The Signal Vol. 86 No. 12

NOV. 6 - NOV. 13, 2018

VOL. 86 | NO. 12

/gsusignal

@gsusignal

ILLUSTRATION BY EVAN STAMPS | THE SIGNAL

HEY, FELLOW KIDS

LIES IN DISGUISE

GET OFF YOUR BUTT

SUPERIOR SIMONDS

Two students given citations on the charge of marijuana possession after being busted by an undercover cop.

Are undercover police ethical?

Maybe we should be spending our money elsewhere.

Student activism in the past has been powerful enough to swing elections and end war.

Georgia State guard and reigning conference player of the year to be even better this season.

NEWS | PAGE 5 GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

OPINIONS PAGE 8

News 3

ARTS & LIVING | PAGE 13

OPINIONs 7

Arts & Living 9

SPORTS | PAGE 18

Sports 15

NEWS

2

GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

BLOTTER OCT. 29

Can’t I just pay the ticket?

Two non-student offenders were arrested around 4 p.m on charges of marijuana possession in Hurt Park.

Urban exploration

A trespass warning was issued to a non-student around 8:30 a.m. in the Urban Life building.

OCT. 31

A lost trick-or-treater

A trespass warning was issued to a non-Georgia State student at 10:10 a.m. in Student Center East.

A lava lamp is not drug-related...

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Daniel Varitek

Two people were arrested on charges of possession and use of drug-related objects in the morning on Forsyth Street.

editor@georgiastatesignal.com executive editor (atlanta) Vacant executive editor (perimeter) Vacant

Editorial NEWS EDITOR Will Solomons

news@georgiastatesignal.com

ASSociate NEWS EDITOR Natori Spence

NOV. 1

news2@georgiastatesignal.com OPINIONS EDITOR Vacant opinions@georgiastatesignal.com associate oPINIONS EDITOR Vacant opinions2@georgiastatesignal.com ARTS & LIVING EDITOR Sydney Bloeme

The Halloween after-party

A person was arrested on charges of public intoxication, urinating in public and drinking in public during the evening on Broad Street and Walton Street.

living@georgiastatesignal.com

ASSociate ARTS & Living EDITOr Samuel Puckett living2@georgiastatesignal.com SPORTS EDITOR Jerell Rushin sports@georgiastatesignal.com ASSociate SPORTS EDITOR Vacant sports2@georgiastatesignal.com copy editor Vacant copy@georgiastatesignal.com

Production production editor Devin Phillips

ILLUSTRATION BY DEMETRI BURKE | THE SIGNAL

PHOTO OF THE WEEK The Get Out the Vote Rally was held on Nov. 1 at Morehouse College. Former President Barack Obama joined a list of prominent figures that have endorsed Stacey Abrams ahead of the 2018 midterm elections, increasing the national spotlight on Georgia.

productions@georgiastatesignal.com Associate production editor Vacant production2@georgiastatesignal.com

PHOTOGRAPHY photo EDITOr (atlanta) Vanessa Johnson

photo@georgiastatesignal.com photo EDITOr (perimeter) Vacant photo2@georgiastatesignal.com Associate Photo editor Unique Rodriguez

Digital digital EDITOR Angel Nelson

digital@georgiastatesignal.com ASSociate DIGITAL Editor Vacant digital2@georgiastatesignal.com video EDITOR Julian Pineda PODCAST EDITOR Caleb P. Smith

Marketing Marketing MANAGER Taylor Dudley marketing@georgiastatesignal.com promotions associate Vacant promotions@georgiastatesignal.com Research Associate Vacant

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

advertising@georgiastatesignal.com STUDENT MEDIA ADVISOR Bryce McNeil bmcneil1@gsu.edu business coordinator Wakesha Henley whenley@gsu.edu STUDENT MEDIA ADVISOr (perimeter) Vacant

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

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

PHOTO BY VANESSA JOHNSON | THE SIGNAL

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

SUBMIT LETTER TO EDITOR

SUBMIT YOUR STORIES! Be anonymus or let people know who you are. : signalliving@gmail.com : @gsusignal : @gsusignal

Are you sad? Frustrated? Having an existential crisis?

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 200-400 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

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

NEWS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2018

www.georgiastatesignal.com/news

Abrams vs.

Kemp: How possible are their policies?

Professors weigh in on the feasibility of their issues WILL SOLOMONS Staff Reporter

I

n one of the most watched gubernatorial races in the nation, Republican Brian Kemp and Democrat Stacey Abrams have been relentless in rallying their bases to increase voter participation and involvement.

For both candidates, one of the hardest issues they will address is the lack of executive power the governor’s office holds, according to associate professor of political science Daniel Franklin.

“In policy making, the governor is very involved. In terms of carrying out policy, not so much,” he said. “The constitutional officers of the state are elected independently of the governor.

That’s basically the governor’s cabinet.”

Because of this, whoever becomes governor will have to work with a secretary of state and other constitutional officers that may be from a different party, which could hinder the governor’s agenda.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY DAO NGUYEN | THE SIGNAL

brian kemp’s Policies

Stacey Abrams’ Policies One topic that hits close to home for Georgia State students is education. Abrams has said both on her website and on the campaign trail that she is a proponent for expanding the HOPE scholarship, giving more youth access to college and putting more funding into public schools.

“I believe in free access to technical college, debt-free, four-year college and need-based aid as a priority in Georgia,” Abrams said in a campaign ad on her website.

Dr. Daniel Lanford, a professor in sociology and political science at Georgia State, provided a breakdown of Abrams’ policies.

“Shielding public schools from privatization will be possible with veto power, but she will [likely] have to use that power,” Lanford said.

One of Abrams’ goals for education expansion is to adopt the Bold Start Scholarship program, which helps provide funding for families in need of daycare and early childhood education.

“Programs such as the Bold Start Scholarship, summer employment and civic engagement activities, student loan debt-pathways, and wrap-around support for struggling students are common sense and also seem to have positive results in academic studies. These programs may find bipartisan support if the economy holds,” Lanford said.

Another issue that Abrams wishes to address is healthcare. She wants to “expand Medicaid in Georgia and lower premiums” and “support and safeguard women’s health and a woman’s right to choose,” according to her website.

Lanford said that liberal healthcare reform is possible, but only if Democrats control Georgia’s congress.

“Expanding Medicaid will become more likely if Abrams takes the governorship and a Democratic wave convinces Republicans they can and should support such a measure. Republicans will want a compromise measure though – something that involves a ‘waiver’ that increases restrictions on benefits from what is now standard with the Affordable Care Act. If Abrams pulls hard for Medicaid expansion and successfully [explains] to the public how the program will benefit working class people and people in both rural and urban areas, she may be able to get a Republican legislature to compromise,” he said.

According to Franklin, Abrams will have to be careful not to brand the new healthcare plan “Obamacare” or any other name that may cause Republicans to be readily against it.

Secretary of State Brian Kemp has established a “4 Point Plan to Put Georgians First,” that he plans to initiate if he becomes governor.

“He will lower insurance costs, ensure access to quality care, expand insurance options, cover Georgians with pre-existing conditions and spur innovation to address systemic healthcare challenges in our state.

Above all, Brian Kemp will put patients – not the status quo or well-funded special interests – first,” according to Kemp’s website.

Lanford said Kemp’s plan to keep premiums low so that individuals will not have to pay as much out of pocket might cause negative side effects.

“It may be easier for Kemp to keep premium growth at a minimum compared to Abrams. This is because he supports the availability of plans that cover less,” he said.

“Besides the clear risks for people on these plans, there is the other problem that some healthier people will leave more comprehensive plans for skimpier plans, leaving behind less healthy people who will then have to pay much higher premiums. It’s not as clear this will be a money saver in the end.”

Another avenue for lower healthcare costs that Kemp may approach, according to Lanford, is to lower prescription drug costs.

“Lowering the cost of prescription drugs is possible, but will require creativity, especially for Kemp. He has a tendency to oppose regulations on private industry.

Unregulated, the price of prescription drugs is likely to continue rising,” he said.

One of the most controversial proposals by Kemp is the removal of sanctuary cities. Clarkston, is home to not only to one of Georgia State’s perimeter campuses but also a large population of unauthorized Somali nationals, which classifies it as a sanctuary city.

“For months, I’ve worked with local prosecutors like District Attorney Vic Reynolds, members of the GBI, and many in this room to develop plans to deport criminal aliens and crush street gangs. As governor, I will lead on Law and Order. I refuse to accept the status quo or back down from the radical left,” Kemp said.

Franklin said the City of Clarkston, and even Atlanta, exists purely because the state government allows them to.

“They exist at the pleasure and permission of the state government. The state government can punish Clarkston for being a sanctuary city and can influence that and influence Clarkston, including legislating it out of existence,” he said. “The governor has a lot of authority in terms of having the state police cooperate with [Immigration and Customs Enforcement],” Franklin said.

With the issues analyzed, it’s only a matter of time before the votes are in and a governor is chosen. As with past elections, it’s unclear whether the candidates will keep their promises or how long it will take them to enact them.

NEWS

4

GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

SGA says homeless students are new priority What the new ad hoc committee means for students WILL SOLOMONS Staff Reporter

T

he Student Government Association is creating the foundation for a permanent committee to address homelessness in Atlanta — specifically within Georgia State’s student population.

At their latest university-wide meeting on Nov. 1, SGA voted to establish an ad hoc Homelessness Committee that will work with non-governmental organizations in Atlanta to provide aid and resources to the homeless.

The committee was sponsored by Sen. Cherilyn Munoz and gained unanimous support. Several senators volunteered to join the committee, though anyone is able to regardless of SGA involvement. They haven’t voted on a committee chair yet but plan to do it at one of their future meetings.

At the meeting, SGA members were present both in person and via video chat to discuss and debate short-term and longterm solutions. The senators settled on the short-term solutions that they said were easier to accomplish.

SGA Executive Vice President for the Atlanta campus Ayesha Iqbal led the group in their deliberation.

“There’re short term solutions, like providing relief now like blankets and food,” she said. “There’re long term solutions.

