The Signal Vol. 84 No. 18

JAN. 24 - JAN. 31, 2017

VOL. 84 | NO. 18

The signal at georgia State University

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More than 63,000 marched in Atlanta a day after Trump’s inauguration, led by Rep. John Lewis.

NEWS | PAGE 3

PHOTO BY XXXX | THE SIGNAL

xxx PHOTO BY JADE JOHNSON | THE SIGNAL

Inside Get Zen

School daze

Fingerprint scanners seem to have been as much of a PR move as a safety step.

Learn how to connect with your inner energy and banish the stresses of school.

A day in the life with women’s basketball freshman Shaq Miller-McCray.

Editorial| Page 7

A&L | page 9

Sports | page 16

Getting medicated

Scan This way

News | Page 6

A new Georgia bill is seeking to expand the conditions that can be treated with marijuana.

DAILY NEWS AT WWW.GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

News 3

Editorial 7

Arts & Living 9

Sports 15

2

NEWS

blotter

like marijuana. The investigation has been cleared.

Jan. 17

Harassed by a stranger

TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2017

Jan. 18

They see me rolling

A Georgia State staff member complained of harassment by a non-Georgia State affiliate on the Atlanta campus.

A non-Georgia State affiliate was arrested at Coca Cola PL. and Pratt St. for driving a motor vehicle on suspended registration/ driving while license suspended or revoke/ outstanding warrants.

Can I hold a dollar

A student complained of a theft of possessions under $1,500 in Piedmont Central. The investigation is currently active.

Pulling weeds

A non-Georgia State affiliate was arrested for the possession of marijuana at Woodruff Park.

What’s that smell?

A Georgia State staff member complained of University Lofts smelling

Get connected with The Signal!

JAn. 20

Read our online content at georgiastatesignal.com

You don’t even go here

A non-Georgia State affiliate was found trespassing in Classroom South and was arrested.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK Patricio Rojas, in association with The International Socialist Organization, rally at Hurt Park in light of Donald Trump’s inauguration.

PHOTO BY VANESSA JOHNSON | THE SIGNAL

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NEWS

www.georgiastatesignal.com/news

OVER THE WEEKEND Marchers protested to defend their rights, and keep America inclusive

CHRISTINA MAXOURIS News Editor

SATURDAY, JAN. 21

Saturday, Jan. 21, went down in history as one of the biggest collective marches around the world, where people advocated for women’s rights, minority rights and stood against President Donald Trump’s most controversial stances.

More than 2.9 million marches took place across the nation, and about 500,000 marchers were in Washington D.C. and other states, including New York, Denver, Boston and Phoenix.

Atlanta’s streets were shook by at least 63,000 peaceful protesters, as estimated by the Atlanta Police Department. Despite the rain, protesters gathered at the National Civil and Human Rights Center in Downtown around 1 p.m. and after a series of speakers, including Congressman and civil rights activist John Lewis, who emphasized unity and inclusivity before kicking off the march.

In the Atlanta crowd, pink “pussyhats” reigned over women’s heads, as a response to the President’s lewd remarks released in a leaked tape a month back, which outraged citizens across the country.

Shelley Mays, an Atlanta resident, told The Signal she’s “very concerned with the status of the country, planned parenthood, LGBTQ rights and healthcare.”

Sana Ahmed, an Atlanta resident, said despite the freedoms Americans already have, there’s still a lot of room for improvement.

“I am a Muslim woman American. I have freedom to practice my faith, but there is still a lot of work to be done with the way in which minorities are treated,” she said.

Protesters walked by the CNN Center, landing the march across the Georgia State Capitol, where thousands of people gathered for another series of speeches to conclude the day.

Former mayor Shirley Franklin took the stage saying that despite election results, no one should be discouraged.

“If John Lewis isn’t discouraged, by golly we can’t be discouraged,” she said.

“The Atlanta march for Social Justice is one of 600 marches taking place across this country and around the world,” said Georgia’s 4th Congressional District Rep. Hank Johnson.

“These marches are peaceful celebrations and demonstrations of solidarity and fairness, equity and social justice. This nation has endured a long, polarizing and divisive political campaign, perhaps the most polarizing in modern history.”

“Making America great again wasn’t just a dog whistle summoning, anti-black, anti-Mexican, anti-Latino, anti-Muslim, anti-homophobic sentiments, it was also a dog-whistle to those sentiments that wanted to take us back to when a woman’s place was in the home,” he said. “We won’t go back to a time when women paid more for health insurance

simply because they got pregnant and where pregnancy was a pre-existing condition. We can’t go back to a time when the only control a woman had over her body was in a back alley with a clothes hanger.”

A big theme before marchers dispersed was getting everyone involved in all upcoming elections to prevent a similar outcome as the one during the 2016 elections, in the future.

“Vote every election. In 2017, [vote in] local and county elections. In 2018, congressional elections. Vote every election,” said State President of the Georgia NAACP Dr. Francys Johnson.

“Because we have this racist electoral system, which we’ve gotta get rid of y’all, we ended up electing somebody who didn’t get the majority of the votes,” said Johnson.

A commitment which all the speakers urged protesters to continue to remember after last night’s protest.

Aisha Yaqoob, co-organizer of the march, led an oath to defend the Constitution, and remain an active citizen, reminding protesters of ways to get involved.

“Take in the crowd, the people standing beside you, and remember, for whom, for what, and for why you took this pledge and came to march today. The next time you feel overwhelmed, remember the community that was here today,” she said. “These are the people that have your back.

Sixty-three thousand people that have your back. You have taken your oath, and now you must live the oath.”

FRIDAY, JAN. 20

The day of the president’s inauguration also saw high activity in Atlanta, when a crowd of 300 people, led by the J20 Coalition, marched to the Atlanta City Hall and read off a list of demands for the city, in the Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed’s office.

The list of 18 demands included making Atlanta a sanctuary city, the center-cause of the Friday protest. Other demands called for the city to repeal all city policies that discriminate against minorities, close the city’s detention center, decriminalize marijuana and enforce policies against labor violations.

“As our nation continues to move forward on a more right-wing, corporatist, exclusive form of leadership, we seek to lift up the concerns of our communities and our neighbors,” Mary Hooks, a spokesperson for the coalition, said as she was delivering the demands to a representative of Mayor Reed.

Another representative of the coalition and a member of Project South Azadeh Shahshahani said that the demands were being made now in response to the attitude of racism, Islamophobia and white supremacy that they observed in the city.

“We hope to make the city a safer space so that we as people of color, as Muslims, as black people, as immigrants do not have to live our lives in fear,” Shahshahani said.

Michelle Tabrizi and Wesley Dunkirk contributed to this article

For the full list of protester demands to Mayor Kasim Reed, go to georgiastatesignal.com.

PHOTO BY JADE JOHNSON | THE SIGNAL

Over 63,000 people participate in the Women’s March, walking from the National Center for Civil and Human Rights to the Georgia State Capitol. Among the marchers were Congressman John Lewis and former Atlanta mayor Shirley Franklin. View more photos online.

Protests around the globe • 700 people in Wellington, New Zealand • Between 80,000 and 100,000 in cities of the United Kingdom • Around 2,000 in Vienna, Austria • Over 3,000 in Sydney, Australia • More than 1,000 in Paris, France • Around 900 in Juneau, Alaska Numbers are estimates

NEWS

4

TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2017

University

The library upgrades to fingerprint scanners

Students still haven’t registered for the university’s latest safety upgrade

SYRINA MERILAN Associate News Editor

T

he library has thrown away its old card swipe machines and upgraded to state of the art fingerprint scanners, with a big portion of the Atlanta campus student body not yet on board.

Though outlined to bring more security to those affiliated with the university, some students are skeptical of the efficiency of fingerprint scanners.

“What is this really going to do that the cards didn’t do? If you’re a Georgia State student you have a card,” student William Breen said.

“There might be a bump [that’s] making more authorized access, but at the same time as far as people getting stuff swiped from them it was students doing it to students, so it’s not really going to make that much of a difference.”

Jeff Steely, dean of libraries, said that the purpose of the new fingerprint scanners are to efficiently identify those who are entering the building. The identification cards only recognized that the individual was a Georgia State student or faculty member, but now everyone can be positively identified by their fingerprint. Steely said the new scanners also protect against the possibility of ID cards being lost or stolen.

“Cards are less secure, in that they can be lost, stolen, or shared,” Steely said. “The practice of using security personnel to visually compare ID photos with library users, which security staff used during 2016 as in interim measure, is highly labor intensive.”

