The Signal Vol. 83 No. 9

OCT. 20 - OCT. 27, 2015

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OFF THE RAILS In the heart of Atlanta, Georgia State’s skateboarding community is alive and well.

Learn about their style and locations around the city.

Arts & Living | Pages 10-11

PHOTO BY JADE JOHNSON | THE SIGNAL

Inside out of order

Vox: CRASHING AGAIN

Urban Legends

Thomas Time

Panthers are fed up with sub-par laundry appliances in their dorms.

The Atlanta Streetcar was involved in another incident. See what students are saying.

The buildings within Atlanta’s concrete jungle hold spooky tales from their past. Read more about them inside!

Redshirt freshman Jeff Thomas is eager to see the court this season after NCAA ruled him ineligible.

News | Page 3

Opinion| Page 7

DAILY NEWS AT WWW.GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

News 3

A&L | pages 9 Opinion 7

Arts & Living 9

Sports | page 15 Sports 15

2

NEWS

blotter

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2015

Oct. 13

CORRECTIONS

A menance to society

At 6:36 p.m., a non-Georgia State affiliated person was arrested for aggressive panhandling and disorderly conduct while under the influence of drugs or alcohol on the corner of Edgewood Avenue and Park Place.

oct. 12

Two strikes, you’re out

A non-Georgia State affiliated person was arrested by Georgia State Police Department (GSUPD) for criminal trespassing and possessing less than an ounce of marijuana in Langdale Hall. The person was reported at 1:27 p.m.

Oct. 13

Trying to fool the cops

On Peachtree Street, a non-Georgia State affiliated person was arrested for disobeying a traffic device, giving officers a fake name and driving with a suspended license. The person was reported at 2:58 p.m.

10/13 Byline Missing: The Best for Breasts written by Nichole Price

Oct. 14 Grand Theft Auto 1

Page 9: Back to the Future photos submitted by Mark Bagget

Motor vehicles were stolen in G Parking Deck and a Georgia State staff member was involved. The theft happened between Oct. 13 at 3:30 p.m. to Oct. 14 at 8:50 a.m., and the incident was reported at 10:13 a.m. on Oct. 14. The case is active.

Page 15: Dave Cohen photos submitted by Georgia State Athletics

Oct. 15

Grand Theft Auto 2

Another vehicle was taken from G Parking Deck.The theft occurred at 8:30 a.m. and was reported at 7:30 p.m. A Georgia State staff member was involved, and the case is active.

ILLUSTRATION BY UDUAK ITA | THE SIGNAL

PHOTO OF THE WEEK A Police officer discusses with the driver involved in an accident with the Atlanta Streetcar beside Woodruff park.

PHOTO BY JASON LUONG | THE SIGNAL

PAGE 7

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NEWS

www.georgiastatesignal.com/news

UNREPORTED, UNFIXED

Students leave their own sticky notes in Georgia State’s University Commons and Piedmont North laundry rooms in their dorms.

PHOTO BY LAUREN BOOKER | THE SIGNAL

University Housing’s laundry rooms continue to be unmaintained LAUREN BOOKER News Editor

M

aintenance is still an issue for Georgia State University Housing. While the university continues to build a new student housing facility on Piedmont Avenue, laundry rooms across campus are filled with unplugged appliances, littered with cautionary sticky notes, suffer from overcrowding and even experience flooding.

Georgia State student Tiffani Carroll, University Commons Building B resident, said she remembers vividly when a washer overflowed, covering the laundry room’s tile floor with water.

“I think they should regularly maintain it more often, because I feel like they probably just do it when someone says there’s a problem,” she said. “Even normally when it’s working fine, there’s at least one or two dryers that are like error, out of order.

It’s always those same dryers.”

Nothing has changed since The Signal first checked University Housing’s laundry rooms last year, except for leadership.

In July, the former Director of University Housing Marilyn De LaRoche left Georgia State to take a Senior Director of University Housing and Auxiliary Services position at the University of Michigan, according to U-M’s website. She was replaced by the current Interim Director of Housing Randy Brown.

Searching for a functioning appliance

Brown, former Florida State University hall director, said University Housing uses online maintenance requests to track laundry room ap-

pliances’ technical difficulties. The rooms are also checked daily for cleanliness, and the machines are tested weekly.

“The system helps us keep track and detect trends with frequency of issues and/or the device that is failing.

We also can receive feedback from Hall Council and Feedback boxes at the front desk,” he said.

University Commons

But, when The Signal checked all laundry rooms on Oct. 5 from 9:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., the University’s Commons appliances’ were in bleak condition.

In Building A, one washer had a “Do not use” sign, two were unplugged and a dryer had no power.

In Building B, one washer had a Post It note saying, “Don’t use!! Water does not drain.” Another washer had a sticky note saying “Don’t use!

Soakes clothes.” Nine washers were unplugged. One dryer sported a sticky note saying, “Don’t use. This one shorted when I started.” And a second dryer has a note saying, “This burned holes in some of my clothes.

Don’t use!!”

Building C was flooded with water and had six unplugged washers.

Building D had six unplugged washers.

Kahrin Huggins, Commons C resident, said laundry rooms should be checked consistently, because flooding in laundry room C and unplugged machines in laundry room D kept her from doing her laundry on Oct. 5.

“If I was one of those people that waited until I didn’t have clothes, then it would be really bad,” she said.

Brown said University Housing unplugs laundry appliances to discourage use when the machine isn’t working, and housing doesn’t use signage anymore to label broken machines.

“That signage was used as a reser-

vation for somebody else’s use of the washer or dryer later,” he said.

Huggins said this isn’t the first time housing’s laundry rooms altered her routine.

“The other time…the dryers didn’t work, and I had to carry my wet clothes over to D. But today was the first I’ve seen it flooded,” she said.

To Huggins, Piedmont North’s laundry room maintenance was better, because she said she never saw it flood.

Piedmont North

On Oct. 5, Piedmont North’s one laundry room was upkept better the Commons, and had less unplugged washers and dryers.

One washer was unplugged, and a sign was plastered on another wasker saying, “Washer broken.”

Three dryers were unplugged.

Even with access to Piedmont North’s 25 usable washers and 57 working dryers, resident Kee McCrae said there are too many residents and too little laundry appliances. She said it took her five hours to complete her laundry that Monday night.

“Say if you are five minutes late from picking them up, people will take them out and put them over the top of the dryer. They get dirty, and then you have to wash them again,” she said.

Brown said the university would have to secure a space to add another laundry room to Piedmont North, but the “facility is maxed out with its location.”

“Ideally, yeah everybody can have their own washer and dryer. That would be great. That also has space limitations. We would have to covert it,” he said. “I don’t know that we will ever have enough washers and dryers in people’s opinions.”

McCrae also said the laundry room should be cleaned more to free the

area of lint and water, because she recently almost slipped on a puddle when there wasn’t a sign.

University Lofts

On Oct. 5, dryers appeared to be maintained well, but some washers were broken.

One washer had a sign saying, “Do not use.” Another washer had a sign saying, “Not working.” Four washers were also unplugged.

Tehnehn Forte, Lofts resident, said the dorm’s laundry rooms are better than the Commons, but wishes it was bigger. She chooses to do her laundry at odd times and during the week to avoid the weekend rush of laundry doers.

“I go on weekdays, because weekends are hectic. Never go on a weekend, especially in the morning. Go late at night or into to the morning, like 3 a.m.,” she said.

Patton Hall

On Oct. 5, Patton Hall was the best maintained laundry room out of all the laundry rooms, and everything appeared to be working.

But Patton Hall resident Christopher Bellows said his experience with the dorm’s laundry room is “hit or miss.”

“Half of the machines don’t work that well. We [him and Sean Carruthers] kind of have a growing list of the ones that screw up,” he said.

Patton Hall resident Carruthers said the washing machines on his “Do Not Use” list are 14, 11, 9, 8 and 7, because they leave clothes soaking wet.

“I’ve pretty much found what’s good and what’s bad. So once you figure out that, you are set. It’s trial and error,” he said.

The root of the problem

Trends, such as a high volume of online work orders, are the determin-

ing factors when gauging when an appliance needs to be maintained or upgraded, Brown said.

“Feedback helps. If people aren’t reporting it, it becomes very difficult... for us to respond,” he said.

He said residents need to be specific when filling out work orders.

“A student says, ‘The washers and dryers are always broken,’” he said.

“When is that always broken? It’s anecdotal. It’s to that one person [and] two person that it’s always broken to them. Now it’s an epidemic that all washers and dryers are broken.”

Student assistants are available to help with work orders, and a QR code, directing residents to their dorm’s work order website, can be found on the back of dorm doors, Brown said.

“By any means necessary we will accept a report,” he said. “But the student has the onus and the responsibility to report it and they understand that this is how we do it.”

And new laundry room appliances could be in the horizon for some residence halls.

University Housing and Corvias, Georgia State’s housing partner, are pricing laundry room appliance costs for Patton Hall, and the Common’s laundry rooms B,C and D, Brown said.

He said Patton Hall’s appliances haven’t been replaced since the dorm opened its doors in 2009, the Commons B,C and D haven’t been replaced since 2007.

Since laundry room appliances in Piedmont North were replaced in 2011, the Lofts in 2013 and the Commons Building A in 2014, Brown said laundry appliances won’t get an upgrade anytime soon, “unless we are seeing some issues.”

