NEWS • 03
LIVING • 07
SPORTS • 11
ENTERTAINMENT • 15
PERSPECTIVES • 19
Addition on jurisdiction made Student Rec Center provides Football wins Homecoming Le Castle Vania: inside Bishop Eddie Long accused to Student Code of Conduct. new services for students. game against Morehead. the world of Dylan Eiland. of sexual misconduct.
the
SIGNAL
MARTA continues to cut back By ASHLEIGH ATWELL Staff Writer
Last week, MARTA implemented several changes to their system in an effort to make up for financial woes and budget cuts. The changes went into effect on Sept. 25 and included reduced train and bus service, bathroom closings and other various changes. According to the Atlanta JournalConstitution, MARTA is facing a $109 million deficit. MARTA had been warning the public about the impending changes for months by word of mouth, passing out pamphlets and posting flyers. These changes coincide with price raises that will go into effect in October and have caused Georgia State students and faculty to pay a higher price for their discounted Breeze tickets. According to the AJC, MARTA has eliminated 2,700 of its 11,500 stops. Those stops have been marked with signs and the changes are explained in detail on the MARTA website. MARTA has also cut train service by 14 percent. Train service will now start at 6 a.m., an hour later than usual, and trains that run at night will have fewer cars. There have also been changes made to the Breeze system. Breeze tickets, which used to be reloadable for up to 90 days, are not reloadable at all anymore. Breeze tickets will remain priced at 50 cents but Breeze cards now cost $1 rather than $5. MARTA has been plagued with issues. In January, MARTA shut down 100 of 149 escalators for a costly repair plan that is projected to continue into 2011. According to WSB-TV News, the escalators were shut down after a mechanic knowingly ignored a safety circuit on an escalator in Dunwoody Station. The repairs reportedly cost $1 million. MARTA is the only major transit line not owned or funded by the government and this has contributed to a lot of its financial problems. Bills have been proposed to help MARTA, but as a result of a troubled relationship with Georgia lawmakers, the bills have been rejected. According to the AJC, a new law allowing for new Cont. on page 06
MARTA
VOL. 78 • ISSUE 7 • OCTOBER 5, 2010 REGISTER ONLINE FOR BREAKING NEWS AT
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Confusion in SGA leaves Georgia State out of debate
Daniel Beauregard • Signal
Candidates for Governor face off at the Georgia Public Broadcasting studio.
By MIRANDA SAIN Staff Writer and DANIEL BEAUREGARD News Editor Georgia State was not one of the participating schools for the first student-led gubernatorial debate, which aired Oct. 3. Georgia Tech’s Student Government Association, which coordinated and hosted the event, said that Georgia State’s Student Government Association failed to respond to partnership and participation requests. “I e-mailed James [Dutton, SGA President] on Sept. 7 and Sept. 14 and never got a response back from him and we had a limited number of seats and had to move forward in looking for other partners so we had to offer the opportunity to other universities,” said Georgia Tech’s SGA Director of External Affairs and special assistant to the Georgia Tech SGA President, Elle Creel. “We had e-mailed James Dutton twice, contacting him to see if Georgia State wanted to be a partner and we never heard back both of those times. Apparently, it was communicated with us the other day that the e-mail had been passed on to the finance team and he assumed that they had taken care of it,” said Georgia Tech’s SGA Student Lobby Board Chair, Kristin Greig. Dutton said that he did receive
the e-mails and passed them on to the rest of the SGA members. Dutton said the Georgia State SGA decided not to participate because Georgia Tech was requesting a $1,000 participation fee. “I wouldn’t spend $1,000 of my money, so why would I spend $1,000 of others? It just wasn’t something we wanted to spend students’ money on,” Dutton said. The participating schools that paid the $1,000 fee and organized the event are Georgia Tech, the University of Georgia, Morehouse College and Georgia College and State University. Dutton said that by declining the $1,000 fee to participate, Georgia State allowed for a smaller university like Morehouse College to participate in the event. Instead of taking on a financially supporting role “we’re taking a question answering role,” he said. Dutton did say that Georgia State has “helped with the logistics” in organizing the event. However, both Creel and Greig refuted Dutton’s claim. Dutton said that all of his communication has been to Georgia Tech’s SGA President, Corey Boone. However, according to Boone, after an initial inquiry about the debate during the summer, Boone has had no communications with Dutton. There is also conflict in who originated the idea for the first
student-led gubernatorial debate. “It was the coordination between Corey Boone and myself that lead to the idea originally to even create the debate,” Dutton said. “The idea has been around for a while and we’ve tried to get this going in the past, and it really came into fruition this year. The main coordinators have been myself and our Student Government President Corey Boone, and our Director of External Affairs, Elle Creel. We’ve worked with some of our administrators and we worked very closely with Georgia Public Broadcasting to make this happen and they’ve been really awesome partners with us throughout the whole process,” Greig said. “For the past couple of years, it’s been something that has been talked about in the our student government. Then this past spring, we contacted all of the candidates and then once the primaries were finished, myself, and Kristin, and our president Corey Boone contacted them again, and contacted Georgia Public Broadcasting about setting up a partnership with them to broadcast the debate so essentially it came out of our student government,” Creel said. “The idea was initiated out of the Georgia Tech SGA and was presented to UGA and GSU last Spring,” Boone said. Georgia State did participate
by submitting a video question that the SGA put together with the help of GSTV. The question asked the candidates their stance on undocumented students. “We’re taking a question asking role,” Dutton said. “It doesn’t matter who is sitting in the room… what it is important is the questions we ask.” The candidates were given an opportunity to ask each other several questions and field questions from a student panel. Video questions were presented from several schools around Georgia, including Georgia Tech, University of Georgia, Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville and Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton. According to Kristen Greig, Georgia State did submit a video question but it was a duplicate question that they also received from Georgia College and State University, and since questions were on a first come first serve basis, Georgia State was not included in the program. The debate was an effort to increase voter participation among college students. The gubernatorial debate was between the three candidates in the race: Roy Barnes (D), Nathan Deal (R) and John Monds (L) with Susan Hoffman, a Georgia Public Broadcasting host and producer, moderating the event.
CAMPUS EVENTS October 5-12, 2010
STAFF INFORMATION EDITOR IN CHIEF NEWS EDITOR LIVING EDITOR
DATE Tuesday
OCT. 5
EVENT
SPORTS EDITOR
UCS Annual Career Carnival
Unity Plaza 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Enjoy FREE popcorn, prizes, $1.00 hot dogs and soda while learning valuable information about your career development!
Dealing with Difficult People
What is G.I.L.E.E.? (hosted by the Progressive Student Alliance)
OCT. 6
PERSPECTIVES EDITOR PRODUCTION EDITOR ASSOCIATE LIVING EDITOR
One Park Place Conference Room 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
Wednesday
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
ASSOCIATE ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
Where: University Center Rm. 404 Time: 12-2 p.m. Discuss the many faces and names of enslavement in Georgia and Israel.
ONLINE EDITOR
Special Wellness Wednesdays: Practical Approaches to Relaxation
INTERIM ADVERTISING MANAGER
COPY EDITORS
TBA 12-1 p.m.
CIRCULATION MANAGER
Research Wednesday speaker series featuring Debra Houry
OFFICE ASSISTANTS
College of Education room 1030 (RSVP Required) 12-1 p.m.
STUDENT MEDIA ADVISOR
Chinese Film Festival
Sheena Roetman signaleditor@gmail.com Daniel Beauregard gsunews@gmail.com Noël Hahn signalliving@gmail.com Kirkland Carter signalsports40@gmail.com Jhoni Jackson signalentertainment@gmail.com Syeda Hira Mahmood signalperspectives@gmail.com Elijah Sarkesian signalprod@gmail.com Angel R. White awhite49@student.gsu.edu Savanna Keo skeo1@student.gsu.edu Jeremy Galloway signalwebsite@gmail.com Emma Harger Shelby Lohr Elijah Sarkesian signalads@langate.gsu.edu Brian Echols signaldistribution@gmail.com Jared Cate Michael Glass Bryce McNeil bmcneil1@gsu.edu
Rialto Center for the Arts 6:30 p.m. The festival will feature four films by Wu Tianming and Xie Fei, as well as a lecture by director Tianming.
NAUI SCUBA Diver Certification Class Student Recreation Center 5-9:30 p.m.
Thursday
OCT. 7
The Escapade (sponsored by the Alliance for Sexual and Gender Diversity) Student Center Ballroom 7-9:30 p.m. The Alliance presents their annual fall drag show for the Georgia State community.
Chinese Film Festival
Rialto Center for the Arts 6:30 p.m.
Friday
OCT. 1
Fight to Flight: Presented by Georgia State Police TBA (Contact 404-413-3342 for more info) 1:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
Touch the Earth: Sea Kayak Cumberland Island Trip Georgia’s Cumberland Island All day Continues through Sunday October 10
Touch the Earth: Standing Indian Loop Trail Trip Standing Indian and Albert Mountains TBA Continues through Sunday October 10
Tuesday
OCT. 12
“Politics Beyond Sound Bites” Urban Life Rm. 170 12-1 p.m.
Want to see your event in this space? Contact Daniel Beauregard with your event’s name, time, date, location, and a brief description of the program. All events listed in the Campus Events calendar must either take place on campus or be produced by a Georgia State-affiliated organization. To request placement of off-campus, Atlanta-based events, contact Jhoni Jackson with your event’s name, time, date, location, and a brief description of the event.
ATHLETIC EVENTS ATLANTA EVENTS CORRECTIONS/RETRACTIONS
MISSION STATEMENT The Signal shall provide, in a fair and accurate manner, news of interest and significance to the Georgia State University community and serve as a forum for the expression of ideas of members of that community. Furthermore, The Signal shall provide an opportunity for students to pursue experience within a professional newspaper environment. The Signal shall also provide truthful and ethical advertising of interest to the Georgia State University community.
ADVERTISING
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The deadline for all advertising is 5:00 p.m. on the Thursday prior to the desired issue of publication. Ads must be print-ready and in PDF format; files must be delivered via e-mail at signalads@langate.gsu.edu. Please visit our website at www.gsusignal.com/advertising for more information, including rates and payment methods.
STAFF POSITIONS
page 18
From the September 28 issue: • “The Other Sound spotlights Atlanta’s best bands,” page 18: Justin Sias is framed as the sole organizer of the festival, but two more people should be credited with planning the event: Eric Holder of Industrial Strength Promotions and Kathryn Colohan of Containment Theory Records.
The Signal accepts applications throughout the year. If you are interested in working with The Signal please fill out an application (available at www.gsusignal. com/applications) and return it to the Student Media Advisor in the Office of Student Activities (Suite 330, Student Center).
OFFICE The Signal Suite 200, University Center P.O. Box 3968 • Atlanta, GA 30303 Phone: 404-413-1620 • Fax: 404-413-1622 • Web: www.gsusignal.com
NEWS
News Editor Daniel Beauregard gsunews@gmail.com
w w w . g s u s i g n a l . c o m / n e w s
Select freshmen receive iPads and camcorders in pilot program By SAVANNA KEO Staff Writer The digital revolution has descended upon the Georgia State campus as select students have been given iPads and Flip Video Camcorders in a new technological initiative. The initiative, the first of its kind on campus, has paired the Georgia State Division of Information Systems & Technology (IS&T) and Freshman Learning Communities (FLCs) in a program aimed towards the educational enhancement of first-year students. “We want to engage this generation in new technology,” said Joseph Horne, an educational technology major in instructional design for IS&T.. “We want to show students that Georgia State is an innovative learning environment.” 400 freshman students in 17 different FLCs have been equipped with the latest in new technology. Eight randomly-selected FLCs received the iPad and nine others received the Flip Video Camcorder. Working in conjunction with University Administration and Enrollment Services, IS&T acquired funding for the technology program. IS&T also offers technical assistance to students and faculty
with the devices at the Digital Aquarium in the Student Center. Students are not given specific instructions on using their iPads or camcorders. The devices are for academic and personal use and are intended to allow students to receive the optimal amount of learning experience in their daily lives. The students are encouraged to use the devices both inside and outside the classroom. Designed by Apple and introduced to the world in April, the iPad has all the features of a computer with touch-screen capabilities. The ability to surf the Web, take notes, create calendars or look up a location to have lunch is made easy with a flick of the finger. Organizers of the technological initiative hope that these new tools will enhance the educational experience of students and improve learning. Jordan Lee, a journalism student in the “Finding Your Voice: Learning to Lead” FLC, is one of the select students who received the iPad. The device has aided Lee in organizing and researching information from his classes. “I find myself studying so much more than I did without the iPad simply because the information is so easily obtainable,”
said Lee. “I don’t have to worry about keeping up with hundreds of pieces of paper or worry about losing them.” The ease and functionality of the device draws major appeal from the students. The iPads are lightweight and can be easily put into a backpack or purse or out on a desk as a notebook. “It’s so much easier to bring [the iPad] around instead of my laptop,” said Natasha Brown, a Computer Information Systems major in the “Business and Technology” FLC. “Of course it lacks some things like a USB drive and a CD drive but you wouldn’t necessarily need that in class.” Aside from the immediate benefits that students receive, faculty are given a renewed opportunity to incorporate the device into their curriculum. One computer science class includes comparisons between PC and Mac as well as analyzing topics such as battery life, speed and memory capacity of various devices. Although most students feel that the pros of the iPad outweigh the cons, there are some who feel that the devices can cause a distraction in class. “As much as I hate to say it,
the iPad is a definite distraction in class. I often find myself on Facebook or playing a game while my professors are lecturing,” said Lee. “The iPad makes it so easy to just stop listening.” The students are granted free use of the iPads and camcorders for the entire semester but must return the devices on the last day of classes. Returned devices are then
Kayla Rand • Signal
cleaned and given to a new group of FLCs next semester. Failure to return the devices will result in charges to the students’ accounts: $650 for the iPad and $200 for the camcorder. “In this day and age, society thrives on technology and this is definitely going to be a big help in the future,” said Lee.
Proposed illegal immigrant ban leaves students conflicted
Addition made to the Code of Conduct
By SUCHI SAJJA Staff Writer
By NICOLE SCHIMMEL Staff Writer A major addition to the Georgia State Code of Conduct has passed in the subcommittee of the University Senate. The addition states that “The University reserves the right to extend its jurisdiction to include off-campus conduct that adversely affects the university community and/or the pursuit of its objectives,” according to an amendment to the Code of Conduct during the subcommittee meeting in early September. The current Code of Conduct states, “The Student Code of Conduct applies equally to individual students and student organizations. The University has jurisdiction to hear all matters related to violation of University Policy and the Dean of Students has authority to make determinations on all charges of General Conduct Violations as these are defined in the Student Code of Conduct.” If this addition passes, the Office of the Dean of Students would have jurisdiction over
New students use their iPad to go over their notes.
Daniel Beauregard • Signal A Georgia State student read over the newest student handbook, containing the colleges rules and guidelines
any Georgia State student anywhere and may punish a student in whatever way it deems appropriate. According to Senator Michael Brandenburg, it’s good for the Senate to make changes to existing University Policies and make changes, but this addition is not feasible for the University. “It’s not feasible, it’s not right. No outside activity that is off-campus should be under the jurisdiction of the Dean of Students’ Office,” he said. “That is ludicrous and will never happen.” Senator Brandenburg is newly elected to the University Senate, serves as President of the Intrafraternity Council and is a member of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity.
