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Once an old post office, The Basement rapidly evolved into a hip and trendy spot for all ages. Offering arguably Reno’s best cold-pressed juice, gourmet handmade chocolates, local clothing brand, and an underground barbershop, among other things, The Basement has something for everyone.

As a Rawbry juice-veteran myself, I had become quite familiar with The Basement’s lifestyle branding. Brianna Bullentini, the part-owner of The Basement and owner of Rawbry, created the entire space with a vision of an alternative and collaborative culture in an underground environment, both literally and figuratively.

The Basement invites all of the creatives of Reno to hang out, drink juice or coffee, and create their own ideas or plans together. The architecture of The Basement reinforces this mission. The vendors and shops are located along the walls while community tables are placed in the middle of the space, encouraging people to interact and collaborate while they support the local businesses within.

During my experience as an employee, it was not uncommon to hear about certain ideas being explored and then seen to fruition. The Basement has such a creative energy built into its walls by Bullentini that it sparks that same spirit within its employees and customers alike. Every business located within is operated by a local entrepreneur who believes and participates in the mission of The Basement.

While The Basement offers different shops and vendors, it also offers a space to hang out, work, and host meetings or events.

Creativity begets creativity, and The Basement is crawling with inspiration.

Professor Angela Bennett is faculty in the English department at University of Nevada,Reno. Bennett grew up in Nevada and pursued her graduate degrees at New York University. Her department at NYU was quite diverse. “Gender and sexuality diversity was probably overrepresented with respect to the general population,” said Bennett, “So I never thought twice about what it would mean to be queer faculty and gender-nonconforming.”

However, Bennett has noted a lack of such diversity among UNR faculty. For her first two years at UNR she was the only continuing faculty who was queer within her department. “Being a six foot tall woman, number one, conformity is impossible when you live in that body,” said Bennett, “My body, even if I were attempting to conform, would offend some people because I am ‘too big too woman’. But when you add to the fact that I’m not even trying to conform, I’m a six foot tall woman with a mohawk and visible tattoos and body modifications,that will lead people in this space to just be hostile to me when I walk into places.”

“For me, as queer faculty and gender- nonconforming faculty, but white faculty, that means going into a space and acknowledging the privilege that I experience, as a white person and making it clear that I also exist in these marginalized identities,” said Bennett, who hopes that her awareness and representation can help her create a classroom atmosphere wherein students feel safe. “I want students to feel safe enough to take intellectual risks. Which is what’s necessary for people to learn,” said Bennett.

Bennett has been a participant in Babel, a collective of academics and scholars that promotes unconventional thinking and studies, for nearly ten years. The collective provides academic resources for researchers, artists, and more who do not have access to libraries or journals, allowing them to research and publish, without having attained tenure. “This whole group has been about dismantling hierarchies within the academy,” said Bennett, “I did my intellectual development in this safe intellectual space that Babel created.” From October 26 through October 29, Bennett brought their biennial conference to UNR. The conference focused on issues of race and intersectionality, with programming such as “Race and Risk in the University” and “White Supremacist Legacies Within the Academy.”

“Our focus on race was always part of it, but we pivoted more toward that after the events of Charlottesville,” said Bennett, “Especially since it was held at UNR, where one of our own students had become the poster child for the white supremacists who marched at University of Virginia.”

One panel was student-led. Five students addressed issues of inclusivity on campus for a room full of professors. Based on the student panel, Bennett is working on several projects to increase inclusivity at UNR. One such project is an inclusive pedagogies game, in which faculty have to draw identity cards that give them a certain background. “You draw Chicanix and this gives you a multiplier of times three every time you hit a microaggression you take three times as many as the card,” said Bennett, “And the faculty member has to play with this disadvantage that you experience from these intersections.”

While Bennett is glad UNR provides microaggression training, that is, training on commonplace behavior that creates a hostile environment for marginalized groups, she feels the game goes a bit further. Bennett hopes the game will be more successful than traditional microaggression training because the faculty members will be invested in their character. Bennett says that racism is pervasive, and by not actively being anti-racist people may unwittingly permit or take part in racist behavior. “I’d like for our faculty to have a chance to get inside the experiences of students that are going to be so different from their own experiences,” said Bennett, “And help them to understand these elements of a student’s identity can throw up roadblocks.”

