The Signal Vol. 82 No. 25

PANTHERS

PAGES 10 - 11 | A&L

W Fa ho cu ’s lty ou r PA o GE f t Ath le 12 he -1 Ye te 3 ar an ? d

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SIGNAL PRESENTS

PL US :

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THE

Michael Samuel is fully dedicated to getting to know the Georgia State community. As a residential assistant, peer mentor and more, this makes Samuel our 2015 student Panther of the Year.

OF THE YEAR

ALL BLUE, ALL IN. Before you flip through the pages to find out our Panthers of the Year, read our editor-in-chief’s letter on our annual Panthers of the Year issue inside | PAGE 7 PHOTO BY JADE JOHNSON | THE SIGNAL

Inside

MARCH 31 - APRIL 6, 2015

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landmark’s new role Pay it forward

VOL. 82 | NO. 25

spring cleaning

Going pro

Five Point’s historic Olympia building is expected to become a new Walgreens Pharmacy.

With homelessness and the community separated, what are ways to bring them together?

With winter finally over, find out what you can do to get your spring wardrobe in proper form.

After months of speculation, R.J. Hunter has made his decision ... he’s declaring for the NBA draft.

News | Page 5

Opinions| Page 8

A&L | page 9

Sports | page 18

DAILY NEWS AT WWW.GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

News 2

Opinions 7

Arts & Living 9

Sports 17

2

NEWS

blotter

3.

17 1. March Why did the chicken cross the road?

Walton and Peachtree Street

Georgia State officers responded to reports of a university nonaffiliated individual who was impeding the flow of traffic by standing in the middle of the street.

When the officers made contact, the individual became combative, refused to answer questions or listen to the officer’s instructions.

The individual was arrested for obstruction.

March 23

2.

Whoever smelled it dealt it University Commons

An odor of marijuana was detected by a Georgia State officer who found four students and one non-affiliated student in possession of less than an ounce of marijuana.

TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2015

March 24

5.

Check yourself before you wreck yourself Courtland and Gilmer Streets SE

2.

A driver was found by a university officer going the wrong way on a one-way street with a suspended license. The driver was taken to Fulton County Jail.

4.

March 24

Catcalling is so 2007 Langdale Hall

Georgia State police responded to reports of two individuals who were harassing female students. The individuals were both issued a CTW (Criminal Trespass Warning) and escorted from the premises. .

5.

1.

HArrassment

March 24

Men and their frail concept of masculinity

obstruction

4.

Piedmont North

A Georgia State student filed a report for harassment after her ex-boyfriend harassed and threatened her. The case has been turned over to the Investigations Division.

Possession

3.

CTW Reckless Driving

Photo of the week PHOTO BY RALPH HERNANDEZ | THE SIGNAL Coordinated by Spotlight, several student fashion lines and Atlanta boutiques showed off some of their new collections at Unity Plaza Thursday, March 26.

THE SIGNAL

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NEWS

www.georgiastatesignal.com/news

Always Watching How one Georgia State student’s traffic violation led to an in-depth examination of the Atlanta Police Department’s surveillance cameras

MIRANDA HAWKINS Staff Reporter

G

eorgia State student Kaitlyn Winey was ticketed on Jan. 26 for running a red light at the corner of John Portman Boulevard North East and Courtland Street North East. However, for Winey this was unacceptable.

“I got pulled over and I was told that I had run a red light, and me, I’m not like that. I’m not a crazy driver. I don’t run red lights. I don’t run yellow lights,” she said.

Assuming there were street cameras, Winey began calling local businesses surrounding the intersection in an attempt to gain footage of the incident.

“I was doing some research and I realized there were cameras at the corner of John Portman and Courtland. I found it through Google Maps actually,” she said. “Because I was try-

ing to figure out – there has to be surveillance cameras from parking decks around the corner or different lots or the hotels.”

By using Google Maps, Winey was able to locate a camera on the corner of John Portman Boulevard North East and proceeded to call government offices until she reached someone who could answer her questions.

“I called the courthouse and they directed me to the police department who [then] directed me to Zone five which covers that zone [street where she was ticketed]. [An officer] told me they were active cameras, that the footage stays for 14 days,” she said.

Interim Director for the Atlanta Police Department (APD) Elizabeth Epsy confirmed the surveillance cameras located around the city retain footage up to two weeks within the Video Integration Center (VIC).