In addition to these positions, he has interned for Georgia Senator Ronnie Chance (R). He is majoring in political science and plans to get his Masters in Public Administration. With all of this political experience, he said he feels he has a pretty good knowledge of politics and the workings of them. “This could change the way all organizations function outside of campus,” he said. “I don’t think the students will like this rule, at all.” The problem he has with this addition is that it is very vague. The addition does not state if the Dean of Students Office needs to have proof of an incident. Also, the Cont. on page 06
Code
A committee appointed by the Georgia Board of Regents has approved legislation that would ban illegal immigrants from attending certain colleges in Georgia, including Georgia State. The committee suggested that Georgia colleges and universities check that each student applying for in-state tuition is actually eligible. Currently, illegal immigrants are not banned from attending college, but they are normally charged outof-state tuition. To determine eligibility for instate tuition, students would have to go through a new process of verifying their residency status. “I think it will limit generations who grow up here because of their status as illegal immigrants,” said senior Dan Buckley. “I don’t think it’s a very good deterrent in preventing illegal immigration.” “I think that it is unfair how legal citizens pay the taxes that go towards schools and colleges, yet illegals who don’t pay taxes reap the benefits. On the other side of that, I don’t think that children
should have to pay the price of remaining uneducated just because their parents forced them to leave whatever country and come to the U.S,” said Spanish major Jesse Hardy. According to a report released by Pew Hispanic, there were approximately 425,000 illegal immigrants in Georgia as of 2009. Of the 425,000 illegal immigrants in Georgia, 501 of them are students classified as “undocumented,” according to an article by Laura Diamond for the Atlanta JournalConstitution. This number includes all students who have not turned in proof of residency. Georgia State has 23 undocumented students. Sophomore Jamal Rittenberry said, “I feel like [illegal immigrants] are contributing to the raise in fees that people here are legally paying for,” said sophomore Jamal Rittenberry. Junior Mersiha Buljubasic’s family legally immigrated from Bosnia-Herzegovina. She said the proposed legislation is fair. “Considering that everyone else who is here has to pay taxes, Cont. on page 06
Illegal
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NEWS
Update: Georgia State oil researchers back from the gulf By DANIEL BEAUREGARD News Editor Georgia State researchers are back from their trip to the Gulf of Mexico to study oil-degrading microbes in the marshes affected by the recent BP oil spill. On Sept.16, geologist Dr. Daniel Deocampo and microbiologist Dr. Kuki Chin, along with several other faculty members, drove to Barataria Bay on the Gulf coast to pick out a prime spot for their research. Earlier in the year, the group received funding for the project from a one-year $61,537 Rapid Research Response (RAPID) grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). “We had the Department of Fish and Wildlife map containing their observation of where the oil was over the summer, so we headed toward an area where we knew they had found oil--we were also avoiding areas where they were still maintaining booms,” Deocampo said. After a 15-minute boat ride around the bay, the group located a contaminated marsh. “When we entered you could
see an oil-slick sheen on top of the water, and once you started walking around, lots of clumps of oil began to float to the surface from the sediment below,” Chin said. They then collected samples to analyze from the water on top and the soil and sediment underneath. Originally the idea was to spray the sediment with clay minerals in order to study how certain microbes contained in it reacted. It’s been shown in previous labs that when certain clay minerals are added to the microbes, it helps them get their nutrients and break down the oil faster. “We ended up not spraying it because the water level was so high,” Deocampo said, explaining that there was really no solid ground in the marsh. They spent most of the day in waders, with water coming up to their chest in some places. “Instead we mixed a slurry [of the clay minerals] by hand and just poured it,” he said. Since The Signal last spoke to the research group for the Aug. 31 issue, The National Science and Technology Council’s Joint SubCommittee on Ocean Science and Technology have invited them to attend the Principal Investigator
Dr. Daniel Deocampo Dr. Chin bends down and reaches her hand toward the water.
Conference on the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. The conference, hosted by the University of South Florida at the Don CeSar Beach Resort in St. Petersburg on Oct. 5-6, aims to bring together scientific investigators from academia, private research institutes and agencies actively conducting oil spill-related research, monitoring and sampling. “That’s why we haven’t had any sleep in the last couple of weeks, we’re trying to get
together something to show them,” Deocampo said. Since they’ve been back, Deocampo has been studying the clay and measuring the petroleum levels and Chin has been testing the genetic material to figure out which microbes are responsible for breaking down the oil. This is what they plan to show at the conference. “We can lay the groundwork that there’s petroleum here, what our goals are, and what we got out of our first fieldtrip. And I think this will be the first time that anyone has
characterized the petroleum in the marshes,” Deocampo said, adding that all the other related research has been done in open waters, and the majority of the other marshrelated studies have been mostly about analyzing marsh ecology rather than petroleum. They plan to return to the marshes in mid-October to collect more data and compare their site with other marshes in the area that have not been contaminated.
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1) Eligible participants for the GM College Discount include college students (from any two- or four-year school), recent graduates who have graduated no more than two years ago, and current nursing school and graduate students. 2) Excludes Chevrolet Volt. 3) Tax, title, license, dealer fees and optional equipment extra. See dealer for details. The marks of General Motors, its divisions, slogans, emblems, vehicle model names, vehicle body designs and other marks appearing in this advertisement are the trademarks and/or service marks of General Motors, its subsidiaries, affiliates or licensors. ©2010 General Motors. Buckle up, America!
NEWS
www.gsusignal.com/news
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
05
Rally protests ongoing budget cuts and tuition hikes By MISHALL REHMAN Staff Writer
White House Media Affairs Dept. Obama leans back in the oval office and takes some time to chat with college students about education.
President Obama discusses education plans with college students Transcribed by SHEENA ROETMAN
Editor in Chief These are President Obama’s opening remarks from a conference call about education reform that the Editor in Chief and News Editor had the privilege to sit in on. Hey, everybody. Thanks for joining me today. Before I get to the questions I want to just take a minute to underscore something that is probably going to make as big a difference in our success as a nation as anything we do, and that’s what we’re trying to achieve to strengthen our nation’s higher education system. Our classrooms, our professors, our administrators, our students -- you guys are going to drive future success of the United States. I’ve been talking about this a lot lately. We have fallen behind. In a single generation we’ve fallen from first to 12th in college graduation rates for young adults. And if we’re serious about building a stronger economy and making sure we succeed in the 21st century, then the single most important step we can take is to make sure that every young person gets the best education possible -because countries that out-educate us today are going to out-compete us tomorrow. So what I’ve done, starting with this past year’s State of the Union address, is proposed that by 2020, we once again are number one and have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world. And we’re trying to put in place some policies to help us meet this goal. First of all, we’re making college more affordable. For example, we’ve changed the way federal student loans are administered. Instead of handing over $60 billion in unwarranted subsidies to big banks that were essentially getting this money even though the loans were guaranteed by the federal government, we’re
redirecting that money so that it goes directly to students. And that’s allowing us to support community colleges and make college more affordable for nearly 8 million students and families. We’re tripling the investment in college tax credits for middleclass families. We’re raising the value of Pell Grants and we’re going to make sure that they keep up with inflation. What we’ve also done is made sure that future borrowers are able to choose a plan so that you never have to pay more than 10 percent of your salary each month to service student loans that you’ve taken. And if you go into public service and you keep up with your payments, whatever leftover student debt that you have will be forgiven after 10 years. And finally, as part of this effort, we’re simplifying financial aid forms. Another important way we’re making college more affordable, under the Affordable Care Act, my health care bill, is that young adults can now stay on their parents’ health plans until they’re 26 years old. And that obviously provides relief to a lot of young people who are looking maybe at their first job not providing health insurance. Our second priority is making sure that higher education creates a workforce that’s ready for the new jobs of the future. Community colleges are going to play a critical role in getting there, and I’ve asked Dr. Jill Biden to hold the first-ever White House summit on community colleges. That way stakeholders are going to be able to discuss how community colleges can make sure we’ve got the most educated workforce in the world in relevant subjects that help people get jobs. That summit is going to be here next week. A third part of our higher education strategy is where all of you have an important role, and that’s making sure that more students complete college. We’ve done okay in terms of college enrollment rates, but more than a
third of America’s college students and more than half of our minority students don’t earn a degree, even after six years. And that’s a waste of potential, particularly if folks are racking up big debt and then they don’t even get the degree at the end -- they still have to pay back that debt, but they’re not in a stronger position to be able to service it. So obviously it’s up to students to finish, but we can help remove some barriers, especially those who are earning degrees while working or raising families. So that’s why I’ve long proposed what I call a college access and completion fund, which would develop, implement and evaluate new approaches to improving college success and completion, especially for kids from disadvantaged backgrounds. We’re also making sure our younger veterans are supported through a post-9/11 G.I. Bill. The key here is, is that we want to open the doors of our colleges and universities to more people so they can learn, they can graduate, and they can succeed in life. And while we had a setback last week, one last element that I want to mention is the need to get the DREAM Act passed. Some of you are probably aware this is important legislation that will stop punishing young people who -- their parents brought them here; they may not have been documented, but they’ve for all intents and purposes grown up as American young people. This gives them the chance to obtain legal status either by pursuing a higher education or by serving in the U.S. armed forces for the country they’ve grown up in and love as their own, the same way that all of us do. So these are all some of the steps that we’re taking to help students fulfill their dreams, but also a key part of my economic platform in terms of making the country stronger.
The Georgia Students for Public Higher Education (GSPHE) will be holding their third protest against tuition hikes on Oct. 7. The rally is protesting the increasing tuition and budget cuts. “For many GSU students, the cost of attendance has raised hundreds of dollars and the quality of education has declined with crowded classrooms and struggling academic departments. We’re all still paying for this economic crisis that we didn’t create,” said Ryan Haney, member of the GSPHE. According to the GSPHE, for those students without financial aid, tuition and fees have increased almost $700. Tuition for the four research universities in Georgia has increased by almost 16 percent in the past year. The GSPHE are demanding that Georgia State administration put pressure on the state legislature to raise funding for public education. They are also demanding that money be raised through taxes on items like cigarettes instead of raising tuition for students. The GSPHE has also strongly opposed the possible decision of the Board of Regents to exclude undocumented students from the university system. The first organizations protesting budget cuts began in California and spread quickly to campuses throughout the country. The chapter in Georgia was formed in Dec. 2009 when the tuition was raised $100 for the second time. GSPHE has also reached out to K-12 schools throughout metro Atlanta to create similar organizations. One of the challenges the GSPHE has faced is convincing fellow students that things can change. “The biggest challenge for
me is convincing people that we can beat back the cuts if we’re loud enough. I think many people don’t have the same sort of political confidence students had in the 1960s when they stopped the Vietnam War, challenged racism and won academic programs like Women’s Studies and Black Studies. If we pull together, we can win an affordable education for future generations,” Haney said. Other challenges the group faces are getting through to the legislature and fighting bigger corporations. In the past, the GSPHE has had two rallies against the $200 fee hike and sent a petition with 2,000 signatures to the Board of Regents. The date of the rally is not only significant because campuses all over the country will be protesting tuition hikes, but it is also the date that the U.S. invaded Afghanistan nine years ago. Many members of the GSPHE believe that the money spent on the war could have been used on public education. “It’s impossible not to think about the incredible amount of money that has been spent on a failed war and how much of it could have been used to not only educate people, but invest in our public infrastructure in all sorts of ways to create jobs and improve peoples’ lives,” Haney said. The rally will begin with a meeting at 12:15 p.m. in the University Plaza. It will then move to Woodruff Park at 4:00 p.m., where other metro Atlanta universities will also gather, followed by the march to the Capitol. All students are encouraged to come to the rally. “This has got to be a movement, not one group advocating on behalf of 31,000 students, if we really want to change how things are done,” Haney said.
Will Petty • The Voice Students marched toward the Capitol this past March to protest.
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Cont. from page 03
why should they be allowed in colleges if they are here illegally?” she asked. Earlier this year, Kennesaw State student Jessica Colotl sparked a nationwide frenzy after being arrested for being in the U.S. illegally. A Kennesaw State University police officer pulled Colotl over and found her driving without a license. She was taken to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and then a detention center in Alabama. Upon her release from the detention center, Cobb County charged Colotl with lying about her address upon her first arrest. ICE agreed to let Colotl finish the current school year before further action is taken. She, however, is hoping for legislation that will enable her to finish school. “I am just hoping for the best and waiting for something positive such as the DREAM Act to be passed sometime in the future,” she said in a press conference after her release. First introduced in 2001 and reintroduced in 2009, The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act acted as an amendment to a defense bill. The amendment would have allowed illegal immigrants who attend college or join the military for two years become citizens of the U.S. To be considered for the citizenship
Carolyn E. Price • Digital Journal People protesting for full citizenship rights for all immigrants.
under the DREAM Act, applicants must meet certain requirements: first, they must have come to the United States before their 16th birthday. Secondly, only those who have lived in the U.S. for at least five consecutive years may be considered. Applicants must have graduated high school, or obtained their GED, and have been accepted into a college or university. Finally, they must be between the ages of 12-35 and of good moral character. Both Rittenberry and Buljubasic think that illegal immigrants are given special treatment, so they are happy with the turnout. “It is not hard to gain
citizenship the legal way,” Rittenberry said. “People who come to the U.S. illegally should not be given special treatment,” Buljubasic said. The Senate voted on the DREAM Act in late September but it failed, 56-43. However, citizens are pushing for its reintroduction as a stand-alone bill. There is no telling how the DREAM Act would work alongside Georgia’s ban if the two pass. However, Georgia’s ban on illegal immigrants attending college will be voted on sometime this month and, if passed, will go into effect for Fall 2011 applications.
STRONG ONE DAY. ARMY STRONG THE NEXT.
regional transportation taxes may prevent MARTA from receiving any funding from the revenue generated by the tax. MARTA has also laid off over 1,000 workers to help with the deficit. The transit system is also cracking down on people who skip fares. Creative Loafing recently did an expose in which they posted tapes of people using various methods to skip fare including sharing Breeze tickets, exiting through emergency gates and forcing open gates. To combat this problem, MARTA has place people at the gates to monitor strange behavior and MARTA police go undercover to catch people. Anyone caught skipping fare could be arrested or have their Breeze pass confiscated. MARTA recently sent officials to the site of the #4 bus route after riders complained about potential safety risks. According to 11 Alive News, the stop, located along
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active Constitution Road, replaced a stop that closed due to the recent route changes. Riders considered the old stop to be safer. “It’s just a bad stop. It’s a bad place to put a stop,” said rider Donnell Cottrell. “There’s a lot of traffic. And a lot of big trucks, a lot of container trucks that are coming here all the time and they’re going at a high rate of speed.” MARTA officials said they would consider altering the route to ensure the safety of their customers. “We don’t assume that crossing the street is inherently unsafe, but where there are opportunities to be safer... then we would want to pursue those options,” said Emmett Crocker Jr., a MARTA representative said. For more information on changes to the transit system, go to MARTA’s website at www.itsmarta.com or call the information line at 404-8485000.
Akeem Mason • Signal A sign letting MARTA riders know they may have a bit more trouble getting home at night.
Code
What makes the Army Reserve different? It’s training close to home but always standing ready. It’s being able to work your job while serving your country. It’s the strength that comes from being a citizen one day and a soldier the next. To find out more, visit your local recruiter, log on to goarmyreserve.com or call 1-800-USA-ARMY.
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NEWS
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addition does not specify what the University’s “objectives” are. Senator Brandenburg said the addition, if it actually passes, should definitely be edited because “… all it says is that it expands jurisdiction, it does not say why or in what circumstances.” The Dean of Students Office is “responsible for managing Student Judicial Affairs with the goal of balancing students’ rights and responsibilities with the safety, educational and developmental needs of the University Community,” as stated on their website. This office is responsible for Student Assistance, Student Judicial Affairs and Engagement and Involvement. Their duties include maintaining Undergraduate Admission Conduct Reviews, student fee waivers, grievances and complaints, interpreting the Code of Conduct and mediation referral. They have four main goals listed on their website: Develop students into successful and productive lifelong learners; develop students into leaders, responsible citizens and active in a multicultural society; engage students with the Georgia State University community through a meaningful student experience;
and strengthen assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of university services to students and other stakeholders. While the Dean of Students Office does oversee conduct, its jurisdiction is limited to the campus. Due to Georgia State’s urban location, that is often hard to define. This is another problem with the vague addition: it does not specify where the jurisdiction ends and it gives the Dean of Students Office free reign on students. Senator Brandenburg wants to encourage students to be upset, to research this addition and protest it on Oct. 7. “We want students to know and understand what’s happening and to encourage them to do something about it by protesting on Thursday,” he said. “Without the students, it’s just senators fighting this addition. It would be great if we had opposition from students too.” The final vote for this addition will take place in the University Senate on Oct. 7 at 3 p.m. in Dahlberg Hall. Students are allowed to attend. To learn more about the Dean of Students Office or to access the current Georgia State Code of Conduct, visit the Dean of Students Office website at www2.gsu.edu/~wwwdos/.
LIVING
Living Editor Noël Hahn
signalliving@gmail.com
w w w . g s u s i g n a l . c o m / l i v i n g
Associate Living Editor Angel R. White awhite49@student.gsu.edu
New restaurants add spice to the college pallette By ZAKKIYYA ANDERSON Staff Writer
Judy Kim • Signal The Student Recreation Center offers a variety of classes and programs for students. Many of these classes are free and range from beginner to expert.