NEWS

4

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2015

All-nighters are costing some students their health ANXIETY SERIES: PART I TIPS TO SLEEP

Tips for healthy sleep, according to The National Sleep Foundation.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY RALPH HERNANDEZ | THE SIGNAL

Students like Gabrielle Hernandez, a senior psychology major, attempts to balance studying while catching up on a sleep schedule.

CHARLES BAILEY Staff Reporter

M

ax Greenfield, Georgia State women’s studies major, said his brain has “no chill.”

He has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), which has made him live on little sleep since he was a child. His typical day begins at 6 a.m.

“It takes about four hours before I can actually sleep,” he said, “Then something pops into my head, and I’m up another four hours.”

ASD is a group of developmental disabilities that cause social, communication and behavioral challenges, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Eighty percent of autistic children also have sleeping problems, according to Autism Speaks.

In a 2014 report by The National Center for Biotechnology Information, 50 percent of college students reported daytime sleepiness, and 70 percent said they don’t sleep enough.

These factors can cause academic failure, impaired mood and increased risk of car accidents.

Lack of sleep also inhibits a person’s immune system by making them be unable to properly fight off infection, according to the University of Georgia Health Center.

Greenfield said last week he felt so ill he passed out at home. He slept only about two hours a night for two weeks during that time. He said ASD comes with sensory issues, and he tends to lose his train of thought.

“I’d been sick for an unusual amount of time. If I’m stuffy, coughing abnormally, or having muscle pain, it [ASD] makes me like, really want to crawl out of my skin,” he said.

Georgia State Associate Director of Counseling and Testing Center (CTC) Jeana Griffith said sleep deprivation causes afflictions, such as weight change, bodily pain, social issues, stress and anxiety.

“Sometimes, a student may have sleeping issues due to stress over an impending test, or it may be some type of medical issue,” she said.

She also said she can tell when a student doesn’t get enough sleep as soon as they walk in her office. The

signs include sluggishness, inattentiveness and lack of concentration.

“They enter [the office] slowly, they’re sluggish, and their eyelids droop.There’s a lack of attention and they’re slow to process information, like when I ask them a question,” she said.

No rest for the weary

Some college students are sleep deprived because of extended socializing, hectic work schedules, and basic procrastination, according to a study on sleep deprivation in college students.

Georgia State student Grant Walter said his schedule includes physics, math and a 40-hour work week. He averages about seven to 10 hours of sleep, but his day begins after 5 a.m.

He said it’s hard to get up in the morning for classes.

“I get up around 5:30 am, and ride MARTA,” he said. “I work till 11, go to school, then back to work. I work until 4:30, come back to school, and leave school at 6:45, at the latest.”

Walter said he is “pretty prolific” with his coffee consumption, averaging at least four cups a day, his consumption raises to six or seven during exam time.

“I feel a lot of weight [importance] to stay awake, especially since I spend an hour commuting back and forth, I have to make the trip worth it,” he said.

Griffith advises her patients to change their sleeping habits. They are also offered relaxation techniques and tips to help them sleep better.

“We advise them to go to sleep at an earlier time, or drink warm milk, do deep breathing techniques, or even pray before bed,” she said.

She also advises students against pulling “all-nighters.”

“During exam time, people skimp on sleep, and lack [thereof] affects concentration, so the student won’t do as well,” she said.

To cope with ASD, Greenfield said he started smoking at a young age, and he takes prescribed and overthe-counter (OTC) drugs to help him sleep. During his interview, he smoked three cigarettes.

With doping, he said he rarely misses assignments or falls asleep in

PAGE DESIGN BY DARIAN MATHEWS | THE SIGNAL

class.

“If I’m like really stressed out, I’ll do some extra homework to get ahead in class, or I’ll take two melatonin pills and just lie there until I fall asleep,” he said.

Griffith said students shouldn’t be behind the wheel while sleep deprived, and advises against drinking caffeinated or energy drinks.

“If you’re sleepy, take a cab or have a friend drive you. Energy drinks will provide a temporary alertness, and then you start to crash,” she said.

Sleep plays an important role in memory before and after learning something new, and lack of sleep affects mood, motivation, judgment, and perception of events, according to Harvard Medical.

In 2005, 60 percent of all adult drivers have reported they have driven while drowsy, and more than one-third, or 37 percent have reported falling asleep at the wheel and adults aged 18-29 are more likely to drive drowsy, according to DrivingDrowsy.org.

1. Stick to a regular sleep schedule, even on weekends 2. Practice a relaxing bedtime ritual 3. Avoid naps during the day and especially in the afternoon 4. Exercise daily, but not at expense of sleep 5. Sleep on comfortable mattresses and pillows 6. Make your room cool, quiet, and COMPLETELY DARKNO LIGHT to help you sleep.

7. Avoid bright lights in the evening; have natural light to wake you up 8. Avoid heavy meals and alcohol in the evening

last week Local

APS superintendent plans to fix school system

Meria Carstarphen, superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools (APS) announced to a crowded gym at Atlanta’s closed Howard High School that the school would soon reopen as APS’s newest middle school, according to Creative Loafing. On Oct. 8, Carstarphen gave her State of the School District address, which introduced a five-year plan to save APS’ failing schools and repair the school system plagued by inadequate teachers and haunted by the largest cheating scandal in recent years. Prior to the superintendent’s speech, a crowd of protesters from Rise Up Georgia rallied on Howard High’s front lawn objecting to Gov. Nathan Deal’s Opportunity School District Plan

National

‘Second Snowden’s’ revelations of US drone violence

A whistleblower for The Intercept has unveiled documents suggesting 90 percent of US drone assault strikes in the five months observed hit unintended targets, according to Wired. Evidence claims American drones killed a former British citizen when they could have captured him. The leaked docs also allege the American government uses a “baseball cards” method of determine a target’s statistical worth.

Global

World’s first emergency care center for raped men opens in Sweden Sweden’s Södersjukhuset Hospital has long operated a full-time care center for sexually assaulted women, according to Sweden’s The Local.

However, on Oct. 15, the hospital opened the doors to its new rape center for sexually abused men. Marie Ljungberg Schött, a local Moderate Party party politician, said the care for raped men will be free and offered 24/7.

5

NEWS

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2015

Construction for Google Fiber begins ODAO OGBONMWAN Staff Reporter

C

onstruction for Google Fiber is still underway in Atlanta, and there is no specific launch date, according to Google Fiber.

Google Fiber’s website said the company is laying down thousands of miles of brand new “state-of-the-art” fiber optic cable throughout Atlanta.

But company officials told Decaturish.com it would take two years to bring the fiber network to the metro area.

Krisna Patel, Marketing & Computer Information Systems major and Chief Marketing Officer of PantherHackers, said she thinks Google Fiber will impact Atlanta by providing faster Internet services and enabling program and code production.

“Being that Google Fiber isn’t of-

fered everywhere, Atlanta is fortunate to be added to the limited list,” she said.

Google Fiber will be in Decatur, College Park and Hapeville. In metro Atlanta areas, the network will be available in Avondale Estates, Brookhaven, East Point, Sandy Springs and Smyrna, according to the company’s website.

However, Noel Small, director of Georgia State’s Network & Telecommunications Services for Information Systems and Technology, said the university doesn’t plan to utilize Google Fiber.

“Google Fiber’s projected impact on home and small business connectivity around Atlanta is very exciting,” she said. “However, because Google Fiber is aimed at providing residential service, rather than service to large enterprises like the university, it will likely not immediately impact how network connectivity is pro-

vided on the Georgia State University campus.”

Small also said the difference between the internet network at Georgia State and Google Fiber is that the university’s internet connection can be up to 10 times faster.

“Georgia State’s wired network offers 1 gigabit of wired access, which is the same as Google Fiber currently advertises,” she said. “In addition, as a research institution and a member of the Internet2 network, we have the ability to provide speeds of up to 10 times the speeds offered by Google Fiber for specialized research connections between institutions.”

Small said Google Fiber could be used off-campus for faster and easier connections to technology services.

Peisheng Wu, a computer science PhD student at Georgia State, said he would use Google Fiber to access the internet.

“If it were cheaper and without TV,

I would choose that kind of service,” he said.

Upkar Varshney, associate professor of Computer Information Systems in Georgia State’s College of Business, said Google Fiber would increase gigabit speeds for cloud computing services, High Definition/ Ultra High Definition video content and big data applications.

“The amount of data we deal with every day is growing very rapidly. The bottleneck in many areas really is the current available broadband Internet access, which has not increased in the same proportion as demand,” he said.

Upkar also said the average residential household has access at 10-30 Mbps, and the speed from Google Fiber can raise the access speed by a factor of 50.

“This could change the network applications that can be run by students, residents and businesses across Atlanta,” he said.

HOPE funding may start soaring Casino resorts in Georgia may be the long-term answer to funding the HOPE scholarship NAADIA ALI-YALLAH Staff Reporter

G

eorgia’s HOPE scholarship funds aren’t dwindling. Instead, the money is increasing.

Georgia Lottery Corporation (GLC) Vice President of Corporate Affairs J.B. Landroche said funding for the HOPE Scholarship is not declining.

“Last year the GLC returned over $980 million to the Lottery for Education Account...an increase of $35 million over the previous year,” he said Landroche also said GLC raises $2.7 million daily for HOPE. Not only has GLC been doing well with funding HOPE, but casino resorts, such as MGM resorts, may be coming to Atlanta to generate more funding for the scholarship.

Chip Lake, member of the Committee to Preserve the Hope Scholarship, which is composed of citizens wanting to protect the fund, said casino resorts are the long-term answer to funding the scholarship.

