The Signal Vol. 85 No. 8

OCT. 10 - OCT. 17, 2017

VOL. 85 | NO. 8

/gsusignal

@gsusignal

Gadgets turning semi-automatic weapons into fully automatic are legal and were one of the enabling forces behind the Las Vegas mass shooting. NEWS | PAGE 3

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY VANESSA JOHNSON & COVER DESIGN BY SALINNA PHON | THE SIGNAL

MARIJUANA DECRIMINALIZED

NATURAL HOME REMEDIES

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

SWISS-ARMY KNIFE

City Council voted to do away with jail time for an ounce of weed.

Skip the drug stores and stick to home-made cures this sick season.

The Signal is cutting down & going online and there’s still a lot of exciting changes in store.

Glenn Smith is a wide receiver, running back, and kick return man all in one.

NEWS | PAGE 4 WWW.GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

ARTS & LIVING | PAGE 10

News 3

OPINION PAGE 12

Arts & Living 7

SPORTS | PAGE 15

OPINION 11

Sports 13

NEWS

2

GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

BLOTTER OCT. 2

OCT. 4

Morning thrill rides

A non-Georgia State affiliate was arrested for driving with a suspended license near Park Place.

OCT. 3

Sticky fingers

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Christina Maxouris

A non-Georgia State person was arrested for theft by shoplifting property valued at $100 or less on Peachtree St.

signaleditor@gmail.com

executive editor (atlanta) Open executive editor (perimeter) Open Editorial NEWS EDITOR Open

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OCT. 5

Plaza persecution

A Georgia State student complained of being a victim to threats and harassment by another person in the University Plaza.

Downtown destruction

A non-Georgia State affiliate was arrested on Peachtree St. for criminal property damages that exceeded $500.

Evening workout gone wrong

A Georgia State student was victim to simple assault at the Student Recreation Center.

Possession in the park

Two non-Georgia State persons were arrested for possession of marijuana in Woodruff Park.

Production production design editor Khoa Tran signalprod@gmail.com

ILLUSTRATION BY ALEX BROOKS | THE SIGNAL

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PHOTOGRAPHY photo EDITOr (atlanta) Vanessa Johnson

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

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On Oct. 3, Georgia State’s men’s soccer team scored four goals against University of Alabama, taking home the win and earning the Panthers their seventh win of the season.

Digital online EDITOR Danny Varitek

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ALL MAJORS CAREER AND INTERNSHIP FAIR October 11, 2017 11:00am-3:00pm Student Center East Ballroom ACCENTURE INFO SESSION October 12, 2017 4:00pm-5:00pm Aderhold Learning Center, Room 329 SIX FLAGS OVER GEORGIA RECRUITMENT TABLE

October 12, 2017 10:00am-2:00pm Library Plaza AUTOBELL CAR WASH RECRUITMENT TABLE October 12, 2017 10:00am-2:00pm Library Plaza FOOD FRY RESTAURANTS RECRUITMENT TABLE October 12, 2017 10:00am-2:00pm

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October 17,2017 STUDENT CENTER WEST, SEMINAR Room 266 12:30pm-1:30pm CAREER DROP INS Tuesday- Friday 11:00am-3pm Student Center West, Room 270 JOIN HANDSHAKE! Visit Gsu.JoinHandshke.com to activate your profile today!

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NEWS

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PHOTO BY VANESSA JOHNSON | THE SIGNAL

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2017

THE HACKS AND THE LOOPHOLES CHRISTINA MAXOURIS Editor-in-Chief

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n the wake of the Las Vegas massacre, where a Nevadabased shooter took the lives of 59 people and injured over 500, gun critics and supporters across the country have grabbed their mics and geared up for another round of gun control debates.

According to local law enforcement, the attacker had purchased over 33 guns in the past 12 months.

He also used what’s known as a ‘bump stock’, a legal gadget which can turn any semiautomatic gun into fully automatic. A device which, after the shooting, the National Rifle Association (NRA) said should be more tightly regulated.

“The N.R.A. believes that devices deisgned to allow semiautomatic rifles to function like fully-automatic rifles should be subject ot additional regulations,” the association said in a statement.

Now federal law is brought into question, on whether such gadgets should be regulated, and if excessive weapon purchases should be recorded.

legal — or finding a DIY way to automatize the gun — violates federal law.

“That [bump stocks] should not be legal at all,” Spillane said. “There are DIY ways, but all those ways are illegal. If you modify a weapon to make it an automatic weapon, you’re violating federal law.” And, he said, the gadgets come at a cost, as they require a higher capacity of bullets, and shoot them out much quicker, making the gun way more expensive.

“I’d be stupid to put one on my weapon.”

‘NOBODY’S BUSINESS’

And as far as registration goes, Henry said there should be no such thing, because simply, it’s nobody’s business.

“IF YOU’VE NEVER SHOT ONE, I CAN UNDERSTAND YOUR FEELINGS. BUT IT IS FUN TO SHOOT THOSE GUNS.” — Jerry Henry,

GeorgiaCarry.org Executive Director

MODIFYING THE GUN

But neither a gun registration system or a gadget ban would have been able to prevent something like this from happening, according to Jerry Henry, Executive Director of GeorgiaCarry.org, a state-wide gun rights and advocacy organization.

“There’d be other ways to do it,” Henry said on banning bump stocks. “If someone has in their mind, in this country, that they want to kill 50 to 60 people, they will find a way to do it.”

But Georgia State University Police Department (GSUPD) Chief Joseph Spillane keeping the gadgets

National registration would allow the government to keep track of how many guns each person owns, and put up a red flag, when someone has gone beyond a certain limit. Both Henry and Spillane said that would not be a good idea.

“If in Nazi Germany they had a gun registry, the first thing they’d do is round up the people who’d resist,” he said.

Spillane said, the second amendment was built to keep up with a tyranist government, so that in times of dictatorship, the people would would have the ability to defend and protect themselves.

“Gun prohibitionists would like to see a national registration. We wouldn’t.

That’s what Hitler did before he took over,” Henry said. “Is it anybody’s business how many cars your own or how many kitches knives you own?

I know people that have more than 30 guns in their house, it’s not the firearms. They have nothing to do with it. People collect guns all the time, for various reasons.”

And not just handguns, high-capacity magazines — which Henry calls normal-capacity — are popular among gun enthusiasts and not just because they’re fun.

“If you’ve never shot one, I can understand your feelings.

But it is fun to shoot those guns.”

But having a gun that could shoot out a hundred bullets in seconds is also a matter of safety for Henry.

“If I’m being attacked, and someone has 101 rounds, I need to protect myself. You won’t find anyone who has been

Should gun gadgets be legal and registration be required? in a gun fight that will tell you ‘I just had too many bullets.’ If you’re going to protect yourself, you need the right to protect yourself in all conditions,” Henry said.

A gun would not have helped in the Las Vegas shooting however, Henry said, because the concert was at a gun-free zone. Without guns for defense, and gun registration or regulation for legal gadgets, even Henry agreed there was no way to prevent the massacre.

“A gun has got no violence in it,” he said, adding mental illness is to blame in cases like this one. You won’t know when “one day somebody wakes up mentally ill.”

“You can’t see what’s inside a man or a woman, you cant’ tell what’s inside a person’s heart, and you never know what’s in their mind.”

And not even background checks can help with that, as, even if they check an individual’s records and history, GSUPD Chief Spillane said it’s never all there.

FIVE-YEAR LIMIT FOR MENTAL ILLNESS

“The only thing a background [check] will tell you is that this person has not engaged in behaviour that has been identified and prosecuted by courts,” Spillane said. “It means we haven’t identified him as a criminal yet.”

According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), background checks include an individual’s identifying information (like name, date of birth, race, etc), arrests data, and final judicial disposition. Background checks do not include juvenile (defendant was prosecuted before the age of 16), restricted and sealed records are not released.

Restricted records can be any records not released by a criminal justice agency -- except to possible employers.

Finally, if a defendant has entered a first offender (FOA) sentence before entering a plea, and successfully comleted probation terms and FOA requirements, charges and case would be sealed, as per Georgia law.

All that would not be included in a background check.

Furthermore, mental illnesses are not included in those records, unless an individual has been officially diagnosed.