Rec Center offers unique opportunities for Georgia State students By KENDALL HARRIS Staff Writer The Student Recreation Center offers many opportunities for current students that include a wide range of recreational activities. All currently enrolled students automatically have a Rec Center membership. The Rec Center provides discounts on memberships for spouses and domestic partners, alumni, faculty and children of currently enrolled students. This membership not only allows students to use the rec cebter for free, but also allows free access to the Indian Creek Recreation Area located in Stone Mountain. Located on campus, the Rec Center contains a track, a martial arts studio, a dance studio, a 35foot climbing wall, a spa, a sauna, multiple racquetball courts, a patio, a game room, an Outdoor Equipment Rental Center and a bike shop. The Rec Center also offers accommodations for those with disabilities. Students do not need certification to use the climbing wall, but the Rec Center does have certification clinics. The game room has several free activities including foosball, air hockey and darts. The Outdoor Equipment Rental Center is located in the lower level of the Rec Center. All reservations require a $20 deposit. The rental center offers a variety of outdoor equipment such as tents, sleeping bags, tarps, lanterns, canoes, kayaks and wetsuits. There is a loading area as well as a reserved parking spot for students picking up or dropping off rented equipment.
The Touch the Earth bike shop offers basic services for bicycles. Their free services include air pumping, seat height adjustments, brake adjustments and derailleur adjustments. The Rec Center also offers several classes and instructional clinics. The fitness classes are free for Georgia State students and include everything from Zumba dancing to kickboxing and water aerobics. To be enrolled in an instructional clinic, students must sign up at the beginning of the school year. The types of clinics include dance, yoga, martial arts and sports. Students may also register for lifeguard training, CPR/First Aid certification or SCUBA diving certification. Also located at the Rec Center is an equipment check-out desk. Students may rent several items for free with their PantherCard. Free rental items range from wrist straps to badminton racquets. Students may rent other items for a fee, such as bath towels, uniforms, swimsuits, goggles and climbing-wall shoes. The equipment check-out desk also has items for sale, including locks for lockers, headphones, ear plugs, tennis balls, energy bars and batteries. Lockers can be rented and go on sale at the beginning of each semester. Students may present their PantherCards and receive a key for a day-use locker at no cost, but students must provide their own locks. In addition to the numerous services offered by the Rec Center, it also has several programs that
offer unique opportunities for students. The Fitness Program provides employment for students studying Exercise Science. The Fitness Program offers personal training, fitness assessments, nutrition counseling, cholesterol screenings and anaerobic threshold testing. There are various personal training packages available. Students must fill out a medical history form before registering. The Rec Center also has sports clubs and intramural sports. Intramural sports are scheduled activities that can be recreational or competitive. Students may choose between dual or team activities. The teams are organized by skill level. Touch the Earth is an outdoor recreational program. They organize trips focused on various outdoor activities and provide experienced volunteers to lead them. Students may register to attend these trips at the Touch the Earth Outdoor Equipment Rental Center. The trips normally do not require that students have previous experience. The Challenging Program, located in Room 30 of the Rec Center, is also part of the Touch the Earth program. This specific program challenges students by organizing group activities that are designed to help improve each student’s individual skills. For more details about any of these programs, contact information, hours, costs, or policies, visit http://www.gsu. edu/recreation.
One Café Blanc on Piedmont Avenue re-opened a month ago after it underwent management changes during its first year of establishment. As college students, two of the most difficult things we deal with are health and cost, and One Café Blanc solves both by aiming to serve affordable, healthy and fresh food. The best thing about the Daisup Kim-owned restaurant is that all the food items are made in the kitchen. This includes everything from the ketchup and the burgers to the buns and mayonnaise. All of the ingredients are local and home grown. Everything used on the menu is in season in Georgia. The menu at One Café Blanc resembles a fine dining restaurant or bistro, but with far more reasonable prices. For example, on the lounge menu, you’ll find the Calamari Salad, which includes kumquat chili sauce, julienned romaine and vermicelli noodles. Sandwiches include the One Café Blanc twist on the classic tuna melt, including house-made tuna salad, avocado and fontina cheese. All the menu items can be found for less than ten dollars, the highest priced item being the $8 Gambas (sautéed shrimp, shaved garlic, chili, parsley and focaccia bread.) If you need any clarification as to what exactly you’re getting yourself into, executive chef Jonathan McDowell, will be more than happy to assist you. Something One Café Blanc started on Sept. 30 is the One Café Blanc Three Course Prix-Fixe Menu. Basically, every Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m. the restaurant will offer an opportunity for its customers to get a full three-course meal for only $15. The entire menu will not be available, but some of the items that will be featured are the cauliflower soup and the butter poached chicken. When you walk down to One Café Blanc’s neighboring restaurant, Yoe-Shi, you would never expect the vast contrast between the two eateries, or that the two are owned by the same man. Yoe-Shi resembles a Japanese teenager’s bedroom, full of dynamic colors and shapes. In fact, McDowell said that he wanted to use, “wild colors to reflect Japanese style.” The environment evokes a childlike innocence, which sets the tone for dining at Yoe-Shi. The variety at Yoe-Shi can be seen just by its name: the name combines the two words yogurt and sushi. The yogurt portion of
Akeem Mason • Signal Yoe-Shi, one of two new restaurants.
the menu allows customers to experience the classic favorites with their own twists. Fresh fruit like strawberries, mangos and kiwi can be added as a topping, or even nostalgic classics like Fruit Loops, Reese’s Pieces or jelly beans. For beginners, the sushi menu offers a California roll and, for the more experienced sushi consumer, the Rainbow, Spicy Tuna and Shrimp Tempura. There is even an option for vegans that is simply called the Vegan roll. The last part of the Yoe-Shi dining experience, and perhaps my favorite, are the crepes. YoeShi offers the amazing deal of two crepes for $4.50. These are not bitesize crepes--one crepe is more than enough to fill you up. When asked which of the crepes was his favorite, McDowell described it as “having to say which of your children you love the most, but if I had to pick one it would be the peach cobbler.” The other crepes are the S’mores, which has toasted marshmallows, Nutella ganache and is topped with graham cracker crumbles. Follow that up with the Apple Brie, containing Granny Smith apples, Presidente Brie cheese and fig compote, and then finish with the strawberry licorice crepe which combines tarragon and Chantilly cream with macerated strawberries. Overall, One Café Blanc and Yoe- Shi aim to establish diversity through the comfort of food. McDowell wishes to combine the familiarity of Southern favorites with the diversity of international foods. Both restaurants are open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
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Georgia State celebrates its first fall homecoming By MISHALL REHMAN Staff Writer On Sept. 30, Georgia State students witnessed the school’s first fall homecoming golf cart parade. Besides the 32 organizations in golf carts, the parade featured the marching band, cheerleaders, Miss Georgia State, ROTC and Zipcars. The parade even featured President Mark Becker, who was in the parade for the first time. The parade also had a float provided by Shaw Parades that featured the homecoming court. Among the first-timers in the parade were the Georgia State Pantherettes. The Pantherettes are a student–led spirit dance team that formed five years ago and have traditionally performed at basketball games. This year the Pantherettes were also given the chance to perform at football games. “It’s been an adrenaline rush at the football games, and it’s
exciting to be a part of the first fall homecoming parade,” said Kaitlin Lehner, co-captain of the Pantherettes. The Pantherettes had prepared small dance moves to perform as they walked in the parade. Although this is not Georgia State’s first homecoming parade, planning for the fall parade came with its own challenges. The homecoming committee used the fall semester to plan for the spring homecoming, so they had less time to plan the fall homecoming parade. Planning for the fall homecoming began in the middle of June. Wilneka Harris, co-chair of the golf cart parade, found all the struggle involved with the preparation for the parade to be worth it. “It was nice to see all the hard work and dedication come together, and it was nice to see not only the students but the community come out in support,” she said. Another challenge the
homecoming committee and parade committee faced was trying to encourage the community to come to the parade. “We are trying to build up a tradition and encourage people to cheer their school on,” Harris said. To overcome this challenge, the committee tried to pick the route that would attract the most people. The parade started at the Commons and ended in front of the Student Center, where a crowd of students gathered to watch the parade. Golf carts have been a part of the homecoming parade tradition at Georgia State for the last eight years and have been traditionally associated with homecoming parades in urban environments. Though golf carts are a tradition, Harris would like to see the parade grow and add more transportation methods. “Hopefully we can get it to be like the Macy’s Day Parade someday and have all floats,” Harris said.
Nicole Schimmel • Signal The Homecoming Carnival offered free food, games and goodies for students.
Homecoming carnival fuels Panther pride By ANNABELLA JEAN-LAURENT Staff Writer
Noël Hahn • Signal The first fall golf cart parade started at the Commons and traveled by a crowd of bystanders. More than 32 organizations participated in this gold cart parade.
Food, fun and football were on the minds of students at Georgia State’s homecoming carnival this year. The annual tradition gathered hundreds along Hurt Park and Gilmer Street for an afternoon of Panther pride celebration. “This year’s carnival is extra special because of the new football team,” Eboni White of the homecoming committee said. “People are really excited to be here and we have a great turnout.” The carnival, which was held from 11 p.m.- 2 p.m. on Sept. 28, offered a variety of games and activities to choose from including High Striker, rock climbing, face painting and raffles. A popular game among many was Boom Blaster, a match which required two players to simultaneously pump balloons with an air machine and see which one popped first. Games came with various prizes ranging from stuffed animals to mini footballs. Throughout the event, contests were held where football tickets to the Oct. 2 game were among the prizes. Aimee DiMaggio was one of the lucky few to score a ticket. “I’ll definitely be going to the game,” DiMaggio said. “I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. Everyone seems really pumped.” Free food and drinks at the carnival included hot dogs, nachos, soda and water. The line was especially long for funnel cakes. The Euro Bungee trampoline was also a big hit. This extreme sport lifts a person five to ten feet in
the air while their body is strapped to a set of thick cables. A trampoline and heavy rubber chords allow the person to jump or even do back flips while suspended in midair. Another popular activity was the digital photo corner. Students did fun poses or dance moves while DJ Peter Parker spun pop and hiphop tracks on the park lawn. Royal Court candidates vigorously campaigned for student votes. Many hopefuls such as Tayler Walker, who is running for Miss Sophomore, were all smiles as they shook hands, passed out flyers and held signs to garner student votes. Midway through the event Georgia State’s cheerleading squad, the Pantherettes, gave an electrifying performance worthy of five stars. The girls defined the meaning of school spirit by giving an energetic dance routine. Their performance earned a barrage of whistles and applause from the audience. Following their ten-minute dance set, the boys and girls of some of Georgia State’s organizations gathered to the lawn for a special treat: a Greek step show. Members stomped the yard with a sequence of choreographed dance routines that had the crowd dancing right along. DJ Peter Parker finished out the event by blasting an eclectic set of danceable hits ranging from Ke$ha to Rick Ross. “The carnival really boosted my school spirit,” said sophomore McKenzie Richardson. “It made me so proud to be a Panther.”
LIVING
www.gsusignal.com/living
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
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Noël Hahn • Signal
minutes with...
DAVID LIEBERMAN
By NOËL HAHN Living Editor
Signal: Any advice for upcoming journalists? Lieberman: Know journalism. Read the newspaper, read magazines, watch television news, read blogs. Immerse yourself in that cause you’ll only be as good as what you know. You can see what the state of the art is, where you might fit in. If you don’t know what’s out there, then you’re just adrift. Judy Kim • Signal Senior media writer David Lieberman interviewed the CEO of Yahoo Carol Bartz as part of USA Today’s CEO Forum.
Yahoo CEO discusses today’s media industry By JUDY KIM Staff Writer On Sept. 29, the Chief Executive Officer of Yahoo! came to Georgia State to talk about the growing power of technology and how business is becoming more and more incorporated with its growth. Carol Bartz, who graduated from the University of Wisconsin, has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Yahoo! and as a member of the Board of Directors since January 2009 and has been President since April 2009. The event, the USA Today CEO Forum, is a program that initially started in 2006 and has been showcased at several different universities and business schools. Each event features an accomplished CEO of a rising corporation and gives the student body a chance to peek into the lives of those who are already successful. David Lieberman, senior media reporter, from USA Today, conducted the hour-long interview and asked many questions pertaining to Yahoo!’s future endeavors and its ongoing success and projects. “We serve up to 18 billion ads a day,” Bartz said. “We have 350 ‘pretty much’ Ph.D.’s in our research lab and we’ve done research. Men won’t look at the top of the screen, women look at the top right of the screen and then look to the bottom left. When they first look at the page, that’s what they look at. Why would I ever serve you an ad that you’re not gonna look at?”
As the conversation progressed, Lieberman and Bartz began to debate the future of print journalism and the rise of the Internet tycoon. Bartz said that since people are always on the go, Internet video shows like Primetime in No Time and Daytime in No Time are extremely helpful since consumers are always in a rush. These are also helpful because news that happened a couple of hours ago is quickly considered outdated and stale. At one point, Lieberman attempted to counter argue, saying that sometimes people would like to take it slow and do not enjoy the animated ads as much as others. Though Lieberman makes a nostalgic point, Bartz said that the world is rapidly changing and that technology is changing with it. She discussed the Michael Jackson frenzy and how the other competing media organizations mixed up their stories. Yahoo! was able to quickly turn it around and publish a new and more accurate angle. “You can’t do that when something’s printed,” Bartz said. With 170 million users in the United States alone, Bartz discussed what it is like to handle all the invisible media flying around and how much work they do to filter spam and unwanted material. “You can’t believe how clever people are,” Bartz said. “But we’re clever too.” Bartz particularly emphasized the importance of locality and how people spend, on average, about 95
percent of their money at locations within a five-mile radius of their homes. Yahoo! hopes to eventually establish better relationships with local retailers, restaurants, entertainment venues and even local writers to improve the content of their website. “Our ultimate goal, by the way, is that each and every person that is a Yahoo! user has a very personal relationship with the Internet because we have learned the kind of content they want, we have learned the kind of ads they’re interested in,” Bartz said. “People like advertising, they just don’t like bad ads. That’s how you discover the world, that’s how you purchase things and that’s how you know what your friends like.” When Lieberman later brought up the idea of a Yahoo! mobile phone for applicationss and more advertisements, Bartz said hat mobile Internet is more of an “and” than it is an “or,” meaning that no matter what, a laptop or computer desktop couldn’t ever be replaced by a three-inch screen. Towards the end of the event, there was a question and answer segment that featured questions about the business aspects of Yahoo!, its future and what to expect in the coming years. “Somebody who only reads about comedy, you never show them anything serious, it’s not our job to round people out,” Bartz said. “On the other hand, it is our job to be balanced and have a voice that is balanced and is dependable and trustworthy.”
Signal: You stated earlier that you read every day. Who are those people that inspire you? Lieberman: In no particular order, I love reading Gail Collins in the New York Times. I like reading Joshua Micha Marshall. I like reading Michael Kinsey. There’s a blog called FiveThirtyEight.com, it’s a political blog. There are a lot of individual writers that I enjoy. It goes beyond the particular writers; the people who stand out in my mind, in terms of writing are more opinionated. Sometimes I just enjoy reading certain papers or magazines. I enjoy reading the Atlantic a lot. I enjoy reading the Financial Times. Signal: Do you read these specific publications for a reason? Lieberman: You can read for a couple different reasons. Since I cover a particular beat, I need to know what others in the beat are writing. I like the quality of the writing, the well turned phrase, the quality of the thought. I kind of enjoy reading USA Today. A lot of it is learning something and how well is it being presented. Signal: I read an article saying that even the New York Times will go out of print. Do you think print journalism will eventually be just on the Internet? Lieberman: It depends on how long your horizon is. I think, yes, there is no question that a lot of publications will become digital only in a certain period of time, we don’t know when that time is. There will still be print publications around, but they will look different than they do now. The economics of it are just so compelling. As broadband becomes more ubiquitous as a delivery mechanism it beats trucks. As I like to say, ink on dead trees. The thousand dollar question is how long will it be before we reach where publications actually stop being put out in print and are just digital only. Signal: There’s a rumor flying around that print journalists have to also learn to write online. Is there a difference in the writing style? Lieberman: I think I know what those people mean. There are different styles between print and online. But at the end of the day it’s nouns and verbs, putting together sentences, putting together ideas clearly. And there are a lot of articles I see online that could easily be seen in a magazine. I see a lot of things in newspapers put online. The stories I write are places online. So, this idea of writing in print and writing online are two different disciplines, they are two different styles. But it’s like saying, if I can use a baseball analogy, it’s like saying you can throw curveballs or fastballs. A good pitcher can throw both. Signal: Do you have a method to how you approach a story? Lieberman: Have to do the research or there’s nothing to write about. The nature of my job is reporting, so I found out something that I need to communicate to others. There’s a question of how much research goes into that. A lot of that depends on how much times you have. In terms of method, I wish I could say I had something hifalution to say, but sometimes it’s just you react. You think here’s what happened, how do I express this in a way that is compelling to my audience. What do they need to know? What don’t they need to know? Sometimes figuring out what they don’t need to know is more important then what they do.