Fears of the update

Other students are afraid to have their fingerprint in a database and feel that the need to register your fingerprint to enter the library is excessive and an invasion of privacy.

“It’s kind of scary, because you know it’s a lack of privacy even though it is more secure, but you can’t sacrifice one for the other. It’s almost as scary as Sweden getting rid of its paper money. You go full electronic and it just tracks everybody. It’s a little bit more monitoring,” Georgia State student Lukaas Heidenreich said.

Steely said that the fingerprints scanned will appear in a database which only Georgia State has access.

“No company or entity other than [Georgia State] will have access to this data. It is

housed at [Georgia State], and used solely for identification to provide access to [Georgia State] resources,” said Steely.

As specified by the library website, “No actual fingerprints are captured or stored by the system. The system takes measurements of geometric features of the finger and then applies a series of computer operations, or algorithms, to create a unique alphanumeric value that is the only information related to the fingerprint stored in the system.”

After students have graduated, fingerprints will be discarded.

“Auxiliary Services, in partnership with Instructional Innovation and Technology, will implement automated procedures for disposing of data stored in the system, such that the stored data would have a lifespan of six (6) months or less after students, faculty or staff leave the university, further reducing chances for unintended usage,” according to the library website.

Opening day

On Jan. 9, the fingerprint scanners made their first appearance and with them came a line wrapped around the first floor of the library for fingerprint registrations.

“It’s rough. I’m all the way in the back. It’s so long. I’m over it. I’m ready to go. I feel like they can probably put three more people at the desk, because I know that they usually have like ten people checking for IDs last semester, which doesn’t make sense,” Fernanda Ribeiro said waiting in the registration line to enter the library.

“It‘s ridiculous. It’s one person working it and it’s like everyone is here. There should have been more people and a broader time, because doing it between 10 [a.m.] and 2 [p.m.] is nothing, especially if you have a class to go to,” Autumn Moore, another Georgia State student, said.

Mishal Jamil, the attendant at the registration desk, said that the library was not intended to be the main location for registration. Instead students were supposed to go to Auxiliary Services to get their fingerprints scanned and the library would be the secondary location.

“The fingerprint registration is also going on in the Panther card office, actually Auxiliary Services they are the ones that are doing the fingerprintings. The library is just assisting them in that. We have this station set up from 10 [a.m.] to 2 [p.m.], but now and days it’s busy, so we have their station set up from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.”

Breen felt that the urgency to have their fingerprint scanned had not been made explicit last semester, which resulted in so many students gravitating toward the library during the first week of classes.

“They set up tables last semester, but they didn’t give out any notification that said ‘hey you need to do this’ it was just like ‘hey if you want to you can set up a fingerprint scan,” Breen said. “This is thoroughly unnecessary and what’s more is that they did not do a good job in getting the word out last semester that this was going to be a necessary change.”

Steely clarified that scanning your fingerprint is not mandatory, but is “highly recommended” and should be registered by the end of January.

So far only 17,008 students have registered their fingerprints.

The visitor policies

While rumors flowed around campus that last year’s library armed robbery incidents were committed by non-Georgia State individuals, Steely refuted those rumors and said there is no proof. He said the measure to exclude visitors from the library was only to make security upgrades easier.

“Restricting access to visitors was just one of several steps we could take quickly until the university completed permanent security upgrades for the library,” Steely said. “Those upgrades are now complete. To the best of my knowledge there was no evidence that an authorized visitor was involved in the incidents last winter.”

From January to August 2016, visitors had to be scheduled ahead of time, but starting September, visitors have been able to gain normal access after the library implemented a new visitor management system.

The library does not have plans to permanently restrict access to the public, because Georgia State is partially funded by taxes and has an obligation to allow citizens of Georgia to utilize their resources, according to Steely.

“While our primary goal is supporting [Georgia State] affiliates, as a research library we have a larger mission to collect, preserve and provide access to the scholarly record for the community. Georgia State University is also a public university, partially funded by tax dollars, so the citizens of Georgia have a special claim on use of our resources,” he said. “Every public university provides public access to its libraries.”

PHOTO BY JADE JOHNSON | THE SIGNAL Students wait in a line that wraps around Library North’s first floor to get their fingerprints scanned.

Do the fingerprint scanners help you feel safer in the library?

“No. I honestly don't like the idea of them having my information. I don't like that at all.”

- Tyler Montgomery

“Not really. What is this really going to do that the cards didn’t do?”

- William Breen

TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2017

5

NEWS

City

Last Week Local

Construction company CEO charged for bribing

E.R Mitchell, CEO of a construction company, has been charged for allegedly paying millions of dollars in bribes to get construction contracts in the City of Atlanta. According to FOX5, someone went to Mitchell’s home and warned him to keep quiet. The police reports on Sept. 11, 2015 detailed that a block was thrown through Mitchell’s car with a note saying, “ER, Keep your mouth shut, shut up,” according to FOX5. When asked who the perpetrator was, Mitchell refused to give any details.

PHOTO BY WESLEY DUNKIRK | THE SIGNAL

Development Officer of WRS Realty Kevin Rogers answering questions from downtown Atlanta residents about The Underground redevelopment.

Underground’s new student housing

Redevelopers highlight student housing in community meeting WESLEY DUNKIRK Associate News Editor

E

arlier this month, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed set a deadline for the sale of Underground to be finalized by the end of January. An important vote on Jan. 19 has made meeting that deadline a more realistic possibility.

Atlanta’s Downtown Development Authority board voted to pass an amendment to the sales agreement that will resolve some real estate title issues that complicated the deal. With the deadline still looming, Kevin Rogers, the development officer for WRS, Inc. Real Estate Investments (WRS), told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that WRS hopes to close on the property “as soon as possible.”

At a meeting to soothe concerns over Underground Atlanta’s redevelopment, WRS, the property’s redevelopers, held a meeting at the Underground site on Jan. 14 to present project plans and take community feedback.

At the meeting, WRS said a key component of the redevelopment of Underground is the production of student housing facilities within the property. While discussing these plans, Rogers made claims based off of what Georgia State described as “outdated” documents.

Rogers cited Georgia State’s 2006 “Master Plan”, a document created by Georgia State in 2006 to express its goals and aspirations, as evidence of Georgia State’s desire to increase the amount of students housed on campus and said private housing on the Underground property would support this goal. Rogers claimed the plan suggests “a need for an additional 1.3 million square feet of student housing (...) to be achieved by actively seeking partnerships with the private sector.”

While the 2006 plan did call for roughly an additional 1.3 million square feet in building space, it did not call for that space to be exclusively in student housing and nowhere mentioned additional space would be procured through partnerships with the private sector. Specifically, it stated “the remaining deficit (1.29 million ASF) includes residence halls to meet the campus housing goal as well as additional laboratories, classrooms, and offices.”

Georgia State previously considered constructing

university dorms near the Underground property on its own. In the 2006 Master Plan that Rogers cited in his speech, the university described a planned housing construction project known as “Wall Street Student Housing.”

“Consequently, in partnership with the Atlanta Development Authority, a new 1,500-student residence adjacent to Underground Atlanta on four blocks flanking Wall Street would be built,” the 2006 plan stated.

The university later abandoned the idea, as it does not appear in the updated 2013 version of Georgia State’s Master Plan. Andrea Jones, Georgia State’s Associate Vice President for Public Relations and Marketing Communications, said the 2006 plan is no longer an accurate portrait of Georgia State’s goals. “[The 2006] master plan is out of date and doesn’t reflect the housing along Piedmont Avenue,” Jones said. “The university decided not to build housing near Underground around that same time period.”

Rogers said that Georgia State “correctly noted adding such housing to portions of Underground Atlanta would help reinvigorate Underground Atlanta and its surrounding commercial uses.”

Rogers told The Signal he believes additional privatized on-campus housing constructed on the Underground property, which sits virtually across Decatur Street from Georgia State’s Atlanta campus, would be a popular option for the Georgia State student body.

“We believe pretty strongly that privately developed student housing across the street from campus will be a compelling product for students to consider when weighing their choices in the marketplace,” Rogers said.

Although the university eventually decided against constructing a housing complex of its own near the Underground property, Jones said that Georgia State warmly welcomes additional privatized student housing options.

“We’re always happy to see private developers give students options,” Jones said. “It is a sign of the growth and trajectory of the university.”

But other Downtown residents who have lived near Underground for years showed up at the meeting to voice the concerns that they had about the redevelopment.

Sheldon Schiffer, a Georgia State professor in the Creative Media Industries Institute living one block away from Underground, described himself as a member of Downtown’s artistic class and told the developers he hopes to soon become a member of the “family class.”

