VOL. 73, NO. 10 || FRIDAY, FEB. 28, 2025 FLYER NEWS The University of Dayton’s Student-Run Newspaper Since 1956 NEWS: Professor Tells All: UD’s Budget Cuts. Page 2-3 No Survivors Left in Wake of Midair Collision. Page 4 UD Professor Discusses Possibility of American Oligarchy. Page 5 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT: 2025 Grammy Awards Fulfill Flyer Wishes (Mostly). Page 6 My Hometown Community Helped Me Find My Dog. Page 7 Captain America: Brave New World Review. Pages 8-9 Kendrick Lamar’s Messages During the Super Bowl Halftime Show. Page. 10. OPINIONS: UD Students’ Opinions on Valentine’s Day. Page 11 The Valentine’s Day “Hype” From Someone Who Finally Has a Valentine. Page 12. SPORTS: Uh...Where’s Sports?. Page 13 Photo Gallery. Page 14-15 Redacted Document Regarding UD’s Budget Cuts (Top) and Unredcated Document (Bottom), Courtesy of Anonymous Professor @flyernews @udflyernews @flyernews @flyernews Budget Cuts Budget Cuts Anonymous Professor Anonymous Professor Unredacted Document Unredacted Document Curriculum Changes Curriculum Changes 2 FLYER NEWS || FRIDAY, FEB. 28 NEWS Professor Tells All: UD’s Budget Cuts, Effects, and Faculty’s Fears Kerry Kadel Editor-in-Chief October 25, 2024 PROF: Most of my colleagues were worried about talking to the school paper, because they’re worried about getting fired, and I’m just kind of like, “I don’t care.” You know, ramifications of [things] that are im- portant, so, yeah. So, I think the first thing I want to give you is this...” He gives me a green manilla folder la- beled “Quiz #1” in their handwriting. I opened it to see a report titled “Weather this Storm: UD Faculty Reacts to News of Impending Layoffs”. “University of Dayton Faculty Board” is typed underneath with “October 2024” listed as its date. PROF: Do you normally go to senate meetings? ME: I don’t, but I was emailed by a [...] Joel Pruce? Joel Pruce is an Associate Professor of the Political Science Department, who had reached out to me on Wednesday, October 16, 2024, proposing a story idea to Flyer News that would be “something of interest to the campus community.” He is also the Chair of the Faculty Board. PROF: Oh, yeah, okay. Good. [He] in- vited you? ME: Yeah, he put [senate meeting] on my radar, and we had a phone call [about the topic of budget cuts]. PROF: So, I’ll tell you what’s in [the unredacted document], this is for your own reading, and this is the primary reason I wanted to send this to you because I think this is immensely important for students to know. The Faculty Board is a group of faculty that writes on behalf of the collec- tive consciousness of faculty across campus. This is a report that was mentioned at the meeting you went to. It was mentioned briefly, Joel was one of the two fellows that presented the report, if you remem- ber the two [...] but this is the report itself. The reason I’m giving you this one, this is the original, fully authored report before it was redacted at the pressure of the pro- vost [Darlene Weaver]. The one presented at the meeting was the edited one for PR purposes, among other things for politick- ing between the faculty and the provost and president. This is definitely worth reading closely, it captures the mood of the faculty on campus. The report comes from a survey sent to every faculty member on campus. Around a third of faculty responded, which is a really good turn out. [It] will spell out how faculty feel about [the] current situa- tions at the school. This is where I asked if I was hearing the Professor correctly, that what they had giv- en me was the unredacted, original report of the findings when it came to the faculty responding to the layoffs. PROF: The redacted one has some similar sections, but the most important things were cut. The cutting of those things were very controversial and it was done through pressure from [the] president and provost. [Unredacted report] is pretty hot off the press, it was formulated three weeks ago, and I’m actually hoping to send it to the Cincinnati Enquirer and Dayton Daily News. I haven’t gotten a response yet from the Daily News. I guess you know about the major cuts happening? ME: Yes, stepping back onto campus [...] a few of my friends and I said that we’re glad to be seniors, because it seems that UD is going [downhill]. Once I stepped back onto campus, I heard everything about budget cuts. PROF: [It’s] just huge, catastrophic cuts, and I can speak to a few of them. I outlined four [questions] that the cuts af- fect. Two of them are covered in the report in more detail, but the way this affects the university is the massive layoffs, which is probably what students know most about– actually, I’ve learned that students hear dif- ferent parts about the cuts. In my classes, students have heard about the layoffs. ME: I’ve only heard about firings. PROF: Actually yesterday, the lecturers of my department were fired [...] I mean, their contracts end in April, but they were fired now. That’s the first tier of the