The Signal Vol. 84 No. 26

MARCH 28 - APRIL 4, 2017

VOL. 84 | NO. 26

The signal at georgia State University

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BECKER: NO CBA In an interview with The Signal, Becker said USAS is dishonest and he won’t sign a Community Benefits Agreement.

PAGE 4

PAGE DESIGN BY KHOA TRAN & PHOTO BY JADE JOHNSON | THE SIGNAL

Georgia State University President Mark Becker sits down with The Signal and discusses key issues.

Inside the art of sugaring

COMMENCEMENT CHANGES WE HAVE AN APP?

freshman sensation

Sugar daddy relationships may pay the bills, but they also come with emotional costs.

New plans for commencement should not dampen the significance of the event.

Georgia State has an app for all of your needs. Find out how to use it with our guide!

Meet Georgia State softball’s freshman ace, Peyton Worsham.

News | Page 3

opinion| Page 7

A&L | page 12

Sports | page 17

DAILY NEWS AT WWW.GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

News 3

editorial 8

Arts & Living 9

Sports 15

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NEWS Who’s Your Sugar Daddy?

www.georgiastatesignal.com/news

‘Sugaring’ is taking an emotional toll on college students

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY HANNAH GRECO | THE SIGNAL

“Sugar babying” is extremely popular amongst college students who need additional help with tuition.

PERRIN WILLIAMS Staff Reporter

S

eeking Arrangement named Georgia State among the top 20 universities when it comes to participation on “sugar daddy” websites. While having a “sugar baby” may seem like a quick fix to get tuition paid, that “fix” does not come without a cost, often leaving students psychologically damaged.

Georgia State holds the title as the fourth fastest growing “sugar” college for 2016 with 188 new sign-ups, a decline from its former title as number one in 2012, with 292 new sign-ups. However, the total engagement from Georgia State for 2017 is currently 746 and rising.

Marriage and family therapist, Jessica Stebbins posted about the emotional effects of “sugaring”, saying they can often be the same as those of prostitution. She said the trend of people involved in “sugar daddy” relationships is shifting from young girls in the juvenile justice system to middle class girls seeking to afford luxury items and pay bills.

Georgia State student Johnny Williams*, who is currently involved in a sugar daddy relationship with a man he found on a dating website, said his “sugar daddy” not only buys him basic material possessions, but also luxuries.

“My sugar daddy wants to take me on vacation to his Florida beach house and he buys me food,” he said.

According to Seeking Arrangement, the difference between being a “sugar baby” and a prostitute has nothing to do with the monetary or material transactions they make, but are distinct due to the relationship the two people form.

Though it is assumed that these transactions are purely sexual, in most cases, they are not. Williams said he does not cross those boundaries at all.

“The boundaries I have are definitely no sex. I don’t care what they’re offering, but I don’t hook up with people,” Williams said.

According to a CBS interview with Clark Atlanta University psychology professor Kanika Bell, these relationships cause “sugar daddies” to create a perceived ownership over their sugar baby, thus warranting an emotional risk.

Williams said sometimes the “hosts” do become emotionally invested, and as a result, he is very selective and cautious about

whom he speaks to online.

“I see them as companions, but I know for a fact they get emotionally invested. I’ve had men yell at me like an angry boyfriend for not communicating with them,” Williams said.

“When I first start talking to people on websites I’m kind of apprehensive. I always like to proceed with caution until intentions are made clear and trust is established.”

CBS stated that “sugar daddies” are usually between the ages of 30 and 60 years old and make about $250,000 a year.

Ramsey said that the usual age difference between the “sugar daddy” and the “sugar baby” is likely to cause them to be unable to relate, potentially resulting in a loss of identity.

“At this age individuals are trying to ‘find’ themselves and discover what they want in life. The influence of dating beyond their age group can alter their sense of self,” she said.

Williams said that the inability to relate can cause the relationship to be a little difficult.

“Most of the older men are lonely and very generous, so getting things is the easy part,” said Williams. “The hard part is keeping the conversation going most of the times.”

The long term effects of “sugar daddy” relationships could not only affect the two involved in the relationship, but also those around them, according to Ramsey.

“While these relationships could expose them to a lifestyle they may not have known otherwise, they could potentially make it more of a challenge to reach individual goals, such as being a parent,” Ramsey said. “And most times, they are not accepted by each others’ friends and family and for some that is emotionally hard for them to handle.”

Besides getting tuition and bills paid, clinical psychologist Dr. Natasha Ramsey told the Signal there are other emotional reasons students feel the need to foster these types of relationships.

“Many students do develop these relationships for financial support, but they may also get involved with these older mates due to the unresolved parental issues or the simple lack of companionship,” Ramsey said.

Williams said that although these relationships are becoming more accepted, some still see them in a negative light.

“It seems like they are becoming more normalized now, eliminating the stigma,” said Williams. “But I know a few people that still see them as a negative thing due to the fact that you are essentially exploiting people in exchange for attention and

ILLUSTRATION & PAGE DESIGN BY MINH HUYNH | THE SIGNAL

TOP 5

fastest growing sugar baby schools (BY NEW 2016 SIGN UPS)

TEMPLE UNIVERSITY

STUDENT TOTAL 2017: 1068

NEW YORK UNIVERSITY STUDENT TOTAL 2017: 1436

ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY STUDENT TOTAL 2017: 1247

GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY STUDENT TOTAL 2017: 746

TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY STUDENT TOTAL 2017: 746

According to blog.seekingarrangement.com company.”

A research study conducted at Wilfred Laurier University about intimacy in sex work states that the “bad stigma” that comes from sugar daddy relationships not only derives from the act of participating in these relationships, but also the way it socially defines the “sugar baby’s” identity.

Ramsey said these types of relationships could ultimately affect the “sugar baby’s” relationship with others, as well as themselves.

“They’re developing a sense of self that is being shaped by experiences that are not natural. They are dating outside of their peer group, delaying their development of true self,” she said. *Names in article have been changed to protect the identity of those in this story. Names used are aliases.

NEWS

4

TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2017

NO CBA, NO DEAL? Becker talks USAS, why CBA is not feasible CHRISTINA MAXOURIS News Editor

S

ince the beginning of fall 2016, student organization United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) members and a group of Turner Field residents from the Turner Field Community Benefits Coalition (TFCBC) have picketed Georgia State University President Mark Becker’s office to protest the redevelopment of the brand new Georgia State stadium – aka Turner Field.

The protesters have adopted slogans like “Gentrification State University”, made their way through the Homecoming Parade, dressed up as Becker, and ghosts with blood on their hands, interrupted Student Government, Atlanta Town Hall and City Council meetings, and have been speaking out against the displacement they say will inevitably take place with the redevelopment.

Painting Becker as the “gentrifier-in-chief ”, the group says he simply does not care to advocate for those communities. But The Signal sat down with the president, and he said that’s simply not the case and that, these groups are simply dishonest.

“Very few students. Very vocal. Very active but they do not represent the larger interest of the student body,” he said.

The fight for a CBA

Protesters have been urging President Becker to sign a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA), claiming it’s legal and the “right thing” for him to do and promising to continue protesting and causing havoc until he decides to bring out the pen.

The 29-paged document proposes funding commitments to the neighborhoods for a total of $22.1 million, made by either Georgia State’s real-estate partner, Carter development or Georgia State itself, to go towards education, scholarship funds, arts, services and advocacy programs in those communities. A responsibility, that Becker said is not the university’s.

“Where does the university get money to give to give to neighborhoods to better the community? Do you pay tuition so that we can give it to another neighborhood to better a community?” Becker said. “Programs that we have in the communities are completely in concert with our larger mission for the university – education and research programs for the institution. We cannot pay for something that is not a university activity.”

In his last “Conversation with the President” video, Becker said he is also “constitutionally prohibited” from signing a CBA, a statement which USAS criticized as false.

“The constitutional prohibition is, we just can’t give away money,” he told The Signal. “When we allocate money, we have to allocate money for the purposes that was intended and it goes through a BOR (Board of Regents) process. There’s something in the Constitution called the Gratuities Clause, which [states] we can’t just go giving you state money or our tuition dollars without there being an appropriate university use for that activity. And giving money away to organizations external of the university is not an allowed activity. We don’t make donations, we don’t make

PHOTO BY JADE JOHNSON | THE SIGNAL

Georgia State University President Mark Becker discusses the Community Benefits Agreement and Georgia State’s contribution to neighborhoods affected by the Turner Field redevelopment.

contributions.”

Becker has been meeting with elected neighborhood organization leaders to discuss what they are already doing for the communities and what they can do in the future. He said that in those meetings, there have often been TFCBC representatives as well. Meetings according to USAS member Patricio Rojas that were often done in secret, without TFCBC knowing.

But, according to Becker, TFCBC might not actually represent the communities they claim.

“Don’t believe for a second the TFCBC speaks for those neighborhoods. It is a self-interested group of people that have their own personal agendas, that have historically been able to line, in some cases, their own pockets through money that looks like it’s going to an organization you can never track,” he said.