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LIVING
USA Today reporter shares insights By DANIEL B. RINALDI Staff Writer Before interviewing Yahoo! CEO Carol Bartz at the Student Center Ballroom, USA Today reporter David Lieberman shared insights into the journalism field and answered students’ and media enthusiasts’ questions. The communication department’s Director of Undergraduate Studies, Doug Barthlow, PhD., led the discussion at the Cinefest Film Theatre. USA Today organized the interview, Barthlow said. Lieberman said he sees himself as a surrogate for people unable to talk to Bartz. “She can’t talk to millions and millions of people,” Lieberman said. “So I get to do it in their place and how can I best address their needs and interests.” Lieberman said he has worked for USA Today for nearly 17 years, but he occasionally gets nervous before an interview. This was the case with the Bartz interview. “I’ll confess,” Lieberman said. “I got a few butterflies about today.” Even though Lieberman still gets butterflies, he advised students on how to navigate the journalism field despite its trends. Journalism has undergone transitions and changes since its beginnings, according to media theorists and practitioners. Journalists should be flexible and adaptable to the change that occurs, whether in two or 20 years, Lieberman said. Flexible journalists “engage with the world” and have an “intellectual pursuit,” Lieberman said. He suggested for students to constantly read and write, as he said he does daily. “We are in the business of nouns and verbs,” Lieberman
By GRETCHEN CANNON Staff Writer
Noël Hahn · Signal David Lieberman is the senior media journalist for USA Today. He has worked for USA Today since 1992.
said. “Anyone that can string together nouns and verbs is a good [journalist].” A journalist should not only string together nouns and verbs, Lieberman said, but be fair on how they string them. Multiple perspectives should be represented that are not tainted with opinion, Lieberman said. On the other hand, Lieberman said opinionated writing has its place: blogs, alternative newspapers and other sources. Despite his experience in the field, Lieberman said he still finds excitement and constantly learns something new. He said he learns when he asks jargon-rich interviewees to rephrase their wording. “Explain it so that my mother can understand it,” Lieberman said he says to interviewees. When interviewees reword an issue more simply, Lieberman said sometimes truths emerge. After all, journalists seek truth. Journalism was not the blatant
career path for Lieberman. Torn between journalism and music after finishing college, Lieberman said he chose both. Lieberman enjoyed being a daytime freelance writer for a local newspaper comparable to Creative Loafing and a night-and-weekend bass guitar player for weddings and parties. “I had a great time being a reporter,” Lieberman said. “I found it very stimulating and exciting.” He enjoyed writing so much that he pursued journalism as a graduate student and wrote for a large newspaper in Connecticut. Lieberman said his career journey furthered as an off-camera television broadcast reporter, an editor for Business Week and finally as a writer for USA Today. Lieberman’s passion for music has not gone away. He said he still plays the bass guitar and occasionally performs. Also, as a lucky charm, he pockets a bass guitar pick a well-known bassist, Carol Kaye, used to pluck her bass .
Take a deep breath, we have your future covered! Come to the School of Health Professions Division of Respiratory Therapy Open House for the B.S. and M.S. degree options Monday, October 18, 2010 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. Capitol Suite, Student Center Respiratory Therapy is a healthcare specialty focusing on: prevention diagnosis treatment management
This week I was fortunate enough to get an interview with Debbie Rupp from the Georgia State Student Recreation Center. Rupp is a member of Healthy State, a group of departments committed to campus wellness. Healthy State includes members from the Counseling and Testing Center, Student Health Promotion, Student Health Clinic, Career Services and Nutrition Department, as well as Employee Development and Wellness Services. The month of October has been designated Stress Less Month, and you will see a variety of helpful programs around our campus designed to help students, staff and faculty deal with stress in a more constructive way. Some of the fabulous programs this month include Wellness Wednesdays on Oct. 6 featuring Dr. Rachel Kieran, Practical Approaches to Relaxation: 2 – 4 Minute Stress Busting Tools on Oct. 13 with Dr. Sandrine Bosshardt and Key Skills for Being More Effective with Other People and Reducing Your Interpersonal Stress on Oct. 13 with Dr. Bosshardt. The workshops are cosponsored by the Georgia State Employee Development and Wellness Services and the Counseling and Testing Center and are at noon in One Park Place’s basement. On Oct.18 from 6:30 p.m. -7:30 p.m., Melissa Bucsheit will teach “Dining for Little Dinero,” offering students an opportunity to learn to stress less about healthy eating on a budget. Register at the service counter in the Rec Center. There are two opportunities in October to walk off some stress: On Oct. 26 from 5 p.m. – 6:45 p.m. there will be a guided walk to and through the historic Oakland Cemetery. To get invovled with this, register at the Rec Center. On Oct. 27 from 12 p.m.-1 p.m., meet your Employee Development and Wellness colleagues at the Rec Center for a time to stress less and walk for fun. Finally, the month will conclude with a Georgia State tradition, Day in the Rec! Among many other fun and stress-relieving activities, this year you can visit Psychic Sistah and visualize your biggest personal stressor. You will write it down, then learn an amazing stress management tip
from the Sistah! What should we know about stress? First of all, it is important to realize that all of us have stress. Stress can be thought of as a phenomenon that occurs when we question whether our resources are enough to meet the demands of our situations, This can be a positive or a negative, depending on our thinking and our resources. How can stress affect people? I like to remind people that it is not necessarily the stressor that is the issue, it is one’s perception of control over that stressor that makes the difference. People need to have effective coping strategies or ways to manage stress in order to avoid the negative impact stress may have. The effects of stress can include increased illnesses and allergies, back aches, headaches, insomnia, digestive problems, sexual dysfunction and even increased heart rate and blood pressure. On the mental and emotional side, one may experience lack of concentration, increased anxiety or depression, memory problems, poor judgment and even moodiness and irritability. What can we do about stress? When faced with stressors, the human machine dumps a lot of hormones into the system to get ready to fight or to flee. The problem is that we now have a mode called “freeze” where fighting or fleeing are inappropriate choices. So, if someone is constantly in the freeze mode for a long period of time they literally stew in their own juices. Exercise is a powerful tool that helps folks metabolize these excess juices. We all need effective outlets for our frustrations and exercise is something that everyone can do and see amazing results! Exercise as a stress management tool has been shown to decrease resting heart rate and blood pressure, decrease breathing rate and decrease the impact of the stress hormones we talked about earlier. Nutrition and sleep are also powerful allies in keeping your body at baseline as you fight the effects of stress. Humor is one of the best tools you can have as well. Finally, never underestimate the power of having at least one other person that you can count on. Burdens are lighter when shared.
rehabilitation of patients with breathing or other cardiopulmonary disorders. Learn emergency care and long-term respiratory treatments Train for a rewarding and life-giving career!
RSVP by October 11, 2010 Call (404) 413-1225 GA STATE Signal RT 2010.indd 1
College of Health and Human Sciences 9/8/2010 3:48:03 PM
Judy Kim · Signal The Rec Center offers many worderful opportunities for students.
SPORTS
Sports Editor Kirkland Carter
signalsports40@gmail.com
w w w . g s u s i g n a l . c o m / s p o r t s
Football pounces on Eagles in inaugural homecoming game By ZAKKIYYA ANDERSON Staff Writer
Tone Lee • Signal Iain Vance’s perfect streak on PATs (13/13) and field goals (5/5) came to an end with him missing a PAT and a 43-yard field goal, but he made one from 49 yards, a career best.
With stellar performances from quarterback Drew Little and the stubborn Panther defense, Georgia State (3-2) defeated Morehead State (2-3) 37-10 in the first-ever homecoming football game on Oct. 2 at the Georgia Dome. Head coach Bill Curry was all smiles after the program’s third victory, but was quick to credit his freshman quarterback. “Drew Little had one of the best games I can recall a QB having…it was just masterful,” Curry said, soaked in Gatorade. Little completed 21 of 29 passes for 287 yards with 4 touchdowns in his best game this season. Freshman Danny Williams, the 6-foot-4 190-pound receiver from Orlando, Fl., is fast becoming Little’s favorite target, as the two connected 8 times for a total of 101 yards, with a long of 38. The big quarterback from Henry County was vocal about his trust in Williams, as evidenced by Little’s going to Williams more than any other player for the third game in a row. “Danny is a great receiver,” Little said. “Danny knows the game…he runs good routes, and he’s [gonna] catch the ball, so I throw to him.” The first quarter started off with a three and out for Morehead State, after Georgia State (3-2) chose to defend after winning a fifth-consecutive coin toss. The first possession for Georgia State started off considerably better, with Little leading the team down the field with apparent ease. In only eight plays in four minutes, Little drove the offense up the field, setting up a six-yard touchdown from Jordan Giles. The very next series, the Panthers scored again on a Parris
Drew Little had his best game yet, completing 21 of 29 passes for 287 yards with 4 touchdowns.
Lee rushing touchdown, after only one minute and 11 seconds. Just when it seemed Morehead State was struggling to stop the Panther offense, special teams weighed in, with former McEachern Indian Demarius Matthews running for 47 yards to put the Panthers at the Morehead 37 yard line, his best punt return of the year. Another first for the season, Former Crimson Tide quarterback Star Jackson entered the game with six minutes and 19 seconds remaining in the first quarter. After only three snaps, Jackson, under pressure, was intercepted by the Eagles’ Thaddeus Winston. Winston’s interception set up the 27-yard field goal from Rainer Duzan to make the score 14-3 entering the second quarter. Curry, trying to get the quarterback some snaps, defended Jackson and the decision to work him in. “Star hasn’t played in a game in a long, long time, so he needed to get out there to get a feel for it,” Curry said. “We were going to play him today regardless.” Iain Vance recorded his longest field goal of the season at 49 yards, shortly after missing one from 43. Vance would later miss a PAT following a Danny Williams 11-yard touchdown. Vance was a perfect five for five on field goals, and 13 for 13 in PATs, prior to Saturday’s game. After the missed PAT, the score was 23-3 with just under four minutes to play in the half. With the Eagles threatening at the end of the second quarter, Jake Muasau made a huge defensive play to stop the drive by forcing a fumble from the hands of Morehead State’s Blake Stanley. The defense for the Panthers had one of its best games to date, finishing with three fumbles
forced, two fumble recoveries and two interceptions totaling 22 yards. The Georgia State defense held Morehead to just ten total first downs, which aided in giving the Panthers their first-ever advantage in time of possession. It seemed as though everything was working perfectly for the Panthers, scoring another touchdown when Little found Sidney Haynes for a 12-yard touchdown with 17 seconds left in the half. At halftime, the score was 303, and Georgia State had already had a total offense of 41 plays for 298 yards, most of which came from Little’s 246 yards passing. As the crowd dwindled in the Georgia Dome, the Panthers reminded the fans that the game was not over. On a possible blown coverage from the Morehead State defense, Little went to the air again and this time connected with tight end Arthur Williams for a two-yard touchdown. The score was set up by Travis Evans, who rushed for 34 yards that drive. Evans finished thegame with 62 rushing yards. At the end of the third quarter, the score was 37 to 3 in favor of the Panthers. The Eagles would not back down without a fight, and scored their first touchdown with 11:20 left to play. Jaison Yoshimura caught the 23-yard pass from Eagle quarterback Zach Lewis to make the score 37-10. Despite the late defensive miscue, Curry was thrilled that the team’s work is paying off. “The program is working,” Curry said. “We want to put together a string of good performances.” Curry’s Panthers will look to take the momentum into the Georgia Dome again next week when they take on cellar-dwelling Savannah State (0-4) at 1 p.m.
Tone Lee • Signal
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SPORTS
Verdun and Jones lead volleyball to first place in the CAA By JILLANA JONES Staff Writer Behind the dominant performances of redshirt-junior Vineece Verdun and senior Ashley Jones, the Georgia State volleyball team beat Delaware (13-5, 2-1 CAA) in a 3-2 comeback on Oct. 1, before defeating the Towson Tigers 3-1 Oct. 3 at the Georgia State Sports Arena. In the upset of the heavilyfavored Blue Hens, Delaware led Georgia State 2-0 before the Panthers delivered a 25-20 third and 25-21 fourth set. In the deciding fifth set, the Panthers maintained their intensity from the first serve to the final point, finishing at 15-12. “I am so proud of the team for fighting back against a really good Delaware squad,” head coach Tami Audia said to www. georgiastatesports.com. “Delaware was really skilled at every position, and looked strong in the first two sets. Our team did a great job of refocusing and winning the final three sets.” It was important for the Panthers to perform well in conference play because they feel they have something to prove in the CAA. “We were the underdogs,
it’s great to do the unexpected,” Verdun said. “It feels good to prove people wrong.” Verdun acquired 16 kills, two assists, two service aces, two digs and four blocks on Friday night. Senior Ashley Jones also had 16 kills. Her 19 digs and four blocks completed her double-double. Redshirt-senior Audrey Cantrell earned 19 digs, putting her closer to the school record for career digs. This game put her at a total of 1,432, just 206 away from the record held by Christen Garcia. Delaware was the preseason favorite in the CAA conference ranking and was first in hitting percentage (.220) and digs (17.58 per set) prior to Friday’s game. The nail-biter against Delaware put Georgia State at 3-3 in 5-set matches. Even after the big win, Verdun keeps perspective on what she can take from each game into the next one. “I learned that not every ball has to be perfect, just do your job and keep trucking, when you make a mistake, just start focusing on the next point,” she said. The Panthers took the momentum of the comeback into Sunday afternoon’s match against Towson, setting the tone against the Tigers with a convincing 25-16
win in the first set. Towson would answer with a strong second set, taking it 26-24. After going up 5-2 early in set three, the wheels came off for the Tigers, and they lost sets three and four 25-12 and 25-18 respectively. Verdun and Jones were at it again against Towson, with Verdun again leading the way with 16 kills, six blocks, four digs and three service aces, and Jones earning a second-consecutive doubledouble with 16 digs and 14 kills. Junior Muki Kangwa had 10 kills, three digs and three blocks, while sophomore Jamie Freeman finished with 13 digs and five blocks. The successful weekend put the Panthers over .500 (9-8) overall, while remaining undefeated against CAA foes. Georgia State volleyball has not started conference play 3-0 since 2003, and never in the CAA, according to www.georgiastatesports.com. Audia is glad to see the hard work being rewarded in the everimportant CAA play. “The team has put in hard work, and they are starting to realize that their hard work is paying off. They just have to keep it up,” Audia said to www.georgiastatesports.com. “Our conference is very tough this year, so every night we have to go out and play hard, and we did that
Jillana Jones • Signal Redshirt-junior Vineece Verdun had 16 kills, six blocks, four digs and three service aces against Towson Sunday.
today.” The homestand put Georgia State at 9-8 and 3-0 in the CAA, earning them a tie with George Mason for the number one spot in the CAA rankings. The Panthers will have the chance to take control of first place when they battle
the 2009 CAA Champion George Mason in Fairfax, Va. at 7 p.m. on Oct. 8. The critical road trip won’t get much easier after that, as the Panthers will face second-place James Madison the next day at 7 p.m.
national and international economic outlook from the budget to social security reform
SPORTS
www.gsusignal.com/sports
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
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Cross Country teams post six personal bests at Charlotte Invitational By ABBY CARNEY Staff Writer
Will Holland • Signal Sophomore Gimel Gordon led all Panthers in scoring in 2009, but hasn’t had a goal since the season opener at Gardner-Webb on Sept. 1.