Even if someone in Georgia had been diagnosed with a mental illness, any trace of it would be wiped from the National Instant Background Check System after five years.

Even if a person knowingly suffers from mental instabilities, there will be no traces of such on their record, and they will be free to purchase any weapon legal in Georgia.

But there’s an even bigger state-wide dillema. Even if someone in Georgia had been diagnosed with a mental illness, any trace of it would be wiped from the National Instant Background Check System after five years.

That means that anyone who might have been diagnosed with a condition, would be legally able to purchase a gun, once the state had wiped it from their record.

“That’s a legal dilemma (because) that person is still prohibited from possession or buying firearms,” GBI Director Vernon Keenan had told the Atlanta JournalConstitution in 2015.

A Mossberg AK 47. PHOTO BY VANESSA JOHNSON & PAGE DESIGN BY KHOA TRAN | THE SIGNAL

NEWS

4

GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

City Council passes marijuana legislation

Georgia State Police Chief: Marijuana possession ‘basically a traffic ticket’

On Oct. 2, Atlanta City Council voted unanimously to decriminalize marijuana in Atlanta.

PETER TILLY Staff Reporter

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ew marijuana legislation is headed to Kasim Reed’s desk after passing in the Atlanta City Council. Over 50 public speakers managed to convince City Council on the new piece of legislation, which unanimously passed Monday, Sept. 2 around 5 p.m.

The legislation reduces the penalty of carrying less than one ounce of weed from a max fine of $1000 and up to six months in jail, to a new max fine of $75 and no jail time.

The legislation, introduced by Councilman and mayoral candidate Kwanza Hall, passed through committee hearings on Friday, Sept. 27 after a similar measure was denied in April.

Hall said he hopes that these measures will reduce the racial disparities in marijuana arrests in Atlanta, and would condemn less minor offenders to jail. Hall’s office cited that 92 percent of people jailed for marijuana use were African-Americans, versus the 54 percent AfricanAmerican population in the city of Atlanta.

He also said the punishment does not fit the crime.

“Our current policy destroys lives. It tears apart families, causes students to lose scholarships, and renders a generation of young people unable to get a job. We waste millions of taxpayer dollars on arresting, trying and jailing marijuana offenders,” Hall said.

Issues of jurisdiction were brought up in the previous committee on how overlapping districts, such as the one between Georgia State University Police (GSUPD) and Atlanta Police, would handle the new changes.

Joseph Spillane, GSUPD Chief, lessened these worries by explaining to the committee how the department already handles marijuana possession on campus.

“We deal with a lot of marijuana cases and we try to run them through the city, which gives us an additional way to dispose of these cases, where they [students] can go through a pre-trial intervention and have it dropped from their record and we can send it through the student code of conduct, which is a preference of mine.” Spillane said.

Jurisdiction also causes some leeway on how peace

PHOTO BY VANESSA JOHNSON & ILLUSTRATION BY PHILIP DURAL | THE SIGNAL

officers choose to press charges.

“There is a state statute that also covers criminal penalties for marijuana possession and any peace officer can use it (including Atlanta Police) if they have jurisdiction,” Carlos Campos said, Atlanta Police Department (APD) Director of Public Affairs.

Between the time the measures passed committee and the time it became law, there has been lots of confusion on what the changes might mean. Because of this, Campos made clear that possession of marijuana is still illegal, both at a state and city level. However, he made sure to note that it is also not the police force’s focus to be rounding up people for usage of the drug.

“Our focus here at APD is on getting violent criminals off the streets. Our officers are not out patrolling for people smoking marijuana; we’d rather focus on those committing armed robberies and other violent acts,” Campos said.

Spillane noted how there wasn’t going to be much of a change on campus from the changes in the penalty.

He noted that, although the fine is lowered greatly, he doesn’t expect to see many more people being arrested for possession in Atlanta. Spillane said that the biggest change would be seen in the relationships between the students and the police.

“It might help our relationship album the students because we’re not really sending them to somewhere where they could have paid $1,000 fine and up to the year in jail on a misdemeanor. Now it’s reduced to basically a traffic ticket with a $75 fine,” said Spillane.

But some are worried about the health impact that this legislation might have on the people of Atlanta. They are afraid that the legislation was passed just as a political move. Marcus Cain, a freshman at Georgia State, sees this as a big issue.

“Studies show that marijuana has many effects on the brain and body. I believe that many of our lawmakers know of this but I believe that they passed the law just to appease majority rules instead of protecting the health of citizens,” Cain said. “I just think that they wanted to decriminalize marijuana to make our legal system on paper look better compared to the rest of the world.”

IS THE CITY COUNCIL’S RECENT CHANGE TO THE PENALTY FOR MARIJUANA POSSESSION GOOD POLICY, OR JUST POLITICAL POSTURING?

“I think it is a step in the right direction to fair policy (...) I think that this is better policy, but could still improve.”

- ALEX BARRERA

“I think that it’s a necessary and amazing step towards the way the world needs to be.”

- ETHAN COSPER

“I personally think it was political posturing because I believe they only passed the law because so many people were already being arrested for it.”

- MARCUS CAIN

NEWS

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2017

5

New swipe meal plan in the making

SGA senator introduces alternative plan for commuter students

LOCAL

KIRSTEN WINSTON Staff Reporter

Homicide Investigation in Gwinnett County

S

tudent Government Association (SGA) Sen. Joshua Akinola-King introduced a new meal plan targeting both residents and commuters on a budget. With the help of Panther Dining Director Lenore Musick, Akinola-King said he’s come up with a way to help the busier students grab a quick bite.

SGA is researching ways to implement a new meal plan for students and commuters which would allow students an alternative meal plan to eat at the dining halls. The swipe card method would allow students to have a max number of times access the dining halls per semester. It provides an alternative option than the five- and seven- day meal plan.

“Just having the ability to purchase a meal plan, but not a full meal plan, would help for those days you’re busy and tired and just want to grab something to eat,” Akinola-King said.

Gwinnett County police found a woman’s body inside an apartment on 6800 Springs Lane in Peachtree Corners.

Clayton County police received a phone call just before 2 a.m. which they transferred to Gwinnett County reporting a possibly deceased woman just before hanging up.

Once the police arrived and found the woman she was deceased. The husband was arrested in Birmingham, AL. and charged for the stabbing death of his wife.

SGA INQUIRES FOR A SOLUTION

Akinola sat down with Musick to find out what can be done, and to see if the department would be open to student government ideas.

“She’s very happy to work with me on this, and she is very open and receptive to the whole idea,” Akinola-King said.

Musick said she’s excited to see SGA advocate for such a solution.

“I believe, as with many things, we will need to look at all areas that could be affected and see what the possibilities are,” Musick said. “Start off by determining what type of swipe card the students are interested in. Ask questions like, are they residential with a kitchen? Are they mostly commuters? Who can purchase what plans and how do you tell the difference? Is there a similar plan already in place with another insourced university?”

Musick told Akinola-King that, since Panther Dining is still relatively new and insourced by Georgia State, SGA’s proposal must be first approved by the university, as well as the University System of Georgia’s (USG) Board of Regents (BOR).

NATIONAL Minnesota man lived with dead bodies Senator Akinola-King talks about his plan for an alternative meal plan for students. Students at Patton Hall finger scan in and out at the dining hall.

“In terms of what we need to look at,” AkinolaKing said, “we need to find schools that are doing the same thing. We want to look at schools that are insourced operated like UGA, Southern, West Georgia, Kennesaw those types of school,” Akinola-King said.

But one of the biggest challenges might be that the idea might not have enough support within the university. Commuters who are on campus often bring or buy their lunches. Some aren’t worried about having a pass to eat at the dining halls.

“I’m a commuter student. I see it kind of

PHOTO BY UNIQUE RODRIGUEZ | THE SIGNAL

pointless, to be honest. [The meal plan] just needs to stick to the people who live in housing honestly, because as commuters, we just stay on the main campus,” Georgia State senior Keyona Mosely said.

But others said saving the cash sounds like the way to go.

“I’m paying all this money for this for 7-day meal plan or 5-day meal plan. I’m not able to really utilize it. It’s more of a convenience than it is a cost-effective method. I’m paying this much money, and I’m not using it to its full capabilities,” Georgia State student Kudzai Mundava said.