“There’s a long history of that.”

“It goes back to when the original stadium was built, that people were paid off and there had been payments going into these organizations — supposed orgs that you can’t track, for decades. And this has been a tactic to be very loud and very vocal for a long time to try to extort money. And we’re not going to be part of that,” he said.

And that’s just one of the reasons Becker has no intentions of signing a multi-year legally binding agreement.

Asma Elhuni, USAS member, claims that while signing a multi-year CBA may not be allowed under Georgia law, signing an annually renewable one poses no problem.

“But we’re not going to do that with a group that’s been ingenuine, misleading, continuously disrupting university events.

These are not honest actors,” Becker said.

ADDING TO THE COMMUNITY

“The CBA is a specific legal document. We’re not going to do that. That doesn’t mean we’re not going to find ways to work together. In the main, everybody wants the same thing. Nobody wants the flooding to persist. We all want to find solutions to that. Now that’s going to be primarily Carter. In terms of wanting to bring resources into the community – I was one of the first people to publicly say there needs to be a grocery store,” he said.

That grocery store would be one of the first in the area, an area in dire need of such resources. The proposal came from Carter & Associates as part of their Turner Field redevelopment.

Grocery stores have been missing in Downtown Atlanta and most areas south of Midtown for many years. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) created an interactive map depicting exactly which parts of the city are food deserts – communities located more than one mile from the nearest grocery store – and Georgia State sits dead in the center of one. The nearest supermarket: Publix, located 1.4 miles from campus on Piedmont Avenue.

Rodney Lyn, associate professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in Georgia State’s School of Public Health, has conducted research on food deserts in the Turner Field neighborhoods of Mechanicsville and Peoplestown. He was recently involved in a project to add fresh produce to the communities’ corner stores.

That’s just one of the issues, along with workforce housing and stormwater runoff management, that Georgia State and

Carter have promised to address through the development.

"There is a lot of complexity to it, but primarily what neighborhood residents want, not this Benefits Coalition, the neighborhood residents, what Carter and Georgia State wants to do, are aligned,” President Becker said.

“What they’re telling you is, this is a poor neighborhood and we don’t want it to get better we want it to stay poor and we just want you to put money in there to keep it the way it is,” he said.

What’s Panther Holdings LLC? Panther Holdings LLC has been at the centerfold of conversations by both USAS, who claim it gives Becker “leverage” over Carter President Scott Taylor to sign a CBA, and the Student Government Association (SGA) who have emphasized that outside this sales agreement, the two entities have no partnership.

• • • • •

Created January 2016, it is a part of the Georgia State University Foundation.

The Foundation is a philanthropic organization that exists to support the university by raising money for student scholarships.

The LLC includes the Georgia State University Foundation and Carter Development, and was the entity that made the initial purchase of the field.

The university and Carter then bought parcels from the Foundation.

The remaining parcels belong to the Foundation and are leased to Carter.

Dominique Times contributed to this story PAGE DESIGN BY SALINNA PHON | THE SIGNAL

5

NEWS

TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2017

Turner Field community voices

Local business store owners give their take on the project

CAMILLE BOLOS Staff Reporter

W

hile a group of residents and students may be expressing their concerns on the redevelopment, down by the stadium, business owners and other residents expressed excitement and anticipation. Located a mile south from Turner Field, right on the border of Peoplestown, is the non-profit coffee shop Community Grounds Café. Jess Delp, the man behind the coffee, said that they didn’t receive much traffic from the Braves, but they are optimistic that it will be good for business now that Georgia State has taken the reigns.

“The community benefit of the neighborhood is that it will bring new development and activity to the neighborhood in what has been a dead parking lot. The more activity going on nearby, the better it is for everyone. If more people see this as a place where they can live and call home, that’s only going to help us out in the long run,” Delp said.

When asked if he was excited about the new developments

Delp responded with, “I wouldn’t say I’m excited about it, I would say I’m hopeful”. He said he would have to wait until he sees more concrete plans for what Georgia State is actually going to do with the property, but doing something with the parking lot is better than doing nothing.

Delp is a resident of the neighborhood and has been for 15 years.

“I’m tired of not having the stuff I want or need within a mile to my house. I’m always leaving the neighborhood to go do anything. To have that stuff close by and having more options I think would be better,” Delp said.

He said he doesn’t understand why a CBA should be signed.

“You can’t do anything without having some negatives.

Something is always going to affect someone negatively. There are issues with gentrification, there are issues with people being pushed out, there are issues with rent going up, but there are other stories to tell on that too that aren’t always being told,” Delp said.

“That’s the struggle I have as a neighborhood resident is that those who are mad have the loudest voice, and they have a valid voice and they should be listened to,” Delp said.“But it’s not the only voice, there are plenty of people who aren’t mad, who are indifferent, or who you know may not be as passionate or who are passionate for something to happen there. How do we hear all the voices?”

He believes there is risk involved, that neighbors are being displaced and those voices and concerns are real but also believes that there is risk in not developing parking lots as

well, “how do we do what’s best for the most amount of people?” That is a concern, and a struggle, that Delp expressed as a resident and a businessman.

Alan Conner is the owner of the local restaurant Dakota Blue, located in Grant Park, and long-time resident of the neighborhood as well. Being only a half mile away from the venue, Conner said he is very excited about the new development that Georgia State will bring.

“I think it’s a positive for the neighborhood. I’ve lived in Grant Park for 20-something years and I think it’s good. I don’t see any negatives at all,” he said, adding that he’s not worried about a CBA. Victoria Bennett Trestail, owner of the local Bennett’s Market & Deli down the street, shares many of the same views as Conner. As a resident of the neighborhood, she said she believes it will be great. However, Trestail does have one concern over rent prices raising in the future but said that was in the back of her mind.

“Larger companies who have more capital funding and more money coming in could make rent come up for smaller businesses,” Trestail said, adding that the new developments however, will probably not take away from her business.

SGA DEBATES HOSTED BY THE SIGNAL

MARCH 28 & 30, 2017

VOTE FOR SGA

ON ORGSYNC

APRIL 3-6

NEWS

6

TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2017

New Georgia bill targets DACA HB 324 for DACA students estimated to cost $450,000 Staff Reporter

T

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY GABRIELA BATISTA-VARGAS

(left to right) Legislative Intern Jaime Rangel, Georgia State Rep. Brenda Lopez, and DACA recipient Diana Vela-Martinez sit on a SGA DACA Panel Discussion and Forum, March 6, 2017.

faces, there has been an increase in hostile physical encounters when asked for identification in public.

“It is a little scarier when it’s adults who get in my face and ask me for my identification and for my driver’s license, social security, and for saying no, they do get a little hostile, they do get a little closer to showing physical confrontation, but you have to stay calm and tell them you know your rights,” she said.

In President Donald Trump’s campaign, he vowed to repeal DACA on his first day in office, but has yet to provide plans to revoke the program.

Attorney Pamela Peynado Stewart is hopeful it won’t happen, but said she understands that it is a possibility.

“With an executive order he could essentially say we’re doing away with this program and that these individuals could now face deportation,” Stewart said. “By going to these meetings with state representatives, from what I see is that they are really [advocating] of DACA. Especially because these students don’t really have any crimes and they are active and engaging in our community.”

March 2 began the Student Government Association’s (SGA) Deferred Action of Childhood Arrival (DACA) Awareness Week and on March 6, SGA held a DACA panel for Georgia State students to ask questions and understand current laws and policies that might affect DACA students.

Harder admission for non-native English speakers Some call on USG to provide “justifiable” reasons for the change MICHELLE TABRIZI Staff Reporter

T

he University System of Georgia (USG) has recently toughened admissions requirements for non-native English speakers. The revision has raised concerns of whether the change is biased against immigrants and non-native English speakers.

Robert Schaeffer, the Public Education Director at FairTest, a national organization that strives to work against inaccuracy and misuse of testing, believes that by adding these requirements, it could impact qualified students from being admitted.

“When you raise the bar on any requirement you limit the pool of applicants who are qualified,” Schaeffer said. “The question is whether that decision to raise the bar is justified educationally or academically.”

According to Schaeffer, he has heard no reason to justify adding testing requirements. He believes it is

Local

Senate Bill plans to shorten probation sentences in Georgia

EDEN GETACHEW

he Georgia’s House Public Safety Committee approved House 324 Bill (HB 324), which requires Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients to be issued driver’s licenses and identifications that state ‘ineligible voter’ — a change from the previous proposal of ‘non-resident’.

The Act is said to be effective July 1, 2018 with its purpose to prevent voter fraud, according to the bill’s sponsor Sen. Joshua McKoon of District 29. The Georgia Budget and Policy Institute estimated the cost for producing the new cards to be approximately $450,000.

DACA is a policy enacted by the Obama administration in 2012 for immigrant minors who entered the United States to receive a renewable two-year period of deferred action from deportation and also grants work permits.

If the HB 324 is signed into law, Georgia will be the first state to enact a bill to put voter eligibility on licenses. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Georgia viewed the bill as a way to stigmatize immigrants.