Winey was told in order to access the footage she had to file an Open Records Request (ORR) but her request was denied.

“I filed an open records report like

I was told to do but then my request got denied because that information has to be subpoenaed by a judge or I can view it after my court date,” she said.

Winey also said she did not understand why only a judge had access to the documentation, so she called the records office back and found that the original person she had spoken with misinformed her.

“I called the open records department once again and this time I was informed that there should have been no reason that I couldn’t receive the footage, the first person I talked to was apparently mistaken,” she said.

By the time she learned she could have access to the footage; it had been deleted. This resulted in Winey being unable to move her court date and choosing to pay the ticket for the traffic violation.

“I found myself walking in circles, getting absolutely no where,” she said. “This whole process involving the traffic lights honestly pissed me off.”

The VIC and Operation Shield The surveillance camera Winey attempted to gain access to is part of an integrated network of 4,600 private and public cameras owned and operated by private and other governmental agencies located throughout Atlanta, according to Epsy.

However, Epsy also said the VIC only records video feed from public cameras and not private sector camera feeds.

Vice President of Communications and Programs of the Atlanta Police Foundation (APF) Amy Cornell said surveillance cameras are integral to Operation Shield, a program facilitated by the APD and the APF serving as the home base for connecting the cameras of Atlanta.

“Operation Shield is a program facilitated by the Atlanta Police Department that includes the integration of video surveillance cameras from both the public and private sector into the APD’s Video Integration Center,” she said.

Operation Shield also acts as a security system connecting law enforcement and businesses to better protect the community, according to Cornell.

“Operation Shield is a threepronged security communications program designed to positively impact crime prevention and emergency preparedness between the

Atlanta Police Department, the Atlanta business community and surrounding law enforcement jurisdictions,” she said.

Cornell also said Operation Shield connects private security systems with the APD for quicker response times to public emergencies.

“Operation Shield also consists of a mass communication network that connects private security firms with the Atlanta Police Department to improve public safety efforts and communications during responses to public emergencies. This system is called COMNET and it is conducted over a private, secure digital communication network,” she said.

The cameras are part of the APD’s VIC are different from other cameras in that their function focuses on public safety, according to Cornell.

“There are a number of different cameras integrated into the VIC, and integrated cameras differ in that their specific public safety function is to increase the efficacy of emergency response and to deter crime in integrated areas,” she said.

Cornell also said the cameras enable officers to assess a situation before arriving on the scene.

They can assist public safety efforts and ultimately emergency management and responses during

times of need. They allow emergency managers to quickly assess an area and develop a response even before an officer of first responder arrives on scene,” she said.

Epsy said surveillance cameras also assist the APD with emergency responses by providing real-time footage and connecting the dispatch units with the officer manning the VIC. “As 911 calls are received, cameras that are near or at the location of a crime can be viewed in real time. The VIC operator viewing the camera can speak directly with officers dispatched to the scene and offer information pertinent to the call,” she said.

Surveillance cameras are an essential element to improve the pubic safety of Atlanta’s citizens, according to Cornell.

“These cameras are used as extensions of the Atlanta Police Department’s public safety efforts and the APF’s and APD’s goal to improve the safety of residents and visitors in Atlanta,” she said.

Cornell said Atlanta is a model of private and public sectors working together for the betterment of the community.

“The City of Atlanta is the model for public/private sector partnerships to provide significant benefits to the city and its citizens,” she said.

PHOTOS BY MARC VALLE | THE SIGNAL Security cameras are installed by the Atlanta Police Department on the corner of Piedmont Avenue and Auburn Avenue, along with many other areas.

I'm watching!

More cameras to come With the infrastructure bond that Atlanta voted to pass on March 17, an additional $3 million could be allocated to APD to expand its surveillance system, according to Creative Loafing.

The new surveillance cameras would be installed in areas of the city with higher crime statistics and that do not have enough ‘eyes,’ according to Epsy.

“The locations for camera installation are based on crime numbers. Surveillance cameras are installed in areas where additional ‘eyes’ are needed, i.e. crime hot spot areas, locations that host large volumes of citizens and visitors and heavily trafficked areas,” she said.

Epsy also said the cameras are beneficial for high crime areas because they aid officers on and off the street.

“These surveillance cameras are used to watch for suspicious activity, assist officers on the ground, collect video

evidence and assist as an investigative tool,” she said. “These cameras... assist in real-time monitoring of hot spots and to collect evidence of a crime.”