Atlanta bids for Amazon’s second headquarters Competition among cities considered the ‘Olympics of the Corporate World’ PETER TILLY Staff Reporter

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n Sept. 7, Amazon announced its intentions to open Amazon HQ2, a second and equal base of operations along its Seattle based headquarters to run the company valued at over $430 billion. In their press release, Amazon detailed the effects that the new headquarters would likely bring to the city they chose.

“We expect HQ2 to be a full equal to our Seattle headquarters, Amazon HQ2 will bring billions of dollars in up-front and ongoing investments, and tens of thousands of high-paying jobs,” Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said in the press release.

‘THE OLYMPICS OF THE CORPORATE WORLD’

Cities are already lining up to become a new home base for such a massive company. It has been dubbed the Olympics of the Corporate World

by Marc Cohon, the chair of Toronto Global, a Toronto development company. But unlike the

LAST WEEK

Olympics, the economic impact of Amazon HQ2 won’t just be a summer-long injection of money after years of infrastructure development and municipal spending, it will be an economic impact that will be likely to compound any investment put into it. Amazon’s press release cited the impact their first headquarters has had on Seattle.

“Amazon estimates its investments in Seattle from 2010 through 2016 resulted in an additional $38 billion to the city’s economy – every dollar invested by Amazon in Seattle generated an additional 1.4 dollars for the city’s economy overall,” Amazon’s press release stated.

Amazon isn’t looking for just any city to be its new home-away-from-home, it is looking for one that is a large, business-friendly, creative community with a large pool of possible employees. With pre-requisites like those, many smaller cities are cut out of the option, but larger cities, like Atlanta, are looking to be a good home to such a massive corporation.

THE BID

In an interview with the Atlanta JournalConstitution, Gov. Nathan Deal said that he will be working hard with Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed to ensure Amazon HQ2 will soon call Atlanta home.

“I’ve made it very clear to our economic development team that this [Amazon HQ2] is a big one, and if we can get this one, it would be a very big coup for us. (...)We’re going to make a big push to try to get this,” said Gov. Nathan Deal to the AJC. Mayor Reed told The Signal that he emphasizes his and Governor Deal’s commitment to economic growth and partnership that would make Atlanta a fantastic contender.

“The partnership between the Governor’s office and the Mayor’s office has resulted in major economic development wins for the entire metropolitan region. The city’s cooperative relationship with the state sends a strong signal to companies looking to expand or relocate,” Reed said in an email.

As the capital of Georgia, Mayor Reed recognized Atlanta as the anchor of the ninth largest economy in the U.S. and the eighth largest state and went on to accentuate the city’s finest qualities “We have the world’s busiest and most efficient passenger airport, leading universities and a culture of innovation. Atlanta has the fundamental assets to be strong partners to great businesses, and help them grow and succeed,” Reed said.

Sixty-year-old Robert James Kuefler lived in his home in Minnesota with the decomposing bodies of his mother and twin brother for over a year. The Washington Times reported that Kuefler said “he could not bring himself to report their deaths to authorities.”

Kuefler is now being charged with interference with a dead body and/or scene of death. According to the Washington Times the White Bear Police Capt. Dale Hager said that the mother and brother both died of natural causes. The brothers body was “mummified” and the mothers decayed and skeletal.

GLOBAL Bangladesh builds enormous refugee camp

Bangladesh is working on building a camp that will house 800,000 Rohingya refugees fleeing from the violence and destruction in their home country.

According to CNN, “the Rohingya have faced decades of persecution and targeted violence in Myanmar, but the recent attacks that began just over a month ago are of an entirely new scale and level of inhumanity.” There will be a 3000-acre camp at Kutupalog to accommodate them.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2017

Healthy Romances & Consensual Advances Students address warning signs and boundaries in college relationships

VICTOR SLEDGE Staff Reporter

B

alancing college and a love life can be tricky, especially if you are maneuvering through a toxic relationship. Many people will experience an unhealthy relationship at some point in their life, and many of them fail to realize it early on. Based on a study taken by Knowledge Networks, 57 percent of college students who experience dating violence and abuse said it occurred while in college.

Georgia State’s Disability Services and Student Victim Assistance recently held a discussion with students about how to maintain a healthy relationship and sex life. It was a very open and intimate conversation where students felt comfortable speaking candidly about their experiences in order to recognize what a healthy college relationship should and should not look like.

Avoid the cycle

Without any qualms, physical abuse was the first topic discussed. Dr. Lenore Walker’s theory of the Cycle of Violence brought to light how a person in a questionable relationship might feel before reaching the point of physical abuse.

The cycle starts with a phase where tension is constantly building. It can feel like walking on thin ice to avoid angering your partner. Eventually, the ice becomes so thin that you fall right through. The next phase is usually connected to a major verbal argument where one or both sides are acting solely on rage.

From there, the “honeymoon phase” starts, filled with apologies and promises that brush the incident under the rug.

The someone

more often is in that cycle, the shorter the cycle becomes.

The

slightest offenses can cause huge arguments, and the honeymoon phase disappears because your partner knows you won’t leave. The deeper into the vicious cycle, the more likely it is that verbal arguments can turn physical.

Ask yourself if your partner has a temper, and if you ever feel scared or threatened by their words or actions. If you do, the first step is to try to get out, or seek help from campus resources such as Victim Assistance, who offer couple’s therapy to help sort through those issues.

Sensible sex

Sex, of course, eases its way into any talk about relationships. According to the Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network (RAINN), 11.2 percent of students experience sexual assault or rape in college. College women are especially at an elevated risk, being three times more at risk for sexual violence.

College is often a time of fun and experience for students, but that can bring on pressures of sexual exploration as well. Even with someone you have been previously intimate with, it is imperative to respect their boundaries every step of the way.

Parties where alcohol is involved, for instance, can blur judgement. RAINN also reports that more than 50 percent of the sexual assaults reported happened between August and November, at the peak time for partying in college with sports and the zeal of a new school year.

Let’s be frank about it. The reality is that after any amount of alcohol, no one is legally fit to give consent.

No perceived ideas about their intentions or alcohol tolerance can make them reliable to give consent.

Engaging in sexual activity with someone who mentally cannot grasp the reality of the situation at hand, or did not provide consent, is considered rape.

A feeble yes can mean a strong no, but a feeble no is never a yes.

Balancing business and pleasure

Tackling issues like these are important because they bleed into our school life even when we don’t realize it. Even healthy relationships have the potential to negatively affect your school life.

Bradley Young, a Georgia State graduate student,

was very willing to share his views on relationships and how they have affected his school life.

Young addressed how even in his mutually happy relationship, it was difficult to balance life outside of his girlfriend. He stressed that they spent a lot of time together in the beginning of their relationship.

“I don’t think we were aware of what we were doing at first,” Young said, referencing how the relationship affected their school life. He mentioned that sometimes they would skip class to spend extra time together.

“We had to understand—with maturity—that we don’t have to spend every second together,” Young said.

In the moment, things between Young and his girlfriend had escalated very quickly. They both felt the need to reevaluate their relationship and the choices they were making.

Young suggests that students try to be understanding of the time constraints their significant others may have, and support them through their journey toward success. Mutual support ensures that school or work won’t falter during the relationship.

“Support the person you’re with,” Young said.

“You’ll probably get more in return than what you’re trying to do to control any of their behaviors.”

how to get help

Break the Cycle reports that 38 percent of college students admit to not knowing where to get help on campus if they are struggling with an unhealthy relationship. However, knowing how to spot and address qualities of your partner or your relationship that could turn toxic is key to avoiding an unhealthy situation.

If there are recurring tendencies that make you feel uncomfortable or unsafe, that’s a good sign you are in a unhealthy and potentially abusive situation.

Communicate your boundaries in areas like sex, school and work and a good partner will never chastise you for those or push against them.

If you or a friend want more information on maintaining a healthy relationship, or to seek help with a harmful situation, visit the Counseling Center at 75 Piedmont NE Suite 200A or Victim Assistance in Suite 239.

PAGE DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION BY CHRISTOPHER WINLEY | THE SIGNAL

Red flags and warning signs of a toxic relationship 1. Obsessing over your whereabouts 2. Pressure to hangout only with them instead of your friends or family 3. Isn’t supportive of your school or career goals

4. Puts you down 5. Doesn’t respect your boundaries 6. Dishonesty 7. Often makes you feel scared/threatened 8. Often accuses you of cheating

SIX OF ATLANTA’S SCARIEST HAUNTED HOUSES TYLER BATES Staff Reporter

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risk air, fall leaves, elaborate costumes and everyone and their cousin is dancing to “Thriller.” It’s the month of all hallow’s eve!