“The ACLU of Georgia opposes HB 324, because it is an unnecessary and discriminatory piece of legislation,” the organization said in a statement.

DACA recipient Diana Vela-Martinez, who attends the University of North Georgia, said she already faces adversities and backlash just for being an advocate for other DACA individuals.

“When you’re really passionate about a situation or when you want to be a voice for individuals, unfortunately you get backlash,” Vela-Martinez said. “I have gotten death threats [from] people who find me on Facebook because of different articles and interviews. They find me and they send me some very hurtful messages.”

In addition to the cyber threats Vela-Martinez

Last Week

an obligation for policy makers to disclose evidence that shows how these testing requirements would improve overall educational quality.

“If the University System of Georgia could show students with lower English language test scores who are not performing adequately in college or graduate school [increasing the test score requirement], [that] would be an argument. But simply raising the test score requirement without evidence of why is not fair,” Schaeffer said. “It very well could be biased towards applicants whose first language is not English.”

Another problem Schaeffer sees with the tests is that they don’t necessarily prove if a student is qualified or not, suggesting that if their goal is to improve educational quality, testing is not the most efficient way to do it.

“The entire county K-12 through college seems to believe test scores measure merit and they don’t,” Schaeffer said. “Test scores measure how well you take a test. And whether that test score correlates with the actual performance you want to improve is

oneClick

an open question.”

According to Charles Sutlive, Vice Chancellor for USG’s Board of Regents, the admission requirements how being implemented for nonnative English speakers are nothing new.

“The criteria that we are implementing are the same ones that have been in effect for the past seven years across all University System of Georgia institutions,” Sutlive said. “Perimeter College, as GPC, had not been following the guidelines, and it is now doing so as a part of the new Georgia State University.”

It’s a policy that Tim Brotherton, Georgia State Associate Professor of English as a Second Language, believes Georgia State has begun to implement because they are afraid of the backlash they will receive if they do not.

“I think [Georgia State] doesn’t want to advocate for these students because they’re afraid of a political backlash,” Brotherton said.

www. georgiastatesignal.com

A new bill in the Georgia Senate is aimed at getting people off probation faster.

According to WABE, the legislations “picks out” more than 20 non-violent felonies, including low-level drug charges and shoplifting.

According to defense attorney David Botts, probation sentences that are from 10-20 year are counterproductive, because they create a longer time to violate the probation.

After three years, if a person has kept with the terms of their probation, the probation officer would file a petition to the court for early termination.

Georgia currently has the highest rate of people on probation in the country.

The state’s probation rate is 6,161 adults per every 100,000 residents.

National

President Trump’s healthcare bill fails

House Republicans pulled the American Health Care Act on Friday, March 24.

According to CNN, the bill was pulled due to lack of support, although President Donald Trump said “It was a very, very tight margin.”

President Trump blamed the bill’s lack of favor on the Democratic representatives, not one of whom planned to cast a vote for the proposal, although Republicans hold a significant majority in the House. On Sunday morning, President Trump tweeted that the “Democrats are smiling in D.C.”

Global

Violence increases as Congolese militia groups rebel against their government

A Congolese militia group decapitated 42 policemen, as part of the large-scale violence that has been taking place in the region, since August of last year. According to ABC News, members of the Kamwina Nsapu militia ambushed the officers in Central Kasai province on Friday, March 24. More than 400 people have been killed and another 200,000 displaced due to violence within the last eight months. The violence began as a rebel against the Congolian President Joseph Kabila, after he stayed passed his time. According to Human Rights Watch, the militia has been recruiting majority of it’s members as children.

OPINION

www.georgiastatesignal.com/opinions

Commencement should be exuberant, despite changes Move to Georgia Tech should not make the ceremony any less special

ILLUSTRATIONS AND PAGE DESIGN BY DEVIN PHILLIPS | THE SIGNAL

G

WESLEY DUNKIRK Columnist Wesley is a sophomore at Georgia State majoring in English. Outside of his passions for writing and reading, Wesley rows crew with Georgia State and follows the American political scene.

Tweet Wesley @wesleydunkirk

eorgia State has made decisions regarding the Spring 2017 commencement ceremony that has caused many students distress and has forced many students to alter their graduation plans. The changes have frustrated many students, but graduates should not let the alternate commencement plans spoil the significance of the occasion.

In years past, commencement has been held in the Georgia Dome, the facility where Georgia State has played its football games and is also a building that can hold about 70,000 people.

With the construction of the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium, however, the Georgia Dome is no longer an option - it is set to be imploded. The venue chosen by Georgia State to hold the ceremony is Georgia Tech’s McCamish Pavilion.

While graduating in an arena owned by another university is not ideal on its own, the venue change is even less appealing to students because of the restrictions being placed on how many people are able to attend the ceremony. Due to the limited number of seats in the pavilion, students will only be allowed a maximum of six guest tickets for the event. The limited seating offered by the pavilion has also forced Georgia State to divide the ceremony between two different days, May 8 and 9.

These changes have sparked frustration among this year’s graduating class. According to a story recently published by The Signal, some students have started a petition to restore the tradition of having one university-wide commencement ceremony. While this may happen in the future

when commencement is held at the Georgia State Stadium facility, Georgia State representatives said in the same story that it is not possible this year.

MAINTAINING SIGNIFICANCE

The possibility of not being able to bring your entire family to your college graduation ceremony is a difficult reality to face, and facing that reality while having to graduate at a different university with only a select amount of your classmates does not make it any better. But while these changes are frustrating to many students, they should not tarnish an event that plays such a significant role in the lives of the many the students that will be receiving a diploma.

Thirty percent of Georgia State’s student body is made up of first-generation college students. A large portion of the students graduating will be the first in their family to accomplish the feat of obtaining a college degree. While those students are likely frustrated with the changes as well, the Georgia State student body should not let the inconveniences presented by the venue switch diminish the value of the ceremony to those who worked tirelessly to earn the right to participate in it. The same level of joy should be put into this commencement ceremony as any other.

Those who have come from a background which does not typically allow for a college graduation deserve to bask in an exuberant ceremony filled with people who are ecstatic to be participating, not a ceremony that many graduates are against.

Georgia State is a university which prides itself in the success of its minority and underprivileged students. According to a recent Georgia State press release, Georgia State ranks number one in the nation in awarding bachelor’s degrees to African-American students. The commencement ceremony is a time when this accomplishment can be honored and those involved have an opportunity to be recognized for their achievements. Students participating in the ceremony should not let the shadow of the unfortunate changes made to this year’s ceremony dampen the significance of the event.

While the decisions which had to be made regarding the commencement ceremony are not pleasant for graduates and can make graduation planning more difficult for many, the decisions made should not take away from the importance of the event in the lives of the students participating in it.

CHANGES TO COMMENCEMENT • • • •

Venue will be McCammish Pavilion at Georgia Tech Students will be allotted only six guest tickets There will not be one university wide-ceremony Separate ceremonies will take place over a two-day period

8

OPINION

TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2017

EDITORIAL

‘Sugaring’: The new side hustle It’s safer than Craigslist

T

here is a serious ethical issue – some would say– when it comes to ‘utilizing’ sugar daddies. In the old days, the sugar daddy business was frowned upon, because of the taboo sex-money exchange that alludes to prostitution. But walking around the Georgia State campus lately, it is becoming evident that there’s more and more people open to talking about their sugary experiences and the benefits that come along. Because let’s face it, college is expensive, yet it’s also important, and sometimes…you gotta do what you gotta do.

The amount of debt associated with enrolling in college has been rapidly increasing. According to Seeking Arrangement, “the average student debt rose by 13 percent this year from $30,867 to $35,000, which brought the total US student loan debt to $1.35 trillion.” The fear of debt has seeped into the minds of college students, so much so that many now choose to live with their parents to save all kinds of costs that would be associated with living on campus.

According to a Pew Research Center analysis of census data, a third of millennials are now staying home.

Side jobs have bumped from one at a time, to two at a time, to holding multiple small-income ‘hobbies’ that students pick up to help out with their debt.

Though sugaring is often given a negative connotation, the increased involvement can only make sense. Sugar babies make an average of $3,000 a month, but it can reach up to $5,000, depending on the services they feel comfortable with providing. The average student that works a part-time job and goes to college will make an average of $464 a month after taxes. So does five grand sound sweet right now? Certainly.

In a way, sugaring can be considered a product of the time. The largest reason why college students partake in sugaring is to silence the nagging parent that is college tuition. According to Seeking Arrangement, in 2016, “more than one million students registered to find some relief

from tuition, student loan debt, and other college-related costs.”

However, it is sometimes conveniently overlooked that sugaring often does not require sex, which widely distinguishes it from prostitution. Sometimes the relationship is based solely off of dates and spending time with the sugar parent. You’re not selling your body, but instead selling your presence. It has become about older individuals seeking some thrill, some fun, and some young company. It’s a lonely community and if you’re getting $4,000 to hold someone’s hand, get some food, or just watch a movie, are you really breaking any big, bad, ethical laws?