“We want to raise awareness of this potential solution, and be a supportive voice as this important piece of legislation moves through the political process,” he said. “The cost of college are expected to continue rising which puts the longevity of HOPE at risk.”

Lake said even though GLC is successful at driving sales and innovating product offerings, the increase in revenue can’t keep up with the rising cost of college.

Georgia State Rep. Stacey Evans is proposing HB 24, which would allow students to qualify for the Zell Miller Scholarship while in college.

“HB 24 will impact our university students. It would allow students to qualify for the Zell Miller Scholar-

ship...Right now, you’re only eligible right out of high school. And we can afford to fix that,” she said. “College costs are too high, and we need smart, targeted new revenue to HOPE to make sure students are not priced out of the institutions that make Georgia great.”

Evans said she thinks measured tweaks to HOPE would open access to the scholarship and make college cheaper.

“I know that I’m working on legislation right now that would make college more affordable for students at our state and regional schools,” Evans said. “The Lottery is doing very well, and it’s not up to them on how much they want to allot to HOPE; it’s up to us. And I intend to make sure they’re giving as much as possible.”

Gift Ogunwale, Georgia State student. said she is against the spike of college tuition, because the average family has to take out loans and funds for a college education. She also works while being in school to make her way through college financially.

“Most students are in debt because we are all trying to make a better life for ourselves.It is completely inconsiderate...thereby in a long run forcing students who cannot afford it out of college,” she said According to Lake, six new destination casino resorts were proposed in a Georgia legislation.

“They are expected to generate $250 million to HOPE without raising taxes,” Lake said.

Ogunwale said she thinks casino’s funding the HOPE scholarship wouldn’t be a bad idea.

“The people who love to gamble and have fun can do that and have a good time, while also keeping in mind that they are helping a child in need out by creating funds for the hope scholarship. So it is pretty much a win-win situation,” she said.

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GLC raises $2.7 Million daily for HOPE.

Last year the GLC returned over $980 million to the Lottery for Education Account...an increase of $35 million over the previous year.

The six new casino resorts proposed are expected to generate $250 million to HOPE without raising taxes.

PAGE DESIGN BY DARIAN MATHEWS | THE SIGNAL

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NEWS

6

Relocation troubles Atlanta residents

Peoplestown water management project

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2015

MODEL OF FLOODING

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY CITY OF ATLANTA

A model of how flooding affects the area during a large storm, estimated 3.68 inches of rainfall in 4 hours

SOLUTION

displaces some residents PETER SCHMIDT Staff Reporter

T

he city of Atlanta will continue pursuing a retention pond project, even though residents, including a Georgia State professor, may be forced from homes where the selected project site is.

Georgia State law professor Tanya Washington might be leaving her home in Peoplestown, because of the city’s new plan to construction a new park, which will contain multiple ponds to store excess rainwater and to prevent flooding.

The goal is for the pond to catch extra water if there is a major storm, like the torrential downpour in 2012 that flooded the Downtown Connector and filled the Peoplestown neighborhood with overflow from the city’s sewer lines, according to Washington.

Washington said she isn’t affected by flooding in the neighborhood, and doesn’t want to give up her home for a project that won’t benefit her.

She also said she feels like the city hasn’t been transparent enough about its intentions. Residents didn’t find out from the city that it intended to use their block for the project.

Instead, it was discovered through an Open Records Request after a neighbor’s lawsuit against the city in 2012, according to Washington. The city’s official response to her Open Records Request, dated July 7 2015, wasn’t sent to her until August 29 2015.

She said getting information from the city has been “like pulling teeth,” and she is disappointed in how the city has handled this case.

Peoplestown, one of the lowest points of elevation

Lilian Govus, director of communications for the City of Atlanta, said the city looked at 23 different projects before deciding on the Peoplestown location.

One of the 23 projects included replacing an entire parking lot at Turner Field with a park, containing walking paths, green areas, recreational fields and an amphitheater to hold concerts, according to NPR Atlanta.

However, the project was rejected by the city. A large portion of the area’s runoff flows through Turner Field’s parking lots, and could cause any retention ponds to quickly overflow. Govus said it would have been a mud pit.

“It was an executive decision made by the mayor based off [Jackson’s] contributions to the community and the city,” -Lilian Govus, Director of Communications for City of Atlanta The Peoplestown site was chosen, because it has the lowest elevation in the area, and is estimated that more than 1,500 acres of runoff flow towards that point, making it the ideal location for a retention pond system, according to Govus.

Some residents of Peoplestown, including Washington, said they aren’t affected by flooding, but others on the block have been.

“We received photos from homeowners with water up to the windows,” Govus said.

Some residents from surrounding neighborhoods sued the city in 2012 for damages when the flooding brought raw sewage into their homes, Govus said.

The city has offered to purchase homes from the residents who live on the selected site, according to Govus.

Washington said homes have been appraised based on home prices from surrounding neighborhoods, ranging from $80,000 to $400,000. Most have negotiated deals to sell their homes, but a few remain, and hope to fight the city for their homes.

Washington said the city offered her an “insultingly low amount” for her home, a 91-year-old brick home a short distance from downtown.

The city’s appraisers valued the home at $232,000, according to the appraisal information provided by Govus.

However, third-party appraiser First Multiple Listing Service, has valued the homes in the affected area at between $350,000 to $525,000.

For individual homes, the difference between the city’s appraisals and the third-party ones was between $50,000 and $100,000.

City struggles to demolishremaining homes

The city filed for demolition permits for the houses it doesn’t yet own.

This was not shared with the remaining residents, but was discovered be-

fore the hearing for the permits was scheduled, according to Washington.

Mattie Jackson, one resident from the neighborhood that is fighting to stay in her home, is 93 years old and has lived her entire life in the neighborhood. When the city asked her to leave, her neighbors, including Professor Washington, came to her aid and demanded that the city allow her to stay in the neighborhood, according to Fox 5 Atlanta.

After protesting from the community and a proposal to delay the project from city councilman Michael Julian Bond, Jackson was granted permission by Reed to remain in the neighborhood.

“It was an executive decision made by the mayor based off her contributions to the community and the city,” Govus said. “All we can do is respect Mrs. Mattie’s wishes.”

However, this leaves the fate of the other remaining residents in question. Most of the homes the city still hasn’t purchased are on the edges of the block, while Jackson’s house is in the center.

“If it’s easy to leave a house in the middle, it should be easier to leave a house on the edge,” Washington said.

Despite protests and criticism, the project is still expected to begin this year. However, it is still in its design phase.

“We have to build around 80 miles of sewers,” Govus said.

The placement of those sewer lines dates back to the 1800s, and presents a major design challenge. But the city hopes to begin demolition on the houses it has purchased as soon as possible, Govus said.

Still, Washington is hopeful that the city and remaining residents of Peoplestown will reach a reasonable solution to the conflict, even though she is troubled by the government’s actions.

“I’m incredibly optimistic,” she said. “As is my nature.”

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY CITY OF ATLANTA

A design for the retention pond project created by The City of Atlanta that will potentially catch extra water if there’s a storm.

OPINION

Academic Changes

www.georgiastatesignal.com/opinions

What do you think about the Atlanta Streetcar and is it useful?

A follow-up on an article written for Sept. 8 issue Courtney Carter

[efficient]. I don’t see it as a hindrance.”

“It’s a benefit, especially with the shortage [when] dealing with MARTA, and [some] people not having that additional option. I believe it’s an asset.

I also think it is fuel

Hussien Osman

SCREENSHOT FOUND ON THE GEORGIA STATE INSTITUTE OF INTERNATION BUSINESS WEBSITE JOHN MILLER Staff Columnist

I

t has come to my attention that a few of my claims in my previous article “Unannounced academic changes” had some minor logistical inaccuracies.

First, it is not the case that the Certificate of International Business is no longer available to students seeking it. It is still available.

The Minor in International Business is currently undergoing a lengthy 10-step process of approval.

It was approved at the college level in April, 2015, but it has yet to be approved by the University Committee on Academic Programs (CAP). Proponents of the Minor hope it will be approved at the university level this Fall.

Until the minor is approved at the university level, the Certificate of International Business will remain available. If and when the minor is approved, the Certificate will become “deactivated.”

This means simply that incoming students will not be able to apply for the Certificate, minus certain exceptions (such as some transfer students), while students already in the process of obtaining the Certificate will have the choice between the

cussing it with an academic advisor.

That is, assuming those academic advisors have the incentive to inform each student they speak to of the availability of the Minor.

There are classes in each that overlap, and there are entry-level courses college-wide that can act as venues for professors to divulge information about the Minor to students.

One impetus behind the development and proposal for the Minor is that it is a credential that can be included on your diploma, rather than a document all its own, as is the case with the Certificate.

Students must be aware of this opportunity, especially because of those hardworking proponents of the Minor within the Robinson College of Business.

Though my example turned out to be not entirely accurate, the tenor remains the same: communication within departments is essential to students’ awareness of the availability of classes.

While that may not be possible during the long process of having the Minor approved at the highest level, it will be a good practice on part of the college to inform students of the change if and when it is Madeleine.

“ I think it is necessary. I believe that the accident was caused by the drivers impatience. They shouldn’t get rid of something that is beneficial to the community based off of one driver inability to follow simple procedure.”

Lakeisha Ligon

“I think it has not been beneficial. I feel that there is no point in wasting so many peoples time and money. I feel that we have the trains and he buses and the streetcar is unnecessary. It’s not important. It’s unnecessary. It was the biggest inconvenience, especially [during construction].”