Bennett tries to create classroom environments in which student identities are considered and are not roadblocks. Bennett has attempted this in her queer utopias class, which she taught in the Fall of 2017, with one goal of the class being to “dismantle hierarchies.” She did this by giving up some of her authoritative control and letting the students decide the trajectory of the class throughout the semester. “It’s about me guiding you through certain materials and certain modes of thinking, so you can do it on your own,” said Bennett, “It’s just radical potential, with that wide open syllabus the first day of class.” According to Bennett, allowing students to collectively choose the path of the semester, is another form of inclusivity. By acknowledging that students are adults with jobs, families, or other responsibilities outside of the classroom and taking that into consideration, the structure of the class changes to suit the students’ identities.

“There are all sorts of things that go into being a grown-ass human that the traditional college experience doesn’t really make space for,” said Bennett, “To hold students to those standards places an undue burden on students who do not fit that mold.”

Bennett’s Queer Utopias class and personal philosophies overlap. “I am a utopian. I am a person who lives in a way where I am trying to actively think about a better world, and whatever ways are in my power to bring that into existence,” said Bennett. “I walk around in this non-normative body and in so doing, even though I’m going to encounter hostility and possibly danger, I’m hoping that I make a space behind me,” said Bennett, “So that the next person that walks into that space and looks a little different, that they don’t feel as uncomfortable.”

Two of Reno’s greatest business leaders have teamed up to collaborate on a spot in Carson City, Nevada. Mark Estee, owner of three local restaurants, and Mark Trujillo, owner of Hub Coffee Roasters, have created The Union. The eatery, taphouse, and coffee shop opened at the end of June 2017 on Main Street in Carson.

Besides providing the quality of Estee’s locally-sourced food and Trujillo’s coffee, The Union also provides a large beer selection, thus covering all bases of a true Reno-Carson area restaurant.

During our first visit, my friend and I took a seat at the pizza bar, where we could see the front-of-house chefs throwing their pizzas into the wood oven. The environment felt laid-back, cozy, and inviting. Guests shared food with friends and family while servers refilled their beer glasses, keeping the atmosphere vibrant.

We felt encouraged by the menu to order a few beers, crispy shrimp and sweet peppers, and the roasted heirloom squash to start, a veggie burger, and the blue pear pizza. By the time we had finished our appetizers, I only managed to take a few bites of my burger before I threw in the towel and had our server box it up for me. The portion sizes are larger, fair to their prices, and well-worth the expense.

The Union offers pizzas, pastas, different meat entrees, seasonal sides, burgers and sandwiches, and of course, dessert. Mark Estee is well-known for creating the budino, made of chocolate cookie crunch, salted caramel pudding, and whipped cream. At his previous restaurant, Campo, the budino won the best dessert award for three years running.

Estee, Trujillo, and their other two business partners deliver a quality Reno-Carson experience through their food, coffee, and beer at The Union. Whether it’s an early-morning coffee run or a family dinner, locals won’t want to miss out on this local experience.

Mynt Cannabis Dispensary in downtown Reno has a wide selection of cannabis products. According to their website, Mynt sells “flowers, edibles, topicals, vape oils, and concentrates.” The dispensary is stylish, organized, and quick. Employee Trista Barnes estimates that Mynt has close to tripled its customer intake since Nevada legalized recreational marijuana.

After visiting the front desk, patients are called back into the purchasing area, where the product is. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, receiving extensive training on the product, and on the laws surrounding them. Regular testing is standard, with employees receiving online tests once every few weeks, and micro tests even more often to further their education.

“Training is very much an in depth process of learning laws. Cannabidiol (CBD) just became a schedule one narcotic, so we can’t give it to anybody who’s flying out of state anymore,” Barnes said.

A great deal of patient questions are about the legality of marijuana, whether it be about legal quantities or where people are allowed to use product, Barnes explains. Beyond the legality of cannabis, the employees also learn about the endocannabinoid system and how the body reacts with cannabis, as well as the lineages of cannabis. The employees stay informed about the way individual strains affect people. While many people purchase whatever is available, Barnes urges patients to ask questions about different strains.

“Indicas are high in terpenes that kill anxiety, and help pain, and relieves stress,” said Barnes, “Whereas sativas will engage your mind and can make anxiety worse. If you don’t want to get high, CBD is a great way to kill anxiety as well.”

