question worksheets,
reading a self-esteem workbook, and tracking daily moods over time.
Examples of homework for treating obsessive-compulsive disorder
has included using social media and listening to certain songs to
expose my mind to my obsessive thoughts, writing down and making
audio recordings to trigger my core fear, and setting reminders on my
phone to either do exposures or to resist compulsions.
With my first therapist, my compliance to suggested assignments
was middling to low: in the thirteen months I saw this therapist, I
54 • The Angle

kept a thought diary for only the first two-and-a-half months, and I
never read the self-esteem workbook. I did, however, track my moods
daily. With my second therapist, on the other hand, I have noticed
fairly high adherence to the suggested homework: I have followed
through with all of the aforementioned OCD treatment assignments
and created new ones personalized to myself as well. As a result,
this paper will explore the phenomenon of what social psychologi-
cal factors in the therapist-client relationship could impact a client’s
adherence to and completion of a therapist’s homework suggestions.
This paper will research how cognitive-behavioral homework com-
pletion or incompletion (B) is a product or function (f), of a therapy
client (P) and their interaction and alliance with their psychotherapist
(E), where B is behavior, f is a function, P is a person, and E is that
person’s environment.

Standpoint Statement
In working with this paper’s topic, I come from several stand-
points that influence my approach. A primary standpoint is my
personal experiences, as mentioned earlier, with two cognitive-behav-
ioral therapists. Working with two therapists for twenty months has
significantly affected my interest in the phenomenon studied in this
paper and it also introduces bias towards the subject because I come
from a client’s point-of-view. This perspective means that I could have
a subjective understanding of the therapeutic alliance.
A second standpoint that affects my approach to this social psy-
chological phenomenon is my level of expertise. As an undergraduate
psychology major, I have taken two courses, Abnormal Psychology
and Social Psychology, that heavily influence my expertise. The
former course lent insight into the topics of the biopsychosocial
model for and treatment of mental health conditions; the latter course
studied human behavior in terms of the presence of real or imagined
others. In addition, I volunteer as a Crisis Counselor for the Crisis Text
Line, which gives me a standpoint on how people, especially those in
mental health crises, react and interact with those attempting to assist
them.
A third area of subjective standpoints from me come in personal
beliefs and identities. The idea that people are inherently valuable
has influenced my beliefs. It biases me to look at the benevolent
side of people rather than objectively understanding their behaviors
 The Angle • 55

as neutral. My identity as a supporter of mental health literacy and

awareness also gives me a subjective standpoint on how society should
view and treat mental health, especially through psychotherapy.

Research Relevance
In this section of the paper, I will review literature pertinent to
my phenomenon of interest. While researching relevant literature, I
attempted to answer the question of “What social factors in the ther-
apist-client relationship affect client motivation to complete assigned
cognitive behavioral homework between sessions?” The following
papers show there are multiple, overlapping social influences that
exist in a therapeutic alliance.
In terms of prosocial behavior, the topic of empathy and empa-
thetic responses relates to the therapeutic relationship and client
motivation. Hara et al. (2017) studied how perceived empathy in a
psychotherapist influences client adherence to cognitive-behavioral
homework that the therapist assigned. This study looked specifically
at treatment of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). The authors
mention that problems with homework compliance in cognitive
behavioral therapy is common. In their study, Hara et al. hypothe-
sized that greater perceived empathy in therapists by clients with
GAD would increase the clients’ adherence to assigned homework,
thus improving their treatment outcomes.
In the study, forty-three clients represented by twelve cog-
nitive-behavioral therapists were studied. These clients took an
assessment called the Barnett-Lennard Relationship Inventory, which
measures perceptions of empathy and understanding. For instance,
a client could strongly agree, strongly disagree, or be somewhere in
between with a sample statement such as “[m]y therapist usually
senses or realizes what I am feeling” (Hara et. al, 2017, p. 380). Client
homework adherence was measured using the homework rating scale
II measuring quantity and quality of homework completion, mastery
and engagement of homework, and beliefs about homework.
The study found that clients who perceived a therapist as
empathic had greater homework completion outcomes than clients
who found the same therapist as less empathic. Thus, although the
authors mention that being empathetic is a key quality in a psycho-
therapist, it appears that how a client perceives that empathy is just
as important to the client’s homework completion. It is important to
56 • The Angle

note, however, that the authors did not find that homework comple-
tion mediated therapist empathy (or perceived empathy) and post-
treatment outcomes (Hara et al., 2017). This suggests that perceived
therapist empathy is independent of homework completion in terms
of client outcomes.
Overall, the paper finds evidence that greater homework com-
pliance, which can improve treatment outcomes, can depend on a
therapist’s perceived empathy. This ties in not only with prosocial
behavior, but also with the concept of social cognition: based on
past or current schemas and experiences of “empathy,” clients are
judging their therapists as either empathic or not, and then using that
judgment on whether or not they (the client) should complete their
assigned homework from someone they perceive as either empathetic
or unempathetic. By perceiving their therapist as empathetic by using
their schemas of empathetic behaviors in others, the client could have
more investment in adhering to what their therapist is suggesting
they do.
Another area of related research relevance pertains to social
conformity. Owen, Wong, & Rodolfa (2010) studied client conformity
to social normatives of masculinity and how those clients perceived
therapist actions intended to help them. Although this study did not
specifically focus on the assignment of homework in therapy, the
researchers recognized homework assignments as part of the helpful
therapist actions being perceived by the clients in the study.
The researchers were interested in investigating masculine social
norms because “gender role[s] . . . are a significant part of an indi-
vidual’s self-concept and have been shown to be related to multiple
facets of psychological wellbeing and pathology” (Owen, Wong, &
Rodolfa, 2010, p. 70). The authors made sure to make a distinction
between biological sex and social constructs of gender; in addition,
they felt that there was a “potential contradiction between masculine
and therapeutic norms” (Owen, Wong, & Rodolfa, 2010, p. 70), which
lead them to exclude studying of feminine social norms.
The study focused on 161 clients from a university counseling
center, the majority of whom were women. A major limitation of the
study was that the researchers did not assess the therapeutic approach
of the therapists these clients visited. The researchers used the Confor-
mity to Masculine Norms Inventory (CMNI) to look at social confor-
mity in the clients based on six subscales of masculine social norms:
 The Angle • 57

winning, emotional control, violence, dominance, self-reliance, and

primacy of work. Clients were given open-ended assessments for
their perceptions of therapist’s actions.
Overall, the authors clustered the reactions of clients to therapist
proposed actions as “Insight,” “Relationship,” or “Information.”
Those in the Insight cluster found learning about emotional and inter-
personal skills as the main takeaways from their therapist’s actions.
Clients in the Relationship cluster referred to concepts such as per-
ceived warmth by the therapist and how much the therapist allied
themselves with the client. For those clients in the Information cluster,
their primary takeaway from the therapist related to seeking an
“explanation for their [the client’s] current struggles and . . . informa-
tion and resources to better cope” (Owen, Wong, & Rodolfa, 2010, p.
75). As a result, the Information cluster that would be considered the
group of clients closest to desiring or finding motivation for therapy
homework.
The authors found that clients with higher scores on the CMNI
(conforming more to social masculine norms) were more clustered
in “Insight” and “Relationship” compared to “Information.” As the
authors mentioned, “clients in the Information cluster had signifi-
cantly lower Emotional Control, Self-Reliance, and Winning scores
compared with clients in the other two clusters” (Owen, Wong, &
Rodolfa, 2010, p. 74). In general, the authors found evidence to support
the idea that therapeutic actions to balance conformity to masculine
norms is beneficial.
With this study, researchers found that a social factor (social
norms of masculinity) can be incongruent with therapeutic goals.
As a result, therapists could be more aware of these social norms
and gender self-concepts in order to adapt treatment of clients that
strongly conform to them. Again, although the study did not specif-
ically address homework adherence, a client’s gender self-concepts
(such as self-reliance) relate to how they would perceive their thera-
pist suggesting they complete between-session homework. In addi-
tion, it is worth noting that if clients initially scoring high in masculine
norm conformity tend to focus on warmth and insight as takeaways
in their therapeutic relationship, they may be less focused than those
in the “Information” cluster on therapeutic information and feedback,
including homework assignments and the rationale for those assign-
ments.
58 • The Angle

Situational influence on the part of a therapist could be another

factor in getting clients to be motivated for therapy homework. A third
paper of research relevance came from the study of Jungbluth & Shirk
(2013). They investigated ways therapists treating adolescent clients
with depression could promote homework adherence. They noted
that strategies to improve this adherence “do not exist in a vacuum”
(Jungbluth & Shirk, 2013, p. 546). That is, client characteristics alone
do not predict homework adherence; there are elements of therapist
behavior that will influence the client’s adherence.
For their study, Jungbluth & Shirk evaluated six areas of thera-
peutic behavior and their effect on client homework adherence. They
studied fifty adolescents in sessions that were taped by therapists. It
is worth nothing that the adolescents’ treatment was free and they
received monetary compensation for participating in the study, which
could be a limitation. In particular, the researchers wanted to see the
effectiveness of various strategies to improve therapy homework
adherence, including the therapist praising the client for adherence,
specifying the task to adhere to, and rationalizing why the client
would want to adhere to the task. In terms of social psychological
concepts, praising a client for homework adherence relates to the idea
of normative social influence: the client desires to be liked by their
therapist, the therapist reinforces this through praise, and so the client
is further motivated to do what the therapist suggests they do. Ratio-
nalizing homework relates to informational social influence; clients
may not know what the “right” (in this case, most helpful) action to
do is, so they would rely on their therapist to guide them to do the
right thing via rationalizing the tasks.
Jungbluth & Shirk found that spending more time on homework
assignments and rationalizing those assignments could lead to stron-
ger homework adherence in clients, especially in those adolescents
who initially resisted treatment or who had initially low levels of
homework adherence. The study did not find significant correlation
in praise and between-session adherence. (However, the researchers
wrote that interrater-reliability with rating praise was “suboptimal,”
Jungbluth & Shirk, 2013, p. 552.) This finding builds on a conclusion
Jungbluth & Shirk made in 2009 in that praising a client’s behavior
did not predict greater client involvement in the therapeutic process
between sessions. As a result, normative social influence may not be
a social factor in client motivation. In terms of informational social
 The Angle • 59

influence, however, this study has supporting evidence for the idea
that rationalizing a task in therapy can promote adherence by a client.
A potentially significant limitation in this study, however, was that it
only examined two sessions’ worth of therapy; the findings “may not
generalize to middle and later phases of therapy when assignments
often become more demanding” (Jungbluth & Shirk, 2013, p. 552).

Broader Relevance
This paper will now explore the topic of client motivation in cog-
nitive behavioral therapy through the aspects of real-world, everyday
therapeutic interactions and the larger, social psychological concepts
those interactions include.
An article by GoodTherapy, a website designed to provide edu-
cational information for therapists, includes ways therapists can
improve client homework compliance by means of several social
factors. The article confirms what Hara et al. discussed in their
research by suggesting therapists take a deliberately empathetic
route toward motivating clients. A therapist could ask “Is something
making it difficult for you to complete the homework assignments?
How can I help make the process easier for you?” (GoodTherapy,
2019). In addition, “those put off by the term ‘homework’ may view
‘skills practice’ or similar phrasing more favorable,” (GoodTherapy,
2019). This relates to the concept of priming in social psychology, in
which certain experiences “increase the accessibility of a schema, trait,
or concept” (Hockett, 2018c). If clients have had frequent experiences
involving the term “homework” to refer to schoolwork assignments
and then encounter the term “homework” in therapy, they may be
primed to associate it with schoolwork, leading to negative reactions.
The article further suggests that therapists use rationalizing strategies
similar to what Jungbluth & Shirk studied: “let [the client] know
that homework helps them practice their skills outside of therapy”
(GoodTherapy, 2019). This tactic relates to using conformity, which
is “a change in behavior due to real or imagined influence of others”
(Hockett, 2018a). In this case, a client will conform their behavior,
especially because of the informational social influence provided by
the therapist, to comply with what the therapist expects. This also
involves the concept of persuasion via the central route: the therapist
is persuading the client to change behavior by making homework
60 • The Angle

personally relevant to the client and in a setting (a therapy session)

in which there is little distraction and there is a high motivation and
need to pay attention.
Attitude change is a second area of real-world implications for
client homework adherence. Chamberlain (2018) listed eight strategies
psychotherapists can use to improve patient outcomes in treatment.
She discusses using motivation interviewing: “Directly address clients’
motivation from session to session and use motivational interviewing
. . . to help them continue coming back even when they experience
setbacks” (Chamberlain, 2018). According to the Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Services Administration (2018), motivational
interviewing is a “collaborative, person-centered approach to elicit
and strengthen motivation to change . . . . rooted in an understand-
ing of how hard it is to change learned behaviors.” This relates to the
concept of behavioral attitude change through cognitive dissonance,
especially by using the hypocrisy paradigm. Cognitive dissonance
is a “psychological state caused by conflict in cognitions” (Hockett,
2018b). By inducing cognitive dissonance in motivational interview-
ing, a therapist could point out how a client’s belief in wanting to
improve their mental health does not align with their behavior of not
adhering to therapy homework. The resulting mental discomfort in
the client, considering that they are admitting hypocrisy to another
person, could guide the client to change behaviors.
Stereotypes are an additional social psychological factor in the
therapist-client relationship that could affect client motivation. “The
most readily accessible information on psychotherapy comes from
media portrayals,” Glasofer (2019) wrote for Verywell Mind. Of note
is the misconception of a therapist acting as a close friend. Glasofer
notes that the therapeutic relationship is unique since it is one-direc-
tional in information disclosure. She also mentions a misconception of
psychotherapists providing a quick fix: “it is highly unlikely that . . .
change or resolution for longstanding patterns of thinking, relating, or
behaving can be adequately achieved in a handful of appointments”
(Glasofer, 2019). A client holding both these misconceptions could
have a positive prejudice towards therapists. Hockett (2018c) notes
that problems with “positive” prejudices include limiting the actions
and roles of the recipient (in this case, the therapist). In this instance,
a client’s “positive” prejudices of a therapist being a friend quickly
 The Angle • 61

solving their problems may interfere with the client’s motivation

to complete homework by themselves over the sometimes-lengthy
course of treatment.

