The Signal Vol. 85 No. 18

JAN. 30 - FEB. 6, 2018

VOL. 85 | NO. 18

/gsusignal

@gsusignal

CROWD OF CONSEQUENCES After using a racial slur on Finsta, a soccer player faced serious backlash from the Georgia State student body, leading to her withdrawal.

The student-led petition to expel Natalia Martinez got over 600 signatures in three days.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JULIAN PINEDA | THE SIGNAL

MANDATORY INSTRUCTION

A DIY SHOW

A POLITICAL STUNT

ONE STEP AT A TIME

Philosophy courses are now requiring SI sessions after lack of attendance.

Bringing your favorite band to Atlanta is easier than you think.

Congress should not be using an immigration bill for their own political goals.

Coach Wolff preaches small improvement to the men’s tennis team.

NEWS | PAGE 4 WWW.GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

ARTS & LIVING | PAGE 10

News 3

OPINION PAGE 11

Arts & Living 7

SPORTS | PAGE 15

OPINION 11

Sports 13

TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2018

Feeling SADder this winter?

Students’ ‘winter blues’ are a real psychological phenomenon SARA ABDULLA Staff Reporter

W

hether it’s due to stress about the economy or national election, or those pesky smartphones, young people across the country are getting less sleep than ever before. Dr. Daniel Wachtel, Psy. D, is a psychologist who specializes in health psychology, which entails the psychological mechanisms behind some physical illnesses and how psychology can help remedy them.

His studies include the psychology behind chronic sleep deprivation. Dr. Wachtel spoke to The Signal about some of the reasons why people are more tired in the winter, and what people can do in general to combat sleep debt.

“There are types of depression that come

“There are types of depression that come about in the winter.

There is a diagnosis called seasonal affective disorder, and that’s basically a fancy word for the ‘winter blues.’”

— DR. DANIEL WACHTEL, Psychologist about in the winter. There is a diagnosis called seasonal affective disorder, and that’s basically a fancy word for the ‘winter blues,’” Wachtel said.

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is characterized by depressive symptoms, like low energy and anhedonia (losing interest in activities that once brought you pleasure).

SAD can also lead to sluggishness and sleep problems, which may explain why some people struggle with excessive tiredness during the winter.

In addition to SAD, Wachtel said it’s often difficult for people to get enough sunlight during the wintertime. Ultraviolet (UV) light therapy can help remedy this problem. Natural sunlight contains UV light rays, so using a lamp that mimics the sun’s rays can help the body produce vitamin D, an essential vitamin that

Students often find the chance to catch up on sleep in the University Library.

many people are deficient in, especially in the colder winter months. However, it is important to limit one’s exposure, because too much UV light can cause skin cancer in susceptible peoples. Some people may also benefit from vitamin D supplements to help SAD. Dr. Hatem Asad, M.D., specializes in sleep medicine. He describes the population of individuals who suffer from sleep deprivation as diverse. They can include those who suffer from recurring bouts of depressive disorder, people who are overstimulated at night from the blue light emitted their phone or computer screens, or people who work the night shift. People who are exposed to significant amounts of light in the evening time throw off their circadian rhythms, the body’s natural “clock” that regulates sleep scheduling. Asad also recommends UV light therapy for individuals struggling to adhere to a working sleep schedule.

More than just being an issue of overuse of smartphones, though, insomnia arises any time of year, causing psychological problems. The majority of college students lack sufficient sleep, regardless of season. Like most adults, college students slumber less than the recommended seven to nine hours a night. Students actually report significantly more daytime tiredness than other adults, suggesting that a plethora of extracurricular

PHOTO BY JULIEANN TRAN | THE SIGNAL

activities, jobs, and social obligations, on top of the demands of schoolwork, take a toll even on America’s youngest adults.

FULL-TIME SCHEDULES

Titilope Akinwe, a senior studying neuroscience and pre-med, is also the president of the Collegiate Neuroscience Society. She’s also working on a research project, and is on the board of Georgia First Generation and the Creative Writing Collective. She estimates that she averages around five to six hours of sleep per night.

Titilope said she always feels like she could be studying more, thus sacrificing sleep.

“I know I should [sleep],” Titilope said, “but my body [still] functions.”

Amy Andrelchik, a junior chemistry major, logs anywhere between three to seven hours per night. In addition to being a student in the Honors College, she currently interns for the Department of Defense and struggles to maintain a work-life balance.

“School definitely gets in the way of my sleep -you either stay up late doing it or you stress out because you haven’t finished everything. Work not so much, but it definitely interferes with the amount time I have left to do my homework, ” Andrelchik said.

Americans work longer hours than those

in other developed countries, retire later in life, and are more likely to be “plugged in” for teleworking when they are off the clock.

Constant stress from work and money can make it difficult to transition from work mode to sleep mode. In a cruel twist of irony, sometimes even trying to get more sleep can exacerbate long-term wakefulness. Stressing over not being rested enough for the next day’s work can trigger anxiety that disrupts normal sleep patterns.

“The thoughts can then lead to behaviors, and people start doing all kinds of things - I’ve had patients who come in and develop new behaviors, such as getting up in the middle of the night and eating a big meal, thinking that that would put them to sleep,” Dr. Wachtel said.

Asad thinks of insomnia as a symptom of psychological and physiological issues, not as a disease in itself. Episodes of sleeplessness can precede depressive phases or spells of anxiety. Insomnia can also be a result of severe pain that keeps one awake or be the result of other underlying illnesses. Asad believes the only way to solve a patient’s sleep issues is to identify and settle the latent cause. The long term solution is not sleeping pills, but rather adjusting habits and lifestyle.

Chronic sleep deprivation is linked to poorer cognitive performance, lower grades, and irritability. More than short-term dysfunction, not getting enough rest is linked to significant health issues, like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and low immune function.

There is a strong association between not getting enough sleep and shortened lifespan, reinforcing the notion that sleep is absolutely necessary to function, despite the glorification of running on little rest. Sleep plays a vital role in consolidation of memory, muscle recovery, and even emotional responses. If that recovery time is insufficient, the body and brain run suboptimally.

“I think we glorify putting work over sleep too often. Telling people they’re not allowed to relax because work is more important is total bullshit. We’re human beings not robots,” Andrelchik said.

STATISTICS 50% of college students say they face daytime tiredness (compared to 36% of adults).

70.6% of students get less than eight hours of sleep per night.

College students report a one to three-hour sleep deficit on school nights.

According to: Hershner, S. D., & Chervin, R. D. (2014).

Causes and consequences of sleepiness among college students. Nature and Science of Sleep

ILLUSTRATION BY DEVIN PHILLIPS | THE SIGNAL

NEWS

4

GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

Many Philosophy instructors have made SI sessions a requirement for students in order to help boost their GPA.

PHOTO BY UNIQUE RODRIGUEZ | THE SIGNAL

SI Sessions become mandatory

Philosophy makes SI a requirement to increase student GPA WILLIAM SOLOMONS Staff Reporter

S

tudents who take certain introductory philosophy courses, such as PHIL 1010, at Georgia State are now required to attend supplemental instruction sessions in which their attendance is factored into their final grade.

The sessions began as voluntary across nearly all subjects offered by Georgia State. The philosophy department made them mandatory following a several-semester trend of declining attendance and overall lack of interest in the sessions several years ago. Students have to attend at least five sessions throughout the semester to get full credit. Not every introductory philosophy class requires their attendance.