Barnes hopes for cannabis to be legalized on a federal level. She urges people to focus on and research the medical benefits of cannabis. “THC itself is good for getting rid of ocular pressure, CBD is a pain reliever, muscle relaxer, anti-inflammatory, anti-seizure, anti-spasmodic. Pretty much the only thing I haven’t found it be helpful for is allergies.”

With students from over 70 countries studying at the University of Nevada, Reno, the campus is often coined as being diverse, filled with ideas from people from all over the world. With help from the University Studies Abroad Consortium, or USAC, many UNR students find themselves in exciting new places with new ideologies, cultures, and experiences at their fingertips. So, how does the culture shock of foreign students traveling to America differ from American students traveling abroad?

Firstly, one may ask, what is American culture?

“Americans are hard workers,” said Kendall Perry, an American-born journalism student at UNR. “American culture certainly can get a bad wrap, but when it comes down to it, we have come far as a nation to work hard and accept one another. I know we’re not there yet, but we may be on the right path. We celebrate everything, we laugh a lot, and we are happy people.”

Yet, American culture can also be associated with more negative connotations.

“American culture is depicted as unhealthiness, selfishness, and general racism,” one political science major said, “The entire nation was built upon the disrespect of the earth, taking of things that weren’t theirs, inequality to the highest degree, and religion.”

As the American experience differs for each individual, similarities are voiced by many of the students studying here from other countries.

Noris Buitrago is a senior studying at the University of Nevada, Reno. After traveling to the United States for her studies, she found stark differences between beauty expectations between American women and the women of her home country of Panama.

“I think beauty and attractiveness mean something a little different in my country,” Buitrago said. “Beauty is also accompanied by intellectual knowledge and good qualities. Women are not focused on television, flashing at them on commercials or appearing on magazines or catalogues. If a woman is physically attractive but also profesional, she will definitely get a lot of attention.”

Yet, this cultural divide is further explained when clothing is brought into the scene. As fashion is a major staple to each culture, the shock in arriving in a new place can be overwhelming depending on the severity in which one feels the difference is from their native land.

“Most of Americans are really open minded,” Buitrago said, “We are a little more modest. But you know, it is part of expressing their self and culture, and we all have to respect that.”

However, there is a significant amount of pressure to adapt to a new culture once stepping foot inside its realm. With some adaptations being seen as appropriation and others being seen as stripping oneself of one’s own roots, is there a balance that can be found?

Zoe Fitch is a student at UNR from Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands in the English Channel and a self-governing British Crown dependency. Fitch is often found in the gym or on the track as one of the most successful international student track and field athletes in UNR’s history. She, too, found significant changes in women’s beauty routines, fashion choices, and overall expectations of beauty and success. However, these standards, mixed with culture shock in general, never phased her.

“I don’t think you should ever feel pressured to adapt to a new culture,” Fitch said, “If you change your style and beauty regime it should be because you want to, not because someone told you that you should. People should accept you the way you are, especially if you are an incomer and unique.”

Indeed, USAC does everything in their power to prepare their students for the kind of challenges they will meet before they even begin to pack. With available resources being “Culture Shock and Immersion” and even “Tips for Cultural Adjustment for Parents of Study Abroad Students”, programs are in place to help their American students feel the most prepared when traveling abroad.

During the USAC orientation in October of 2017, examples were shown to elucidate differences in what may be shocking to one person and normal to another. One point illustrated that Thai culture often works around issues, whereas American culture goes headfirst into a problem, both yielding different but equally successful solutions. In addition, one student who traveled to Italy for a summer said a large culture shock for her was when she discovered that most Italians do not use a dryer, but rather, hang their clothes on a line to dry. In contrast, one student from Afghanistan quipped that she was shocked she could speak to a man whilst looking him in the eye in America.

“Sometimes culture shock is not so and can be just discrimination or prejudice,” said Merle Ocampo, a successful nurse originally from Hernani, Philippines. “In healthcare, I was the only Filipino, and just because you were the only brown kid they thought you didn’t know anything. Now, people will say, ‘May I talk to the supervisor?’ I say, ‘I am the supervisor.’”

With the Office of International Students and Scholars reporting that students from six different continents are currently studying at UNR, many feel campus life is becoming more diverse as the years pass.

“It is important to remember, above all things, respect,” said Chen Wei, a second-year geology student from Beijing, China. “You don’t have to adapt or not adapt, just feel the soil you stand on and the blood in your veins. The balance will find you.”