We’re looking at policy changes.”

Iqbal said that as a city, Atlanta isn’t focusing on new laws to address homelessness. That’s something the committee hopes to change.

“We don’t touch on the policy issues. If we come together, we can gear the City of Atlanta to work on policy issues,” she said.

One of the key issues that interests the committee is the population of homeless Georgia State students.

“We can definitely talk to Housing and see if they would help provide some kind of housing,” Iqbal said. “We have students who are homeless on our campus. We do have an office ... that deals with students who are homeless. But I know they think that in some way we can help them … and provide them with

SGA Atlanta EVP Ayesha Iqbal leads the ad hoc Homelessness Committee in their first meeting since its creation.

housing.”

The committee’s initial plan is to reach out to other organizations on campus and gather statistics on homelessness in Atlanta. After that, they plan on meeting with Atlanta’s homeless population and Georgia State University Chief of Police Joseph Spillane.

They also plan to meet with students from Oglethorpe and other universities in Atlanta to determine if an inter-university

A new demo on the block

Surprise! Library Plaza’s about to be demolished WILL SOLOMONS Staff Reporter

L

ibrary Plaza is slated to be demolished sometime in February or March alongside Kell Hall, according to Vice President for Facilities Ramesh Vakamudi.

“It could be February/March 2019 before we start Kell Hall/Library Plaza demolition,” Vakamudi said.

The demolition comes months after a “Library Masterplan” was announced in January that laid the groundwork for renovating Library North and eventually Library Plaza.

Students currently use the plaza as a place to gather, smoke and table for their various student organizations.

Job recruiters for the U.S. Marines and Chick-fil-A also find a place there.

Students will be affected as early as February as Library Plaza tabling moves to Unity Plaza “We have to stop taking reservations in February,” Student Center Senior Director Boyd Beckwith said.

Spotlight Executive Director William Holley said his organization is working to develop solutions for the lack of tabling options and temporary removal of the plaza.

“Library Plaza was a melting pot of organization engagement and outreach. In an effort to tackle the challenge, sooner rather than later, we are currently brainstorming plans to use student center locations for organization tabling. We have a few ideas that may require approval from Student Center higherups. Therefore, I will not elaborate any further without confirmation,” he said.

A Student Government Association representative said that SGA is working to ensure the student body is kept in mind during the demolition process.

“We are coming up with a plan because this is not just going to affect Atlanta students. This is going to affect everybody, especially those who are coming from Perimeter to the Atlanta campus,” the representative said.

The representative also said they aren’t working alone in their planning but with other organizations on campus as well.

“We are working in collaboration with several umbrella organizations like RHA. We’re working with [the Student Alumni Association] and Spotlight to try and find an adequate solution,” they said. “We want to make sure there’s a plan.

The university is unsure how long the project could take exactly.

“Tentatively it could take 6 to 7 months but [that] will have to be confirmed by the contractor,” Vakamudi said.

However, the university has yet to select a contractor, according to Vakamudi.

The cost of the project is estimated to be $7.7 million for Kell Hall and Library Plaza’s demolition and the subsequent greenway construction.

He also said that one of the biggest concerns is student safety during the project.

“Safety of pedestrian traffic through area [is one of our concerns] but [that] will be addressed through the installation of construction fencing and barricades similar to recently Courtland Street bridge replacement project,” he said.

Many students seem to be unaware of the plaza’s slated demolition. The university has yet to issue an official statement to the student body, and most students The Signal approached for comment indicated they were unfamiliar with the plans.

PHOTO BY WILL SOLOMONS | THE SIGNAL

collaboration would be possible.

The committee plans to hold a protest in front of City Hall or another high-traffic area in an effort to influence political action.

The committee is still in its infancy, but all of the members present at the meeting held an apparent passion to end homelessness through community outreach and a possible fundraiser through GoFundMe.

Transparency

SGA supports federal CTA WILL SOLOMONS Staff Reporter

S

enators erupted into debate Thursday evening on the topic of endorsing the College Transparency Act. A bill, intended to throw SGA’s official support behind the federal act, was introduced to the senate by Sen. Jazmin Mejia.

Former Executive Vice President Briana Stanley was present at Thursday’s meeting as an advocate for the bill, and many senators referred to her for questions. After almost 30 minutes of discussion on the act’s purpose and parameters, the senate voted 10 for, 7 against and 2 abstentions, marking one of SGA’s most divisive bills yet.

The act seeks to establish a database that would archive student information to allow prospective students to determine if a university is the right choice for them. Some of the data would include post-graduate income for students in various career fields.

Within the proposed federal database, Stanley said students’ identifying information, such as Social Security number, date of birth and more, would not be included.

“I know for sure sensitive information is not reported,” she said.

Georgia State already gathers this information, so jumping to the federal level is supposedly seamless and won’t negatively impact students. According to Stanley, students won’t have to do anything.

“The only reason they [collect the data] is to change their curriculum to make it better,” Stanley said.

With the passing of SGA’s bill, Georgia State will now publicly and officially endorse the bill when it’s brought before Congress.

“We are the largest institution in the Southeast,” Stanley said. “It will give [legislators] the push forward to actually vote on this bill.”

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2018

NEWS

5

Undercover officers detain students Police give a whole new meaning to smoke-free zone

LOCAL

WILL SOLOMONS Staff Reporter

Storage facility broken into, several units compromised

A

n undercover Georgia State University Police Department officer confronted and charged two Georgia State students in Library Plaza for possession of marijuana on Thursday afternoon.

At least two undercover officers were present during the incident. The disguised officers were accompanied by three other uniformed GSUPD officers.

The undercover officer who questioned the students primarily focused on one of the individuals who was in possession of marijuana along with various drug paraphernalia such as rolling papers.

When the police asked for his PantherCard or some other form of identification, he claimed he didn’t have his wallet on him. After several minutes of interrogative dialogue, one officer patted him down and confiscated his wallet that was inside his pants pocket.

“You ever been to jail before? Answer my question.

You ever been to jail before?” he said.

The students were sitting in a group with eight other students in the plaza’s smircle. One person, who is not a Georgia State student, was arrested for having outstanding warrants in another county.

The police gathered the other students’ PantherCards and ran them through a database to check their police records.

Many students were unaware of an undercover police presence on campus, as this public ordeal drew the awe and ire of a crowd of students.

GSUPD Chief Joseph Spillane said there has been an increase in not only undercover police but also in their Crime Suppression Unit and motorcycle patrols.

“We frequently do undercover work. We have detectives and we have increased the size of the department,” he said. “And as we increase the size of the department, you’ll see more units like Crime Suppression, motorcycle units and more undercover keeping an eye on things in those areas of campus like Library Plaza.”

The undercover police operate in a variety of ways.

Some patrol high-traffic areas and others, according

An entourage of police officers — some uniformed and some plainclothes — detained 10 students at the smircle on Nov. 1.

to Spillane, plant bikes that thieves then steal.

“We have bicycles that we plant, then undercover watches the bicycle. And then they keep an eye out for people who go into places they aren’t supposed to be, like they’ll piggyback in … particularly in housing,” he said.

Spillane said the increase in police activity is a department-wide increase. He said that Georgia State University President Mark Becker “doubled the size of the police force downtown,” following a series of robberies that took place three years ago.

“It’s not because crime’s up. Crime’s actually way down. But we have a larger force now so we have more units to work with,” he said.

The smircle has been on the university’s radar for several years. Spillane said that the police can’t enforce the no smoking policy, but security for the university can.

“I want try to find a way that my security can

PHOTO BY DANIEL VARITEK | THE SIGNAL

enforce it because they can enforce the no smoking,” he said. “If they’re a student we can [issue] a conduct violation which is what a lot of the schools do. So I am looking to try to do some type of detail for the people smoking on Library Plaza and other places you’re not authorized to smoke.”

Due to complaints from students and faculty, Spillane said he wanted someone to focus on stopping students from smoking on campus.

“Frankly it should be being enforced by somebody so we’re trying to put together some kind of plan to actually enforce it,” Spillane said.

The chief said that he’s looking into an initiative proposed by the Student Government Association, a plan that has already been retracted by the senators at their latest Atlanta senate meeting. GSUPD doesn’t have the authority to enforce a university policy such as the no smoking rule.

Absentee ballots illegally thrown out Accusations fly all the way to Election Day JACELL BLAND Staff Reporter

Hundreds of absentee ballots have recently been rejected in Gwinnett County during the Brian Kemp versus Stacey Abrams governor’s race.

Amy Gardner, a reporter for The Washington Post, revealed that more than 1,200 ballots have been rejected statewide. The primary location where voters have been affected is in Gwinnett County.

“It remains unknown why Gwinnett County, Georgia’s second-largest county, is rejecting the most absentee ballots in the state. But voting rights advocates have told the newspaper that a new law regarding information citizens must provide may have caused the problem,” Justin Wise, a reporter for The Hill, said.

Democratic candidate Abrams and voting rights groups have placed blame on Republican candidate Kemp for the ballot holds.

Some of the reasons that have been cited for ballots being thrown away are signatures that do not match those on file, missing addresses and inaccurate birth

NEWS BRIEFS

years, according to state data.

Kemp’s office has stated that counties decide how to process absentee ballots and that they have opened an investigation to make sure state law is being followed.

As the election drew closer, more ballots were reported to be missing in counties such as Dekalb.

Georgia Democratic Party officials have reported that 4,700 applications to vote by mail are missing in DeKalb County.

The Atlanta Voice made a comment that the secretary of state’s office is looking into the claims and are taking these accusations seriously.

Judge Leigh Martin May of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia made a statement regarding the absentee ballots.

“The Court finds that the public interest is best served by allowing qualified absentee voters to vote and have their votes counted,” she said. “This injunction ensures that absentee voters who are unable to vote in person and whose applications or ballots are rejected based on a signature mismatch will still have the opportunity to have their votes counted in the upcoming election.”