Getting comfortable on the couch and watching classics like “Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Halloween” is a must this month, but wouldn’t you like to get a taste of that fear in real life? Grab your bravest friends and get in your car to visit six of the Atlanta area’s creepiest houses of horror.

NETHERWORLD

6624 Dawson Blvd, Norcross, GA 30093 This haunted house is number one on my list due to it’s popularity and the upcoming Georgia State trip to this house of horror.

Netherworld was established in 1997 and has been attracting anxious attendees for two decades. According to the haunted house’s website, they have gained national attention from CNN, AOL, the Wall Street Journal and Hauntworld Magazine. Created by film and television professionals, this haunted house is like no other, as it features custom movie quality special effects and sets, remarkable actors and out of this world fear that will leave you missing sleep for days. If you are too freaked out to venture out to Netherworld on your own, have no fear the school trip is here! On Wednesday, Oct. 25, its Georgia State Night at Netherworld Haunted House! Tickets are discounted, shuttles are provided and you’ll be with a large group of your peers. What more can you ask for?!

HOUSE ON HORROR HILL

1650 Georgia 9, Alpharetta, GA 30004 If you’re looking to satisfy your inner history buff in the middle of your Halloween thrill, then the House On Horror Hill is for you.

It is the oldest haunted house attraction in the state of Georgia. This spooky house is nestled right in the quaint city of Alpharetta and has been in business since 1970. Like its competition, it also takes pride in its national recognition over the years. Those in charge of the haunted house decided to keep its spooks old-school, so instead of relying on the modern technology of special effects they take it back and use the art of storytelling.

CONTAINMENT HAUNTED HOUSE

1320 Blairs Bridge Rd, Lithia Springs, GA 30122 If your thrill-seeking side isn’t satisfied yet, it will be once you’re in “Containment.” Known for its “very intense personal scares,” people have reported leaving screaming and running through the last stretch.

Top six spooky tracks to listen to as you get in the Halloween spirit on the way to the haunted houses!

This haunted house was once located in downtown Atlanta, but is now located one exit past Six Flags Over Georgia on I-20 coming from Atlanta. According to the attraction’s website group, rates are available and you can purchase tickets online for what they say is “the most unique and terrifying Haunted Attractions in Atlanta”.

NIGHTMARE’S GATE HAUNTED HOUSE 4179 Vansant Rd, Douglassville, GA 30135

This Douglassville attraction will have you thinking you’re on the set of “The Walking Dead”. The storyline here at Nightmare’s Gate is that there is a deadly outbreak going around of an infectious disease that has no cure. It’s so bad that doctors, nurses, and priests alike threw in the towel to the havoc the disease has wreaked. There definitely isn’t a lack of spooks with frightening characters roaming the parking lots and the lines before entering the zombie house. So go out, find trouble and have fun!

13 STORIES HAUNTED HOUSE

320 Temple Avenue West, Newnan, GA 30263 Located in Newnan, this spooky attraction is unlike any haunted house in Georgia because of little details that make it unique. Legend has it that the 13 story house is so horrifying guests have to sign a waiver to get in, which already hints at what creepy encounters lie ahead. Snakes, rats, creepy crawlies, clowns, and victims covered in their own blood are just some of the horrifying sights you will set your eyes on. The creepsters who reside inside the house are known to throw you out of windows, so don’t let them get their hands on you. On a brighter note, if you make it all the way to the end of the attraction you get your money back. Now, that’ll make any ghoul or student smile!

FEAR THE WOODS

3565 North Hwy 155, Stockbridge, GA 30281 Last, but certainly not least, a Halloween attraction that nature lovers and creeps alike have to check out is Fear the Woods. This haunted house is located in Stockbridge. What truly makes this haunted attraction so unique is the fact that it is an outdoor event, so guests can get creeped out, get their adrenaline pumping, and connect with mother nature all at once! Besides the haunted house itself, this location also has other attractions such as the Terror Transport and Haunted Trail and the Pandemic Frontline Haunted Combat, which features combative laser tag.

So, moral of this article is that you’re not a cat! You only live once so go out and enjoy this Halloween season. Eat a ton of candy, be your favorite character for one night, and get spooked with friends. With all of these options and places to go, there’s no reason you should be sitting at home this season. Happy Halloween!

1. Thriller — Michael Jackson 2. A Nightmare on My Street — DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince 3. Monster Mash — Bobby Pickett 4. Somebody’s Watching Me —

Rockwell 5. This is Halloween — Danny Elfman 6. The Monster — Eminem ft.

Rihanna

PHOTO BY HANNAH GRECO & PAGE DESIGN BY SALINNA PHON | THE SIGNAL Werewolves, ghouls and goblins are just a few of the creatures you can find at haunted houses around Georgia this Halloween season.

ARTS & LIVING

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Don’t run to the medicine cabinet Some natural ways to prevent and ease a head-cold

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all has finally decided to show up in Atlanta. These first few days of October have welcomed much cooler mornings and evenings than September, and students should now begin preparing themselves for the woes of the dropping temperatures.

Colder weather in Georgia always seems to bring the cold virus with it. We all know that feeling.

Everyone around is getting sick and we’re just waiting for it to happen to us. But is cold weather truly the culprit of head-colds?

thursday, oct. 12 Shakespeare Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse gives us the wonderful, messy, tragic story of Macbeth.

With witches and evil, it’s an appropriate play for October.

Grab your discounted tickets starting at $11.

SCIENCE RULES

Everyday food items can serve as a natural way to rehabilitate your body’s strength and ability to heal all while preventing further infection of the virus.

Here are two common kitchen items that could help speed up your body’s healing process: Thyme: Herbal remedies in general are suggested, but thyme has long been known as an expectorant, which makes coughs more productive (that is, it helps clear out your lungs faster so you feel better sooner). You can brew a thyme herbal tea by steeping two teaspoons of fresh thyme in a cup of boiling-hot water for 10 minutes. Other herbs, such as dried peppermint, chamomile or basil leaves can be brewed the same way.

Honey: This sweet nectar is known to relieve

FRIDAY, oct. 13 Southern Ghosts Honey is a go-to remedy for a sore throat.

sore throats and serve as an alternative solution to over the counter cough suppressants. A spoonful of honey changes the game, but in order for it to work properly, the honey should be locally sourced due to the certain pollens we grow accustomed to in our environment. If you can’t swallow honey on its own, try drinking it in an herbal tea with a lemon (the acidity in lemons breaks up mucus, bonus!).

In addition to medicinal remedies and getting enough rest and water (which should be the cardinal rule for everyday life), these are the simplest tricks to naturally relieve your head-cold at home: WebMD suggests that people who feel a cold coming on or are already experiencing symptoms should do the following: Apply hot or cold packs around your congested sinuses: Either temperature may help you feel more comfortable and relieve sinus pressure. You can buy reusable hot or cold packs at a drugstore, but why not make your own! Take a damp washcloth and heat it for 55 seconds in a microwave (test the temperature first to make sure it’s not scalding).

PHOTO BY VANESSA JOHNSON | THE SIGNAL

Or take a small bag of frozen peas to use as a cold pack.

Sleep with an extra pillow under your head: This will help with the drainage of nasal passages.

If the angle is too awkward, try placing the pillows between the mattress and the box springs to create a more gradual slope. Sleeping with a cold is difficult, but elevating your head will help you sleep through the night.

To prevent the dreaded head-cold, bundle up!

When you’re outside in cooler temperatures, be sure to wear a scarf or jacket and cover your face.

The Smithsonian Magazine article suggests that the Rhinovirus reacts to colder temperatures, therefore when the sinus cavity, a.k.a. the nose, is colder than the rest of your body, the viruses rush in.

Avoid the common cold anytime of the year by implementing a focus on your livelihood. Evaluate your daily routines and ask yourself what areas you need to focus or improve on. When you prioritize healthy choices and find what works best for you, there’s a clear difference that’s sure to have you feelin’ good.