OPINION

8

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2015

EDITORIAL

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Let the public be your marketer

W

hen the 2015 Democratic Presidential Campaign debate was broadcasted last week, many of those tuned in were split screening, with one eye on the TV and their social media.

As a political candidate, how do you get your messages across to a generation that always has their faces attached to a screen? Well, of course, place your face on their screen. Some say the public will not vote for someone they don’t know. That seems to be true.

For example, many students claim they did not know who Bernie Sanders was to begin with until he had campaigned over social media. Leading up to one main point. Political candidates have found a new way to reach the public, and that is through social media.

We see this during the political debate last week as it began to trend quickly second by second on Twitter and Facebook once broadcasted. Comments were retweeted and soon discussion about statements were being made. Also,

memes possibly were created.

Currently, some presidential candidates have thousands of followers. But only a few have millions. For example, millennials perceive a number of followers you have as gold. When candidates gain massive amounts of followers, the current generation attracts to that number.

With the help of social media and smartphones, it is easy for us to stay connected. It makes it easier for us to keep up with issues going on in the country, such as the presidential debate.

It’s safe to say that social media does play a major role in elections now. If it deals with controversy, political stances or what they were doing with their day, followers will increase.

If followers increase, then when a 150 characters is sent out, millions will start talking about it.

Retweeting, favoriting and sharing.

Some could say signs and phone calls don’t have the reach like they used to. Let the public be your marketers. It’s faster. Espe-

cially, when you can get real-time analytics off clicks and post interactions.

Even though social media is beneficial, it can also hurt reputations. A 150 character message can have a positive impact, but the wrong statement can be a hindrance. Especially when screenshots exist. It will never go away.

According to Mashable, Twitter was used in the past “to see if the public had a positive or negative view of certain politicians.”

Politicians can easily view their likability and see their chances of winning in the country. They can also see what their competitors are doing and if they are doing better or worse.

If 1 million eyes see 150 characters within a couple of days, it’s faster than making 1 million calls by one person in one day.

Response to the Editorial from the Pink Issue

F

irst of all I’d like to say that this is not coming from a hateful place, but a very disappointed one. You wrote an entire editorial on how we(the student protestors) needed to “show restraint” in the face of blatant hatred. It’s unfortunate that one of your members was injured because they were mistaken for a bigot but you conveniently left out the fact that for three days that week we (the students) were subjected to threats of physical and gun violence, had the “protestors” put their hands on us, and call us disgusting things ON OUR OWN CAMPUS. To suggest that we should’ve just kept it moving instead of interacting with them is dismissive and short sighted. History has shown us time and again that in order to fight oppression one has to disrupt the oppressors.

We go to school here, we live here, pay money to stay here, so we should feel safe here. We should feel as though we can be our true selves without having slurs yelled

at us or being told we’re going to hell as we walk to class or sit outside. You ignore that their right to free speech does not shield them from the consequences of their words and actions. They came and shouted their bigotry so they cannot cry foul for having us defend ourselves and our identities. I would not be here today if it were not for my ancestors defiance and disruption. We have every right to hop on stage and yell back at them. They made signs of hatred and we made signs of love and acceptance and defiance. Did violence occur? Yes, but you can’t write about violence without writing about where it started otherwise you are no better than Fox News. We spent most of the time engaging them in dialogue and it only got messy when they made it that way. To say we didn’t make a difference is false because we made their time on stage shorter and shorter as days went by. We made a difference.

I’m proud of us.

SUBMITTED BY MARIKA DUNDAS

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ARTS & LIVING

www.georgiastatesignal.com/artsandliving

A Nightmare on tree Street PeachReports of Hauntings in and around Atlanta CATRINA DYGERT Staff Reporter

The Masquerade

Originally called Excelsior Mill Restaurant and Bar, The Masquerade has been serving up spirits, both supernatural and boozy, since the beginning of the 1900s. With three levels called Heaven, Purgatory, and Hell, The Masq offers otherworldly creatures the perfect spot to roam. There have been reports of a ghost in the form of a tall, black man lurking around the halls. However, no one has been able to identify him. Staff members have also reported strange cold spots, overturned electric equipment, and loud footsteps with no discernable source.

The most incredible legend, though, is The Masquerade’s live-in vampire. Unfortunately, no one can confirm any vampire sightings so far. The legend probably started from someone who met one of the members of Atlanta’s Vampire Alliance or simply as a myth started by visitors who were intrigued by the venue’s typical Goth attendees.

Ellis Hotel

The Ellis Hotel opened in 1913 under the moniker “Winecoff Hotel.” At 15 stories, it dwarfed the surrounding hotels – and not just in height.

The Winecoff, built out of brick and stone, was deemed “fireproof ” by city officials, despite not having any sprinklers or fire exits. As fate would have it, a fire broke out Dec. 7, 1946.

The fire department was quick to the scene, but their ladders only reached the eighth floor and the safety nets could only sustain jumps from less than 70 feet. 119 of the 280 guests staying in the hotel that night died, cementing the disaster as The Titanic of hotel fires and leading some to suggest that the hotel wanted it to happen.

There have been several guest accounts of disembodied footsteps and strange odors around the hotel.

Workers have also claimed tools dis-

W

hile many Georgia towns are famous for their ghost stories and urban legends, Atlanta is often left out of the mix. Most people come to Atlanta for business rather than local history. However, that history is streaming with legends of the spooky and supernatural, including some supernatural sightings in these five locations: appeared on the job. The real thrill, though, is the mysterious faces that can supposedly be seen in the windows of the hotel; some witnesses say the faces can be seen screaming in terror.

Several teams, including the Center for Inquiry, have written about this phenomenon, suggesting it’s nothing more than pareidolia, or the human mind’s tendency to perceive a pattern where there is none. The only way to know for sure is to stay the night yourself.

Anthony’s Fine Dining

First constructed in 1797, Anthony’s Fine Dining, also known as The Pope-Walton House, has had its share of rough history. The house was actually looted by General Sherman during his march to the sea in the Civil War. In the end, Sherman decided to spare the house because of the newborn baby who was being cared for there. Sherman’s mercy later allowed Dayton Smith to move the house brick-by-brick from its original location in Wilkes County to its current location on Piedmont Road.

Since the move, customers have reported the usual myriad of supernatural happenings: strange footsteps, mysterious odors, and flickering lights. However, Alan Levine, a writer for The Vinings Gazette, stayed overnight at the restaurant in 1998.

Levine claims he saw “a woman [he’s] never seen before in a dress unlike anything you’d see today.” The Southeastern Institute of Paranormal Research (SIPR) has conducted investigations at the restaurant and the original land, with reports that back up Levine’s experience. The SIPR team documented electronic voice phenomenon and strange presences but were not able to conclusively prove that the site is haunted. Unfortunately, Anthony’s Fine Dining is permanently closed, so there won’t be any more ghost reports anytime soon.

St. James Episcopal Cemetery

The St. James Episcopal Cem-

etery, located just outside Atlanta, has drawn attention as the final resting place of six-year old JonBenét Ramsey, a beauty pageant star who was found murdered in her parents’ home in Boulder, Colo. in 1996.

However, the statue of Mary Meinert really steals the show. Legend has it that anyone who visits the cemetery at midnight might witness the statue cry tears of blood or switch the infants she holds in her arms. Ayanna Guyhto, a writer for The Examiner, investigated the myth. Although she did not see any tears of blood, Guyhto said she immediately sensed a supernatural presence upon entering the cemetery. The graveyard is also featured as a stop on the Ghosts of Marietta tour, for those who want to check out the spirits themselves.

Oakland Cemetery

As if a cemetery isn’t tragic enough, in 2008 the land was ripped apart by a tornado that swept through downtown Atlanta. The storm toppled several statues, including one of the Archangel Gabriel with his trumpet in hand, and disrupted the slumber of the souls that rest there. The cemetery, founded in 1850, is kept pristine by the Historic Oakland Foundation. Over the years, it has expanded from a mere 6 acres to 48 acres today and serves as the final resting place for roughly 70,000 claimed and unclaimed spirits – 6,900 of whom were Confederate soldiers.

Rumor has it that visitors who walk through the Confederate side of the cemetery can still hear roll call for a portion of these soldiers being read off. According to Southern Spirit Guide, a man named William Bender even reported hearing his own name attached to the list. Other accounts recall sights of a Union soldier hanging from a tree in the cemetery.

Again, there is no concrete proof of a haunting, but new sightings are reported every year.

PHOTOS BY RALPH HERNANDEZ | THE SIGNAL

Skate or Die:

Atlanta’s Skatin

Written by: Sydney Cunningham

E

ach city has its own subcultures and each city does it justice the only way it can. Atlanta has resources amongst the city for its skateboarding community.

The Community Georgia State students Jabari Anderson and Neil Rayburn shared their experiences as active skateboarders in Atlanta.

Much like any community, the skating body is a diverse and all encompassing one. Social factors that may separate other groups of people simply don’t apply.

“Skating can be kind of juvenile in a certain way, but it’s also kind of very progressive,” Rayburn said. “People don’t really give a shit about what you look like or how good you are, what your age is or your race.”

By the nature of skating, the body of people tends to be casual, expansive and interestingly enough, nameless.

“A lot of the times it’s pretty anonymous,” Rayburn said. “A lot of people will know your face, but you’ll never know their name. You’ve been skating with a kid for a year or two, but you don’t know their name.“ “It’s usually pretty to easy to meet other skaters,” Anderson said. “If you see somebody else with a board, you can judge how they skate pretty easily and start a new friendship through an impromptu skate sesh.”