Conclusion
Partially given the word’s association with schoolwork, the
concept of “homework” in cognitive behavioral therapy treatment
has been noted to be difficult for clients to adhere to and complete,
frustrating psychotherapists (Hara et al., 376-77). Considering that a
client is out of the therapy room much more often than they are in it,
however, means that homework adherence is imperative. Fortunately,
there is evidence that therapists can bolster client motivation in home-
work adherence. Ensuring client perceptions of empathy, becoming
aware of client self-concepts, using informational social influence,
employing cognitive dissonance, and recognizing stereotypes the
client may have of the therapist are all strategies therapists can use
to inspire their clients to take care of their mental health after the
appointment ends. This gives therapists broad power to spark client
motivation simply by becoming more aware of a third, invisible party
inside the session room: social psychological factors.

References

Chamberlain, Jamie. (2015, April). Eight strategies to keep patients

on track. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from
https://www.apa.org/monitor/2015/04/strategies.
Glasofer, D. (2019, October 21). Common Misconceptions About
Psychotherapy. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/
common-misconceptions-about-psychotherapy -4067089.
GoodTherapy Team. (2019, October 7). Assigning Homework in
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Retrieved from https://www.
goodtherapy.org/for-professionals/software- technology/practice-
management/article/assigning-homework-in-cognitive-behavioral-
therapy.
Hara, K. M., Aviram, A., Constantino, M. J., Westra, H. A., & Antony,
M. M. (2017). Therapist empathy, homework compliance, and
outcome in cognitive behavioral therapy for generalized anxiety
disorder: partitioning within- and between- therapist effects.
62 • The Angle

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 46(5), 375–390. https://doi.org/10.108

0/16506073.2016.1253605.
Hockett, J. (2018a, Feb. 10). Conformity and Compliance Lecture Video
1 [video file]. Retrieved from https://d2l.washburn.edu/d2l/le/
content/118545/viewContent/1742601/View.
Hockett, J. (2018b, Feb. 24). Propaganda and Persuasion Lecture Video
2 [video file]. Retrieved from https://d2l.washburn.edu/d2l/le/
content/118545/viewContent/1742620/View.
Hockett, J. (2018c, April 9). Social Cognition and Perception Lecture
Video 1 [video file]. Retrieved from https://d2l.washburn.edu/d2l/le/
content/118545/viewContent/1742645/View.
Hockett, J. (2018d, April 23). Prejudice and Stereotyping Lecture Video
3 [video file]. Retrieved from https://d2l.washburn.edu/d2l/le/
content/118545/viewContent/1742661/View.
Jungbluth, N. J., & Shirk, S. R. (2009). Therapist Strategies for
Building Involvement in Cognitive—Behavioral Therapy
for Adolescent Depression. Journal of Consulting & Clinical
Psychology, 77(6), 1179–1184. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0017325.
Jungbluth, N., & Shirk, S. (2013). Promoting Homework Adherence
in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Adolescent Depression.
Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 42(4), 545–553.
https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2012.743105.
Owen, J., Wong, Y. J., & Rodolfa, E. (2010). The relationship between
clients’ conformity to masculine norms and their perceptions of
helpful therapist actions. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 57(1),
68–78. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0017870.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
(2018, May 31). Empowering Change. Retrieved from https://
www.samhsa.gov/homelessness-programs-resources/hpr-resources/
empowering-change.
 The Angle • 63

Defining Forensic Anthropological

Theory
Taylor Nickel

Introduction
In the fall of 1949, a janitor at Harvard Medical School in Boston,
Massachusetts discovered a dismembered body in a basement
anatomy laboratory, later to be identified as Harvard Medical School’s
Dr. George Parkman. A wealthy and prominent philanthropist,
Parkman was known for being a hard businessman, even going as far
as to occasionally harass those who owed him money. This such busi-
ness practice associated with Parkman was eventually what resulted
in him being murdered, his body then dismembered, and his remains
hidden in a bathroom, a trunk, and a furnace located in Dr. John White
Webster’s laboratory. Webster, owing Parkman a substantial amount
of money and being harassed for said reason, was arrested and even-
tually found guilty, resulting in his execution in August of 1850. The
prominent 19th Century murder that would later become known as
the Parkman-Webster murder case has since come to be recognized
as the origin of forensic anthropology in the United States, and Oliver
Wendell Homes I and Jeffries Wyman (professors of anatomy at
Harvard Medical School at the time) became the first forensic anthro-
pologists in the United States. Asked to investigate the death, the two
reassembled the dismembered remains and determined that they
64 • The Angle

were consistent with a white male between the ages of fifty- and sixty-
years-old who was around five feet, ten inches in stature – consistent
with Parkman. The report became the first example of a biological
profile of an unknown deceased individual, reflective of the effective-
ness of methods used in modern forensic anthropology today.
Since the Parkman-Webster murder case, forensic anthropology
has come to be defined as a subdiscipline of the field of biological
anthropology, now known as “the application of anthropological
method and theory to matters of legal concern, particularly those that
relate to the recovery and analysis of the skeleton” (Christensen, 2019,
p. 1). An older discipline that has only recently been recognized in
the broader scope of the field of forensic science and in medico-legal
issues, forensic anthropology has experienced a “significant expan-
sion in attention and breadth” (Christensen, 2019, p. 3). Occasionally
criticized for being “a strictly applied discipline” and being perceived
as “lacking in theoretical underpinnings and scientific validity,”
forensic anthropology has come to be known as a discipline “strongly
grounded in scientific theory” (Christensen, 2019, p. 1). With this in
mind, questions come to light as to where the discipline of forensic
anthropology fits into the realm of anthropological theory. As theory
is critical to determining essentially “what is and what is not data,”
the purpose of forensic anthropology and its grounding in scientific
theory needs a strong base of anthropological theory for it to be mean-
ingful (McGee and Warms, 2017, p. 1). This meaning would further
provide the allowance of people to think about who and what they are
as human beings. In a discipline that frequently calls on other disci-
plines with foundations in anthropological theory, then it can only be
questioned as to what forensic anthropology’s theory can be defined
as. What is the purpose of forensic anthropology?

Theory Currently Governing Forensic Anthropology

Despite the common misconception that the field of forensic
anthropology is atheoretical, this is far from the truth; the theory of
forensic anthropology has its roots in Charles Darwin’s theory of evo-
lution, postulated in his 1859 work, On the Origin of Species. Darwin
distinguished the differences between cultural evolution and biolog-
ical evolution, thus laying the groundwork for cultural anthropology
and biological anthropology. Theory focused on the importance of
evolution, comparison of the intricacies of biology to the intricacies of
 The Angle • 65

society, and the role environment plays in shaping an individual were

then carried on in essays by other theorists such as Herbert Spencer,
Sir Edward Burnett Tylor, and Lewis Henry Morgan. Drawing from
this groundwork, forensic anthropology encompasses the theory of
evolution to interpret patterns of human shape and size by defining
a biological profile (an individual’s age, stature, biological sex, and
ancestry). Since its beginning, forensic anthropology has also been
widely shaped by the fields of medicine and anatomy, later encom-
passing the field of forensic science and various medico-legal issues.
Although it is clear that forensic anthropology has “a firm theoretical
(and, scientific) foundation,” the field’s “theoretical basis has not
been explicitly recognized, developed, or communicated” (Boyd and
Boyd, 2018, p. 5). Forensic anthropological theory indeed exists, but
its foundation needs broader recognition and implementation. There
is an obvious need for forensic anthropologists to address the “why”
behind scientific questions, as well as behind the methods and analy-
ses used in forensic anthropologist’s research and practice; this “why”
is fundamental. Forensic anthropology can no longer “simply rely on
the traditional approach of thinking about theory as a single overarch-
ing explanatory statement” (Boyd and Boyd, 2011, p. 1).

Archaeological Theory in Forensic Anthropology

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, archaeology underwent an
anthropological paradigm shift. This shift followed Gordon Willey
and Philip Phillips’s publication of Method and Theory in American
Archaeology, in which the pair stated that “American archaeology is
anthropology or it is nothing,” implying that the goals of archaeology
were simply the goals of anthropology (Willey and Phillips, 1958). This
shift resulted in “new archaeology,” or processualism, a new phase
of archaeology that moved to define archaeology through scientific
theory, with focuses on empiricism, historical context, and systematic
views of culture. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, a new phase of
archaeology, labeled as post-processualism, initially followed proces-
sualism as a critique of the previous phase, but then evolved into a
movement with focuses on the subjectivity of archaeological inter-
pretations and the importance of the individual’s role in culture. As
part of the post-processualism movement in 1985, Stanford University
Cultural and Social Anthropology professor Dr. Ian Hodder, sought
to further add to the definition of archaeology within the realm of
66 • The Angle

anthropological theory with his publication, Postprocessual Archaeology.

Hodder’s essay was concerned with “the social and historical context
of symbolic production” with stressed importance in the individual
and in the importance of interpretation (Hodder, 1985, p. 1). Though
produced for archaeology, several of Hodder’s theoretical claims can
– and should – be applied to forensic anthropology. As “American
archaeology is anthropology or it is nothing,” then it can be argued
that forensic anthropology is forensic science or it is nothing (Willey
and Phillips, 1958). By applying archaeological theory formed during
a paradigm shift in archaeological history, the foundation of forensic
anthropological theory can begin to be established. Archaeological
theory has the ability to provide broader applications to forensic
anthropology that go beyond forensic anthropology’s current theories
rooted in science and methodology. With a broad scope of archaeolog-
ical theory, it is post-processualism that offers the most comparisons
to forensic anthropology, and thus could be the most beneficial when
applying theory to forensic anthropology.

Post-Processualism Applications in Forensic Anthropology

The argument for the application of archaeological theory for
forensic anthropology is an idea of increasing popularity. In 2011, Dr.
Clifford Boyd and Dr, Donna C. Boyd proposed such an application
of theory in their essay, “Theory and the Scientific Basis for Forensic
Anthropology.” Their 2018 book, Forensic Anthropology: Theoretical
Framework and Scientific Basis, expands upon this application of theory.
Boyd and Boyd identified the central problem with forensic anthropo-
logical theory as it being “characterized as emphasizing methodology
over theory” (Boyd and Boyd, 2018, p. 1). By analyzing and applying
a hierarchy of high-level, middle-range, and low-level theoretical con-
cepts to forensic anthropology, Boyd and Boyd were able to incorpo-
rate archaeological theory into forensic anthropology by focusing on
major aspects of processualism and post-processualism. Their work
documents the “varied theoretical bases for specialized areas of study
in forensic anthropology and the multiple forms of theory that they
represent” (Boyd and Boyd, 2018, p. 15).
One such fundamental aspect of post-processualism in archae-
ology was the rejection of positivist views of science. With forensic
anthropology holding largely positivist views of science, this rejec-
tion would be one of the first steps to building an anthropological
 The Angle • 67

theory foundation that is not based on scientific theory alone. Forensic

anthropology in current society has resulted in definitions of concepts
such as race and gender being culturally defined, a stark opposition
to the ethnocentric definitions of said concepts during the beginnings
of anthropology. Here, the cultural aspect of forensic anthropology is
most clear, but even this is grounded in scientific theory, dedicated as
the biological profile. Each aspect of forensic anthropology is shaped
through statistical analysis and biological parameters of an individual
and said individual’s place in a population, all of which involve inter-
pretive theory, methodological theory, and analytical and statistical
methodological theory. As illustrated by Boyd and Boyd, these three
forms of theory are “critical for the process of theory building in foren-
sic anthropology and serve to strengthen the scientific framework of
the discipline,” but “their relationship with each other is not neces-
sarily linear or hierarchal” (Boyd and Boyd, 2018, p. 8). This could be
viewed as a reverse of the development of archaeological theory, as
archaeology needed more of the scientific method; forensic anthropol-
ogy has come to a point where it is interpreted as being in a vacuum
where a realm beyond scientific theory is difficult to comprehend due
to the idea that cultural theory is practically null and void in the field.
A second fundamental part of post-processualism in archaeol-
ogy sought to reject the separation of interpretation and description,
viewing a univocal approach as unproductive for society as a whole.
Much like processual archaeology, forensic anthropology shares this
univocal problem, as forensic anthropologists frequently fall into
asserting a single knowable objective interpretation of the biological
profile despite there being many interpretations along the analysis of
human remains (or in short, interpretive theory). This is partly the
fault of medico-legal criteria that requires methods to be validated and
reproducible. Following the passing of the Daubert standard (a federal
law in the United States that states a rule of evidence regarding the
admissibility of expert witness testimony), forensic anthropologists
have been forced to demonstrate their commitment to understanding
error. However, the adoption of the Daubert standard has left forensic
anthropologists neglecting the limits of their own objectivity; forensic
anthropologists should be evaluating their own subjective biases.
In addition to medico-legal criteria, the good majority of a forensic
anthropologist’s work rests with interpretation, yet interpretation
remains separate from description. In his essay, Hodder discusses that
68 • The Angle

observation and theory are one, and that since “archaeological theory
building has always involved adding to data,” then “there is no logical
reason why those theories should not include contextual meaning and
intentionality” – a belief that the field of forensic anthropology would
benefit from greatly if adopted (Hodder, 1985, p. 12). As posited by
Boyd and Boyd, the solution to this separation of interpretation and
description lies with linking logic and theory. By envisioning method-
ological theories as “dynamic, vibrant explanatory statements,” then
new forensic anthropological data is subject to expansion and revision
at all levels and types (Boyd and Boyd, 2018, p. 12).
A third, and final, fundamental aspect of post-processualism in
archaeology is the importance of the individual. The importance of
the literal individual is obvious in forensic anthropology, a discipline
with a focus on identifying the deceased; human remains being the
central piece of evidence in such an endeavor. As previously stated,
each aspect of forensic anthropology is shaped through statistical
analysis and biological parameters of an individual and said individ-
ual’s place in a population. Despite anthropological theory stressing
the importance of an environment’s role in shaping an individual
and their culture, forensic anthropology largely ignores this, instead
choosing to stick to more contemporary issues. This theoretical issue
becomes even more apparent when one understands that studying
forensic anthropology requires the study of evolutionary and cultural
aspects, only for these concepts to be directly applied to very little
later on. Boyd and Boyd argue that agency and behavioral theories
taken from archaeological theory can solve this issue of denying both
contemporary and historical environment, thus implementing social
action into forensic anthropology.