A3CatGSU: Panther Entertainment Group The event that set the vibe for the rest of the A3C festival VICTOR SLEDGE Staff Reporter

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he A3C Festival kicked off on Wednesday night with Georgia State’s Panther Entertainment Group hosting a lineup that set the bar high for the rest of festival for students and non students alike. A3CatGSU showcased the talents of young entertainers within the Georgia State community on the Squarespace Discovery Stage at Mammal Gallery.

The venue had a great vibe with spacey blue lighting and a DJ that kept everyone on the dancefloor. Students socialized over the good music and curated an entertaining environment with unique dance circles. The mood could not have been better. If you needed a break, you could grab a friend and head to a secluded nook of the venue that had the only good selfie light for people to take group pictures for commemoration.

Wednesday, oct. 11 Curtains draw for Vivian: A Ghost Story. A spooktacular ghostly musical about a family that moves into an old home in the middle of nowhere. See it at the Lyrics Studio Theatre until Oct. 14.

Staff Reporter

THE DOCTOR IS IN

calendar of oct. 11 - 17

Ghosts + Musicals

SAVANNAH ELDER

According to Smithsonian Magazine, scientists discovered that the virus usually responsible for the common cold, known as the Rhinovirus, is prone to “reproduce at temperatures just below the body’s 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit.” The study concluded that when the Rhinovirus enters cells with higher temperatures, the cells are able to identify the virus’ presence and signals are sent throughout the immune system to attack it. So ultimately, being chilly is enough for a head-cold to develop.

When you’re not feeling well, your body is working overtime to heal itself and any motivation or energy that you can muster up seems like an exhausted effort. We stuff tissues in our pockets, try to stifle coughs in class and wonder ‘Why me?’, but deep down, we know that we could’ve avoided the cold altogether.

events not to miss

Even if you didn’t make it to the selfie booth, the performances definitely made a lasting impression.

The energy and talent from the musical artists were second to none. The performers included Nai. BrXX, Kenny Mason, Kiss Avery, Sammy $urf, and T. Mason. They all delivered their own unique style and sound and kept the crowd hype the through the night.

The opening act for the night was Nai Br.XX, an ethereal performer who is emerging onto Atlanta’s R&B scene with an infectious sound that is all her own. Nai and her manager/producer, Bueno, are Georgia State Alumni and A3C returning performers.

Nai was a part of Panther Entertainment back when she was a student at Georgia State. She had nothing but good reviews for the team who worked to make her performance go as smoothly as possible. Being that it was primarily hip-hop artists performing that night, it was amazing to see the crowd be so reactive to a more melodic, vocal artist

and to see how she fed off of that on stage.

How Nai’s music resonated with the crowd also spoke to how well Panther Entertainment Group picked the line-up for the night. While she started the night with a smooth, songful vibe, it was still conducive to different kind of hype that the following rap artists were bringing throughout the night.

Panther Entertainment Group created the perfect mood with this event. They were founded in 2013, but in 2015 the group of creatives and artlovers refocused to appeal more to the collegiate art and entertainment scene around Atlanta.

It was impressive to see students and staff of Georgia State’s community put on such a wellplanned event and keep the attention and zeal of the crowd so consistently with just a few years under their belt.

Check out The Signal’s full review on the music and events of the A3C Festival weekend at georgiastatesignal.com.

Spend Friday the 13 at the Antebellum Plantation at Stone Mountain Park taking the Tour of Southern Ghosts, with only a lantern. If that’s not creepy enough, go get a ouija board and have at it.

saturday, oct. 14 Afropunk Get punky and cultured at the Afropunk music festival this weekend. There will be tons of live music, art and craft markets and delicious food trucks off Windsor Street. Get groovy and vibe on over.

sunday, oct. 15 Pride Parade Get your butt on down to Peachtree St. and bring good vibes. High energy encompases this National Coming Out Day in Atlanta. Meet the paraders at Piedmont Park at the end and be ready to party!

monday, oct. 16 ELEVATE The Senses ELEVATE brings a variety of free art downtown until Oct. 21.

Everything from live music and performance dance, public art installations, exhibits and all kinds of street art with over 100 artists.

tuesday, oct. 17 Yoga Under The Sea Join Shelly Lowther in a restorative yoga class at the Georgia Aquarium from 6:30 7:30 p.m. hosted by lululemon.

Proceeds will go to the Aquariums manta ray research.

Bring your own mat!

More events and info at georgiastatesignal.com.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2017

POLICIES THAT SAVE LIVES, NOT GUN COMPANIES The time for debate is long gone, gun policy in this country needs to change

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PETER TILLY Staff Reporter

Peter Tilly is a writer for the Georgia State Signal.

He plays trumpet for the Georgia State Panther Band and is the delicated secretary of the PA Crew.

he argument over gun control has been a defining issue for political parties in the U.S. since there were guns.

In 48 states, gun ownership successfully predicted whether a household was going to vote for Trump or for Hillary.

Gun ownership predicted voting in the 2017 presidential election better than any other dividing quality. It beat out race, marital status, religious affiliation and even whether you lived in a rural or urban area. There are fewer issues that are more divisive in American politics, but in light of recent events, it’s time for people to unite and form policies that will save lives, not gun manufacturers.

The gun control debate shouldn’t be about political points or about winning elections. It should be about setting policies designed to save the lives of people. If there aren’t changes made soon, the blood spilled in the next massacre won’t just be on the hands of the gunmen, it will be spread among everyone who protected the tools of mass murders.

The mass shooting that occurred in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sunday, Oct. 2 was unexpected, unthinkable, unbelievable and unacceptable; but not unstoppable. Other countries have solved this; the United States stands only 28th in the world for the most gun homicides per capita. We are surrounded by countries incredibly different than our own. Spots up there are typically reserved for countries with crime, economic, political and social problems much greater than the U.S. Compared to socially and economically similar countries, our gun homicide rate

Tweet PETER! @pgtilly

towers above them all.

Countries like Finland, the UK, Germany, France, Australia and Sweden all have fewer than five gun homicides per 100,000 per year, in comparison to the U.S., which has 36. Combined, they all had nearly half as many gun homicides per capita than the U.S. did.

It isn’t unknown why their firearm homicide rate is so low. This isn’t some miracle that scholars have been looking for like Indiana Jones looks for the lost ark. We know why their countries are demonstrably safer than ours. They regulate their firearms with the sort of regulation you would expect on a tool whose primary design is for killing. They dealt with their own gun issues, but unlike the U.S., they took action. They saw guns for what they are — tools designed for murder — and acted on that clairvoyance. Now, they reap the benefits.

For example, in 1996, after Thomas Hamilton used legally attained firearms to kill 16 kids and a teacher, the UK parliament took swift action to rework the system around their licensing system and ban handguns. Since then, the UK has had only one mass shooting, whereas the U.S. has had 42, 12 of which resulted in the deaths of nine or more people.

Another example is Australia, where, after a gunman killed 35 people with a semi-automatic rifle, their prime minister fought to champion sweeping changes in his country. These changes included a gun buyback program, along with new gun regulations, such as lengthy background and identification checks and a ban on automatic and semi-automatic weapons.

Now, in the U.S., it is highly unlikely that we would be able to see similar changes that the UK and Australia saw. The National Rifle Association (NRA) is a massive political powerhouse, with a finger in the pie of many congressmen and women. The second amendment gives a constitutional backing to gun ownership.

The U.S. is a much more diverse and varied state with a variety of different problems than the UK and Australia have to deal with. But this doesn’t mean that there isn’t simple, effective legislation that can heal the United States and get rid of our gun violence issue.

I am by no means saying get rid of guns entirely. For one, I couldn’t. There’s a constitutional amendment and a 241-year precedence against me on that one, let alone the gun supporters.

But I am saying we need to change the way we think about guns, and especially the way we regulate them.

Guns need to be regulated like cars. Guns and cars play a similar role in the U.S. culture. They act as symbols representing the power, freedom and individuality that embody our zeitgeist. And they can both be incredibly lethal; however, the number of car fatalities per capita have halved in the past six decades. Regulations, like ones requiring a driver’s test, license, car insurance, and banning certain modifications, have caused this incredible change. These are all regulations that guns do not have. The gun show loophole that exists in many states allows people to buy guns without any background check or identification.