“No one would show up. No one was taking advantage of it,” Sandra Dwyer said, principal senior lecturer and coordinator of graduate teachers within the Department of Philosophy.

With a lack of attendance, the students who taught the SI sessions had nobody to teach.

Dwyer said the sessions were made mandatory to help increase the passing rate of students who take introductory philosophy courses.

The Office of Supplemental Instruction provides data on the effect the SI sessions have had on students GPA. In the spring semester of 2016, the average GPA without SI sessions was 2.91, which increased to 3.33 for students who attended them.

Regardless of a student’s previous performance in their classes, they still had to attend the sessions.

A Reddit user who goes by Midnight_Karma said that the sessions should not be mandatory because they are there to help students who need the increase in their GPA. “It’s one thing to force us to go to SI sessions if I failed the class, have a low GPA or if I was consistently doing poorly on the assignments/tests. But to say that I have to go to them from the start of the class when the professor says, ‘If you come to class and read, you will not fail this class,’ is absurd,” Midnight_ Karma said in a Reddit thread.

Some students refused to go to the sessions just out of apathy.

Others could not go due to work or other scheduling conflicts, such as night classes when the SI sessions are not offered.

Professors were able to work with students and exempt them from the required sessions if they could not make them due to a scheduling conflict, according to Dwyer.

Towards the end of the semester, many students had still not

attended the required sessions.

“At the end of the month, it’s a lot more crowded,” Dwyer said.

This resulted in too many students attempting to attend the already overcrowded sessions.

AN SI OVERFLOW

According to Dwyer, up to around 100 students would pile into a small classroom or into the meeting rooms at 25 Park Place to attend the SI sessions, resulting in a serious breach in buildings’ fire codes, which needed to be addressed by a local fire marshal last spring.

This led the SI leaders to downsize the sessions to only hold 30 students. With massive overflow, students were not able to attend them in the final weeks of the semester.

“Anywhere from 60 to 100 students” were waiting out in

“If anyone else tried to come in, the SI instructor would throw a fit and kick anyone else out.”

which makes zero sense. If they’re using a lecture hall that’s meant to host 120 to 140 students, I don’t see why they can’t do an SI session for as many people that show up,” freshman Colten Sweeney said.

Maddie Olejnik is a Georgia State freshman who took an SI session for a critical thinking course with her Freshman Learning Community. She doubts how effective the sessions were.

“We actually scored pretty high on all of our exams, even when we didn’t really go to the SI sessions because the tests were open book. It was just a review. You only have to stay for 25 minutes to get counted, so we would just stay for 25 minutes and then leave,” Olejnik said. “The SI leaders...didn’t really help.

The book was more helpful than the actual SI leaders.”

The Philosophy department is now working to improve the conditions of their SI sessions to allow students to attend them.

“Different instructors [now] have deadlines at different times in hopes of spreading out the students so that they sessions are not overflowing anymore,” Dwyer said.

The administrative office for the SI sessions said that they had no control over the decision to make them mandatory.

The Department of Philosophy is the only one to adopt a mandatory session policy.

— COLTEN SWEENEY AVERAGE GPA

Georgia State student 3.4

the hallway during the last few weeks that the SI sessions were offered, said freshman Jace Mozeko.

Even though the sessions were moved to bigger classrooms such as in Langdale Hall, the SI leaders still limited them to 30 students, Mozeko said.

The sessions that primarily were meant to increase grades resulted in them falling for some students who waited until the last few weeks.

The SI session office may have also had issues with miscommunication towards the end of the semester due to a change in head director of the administrative portion of the office.

Within the SI session for a critical thinking class, two students expressed their concern about the instructor of the session and the material being taught.

“If anyone else tried to come in, the SI instructor would throw a fit and kick anyone else out. They capped them at 30,

3.2

3.0

2.8

2.6

2.4 Fall 2015

Spring 2016

Summer 2016

Fall 2016

With SI Sessions Without SI Sessions

According to the SI administrative office

NEWS

TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2018

5

How far is too far?

Students tackle appropriate measures for social media misuse

NEWS BRIEFS LOCAL

CHRISTINA MAXOURIS

Environmental concerns following coal ash in Georgia

Editor-in-Chief

N

Georgia Power plans to close all of its twenty nine ash ponds. Ash ponds were previously used to store the remains of burned coal.

Georgia Power plans to stop the use of twenty nine ponds holding the remains of once burned coal and further monitor the ground water and the water supply. They plan to relocate the ash to dry and covered areas, working to stop the major environmental concerns of runoff from the ash ponds.

atalia Martinez withdrew from her courses on Monday Jan. 22, one day after another Georgia State student began a petition to expel her. Martinez had sparked rage within the Georgia State community after she posted a picture on a private Instagram profile in which she used the N-word. She was temporarily suspended from the women’s soccer team, but students felt that wasn’t enough and ranked up over 700 signatures in the petition calling for Martinez’s expulsion.

But while many students were still expressing concern on the matter, the athletic department had closed the case early last week.

On Tuesday, Associate Athletics Director Mike Holmes sent The Signal a statement informing that student-athletes were not interested in speaking on the subject, and that members of the staff considered the issue closed.

But students continued to post on Facebook and voice their anger on the issue; some for the lack of university action, and others standing against the petition and the harsh student-led consequences that Martinez faced.

A LEARNING EXPERIENCE

Usra Mohamed, recent Georgia State graduate, said she doesn’t believe Martinez should have gotten expelled. But she said the university should have considered the situation a learning lesson.

“The reason I don’t think she should have been expelled is because she technically didn’t threaten anyone,” Mohamed said. “Had she not withdrawn from [Georgia State], I would’ve liked to have seen the university take this issue head on and address this.”

As far as her athletic career, Mohamed said she believes Martinez should have been suspended indefinitely.

Saakib Zafrani, former Signal Sports Editor said she never saw an incident like this during her time covering Georgia State sports, but for her,

NATIONAL

A screenshot of the student-led petition to expel the soccer player.

the solution is a no-brainer.

“The athlete wears the colors, travels and represents the university,” Zafrani said. “I don’t see this as being any different than an employer/ employee relationship. This wouldn’t be as much of a debate if XYZ [corporation] fired her as an employee after they saw her inflammatory comments on social media.”

For others, like Georgia State student and staff member Helen Souris who left a comment on the petition, Martinez’s comments were racist and don’t belong on campus.

“I want people on our campus to feel safe,” Souris commented. “Our school prides itself

on diversity and inclusion, so comments and phrasing that marginalize and negatively affect a very large sum of our student populus have no place on this campus.”

The sentiment was shared by the student that started it all, India Bridgeforth, the creator of the petition.

“Georgia State’s mission statement states that we ‘provide an outstanding education and exceptional support for students from all backgrounds, and these Panther values are not concurrent with the very disturbing statements made publicly by the [Georgia State] freshman and soccer player,” she wrote on the petition.

MARTA announces replacing train cars and more Students’ needs addressed in transit system's new redesign plan SAMUEL PUCKETT Associate News Editor

O

n Jan. 5, press gathered for the 2018 “State of MARTA” address, where changes and updates were announced. These changes are the beginning of expansions to the MARTA network Atlanta residents voted for in November 2016.

The tech crowd was delighted to learn about mobile ticketing and expanded wifi access. The biggest announcement, however, was of the complete replacement of all of MARTA’s existing train cars.

Details on the contract will be released within the coming six months, according to MARTA board chairman Robbie Ashe, but he said the project is expected to be worth nearly $1 billion.

New cars are expected to improve the quality of heating and air, seating, and intercom systems.