Theory in Forensic Anthropology Case Studies

In their work, Boyd and Boyd present the importance of case
studies in establishing forensic anthropological theory, citing them
as “an integral part of theory building” (Boyd and Boyd, 2011, p.
4). Through the application of archaeological theory (particularly
behavioral theory taken from archaeological theory), forensic anthro-
pologists gain new data. These new data specifically come from areas
such as the analysis of human agents, dynamic systemic context,
active agents, unintentional agents, transformational processes, eth-
nographic details, and all possible variables that can impact a forensic
 The Angle • 69

scene, all of which are broadened with the application of archaeologi-

cal theory. In short, applying archaeological theory to forensic anthro-
pology cases directly influences what is seen and how it is measured.
To illustrate these arguments, Boyd and Boyd offered a case study
on the Goettge Patrol, a United States marine patrol that was ambushed
and almost completely killed during the Battle of Guadalcanal in Gua-
dalcanal, Solomon Islands. None of the deceased were ever officially
noted as being recovered, thus resulting in an interdisciplinary team
of forensic anthropologists, archaeologists, historians, and physicists
conducting what would later be named the Goettge Patrol Guadal-
canal Survey in 2008 in an attempt to recover the remains. Despite
discovering a promising location for the remains, the best conclusion
was that the remains of the Goettge Patrol were not in the area sur-
veyed. Boyd and Boyd argue that despite the survey being unable to
recover the remains, interpretation of anomalies present in the survey
was “instructive in understanding the history and soil stratigraphy of
the site and the impact of natural and human factors on the area since
WWII” (Boyd and Boyd, 2011, p. 5). They go on to discuss that forensic
anthropological theory can help to interpret where the Goettge Patrol
remains may be by applying behavioral theories to the case and gen-
erating further hypotheses to test.
In revisiting the Parkman-Webster murder case, it is apparent
that behavioral theory (though unlabeled at the time) governed a
large majority of the investigation surrounding Parkman’s murder,
as it was the harassment-like behaviors of a stern business man like
Parkman and Wester’s debt to Parkman that indicated a motive within
the case. By approaching the scene with this knowledge and applying
interpretive theory to make assumptions, then the Parkman-Webster
murder case becomes cut and dry when analytical and statistical
methodological theory is applied to prove said assumptions through
scientific data.

Forensic Anthropological Theory

Since its origin in the 1800s, forensic anthropology has come into
its own through developments in the field of forensic science and
in the legal system. However, the field of forensic anthropology has
occasionally been criticized for being “a strictly applied discipline”
and being perceived as “lacking in theoretical underpinnings and
scientific validity,” due to being “strongly grounded in scientific
70 • The Angle

theory” (Christensen, 2019, p. 1). The question of what the purpose

of forensic anthropology is can only be answered through anthropo-
logical theory, and the beginnings of forensic anthropological theory
start with the post-processualism phase of archaeology. This model
is illustrated by the work of Boyd and Boyd, who broke down the
theoretical underpinnings of forensic anthropology, analyzed them,
and then compared them to archaeological theory. By doing so, and
then applying this application of theory to case studies, Boyd and
Boyd were able to create the discussion needed for what can only be
described as a necessary paradigm shift within the field of forensic
anthropology.
Forensic anthropology’s purpose has always been to speak for the
dead in methodological ways governed by science and law. However,
further acknowledgement, development, and application of theory
are needed within the field of forensic anthropology. Recognition of
forensic anthropological theory can firmly ground the field of forensic
anthropology within anthropological and archaeological theory; a
solid foundation in theory offers another part of what could easily
become “new forensic anthropology.” Further research is needed to
fully develop this application of archaeological theory to forensic
anthropology, but said application only stands to benefit the field of
forensic anthropology as a whole.

References

Boyd Jr., C. C., & Boyd, D. C. (2018). Forensic Anthropology: Theoretical

Framework and Scientific Basis. John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Boyd, C., & Boyd, D. C. (2011). Theory and the Scientific Basis for
Forensic Anthropology. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 56 (6), 9.
Christensen, A. M., Passalacqua, N. V., & Bartelink, E. J. (2019).
Introduction to Forensic Anthropology. In Forensic Anthropology:
Current Methods and Practice (Second Edition, pp. 1–31). Elsevier
Inc.
Dwyer, D. (2017, November 22). Murder at Harvard Medical
School: The Story of the 19th Century Slaying that Shocked
Boston. Retrieved from https://www.boston.com/news/
history/2017/11/22/a-19th-century-murder-at-harvard-medical-
school
 The Angle • 71

History Background of Forensic Anthropology. (2013, January

17). Retrieved from https://cheshireanthropology.wordpress.
com/2013/01/17/historical-background-of-forensic-
anthropology/
Hodder, I. (1985). Postprocessual Archaeology. Advances in
Archaeological Method and Theory, 9, 1–26. Retrieved from https://
www.jstor.org/stable/20170185
McGee, R. J., & Warms, R. L. (2017). Anthropological Theory: An
Introductory History (Sixth Edition). Rowman & Littlefield.
Willey, G. R., & Phillips, P. (1958). Method and Theory in American
Archaeology (First Edition).
 The Angle • 73

When I Got Glasses

Hanna Strader

When I was growing up, I never thought it was weird that my

brother was only around on the weekends and occasionally during
the week. I didn’t think it was weird that my dad, my mom, my sister,
and I would eat family dinners without him during the week. I never
found it strange when my brother called my mom “Betty” and not
“Mom,” like my sister and I did. And I didn’t think it was different
that my brother was born before my mom and dad knew each other.
I never thought it was weird. Until eighth grade, when a kid younger
than me asked how my brother was also his brother. I had never
thought about it before then. Coincidentally, eighth grade was also
when I got glasses.
I learned a lot about my family after that. I learned that my dad
had been married before my mom, to my brother’s mom. I learned
what the term “half-brother” meant. And I learned that it didn’t
mean that my brother was only half of a person, contrary to what my
younger cousins think when they hear that term. And I learned that
being a sister was a lot more difficult than being a brother. I didn’t
relate to my brother the same way his brother did. I didn’t get to play
the rough housing games; I didn’t get to go hunting. And I grew up
feeling like I wasn’t as loved by my brother as his brother was.
74 • The Angle

But I had people that made up for that. My sister, even though we
fought all the time, was always there for me when I needed her. And
my cousin, who was the same age as her, was like a second sister. And
my other cousin, Gary, who was the same age as my brother, grew up
around me like a second brother. When neither of my siblings wanted
to take me, the little kid, to the fair one year, my cousin stepped up and
took me himself. He rode the rides with me and played the games. He
even won me a bright pink stuffed animal from one of them.
Growing up, I remember my mom always told us we were Chris-
tian. I didn’t really know what that meant, other than we believed in
God and Jesus and Hell and angels. My family didn’t go to church,
but when I would go to my old best friend’s house, I would go with
her on Sundays. I remember leaving the main church area to go to the
smaller classroom for the kids. We would draw and play and learn
about the Bible in a way that kids understood. In eighth grade, I even
started going to youth group. I still don’t know if I went to learn more
about being Christian or if it was just an excuse to be around people
I liked.
I started to really question my religion in the winter of my fresh-
man year of high school. My grandma had gotten sick and had been
in and out of the hospital for about a month. Everyone kept telling me
to pray, that God would heal her. But he didn’t. I only ever really had
one grandparent in my life. My mother’s parents died when she was a
teen and my dad’s father died when I was so young, I barely remem-
ber him. Though the vague memories I do have, I cherish. When my
grandma died, I felt like a piece of me went with her, and I felt like
God had betrayed me. I didn’t go to youth group as often anymore.
But I got new glasses that year.
I remember trying to go, though. But every time I stepped through
the church doors, I could hear family members’ voices in my head
telling me to “Just pray, God will make her better.” I truly stopped
going my sophomore year. In the summer of that year, I remember
losing the bright pink stuffed animal my cousin had won me at the
fair. It made me sad, but I didn’t think much of it. He could just win
me another one. Except in August of that year, he got in a car accident.
I don’t like when people try to win me things at the fair anymore.
I went down a dark path after that. I remember isolating myself.
The people I cared about at youth group would reach out to me and I
wouldn’t respond, until they stopped reaching out. I wasn’t diagnosed
 The Angle • 75

with depression until freshman year of college, but I know in my heart

that those two deaths are what truly drug me to it. Sophomore year
was the year everyone was learning to drive, but I was too afraid to
get behind a wheel. I was a year behind in that aspect. I can talk about
my cousin now, but not without a fist sized rock in my throat.
I think my cousin dying had an impact on my education as well.
For that first year or so after his death, I pushed myself in classwork. I
made sure I was doing what I was supposed to be doing, but I didn’t
do anything more than what was needed. And I stopped being cre-
ative. After my sophomore year, I quit art. I felt like I didn’t have it in
me anymore.
And then my sister met a man from Ireland and the summer
before my junior year, she found out she was pregnant. At this point,
everyone knew she’d end up moving to Ireland to be with her now
husband. And our family, who never really knew where we were
from or what our culture was, grew to know a different culture. We
learned about their religion, traditions, and holidays; my sister was
truly shocked to find out they didn’t celebrate Thanksgiving. Having
this new part of the family pushed my mother to want to learn where
she was from, and she took a DNA test. She found out that she was
English, Germanic, Scottish, Welsh, and Irish. but all it told me was
what I already knew: we’re really white. We didn’t incorporate any
new traditions, languages, or style of dress. Nothing changed.
At the beginning of my senior year, my sister did end up moving
away to Ireland, and it changed my idea of what I would do for
college. I knew I would go, that was something I’d always known.
None of my immediate family had gone, save for my sister who went
for a brief semester. I wanted to be the first person to go and finish. My
mom said she never went because, “I got married and had kids” (B.
S., personal communication, March 1, 2021). She had my sister when
she was 21. When I asked her how she felt about me making it this far
is college she told me, “I’m glad that someone in the family is taking
the step to get a higher education, but as long as you’re doing what
you want, I’m happy for you” (B. S., personal communication, March
1, 2021).
When my cousin had died, I knew I wouldn’t look at colleges
outside of the state anymore. I didn’t want to be far away from my
family. Even though family was important to me before his death, it
was even more important afterwards. But now my sister was gone to
76 • The Angle

another country and my plans changed again. I didn’t want to leave

my mom alone by going to a college hours away. My dad would be
home on the weekend, but his job kept him away during the week.
So, I found the closest college that wasn’t in my hometown. This way
I could still be nearby if she needed me. Before I went to college, I got
new glasses.
College taught me a lot of things. It brought me out of my shell,
and it taught me that talking to a therapist isn’t something that you
should be ashamed of. I was suddenly surrounded by people who
weren’t afraid of who they were, and it helped me to figure who I was.
I’d always been told, in the small town I lived in, that the “right” way
to be was straight. I think, deep down, even as a kid, I had known I
wasn’t, but I was always afraid to say anything. I saw how my town
treated people who were different. I heard the whispers from the
adults when they thought the kids weren’t around. Even now, many
people in my town still assume I’m as straight at the persona I used to
put on, despite me being open about myself now.
And college also taught me how easy it is to be white. My fresh-
man and sophomore roommate, and now one of my closest friends,
was a black girl. In my town, there weren’t many black people, and
even then, I didn’t really get to interact much with them due to dif-
ferences in age. But now, being the same age and living together, we
spent most of our time together. It was my first time really experienc-
ing white privilege.
We had gone out to dinner one night. It wasn’t for a special reason,
just to go have fun. Our waiter was an older white man. At first, I
didn’t realize he was only talking at me, barely to her. When he asked
what we wanted to eat, as soon as she would speak, he’d either con-
tinue to look at me or look down. And, despite us saying we wanted
separate bills, he brought it out as one, and sat it in front of me.
I remember looking up and saying, “We asked for split checks.”
He had seemed kind of shocked at first, before saying the words that
have stuck with me for years. “Well, I just assumed that she-” I had
cut him off and began to say, “That she what?” but my roommate laid
her hand on mine and shook her head, saying, “Please just split the
checks.” When I asked her later why she hadn’t been angrier, she told
me something I’ll never forget, “I was angry, but my mother always
told me that an angry black person is a threat” (R. G., person commu-
nication, January 2019).
 The Angle • 77