effect. Essentially, every lecturer on campus–a professor with a title that’s not linked to tenure–has announced that they will most likely be fired this year. From the meeting with President Spina, I had asked if anyone had been fired around Oct 24, 2024, and his response was that this was untrue. As I edit this piece for Fly- er News’ digital edition, I had learned that one of the sweetest professors I had in my junior year was recently let go. She is now at Sinclair. PROF: Having tenure [means you have] job security, you’ve been here longer. Tenure track is on the process to get tenure, which is what I am. Lecturers are usually people with PhDs, many of whom have been here for decades, and you can find statistics on- line, but a quarter of professors on campus are lecturers–maybe even a third–it’s a large number. Basically, that first category [tier] is open for layoff, which is a huge deal in academic institutions to layoff that many people at once. I mean, it has happened at a few places in the last two years, but it’s controversial when many–and most of my colleagues in the business school, would say [there’s] ethical problems when you layoff enormous numbers of employees, who have been working there [with] job security for years. That’s the first issue with the layoffs. One number I heard was that it’s going to be at least 220. ME: I’ve heard at least over 200 and think they even said it at the senate meet- ing. PROF: Yeah, and that’s a lot for a school this size. It’s detailed in this issue of the report. Statistics are also available publicly through the propaganda that the president’s office churns out. Their reports are packaged up in a way that’s not truthful, but the numbers are at least measurable. The second [issue] I’m most familiar with is how the curriculum is changing. I don’t know if you’ve heard...? ME: [sighing] Oh, I’ve heard a lot. PROF: People in Humanities are furi- ous, every single professor in every depart- ment because five Humanities majors are being reduced to two [classes], so all the 103 classes are going to be canceled. There will be no 103’s–Philosophy, History, Reli- gious studies, English [...] That’s the second issue, [which] isn’t covered in the report as much, there’s actually a new document be- ing formed–I saw a draft that I can’t share with you–about how the dismantling about the Humanities curriculum is really at the heart of dismantling the Liberal Arts education of UD. People come here for a Catholic, Liberal Arts education rooted in reading, and writing, and thinking. [103 classes] are going to be turned into next fall, “Humanities 1” and “Humanities 2”, and those are the only requirements. Humani- ties 1 can be counted for AP credits, so any- one in high school who takes an AP credit [class] doesn’t need to take Humanities 1. Humanities 2 will be the [Humanities] 1 class to replace the entire entry level curric- ulum. It’s pretty big overall. That’s the sec- ond way that these cuts are affecting [UD]. My colleagues were worried about what it means to get a Liberal Arts education at a school that doesn’t have Liberal Arts. In my department specifically, students can come here now and never take a History class, ever. You can get a bachelor’s degree at a Liberal Arts institution based on Marianist education that fosters diversity and scholar- ship and [students will] never learn about slavery, for example. Not even a mention in a class. It’s a big thing for Philosophy [and] Religious studies–you can go to a Catholic school and never take a class on religion, never think critically on catholicism, chris- tianity, other world religions [...] These concerns are at the heart of the identity of the school. ME: Being a Liberal Arts major–yeah, they’re all connected, and they’re all so valu- able to my major and to my studies without [relating to] English. PROF: Yeah, when there’s a practical concern that there will be an advance Hu- manities requirement, students will take Humanities 2, or 1, then they’ll have to take one or two upper-level classes, but it does mean you’ll take upper-level History [class] having never taken entry-level or upper-level Philosophy–never having taken an entry-level [course]. It throws the entire curriculum into disarray because you can’t scaffold classes. I teach Animal History, but I always know that students have taken History 103, so they have a general under- standing of what history is and know a few tidbits about it, same with Philosophy, I’m teaching upper-level Philosophy, I expect my students to know [or] heard of Aristotle. In education, scaffold or scaffolding is an institutional practice where teachers gradually move guidance and support for students as they learn and become more competent–having the necessary skills and knowledge to perform successfully. With- out these 103 classes as an introduction to the basics of the Liberal Arts courses, students will lose a core foundation that is built off from other sections of the cur- riculum. ME: I tell this to everyone: I didn’t know