Schiffer said he and his partner have been debating whether or not to remain living in the Underground area or to move to a suburban area as they prepare to raise their first child.

“What I’ve observed over the 19 years [that I have lived here] is that in my building … when couples decide to have a child, they leave, and that’s because there’s not much for children to do,” Schiffer said. “I would like you to have an environment here for families who are probably a part of the creative class.”

Schiffer went on to express his desire for the redevelopment to include daycare and places for families to play with their children.

Though the meeting brought together many residents who expressed frustration and concern over the preservation of Underground’s arts community, affordable housing options, and the inclusivity of minority owned businesses and family-oriented centers, there were some in attendance who fully supported the redevelopment of the Underground property.

Lukas Babusak, a student at the meeting who plans on moving into the Underground area with his girlfriend, said he is excited for what the redevelopment will bring.

“I see a very positive impact at the end of the four years or five years of completion,” Babusak said. “One thing that I really liked was how it would connect with Georgia State. It would be more student housing, it would grow Georgia State as a university.”

Babusak said the convenience added by the redevelopment played a major role in his support for the project.

“The grocery store would be a big one for us, whether or not we’re living down here,” Babusak said. “To me it’s exciting. I also want to understand the residents’ point of view, and I completely do, but like I said at the end of the day it’s going to be a huge positive impact on Atlanta as a whole.”

National

Trump Inauguration protests stayed peaceful

According to NBC, the Women’s March on Jan. 21, the day after President Trump’s inauguration, was substitutionally more peaceful that the one that took place a day earlier.

Hundreds of thousands of people marched in Washington D.C, to show their support of women’s rights. Unlike the previous march where 230 people were arrested, no one had been arrested by Sunday at 6 p.m. Instead the police department seemed to be cordial to the marchers and in return the marchers were civil even though there was hardly any personal room.

The Women’s March was not bounded to Washington as it took place all over the U.S. including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, St. Paul, and Minnesota.

Global

Trump postpones meeting with Putin

President Donald Trump took office Jan. 20 and many are expecting his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but according to Global News that won’t be happening for a few months.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the BBC, “This will not be in coming weeks, let’s hope for the best – that the meeting will happen in the coming months.” Some are shocked, because of the democrats allegations that Kemlin assisted in President Trump’s victory against Hillary Clinton. Global News said that Kremlin refuted theses alligations by saying that the U.S. Democratic party is searching for excuse to why Clinton lost.

NEWS

6

TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2017

STATE

Efforts for more medical marijuana in Georgia

New bill will expand scope of conditions to be medicated with weed MICHELLE TABRIZI Staff Reporter

A

new bill showing up in this Georgia legislative session, aims to expand the amount of conditions which can legally be treated with medical marijuana. Rep. Allen Peake is the main sponsor of House Bill (HB 65) and while advocates for medical marijuana are supporting the movement wholeheartedly, others are a bit hesitant as they demand for facts to back its medical benefits.

Dale Jackson, an advocate of medical marijuana and father of an 8-year-old boy with autism who has been using cannabis oil since 2015, after he heard about the success others have had with using it. In that time, Jackson said his son “has made leaps and bounds” since starting the use of medical marijuana.

“The biggest changes we have seen is his awareness. Before, me and my wife didn’t feel like we could communicate with him. Even though he can’t speak, we feel like he understands us better,” Jackson said. “He is much calmer, he is less likely to get upset or to have an autistic meltdown. He sleeps better. He is not constantly overwhelmed by sensory sounds. I don’t think cannabis oil is a cure, but it makes life more manageable for an autistic family.”

Under Georgia’s current medical marijuana legislation passed

in 2015, those with autism still cannot legally possess cannabis.

HB1 was more restrictive on the kinds and amount of conditions that qualified for the use of medical marijuana. But with the new push, six more conditions, including autism spectrum disorder, would become eligible for medical marijuana this year, if HB 65 passes. Other conditions include Tourette’s syndrome, intractable pain, post-traumatic stress disorder, human immunodeficiency virus, and acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

But while families like Jackson’s have had success with using medical marijuana, Dr. Sheryl Strasser, Georgia State professor of Health, warns of the negative impacts of the drug.

“There are absolute benefits and there are clear negative impacts,” Dr. Strasser said. “The research we have shows that children and young individuals using marijuana, even for medical reasons have negative brain development. It can impact long term learning and memory abilities.”

Dr. Strasser believes that it would be premature to pass legislation that would allow marijuana to be used for medical purposes without knowing what the long term effects of that could be.

“It is much better to use evidence to support a law than to support a law and wait for evidence, which is what’s happening with medical marijuana,” Dr. Strasser said.

While Dr. Strasser argues there isn’t enough research to know what all the risks of marijuana are, Blaine Cloud, whose daughter Alaina suffers from a severe form of epilepsy, said he is more

concerned about the side effects of the medicines his daughter is taking now.

“Some of the medicine she takes today is highly addictive, can cause liver damage and potentially lead to death,” Cloud said.

“Cannabis cannot kill you if you use too much, unlike every other single medicine our daughter takes. I’m more worried about the harm her current medication could do to her.”

While Alaina’s condition is already one that legally allows her to possess cannabis under the 2015 legislation, it is difficult to access the strain she would need.

“We aren’t able to try different strains of the oil here, due to there not being any access to different products,” Cloud said.

“There are hundreds of different cannabinoids in the cannabis plant, and getting the right ratios is important, since everyone is different. This is why we will continue to fight until we have actual production and distribution here in Georgia.”

In order for it to become legal to cultivate and sell marijuana for medical purposes in Georgia, the resolution (HR 36) would need a ⅔ vote from both the House and Senate and would also need a majority of the public vote in November 2018.

“I have no doubt that if [HR 36] goes to the ballot it would get 70 percent approval,” said Rep. Allen Peake, sponsor of the resolution and the new bill.

While Peake is an advocate for the medical use of marijuana on more conditions, he said he does not support recreational use.

SGA plans for a good nap on campus

New CatNap room and the Senate’s campusinvolvement the primary focuses of the meeting CHRISTINA MAXOURIS News Editor

T

he university’s Student Government Association (SGA) kicked off their first meeting of the semester on Jan. 19 with almost perfect attendance of the Senate, hosting speakers from the Panther’s Pantry and the university’s’ office of Student Victim Assistance.

PHOTO BY HANNAH GRECO | THE SIGNAL Speaker of the House Blessing Akomas confirmed that a Members of SGA vote to swear in Miles Brown, the new marketing chair for the election commission, during the meeting on Thursday, big focus of this semester’s Senate goals is getting members January 19. more involved on campus. Akomas urged Senators to bring brought in Georgia State police to talk about new policies and room 259, and while he said he doesn’t expect a lot of students to in organizations they know about and have them speak to the procedures of safety. But the lack of student attendance was know about it by midterms (although it will be available), SGA Senate. obvious in the Student Center Ballroom, a factor which Akomas will really up their CatNap marketing techniques to attract a “The reason why I really want them to bring in organizations said they’re working on, but with restrictions. crowd by spring finals. is [because] there’s a lot of stuff our Senators are passionate about “This year we’re a little more constricted with our marketing, New on the floor was also a ‘Microwave Resolution’, presented and they may not feel like they can talk about it here, so it’s an because of the consolidation, it has to be more specific and go to the Senate by Sen. Corey Gray. The resolution would place opportunity to bring [organizations] they’re interested in, into through the Student Center for events we want to do, we have to additional microwaves throughout Georgia State’s campus. the Senate so that way other students can know about it,” she get everything out in advance. So right now they’re aware of it Gray said the proposed resolution would help all students, but said. and we’re working on the flyers,” she said. especially commuters.

Akomas said all Senators are asked to be in Standing Students can also expect e-mail blasts to start making “We’re really just trying to make sure that we have enough Committees, in charge of different aspects of SGA’s activities their appearance from SGA, as Akomas said a Georgia State microwaves that can benefit all of our students, as far as our and student involvement. She said keeping students in the loop survey found that was the way students preferred getting their commuter students, and having them in locations to where means they’ll be hosting one to two town halls this semester. information. everyone knows where they are and they’re findable and people “A few years ago, we had housing come in [for a Town Hall] “That’s why we moved SGA Now [the association’s newsletter] aren’t having puzzled faces or aren’t confused about where they when they were working on gender-inclusion,” Akomas said. from pamphlet to online,” she said. can go to microwave their food, ” Gray said.