I noticed a lot of things about being white from then on. I noticed
when the clerk smiled at me but not at the black man behind me. And
I noticed how people crossed the sidewalk or an aisle in a store when
they saw black people walking towards them. I promised myself
then that I’d speak up for people who were spoken against. So, when
the Black Lives Matter movement really ramped up, I found myself
speaking out against my own brother often. And most of the time, I
was met with the remark, “College has brainwashed you.”
Covid hit right after my niece was born. The second of my sister’s
two girls. We had spent the holidays in Ireland with them, but my
sister was still pregnant then. We had made plans to come visit in
the summer, to meet the new addition to our family. But, more than
a year later, we still haven’t gotten the chance to. It’s the longest I’ve
spent away from my sister. Away from the one person I tell almost
everything to. The only person in my family that knows, explicitly,
that I’m not straight. But, hey, at least right before it happened, I got
new glasses for Christmas.
I really didn’t think anything was different about my family
before eighth grade. I thought we were what was seen as “normal.”
We’re middle class, Christian, white. But there really isn’t a “normal”
family to model after. I think I really started to learn that in eighth
grade. Because in eighth grade, that’s when I got glasses.
 r k
Wo
ve
ati
e
Cr
Stories and Poems
 The Angle • 81

A Little Fish in a New Pond

Glorianna R. Noland

Category Winner
Creative Work

The pungent bile that passed my lips was unlike any that I have
had the displeasure of enduring. It was a viscous kind of evil, an
all-encompassing torrential hell that seemed to ooze in buckets. I
could feel a hand wind itself in my hair, a gentle vice that aimed to
preserve what little it could of my frazzled locks from the rancid sick-
ness that coated the inside of the toilet in shades of green and yellow.
This was not a scene that could have ever been envisioned during the
excruciatingly long drive down I-70 from Kansas to Ohio. Yet there I
was, suffering from unspeakable gastrointestinal duress so far from
home; having my boyfriend witness it; his sister hearing it from the
next room; his parents fumbling about downstairs for home remedies
that could alleviate my symptoms.
“I shouldn’t have let you take the fish,” Kevin sighed. He moved
to sit near the tub, facing my pathetic, dehydrated form that curled up
near the toilet, “I shouldn’t have let them give it to you.”
My eyelids felt indescribably heavy as they jockeyed against the
pulsating motions of nausea. It was in that very bathroom, wielding
a foggy mind and a gymnast for a stomach, that a single defining
thought crossed my mind… What am I doing here?
82 • The Angle

In Tara Westover’s memoir, Educated, she wrote of how different

she was; a black sheep that broke free from the herd and was moving
on to greener pastures, but those pastures seemed as foreign to her as
the rest of her life. That who she was, and her meager beginnings, did
not align with the new life that she was forging for herself. She wrote,
“to myself I pretend there were other reasons I couldn’t belong…
reasons having to do with class and status: that it was because I was
poor, had grown up poor” (Westover, 2018, p. 243). This resonates with
me, for the thoughts that plagued me seemed akin to excuses based on
fear, which stemmed from differences that could not be helped.
Post-Christmas decorations had still hung merrily across the
bushes outside the window, a defiant proclamation that blinked
throughout the neighborhoods in Cleveland. Christmas was not over
until the last man took down their lights, regardless if it was three
days past New Year’s or a week before Valentine’s Day. I often found
myself staring out the window on nights like those, silently praying
for the chilling cold to swallow me whole than to continuously burn
further from the anxiety that gripped the air. However, I was stuck
on the other side of the window, sitting quietly at a large dining table
surrounded by intrinsic, cultural art and wall scrolls written in a lan-
guage that seemed more like angry lines than legible characters. It
made me think about the décor of my family’s home back in Kansas,
a thought that made me feel like a wild animal in comparison. Where
they had decorative tea sets, we had wooden cat statues; where they
hung their scrolled heritage, we had a dusty portrait of a European-es-
que Jesus Christ.
“It’s your turn, Glorianna,” Kevin’s sister, Kathy, quietly reminded
me. She was a kindred spirit if I ever met one; a PhD candidate of
clinical psychology that would do anything but pick my brain. Half
the time when I spoke to her, I forgot that I was a guest in a Chinese
household. Her mannerisms and slang often reminded me of my own
family rather than the dignified aesthetic that my surroundings—and
her parents—displayed.
I flipped through the laminated cards in my shaking fingers,
the apathetic expression illustrated on the king of spades seemed to
almost mock my misery. Card games are often synonymous with fun,
but this one was not, it was Zhao Pengyou; a traditional Chinese card
game based around strength and dominion. As I fumbled through
my cards, I was ever-aware how I lacked those two qualities. Kevin’s
 The Angle • 83

father was standing at the table, stepping gently side to side, the aged
wooden floor beneath him groaning in protest to constant stimula-
tion. He was a stubborn man, prideful and harsh in his observations;
he was my antithesis.
He was muttering to himself in a language I seldom understood,
and as my understanding dropped, so did my gaze. The fingerprints
on the glossy wood before me seemed more interesting than playing
the game, for the oily smudges would not bark criticisms—not like the
swaying, muttering man.
Choosing the right card is akin to cutting a metaphorical wire on a
bomb; one wrong move and my fate would be decided. As my fingers
plucked the corner edge of that same king of spades, the desire to
duck for cover gnawed at me as I haplessly tossed out the royalty of
mockery. The entire room stared at the table on bated breath as the
laminated cardstock—worn on all corners—fluttered to the table on
top of the stack of suits already played. The crescendo of noise that
followed afterward was not the tumultuous, fiery combustion that
I had endured many times prior. It was the exclamation of surprise
and disbelief; a declaration that the guise of confusion cloaked my
ambitions, that I knew exactly what I was doing.
“She’s pretty good,” Kevin’s mother choked out in English
through sporadic cackling, her amused words cutting through the
monotonous tone of their mother tongue that tumbled throughout the
room like the static of a television. Her words—a comment that may
have settled on deaf ears—stood out more than any other guffaw that
night.
However, navigating through a meal made playing cards seem
like child’s play. Nobody would be focusing on the game or counting
cards, full attention would pass over me as if I were camouflaged.
The searing growl of oil at the stove was the telltale sign that it
was almost time to eat—a cue to arrange chairs awkwardly side-by-
side. The crowded manipulation of the seating arrangement was the
calm before the storm. And as five chairs corralled the small, worn
table adorned with floral placement mats, the many dishes that were
prepared began to appear on the table. One by one, each becoming the
countdown on a clock.
It was silent at first. Bumping feet, quiet apologies, the quiet cry of
glass on glass and the distant droning of CRT television; an old, dusty
box from an era long forgotten. It perched on the ledge of a counter
84 • The Angle

in the kitchen, angled just right that it could be seen from the small
alcove that hosted the dinner table.
Kevin’s father exploded with a boisterous energy, one that I had
grown accustomed to over time. His chopsticks were greedily attack-
ing the steaming dishes of vegetables and fried meat, all of which
circled a steaming pot of murky soup. “Does she want to try some
squid?” He inquired of his son in English, his eyes refusing to meet
mine even though the question regarded myself.
I was more preoccupied with attempting to spoon in an egg-based
dish that sat a few plates away rather than answer his question. The
small, rubbery pieces of sunshine almost tumbled from my bowl
from the shrill bark that came from Kevin’s mother. She was a small,
quiet woman that maintained an aura of calm while barely reaching
my shoulder. The pitch and pace of her enunciation in Chinese was
moderately frightening to someone who never witnessed her temper.
She flailed her chopsticks about in a foreign illustration of reasoning.
Few words in English had been spewed in the tirade; simple words—
“seafood” and “herself”—that demonstrated context.
Kevin rolled his eyes at his father, shaking his head and avoiding
my gaze that seemed to beg a question I often asked of him: What’s
happening?
“She just called him stupid for asking if you wanted seafood,
considering what happened last summer,” Kathy spoke with a lilt in
her voice that conveyed amusement at her own father’s actions, “And
that you can get food for yourself rather than being forced.”
Upon hearing her words, my eyes took in the exclusive pair of
chopsticks balanced atop every dish. A preparation to avoid further
difficulties involving my grotesque allergies. They were precautions
taken on my behalf, precautions that everybody kowtowed to without
a second thought.
Was this to be my place among them? A welcomed outsider that
pondered self-deprecating thoughts that feared dismissal from a
family I barely even knew?
Jia Jiang, owner of the website Rejection Therapy, spoke at a TED
Talk of how he overcame his fear of rejection by enduring it for 100
days. It came about for him as an epiphany following the sting of a
particularly painful rejection regarding an entrepreneurial endeavor.
He said, “That rejection hurt me. It hurt me so bad that I wanted to quit
right there…But then I thought… would any successful entrepreneur
 The Angle • 85

quit like that?” (Jiang, 2015). I mirrored that very same epiphany, for I
recall obsessive, second-guessing thoughts about my purpose among
a new family.
The blunt gurgle of the toilet flushing seemed to cut through the
tense silence that blanketed the bathroom. The room was frigid from
the air conditioning that pulsed through the house in the middle of
summer. Yet, even in that cold silence was a blossoming warmth that
peered through the window, bathing us in a way that only a heavenly
body could as the scent of mint had perused about the air. Whether
that was Kevin’s doing or a result from my vigorous toothbrushing, I
was not sure.
In my cocoon of transient bliss that peered through the blackest—
in this case, greenest—of storms came a clarity. It was an intelligible
kind of bliss, a radiance that cut through the internal war that waged
in the back of my mind for months. The chuckle that passed my lips
was rough, yet hopeful, like a man dying of thirst discovering an oasis.
“I hope your parents won’t be mad that fish isn’t gonna be on the
menu at the wedding.”

References

Jiang, J. (2015, May). Jia Jiang: What I learned from 100 days of rejection
[Video]. TED. https://www.ted.com/talks/jia_jiang_what_i_
learned_from_100_days_of_rejection.
Westover, T. (2018). Educated: A Memoir. New York, NY: Random
House.
 The Angle • 87

Sweater Weather
Max Macheca

I have a special treat for you all today

Eminem is here to slay
And make rhyming look like child’s play

My palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy

There’s vomit on my sweater already, mom’s spaghetti
My sweater’s life ended too early
Found it only forty, minutes ago
How could I know, that my stomach would soon explode
I drank a moldy milkshake, my massive mistake
Striking my stomach like an earthquake remake
But let’s just take a break, from my regrets
Let’s remember my lost assets
My sweater was my drug, within its hold so snug
Cozy and cheap, found for free from a garbage heap
Many weeks I will weep, from this loss so steep
The hurt I feel hits my heart down deep
We were never one without the other
Never need another
My sweater and I as one, frolicking in the sun
88 • The Angle

Whether the weather was rain or snow

Threw on my sweater and away I go
A better sweater I never had
Containing three colors in its plaid

You better, not lose your sweater, the moment

You own it, you better never let it go (go)
You only got one shirt, do not overeat then blow
This loving warmth comes once in a lifetime (yo)
You better, not lose your sweater, the moment
You own it, you better never let it go (go)
You only got one shirt, do not overeat then blow
This loving warmth comes once in a lifetime (yo)

Green, red, and yellow

Aforesaid making me mellow
It was always there for me, on top of my tee
Never asking anything in return
It’s love I didn’t have to earn
The memories and care we shared
For this loss, I feel unprepared
Whenever I put it on, it always held me tight
Then I knew everything would be alright
When I needed comfort from life’s pain and woes
My sweater was the one I always chose
Now it’s time to say adios
To the sweater that has held me so close
Cause not even the rain from my tears
Could clean the stain and hurt from the vomit on my shirt
You may say it’s sweater weather
But I won’t cheat on my lover, by buying another
My arms may freeze, by the cold breeze
But whether I’m freezing or not
I don’t need, cause I’m so hott

You better, not lose your sweater, the moment

You own it, you better never let it go (go)
You only got one shirt, do not overeat then blow
 The Angle • 89

This loving warmth comes once in a lifetime (yo)

You better, not lose your sweater, the moment
You own it, you better never let it go (go)
You only got one shirt, do not overeat then blow
This loving warmth comes once in a lifetime (yo)
(You better)
 The Angle • 91

And Anger
Ethan Nelson

And
anger (because
collapsing gentlemen understand:
Never express
grand

Or,
rather, profound
beautiful internal suffering,
cratered thinking,
sore

pink
wrinkled, rounded
misfiring cellular synapses
whirring inside.
Think

such
helpful mottos
92 • The Angle

(conditioned-congealed-concealed):
relief =
Crutch,

Blame
yourself, wilting
failure. Entertain, ideate,
erode, explode.
Same

lie
always. Undo,
unravel DNA. Chromosomes
query, ponder—
Y?