The additional surveillance would expand the APD’s ability to supervise larger areas of Atlanta simultaneously, according to Epsy.

“Additional cameras give the Atlanta Police Department greater domain awareness. Every camera that is ingested in the VIC can act as an officer on the street; therefore the cameras are a force multiplier for the department,” she said.

Epsy also said along with the cameras, signs communicating to citizens the area is being monitored are also beneficial in preventing crime.

“There is no requirement by law to have signage accompany surveillance camera deployment. [But] Signage can act as an additional deterrence factor which is why signs indicating the presence of cameras have been installed downtown,” she said.

The money from the bond would propel the APD toward its goal of securing 10,000 surveillance cameras, according to Cornell.

“In the next several years, the goal is to integrate more than 10,000 cameras citywide,” she said.

However, the installation of the new cameras and mounts cannot commence until the money is appropriated to the APD, according to Epsy.

“Funding allocation of the bond must occur first before a date can be determined for camera installation,” she said.

While APD and APF say the surveillance cameras are to improve safety for citizens, Winey said she doesn’t agree.

“I feel like with the research I’ve done and how difficult it’s been to get in contact with someone to actually view the footage, I feel like it’s more for the police officers.”

4

NEWS

TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2015

University

Atlanta voters approve $250 million in bonds to repair the city SEAN KEENAN Staff Reporter

S

tudents, teachers and professionals alike traverse cracked roads and dilapidated bridges during their Atlanta commute. However, on March 17 resident voters elected to adopt a bond package to repair the wreckage.

Mayor Kasim Reed said Atlanta voters approved the bond package last Tuesday, which amounts to $250 million, according to a statement sent to The Signal by Jenna Garland, press secretary to the mayor. “[These] results demonstrate that Atlanta residents are ready to improve the look, feel and experi-

ence of our city above the ground,” he said. “The infrastructure bond will be the most consequential single investment we will make to repair our city’s roads, bridges, sidewalks and green spaces...”

City Council Public Information Officer Antoinette Govan said the bond will be divided to address city and neighborhood projects simultaneously.

“Citywide projects affect the city as a whole and pertain to major streets and corridors,” she said.

Roughly $180 million will be designated to citywide projects while $70 million will be used to address local infrastructure, according to the Atlanta Infrastructure Project Map. Mayor Reed said he plans to keep his promise of city preservation, according to the statement

ONE THE PLAN A council member from each Atlanta district will be granted a small portion of the bond to facilitate the needs of their respective neighborhoods, according to Garland.

“City Council Members have approximately $5.6 million per district across 12 districts, to focus on smaller projects important to that district,” she said. “By structuring the bond program this way, the city is able to allocate the majority of funds to projects that would have an important impact on the city as a whole.”

Govan said this allows the citizens of the community to be engaged in the projects and have their voices heard.

“The money allocated to individuals would be to used within their own communities,” she said.

sent by Bevelle.

“I pledged during my inauguration to address Atlanta’s infrastructure challenges in a meaningful way,” he said in July 2014.

“The City faces a $1 billion infrastructure backlog and I plan to seek a $150-$250 million bond referendum… to finance long overdue street improvements, bridge repairs and other projects.”

Reed also said he is eager to facilitate the advancement of the infrastructure projects for the betterment of the city.

“I look forward to working with the Atlanta City Council to ensure that our essential projects get started right away,” he said.

“For the first time in nearly twenty years, we have decided that we will do the hard things necessary to be first to the future.”

F OR REPAIRING NEIGHBORHOODS

“They would be dealing with individual constituents in their districts to oversee the progress.”

However, Govan also said some of the project plans have not yet been set in stone.

“No money is unaccounted for,” she said. “[But] what is up for debate is the project list. We went through rounds of public meetings. We took into account citizens concerns, so that’s why the list is still not finalized.”

Each prospective project is meticulously chosen by assessing its potential impact on Atlantans, according to Garland.

“The 225 plus projects on the citywide list are the product of years of study and public engagement, including multiple transportation and livability studies and more than 40 public meetings

on the infrastructure bond specifically,” she said. “That list reflects more than 1,000 comments and incorporates feedback the city has received online and [at] in-person at meetings.”

Garland also said the complete list of plans will be released after further community outreach and City Council ratification.