In addition, Georgia has some of the country’s most restrictive voter ID laws. According to The

Washington Post, there have been changes to the mail-in ballot envelope that were part of a broader law passed in 2017 requiring voters’ registration applications to exactly match their driver’s license and Social Security records.

In the aftermath of all of the claims of voter fraud and election manipulation, Kemp’s office has since opened an investigation into the Democratic Party, claiming that they’ve attempted to hack the election.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Candice Broce, a spokesperson for Kemp’s campaign, said, “While we cannot comment on the specifics of an ongoing investigation, I can confirm that the Democratic Party of Georgia is under investigation for possible cyber crimes.”

The Democratic Party has denied all claims of those crimes, saying that they are completely false.

The conclusion for this incident has solidified that it’s vital Georgia voters make sure they are properly registered to vote, and if any issues occur, there must be an appropriate protocol to proceed with.

With the day of the election here, accusations and investigations continue to fly from both sides of the aisle in an effort to get to the truth and discredit the opposing party.

A storage facility in Atlanta wasn’t as secure as its customers expected after a thief broke into several of the units. The thief broke locks and cut wires to enter units, according to one of the victims. There have been several break-ins at the facility in previous months.

According to WSB-TV, one of the victims said, “They should get cameras, you know, throughout the facility, in the hallways, and things of that such.” The thieves had been climbing through the top of some of the storage units, according to the police. Some of the victims have since moved to facilities that have more surveillance.

NATIONAL Anti-semitic graffiti after an anti-semitic shooting

A synagogue in New York City was vandalized by James Polite, a man who is now charged with committing a hate crime. This incident comes just days after a synagogue in Pittsburgh was attacked by a gunman. The graffiti was attributed partially to Polite’s troubled past, according to Christine Quinn, a New York City Council speaker who knew Polite.

CNN reported that several other cities were defaced by anti-semitic graffiti.

INTERNATIONAL There’s now more tea, sis

South Africa’s largest tea farm is now fully functioning again. The government put $8 million into the farm to restore its operations. Wage disputes, labor strikes, drops in tea prices and looting caused the tea farm to shut down, according to Al Jazeera.

The government-owned tea farm currently only processes the tea leaves to sell in bulk but hopes to eventually sell individual tea bags to stores and buyers. The farm is still facing concerns regarding wages and labor conditions, but it also remains a source of hope for the residents of the surrounding area.

NEWS

6

GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

Fulton County residents line up at a polling location to cast their ballots early on Friday, Nov. 2, the last day to do so for Georgia residents.

PHOTO BY UNIQUE RODRIGUEZ | THE SIGNAL

Registered student voters rarely vote early Students are passionate, but haven’t visited the polls yet ZACH SALLING Staff Reporter

E

arly voting opened across Georgia beginning Monday, Oct. 15. Early voters, bogged down by work, classes or other obligations, could cast a vote between the threeweek early voting period before Nov. 6, Election Day. Georgia State, nestled in the heart of Downtown, houses a diverse student body. Despite that diversity, many hold similar views as their peers, pledging allegiance to their Democratic nominees. Many also champion voter registration, realizing the importance of civic duty.

The Signal conducted a survey pulling from 50 Georgia State students in Library Plaza on Oct. 29 in the morning and early afternoon.

VOTER REGISTRATION

After weeks of advertisements, celebrities, friends, family and volunteers hounding students to register to vote, the results for voter registration skyrocketed.

Of the 50 surveyed, a whopping 46 Georgia State students said they’ve registered to vote.

For some Georgia State students like Caroline Pena, it will be their very first time voting.

“I’ve never voted before,” Pena said. “I’m excited to vote for Stacey Abrams. I looked at the polls recently and it’s really tied. Every vote counts.”

And some students were voting for their first time in America.

“I’m from Iran,” Zein Antoon said. “It’s my first year [voting] as an American citizen.”

EARLY VOTING

Nearly all surveyed students were registered to vote, but most were saving their vote for a later date. Ten of 50 surveyed students voted early. Georgia State students have their excuses, a skill college students learn early.

“I haven’t had the time. I’ve been busy,” Lamiyah Mussaji, a senior at Georgia State, said.

Georgia State, a notorious commuter college, inflicts the extra strain of commuting on students’ schedules along with traditional school work.

“My boyfriend’s nagging me, my sister’s nagging me and honestly I’ve been lazy. I care, too, I just get caught up with school,” student Jannet Shim said. “That’s always been my

excuse.”

Despite the absentee ballot, some students still aim to reach a physical voting poll.

“I have to vote in Kennesaw, so I have to do a little road trip,” Jordan Gruss said.

Convenience beckons the early Georgia State voter, as those who did vote early did so for practicality. Daanish Badruddin, a junior at Georgia State, said “less lines” kickstarted his early visit to the polls.

Angela Chude, a sophomore at Georgia State, echoed Badruddin’s reasoning.

“I know everyone’s going to be out at the polls,” Chude said.

REASONS FOR VOTING

Many Georgia State students vote for the first time this voting cycle. Only three of 50 said they had voted in the previous voting cycle — an enormous disparity compared to how many students have registered this election cycle.

This election caught some students’ attention because of the current administration’s stance on immigration. Angela Castanza, a sophomore at Georgia State, said she voted because of her parents.

“They’re immigrants, so I was motivated to help them in the state we’re in right now,” Castanza said.

Some Georgia State students were motivated solely to keep a certain governor out of office.

Esta Pate, a freshman at Georgia State and a first-time voter, said she’s voting to “make sure Brian Kemp doesn’t win.”

Anna-Claire Wright cited civic duty as her motivation.

“I’ve seen the advertisements for both candidates. It’s a motivation for me to not have a certain type of person as my governor from what I’ve seen in the advertisements,” Wright said.

Several voters’ families motivated them to vote — even if they weren’t planning on it.

“Honestly, my parents said we’re going to go vote today,” Dyanna Hodge, a junior Georgia State student, said.

Other students’ family’s words counted as enough motivation.

“My aunt told me your vote counts,” Temaj Ahmed, a freshman Georgia State student, said.

IMPORTANT ISSUES

Georgia State students’ major issues of concern ranged from gun control to Marsy’s Law. Yet, the majority

of students’ concerns lay with immigration and the representative’s party allegiance.

Salazar protested Kemp’s advertisements and flair politics regarding his anti-immigration advertisements.

“Obviously, I’m not going to vote for that crazy guy,” Salazar said. “The one with the bus.”

Nakeeya Mussaji, a sophomore Georgia State student, said, “A lot of my people are immigrants. We need to do a better job with immigration policies.”

Temaj Ahmed shared their sentiment, saying “immigration laws need to be more lenient.”

Representative party alignment usually followed after immigration.

Joy Stanton-Hirst, a freshman Georgia State student, said she wanted more democratic influence in the House.

Stanton-Hirst said Democrats provide “a more leveled view” at a time when “we’re dealing with a lot of extremist policies.”

Daanish Badruddin said he wanted Democrats in the office and not a Republican.

“The policies [Republicans] enforce, I don’t benefit as much from,” Badruddin said. “Republican government tax less on higher up and tax more on middle class, and I’m middle class.”

None of the 50 Georgia State students surveyed supported a Republican candidate.

Gun control remained at the forefront of many Georgia State students’ minds, possibly because of the recent Campus Carry law.

“I’m worried about my safety,” Jennifer Javetz, a junior Georgia State student said on gun control.

Marsy’s Law has also received a lot of attention in wake of the #MeToo Movement.

“Women should have their own voice,” said Moaaz Nasir, a sophomore Georgia State student. “[Sexual misconduct] shouldn’t just be treated as a regular crime.

Women’s rights, namely abortion, shaped some Georgia State voters’ decisions.

“People that are pro-life, they always talk about how abortion is a sin, but they’re not doing anything to better the system,” said Nafisa Nawal, a sophomore Georgia State student. “Adoption agencies aren’t the best. You’re pointing fingers and not doing anything to better their situation.”

With Election Day here, Georgia State will witness changing legislation due to the votes students will — or won’t — cast.

OPINIONS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2018

www.georgiastatesignal.com/opinions

Why is voting so difficult?

It doesn’t matter who you vote for, just vote.

N

SHARI CELESTINE Staff Reporter

Shari is a third-year Creative Writing major with an interest in diversity in publishing. In her spare time, she works on her Urban Fantasy manuscript.

Tweet shari!

@shari_celestine

othing is more American than the right to vote. Every few years, citizens travel in droves to their local polling areas to cast ballots that can change the United States. It’s one of the most basic rights of being a citizen, and yet voting is made very difficult around the country, especially in the South.

Alabama is one of the most restrictive states.

Votes can only be cast in person on Election Day unless the voter has an approved excuse to vote absentee. For example, if a voter is ill or has a disability that prevents a trip to the polling place or a voter works a required shift of 10 hours or more that coincides with polling hours.

In Mississippi, voters need a photo ID and an approved excuse to vote absentee. No early voting is offered.

Here in Georgia, a photo ID is required. There is an early voting period of two weeks and no excuse is necessary to vote absentee. Yet voting is still a struggle.

It might be easier to vote in Georgia than Alabama but it’s still a struggle, and let me explain how.

On Oct. 15, news of hundreds of Gwinnett County absentee ballots being tossed out splashed across every news outlet. As The Atlantic reported back in 2015, Gwinnett County is one of the most diverse counties in the Southeast — in the 2016 election it was one of the few counties to turn blue. 51 percent of Gwinnett’s vote went to Hillary Clinton

over just 45.2 percent of the vote going to Donald Trump. The county rejected 390 absentee ballots through Sunday, which represents 8.5 percent of all mailed ballots received in Gwinnett so far.

Gwinnett accounts for about 37 percent of all rejected ballots in Georgia.

When questioned on why a disproportionate number of absentee ballots were rejected, Gwinnett county officials had no explanation, yet they cited no wrongdoing.

County spokesman Joe Sorenson said, “I can’t draw any conclusions. I just know that we’re doing this according to state law.”

That’s the county’s way of having their cake and eating it too. They want to have it both ways but it’s unethical.