“We wanted to that again this year, especially with all the changes Sen. Joshua Scales also updated the members on the muchThe next SGA meeting on Jan. 26 will be university-wide, in the library and then some of the different things like Turner awaited for CatNap room, whose luxuries students will be able hosting student government members from all six campuses, and Field, some students don’t know about it so it’d be a good way to to enjoy starting midterms. Scales said that while in the fall university president Mark Becker is set to make an appearance as inform students about that.” semester they were lacking funding which would help cover the speaker.

Last year, SGA’s town hall was weeks after the string of armed renting costs of cots, they’re now moving ahead with the project.

The CatNap room will be located in Student Center West, robberies in the Atlanta campus library, and the association Wesley Dunkirk contributed to this article.

EDITORIAL

The fingerprint stunt

Are the scanners a safety or PR move?

H

ave you ever had your parents resolve something for you and the solution is just really inconvenient? They add a lock to your door for safety and now you have to remember a code to get in the house?

This is how we view the library fingerprint scanners. It’s a measure that is supposed to make us feel safer, but in actuality, it’s really just an inconvenient step to a bigger process (of safety...or marketing).

First off, let’s address the elephant in the room.

Do these fingerprint scanners actually stop students from getting robbed in the library? The answer is “not really”. The library is still open to whoever wants to enter, student or not.

The university poured a whole lot of cash into implementing the fingerprint scanners, and while the fancy new tech boxes look promising, we’re not so sure if anything’s different. The fact is, that students can still enter -even without a fingerprint in the database, by just submitting their Panther card, and access to guests is open as well, as it was last semester

Honestly, without metal detectors, the problem really is not solved, weapons can still be sneaked in.

But the bigger question is whether the scanners were implemented to diminish that possibility. We still don’t know if a gun was actually involved in last year’s robberies. Maybe the university administration just feels that students are less likely to rob their fellow classmates and intimidated by the new machines.

And that, only time can answer.

But students have already voiced concerns about the fingerprint scanners. On page 4, Tyler Montgomery voiced her displeasure with giving up such private information as your fingerprint.

“I honestly don’t like the idea of them having my information. I don’t like that at all” Montgomery said.

In today’s world, companies or administrations have come under much scrutiny for collecting too much data or information. The big fear would be “what if this information fell into the wrong hands”?

This is a valid question as what would happen if your fingerprint was taken by hackers? Despite the university setting up fingerprints to be included only

in their own database, the new digitalized reality comes with no promises of what hacking can do.

But then again, think of all the information Georgia State already has about us, would a fingerprint really change that much?

What’s crossing through many students’ minds is also that this might be as much of a PR move as it is a safety comeback; merely a message to students that something was done in response to the multiple library robberies in the 2015-2016 academic year, but that the response was hollow of any true additional safety. The Georgia State administration may have implemented these fingerprint scanners because they think it will make a difference, but while also knowing that it will make them look good to students, media, and parents.

Whether or not these changes will actually help campus safety remains to be seen. For right now, let’s all have fun waiting in long lines to get in the library.

We want to hear what you think. Tell us your thoughts on the new fingerprint scanners. Submit your letter to the editor at signalopinions@gmail.com

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ARTS & LIVING

www.georgiastatesignal.com/artsandliving

Aiding students in the search for inner peace and balance INGA MASIC

Arts & Living Editor

C

ollege is stressful. That is commonly agreed upon after experiencing the allnighters, endless finals and papers, hours of commuting and disassociation from all social

circles.

With the immense pressure one feels in college, especially entering and exiting the institution, a simple deep breath isn’t going to do the trick. The effects are too adamant for a quick five minute break, so for the stresses of college, drastic relaxation methods may need to be performed.

That notion is something The Sahaja Meditation Group was aware of, and so they decided that students needed access to opportunities of supreme relaxation and inner alignment.

The organization’s advisor Ruchi Bhatnagar, who manages the organization on the Alpharetta campus, informed The Signal of the inner workings of the Sahaja’s meditation process, effects and historic background.

From Stressed to Serene

“Meditation is a proven technique to release stress and students have a lot of stress. There’s just so much going on in their lives that they need an avenue for stress relief,” Bhatnagar said. “That is the biggest advantage of doing the meditation, and with this meditation the goal is to awaken that energy that lives within us, the Kundalini energy. So when you awaken it, you can benefit from it all the time. So whether you are in the

class or outside of the class, you can still feel it, you can feel it everywhere. And it is the best way to stay balanced in spite of all the pressure that you have in your life.”

Kundalini energy is defined as “a type of energy that sits dormant in the first chakra, at the base of the spine,” according to ramalila.org. The energy can be released in life-threatening situations (like gaining immense strength to lift a car, when a loved one is trapped) or during sexual experiences, like orgasms. However, when the energy is concentrated through meditation, it can be extremely beneficial to the body’s amity and stress levels.

“Before you fix a problem you have to know where the problem lies. That’s where the chakras come in,” Bhatnagar said.

“There are seven chakras in our body, and the Kundalini tells us what the status of our chakras is, like which ones are strong and which ones are weak. And that’s when you realize what aspects of your physical body need working, and then you work on each chakra. You will remove the obstacles within the chakra, and then you become balanced again. So once they are aligned again, you feel perfect harmony within you and in a good state of health.”

The practice of Sahaja has been around for countless years and originated in India. It started in the 1970s and was founded

by Shri Mataji, and since then has been practiced in over 110 countries, according to Bhatnager. Its purpose was to attain self-realization through yoga techniques and meditation, and Mataji aimed for individual inner growth when introducing this concept.

“It is everyone’s right to achieve this state of ones evolution and everything necessary is already inbuilt. But as I respect

your freedom, you have to have the desire to achieve this state, it cannot be forced upon you,” Mataji said on sahajayoga.org.

The idea of one achieving self alignment and eventually gaining access to their personal Kundalini energy is only achievable with self-determination. It is a practice that can not be fully performed when the body is under the sensation of force and disinterest. When one truly wants to grasp a balanced and stress-free existence is when the Kundalini energy becomes accessible.

“That energy is in us but we are not aware of its presence, and it has not awakened. So when you do awaken that energy, its purpose is to get rid of the excessive stress that we have within us. We become our masters in a way,” Bhatnagar said.

The meditation can only be successful in the elimination of stress, when we examine the body’s seven chakras: Root Chakra, Sacral Chakra, Solar Plexus Chakra, Heart Chakra, Throat Chakra, Third Eye Chakra and Crown Chakra. The meditation allows you to sense the disruptions within the elements in your body and that need re-evaluating, and then one becomes proactive in improving those aspects in life.

“You guide your own road. You also become aware of yourself, and what are the circumstances that make you imbalanced or not, and then you improve those,” Bhatnagar said. “There are meditation techniques that they teach that help us relieve stress from the various chakras. We use the five natural elements, so the water element, the fire element, the air element, the sky [ether]element and the earth element. These can be incorporated into our meditation, for us to come back into balance.”

It is connected with earthly grounding and physical survival, and controls the urge to fight or flight within the body.

Located between the spine and the navel.

This chakra represents desire, pleasure, sexuality, procreation and creativity.

It focuses on information, understanding, acceptance and bliss. The blocking of this chakra can be caused or can cause psychological problems.

It connects with power, laughter, joy, anger, sensitivity, and ambition.

Located with the heart and is the center of love, compassion, harmony and peace.

It centers around communication, creativity, self-expression and judgement.

It is the chakra of question, perception, knowing, inner vision, intuition and wisdom.

7

1 6

2 3

• Advisor email: rbhatnagar@gsu.edu • Public Organization email: kpusuluri1@student.gsu.edu • Organization Website: gsu.orgsync.com/org/meditation

4

5 PAGE DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION BY SALINNA PHON | THE SIGNAL

A MIXTU

MUSEUM FEATURES • • • • • •

Open five days a week Free entry and parking Guided tours Family-friendly facility Permanent exhibit (CDC history) Temporary and traveling exhibits

2017 EXHIBITS A Lens on CDC: The Photographs of Jim Gathany - on display now Working Together. Defeating Ebola - coming in June

MORE ONLINE On their website are details and photographs of past exhibitions that depict their commitment to educating and serving the public. The museum is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. through 5 p.m. It offers entry and parking free of charge, making it an easy trip to agree on.

PHOTO BY HANNAH GRECO | THE SIGNAL

The CDC Museum is designed to be both fun and informative as a way to inform citizens of all ages about the many different outbreaks of disease America has experienced.