We’d
rather gander
visible spectacles. Attractions
blossom bloody,
bleed

bad.
Enough. Enter:
Explainings. Eulogies. Erasure.)
arose instead.
Mad.
 The Angle • 93

I Am Not Invisible
Christina G. Noland

“. . . Why do you keep doing this to yourself?” I look at my

exhausted portrait in the reflection of a mirror, talking to myself as if I
have never asked this question before.
Because this is your job.
I flash back to one of my strongest childhood memories. I can
feel the cushion of the gray carpet between my toes as I track down
my mother’s voice beckoning me to find her. From the living room,
I can peer through the silhouette of my bedroom door, the bedroom
I shared with my two younger sisters – Haleena and Glorianna – to
see Mom waving me in. I’m smiling. It’s just another normal day, I
thought, with a cheerful sun and clear blue sky.
Once I breech the threshold, Mom closes the door behind me and
locks it. I sit down with her on the closest bed, confused as to why she
starts to whisper to me. Nobody else was on this side of the house to
listen to us. I hear birds chirping just outside the bedroom window,
a stark contrast to the tense feeling I see scattered throughout my
mother’s face.
“You are the oldest,” she starts. Her hazel eyes are wide open,
shiny, and her nose is a slightly darker shade of pink. “From now on,
it’s your job to protect your little brothers and sisters. I need you to
94 • The Angle

promise me you’ll watch over them even when I’m not there.” These
words echo in my memory as loud as ten alarm clocks going off at
once.
“Okay. I promise.” This is very important, Christina. Do not forget.
I was five years old at the time, wholeheartedly agreeing without
any grasp of what my new role would entail. I had been unaware of
life, as if I was sleeping walking while wide awake. All of that trans-
formed in an instant when my world would be turned upside down.
The protective mindset I developed became the single greatest
mission in my life. I forced myself to be aware of every action my
younger siblings made, every conversation my parents had. It was
a requirement, I thought. I was an adult now – a substitute for mom
when she was away. I believed it was necessary to eavesdrop regard-
less of what I was told. If I paid attention to the smallest details and
gain insight into the future, even for a few moments in advance, I can
prevent any disaster from happening. I can do my job even better.
Do not fail. Protect your family.
It was normal for us kids to go outside late at night and play soccer
before going to bed. There was no organization. We simply kicked
the ball for fun as hard as we could towards each other, sometimes
hundreds of feet across the large front lawn. With the full moon nearly
out, the only other light sources were bolted to the front of the house
or to the small safety light atop the nearest telephone pole. Since there
were five of us, it was usually two against three.
Alexander, the older of my younger brothers, was always trying
to show off. He knew he could kick the ball farther than anyone. This
particular summer night, I was on a team of two alongside Christo-
pher, my youngest brother, when Alex kicked the soccer ball over our
heads and into the back field. The grass there was almost as tall as
us. We were told never to venture through the weeds, however, that
usually never stopped anyone except me. There was absolutely no
light in the back field. I was terribly afraid of the dark.
I stayed behind, watching Christopher run to retrieve the soccer
ball. He had seen exactly where it landed and was running fearlessly
into the unknown on faith that his tracking was accurate. I didn’t
realize Alexander had kicked it so hard until I had lost sight of Chris-
topher. For a single moment I hesitated, knowing what I had to do
while fighting an intense fear that planted my feet into the ground.
 The Angle • 95

Get up. Move. Protect him. Your fears mean nothing compared to his
life. My inner thoughts gnawed at me as if to predict the future. The
promise I made to my Mom years earlier flashed into memory and my
thoughts fell. I acted without thinking as if I was a different person.
I ran as fast as I could into the darkness, calling out Christopher’s
name trying to find him. Within seconds I could see him, but I was
barely able to make out his figure. Christopher was wearing a dark
shirt and shorts; the only confirmation I had to his safety was hearing
his voice. Not even his white legs could be identified through the
weeds, but three pairs of eyes reflecting the moon’s light could.
“I got it!” Christopher yelled with excitement, about to run right
past me and back into the game. A fourth, smaller pair of glowing,
yellow eyes appeared in the near distance, all of them moving in
unison with Christopher.
It wasn’t uncommon for us to have deer, opossums, raccoons,
bobcats, and stray cats or dogs wander aimlessly across our lot. Our
house was in the middle of nowhere surrounded by fields of corn
and a few other homes. Unfortunately, coyotes, at the time, were a
large problem. Their numbers became so enormous one year that my
parents had hired hunters to deal with them. If it wasn’t for the fact
that this particularly daring family of coyotes would readily attack
humans without fear, this wouldn’t have been so much of an issue.
I firmly grab Christopher’s arm and stop him from running, acci-
dentally making him drop the ball. As he bent down to pick the soccer
ball back up, so too did the pairs of eyes lower to the ground to mirror
his movements. I could feel the tension between us; if they let their
breath be known, we were close enough to hear it. Their gaze focused
solely on Christopher, as if he was a chunky chicken nugget, with the
smaller set of eyes in the background staring directly at me. It quickly
became apparent that Christopher had no idea the coyotes were there.
I was not about to turn my back.
I slowly walked backwards with Christopher, my eyes fixated
on those glowing orbs, saying that we should walk instead of run in
case we trip on a loose shrub or snake. As expected, the eyes followed
us, hovering across the ground as if they were a hologram without
facial shape. Once we left the tall weeds, moving closer to the light
of the house, the coyotes stopped following and eventually turned
away. I calmly brought the rest of the kids inside after that, trying to
come to terms with a possibly horrible outcome. After a few minutes
96 • The Angle

of decompression, I told everyone what happened, surprising myself

that I wasn’t more scared than I was. I went to bed for the first time
without any nightlights on, having conquered my fear of the dark.
An interpretation of another point of view comes to mind; in her
memoir, Educated, Tara Westover struggles with accepting herself
because of a lack of a realized identity. Until she sought counsel in
the form of her Jewish history professor, Dr. Kerry, Tara had little faith
in her abilities. Dr. Kerry’s encouragement manifested to her during
reflection with the takeaway being to “First find out what you are
capable of, then decide who you are” (Westover, 2018, p. 230). This
statement strongly resonates with me, especially when I travel back
to that night with the coyotes. Realizing I could overcome my fear of
the dark and of danger for the sake of my loved ones made me feel
powerful. This victory proved how worthy I was to be the protector,
so this was who I was meant to be. I accepted that reality more than
ever.
Pay attention. This is a test. I lost count of how many times my
awareness would take over, where my relaxed thoughts would
instantly stop just so I get a head count on my siblings.
A rare family vacation took place when we traveled to Branson,
Missouri with other relatives to celebrate Independence Day. Walking
into the resort, the smell of chlorine undeniable, I had never seen a
swimming pool so grand. There were rows of tall windows that let
in natural sunlight. The crisp, white tile that bordered the blue-green
water had safety pads planted down to help keep people from slip-
ping. There were beach chairs lined up against the wall where people
read newspapers amongst the loud noises of chatter that echoed
throughout the room.
There were two sections to the large pool. A shallow end with
raised seating all along the edges took up a very small portion of the
facility. The remainder of the pool, around twelve feet deep, was sep-
arated by a line of bright orange buoys. All of us kids were supposed
to stay on the shallow end to be safe. That said, Alexander – the rule
breaker that he was – would inevitably sneak under the buoys when
nobody was watching. I patiently waited for my prediction to come
true. I didn’t have to wait long.
I watched Alexander intensely as he slowly dog-paddled his way
to the other side. I knew he wanted to prove to Dad that he could
swim all the way across without help. I also knew he couldn’t swim
 The Angle • 97

without panicking. Once Alexander got to the middle of the pool, sur-
rounded by the deep, swallowing water, he would become scared and
sink – of this, I had no doubt. I followed Alex into the deep end of the
pool, prepared to catch him if he fell.
I will never forget the fear I saw on his face when I pulled him
up towards me. Alexander had become so scared so suddenly that he
had no time to call out for help before water overtook him. He had
no idea I was there; I can’t imagine how scared he would have been
thinking his family was nowhere to help him. I carried Alex to the end
of the pool where he could catch his breath, following the edge all the
way back down to the shallow seating. We talked along the way and
he confirmed that mischievous look I read across his face the moment
we walked through the large double doors. He never went across the
pool again.
Over time, this mission I had been given to guard my family
evolved. When they became old enough to physically handle them-
selves, my role switched to look after their mental and emotional
well-being. I paid attention to word choice, subtle body language and
every facial expression to determine what I needed to do. I became the
internal family therapist, the reliable one that always had the answers.
But I took this evolution too far.
The devotion I gave to protect my family became so impulsive
that I would react without thinking about the ramifications to myself –
the only person I had been neglecting for over twenty years. I realized
that my life was so entangled with the survival of my family that I
didn’t care for a life of my own. My impulsive, unconscious decisions
directed my actions; I was removing my own ability to choose for
myself. I finally realized I felt sad.
An article written by Matt Duczeminski on Lifehack describes
emotional changes associated with someone not making themselves
a priority in the care department. The last of the six warning signs he
describes hit home the most as he wrote, “Neglecting the importance
of self care can lead to you truly forgetting who you are” (Ducze-
minski, 2016, para. 32). The burden of carrying so many people on
my back was overwhelming but being in denial about how difficult
the weight was to bare was the worst to admit to myself. If I couldn’t
succeed in the role I had been leading for so long, then who was I?
I wanted to permanently remove this imposter I constantly saw
in the mirror. She wasn’t needed anymore, I thought. If she was gone
98 • The Angle

then maybe I could be happy. For months, this internal battle repeat-
edly knocked me down until I came to the conclusion that it was
idiotic. This person I saw in the mirror, who directed my life for me
on protective instinct alone, allowed me to grow into who I was and I
loved it. I was a protector, a caregiver, a therapist, a sister, a daughter,
a friend. More importantly, I was me. I was real to begin with, not a
guard dog. I just needed to hold my own hand.

References

Duczeminski, M. (2016, July 14) 6 Signs You Haven’t Made Self-

Care Your Top Priority. Retrieved from https://www.lifehack.
org/427218/6-signs-you-havent-made-self-care-your-top-
priority.
Westover, T. (2018). Educated: A Memoir. New York, NY: Random
House.
 The Angle • 99

Love Letters
Kelsie Quaney

The eyes are like mirrors,

They watch but don’t see.
Many say they follow,
Observing the scene.

She watches the people

Like she did in life.
She loves to play pranks,
Being silly, causing strife.

Knocked over a vase,

The flowers lay out.
The poor maids face,
Was covered in doubt.

She giggled in wonder

As the door opened wide.
She loved the confusion
She saw in their eyes.
100 • The Angle

She startled the cook as

She grabbed a cookie.
She just wanted to test
Out the new rookie.

It’s never her intention,

The fright that she brings.
She just wants acknowledgement,
She wants to be seen.

She continues her scheme,

The game that she plays.
She shoves people over,
They know her name.
 The Angle • 101

Today in the USA: Live?

Hannah Kirby
Sanford Pomerantz
Peter Sandquist
Emma Staats

SETTING
A sound stage in the U.S.A. for a successful variety T.V. show.

TIME
Present day where school shootings are becoming more and more
common, lockdown drills are as natural as fire or tornado drills, and
no actions taken to prevent this epidemic have worked.

Prologue:
[black background]
Good afternoon everyone and welcome to a reading of Today in the
USA: live? You’re probably wondering what this show could possibly
be about, and while we were creating this show we asked ourselves
that same question more than once. But before I answer I’d like us all
to imagine a time so forgotten and unimaginable. A time when toilet
paper wasn’t a luxury, when we would roam around Walmart just for
fun, and before we all wanted to murder the people we live with. Yes,
I want to take you back to January 2020. It was then that we decided to
create a show about something meaningful and unique to us: school
102 • The Angle

shootings. It was a difficult process as we struggled approaching such

a sensitive and timely topic. But by spring break, it finally felt like we
wrote something we were proud of. Once we found out we could no
longer meet in-person or perform our show in Scotland, we wrestled
with whether it was the right decision to continue with our show as
if there wasn’t a worldwide pandemic. And although we understand
the historic moment we are living in, we decided to stick with our
original message and draw attention to a topic that is long-forgotten
by society. More than anything we want to send a message of hope
and realization. We want to make others feel how students feel every
day in this country. We want others to understand how much school
shootings have shaped the way we view the world. But the thing we
regret the most about this disruption is that we weren’t the ones who
were able to help create change. It took an entire worldwide pandemic
to stop school shootings. And although we are glad that this is the first
month of March since 2002 without any school shootings, we hope
our message isn’t blurred and still carries the same meaning that it
did when we first created it. There will come a time when students
and teachers all across the country return to school. And with that, we
hope it will mark the end of Generation Columbine.

ACT I

SCENE 1
Dramatic fun music plays over a dark stage as spotlights search
for HOST. The voice of ANNOUNCER booms over the music.

ANNOUNCER
Washburn Theatre Presents. A United States student production.
Today in the U.S.A.: Live? And now your host Peter!

HOST
Oh my gosh it’s great to be here tonight hosting Today in the
U.S.A.: live.
(Applause)
Thank you. I hope that you all are enjoying yourselves tonight.
(Applause)
Yeah? You sir! What did you do today?
 The Angle • 103

(Response from audience member)

That’s awesome. Oh, and you ma’am, how was your day?
(Response from audience member)
I’m glad you decided to spend your evening with us because
we’ve got a hell of a show for you tonight. Because tonight’s show is
about school shootings… Now I know what you’re thinking. Shit, I
thought this was going to be a fun show to relax and maybe fall asleep
to. Now you’re telling me that I’m going to sit through an hour of soul
wrenching sadness? Well. The writers of this show thought about that,
so we’re going to have an evening of fun filled entertainment, full of
jokes, satire, and humor. Now you’re thinking, “That scrawny child
man said that they’re going to have a show filled with jokes about
school shootings?!” Now before you leave here in a fit of rage, let me
clarify. This show doesn’t joke about school shootings. They’re a very
serious issue and we realize that, but we also realize that an hour of
sadness isn’t the answer either. So, this show is an hour using humor
and other means to talk about a very difficult subject in the U.S.A.
today. So, sit back, relax, and be sure to keep an open mind. Thank
you. We’ve got a great show for you tonight! Taylor is here! So, stick
around!