A majority of Americans across both party lines are upset over how the country is being run: Healthcare is in jeopardy, Donald Trump is in the news every other day ranting about immigrants crossing illegally into our borders and Kavanagh’s laughable journey into the highest court in the land are just a few of the major issues sparking a flame under voters this midterm election. So it’s no surprise that a historical turnout of “nonvoters,” or people who didn’t vote four years ago, are registering to vote now.

After singer Taylor Swift encouraged her Tennessee fans to vote, 65,000 registrations poured in in a single 24-hour period.

“I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country,” Swift said. “I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG.” Less than half of all eligible voters usually vote during midterm elections. It’s assumed that low voter turnout is because Americans are lazy and apathetic or simply just don’t want to vote. This is a horrible misconception. Americans want to vote, right now, so many can’t wait to vote.

As wonderful as that sounds, the system makes it so difficult to vote.

Let’s talk about the different types of voter profiles and the unique struggles they each face: students, working parents, voters without ID and convicted felons.

STUDENTS

As students of Georgia State, we are nearing the end of the fall semester as Election Day draws closer.

Some students have chosen to vote early because, while they live on campus, they are not registered to vote in Fulton County so they have to take time out to return home and vote. A state ID is required to vote but a small number of

students don’t have a driver’s license. Out-of-state students might not have an in-state ID required by law to vote. In light of all this, I hope college students who were unable to vote during the 2016 election will vote during this 2018 midterm.

Visit BestColleges.com for more information and resources on how to vote in college.

WORKING PARENTS

Just because you’ve registered and prepared the proper forms of identification doesn’t mean there will not be obstacles to overcome. Parents with full-time jobs can’t always afford to take unpaid time off to vote. They may want to but simply can’t afford to in the long run. Employers are not required to pay employees for time off in less than half the states in the country. A Pew Research Center survey stated that among registered voters, two-thirds gave reasons related to lack of time, and 35 percent were from work or school conflicts.

VOTERS WITHOUT ID

There are federal laws in place that say firsttime voters who do not supply information that can be verified against a state or government database must show some other form of ID to vote. This information varies depending on what state you’re in. Some states require all voters to have a photo ID; others will allow you to vote with an official form of documentation like a utility bill, bank statement or something showing your name and a current address. This is interesting because the act of just registering to vote isn’t complicated at all. Voters can register to vote (by mail) without an ID. Just fill out the federal form and mail it in, no ID required. In Georgia, a photo ID is required to vote.

CONVICTED FELONS

There is a reason the right to vote is stripped from you when you become a felon. If it wasn’t so important they wouldn’t take it away. It’s also no coincidence that a majority of felons are of people of color. The last thing conservatives want is six million people who’ve been locked away and stripped of their rights suddenly having the ability to vote. It’s enough potential to change election outcomes in key states with strict felon-voting policies. 7.4 percent of black Americans can’t vote because they are felons, compared to 1.8 percent of the rest of the population.

Farah Stockman of The New York Times wrote, “The movement to restore felons’ voting rights has gotten tangled up in partisan ideological battles, with Democratic leaders tending to support expanded access to the ballot and Republicans opposing it.”

If you’ve paid your debt to society and are given the right to start your life over again, why can’t you gain your right to vote back as well?

Florida is trying to change that with Amendment 4. In Florida, voters have the ability to restore a felon’s right to vote after completing their sentence. Florida’s Amendment 4 will restore voting rights to former felons who served their sentence, including parole and probation, with the exception of those convicted of murder and sexual offenses.

Other countries make the voting process very simple and even mandatory. The United States is a democracy; its voters choose its elected officials, not the other way around. So if you can vote, please vote. Otherwise, don’t complain when the world goes to hell in a handbasket.

ILLUSTRATION BY AMBER KIRLEW | THE SIGNAL

OPINIONS

8

GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

EDITORIAL That ain’t it, chief Arrest in Library Plaza raises questions about police presence

T

wo Georgia State students were charged for possession of marijuana in Library Plaza this past Thursday, Nov. 1., by a Georgia State University Police Department officer dressed in plain clothes.

Deception is often used by law enforcement officers in interrogation, undercover drug busts and traffic law enforcement. But should it be welcomed on campus?

We flock each day to our concrete kingdom downtown, feeling independent and among community. Commuting to the city, we grow tough skins toward those passing by, but we shouldn’t have to worry that any individual we may pass by, sit next to or even bum a cigarette from is a few pen strokes from taking this independence.

While deception is legal and the goal of the GSUPD is safety, this deception isn’t the best route to get there. In short, that ain’t it, chief.

It’s not only uncomfortable being surveilled, but it takes away from the

perception of safety we have on campus. If we see a lot of police activity, we can assume that there is in fact more crime and that we should be scared more.

The visibility of militant forms of policing does less to keep us safe and more to create a hostile environment. Crime Suppression Units patrol in a facsimile of military garb, armed and armored, daily, as if that is normal.

And this increase in police presence on campus isn’t. In the past, the police have deflected criticism by claiming they lack the resources to expand services. The Signal wrote in October about the non-functioning call boxes all around campus. The cost spent on new staff, new uniforms and guns must dwarf significantly the cost of infrastructure repairs necessary to fix the broken call boxes.

There are plenty of benign places to spend money that improve campus safety. Take the success that is the officer ride program.

If you are out late on campus, GSUPD will

bring a patrol car to give people rides. The program is popular, both for late-night studying students and WRAS DJs. “We give about 30 rides a day,” GSUPD Chief Joseph Spillane said. “Mostly in the evenings, across campus to and from the dorms and library.”

The rides are a great way for students to interact with GSUPD officers and feel safe, but it also shouldn’t be completely necessary.

Leaving some parts of the campus virtually unattended to but cracking down during the day with displays of power only cause a disportionate view of our men and women in blue.

We’d like to see some sort of reform to how police and students interact on campus. Students shouldn’t have to fear if an undercover cop is in their classroom or if they’re in danger because an officer is holding an assault rifle. We want our campus to be safe, both in reality and in our perception.

ARTS & LIVING TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2018

www.georgiastatesignal.com/artsandliving

ILLUSTRATION BY DEMETRI BURKE | THE SIGNAL

Third-party interventions in a two-party world Why not just stick to two?

JOSH WINSTON Staff Reporter

The prominence of the two-party system in America often obscures political positions deemed niche by major political parties.

Historically, political issues such as women’s suffrage and environmental activism started out as third-party platforms. Their policies would be adopted by the larger parties after gaining considerable voter attention.

This relationship between the two dominant parties and less prominent third parties has existed for much of the nation’s history and affects government politics at every level.

In the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial race, this historical struggle between third parties and the major two political parties is playing out between the Democratic and Republican front-runners Stacey Abrams and Brian Kemp, and Libertarian candidate Ted Metz.

TED METZ, LIBERTARIAN

Metz, who currently has close to 470 followers on Twitter, has run a unique campaign, one that’s been overshadowed by the historic and highly contested campaign between Abrams and Kemp. However, even though Metz is unlikely to win the 2018 governor’s race, he does have a chance of influencing the election in a major way.

For much of the nation’s history, voters have underestimated the significance of third-party candidates, with their significant contributions going largely unnoticed.

But in recent years, with a significant rise in voter dissatisfaction, many voters are turning to third-party candidates in protest of the twoparty system. Even our nation’s first president warned against the development of such a system.

WASHINGTON WARNED US

In the fall of 1796, about ten weeks before the third presidential election in the nation’s brief history, General George Washington published his farewell address after serving two terms and presciently warned of potential political pitfalls threatening the new nation, such as the dangers of political parties and their potential for devolving into despotism.

Lamenting the rise of the party system he said, “It agitates the Community with illfounded jealousies and false alarms; kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection.

It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which find a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passions.”

Essentially, the dominance of the two-party system over the nation’s political landscape is exactly what Washington warned against.

THIRD PARTIES’ SUCCESS

However, in spite of the two-party system, third parties such as the Reform Party, Green Party and Libertarian Party have all had varying success in advocating for their beliefs.

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, the Socialist Party advocated for women’s suffrage and the institution of a 40hour work week — two political positions that are now significant contributions to modern life.

Likewise, third parties can affect the outcomes of elections by gaining enough voter support to influence the votes of other candidates. The 2000 presidential election illustrates this as some political pundits believe Green Party candidate Ralph Nader’s presidential campaign may have cost Al Gore the election when George W. Bush beat Al Gore by 537 votes in Florida. Many pundits believe Nader’s 97,421 votes would have won Gore the presidency.

POLITICAL GHOSTS

In an interview to PBS, Sean Wilentz, the director of the American Studies Program at Princeton, said, “It’s a kind of bitter sweetness.

[Third parties] are the ones that raise the issues that no one wants to raise and in the process they change the political debate and even policy, but they themselves as a political force, they disappear.”

U.S. political history is full of third-party interferences but none seem to ever make a lasting impression or name for themselves outside of their impact on the two-party system. It’s rare that they are elected into office and even rarer that they garner even close to a majority vote. They spring into existence passionately around a political issue and fade into obscurity once their policies and platforms have been salvaged for parts like a derelict automobile.

Metz believes the Georgia governor’s race will likely end in a runoff. If this happens, Metz will be continuing a long tradition of third-party candidates “spoiling” elections by siphoning votes away from the major parties, thereby robbing them of the majorities required to win elections.

Running for the runoff “This is going to be a runoff anyway,” Metz said in his concluding remarks of the Georgia gubernatorial debate. In doing so, Metz also revealed why he believes running for Governor as a minority third-party candidate was worth it, even if he has no chance of winning.

He said, “If you’re tired of the two-party system and the oligarchs running the planet then a vote for me is a protest vote to show them that you’re sick and tired of the same old vote. I’m running to end corruption and hold government accountable and to lower taxes.”

So, it seems Metz’s campaign for governor can be viewed as some sort of politically

charged performance art; a brick message thrown through the already cracked window of American democracy. A message, however small, that shows the American people they have other options.