anything about any philosopher until I got here. Prof explained how crucial the entry- level classes are in order to bring about new ideas and epiphanies to students. They ex- plained as an example of a student taking an upper Women in Gender studies course and never having to think about sexism before. They continued stating that every department has their own issues, and it’s all field-specific. PROF: That’s huge, and from a busi- ness standpoint, Catholic universities pride themselves on Liberal Arts education. Fac- ulty are worried about how we’re going to compete–at this really expensive school– how are we going to compete with, not just other Catholic institutions, but other Liberal Arts colleges like Fordum or Miami University, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, the list is long. Most likely my job is safe, because I’m tenure track–[budget’s] not exempt on tenure yet, but I’m concerned with that. ME: I’m thinking of all the professors I know myself [...] I hear it’s also a lot of young professors [and] lecturers, and I have had a lot [of classes with young professors]. It’s so disheartening, the changes, the cuts, who’s going to be cut [...] The time that faculty will know about if they are part of the cuts UD is planning will be this upcoming March 2025. But many students and professors have been speaking out about the budget cuts and explaining why it’s damaging to the university. PROF: Although [cuts] are starting to come out now [...] there’s going to be a lot of upset and angry professors, either younger ones or people who have been here a long time who are tenure track, who just found out that they don’t have jobs any- more. My heart’s broken for my colleagues who have been here for over ten years. It sucks. Now you know those two issues are different, how the curriculum’s going to shape the school in the future is different from how these people have been fired all at once. It’s a double-whammy. Then there’s NEWS FLYER NEWS || FRIDAY, FEB. 28 3 Professor Tells All, con’t. Unredacted Images Kerry Kadel Editor-in-Chief a triple-whammy, one I don’t know about and just want to share, but this somebody I asked in a different department, but graduate programs on campus are being cut. We don’t have a graduate program in History, so it doesn’t affect me directly, but departments that have graduate programs are very furious because graduate programs are very prestigious. They capture a lot of attention, they help people write grants for laboratories–graduate students often work in laboratories, so the canceling of these graduate programs...well, people are angry about it. We spoke about the academic senate meeting, how we both watched another professor, a younger man, speak at the mi- crophone to address these budget cuts in alignment with graduate programs, gradu- ate students, and funding for their projects. PROF: The administrators are worried about cutting costs immediately, and his point was to rapidly cut costs where it ap- pears in the present as worthwhile, [where] it doesn’t take longer. The meeting is recorded and is available in Porches through this link. We talked more about graduate stu- dents and the labs that need the students in order to run the labs. Biology labs are packed with graduate students, who are paid for the position. Without the gradu- ate students to help aid these professors, who are teaching three other classes simul- taneously, professors lose the help that the school is giving them in order to be able to teach their various other courses. Re- search is also essential for the labs, and the cuts will have graduate programs losing this as well. Prof explained the terrible list as a “cascading effect, that administrators don’t understand because they are slashing anyone without consulting anyone.” This was Prof ’s third concern they had when it comes to the budget. PROF: Which brings me to [my] fourth concern. The fourth is detailed in here [un- redacted documents], it’s still the tip of the iceberg, that every single professor, every single department, of every single rank, whether they’re full professors with tenure or adjuncts wants administrators (presi- dent, provost, deans, assistant deans, etc.) to be held accountable. It’s very clear that there’s been financial mismanagement for the last decade or more, that there has not been long-term financial planning, bud- geting, fiscal responsibility...from a con- servative perspective, this was captured in the essence of the talk that Joel Pruce gave. There’s been growth, growth, growth ever since I got here, but long before I got here, I’ve only been here for four years. Why have we been growing, growing, growing? Why have we spent tens of millions of dollars on all these investments if we knew student enrollment would decline because there’s less college-age students now? We’ve known [this] for a decade, and every university is facing it. That’s the jist of it. I let Prof know that my managing editor and I were to be in a meeting with Spina that next