“This list will be finalized when City Council votes to approve the list and authorize the city to go to the bond markets,” she said. “This is expected to happen in April.

Projects would only be added to the council district list, although it looks like most council district projects have been added to the list and revisions will happen rather than additions.”

$ $ $

Closed bridge between Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Forsyth Street.

PHOTO BY JADE JOHNSON | THE SIGNAL

TWO

CATCHING UP ON MAINTENANCE OVERDUE Atlanta is overdue in citywide repair and maintenance by nearly a billion dollars. The bond will solve long overlooked infrastructure issues, according to Garland.

“When the infrastructure bond program is complete, a large chunk of the city’s infrastructure backlog will be addressed, but the bond program will not eliminate the backlog,” she said. “With the city of Atlanta in excellent financial standing and because of continued savings and projected revenue increases, future administrations will be able to continue to address the backlog.”

Department of Public Works Commissioner Richard Mendoza said the package will appropriate funds to better sustain Atlanta infrastructure, according to a statement sent to The Signal by Thermice Bevelle, City Council communications specialist.

“This bond addresses a lot of the critical maintenance that will essentially decrease our emergency reactive maintenance costs and will shift money to be used for proactive maintenance costs,” he said.

Although the city’s renovation will put them a quarter billion dollars in debt, the infrastructure use will eventually pay for itself and Atlanta residents will not be financially affected, according to Govan.

The mayor’s Senior Policy Advisor Jalal Slade said although no tax hikes will be implemented upon the citizens, the repairs and maintenance should welcome new sources for tax revenue due to the population growth, according to the statement sent by Bevelle.

“We would like to see a capital commitment now through the bond issuance and a commitment for several years to catch up on improvements,” Slade said. “As the city grows, the tax base also grows which will help with this.”

Govan said the process may be slow-and-steady, but the systematic approach will yield results. “[Now] it’s only 25 percent but that’s a big impact. We can tackle a chunk at a time. Once we get to the point where this bond is completed, we’ll tackle the next chunk,” she said.

THREE

STUDENTS SAY THEY NEED

Georgia State student Marco Chui said a hub like Atlanta will require better upkeep to sustain the imminent influx of residents and businesses.

“This construction and repair is good for a growing metropolis and it will give a modern contemporary feel to a city with a big artistic community,” he said. “What we really need to fix is the traffic problem because we really lack adequate roads to support the growing population.”

THE REPAIRS

Student Chizoba Eze said she is grateful that the repairs won’t come out of the wallets of her and her peers and is eager to drive on roads that won’t ruin her vehicle.

“It’s great that it’s not coming out of the citizen’s pockets,” she said. “Most of the roads in the city are terrible to drive on.

I’ve gotten two flats since starting school at Georgia State. If the roads are [maintained], it would happily solve traffic issues.”

5

NEWS

TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2015

City

A NEW BEGINNING FOR THE OLYMPIA BUILDING The 80-year-old historic building will be transformed into a Walgreens Pharmacy, while maintaining its original 1930s Ivey & Crook architecture MARLEE ARCHER Staff Reporter

A

fter a lengthy vacancy of the Olympia Building in Five Points, restoration of the historic landmark is underway.

Encore Real Estate Development, LLC, headquartered in Safety Harbor, Florida, bought the building at 23 Peachtree St. for $2.2 million in the fall of 2013, according to Creative Loafing.

The company’s final redevelopment plan is to restore the building to its former glory and transform it into a Walgreens Pharmacy, according to Skanska Construction, lead construction company for the restoration.

The Olympia Building was built in mid-1930s and was one of many architectural gems created by legendary Atlanta-based architects Ivey & Crook, according to The City of Atlanta’s website.

The website also states the Depression era building remains one of few two-story buildings left in the area.

“The Olympia has become reminiscent of an earlier time, a reminder of a 19th century building in a 20th century world,” the website states.

Michael Wirsching of ASD Inc., an Atlanta-based architectural firm on the project, said the historic quality of the building is a factor that guided redesign

plans.

“It’s had a series of renovations over the years and a lot of the original historical details were stripped away. The big push in the design was really going back to that,” Wirsching said.

None of the original blueprints are known to exist so ASD Inc. had to rely on historical photos to recreate the design, according to Wirsching.

“We’ve taken those old black and white photos and brought them into Photoshop and traced over them and made 3-D models to replicate the filigree,” he said.

