The Signal Vol. 85 No. 11

OCT. 31 - NOV. 7, 2017

VOL. 85 | NO. 11

/gsusignal

@gsusignal

COVER DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION BY SALINNA PHON | THE SIGNAL

DOMESTICITY IN ATLANTA

GOING UNNOTICED

THINK PINK

SOCCER TITLE IS IN REACH

The city’s new design competition is seeking solutions to the sustaining affordable housing problem.

Thanks to big advertisers, your social media feed is turning into a living billboard.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month brings dark realities into the light.

The men’s soccer team is eyeing down major success in the future.

NEWS | PAGE 4 WWW.GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

OPINION PAGE 8

News 3

ARTS & LIVING | PAGE 12

OPINION 7

SPORTS | PAGE 18

Arts & Living 9

Sports 15

NEWS

2

GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

BLOTTER OCT. 26

snatched on Peachtree Center Ave.

A Georgia State student reported of having his credit card information stolen and forged. GSUPD is still investigating the case.

OCT. 28

Didn’t spend that money!

Who are you calling?

A student complained to police about someone using a phone in Piedmont North for an ‘annoying purpose.’ The case is still under investigation.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Christina Maxouris signaleditor@gmail.com

Good deal

executive editor (atlanta) Open executive editor (perimeter) Open

A Georgia State student was arrested in Piedmont Central for marijuana possession with an intent to distribute.

Editorial NEWS EDITOR Open

That’s rude!

signalnewseditor@gmail.com

ASSociate NEWS EDITOR Noah Britton

Two students were victims of a verbal confrontation in Piedmont Central around 10:30 p.m. GSUPD is still looking into the case.

signalassociatenews3@gmail.com OPINIONS EDITOR Open signalopinions@gmail.com ARTS & LIVING EDITOR Camille Bolos signalliving@gmail.com ASSociate ARTS & Living EDITOr Sophia Marchese signalassociateliving2@gmail.com SPORTS EDITOR Jerell Rushin signalsport1@gmail.com ASSociate SPORTS EDITOR D’Mitri Chin signalassociatesport1@gmail.com copy editors Alaa Elassar, Sydnie Cobb signalcopyeditor@gmail.com

OCT. 27

He threatened me!

A staff member reported of feeling terrorized in Woodruff park around 3:30 p.m. GSUPD is still investigating.

Not so peachy

A student reported of having his belongings

OCT. 29

Doesn’t look right...

A staff member of the College of Law reported suspicious activity to the university’s police department. The incident is still being investigated.

Production production design editor Khoa Tran signalprod@gmail.com

ILLUSTRATION BY ALEX BROOKS | THE SIGNAL

Associate production design editor Salinna Phon signalprod2@gmail.com

PHOTOGRAPHY photo EDITOr (atlanta) Vanessa Johnson signalphoto1@gmail.com

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

photo EDITOr (perimeter) Open signalphoto2@gmail.com

ASSociate photo editor Open signalphotoatl@gmail.com

Dogs and their owners gather in Woodruff Park for the first annual Woodruff Bark Halloween Dog Parade and Festival Oct. 28.

Digital online EDITOR Danny Varitek

signalmanaging@gmail.com ASSociate Online Editor Open PODCAST EDITORS Caleb P. Smith, Charles Wright

Marketing Marketing MANAGER Open

signalmarketing1@gmail.com promotions associate Open signalpromo1@gmail.com Research Associate Open

THE SIGNAL BUREAUS BUREAU CHIEF (CLARKSTON) Open BUREAU CHIEF (ALPHARETTA) Open BUREAU CHIEF (NEWTON) Open BUREAU CHIEF (DUNWOODY) Open BUREAU CHIEF (DECATUR) Open advertising ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Open

signaladvertisingco@gmail.com STUDENT MEDIA ADVISOR Bryce McNeil bmcneil1@gsu.edu business coordinator Wakesha Henley whenley@gsu.edu STUDENT MEDIA ADVISOr (perimeter) Alice Murray amurray25@gsu.edu

MISSION STATEMENT The Signal shall provide, in a fair and accurate manner, news of interest and significance to the Georgia State University community and serve as a forum for the expression of ideas of members of that community. Furthermore, The Signal shall provide an opportunity for students to pursue experience within a professional newspaper environment. The Signal shall also provide truthful and ethical advertising of interest to the Georgia State University community.

ADVERTISING

PHOTO BY UNIQUE RODRIGUEZ | THE SIGNAL

The deadline for all advertising is 5 p.m. on the Tuesday prior to the desired issue of publication.

Ads must be print-ready and in PDF format; files must be delivered via e-mail at signaladvertisingco@ gmail.com. Please visit our website at www. georgiastatesignal.com/advertising for more information, including rates and payment methods.

COVERAGE REQUESTS

Requests for coverage and tips should be submitted to the Editor in Chief and/or the relevant section editor.

SUBMIT LETTER TO EDITOR

Letters must be submitted to the Opinions Editors via e-mail and must include the text of the letter in the body of the message. Letters should be 200400 words maximum. The Signal will allow longer letters, but only in rare circumstances. Letters must include the full name(s) of the writer(s) and include their year and major. If the writer is a faculty member, they must include their title and department.

Letters will be fact-checked prior to publication. The writer may be obligated to make changes to the letter for publication. Letters will be edited for grammar, clarity, length, factual accuracy and adherence to The Signal’s policy. The Signal reserves the right to modify and/ or reject letters at the discretion of the editorial staff.

DISCLAIMER Opinions and Letters to the Editor expressed in The Signal are the opinions of the writers and readers. It does not reflect the opinions of The Signal.

OFFICE INFORMATION

COVER PHOTO TEASE CREDITS

ARTS & LIVING

SPORTS

ILLUSTRATION BY KHOA TRAN | THE SIGNAL

PHOTO BY JULIAN PINEDA | THE SIGNAL

The Signal Student Center West, Suite 250 P.O. Box 3968 Atlanta, GA 30303 Phone: 404-413-1620 Fax: 404-413-1622 Web: www.georgiastatesignal.com

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2017

DACA lose case against USG THOMAS BRONSTED & CHRISTINA MAXOURIS Staff Reporter & Editor-in-chief

O

n Tuesday, Oct. 24, the Appellate Court of Georgia reversed a lower court’s decision to grant in-state tuition to DACA recipients.

The Deferred Action of Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was created under the 2012 Obama administration and allowed undocumented immigrants who entered the country before the age of 16 to defer deportation, obtain renewable work permits, and receive legal status.

The appellant, representative of the University System of Georgia (USG), C. Dean Alford, is fighting to keep USG’s right to exercise discretion when granting in-state tuition while the Appellee, Rigo Rivera, is demanding that USG recognize noncitizens with ‘legal presence’ as residents of Georgia who, under board policy, are entitled to in-state tuition.

The initial ruling in February 2017 granted the DACA recipient Rivera, among others, summary judgment (the ability to pay in-state tuition) until USG appealed the decision.

But on Tuesday, the Appellate Court ruled that Rivera did not provide sufficient proof that the DACA program is an established and enforceable federal law, and even if it was, it wouldn’t require USG to offer in-state tuition to DACA students.

LEGAL STATUS VS. LEGAL PRESENCE

Appellate Court Judge Clyde L. Reese wrote in the opinion summary, “Even if DACA had the force of law, it did not create a clear legal duty requiring the students to receive in-state tuition.”

But according to Rivera, the DACA policy was given the same federal power by the government.

“DACA was not an enacted law but a policy,” he said. “It went through the right process to be implemented and Congress has already given the executive [branch] the authority to implement such program.”

And while the Board of Regents (BOR) can decide against granting in-state tuition to anyone who is not a resident, U.S citizen, or holder of legal status, Rivera said the government’s process of enacting the policy makes DACA students none of the above.

The Board’s policy manual, under section 4.3.2.3, reads, “A non-citizen student shall not be classified as in-state for tuition purposes unless the student is legally in this state and there is evidence to warrant consideration of in state classification as determined by the Board of regents.”

“Our argument is that the federal government has said that we

What is DACA? Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) was a 2012 program established by the Obama administration, which allowed immigrants entering the country as young children to obtain a 2-year renewable legal status and work permit.

The Republican party has criticized the policy as abuse of Executive power.

have legal presence and that is what the BOR’s policy requires for in-state tuition,” he said.

Therefore, according to Rivera, the BOR is violating their own policy. All USG has to do, he said, is change their policy: “We are only asking the courts to tell the BOR that they are misinterpreting their own policy.”

“If the Supreme Court interprets legal presence correctly, then they are going to order the BOR to follow their policy,” Rivera explained.

THE WINNING ARGUMENTS

In March 2016, a similar case was brought against USG by the Mexican American Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), who sued on grounds that the system should allow DACA students to pay in-state tuition.

The organization lost the case because, as Rivera explained, they sought to accuse USG of a civil rights violation. However, the system is allowed through state legislature to decide who receives in-state tuition based on their legal residency.

But in this case, a violation wasn’t the argument at all, and the courts based the decision on arguments that hadn’t been brought up by either party in this case.

Plaintiff Attorney and immigration lawyer Charles Kuck called the decision bizarre because the grounds the court chose to use weren’t briefed or argued by either party.

“If the Court of Appeals had been truly interested in the issues [they ruled on], one would think it would have asked the lawyers to brief and argue the issue,” he said.

Kuck also said that it is not abnormal to see the state of Georgia rule against a case that could potentially benefit people.

The USG has made no comment yet, but said they plan to publish an official statement about the ruling.

Student and DACA recipient Fernanda Tapia has been in Georgia since she was 3 years old. She is now 19 years old and currently attending Chattahoochee Technical

Institute. She said the decision just doesn’t make sense.

“If you’ve been here your whole life, I don’t understand why you should pay in-state tuition. I’m kind of disgusted by that,” she said on the court decision.

Kuck said the students will be filing an appeal to the Georgia Supreme Court shortly.

Elizabeth Menjivar, Georgia State student, is surrounded by friends under the DACA program and said students are already facing enough challenges.

“Immigration is an emotional issue,” she said. Menjivar explained that while there is a lot of politics regarding the legality of immigrants’ presence, the situation has also created a complicated issue that hits home for many.

But Georgia is a place that many DACA students call home and Menjivar said she doesn’t see why they should pay out-ofstate.