week to ask about the budget cuts, and if a handful of topics surrounding why they’re happening led to it. I wanted to un- derstand the problem from the inside out, to understand how this was going to lead to a rift between the faculty and the higher- ups. I mentioned that FAFSA was one of the topics that lent a helping hand to the budget cuts, and this is what Prof had to say about it. PROF: The president has been using this FAFSA issue like a scapegoat. They’ve been calling the election a reason. It’s very clear with faculty that this is just conjur- ing externalities so you don’t have to take responsibility for the collapse of functional- ity and leadership here. There’s disdain and rage towards how much waste happens in the upper offices. We talked about paychecks, where Prof listed Spina’s as being $1.2 million, and a new tidbit of knowledge that I never knew: he has a $2 million house paid for by UD. Prof wasn’t so sure about Weaver’s pay but stated hints of it may be found on- line, though they estimated it was around $400,000 a year, perhaps much more. The people Spina fired in the first round made $5,000 a class, still resulting in being the lowest-paid in the chain of academic fac- ulty. No cuts have been made in any of the administrative offices, Prof told me, in fact, they added to their help, hiring a new dean. It was also noted that Spina is the highest paid president for a school of UD’s size. Prof explained that they themselves are looking for any and every job in North America in case budgets affect them, and that their colleagues are also scrambling to look for jobs. The university is changing, and many students have reached out to Flyer News, asking if we were covering this situation. We have been gathering information as it comes to us, from fired up students to fac- ulty and staff. With us releasing this in Feb- ruary, we aim to remind everyone that next month, March, is when everything will change for professors at UD. We hope that you all let us know what you think, and write your own think-pieces in response to the aftermath. You can email Flyer News at flyernews@udayton.edu. For a closer look at the images, see the article uploaded to the Campus section at flyernews.com 4 FLYER NEWS || FRIDAY, FEB. 28 NEWS No Survivors Left in Wake of Tragic Midair Collision Rachel Smith News Editor 67 lives were claimed on Wednesday evening after an American Airlines flight and a US Army Blackhawk helicopter col- lided over the Potomac River in Washing- ton, DC. A search and rescue team of over 300 first responders launched a recovery mission on Thursday morning, unfortu- nately their efforts revealed the deaths of 64 passengers on the commercial flight and the three soldiers aboard the helicopter. Twen- ty-eight bodies have since been recovered but EMS Chief John A. Donnelly stated that, “at this point, we don’t believe there are survivors from this accident.” This ac- cident has since become the deadliest avia- tion disaster in the US since 2001. A preliminary FAA internal report stat- ed that the air traffic controller on duty was managing incoming and departing flights from runways while also handling helicop- ters in the airport’s vicinity, a task meant for two people, not one. This statement comes in the wake of reported years of understaff- ing, having the air traffic control tower functioning at a third below recommended staff levels. Despite this, FAA guidelines do permit for the position to be combined, but this action is “not normal” for the amount of air traffic for the time of day. The U.S. Secretary of Transporta- tion, Sean Duffy, stated that the collision “shouldn’t have happened,” as there was re- portedly no communication lapse, and both aircrafts were adhering to standard flight patterns. Duffy then followed his statement with, “we are going to take responsibility at the Department of Transportation and the FAA to make sure we have the reforms that have been dictated by President Trump in place to make sure that these mistakes do not happen again...” The crew flying the Blackhawk was “very experienced” and were not new to the prev- alent air congestion over D.C.. The Chief of staff for Army aviation, Jonathan Koziol, stated, “Both pilots had flown this specific route before, at night...even the crew chief in the area has been in the unit for a very long time, very familiar with the area, very familiar with the routing structure.” The NTSB has yet to recover the “black boxes,” formally known as flight data re- corders, from either aircraft. However, J. Todd Inman, a board member of the agency, stated “we will probably have more than one black box, so to speak. It’s our un- derstanding that the Sikorsky helicopter is equipped with some form of recording de- vice, and those will be read either by the DOD or by us. We have a good starting relationship with them, and we’ve already made agreements in order to be able to do that.” Among the deceased were several mem- bers from the Skating Club of Boston, including athletes Jinna