METZ HAS THE LAST LAUGH At the time of publication, Metz’s polling numbers credit him between 2 and 4 percent of the vote, a percentage that, while nowhere near enough to win, still equates to some degree of political influence.

In the event of a runoff, Metz might consider endorsing a candidate, hypothetically shifting his small percentage of the vote to whichever candidate he endorses.

“I’m going to sit down with both candidates,” he said. “Based on their responses and the sincerity with which they express them, I will let my opinion be known.”

Metz might not be running to win the seat of governor in Georgia, but his presence in the election will almost certainly affect whoever does.

MEET METZ Edward Tecumseh Metz is a 60-yearold U.S. Navy veteran who also worked in insurance and finance before being elected as chairman of the Libertarian Party of Georgia.

He studied organic chemistry at the University of Georgia, nursing at Georgia Perimeter College and Insurance and risk management at Georgia State. He currently lives in Mableton with his family.

Constitutional Amendments

DESCRIPTION - Applies an existing tax exemption for nonprofit housing for the mentally disabled to housing financed through other businesses WHAT IT MEANS - Voting “yes” allows for a property tax break for nonprofit housing for those with mental disabilities.

This isn’t a new law; rather, it’s a clarification of an existing law in a specific situation. Voting “no” will leave the law as is, with no clear answer. Both Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate support this.

Referendum B: Property Taxes

The state’s second highest ranking official.

Can influence state policies and presides as the president of the senate, overseeing legislation that passes through.

Lieutenant Governor

EDUCATION - Increase public school funding and raise teacher pay ENVIRONMENT- No detailed plan for climate change but wants local communities to decide regulations IMMIGRATION - Create Track and Deport program and Criminal Alien Database and end sanctuary cities CRIME - Use law enforcement to target criminal street gangs GUN ISSUES - Support gun rights and the Second Amendment HEALTHCARE - Improve access to healthcare and lower insurance premiums JOBS AND ECONOMY- Support small business, cut regulation and protect taxpayers EQUALITY - Target rural Georgia for better infrastructure, education and agriculture

EDUCATION - Increase public school funding and expand HOPE and financial aid ENVIRONMENT - Use renewable energy and act against climate change IMMIGRATION - Support communities through education and pathways to citizenship CRIME- Implement criminal justice reform and community policing and raise law enforcement pay GUN ISSUES - Increase background checks, repeal campus carry and invest in mental health services HEALTHCARE - Improve access to healthcare and expand medicaid JOBS AND ECONOMY - Create jobs through clean energy, medicaid and investments in infrastructure EQUALITY - Provide affordable housing and end veteran homelessness

Referendum A: Property Taxes

DESCRIPTION - Provides for a municipal property tax exemption within certain cities WHAT IT MEANS - Voting “yes” will put a cap on how much a property tax bill can increase in one year. This is aimed at homes in Atlanta, since it is a city that extends across multiple counties. In neighborhoods where property taxes are rising rapidly, this law prevents them from rising too fast. On the other hand, this also provides a break to those with more valuable, expensive homes. Both Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate support this.

His goals:

Her goals:

State Statutes

Republican

Brian Kemp Kemp has served as Secretary of State of Georgia since 2010.

Democrat

Stacey Abrams

The state’s highest ranking official. Duties include managing the budget; making appointments to positions of power, such as heads of departments and agencies; and signing legislation into law.

Governor

Abrams served as the Georgia House of Representatives minority leader for the Democratic Party from 2011 to 2017.

The Ballot

Ada Wood | Staff Reporter

Georgia Midterm Election 2018

ILLUSTRATIONS BY EVAN STAMPS | THE SIGNAL PAGE DESIGN BY DEVIN PHILLIPS | THE SIGNAL

DESCRIPTION - Allows a school district or multiple districts with a majority of students within a county to call for a county sales tax referendum WHAT IT MEANS - Voting “yes” allows for a school district to use sales tax for educational purposes if approved by voters. The district or districts with the most students in the county can request the vote. The Democrats and Republicans supported this equally, between 75 and 88 percent support in the House and Senate.

Amendment 5: Education

DESCRIPTION - Adds rights of crime victims to state constitution; also called Marsy’s Law WHAT IT MEANS - Voting “yes” allows for victims to be informed and involved in all stages of a criminal case.

Advocates argue that the law has passed in five other states and protects victims. Opponents warn this could result in an infringement of the rights of the accused to be innocent until convicted. Both Democrats and Republicans in the Senate and House support this.

Amendment 4: Law Enforcement

DESCRIPTION - Revises method for determining market value of forest land and creates a timberland property class WHAT IT MEANS - Voting “yes” allows for the government to re-evaluate property values of land used for conservation purposes. It also lowers taxes for owners of timberland property. This keeps Georgia’s $38 billion industry competitive with neighboring states. In addition, some money is kept by the government for administrative purposes. Both Democrats and Republicans in the Senate and House support this.

Amendment 3: Natural Resources

DESCRIPTION - Creates a business court and establishes procedures and rules for judicial selection, term length and qualifications WHAT IT MEANS - Voting “yes” creates a statewide business court to improve efficiency and predictability in complex business disputes. Judges would be appointed by the governor to five-year terms, but the opposition say judges should be elected by voters instead. The legislation was supported by Republicans in both the House and Senate. For Democrats, this was not as supported, about 38 percent in the Senate and 82 percent in the House voted against the legislation.

Amendment 2: State Judiciary

DESCRIPTION - Creates a land conservation trust fund with 0.75 percent of revenue from sales and use taxes on outdoor recreation equipment WHAT IT MEANS - Voting “yes” will allow the state to use 80 percent of sales tax on outdoor equipment to support and protect state parks, trails, clean water and wildlife. The amendment does not increase existing taxes. Both Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate supported this.

Amendment 1: Environmental Conservation

Republican

Brad Raffensperger BACKGROUND - Raffensperger is the CEO of an engineering and design firm and has served in the Georgia General Assembly since 2015.

PRIORITIES- Strengthen voter ID requirements, update voter registration lists and provide paper ballot backups.

The head of election and voting policies, corporate regulations and licensing.

Secretary of State

BACKGROUND - Barrow served as a Georgia Representative in Congress from 2005 to 2015.

PRIORITIES - Implement paper ballots, provide solutions to partisan gerrymandering and protect registration removal of inactive voters.

Democrat

John Barrow

Republican

Chris Carr BACKGROUND - Carr has served as Attorney General since 2016, when he was appointed by the governor to fill the position after the departure of the previous Attorney General.

PRIORITIES - Constitutional protection, protection of state powers and prevention of gang violence, human trafficking and opioid abuse.

The state’s chief legal advisor, acts as “lawyer for the state” and sets law enforcement priorities.

BACKGROUND - Bailey is a prosecutor and has served as Senior Assistant District Attorney in Fulton county.

PRIORITIES - Consumer protection, prevention of gang violence and human trafficking and healthcare access with protection of pre-existing conditions.

Democrat

Charlie Bailey

Republican

Geoff Duncan BACKGROUND - Duncan is a business owner and a former member of the Georgia House of Representatives.

PRIORITIES - Promote small business, empower parents in education and fight Planned Parenthood under pro-life beliefs.

Attorney General

BACKGROUND - Amico is a business owner and a Harvard graduate.

PRIORITIES - Expand rural hospital coverage, improve public schools, make government more efficient and bring jobs to Georgia.

Democrat

Sarah Amico

ARTS & LIVING

12

GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

Showing off your voting sticker: a lookbook Because everyone else probably already voted, too SYDNEY BLOEME Arts & Living Editor

E

very election, Georgians are faced with both a task and prize: Do your civic responsibility and be awarded a glossy sign of democracy, the famous “I’m a Georgia Voter” sticker.

You know the drill. Show up, show out and get your sticker.

Proudly display that sticker to show others that you care, and they should too.

Stickers are so ingrained in voting protocol that some people vote specifically with the added sticker in mind and are upset if they can’t receive one. They then must to the internet to obtain their own. A quick search for “voting sticker” on Amazon yields various designs of stickers from each state. Some stickers from previous elections are even auctioned on Ebay. One sticker from the 2016 presidential election is selling for upwards of $25.

In a review on Amazon, a man who purchased the stickers for his wife, wrote that he was update his wife’s mail-in ballot did not include a sticker.

“My wife, having grown up in a state where voting in person meant getting a sticker, has constantly lamented the fact that our current mail in ballots do not come with the ‘I Voted’ sticker she is so fond of wearing. After having heard these complaints so many times, I bought this roll of stickers which arrived just in time to award one to my wife as she finished her mail in ballot. She cried.”

While not all of us would cry at the sight of a sticker, appreciation for the “I’m a Georgia Voter” sticker can be seen through the sheer number of stickers spread across campus, displayed on students’ jackets, accessories and social media feeds.

With the internet, voters are able to flex their involvement not only in person, but online.

Ameryah Mays wore her “I voted” sticker on her jacket to encourage others to participate in early voting. She said that the sticker doesn’t matter to her too much and she’s mostly wearing it for other people. Even if these people don’t get a chance to see her in person, they can still see her posts on social media.

“I voted today,” Mays said, motiong to her sticker. “And even if they didn’t see me in person, they’ll see [my post].”

Many of the students The Signal spoke with said they were wearing their voting stickers to encourage others, but some don’t believe their motives are purely altruistic.

University of California Berkeley economics professor and author of “Voting to Tell Others,” Stefano DellaVigna, found that the sticker does improve voter turnout, but it’s not just the sticker — it’s the social pressure behind it.

“Such individuals are motivated to vote (in part) because they anticipate that others will ask if they did,” DellaVigna said. “If they vote, they can advertise their ‘good behavior’ when asked.”

Voting during our country’s earlier elections was far more public than it is today. People put on their best democratic attire and very publically cast their physical ballot, showing off their social responsibility.

Today, with mail-in ballots and voting at the closest church in the middle of nowhere, how do we advertise our “good behavior”? You won’t have to look far. It’s all over your Instagram and Snapchat — the classic #IVoted hashtag. With the sticker, people are able to post a selfie while boasting their commitment to country.