In many states, there are no tests to buy a gun. And there are no flat-out bans on categories of modifications, only on the individual modifications themselves, allowing new modifications to be sold legally, even if they had the same purpose as one previously banned. This allowed the Las Vegas shooter to turn his semiautomatic rifle into a fully automatic one.

Guns are not toys. They are not something to play around with, and we all know that. We’ve been taught that since we were little babies. Yet, there are many who seem to forget this. These people and companies playfully find attachments that turn the civilian “friendly” AR-15s into their military counterparts. These attachments turn semi-automatic rifles with a magazine capacity of 10 to fully automatic rifles that can carry over 100 bullets. Guns need to return to their place in home-defense and hunting. They need to be respected for the power over us and our lives that they have. No hunter needs more than three shots at a time to hunt.

No one would need more than a pistol or shot-gun to defend their home. These superfluous attachments treat guns like toys and they need to be banned, not one by one like in the past but by category.

The same way it is broadly illegal to “modify” your house by tapping into your neighbors’ utilities. The same way it is broadly illegal to remove your car buckles. Until they are, until Congress gets a handle of itself and makes decisions to protect its citizens, I’ll save this article for the next time a mass shooting happens.

Hopefully then, we can see a change.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY KHOA TRAN | THE SIGNAL

EDITORIAL

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GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

letter from the editor

Times are A-changin’

A new print issue, and a whole different online presence DEAR SIGNAL READERS,

H

alf-way through the fall semester—why is it not April yet?—and I’m proud to say The Signal has had a great beginning to the new year. But, as with everything it is time for a change, and following in the steps of Creative Loafing and news outlets around the world, we will be turning our attention to online.

Whether it’s on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and our georgiastatesignal.com website — we’ll always have the latest, breaking information for you. Incidents on campus, new legislations, city matters as well as Perimeter College updates — we’ll be on it as we have always been in the past.

Make sure you’re following @gsusignal, and don’t be afraid to tweet or message us when you hear of something. Catch us at your favorite festivals, parades and events livestreaming from Facebook, tweeting out athletic updates throughout games (@ GSUSignalSports kept us in the loop at our Coastal Carolina game on Saturday), or sending out live updates on campus and city noteworthy incidents.

In early November, we will launch our new website—with the same URL—which will cater much more to our student needs. It will be simpler, straight-forward and a whole lot more mobilefriendly. That way, you’ll be able to browse around and read our top stories from your laptop or mobile phone. The new online platform will give you easy access to latest news, include feeds from our social media, information about our advertising and applications, as well as cartoons and photos of the week.

The next decision we made was to cut down our page numbers. Going from our regular 20page print issues, we will now be print 16 pages

worth of Signal News, Arts & Living, Opinons and Sports. Our special issues, like the Homecoming, Halloween and Basketball issue, will remain 20 pages. The 4-page cut serves for two purposes. It will help with the paper’s budget—so we can invest in better equipment and more events targeting our student audience—and it will cut down on wasted space, so that we include all our most crucial information for you, but with no filler extras. Our section stories will be the most important issues throughout that week, while the rest of our content will go online on a daily basis.

After student demand, we are also including a brand new ‘News You Can Use’ feature in print, found in the inside front cover, which will inform you of job and volunteer opportunities around campus. We have partnered up with Campus Services next door, to give you updated openings each week, for all majors. Write, tweet, or message us to let us know what you think! We’re always open to student feedback, and always strive to do our best to fit your needs.

Thank you for picking The Signal up, and I hope you enjoy our new ideas!

Good luck on midterms, Georgia State!

BEST,

ABOUT THE EDITOR Christina is the current Editor-in-Chief of the Georgia State Signal. Raised in Greece, there is nothing she loves more than soaking up sun rays (preferably on a beach), and having a good debate!

Tweet CHRISTINA! CHRISTINA MAXOURIS

@ITS_XRISTINA

Editor-in-Chief, The Signal

letter to the editor DEAR EDITORS,

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he 10/3 cover story, “Undesignated,” about Georgia State smokers needing a smoking section seems like “fake news.”

Why? Because there is already a defacto smoking area in the middle of Library Plaza where Georgia State smokers can feel defacto welcome at all times. There, you can join hundred’s of smokers every week without fear of any response whatsoever from any Georgia State entity, other than occasional glares from non-smoking passers-by. There’s not even a “smoke-free campus” sign anywhere in sight.

When you finish sucking in your cancer sticks, you can feel defacto cool just tossing them on the ground too since Georgia State pays people to clean up the defacto smoking section every day. If I were a smoker, I would be thrilled to have such a nice, airy, defacto spot to light up on campus with its banquette conversational design, shade trees, and prime vantage point just steps from the library, classroom buildings, and a fountain! Too bad for the non-smokers though : ( Risks in coming to Georgia State include breathing in Library Plaza, for sure, but it’s not

too difficult to use the back entrance, or to hold one’s breath while walking really fast through that corner of Library Plaza. If Georgia State’s spineless non-smoking policy is any measure of expectation, non-smokers should just suck it up and get over it. Take your precious pink lungs to another library plaza if you don’t like it.

The dangers of secondhand smoke, which were ostensibly the basis for “implementing” a no-smoking policy to begin with, are of no consequence at Georgia State. While Georgia State’s School of Public Health, a respiratory therapy program, and a nursing school among others do offer an academic counterpoint to the practice, it is not their job to administer the student code of conduct. And while they may attract lots of prospective applicants, the defacto smoking section at the crossroads of campus tours and in plain sight of cigarette alley is an effective deterrent too.

Smokers: stop whining about having nowhere to light up at Georgia State; you defacto do!

Georgia State’s non-smoking policy clearly has fewer teeth than a jelly fish. For 3 years, I’ve contacted everybody on campus I can think of to take action, but to no avail. However, there appears to be at least one course of action

for those who prefer not to be exposed to secondhand smoke in Library Plaza. As recently as February 16, 2017, the minutes of Georgia State’s Student Life Committee meeting recorded the Dean of Students’ guidance on this issue. He stated that students who don’t like the smoke can approach the smoker and ask the smoker to stop. If the smoker persists, the non-smoker can ask for the smoker’s name and Panther ID# and report it to the Dean. How simple is that!? Nonsmokers, you CAN have clean air if you’re willing to work for it! Smokers, with so much apathy, you clearly DO have a defacto place to sit, chat, shorten your life, stink up and litter the campus right in the heart of Georgia State. Plus, it seems the worst thing that can happen is a wheezing non-smoker may ask for your name and Panther ID#. There is also the option of walking out to the nearest public street to smoke, but why bother? Library Plaza is much nicer for Georgia State smokers, based on my last 3 years of watching from literally 50 feet away. #gsusmokes, #gsusmokerswelcome #gsupufflounge

DEFACTO-LY YOURS, BRETT REICHERT

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2017

Women’s Basketball Season Preview:

Championship in reach The Sun Belt’s last two Freshmen of the Year will lead Panthers in season

Madison Newby practicing in preparation for the upcoming 2017-2018 basketball season.

JERELL RUSHIN Sports Editor

G

eorgia State women’s basketball team returns to action on Nov. 11. Head Coach Sharon Baldwin kicked off fall practice last Monday after completing a strong off-

season.

“We’ve worked really hard this fall and I think we’re in better shape this year than we’ve been in the past couple of years,” Baldwin said.

Sun Belt Freshman of the Year, guard Jada Lewis, has the potential to elevate her game after a phenomenal first year.

Lewis season averages of 11.6 points, 1.9 assists, and 1.1 steals earned her a Third Team All-Sun Belt selection.

2015-2016 Sun Belt Freshman of the Year, redshirtsophomore Madison Newby, returns to full strength this full season, after her sophomore campaign ended prematurely due to a foot injury.

Both Lewis and Newby are exciting with the ball in their hands, and could give Panthers’ fans plenty to cheer about this season.

Newby’s and her playmaking abilities won her Sun Belt assist title honors in 2016. It will be a sight to see when conference play begins on Dec. 29 with South Alabama.

Head Coach Sharon Baldwin is managing a team that consists of a large amount of turnover. Lewis is the only returner to log more than 20 minutes per game last season.

Newby and Lewis each played 30 or more minutes per contest during last year and the year before respectively.

