The Current | Vol. 31 Issue 17

January 12, 2021 | nsucurrent.nova.edu 4 Features What to expect this inauguration day Inauguration day is a very historic and impactful day in American history because it is the day that the current president transfers his power to the president-elect. It is always held on the same day every time there is a transfer of power. However, this upcoming inauguration will be significantly different from the last one. To be able to visualize what might happen during the upcoming inauguration day, one must first define and explain what exactly happens on inauguration day. Typically, the president-elect goes to the White House so that he can be sworn in alongside their family, the vice president and the vice president’s family. Then, the ceremony begins and the president-elect takes an oath to execute the role of president to the best of his abilities, according to the Constitution of the United States. After the new president is sworn in, he usually gives what is called an inaugural address, and then, the celebrations begin. According to Charles Zelden, a professor in NSU’s department of history and political science, “It’s a big party, especially when you’re seeing a switch between [political parties] because what it means is that there’s going to be a clean sweep in terms of who the movers and shakers are in the executive branch.” However, in light of the pandemic, there will be plenty of things that will look different and the upcoming inauguration will not be an exception. “I think there’s still going to be a lot of celebration, but because of COVID-19, I think it’s going to be outdoors. The [people] are going to be separated, they’re going to have masks, especially with Biden taking over. There’s going to be an emphasis on social distancing and good public health. I think you’ll see less people sitting on the stage with the president, so they’re social distancing and Going green as college students Whether you are living on campus or receiving the best of both worlds as a commuter, there are several ways to start a habit of going green in the new year. Green Sharks e-board member, Elena Kampian, shared some different ways to ease into zero waste for the new year. COVID-19 has caused a halt on many activities this year and the activities planned by NSU’s sustainability club on campus was no exception. Every year, Green Sharks sets goals on activities they wish to accomplish on campus and in the surrounding community. Even with the harsh effects of the pandemic, Green Sharks is ready to get a move on their goals for next year. “This year has been kind of weird, as everyone’s probably experienced. We’ve had some drawbacks, but we’re still trying to get a lot of events going on. One of the things that’s great for the campus that we usually do is RecycleMania. This year, we couldn’t exactly have RecycleMania, but we do still encourage recycling,” said Kampian. Green Sharks is constantly keeping their social media up to date, informing NSU students of upcoming meetings, events and days that revolve around going green. On campus “My advice is to just pay attention to the recycling rules and clean out the containers that you get, whether it’s Shark Dining or anywhere else. The more that you do that, the less risk there is of contamination and the more recycling we can have on campus,” said Kampian. Off campus “Set up a system to be more sustainable. [For example, tell yourself,] ‘This is the time I’m going to take my recycling here,’ and put reusable bags in your car so you have them whenever you’re at the grocery store.. These things happen gradually,” said Kampian. Although recycling may not be a daily norm for many people, there are several ways to create this healthy habit. Starting slowly and easing into this new way of throwing out containers and reusing materials occurs over time. “It’s kind of like snowballing one thing off of another because many people don’t know where to start. I think the first step is making one small change and seeing how easy it is to keep making those changes,” said Kampian. Kampian voiced multiple different ideas Green Shark has in mind for the beginning of the new year. They hope to be all-inclusive, engaging with students who aren’t physically on campus due to the circumstances. “We’ve been talking about having sustainability 101 lectures and bonding events... Everything’s been pretty virtual so we’re trying to keep that engagement,” said Kampian. NSU’s Green Sharks is always open for new members and ideas, especially in the new year. you may not see the outgoing president,” said Zelden. One of the most obvious changes to the symbolic inauguration ceremony will be the social distancing. The Center for Disease Control, or CDC, guidelines will be in place. There will also be an emphasis on wearing masks, minimizing the number of people present and not as many parties or celebrations as usual. Additionally, there is a chance that the outgoing president might not be present for this ceremony, although this isn’t the first time this has happened in history. In the past, only John Adams and John Quincy Adams have ever opted out of the inauguration ceremony, for different reasons. Zelden commented that this would depend on whether President Trump is willing to accept that he lost, and so far, that hasn’t been the case, especially with his tweets last week voicing his decision not to attend. However, no one knows whether or not the president will appear at the inauguration ceremony. If the current president does show up, there will be a traditional transfer of power, but if he doesn’t, the inauguration ceremony will look very different. “This will be a different inauguration because it was a different election,” said Zelden. The best way to view the upcoming inauguration is to accept that things will be different, but remember that the heart of the ceremony will still be there. At its heart, the ceremony is a transfer of power in a democratic way and the celebration of a new leader, even if the celebration may look different this year around. The inauguration will be Wednesday, Jan. 20 and to watch the ceremony tune into any news broadcast. By: Aliyah Gomez Contributing Writer PRINTED WITH PERMISSION BY E. COWAN Recycle your paper and platsic products By: Lauren Do Nascimento Contributing Writer