And while many clamor over the prized sticker, some counties have dropped the sticker altogether. California’s Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters did away with the sticker in 2012 to save money. Spokeswoman Elma Rosas said each sticker cost 15 cents and that by discontinuing the stickers, the county saved $90,750.

Chicago Board of Election spokesman Jim Allen said they discontinued the sticker because they became litter too quickly.

“You know why? Because fewer and fewer proprietors wanted to let us use their facilities as polling places because people would walk away and stick the sticker on the wall,” Allen said.

Uproar from the lack of stickers was so large, “#stickergate” was a trending hashtag on Twitter. This uproar caused the introduction of the voting wristband, which many other states have adopted today.

And while you might be able to quite literally better flex your voting wristband, there’s something indescribable about the little orange peach sticker, poking into your next #IVoted selfie.

WHERE TO STICK IT Do you ever grow tired of the traditional #IVoted selfie? Follow this guide and fear no more. Voting is responsible, cool and sexy! So c’mon, show us what you’ve got.

PUT IT ON YOUR PHONE - Remind your followers of good old-fashioned democracy after every mirror selfie.

PUT IT ON YOUR COMPUTER - Let everyone in the library know you’re informed. Type extra loud and draw attention to your right to a free and open internet. You’ve earned it.

PUT IT ON YOUR HEADPHONES - Encourage others to vote with the added bass of Mo Bamba.

ON YOUR WATER BOTTLE - Checks and balances aren’t just for your water intake.

THE BACK OF YOUR SHOE - Every step you take is toward progress.

ON YOUR NEXT LIME SCOOTER - Stick it on the front for oncoming traffic to see or stick it over the QR code to keep people accountable by forcing them to peel off the evidence of your activism.

PHOTOS BY VANESSA JOHNSON | THE SIGNAL

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2018

ARTS & LIVING

Ebony Carter, senior, currently serves as the president of the Young Democrats of Georgia State.

13

PHOTO BY SAM PUCKETT | THE SIGNAL

Political organizing on campus Flyering, postering and tabling: the lives of campus activists SAM PUCKETT

Associate Arts & Living Editor

The midterm elections are all anyone can talk about. Friends, Twitter mutuals and coworkers — everyone asks if you’ve voted. And don’t think you can’t get involved because you’re a student. Student-led political groups are registering voters, leading voting carpools and hosting watch parties.

GETTING INVOLVED

Georgia State has many political groups that advocate for communities, volunteer for campaigns and open spaces for dialogue on local activism. Student organizing has a rich history. The U.S. Anti-Vietnam War Movement, Occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter were all hugely bolstered by student activism.

Alex Butson joined Georgia State’s International Socialist Organization in the fall of 2016.

“I joined because I was so frustrated with Trump’s election and the current political climate and I just wanted to go do something,” Butson said. “First it was coming to meetings and slowly taking on flyering.”

Butson now runs meetings and copies minutes for the ISO. She’s a member of the national organization as well as the university chapter. There are a thousand jobs to keeping political organizations working and a lot of it looks like paperwork. This paperwork includes copying and filing emails and phone numbers, agendas and file-keeping.

Ebony Carter is the president of the Young Democrats at Georgia State and a senior political science major from McDonough, Georgia. She first became politically aware while watching the midterm elections in 2014. She was shocked to look into the amount of seats in Georgia that run without competition.

“There were upwards of fifty unopposed seats that are all going to Republicans,” Carter said. “I’m from one of those districts.”

CHALLENGES OF ORGANIZING

Youth voters have been accused in past elections of political apathy. Education is the first step to combat apathy, according to Carter.

“This midterm election has been better organized in terms of providing voters with information,” she said. “Telling them how to figure out if they’re registered, what to do to get registered, where to find information about their sample ballot.”

She has been surprised by the state of activism on campus, coming from the metro area where conservative politics are more the norm. In her experience, a general left-wing atmosphere on campus creates an environment of apathy.

“When you’re in an area that’s very skewed to one side, the people in that area become very comfortable and feel less of a need to be political,” Carter said. “It’s been hard to find people who are interested in becoming involved in the Young Dems.”

Carter said the generally leftist campus might push the College Republicans to be more active. Steep competition is effective motivation.

“Even though they are the majority in the state, I think they feel as if because they are a minority on our campus, they have to be more involved,” Carter said.

The communications director of the College Republicans Steven Caruso agrees that Georgia State can be an antagonist place to conservatives. He said he’s faced many challenges expressing his views, like when a teacher was hesitant to accept his suggestions during a class discussion.

“I thought Nathan Deal was popular with Democrats,” Caruso said.

Caruso receives a lot of pushback on his ideas. He uses a word known in more leftist discourse to describe the subtle aggression socially marginalized people face.

“To borrow the left’s word, if you want to argue with them you have to use their language. It’s microaggressions,” Caruso said.

A QUESTION OF VALUES

Caruso joined the College Republicans his sophomore year. He said he’s different from his liberal peers, who he said

value care and fairness. He likes those, but would also add authority, loyalty and purity. He likened his view of authority in governance to the obedience children have to their parents.

And purity? He’s got clear ideas about that policy agenda.

“Purity as in being disgusted with things you see,” Caruso said. “How open would you be to eating a roach sandwich?”

When he joined the club, it was an uphill battle for representation on campus. The club retained only one former member from the semester before and finding ways to build up their membership has been difficult. They run into trouble organizing publically.

“Plenty of things other clubs can do, we can’t do,” Caruso said. “If we post a whole bunch of posters up, they get taken down pretty immediately.”

He’s seen a lot of success being more visible on campus from tabling to a debate last spring with the Young Democrats. He wants to see more people come out as conservative, saying they welcome more than run-of-the-mill conservatives.

“If you are a conservative on campus … we’re very open to libertarians too, even the alt-right we’re open to,” Caruso said.

At a meeting of the ISO, there was significant energy about the election. Several meeting members volunteered for Stacey Abrams and they openly worried the election would lead to a runoff.

But activism for the ISO extends beyond the ballot. On Oct. 4, they led a speakout against the Kavanaugh appointment.

National member Korin worked on the Kavanaugh protest and was very satisfied with the turn out.

“We believe survivors. F--- rape culture. That’s something everyone can get in on,” Korin said.

Political apathy touches more than the two major parties however, and the ISO has dealt with it as well.

“A lot of people on this campus aren’t very politicized, but at the same time … nobody’s happy with the world today,” Korin said.

He has a message for students who are looking for an outlet.

“A lot of people don’t know what they can do about it, or they think the most that they can do is vote … What we’re doing is a way of saying ‘No, we can do more [than only vote],’” Korin said.

ARTS & LIVING

14

GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

things you don’t want to miss

More events and info at georgiastatesignal.com

thursday

wednesday

tuesday

friday

saturday

monday

sunday

Yoga in Decatur

Noni’s Tavern Adventure

Nutcracker

Documentary Movie Night

The Sweet Spot burlesque

Lysistrata

Figure Drawing

November 6

November 7

November 8

November 9

November 10

November 11

November 12

At the Decatur United Methodist Church, there will be a yoga class focusing on gentle flow and steady breath.

There’s a $7 door charge and doors are at 6 p.m.

Interested in role play? Join a dungeon crawl at Noni’s for rounds of Dungeons and Dragons playing. The Edgewood restaurant is holding an event that welcomes prospective players at all experience levels.

The famous holiday season ballet is coming to the Fox Theatre after touring other Georgia theaters.

Tchaikovsky is gagging at these wonderful performers.

At the First Existentialist Congregation at 7 p.m., they will be showing Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North by filmmaker Katrina Browne. There will be a talkback with Browne afterwards.

The Sweet Spot burlesque will be at the 595 North Event Center at 9 p.m. There will be a variety show of comedy, singing and dancing. They encourage audiences to join the fun in their own masks.

While this play was written in the fifth century B.C., the Georgia State Players make it modern in their retelling. The closing night of the show is Sunday at 8 p.m. at Dahlberg Hall.

At the Apache Cafe at 7 p.m., there will be a figure drawing class.

Part of an ongoing series, this week is in collaboration with Pangaea’s Garden, an afro-feminist art collective.

games

SuD0KU medium

easy

games

crossword

HARD

1

2

3 4 5

6

7 9

8

10

11 12

this week’s theme:

13

14

Throwback Cartoon Network

15

16

17 18

This week, we’re taking a look at Cartoon Network shows from the early 2000s. Let’s see if you can remember all of those classics. We hope you enjoy!

19

20

21 22

To suggest a topic, email us: signalprod@gmail.com

across

1. This evil monkey was the Powerpuff Girls’ nemesis.

5. This villian from “Codename: Kids Next Door” was also the father of the Delightful Children from Down the Lane.

7. After finding the Omnitrix, this kid had the power to transform into ten different aliens.

11. In “Ed, Edd, n Eddy,” this candy was the treat every kid in the cul-de-sac wanted.

12. What country is Numbah 4’s family from?

13. What is the name of Jonny’s imaginary friend in “Ed, Edd, n Eddy”?

14. What city did the Powerpuff Girls live in?

15. In “Teen Titans,” who was Robin’s main enemy?

17. Red X is the alternate identity this character used to get

closer to Slade.

19. Andre of 3000 had a TV show called “____ of 3000” 21. What is Numbah 1’s girlfriend’s name?

22. Abandoned as a pup, Courage was adopted by this woman.

DOWN

2. This narcissistic casanova was often unsuccessful in his attempts to date women.

3. What was Bloo’s brother’s name?

4. Captain K’nuckles and this young adventurer dreamed of travelling to Candy Island.

6. In “Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends,” this big, friendly,

purple monster loved potatoes.

8. Who did Chowder constantly tell, “I’m not your boyfriend!”?

9. In “Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends,” what sport does Wilt love to play?

10. What was the name of Dexter’s sister in “Dexter’s Laboratory”?

15. “Sugar, ___, and everything nice. These were the ingredients chosen to make the perfect little girls.”

16. What was the name of the reaper Billy and Mandy enslaved?

18. In “Totally Spies,” who was the founder and leader of WOOHP? 20. Samurai Jack was sent to the future by this “shapeshifting master of darkness.”