Makeba Ponder, who averaged 2.1 threes per contest, did not return to Georgia State. This is a slight concern, considering opponents made 2.4 more threes per game last year.

Lewis, the second-best marksmen, knocked down 1.1 three pointers per game of the 4.4 team average.

One of the strangest characteristics that you’ll ever find about a competitive team in collegiate sports lies on the Georgia State women’s basketball webpage.

There is not one returning senior on Head Coach Sharon Baldwin’s 2017-2018 roster. For comparison’s sake, the men’s

PHOTO BY VANESSA JOHNSON & PAGE DESIGN BY DEVIN PHILLIPS | THE SIGNAL

basketball team returns two seniors.

“I’m really excited. We’ve got a lot of new players. We’ve got a lot of stuff to cover, a lot of things to put in. So we’ve got to make the most of every day,” Baldwin said.

Every junior from last year’s team transferred or ended their athletic career. The Panthers will collectively try to fill the void in the rebounding department left by graduate Tiffany Holston.

Holston was fourth in the Sun Belt Conference in rebounding with 8.8 per game. Holston was not the team leader on the boards in just seven of the 29 games she appeared in.

“I do think we’re a little bit behind at the center position [due to] losing Tiff ’ and then losing Hailey as well. Both of them brought a lot to our program. That’s our biggest question mark right now,” Baldwin said.

Six-foot-three sophomore Shaquanda Miller-McCray is an early candidate to start at center. JUCO transfers Shay Fluker, Kiersten Hunter, Juliet James, Victoria Middlebrooks and Janessa Murphy excelled at their previous stops.

Holston’s rebounding requires a collective effort to replace, but her activeness and passion wore off onto returners.

“Oh! Tiffany was a go-getter. We learned how to stick together and how to fight through adversity,” Newby said. “She was a fifth-year [senior], so she knew a lot of things about the game that some of the younger athletes didn’t know. She was a leader, a teacher, a good friend, and a good teammate.”

However, a remnant of the team will be hard-nosed defense, a priority of Coach Baldwin during her time at Georgia State.

Georgia State opens the season with three road games against Power 5 conference opponents. The Panthers will begin with Florida and Mississippi State from the SEC, before riding up I-75/85 to face Georgia Tech at the McCamish Pavilion.

Mississippi State broke UConn’s 111-game record winning streak in the Final Four, but fell to South Carolina in the Championship Game. Mississippi State was ranked ninth in ESPN’s “Way-Too-Early Top 25 for 2017-18” rankings.

The out-of-conference schedule does not ease up much after they return home. In the 2017 NCAA Tournament selection, Western Kentucky and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) are considerably tougher competition at the Georgia State Classic, in comparison to Akron and Elon.

“It’s going to be a big challenge for us. I think our first three

weeks of our season is going to be really tough. We’ve got to be able to compete and be ready to go,” an enthusiastic Baldwin said.

The early tests are a great way for Coach Baldwin to evaluate who will log major minutes in Sun Belt action. South Alabama, who eliminated the Panthers in the postseason, will be the first conference matchup of the season.

The Panthers will stay in the state of Alabama and take on Troy two days later on New Year’s Eve. The two split the series last season, as both stole a game on road won.

Madison Newby will face Sun Belt action for the first time in two seasons, when she fully recovers from injury. Newby led the conference in assists (102, 5.1) and started every game as a freshman.

Improving her freshman assist to turnover ratio of 1.04 is the key to another strong season, according to Newby.

With the past two Sun Belt Freshmen of the Year on the court simultaneously, a faster start in the Sun Belt could be inevitable.

The loss of the bodies down low could be a weakness of the team, but a consecutive 1-7 start in conference would be surprising, considering the command the two have over the offense.

“I think it makes a difference, especially with our inside players because we lost a lot of 4s and 5. But we’ve got the core of our guards that we’ve had the last couple of years back,” Baldwin said. “I think that makes a difference. They’re able to lead the team and show by example.”

Newby will not be cleared to play in the regular season until November, but recently began competing in live-practices.

Only time will tell if Newby will be a go for opening night against Florida.

The Panthers tied for sixth-place in the Sun Belt last season, but has the potential to soar up the standings in 2018.

“I’m ready to get back out on the court, and try to win a championship because I know that the team that we have this year is capable,” Lewis said. “I have a lot of faith in my team.”

Those Sun Belt championship aspirations are in reach, if the returning mainstays and talented incomers find a playing style that gels. The first home game is against VCU Nov. 24.

SPORTS

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GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

Harmanprit Kaur is ready to be a star CHRISTIAN CRITTENDEN Staff Reporter

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PHOTOS BY GEORGIA STATE ATHLETICS

he Georgia State women’s golf team is has budding players ready to breakout and become stars. Sophomore Harmanprit Kaur is one of those players along with incoming freshman Chloe Howard from Plymouth, England.

Kaur is a native of Austell, Georgia, where she got her start with the game at the age of eight. Golf runs in her family, and it’s just something she picked up from her dad and brother hitting golf balls in the backyard.

“It’s definitely a family thing,” Kaur said. “My younger brother plays, older brother plays and dad.”

From there, Kaur took off and never looked back. She has played since starting as a junior amateur and continued her career throughout high school. One thing that has remained consistent is her play. When she was playing as a junior, she placed first at the Atlanta Junior Golf Championship. She has also been ranked as high as No.184 in the Golfweek national standings.

Kaur just kept getting better and better as high school came around. During her high school career, Kaur once finished as the runner-up in the 2016 6-A state championship.

She was also named to the All-Gwinnett County team three times.

When Kaur got to Georgia State, she didn’t miss a beat. She instantly made her presence known as one of the best players in the conference. She was was named to the All-Sun Belt Conference second team, but to her, it was just her trying to perform at her best.

“I just kind of played my game and just focused on being the best that I could, and everything just fell in place,” Kaur said. “So it was nice that my game was in a good place, and hopefully I can do the same this year.”

Last season, she finished with an average of 75.88, which was good for second on the team. Kaur finished in the top 25 six times and in the top 10 twice. She also finished seventh at the Sun Belt tournament. Kaur did pretty well off the course as well.

She has added an appearance on the Dean’s list and the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll.

“I think I’m going to work on more confidence, kind of just going for it instead of being hesitant this year. I think that’ll be a big help,” Kaur said.

Despite her success, Kaur knew there was more that she could do to improve her game, so she decided to make some changes during the offseason that she hopes will pay off.

“I changed my swing a little bit. It’s helped me swing a little faster and hit the ball further, so that’s definitely a plus this semester,” Kaur said.

Kaur is just one the Panthers’ three-headed monster along with Howard and junior Jemima Gregson. The entire team is improving, but these three are the team’s best players. They all push each other to be good players day in and day out.

“It’s really helpful because we push each other to be better, and it’s just great because if you don’t have a good day, you know they’ll back you up. If you’re not having a good day, they’ll help you out,” Kaur said. “And I think the whole team is like that.

Everyone just supports each other, and it’s great. It’s a good team dynamic”.

So far this season the team has played in two tournaments with a few more left to go in the fall. The first tournament was the Paladin invitational at Furman University. Howard and fellow freshman Petra Duran led the team in their collegiate debuts. Howard shot seven over par and Duran shot 13 over and finished 52nd in the tournament. As a team, the Panthers finished the tournament 14th.

In the second tournament, The Jacksonville Classic, the Panthers tied for 7th. Howard once again led the Panthers with a 12th place finish. Gregson finished the tournament 17-over par, which was good for 34th. Kaur shot a 79 on the final day, and finished the tournament at 18-over par and tied for 40th.

Before they start their spring season in March. Kaur will participate in three more tournaments this fall and one during the winter.

OCTOBER 16 – 21 10/16 10/17 10/17 10/18 10/19 10/19 10/19 10/21 10/21 Visit

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GOOD MORNING GEORGIA STATE BLOOD DRIVE BLOCK PARTY VARIETY SHOW GOLF CART PARADE THROWBACK THURSDAY ROYAL BALL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION TAILGATE GEORGIA STATE VS. TROY

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2017

SPORTS

15

Glenn Smith is a true dual-threat

panther of the week

The wide receiver discusses playing multiple positions D’MITRI CHIN

Associate Sports Editor

S

enior wide receiver Glenn Smith is one of the more gifted athletes Georgia State’s football program has had on its roster for the last two years. In fact, Smith is such a dual-threat football player that it’s quite nonsensical to characterize him under one position on the depth chart.

