NEWS • 03
LIVING • 07
Parking fees set to take A quick a toll on students again. on and
SPORTS • 11
ENTERTAINMENT • 17
guide to dining Football selects announcers After prison, T.I. around campus. for upcoming season. making music,
the
SIGNAL
PERSPECTIVES • 21
resumes Racially-based gaps continue movies. to exist in education.
VOL. 78 • ISSUE 1 • AUGUST 24, 2010 REGISTER ONLINE FOR BREAKING NEWS AT
w w w. g s u s i g n a l . c o m
Housing increases footprint on campus
New year begins with the opening of Greek Housing, purchase of properties for new Piedmont North complex
Beau Torres Pi Kappa Phi and Kappa Sigma are just two of the nine Greek chapters now living on campus.
Greek housing opens on Georgia State’s campus By MISHALL REHMAN Staff Writer The Greek Housing Ribbon Cutting Ceremony held on Aug. 18 officially opened the doors of Greek Housing at Georgia State. “This is a new generation in Greek life. The opening of the Greek Housing will strengthen the entire Greek community,” said Dr. Doug Covey, Vice President of Student Affairs, in his welcoming address. Georgia State President Mark Becker, Dr. Covey and five other university officials who worked closely with the Greek Associations concluded the ceremony with the official ribbon cutting. President Becker, in his address during the ceremony, said he saw the opening of the Greek Housing as an important piece in completing the university experience at Georgia State. “Georgia State really has everything you want in a university experience right here in downtown Atlanta,” he said. The ceremony, held in the courtyard of the new housing facilities, was attended by members of all nine Greek Associations who will live there. The new housing units, located on the corner of Piedmont Ave. and Edgewood Ave., were completed in July after four years and will
be home to nine of Georgia State’s 24 Greek Associations. Among the Greek Associations living in the units are Alpha Omicron Pi, Alpha Xi Delta, Delta Zeta, Phi Mu, Zeta Tau Alpha, Kappa Sigma, Phi Beta Sigma, Pi Kappa Phi and Sigma Nu. Each Greek association has its own three-story townhome and can accommodate up to 139 students. Though the official opening of the Greek Housing facilities was on Wednesday, students began moving into their new homes a week prior to the ceremony. According to a representative of the Greek Council, Umama Kibria, the new Greek Housing facilities will be used to enhance campus life and will play an important role during Greek Week held in the Spring Semester. The opening of the Greek Housing facilities also comes at a time when the school is preparing for another milestone: football. The Greek Associations are trying to figure out how to best use their new facilities during the football season. President Becker spoke about how he expected the new Greek Housing to be “abuzz with activity” as the football season gets closer. The ribbon cutting ceremony was followed by a reception and tours of all nine of the town homes.
Beau Torres The Wyndham Garden Hotel and the Baymont Inn & Suites are the two newest additions to on campus housing.
Housing purchases hotels for new complex By DANIEL BEAUREGARD News Editor On Aug. 16, Georgia State University purchased two downtown hotels to host a new housing complex, currently known as Piedmont North. Georgia State officials purchased the former Wyndham Garden Hotel and Baymont Inn & Suites, located in the heart of downtown Atlanta at 175 Piedmont Ave., for an undisclosed amount last Monday. The properties, which will eventually be turned into dorms, boast 453 rooms and according to Fulton County tax records are appraised at $19.6 million. Over the past several years Georgia State has continued to expand their footprint throughout Atlanta in order to offer a more traditional college experience. Georgia State has been moving away from just being a commuter college, beginning with their
purchase in 1996 of the Olympic Village, renamed University Village by Georgia State. The Village was originally built to house participants in the 1996 Olympics, and is located off of North Avenue. The apartment-style housing provided by the Village would provide a template for future plans in University Housing. In 2002 Georgia State built the University Lofts, located off of Edgewood Avenue. The Lofts were originally built to accommodate student athletes, international students, honors students, and graduate students with families. Georgia State Housing increased their presence on campus in 2007 with the opening of the University Commons. The Commons houses 2,000 students. Upon completion of the University Commons, Georgia State sold the Village to Georgia Tech. The Village now serves as the North Avenue Apartments for Georgia Tech, and is currently
undergoing renovation. Following the completion of the Commons, University Housing has focused on developing more traditional forms of student housing. In fall 2009, the university opened the Freshman Hall, which caters exclusively to freshman students and features the first traditional dining hall on campus. In the last week, Greek interest housing also opened on campus for the first time. More on this recent addition can be found in this week’s issue. The ultimate goal for University Housing is to house at least 20% of Georgia State’s student population on campus, which as of this semester equals approximately 31,000 students. Georgia State plans to continue its expansion, which is projected to last until 2015, and will continue to add new facilities to offer students a more traditional college experience.