“They will be better designed to be more comfortable for folks and move more people quicker,” Ashe said.

Not that capacity was ever an issue for MARTA rail service. According to a report by the Atlanta regional commission, MARTA saw up to a 67 percent increase in ridership after the I-85 bridge collapse with virtually no changes in service times.

Renovating train cars can be important to encourage new riders, said former Georgia congressman and Georgia State associate professor James Martin. He served on the MARTA overview committee while in the House, and said MARTA took an important lesson from the Bay Area Rapid Transit in San Francisco.

“You had to have modern transit cars to encourage people to ride transit as opposed to driving their car,” Martin said. “It needed to be a system that was attractive.”

More deeply integrating smart technology into our transit systems also has a practical benefit.

“With smartphones, students can know how long they’re going to have to wait for a bus or for a train, so I think predictability is encouraged,” Martin said.

Predictable transit is essential to Professor Joseph Hacker. He served as the manager of Transportation Planning for the greater

Philadelphia region before becoming a professor.

He believes transit systems that perform reliably and frequently is a draw. One way to make transit more reliable is to increase the rate of circulation and reduce wait times.

“The number one thing that transit systems need to make themselves attractive is increasing their frequency,” Hacker said. “If we don’t need a schedule, we’re more likely to just hop on the bus.”

From speaking to his classes, Hacker got a glimpse of students’ daily decisions.

“One of the reasons they won’t take transit is, if they miss a bus, they have to wait 30 minutes,” Hacker said.

Hacker’s recommendation is more frequent bus lines. He said he admires the decision to feed bus lines into the train stops, saying that increases the convenience and efficiency of a commute.

“The SPLOST money [is] not going to be able to get some of these big ticket items,” Hacker said.

“They should invest in increasing frequency on some of the bus lines.”

But apparently there is money for at least one big ticket item this year, but Atlanta residents will have to wait to find out the details.

USA Gymnastics Board given six days to resign after conviction of Olympic doctor

The US Olympic Committee has given orders for the entirety of USA Gymnastics Board of Directors to resign. Three of the twenty one positions on the board have been vacated but the US Olympic Committee requires all positions left or USA Gymnastics will lose status as a sports governing body. Other steps required include: replacing the interim directors, cooperating with an independent investigation and discussing plans for handling past shortcomings in combating abuse.

GLOBAL South African International City residents prepare to run out of water sooner than expected Residents of Cape Town, South Africa are in the middle of “the worst drought in more than a century” according to CNN News. Misuse of water has led the city to being 86 million liters above it’s target usage, making water tighter than ever. Because of this scarcity, residents are restricted to 50 liters a day starting in February. To put this in perspective, one toilet flush is nine liters. The town is expected to run out of water

by April 12.

NEWS

6

A NEW SAFE SPACE FOR STUDENTS Georgia State’s Sarah Cook is tackling sexual harassment SARA ABDULLA Staff Reporter

I

n light of the past months’ high profile sexual harassment accusations, Georgia State is offering a new career seminar on sexual harassment in the workplace.

The course will be taught by biology professor Dr. Roberta Attanasio, who is also part of Georgia State’s Women LEAD program, a group of courses designed to help women succeed in traditionally maledominated fields like tech start-ups and corporate offices.

“Harassment can escalate into assault, and there a lot of examples we’ve seen in the media recently.”

— DR. SARAH COOK

Associate Dean of the Georgia State Honors College The aim of the seminar is to exercise students’ emotional intelligence, the ability for people to empathize with others in various situations.

Developing emotional intelligence is a practice shown to help reduce bullying and harassment. It will be discussion-based to create a safe environment for students to speak about concerns and ways they can prevent harassment and address it appropriately when it does occur. The discussion is not aimed at either potential victims nor potential perpetrators. Rather, the purpose is to foster a mutual respect between colleagues and inform students what is appropriate and inappropriate in the workplace.

Dr. Sarah Cook, a national expert on violence against women and Associate Dean of the Georgia

State Honors College, spoke to The Signal about her research and why awareness and prevention of sexual harassment is important.

“Harassment can escalate into assault, and there are a lot of examples we’ve seen in the media recently,” Cook said. “That kind of behavior happens in lots of different settings.”

Studies estimate that 25 percent to 85 percent of women experience sexual harassment. By the most conservative predictions, that’s one in four women impacted. Industries that are male dominated, service-based and low-wage tend to be more rife with harassment than others.

Cook discussed “DARVO,” a method of denial men use when accused of harassment or assault.

“Deny, Attack, and Reverse Victim and Offender” is a protocol wherein perpetrators essentially deflect blame by portraying themselves as a victim of false accusation. If the perpetrators deny allegations successfully, women may be disparaged or face retaliation for complaining, and end up in a worse position financially or reputation-wise than to begin with.

“HR departments don’t exist for the people that work for the company—they exist for the company,” Cook said. “We really need to envision some entity that exists outside of the organization where someone can make a complaint to it and it would make the investigation. [It should be] a body that would not have any financial interest in whether or not they find that someone has been harassing someone.”

Currently, many companies and schools require employees and students to complete sexual harassment training (Georgia State has HAVEN for freshmen). However, research suggests that this training is highly ineffective, particularly when participants don’t believe their complaints will effect change.

Cook suggested the best way to prevent sexual harassment and assault is redefining what it means to be masculine: rather than defining masculine sexuality as dominating someone, defining it in a way that erodes the power barrier between men and women.

FAST FACTS •

•

• • •

According to NBC news, the stress of sexual harassment can cause serious health problems like anxiety disorders, depression and inability to sleep.

Harassment reduces the productivity of those affected, and costs society millions of dollars every year, according to research conducted by Sacred Heart University.

Sexual harassment is often motivated by a desire for social control of the target, not purely sexual gratification.

Students victimized by sexual harassment by a student should report it to the Dean of Students.

Students victimized by Georgia State faculty or staff should report it to the Assistant Vice President of Human Resources.

Dr. Roberta Attanasio, a biology professor at Georgia State, will teach the career seminars on sexual harassment in the workplace.

PHOTO BY HANNAH GRECO | THE SIGNAL

GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2018

NOT YOUR TYPICAL UNIVERSITY Georgia State might not tailgate, but its uniqueness offers tons in the heart of Downtown STEFAN DE LA GUARDIA Staff Reporter

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t’s a fall Saturday. Grills are goin’, hot dogs are cookin’ and it’s tailgate Saturday.

Fraternities and sororities are getting ready to party all weekend, red cups in hand already.

This is not Georgia State. At Georgia State, you won’t find that on a game-day morning because we’re not your average school.

Georgia State isn’t one of the schools where the athletics and Greek life are the elements that brand the university. Here, you don’t see a stadium jam packing over 100,000 people for a football game every Saturday. And that’s no disrespect to the athletes. Many of Georgia State’s athletic programs came to life only within the last 40 years, so the historical aspect of these teams just doesn’t exist yet. High school students on college visitations don’t come to Georgia State in hopes of finding the traditional Greek life system to indulge in.

“As soon as you step outside the front door, you’re already in the middle of it all and I think that’s what makes this place so special.”

—JAY HOTHERSALL Georgia State student No, Georgia State doesn’t derive its uniqueness from a big business athletic program. Greek life isn’t what draws us all to this amazing school. Georgia State is unique in that it has grown from a small commuter college campus to a full-blown university at an extremely fast pace. Where, in the not-so

Georgia State students roam the streets in the heart of Downtown each time they head to class.

distant past, stood old parking garages and run-down motels, now stand luxury dorms and top-rated university cafeteria services.