And so, as more people are realizing that sugaring has become more common and acceptable, students are less hesitant to join.

What are your thoughts on this issue, send Letters to the Editor to signalopinions@gmail.com.

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UPCOMING SHOWS MARCH 29 AISLE 5 ATLANTA, GEORGIA WITH THE VINYL SUNS APRIL 1 SIGMA CHI ATHENS, GEORGIA WITH CHIEF KEEF AND WALDEN APRIL 11 SWEETWATER 420 FEST ATLANTA, GEORGIA 12:00-12:45PM – LYRICS & LAUGHTER STAGE

Breathing life into ‘Fusion Music’

SOPHIA MARCHESE Staff Reporter

I

t’s no secret Atlanta is a southern hub for a spectrum of musical genres, but one local band blends the city’s diverse music scene into an eclectic melting pot of good vibrations that can be described only by their name.

“It’s Hedonistas, baby!” vocalist Jake Keeble said. “There’s really no specific genre, because every song kind of takes a different turn. Blues, jazz, rock, latin, funk … even hip-hop beats.”

A compound of hedonism, an idea based on sensual satisfaction and the Sandinistas, a revolutionary group that daringly overthrew 46 years of Nicaraguan dictatorship make the band’s name is representative of their aesthetically bold style.

Hedonistas Max Blount, Peter Brazeal, Sawyer Drummond, Jake Keeble and Hunter Tredway enter Atlanta’s music industry with an unparalleled, genre-fusing sound.

THE BAND

While the multi-formatted fusion group may be a fairly new project—established in 2015—the same cannot be said for the band’s history together.

“We’ve all known each other since middle school,” Keeble said.

“That’s kind of when this friend group joined forces. But the band really came together about two years ago… That’s when we actually started creating and writing original songs together.”

From jam sessions in their parents’ basements to the stages of Atlanta venues, the five suburbia-born bandmates grew up together as friends and fellow musicians.

“We’d been playing music together for a long time,” Georgia State student and co-lead guitarist Blount said. “And then when we all finally came together as a band, it was almost like, ‘How the hell are we not doing this already?’”

THE MUSIC

The group’s unique bond lends to an ability to write music collectively, despite differences in musical influences. Alluding to a giant harmonious venn diagram, they describe Hedonistas as a combination of the bandmates’ individual upbringings.

For instance, while co-lead guitarist Brazeal grew up listening to Johnny Cash albums, Keeble was drawn to the improvisational grooves of Herbie Hancock.

“In our core essence, each of us have such different tastes on the musical spectrum,” guitarist Brazeal said. “But we meet in so many places.”

The overlaps in this complex musical diagram come from joint influences, such as contemporary jazz groups like Snarky Puppy and older guitar legends like Eddie Van Halen and Jimi Hendrix.

“We have influences from everywhere,” Blount said. “But we

try not to have any biases, and we strive for authenticity as much as we can.”

The band does so in a passionate and humbled manor, with each member bringing their fair share of musical aptitude to the drawing board.

PAGE DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION BY PHILIP DURAL | THE SIGNAL

“We communicate in our writing process,” Blount said.

“There’s not just one big-headed Roger Waters type that writes all the songs.”

Drummond, also a Georgia State student, explains the process as a whimsical chain of events, presumably much different from the systematized structure of his finance program at the university.

Keeble integrates real-life experiences into his soulful lyrical composition, while riff-master’s Blount and Brazeal jam on guitar. Tredway acts as the band’s “compliment-machine” on bass, and, staying true to his surname, Drummond acts as the backbone that holds it all together on drums.

“Typically Max will be like, ‘I have these ten riffs…what do you guys think?’” Drummond said. “And then Jake will start casually singing over it and we’re like ‘Wait, dude… that was beautiful. Do that.’ And then Peter always comes in with a gorgeous addition...”

“It’s garage-band vibes without being a garage-band,” Blount said, in no way ironically referring to the fact that this entire cycle takes place in an upstairs room of his bandmates’ East Atlanta home.

success we’ve had so far.”

As an employee of the popular music venue, Terminal West, Keeble has spent the past four years familiarizing himself with the Atlanta music industry. Joining the staff not long after the venue’s initial open date, Keeble sees many acts, from Atlanta and elsewhere, sell out the 600-capacity venue on a regular basis.

“Our influence comes from old school roots, but a lot of Atlanta bands have inspired us—more so than influenced,” Keeble said.

“Bands that are really making moves and actively touring.”

Both Keeble and Tredway said that Hedonistas get a lot of inspiration from local groups, such as Funk You or Voodoo Visionary, both Georgia funk bands on the rise.

The bandmates said that musical groups that have a modest history also motivate them because the ability to relate to the process of becoming well known in the industry.

“Bands like Perpetual Groove inspire us because of the way they came about in the music industry,” Tredway said.

“They started out small like us, but then eventually grew into a Southeast staple.”

Consciously observing artists and bands they respect fuels Hedonistas’ motivation to stay active within Atlanta’s music scene.

Brazeal said that challenging themselves to play complex music arrangements, such as those composed by jazz-rock fusion group The Dixie Dregs, also stimulates their growth as a band.

“You have to aim pretty high if you want to land anywhere near the top,” Brazeal said.

THE VIBE

THE SHOW

THE PROCESS

Their debut single, “Spanish Lava Lamp,”—available for listening on Apple Music and Spotify—showcases Hedonistas upbeat style.

Described on their Facebook page as a “latin-inspired reggae groove that progresses into pure, unadulterated rock,” the track is a prime example of what this Atlanta band has to offer: an ability to take the listener on a musical rollercoaster.

Hedonistas and their funky tunes have Atlanta music-lovers thirsty for more, judging by their appearance on Atlanta’s 13th annual Sweetwater 420 Music Festival lineup.

“It’s people truly believing in us … which is the coolest thing ever,” Keeble said. “It’s hard to find that in the music industry.

But the people we are surrounded by are all love. They want us to succeed. It’s the biggest blessing ever.”

THE INSPIRATION

A symbol of the band’s erratic style, the Hedonistas logo displays a splattered Atlanta skyline.

“I’d say our music is very Atlanta cultured,” Keeble said. “And the city has 100 percent influenced our music and the amount of

Dedication to music and friendship radiate throughout their high-energy live music.

“The fact that we’re all such good friends and have been for so long…” Blount said. “That chemistry translates.”

Drummond rhythmically constructs a concrete foundation of steady, yet dynamic drumming.

Tredway reinforces this rhythm with relentlessly funky, toetapping bass lines.

Brazeal and Blount complement each other through stellar harmonization and clean guitar technique that keeps the crowd on their feet.

Keeble enamors the audience with his sultry, sometimes rasptinged, and awe-inspiring vocal range.

“While still putting in a lot of care and effort, we’re on stage enjoying ourselves, too,” Keeble said.

The result is an organically charismatic live experience of good times and groovy jams.

“For us, music is kind of an escapism,” Tredway said. “And that’s what we want to provide for other people, too—forget everything for a night and just come out, listen to music, dance, have fun, and don’t worry about the rest.”

QUEEN NECOLE LUV DUPREE

THE FIERCENESS OF LIPS ATLANTA’S VERY OWN DRAG QUEEN SHOW PALACE INGA MASIC

Arts & Living Editor

N

estled within the hustle and bustle of the city streets is a place where fabulousness and ´glamour is manifested from the drag queen beauties who create the all-around sensationalism that is Lips ATL. Lips began in New York and prospered there for two decades until it was decided to begin the adventure down south in Atlanta Sept. 2013. There were other locations in California and Florida built as well, and currently there is work on a Chicago location for next year.

Lips ATL - Drag Queen Show Palace, Restaurant & Bar is the only one of its kind here in the southern concrete jungle. It is the only place to catch a impersonation performance of diva idols like Madonna, Cher, Gaga and Whitney, and where one can see the elaborate looks the queens are working on.

The atmosphere of the palace is a pure spectacle.

Everything about it is presented in an extravagant manner. Nothing is held back and everything is doused in glitter and mania. The drag queens trace around confidently and give visitors an experience that will be engraved in their minds as an incomparable moment.

It’s all about giving the audience a never-before-seen show that will leave them feeling their inner divas.

Owner of Lips, Mark Zschieschd (drag queen persona is Yvonne Lamé) shared why he thought a place like Lips was necessary to create.

“I came up with the idea 22 years ago. I lived in New York and I wanted to have a restaurant where you an go and have dinner and have a party, and wanted a fun atmosphere. So I put my thinking cap on and came up with LIPS,” Zschieschd said. Really the concept of it is if you want to have a good time and want to have a party, that’s what it’s all about. The bulk of the purpose around Lips is celebration. All four of the locations have the same clientele and come for birthdays and

bachelorette parties. And it’s a fun place, of course.”

THE EXOTIC AESTHETIC The first thing that one notices when entering the palace is the indulgence of razzle-dazzle. It makes one think they walked through a portal which made them leave the drab atmosphere of Atlanta behind and enter the intoxicating elements of this goddess wonderland.