U R E O F H I S T O RY, H E A LT H A N D C U LT U R E

SASHA GAY TRUSTY Staff Reporter

I

t is no secret that the City of Atlanta is home to quite a number of historic sites and prominent establishments. Whether it is for entertainment purposes, or to provide information, the options are bountiful. Sometimes, both education and leisure can be obtained in the same environment.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is one of the state’s most distinguished government organizations, and their work has been very instrumental in protecting the health of individuals within the nation and spreading awareness across the globe, as outlined extensively on the agency’s website.

When the Ebola crisis escalated in 2014, the foundation presented hospitals with guidelines on how to reduce spreading the disease should cases arise. They provided assistance in West Africa, greatly contributing to the containment of the fever. What some may not be aware of is that in addition to their preventive work, the Atlanta center has housed the David J. Sencer CDC Museum for the past two decades, according to CDC.GOV. In itself, the museum is as much about history as it is a secondary channel to dispel the motives of the disease l-control organization.

“The CDC Museum’s mission is to educate visitors about the value of prevention–based public health, while collecting, preserving, and presenting CDC’s rich heritage and vast accomplishments through engaging museum exhibitions and dynamic educational programming,” according to their website.

THE MUSEUM’S BEGINNING Judy Gantt, the facility’s art director, is a key figure in executing and sustaining this crucial mission. She informed The Signal that the museum was “founded in 1996 [and] it was the brainchild of a number of people at CDC, who were interested in displaying CDC’s history, and also Dr. David Satcher, who was the director of the CDC at the time.”

Exactly 50 years after the control center was formed, the accompanying art and information space was created for public consumption.

“It was really put together to commemorate the 50th anniversary [of the CDC], and it was also 1996 when the Olympics were in Atlanta,” Gantt said.

Later, with Gantt’s encouragement, it was renamed to honor David J. Sencer, who had dedicated over ten years of his career to the center.

“When he died, I really wanted to honor him by getting CDC to name the museum after him,” Gantt said. Sencer was the longest serving director at the CDC, having held the position from 1966 until 1977.

EVOLUTION Since its inception, the foundation has grown and evolved along with the place it calls home. Naturally, the scope of the foundation’s service and its resources expanded, which inevitably meant its building needed to as well. Plans to change over to a more accommodating location began in 1999 and officially took effect in 2005, further enlarging their reach.

“We have a much bigger space and a much bigger opportunity to display more of CDC’s history, and also bring temporary exhibits, which we do every three or four months,” Gantt said.

Developing exhibitions of the magnitude of those featured at the museum is not a simple project.

Extensive research is required, and every arrangement must uphold the goals of the museum. Gantt explains that the curation process is in no way a singular effort, rather, it involves Curator Louise Shaw and often other institutions as well.

“It’s a team process,” Gantt said, in regards to temporary exhibits specifically. “[Shaw] and I discuss what would be appropriate to display here. We need an exhibit, one, that we can afford; and two, that relates to CDC’s work in some way.”

As an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, exhibits are sometimes granted to the curation team. In addition, it is not uncommon for them to partner with other affiliates or science museums.

“There are Smithsonian museums that we know about and get temporary exhibits from, or we do it ourselves,” Gantt said.

In 2015, for instance, GYRE: The Plastic Ocean was shown, which was an exhibition organized by the Anchorage Museum in Alaska. This particular assemblage was an exploration of how carelessly discarded plastic waste impacts the ocean and disrupts the ecosystem. It also featured works created by Georgia State art professor Pamela Longobardi.

Longobardi currently works in the Ernest G. Welch School of Art and Design. She teaches drawing and painting at all levels, as well as seminar art and environment at the graduate level.

“I was one of the original team [members] for the GYRE expedition, which was the basis for the exhibition, actually,” Longobardi said. “[I was] the first artist contacted by Howard Ferren of the Alaska Sealife Center. He had a vision for the project, and I helped him assemble the artist team and get the Anchorage Museum onboard.”

Longobardi, along with more than 30 other artists, brought the exhibition to life through authentic, informative works concerning the damage plastic is imposing on the oceans.

“It was amazing that even though all the material was basically the same, the work was incredibly visually diverse and striking: from large to miniature sculpture, photography, video, painting, drawing and more. It contained a lot of scientific information as well, and this

is important, because the research on plastic’s effects in the world adds an element of stark reality to this not benign material,” Longobardi said.

Currently on display is A Lens on CDC: The Photographs of Jim Gathany, which will run until May 26.

“Jim Gathany has been the official CDC photographer for more than 30 years,” Gantt said. “All the pictures you see of mosquitos on websites and in publications, he has taken. He’s just an iconic photographer who is brilliant, at the behest of scientists, taking pictures to document specimens, mold or bacteria.”

Gathany’s photo exhibit goes beyond showcasing his respected work; with having his idiosyncratic processes are examined as well. These methods entail allowing mosquitoes to bite him in order to photograph them, and more technical details, like the equipment he uses and details about his zooming techniques.

Along with the available visual spread are panel discussions that delve deeper into the artist’s work.

Viewers can ruminate over fascinating images of ticks, lice and other insects that may carry diseases.

“We are also displaying a few of the many thousands of publications that have used his photographs,” Gantt said.

LOOKING AHEAD Gantt and Shaw have begun to lay groundwork for an upcoming exhibition that will be introduced later this year. Its focal point is a fusion of African culture and inspection of the widely feared disease that reached epidemic status on the continent a few years back.

“We are doing an exhibit on Ebola that will be up in June. So, we are getting artifacts from Africa, we are doing a lot of oral histories with people [and] we are finding graphics from around the world to tell the story in an engaging and insightful way,” Gantt said.

What’s more, the team is in the early stages of constructing a series that hits closer to home. Though, it will be some time before the exhibition materializes.

“In a couple of years we will open an exhibit, we are not sure what it’s going to be called. It’s going to be on American Indians and Alaska Natives. It will also include a traveling exhibit that we will get from the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry called Roots of Wisdom,” Gantt said.

In the meantime, visitors can survey the live temporary exhibit, as well as the permanent one detailing the CDC’s history and contributions.

“We have self-guided tours, or people fill out a form and get guided tour for 10 or more [people]. But [visitors] can just come in anytime and walk through yourself,” Gantt said.

While the primary basis for the foundation are topics of health and environment, it manages to stay within those parameters, but still incorporate other elements that appeal to a diverse audience like Atlanta. The museum advances a comprehensive cultural experience consisting of history, health-related information and creative undertakings.

ARTS & LIVING

12

TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2017

D.I.Y

Doggie D.I.Y.S Tails will be wagging with these creations for man’s best friend Pooch clothing

Although the recent weather suggests otherwise in Georgia, it is still winter time and February might be brutal, so making your dog some soft and warm clothing items is a must.

INGA MASIC

Arts & Living Editor

T

he only friend a person can count on is the furry, shaggy or shorthaired that licks their hands and is there for a good snuggle. Dogs are undoubtedly cute, but they are also undoubtedly the one creature that will not pass judgement for anything you do or say. Their eyes don’t have room to hold judgement, when filled with exponential love and sweetness.

Since having a dog as a pet is the closest way for a person to feel unconditional admiration and adoration, dogs deserve a few presents for their openminded demeanor, do they not? These DIYs are just a few ways to show your playful pal just how much you love him or her, and just how grateful you are for them.

From sweater to sweater This DIY will take you less than 10 minutes and will keep your pup warm and comfy for much longer.

• • •

Items needed An unwanted sweater Scissors Measuring tape (optional)

Let’s Begin 1. Begin by laying out the sweater of your choice flat on the ground or a flat table.

Make sure that the sleeves are spread out and flattened.

2. Once you have done this, grab one of the sleeves and measure the width from top to bottom, the sleeve needs to be able to fit your dog’s chest, or at least be able to stretch enough. This is optional, you can eyeball the size if you think you know just how big it needs to be.

3. Once you have measured the sleeve, grab the scissors and cut along the line that connects the sleeve and the rest of the sweater.

4. Then, grab the scissors again and cut the end side of the sleeve that was just cut off into a wave shape, making the bottom half begin inward and then turning the path outward toward the middle until the end. The reason for this is so the sweater doesn’t get dirty when the dog needs to go about it’s “business.”

5. After this, cut a hole toward the bottommiddle part of the sleeve, there will be the holes for your dog’s arms. Make sure the holes are big enough if your dog has larger arms. The holes should be made all the ways through, not just one side of the sleeve.

6. The beginning of the sleeve will be the portion that goes around the neck of the dog. So if the part seems small to you, simply cut off little sections until it gets larger.

Toy time

PHOTOS BY JADE JOHNSON | THE SIGNAL Easy DIY sweaters for dogs are simply made from the sleeves of human sweaters.