This campus sits in the heart of Atlanta – where the separation between Georgia State and the city streets is non-existent. From the sounds of traffic and a plethora of cementcovered surfaces to the buildings that loom overhead, it is an urban campus in its truest form. Recognized as the eighth fastest-growing city in the U.S. by Forbes, Atlanta offers an abundance of opportunities for work and play for the population of over 30,000 students attending its Downtown campus.

DIVERSITY

With that in mind, Georgia State is also extremely diverse. Why is this important?

The diversity within the six campuses allows students to get a glimpse and interact with a multitude of backgrounds. Sixty-eight percent of Georgia State’s student body, are members of an underrepresented minority. Along with that, our student population of over 50,000 makes us the largest school in the state of Georgia. Being exposed to all of these different cultures creates a curious soul. It allows students to experiment with things that they are not normally accustomed to, giving them the freedom to step outside of our boundaries.

This allows students to be able to voice their input on today’s society with vast cultural knowledge.

Getting exposed to a variety of perspectives

doesn’t only come from the aspect of diversity for Georgia State students. Unlike your typical 18-year-old average institutions, students within this Panther nation are at different stages in life. Georgia State is packed with students pursuing a passion they’ve been searching for well into their thirties, some now mothers, fathers and grandparents. We’re all privileged to get the chance to participate in class discussions with not only other cultures, but other, older, (arguably) wiser perspectives as well.

PHOTO BY HANNAH GRECO | THE SIGNAL

But here’s the best part: students don’t have to take a semester off or put their classes on hold for a chance to intern, because most internships are right down the street. The variety of employment opportunities that are offered in Atlanta mirror the number of career paths that Georgia State offers. For example, the University of Georgia offers 130 majors; Georgia State offers 250.

Jay Hothersall, transfer student from The University of Tennessee, came to Georgia State to be in on the action.

“Being in the heart of a big city like Atlanta is a major reason why I decided to transfer here. As soon as you step outside the front door, you’re already in the middle of it all and I think that’s what makes this place so special,” he said.

Another student, Jack Hlava, said it was a no-brainer to come to Georgia State, for the

same reason.

“I got into a couple other schools, but none of them had that city aspect to them like [Georgia] State did. That’s what makes Georgia State unique, is that you are exposed to all of these different cultures and personalities because all kind of people are flowing in and out of the city,” he said.

You can say there’s no traditional Georgia State campus. We’re a bunch of buildings, in a bunch of locations, with a bunch of students from different countries with different backgrounds, different mindsets and different values. But that’s what makes Georgia State’s tradition after all, right? As the city changes, the landscape of Georgia State’s Downtown campus is changing as well. We’re gobbling up not only buildings, but whole institutions, such as Perimeter College, and we’re picking up a lot of speed in terms of growth. Sure, the financial aid and organizations departments tend to be lacking at times, but hats off to Georgia State for being able to create a tradition out of differences. Not only are we alongside people from different paths of life, but Georgia State is providing an opportunity for all of us to be successful - and that’s what other institutions often seem to forget. Successfully moving first-generation, lower-income and part-time students towards graduation with internships, classes and reallife experiences is one of our university’s top achievements.

January 2016 Perimeter College becomes part of Georgia State

2017 Land cleared for construction of 26-story luxury dormitory

OPPORTUNITY

A TIMELINE OF GROWTH 1955 Georgia State separates from the University of Georgia to become their own academic institution

2001 Research money reaches $40 million (1967- $100,000 in research money)

1997 ‘Campus Master Plan’ put into fruition

2009 Mark P. Becker becomes president of Georgia State

March 2016 Piedmont Central opens as the newest dormitory addition to Georgia State

ROAD TO THE HONDA B

What goes on behind the sc VICTOR SLEDGE Staff Reporter

F

or more than 15 years, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) marching bands have delivered stunning half-time shows and memorable Homecoming performances, along with having been the soundtrack to alumni all over the U.S. to face off head-to-head at the Honda Battle of the Bands.

Just last year, the Honda Battle of the Bands (HBOB) brought in more than 55,000 fans, alumni, and all-around music lovers to the (then) Georgia Dome to see their favorite bands march, dance, and play their way to the top. And this year was no disappointment.

But while the audience saw only the exhilarating execution of the absolutely captivating bands, the road leading up to the show was longer than the roads it took for them to travel here.

SELECTION PROCESS

Out of all the HBCU marching bands, only eight were selected to blow the roof off the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday. But how were they selected?

The first four bands invited were selected by sheer fan power.

After dazzling audiences on stages, fields, and courts all year long, fans had until October to vote for their top choices that go straight onto the frontlines.

The next two bands had to receive the next highest number of votes, but also could not have performed at the showcase more than twice before. That way, if there’s fresh meat making a statement throughout the year, they get their chance to do the same where it all counts.

The last two bands were selected by the HBOB Committee.

AN UPHILL ROAD

Sure, the show-style bands made everything look effortless on the field, but it is no small feat to pull off the mind-blowing shows that they did. One of the bands that electrified the field on Saturday was Alabama A&M University. For four out of the last five years, they have been invited to perform at HBOB, and shared what their journey is like leading up to it.

“It took a lot of planning to pull our show together,” Director of Bands Carlton Wright said. “HBOB is quite different from a regular half-time performance.”

They began planning their show (which enamored the audience) immediately after they got the invitation. The band staff and student leaders always have the added pressure of knowing the mass of people in the stadium (and through streaming) that will see their show.

With thousands of viewers, the students and band staff knew the potential recruiting power their show would have to peak some students’ interests in joining their team.

“We are always looking for talented and intelligent students to at

least consider attending Alabama A band family,” he said.

Aside from the pressure of some impress, the performers had other we can all identify with.

First and foremost, those perfor we couldn’t imagine them in anyth esteemed uniforms, they drag them rest of us. The only difference is tha have to balance practicing with it.

“As far as practices went, we are emphasized. “We do not want to sp working on the show, because we v Surely the high-stepping studen Full marching band practice, drum sectional practices can sometimes fi time to execute their shows with su can end at 10 p.m. or even later on week. Even then, it’s not uncommo is also all while still doing other pe time of preparing for HBOB. “Of course, the inclement weath us, but when we did return to rehea about their practice schedule. “Our task to get the job done!”

Even with weather issues, with a day working on the show, they wer stadium floor after their show.

The last roadblock was the trave the show. A show that massive can’ phone, so bands from out of state l road to HBOB in the weeks leading Despite all the work it took to ge ready to leave their mark.

Wright said, “We pride ourselves a great band sound, thanks to our ar With a sound and energy all the & White showed that the preparati Wright credited the staff, but also t contributions to the show.

“Our students are very creative i routines to enhance our shows,” he audiences, they generally reciproca We work hard and play hard!”