Last year, he led the team in all-purpose yards per game (90.3) and was the first player in Georgia State history to have 500 yards, both rushing and receiving.

“Just doing what I’m supposed to do when I’m supposed to do it and just trusting my teammates,” Smith said as to how he was able to accomplish that feat last season.

Conceivably, the most intriguing aspect of Smith’s capability to play multiple positions, is the fact that he often plays various positions rather abruptly.

For instance, Taz Bateman, who was the starting running back for the Charlotte game Sept. 23, went out early in the first quarter due to a foot injury.

Guess who was the first guy up to fill the gap?

Smith.

And he filled the gap indeed. Smith carried the ball a whopping 31 times for 90 yards and two touchdowns. It’s worth noting that he set a school record for carries that game.

One can imagine the amount of pressure Smith was under, given the Panthers were in search for their first win against the 49ers. But Smith’s primary concern was producing at whichever position head coach Shawn Elliott needed him to play.

“It doesn’t matter where I’m at, I just make plays for the team,” Smith said. “I’m gifted to play both positions, so I just utilize that and play both positions for the team.”

Smith also caught four passes for 39 yards and had 129 all-purpose yards against Charlotte.

With wide receiver and running back being traditional positions in both college and professional football, it’s unsuitable for Smith to

Glenn Smith

FOOTBALL

Glenn Smith, running back for the Georgia State Panthers, practices the different run formations in the offense.

say which position he enjoys playing the most.

“Whatever I’m on the field doing at the time is what I like the most,” Smith said.

It’s hard to dispute that fact when he is consistently putting forth the effort to be productive at either position.

Smith also admitted that he wouldn’t want just to play one position. He said that “he likes to play both.” “I think it’s a struggle for the defense to see me at running back and receiver at times, so I like both,” Smith said.

PHOTO BY AZAM LALANI | THE SIGNAL

There aren’t many players in the NFL that can verily be productive at both positions, but one player that comes to mind is Ty Montgomery, a wide receiver who converted to running back for the Green Bay Packers.

Along from toting the rock and running routes for the Panthers, Smith has the uncanny ability to return punts and kicks for his team.

For his career thus far, Smith has a total of 2,033 all-purpose yards—including 509 yards rushing, 745 yards receiving with 64 receptions and 779 yards on 36 kickoff returns.

Georgia State and AUFC mirror each other Georgia State men’s season similar to Atlanta United’s JERELL RUSHIN Sports Editor

G

eorgia State is looking sharp heading into the final stretch of the regular season.

The Panthers have amassed a handful of shutouts, and even defeated #2 Wake Forest.

Atlanta’s MLS expansion team, Atlanta United FC, has been the hottest and most interesting club in the MLS this year. Atlanta forever changed expectations for expansion teams when they sent three players to the MLS All-Star game, and positioned for a top-three finish in the playoff picture.

“It’s cool man. I grew up a soccer fan. Seeing that professional culture come to Atlanta is really special. It gives you a sense of pride in the city,” forward Rashid Alarpe said, one of the nation’s top goal scorers.

Atlanta achieved their early success despite playing outside of their traditional home pitch, the new $1.6 billion Mercedes-Benz Stadium. They played home games for the first six months of the season at Georgia Tech’s football stadium, Bobby Dodd Stadium.

Senior Rashid Alarape caught games at both

facilities, but has a more traditional preference of the a soccer match’s atmosphere.

“I like the Bobby Dodd Stadium a little more because it was outside, and it just felt more compact,” Alarape said, after debating with himself for a short moment.

Bobby Dodd Stadium to Atlanta, is what The LakePoint Sporting Community was to Georgia State soccer. Games against Belmont and #11 Louisville, were moved from the GSU Soccer Complex due to undesirable field conditions.

Atlanta finished 7-2-1 at the Georgia Tech gridiron, but the LakePoint digs were not very kind to Georgia State, falling 1-0 in both matches. At a normal home setting in Decatur’s Panthersville neighborhood, the Panthers are undefeated.

“At home home, at Panthersville, we’ve been pretty good,” said a chuckled Head Coach Brett Surrency. “And we traditionally have.”

Atlanta United won their first six games at “The Benz,” and hosted some of the most impressive crowd appearances in MLS history. United and their fans broke the MLS regular season singlegame attendance record, when 70,425 fans attended a match against Orlando City, SC. “They’ve been phenomenal particularly with their crowds and the way that they’ve performed,”

Surrency said.

Regardless of how many guests show up for a game, coaches want their teams to be the best version of themselves, rather than playing their opponents style of game.

When a team falls down a point or two in the game of soccer, advancing the ball too aggressively can be a death sentence.

“We just have to continue to go and do us,” spoke Surrency, of his team’s focus.

On the contrary, high-scoring Atlanta United licked their chops to get inside of “The Benz”, and play on one of the MLS’ quickest turfs, after spending months on Boddy Dodd’s natural grass surface.

The aggressive strategies that Atlanta United lives by wouldn’t work as well for Georgia State, whose defense has been a major strength this season.

“As of late, they’ve got some shutouts, which is similar to us. They’re in really good form right now. We’re in pretty good form,” Surrency said.

“Hopefully we can continue to ascend like they have and I think we’ll be all right.”

Georgia State’s next match is Saturday, Oct. 14 against Sun Belt Conference soccer member Howard. The game will begin at 7:00 pm at the Georgia State Soccer Complex.

The Georgia State football team rode Glenn Smith’s performance to victory at Coastal Carolina. Smith returned the opening kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown during the team’s first Sun Belt game of the year. The senior from Warner Robbins, Georgia racked up 73 yards on the ground, 13 yards through the air, returned one more kick, to finish the game with 201 allpurpose yards. Smith helped put the game away with two huge, clutch runs on Georgia State’s last two drives.

SPORTS BRIEFS volleyball — Defeated Appalachian State and lost to Coastal Carolina in 5-set heartbreakers. Now 2-4

football — Took down Coastal Carolina 27-21 in first Sun Belt game of the year, behind big days from Glenn Smith and Penny Hart.

men’s soccer — Won at big against UAB, and stole Sun Belt opener 3-1 at Georgia Southern. Clinton Kyle, Hannes Burmeister, and Rashid Alarpe scored a goal apiece against rivals.

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SPORTS CALENDAR

STANDINGS

GOLF

TENNIS

OCT. 10

OCT. 13

WOMEN'S golf

MEN'S tennis

HOST: COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON

ALL DAY

Pinehurst, North Carolina

ITA REGIONALS, DAY ONE

Atlanta, Georgia

school

MEN'S tennis

MEN'S golf HOST: GEORGIA STATE

Duluth, Georgia

ALL DAY

ITA REGIONALS, DAY TWO

Atlanta, Georgia

MEN'S tennis ITA REGIONALS, DAY THREE

OCT. 12

Atlanta, Georgia

WOMEN'S soccer

OCT. 16

TROY

Troy, Alabama

8 P.M.

Atlanta, Georgia

MEN'S soccer HOWARD

7 P.M.

OCT. 15 GEORGIA SOUTHERN

1 P.M.

BEACH VOLLEYBALL SOUTH CAROLINA

Columbia, South Carolina

1-0

4-0

W4

APPALACHIAN STATE

2-0

3-2

W1

UL MONROE

3-0

3-2

W3

ARKANSAS STATE

1-0

2-2

W1

GEORGIA STATE

1-0

2-2

W2

IDAHO

1-1

2-3

L1

LOUISIANA

1-1

2-3

W1

SOUTH ALABAMA

0-1

1-4

L2

GEORGIA SOUTHERN

0-1

0-4

L4

NEW MEXICO STATE

0-2

2-4

L2

COASTAL CAROLINA

0-2

1-4

L4

TEXAS STATE

0-2

1-5

L5

TBA

OCT. 14

WOMEN'S soccer Statesboro, Georgia

TBA

MEN'S tennis ITA REGIONALS, DAY FOUR

OCT. 14 Atlanta, Georgia

TBA

OCT. 15

SOCCER

TROY TBA

OCT. 14

OCT. 16

Conference Overall streak

TBA

COMIC of the week:

COMIC BY ERIK REID | THE SIGNAL