SPORTS TUESDAY, NOVMEBER 6, 2018

www.georgiastatesignal.com/sports

Potential to be one of the best teams ever A preview of the men’s basketball season JOSHUA FIFE Staff Reporter

G

eorgia State men’s basketball has a big chip on their shoulders after winning a second Sun Belt Conference championship in four years and having a recordbreaking season.

The men’s basketball program is one of the university’s top athletic programs and is now ranked as one of the top basketball teams in the country.

The Panthers were the only program from Georgia in the NCAA Tournament last year. Associated Press polls ranked Georgia State’s program above Georgia Tech, Georgia and Mercer.

The team’s strength comes from three very valuable components — senior players, Simonds and head coach Ron Hunter.

SENIORS

One of the biggest factors for this team will be the leadership from its veterans.

The team’s four talented seniors display a level of chemistry and experience that few teams are able to match.

Malik Benlevi, Jordan Tyson, Jeff Thomas and Devin Mitchell are all in their final season, and together have accumulated almost 3,600 career points.

As the top-ranked team in the state, they will have to prove themselves against one of the toughest schedules they’ve faced so far. They have matchups against as many as six teams from last year’s NCAA Tournament, including road games at Kansas State and Alabama.

“It’s the last year, senior year, last year playing college. I’m excited about every single [game],” Mitchell said.

Last season Mitchell was just two 3-pointers shy of RJ Hunter’s singleseason record of 100.

Benlevi is transitioning to the center position after the loss of Jordan

Sessions, so fans can expect smaller, more uptempo lineups this year.

After years of playing together, the core group has become a well-oiled machine now that each player knows their role and how to play to each other’s strengths.

“They love each other on the court, they love each other off the court,” assistant coach Travis Williams said. “I think chemistry is the number one priority on a team. These guys are truly brothers in the trenches.

“They trust and believe in each other, trust the coaches, they trust this system and when you have that type of trust in a program, you’re bound to have success,” Williams said. “These guys would run through a wall for each other. And it’s very obvious.”

SIMONDS

One player that certainly demands attention is D’Marcus Simonds. He is 15th on Georgia State’s all-time scoring list after just two seasons.

Simonds, a projected first round 2019 NBA Draft pick, set the single season record for points last year (742) and ranked fourth in the NCAA with 277 field goals. The reigning Sun Belt Player of the Year also had an impressive performance in the NCAA Tournament against Cincinnati.

He displays tremendous athleticism and has the ability to get to the basket with ease, creating opportunities for his teammates.

The junior also led the team in assists last year with 153.

Mitchell finished second with 65. Simonds can improve his perimeter shooting and limit turnovers to elevate his game to the next level.

The AP All-American selection also posted the first tripledouble in school history in last year’s season opener. At the end of the season, Simonds decided to forgo a potential selection in 2018 NBA Draft to compete for another Sun Belt championship and shot at the NCAA Tournament. He will enter the 2019 NBA Draft after the Panthers’ season concludes.

“D’Marcus is going to make a lot of money playing basketball, so we talked about [enjoying] this process right now,” Hunter said. “He loves his teammates. He knows that coming back, we’re going to have a good team this year, and so I think he’s just enjoying college right now.”

Hunter also mentioned that because it’s almost certain that Simonds won’t return for a senior campaign next

Nelson Phillips played in Georgia State’s men’s first exhibition game, with Georgia State winning 78-58.

year, they are planning to make the most of this season with him.

COACH HUNTER

In his eighth season as head coach, Ron Hunter has brought a new energy to the university and the basketball program.

Coach Hunter can frequently be seen at campus events, dancing, singing or rapping with students. He also urges his team to be community leaders, and he certainly leads by example.

Each year Hunter coaches an entire game barefoot in order to raise awareness for Samaritan’s Feet, a nonprofit that works to help the nearly 300 million people globally that are without shoes. Coach Hunter has gone 11-0 when coaching barefoot and has taken four international trips with the Panthers for shoe distributions in Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic and most recently Spain this past summer.

Hunter is on the verge of breaking the Georgia State record with a fifth-straight winning season this year. Next to Hall of Fame head coach Charles “Lefty” Driesell, Hunter is easily one of the most successful coaches to come to the university.

Williams, who also assisted under Driesell, stated that the two coaches are in a league of their own.

“They’re very detail oriented, they’re winners, they truly and genuinely care for the players,” Williams said. “That’s why they’ve been able to have the longevity and success in their careers.

“We have a brand of basketball that everybody is proud of.

Not only in the city, in the state, but a national brand, and that’s what coach Hunter has brought to this program,” Williams said.

NEW FACES

The Panthers also have a strong recruiting class coming into the program, led by four-star guard Nelson Phillips.

“Nelson Philips, I’ll say it a million times,” Mitchell said.

“He’s going to be a fan favorite, the crowd is going to love him, he’s going to do a lot of exciting things.”

In the exhibition game against Georgia State and College University on Nov. 1, fans were able to get a glimpse of Phillips’ athleticism. “[Phillips is] one of the most talented freshmen in our program, very talented, very skilled. [He has] an opportunity to really contribute from the start. I think his ceiling is very high.” Williams said.

Transfer from Pittsburgh, Damon Wilson will also touch the floor for the first time with Georgia State this season, and fans may be seeing more of some players from last year like Chris Clerkley and senior Jordan Tyson.

“I think we have the potential of being one of the best teams ever,” Williams said. “The future success of our program is going to great heights and you can see it.”

PHOTO BY UNIQUE RODRIGUEZ | THE SIGNAL

SPORTS

16

GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

Skipping class, jumping right into pro

NCAA basketball is facing new competition for the nation’s top young players DANIEL RICHARDSON Staff Reporter

N

ot since LeBron James has there been a legitimate star to enter the NBA without first spending a year in a college classroom. The last player to be drafted into the league straight from the high school ranks was Amir Johnson in 2005.

College basketball has provided young players with an environment to sharpen their basketball IQs while giving them the room to grow into their games at their own speed. There are options, however, now available for players who want to play in a professional environment from the onset.

The G League, NBA’s developmental league, is introducing a “professional path” for elite high school players who would rather forego playing in college and instead spend their year of NBA Draft ineligibility to develop in the G League.

With the one-and-done rule, players can only be eligible for the NBA Draft if they are a year removed from high school.

The professional path is only available to what the league will define as “elite” high school graduates, and offers a $125,000 yearly salary – compared to the average G League annual pay of around $35,000.

This option will also allow for high school graduates to capitalize on their own names and likenesses while they prepare for the draft. The NCAA has been under intense scrutiny for its strict policies that keep players from making money off their name and likeness while in the college.

The NCAA introduced rules earlier this year that allow for elite high school players to hire representation in the form of an agent and sign lucrative shoe deals. There have been numerous conversations around the one-and-done rule and its tenability, with the NBA’s commissioner signaling that the rule may be abolished as soon as the 2021 draft.

These conversations and the changes the NCAA is implementing could signal that the grip the NCAA has had on elite high school talent is slowly loosening.

Entering the draft with an established professional foundation could be intriguing to young athletes. A common critique of college athletes from NBA scouts and draft experts is that the transition from college to the NBA is one that isn’t largely focused on during their time spent in college.

College athletes are often criticized for not having the mentality, body or motor to be successful in a league filled with professionals who are dedicated to constantly perfecting their craft.

“It really depends where you are. The new thing now is for staffs to kind of have a coach handling all of the responsibilities for player development, whereas when it used to be just a coach on staff,” Devin Mitchell, senior guard at Georgia State, said on players being unprepared for the NBA. “But that part is mostly on you. From an early spot in college you learn how to work. It really just becomes on how much work you want to put in.”

Finding the right college fit is an important step for college player development. Mitchell spent his freshman season at Alabama before he transferred to Georgia State where he has had the bulk of his collegiate success. Mitchell’s 98 made threes during the 2017-2018 season rank as the second most in school history.

Between the 2006 and 2017 drafts, there have been 44 college freshmen who have been drafted into the NBA, according to an article published in the Lansing State Journal. Of the 44 one-anddone players, 29 received a multi-year contract extension after their rookie-scale deal ended.

Playing in the NCAA, as of now, has a greater track record of career success in the NBA for prospects than the G League does.

For students like Mitchell who play at a ILLUSTRATION BY SHANCHEZE JOHNSON | THE SIGNAL

Division I program, the luxury of playing in games where scouts and pundits can easily find the game, as opposed to the G League which has less visibility, makes a difference.

Yet, now more than in the past, players at each level have more control and preferences in where they play basketball.

“I think it all comes down to how comfortable you are with the situation that you’re going to,” Mitchell said. “Does the head coach and his staff have a plan for you that you agree with and can work with over the time that you’ll spend there? That was what I used to always try to seek out when I was being recruited.”

Finding a plan that suited him is what went into the muchdiscussed decision of 18-year-old Darius Bazley to not attend college.

Bazley is a five-star high school recruit who committed to play at Syracuse as a freshman. Bazley, in a complete 180 of his decision, decommitted from head coach Jim Boeheim’s program to spend a year playing in the G League.

The 6’8” versatile forward was set to become the first high school player to jump to the NBA’s developmental league.

In another turn of events, Bazley pulled out of his decision to join the G League after the hiring of his agent, who is also James’ agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports.

“It’s not for everybody, so I’m not going to sit here and say anyone should follow this path,” Paul said in an interview with ESPN. “This was just the right path for Darius Bazley. This is the right path for Darius Bazley and his family. It takes a collective group of people; his mom was very understanding and willing to allow me to advise them as a family.

“And the parents are important in this, as well. It’s not just me.

The parents are very important. And you have to work together with families to help them understand why this is important.”

Bazley will now spend time as an intern with shoe company New Balance after signing a contract worth $1 million over five years. New Balance stipulated that Bazley is in the league by the second year of the deal.

Paul described Bazley’s

decision to not play in the G League as one where Bazley was not ready for the physicality of the league. Players who are battling for their own call-up to the NBA make up the bulk of the rosters in the G League.