HBOB STUDENTS

And the students were definitely directors and staff were once just b shows like HBOB as the goal. With not weathered by the practicing, tr away their inhibitions to leave the fi

After more than 30 HBCU competition for a spot at the Bands, meet the final eight w show. Alabama led the pack under on

1. ALABAMA A&M UNIVE Marching Ma 2. ALABAMA STATE UNIVE Mighty March 3. BETHUNE-COOKMAN UNIVE Marching 4. HAMPTON UNIVER The March 5. MILES COLLEG Purple March 6. NORTH CAROLINA A&T STAT NC Blue & Gold Mar 7. PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVER Marchin 8. TENNESSEE STATE UNIV Aristocrat

ILLUSTRATION AND PHOTOS COURTESY

BATTLE OF THE BANDS

cenes of the epic showcase

A&M University and joining our

e 60,000 fans for the show to pressures to take into account that

rmers are students. Even though hing less than the regal air of their mselves into 8 o’clocks just like the at for shows as big as HBOB, they

e always mindful of time,” Wright pend excessive amounts of time value academics!” nts find that mentality refreshing. mline practices, even individual fill the student performers’ spare uch ease. Some schools’ practices multiple days during the school on to have weekend practices. This erformances booked during their

her days took four days away from arsals,” he remembered thinking r students were focused and on

an average of about two hours a re still able to leave jaws on the

el back and forth to Atlanta before ’t always be planned over the like Alabama A&M literally hit the g up to it. et to HBOB, all the bands came

s and work very hard on producing rranger, Mr. Mario Warren!” eir own, The Marching Maroon ion was all worth it on Saturday. the students for their creative

in coming up with high-voltage e said. “When we energize our ate that energy right back to us!

y the stars of the event. Even band budding members, looking at h a fierce attitude, not phased and raveling, and college, they cast field ablaze.

Their perspective of the show had to have been just a bit different from the directors, so we also found one of the student performers to hear more about it.

Faye Moore is a freshman attending North Carolina A&T State University (A&T for short) and a part of her band’s percussion section, better known as Cold Steel. Cold Steel and A&T’s marching band are often crowd favorites at HBOB. They have been recurring competitors over the years, and even took home first place back in 2014.

While fans were blown away by their performance on Saturday, Moore shared some of the behind the scenes info that made the magic happen.

Of course, every band has their home field advantage during regular shows, but HBOB hosts eight different groups of bandjunkies from around the country including Virginia, Alabama, and Texas. Behind the stunts and precision on Saturday, nerves could have been high for the performers.

“This is about to be the biggest crowd most of us have performed for,” said Moorein the days leading to the show.

Practicing for HBOB wasn’t that bad for Moore. While this is her second semester at A&T, she’s been on her school’s drumlines since middle school.

After all her experience, when asked how she handles her course load with practicing, she simply said, “I figured out how to balance it.”

That smooth confidence Cold Steel is known for kept going when Moore was asked about the competition she was expecting to face at the HBOB. “I know the reputation we have and the impact we have on people, but you don’t know what other people are bringing to the table,” she said.

A&T weren’t the only returning competitors on Saturday.

Returning bands like Bethune-Cookman University’s, commanding over 300 people worth of sonic seduction, also have developed a reputation at HBOB for their massive, flawless productions.

It’s easy to wonder with competition like that, what sets each band apart from the others at HBOB, and at any performance?

“If I could say one thing that sets us apart, we bring E. No one else brings our energy,” Moore said, reflecting on past years at the HBOB. “When A&T comes out, everybody stands up. Everybody has love for A&T.”

A SHOW TO REMEMBER

No matter what band you thought brought their A-game to the field on Saturday, the fact is that they were all winners. HBOB was made specifically to highlight not only the musical excellence in HBCU band programs, but also the unique, enriching HBCU experience in general. Honda usually awards anywhere around $200,000 in grants to the participating bands, helping to support their programs and push the arts at HBCU’s.

So, while our ears are still ringing from the Mariah Carey-esque notes the trumpets hit, there was a rich value displayed that made the road to HBOB worth the drive.

U marching bands were in e annual Honda Battle of the who blew the roof off of the k with three powerhouses all ne roof.

ERSITY (HUNTSVILLE, AL) aroon & White RSITY (MONTGOMERY, AL) hing Hornets ERSITY (DAYTONA BEACH, FL) g Wildcats SITY (HAMPTON, VA) hing Force GE (FAIRFIELD, AL) hing Machine TE UNIVERSITY (GREENSBORO, C) rching Machine RSITY (PRAIRIE VIEW, TEXAS) ng Storm VERSITY (NASHVILLE, TN) t of Bands

Y OF DEVIN PHILLIPS | THE SIGNAL

ARTS & LIVING

10

GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

Decent or Dishonest?

events not to miss jan.31 - feb. 6

How credible is Rate My Professor?

Wednesday, jan.31 Hawks vs. Hornets

AUTUMN BOEKELOO Staff Reporter

The Atlanta Hawks take on the Charlotte Hornets at Philips Arena this Wednesday. Bring your whole family out for dinner and a game Downtown.

R

ate my Professor, an open anonymous platform for students to rate their school and teachers by quality points, has remained the norm for universities for years. Despite its ongoing popularity, the website’s anonymous users and obscure quality scoring system makes students question its reliability.

Created in 1999, Rate My Professor’s initial intentions were to simplify the question students ponder each semester: “Is this professor or school a beneficial choice for me?” Unfortunately, due to the progression of the Internet and the website’s growing fame, students do not always use Rate my Professor for its essential purpose. Students’ various wants and needs from a professor determine how they will rate their performance. Oddly enough, Rate My Professor allows students to score things not even pertaining to education. Students can score the professors “level of hotness” and if they are “hilarious.” For a student simply searching for a class with quality content or an overall success rate, these factors can be distracting and pointless.

THE PROS: With an optimistic mindset, there

are positive features on Rate My Professor that benefit students and professors.

1. People are most likely telling the truth: There is no way of telling exactly what is factual on Rate My Professor, especially because the website relies solely on opinions. However, we can assume that the majority of users reporting their experiences are doing so to praise their teacher or warn other students not to take the class. For example, students will say if there are lots of pop quizzes or explain the quality of the professor’s lectures. “I wouldn’t necessarily call RMP the most reliable of sources, but it can be a helpful tool,” grad student and Professor Sarah Geil said.

2. It’s an open platform for students to use.

Students can express their opinions freely without the judgment of peers or the presence of a professor

thursday, feb. 1 Mysteries of Love and Sex Out Front Theatre Company is performing Mysteries of Love and Sex, beginning Thursday, the 1st and running until Feb. 18. Come out and support local theatre and enjoy a production on love and race in the south.

FRIDAY, feb. 2 Vixen’s Valentease Show Using Rate My Professor, students can see whether certain professors are a good fit for them.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY AZAM LALANI | THE SIGNAL

affecting their answers.

3. Up-to-date: Another advantage of using Rate my Professor is its real-time questions and answers.

So luckily for new professors, students can see their progression as a teacher. “I certainly have looked at my RMP profile. I find it interesting, but I try not to let it sway my feelings too much. That could be a very harming experience if the reviews are negative. Thankfully, for now, most of my content is positive, and I use it to reinforce my decisions to assign certain activities.” Professor Geil said.

THE CONS: 1. People will choose not to take a class based on

the ambiguous tags: Students will stray away from

classes that look daunting with number of exams, mandatory attendance, and the physical looks of the teacher. When in reality, the student could be very successful without knowing these factors.

2. People from other schools can rate too: Even if you do not attend the school you are rating, your scoring still matters. For high-rivalry schools like Georgia State and Georgia Southern, this feature could cause turmoil and act as a platform for slandering another school.

3. Professors could rate themselves: Professors could write a review (or several) of themselves staging as a student to get a better reputation. If a professor has a low rating, they could improve it with just a click of a button.

Bring your kind of music to town with these four steps Staff Reporter

A

re you a bored, suburban kid who loves music but bands are not coming to your town? Well, getting those bands to your side of town is not as hard as it seems. All it takes is some organization, some patience and some (read: lots) emails. Here are some steps to help guide you along the way.