Men’s soccer falls to Hofstra and VCU By WILL HOLLAND Staff Writer After a promising start to nonconference and conference play, the Georgia State men’s soccer team has dropped two of their last three, losing Saturday, Oct. 2 to Hofstra (3-4-2, 1-1 CAA) in a defensive 1-0 clash, after losing to Virginia Commonwealth earlier in the week. As a result, the Panthers go to 4-3-2 on the year and fall to 1-2 in Colonial Athletic Association play. The Hofstra loss in New York comes shortly after the mid-week defeat at home against Virginia Commonwealth (4-1-3, 1-0-1 CAA) where they fell 2-0. In each game the Panthers conceded late, losing after showing strong defensive play earlier in the games. In Saturday’s match against Hofstra, the Panthers gave up a free kick in the 75th minute and couldn’t keep the game-winner out seconds later. Against VCU on Wednesday, the Panthers hung around for awhile after going down 1-0 in the 25th minute. But Georgia State missed some chances that they would go on to regret. Sophomores Eric Lawrence and Alex Vivanco had opportunities, but in the end it was VCU who added the final goal in the 87th minute with a well placed header that careened off the crossbar into the Georgia State net. In truth, Hofstra dominated much of the play on Saturday
taking 12 shots on goal to Georgia State’s three. They also held the advantage in corners, nine to four, and the Hofstra goalkeeper was never forced to make a save on the day. Clearly more offensive punch is needed if Georgia State is to return to their winning ways in these critical conference games. More will be expected of the attacking players. Top scorers and goal threats Ayokunle Lumpkin, Gimel Gordon, Victor Nkhoma, and Evan Scott all left New York without a single shot, let alone a shot on goal. The Panthers simply can’t continue to rely on scoring from their central midfielders and defense. It remains to be seen what fringe attacking players, Jacob Hamilton, Julian Eberhardt and Alex Reyes can do this year, but a bit of fresh enthusiasm would take some pressure off the forwards. In fairness, the main squad players are coming off a pretty grueling run of fixtures with a number of overtime results recently. Tired legs near the mid-point of the season are not to underestimated, and could easily play a role in their recent offensive struggles. The Panthers won’t have time to rest, however, as they continue conference action with a visit to William & Mary (5-2-1, 1-1-1 CAA) in Williamsburg, Va. Wednesday, Oct 6. Georgia State must then turn around quickly and come home for a tough match against
Northeastern (2-4-2, 0-0-2 CAA) in Panthersville on Sunday at 3 p.m. The men’s soccer team has suffered from fairly low attendance thus far this season. They have averaged just 228 fans per game at Panthersville Stadium, according to georgiastatesports.com. Some home support would go a long way toward bringing back some at that energy the Panthers carried early in the season. In other, more positive news, freshman Evan Scott was voted the Colonial Athletic Conference rookie of the week last Monday. The Hardaway High School product and native of Columbus, Ga. has made eight appearances off the bench thus far, finding the net for the first time in Georgia State colors against Delaware on Sept. 25. Scott scored 193 goals in his four-year tenure with the Hardaway Hawks in southwest Georgia. Scott and the rest of the Panthers will look to rebound in the next few games as they enter the toughest stretch of their schedule this year. After the short turn around this week, the Panthers will travel to North Carolina to play UNC-Wilmington-easily the strongest team in the CAA. The Seahawks are 2-0 in conference play thus far and received eight votes in the Sept. 28 NSCAA Poll (Coaches Poll) of the top 25 Division I men’s soccer teams in the nation. These games should prove to be a litmus test for the rest of the Panthers’ season.
The men’s and women’s crosscountry teams finished 8th and 6th place respectively, out of a field of 22 men’s teams and 25 women’s teams, at the Charlotte Invitational at McAlpine Creek Park in Charlotte, N.C. Friday, Oct. 1. Head coach Chris England’s men’s and women’s teams posted a combined six personal records on the famed Footlocker South Cross Country Championships course at McAlpine Creek Park. The men were up against 22 teams, while the women ran against 25, with teams like Clemson, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech in the mix. The women’s 5K race went off at 4 p.m., with sophomore Katharine Showalter leading the Panthers, finishing 13th with a personal record of 17:53.5. “I didn’t really think about my time or what it was going to be,” Showalter said. “I just knew I was gonna go to work. I feel like Coach England’s workouts have been really doing the job for me.” Apparently England’s workouts are doing the job for her teammates as well, with the two cross country teams sweeping the first two races of the season at the JSU Struts Opener in Jacksonville, Ala., and the Georgia State Invitational in Hampton, Ga. Personal bests were also earned by freshman Anna Sinclair (18:44.7), and junior Zanny Anderson (19:08.7). Sinclair is having a stellar season, with this personal best following a 22nd place finish at Clemson back on Sept. 17, and a first place win at the Georgia State Invitational the week prior. Sinclair is pleased with her success, but hopes to continue to improve. “Everyone always wishes they could do better, but I’m happy with it,” Sinclair said. “It’s just a progression, and one step closer to breaking 18 [minutes].” Hovering just over the sub-19 minute mark, Anderson is looking
strong as ever this season, and attributes part of her success to familiarity with the course, as her previous personal best was 19:09 on the same course at last year’s Footlocker Championship. “I felt really good during the race, the best I’ve felt so far this season. It wasn’t very strenuous,” Anderson said. The other members of England’s squad also contributed, with senior Caitlin Price placing 54th, with a time of 18:52.9, and season bests by senior Jasmine Love (18:56.1) and junior transfer Kacee Houle (18:59.1). Senior Amy French placed 65th with a time of 19:07.0, with sophomore Alison Bishop on her heels with a close time of 19:07.9, and junior Kelsey Spinks in finshed at 19:47.0. Three personal records were pounded out on the men’s side as well, beginning with a spectacular finish on the 8K course by another freshman, Tyler Tomy, in 37th at 25:57.3. Tomy also credited the familiarity with the course for his showing. “The race went very well,” Tomy said. “It was nice to run a fast course that I’m familiar with.” Freshmen Warren Enriquez (26:45.4), and Shyam Kapadia (27:26.7) set personal records as well. Junior and lone returnee from 2009, Chris Harper, finished second for the team and 53rd overall, clocking in at 26:27.8, followed by Freshman Carlos Galindo (26:40.5) and two more freshmen, the Black twins, Julian (29:18.7), and Brandon (29:01.8). Just under four weeks away from the 2010 CAA Conference Championship, Georgia State Cross Country will take the bye week next weekend to prepare, before splitting the travel squad, taking ten runners from each side to the Blue Ridge Open in North Carolina on Friday, Oct. 15 at 3 p.m., while the remainder will stay in Atlanta to compete in the Oglethorpe Fall Classic on Saturday, Oct. 16 at 9 a.m.
Georgia State Sports Communications Junior Kacee Houle, a transfer from the University of Utah, has been one of head coach Dave England’s most consistent performers in 2010.
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SPORTS
ATHLETIC EVENTS October 5-12, 2010
Beau Torres • Signal
DATE Wednesday
EVENT Men’s Soccer at William and Mary
OCT. 6
Williamsburg, Va. 7 p.m.
Friday
Volleyball at George Mason
OCT. 8
Fairfax, Va. 7 p.m.
Women’s Soccer vs. James Madison Panthersville, Ga. 7 p.m.
Women’s Golf at Mercedes Benz Collegiate Championship
Georgia State Sports Communications Head coach Greg Frady’s 2010 recruiting class is ranked among the best in the nation.
Baseball arms for 2011 By KIRKLAND CARTER Sports Editor The Georgia State baseball team, after going two and out in the 2010 CAA Championship and sending two players to play professionally, has responded with one of the best recruiting classes in the nation, according to www. georgiastatesports.com. The recruiting classes of each NCAA Div. I school are assessed each year by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, which has ranked Georgia State among the top in the nation for the second straight year. The Panthers needed another strong recruiting class after the 2010 season, when head coach Greg Frady graduated three seniors and lost one player, junior David Buchanan, to the 2010 First-Year Player Draft. Carl Moniz, Bradley Logan and Ryan Moore concluded their careers at Georgia State in a season where records fell almost daily. Logan leaves Georgia State as the most decorated baseball player in school history and enjoyed a remarkable senior campaign. Logan’s 2009 season culminated in the first-ever CAA Championship for Georgia State, when he earned Most Outstanding Player for the tournament. In 2010, the Augusta native and All-CAA Third Team selection held down the clean-up spot for the NCAA’s highest scoring offense, one that finished first in scoring per game (10.5), third in both batting average (.355) and runs scored (608). Doubles, wins and at-bats are just three of Logan’s ten school records, and the third baseman exited on a high note, hitting a walk-off homerun in his final regular season game as a Panther. Moniz, also an All-CAA Third Team selection, played all three outfield positions as well as
shortstop and second base. The versatile Laval, Quebec native manhandled CAA-rival Hofstra when the then first-place team came to Panthersville, hitting three long balls in four days, sweeping the Pride. Moore, a 6-foot-7-inch righthander from Kennesaw, was instrumental in 2010 as well, pitching a complete game against Northeastern, striking out eight while walking only one to clinch the Panthers a spot in the CAA Championship. In July, Moore became the ninth Panther to sign a professional contract, signing with the Florence Freedom of the Frontier League. Junior David Buchanan, with his mid-90’s fastball, came to the Panthers before the 2010 season after being drafted by the Mets, but opted to play for Frady and work toward a degree here at Georgia State. The Peachtree City native was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in early June, making Buchanan the highest pick in Panther history, going in the seventh round of the 2010 Major League Baseball draft. With all this talent leaving Frady’s squad, the importance of drafting top-notch talent becomes paramount if the Panthers are to remain in the CAA picture. “I am very happy with the student-athletes who we were able to recruit and bring to State,” Frady told www.georgiastatesports.com. “To be recognized in this fashion for a second year in a row shows the type of program we are building here at Georgia State.” With the loss of two veteran hurlers, the Panthers addressed pitching with four of the top six recruits being pitchers. Brandon Bast, out of Mill Creek High School, comes from Georgia Perimeter College (GPC) as a redshirt sophomore. Bast struck out 17 batters in 16 innings
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tenn. TBA Continues through Sunday, Oct. 10
Saturday
OCT. 9
Football vs. Savannah State Georgia Dome 1 p.m.
Volleyball at James Madison Harrisonburg, Va. 7 p.m.
Sunday
OCT. 10
Women’s Soccer vs. VCU Panthersville, Ga. 12 p.m.
Men’s Soccer vs. Northeastern Panthersville, Ga. 3 p.m.
Monday
OCT. 11
Men’s Golf at Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate Birmingham, Ala. All Day Continues through Tuesday, Oct. 12
at GPC, and the 6-foot, 220-pound right-hander was all-state and AllGwinnett County First Team in high school. Quinton Brown, a homeschooled right-hander, was a member of the Dunwoody fall league championship teams from 2007-10, according to www. georgiastatesports.com. The 6-foot, 160-pound freshman posted a 1.79 ERA his junior year and batted .468 as a senior. Josh Chesler is a left-handed transfer from Phoenix College in Phoenix, Ariz. The junior made 11 appearances on the mound with a 4-2 record and 3.47 ERA. The 6-foot-2-inch, 205-pounder earned academic all-conference first team selection and won the state title for Cave Creek High School in 2006. Rounding out the pitchers for the 2010 recruiting class is Drew Riley out of Decatur High School. A freshman planning to major in sports management, Riley is a 6-foot-3-inch lefthander that earned DeKalb All-County honors in 2010 and pitched a complete-game shutout against state champion Lovett High School, allowing only two hits and striking out 14. Another GPC transfer, Blake
McCullers, plays both catcher and third base. Last season at GPC, McCullers batted .385 with five homeruns, along with 53 RBIs and 22 doubles, both best on the team. McCullers led Loganville High School to a Georgia AAAA State Championship, hitting a walkoff homerun against Griffin High School to give Loganville the title. Last of the six, but certainly not least, is third baseman Drew Shields. Shields transferred from Darton College, where in his only season he posted a .409 batting average while tallying 67 hits, 13 doubles, 28 RBIs and 35 runs, according to www.georgiastatesports. com. The 5-foot-11-inch righthanded hitter earned all-conference honors and a gold glove at the hot corner. The Marietta native also played football at Woodstock High School, where he earned special teams player-of-the-year honors and all-county first team honors as a senior. Although key players like Logan and Buchanan have departed, there are several Panthers returning for 2011 that should help to keep it going. Senior Mark Micowski was a revelation for the Panthers, earning
first-team all-conference honors in his first season at Georgia State. Micowski announced his presence on March 5, when the Panthers began their assault on the record books, hitting for the cycle in the fourth inning, along with a record seven hits (previous record was five). Senior Ryan Fleming earned all-conference second team honors and was the powerhouse for the Panthers, belting 13 homeruns (team high), with a .706 slugging percentage. Seniors Rob Lind and Aidan Francis earned all-conference third team honors in 2010, and will certainly play a large part in the Panthers’ 2011 campaign to reclaim the CAA crown. With these seniors to mentor the incoming transfers and freshmen, the Panthers have the tools to remain in the CAA conversation. “I believe that with the young men we have brought in, we can continue to have the level of success that we want and build on the momentum of the last few seasons,” Frady told www. georgiastatesports.com.
ENTERTAINMENT www.gsusignal.com/entertainment
Entertainment Editor Jhoni Jackson
signalentertainment@gmail.com Associate Entertainment Editor Savanna Keo skeo1@student.gsu.edu
Le Castle Vania: inside the mix By SAVANNA KEO Staff Writer Wallflowers make up the minority if Le Castle Vania is in the room. As the steam of heat emanating from a densely-packed space of bodies threatens to break through the venue floor, the DJ plays his music just a little louder and the crowd dances even harder. Feverishly churning out the latest trends in music, Dylan Eiland, the man behind Le Castle Vania, entrances and entices 18-and-up partiers to dance at his monthly F**k Yesss event. Although many people will recognize the local DJ solely from the dance party, Eiland has been making waves of seismic proportions in all corners of the world with his fusion of indie rock sounds and electro melodies. “My sound right now is a mix of a lot of different things—indie, electro, disco,” Eiland said. “Some of it is very aggressive and some of it is just chill disco stuff.” This medley of noise has sparked interest in a community that spans several continents. Le Castle Vania, whose moniker was inspired by a classic Nintendo video game released in the late ‘80s, is the unifying element. Eiland’s foray into the global sphere began when he remixed a song for locally-bred indie band Snowden. Since the release of the track (“Black Eyes”), buzz surrounding Eiland has exploded. With his name and music dominating the cyber airwaves through music blogs, Le Castle Vania quickly ascended the ladder into international indie stardom. Born and raised in Atlanta, Eiland spent many years perfecting his craft in the indie-electro scene. At 16, he took a stab at the turntables with aspirations of
gaining entrance into parties he was not old enough to enter. From there, Le Castle Vania took off. “I caught on to the sound before it blew up and I was excited by this indie-electro fusion,” he said. “A large part of [success] comes from being a part of the first wave of sound breaking through.” Now 27 years old, Eiland has touched down on six out of seven continents, sharing the sound that he has so carefully cultivated right here in Atlanta. URB Magazine included Le Castle Vania in their Next 100 list for 2008, and he’s garnered rave reviews from NYLON and the nowdefunct Jane Magazine. Le Castle Vania’s touring itinerary calls attention to the cross-cultural appeal of his brand of music. Eiland recently played two sold out shows in Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa, and has performed in other areas, ranging from France (Paris) to Malaysia to Mexico. Overseas, the demand for Le Castle Vania is high, and since the summer of 2006, Eiland has been touring nonstop. “Kids get really hyped and crazy because they don’t get too many big, touring acts down there, especially not within this genre of music,” said Eiland. Despite a hectic touring schedule, one factor remains constant in Eiland’s career: throwing one of the most popular dance parties every month in his hometown. “There really wasn’t a party in Atlanta that showcased this type of music, and I knew there was definitely a market for it here,” said Eiland. “There were a lot of people here starting to get into the music, but there was not a place to go to party.” Employing the experience
‘Superman’ tackles public education in America By JHONI JACKSON Entertainment Editor
Dylan Eiland Le Castle Vania—also known as Dylan Eiland.
gained from playing in clubs worldwide, Eiland envisioned a party that had all of the elements to build a community of likeminded fans and keep them coming back each month. The DJ seems to achieved just that—in the past five years, Eiland has received Creative Loafing’s Best Club Event award, Best Club DJ from Atlanta Magazine and even graced the cover of Performer Magazine. Recently celebrating the threeyear anniversary of F**k Yesss, Eiland still flies back to Atlanta every first Thursday of the month to host the late-night dance-a-thon at the Drunken Unicorn/MJQ, a hole-in-the-earth venue and dance club on Ponce de Leon Avenue. The event draws one of the most diverse factions in the city, from indie fans to the hip-hop crowd, and fresh, new faces and regulars can both be spotted each month. “F**k Yesss is probably one of
the craziest parties on the planet. There are so many different people crammed in there,” Eiland said. The club has three rooms, and the party takes over two of them. Individuals over the age of 21 can enjoy the music in a more subdued atmosphere, while everyone over 18 is welcome to party in the main room where, according to Eiland, “the insanity happens.” Aside from playing DJ at the hottest clubs across the globe, Eiland also produces and creates his own original tracks and remixes. He is currently working on his first full-length album and dabbling in a few side projects. Le Castle Vania will appear, in all his danceable glory, at the next F**k Yesss Party on Oct. 7. For more on Dylan Eiland, his music and his parties, visit www. lecastlevania.com.