This feeling is heightened once the stage lights turn on and extravagance takes the stage.

“When we first started out we looked more like the Hard Rock Cafe of drag, with a ton of memorabilia on the wall, but then it kind of morphed into something else. It’s much more grand. All the waiters are in drag, and the front door hostess is as well. The decor is overthe-top, campy drag queen palace. So you have the wow factor of the decor, and then there’s a show because we are set up like a dinner theatre,” Zschieschd said.

Lips aims to provide a fantastical time for all the parties that are celebrated at their palace. By giving some extra special attention to the bachelorette or birthday girl, that can be easily achieved. They provide anyone who has a birthday with a special crown or tiara, a birthday cake with a candle and finally, an opportunity to be the center of attention.

“The interaction is that the show hostesses will banter with the guests and then if someone is celebrating a birthday or bachelorette party, then each individual is brought on stage and they have their 15 seconds or minutes of fame,” Zschieschd said.

One of the shows that reins very popular with the crowd is the Gospel Brunch on Sundays, which is lead by drag queen Mother Bubba D.Licious. She leads the masses in a dragalicious praise of the Lord, but in an extremely new and imaginative approach.

The palace includes a complete bar draped in glitter and reflective black marble tops, the middle is filled with long, stretched-out tables for the visitors to sit in a royal setting. The most appealing appendage is the

stage, which is customized to transform into a spectrum of different mind-blowing visuals.

When the stage is set, the queens assemble. They give performances modeled in a Las Vegas style fashion, and the women are dressed as idols from the ‘80s to the idols of today.

ALL HAIL THE QUEENS The features of the establishment might bring the flashy elements to the forefront, but it’s the ladies that strut around the joint that really bring the captivating sparkle to new heights. This is achieved when the queens have developed their powerful personas after incorporating each alluring accessory needed to reach complete fabulousness.

“As the drag queens get ready, some can do it in an hour and some take two hours. Obviously the thing that is most time consuming, and I think that’s the same for a woman is putting on the makeup. And obviously if you’re a an transforming into a woman, there’s an extra layer of everything you have to put on. Then they just have to put on the fabulous dress and plop on the hair and you’re there,” Zschieschd said.

According to Zschieschd, it’s straight women who frequent the palace. They enjoy the fun, partyprone environment and adore the characters being displayed in front of them. Zschieschd said that when transforming to a drag queen, one needs to find their inner fire when completing the look.

“To be fabulous/fierce is really a whole package, from over-the-top hair to flawless makeup to a great costume,” Zschieschd said. “In the beginning my inspiration [for when dressing in drag] was more Marilyn Monroe, but I guess since the years past I wanted my own identity and my own fabulous/fierce person. Someone who was glamourous. It’s a head-totoe complete look where you walk down the street and turn heads, if you’re walking down the street and no one is looking at you, well then you’re not fabulous and you’re definitely not fierce!”

WEEKLY SHOWS WEDNESDAY: “Bitchy Bingo” is a chance to win prizes and they also host “Twisted Broadway,” which is where the hilariousness is taken up some notches.

THURSDAY & SUNDAY NIGHT: “Dinner with Divas” will be the chance to be surrounded by all the greatest divas throughout generations, like Gaga, Cher, Beyonce, Adele, etc.

FRIDAY & SATURDAY: “Glitz & Glam Las Vegas Style” is a chance for everyone to dress in striking clothing that look as though they come from sin city.

SUNDAY MORNING: “Gospel Brunch” is where the Sisters of Sequence are belting out gospel jams like Joyful Noise.

PAGE DESIGN BY KHOA TRAN & PHOTOS BY DAYNE FRANCIS | THE SIGNAL

Lips in Atlanta gives their guests a glamorous drag show for any occasion.

ARTS & LIVING

12

TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2017

Column

Introducing the (forgotten) Georgia State app

Everything you need as a new, transfer or current student

THE BLUE BAR

At the bottom of the app is a small, dull-blue interactive tab-bar. Here lives basic tools along with some quirks: Navigates users back to main dashboard. (Current screen) Blares university theme songs.(Fun, but embarrassing to accidentally set off)

SAVANNAH ELDER Staff Reporter

This is a general point of contact for Georgia State’s Admissions office.

(Primarily for new students)

I

’m not sure if it was my millennial-induced tech-savvy nature, or just plain survival instincts, but one of the first things I did when I got accepted to Georgia State as a transfer student in 2014 was search for a Georgia State app on the Apple store.

I couldn’t tell you what I was looking for exactly, only that a part of me must have realized that in this day and age we have the world at our fingertips if we make it so.

Lo and behold, I found the Georgia State Panther app. It had every student dashboard accessible through one simple and clean space — PAWS, iCollege (previously D2L), PantherMail and it even had a button for our university’s chants and anthems to blare through the speakers if one desires.

It was pretty sweet, and has since been continuously updated with events, resources and transportation routes over the years that I’ve attended Georgia State. Needless to say, it changed my college experience for the better.

ALL-IN-ONE APP Fast forward to 2017. I’m embarking on my final chapter at Georgia State. A peer of mine looked at me with wide-eyes as I opened up a big royal blue app that loaded bold, white lettering of “GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY” onto the screen. It was their first time ever seeing the app.

I thought about how many other fellow peers had experienced totally avoidable yet painful miscalculations —like the ones I surely would have endured without the app’s aid. Nightmares flooded in: missing assignments due to faulty internet connections, riding the wrong bus for multiple routes, registration mishaps because the library was full and then life is basically over.

In those moments, fellow Panthers, we decided no more. We’re breaking down the Georgia State Panther app for everyone’s sake: here’s how to navigate it and everything you need to know.

GETTING STARTED 1.

In the Apple store, click on the search bar and type “Georgia State.” Look for the Straxis Technology sponsored app titled ”Georgia State University.” (Painless, right?)

2.

Download the app.

3.

Once downloaded, open the app. (I suggest allowing notifications for Panther alerts, as well as enabling location services so it’s more accurate within the transportation tools.)

4.

Next, the main dashboard will display two main navigational bars.

PAGE DESIGN BY TAISJAH WILKINS | THE SIGNAL

Directs users to Vimeo (Bleed Blue and all that) Conveniently enough, this allows users to literally share the app with friends through email, text, Twitter, and Facebook. (We all need a little help sometimes)

THE RAINBOW BAR Once you’ve circulated through the bottom interactive tab-bar, tap the home tab to access the main dashboard. Notice the visuallydominant interactive tab bar that contains numerous bubble icons featuring other student tools.

Everything you need as a new, transfer or current student lives in this rainbow or half-moon tab-bar:

CAMPUS NEWS- This aspect tracks articles

about the university’s current events, headlines and relevant happenings around campus (including Downtown and its surrounding neighborhoods.)

EMERGENCY- Access 911 and campus

police immediately through the “Call for Assistance” tabs. Emergency resources regarding safety, security, and alerts can also be found here (without ultimately calling 911.)

LOGINS- This is the mother-load, the jackpot, or whatever floats your boat, of the Georgia State app. This is where PAWS, PantherMail, iCollege, GoSOLAR, and “Send a File”, a direct dropbox, is located. Without leaving the app, users can switch seemingly from submitting assignments, checking email, registering for classes, downloading academic evaluations, and almost anything else one’s scholarly heart desires. It can be assumed that this section will save you from swerving through traffic to get to campus in more ways than one.

ADMISSIONS- New students are

encouraged to submit any inquiries to the Admissions office, here. Also, admission status can be monitored, so if you’re awaiting a response (don’t fret) this aspect will allow to can do it every five minutes much easier.

CAMPUS TOUR/MAP- For anyone new

to the city or Georgia State, this is your go-to guide. It is a self-guided interactive tour based on real-time location and activity. As you move around the campus, various buildings will pop up with blue pinheads showing names and street addresses of each.( *I suggest using this without WIFI because it can glitch out!*)

APPLICATION CHECKLIST- The list begins with the Welcome Center tutorial and ends with a collection of the “best hangout/ study spots on campus.” New students can keep track of their enrollment progress as well as begin discovering the perks of Georgia State life.

MULTIMEDIA- Vimeo, Instagram, and Flickr links showcase athletics, organizations, Panther pride, and graduation ceremonies over the years.

WEATHER- If you’re already in the app, it’s convenient, but yes Siri is always there, too.

ALBUM 88- There’s no excuse not to tune

in now. The station broadcasts 24/7 online and on WRAS-HD2-Atlanta, and 7 p.m.–5 a.m. on WRAS-FM/WRAS-HD1, 88.5 on the dial, but this app component will directly navigate you to the online public broadcasting outlet for Georgia State’s radio station.

TWITTER/FACEBOOK- The Georgia

State official accounts for both.

DINING- Assuming the events tab is for announcing special/holiday dinners for active PantherDining members, that’s it. Otherwise, a Facebook and Twitter tab for PantherDining keeps you hungry with highlights of upcoming dishes and healthy choices.

EVENTS- University-wide calendar of events include art performances/exhibits, dance

performances and recitals, concerts, graduation ceremonies, SGA, speakers, and more.