1. FIND A VENUE

This first step may be the hardest. It involves the most emails and waiting, which may get frustrating, but after this, it’s smooth sailing. Find a venue in your town that would be available to hold a show. This includes, but is not limited to, houses, community centers, Mason/Knights of Columbus Halls and party rental spaces. Get creative! Actual music venues like the Masquerade or 529 come with stipulations of their own, but are also just an email away. Some spaces charge for holding events and some do not, so be prepared to possibly put some money up before the show. Email or call the venue with your idea for a show and check their availability on dates. If a date is available and you’re

able to meet their requirements, you have found yourself a venue. Do not get discouraged if the first place does not work. Be persistent and a place will be found.

2. FIND THE BANDS

Wanting a band to play in your town is probably what sparked this idea in the first place, so this part may be easy. For local and smaller bands, head to their social media pages or where they have their music uploaded to find an email for the band. An even more ideal scenario is having a mutual friend with members of the band and contacting them directly, but that is not always an option. Email the band with complete details and see if they would want to play. Depending on the band, they may reply back with a guarantee of how much money they’d need to be paid in order to play. Sometimes they don’t even reply at all!

It is important to be realistic in your search for bands. Huge bands are not likely to play a show unless booked by their agents directly through large professional venues. Going for an easy target like local and regional bands will yield better results.

But once again, do not be discouraged. Bands are sometimes not able to participate. Once you’ve gotten your bands to agree to play and your venue

saturday, feb. 3 Midtown Mardi Gras Over 20 restaurants and bars will be in collaboration in Midtown’s entertainment district, so come out and enjoy the Mardi Gras Block Party.

sunday, feb. 4 Big Game Bash

How to book a show in Atlanta JALEN JENKINS

Enjoy this annual burlesque and variety hour to get you in the spirit of the lover’s holiday. Go to 7 Stages the night of, or find tickets early.

For the social sports fans, join the crowd at Battery Atlanta and watch the Super Bowl with a crowd of friends and fans.

Find your tickets fast, however, because space is limited.

set, its time to promote!

3. PROMOTION

Nobody is going to come and see the bands you booked if you don’t tell them it’s happening! An easy start is to make an event page on Facebook and invite all your friends. The show has to have a flyer as well. It does not have to be complex— just something to catch the eye with all the right details on, (date, time, how much it costs, location, and most importantly, who is playing). Hang the flyers around town, use social media to your advantage and make sure people know about it.

4. FIND PEOPLE TO RUN THE SHOW

Some venues provide their own people to take the money and run the facilities, but in the case that they don’t, it’s your responsibility. Ask or hire your trusted friends to help out to ensure it runs smoothly.

It is a stressful task, and ultimately not for everyone. If you try to book a show and don’t like it, don’t take it to heart. But if you’re inspired and think you are up to the task, following these few steps can get that band you’ve always wanted to see to your town, and maybe even inspire people to start their own bands or book their own shows.

monday, feb. 5 Lana del Rey at Philips Come put your red dress on tonight and enjoy a live performance by artist Lana Del Rey at Philips Arena. Let her soothing vocals and enigmatic performance give you a Lust for Life.

tuesday, feb. 6 Hawks vs Grizzlies Come enjoy a night of NBA basketball when the Atlanta Hawks compete against the Memphis Grizzlies. Try out nearby restaurants like Hudson Grille or Ted’s Montana Grill.

More events and info at georgiastatesignal.com.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2018

Immigration policy shouldn’t be a political stunt

A week later, here’s why the government shutdown is still important

L

JAMES FOX Staff Reporter

James is a journalism major on the Downtown campus. He likes MMA and being outdoors.

When he can’t get outside he spends his free time reading and writing. He grew up in East Atlanta and loves his city.

ast week, President Donald Trump’s refusal to sign the most recent federal budget extension whipped Capitol Hill into a frenzy. The government shut down for the weekend, and while nearly 800,000 federal employees were working furloughs, Congress was still collecting paychecks. The reason for the shutdown was a bill allocating funds for the Child Health Insurance Program (CHIP), disaster aid, military spending and most importantly, immigration reform which includes DACA -- the most controversial bill of them all.

Once the government kicked into first gear once again, Trump tweeted out to DACA recipients they had nothing to worry about, but how true is that?

DACA, or the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, is an executive order that protects illegal immigrants from imprisonment or deportation. To qualify, you had to arrive in the U.S. before your 16th birthday, live here since 2007, be enrolled in or have graduated

school, and have a clean criminal record. It’s more of a selective enforcement strategy than a move to grant legal status. Unfortunately, this means DACA recipients still don’t get the same treatment as U.S. citizens. For example, universities in Georgia aren’t required to provide in-state tuition rates to DACA recipients. Also, the Board of Regents barred many universities from even considering illegal immigrant applicants despite their qualifications. Georgia State began accepting DACA applicants last spring, but still does not grant them in-state tuition, despite their qualifications.

DACA has massive public support, as PEW Research reports. Seventy-four percent of Americans support legal status for immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children, regardless of political ideology. While DACA didn’t pass with the budget bill, the bipartisan support means it’s likely to pass in a stand-alone bill.

The problem is that this is not a stand-

Tweet JAMES!

@KingJames21usa

Sen. Schumer

alone immigration bill. It’s a budget bill with immigration policy crammed into it. Senate Democrats hoped to use the budget bill to pass DACA into law. Republicans needed Democrats to vote on the bill to keep the government open and allocate funds for CHIP. So the two sides did something you rarely see in American politics— they reached a compromise. The bipartisan bill would have created merit-based immigration system (doing away with the diversity visa program), enforced new restrictions on chain migration and allowed current DACA recipients to keep their immigration status. But all of this was clumsily packaged into a budget bill that should have had nothing to do with immigration.

The Senate isn’t going to waste time voting on a clean immigration bill when a bipartisan agreement had already been passed. So when Trump reaches across the aisle and offers to pass a clean DACA, they gave him a polished turd and said, “Here’s DACA.” The truth is, Washington elites were willing to play chicken with the paychecks of federal employees and members of our Armed Forces. While the Senate was getting paid to point fingers and delay an agreement, thousands of government workers were sent home or had to work furlough days.

At the CDC, about 65 percent of the staff had to work without pay during the shutdown.

The Senate tried to hold President Trump hostage with the threat of a government shutdown, and then blamed him when he refused to capitulate. “We bent over backwards to meet his demands,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said. “This will be remembered as the Trump shutdown.” Senator Lindsey Graham presented the bill to Secretary of DHS Kirstjen Nielsen. “If the Democrats give us to everything we want on border and merit-based immigration, they won’t have any leverage when it comes to the rest of the 11 million,” he said. Secretary Nielsen bluntly told him that the president would have to read it first.

Trying to tie immigration reform to a spending bill was a political stunt. But with a temporary bill passed and the government reopened, a few positives came out of this mess. CHIP has received funding after long delay, as the Senate has been unable to reach an agreement since last Fall. CHIP provides insurance to children living in households with an income up to $50,000 for a family of four. The Cadillac tax was pushed back, which would have imposed an unGodly tax rate on employers who provide their employees with better healthcare.

It also pushed back other health insurance taxes that would have spiked the price of premiums up by as much as 3 percent. This must be why the Senate’s approval rating is so low. It reached a record high last November at 78 percent. They can’t even come to an agreement over a simple spending bill. Our best chance of fixing it is to get politically involved. Just be sure to remember this when we vote on Nov. 6.