“They’ve been here all their lives, and they’ve lived here all their lives, why can’t they pay in-state?” she said.

how many people?

According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

— Over 787,580 people have been granted DACA status since 2012.

— 39,514 DACA recipients became legal residents.

— 1,056 became U.S. citizens.

PAGE DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION BY SALINNA PHON | THE SIGNAL

NEWS

4

Atlanta’s new program, Domesticity, is a competition looking for new affordable housing designs, the competition site is the Santa Fe Villas.

GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

PHOTO BY HANNAH GRECO | THE SIGNAL

Atlanta’s affordable housing competition City Commissioner says new way of tackling issue is necessary PETER TILLY Staff Reporter

A

tlanta’s department of City Planning is looking to new solutions to solve the city’s affordable housing crisis. On Aug. 30, the department announced Domesticity.

Domesticity will be a design competition open to the public, searching for innovative designs to fund and build new affordable housing units at Santa Fe Villas. Tim Keane, the Department of City Planning Commissioner, described the project as one that will utilize the public’s interest in creating affordable housing. “[The project] is the city taking responsibility for taking the community’s interest in building low-income housing on a much larger scale in Atlanta. We [The department of City Planning] engage the private sector to evaluate the most creative ways we as a community can find to design and finance low-income housing free of the conventional models that currently exist,” Keane said.

A LOOK TO THE PUBLIC FOR ANSWERS

The project hopes to solve some of the issues that Keane has found with development companies.

“The reason we started with the design competition, Domesticity, is because even developers that work in the low-income world, they all have formulas,” Keane said. “The problem is, we can’t just rely on those formulas anymore. What those formulas produce, is the same housing over and over again. So in Atlanta, we tend to have a very few number of housing types.”

The competition has a few rules and will conclude with 15 winners, five of which will have cash prizes totaling in over $150,000. The top prize is $50,000, $30,000 of which will be dedicated to further developing the project. Four other winners will receive a runner-up prize of $20,000 and one of these five winners will receive the “Architectural Innovation Reward” which will add an additional $20,000 to their reward.

projects are cases of “not-in-my-backyard-ism” which Keane described as community support, regulatory hurdles and design.

“The cost of building housing is going up. So you couple that with the fact that there is less public money available today to support affordable housing, especially low-income housing, that combination of the cost of building housing going up, but the funding for housing going down is an incredibly frustrating environment to be in,” Keane said. “There are secondary issues.

I think regulatory hurdles are an issue; community support could be an issue and design.”

Some of the goals in the Domesticity project are directly suited to fix those issues. Keane said he hopes that creative, new and out-of-the-box designs will be found throughout this project and that it will help rally up community support for the inclusion of new affordable housing.

He also hopes that in the future, Atlanta will be able to become an income-diverse city.

“The goal is a great diversity of income within every community in Atlanta. Obviously, we don’t have that today, but it is an outcome we are seeking,” he said.

IN A DIRE TIME FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING

According to a report from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, attempts to increase the available affordable housing in Atlanta have led to many broken promises from the City of Atlanta.

The report highlights the lack of sustainable affordable housing in Atlanta, focusing specifically on the promises that the Atlanta BeltLine made, and failed, to deliver on.The Atlanta BeltLine project was originally planning to build over 5,600 affordable houses and apartments by 2030, a plan so important that the Atlanta City Council put it into law. But as of now, the Atlanta BeltLine has only found the funds for 785 affordable

housing units, 200 of which are still being built.

Paul Morris, the ex-Atlanta Beltline CEO, was replaced on Aug. 23, immediately after the Atlanta BeltLine Board met to discuss his possible departure. He was quickly replaced

by Brian McGowan, the former head of Invest Atlanta, who promises to focus more on Affordable Housing, seeing it as a solution to Atlanta’s biggest issues.

“I see the BeltLine as an opportunity to address issues like economic inequality and economic mobility. Those I believe are Atlanta’s biggest problems. They are problems in almost every major city in America.The difference is that other cities don’t have an opportunity like the BeltLine. It can be a catalyst to address income inequality in the city,” said McGowan to the Saporta Report

A VARIETY OF SOLUTIONS

In addition to the competition, Atlanta continues to look at more traditional methods of affordable housing development.

Invest Atlanta, the economic development authority for the City of Atlanta, is planning five projects that would create over 493 units of affordable housing over the next four years.

“For Atlanta to remain a place everyone can call home, we must continue to prioritize affordability and mobility. I am proud that the Invest Atlanta board was able to support the creation of more than 490 units of affordable housing for working families,” Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said in an Invest Atlanta press release. “I believe it is essential for every public agency in Atlanta to prioritize affordability, and I look forward to continuing to work with the development community to ensure more of our residents have access to affordable, highquality housing.”

Georgia State Professor Daniel Immergluck was contacted for this story but was unavailable to comment.

WHY NOW?

Keane explained the competition comes as the city faces severe cuts from the U.S. Housing and Urban Development funds, while the cost of housing continues to go up in Atlanta.

Some of the secondary roadblocks for affordable housing

According to U.S. Department of Labor

NEWS

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2017

5

Combating Georgia’s increased tuition

Need-based financiall aid programs sponsored by university

LAST WEEK LOCAL

DIAMOND JONES

Man charged with trafficking cocaine

Staff Reporter

The Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office Surge Team seized 38 packages of cocaine while conducting a traffic stop on I-20 between West Avenue and Sigman Road. The total value of the 97.96 lbs is estimated to be around $2 million.

According to WSB, authorities have arrested a man named Victor Gomez-Perez, and charged him with trafficking cocaine. Perez is now in Rockdale County Jail awaiting trial.

W

ith the 2018-19 FAFSA application opening at the beginning of this month, most students are set to apply, but others are dealing with the issue of covering what their last aid awards didn’t.

Georgia is one of the only two states that does not offer need-based aid programs weighted toward financial aid, according to the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, meaning students having the access to additional finances to accommodate their award.

“The big approach, is for the state to create a need-based program toward financial aid,” policy analyst Jennifer Lee said. “The challenge, is to just figure out how the state can fund that in a way that’s sustainable.”

Lee ran a report last month, which stated how the consequences of decreased state funding has weakened scholarships, and skyrocketed tuition costs for students and families in Georgia over the last decade.

State lawmakers cut higher education budgets during the recession starting in 2007, resulting in institutions raising the tuition and fees to balance the recent decrease.

Per-student state funding fell 36 percent for university programs and 45 percent for technical colleges from 2008 to 2012. For students with the lowest-income families of $30,000 or less tuition increased by $2,249, or 23 percent, between 2009 and 2015.

When asked why he thought students of low income families were hit the hardest, Joe Smith, Associate Vice President of Student Financial services said students at all economic levels face difficulties with tuition.

“During and after the period of budget cuts you see a very steep increase in tuition or fees at Georgia public colleges,” said Lee. “That’s one of the biggest changes in the last 10 years.”

Lee said her data has proven Georgia students often want attend college but are unable to because of the rise of tuition. She said because of this, some states such as Oregon, New York and California have introduced free college methods.

For example, in Tennessee, students who entered technical schools, are granted free tuition and fees

NATIONAL Apple fires employee over iPhone X video Georgia State students with low-income work on developing financial plans for their academic school year.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JULIEANN TRAN | THE SIGNAL

under the Promise Program, a last-dollar scholarship which covers the costs of what other financial resources couldn’t.

Georgia state itself carries some resources to help students combat the rising tuition rates, such as the Panther Work Program, granting students campus and community employment which goes toward their tuition, and Panther Retention Program, a grant starting at $300, given to students on a track to graduation, with an outstanding balance to prevent dropping out.

Associate Vice President of Student Financial Services James Blackburn said unfortunately, the students who face the largest struggles are those that are applying for FAFSA late, or not completing the form at all.

And even though some students may not receive

a grant or scholarship, most of them are eligible for loan aid.

“For some students, it’s the first time they are experiencing these challenges,” Blackburn said. “Too often, students experience difficulties and do not seek out support from our academic advising and other support functions. The best advice we can give is to seek out assistance whenever you experience these challenges.”

Blackburn said many students lose financial aid because they fall below the full-time status. However, if student is enrolled in 12 hours or more, they are able to maximize the financial aid available to them.

Federal financial aid programs, as well as other state and sponsored programs also require a minimum GPA to maintain eligibility.

Search for new housing spaces, parking SGA gears up for finals period with a new ‘relaxing’ initiative KIRSTEN WINSTON Staff Reporter

T

he Georgia State Student Government Association (SGA) has been charging up for the final weeks of the semester with a basketful of initiatives for the Atlanta student body.

Back in the beginning of the semester, Sen. Luis Aleman brought forth an initiative which would allow Georgia State students to get a discounted price for parking. On Aleman’s behalf, Sen. Jessica Siemer briefed the senators on their progress, saying that for parking and privately owned parkings lots SGA was looking into renting or subsidizing them, but owners over the parking lots weren’t interested due to them attaining enough business.

“Those lots fill up regardless, so they’re not really willing to give us a discount because they know someone else will just park their and pay full price,” Sen. Siemer said.

Sen. Siemer continued to explain that, although most privately owned parking lots are not interested in renting or subsidizing the parking lot next to the Rialto, they are still willing to meet with the SGA senators and discuss parking.

SGA is also working on ways to re-route the Panther Ambassador shuttles to better accommodate students’ needs for late-night transportation. The golf carts that ambassadors drive do not stop at convenient places according to Sen. Siemer.

That’s why senators are working on re-mapping the routes based on feedback from graduates and undergraduates.

Another transportation initiative SGA is working on is setting up a biweekly shuttle that will take students to the grocery store every Saturday that include set arrival and departure times much like it has been done in past semesters.

Sen. Seimer is busy with also working on a “review, revise, and recharge” room in the Student Center during finals week. This is where students

will be able to come in during finals week and relax, study, and ease the tension.

Sen. Franklin Patterson introduced a similar center for smoking students. Sen. Patterson has plans to create a smoking center for Georgia State smokers. His second initiative includes getting a printer installed in every building.

“I inquired in putting a printer in each and every building, and they are willing to work with me on that, but they do need feedback and surveys,” Patterson said.

