THE MEREDITH
HERALD
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January 30, 2019
IN THIS ISSUE
NEWS
The State of the State
Kappa Nu Sigma Induction
Volunteering at Animal
Shelters
A&E
Mary Poppins Review
Art Exhibition
OPINIONS
Accessibility at Meredith
Passion Conference Review
Birth Control Coverage Protected in North Carolina
By Haley Ivey, Staff Writer
Make Way for the
Avenging Angels
By Ell Shelp-Peck, Staff
Writer
The Meredith basketball
team had a rough start to the
season with many members of
the team out with injuries and a
small roster. Recently, however,-
the team has been on a winning
streak that started on Dec. 15 with
a win against. Mary Baldwin. The
team has since rallied to win more
games, including wins against
Salem, the other all-women’s
college in the conference, and
William Peace, our down-the-road
rival. All of the games, nine of
which have been wins, have been
hard-fought, and these victories
have shown how the team plays
as a single unit. Assistant Athletic
Director Wendy Jones said that
“Anyone who has followed the
Meredith basketball team this
season will notice right away the
progression on the court. The
small roster appears to be the
only obstacle standing in the way
of the team's success, and the
players on the team are learning
to manage that challenge."
Jones said that the team
“remains patient on offense and
trusts in [Coach] Quick's system.”
During games. Coach Quick
is frequently heard telling the
team to “slow down” and “take
your time.” Her coaching style
is effective. When asked about
her coaching system, LaQuanda
Quick, Head Coach, explained
that “patience is [her] number one
strategy.” She helps the team be a
unified front through respect and
accountability, admitting when
she is wrong because she wants
the team to understand that “it
Every day it seems as
though when women gain an
inch in their race to equality,
there are efforts to take them
back a mile. President Trump has
tried in various ways to dismantle
the Affordable Care Act, and in
his latest attempt to take away
from the ACA, he is also taking
away from American women—
about 70,500 to be exact, accord
ing to federal health officials. The
Trump administration is trying to
restrict the ability of some wom
en to get no-cost birth control
and their argument lies solely in
the objection of their employ
ers based on religious or moral
grounds.
Under the Obama Ad
ministration, a system of nar
row exemptions, allowed, for
example, churches or religiously
affiliated organizations to choose
to not cover birth control for their
female employees. In return, the '
administration created accommo
dations or workarounds to en
sure, in the event of these exemp
tions, that women would still be
able tp get birth control covered
through third-party institutions.
Under Trump’s new rules, any
nongovernmental workplace
would be able to claim exemp
tions, which broadens the criteria
to include not only churches/reli
gious organizations but also small
businesses and even Fortune-500
companies. The impacts of allow
ing nongovernmental companies
to opt out of birth control cover
age could lead to states bearing
expenses from women seeking
these contraceptives and, poten
tially, healthcare for unintended
pregnancies.
Why is this relevant to
college-age students? Because pur
students could potentially face
major side effects from this rule.
. According to the Urban Institute,
one in six women have faced
some barrier in accessing birth
control, including cost and insur
ance coverage. When faced with
easier access to contraceptives,
63 % of women report experienc
ing less stress, 56% say it's helped
them hold down a job, 54% say it's
provided them health benefits,
49% say it's helped them continue
their education and 49 % report
more stable relationships with
their partners. Pregnant on Cam
pus states, “Less than one in ten
students with children complete a
bachelor’s degree within six years
of college entry.”
Also, it is important to
keep in mind that contraception is
not only used for pregnancy .pre
vention, but also for some medical
conditions like endometriosis. A
Guttmacher Institute study shows
that 14% of women—1.5 million—
rely on oral contraceptive pills for
non-contraceptive reasons.
Fortunately for North
Carolina women, on Jan. 14, U.S.
Judge Haywood Gilliam from
California granted a request
for a preliminary injunction for
North Carolina, along with 12
other states and Washington D.C.
Because of this. North Carolina
women are safe from having their ,
birth control coverage taken away,
for now, but if Trump continues
to push for exemptions based on
religious and moral views. North
Carolina women could become a
part of the population of Ameri
can women currently worried
about how they will afford birth
control.
California Attorney Gen
eral Xavier Becerra said in a
statement Jan. 20, “Today’s court
ruling stops another attempt by
the Trump Administration to
trarnple on women’s access to
basic reproductive care. It’s 2019,
yet the Trump Administration is
still trying to roll back women’s
rights. Our coalition will continue
to fight to ensure women have
access to the reproductive health
care they are guaranteed under
the law.” Becerra refers to a coali
tion consisting of attorney gener
als from Cofmecticut, Delaware",
Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Min
nesota, New York, North Carolina,
Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia,
Washington State and Wash
ington, D.C. Under Becerra, this
coalition led to the injunction that
blocked the Trump administra
tion's new rules in those states.
starts at the top.” She said that
they also “truly love and respect
one another.” This helps the team
to play as one on the court and
listen to one another better.
When asked who her MVP
would be. Quick responded with
Brittany Preston who sustained an
injury that would normally end
a player’s season or career a few
days before practices began. Quick
said of Preston, “Since she has
rejoined us, it has made amajor
difference. She does the little
things [on the court] and “this
contribution is immeasurable.”
Preston, a senior this year, her
season has been all but cut short;
it will be her final season playing
for Meredith basketball.
A small roster has been a "
challenge to the team, that they
have overcome. Quick explained.
“It definitely affected our season
early on. It is important to have
10 or more players for practice
and sufficient substitutes for
games. However, lack of players
was something that was out of
my control. I believe I have built
a culture where this won't be a
problem moving forward” Quick
said. Quick has already begun
recruitment efforts for future
seasons. In the meantime, “We
have learned to work around the
issue for right now” she said.
■ The team has had a three-
game winning streak, keeping
their tournament hopes alive.
They are 5-6 in conference and 4-4
for home games. Still, the team
needs all the support it can get to
turn these statistics into a winning
season. With players such as
Kimberly Schuh, averaging 20.1
points per game overall, and
Kirstie King, who makes her free
throws 56.1% of the time, the team
is only getting stronger.