Sen. McConnell

ILLUSTRATION BY PHILIP DURAL | THE SIGNAL

TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2018

Kane Williams, point guard for the Georgia State Panthers, attempts to score against the Arlington Mavericks.

PHOTOS BY UNIQUE RODRIGUEZ | THE SIGNAL

FRESHMEN ON THE RISE

Josh Linder and Kane Williams could be the faces of the Panthers’ future D’MITRI CHIN

Associate Sports Editor

H

ead Coach Ron Hunter makes it his duty to recruit freshman basketball players in the state of Georgia and has had much success in doing so. In fact, the Georgia State men’s basketball team has two bright freshmen in power forward Josh Linder and point guard Kane Williams.

While both players are still learning how to play at the collegiate level, they both bring different attributes to the Panthers team that has legitimate shots at winning a Sun Belt Conference championship.

PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE WITH LINDER

Linder, who is 6 feet 9 inches tall and 215 pounds, has played in 14 games with an average of seven minutes, thus far. While he’s not expected to make considerable contributions to this year’s team because Hunter has options in big men Jordan Session and Jordan Tyson, Linder has taken every opportunity he has been given to learn how to become a better player.

“I’ve learned that I just [have to] be more aggressive out there on the court, and just work to get more playing time,” Linder said.

Playing the forward and center positions in college is much different than in high school, especially for a freshman that is accustomed to having a noticeable size differential than other players. Nonetheless, Linder realizes that there are specific challenges he will face now that he is playing in college.

“Of course people are a lot stronger and pretty much just a lot quicker, but I’m getting right,” Linder said. “I’ve been working out a lot and getting stronger, so my time is coming.”

Linder has a point: Coach Hunter will look

to him in the future to be able to step in and produce essential minutes for this team when needed. Linder has much promise given his athletic abilities, and he is only a freshman.

“I think I bring rebounding, getting blocked shots, good presence on defense and being a good defender,” Linder said as to what he feels he can bring to this team.

As a freshman, it’s not guaranteed that one will have a healthy relationship with their coach.

Usually, young players who excelled in high school have a difficult time adjusting to not playing as many minutes in college. For Linder, however, having the opportunity to play for Hunter has been a joy.

“Me and Ron are really cool,” Linder said.

“He just tells me to keep going at it every day in practice...and he tells me I’m [going to] be a good player.”

Linder didn’t play in Georgia State’s most anticipated game of the season against Georgia Southern, but that didn’t prevent him from feeling the effects of how electrifying the Georgia State Sports Arena becomes when the Eagles fly into Atlanta from Statesboro.

“The atmosphere is crazy, I love it, man. It’s unbelievable out there, man.”

KANE WILLIAMS IS THE POINT GUARD OF THE FUTURE

As for Williams, he seems to fit into Hunter’s system into Hunter’s system quite well, being that he has played in all 20 games and even cracked the starting lineup twice. For him the experience has been incredible.

“It’s been lots of fun, and I love the guys I’m on this journey with,” said Williams.

Both Linder and Williams have experienced challenges during their first year, but for Williams, being consistent and continuously progressing is what he is focused on.

“A big difference is adjusting to your role,

playing your part and accepting criticism,” he said. “Each day I work on that and hope to continue to get better.”

Thus far, Williams has been doing well enough to earn the trust of Hunter, which isn’t an easy task as a freshman. Not only has he started two games, but Williams has also been inserted into the game during crucial moments this season.

So how has he developed such a trust factor with Hunter?

“I’ve just tried to limit my mistakes and play defense,” Williams said. “Those are the biggest things he wants me to work on, and I have continued to improve on that since June.

Hopefully, that leads to him trusting me more on and off the court.”

On the court, Williams possesses characteristics that many freshman point guards don’t tend to have. When he gets the opportunity to run the offense, he does so with confidence and the team doesn’t really miss a beat.

“It would have to be my energy off the bench,” Williams said as to what he feels he provides for this team.

One would also say Williams is an aggressive scorer. He admitted that his jump shot isn’t the greatest, but he finds a way to score at the rim, which is crucial at the college level.

However, learning when to shoot or create a play for your teammates to score is also a pivotal part of being a point guard in college.

When asked what his current weakness is, Williams said “Becoming a threat on the offensive end.”

“I need to keep working on my shot selection and take shots at the right times.”

If Williams can turn his weaknesses into strengths, he will set himself up to potentially be the starting point guard of the future for the Panthers.

FACTS ABOUT JOSH LINDER He was born in Japan He went to Veterans High School in Kathleen, GA. Was ranked as high as No. 45 in the country by Future150.com, the No. 14 forward in the country and No. 3 in the state of Georgia.

Currently majoring in pre-business

FACTS ABOUT KANE WILLIAMS He was born in Miami, FL. He is from Douglasville, GA. He went to South Paulding High School In high school he was a two-time Paulding County Player of the Year His father ran Track & Field at Oklahoma University He is currently majoring in prebusiness

SPORTS

14

GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

Georgia State’s student-athlete diversity Players speak out on representing the university CHRISTINA MAXOURIS & JERELL RUSHIN Editor-in-Chief & Sports Editor

L

ast Monday, Natalia Martinez was suspended from Georgia State’s women’s soccer team after using the N-word on her “Finsta”, or fake instagram, account and withdrew from the university just three days later.

The university sent The Signal a statement that morning notifying that, “The university is aware of a social media incident involving a studentathlete and the Dean of Students office had begun to look into the situation.

On Monday, the student informed the Athletics Department she intends to withdraw from the university.”

Though Martinez didn’t get expelled, some believe her actions needed harsher consequences as she was not only a student, but also an athlete who represented Georgia State.

A student-athlete who wished to remain anonymous spoke on the honor of representing the university, and the responsibility that comes with it.

“Being a student-athlete, we’re held to the highest standards of the university.

We wear the Georgia State logo and Panther head on everything we wear.

During competitions away from Georgia State, we wear travel uniforms because we are a representation of our university and we must act accordingly.

Our faces are on posters and we often find our names on Twitter next to [Georgia State] Athletics handles,” the source said.

Student-athletes are often the most famous names of the university and have the most recognizable faces on campus.

“It is unfortunate to see this happen to a student-athlete. However, her actions render the consequences. I believe the quote ‘one bad apple spoils the whole bunch’ does not apply to this situation, but it does leave a bad reputation for the women’s soccer team,” the anonymous student-athlete said.

Georgia State’s Athletic department’s original message provided the day of Martinez’s suspension read, “We do not tolerate the language the student used in her post. Pursuant to our studentathlete code of conduct, she has been suspended from the soccer team.”

The anonymous student-athlete added, “There is no place for her comment to be made in any circumstance. To be completely honest, the word should not even be used anyway by anyone. But the fact that she posted it on a private page made it even more disrespectful, hoping that it would limit the amount of people who saw her inappropriate comment.”

Luke Osterle, former goalkeeper for the Georgia State men’s soccer team said the post wasn’t only disrespectful to the university’s diversity, but to Martinez’s teammates as well.

“This is the right of free speech but at the same time, our school is very diverse, her team is very diverse, and I don’t think it’s appropriate for her to say that word,” Osterle said.

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY GEORGIA STATE ATHLETICS

The women’s soccer team has four players from three countries other than the U.S. In total, student-athletes on the 2017-2018 rosters of Georgia State’s 15 sports have hometowns in 25 U.S. states and 26 countries.

Georgia State graduates the most black students in the entire country and has one of the most diverse student populations. The U.S. News and World Report ranks Georgia State 11th in Campus Ethnic Diversity.