Would you want to live in a country where the most accessible route to learning—the public education system—is failing its students? A country where, according to the nonprofit research organization Editorial Projects in Education, three out of every 10 high school students won’t earn a diploma? Sounds like a regressive nation, right? Well, it’s where you live: the grand ole U.S.. And Davis Guggenheim, the director of the Academy Award-winning global warming warning An Inconvenient Truth, isn’t afraid to talk about it. His latest documentary, Waiting for ‘Superman,’ presents a stirring chronicle of the lives of five public school kids to more intimately reveal the American education system’s chronic missteps, setbacks and disadvantages. “Ultimately, I said, if I don’t do it, who will?” Guggenheim said of the decision to take on the controversial topic. “That’s when the rubber hits the road. It’s easy to be angry at the man,” he said. “But when you actually have to discover stuff that’s really uncomfortable and still write it, even if it’s unpopular, that’s a real tough journalistic choice.” At a time when the country’s economy is still recuperating from a devastating downturn, picking apart the underwhelming rank of its education system is increasingly important. Many education advocates from both major political parties believe graduation rates affect employment rates positively: increased graduation makes for a more employable workforce, and vice versa. Math scores of fourth-grade students in the U.S. ranked 11th worldwide, according to a 2007 study by Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, which is associated with the National Center for Education Statistics and globally facilitated by the International Association for Evaluation of Educational Achievement. Countries ahead of the U.S. include Lithuania, Kazakhstan, Singapore and Hong Kong (first place). Eighth-grade students in the U.S. fared slightly better, ranking ninth. In science, fourth-grade pupils landed in the eighth spot, slightly behind England and only 39 points above the international average.
Ryan Purcell Eiland revels in the crowded Drunken Unicorn at the September F**k Yesss party.
Cont. on page 16
Superman
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Tuesday, October 5, 2010
www.gsusignal.com/entertainment
Superman Cont. from page 15
Paramount Vantage/Walden Media
Singapore, the top-ranking nation, is in the lead, with almost 50 points more than the U.S. and a total of 87 notches above the average. Among eighth-grade students, scores placed the U.S. in the 11th slot. ‘Superman’ does more than nudge at viewers’ emotions. The portrayals of earnest yet underprivileged youths grip the heartstrings with an iron fist, and yank repeatedly—hard. It’s difficult to not be moved by Daisy, the L.A. fifth-grader intent on success, or Anthony, a child in the same grade, living with his grandmother after losing his father to drugs. And Bianca, the adorable Harlem kindergartner, whose mother cannot afford to maintain her enrollment in parochial school, is also quite the tearjerker. To make emotional matters even more unstable, all of these students and their families gamble their educational hopes in a lottery, where random winners gain entrance to high-performing charter schools. Guggenheim features several charter schools with high success
STUDENT RUSH TICKETS!* 50% OFF ALL TICKETS!
rates: the KIPP schools (a network of national college-preparatory schools focused on enrolling disadvantaged students), YES Prep Public Schools, Aspire Public Schools (California-based) and Harlem Children’s Zone (Harlemcentric). All of them, some of which boast astounding numbers like 100 percent acceptance rates of high school seniors entering four-year colleges, are free and open to the public—but only if your number is drawn in a lottery, which is, by law, a random ordeal. Though some criticized the documentary for relying too heavily on charters as a solution (one that’s clearly not available to all youth) to the country’s educational woes, Guggenheim said that he wanted to express that the methods of charters should be considered an ideal model for public schools. “You can use [those highperforming charters] as an incubator for what works. Take those ideas and put them in mainstream schools,” Guggenheim said. “It’s really easy. Great teachers, high standards focusing on a pathway to college and longer school days. I know that’s unpopular, longer hours and longer days. But the point is, it’s not a mystery what works.”. The complexities of incorporating charter school practices into public schools, however, are vast. In particular, ‘Superman´ points to teachers unions as an obstacle. “I’m a liberal, so I believe in unions. I really believe. I’m a member of a really good union; I believe unions are really important. To realize when you really dig in that they have been a real obstacle to real change…that really put me at a crossroads,” he said. The film points to tenure, a union-driven plus for teachers, professors and other instructors that protects them from being fired for personal or political reasons, as a well-meaning endeavor that’s backfiring in a harsh way. The film positions tenure as a scapegoat for sub-par and even completely reckless teachers, as firing a public
ENTERTAINMENT school teacher who’s earned tenure is costly, time-consuming and, as a result, an unlikely possibility. Guggenheim’s documentary also calls out the Democratic Party as the largest beneficiary of funding from teachers unions, but a stagnant contributor to progressive change. “When you look at some of the culprits to [the education system’s problems], finding out that my own party, the Democratic Party, which stands for protecting the little guy, has been mostly quiet on this issue because it gets so much money not to do it…blew my mind,” he said. But the documentary opens with Guggenheim driving past an allegedly failing public school as he takes his own children to private school. Guggenheim admitted some hypocrisy in his decision to opt for private learning. “If we’re going to fix the schools, all the adults have to clean up their act. Starting with me—I pulled my kids out of public school and I sent them to private school. People like me have to recommit to helping their local school,” Guggenheim said. He explained that most educational funding is generated and delegated at the state level, and that “the real change has to happen in the state capitols,” and encouraged political participation. “For those students in your college, you’re the ones who made it,” he said. “When you see this movie, it should feel really, really unfair that there are many kids [who] don’t have the opportunity that you guys have. That are just as bright, that want just as many things, but were not given a great education. And that sense of unfairness, I think, should inspire people to get more involved.” Waiting for ‘Superman’ is playing at United Artists Tara Cinemas (345 Cheshire Bridge Road) beginning Friday, Oct. 8. For showtimes, call 404-634-5661 or visit www.fandango.com. For more on the film, visit www. waitingforsuperman.com.
Thursday, October 7 7:30PM COBB ENERGY PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE Tickets: (800) 745-3000 or Ticketmaster.com Or the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre Box Office *Limit two per order with student ID. Valid at Cobb Energy Centre Box Office only, 2 hours prior to show.
Paramount Vantage/Walden Media Daisy, one of the hopeful public school students portrayed in Waiting for ‘Superman.’
ENTERTAINMENT
www.gsusignal.com/entertainment
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
that are really the only standout points of the tracks. While Sit Down, Man is certainly a well-structured mixtape, the best thing about the group is its good taste in producers, which is far from enough to make Das Racist anything special.
ALBUMS IN HEAVY ROTATION 01
Tomorrow Morning Eels (e works)
02
Phosphene Dream The Black Angels (Blue Horizon)
03
Drawing Down the Moon Azure Ray (Saddle Creek)
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Little Songs About the Big Picture The Red River (Brave)
Das Racist
05
The Orchard Ra Ra Riot (Barsuk)
Mad Decent/Greedhead/Mishka
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Rivers Wildbirds and Peacedrums (The Control Group)
By PAUL DEMERRITT Staff Writer
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Tall Hours in the Glowstream Cotton Jones (Suicide Squeeze)
08
Skit I Allt Dungen (Mexican Summer)
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Sex with an X The Vaselines (Sub Pop)
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Crazy for You Best Coast (Mexican Summer)
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Jesu: Pale Sketches Demixed Pale Sketcher (Ghostly International)
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Frankie Rose and the Outs Frankie Rose and the Outs (Slumberland)
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Music for a While Revolver (Astralwerks)
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The Suburbs Arcade Fire (Merge)
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The Budos Band III The Budos Band (Daptone)
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Crown of Thorns Rakaa (Decon)
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Beast Rest Forth Mouth Remixed Bear in Heaven (Hometapes)
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False Priest Of Montreal (Polyvinyl)
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Wilderness Heart Black Mountain (Jagjaguwar)
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Elf Power Elf Power (Orange Twin)
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Penny Sparkle Blonde Redhead (4AD)
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Airtight’s Revenge Bilal (Plug Research)
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Strange Weather, Isn’t It? !!! (Warp)
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Lucky Shiner Gold Panda (Ghostly International)
25
Blind Threshold Beats Antique
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Business Casual Chromeo (Atlantic)
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Pop Negro El Guincho (Young Turks)
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Tidelands Moondoggies (Hardly Art)
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Everything in Between No Age (Sub Pop)
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Hot Tropics The Growlers (Everloving)
With a countless number of hype bands being carelessly tossed across the intricate blogosphere, it’s becoming increasingly hard for a listener to discover something original. This is especially true for the hip-hop scene, which is starting to bridge the gap between hipster likeability and gangster aesthetic. Das Racist is one of those versatile groups that has been put on a pedestal by the indiepretentious likes of Pitchfork Media and the shifting face of the rap underground, so there is a unique pressure put on Das Racist to be something really different that will shape the mediums of indie music as well as rap. Maybe they are in an unfair place and would fare better without all of the press, but unfortunately their newest mixtape, Sit Down, Man, puts them under the infinite list of hype bands who simply fall flat. While certain aspects of their half-serious style allow them to be a breath of fresh air among the current and ridiculous Guccidominated scene, there still isn’t enough in this mixtape to really rave about. What is really disappointing is how apparent it is that the guest spots from legends like EL-P and Diplo are the deciding factor in making the good songs good, rather than the group themself. The lyrical style of members Victor Vasquez and Himanshu Suri consists of an almost lazy flow that switches between intelligent and typical. They seem to be sort of spoofing hip-hop while simultaneously celebrating it, which at times pushes them into the categories they poke fun at. Crafting raps from the sillier lines of giants like Lil Wayne, there’s a sense of serious social commentary within their deceptively carefree tone, but it’s too subtle to have a tangible impact. In “Town Business,” Das Racist interweaves between lyrical snippets of “A Milli” over a really impressive beat that does show genuine promise. Still, it seems very misplaced to give Das Racist credit for merely finding an exceptional producer who put together extraordinary samples
Heavy, Austin-based psych-rock that vibrates with gloomy coolness.
Sit Down, Man
Meandering, ghostly electronic ambient-rock to space out to.
Named after a Beatles album, this classicallytrained French band’s pop-rock sound is as rich and baroque as the Henry Purcless piece this LP is titled for.
If you like Passion Pit but don’t care for trite lyrics, you’ll appreciate the danceable electropop of this super-sampling act.
Folk-rock for the masses that’s like Fleet Foxes, but mixed with the jammy nature of My Morning Jacket.
Bruno Mars
Doo-Wops & Hooligans Elektra
By EMILY YANG Staff Writer After appearing alongside B.o.B on “Nothin’ on You” and “Billionaire” with Travie McCoy, Bruno Mars is releasing his debut studio album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans. This 10-track work includes his single “Just the Way You Are” (released on July 19) and three songs from his EP, It’s Better If You Don’t Understand. All of the tracks were produced by The Smeezingtons trio—Mars, Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine. Doo-Wops & Hooligans opens with “Grenade,” which was released as a promotional single Sept. 28. The repetitive piano strokes and eerie entrance builds up the pain that many can relate to: the pain of unrequited love.m Mars would do anything for this woman, and proclaims: “Take a bullet straight through my brain/ Yes, I would die for ya baby/But you won’t do the same.” “Just the Way You Are” expresses what Mars thinks women want to hear from significant others. He captures hearts with honest lyrics: “There’s not a thing that I would change/’Cause you’re amazing/Just the way you are.” He follows with “Our First Time,” a sensual song about slow, passionate lovemaking. With a fusion of jazz and R&B, Mars uses a softer tone of voice expressing patience and respect for his partner. The next three tracks are more upbeat. “Runaway Baby” sends a warning to women to stay away from Mars before their hearts get broken. “The Lazy Song” is an anthem for the unmotivated and “Marry You,” like the short, simple title implies, extends a spur-ofthe-moment idea to marry and is reminiscent of the surf-pop sound of The Beach Boys. “Talking to the Moon” focuses on the slow pace of the drums and piano to convey his sorrow. He
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sings of loneliness which is almost palpable in the chorus: “Talking to the moon/Try to get to you/In hopes you’re on the other side/ Talking to me, too.” “Liquor Store Blues” is a collaboration with Damian Marley, the youngest son of Bob Marley, who proves that he is able to extend the legacy of his father by not only sounding like Bob, but also capturing the soul of the genre he dominated. Mars provides the vocals while Marley solidifies the reggae feel. The catchy tune of “Count on Me” shows yet another side to Mars: it’s about friendship and quite easily could be shared among friends as a means of uplifting and providing encouragement. In comparison to Mars’ carefree songs, “The Other Side,” featuring Cee-Lo Green and B.o.B, tackles a tougher subject. The overall message and haunting repetition of “It’s better if you don’t understand” tries to explain people’s decisions and mistakes; it leaves listeners with an unsettling feeling of getting a glimpse into the other side of people’s unspoken pain. This singer-songwriter and producer has worked with artists from different genres of music, giving him the experience needed to pull off the sounds on his album. Mars’ variety of sound and relatable lyrics make this album suitable for many ears. Doo-Wops & Hooligans leaves a strong impression of an authentic musician who, instead of following the trend of computergenerated music and auto-tune, is relying on real instruments and raw vocals to win over listeners.
Tomorrow, Yesterday To...From...
HipNott Records By NATASHA BROWN Staff Writer What started simply as a guy building a bond with his barber, California hip-hop artists Yep and T.i.E have come together to create their vision of seeing tomorrow before yesterday. Tomorrow, Yesterday are already using their distinct and original sounds to climb up the musical career ladder—they’ve opened up for hip-hop acts like The Pharcyde, Cont. on page 18
Reviews
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Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Reviews
Cont. from page 17
Busta Rhymes, and J*Davey. Produced by A3, To…From…, an unparalleled nine-song album, begins with the title track. It’s a short introduction that prepares the listeners for what’s coming: a mixture of boldness, cleverness and individuality. Thr album is dedicated to the ladies, escorting listeners through a journey of seeing the lady (“Ladies Night”), wanting the lady (“She It”) and attaining the lady (“Here We Go”). “Ladies Night,“ the duo’s take on the old school Kool and the Gang classic, demonstrates their ability to take an already popular song and add their own genius lyrics, along with a psych guitar line blended with a basic piano chord and shakers. By the time “Lights Off” comes up, listeners have experienced the usage of innuendo, luxurious grooves and effortlessly cool lyrics that balance blunt wit and grown-man profundity. While the music is enjoyable, and offers a taste of ingenuity that modern day hip-hop is lacking, this album is recommended for more mature listeners, as some of the content can get a little explicit, in both subtle and explicit ways.
www.gsusignal.com/entertainment on a ride through the ever-shifting highs and lows of a varying world. Each track, some written in locations as random as a shoe store, is a reflection of Mesirow’s emotions of the moment. They shift in and out with no connection, like different scenes in a thrilling dream. The increasing urgency of “Tremel” gives you a feeling of air whisking by, accented by the trampling of running feet escaping to greater things. The cheerful and uplifting “Plane Temp” evokes within you a feeling of appreciation for nature as the aura of the rainforest envelopes you. The various sounds of “Mirrorage” will make for soothing ear candy as you try to recognize the multitude of instruments employed. Anticipation and energy will fill you when “Apply” reaches its peak—only to have it snatched away by the ominous and lonely tone of “Home.” Glasser’s Ring will get you addicted, cut you off and leave you craving more. With the right exposure, this independent gem can likely break through the shadows of mainstream music and become a favorite amongst music fans of all genres.