The size of the community compared to other specific subcultures are pretty expansive and has rich history. Skating has a heavy presence in clothes, vernacular, DIY culture and namely, music. There are traditions and strange things the community shuns upon in how you treat yourself, hold your board of even what kind of board you have.

“Some people thumb their nose at longboarding,” Rayburn said. “It’s called wrongboarding or schlong boarding.”

Behind the Board “I didn’t really have anyone to teach me or anything,” Rayburn said. “You just keep going and

eventually you learn tricks. Some people have someone who will show them how to skate, somebody that’s better than them that they’ll skate with.

Me and my friends learned on our own.”

There actually is such a thing as “skateboarding lessons”, but that is far from how many skaters learn how to step on their deck.

“I learned to skate in High School when I was like 15,” Anderson said. “I could barely stand on the board. I just thought it was a fun and cool thing to do with my friends.”

Hobby is too trivial of a world for most and sport too serious. The mere fact of it creating an insanely popular and immersive sect means that in a lot of ways, it becomes a lifestyle.

“Skating is another way of life almost,” Anderson said. “I don’t feel as happy when I don’t have my board with me or when it’s raining because then I can’t go skate. It’s an awesome way to stay active and having a really good sesh with some homies gives you a rush.”

“It’s pretty much what I’m thinking about all the time,” Rayburn said. “I’m either skating or wishing that I could skate. Or, I’m tired.”

Skating is an adrenaline rush and a fast skill, but it can clear the mind as well.

“It’s kind of therapeutic to do, it can help you work through shit,” Rayburn said. “You can’t really be thinking of anything else when you’re doing it.

You gotta have tunnel vision. Skating is analytical, doing a trick is almost like a math problem, there’s a lot of different variables.”

The Videos A popular thing people do who are heavily into their skating, is to videotape themselves. Many skaters have edited projects and videos of their tricks and their friends.

Showcasing skateboarding is a trend since skateboarding was popularized in the 1980’s with skateboarding themed movies and subsequent music, usually called “skate punk”.

Many skaters have their own YouTube channels or post them onto social media. “it’s fun to make videos,” Rayburn said. “Just put it on YouTube, show it to your homies. I have a group. We film it and I do most of the editing. Skate videos are always set to music. Most old school videos are set to punk music or hip-hop. Now it’s a bunch of different kinds of music.”

g Comm

Where to Shop

munity

Where to Go HISTORIC FOURTH WARD SKATEPARK Historic Fourth Ward Skatepark was Atlanta’s first public skatepark and remains the strongest public resource for skaters. It is within the larger Historic Fourth Ward Park. The opening included an entrance by skateboarder Tony Hawk, who donated through his foundation $25,000 into the skatepark.

830 Willoughby Way Atlanta, GA 30312 Open Monday to Sunday, 6 a.m. - 11 p.m.

BLACKBOX On the corner of Piedmont Avenue and Baker Street, Atlanta’s “BlackBox” sits. It’s not an official skatepark or an official establishment at all. It’s a sweeping corner with ramps, benches and checkered grounds. On a normal day, skateboarders frequent it regularly and it has become a skating staple in the city.

“It’s one of the main gathering points in the skating community,” Rayburn said. “People congregate there.”

MCKOY SKATEPARK Compared to the other locations, McKoy Skatepark is the farthest resource. Located in McKoy Park, the location is about a 15 minute drive from Georgia State campus.

“It’s an odd little microcosm of society.”

-Neil Rayburn, Georgia State student

MCKOY SKAYRPARK

534 Mckoy St Decatur, GA 30030 ANYWHERE (...MAYBE) Junior film Major and local skater, Jabari Anderson, finds places all around.

“There are all kinds of skate spots all around the city,” Anderson said. “I like certain spots Downtown like some of the parking decks on and off campus. The Old Fourth Ward Skatepark and the little park by the Masquerade.”

In the city of Atlanta, many places have skateboarding ordinances to keep skateboarders off of certain sidewalks, public places and other areas throughout the city.

“We definitely need more places to skate, at least legally anyway,” Anderson said. “Skaters are always getting kicked out spots and getting citations.”

OLD FORTH WARD SKATE PARK

STRATOSPHERE Opened in 1986, Stratosphere Skateboards is the most popular and go-to resource for skaters in the city. It also happens to be one of the oldest family-run skate shops in the country.

The shops is between Junkman’s Daughter and Aurora Coffee, in the heart of Little 5 Points.

Stratosphere is completely skater run, with Thomas Taylor as the owner, a former professional skateboarder. Grant Taylor is his son, a professional skateboarder as well and a successful and notable one at that.

Stratosphere sells decks, shirts, shoes and other skateboarding equipment and accessories.

466 Moreland Avenue NE Atlanta GA, 30307 Open Monday to Saturday, 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Open Sunday 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.

SKATE ESCAPE Located near Piedmont Park, Skate Escape holds more than a usual skate shop. They sell bicycles, rent bikes, sell skates and sell skateboards. The various types of skates include Rink, Derby, Outdoor roller-skates and Inlineskates. They also have a fully equipped service shop. Skateboarding is their main forte, however. They stock decks, trucks, wheels, bearings, grip-tape, safety gear and other various accessories. Skate Escape can also custom build boards.

At the same location they’ve had since the 1970’s, their slogan remains. “Let the Good Times Roll!”

1086 Piedmont Avenue NE Atlanta, GA 30309 Open Monday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

THE STATUS LIFE A few months ago, Stevie Williams, famous skateboarder and founder of company Dirty Ghetto Kids hosted the grand opening of his new skating boutique, The Status Life. Located in Castleberry Hill, the shop is dedicated to young skaters. The boutique sells artsy boards, shoes, clothes, backpacks and some jewelry.

252 Walker Street SW Atlanta, GA 30313

SKATE ESCAPE

STRATOSPHERE

PHOTOS BY JADE JOHNSON AND DAYNE FRANCIS | THE SIGNAL

PAGE DESIGN BY KHOA TRAN | THE SIGNAL PHOTO BY JASON LUONG | THE SIGNAL

Keith, a skater who frequents Old Fourth Ward Skatepark, flies down a halfpipe.

ARTS & LIVING

12

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2015

The Sustainable EnergyTribe: Getting active with renewable energy

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY THE SUSTAINABLE ENRGY TRIBE CHANTE FOSTER Staff Reporter

Georgia State students play a major role in shaping the university’s culture and diversity. The Sustainable Energy Tribe (SET) is a student organization, working to create a new culture on campus that focuses on conserving energy and the environment.

The Community

Established in 2008, SET strives to create a better environment at Georgia State, by teaching students the importance of conserving energy. Angelica Oliver, Public Relations major and PR coordinator for the Sustainable Energy Tribe, is excited to see more students taking the initiative to participate in SET’s campus events.

“Our main focus is to educate people,” Oliver said. “It’s really cool teaching people what [and] [how] to recycle.”

Justin Brightharp, Geoscience major and President of SET, has watched the organization grow into what it is today. The Sustainable energy Tribe has flourished with more funding and membership.

“At one point we had a president and a $2,500 budget, and now we have eight [people] on the eboard and a $6,500 budget,” Brightharp said. “So we’ve grown over the years, relatively quickly in the past three to four years.”

Georgia State students are showing an interest in conservation, as more people began attending meetings and events. SET wants to encourage the campus to consider recycling plastic, aluminum and paper before throwing it into the trash.

“We all live on this earth [and] there’s definitely a big interest on be-

ing sustainable, and we can see that when we talk to students,” Oliver said.

“More recycling bins and [Having] signs telling people what they can recycle, I saw some really cool things like [where] plastic, paper [and] cans [go].

Students can get their hands dirty, while learning how to garden. SET coordinates activities on campus to educate students on local environmental projects and organizations.

“We do a lot of things involving getting students out into the community,” Oliver said. “We show them how to urban garden, do research and work with local organizations so they can educate their fellow peers.

For Brightharp, culture is what makes SET stand of as an organization. He describes the organization as growing culture, that provides a place where students can actively engaged in becoming more sustainable “We’re kind of building a culture,” Brightharp said. “Having that culture, educating and getting people excited, to say we have a big student voice behind us.”

Weather Warriors: Conservation Projects

Installed fall of 2013, the weather station turbine located at the top of the 25 Park Place (old suntrust building), is one of SET’s ongoing conservation projects. The turbine, similar to a windmill, measures gust and wind speed. Certain seasons provide different results, the weather station gets taken down during the spring and summer season, and put back up during the winter and fall season due to the higher wind speeds.

“We have to take everything with a grain of salt, because altitude and friction has a big effect on wind,” Brightharp said.

Once the wind hits the turbine, it generates energy which provides the data that is collected every month.

SET has presented the data from the weather station at the Georgia Tech International Youth Summit, and The Environmental Protection Agency.

“The wind turns the turbine blade, and it turns a generator machine which [creates] electricity,” Brightharp said. “The wind turbine that we have needs to be started by 17 kilometers an hour, and during fall and winter it’s higher.”

Providing energy for a skyscraper is far from easy. The turbine has collected enough data for analysis, but not enough energy to power a building. The solution would be reducing the amount of energy that students and the community consume.

“You’ll probably need 20 to 25 [turbines], and that probably still wouldn’t be enough, because [it’s] a skyscraper that uses a lot of water and energy,” Brightharp said. “It’s not enough to have renewable energy, you also have to reduce what you’re using so that we get that benefit.”