Putting dog food inside a tennis ball is an easy made dog toy as well.

Your dog deserves to always be entertained, but let’s be real, we are college students. We have basically sold our soul to school and work, and the little bit of it that we have left if we are lucky goes to social causes. So that falls under spending time with family, friends or the ultimate of the two combined, your dog.

But when you can’t have that alone time together, he or she needs something to keep occupied with, so here are some DIY dog toys to make.

Mystery Tennis Ball This DIY is incredibly simple and it’s as equally entertaining for you as it is for the pal that gets to play with it. You can put different treats inside the tennis ball, leaving a small bit open for the dog to smell the treat, and then watch as your dog battles head to head with the bouncy fiend.

• • •

Items Needed Tennis Ball Scissors Dog peanut butter or small dog treats

Let’s begin 1. Grab the tennis ball and the scissors.

Then, cut a one-inch hole along the ball.

2. Once the hole is created, you can place treats in the ball (not small enough for them to fall out easily) or some dog peanut butter.

3. Once that’s in, throw the ball to your dog and watch them fight to get those goodies, it’s pretty funny to watch.

The prizes popsicle

This one is not as much of a toy, than it is just a awesome method to house your dog’s toys. This giant popsicle is the greatest trick for those hot summer days, or for the weird and unexpected warm weather we’ve been having currently.

Items Needed A bucket (try not to go too big in size) Some of your dog’s toys (preferably ones you don’t mind getting wet) • Chicken broth • Water • •

Let’s Begin 1. First grab the bucket and fill threequarters of it with water.

2. Then, grab the chicken broth and fill one-quarter of the bucket up with that.

3. After both liquids are in the bucket, mix them week together.

4. Then, you will take the toys and put them in the bucket. There’s no particular order, just go wild. Try to keep the toy number to a three to four maximum, depending on the size.

5. Once all the toys are in the bucket, put the bucket in the freezer and let it freeze overnight.

6. The next morning, take the bucket out and let it sit for 5 minutes to melt a tad along the sides of the bucket.

After this, try squeezing the ice block out.

7. When you have successfully done this, put the ice cube outside and let your dog go crazy. It will lick away at the chicken flavored ice, until it gets to its favorite toys.

Quick Bonus Creation For those who want to pamper their dogs to the absolute max, this creation is sure to keep them smooth/soft and ready for the runway (sidewalk).

Paw Butter

This will keep your dog’s paws and nose very soft and smooth, and will keep away rough patches.

Items needed 2 tablespoons of Shea Butter 4 tablespoons of olive oil and coconut oil • 1 teaspoon of Vitamin Evans oil • 2 tablespoons of beeswax • •

Melt them in a small pot and mix! Then let it sit until it’s firm and voila! Rub it on the paws of the dog, and it can be kept on for as long as desired, it will likely rub off eventually with all the running dogs do!

PAGE DESIGN BY TAISJAH WILKINS | THE SIGNAL

TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2017

13

ARTS & LIVING

movie Review

Questioning religious fervor ALEX GRAHAM Staff Reviewer

A

t first glance, “Silence” may seem like an odd fit in Martin Scorsese’s film repertoire. His most wellknown films hinge on the bad guys and wackos of “Taxi Driver,” “Goodfellas,” and “Wolf of Wall Street.”

“Silence” may lack the frantic pacing and/or bloodshed of these films, but still engages with the complexities of right and wrong when dealing with religion and faith, making it thoroughly Scorsese.

The film follows 17th century Jesuit priests Sebastião Rodrigues (Andrew Garfield) and Francisco Garupe (Adam Driver) as they search for their lost mentor, Father Cristóvão Ferreira (Liam Neeson) in a Japan hostile to missionaries and converts alike. His last letter suggests he has rejected the faith after being tortured by the Japanese “Inquisitor” (Issey Ogata), racked with guilt over the knowledge that his converts got the same treatment.

Driver, sadly, isn’t given enough screentime as the men eventually separate and the camera follows Garfield, who gives a decent performance, but one that I’d rather have seen played against Driver’s expressiveness. Nonetheless, it’s Garfield who we watch struggle as he both searches for Father Ferreira and tries to renew the Japanese church despite the torment that awaits the Christians should they be found out.

“Silence” is paced and quiet, punctuated by some traumatic, if not super bloody, torture sequences. It’s a movie about faith— specifically Rodrigues’— and mission work, about the intersection between following your beliefs and taking things too far. An apt movie for this moment, I think, while questions about the role of

religion in politics simmer just beneath the surface of our day-to-day conversations.

I’m interested in how people responded to this film. A quick Google search reveals a lot of different ideas about how Scorsese talks about religion. The only real consensus I can find is that everyone thinks it’s beautiful, which is true— cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto’s misty landscapes and damp seasides feel as hopeless as they do tangible.

Some found it overlong, which is also true (Garfield doesn’t need to spend so much time moping about).

But the great feat of “Silence” is not its filmmaking, it’s how it talks about religion and spirituality as two sides of the same coin, not one in the same thing. The film explores how they come together, engaging the pitfalls of one— the possible detriments of mission work, a facet of religion practice— without diminishing the other.

Mission work in “Silence” represents the threats of European meddling to the Japanese officials, who do terrible things in response, pushing the religion aspects into political territory. Religion can be this complex, but faith need not be dirtied by outside interests.

Look to Rodrigues’ Jesus hallucinations for a clear example. How, the film asks, can a missionary not compare themselves on some level or another to Christ?

Especially when one such missionary is marched into a city on the back of a donkey. And does that make mission work irreligious or selfish, especially when your converts may have to pay with their lives? What here is Religion and what here is Faith? Watching Rodrigues struggle with these distinctions is such a delight that I could ignore the film’s other problems.

All this is rendered and painstakingly answered in Rodriques’ plight. There’s enough of an answer for his particular situation to spark new ideas in our own (necessary) analysis. This is the beauty of “Silence.”

Verdict

Grade

A-

“Silence” isn’t superbly crafted, hindered by unnecessary length and bloat, but its ideas about religion and faith make up for it all, and more.

Album review

Cudi finds his stride again post struggle JALEN JENKINS Staff Reviewer

K

id Cudi has had an interesting couple of years. He is no stranger to success since his two “Man on the Moon” albums and “Indicud,” but his 2015 effort “Speeding Bullet to Heaven” features Cudi taking his luck at alternative rock. This album was received very poorly among critics, like Pitchfork who called it “a failure, and not even a noble one.”

Cudi comes back strongly with his new album and does a lot of reflecting with “Passion, Pain, and Demon Slaying,” which not only has a cohesive sound, but also finds Cudi with prime form in his production and performance.

The album starts with a low pulse, which is the song “Frequency” where Cudi softly talks about drugs, and asks everyone to just chill out. This song also sets up the rest of the album for the soft, bouncing beats Cudi utilizes well over the rest of the album. It is a platform that Cudi works to his advantage and makes some very catchy hooks and melodies.

On great songs like “By Design”, Cudi works the beat lightly with his voice on a piano driven, dark, dancey beat.

On songs like “Kitchen” which features a full, but delicate string section he delivers some tongue in cheek lines like

“If you can’t stand the heat of my love, then stay out of the kitchen”. Humorous lines like these are seldom used through the album, but if it were used too much, it could have been a detriment to Cudi’s album.

There are times where Cudi’s performance can be a bit of a strain to the ears. His dips in pitch that otherwise complement Cudi’s beats, but on songs like “Wounds” Cudi’s vocals don’t let the ears hear anything else.

The album is no short listen, clocking in at over an hour and a half. It is split into four different acts: “Tuned,” “Prophecy,” “Niveaux de l’Amour,” and “It’s Bright and Heaven is Warm.” Each section has a different theme, smooth production and interesting instrumentation making for a very easy listen. There are guest parts from Andre 3000 of Outkast fame, singer Willow Smith and rapper Travis Scott.

Cudi’s production switches up twice thanks to producer/rapper Pharrell Williams. Williams brings in lush strings, some electric guitar and horns on two songs on which Cudi exhibits his trademark singing and rapping style, that was so dearly missed on “Speeding Bullet to Heaven”.

This album makes up for his last album, but there is a feeling that in the cohesiveness of this album, he sacrificed some of his raw creativity that was so present in “Speeding Bullet to Heaven”, which is a sad thing to see, but necessary in order for Cudi to be successful once again.

Grade

B+

Verdict

Top Tracks “By Design” “Baptized In Fire” “Surfin’”

Kid Cudi comes back from a phase of experimentation to produce a solid album filled with spacey instrumentation, and introspective lyrics about his depression, drug use and love.