Wirsching also said the original design will be replicated down to detailed ornamentation. They will construct a 1940s-style marquee sign and re-enclosure of the nose (or point) of the building facing Peachtree Street.

As a result, the block of the street in front of the building is currently closed to through traffic due to construction.

Darian Lyons, a Georgia State junior and nearby Westmar Student Lofts resident, said she is not fond of the construction due to delays.

“I feel like it’s going to be more stressful now because that pathway gives me a couple more minutes to get to class,” she said.

However, Lyons also said she believes the renovation will attract more business and brighten up the city.

Georgia State senior Kevin Hamp-

ton feels the new Walgreens would be a better alternative to other nearby grocery stores.

“There’s a CVS next to MARTA and that place is pretty scary. So I guess this is a little better because it’s right next to the police station,” he said.

Although he did not know the Olympia building was also a historical building, Hampton said he is glad the restoration will give the facility a new purpose and recognition.

Katherine Hankins, associate director at Georgia State, said the Walgreens will be beneficial to local Five Points residents as well, according to an article previously published by The Signal.

Despite concern over the future of the iconic Coca-Cola sign staying atop the building, Wirsching said it will remain.

“That’s going to remain fully operational throughout construction and will remain on top of the building as it is now,” Wirsching said.

Wormser Hats was a long time tenant of the building but the site once housed Atlanta’s first post office as well, according to the City of Atlanta’s website.

“In the mid-1840s, Atlanta’s first post office and general store were located in a wood structure on the Olympia site, run by George Washington Collier, the city’s first postmaster,” the website states.

PHOTO BY MARLEE ARCHER | THE SIGNAL The Olympia Building will soon be turned into a new Walgreens Pharmacy.

Wirsching said one of the many historical plaques found inside the building was dedicated to the historic post office.

“We’ve saved that plaque and will place it back inside once we’re done,” he said.

Many have also wondered how a Walgreens would be a beneficial edition to an area that already has nearby pharmacies. Cullen Hawkins, one of the owners of the real estate company Encore, said they’ve been asked that many times.

“It’s going to be unique relative to local competitors; and from a design standpoint, it’s going to be above and beyond anything that this market cur-

rently offers,” he said.

At completion, Hawkins estimates there will be 22,000 square feet of sales area compared to a standard 14,000-square-foot Walgreens.

Encore’s vision is to service a need for Five Points residents and Georgia State students by offering grocery, retail and pharmacy, according to Hawkins.

“This school has grown from a commuter school to having many students moving into town,” he said. “This store will offer daily conveniences and will be located right in the heart of Georgia State.”

Encore’s goal is to complete the transformation by this year’s holiday season, according to Hawkins.

University

Georgia State’s Vice Provost helping administer Student Success Collaborative The national program awards grants to aid student retention within the university CLAIR IRVIN & JOHN MILLER Staff Reporters

S

ince the Student Success Collaborative’s creation in 2012, over 3,700 grants have been awarded to students ranging in race, ethnicities and genders, according to Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Success and Vice Provost Timothy Renick.

The collaborative, which is referred to as GPS Advising at Georgia State, was started by the Education Advisory Board, according to the board’s website.

Renick said GPS Advising helps advisors at Georgia State keep track of students by sending alerts to prevent academic risk factors.

“When one of these alerts goes off, the student’s advisor receives a notification and then reaches out to the student to try to help,” he said.

The program collects academic data, such as registration information and course grades, through Georgia State’s student information system Banner Web. The goal is to retain B, C and D students who otherwise would not seek out advisement, according to Renick.

Renick said during registration, academic advisors use GPS Advising to automatically help correct students who registered for classes that did not help them advance toward their degrees.

“In the vast majority of cases since we went live with GPS Advising in 2012, students have indicated that they did not understand when they registered for the course that it did not fit with their degree program and have voluntarily switched to a more appropriate course,” he said.

Renick also said various types of interventions are used to help students get back on track for graduation.

“The interventions can be as simple as an email or phone call form but extend to recommendations that a student meet one-onone with an academic advisor, receive tutoring help, attend Supplemental Instruction, meet with a faculty member or academic coach or, in extreme cases, change their major,” he said.

Retention grants are another aspect of GPS Advising. These grants require no application and are given to students based on their registration information, course grades, academics and finances, according to Renick.

“Senior recipients of the retention grants, for instance, graduate at rates more than 100 percent higher than the rates for other seniors on the drop list. Ninety percent of non-senior grant recipients last year were retained, meaning that they stay enrolled at Georgia State for at least a year after receiving the grant,” he said.