ATLANTA EVENTS October 5-11, 2010
DATE Tuesday
Glasser
Warner Bros. Records
Ring
By JEREL MARSHALL Staff Writer
By CANDICE HURSTON Staff Writer
Each year, XXL Magazine publishes a list of the best up-andcoming rappers—the Freshmen 10. And every year, rappers and fans complain about the results. Rapper XV was excluded, and his latest mixtape, Vizzy Zone, gives XXL readers another reason to criticize the controversial list. Although this may sound cliche, XV is not your typical rapper. For one, he is from Wichita, Kansas. The young rapper’s hometown and other surrounding areas don’t have much of a hip-hop scene. The only Kansas rapper to gain national attention is Tech N9ne, who XV cites as a strong influence. The Kansas rhymer also gains distinction because of his personality. He’s quick to admit that he is a loner and a computer geek, and his raps reflect this lifestyle. He constantly drops pop culture, video game, cartoon and comic book references. On the 20 tracks included on the deluxe version of the mixtape, XV spits over original production from fellow Kansas native Michael “Seven” Summers, Woody, Colin Munroe, the Awesome Sound and Omen, who has worked with Lil Wayne, Drake and Fabolous. The story of the mixtape is
True Panther Records
Imagine sitting in a row of bleachers listening to a marching band play. You feel the thump of the drums vibrating through your body and bouncing against your ribcage. As the band stomps to the beat, the trumpets begin to blare proudly. A smooth and soft voice soon enters the mix, sounding eerily out-of-place against the hard instrumental. Gradually, this soft voice grows more profound than the band itself. As everything gets louder and faster, you feel your breath catch in your throat. The moment is reaching a climax and it’s like the beginning and the end of something great. Suddenly, everything shifts. You’re left alone in the middle of a harsh storm, desperately seeking the security of home. Under the name Glasser, indie synth-wave and electronic pop artist Cameron Mesirow has captured this intense emotional switch on her debut album, Ring. Backed by the musical talents of Fever Ray’s Van Rivers and the Subliminal Kid, Ring consists of nine beautifully orchestrated tracks laced with Mesirow’s airy and soul-bending voice. It will take you
EVENT Bocado Burger deal
OCT. 5
Bocado, 887 Howell Mill Road $7.99 5 p.m.-8 p.m. Head to Bocado during the three-hour window for a special price on the restaurant’s signature burger, which was named Best Burger by Creative Loafing staffers this year. Can’t make it today? The deal is available every Monday through Thursday.
Wednesday
The XX, Warpaint and Zola Jesus
OCT. 6
The Tabernacle, 152 Luckie St. $35.25 8:30 p.m. It’s a somewhat pricey admission fee, but this hyped London-based, dark avant-pop act is a favorite among both indie blogs and major music mags. See what the fuss is all about at this highly anticipated show.
Thursday
A3C Festival
OCT. 7
The Masquerade, 695 North Ave. 6 p.m. $20, all ages Catch some of hip-hop’s best up-and-coming artists from all three coasts blaze the stage at the annual two-day, three-night event. The festival kicks off with performances from the likes Ninth Wonder, 4-Ize, DJ Dug Boogie, Buckshot and MURS. The event continues through Sunday. For more information, see www.a3cfestival.com.
Friday
Ladies First
OCT. 8
Royal Peacock, 186 Auburn Ave. After full renovations, the storied club is back! On Fridays, get it in for free until midnight by signing up for the guest list (e-mail urbanpartiesharder@gmail.com, or text 404-2450365). Ladies get massages and roses at the party, where dancehall, reggae and hip-hop jams come courtesy of V103’s DJ Kash, John Wayne and King AP.
Saturday
Love Bombs Over Euclid
OCT. 9
Criminal Records and The Five Spot, Euclid Avenue 7 p.m. Free, all ages Indie bands play at two venues—and you get to hear them for free! Donations are accepted though, so if you’re able to, drop some cash at the door. The fest also boasts a live mural painting on the side of the Five Spot during the day, plus a custom photo booth. The lineup at Criminal Records includes Moondogs and Paper Tiger, and spoken word from Manuel Amado. The Five Spot bands include the Back Pockets, Sonen and Dark Dark Dark.
Sunday
Drive Invasion at the Starlight Six Drive-In Theatres
XV
Vizzy Zone
ENTERTAINMENT
OCT. 10
2000 Moreland Ave. $28 Gates open at 10 a.m., all ages Rockabilly and punk-inclined bands like The Booze, The Biters, The Fleshtones and The Cynics will perform, and classic films like The Legend of Billy Jack and Mr. Magoo will play on the drive-in’s screens. Plus, cool old school cars (’72 and earlier) will be on display, and there will be plenty of booze and eats.
Monday
15 F***in’ Minute Karaoke and Amateur Comedy
OCT. 11
Star Bar, 437 Moreland Ave. Every Monday at the Star Bar, the Hoarsemen of the Drunkocalypse host karaoke at the Star Bar. After you embarrass yourself in front of the crowd with your musical foray, you can laugh it off when amateur stand-up comedians perform.
the teamwork between the rapper and Seven, who created half of the beats for the project. The two have collaborated a lot over the past couple of years. Seven has a knack for finding abstract sounds and samples then building hip-hop beats around them. On the intro of the mixtape, “Theme to Vizzy Zone,” Seven samples Gloria Gaynor’s disco hit “I Will Survive” to craft a laid-back, spacey track. “Nevermind” borrows “Hey” from the Pixies, the iconic alt-rock act. XV lays down lyrics about being an antisocial nerd around the electric guitar, with the handclaps and chants of the original song. Lines like “What a loser/ Abuser of my computer/Open up the windows to Windows and watch it boot up/Playing Tekken 6 as long as I get Kazuya” shows XV’s fast yet smooth delivery.
Seven’s masterpiece comes two songs into the work. Few hiphop producers consider ‘70s British symphonic rock for inspiration, but Seven is an exception. Electric Light Ochestra’s “The Battle of Marston Moor” is sampled for the best song on the mixtape, “The Flying V.” If New Orleans producer Mannie Fresh managed to resurrect Beethoven for a studio session, “The Flying V” is what it would sound like. Ominous strings are complimented by live percussion, hand claps and an eerie keyboard melody. “Talk My Sh*t,” produced by the Awesome Sound, features XV bragging about his lyrical prowess as a young rapper, and he backs it up with witty punchlines and sharp delivery. He also took time to take a shot at the magazine that failed to recognize his talent. “XXL didn’t expect XV to
excel/so before I enrolled I was expelled,” he raps. The mixtape is stuffed with great content, and features wellcrafted production. XV more than holds his own, showing off creative wordplay and unique delivery. Great production combined with great lyrics; it sounds like a recipe for greatness. But somehow, the mixtape ends up just being average. Twenty songs are too many, and XV struggles to find his sound several times on the bloated body of work. Songs like “Passport” and “She Go, I Go” sound as if a Warner Brothers executive tried to force him to make a radio hit. These additions definitely detract from the overall quality of Vizzy Zone. But despite its shortfalls, the mixtape still proves that XV is more talented than most of his peers.
PERSPECTIVES
Perspectives Editor Syeda Hira Mahmood
signalperspectives@gmail.com
www.gsusignal.com/perspectives
Iranian ‘blogfather’ faces 19-year sentence By PAUL DEMERRITT Staff Writer
Bishop Eddie Long Bishop Eddie Long sent photos of himself to accusers.
Bishop Eddie Long accused of sexual misconduct with male church members By THADDEUS MORGAN Staff Writer The issue of child molestation in the Catholic Church has been taboo in the community for years until the confessions of many victims recently came to light. This development has now made its way into the Southern Baptist Church community with the accusations of sexual misconduct with male congregation members surrounding a Georgia pastor. But what really makes this situation even more abnormal is the pastor’s strict stance against gay marriage and homosexuality in general. Pastor Eddie Long, considered one of the nation’s top preachers, according to CNN, is the man being accused. It’s not uncommon for people with power to abuse it in different ways, ranging from physical threats to sexual harassment. This is because powerful people are convinced that they have enough power so that their victims will either be too scared to come forth with their accusations or, even if they do come forth, then it wouldn’t be taken seriously because of the culprit’s reputation. In light of the charges against the pastor, Long’s congregation has followed him as he responded by saying that he is going to fight these charges, claiming that his fight is similar to the fight of David vs. Goliath. Accusations similar to these have been proven false in the past,
with either monetary or notoriety reasons behind them. However, whether the allegations were true or not, charges such as these should always be taken seriously and investigated thoroughly. The dismissive stance that many have taken about the young men’s claims is completely unacceptable. Reactions like these are what keep many other victims from confronting their victimizer. This isn’t to say that people should ignore the pastor’s point of view and simply condemn him for his alleged actions, but those who have already claimed to have been attacked don’t need to feel attacked even more by unrelenting church followers. If Long is guilty, then I would hope his followers take the evidence for what it is and evaluate their feelings towards the pastor accordingly, although that will most likely not be the case. Conversely, if the young men are proven insincere, then hopefully they will get the proper punishment for making false claims against Long. Regardless, before anyone judges, the evidence should first be considered. The only skepticism that may cause a few eyebrows to rise, as it did mine, was the pictures that were sent by Long to the accusers. The pictures weren’t provocative, but could definitely be seen as inappropriate. A pastor sending pictures to members of his church is already somewhat unusual, but taking pictures in tight shirts with a
camera phone and sending them to your congregation is a whole new level of creepy and inappropriate. Although I don’t feel that Long should be judged based on events that haven’t been proven true yet, I do feel his notorious stance on gay marriage and gay people, coupled with the recent events surrounding his image, should be considered. Long has made it very clear that he openly criticizes homosexuality, as many Southern churches do. However, if the allegations are proven true, it would not only make him guilty of sexual harassment, but also of being a total hypocrite. It’s not rare to find a homophobe who makes his or her intolerance of gays known in order to hide their own insecurities about their sexual preference. However, in the hands of a well-known dignitary, that hate can spread and have others accept that same skewed belief unknowingly. These accusations follow a man who has a lot of respect from the Christian community and thus has a lot of influence on that community. Along with that power this person has comes the responsibility to use it wisely and the duty to not take advantage of those who follow their convictions completely. It isn’t yet proven if Long is guilty, but he still owes it to his congregation and everyone who believes in him to directly confront the issue in an open and honest way.
It is far too easy to forget what it means to have basic freedom. I could write the most inflammatory things about the government and be able to do so without the slightest worry because in the United States, basic human rights are simply expected. If the right to speech was even momentarily uprooted there would be a national uproar with petitions, donations, editorials, and, in the most extreme scenario, a court case that would quickly and unanimously fix the matter. The situation is unspeakably different for Iranian “blogfather” Hossein Derakhshan. After moving to Canada from his native Iran, Derakhshan wrote a series of incendiary blog posts about the Iranian overlord, Ayatollah Khamenei, and the Iranian government in general. With this sharp criticism came inspiration for dissidents within Palestine to rise past the fear of possible incrimination and express themselves over the Internet. Derakhshan also became an
innovator in the early 21st century blogosphere by helping other Iranians set up Farsi-language blogs and giving televised lectures on how to successfully bypass the Iranian government’s filters. He had become an example of fearlessness in the face of the world’s most fearsome government. In 2005, he published a series of articles which focused less on Iran’s reckless government and more on the United States’ possibly underhanded attempts at bringing down the Islamic Republic. In these articles, he accused America of ignoring countries like Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, countries with greater terrorist connections and (in Pakistan’s case) nuclear programs because they, unlike Iran, had allowed America to come and reap their resources. He even went so far as to say he would defend Iran if America waged war against it. So, one would think that upon returning to Iran in 2008, he would have had a less tense welcome given the content of his recent material. He was immediately detained upon his Cont. on page 21
Iranian
Hossein Derakhshan Blogger Hossein Derakhshan was sentenced to 19 years in prison for speaking out against the Iranian government.
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Tuesday, October 5, 2010
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EDITORIAL CONTENT
GILEE program raises concerns By SYEDA HIRA MAHMOOD Perspectives Editor The Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange at Georgia State is unlike any other program offered at our university. GILEE, for short, is a joint program between Georgia and local, federal and international law enforcement agencies. The program was launched in May 1992 and serves as a police exchange program between Georgia police and the Israeli police force. GILEE states that the program wants to offer an educational professional program to senior Georgia law enforcement officials in Israel, primarily in the areas of counterterrorism and drug interdiction. Georgia police officers enrolled in the program are sent to Israel for two weeks and receive training in counter-terrorism techniques and other policing management strategies practiced by Israeli police. Conversely, Israeli police receive training on drug enforcement in Georgia from the Red Dog Unit in the Atlanta Police Department. According to their website, GILEE is designed to network between international organizations and recommend counter-terrorism tactics for their respective countries. The director of the GILEE program is Dr. Robert Friedman, professor emeritus of Criminal Justice at Georgia State. Friedman is also the founder of the ILEE program – the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism – which is an Israeli institution that possesses strong military intelligence in Israel. ILEE is an offshoot organization of GILEE. Funding for GILEE comes from various private sources like corporations and GILEE graduates. The interesting thing about the GILEE program is that is it not a program created by Georgia State for Georgia State students. GILEE is simply housed at Georgia State in the Criminal Justice department. The organization itself is a private organization but functions in the realm of a public university. “The funding for GILEE is private, but Georgia State is giving GILEE a place to exist,” said Vanessa Faraj, a former Georgia State student. Vanessa is also a member of MEIA-G (Movement to End Israeli Apartheid – Georgia). Ending the GILEE program is one of the
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Syeda Hira Mahmood • Signal Atlanta police receive training through an exchange program with Israel.
most recent causes MEIA-G has supported. The relationship GILEE establishes between the state of Israel and Georgia State is problematic for many reasons. As a public university fostering an atmosphere for growth and an academically challenging environment, there should be no place for a private organization to function in a university setting. The dangers of any private contractor present in the university environment are likely to compromise the university’s values and rearrange the university’s priorities. And yes, according to the knowledge available, the program is privately funded and no students are paying for it. However, this program does not serve Georgia State students. The program is housed at Georgia State and can be stationed elsewhere.
In 2007, GILEE secured a $1 million endowed chair that guarantees the program’s longevity and ability to operate outside of Georgia State. If this is the case, why is Georgia State using resources to house and support this program? GILEE can function independently. I am in no way asserting any claim that Georgia State is backing a political agenda through this program. There has not been enough information released to support such a claim. However, I am asserting that this program impedes on the obligation a public university has to its students and that private security companies need to stay out of public universities. Many questions need to be answered about GILEE and President Becker needs to address the students’ concerns on such a convoluted program.