Due to the housing crisis at the beginning of the semester, Sen. Nashbi Grand-Jean is looking for information, statistics, and data to use in order to promote building new dormitories. “[The] good thing that came from the overflow this year is that kind of data,” Grand-Jean said. “[There are]‘X’ amount of students who want to come, and [there is]not enough of housing to fill those beds. There are a few spaces housing is looking in owning and building upon.”

An apple engineer was fired after his daughter released footage while using the iPhone X, before the phone’s official launch. The video was taken on Apple’s campus and uploaded to YouTube, gathering shares from by news outlets and blogs.

The woman said her father was fired after violating Apple’s strict policy which prohbits employees from filming on campus.

According to BBC, the daughter of the fired employee broke the news through a follow-up video which explained why she had taken the original one down, and why the company fired her father.

GLOBAL Kurdish independence referendum backfires

Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani anounced he will step down as president after the indepence referendum backfired for Kurdish officials across Iraq. Since the movement, Baghad has carried out multiple attacks on Kurdish territory, and Kurds have endured a onethird loss of Iraqi land, which hosted a significant amount of their oil exports routing to Turkey and Syria. According to The Guardian, the president’s position will be vacant starting Nov. 1 and parliament will redistribute the leader’s duties.

NEWS

6

GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

Georgia State cheerleaders cheer on a crowd of adoring fans and stand proudly to keep Georgia State’s sponsors.

PHOTO BY KAREN O’DONNELL | THE SIGNAL

Georgia State teams on ‘Taking a Knee’

Athletes, cheerleaders say they’d expect support from Georgia State COURTNEY JACKSON Staff Reporter

F

our of the “Kennesaw Five” cheerleaders took a knee during a Sept. 30 home game, and kneeled again during their Homecoming game on Oct. 21 during the National Anthem. Across the state, Georgia State cheerleaders said they would never take a knee because they feel as if there are other ways to protest.

After the cheerleaders’ motions of protest, Kennesaw State University (KSU) changed its anthem procedures to keep the cheerleaders inside the tunnel during that time.

KSU officials said that telling the cheerleaders to stay in the tunnel during the national anthem was “part of an effort to give the 45 cheerleaders and band a better introduction when entering the field.”

“I don’t, not for one second.” KSU cheerleader Michaelyn Wright, said when asked by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution if she believed the explanation the university gave. A later AJC article revealed that Cobb County Sheriff Neil Warren and State Rep. Earl Ehrhart had been texting KSU President Sam Olens about the cheerleaders staying off the field.

NO PRESSURE

But despite the nationwide mayhem that sparked with the

‘Take a Knee’ movement, athletes back at Georgia state say they don’t feel pressured to protest.

“I do, but I don’t feel pressured to take part in the ‘Take a Knee’ protest. I do because of course I am a black female and I do recognize the racial injustices that [are] going on in the world,” Cheerleader Brittney Hammond said.

Hammond added that while athletes have chosen this movement to raise awareness, she thinks there are better ways to do so.

“Of course I’m not saying this is a bad way, but I don’t necessarily feel pressured to take a knee just because I know I can help in some other way,” she said.

Hammond said she’s found herself in a conflicted position before, but was kept on track by coaches and the department who reminded the teams about the importance of ‘who’s watching.’

“I know last year when the presidential election happened some of the cheerleaders were talking about not putting our hands over our hearts, and keep them down by our sides, but of course it was reiterated to us like you have to think who’s going to be in your audience and who’s going to see that,” Hammond said.

But officials and the audience don’t scare Georgia State football player Tykirius Arnold, who said he would take a knee on the field to stand for police brutality and injustice.

“I wouldn’t be afraid of what school officials might do. I think the coaches would have our backs enough where we wouldn’t face any consequences. They tell us that they support us,” he said.

“I wouldn’t be worried about the audience, but I would be more

worried about the negative feedback from the audience.”

But Arnold said he hasn’t had a chance to do so, as the football team is not on the field during the National Anthem.

Ashtyn Maddox, Georgia State’s cheer team captain, said she feels backed by the university and that their coach, who has brought up the KSU controversy, supports their beliefs and decisions.

“He told us that he supports us and whatever we believe in, but he’s just really concerned for our safety as cheerleaders,” she said.

Maddox said that despite the lack of support from KSU officials, she would be interested to see her own university’s reaction, coming with such a diverse student body.

“The main support I would want from Georgia State is first of all safety,” she said. “Second, we’re more diverse than Kennesaw and I don’t even know how they’d respond to that because now we have more minorities. So to be honest I don’t even know what they could do or would do.”

Hammond, Arnold, and Maddox all feel that if they did choose to take a knee and got punished for it, that would be oppression.

“Because you’re basically telling people, ‘hey, shut up’. But really people are taking a knee because it started with the Black Lives Matter Movement, and what that whole thing is about is making sure black people and minorities have the same basic rights and they are treated fairly,” Maddox said. “If I can’t say this or stand for this without you getting offended, then how am I going to state my opinion?”

SCAN HERE TO JOIN US! Interested in design, photography or video?

Apply at georgiastatesignal.com

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2017

Is Georgia State growing too fast?

The university must fix major issues before beginning new ventures

Students and staff walk through a crowded Langdale Hall on a daily basis on their way to classes.

A 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.

Tweet PETER! @pgtilly

fter Georgia State merged with Perimeter College in 2016, it took on challenges it has never faced before. The university had to facilitate the merger of 21,000 new students, each university’s departments, new campuses, athletics and degree programs and more. All the while, Georgia State began renovating the newly acquired ‘Pete’ Petit Stadium, growing a relatively new football program, planning how to develop the 55 acres of parking lots surrounding the stadium, continuing to expand the Atlanta campus throughout downtown and, oh yeah, running the largest university in the state of Georgia. There’s a lot of new things for Georgia State to manage, suggesting it will reach new heights of excellence in the coming years. Yet, it makes you wonder, are we biting off more than we can chew?

IT’S THE SMALL THINGS

As Georgia State continues its massive growth, it’s becoming evident that the university’s eyes are much bigger than its stomach. As students, we are constantly interrupted throughout the day by persistent issues that continue to plague the student body.

Students living on campus are still able to go through their morning schedules and get to the bus stop for class without too many issues. But the annoyances that do occur are glaringly obvious.

In many of the dorms, students will all too often find themselves stuck in an elevator that has randomly stopped between floors. If they are able to avoid an annoying morning of being stuck in the elevator, they may get to the bus just in time to see the electronic sign showing that the bus is only one minute away. However, it is no secret that the busses will often run horribly off schedule, leaving students waiting outside for 15 minutes or longer as they wager the choice of continuing to wait for the bus, or giving up and walking to class. Even if the buses are running on

schedule, they’ll often be running so infrequently that heavily used buses will be packed to the brim with students. The green bus, for example, is often packed like a can of sardines. The amount of students on the bus often go way over the legally required max capacity which forces them to stand outside of the federally designated standing area.

The transportation issue doesn’t just affect students living on campus. Students who park in the blue lot face the same troubles as they take the bus to and from campus.

AND THE BIG ONES

While many of these issues are inconveniences, it’s important to notice that nothing major is left behind while the university is focusing on their long term goals, right? We still have great amenities like an efficient and effective financial aid help center, enough housing for every student who paid for a bed to get one, a simple and easy way to navigate the student portal, and secure dorms that never don’t allow any unknown people allowed in.

As any Georgia State student could tell you, the list above looks more like the average student’s Georgia State wish list than any reality of how things really are here.

The financial aid center is a bureaucratic nightmare. Freshmen, unaware of the futility of calling the office, may call the financial aid department looking to quickly resolve their issue and immediately be put on hold for an hour or more before finding someone to speak with. It is very likely that whoever answered your call will have to tell you that the simplest of issues can’t be fixed over the phone and that you must come into the office in order to resolve your problem. The in-person meeting with financial aid will result in having many new forms to fill out before you start the process all over again before the issue can be resolved.

Georgia State housing made the news this year

PHOTO BY JULIEANN TRAN | THE SIGNAL

for overbooking over 500 students in dorms that they didn’t have, causing them to force students into rooms with barely enough space to fit the two people that were in there before.

And as for the student portal, PAWS is notoriously convoluted with links that lead nowhere and instructions that are about as self explanatory as a high-tech Japanese toilet.

While to some these problems may seem trivial or avoidable, it’s important that the largest university in the state of Georgia, a university aiming to be a leader in higher education, remembers to focus on its students’ quality of life, as well as the institution’s larger goals. We all pay a fair amount of money to attend this school, so why should we expect student issues to be swept under the rug?

FINDING A BALANCE

As Georgia State zooms into the future, racing to be a national leader in higher education, it is vital for it to stop from time to time to do some engine maintenance and make sure that all of its parts are in order. If it fails to do necessary checkups, students are likely to transfer to other schools or not come here in the first place after repeatedly hearing of these horror stories.

The changes Georgia State has gone through so far have themselves been a boon to most students.

The Perimeter College merge gave students all around metro Atlanta access to new campuses and Georgia State’s academic prowess. The acquisition of ‘Pete’ Petit Field and its surrounding land gives Georgia State new romping grounds to grow and expand its reach to new areas of downtown.

Our football team is proving itself to be a fairly strong force in the Sun-Belt conference, giving the campus a new sense of Panther Pride. But it is important for Georgia State leaders to focus on its students well-being just as much, and maybe take a look back to make sure it hasn’t caused too many growing pains.

EDITORIAL

8

GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

editorial

Creators lose in Facebook’s new ad policy Ads on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter will change social media forever

B

ig brands are running social media. In 2017, it’s hard to imagine an ad-free experience on Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube. Facebook had humble beginnings, starting off as a Harvard-exclusive social network reminiscent of ‘Hot or Not’. 2004-era Facebook ads were sparse and unobtrusive — the most you would see is a single sidebar ad for a “Jewish Summer Adventure.” Today, paid advertisements are what drive Facebook’s, and every other social media site’s, core business model and it’s starting to get out of hand.

Recently, Facebook users around the world have reported seeing a new option in their menu — the “Explore Feed.” According to users, the Explore Feed is where all of the organic brand content gets lumped into. That means regular company posts — like those The Signal makes — get shoved into a separate, hidden feed, and paid posts (like those from Coca-Cola or McDonald’s, for example) and friends’ posts remain in your regular feed.