STUDENT SERVICES- Click here for everything pertaining to enrollment and student activities without jumping through PAWS or GoSOLAR hoops. Think academic calendar, bookstore, career services, financial aid, health, housing, parking, etc.

LIBRARY- Find library books to request, rent, or read through the library lookup.

ATHLETICS- Every individual university sport can be found here with links to their specific news, schedule and roster.

COURSES- If you need some soul searching for your future, every university course according to subject, level, description and semester can be found here.

GSU TRANSIT- Parking and transportation services/information including on-campus parking, MARTA, Panther Express busses, and the GRTA are available. Use the maps component for parking and additional information in bettering your commute.

HANDBOOK- An overview of all the rules, regulations and expectations of the university (just in case you forget).

DIRECTORY- This may be the most outdated component of the app, but you can’t blame them. Here you can locate pretty much anyone with tenure. Newer professors, or graduate students, will probably not be available, nor are students’ information. Usually a contact will consist of a campus phone number and email with a chance to save to your phone’s contact list.

TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2017

13

ARTS & LIVING

movie Review

‘The Zookeeper’s Wife’ ALEX GRAHAM Staff Reporter

A

mazingly enough, the most interesting thing about “The Zookeeper’s Wife” is Jessica Chastain’s horrible Polish accent.

This sort of sums up the problems with Niki Caro’s biopic: it fails to make a moving Holocaust story feel true to the period or place, apparently because of over-sensitivity to general American audiences who, on the whole, don’t like things that are “foreign-seeming” or “true to Holocaust” at their multiplexes.

Jessica Chastain plays Antonina Żabiński, a fervent animal lover who cares for the residents of the Warsaw Zoo (Warsaw, the capital of Poland) alongside her husband Jan (Johan Heldenbergh) and their son. When the zoo is bombed during the Nazi invasion of Poland, they decide to help save Jews from the infamous Warsaw ghetto by sheltering them in the now-empty cages until they can be transported to safety. Keeping a close eye on them is Lutz Heck (Daniel Brühl), a German zoologist who steals their animals, has a crush on Antonina and somehow holds enough power as a zoologist to make or break their efforts if he finds out.

Important notes: 1) All these people were real (as were Heck’s wacky breeding experiments)

and the Żabińskis did save many lives. 2) “The Zookeeper’s Wife” is based on the nonfiction book of the same name by poet and naturalist Diane Ackerman. The book is itself based on Antonina’s diaries.

So knowing these things, how is this movie so lame? It’s based on a moving true story! The book was written by a poet naturalist, of all people! I went in expecting a luke warm but decently effective “everything was okay in the end!” Holocaust movie, and somehow this — which is, I repeat, about the Holocaust — couldn’t even move me to gasp. The closest I came to shedding a tear was when some animals died! The animals are, in fact, the highlights of this film, and all the good memories I have from my screening involve watching lions nap or zebras chew on things.

Of course, Chastain gives a lovely performance despite the accent, and Heldenbergh and Brühl hold their own on the sides, but it’s not like they have a lot to work with. Holy canoli, I don’t know what Caro and writer Angela Workman were doing.

After the bombing ends, there’s exactly zero tension in this movie. Every once in awhile someone will look askance at Antonina or Jan, and just as quickly, they’ll either turn out to be good guys or simply disappear from the narrative. It takes basically the whole movie for Heck to even suspect something is wrong! Workman and Caro

“The Zookeeper’s Wife” is amazingly boring considering its totally moving and worthwhile subject matter.

would apparently rather waste time on Jan’s anger about Heck flirting with Antonina than give us anything resembling drama because who cares about that whole World War II thing, right?

“The Zookeeper’s Wife” isn’t worth your time or money. Jessica Chastain has plenty of good movies floating around the internet, watch one of those instead.

Album review

Drake’s ‘More Life’ delivers the B-Sides JALEN JENKINS Staff Reporter

D

rake is pretty much an unstoppable force.

He has been dropping hits since the mid 2000s, only getting more popular as time as gone by. His unique brand of emotional rapping struck a chord worldwide, especially thanks to Lil Wayne, who saw his talents early on and signed Drake to Young Money Entertainment.

Drake’s newest output “More Life,” released on Young Money Records, is a “playlist of original music” instead of [being called] an album, mixtape, EP, etc. and that is what it feels like. A compilation of songs thrown together with no real sense of an album. Most of the songs feel very run-of-the-mill Drake.

That being said, there are some cool moments on this “playlist.” Drake’s feature of three U.K. based rappers, Sampha, Skepta and Giggs, have entertaining features. Especially Sampha, who lends his lush vocals on “4422” behind an atmospheric soundscape.

U.S. rappers featuring U.K. rappers does not happen too often, let alone three times in one project. Other features from 2 Chainz, Young Thug and Quavo of the Migos are highlights are the album, as well as “Glow”, featuring Kanye West.

Besides the U.K. trio of rappers, this features list

is the usual cast for Drake. It feels as if he knows who he needs around him on his projects to pump his songs up and grab the attention of listeners (who all already going to listen because Drake’s name is on it).

There are some good songs that feature Drake by himself. “Do Not Disturb” is a song about Drake’s life in the industry, and how he copes with it by himself and through other people.

Lines such as “Especially people that want to lecture me/And frame it like they just want the best for me/Or they check for me, whatever splits it up/ So there’s more for them and there’s less for me,” tells Drake’s story about trying to think for himself and looking after himself when he is one of the biggest stars in the world.

“Fake Love,” the single that was out before “More Life” was released, is also a track that shines within the project. A song also about being a celebrity and its strain on relationships, Drake is frustrated that people are being fake “straight up to his face.”

Drake definitely has it figured it out. His brand of emotional rap and R&B, and his recent embrace of dancehall sounds. His lyrical content, talking about the thing he knows about, being famous and how it influences people that he loves, has found itself a nice niche and a huge fan base. Drake could confidently drop any project at any moment and could garner an impressive amount of listens no matter the actual content of the tape.

Grade

C+

ODDISEE THE ICEBURG

2

SAMPHA PROCESS

3

FIT THE BODY HEALTHCARE

4

JUSTIN CARTER THE LEAVES FALL

5

SOHN RENNEN

6

SX ALPHABET

7

THUDERCAT DRUNK

8

SYD FIN

9

KING KHAY PLOTTIN ON PROGRESSION

Verdict

Grade

D

1

Verdict

“More Life” is a playlist, but it feels like a mixtape. There are only a couple moments worth mentioning on this project.

Best Tracks “Madiba Riddim,” “Do Not Disturb” and “4422”

We know you’re bored Find us on YouTube The Signal at Georgia State University

10

ALEXANDRIA CUT OF CLOTH

calendar

14

TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2017

Campus & Downtown Events Wednesday Grease

March 29 This classic tale of delinquent teens, hair gel and forever love is being taken outdoors.

The Serenbe Playhouse is performing this masterpiece in playhouse’s meadow in Chattahoochee Hills.

Tickets can be bought online.

Thursday Simple times

March 30 Travel back in time to the colonial ages at the 18th Century Colonial Market Faire.

It will be set in 1790s Georgia and will feature historical crafts, games, music, treats and military drills.

Held at Fort Yargo State Park in Winder.

Friday Blue grass

March 31 The Barefoot Movement is a band coming from Nashville and they create authentic and heartfelt bluegrass jams. They will be at the Donald W. Nixon Centre for Performing and Visual Arts in Newnan.

Saturday

Sunday

Monday

Thrift galor

Pillow fight

April 2 This is the haven for all vintage lovers and bargainers. Salvage is an event where 50 vendors display vintage clothing, jewelry, furniture, decor and home goods. Held at Yaarab Shrine.

April 1 It’s a pillow fight in the park! This is the most pleasant way one could release some pent up aggression, and it’s a good way to bond with the rest of the Atlanta community. Bring a soft, feather-free pillow.

new cinderella

April 3 Who doesn’t love a fresh spin on things? Cinderella and Fella is an altered storyline of the classic fairytale, and it involves the search of a good friend. It’ll be performed at Alliance Theatre.

Tuesday Famous Musical

April 4 The winner of four Tony Awards, Hedwig and the Angry Inch is coming to the Fox Theatre! This eclectic piece about finding love in the age of rock ‘n’ roll catches people’s hearts and makes them laugh.

More events and info at georgiastatesignal.com

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SPORTS

www.georgiastatesignal.com/sports

JEMIMA GREGSON From across the Pond to golf, Gregson is making the most of her opportunity

THREE TOP-10 FINISHES IN 2016 2015-16 WGCA ALLAMERICAN SCHOLAR

ALL-SUN BELT 2ND TEAM

Georgia State golfer Jemima Gregson take a swing during a practice.

CHRISTIAN CRITTENDEN Staff Reporter

J

emima Gregson’s grandparents took her to a driving range and let her have fun hitting the ball as a child. Fast forward 12 years later, and she’s now the sophomore star on the Georgia State women’s golf team. Last season, as a freshman, Gregson was awarded a spot on the All-Sun Belt Second team.