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calendar&games

14

Campus & Downtown Events Wednesday

5

Friday

Saturday

2

The odd Couple

Camping & RV

The Nile Project

Oysterfest

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Lecture and Conversation Series Program is a panel at Morehouse College, where discussion will be held on MLK’s legacy and current struggle within the racial injustice.

Red Clay Music Foundry in Duluth is putting on a play about a couple with vastly different personalities and the various comical obstacles they endure.

The Camping & RV show is happening at the Atlanta Exposition Center South, so come if you want to be one with nature or want to see some RV dealers and manufacturers, motor homes, fifth wheels or campers.

This show is made up of 12 musicians who come from their homes along the Nile river, and play unique sounds with multiple instruments.

There will be endless oysters, beverages and live music at Atkins Park Restaurant, so go under the sea for a day and enjoy some delicious oysters.

Jan. 26

Jan. 28

Jan. 27

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7 4 Greece’d Lightning 9

5 Pat Metheny 8

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Jan. 25

TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2017

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Jan. 31 Metheny is a legendary 7 9 American jazz guitarist and 4 composer. He created 6 the Pat Metheny Group and has won 20 grammy awards.

He is a must-see for jazz enthusiasts.

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Meisner Audition Technique taught by 25yr Hollywood teacher David A. Cox who studied with Meisner in his heyday and Mark Holliway a 7yr teacher of the Meisner technique.

These classes will get you the job in the growing Atlanta Film Market.

Affordable prices. Located at the Goat Farm in central Atlanta.

Contact: mrholliway@gmail.com or 512-635-4160

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SPORTS

www.georgiastatesignal.com/sports

BALL iS LIFE

The game has changed the lives of Jeremy Hollowell and Willie Clayton for the better

D’MITRI CHIN Staff Reporter

T

here are many obstacles one may face during their lifetime that can change their perspective on life While it is a given that everyone’s story indeed has a different ending, and beginning at times, college athletes share the experience of having their lives impacted by the game they so love.

In this case, college basketball has given many Georgia State Panthers hope of making a better living for themselves, whether on the court or off the court.

Although the game of basketball has influenced these athletes to pursue a career in the NBA since they were knee-high, it usually isn’t until they reach the collegiate level that they truly witness the impact from playing the game.

Perceptions of how much of an impact the game of basketball has affected their lives can vary from different athletes, but often players express how thankful they are to have the opportunity to lace them up and battle on the court with their fellow teammates.

Jeremy Hollowell and Willie Clayton discuss with The Signal their thoughts of how much of an impact the game of basketball has had on their lives.

All aboard the graduation train The Georgia State men’s basketball team has three seniors listed on their 2016-17 roster Jeremy Hollowell Isaiah Dennis Willie Clayton • Clayton graduated from Georgia State with a degree in sociology. He graduated Dec. 14, 2016 and was listed on the spring 2016 athletic director’s honor roll.

• As for Hollowell and Dennis, both men will look to follow in the same footsteps as their teammates.

• Hollowell is majoring in interdisciplinary studies, while Dennis is majoring in sociology.

SIGNAL ARCHIVES

How has playing sports on a collegiate level helped you in your life?

Jeremy Hollowell: It’s helped me tremendously.

Everyone has different backgrounds, and basketball has allowed me to travel the world. Earning a scholarship and being a student-athlete puts me in a position to have a free education and get my degree.

How has playing sports in college help you become a better individual? Do you believe you would be the same person if you did not play sports while in college?

Hollowell: I think I would be a little different person. Playing college basketball helps you with time management, coming prepared to work hard every day and just balancing out a social life on top of that. It has really just helped me all around as a person.

Is it much tougher for you to stay on top of your studies in the classroom since you play sports, or do you feel as if playing sports has helped you become a more well-rounded and discipline individual?

Hollowell: It definitely helps you become a wellrounded individual balancing both of them (school and sports) It helps you manage your time in between class, practice and meetings. It’s definitely a good thing.

I mean, you don’t want to have too much time on your hands, so it’s a great balance all the way around.

Describe your relationship with Coach [Ron] Hunter and how much of an impact he’s had on your life.

Hollowell: He’s had a tremendous impact on my life.

I spent a lot of time with them when I was younger with playing AAU [basketball] with RJ [Hunter]. My first situation when I went to college it just really wasn’t the best fit for me, and at times it could’ve really been taken away from me. Just him knowing me and what type of kid I am, he blessed me with a second opportunity, and I will forever be grateful for that.

SIGNAL ARCHIVES

How has playing sports on a collegiate level helped you in your life?

Willie Clayton: It showed me that everything must be seriously. When you’re playing any collegiate sport, I think that you need to take it seriously to win a game because if you take anything for a joke you’re not gonna win life. So that’s how collegiate basketball has helped me in my life, to help me recognize that an education is as serious.

How has playing sports in college help you become a better individual? Do you believe you would be the same person if you did not play sports while in college?

Clayton: No, I wouldn’t be the same person because college basketball has brought me around so many people and so many different people with so many different personalities—and you learn to learn from different people. That’s what I’ve done with playing college basketball and in general.

Is it much tougher for you to stay on top of your studies in the classroom since you play sports, or do you feel as if playing sports has helped you become a more well-rounded and discipline individual?

Clayton: I’ve always been the type of person that’s always been on my academics. My parents stressed it when I was three or four years old, so academics is something I always stayed on top of.

Describe your relationship with Coach [Ron] Hunter and how much of an impact he’s had on your life.

Clayton: Well, I’ve been with Coach Hunter for one year so far, and I have learned a lot from him. Coach Hunter is actually the first coach that I ever had to pretty much just tell me how it is. Over this one year we’ve got to know each other, I think he’s a pretty nice guy.

SPORTS

16

TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2017

Getting accustomed to E F I L E G COLLE RASHAD MILLIGAN Sports Editor

A look at Freshman center Shaq Miller-McCray’s schedule

S

haquanda Miller-McCray committed to Georgia State last year after averaging nine and eight blocks a game as a junior and senior at Crestwood High School in Sumter, South Carolina. The Class of 2016 No. 43 nationally ranked center had career highs against Elon on Dec. 22 with seven points and six rebounds in the first half. Miller-McCray gave The Signal insight on the average day for a freshman student-athlete on campus.

7 a.m.

7:45 a.m.

8 a.m.

Noon 2:45 p.m.

3 p.m.

Wake up!

Classes

3:30 4:15 p.m.

Toast for breakfast

Practice/weights/ ankle mobility with Assistant Strength and Conditioning coach Nate Majnaric

Classes

Out of class, heads to gym with roommate and freshman guard Jada Lewis for shootaround

5lb

4:30 p.m.

2lb

Back to Lofts to start homework and eat dinner

7:30 p.m.

Miller has admittedly been eating cereal the last couple of days. Mashed potatoes are always a favorite, with green beans.

Eat lunch at cafe.

Currently trying to end habit of eating french fries for lunch. Vegetables like zucchini, onions and squash are other favorites to go along with chicken.

PAGE DESIGN BY TAMMY HUYNH | THE SIGNAL PHOTO BY DAYNE FRANCIS | THE SIGNAL

Relaxing time, and call mom.

If it’s Tuesday, Miller attends Bible Study until 9:30 p.m.

B edtime!

8:30 p.m.

11 p.m.

17

SPORTS

TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2017

Column

Sports management is worth it

Georgia State student sports fans find options off the field CHRISTIAN CRITTEDEN Staff Reporter

W

hen most people hear sports management they probably think of just working for a sports team in their front office. However, there is so much to the growing industry that is sports management. It is “the study of Sports Management examines the impact of economic, social and legal influences on the administration and management of sports organizations,” according to the Georgia State website.

The most common form of sports management is working for a sports team, but as Georgia State professor Anthony Serpico at Georgia State Dunwoody puts it, there are more areas that people just don’t know about.

“Some of the smaller ones would be working for a fitness facility or a golf course, or a ski resort because they are a little more specialized don’t get quite as much attention,” Serpico said. “You can work for a college or high school sports team, eventually

you could be a high school or college athletic director, you could work on the marketing side of sports, the communication side of sport, and the community relations side of sport.”

There are so many things that could be done with a sports management degree that it would be in the best interest of any sports lover to look into obtaining one. With the industry growing, it is an investment that may be too good to pass up. If you love sports imagine being apart of the Cubs or Cavaliers organization and ending your franchises long championship drought. Fans get satisfaction from their teams winning games, so imagine the satisfaction of saying that you were actually a part of it, or you helped in some way.

Serpico said the industry is not hard to get into, but they key is to get an internship.