Han and Spencer Lane, their parents, and coaches Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, both of whom were the 1994 world champions in the sport. They were returning from the US figure skating development camp, following last week’s US ice skating championship. US Figure Skating released a statement af- ter the tragedy stating, “We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts.” The international Skating Union added that the global skating community was “deeply shocked by the tragic accident.” Image courtesy of @harryjsisson on X Photo courtesy of @theskatinglesson on Instagram with the caption, “At 3:35 PM, ET, skaters at more than 100 rinks around the United States paused to remember those lost on #AA5342 #usfigureskating” NEWS FLYER NEWS || FRIDAY, FEB. 28 5 UD Professor Discusses the Possibility of An American Oligarchy Rachel Smith News Editor The United States has been experiencing a shift in the political climate since the start of the 2024 election season. With this, new conversations have ushered in a sense of un- ease felt around the country. Whether the concerns lay within major political players, the economy, or the increasing polarization of American political parties, one thing remains clear: the American people seem more divided now than ever. After Presi- dent Biden’s Farewell address to the coun- try on January 15, 2025, he stated “Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power, and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms, and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead.” An oligarchy is defined as a small group of very powerful, typically wealthy people that control a government of society. No matter the political affiliation, the message is evident. President Biden is warn- ing the American people about the poten- tial formation of an American Oligarchy in upcoming years. To help provide perspec- tive on such a convoluted topic, Dr. Bird- song, a University of Dayton Political Sci- ence senior lecturer, agreed to share some of his insights with Flyer News regarding the current political climate. To help us understand the root of the unrest, Birdsong explained the concept of affective polarization. This phenomenon occurs when members of a political party dislike the opposing party, not out of policy disagreement, but from the simple fact that they belong to a differing party. This shift is not new, it has been slowly spreading throughout the American system for the past 20-30 years, however, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic seemed to mag- nify the political discrepancies and the lack of trust with the government. This decline in trust played a significant role in the dis- satisfaction of the American people and the oppositional parties. Public perception and the media also played a critical role in shaping modern po- litical ideologies. Birdsong explained that since the 90s, the news media has become nationalized and further fragmented into different news spaces which profit off of the demonization of other outlets. He advises students to approach the news with a sense of curiosity to learn and to listen to other people’s perspectives. Information contains bias and rhetoric, and it is crucial to ques- tion what you see and to think critically about the information you receive. It is because of nationalized news and the upcoming use of social media that an attention economy has emerged in public perception. Within this, CEOs and the ul- tra-wealthy (such as major players like Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, etc.) have been driving attention to themselves on sites such as X. These people hold a unique posi- tion of power as they are more likely to do- nate and acquire access to decision-makers, which is how many of them gained access to political spaces such as President Donald Trump’s inauguration. Highly symbolic events such as a presi- dential inauguration present an insight into who the president-elect sees as important. What is interesting about hosting wealthy elites is the distinct lack of other important political powers, thus guiding the attention to the power of such attention economies and the tech industry in politics. This use of influence and wealth to gain political power is nothing new, however, the signposts for an oligarchy are still to be observed and monitored. Another buzzword that has been sur- rounding the power holders in the Ameri- can system is fascism. Voices have raised concerns that not only is the US facing an oligarchic government due to the power that some wealthy people hold in our gov- ernment, but many worry that there are also signs of a fascist regime. Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian ide- ology movement that preaches nationalist ideals and race above the individual. When asked about it, Birdsong con- cluded that there were some similarities in how both historical regimes and current political figures asserted power to obtain an end, but how they are doing so is less democratic and more authoritarian by find- ing power where they did not previously have it. Recently, there has been an uptick in the use of presidential executive orders which contain orders which are seemingly outside of the bounds of the law. However, he believes that if we continue to reform the bureaucracy, work through Congress, and uphold the integrity of checks and balances then it will help restore faith in American democracy and bipartisan efforts. Birdsong emphasized the fact that we as American people have the power to influ- ence the safeguarding of democratic prac tices. One of the key features is as simple as voting. Some states may make it difficult to vote, so be sure to stay up-to-date and educated about your state’s voting policies and hold your elected officials responsible for their representation of your needs. As students, he reminds us that we also have agency which can help build a brighter fu- ture. He hopes that students can stay edu- cated on all aspects of the political climate and urges students to approach those inter- actions with an intent to learn and under- stand other perspectives. To close the gap political polarization presents, we should be listening to each other and disbanding any assumptions as to who others are and what they stand for. We should be thinking critically about what is happening and find- ing unity and solidarity during these times which seem to be conveying the opposite. Photo Courtesy of @WEConSolana on X Dr. Daniel Birdsong Photo courtesy of the University of Dayton ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT FLYER NEWS || FRIDAY, FEB. 28 6 2025 Grammy Awards Fulfill Flyer Wishes (Mostly) Bryce Russell Arts and Entertainment Editor The students at the University of Day- ton seem to have their finger on the pulse of popular music. Prior to the biggest night in music, which was held on February 2, we had flyers send their choices for who they wished to see win big at the 67th Grammy Awards. With heavy-hitters like Beyonce, Taylor Swift, and the Rolling Stones, going up against newcomers like Sabrina Carpen- ter, Fontaines D.C., and Chappell Roan, the Flyers seemed to pick right in most of the categories. We posted the nominations for Best Album, Best Song, Best Solo Pop Perfor- mance, Best Rap Album, and Best Rock Album on our Flyer News Instagram, and opened it up to students to pick who they want to win. Here are our fellow Flyers’ picks for the 2025 Grammy Awards. In the Best Solo Pop Performance Cat- egory, the nominations were “Bodyguard” by Beyonce, “Espresso” by Sabrina Car- penter, “Apple” by Charli XCX, “Birds of a Feather” by Billie Eilish, and “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan. The response to this category from Flyers was, overwhelm- ingly, “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter. Carpenter, who first rose to fame in the Disney Channel show Girl Meets World, has blown up in popularity over the past year. The Flyers were correct, and Sabrina took home the award. For Best Album, the Flyers were close, but Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter ultimate- ly beat out Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet. The student vote had Carpenter barely scraping by with the win, but the Beyonce effect proved to be too much for the new pop star. The other nominations in that category were Brat by Charli XCX, The Tortured Poets Department by Taylor Swift, New Blue Sun by Andre 3000, Hit Me Hard and Soft by Billie Eilish, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess by Chappell Roan, and Djesse Vol. 4 by Jacob Collier. Best Rock Album had nominations for classic artists like The Black Crowes, The Rolling Stones, Green Day, Pearl Jam, and Jack White, as well as newer acts like Fon- taines D.C. and IDLES. Flyers must be fans of the classics, as the Rolling Stone’s Hackney Diamonds ran away with the poll, followed by Green Day and then Fontaines D.C.. With this choice, the Flyers were correct, and the Rolling Stones took home their fourth grammy award, 62 years after they formed in England. The closest poll of them all, the Best Song category had nominations for “Texas Hold ‘Em” by Beyonce, “Please, Please, Please” by Sabrina Carpenter, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” by Shaboozey, “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan, “Fortnight” by Taylor Swift featuring Post Malone, “Birds of a Feather” by Billie Eilish, “Die With a Smile” by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, and “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar. Flyers wanted Sabrina Carpenter to win, but the Grammy’s ultimately decided to hand it out to Kendrick Lamar, who had one of the biggest years a musician could ask for over 2024 and the beginning of 2025. However, Flyers voted “Not Like Us” a close second behind Sabrina Carpenter, so again, we weren’t too far off. Best Rap Album featured nominations for Common and Pete Rock’s The Audito- rium Vol. 1, Doechii’s Alligator Bites Never