“I was really pleased with that, I didn’t really expect it. I was top-10 in the Sun Belt, so I was pretty pleased with that as a freshman,” she said.

GREGSON’S TIME GOLFING IN ENGLAND

Gregson is a native of Bristol, England where she lived until last year. When she came to Atlanta, it was her first time in the U.S. When she was 11 years old, she was the girl to ever win an English golf union trophy.

While Gregson was in high school, she won the Gloucestershire Ladies Championship, the Somerset Schools Championship and the South West Schools Championship.

After high school, she decided to pack up and come to Georgia State. It was a tough decision, but Georgia State’s women’s golf Head Coach Cathy Mant was a major factor in her decision to come.

“Coach Cathy Mint is a really renowned coach, she’s really good, she’s got so much experience. She was a really good player when she was younger, she was on the LPGA tour, so she has a lot of knowledge and she is really respected as a coach,” Gregson said.

GREGSON COMES TO ATLANTA

Gregson also became because Atlanta is such a great city.

“I chose Atlanta because there’s a lot to do obviously. The weather and stuff is so much better as well, and the school is so large and diverse, so it really fit everything that I wanted,” Gregson said.

During her freshman year, Gregson finished the year with three top 10 finishes, while having an average score of 76.28. She was also tied for first after the Sun Belt Conference tournament, but she ultimately finished 10th in the competition.

Despite her success last year, she didn’t win a tournament and that is one of her goals this year to win a tournament. And she still wants to improve on her all-around game as a whole, but putting is the biggest thing.

“I think the biggest thing that I need to work on is my putting, and just my mentality behind it. I’m hitting shots good to the hole, but I just can’t hole my birdie putts. I’m not holing as my birdie putts at the same percentage as the puts that would be holing from par,” Gregson said. “So really I’m just trying to work on the mentality and thinking that it’s just the same put every time”

A TRUE STUDENT-ATHLETE

Gregson gets it done in the classroom as well. She was named to the fall and spring dean’s list during the 2015-16 school year. She was also named an All-American scholar by the WGCA. While being a student-athlete is hard, she feels that it is especially hard for golfers.

“I think golf is quite challenging because we’re away for so

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY GEORGIA STATE ATHLETICS

many days and there are long days on the golf course as well. I think you just need good time-management when I’m on the course I focus on practicing, and when I get home I just focus on homework,” Gregson said.

This season, Gregson’s highest finished has been 18th, but she has helped the team several times with strong finishes.

And while individual performances are great, team success is just as important.

“I think you work on what you need to get an individually result, but at the end of the day one score alone is going to get you a win so you can win individually, but we’re trying to go for team wins. We work hard together and we push each other to improve,” Gregson said.

Gregson’s favorite thing about golf is seeing all of her hard work pay off. And her drive to be the best is her inspiration.

“I love working hard and getting rewards for improving. I love seeing rewards for the work that I’m putting in,” Gregson said.

While she still has a few years of college eligibility left, her ultimate goals to play professionally.

“I’d like to be on the professional tour, I’d like to make some money and experience what it’s like,” Gregson said. “I’m really just keeping my options open, working hard on golf and studying at the same time to see where my paths open up to.

I’d also like to have my own golf clothing range.”

Gregson is proud of the things that she has accomplished through golf thus far, now she just wants to improve and help her team win the Sun Belt Conference.

SPORTS

16

TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2017

There’s a new closer in Panthersville

Rhett Harper shows he’s a dynamic player by switching from outfielder to pitcher D’MITRI CHIN Staff Reporter

RHETT'S 2016 PITCHING STATS Went 2-2 with a 6.04 ERA in 13 appearances.

23

FIRST TIME

PITCHING

STRIKEOUTS

Versus Jackson State (3-14-16), pitching the ninth inning of the 11-5 win.

FIRST MOUND APPEARANCE

Versus Savannah State (322-16), when he pitched a 1-2-3 10th inning with two strikeouts to set up the Panthers’ walk-off win.

FIRST WIN

Pitched 2.1 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit.

AGAINST SOUTH ALABAMA

Two scoreless innings with three strikeouts to finish a 13-5 win.

AGAINST ALABAMA A&M

PHOTO BY TARILYN JOHNSON | THE SIGNAL

Rhett Harper walks on the field after warming up before a Georgia State baseball game March 21, 2017.

M

aking a position switch from outfielder to a pitcher on a Division I level is a tough task to accomplish. What’s even more challenging, though is becoming a closer; a prolific closer at that.

However, by noticing how quickly senior Rhett Harper has adjusted to his new position on the Georgia State baseball team, one may have a difficult time believing the position switch was as difficult as it sounds.

Harper, who committed to the Panthers baseball team as an outfielder, mentioned that Head Coach Greg Frady ultimately ignited the idea of him becoming a pitcher for the ball club.

The idea didn’t arise naturally, but more so as a desperation move by Coach Hardy, which, in the end, proved to be beneficial to the team’s success.

“I pitched in high school, and I actually signed as an outfielder with Coach Frady,” Harper said. “But last year we had a couple injuries — key injuries to the pitcher staff, and about a quarter way in the season, coach came up to me and said ‘you know, we need something in the bullpen in the back end of the game, ‘ and I said yeah, I’ll do whatever it takes for the team—take the role, and it just kinda carried over into this year; And I like it.”

While Harper closes out games effortlessly, he admitted that there were some aspects of the transition from outfield to pitcher that were challenges.

“Different arm position, maybe,” Harper said. “Just getting my arm back in shape for pitching, throwing longer stamina wise. I think that’s the biggest thing for me.”

With Harper being the team’s closer, pitching in a game for more than a few innings would be atypical.

But perhaps the most nervewracking aspect of being a closer is actually closing out a game. According to Assistant Athletic Director Allison George, Harper has three saves and an ERA of 0.93.

So just how does Harper remain cool, calm and collected in these clutch situations?

He admitted that he gets a thrill out

of having the pressure mounted on him in those closing moments, which is the mentality that every closer should possess.

“It doesn’t really get to me, I guess,” Harper said. “I played three sports in high school, so I like it. I like being out there and everybody watching the last little throws out there.”

Harper credited his coaches for his development in his new position. While he has put in a tremendous amount of hard work into his craft, he knows that a considerable amount of his success has come from the coaching staff.

“With the help of coach Bootcheck, our new pitching coach, he knows so much about the game — just coming from the majors and what not, he’s just helped me develop,” Harper said.

“Anything I need, I’ll come to him one day and say what can I do to help my fastball, and he’ll help me.”

“Along with Coach Bootcheck, just our whole pitching staff. They’re always behind everyone. Whoever goes out there, whether it’s me or Logan, or anyone else, it’s just always 100 percent effort and 100 percent backing each other up. So, I think that’s where it comes from.”

There’s no doubt that Harper is a naturally talented baseball player, but one may wonder if he would have been better off as an outfielder.

Harper, however, knows that he is better equipped to help the Georgia State team move forward as their closer.

“I guess on certain days I’m gonna have to pick a pitcher,” Harper said. “I like to think I like pitching better... I think I fit well into it, and I like doing it.”

“I like being around the guys and staff, and being around Coach Bootcheck.”

Along with being a stud on the baseball field, Harper is also a scholar in the classroom. Harper currently has a 4.2 GPA and seems to have the recipe to making A’s.

“I just make some time; I try to prioritize practice with school and whatnot,” Harper explained.

He also credited mom and dad for his success in school.

“It just really starts with my parents.

They made me strive to get good grades all throughout school and through my life, so making them proud through grades makes me prioritize it.”

Harper has endeavors to become a better pitcher. He knows that to continue to be that clutch closer the team needs, he has to continue to work on his craft.

“I think just making sure I get better accuracy wise — hitting certain spots I need to hit,” Harper said. “Just being ready at any time, being flexible — if something happens in the game being ready to go. And just getting a little more velocity on my pitches or whatnot.

That’s what I need to do.”

17

SPORTS

TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2017

Getting to know: Peyton Worsham RASHAD MILLIGAN Sports Editor

You got off to a great start, you’ve gotten some recognition. Do you feel any pressure now that you have these expectations so early on in your career?

Worsham: Yes. I do feel a little bit of pressure, but my teammates and my coaches have told me to stay focused. Not to feel pressure, because you when you get tense and worry about things, you don’t play to your potential. So, they help a lot with the pressure.

Who’s one coach or one player in particular that helps you deal with pressure?

Worsham: Mack. Mackenzie Popescue. She helps me a lot, she’s our pitching coach. So I’m with her most of the time. She just keeps me calm. She helps.

What were some of the things you were excited about coming to college here at Georgia State?

Worsham: I was excited to kind of be on my own, but at the same time, you’re not really on your own because you have so much that you have to do every day. But at the same time, I like that. It keeps me grounded and it makes me do what I need to do.

So I was excited about getting away, but I was most excited about playing and meeting new people.

Is it frustrating having to be on the road all of spring break, unlike all the other college students?