“It’s not hard to get into as long as you start with an internship,” Serpico said. “If you don’t have an internship you can’t get hired. It’s sort of like sports teams drafting players, they don’t draft players until they’ve seen them play a bit, they aren’t going to hire you unless they’ve seen you do

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY DAYNE FRANCIS | THE SIGNAL For those with a passion in sports, the sports management major opens up numerous career opportunities. some things.”

Serpico’s analogy is almost spot on, just don’t ask a Detroit Pistons fan about drafting players you haven’t actually seen play live, like Darko Milicic.

The opportunities that are available seem to be endless with things that you would never imagine like running a country club, or even a

bowling alley for that matter. So majoring in sports management is definitely worth it, especially if sports are your passion. Your work should excite you and what you do should be your passion and what better way to do that than work with sports on a daily basis.

“The reason you want to major in sports management is because it

will allow you to get expertise in the uniqueness of the sports product, in that it is very different from a tangible product because many times it’s provided as an intangible,” Serpico said. “It’s one of the few products that people buy that you don’t know the outcome before you buy it.”

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SPORTS

18

TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2017

Women’s tennis begins title defense SIGNAL SPORTS STAFF

T

he Sun Belt Women’s Tennis Championship trophy currently resides in Atlanta. Now, No. 48 Georgia State looks to climb in the national ranks of NCAA competition. The team begins its home schedule on Feb. 18 against Winthrop and UAB on Piedmont Park’s newly resurfaced courts.

“We are excited to really get the community surrounding Piedmont Park involved with Georgia State tennis and provide a thriving college tennis atmosphere,” Head Coach Jason Marshall said in a press release.

In the fall season, the Panthers defeated squads like Middle Tennessee, but lost many singles matches against SEC schools like UGA and Florida. Freshman Damira Muminovic did, however, sweep her Oregon opponent in singles play, giving the Ducks their only singles loss of the fall season at the time with a record of 11-1. Junior Kristin Rehse, senior Tarani Kamoe and Muminovic also took victories at Baylor and against Wisconsin opponents in singles play during the fall season.

Last season’s leftovers

The women’s tennis team won a total of 15 matches last season, and they will look to carry that same momentum into this year.

During the 2015-16 season, the Panthers leaned heavily on their seniors Niri Rasolomalala and Linn Timmermann. This year, the team will depend on Kamoe, who happens to be the only senior on this 2016-17 team.

Looking at her stats from last season, she should be able to carry the load. Kamoe was the No. 1 doubles player with Timmermann last year and ranked as high as No. 33 in doubles.

Kamoe proved she was capable of finishing strong down the stretch, as she won four of the last six doubles contests.

Presumably, her most impressive win came against the No. 1 doubles team, who happened to be then ranked No. 67 Winthrop on Feb. 7. She also made an appearance on the 2015 All-Sun Belt Doubles Second Team and the 2014 All-Sun Belt Doubles First Team.

The Panthers are also high on Rehse. The 6-foot junior from Hofheim, Germany made an appearance on the 2015 All-Sun Belt Doubles team with her impressive play for the Panthers last year. Rehse and Timmermann led the team in doubles wins last season with a 13-3 record at No. 2 doubles. Rehse also managed

Tarani Kamoe returns the ball during a women’s tennis practice at Piedmont Park .

to go 4-2 in six matches against singles players from ranked schools. She has proven that she can battle against opponents top performers in single play as well as doubles play.

As for the underclassmen on the team, one player, in particular, that is looking to make a name for herself is sophomore Daniela Ramirez. While Ramirez is relatively new to playing tennis here in the United States, she brings much experience from playing the game of tennis in her hometown of Merida, Venezuela. Ramirez won events in 2015 with the Valencia Juniors Open and the Barquisimeto Juniors Open. She will be looked upon to bring her championship winning attitude to this year’s Panthers team.

Among other underclassmen are Ilona Golynker, Anastasia Grosheva and Muminovic, who are all freshmen at Georgia State.

The schedule

The Panthers look to make a return to the NCAA tournament again this season. Their schedule sets up pretty favorably for them this season. Their few big matchups will be at home or in the Atlanta area. They open their season against Louisville. Last season Louisville finished last season with a record of (8-18), and (0-14) in their conference. Their first test will come against a

SIGNAL ARCHIVES

Winthrop team that went (20-5) last season, but they only return one senior. Although they only return one senior, this will still be a tough matchup. Arguably their biggest test comes a few matches later as they square off against the No. 24 ranked Bulldogs of Mississippi State. Mississippi State went (18-9) last season and they return their entire team except for one senior. They also have the No. 27th ranked player in the nation in Jasmine Lee. Lee is also apart of the doubles group that is ranked No. 5 in the nation.

Their next matchup against East Tennessee State will be a solid test because they have the No. 95th ranked player in the nation, Ioanna Markesini. The Panthers will enter conference play a few matches later. They open up Sun Belt play against UT Arlington, who finished third in the conference last season. That comes a week for their showdown with rival Georgia Southern. Although, tennis is different that other sports it is still good to beat Georgia Southern in whatever you can. No matter the outcome they will have to move on quick because the following week they have a championship rematch with South Alabama. South Alabama lost three seniors from last years team, but they do have plenty of experience and will be tough to beat. They Panthers finish conference play with matches against Appalachian State and Coastal Carolina before the conference tournament begins.

PANTHER OF THE WEEK

19

SPORTS

TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2017

SPORTS CALENDAR *CONFERENCE GAME

SPORTS EDITOR’S PRO BOWL PREDICTIONS RASHAD MILLIGAN | THE SIGNAL

NFC vs. AFC MEN’S BASKETBALL Saturday, Feb. 4 GEORGIA STATE ATHLETICS

Joe Inman Men’s Golf Head Coach Coach Inman entered the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame on Jan. 20. He enters his ninth season as the head man for the Panthers. Last summer, Coach Inman qualified for the U.S. Senior Open by shooting his age, a 4-under 68 last June. Coach Inman is also a former PGA tour golfer and has led Georgia State to the program’s second-best finish in 2014.

Louisiana*

at GSU Sports Arena 2:15 p.m.

Monday, Feb. 6 at GSU Sports Arena 7 p.m.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Thursday, Feb. 2 UL Monroe at GSU Sports Arena 7 p.m.

Junk

Standings

MEN’S TENNIS Monday, Feb. 6 UL Monroe* at GSU Sports Arena 7 p.m.

Little Rock 7-0 | Overall: 13-6

2nd

UT Arlington 4-2 | Overall: 14-5

Troy 6-1 | Overall: 13-5

3rd

Arkansas State 4-2 | Overall: 13-6

UT Arlington 6-14 | Overall: 13-4

4th

Georgia State 4-2 | Overall: 11-7

Louisiana 4-3 | Overall: 10-6

5th

Coastal Carolina 4-2 | Overall: 9-10

Texas State 4-3 | Overall: 9-9

6th

Louisiana 3-3 | Overall: 13-6

Appalachian State 3-4 | Overall: 8-10

7th

Little Rock 3-3 | Overall: 12-7

Coastal Carolina 3-4 | Overall: 8-9

Texas State 3-3 | Overall: 10-8

Georgia Southern 3-4 | Overall: 7-11

South Alabama 2-4 | Overall: 9-10

Arkansas State 2-5 | Overall: 4-15

Appalachian State 1-5 | Overall: 6-11

South Alabama 2-5 | Overall: 7-11

UL Monroe 0-6 | Overall: 6-13

Georgia State 1-6 | Overall: 5-13

9th 10th 11th

NBA PREDICTIONS Eastern Conference Reserves

Thomas, Wall, George, Embiid, Howard, Walker and Lowry.

Western Conference reserves

Westbrook, Lillard, Anthony-Towns, Cousins, Gasol, Thompson and Hayward

Football

Football team lands seven three-star new recruits Coach Shawn Elliott’s new staff added seven three-star recruits to the arsenal. The group is highlighted by quarterback Jack Walker.

Walker had offers from Miami and Florida Atlantic, where he decommitted from on Jan. 15. Inside linebacker Trajan McQueen, offensive tackle Connor Robbins, center Pat Bartlett, cornerback Jaylon Jones, safety Chris Bacon, and offensive guard Jalen Jackson joined Walker last week.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Georgia Southern 6-0 | Overall: 13-6

8th

PANTHER OF THE WEEK

at Birmingham, Alabama 10 a.m.

UL Monroe*

MEN’S BASKETBALL

1st

WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD Sunday, Feb. 5 South Alabama Jaguar Invite

NFC

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