Overall, SET’s weather turbine analyzes trends and patterns from the wind to determine what it would take for large campuses, like Georgia State, to be more conservative with energy.

Getting Active

Students will be educated on the proper methods for recycling, and how to use less energy while performing their daily activities. Members get the opportunity to network and contribute ideas that will help inform other student on campus about the benefits of sustainability.

“Members get a chance to go out and explore different recycling events, and have [a] networking opportunity,” Oliver said.

As companies begin to make the switch towards adapting sustainability, students at Georgia State are learning how to apply conservation towards their major and potentially the job market. “[There’s] [a] variety of majors that are involved in SET, [who] [are] interested in green initiative or being green, ‘it’s like Oh, I can use my major for this,’ and I think that’s important to learn now,” Oliver said. “So now I know I can go into PR for anything that is environmentally friendly.”

The student organization keeps students engaged by hosting events, such as speaking panels where professionals address hot topics on local issues. These events serve as a way for the students to make connections with people who are actively evolved in making the environment and community a better place.

“Last week’s panel was about environmental justice and ethics and [its] ties with social and human rights issues,” Oliver said. “We had Reverend Gerald Durley, Jackie Echols, and Michele Roberts come out to speak, [and] one of the aspects that it showed [was] [how] problems in the environment connects to [racial] issues.

SET is an organization of science majors, public relations, economics, finance, neuroscience and more. The diversity of SET allows students to make connections with people who enjoy the environment.

“We [made] it an issue this year to make sure that we connect our members with outside organizations, potential internships and jobs,”Brightharp said. “Like the CDC, all these different river networks, watershed management organizations and law firms.”

More info -SET holds meetings on Thursday - Topics discussed during meetings include: * environmental problems around the world and the community *environmental ethics and justice, and more.

Bring your bike, this Saturday SET will be exploring the Belt Line, on their biking trip

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2015

13

ARTS & LIVING

COLUMN

Dirty Life Hacks

No one is really that clean but keep it a secret NICHOLE PLACE

Associate Arts and Living Editor

I

t is impossible to give 100 percent in everything that we do. Sometimes our efforts to stay clean and hygienic need to go towards finishing a paper we procrastinated about or a test with a guarantee a failing grade. So here are a few ways to make yourself look as though you gave your appearance your everything, when in reality you barely gave it your all…

Dry Shampoo

The holy grail of bathroom products. It’s better than actual shampoo because it saves you time, helps your hair stay healthy from over washing and gives your hair great texture.

The only downside is that it can leave you with severely tangled hair but most likely no one is touching it,

so who gives a damn?

Tide To Go

Getting stains on any of your belongings can make a good day turn sour. Use a Tide To Go pen to help remove stains on clothes while you are out and about or on your bigger belonging that are too be to fit in the washer. No one wants to take time to wash their comforters when they spill a little food on it when eating in bed (as most people do). So just use one of these pens to cover up your mistakes.

Laundry Detergent balls

Washing your clothes too often can be really risky. You don’t want them to shrink or for them to get eaten by that hellish machine. And for anyone to believe that wearing an item of clothing once means that it is dirty, they are easily fooled and mistaken. Having to wash your clothes

everyday was an idea put in people’s heads by laundry detergent companies. With the invention of the fabric softener balls (like ones from Downy), that make your clothes smell nicer for 12 days longer, the need for washing has decreased. You can now stretch the wearing time of your clothes by a day or two.

Perfume-ish

Clothing Refresh

1.

A great way to keep your clothes shape in between washes is to hang them up in your bathroom while you shower. Doing this will help keep them fresh and unwrinkled.

Skipping Facewash

If you are one of the lucky ones who can skip a face wash or two then this is for you. Keeping face wipes next your bed lets you get the fake clean sensation that actual soap and water will give you in your own bed. Congrats.

Sometimes people forget to put on their deodorant, it happens. And let’s be honest, when you run out of deodorant or perfume, we can be a little lazy and don’t feel like going to buy more. So here are two different items you can use to freshen yourself up.

Dryer sheets: Rubbing dryer sheets on you will make you smell like fresh laundry and even make you static free.

Scented Hand Sanitizer: A perfume on the go. We can thank Bath and Body Works for helping us smell like candles.

Sometimes we need a little help making our lack of effort not so noticeable. So don’t be embarrassed to have a little dirt under your fingernails; we all know our dirty side is our true side.

Bridge of Spies: Good, but not the best FERNANDO MATTOS

Staff Reviewer

T

he film “Bridge of Spies” is not one of Steven Spielberg’s epic triumphs. In this Cold War drama, things are more subtle and quiet. Characters don’t go into the field of battle, but instead deal with their own mission in a world divided by two ideologies. It is an interesting approach by one iconic filmmaker, known for his expansive scenes and their dramatic scores, because it escapes normality in his body of work.

This is the true story of James Donovan (Tom Hanks), an American insurance agent with a background in criminal justice. The CIA recruits him to defend Rudolf (Mark Rylance), a Soviet spy captured in Brooklyn. The United States want to condemn Rudolf to execution, but our government decides to give him a “fair trial” in order to show the world that the right justice applies to everyone, even enemies. However, James decides to appeal the case, going against his boss, his family and the whole country.

The opening of the film captures this world of spying well and draws us in without too many words.

Rudolf is first seen painting. When leaving his apartment, someone follows him. The camera here is shaky as we ride the bus and train of New York, just as if we, the audience, were playing the game of spying. We see Rudolf from the point of view of those following him, even though these characters are not even on screen yet. These choices are effective as they bring the thrill of spying right away.

The rest of the film concentrates on James getting to know Rudolf, and his attempts to defend him.

The trial scenes are short and come quickly. Spielberg saves us from the classic structure of waiting for the

SCOTDRAKULA SCOTDRAKULA

2

ABRA ROSE

3

HOMESHAKE MIDNIGHT SNACK

2.

FILM REVIEW

very last trial, which is a relief. He focuses instead on how these two men form a bond, and how James plays a role in negotiating the exchange of Rudolf for two Americans held prisoners by East Germany and the Soviet Union.

Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance work well together. One of the drawbacks of the film is that it does not explore more of their growing friendship. There are great scenes, though, such as when Rudolf tells James how he reminds him of a childhood figure his father used to say: “pay close attention to this man.” Rudolf says this man never gave in, even under pressure. He always bounced back and stood up again. It is a beautiful metaphor that’s brought back as the film ends: one of the most memorable details in the movie.

The images of “Bridge of Spies” have a cold, blue tone that’s extremely appropriate to the film.

It’s a world filled with troubles. A world with few and sad colors. This choice is accompanied by a superb camera work, exemplified by when Spielberg takes us to East Berlin: the wide shots show us a city in total chaos, while the few close ups on James show us his fear and anxiety.

Speaking of which, dialogue is mostly to the point. It is great to see the irony of the Coen brothers, Joel and Ethan, two of the three screenwriters, sneak in here at some moments. The moments are rare, however, as Spielberg’s style is commercial, while Joel and Ethan are at their best with the cult mood of their own films.

“Bridge of Spies” does many things right, but it fails at being memorable. It is a film where good and bad are already so well defined that there’s little room to play in that grey area between both of them in order to raise tension and suspense about the characters. It is a fine movie, but not one that necessarily needs to be in your Spielberg collection.

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SYNOPSIS

SYNOPSIS:

During the Cold War, the Soviet Union captures U.S. pilot Francis Gary Powers after shooting down his U-2 spy plane. Sentenced to 10 years in prison, Powers’ only hope is New York lawyer James Donovan, recruited by a CIA operative to negotiate his release. Donovan boards a plane to Berlin, hoping to win the young man’s freedom through a prisoner exchange. If all goes well, the Russians would get Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance), the convicted spy who Donovan defended in court.

RATED: PG-13 GRADE: AVERDICT: Even though it isn’t among Spielberg’s most

memorable, “Bridge of Spies” is still a good film, well directed and acted, especially if you enjoy the history of the Cold War.

High-school senior Malcolm and his friends Jib and Diggy bond over ‘90s hip-hop culture, their studies and playing music in their own punk band.

A chance encounter with a drug dealer named Dom lands Malcolm and company at the dealer’s nightclub birthday party; when the scene turns violent, they flee -- with the Ecstasy that Dom secretly hid in Malcolm’s backpack. A wild adventure ensues as the youths try to evade armed thugs who want the stash.

SHOWTIMES:

Wednesday- Friday 1p.m., 3:15p.m., 5:40p.m., 7:45p.m.

Rated: R Running Time: 115 minutes

calendar & games

14

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2015

Campus & Downtown Events

Tuesday

Wednesday

Beyond the Mic Music Panel October 20 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Conversations with Ms. Wheelchair 2014

Calling all students with a love of creating music. This music panel is a great chance for any students with dreams of being part of the music industry.

October 21 11 p.m. - 2 p.m.

Yvette Pegues, the 2014 Ms. Wheelchair, will host a conversation discussing the impact of the Americans with the Disability Act. justice.

Thursday SGA Senate Meeting October 22 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Friday

Free GRE Test Prep Boot Camp

Safe Zone interactive workshops available for students . Check out ways to make the campus a better environment for the LGBTQIQA community.

Going to Grad school?

Come out and get your brain ready with a test prep session. Students wanting to attend must RSVP to University Career Services.

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October 25 - 26 1p.m. - 6 p.m.

Enjoy the beginning of the Fall season with leaves, hay, and pumpkins at Stone Mountain’s annual Pumpkin Festival. Fit for kids and adults of all families!