Play off music begins as the scene shifts.

SCENE 1.5
TEACHER and students in a classroom Teacher has an outline of the
day on the board and is going over the day:

Projection of whiteboard:
8:40-9:40: Math
9:40-10:40: Reading
10:40-10:45: Bathroom break
10:45-11:45: Social Studies
11:45-12:20: Lunch
12:20-12:55: Choir/Visual Arts
12:55-1:00: transfer classes
1:00-2:20: P.E. and sports---Study hall or Band
2:20-3:15: Mental Health Assembly
End of school day
104 • The Angle

TEACHER
Ok Students this is the plan for the day. I hope you’re ready to
learn and succeed for the day.

Announcement comes over the intercom:

ANNOUNCER
Good morning everyone. As you’re starting your day, I wanted
to inform you that today we will be having a few alterations to our
all-school schedule. Due to the on-going threat of school shootings,
we will be having a Lock down drill today so we will all be prepared if
that unfortunate event should happen to us. We decided to warn you
that it was on the schedule it today so that you will not be un-duly
alarmed by it. We’ll do that at 9:45 today.

TEACHER adjusts schedule, crossing off Reading.

TEACHER
Well, I guess we’ll just do math and reading in our first hour today.

Projection:
8:40-9:40: Math/Reading
9:40-10:40: Reading Lockdown Drill
10:40-10:45: Bathroom break
10:45-11:45: Social Studies
11:45-12:20: Lunch
12:20-12:55: Choir/Visual Arts
12:55-1:00: transfer classes
1:00-2:20: P.E. and sports---Study hall or Band
2:20-3:15: Pep Rally and Assembly
End of school day

ANNOUNCER
Sorry to interrupt again, principal Smith just notified me that
following the Lock-down drill we will be having a De-compression
talkback to discuss any fears you have from the entirely preventative
but totally necessary lockdown drill. That session will start at 10:45.
 The Angle • 105

TEACHER adjusts schedule, crossing off Social Studies:

Projection:
8:40-9:40: Math/Reading/Social Studies
9:40-10:40: Reading Lockdown Drill
10:40-10:45: Bathroom break
10:45-11:45: Social Studies: Lockdown Drill Decompression talk
11:45-12:20: Lunch
12:20-12:55: Choir/Visual Arts
12:55-1:00: transfer classes
1:00-2:20: P.E. and sports---Study hall or Band
2:20-3:15: Pep Rally and Assembly
End of school day

TEACHER
Well, I guess we’ll just do math and reading and social studies in
our first hour today. So, let’s take out your Math books and turn to….

ANNOUNCER
Sorry to interrupt again, but we just got a great opportunity for an
assembly this afternoon from our state senator who is making a cam-
paign stop in our town today and offered to give us a motivational
talk. We’ll be hearing from Senator Olwhitegy about the importance
of personal freedom and the value of education today at1:00pm. He
really likes our football team, so he promised to be done for our 2:20
pep rally!

TEACHER adjusts schedule, crossing off Health and Band

Projection
8:40-9:40: Math/Reading/Social Studies/Sex Ed
9:40-10:40: Reading Lockdown Drill
10:40-10:45: Bathroom break
10:45-11:45: Social Studies: Lockdown Drill Decompression talk
11:45-12:20: Lunch
12:20-12:55: Choir/Visual Arts
12:55-1:00: transfer classes
106 • The Angle

1:00-2:20: Health/Band/and other extraneous stuff Senator

OlWhitegy
2:20-3:15: Pep Rally and Assembly
End of school day

TEACHER
Well, I guess we won’t have time for our combined Health/Band
and study hall today, but maybe we can go over the sex education
lesson at the end of our first hour after Math, Reading and Social
Studies. Now let’s look at the first prob….

ANNOUNCER
I really do hate to interrupt your valuable learning, but we just
found out that there was an extra shipment of processed meat dropped
off today so we’re giving you an extra twenty minutes for lunch. We
don’t want those hot dogs to go to waste.

TEACHER adjusts the schedule again, crossing off Choir and Visual
Arts.

Projection: 8:40-9:40: Math/Reading/Social Studies/Sex Ed/

Choir/Visual Arts
9:40-10:40: Reading Lockdown Drill
10:40-10:45: Bathroom break
10:45-11:45: Social Studies: Lockdown Drill Decompression talk
11:45-12:20: Lunch
12:20-12:55: Choir/Visual Arts extra hot dogs?
12:55-1:00: transfer to/from classes
1:00-2:20: Health/Band/and other extraneous stuff Senator
OlWhitegy
2:20-3:15: Pep Rally and Assembly
End of school day

TEACHER
Well, we have a lot to do in this first hour, (teacher looks at the clock)
well, half hour, let’s get to it.

TEACHER looks back to students and sees a student with hand up.
 The Angle • 107

Yes, Pat? What is it?

STUDENT
Can I go to the bathroom?

TEACHER gives up…

A school bell rings as the lights go to Blackout

ANNOUNCER
Make sure that over this Thanksgiving break you keep school in
mind because you never stop learning.

Silence, then a long “shhhhhhh”

Lights up

SCENE 2
[1.2 dining room background]
A table is set for Thanksgiving dinner as RILEY and RORY (Sanford)
are waiting for MOMMA to finish cooking. A knock is heard at the door.

MOMMA
Come in!

Sam enters dramatically. He is dressed in an American flag shirt and a

red hat.

MOMMA
Oh Sam. It’s so good to see you. I’m just finishing up the mashed
potatoes if you want to sit down.

SAM
Oh don’t mind if I do. Hey kiddos. How’s it hanging?

RILEY
(Painfully) Hi Uncle Sam
108 • The Angle

SAM
So, how’s college?

RILEY
Fine.

SAM
Ya got a boyfriend yet?

RILEY
No, not right now.

SAM
That’s a shame. You’re such a well-endowed young woman. Any
man would be lucky to have ya.

RILEY
Thanks.

Awkward silence.

MOMMA
Alrighty dears. Dinner’s ready!

SAM
Good. Good. I could eat a whole whale!

Awkward laughing commences from everyone except RORY.

MOMMA
Alright everyone. Join hands and say grace. Dear lord baby Jesus,
we would like to thank you for this food we are about to eat because
we all know that you died on the cross, nails in hands, nails in feet,
nails in places where nails shouldn’t be, so that we may eat this dinner.
Let us pray that we will have a nice, peaceful Thanksgiving for once.
And no political discussions or discourse whatsoever. Save that shit
for Christmas. In your name we pray, Amen.

Awkward silence was everyone except RILEY gets food.

 The Angle • 109

MOMMA
(To RILEY) Sweety, aren’t you going to eat anything?

RILEY
No, mom. Sorry I’m on a new diet. You know vegan, gluten free,
keto, low carb, no cals, so you know. Just can’t eat any of this.

MOMMA
I wish you would have told me. I would’ve gotten you something
special. Is there anything you can eat?

RILEY
Water and lettuce.

MOMMA
I’ve got romaine in the fridge.

RILEY
No thanks. I don’t want to die.

MOMMA
Oh. Ok.

Awkward silence.

MOMMA
So, Sam, what have you been up to?

SAM
Oh, you know, stuff. I actually got a new weapon. It’s the savage
model.

Riley sighs and rolls her eyes.

MOMMA
(With a nervous faux excitement) Oh, that’s nice.

SAM
Let me show you a picture. I’ve got it here on my new blackberry.
110 • The Angle

MOMMA
Oh, you don’t have to…

SAM
No no really, I’d be happy to. (SAM whips out his phone.) Here she
is. Isn’t she a beaut’?

MOMMA
Oh, that’s nice. Do you need one so big?

SAM
Yeah. This is the meat and potatoes of the American society. You
never know who could try and mess with you.

RILEY rolls her eyes and gives an even bigger sigh. SAM shoots her a
glare.

MOMMA
Ok, but could we please put our phones away for the rest of
dinner?

SAM
Fine.

Awkward silence ensues again.

SAM
Hey Riley, since you’re not eating and everything. Could you pass
me the mashed potatoes?

RILEY
You know what, Uncle Sam. I don’t think I will.

SAM
Oh. Ok. So now you wanna restrict my right to mashed potatoes
too, huh?

RILEY
Well, the next thing you’ll want is instant mashed potatoes and
 The Angle • 111

suddenly you’re asking for gravy. And not just one gravy, you’ll want
brown and white gravy.

SAM
Well…

MOMMA
Alrighty then. How about we all just take a breath. In. Out. No
let’s just try to have a nice Thanksgiving dinner.

SAM
Well, I don’t get why just because you don’t want mashed pota-
toes, I can’t have them either. I get why Rory can’t have them. She’s
a . . .

RILEY
Don’t you dare bring Rory into this. Just because “you name it,
she has it’’ doesn’t mean that you need to insult her.

SAM
I’m not insulting, I’m just saying that there are all kinds of pota-
toes. Mashed potatoes, fried potatoes, boiled potatoes, baked toma-
toes, but it’s not the potatoes that do it. It’s the forks. And there are
some pretty rusty forks.

RILEY
So don’t let the forks have mashed potatoes, it’s that simple.

SAM
Then the rusty forks will just get knives

RILEY
But knives will result in less broken forks. So, if there’s even a hope
of reducing the number of broken forks, isn’t that worth pursuing.

SAM
You’re missing the point! Mashed potatoes are a God given right.
Our forefathers ate potatoes raw and they enjoyed it, by golly. Just
imagine, good old George Washington riding horseback, buck naked,
112 • The Angle

biting into a raw potato. Now tell me. Can you think of anything more
American?

MOMMA
Sam!

SAM
Sorry momma.

RILEY
You’ll address them as parent. A gender neutral term.

MOMMA
But honey, that’s my name.

RILEY
No no, it’s ok parent, they need to learn.

SAM
Come to think of it. They had mashed potatoes at the first Thanks-
giving.

RILEY
How do you know that? It’s not like they had cameras.

SAM
They wrote it down. They passed it down from generation to
generation. Your grandma Sandy Cheeks, God rest her soul, she was
right there at the first Thanksgiving. She was riding sidesaddle with
George Dubs when they met with the Indians for a peaceful dinner
and treaty signing party.

RILEY
Uncle Sam. That’s not when or how the first Thanksgiving hap-
pened.

SAM
Oh, so now that you’re going to a liberal arts college, you think
you’re smarter than me?
 The Angle • 113

MOMMA
Sam, Sam! Riley! Can we just finish our dinner in peace? We
haven’t even got to the pumpkin pie.

The longest silence ever perpetrated on the Scottish stage.

SAM
Could you please pass me the sweet potatoes?

RILEY
Mmmmmm sorry Uncle Sam.

SAM
God damn it! That’s all I can take. I just wanted to eat some moth-
erfucking mashed potatoes and what do I get? Criticized by my own
niece no less!

RILEY
If you don’t like sacrificing your own wants for the greater good,
then maybe you should just leave!

SAM
Maybe I will!

RILEY
Good!

SAM
Good!

SAM and RILEY storm off in opposite directions.

MOMMA
Oh Rory. Every year. Why couldn’t we have a nice Thanksgiving?
Just once? For one year I’d like to see them work together and com-
promise. Maybe decide that it would be best to eat mashed potatoes
when it’s the time and place to eat mashed potatoes. Wouldn’t that be
nice?
114 • The Angle

A few more seconds of eating.

MOMMA
Rory honey, could you pass me the mashed potatoes.

Blackout.

School Bell Sounds

ANNOUNCER
Welcome back from Thanksgiving break. We hope that you had a
lovely time with your relatives. As for right now, first hour has begun.

Through the silence the urgent buzzing of a cell phone is heard.

Lights Up

SCENE 3
[1.3 Classroom background]
A classroom is seen with all the students talking amongst themselves.
The TEACHER walks in.

TEACHER
Welcome class. I hope you all had a good weekend.

STUDENTS
Thank you.

TEACHER
Thank you. Now I know there’s been some talk about the new
policy to arm teachers, and I’m here to calm any fears that you have
about it. And I’m sure that this new policy won’t change anything
about this classroom except your safety.

TEACHER places their gun on the table for everyone to see.

 The Angle • 115

TEACHER
Now let’s begin. Last time we were covering everything from
Machiavelli’s The Prince and today we’re going to be talking about
his view of fear. Would anyone like to read the quote I picked out for
today?

Silence. The students are all staring at the gun.

TEACHER
Anyone? Anyone at all? No one? Really. How about you come up
here and read it for the class?

FRIGHTENED STUDENT
(Glancing at the gun) It is much safer to be . . .

TEACHER
It’s ok. Don’t be shy.

STUDENT #1
“It is much safer to be feared than loved because love is preserved
by the link of obligation which, owing to the baseness of men, is broken
at every opportunity for their advantage; but fear preserves you by a
dread of punishment which never fails.” - Niccolo Machiaveli.

TEACHER
Good. Now tell me, what did he mean by that?

Silence.

STUDENT #2
Was he trying to say that love is weak?

TEACHER
No, not even close. Anyone else?

TEACHER begins to play with the gun.

116 • The Angle

TEACHER
Come on guys. You know this. He’s trying to say that fear is more
effective means of rule than love. Now why does he say this? Anyone?
It’s because people break the ties of love for their advantage, but it
seems they don’t break the cage of fear. Did anyone get that? No?
What’s wrong with you guys today? You guys are so quiet. Tell me,
what does Machiavelli want us to take away from this quote?