This is problematic for the little guys like us, because our content suddenly becomes harder to find, and your feed suddenly becomes flooded with paid promotions. This is a move catered directly to big-name businesses.

Facebook is telling the world that unless you can afford to promote your content, it simply won’t get seen as much.

This issue isn’t exclusive to Facebook either. Other social media networks are finding it hard to juggle the balance between pleasing their advertisers and pleasing their users. YouTube has come under fire recently for their so-called “adpocalypse,” where advertisers are pressuring YouTube to remove

their commercials from “controversial” videos. When money talks, YouTube listens. Reports show this enforcement is inconsistent and unfair. While some genuinely controversial videos, like those that promote terrorism and pander to neo-Nazis, remain monetized, other influential creators like Casey Neistat and PewDiePie are seeing their revenue streams cut short.

What these networks forget is that organic, user-generated content is what grew their popularity in the first place. Start to shift the dynamic towards advertisers and big money, and you lose the initial appeal of every social network. Advertising on its own is necessary in today’s world -- free services like social media need a way to make money, after all. The problem is becoming the heavy influence advertisers have over networks, which is shutting the door on smaller business and content creators.

Unless our social networks turn themselves around and put the user first, this might just be the end of great content. First, we saw it happen in newspapers — now the advertisers are taking their influence right into the palms of our hands. This money move — excuse me, business move — made

by Facebook and YouTube looks to be the death of creators in the world of social networking. You might just notice a drop in content from your favorite YouTuber because they can’t afford to create as much. Likewise, you might see fewer and fewer The Signal posts on Facebook because we don’t pay for ads. Instead, your feed will turn into one that mirrors a prime time television broadcast.

What is the best investment you can make?

With

ASIC

Presents Financial Literacy

Wednesday, November 1st 6:30 – 8:00 PM

Location : Student Center West Room 464 Can’t make it? Check out our videos and articles: Follow ASFIP Foundation on

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2017

A haunted hell in the ATL: Spooky spots around the city AUTUMN BOEKELOO Staff Reporter

H

otels, theatres and parks throughout the city hold the darkest secrets of Atlanta’s past. Spirits continue to wander around attempting to escape the endless afterlife, but some never make it out and are left to haunt the living of Georgia.

1

ELLIS HOTEL

176 Peachtree St NW, Atlanta, GA 30303 Ellis Hotel, originally named the Winecoff Hotel, while rated as the No. 2 hotel in Atlanta by Conde Nast Traveler, has a dark history following a deadly fire in 1946. The fire was so horrific and damaging that it has remained one of the worst hotel fires in U.S. history to this day.

On a typical December night, the hotel randomly burst into flames, burning children, women, men and alive. While firefighters attempted to dilute the flames on each floor, saving every guest was impossible due to a lack of safety tools in the hotel at the time, so 113 guests died a violent death that night.

It took a total of six hours to finally destroy the fire, leaving a mere shell of what is today known as the Ellis Hotel.

To contemporary guests’ dismay, the spirits of the dead left behind in the tragedy did not escape the hotel entirely.

Guests have reported people screaming hopelessly through the hallways at night, yet when they check outside their door, no one is to be found. From the outside of the building, there have been sightings of shadowy figures resembling tragedy victims that are anxiously trying to escape from the windows.

The unrested spirits wander through the hotel nightly, sometimes even setting off the fire alarm in the reconstructed hotel around 3 A.M., the exact time the catastrophic fire broke out in 1946. Not convinced the hauntings are true? Spend the night at the haunted hotel to see for yourself.

2

OAKLAND CEMETERY

248 Oakland Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30312 Oakland Cemetery, located only five minutes from the Georgia State Downtown campus, is home to countless confederate soldiers, famous Atlanta natives and freed slaves.

The cemetery is known as one of the most haunted locations in Georgia because of its lingering angered spirits and unexplainable ghost sightings.

While many do rest at peace in this Victorian style cemetery, enraged spirits continue to walk the grounds of the city, attempting to escape their endless, torturous afterlife.

Unidentified Confederate soldiers compose the majority of the dead at the cemetery. Their individual stories are unexplained, but each have a form of unfinished business on Earth that makes them hungry to feed off the energy of the living.

Visitors of the cemetery have reported hearing a Confederate roll call and responses from the soldiers. A man walking through the Confederate section of the cemetery during a tour even claimed to others that he heard his name called on the roll call list, sending shivers down the other tourists’ spines.

The Victorian figurines resting throughout the cemetery seem to blankly stare at visitors, making the living feel as if they are being watched.

During a tornado that hit Atlanta in 2008, a statue

commemorating Judgement Day was blown to the ground and was said to unleash the wrathful spirits that before laid unbothered. Beware when attending a ghost tour or taking an afternoon stroll through the cemetery. According to the number of ghostly sightings in the cemetery, the spirits are not afraid of being seen or heard.

3

FOX THEATRE

660 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, GA 30308 The fabulous Fox Theatre? More like the freakish Fox Theatre. The venue, constructed in 1928, is not widely known in Atlanta for being “haunted.” However, sightings of orbs—circular ghosts with the spirit of a dead person inside— throughout the theatre have left music goers and theatrical enthusiasts alike thinking otherwise.

Georgia is a powerhouse for Civil War history, so it is no surprise that the Fox Theatre was once a Confederate ammunition cache. There is no guarantee on who the hauntings are coming from, whether it be deceased Confederate soldiers or the spirit of “The Phantom of the Fox,” a caretaker at the theatre for 35 years who died only a year ago.

However, it is certain that by day, this venue is the ideal space for an afternoon play. Unfortunately, by night when the curtains close, the spirits come out to make their own entertainment, haunting any visitors and cast members who dare stay in their theatre past dark.

4

BEVERLY HILLS INN

5

THE NEW AMERICAN SHAKESPEARE TAVERN

65 Sheridan Dr NE, Atlanta, GA 30305 The Beverly Hills Inn—located on the outskirts of Atlanta at Historic Garden Hills in Buckhead—is crawling with infuriated widowed spirits unable to meet their husbands in the afterlife.

Since it was built in 1929, the building has been the sight of a romantic Bed and Breakfast, and today, it is a private apartment complex. Throughout the years and a variety of different businesses, it is rumored that three of the widowed women still linger around the third floor nightly. Pictures taken in the rooms have unexplainable orbs floating in the background and smoky silent figures have appeared to visitors.

The hosts of popular Atlanta radio show, “The Bert Show,” even attempted to stay an entire night at the inn, but failed due to the unwanted presence each of them experienced. Bert even reported feeling someone staring at him as he tried to sleep.

499 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, GA 30308 The New American Shakespeare Tavern, built in 1984, may not be as longstanding as its other haunted neighbors around Atlanta, but the ghostly curse still affects this location. Oddly, even though the tavern was built in the early 80s, the living have sighted figures dressed in period clothing.

The tavern has an Elizabethan era ambiance, so it is possible the period-dressed ghosts mistake the location for the time period they lived in. An angered ghostly woman wearing this attire has been known to move stage props, and has even disarranged the stage set up so it collapses during performances.

A popular superstition for thespians says if the word “Macbeth” is said before a play, turmoil will erupt on stage. Maybe there is someone intentionally saying the word before every performance.

Or possibly, spirits really do haunt the tavern. It’s up to brave attendees to decide—if you can stomach the truth.

SO WHAT IS THE TRUTH?

Depending upon your stance on superstitions and the afterlife, you can decide whether or not these spooky locations are truly haunted or just a fad to bring in more customers. However, I wouldn’t recommend bringing a Ouija board or tarot cards to one of these establishments. Once you open a door for Atlanta’s immortal to enter, all of the hell bound spirits will unleash and a single irreversible mistake will haunt your life forever.

1

PHOTOS BY VANESSA JOHNSON AND JULIAN PINEDA | THE SIGNAL Some of Atlanta’s most popular venues, like the Fox Theatre and New American Shakespeare Tavern, claim you may have a run-in with the paranormal when visiting.

2

3

4

5

The Atlanta History Center celebrated Dia de Los Muertos or “Day of the Dead” Oct. 29 with authentic Mexican food, altars honoring the dead, and various entertainment like the costume contest.

PHOTOS BY VANESSA JOHNSON AND JULIAN PINEDA | THE SIGNAL

all Hallow’s J Eve traditions around the world -----

VICTOR SLEDGE Staff Reporter

ack-o-lanterns, candy and scary movie marathons. These are just the basics of what Halloween looks like in America. As you step out this Halloween in your best Pennywise the Clown costume, different cultures may be preparing for long awaited reunions with their ancestors.

There are many “days of the dead” celebrated around the world that are a bit more sacred to other cultures than our haunted houses and killer makeup transformations. During our Hallow’s Eve, spirits from around the globe come up for a breath of fresh air and family celebration.

Eternal rest gets a wake up call for family reunions and days of the dead

WHERE: China WHO: Buddhists and Taoists WHEN: 15th Day of the 7th Lunar Month (Sept. 5, 2017) The Hungry Ghost Festival is just one of many festivals China (and other countries in Asia) have to remember their ancestors. It’s a part of an entire Ghost Month, where it is believed spirits come out of the gates of Hell to travel our world to either reunite with family, or attack the living. To avoid attacks from bad spirits, there are certain things people will avoid during this month. These include things like swimming, being alone at night or moving into new houses.

On day 15 of the visit, the family will try to give up offerings such as food to the spirits after what they believe is a long, tiring journey to crossover into our world. They also place photographs and ancestral tablets on a table and surround them with incenses. The ceremony of food and incenses is to avoid any punishment from their ancestors. Some people kneel in front of the ancestral tablets as they recount their behaviors to the ancestors for judgement. People also burn fake money, food and clothes, so that the ancestors will be able to use them in Hell. On the last day, when the gates of Hell close again, the families will light paper lanterns on a river to help guide their ancestors back after their visit.

WHERE: Ireland WHO: Celts WHEN: Oct. 31-Nov. 1 The origin of Halloween traces back to the Celtic Samhain Festival. Samhain was believed to split the year into the darker half and the lighter half. It was essentially a Celtic New Year.

With the new year came the idea of starting fresh, much like other cultures’ ideas about the start of another year. The Celts would have a bonfire amongst their community to symbolize this new start. However, the bonfire also had a deeper meaning to it.