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PUMPKIN FESTIVAL

October 24 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

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Sunday

Basic Safe Zone Training October 23 10 a.m. - noon

The Student Government Association will hold their bi-monthly meetings open to students, staff and faculty to represent a sound board on behalf of the student body.

Saturday

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SPORTS

www.georgiastatesignal.com/sports

In The Game

Jeff Thomas returns with four year eligibilty after redshirting last season JEREMY JOHNSON

Staff Reporter

T

he Jeff Thomas era at Georgia State has finally arrived. The 6-foot-5 inch Norwalk, Ohio native has joined the Panthers after spending last season academically ineligible.

The news that he would not be able to be a part of the 2014-2015 Panthers hit Thomas hard, but Thomas was able to find positives even in what would be a dark

PHOTO BY JASON LUONG | THE SIGNAL

No. 30 Jeff Thomas, after being academically ineligible last season, comes back hoping to prove himself and become an important asset to the team in the upcoming season.

time for any student-athlete.

“First, I was devastated. I didn’t know what to do,” Thomas said, “I was just a regular college student, but then it gave me a chance to get it together with my academics, it gave me a chance to actually get used to the college life.”

After redshirting last season and Thomas now has four years of eligibility remaining.

Thomas played his high school basketball at Norwalk High School where he averaged 18 points per game in his senior season.

Thomas was expected to be a key contributor for the Panthers in 2014-2015, but with the NCAA’s ruling Thomas now comes to a different Panthers team and could be counted on even more than first expected.

Thomas’s arrival comes right in time as the Panthers lost their top two scorers off last season’s team in R.J. Hunter and Ryan Harrow.

The Panthers must find another scoring threat. Most would look to other players on the oster. There are some notable returners in Kevin Ware, Isaiah Dennis, Markus Crider, T.J. Shipes and Jordan Session who all received significant minutes last season.

But these players are not necessarily the scoring threat that Hunter and Harrow were. The team will need to use its assets to play a more team-oriented offensive style.

Enter Thomas. Thomas has the potential and measurables that can make him that unique threat that the Panthers enjoyed the last few seasons with Hunter.

Thomas has earned praise for his shooting ability, size, defensive presence and a high basketball IQ. “Jeff brings a lot to this team. He has a high basketball IQ and can do a lot of impressive things on the court,” head coach Ron Hunter said via email. “He shoots the ball well from both mid-range and 3-point territory and is also good on defense.”

Thomas also has unique height for his position.As a shooting guard and small forward, Thomas’s shooting ability will make it difficult for defenders to guard him outside and inside. e will be bigger than most shooting guards he faces, faster and able to shoot over many small forwards.

Coach Hunter isn’t handing Thomas any playing time, though. Thomas will have to perform at a high level to even carve out a key role with the team.

“I expect Jeff to play a lot of minutes this season and make a big impact on this team. I

think he has a chance to be a starter, however, as I always say, I leave it up to the players who will start,”head coach Ron Hunter said via email. Whoever performs the best, will get a chance to play the most minutes. If he plays the way he is capable of, I do think he will get that chance.”

Thomas has already shown that he has a strong work ethic and the ability to handle adversity. In fact, the game he loves being taken away from him has made his work ethic even better knowing that nothing can be taken for granted.

Though he was away from the team, Thomas still made time to work on his craft and improve portions of his game, though he does admit that he was a little out of shape after the long layoff.

“It made me appreciate it a lot more. It made me realize, because when I came back I was really out of shape, and it made me realize that I can’t take any days off, any weeks off or do any of that,” Thomas said. “So, it really helped me understand how much really it puts in.”

Thomas’s improvements have also been noticed by coach Hunter and commended effort while away from the game.

“Last year, he continued to work on his shot and study the game of basketball. At the end of the day, everyone can always improve and I think he took the opportunity to get better rather than just sitting around waiting for this season,” coach Hunter said via email.

Coach Hunter has been there for Thomas since from the start. Since Thomas was ruled ineligible Coach Hunter and Thomas kept a close relationship and kept constant dialog between themselves.

“I’d talk to him about three times a week. I’d go to his office we would sit down, and he would just check in and that made me feel comfortable,” Thomas said.

It was coach Hunter that pushed Thomas to be proactive and attack the time off and make something out of the time off.

“I told him to just keep working hard and that everything would work out. Sitting out a year can either really hurt a student-athlete or it can help them. I think it has helped Jeff.

It wasn’t always easy last year, but now he can see the finish line of starting this season and I think that is pushing him even more,” coach Hunter said.

The Panthers will see the benefit of that work soon. Thomas has matured and grown as a student as well as a player.

The unfortunate circumstances of Thomas’s first year at Georgia State may be in his rearview, but they may be what shaped him into the great player and student that he may very well end up becoming.

Whatever happens in the coming months and years for Thomas he will be ready to face head on, and Panthers’ nation will witness the potential development of what could be the Panthers’ next big basketball star.

Thomas’s redemption will be one of the most intriguing stories that is still being written at Georgia State.

SPORTS

16

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2015

Lutz finishes accomplished career Senior kicker Wil Lutz reflects on his career with the Panthers.

JEREMY JOHNSON Staff Reporter

S

enior kicker, punter, kickoff specialist and special team’s ace Wil Lutz is always calm, cool and collected.

That is exactly what a player with the responsibilities that are entrusted to Lutz is required to have to be successful.

Lutz handles kicking field goals and extra points for the Panthers as well as punting and kicking off.

These responsibilities don’t happen every play and don’t get the notoriety that a running back or quarterback may receive for doing good things on the field.

“You accept that you’re not going to be the most looked at. You’re going to do something good, you’re probably won’t get noticed when you’re good, but when you do something bad you’re always going to get noticed.

So, it’s something you’ve got to accept and accept your role and kind of take it and be mentally and emotionally strong with it,” Lutz said.

Lutz is clearly a key part to the Panthers team as he has made big kicks for the Panthers in the past in the most important parts of the game.

Lutz hit a 26-yard field goal against Abilene Christian to clinch the Panthers’ win last season. Lutz also hit a game tying 26-yard field goal against Jacksonville State to send the game to overtime in 2013.

These big kicks changed the trajectory of those games but the blame can be equally as big when a kick is missed or a punt is blocked and there are very few opportunities for redemption as a kicker and Lutz is fine with that.

“You have to be so mentally strong in everything you do. Special teams is such a big phase of the game, that if you don’t have a kicker who’s solid, there’s a chance you won’t win the game that you’re in or it could blow a game or win a game,” Lutz said.

Lutz uses his calm, positive and competitive demeanor to his advantage and has rubbed off on his young long snappers sophomore Daniel Zeigler and freshman Seth-Patrick Holman.

“He’s a really hard worker. If he misses a kick he makes sure the next one he corrects. Him being a senior and me being a freshman, he’s kind of taken me under his wing and has done a good job of kind of showing me the ropes,” Holman said.

Holman has taken over the long snapping duties as Zeigler is out with

an injury. Both Zeigler and Holman have both grown close to Lutz and have seen Lutz first hand.

“He’s just really positive about everything. He always wants to get better. He’s very competitive. He wants to better than everyone else. He just goes out there every day and he knows he’s the best. He goes out on the field and he just knows he’s the best kicker there is, which is true to me,” Zeigler said.

Lutz got his start with kicking because of his days of playing soccer. The relationship with his high school soccer coach led to him being convinced to give football a shot.

“I was actually a soccer player my whole life. My brother started kicking when I was a freshman and I just kind of gave it a try,” Lutz said.

Lutz’s soccer coach was also a member of the football coaching staff and convinced him to come out for the football team.

Lutz’s older brother Wes also played a role in sending the younger brother to the football field. Wes was also was a kicker at Northgate high school as well as a soccer player like Lutz.

“My brother was a soccer player too and our soccer coach was actually the kicking coach for the football team.

So, he had him come out because he was just close with the soccer coach,” Lutz said Lutz used the drive to compete with his older brother to drive him to the football fields.

“When I saw him doing it, I always wanted to be better than him in everything he did, so I tried it too,” Lutz said.

While competing with his brother Lutz didn’t know his kicking would take him anywhere at first. He was simply battling against his brother.

But his junior season showed him that there were possibilities that came PHOTO SUBMITTED BY GEORGIA STATE ATHLETICS along with his talents.

“I didn’t really like it. I went back Will Lutz punts a football in a game against the Charlotte 49ers. out my sophomore year and did it for JV. I really wasn’t into it until my junior year when I started for varsity and realized that I had a chance to go somewhere and it kind of picked up from there,” Lutz said.

The destination was Georgia State where Lutz was a walk-on but has been kicking and running ever since.

Lutz has been a steady presence in the Panthers’ program since his arrival and his statistics say that Lutz is the Panthers’ best kicker in the history of the program as he leads in most points scored by kicking, field goals made and extra points.

Lutz will continue his versatility for Georgia State’s the second half of 2015 and will po- 2014 leading tentially draw interest from an NFL scorer team in the coming seasons.

Joined program in 2013 as a walk-on.

Two-time all-county placekicker by the Newnan TimesHerald at Northgate high school.

Georgia State’s career leader in field goals, extra points and points by kicking.

17

SPORTS

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2015

Men’s Soccer Control Their Own Destiny Surrency has eyes on Sun Belt No.1 seed JARED OLIVER Staff Reporter

G

eorgia State’s men’s soccer team sit with a 6-5 overall record. Despite the five losses, five games are left in the regular season before the Sun Belt tournament.