STUDENT #2
(A fearful silence. Then.)
I don’t know.

TEACHER
You don’t know.

Did no one read the chapter?

STUDENT #3 (Hannah)
We read the chapter we just . . .

TEACHER
Wait out back for me. Now.

STUDENT #3 walks out of the classroom.

Blackout as the School Bell is heard

ANNOUNCER
Attention. The institution has decreed that new measures be put
in place for the safety of the staff and students.
Silence: sounds of breathing starting slow and growing quicker are
heard.
Lights Up
 The Angle • 117

SCENE 4
[1.4 security line]
Barbed wire is spread everywhere and a table with an AGENT stands
before the school.

HOST
In a dystopian future where school shootings were once rampant.
Meaningless laws protect the lives of the poor victims of the American
public school system.

MOMMY and KELLY approach the AGENT.

MOMMY
Are you excited for your first day of school, honey?

KELLY
I’m so excited! I want to play dress up and show and tell.

MOMMY
That’s nice sweety.

AGENT
That’s far enough.

MOMMY
Now wait just a minute. What is all this?

AGENT
Mandatory inspection.

MOMMY
Inspection? For what?

AGENT
Guns, drugs, and other dangerous materials.

MOMMY
Why would any of those things be in a kindergartener’s back-
pack? And who are you anyway?
118 • The Angle

AGENT
I’m the CPA agent assigned to your school.

MOMMY
What’s the CPA?

AGENT
The Child Protection Agency. I’m surprised you haven’t heard of
us. We’re a lot like the NSA or CIA and all the things they do to keep
you safe.

MOMMY
I’ve never heard of you, so we’ll just be on our way.

AGENT bolsters his firearm.

AGENT
Ma’am I don’t want to use this, but I will if I have to, so I’ll just
check that for you. Ah. Just as I suspected. What is this?

AGENT pulls out a pencil.

MOMMY
Uhh. That’s a pencil.

AGENT
Ma’am this could be used as a projectile weapon. It could poke
someone’s eye out.

MOMMY
But it was on the teacher’s list of materials.

AGENT
Sorry, but you’ll just have to do without.

MOMMY
Whatever. Now can we go?
 The Angle • 119

AGENT
Not so fast. What is this? An IUD?

AGENT pulls out a calculator.

MOMMY
Don’t you mean an IED?

AGENT
Yeah. I’m not stupid. It’s an Explosive device. This will have to be
confiscated as well. Oh, and this? What is this strange device?

AGENT pulls out a tampon.

MOMMY
Ope.

KELLY
You never know when you’re going to start. Am I right ladies?

AGENT
Right . . . And your shoes. Could you please take those off as well?

KELLY
They light up see. Boop, boop, boop.

MOMMY
This is ridiculous. Is this entirely necessary?

AGENT
Ma’am the more you cooperate the easier this will be. Oh, and the
bunny too. We’ll have to take that.

KELLY
Mr. (Sniffles.) Bigglesworth? NOOOOOOO!

MOMMY
What is the problem with a stuffed bunny?
120 • The Angle

AGENT
There could be drugs in there.

MOMMY
What?!

AGENT
Adults aren’t the only ones getting into that these days

AGENT removes Mr. Bigglesworth from KELLY with much difficulty.

AGENT
Please proceed along the path past the barbed wire and guard
dogs. Your cavity search will be in the tent

KELLY
(Extremely upset.) I didn’t know that we were going to the dentist.
Worst day ever!

Blackout as the School bell rings.

ANNOUNCER
Dr. Goodman will now give his presentation on dangerous envi-
ronments and their inhabitants.

Silence, then the sound of heavy footsteps are heard.

Lights up

SCENE 6
[1.6 podium]
A podium adorns the stage as DR. GOODMAN addresses the
audience directly.

GOODMAN
Sorry I’m late. I had to beat an old lady with a stick to get here.
(Laughs.) I’m Dr. Goodman. As one of you already knows because this
morning I found a “send noodles” sticker on my door. I’m warning
 The Angle • 121

whoever did this that something less pleasant will be coming your
way. I’m looking at you. Now. On to today’s lecture. Cuttlefish. The
shapeshifting monsters of the sea. On the surface they are an enigma.
A strange looking creature that looks like no other and is obvious
to anyone that sees them that it is in fact a cuttlefish. At least that’s
what we think. Are you on your phone right now? Really? I’m up
here pouring my heart out and you’re just sitting there checking your
messages? I want it away now. And don’t get it out again. Where
was I? Oh yes. In fact, cuttlefish can change their appearance to look
like anything they choose. They can blend into their environments
with relative ease, and if a cuttlefish were of human shape and size
they could look like you or even you. And this is the way it seems
to other fish. One minute they’re staring at a totally normal rock and
wham! All they see is a flash and in an instant, they meet their maker.

A quick Blackout followed by School Bell ringing

ANNOUNCER
This concludes our school day. Be sure to enjoy yourselves with
your free time.

Silence, then the sound of a hand jiggling a door handle.

Lights Up

SCENE 7
[1.7 playground background]
A place in the school with no other people around. STUDENT #1
and STUDENT #2 enter.

STUDENT #1
Oh my gosh. Have you seen the new TikTok dance challenge?

STUDENT #2
We have to try it!

STUDENT #1
Let’s do it!
122 • The Angle

A catchy bassline plays as the two dance the new challenge. The chal-
lenge entails finger guns and running away from the other, while making a
fun little dance out of it.

SCENE 8
[1.8 classroom]
Lights shift to a commercial break

HOST
And now a message from our sponsors

The scene moves to a full classroom of students. Everyone is reading 101

Ways to Survive a School Shooting. NEW STUDENT walks in without the
book. Everyone glares at her. Teacher gasps in shock and tackles her to protect
her.

NEW STUDENT
What the heck?

TEACHER
Shhh it’s okay. Don’t worry you’re safe with me under my book.

Scene moves to the lunchroom. (scene change to lunchroom) NEW

STUDENT sits at a table and everyone leaves as soon as she sits. SPOKES-
PERSON enters.

NEW STUDENT
Oh, what could possibly be wrong with me? Am I too boring? Are
my clothes outdated? Do I have something in my teeth?

SPOKESPERSON
No, what you need is this.
SPOKESPERSON whips out 101 Ways.

NEW STUDENT
(stares in amazement) What’s that?
 The Angle • 123

SPOKESPERSON
This is 101 Ways to Survive a School Shooting. Your ticket to pop-
ularity and survival in high school.

NEW STUDENT
How do I get it?

SPOKESPERSON
How do you get it? Well, I thought you’d never ask.

Scene moves to a classroom of students (scene change to classroom-Ker-

mit in background)

SPOKESPERSON
101 Ways to Survive a School Shooting is the perfect back-to-school
guide for today’s dangerous public-school environment. This book
provides you with perfect solutions to an imperfect world. Today,
we’re give you a sneak peek into our exclusive life-saving tips and
tricks. Let’s jump right into tip number 1: play dead.

STUDENTS drop to the floor. SHOOTER kicks one student in the leg
and waits for any movement

SHOOTER
Nope, this one’s dead. Let’s go.

SPOKESPERSON
Tip #2: Be nice to the weird kid. You know who I’m talking about.

STUDENT #1
(to WEIRD KID) You’re weird.

STUDENT #2
Hey, hey. It’s okay you’re weird.

WEIRD KID
Hisssssssssss
124 • The Angle

SPOKESPERSON
Tip #3: Tell a knock-knock joke to diffuse the tension. Don’t be
afraid to get creative.

SHOOTER
Knock knock.

STUDENT
Who’s there?

SHOOTER
Bang, bang.

STUDENT
Bang bang who?

SPOKESPERSON
Tip #4: Use the weak as a human shield.

STUDENTS encouraging a line leader as they take cover behind them

It’s okay you can do it. Lead the way. Take us to the light.

SPOKESPERSON
Tip #5: Bring your own gun. Because if everyone is a school
shooter, no one is.

STUDENTS mimic the cocking of a gun

SPOKESPERSON
Order now and you’ll be ready for fall 2020. For just two payments
of 19.99 each you can get these bonus gifts as a sign of our best wishes.
A bulletproof backpack. A Kevlar vest. Noise-cancelling headphones.
And a rosary. Don’t miss out on this exclusive offer!

NEW STUDENT
Thanks to 101 Ways to Survive a School Shooting, I’m cool and
safe in an active shooter drill. Hopefully.
 The Angle • 125

AN OFFSTAGE VOICE reads the following warning as quick as

humanly possible

*Appropriate for ages 5-18 (Julie)

*Be aware: due to inactivity of politicians this book has been
approved by Congress in place of real protection of students or gun
control. 101 Ways to Survive a School Shooting is not a guaranteed
method of protection against an active shooter. 101 Ways to Survive a
School Shooting cannot be held responsible for any accident, injury, or
death while using the book. Warning: this material may cause serious
trauma or PTSD for the reader. Suggestions in the book might result
in harm to self or others; please use responsibly. Published in part by
the National Rifle Association.

Blackout.
End of Act I

ACT II

SCENE 1
[2.1 child bedroom]
The scene shifts a child’s bedroom with paintings and toys scattered
around. DAD and CHILD are sitting on a bed watching the late-night T.V.
show.

HOST
Hey, thanks for sticking around with us tonight. We’ve still got
some great acts coming up so don’t go anywhere. But before we get on
with the show tune in tomorrow for special guests Emma Gonzalez
and David Hogg, two high school students turned activists-

DAD turns off TV

DAD
Alright honey, it’s late enough. Time to go to bed.
126 • The Angle

CHILD
Oh, come on, Dad. Can’t I watch a little more? I promise I won’t
tell Mom.

DAD
Hm... that is an interesting offer, but I think I’ll have to say no.

CHILD
Can I stay up late tomorrow night to watch?

DAD
Sure. Tomorrow night. But right now, it’s time for bed.

CHILD
Can you tell me a story first?

DAD
Ok. Just one. Then it’s beddy bye!

CHILD
Ok!

DAD
Which story do you want?

CHILD
A new one!

DAD
Ok this one is called The Soldier and Old Woman. Once upon a
time there was a soldier and an Old Woman. The soldier was the most
courageous woman ever. She was young, proud, and strong. Every
little girl in the village wanted to be her. One day Death came to the
village and rounded up all the people who he decreed to die. Among
them were the soldier and the Old Woman. Death went down the
line of people and asked every one of them, “Are you ready to die?”.
He asked each one and each one pleaded for more time in their life.
Finally, two were left. The soldier and the Old woman. Death asked
the soldier, “Are you ready to die?”. And she said, “I am ready to die”,
 The Angle • 127

but her voice shook and her hands trembled, and finally she fell to her
knees in fear of Death. All her courage hadn’t prepared her to face
death, not yet. Then Death asked the Old woman, “Are you ready to
die?” She raised her withered head to Death to look him in the eyes
and said, “I am ready to die.” Death nodded at her with respect and
took her. Even though the soldier had spent her whole life preparing
for death, she was still scared to die. The Old Woman had spent her
whole life preparing for death and was wise enough to accept him
with open arms. She was more courageous than anyone, even the
soldier, because she accepted the unknown. She accepted what she
could not control.

CHILD
Wow.

DAD gives CHILD a goodnight kiss and tucks them into bed. He turns
out the light and just as he’s about to leave.

CHILD
Hey Dad. I think I’m ready to die.

DAD turns around and sits on CHILD’s bed.

DAD
Why do you say that?

CHILD
I think I’m like the Old Woman because I’m ready to die.

DAD
Sweetie, you don’t have to think about that for a long time.

CHILD
Yes, I do.

DAD
Why’s that?
128 • The Angle

CHILD
Because of all the drills we do at school. The lockdown drills?
They tell us we only do them to be ready for something that won’t
happen, but I don’t believe them.

DAD
Why don’t you believe them?

CHILD
Well. Because. Why would we do them if there’s not something
scary that could happen. But don’t worry Dad. I’m ready to meet
Death. I’ll stand up to him like the Old Woman and say, “I am ready
to die.” And he’ll take me forever.

DAD gives CHILD another kiss and starts to walk out. DAD takes one
last look at his child and walks out.
The stage is dark. Noises are heard behind the audience: footsteps, click-
ing. CHILD hears them too and wakes up, scared.

Blackout.

SCENE 3
[2.3. black background]
SOMEONE is alone. They open their eyes wide and gasp, then a pair of
hands cover SOMEONE’S eyes. Stillness.

Blackout

School Bell Rings

ANNOUNCER
Welcome back students. Be sure to see the cast list for the school
play and remember to think about staying safe at school because
we’ve had two injuries in the hall so far this year and we’d hate to
have any more.

Silence followed by the sound of feet running faster and faster.

 The Angle • 129

SCENE 4
[2.4 lunchroom]
A lunchroom can be seen with a focal table where the popular students sit.
There is the normal conversation taking place with everyone except WEIRD
KID. The rest eagerly wait for ALEX as he enters. ALEX is bombarded by a
series of fond greetings as he approaches.

STUDENT #1
Hey Alex, come on over.

ALEX
Guys, did you see the new cast list? It’s honestly crazy that Kary
even got cast after how bad she did in the last show.

There is agreement among the popular kids.

CHILD
You’re so right Alex. Wanna sit down?

They see that there are no seats left and all eyes land on WEIRD KID.

STUDENT #1
(To WEIRD KID.) Hey, uhhh, could you move, so Alex can sit
down?