That diversity is what Mike Holmes, assistant athletics director at Georgia State, had talked to The Signal about one year ago.

“Atlanta as a city has a name recognition that schools like UGA in Athens or University of Auburn in Auburn, Alabama do not. It ends up being a very major recruiting tool, that and our diversity,” he said.

Holmes mentioned a lifeline of a program’s success — recruiting.

Recruiting is about getting players to come to the particular school for what the university can offer, whether tangible or abstract.

“As a whole, the student-athlete population is extremely diverse; not only at [Georgia State] but across the nation. Students from all over the world come to the U.S. to use their talents and compete nationally at the collegiate level,” said the anonymous student athlete.

Osterle said that even though Martinez didn’t violate the Code of Conduct, her actions were “just way over the top.”

“Someone can always find things on social media. Posting something with a caption that has a racial slur is not OK and I think all the consequences that she suffered are right on for that,” he said.

SPORTS

TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2018

15

Men’s tennis has championship talent

panther of the week

Improving every day for another Sun Belt title TAJ STRICKLAND Staff Reporter

T

he Georgia State men’s tennis season is looking very bright with a nice 3-2 record to start off. The Panthers would go 2-1 at this year’s Florida State University Spring Invitational, facing Mercer, Florida State and North Florida. During the first match against Mercer, Georgia State freshman Kevin Huynh would get his first win in his collegiate career in a 4-0 victory.

After falling short to Florida State in a 0-4 loss, the Panthers bounced back against North Florida. Led by sophomore Quentin Couland, who clinched the match for the team, the men’s tennis team would end the Florida State Spring Invitational with a win against North Florida, 4-0.

Next, they would travel to Eugene, Oregon where they would face No. 26 Oregon and Portland on the road.

The Panthers would fall short against the Oregon Ducks in a 0-4 loss for their first match in Eugene. They would then make a comeback against Portland with a 4-3 win led by sophomore Quentin Couland, who clinched his second win during this road trip.

“We are a very hungry team,” said Coach Jonathan Wolff when asked about any improvements that the team has made to start the season. “We are playing together as a team which is huge and very good team comradery from all eight guys,” said Coach Wolff who also described the improvements as “getting better and better with each match.”

No doubt exists that these guys are helping each other become successful with each match by “feeding off each other’s energy” as Coach Wolff made clear.

Coach Wolff also touched on what guys are doing to prepare for a better outcome than last season. Wolff stated, “We learned from the opportunities, not mistakes, from a few things we could have corrected.”

Last season for men’s tennis was something that could have went very far. Not only did the Panthers clinch the Sun Belt championship by beating out Louisiana, Troy and South Alabama, but they also reached NCAA regionals and faced Kentucky.

PHOTO BY GEORGIA STATE ATHLETICS

D’MARCUS SIMONDS MEN’S BASKETBALL

Giles Hussey at practice during the 2016-2017 season.

The Panthers would fall short against Kentucky in a 0-4 loss, but that did not keep Coach Wolff from believing in his guys. “Kentucky was a great team and was ranked high for a reason, but I feel like with the experience from last year we can learn from it,” said Coach Wolff.

Georgia State men’s tennis definitely has the guys returning back to regionals with eight of the student-athletes returning this season.

With the guys feeding off each other’s energies and learning from prior experiences, the

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY GEORGIA STATE ATHLETICS

Panthers seem primed and ready for another trip to regionals to not only go for the Sun Belt Championship, but for the NCAA championship as well.

The Panthers will continue their season at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend on Jan. 27 in College Station, Texas. Their first opponent will be Cal Poly and the match to close out the weekend will be against the winner of Texas A&M and LSU. They look to advance to 5-2 on the season.

Panthers get ready for a short two-game road trip Women’s basketball will travel to Arkansas for a quick double-dip CHRISTIAN CRITTENDEN Staff Reporter

A

fter three straight games at home, the Panthers will head on the road to the state of Arkansas to square off against Arkansas State and Little Rock. After an 83-63 loss to Texas State, the Panthers are now (5-15,1-8) on the season.

Despite the recent losses, the Panthers have been playing better as of late, which is a sign of improvement and encouragement. When a team is at the point where the Panthers are, it is often easy to just give up on the season when it seems like there is nothing left to play for; but there is. The most significant thing is pride, and the desire to go out every game and compete to your fullest. Also, just improving as a team and as individual players is as important.

“I think the biggest thing is that we’ve got to continue rebounding the basketball like we’re doing,” Coach Sharon Baldwin said. “I think we’re doing a pretty good job rebounding, but we’ve

got to take care of the ball better, and we’ve got to be able to go on the road and be able to play four quarters.”

The team will have two challenging games ahead of them.

In matchup number one, on the short road trip, the Panthers will face Arkansas State who they lost to a few weeks back, 75-58. In that game, the Panther’s undoing was a late second-quarter run that enabled the Red Wolves to take a 12-point lead into the break. When you look at the score by quarters, the Panthers were close, so they didn’t play a terrible game overall.

The toughest of the two matchups will come against Little Rock, who is coming into this game white hot on a nine-game winning streak.

Little Rock is an excellent defensive team as they hold their opponents to 53.7 points per game. They only allow their opponents to shoot 39 percent from the field and 32 percent from behind the arc.

The Panthers are allowing teams to shoot 45 percent from the field, and 33 percent from behind the arc.

Those statistics are similar, but the difference

comes in the points per game. The Panthers are giving up a whopping 74 points per game on the season, and they only average 63 points per game.

Little Rock is led by forward Rojanne DeGray, who is averaging 13.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. DeGray was held to 10 points when the two teams met earlier this season, but the Panthers have had inconsistent play from its forwards all season, so that will be one matchup to look out for during the game.

For the Panthers, going on the road trip means they will need to limit turnovers, as they tend to beat themselves. This season they average 16.2 turnovers per game. While they have played some good defensive teams, they have had a lot of selfinflicted wounds.

Look for Kierra Henry and Janessa Murphy to be the top offensive weapons for the team.

Someone at the forward position will need to be more consistence down the stretch.

The first game against Arkansas State will take place in Jonesboro, Ark, and then the team will travel to Little Rock, Ark to square off against the Trojans.

The sophomore did it again.

D’Marcus Simonds had a phenomenal week, leading the team in scoring in both bouts. He began by logging a double-double on Jan. 25 against UT Arlington.

His 29 points were a gamehigh to go alongside the 10 rebounds he grabbed.

Simonds, the Sun Belt Conference’s third-leading pilferer swiped UT Arlington five times, a game-high in steals. Adding to the stuffed statsheet, he finished with five assists and two blocks.

Two days later, Simonds would score 20 points on 8-13 shooting, including game-sealing free throws.

He added three assists, two rebounds and one seal.

Simonds played all but three minutes combined in both contests, a testament to his valuableness on both sides of the court.

SPORTS BRIEFS Men’s Basketball — Remain undefeated in 2018. Improved to 7-2 in the Sun Belt and 16-6 overall.

Defeated Kevin Hervey and UT Arlington 81-76 behind strong double-doubles from Jordan Sessions and D’Marcus Simonds. 54-50 victory over Texas State is the seventh straight.

Women’s Basketball — Lost both games to Texas’ Sun Belt teams. A second-half comeback was unsuccessful against UT Arlington. The Panthers lost the lead with less than 15 seconds and fell 81-76. Hung with the Texas State Bobcats until the third quarter. Lost in part due to 24 turnovers.