Heal, Eminem’s The Death of Slim Shady, J. Cole’s Might Delete Later, and Future and Metro Boomin’s collaboration album We Don’t Trust You. This was the category we Flyers did the worst though. We Don’t Trust You was the clear winner in our poll, with the only other album Flyers voted for being Eminem’s. With the huge song “Like That” that ignited the beef between Kend- rick Lamar and Drake, it seemed as though Future and Metro Boomin’ had the award locked in, but ultimately lost to Doechii’s Alligator Bites Never Heal. Overall, I’d say the students here at UD did a pretty good job with voting for the Grammy Awards. Above all else though, I learned that the Flyers are huge fans of Sa- brina Carpenter. With award season com- ing to a close soon, we’ll be back a couple more times leading up to the Academy Awards and seeing what movies students want to win at the 97th Oscar Award Cer- emony, so stay tuned! Keep an eye out for Bryce’s Music Keep an eye out for Bryce’s Music Countdown to Saint Paddy’s Day Countdown to Saint Paddy’s Day on the Flyer News website! on the Flyer News website! flyernews.com flyernews.com Photos courtesy of: Chappell Roan’s verified Instagram account @chappellroan Sabrina Capenter’s verified Instagram account @sabrinacarpenter Doechii’s verified Instagram account @doechii 7 FLYER NEWS || FRIDAY, FEB. 28 ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT My Hometown Community Helped Me Find My Dog Kerry Kadel Editor-in-Chief Kerry is a woman of focus, commit- ment, sheer will...something you know very little about. I once saw her run for an hour straight on the treadmill...an hour...a freaking hour! And the Monday after the Super Bowl, her dog goes miss- ing. Kerry will come for you, and you will do nothing because you can do noth- ing. She has a very particular set of skills. Skills she’s acquired over a very long ca- reer. If you show her where her dog is, that’ll be the end of it, but if you don’t, she will look for you, she will find you, and she will mix two monologues from John Wick and Taken to make herself seem scarier than she actually is. Monday, February 10th, 8:20 p.m. I’d just showered after coming back to my house on campus after doing arm day at the RecPlex, heating up some leftover chili my boyfriend gave me because he had extra. I’m just about to put it in the microwave when I get a text from my mom: Can you call me please? Uh oh. It’s urgent, I know it, like a sixth sense every kid has built into their DNA. I wonder what I did wrong as I call my mom, and upon answering her tone sounds seri- ous, that we need to talk now. She says it’s about Darby, my fifteen-year-old Puggle. “Darby’s gone,” says my mom. “She wandered off somewhere...” I hear pets wander off away from their owners when it’s their time to go. I knew her time had to have been up, and to have her pass peacefully in the comfort of her big bed. I think of my younger sister who loves Darby to death, who’ll take her death hard; my older brother now stationed in Texas who isn’t here to say goodbye, and my little brother who has to deal with being there at the house. I’m wondering if there’s any- thing I can do to help ease this pain that’s caused my mom to get so overwhelmed– “We’ve looked everywhere for her,” con- tinues my mom. “We can’t find her,” Wait–what? So in the span of a minute, I misunder- stood what my mom had been trying to tell me: Darby wasn’t gone, she was missing. Darby had been let out to do her business, and she must’ve wandered off after. Like I said, my dog is old, and what’s worse is that she is nearly blind and totally deaf. She still has so much spirit in her, like when she pro- tests getting baths and being taken to the vet. She’s loving but senile. She’s a house dog, she’s lazy, just like her breed naturally is, she doesn’t do walks. So why did she wander off? She hasn’t done that since she was a puppy, but she always found her way back home after my siblings and I would walk around the neighborhood terrified, thinking she ran away for good before finding her back in our yard. She might be at the point in her life where she’s confused about where she is, but she also knows home is where we are. Now knowing that my senior dog was missing, I sprang into action–anyway to calm my mom’s nerves and save my little sister and older brother some heartache and worry. 