Samhain was also the day when the gate between Earth and the “Otherworld,” where spirits dwelled, was the least secure. The dead were able to crossover into our world for the duration of Samhain. So, the bonfire was also used to burn off evil spirits. At the bonfire, people would wear masks to confuse the spirits on who was living and who was not, so that the angry spirits would not seek revenge for any grudge they had while living.

On a lighter note, the modern tradition includes Colcannon, a traditional meal eaten on Halloween that some families leave out for the spirits to eat, as well as a sweet bread called Barmbrack, which has special prizes such as rings and coins in it that symbolize different fortunes like prosperity or romance for the coming year. Before the Irish immigrated to the United States and found its native pumpkins, they carved turnips with creepy faces in tribute to the folklore story of “Jack of the Lantern.”

WHERE: Madagascar WHO: The Malagasy WHEN: Dry winter months

The Malagasy people of Madagascar get up close and personal with their ancestors to celebrate their lives. Every five to seven years, families go to their ancestors’ crypts during Famidihana, or “The Turning of the Bones,” so that they can be as close to them as possible (quite literally) during the celebration.

The families open the crypts and take out the remains of their ancestors to rewrap them in lavish silk. Some families will even spray the remains with perfume or wine. They believe that until the body is completely decomposed, their soul is still of this world. The dead are actually believed to be mediums between God and the living family while the body remains.

This day is seen as a time to express love for the ancestors of the family. The parents tell their children stories of the departed loved ones as they handle their remains; and music is played while extended families all dance with their ancestors’ bodies. It is an extravagant event with feasts and special new garments for the ancestors and the living.

WHERE: Mexico WHO: Hispanics and Central/South Americans WHEN: Oct. 31-Nov.2

Dia de los Muertos—translated as Day of the Dead—is a Mexican tradition that has been very popularized in the United States. In our southern bordering country, Dia de los Muertos is a very rich and valued tradition. It is a colorful, joyful time of remembrance and reverence of the departed. The pre-Hispanic cultures that evolved into the Mexican culture we think of today believed that death was just a natural phase of life that shouldn’t be mired down with sorrow and gloom.

This time is filled with decorated altars called ofrenda that welcome spirits back into the world with offerings such as food for their travels and nostalgic family pictures. People dawn bright, intricately cut tissue paper called papel picado (pierced paper) that flows in the wind to represent the vibrant, fragile life we all live.

There is also the image of Calavera Catrina, the skull with deathly make-up and dressed in grand traditional accessories, which has become maybe the most common symbol for the celebration. People today dress up as Catrina as the festivities roar into the streets of their towns. Traditional foods like Pan de Muertos (bread of the dead) and sugar skulls are common during this time as well. Many families will even leave their loved one’s favorite meal at their altar for them to enjoy after the journey back into our world. Families often use this time to clean and decorate their ancestors’ graves so that even their resting place looks as festive and loved as the rest of the holiday.

WHERE: Nigeria WHO: Northern Igbo Tribe WHEN: Every two years, beginning between September and November and ending by April

The Awuru Odo Festival is held by the Northern Igbo Tribe of Nigeria. Odo is used to refer to the dead ancestors who come back to visit their family. This tradition has a different time frame, where the spirits can arrive anytime in the late summer or early fall, and stay for up to six months, usually leaving by April.

The people who celebrate this tradition believe that the dead are never completely gone, which is why they continue to honor them and make them a part of their community. They believe that their dead ancestors play a vital role in whether or not the tribe thrives. The ancestors ward off evil spirits and foresee the future in the afterlife, but they will eventually be reincarnated back into the family.

Members of the tribe’s death cult will dress up in masks made of bamboo and cloth to represent the odo. They are ushered back into the villages where they are an active part of their family and the community’s festivities. A major part of the festival is a dramatic show with all of the odo characters. The characters are easy to identify, as they use specific mannerisms that give hints to the audience of which ancestors they are depicting. The odo are also ranked in a hierarchy the same way they were while alive. Similar to the good and bad forces that influence the living, the presentation includes representative good and evil odo that interact throughout the show.

After the show, the odo go back into the hills, where the ancestors live for the next two years. It is always an emotional time since the families will not get to see them again for another two years, unlike some of the more frequent traditions.

SACRED SIGNIFICANCE

While horror movies and creepy stories associate Halloween with ghosts and ghouls roaming the Earth for a night, these cultures hold this season as a joyous time of honoring and remembering their families’ ancestors.

For example, while we see fire as a destructive force during this season, many of these cultures see it as a way to start anew and burn off evil. It’s also involved in the beautiful imagery of paper lanterns guiding spirits down a river, back to their home.

The cultures also esteem their ancestors as assets to the family. Protecting against evil energy, seeing the future and communicating between God and the living. They were seen as sacred and supernatural familial help that continues to protect them even from the grave.

There are common threads that run through the traditions, showing how similar they all treat the idea of death in general. In most of these cultures, death is treated as something to celebrate. As opposed to our dismal concept of what it means to lose a family member, these traditions welcome back the deceased with open arms and embrace death as an accepted cycle of life.

This Halloween, as that chill shivers up your spine with the feeling of being watched, that eerie presence may simply be the spirit of a loved one there to help.

Or, that may be exactly what the spirit wants you to think.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY KAREN KOSASI | THE SIGNAL

ARTS & LIVING

12

GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

The scary truth about breast cancer SOPHIA MARCHESE

Associate Arts and Living Editor

O

ctober is more than a month of menacing Halloween terror. It’s also 31 days dedicated to bringing awareness to the horrors of breast cancer, a frightful disease that wreaks havoc in the lives of many.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month has been an annual international campaign for more than 30 years. Pink ribbons pinned here and there symbolize strides taken to improve breast cancer statistics, support research and promote routine health screenings.

Currently, the American Cancer Society reports that

Frightening facts

Breast cancer is a lot more terrifying than a trick or a treat.

The life-threatening disease occurs when abnormal cells form in breast tissue.

Since cells are the basic building blocks of our delicate human anatomies, it is endlessly important that they function properly.

“Sometimes the process of cell growth goes wrong and new cells form when the body doesn’t need them and old or damaged cells do not die as they should,” says the National Breast Cancer Foundation. “When this occurs, a buildup of cells often forms a mass of tissue called a lump, growth or tumor.”

A diagnosis can hit like a punch in the gut—gasping for air as you try to digest the words, “You have cancer.” One second you’re living life as normal and the next your entire life has changed indefinitely. A series of doctor visits, surgeries, chemotherapy sessions, radiation—all sudden possibilities.

As soon as you finally catch a breath, you not only have to decide what your next step is, but whether or not you’re about to wake up from a horrible nightmare. Who will you tell? Who can you trust?

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death in women, and every two minutes a woman faces this dark sting of reality.

But that’s just in the United States. Around the world, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every 29 seconds.

To each her own

A couple of years ago, I became a personal cook for a woman diagnosed with breast cancer a few months prior. She entrusted me to cook healthy meals for her and her family as she went through treatment.

While this was the first time I had ever come in contact with cancer, I quickly adapted to educating myself in food preparation that would help prevent inflammation of her disease.

one in eight women in the United States (about 12 percent) will be diagnosed with breast cancer. And while risks are significantly less for men, it’s still a frightful possibility for them as well. All humans are born with breast cells and tissue, making both men and women susceptible to developing the disease.

It’s more important than ever to stay educated on the realities of breast cancer and steps that can be taken to put oneself at lower risk. So many cancer cases could have been prevented.

And that’s because the best cure is learning to be proactive—living a healthy lifestyle and keeping up to date on the facts. Ignorance isn’t always bliss, especially when it comes to such a prevalent and fatal disease that thrives in today’s society.

Months passed and I watched as she courageously worked through surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, and eventually saw the day she met remission. It was a valuable experience that taught me so much, but the most important thing I learned didn’t hit me until many months later.

In May 2017, someone very close to me was diagnosed with breast cancer. She promptly entered chemotherapy treatment and soon after began losing her beautiful, curly blonde hair. Only four short months later, we lost her to the fatal disease. She left our earthly world too soon, and we remained wishing we had more time to say the things we never did.

On an unforgetable mid-September day, I realized that everyone’s case is different—not just physically but mentally as well.

Breast cancer can take it’s time, or it can come in hot, heavy and with a frightful vengeance. And each patient fights the brave battle in their own manner. No matter the case, it shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Stealing souls & self esteem

If you haven’t come in contact with this violent disease, odds are you know someone who has. More than 40,000 women in America will die this year alone because of breast cancer. It’s a scary, lurking truth that everyone needs to be informed about.

Cancer shows no mercy and holds no bias. It doesn’t cherry pick by ethnicity or even gender. Cancer doesn’t ring the doorbell and wait patiently like the friendly ghosts and ghouls of Halloween. It swoops in unannounced with great volatility.

Some diagnoses mean many months of grueling treatment— endless days and nights in agony. Other diagnoses mean only a few months of holding on to dear life. Families can lose loved ones only after they’ve had to ride the emotional rollercoaster of watching them suffer the symptoms of cancer and the side effects

PHOTO BY SOPHIA MARCHESE | THE SIGNAL

of treatment.

Many people struggle with the notorious reality of losing their hair during chemo and rightfully so. It’s an extremely startling experience and women must decide what works best for them during the process. From wigs to buzzcuts, many women are left hopeless, feeling a loss of femininity with battered self-esteem.

Patients lose their hair because the treatment kills all rapidly multiplying cells—whether they’re cancerous or perfectly healthy.

Chemotherapy is a hair follicle’s worst enemy because they are some of the fastest-growing cells in the human body.

Positively pink

Many people diagnosed with breast cancer have a chance to survive if the disease is found and treated from an early stage.

Although it’s more common in older women, it’s important to keep up with your health and adopt good habits early on.

Mammograms are the best way to stay on top of potential threats.

The National Breast Cancer Foundation also encourages women of all ages to perform monthly breast self-exams in order to familiarize themselves with their body so it’s clear if there are any alarming changes. The more we know, the better.

That’s why we have an entire month dedicated to breast cancer.

Support is shown in many different ways throughout the year, but October is for the tatas. It’s a time to spread consciousness and magnify the importance of mammograms and routine health care.