Worsham: Not really. I thought that’s what it was going to be, but I got to go home a lot and do what I wanted to do in my free time. I mean I had practice, I had class work I had to do, but I still was able to do other things.

What do you like to do when you’re not on the diamond or not on the field?

Worsham: I love to go home. That gets me away from everything, it gets me away from Atlanta, it gets me away from, I mean, just everything. School work, so I love to go home.

It keeps me, I don’t know-[there] I don’t focus on [softball] too much. I can still get away and focus on other things, but at the same time when I come back, I can be focused on one thing.

Is there one specific thing you love about going home?

Worsham: I love my family. I love just

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talking to my mom. My mom and I are really close.

Has there been any veteran on the team that took you under their wing this year?

Worsham: [Georgia State sophomore closer] Mandy Chance. She has been great. She is also a pitcher. So she just kind of showed me what to do and I love Mandy.

What’s the best advice she’s ever given you?

Worsham: To probably not worry, to play for yourself and play for my team. If you do something wrong, don’t focus on what you did wrong, but go back out and do something right.

How far do you want to get this year?

Worsham: All the way. We want to go all the way.

All the way as in national champions?

Worsham: That would be awesome, I mean yeah! Of course!

Do you have any goals individually, now that you’ve won Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week already?

Worsham: Just do it again [laughs]. Do it again, that would be awesome, but I need to remember that I don’t have all of that pressure on me because when I have pressure on me, I don’t do well. So I need to just remember that there is no pressure on me to get that again, but if I get it again that’s awesome. I mean, I would love to get it again.

Early in the schedule, you all have had some big schools that you’ve visited on the road. Did you feel the nerves, as you mentioned the pressure of performing well, seeing those big schools that you maybe grew up watching on TV?

Worsham: At first it was pretty nervewracking. Like when we were at Mississippi State, just the stadium was so big, but once you get on the field, you’re just focused on the game. You’re not focused on anything around you. So at first, it’s very nervewracking, but once you’re on the field you’re focused on the game.

(Georgia State softball sports information director Will Owens then asked a question himself during the interview session.)

PHOTO BY TARILYN JOHNSON | THE SIGNAL

Peyton Worsham warming up her pitching arm in the bullpen before practice.

Worsham highlights • CURRENTLY LEADS PANTHERS WITH LOWEST ERA OF 1.50 • MARCH 14 SUN BELT PITCHER OF THE WEEK • CARRIED A NO-HITTER 6.2 INNINGS AGAINST SOUTH ALABAMA • HAS A 4-1 RECORD THIS SEASON

What was it like going home and playing at Mercer?

Worsham: My family’s awesome. They come to everything, they all live in Macon.

They were all there, that was exciting. So many people were just there for me. That was nerve-wracking, I mean very nerve-wracking.

I was like, ‘Oh my goodness.’ But that was one of my favorite moments from this season.

It’s just my whole family was there. It was awesome.

Was it more nerve-wracking playing in front of your family in

Macon than it was at Mississippi State?

Worsham: Yep, probably playing in front of my family honestly. They’re all wanting me to do great and expecting me to do great. So that was pretty nerve-wracking, but they’re awesome.

What’s your favorite part about this team?

Worsham: We’re really close. I think as a team, we all want to play for each other. So if someone does something wrong, we all pick up each other.

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SPORTS

18

TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2017

Coach Elliot’s first Spring practice is underway TOBI ADEYEMI Staff Reporter

S

pring Practice kicked off on March 20, officially marking the beginning of a new football season. Last season did not go as planned for the Panthers, after reaching their first bowl game two years ago, they regressed back to the bottom of the Sun Belt finishing with a 3-9 record. The disastrous season led to the dismissal of former Head Coach Trent Miles, and paved the way for the new head coach Shawn Elliott. Spring Practice is Elliott’s first look at his new team, and he is excited about his new coaching opportunity.

“It feels fantastic to be here, I mean I’m a football coach so anytime you put me on the field it’s an exciting time” Coach Elliott said.

And Coach Elliott has a lot more to be excited about. He will be the first head coach to coach at Georgia State’s brand new arena at Turner Field. He will also inherit a very talented football squad that will be returning All-Sun Belt honorable mention team member cornerback Chandon Sullivan, tight end Ari Werts and a stable of wide receivers. Spring practice is Coach Elliott’s first chance to see their on-field abilities, but he is also looking to see other things about this team.

“I want to find out how mentally tough they are and how physically tough they are,” Coach Elliott said.

Spring practice is sure to help him figure those things out. The Georgia heat combined with the team competition will test everybody’s toughness, and those who rise above the rest

SIGNAL ARCHIVES

Georgia State football team run drills during a practice at the Georgia State football practice facility.

will be the ones on the field. However, Coach Elliott was very coy when it came to discussing the biggest position battles.

“We have 22 of them going on,” Said Coach Elliott. “Everyone is out here practicing trying to get better, we’re not battling, we’re not worried about that.”

It is something he might have to start worrying about soon, especially on the offensive side. Coach Elliott will also have to address the never-ending struggles of running

back, but he doesn’t think it’ll be too hard of a fix.

“It’s called practicing,” Said Coach Elliott.

“It’s about running it over and over again and implanting schemes. You gotta’ do what you’re O-line is good at, and that’s what we’re trying to figure out.”

Offensive line is a position that Coach Elliott is very familiar with. He was the O-Line coach back at South Carolina, and just off the first few days of practice, he already has high praise

for Georgia State’s offensive linemen.

“There’s some athleticism here that we can work with, and they work extremely hard,” Coach Elliott said. “They show up every day for practice, and they haven’t left, so that’s a really good thing.”

Coach Elliott and the Panthers have just under a month of spring practice left, which is more than ample time for him to get a feel of his new roster. The spring game will take place on April.

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19

SPORTS

TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2017

SPORTS CALENDAR *CONFERENCE GAME

SPORTS EDITOR’S NBA PREDICTIONS RASHAD MILLIGAN | THE SIGNAL

Warriors vs.

Rockets WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD Friday, March 31

GEORGIA STATE ATHLETICS

Megan Litumbe Softball

Florida Relays

at Gainsville, Florida 10 a.m.

The redshirt junior hit a two-run shot in the first inning to give the Panthers a lead they never gave up on March 25 in a 12-2 against Appalachian State. She hit another two-run home run in the fourth inning.

The human learning and development major made the Spring 2016 President’s List and the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll every semester from fall 2013-fall 2014.

WOMEN’S TENNIS Wednesday, March 29 UAB

PANTHER OF

WarriorsTHE vs. WEEK Spurs

Spurs

at GSU Baseball complex 6 p.m.

Pacers vs.

Raptors

Raptors

SOFTBALL Wednesday, March 29 Georgia Tech

Lakers vs.

Clippers

Clippers

at Atlanta, Georgia 6 p.m.

at Piedmont Park 1 p.m.

BASEBALL

Standings

BASEBALL Wednesday, March 29 Kennesaw State

Warriors

CORRECTIONS The SGA Issue, page B14 — Panthers Struggle going 1-3 was a duplicated story.

SOFTBALL

MEN’S TENNIS

WOMEN’S TENNIS

1st

South Alabama 4-1 | Overall: 14-9

South Alabama 0-0 | Overall: 17-5

South Alabama 0-0 | Overall: 17-5

ULM 0-0 | Overall: 9-1

2nd

South Carolina 3-2 | Overall: 14-9

Georgia State 0-0 | Overall: 12-6

Georgia State 0-0 | Overall: 12-6

Coastal Carolina 0-0 | Overall: 12-3

3rd

Troy 3-2 | Overall: 13-9

UTA 0-0 | Overall: 12-6

UTA 0-0 | Overall: 12-6

South Alabama 0-0 | Overall: 15-4

4th

Georgia Southern 2-3 | Overall: 13-10

Georgia Southern 0-0 | Overall: 15-9

Georgia Southern 0-0 | Overall: 15-9

Georgia Southern 0-0 | Overall: 9-6

5th

Georgia State 1-4 | Overall: 11-12

Appalachian State 0-0 | Overall: 9-6

Appalachian State 0-0 | Overall: 9-6

UTA 0-0 | Overall: 7-6

6th

Appalachian State 1-5 | Overall: 10-14

Louisiana 0-0 | Overall: 11-8

Louisiana 0-0 | Overall: 11-8

Georgia State 0-0 | Overall: 8-7

7th

Texas State 5-1 | Overall: 16-8

Troy 0-0 | Overall: 8-8

Troy 0-0 | Overall: 8-8

Louisiana 0-0 | Overall: 6-8

8th

Louisiana 3-2 | Overall: 12-9

Coastal Carolina 0-0| Overall: 7-7

Coastal Carolina 0-0 | Overall: 7-7

Troy 0-0 | Overall: 5-11

9th 10th 11th

UTA 3-2 | Overall: 12-12

Texas State 0-0 | Overall: 4-9

Arkansas State 2-3 | Overall: 11-12

Appalachian State 0-0 | Overall: 4-15

Little Rock 2-3 | Overall: 9-14

Arkansas State 0-0 | Overall: 1-11

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