8:56 p.m. While still on the phone with my mom, I had created two Facebook posts, one for my friends to see and one for a group called “Anything and Everything Huber Heights.” That’s the area I’m from, the Dayton sub- urbs. Everyone and their mother posts there for common questions and news about what’s going on in our area–and lost and found pets. I’ve seen the occasional post of someone finding their dog or cat through the group, so if they were able to find other community members’ pets, I figured that would be the best case scenario as to who could help my family. So...now what? I made the post, I screenshotted it and posted it to my In- stagram story and X–which I only use to retweet pictures of Snoopy, Taylor Swift news, my favorite YouTubers, and the oc- casional silly post. I even use Facebook to make stupid posts I think I only find funny, like posting my boyfriend’s cats with a cap- tion that doesn’t make sense. The thing about my post on X was that before I’d even posted there, someone had left a comment saying that there had been a post earlier, around 4:00 p.m. or 5:00 p.m., stating that someone had seen a dog that looked like a pug near the high school in that area. ...WHAT?! I panic, because I know exactly where they’re talking about, and that is a super busy road. I was already panicking thinking Darby would get hurt by the weather since it’s supposed to be growing colder, and the thought of her having to wander or sleep in the cold tore my heart apart (it does now just writing about it). But to have my child- hood dog pass away by wandering into the street...I didn’t want to believe it. I didn’t want to believe that Darby had wandered that far. You’re telling me that my 20 pound Puggle, who’s never left the neighborhood, and has only wandered across the street from my house, was spot- ted at the nearest high school in my area? That only broke my heart more, thinking Darby was wandering that far, confused, alone, and possibly freezing. 8:57 p.m. - a nervous, scared phone call to the Huber Heights Police Depart- ment, describing Darby and giving my contact information. From the phone call with the very nice dispatcher lady at the police department, she suggested posting to the Facebook group “Dayton, Ohio and Surrounding Area Lost and Found Pets.” I copy my post from the Huber Heights group and post there. Between everything else I’ve done, I am refreshing my Facebook and Instagram notifications every second. I get posts pray- ing that she comes home, I get pictures on what to do when you’ve lost your dog, and a million reshares from strangers in the group, all very sweet, but I still don’t know if Darby has been seen by anyone else or picked up by animal control. 9:25 p.m. This is the timestamp of when I screen- shotted the post that helped us find where Darby was. I was scrolling through the group “Dayton, Ohio Surrounding Area Lost and Found Pets,” wondering if anyone there had made a post about finding Darby, and that’s when I saw this post of a screen- shot. I screenshot the post and send it to my family group chat, calling my mom at the same time that I mistyped my comments because I was so excited and needed to find which animal control company picked Darby up. My mom was in tears but elated at the news, while we all shouted over one another as I tried to find the exact place that picked her up. There was a phone number, and finally I saw from my initial posts that others had taken pictures of Darby and stated that Greene County Animal Control picked her up. The screenshot has Darby found, picked up, and posted around 7:30 p.m., but I’m not sure if that’s with the edit for the update or not. Doesn’t matter. We found her! From the post that found her, detailing where they picked her up, I thought the scene looked familiar, and the roads they listed were ones that I knew. They men- tioned a corn field by my neighborhood with a street right next to it that I took every day to high school, and one that I take to go back to UD. Because where Darby was found is twelve minutes from my house. It is more plausible that Darby was found here! If she somehow weaved herself throughout Huber Heights, I’m going to need security footage from the city of Day- ton for me to believe it. But Darby is home! I know at UD the word “community” has been thrown around a lot and can be made a joke with how much we pride ourselves on it–which is great, but there’s something about the people back at home that changes your perspective on it. I had someone I knew in grade school but drifted from high school post about Darby to her Instagram story, I had my housemate here share my post, and I had so many people in the Huber Heights community send prayers and help out, all underneath my first post to the Anything and Everything Huber Heights group. This was something I needed to remind myself that where you’re from isn’t a curse. Sure, technically I live 20 minutes from my house, but UD is my own little world, home away from home. Not being there for my family when I got the news about Darby crushed me. I wanted to help, I wanted something done, but I need- ed to ask my community for help. Making those posts about Darby be- ing found was the best feeling, especially after such a depressing hour or two trying to locate her. She’s part of my family, she’s mine and my siblings best friend, our child- hood. My siblings and I were surprised with Darby a few days before Christmas, after begging so long for a dog. She’s given us some crazy stories to tell with friends and families, and we now have one more to add to our collection. Love ya, Darby, but don’t freak us out like this again! These images drawn by Kadel show where Darby was pos