Every year, since George W. Bush’s presidency in 2008, the White House glows pink as a gesture of support to those diagnosed with breast cancer, families holding the emotional burden and people working to find a cure. In fact, many landmarks around the world are illuminated pink throughout the month, standing in solidarity with all those affected.

Whether it’s finding a way to raise funds for research or walking a 5k in honor of survivors and the dearly departed, everyone can do a little something to shed light and think pink.

Spooky statistics One in eight women will be diagoned with breast cancer within their lifetime.

Over 250,000 women in America will be diagnosed with breast cancer each year.

Approximately 2,500 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017.

Changes or mutations in DNA can cause normal cells to become cancerous.

Supporters proudly parade in pink on Oct. 21 for the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in Atlanta.

PHOTO BY SOPHIA MARCHESE & PAGE DESIGN BY SALINNA PHON | THE SIGNAL

According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation

ARTS & LIVING

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2017

Why do people like fear?

Reasons and uses for the scared JALEN JENKINS Staff Reporter

T

his time of year brings out two different types of people.

The first being the enthusiasts of the Halloween season; those who love the ghouls and goblins and take the challenge of a haunted house head on. The second, being those dragged into the season, dreading the idea of houses adorned with creepy spider webs or their friends itching to watch the newest scary movie.

These people wonder why there’s an appeal to being scared.

Why willingly subject yourself to fear when you could instead watch a comedy while you enjoy the changing colors of the fall season?

People experience fear in different ways, even within the same scenario. Two people can see the same movie and have very different experiences related to the fear they feel. “Some people become terrified watching a scary film, others may be more afraid to walk back to their cars in a dark parking lot after the movie ends,” Lou Dzierdak said in his exploration of fear on Scientific American.

Ideas embedded in the brain from a scary movie might come up later when you get up to get a glass of water in the middle of the night, or maybe you’re crying in the theater, unable to finish the movie. The idea that movies are pure acts of fiction and not real becomes questioned and irrational fear of nothing can riddle the brain leave you paralyzed. This fear of intangible things is a concept used in movies like “It” and “Friday the 13th” where the villains are powered by fear itself. Everyone experiences it differently and these villains cater the terror to each person. This unpredictability between people and their perception of what is scary is fuel for a horror film in itself.

For example, in the movie “Mulholland Drive”, there is a scene where two characters meet at a diner in order to put a strange dream to rest. The character just has to know if a strange figure is behind the restaurant. The slow walk to the back of the restaurant with the music scratching the at the viewer’s brain building tension that could not be walked through. The tension is broken by the appearance of quite possibly the scariest figure in all of cinema. Sound is sucked out of the scene and the man faints.

The rush of fear is coming from the building tension of going to go see the figure behind the restaurant but also actually from seeing the terrifying figure. The ideas of what could happen after the buildup could be just as scary as any figure standing still.

It is the combination of all these things that give people their thrills. By the time for the scary reveal the body is about to pop and lash out against whatever may be waiting for it. But why do people like it?

One reason could be shared with the likes of sky divers and deep sea divers, the release of a chemical called dopamine in the brain. That rush and increase of your heart rate when you jump from Freddy Krueger’s claws popping out of a bed comes with a boost of adrenaline straight to your head. People get addicted to this rush and seek it in any platform they can find. “When our bodies are primed for danger — which is the physical state in which fear puts us — we achieve a weird kind of high,” Rachel Feltman says in her Washington Post article on her love of being scared.

Some people don’t like the dopamine rush that being scared gives you. Everyone’s brain chemistry is different, but that doesn’t mean that enjoying being scared makes you a psycho or a sociopath (maybe.) However, what it does mean is that some people’s brains lack the ability to “brake” the dopamine release and reuptake. This explains why some people really get a kick out of scary movies or haunted houses, while others don’t get the same thrill.

Fear can be used in your favor. Using it to your advantage can yield to real accomplishments in many different ways of life. It is the reason some professional extreme athletes are able to do tricks, like the ones who take part in the X-Games. They take the fear and mold it into a challenge to overcome.

Taking part in activities that scare you can mean a paycheck, a check on a to do list or a sense of completion.

So not all lovers of being scared are freaks. Just because you like a good, jumpy, horror flick or get your thrills from knife juggling does not mean you are a psychopath.

In fact, there are real advantages of enjoying fear. Exploring things that are scary but interesting can result in gaining knowledge about something you may have never known about. Having control over fear can result in great mental and physical accomplishments. Most importantly, visualizing fear and having a reaction to it is knowing your limits, and knowing yourself is the key to everything else.

Halloween Classics Fear Fuel Halloween Michael Myers reeks havoc on his hometown. His blank white mask with haunt your dreams.

The Shining A long stay in a secluded, giant hotel sees Jack turn into a psycho set to murder his entire family.

Killer Clowns from Outer Space Okay this movie is a little silly but there are some disturbing scenes in here.

Campy classic with scary clowns.

The Thing (John Carpenter) Shapeshifting alien takes vacancy in snowy camp and starts picking people off one by one. Trouble is, the alien could be anyone in the camp…

It Follows With a 97 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and critical acclaim, “It Follows” is heralded as one of the best modern (2015) horror movies. A supernatural force that follows and kills victims is sure to bring out the paranoia in your living room.

PAGE DESIGN BY TYPHANIE HALL | THE SIGNAL

13

ARTS & LIVING

14

GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

things you don’t want to miss Wednesday

More events and info at georgiastatesignal.com

Friday

Thursday

Saturday

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Beer, Bites & Beats

Rockin’ and a Horrorin’

Native Pow Wow

Chomp & Stomp

Chastain gets Artsy

Cheer on the Hawks!

Rudolph in Puppets

November 1

November 2

November 3

November 4

November 5

November 6

November 7

Wind down from a crazy (or chill) Halloween night with an ice cold beer, some delicious mac and cheese and groovy tunes at Monday Night Brewing Company.

The Brewery opens at 6:30 p.m.

Check out the live performance of The Rocky Horror Show at Out Front Theatre Company.

Filled with weird, quirky characters and strange songs, it’s the perfect way to end the Halloween season.

The Native American Festival and Pow Wow is held at Stone Mountain Park with open-fire cooking, storytelling, artistry and many more showcases of Native American culture. No pets allowed!

Cabbagetown is holding their annual Chomp & Stomp Chili Cook-off and Bluegrass Festival.

Get down there early if you haven’t already gotten your drink and spoon tokens to judge over 70 recipes!

As the art festival season comes to an end, Chastain Park comes in hot with one more featuring 185 artists, local music and food trucks. Grab a light sweater and soak in art outdoors before it’s too cold.

Get out there and cheer on our Atlanta Hawks as they play the Boston Celtics today at the Philips Arena at 7:30 p.m.

Check online to see the Sports article about how to get cheap Hawks tickets!

Out with Halloween--skipping over Thanksgiving-and on to Christmas!

Rudolph the RedNosed Reindeer puppet show premiers tonight at the Center for Puppetry Arts. On now through Dec. 31.

games

SuD0KU

easy

medium

WORD SEARCH

Word List: Halloween Spiders Vampires Blackcandle Witches

Cobwebs Hungryghost Dayofthedead Breastcancer Ellishotel Oakland Cemetary

Scary Boo Pumpkins Foxtheatre Ghosts Goblins Ghouls

HARD

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2017

Georgia State men’s golf team does not like change

JERELL RUSHIN Sports Editor

Walk up. Take a stance. Swing. Re-enact 17 times.

Members of the Georgia State men’s golf team complete those instructions 18 times every round they compete in. As repetitive as moves in other sports are, they pale in comparison to the exactness required when swinging a golf club.

Whether the distance is short or long, a player is moving more times than not when they are shooting a basketball and throwing a football. A golfer never moves. The golfer has been remote during each swing the athlete has ever taken during their career.

Swinging is the last step of the instructions a golfer follows.

The first step is walking towards to place the ball on the tee.

From that point moving forward, a golfer’s mind can begin to race all the wrong places until after the swing.

If junior James Kyles was to use a number four ball out of the set, his mind would take him to a dark place. Twelve balls come in the pack of balls James Kyles uses. Three balls are identified with a “1” on them, three with a “2” on them and three with “3” and “4”. The balls are identical and consist of the same make-up except for the number printed on them. However, Kyles’ refuses to play with the number four balls.

“After a while, every time I played a bad round I would notice that I used the number four ball,” explained Kyles. “So, I decided to never use a number four ball. It’s kind of dumb but whatever helps you gotta do it.”

Although Kyles says he’s gotten away from believing in superstitions, he will keep abiding by this one. He plays good rounds with the number three ball, and it’s what he typically uses in tournaments. Kyles still takes some of the best advice ever given to any athlete. The nugget of wisdom is simplistic in its rarest form—don’t think, just play.

“It’s more of a feel thing. If I’m not comfortable I’ll take a few more practice swings. If I know exactly what I want to do, I’ll just get up there and hit it,” said Kyles.

“I’ve always been more of a feel player, which means I don’t like to think a lot about what I’m doing just because thinking gets you in trouble in golf.”

A successful golfer is technically sound in his form. The slightest misplacement of a knee, hip or an elbow can stir up a heap of issues, sometimes hard to identify. Having the same process before hitting the ball can eliminate the chance of ruining a swing.

“I have a very set routine. I take three practice swings before I get into [position for] my shot. Then I take two looks at my target once I get over the ball. Then I wiggle once with my feet and then I go.” said Nick Budd, a junior from Woodstock, Georgia.

“First in my setup for a full swing, I put my left foot behind the ball every single time so I know where I’m aiming,” said Kyles.

Kyles began that routine to help with his aim the summer before enrolling into Georgia State. Other teammates have a detailed routine they know like the back of their hands.

“You want something that is reliable and really good under pressure, so for me it’s just one practice swing and I get to the bag and I have like two wiggles,” said, senior Alex Herrmann.

“I just try to do the same thing every time to make it more repetitive and easier for me to reproduce what I practice on the golf course.”

Herrmann felt that he should give a disclaimer before revealing whose reproduction and passion for perfection he admires. He did so because his influence is clearly the best golfer since the turn of the century—Tiger Woods. Woods was arguably the most accomplished golfer in history during his prime, which is much longer time than most greats. His work ethic drove him to win a PGA Tour event during four consecutive years, an accomplishment no other golfer post World War II has accomplished. Woods did it twice.