WEIRD KID leaves sheepishly and glances back with a flash of resent.

CHILD
So, Alex, I saw you got the lead. That’s so cool.

STUDENT #1
Yeah, that’s awesome; I’m not even surprised.

ALEX
I know guys. If you get all A’s and practice hard enough, maybe
one day you could get the lead like me.

CHILD
I wish! See you at rehearsal?
130 • The Angle

ALEX
My dad’s picking me up for an appointment actually. I’ll see you
guys in school tomorrow.

The scene shifts to ALEX slipping into a dark room and opening the top
drawer of a dresser. ALEX pulls out a gun and stares at it.
Silence. Then blackout.

A School bell rings

ANNOUNCER
Make sure to check out the club sign-ups outside the school coun-
selor’s office. Another day at school, another day to make a difference!

Silence.... then Sound of Door handle and a door opening.

Lights up

SCENE 5
[2.5 house]
DAD and CHILD are seen saying goodbye.

DAD
Ok honey. You have everything?

CHILD
Yeah Dad. I never forget anything.

DAD
Good. I’ll see you after school, ok?

CHILD
Ok Dad.

CHILD runs off to the bus.

DAD
Wait! You forgot your goodbye kiss!
 The Angle • 131

CHILD unwilling to give up their goodbye kiss runs back. They embrace
and DAD kisses CHILD on the forehead. DAD holds back tears.

CHILD
I love you Dad. Forever.

DAD
I love you too. Forever.

CHILD runs off to the bus.

Blackout.

Spotlight on Dad

DAD is left standing in the dark staring after his CHILD.

DAD breaks down.
Blackout.

Silence.

SCENE5.5
[2.5.5 newsroom]
A family watches their T.V. in the evening.
*News Report Footage*Play scene
As the footage continues, they react at first in shock, but then they slowly
start to become bored with the coverage.

Blackout.

SCENE 6
[dark video off]
Static is heard over the intercom. DAD is still laying on the ground.
He painfully wakes up. He begins his morning routine: brushing his hair,
brushing his teeth, and washing his face. As he finishes washing up, he looks
at his face in the mirror. He attempts to smile. A ringing is heard in his ears.
He gains control of himself again and the static and ringing stops. He then
packs his things for work. As he is packing, he sees the CHILD’S drawing. He
then packs the drawing and leaves his room.
132 • The Angle

SCENE 7
[black background]
The show is over. The actors take down the set and pack up.

PETER
Hey Hannah, what’s wrong?

HANNAH
Hey Peter, I don’t know. I just feel like what we’re doing is kinda
fucked up.
This feels all wrong. How can we possibly tell a story that we
haven’t personally experienced? Isn’t this insensitive?

PETER
What do you mean?

HANNAH
It just feels like we’re telling a story that isn’t ours to tell. None of
us are survivors of a school shooting so why do we get to tell stories
about their experiences?

PETER
A lot of people tell stories to cope with their emotions. I know I
do all the time.

HANNAH
Really?

PETER
Yeah. Did I ever tell you about my friend Rowan?

HANNAH
No.

PETER
Rowan and I were the best buds. I mean we were really close.
We both went to a little town in Kansas called Ottawa to take violin
lessons and we did everything together. Even though we were from
two different cities, we found any excuse to hang out. When we were
 The Angle • 133

in group class, we would always talk, and our teacher had to tell us
to save it for later. But we knew that we wouldn’t see each other until
the next week we had class, so we talked. We would play video games
together when we weren’t in Ottawa, so we always found a way to
hang out together. But

PETER (Continued)
after a while we grew farther and farther apart. And then after a
couple years of not talking I was told that Rowan had died. He was
shot in the street and left for dead.

HANNAH
Oh my gosh. I didn’t know. I’m sorry.

PETER
It’s ok. It’s just hard to talk about, so instead I like to tell stories
about our time together.

HANNAH
But did this even help? We are trying to create change about an
issue that hasn’t even affected us.

PETER
But it has affected us. We wanted to create change because we
all have experience with this issue, even if it’s not first-hand. Even
though we haven’t lived through a school shooting, we’ve all been
impacted somehow.

EMMA
We all have stories. We just don’t talk about them.

HANNAH
Why don’t we?

The cast begins to tell their stories about how school shootings have
affected them. (TURN VIDEO ON—all)
134 • The Angle

EMMA
One day during the fall of my senior year of high school, a fellow
student anonymously wrote on social media that they “couldn’t wait
to see the blood on the walls of EHS” that afternoon. The entire school
immediately went into lockdown for the next few hours while the
campus was investigated for threats. I still remember the fear in my
best friend’s eyes and the texts my classmates sent to their parents:
“I’m okay. I love you.” The threat was found not to be credible
but numerous students skipped school during the following days
anyways. Police officers escorted us to our cars that afternoon and
kept a presence at the school for the next couple weeks. To this day
I sit in my college classes and consciously decide what my course of
action will be if a shooter walked through the classroom door.

SANFORD
My experience from the other cast members is quite different. In
my elementary school days, the fear of death was associated with the
take-cover drills with the fear of world war III with a nuclear attack
from the Soviet Union. I also grew up in Detroit, Michigan which was
at times noted as being the murder capital of the USA. We were not
allowed to have guns in our home when growing up in Detroit!
It had to do with my father’s history. Now I realize why my
parents took away and returned a toy gun that I bought that had real-
istic plastic bullets. At the age of 78 I fully understand why. Let me
explain. My father grew up in a rough neighborhood of Detroit. He
got hold of his father’s gun and he was to fight another boy and if he
lost the fight, he planned to shoot him. Luckily, he won the fight but
did get in trouble when my grandmother and grandfather saw holes
in the ceiling of the house when my father first got hold of the gun
and it discharged. But this is only the beginning of the story. When
my father was in his teens, he took a trip to Chicago and it is here
that the story of why no guns in our house when growing up started.
I won’t go into details, but my father got shot in the chest in Chicago
and nearly died. He was of course hospitalized in Chicago and my
grandmother had to take him back to Detroit my train. Growing up
he would show us the bullet hole scar and made it clear that no guns
were allowed in the house!
 The Angle • 135

JULIE
I was teaching in an elementary school when Columbine hap-
pened. I don’t think it occurred to me that this would be something
that would happen again and again in this country. It was a tragedy,
but not something that would affect me…it would be fixed, right? I
don’t remember being terribly affected in the next few years as I went
to grad school, but shootings continued, and they moved onto college
campuses targeting professors and students, and whoever they found
to target. I have a vivid memory of dreaming that a student entered
my office with a gun, and I was desperately trying to escape when
I woke up. That has stayed with me. That fear. I don’t look at stu-
dents as possible ‘shooters’; I don’t even remember the face or if there
was a personality behind the shooter in my dream, but I remember
the panicked feeling I woke up with. I can’t imagine what students
and teachers who have actually lived through a shooting feel ----but
I admire them for stepping back into a school or learning how to get
up and go again.

HANNAH
One of the most defining moments in my childhood was a normal
Friday afternoon in my homeroom class in middle school. I remember
I was wearing my signature ponytail with a blue feather in my hair,
purple converse, and a jean jacket. It was cold because it was Decem-
ber and I remember it was a cloudy day. As soon as class started our
teacher turned on the small T.V. in the classroom. Breaking news:
school shooting at an elementary school in Connecticut. A bunch of
kids were dead and teachers were dead and even the shooter was
dead. the band teacher started sobbing and had to turn the T.V. off.
The rest of our class time was spent in silence. I don’t remember what
I was thinking but I do remember that was the day, when I was 12
years old, that I began preparing myself to die at school.

PETER
It’s true, the people in front of you have not survived a school
shooting. But along with other students and educators across the
country we live with the tangible fear of it every day. We are the
generation who has seen the highest number of school shootings in
human history and hopefully someday, we will be the generation that
sees the end of them.
136 • The Angle

Everyone joins in.

ALL
We are Generation Columbine.

Blackout.

*Additional writing contributions from Hartley Goodwin, Taylor Molt, Julie

Noonan, Shelby Ranck, Connor Reynolds, and Angela Woods
 The Angle • 137

Contributors

Haley Carlin is from Iola, Kansas and she is at Washburn perusing

a degree in Marketing and a Minor in Jazz Studies. In addition to
academics, she is on the worship team for Christian Challenge,
plays upright bass in one of the jazz bands, and is a member of Zeta
Tau Alpha. Haley is working towards a Marketing degree with the
intention of working in promotion marketing for a performance/
concert venue, hopefully in Nashville, Tennessee. Music has always
been a major part of her life and she would love to stay around music
in her future career.

Shelly Davenport is currently finishing her first year of Washburn’s

Clinical Psychology Graduate Program. She graduated magna cum
laude from Washburn University in 2020 with a psychology major
and criminal justice minor, with Psychology Department Honors,
and as a member of PSI CHI. Shelly has found her true passion in
psychology with a clinical focus, knowing that while she may not
change the world, she is determined to try through helping the people
who live in it.

Tammi Drapeau is a senior earning a Bachelor of Integrated Studies

degree with an emphasis in Neurolinguistics and Psycholinguistics
and a minor in Criminal Justice. She enjoys reading, knitting, and
spending time with her family.

Malick Fall is currently a senior at Washburn University majoring

in criminal justice and minoring in communications. He is originally
from New Jersey and also a football player here at Washburn. In the
future, Malick would like to provide for his family and help people
in need.

Sammi Ford is a senior at Washburn University, with intentions to

graduate in Dec. 2020. She is majoring in Psychology and minoring
in Sociology. She is a member of Psi Chi, Mortar Board Honor Society,
and the Washburn Honors Program.

Hannah Kirby is a senior Communications major from Lansing, KS.

Hannah is also minoring in Theatre and Mass Media. Hannah has
acted in several productions at Washburn University with roles such
138 • The Angle

as Frog in A Year with Frog and Toad and Bambi Bernet in Curtains
among others. She can’t wait to enjoy live theatre safely once again.

Sean Lavin is a graduate from Washburn Tech working towards his

Bachelors in Technology Administration.

Claire Leffingwell graduated from Washburn University in May of

2020 with a B.S. in Psychology and a Minor in Leadership Studies.
Currently, she is pursuing a graduate degree in Educational
Leadership Studies: College Student Development from Oklahoma
State University. She works as a graduate assistant in Student
Retention Services within the College of Engineering, Architecture,
and Technology. Claire is highly interested in leadership, gender
equity, social justice, and mental health awareness, and uses her time
and talents to work with students to help them achieve their fullest
potential.

On November 28, 2012, Max Macheca was T-boned by a semi-truck

on his way to college. The collision pushed him into oncoming traffic
where he was also hit by a car. Max experienced three near-deaths from
that incident. Since then, he’s been improving his life in all aspects
and exercised to a level far past his old strength and endurance. He
also changed his major to become a physical therapy assistant, so he’ll
be able to heal, teach and inspire others in his future career.

Ethan Nelson is a lifelong resident of Topeka, Kansas. He is majoring

in English and psychology. A sophomore at Washburn, he enjoys
reading, writing fiction, and promoting mental health awareness.

Taylor Nickel is an undergraduate student seeking a B.S. degree in

forensic anthropology with a minor in biology. Her recent studies
span the fields of biology, history, and anthropology. She has authored
research papers for The Transactions of the Kansas Academy of
Science and The Kansas Anthropologist.

Christina Noland is an award-winning digital design specialist with

over four years of experience with the Adobe Suite. Christina accepts
projects from a diverse clientele because she believes learning new
things and helping others succeed is crucial to achieving her goals.
 The Angle • 139

Glorianna Noland is an award-winning visual communications

designer with certified skills and a hunger to learn more. She possesses
4+ years of design experience in both printed media and promotional
design.

Sanford Pomerantz is a senior audit student who has taken a host of

classes at Washburn University through the Over 60 audit Program.
Dr. Pomerantz is a practicing Psychiatry Specialist in Topeka, KS. He
has participated in courses in Theatre, Art, History, Language and
many more though Washburn University.

Kelsie Quaney is currently a Sophomore Psychology Major with a

Minor in English. She recently took a poetry writing course and found
something new to love in writing. The poem she sent in was one of
several that she wrote during the course of that class.

Peter Sandquist is a student at Washburn and an aspiring writer.

When this opportunity came about, Peter was eager to start. While
at Washburn he has had opportunities to participate both on and off
stage.

Taton Smith is a Senior Forensic Anthropology major with minors

in Leadership Studies and Biology. She has been an active member
of the Washburn Leadership Institute for three years and will serve
Leadership Challenge Event (TM) next year.

Emma Staats is a first-year student at Washburn University School

of Law in Topeka, KS. She graduated from Washburn University in
May 2020 with a Bachelors of Liberal Arts in Integrated Studies and
minors in Leadership Studies and Theatre. The arts have always been
an important part of Emma’s life. She finds she is the healthiest and
happiest when she has a creative outlet and gets to witness other
people’s creative expressions.

Hanna Strader grew up in a small town and lived in the same house
until after she moved to college. She is a junior legal studies major
hoping to go on into social work in the future. Hanna worked for the
past two years as a desk assistant at Lincoln Hall on campus and met
tons of close friends that way. Her favorite pastimes include playing
video games and accidentally taking too long naps.
140 • The Angle

Chloe Taylor is a transfer student here at Washburn. This is her first

year here. She was born and raised in Lawrence and has played
sports her whole life. Chloe is the youngest of four siblings and has
a dachshund-mutt named Bruno. This essay was an assignment of a
reflection on her experience with the natural environment during the
pandemic.