For young players, having a support system in place that they can turn to for advice when facing decisions about their careers is extremely helpful. Mitchell has former teammates, namely former Panther R.J. Hunter, who are on the path he sees going on, and he leans on them when evaluating his own future.

“Well if you’re fortunate you’ll have guys that are from your school playing professionally so you can reach out to them usually,” Mitchell said. “I’m at a great place where I can call R.J. Hunter or Jeremy Hollowell and see how hard NBA workouts will be, and how to manage your time, things like that. And once you find out some tips you can start applying them now, so when you get to the pros, you’ll adjust easier.”

A common sentiment among basketball players is that the game rewards those who respect it by playing hard. Whether a future player makes the league by way of college or the G League, the NBA weeds out players that aren’t ready for the workload.

“If you get the opportunity to have a chance to be drafted, play in the NBA or be a professional period, the workload increases,” Mitchell said. “There’s no more class, no more tutor sessions, no campus events, it’s all business now. Workouts are harder and longer, and the intensity is at an all-time high, so I think that’s why people don’t make it sometimes because they can’t prepare for it physically, so it’s all about how strong mentally you are to get through it and want to get through it.”

SPORTS

18

GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

Meet the reigning Sun Belt Player of the Year

D’Marcus Simonds is ready to go this season after adding elements to his game TAJ STRICKLAND Staff Reporter

J

unior guard D’Marcus Simonds looks to lead the Panthers’ basketball team while they aim for a second consecutive Sun Belt Conference title and an NCAA Tournament appearance. The junior from Gainesville, Georgia, was selected as the Preseason Sun Belt Player of the Year. He is ready for the challenges that his final collegiate season will bring him before he enters the 2019 NBA Draft.

The Signal sat down with him for a Q&A ahead of the regular season opening game on Nov. 7 at the GSU Sports Arena.

The Signal: I’ve heard you’ve been working on your 3-pointer before this interview. Is that what you want to improve the most?

Simonds: I’m really just trying to get my all-around game right. The threes will come. Everything will come in my game as I progress as a player, so I’m not really focusing on one thing, just everything in my game.

The Signal: What’s your mindset when you put on that Panther uniform every night, playing against other teams?

Simonds: [My mindset is] straight dog, you know? I’m better than you, you’re not better than me. You can’t beat us.

We’re going to beat you and we’re going to keep beating you.

The Signal: You have a decorated college career from Sun Belt Freshman of the Year to All-Sun Belt First Team. What’s the next step?

Simonds: I’m looking forward to the NBA this year, but not really thinking about it. [I’ve] got a whole season to think about, but I’m probably going to enter the draft and just let it all play out.

The Signal: The team has three freshmen coming in. How are you gelling with them on the court?

Simonds: We get along great. They’re really good teammates, and I’m just trying to show them what I’ve learned since I’ve been here. They’re all really good players and they’ll be great for Georgia State.

The Signal: You were ranked 60th in the CBS Sports’ Top 100 NCAA 2018-2019 players going into this season. Is that a big accomplishment? What do you think of that?

Simonds: That’s terrible. I’m easily top 10, top 15. Like, what? You can’t name 15 players better than me, like come on now. I’ve gone against the No. 2 defense in the country (Cincinnati in the 2018 NCAA Tournament), gave them 16 straight, like come on man. Half of the Top 60 was not in the tournament. Who are these dudes? I don’t care. I really don’t care. That’s their business. Half of these analysts don’t even play. They don’t coach. Like, who cares? I don’t care about Frankie Vision. Like, come on man, get out my face. I don’t

D’Marcus Simonds is entering his third season as a guard for Georgia State’s men’s basketball team.

care about ESPN. I don’t even watch ESPN. The Signal: You’ve been gradually improving on your scoring since your freshman year. You averaged 13.4 points your freshman year and 21.2 points last year which was the best in the Sun Belt. Are you trying to go for 30 points per game this year?

Simonds: We’ll see. But, I’m definitely going to have some big ones.

The Signal: What’s the big vision? I know you talked about

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY GEORGIA STATE ATHLETICS

going into the NBA Draft and letting things play out, but what’s the vision for the team this season?

Simonds: Sun Belt Championship and at least Sweet 16.

We got a lot to bring back to the city, and we just want to play hard.

Simonds was voted unanimously to repeat as conference player of the year by every Sun Belt head coach. He was also voted to the Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team for the second straight year.

Jada Lewis is back and stronger than ever Lewis learned a lot in her time away from the court CHRISTIAN CRITTENDEN Staff Reporter

W

henever or wherever Jada Lewis steps on the basketball floor, she is one of the best players on the court, and the numbers back it up.

The 2016-2017 Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year was set to make her mark on the league the following season, but her season came to a screeching halt.

During a loss to Mississippi State, Lewis injured her foot in what would end up being a season-ending injury.

“When I got injured it was, of course, a rough time for me,” Lewis said. “It was devastating because I love basketball. I also wanted to be out there to help my teammates, and just knowing that I would be out the entire season, it was pretty hard. But I found a way to turn it into some[thing] positive.”

During her freshman campaign, Lewis averaged 11 points per game, and 13 during Sun Belt Conference play.

Lewis was set to take on a larger role with the team, as she would have been the primary scoring option.

“I felt bad because Jada is the type of person that works hard and she really wants it,” junior forward Shaquanda Miller-McCray said. “I know how she really feels about basketball, so to see her sitting out and going through that, I know it was a tough time for her.”

Although she preferred to play on the court with her teammates, Lewis not only learned more about herself but also the game of basketball.

There are a lot of things on the court that a player may not notice until they’re forced to sit out. Lewis was able to get a different perspective and it should help herself and her teammates.

“Sometimes you see your teammates and their body language might not be the greatest, and you think in your mind, ‘Okay when I get back out there and I have the opportunity I’m going to make sure that my body language

is better than it was last year,’” Lewis said.

“Or if I’m doing bad I’m going to make sure that I keep my head up because you see how it looks,” Lewis said. “So you just try to do everything that you can to make sure you don’t make the same mistakes that you see other people doing.”

As hard as it may have been for her to work through her injury, Lewis’s return to the floor was a constructive period. The biggest area she grew in as a teammate was her communication skills.

“I think you can always bring something to the game whether you’re on the court or off the court,” Lewis said. “So that’s what I try to do.”

Rehab has gone well for Lewis, and she will be on the court with Georgia State on opening night, Nov. 7, as the Panthers host East Tennessee State at the GSU Sports Arena.

“I’m excited. It’s going to be my first time playing again in a year,” Lewis said. “So, I’m just happy to be out there with my teammates and I’m just ready to play with them.”

SPORTS

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2018

SPORTS BRIEFS men’s Soccer • •

•

•

Georgia State (9-6-2) are Sun Belt Conference regular season champions Clinched the No. 1 seed in the Sun Belt Championship which begins on Nov. 8 and the Panthers have a first round by in the tournament and look to make four straight Sun Belt title game appearances Lost its regular season finale 4-0 to UAB on the road despite outshooting the Blazers 16-11

SPORTS CALENDAR

•

• •

Georgia State was eliminated in the Sun Belt Conference Championship semifinals when they lost 2-0 to No. 2 seed Little Rock Won the quarterfinals 3-2 in overtime against Coastal Carolina Panthers finish the season 8-10-2 and were 6-1-1 in their final eight games

NOV. 7

men’s basketball

GEORGIA SOUTHERN,

GSU Sports Arena

• • • •

7 P.M.

GEORGIA SOUTHERN,

men’s basketball MONTANA,

Team is 2-7 on season and 1-4 in the Sun Belt after 4031 loss to Texas State Tra Barnett finished with 85 yards and two touchdowns on the ground Georgia State was outscored 20-0 in the third quarter Panthers are on a fourgame losing streak and now ineligible for a bowl game

GSU Sports Arena

Statesboro, Georgia

7 P.M.

women’s basketball 11 A.M.

FLORIDA ATLANTIC,

NOV. 11

12 P.M.

7 P.M.

Interested in design, photojournalism or video?

Apply at georgiastatesignal.com/join

atlanta hawks LA (LAKERS),

9:30 P.M.

Los Angeles, California

NOV. 11 TBA

atlanta falcons CLEVELAND,

1:00 P.M.

Cleveland, Ohio

2018-2019 SUN BELT MEN’S BASKETBALL COACHES’ PRESEASON POLL school

SCAN HERE TO JOIN US!

TBA

CROSS COUNTRY

NCAA EAST CHAMPIONSHIP,

women’s basketball FLORIDA ATLANTIC,

5 P.M.

ATLANTA SPORTS

Tallahassee, Florida

NOV. 12

Miami, Florida

LOUISIANA,

Lafayette, Louisiana

NOV. 9

women’s basketball Boca Raton, Florida

FOOTBALL NOV. 10

men’s soccer Statesboro, Georgia

NOV. 7 UNCG,

TBA

NOV. 8-11 SUN BELT CHAMPIONSHIP,

GSU Sports Arena

WAKE FOREST INTERNATIONAL,

6:30 P.M.

SOCCER

men’s basketball MERCER,

men’s tennis Winston-Salem, North Carolina

9 P.M.

NOV. 13

GSU Sports Arena

6:30 P.M.

NOV. 9

NOV. 9

NOV. 10

football

NOV. 9-11

NOV. 6 EAST TENNESSEE STATE,

TENNIS

VOLLEYBALL

BASKETBALL

Missoula, Montana

Women’s Soccer

19

points

first-place votes

1. GEORGIA STATE

144

(12)

T-2. GEORGIA SOUTHERN

125

-

T-2. LOUISIANA

125

-

T-4. ULM

89

-

T-4. TROY

89

-

6. APPALACHIAN STATE

86

-

7. SOUTH ALABAMA

80

-

8. TEXAS STATE

67

-

9. ARKANSAS STATE

42

-

10. COASTAL CAROLINA

40

-

11. UTA

33

-

12. LITTLE ROCK

16

-