“Unfortunately I don’t have an opinion because I’m only a freshmen. I’ve seen signs and flyers for SGA but never really gave it much thought.” - Jaclyn D-Avanzo
Freshman, Chemistry
“I have no idea what the SGA does at Georgia State. Because the school is so large it’s hard to keep track of the different organizations and what they do.” - Casey Williams
Junior, Film & Video
“I thought about joining SGA but I don’t really know what they are in charge of. I’ve gotten emails about the President of SGA being elected but didn’t really care to attend the event at the Student Center.” - Tahji Williams Junior, Nursing
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Preventing gays from adopting is irrational By SARAH BALTER Staff Writer There are several emotionally charged, politically activated and ideologically shortsighted arguments floating around on the airwaves, Internet and in print. Here’s one: ‘The government should somehow not allow an Islamic community center to be built within a two block radius of Ground Zero because the whole area is hallowed ground.’ That would be a two-block radius including a hallowed strip club and a hallowed off-track racehorse betting facility. That’s also despite the fact that we live in America where, ideally at least, state can’t touch church with a ten-foot pole. (And vice versa?) I’ve heard the following often enough: ‘Just because they have the right doesn’t mean they should be allowed to do it.’ To me that sounds like: ‘Just because it’s in the Constitution doesn’t mean we should follow the Constitution.’ Then there’s ‘gays and lesbians shouldn’t be allowed to serve in the military.’ Opponents are concerned that openly gay troops in the armed forces will somehow erode morale or unity or otherwise compromise mission success, although they have no actual evidence or facts. They seem to be unaware that the military has a very large population of gays and lesbians spanning every rank in both the enlisted and officer forces. Most of their colleagues know they’re gay. Most of those same coworkers would look at you like you were stupid if you told them ‘gays endanger military operations’. (Ask me how I know: I’m a six-year vet.) Gotta love ‘gays and lesbians shouldn’t be allowed to marry.’ In most states, they aren’t. The opponents of gay marriage largely fall back on religious values and don’t seem to mind imposing their personal moral views on their fellow Americans in the form of a monopoly on the definition of marriage. The institution of marriage when it comes to the law applies to atheists, Satanists, Catholics, Jews, Muslims, anybody—except gays and lesbians! Why? Why would the state, separated from church as per the Constitution, have a reason to have a problem with gays getting
Iranian
Cont. from page 19
arrival despite the assurance from Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence that he could enter Iran as a free man. He has since been incarcerated until a recent hearing on Sept. 20, when he was sentenced to death. There has been a nearly universal backlash calling for his release, which came to a head on Sept. 28, when it was announced the he would face a 19year prison sentence. Such a verdict has never
married? Gays pay taxes. They vote. Hmmm, certain interpretations of Leviticus, perhaps? As much as the aforementioned claims perplex me, the most baffling (and cruel) from my view is: ‘gay and lesbian couples shouldn’t be allowed to adopt children.’ My focus here is not the gays and lesbians. Their persecution is an oft-beaten piñata alongside that of other minorities, and I’m optimistic that they will be recognized with the rights they deserve in time. My focus is the children. How does the opposition to adoption of children by gays sleep at night when thousands of orphans in state-run foster care programs need loving permanent homes and families? They assume that children of gay and lesbian mothers and fathers will not grow up to be ‘normal.’ They assume that these children will grow up to be gay and lesbian. They assume that these children are better off in foster care. They assume that such children will be exposed to gay culture and won’t be well adjusted if they’re not raised by a straight, married mother and father. Taking a broad look at our society, I’d say that those opposed don’t give a crap about orphans. Let’s start with the definition of ‘normal’. There isn’t one. Well, there is, but that doesn’t mean it’s realistic at all. The definition of the ‘normal’ equation of a traditional family is one father married to one mother and their children. This is what ‘normal’ means to most. According to the website Divorcerate, which cites several American professional psychological institutes, the divorce rate for first marriages in the U.S. is 40 to 50 percent. That doesn’t sound like it qualifies as normal to me. Those who argue that marriage should be between a man and a woman have some pretty crappy odds in their defense. Now consider the use of the word ‘normal.’ A ‘normal’ family with one man married to one woman is what is required to produce children that will grow up in a ‘normal’ parenting atmosphere to become ‘normal’ adults. If you look at the realistic norm for straight marriages, then ‘normal’ for adults who were children of these families involves all kinds of variables ranging from those with before been placed on an Iranian blogger and brings the certainty that the government wishes to turn Derakhshan into a warning viciously aimed at other Iranian bloggers. Behind his absurd sentence is a complex web of political rivalry and unrest. In an interview with NPR, Newsweek contributor Maziar Bahari made a claim that Derakhshan’s detainment was a result of conflict between Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and its Ministry of
Jacob Drill With so many children who need homes, there is no reason gays should be prevented from adopting.
terribly painful childhoods to those who are well adjusted regardless of their parenting structure. In this light, if ‘normal’ is what happens to be optimal, then the traditional definition of a family structure can’t be normal. It is ridiculous to even try to define ‘normal’ in this regard. Normal should be what is best for children, and what is best for children can easily be a gay or lesbian couple, or a single gay father, or a single lesbian mother. According to a policy brief of a year-long study on adoption by gays and lesbians by the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute published in 2006, every valid study on the topic comes up with the same conclusion: children of gays and lesbians adjust positively and their families function well. The children who do not get to even try a piece of any of the more permanent definitions of normal pie are those in overcrowded foster care systems. How about the concern that
such children will grow up to be gays and lesbians themselves because they are raised to accept and respect gay preferences? Once again, the attempt to idealize a straight norm runs into a brick wall. An overwhelming number of gay and lesbian adults are the product of straight families. Are children at risk of becoming gay because they are raised by straight couples? I know a young gay man who was raised by a conservative Catholic family. If his parents happened to be the cause of his sexual preferences, then his ‘coming out’ shouldn’t have been the shock that it was. What a stupid thought. The first part of the stupidity comes in considering becoming gay a risk in the first place. The second is assuming a child becomes gay or lesbian because of a parent. When the sexual preferences of parents do not dictate those of their children, why would anyone desire to deprive orphans of loving gay and lesbian parents? Those worried that children
will be raised to respect gay lifestyles (raised in the same house where two fathers or two mothers have sex) and culture should turn their attention to Tyler Clementi’s Rutgers University roommates. The world would be a better place if those cretins had such respect. There is no reason to believe that gay parents expose their children to their private sexual behaviors inappropriately, just as straight parents have no interest in doing so. If it weren’t such a private matter, Clementi wouldn’t have jumped off of a bridge. Foster care is known to have multiple negative effects on foster children, caused by poor nutrition, emotional neglect, exposure to violence and abuse. There isn’t any doubt about it. The illogical arguments against their adoption by gay couples need to end. To uphold these arguments, even with a religious ideological agenda, is detrimental to wards in foster care and ultimately promotes their pain.
Intelligence. Bahari was in a similar predicament in 2009 when he was incarcerated by the Revolutionary Guards and tortured until he was released four months later thanks to a relentless campaign from his family. He makes the case that the Guards acted out against the Ministry of Intelligence to prove that their power could not be subverted by any political cabinet. With this argument comes the realization that there could be
semi-moderate forces in the Iranian government who suggest a shift toward a slightly more sensible Republic. Yet this means nothing when Iran’s most powerful unit acts with a reckless power that refuses to listen to its own governing body. There are small gleams of hope that Derakhshan will be able to appeal the sentence with assistance from his family and protestors across the globe. Similar cases have been shattered by the sheer force of public outcry and disgust.
Cases like this suggest that Iran is having an increasingly difficult time keeping the disapproval of its citizens from being squashed and silenced. The need for Derakhshan to be an example points toward a government being pushed into a dark corner, acting out in a futile attempt to hold onto a violent fundamentalism which can no longer exist in a world where any breach of human dignity cannot merely go unnoticed.
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Tuesday, October 5, 2010
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Book banning still prevalent in the U.S. By JUDY KIM Staff Writer One of the basic freedoms of our country is to read and write however we please. But, according to Roberta Stevens at the Huffington Post, book banning is still prevalent in America today and can be measured through the counts of challenges: a formal, written demand questioning the content of a particular book. Mostly fueled by the power of angry parents, books that carry glimpses of obscene, raunchy or even offensive elements are pulled off the shelves of libraries or the curricula of academic courses. According to the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, there have been 11,000 challenges since 1990 and three out of four of these challenges were aimed at schools or school libraries. In 2009 alone, 460 challenges were reported. Though this may not seem like such a large number, considering the infinite amount of books and resources in the world, no one should be able to choose what is appropriate to read and what is not.
Understandably, some parents would want to censor the material their children would read, since it could lead to many untrained thoughts. Plus, on many occasions, parents may not realize what exactly their child is reading. They would assume that it’s fine since reading is scholarly and they would think nothing about the possibility of any hidden outrageous content. Life would simply be easier if we censored these kinds of materials before they’re readily made available for an academic course, but is it acceptable when the censorship is taken into the “real world”? Absolutely, most undoubtedly not. We are a country based upon the freedoms of speech and press, especially for the voices in a fictitious read. It is pathetic, nearly barbaric to hear that people in society still try and revoke books they believe unworthy or too “obscene” from the shelves of public libraries. Let me reiterate: public libraries. This means that the one place where a rightful citizen can gain access to any information the world
Judy Kim • Signal Freshmen Quinton Wirsing reads Lady Chatterley’s Lover, a book that was initially censored after publication.
can provide isn’t being properly utilized, since we are allowing others to choose what reading material is appropriate. Not that these people are wrong in that some books can have inhumane, unlawful and foul language that deserve to be banished anyway, but they are wrong to believe it is OK to challenge these books and deprive them the privilege of being read freely again. The American Library Association sponsors a week every year that will allow citizens to freely read books that have been
banned (this year it was Sept. 25 to Oct. 2). It’s a celebration for those who enjoy the freedom to read anything they desire with ease and allows individuals to become more appreciative of their absences. The American Booksellers Association, the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, the American Library Association, the Association of American Publishers, the American Society of Journalists and Authors and the National Association of College Stores all support the Banned Books Week.
The Library of Congress Center for the Book in Washington, D.C. also endorses this event, making it one of the largest literacy celebrations across the country. Libraries across the country celebrated with exhibits, showcases and an open event for readers to come and search through books that have been banned or threatened in years past. Though the event is something one can look forward to every year, it still does not compensate for the fact that these books have been banned in the first place.
The importance of literary freedom By EMMA HARGER Copy Editor Indeed, one of the basic freedoms of this country is the ability to read and write whatever we please. We exercise this freedom every time we pick up a newspaper, read any book or go on an open Internet. There are many countries around the world where citizens are not afforded such freedom of information, like Iran, China and North Korea. Paradoxically, in this country of so much freedom, book challenges and bans are frighteningly routine and cover a variety of books. You may have read a few of the most challenged ones, maybe even in school. The full list of the 100 most challenged books, available on the American Library Association’s website, may surprise you. Challenged and banned books should be taught in public schools and stocked in public school libraries to further prove the point that freedom is often questioned. The most challenged books in America include works by Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, Kurt Vonnegut and even Judy Blume, some of America’s most cherished authors. They write books that are entertaining and controversial. They deal with difficult issues ranging from puberty to sexual assault. Some of these books are not appropriate for certain age groups, of course, but teachers know what they should teach based on age and
maturity. Teachers also know they may be challenged by parents who find their curriculum inappropriate. These parents need to do better parenting. Instead of calling for blanket censorship of certain content in books destined for schools or public libraries, parents should take an active role in learning about what their children are reading. They can have discussions with them about difficult concepts or make the decision not to let their children read particular books until a certain time. They should not, however, have the power to let their personal moral opinions dictate what any other person is able to read. I am a big fan of the single most challenged book series in America: Harry Potter. In fact, back in 2006, a Gwinnett County mother wanted the system to ban the Potter books from school libraries because they had references to witches and were “evil.” Thankfully, the attorney for the Board of Education realized that even banning one book is dangerous precedent and pointed out that classics like Macbeth and Cinderella would have to go too because of their references to witches. Plus, one woman’s profane is another woman’s treasure. Harry Potter books have timeless messages of love, friendship, family and overcoming adversity. They deal with issues many children can
relate to and can impart a lifelong love of reading. They did for me. The idea that books should be censored before reaching public schools—that life would be easier if this happened—is one of the most frightening things I’ve read in a long time. This is the exact worldview George Orwell envisioned and feared, putting into his classic 1984 (a book I read in public school) a world where the Ministry of Truth endlessly censored books and few people realized what was happening. Now we go to the noble, oftmaligned public library, bastion of intellectual freedom, where anyone with a library card can access a wealth of information. Again, this wealth of information may include content people find individually reprehensible. Their individual opinions must not be allowed to dictate what other people are free to read. Apparently, books with certain kinds of language in them “deserve to be banished anyway.” These kinds of language are the hardto-define “inhumane, unlawful and foul.” If this is what should happen, then who gets to define these terms? There is no official agency deciding that a certain book must never hit the shelves because its author prefers to use swear words. No one sitting behind a desk has the authority to declare a book’s language unlawful. Books discuss things that are illegal, like drug use and murder, but their authors are
Syeda Hira Mahmood • ˆSignal The Harry Potter series are one of the many books that have been challenged by parents.
not prosecuted for having written those things. What is inhumane? Other books include graphic scenes of torture and abuse, but they too are published freely. You know why? Because this is America and we value our freedom of expression. Official censorship of books should not happen and should not be tolerated under any condition. The fact that we even have a Banned Books Week shows a flaw in the system, where people get to hold irrational sway over
the free exchange of ideas, and we should not celebrate things like that. Real celebrations of books, like the Decatur Book Festival, are the ideal. But, until book banning becomes a thing of the past, read banned books. Tell the people around you to read them too. Do not tolerate someone who tells you that censorship isn’t okay, unless it’s in certain situations or with certain content. Celebrate your freedoms.
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Tuesday, October 5, 2010
23
Average age of Facebook user older than expected By MIRANDA SAIN Staff Writer As each generation grows up, they gain a nickname that characterizes their legacy. Our parents’ or grandparents’ generation is famously known as the Baby Boomers: the voluminous group born after the end of World War II. So what about our legacy? What events or characteristics will define our generation? Will Generation Y, as we are currently known, take on a notable, famous name like the Baby Boomers? The names that history has given Generation Y thus far are certainly more infamous than famous. Those born between the mid1980s and early 2000s have been lovingly labeled as the Internet Generation and the Millennials. However, negative labels are becoming more prevalent, like the Entitled Generation, Generation Me and the Narcissistic Generation. According to a 2007 study conducted by five psychologists, today’s college students are more narcissistic and self-centered than their predecessors. According to the study, Generation Me is more aggressive, lacking in empathy and favors self-promotion over helping others. The study goes on to predict the imminent doom of personal relationships and society. What or who is being blamed
for causing the narcissistic epidemic in our youth? Social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. Some media scholars are arguing that these social networking sites only encourage shameless self-promotion. However, before assumptions are made and labels are permanently glued on us, scholars should take a look at who is actually using these social networking sites. According to a study conducted by Royal Pingdom, a web-monitoring provider, the age of the average social networking user is 38. Flowtown, a social media marketing platform, has compiled and released the latest demographic statistics about Facebook users and confirms that the average Facebook user is 38 too. That’s right, Generation Y! It is Generation X who is using these sites the most! From this data, it would appear that Generation Y may have been mislabeled when in fact Generation X should be the narcissistic generation. While Facebook was originally created and geared towards college students, it has obviously gained older fans than its original target audience. The data compiled by Flowtown also shows that 47 percent of Internet users ages 50-64 are now using social networking sites. Even the Baby Boomers
are connecting and using social networking sites! One of the most interesting percentages that Flowtown provides also deals with Facebook. According to Flowtown’s data, 61 percent of Facebook’s users are 35 or older. As for Twitter, 64 percent of its users are 35 or older. Generation Me, who according to the 2007 study is assumed to be more interested in self-promotion over helping others, has been touted as a generation more actively engaged in community service than previous generations. According to a 2006 study, 81 percent of 13 to 25-years-olds at the time had volunteered in the past year. Our generation, call it what you wish, has already began leaving its own unique legacy. Our generation has been the first to grow up with the Internet and everevolving technology. Marketing and advertising advisors have studied our buying habits closely for trends, since we are their largest market demographic. Sociologists and historians have closely observed Generation Y for insight into how we will shape the future in a post 9/11 world. While Generation Y may not be as radical as our Baby Boomer predecessors who fought for civil rights, women’s equality and the protection of the environment, our generation is more aware of the world, thanks in large part to the
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CBS News Older generations are increasingly using Facebook and other forms of social media.
Internet. Experts predict that our knowledge of events like Darfur and national tragedies like Hurricane Katrina and 9/11 will result in the creation of a new social consciousness. Because of the greatest economic downturn since the Great Depression, only future studies will tell if this so-called narcissistic epidemic was cured. So why is Generation Y bearing the brunt of the narcissistic
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criticism? The same reason the younger generation has always been considered in danger of sliding down the slippery slope of moral demise: fear resulting from change. But like the generations before us who watched Elvis Presley’s shockingly sinful hip swinging, the younger, upcoming generation will bear the finger-shaking and the pessimistic labels as we carve our own morally corrupt legacy of social networking.
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Leadership and Spirituality: How Spirituality Influences your Work as a Leader
Wednesday, October 6, Noon Lucerne Suite, Student Center While leaders who emphasize spirituality in their leadership may base their leadership approach in religious tradition, they may also have so-called “non-traditional” religious beliefs that do not adhere to any particular religion. Spirituality in leadership is more concerned with the development of individuals–people who work to build a sense of community and are supportive of others.
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Stress Testing America‛s Prosperity
by Zanny Minton-Beddoes Monday, October 18, 3 p.m. Student Center Ballroom For details, visit www.gsu.edu/studentevents
Thursday, October 7, 3 p.m. Golden Key Conference Room, Student Center Change is an inevitable part of life. It happens to us whether we are ready for it or not. This presentation will highlight strategies for dealing with change as outlined in the book “Who Moved My Cheese?” by Spencer Johnson.
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ORGANIZATION ROUNDTABLE “Event Planning’ Thursday, October 7, Thursday, October 21, Noon - 1 p.m. Noon - 1 p.m. 465 University Center Capital Suite, Student Center ivities events through R.S.V.P. for Student Act OrgSync at http://gsu.orgsync.com
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for ws free All sho e University Stat s Georgia ith ID. Guest w s t studen fore 5 p.m. $3 be p.m. after 5 ion, and $5 at m re infor For mo du/cinefest. .e visit gsu