Georgia State’ men’s golf team owns a decent work ethic as well. Herrmann says he and his teammates record one another to review their swings. They can give instant feedback and offer constructive criticism because they are a tightknit team.

“We work well together. We all support each other and it’s a lot of fun to be out there with the guys,” said Herrmann.

With improvements upon the strong performances they have put together thus far into the season, Herrmann believes the men’s team could make another deep postseason run and possibly the NCAA Tournament.

Severin Soller, who transferred from Mississippi State, was not on Georgia State’s Sun Belt Conference winning-team last season, but is fitting in nicely with the returning champions.

The title won in 2017 was their second title since the 2014 season.

Soller was named the Georgia State Student-Athlete of the Week after his one under par finish (t-4th) led the Panthers to a second place finish two weeks ago at the Autotrader Collegiate Classic. The first of his two one under par finishes came during the Bridgestone Stroke Play, his debut for the Panthers. He was the only player in the 45-player event to finish under par.

“Ever since I’ve been here, we’ve really struggled in the beginning of the season, which puts our rankings not where it should be,” said Kyles.

That has not been the case this season thanks to dedication and performances from Herrmann, Budd and Kyles. They aren’t the only Panthers to shine since play began in the fall.

Egill Gunnarrson also shined at the Bridgestone Stroke Play, tying in sixth-place at four over par. Herrmann’s twin brother, Alex Herrmann, has played exceptionally well. During the last round of the Maui Jim Intercollegiate, Max Herrmann shot three under par, to finish the event tied for tenth at one under par.

The next event for the men’s golf team is the Invitational, hosted by the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina. The two-day event beginning Fri., Nov. 3 is Georgia State’s last of the fall until mid-February.

James Kyles and Alex Herrmann gives an inside look on his golf superstitions, before the Men’s Golf team leaves to participate in annual UNCG Grandover Collegiate tournament in Greensboro.

PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY GEORGIA STATE ATHLETICS

SPORTS

16

GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

Panthers make history on national television

Georgia State notches the program’s first-ever win at Georgia Stadium D’MITRI CHIN

Associate Sports Editor

H

istory was made on ESPNU Thursday night as the Georgia State Panthers (4-3, 3-1) secured their first win in the inaugural season at Georgia State Stadium against the South Alabama Jaguars (3-5, 2-2).

The Panthers almost allowed their 21-13 lead slip away from them in the final minutes in the fourth quarter, but the Panthers' defense prevented what would have been a gutwrenching loss on national television. Head coach Shawn Elliott was extremely vibrant during his press conference with the media following his team's victory.

"It's a great Thursday night here at Georgia State Stadium.

First win in this stadium has got to feel good, but we sure do make it interesting, don't we? We really do," Elliott said as he almost witnessed his team give up an eight-point lead with 2:11 remaining in the game. "Let me just say our defense played a phenomenal football game, I mean they really did. They had them on their heels all game long -- in the secondary, our linebackers, our defensive front just made plays all night."

Not only did the defense play well Thursday night, but the offense also did its job, as well. If you were unable to witness the Panthers get their first win at home at Georgia State Stadium, no need to fret, here's what led to the team's historic victory:

CONNER MANNING HAD A BRILLIANT GAME

Manning had a disappointing outing against the Troy Trojans last week. However, he responded magnificently on the big stage. Against the Jaguars, Manning made smart and efficient passes and was able to connect with Penny Hart, his most coveted wide receiver, on many occasions that benefited the team. Manning went 17-31 for 195 yards and two touchdowns.

Although Manning had a productive game against the Jaguars, he understands that when the offense isn't running smoothly, as was the case against the Trojans, grating scrutiny is sure to follow.

"I can only worry about what I can control, and for me, it's doing my job and making sure everyone is on the same page out here on Saturdays and Thursday nights," Manning said.

"The main focus is just on us as a team."

PENNY HART IS INDEED THE HEART OF THE PANTHERS' TEAM

Hart, once again, had a tremendous game against a Jaguars' secondary that failed to contain his outbursts.

Similar to Manning, Hart was unable to produce for his team against Troy, but he made the necessary adjustments, and unfortunately for the Jaguars, Hart had an efficient game and a crucial touchdown with 12:55 left in the fourth quarter. In fact, Hart's touchdown proved to be the game-winning score for the Panthers. Hart finished the game with six receptions for 98 yards and one touchdown. His longest reception of the game was for 45 yards.

Georgia State takes home the win against the South Carolina Jaguars Oct. 26.

PHOTO BY KAREN O’DONNELL | THE SIGNAL

"I think for me just my goal this year was to prove to myself that I was able to do what I did my freshman and even better and just get better each and every game," Hart said to the media as to what motivates him to continuously give his all whenever he suits up for the Panthers. "As a leader of this team, no matter if it's zero catches or whatever it is, when we get that win I feel like my most important asset as a person is my leadership and me being able to get our team to where we need to be."

Williams had six tackles and one interception for 30 yards on the return. His interception led to the Panthers' first touchdown of the game. Cedric Stone also had an interception during the game, which was his first pick of the season. Along from the Panthers’ pass defense, they were also stout against the Jaguars' rushing attack and only gave up 62 yards on the ground, despite the Jaguars having seven players that carried the ball.

THE PANTHERS' DEFENSE WAS ALIVE AND WELL

In each of the Panthers' four wins this season, the team has been able to eclipse the 100-yard mark. The Panthers are committed to using a variety of running backs to get the job done, so expect the Panthers to continue to find success as long as they are capable of running the ball efficiently against opposing defenses.

As a unit, the Panthers' defense created havoc for the opposing offense and held the Jaguars to just six points for the majority of the game. The first touchdown for the Jaguars came with 2:11 left in the fourth quarter, when quarterback, Dallas Davis connected with wide receiver, Jamarius Way for 75 yards; “I think for me just my goal that pass play was longest of the game.

Outside of the late breakdown in the secondary that allowed this year was to prove to the Jaguars to come within six points, the defense was able to prevent them from sustaining many offensive drives. It's worth myself that I was able to do noting that the very first offensive possession for the Jaguars what I did my freshman and resulted in an interception by sixth-year senior Bryan Williams.

Before the season kicked off, Williams wasn't predicted even better - and just get to have a breakout year for this Panthers' team -- especially better each and every game.” since he missed the entire season last year due to a significant back injury. In fact, the two defensive backs that were getting national attention for the Panthers were Jerome Smith and — PENNY HART, Chandon Sullivan. Although Smith and Sullivan are living up Georgia State Wide receiver to high standards thus far, neither cornerback has caught an interception. However, it is Williams who has caught a teamOutsiders may not be aware of Hart's physique since his high four interceptions this year for the Panthers' defense. He numbers are that of a wide receiver who is massive, but he also has six career interceptions. consistently makes remarkable plays for his team and at a size "My mindset is just to make sure our team is ready, especially with this short week we had we just played Saturday, and we that isn't quite favorable at the wideout position. Nonetheless, just played a game Thursday," Williams said as to how he it's Harts determination and mindset that allows him to be the prepares himself to lead this defensive unit every game. playmaker that the Panthers need on the outside.

CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE FOR MORE SPORTS AT georgiastatesignal.com

THE BIG THING

• In each win this year, the Panthers rushed for over 100 yards • Sixth-year senior, Bryan Williams has a team-high four interceptions • Penny Hart has 53 receptions, 7 touchdowns, and 685 receiving yards on the season • Panthers become bowl eligible with two more victories • Panthers face Georgia Southern on Sat., Nov. 4. (Lead all-time series 2-1)

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2017

SPORTS

The Rugby Club runs drills in Georgia State’s Football Practice Complex, preparing for their upcoming season in the NCAA Division III.

17

PHOTO BY UNIQUE RODRIGUEZ | THE SIGNAL

New rugby team lands on campus

Men’s rugby team is playing their first season at Georgia State KYLIA HAYNES Staff Reporter

G

eorgia State students created a men’s rugby team and they are proving to everyone why they belong here. The team has only been on campus since the beginning of the semester, but they are already in the process of making a name for themselves.

Georgia State student, Tariq Islam is the President of the Rugby Club and said this is their second attempt at starting a team. The team now has twenty-four guys on it and they are hoping that it grows.

“It was only me on the team. It started out, but it died. The person that was over us couldn't take the leadership role,” Islam said. “I played for off campus teams in the meantime, but over the summer I started recruiting guys. One by one people started to join, and now we have a full team.”

The team is now in the preseason and is playing NCAA Division III rugby. Tariq Islam says that in their Spring season they will then be a Division II (D2) team. During the playoffs after their D2 season, they will play schools like Georgia Tech, Georgia Southern, and Kennesaw State. Next year they are hoping to be D1. The team currently competes in is the NSCRO Conference.

Being that the team is so fresh, many people on campus are unaware of the team and their accomplishments. They are excited to get their team out there so that everyone can come support. So far they are undefeated.

“The school doesn’t know about us. If they did it would be a good thing. We would love their support,” Islam said.

Being that they are a new team, funding is not great for them.

“Last year when the team was suppose to happen, we had a budget. When the team didn’t happen, the budget dropped.

Now everything we do is out of pocket. We are currently trying to start a Go Fund Me to get new uniforms. We hope people support,” Islam said.

They don’t blame the school for them not having a budget or

even not having a lot of publicity. They understand that it is all about budgeting.

“Other teams get more equipment and uniforms than us because of budgeting. The old coaches didn't do what they needed to do so it affected our budgeting. If we had a budget, a lot of problems would be fixed,” Islam said.

Many of the players are very excited about the team and the direction that they feel it is headed. Georgia State student, CJ Harper feels that they have a lot of potential and the school will soon see that.

“I am so happy that we were finally able to get the team going after trial and error.”

— TARIQ ISLAM, President of the men’s rugby club “I think being on the team is great. I am so happy that we were finally able to get the team going. Being on the team has let me meet some guys I wouldn't have met before and it's also giving me something to do,” Harper said.

“Rugby isn't like any sport I've played and I played NCAA lacrosse for years,” Harper said.

Georgia State student, Sam McCranie explains how the team gets better day by day and that they have good athletes on their team.

“The team has seriously improved over the span of two months. Having played Rugby for a few years now I know how difficult it can be to learn the game,” McCranie said. “The games we have played in shows not only the team's fantastic athleticism, but excellent teamwork and chemistry.”