Three out of the five games are league games, which are in conference games. The Panthers are 2-0 in league play. The goal for head coach, Brett Surrency and the team is to be the number one seed in the Sun Belt Tournament.

“We want the No. 1 seed in the Sun Belt tournament and the bye that goes with it,” Surrency said. “That bye is an advantage and we’d like to be in that position. The top goal is to win the Sun Belt regular season and be the champion.”

The team is focused on the job they have to complete, which is to try and out the rest of the teams remaining games. Surrency believes the team does not have to look over their shoulder as they control their path to the tournament.

“We don’t have to worry about what other teams do and can control what we can in our matches. We want to be playing our best at the end of the season to go into the tournament and put ourselves in the best position to win the tournament on the road.”

The team has been lighting up the scoreboard scoring 39 goals so far.

Surrency knows his team is special on offense, but does not want the discipline of their defense to be

overshadowed.

“The offense has clicked and we’ve been in the top 10 in the NCAA in scoring. That has been because of our depth and teamwork,” Surrency said.

“We’ve had 13 players score a goal and nine make an assist, so it hasn’t just been one or two guys scoring.

That depth has been a key. But don’t forget while it is important to score, it’s also very important to prevent goals. As the players understand the system, they learn to be in better positions to score.”

The Panthers have been successful this season. However, being a young team accounting for 10 true freshmen, players have had to learn on-the-go while gaining experience from their mistakes. The team has only lost three games by just one goal this point in the season.

“With 10 true freshmen and redshirt freshmen, there is a lot to learn and you can really only do that by playing,” Surrency said. ”The next time they face a situation, they should be better at that. But we’ve really made a lot of progress from day one and as we continue to gain these experiences, we will only get better and better.”

Surrency believes the comradery of his team has shown at different glimpses of the season by overcoming injuries.

“Working together as a team is crucial, so overcoming injuries, games missed and becoming familiar with one another is challenging,” Surrency said.

The next match will be Oct. 20 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina at Wake Forest at 7 p.m.

75004 SIGNAL ARCHIVES

The regular season for men’s soccer comes to a close as the team prepares for a conference tournament.

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SPORTS

18

QA

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2015

&

with Natalie Nieto Natalie Nieto off the court

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY GEORGIA STATE ATHLETICS

Natalie Nieto cheers after scoring against the Kennesaw State Owls in a volleyball game.

JARED OLIVER Staff Reporter

N

atalie Nieto is a senior and the leader of the backcourt for the women’s court volleyball team. Known for getting her teammates involved, Nieto leads the team in assist three years in a row.

Nieto competed in every set in 2014, who is only one of two players to ever do so. The Puerto Rican native accumulated 1,038 assists averaging 9.35 per set. In 2014 she tied sixth for most double-doubles with 14.

Going away to college can be difficult especially for kids who are not from the United States. Natalie is from Puerto Rico, which means change was big for her transition.

Q: How she found her interest in volleyball?

A:

I want to say it was around middle school when I was trying different sports and volleyball was the one that I fell in love with.

Q: What was her biggest obstacle moving to Atlanta?

A: The language barrier, defi-

nitely. When I first got here, I knew very basic English. The girls joke all the time and say they thought I was super quiet and shy because I never spoke and that now they need to tell me to shut up!

Q:

What’s some of the things you miss the most about Puerto Rico?

A:The beaches, the weekends on

the boats with my friends, the relaxed atmosphere and the ability of going to the beach or the boat as easy as I can go to the park here.

my hidden talent.

Q: What are the teams favorite pre-game song and why?

Q:

When you graduate have you considered going back to Puerto Rico or to stay here?

A:

I would like to stay in the states for a little longer and probably try different places before I decide to settle down. Also, my family’s still back home and home is always going to be home, so I feel I could go back anytime.

A: We kind of have a whole play-

list, anything that we can dance to.

Q: What’s the coolest thing you did this summer?

A: I took summer school classes,

just kidding, I got to go home twice this summer so that was kind of cool and I also got to go on vacations with my family for a few weekends too.

ally impatient with myself if I don’t get things right quickly or don’t understand.

The team now sits with a 4-14 over-

Q: One thing you’re bad at

all record and a 0-8 in conference re-

A: Being patient with myself. I’m

will host UT Arlington Oct 23 in the

and wish you were better at?

pretty patient with others but I’m re-

cord. Natalie Nieto and the Panthers GSU Sports Arena at 6:00 pm.

Q:

What’s some of your favorite things to do in ATL? Have you seen or met any celebrities here?

A:

Try new restaurants. I think Atlanta is such a great place to learn about different cultures but also try food from all over the world. I would say that’s my hobby. I love to go and try new and different restaurant when I can. I’ve even thought about starting a food blog. I’ve seen some pro athletes around Atlanta but I haven’t met any yet.

Q: Do you have any celebrity crushes?

Q:

A: A couple…..

Which teammate is the best dancer & what is your favorite dance?

A:

I feel like I’m going to get in trouble for this, but definitely it’s tied between Brianna [Jones] and Deidra [Bohannon] after me! I’m just kidding, they win because they can dance to whatever type of music. I love to dance salsa though. That’s like

Apply online at jetprogramusa.org

PANTHER OF THE WEEK

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Sun Belt Standings

The senior quarterback once again stepped up with the team’s back on their walls on Oct. 17 at Ball State. Arbuckle now has the top average for yards-per-pass in the Sun Belt with 8.3 and is also ranked 29th in the country in the category. His second season at Georgia State, Arbuckle was a member of the Sun Belt honor roll for the 201415 academic year and has also been named a semifinalist for The Campbell Trophy, which grants a postgraduate scholarship to a senior or graduate football student-athlete that has displayed academic and athletic excellence.

Hartwick

6-0 | Overall: 12-2-1

3-0 | Overall: 5-1

2-0 | Overall: 6-4-2

Troy

Appalachian State

Georgia State

5-1 | Overall: 12-3

2-0 | Overall: 5-1

2-0 | Overall: 6-4

Little Rock

Arkansas State

Appalachian State

3-1-3 | Overall: 8-5-4

2-0 | Overall: 3-3

1-1 | Overall: 5-4

Georgia Southern

UL Lafayette

Georgia Southern

3-2-1 | Overall: 6-7-2

1-0 | Overall: 2-3

1-1 | Overall: 4-5-1

Appalachian State

South Alabama

NJIT

3-2-1 | Overall: 7-5-3

1-1 | Overall: 3-3

0-2 | Overall: 3-7-3

Georgia State

Georgia State

Howard

2-3-1 | Overall: 8-4-3

1-1 | Overall: 2-4

0-2 | Overall: 0-13-2

7th

UL Lafayette 2-4-1 | Overall: 8-7-2

Idaho 1-2 | Overall: 2-4

n/a

8th

Arkansas State

3rd 4th 5th 6th

9th

RASHAD MILLIGAN | THE SIGNAL

Georgia Southern vs. Appalachian State Cal vs. UCLA

1-5-1 | Overall: 3-12-1 UL Monroe 0-7 | Overall: 6-11-1

SPORTS EDITOR’S PREDICTIONS Louisiana Lafayette vs. Arkansas State

Texas State 0-1 | Overall: 1-4 UL Monroe 0-2 | Overall: 1-5

SPORTS CALENDAR *CONFERENCE GAME

Arkansas State

Appalachian State

UCLA

WOMEN’S SOCCER Friday, Oct. 23 Texas State *

at San Marcos, Texas 8 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 25 Texas A&M vs. Ole Miss

Ole Miss

ALCS Winner:

Royals

NLCS:

MEN’S SOCCER

Georgia Southern

2nd

Nick Arbuckle Football

FOOTBALL

South Alabama

1st

GEORGIA STATE ATHLETICS

19

SPORTS

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2015

Cubs

Appalachian State * at Boone, North Carolina 1 p.m.

MEN’S SOCCER Tuesday, Oct. 20 Wake Forest

at Winston-Salem, N.C. 7 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 24 Hartwick *

at Oneonta, New York 5 p.m.

VOLLEYBALL Friday, Oct. 23 UT Arlington* at GSU Sports Arena 6 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 24

Appalachian State * at GSU Sports Arena 6 p.m.

WOMEN’S TENNIS Friday, Oct. 23 Oct. 25 ITA Fall Regionals at Athens, Georgia TBA

n/a

n/a

THE FINAL SCORE Another One

On Oct. 17, the Cross Country team placed first at the Berry College 6k Invitational. Senior Stephanie Berger once again finished first individually with a 6k personal best of 21:49.00 in a field of 179 runners. Freshman Alicia Bermudez ran a 22:46 first collegiate 6k to finish fourth overall and sophomore Jordan Townsley clocked a personal-best of 22:52.05 to finish fifth overall. Head coach Chris England said although the team is pleased with their season results thus far, the conference championship on Nov. 1 remains the team’s primary focus, according to Georgia State Communications.

Bar Fight

Transfer right-handed pitcher Dillon Swaggerty was held down and beaten by a group of men at Kramer’s Bar in Buckhead the weekend of Oct. 11. As of Oct. 16, Swaggerty was held in intensive care for head trauma.

For the rest of the story, visit georgiastatesignal.com.

Ruiz playing career ends Panther star tight end Joel Ruiz’s senior season has ended due to a knee injury. According to head coach Trent Miles, Ruiz’s latest injury will require surgery. The All-Conference performer was ranked the fifth best senior tight end by ESPN’s respected draft guru Mel Kiper, Jr. before the 2015 season began. Ruiz’s ability has been limited all season due to the injury.

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