“Playing for Georgia State’s men’s rugby is an amazing opportunity to not only play for, but also having the privilege to be the captain of some of the hardest working and dedicated men I know,” Harper said.

“I am glad our President, Tariq Islam has been able to put in the work and dedication to revitalize an amazing club that plays one of the best sports in the world,” Harper said.

Georgia State student, Bejohn Baker is loving the experience that he is getting by being on the team.

“My experience with the team has been one I wouldn't take back for anything. Learning a new sport is always a great experience when it comes to the love of physical competition and creating brotherhood,” Baker said.

“We are undefeated in our conference right now and we hope to continue to improve and keep that going. We hope to win the playoffs in the Spring.”

The team has their practice on Monday and Wednesdays from 6:30pm-8:00pm at the MLK practice facility. They are happy that there were able to get this space to practice being that a lot of teams practice there.

The men’s rugby team wishes to gain support from their fellow schoolmates, so that everyone can see all of the hard work that they have put in to make the team happen.

THINGS TO KNOW:

• The Rugby Team has practice on Monday’s and Wednesday’s from 6:30-8pm at the Martin Luther King Practice Facility.

• The official season for the undefeated team starts in the Spring.

• “I am so happy that we were finally able to get the team going after trial and error,” Islam said.

SPORTS

18

Although the men’s soccer team is currently undefeated in the Sun Belt, they continue to practice nonstop.

The Revenge Tour Begins

GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

PHOTO BY JULIAN PINEDA | THE SIGNAL

Panthers have tools to finally win Sun Belt Conference Championship TOBI ADEYEMI Staff Reporter

I

t’s just the journey to exact that revenge that will be tough. Georgia State men’s soccer team is currently 11-5-1 in the season and undefeated in the Sun Belt. They are currently first in the Sun Belt and made more separation after defeating Hartwick 3-0 on Saturday. With only one game remaining in the season, they will in all likelihood finish there. Their final game comes against the next best team in the Sun Belt Conference, Coastal Carolina. Coastal Carolina is a very fitting place to start their revenge tour.

They broke the Panthers’ hearts last season.

Georgia State made it all the way to the Sun Belt Conference Championship, for the second year in a row, and it seemed like the game was theirs.

The match was scoreless for nearly 70 minutes.

Georgia State dominated possession and routinely found good opportunities to score, but couldn’t find the back of the net.

But then Coastal Carolina’s Jair Espinoza happened.

He was able to break free and put in the lone goal of the match, winning it for Coastal.

That’s why Georgia State will gladly begin their march to a third straight Sun Belt Conference Championship with Coastal Carolina. But beating this particular school in the regular season isn’t their focus. It’s about beating whomever they meet in the championship.

And they will.

In all honesty, they should’ve won it last year. A mix of injuries and one bad break cost them championship. This year the Panthers will enter the Sun Belt tournament fully healthy and a better team than last year. With two games remaining, the Panthers have already eclipsed last season’s win total. They look better defensively this season and their seven shutouts can attest to that. Offensively, their key pieces are looking in top form with 32 total goals between them this season. Hannes Burmeister is second on the team in goals, and Max Hemmings is right behind him. But what’s going to win the Panthers the championship this year is the one player they didn’t have in it last year: Rashid Alarape.

The clutchest goal scorer in the Sun Belt.

Rashid Alarape saved his best season for last. In

his senior season, he leads the team by amassing over 19 total points, one assist and nine goals.

Alarape provides exactly what the team missed most in the championship last year: killer instinct. Alarape doesn’t shy away from the moment — he fully embraces it. His three game-winning goals are a testament to that. If Alarape were not injured during the finals last year, I can almost guarantee that the Panthers would be walking into the Sun Belt tournament as the defending champions.

But he will make amends for that this year.

He’s going to help gift Georgia State the best going away present — a championship. We have the best team in the conference, the clutchest goal scorer in it, and even a little luck on our side.

They do say the third time’s the charm, right?

The Panthers look to continue success against Eagles

Georgia State has the better team but they will get Georgia Southern’s best shot CHRISTIAN CRITTENDEN Staff Reporter

R

ivalry games are part of what makes sports so unique. There is an even level of respect and love for the team on the other side, and that will be the case when Georgia State and Georgia Southern square off against each other. There will be no love lost between these two teams.

The Panthers are coming into this game hot, winning four of their last five games and firing on all cylinder after winning their first game at Georgia State Stadium. The Panthers have also won the previous two matchups in the series.

The Eagles, on the other hand, are coming in on

the opposite side of the spectrum. The Eagles recently fired their head coach, Tyson Summers, and have yet to win a game this season.

Don’t let that fool you though; when it comes to rivalry games, you can throw out the records, history and everything else. One thing for sure is that the Eagles will bring their A-game Saturday in Statesboro. The Panthers still have a lot to play for this season with the potential for a bowl game and the Sun Belt championship still on the table. There is nothing more the Eagles would love to do than play spoiler.

Georgia State recovered their offensive juice, which they lost going against Troy, and is in a good spot going into the matchup with Georgia Southern. In each of the Panthers four wins this season, they have rushed for over 100

yards. The Eagles are giving up a whopping 209 yards per game on the ground this season and 5.3 yards per carry. Also, the Eagles are giving up 260 yards through the air but could struggle against the Panthers’ potential potent passing attack if they can get the run game going. Quarterback Conner Manning and wide receiver Penny Hart are really on a roll right now, and it could spell trouble for the Eagles.

Georgia Southern is giving up 41 points per game this year, so the defense has not been their forte.

Another key to victory for the Panthers is to continue to play sound stout defense. They’ve had a few lapses this season, but generally speaking, the Panthers have been solid on defense and have forced teams to turn the ball over. Senior safety Brian Williams has

had four interceptions on the season, which ties the Georgia State single-season record.

Williams and the defense held South Alabama to 41 rushing yards. This defense is stingy and opportunistic so points may be hard to come by for Georgia Southern.

Despite defeating South Alabama, Georgia State head coach, Shawn Elliott is not letting up.

“I’m gonna keep my hand on the back of their necks, and we’re going to push hard.

That’s how we’re going to do it,” Elliot said.

“We can’t worry about success and somebody telling us that we did a good job, when you win you need to be as hard on them as you can.”

Elliott got his first win at Georgia State Stadium against South Alabama. Now we will see if he can get his first win as Georgia State’s head coach in the rivalry.

SPORTS

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2017

panther of the week

19

STANDINGS

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREDICTIONS

SUN BELT FOOTBALL

JERELL RUSHIN

school APPALACHIAN STATE

PHOTO BY GEORGIA STATE ATHLETICS

Sports Editor

Conference Overall streak 4-0

5-2

W4

ARKANSAS STATE

4-0

5-3

L1

TROY

3-1

6-2

W2

GEORGIA STATE

3-1

4-3

W1

LOUISIANA-MONROE

3-3

3-5

L3

LOUISIANA

2-2

3-4

L1

IDAHO

2-2

3-5

W1

SOUTH ALABAMA

2-2

3-5

L1

NEW MEXICO STATE

1-3

3-5

L1

TEXAS STATE

1-3

2-6

W1

COASTAL CAROLINA

0-5

1-7

L7

GEORGIA SOUTHERN

0-3

0-7

L7

LSU vs.

Alabama

ALABAMA

Penn State vs.

Michigan State

PENN STATE

Virginia Tech vs.

Miami

VIRGINIA TECH

Auburn vs.

Texas A&M

TEXAS A&M

South Carolina vs.

Georgia

GEORGIA

Oklahoma vs.

Oklahoma State

OKLAHOMA STATE

Celeste Friesen

VOLLEYBALL Sophomore defensive specialist, Celeste Friesen finished with a game-high 32 digs in the Panthers’ 3-0 loss at Arkansas-Little Rock. The next highest digger on the team, Carley Eiken notched eight digs.

Friesen’s 32 digs on Saturday was her fourth game of 30 or more digs this season. Despite a 2-8 Sun Belt Conference record for Georgia State, big outings by Friesen have been a constant.

Friese ranks fourth in the Sun Belt action with 4.83 digs per set. She was named the Sun Belt’s Defensive Player of the Week two times this season.

SPORTS CALENDAR

SPORTS BRIEFS cross country — Georgia State finished sixthplace out of 12 teams at the Sun Belt Championships.

— Lotte Meyberg ran a time of 17:59, her fastest of the season.

men's basketball — Defeated Georgia Tech 6558 in the ‘A-Town Showdown for Hurricane Relief’ exhibition game.

— Guard, D’Marcus Simonds scored 30 points and finished 11-19 from the field.

BASKETBALL NOV. 2

TENNIS

NOV. 4

MEN'S basketball LEES-MCRAE COLLEGE

Atlanta, Georgia

NOV. 3

MEN'S soccer 7 P.M.

MEN'S tennis

COASTAL CAROLINA

7 P.M.

Atlanta, Georgia

WAKE FOREST INVITATIONAL DAY ONE

TBA

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

NOV. 2 men’s basketball COKER COLLEGE

Atlanta, Georgia

7 P.M.

NOV. 4

VOLLEYBALL

MEN'S tennis WAKE FOREST INVITATIONAL DAY TWO

NOV. 3 COASTAL CAROLINA

GOLF

men’s soccer — Lost to Charlotte on Tuesday 4-3 (OT) for first time in over three weeks.

— The Panthers bounced back against Hartwick winning 3-0 behind two goals Hannes Burmeister.

SOCCER

Atlanta, Georgia

NOV. 3

NOV. 4

men’s golf

APPALACHIAN STATE

THE BATTLE AT STONO FERRY

6 P.M.

ALL DAY

TBA

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

NOV. 5 MEN'S tennis

6 P.M.

Atlanta, Georgia

WAKE FOREST INVITATIONAL DAY THREE

TBA

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Charleston, South Carolina

FOOTBALL

NOV. 4 men’s golf THE BATTLE AT STONO FERRY

Charleston, South Carolina

ALL DAY

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

NOV. 4 GEORGIA SOUTHERN

Statesboro, Georgia

NOV. 4 3 P.M.

TBA

Emerson, Georgia

TBA

Fill out an application to report what’s going on weekly with sports at georgiastatesignal.com!