Georgia State senior Thomas Clark said the grant paid for everything that HOPE did not, which totaled about $1,400.

Matthew Muller, Georgia State graduate, said the burden of financial stress was lifted off him after receiving the grant.

“I got it my Winter semester when I thought I wouldn’t be able to pay,” he said.

Renick said GPS advising has increased the number of minority students retained and Panther Retention Grants are awarded regardless of race, ethnicity or gender.

“They are awarded based on the students’ unmet financial need (as determined by federal standards), their academic progress (being on track for graduation) and the size of the gap that the students have in covering their tuition and fees,” he said.

According to EAB.com -->

Georgia State Advisors

use Student Success Collaborative on a daily basis,

helping students make smarter decisions, reduce time to degree and lower their risk—contributing to a 3 percent increase in six-year graduation rate since 2012.

The university saves $3 million for every 1 percent improvement in retention rate and they anticipate hitting a graduation rate of 60 percent by 2021.

6

NEWS SGA

2015 SGA Meet the Candidates Debate recap: SEAN KEENAN Staff Reporter

S

GA candidates answered questions from the audience and debated their platforms during the election season’s first formal debate on March 26 in the Speaker’s Auditorium. The following were highlights of the night:

1

During this election season, Executive Vice President of SGA Sebastian Parra is running uncontested for the presidential chair.

Parra said he is grateful for SGA’s hard work and hopes for students to ‘turn up’ at the polls this year.

“I’m very happy about our diversity. That’s something I like to highlight about our ticket. We have almost every ethnicity represented on our ticket. I am proud to say, if elected, I will become the first Latino president of the SGA,” he said.

Hannah Grant, current SGA Senate Clerk, is running uncontested for Vice President of Public Relations. She said she strives to increase student involvement with SGA by making herself more available and offering internships to students interested in marketing.

“I want to have open office hours. Right now, all vice presidents have office hours, but they’re held in the SGA office. For students not in student government, it can be a little intimidating to go into that office,” she said.

2

Gregory LaFortune, candidate for VP of Student Services, said if SGA elects to extend library hours, he plans on addressing Panther Express Shuttle hour extension options as well.

Many of those who will be at the library during extended hours are also commuters who park at Turner Field, according to LaFortune.

TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2015

sga

Unity Plaza may become new host of ‘Plaza’ time ADJOA DANSO Staff Reporter

U

nity Plaza could become the new home for events previously held in Library Plaza as early as fall 2015, according to a Georgia State Student Government Association (SGA) resolution.

Resolution 1502, also known as “Removal of noise in Library Plaza and renovation of Hurt Park,” was approved on Feb. 26 during SGA’s General Senate Body meeting. The resolution was proposed on Feb. 12 by the organization’s Senator of Arts and Sciences Andera Ezell.

In order for the resolution to pass, 1502 will need to be approved by the University Senate and signed by Georgia State’s President Mark Becker, according to Ezell and SGA Executive Vice President Sebastian Parra.

Ezell said she had multiple motivations for proposing the resolution.

“My biggest concern and motivation was the noise and distraction students face while in the library during plaza hours,” she said.

Ezell also said she was concerned about Library Plaza’s atmosphere during class breaks or Plaza

Time.

“Another concern was congestion and intimidation many students face because of the amount of people that congregate in library plaza as is,” she said.

Ezell said the move to Unity Plaza, the space in front of the Student Center, would not diminish Library Plaza’s current environment, according to Ezell.

“I think students [who] want to be around the noise and energetic environment will be able to do so in Unity Plaza,” she said. “But those students [who] want to be in the library or enjoyed Library Plaza or go to class will be able to do so with less students in their way.”

Jovan Paige, the vice president of Student Life, said he believes students would benefit from plaza’s scenery change.

“There is no way to quantify the amount of students who will be negatively affected by the relocation of plaza,” he said. “However, many students [allude] to an excitement with possible easier navigation to class and a more ‘persecution-free’ area.”

Ezell and Paige also said they were concerned about non-student disruptions of Library Plaza events.

This concern is mentioned in the formal resolution and the

document states that students are intimidated by, harassed by and made to feel persecuted by religious protesters.

Paige said Resolution 1502 may provide students with additional comfort to enjoy Georgia State’s campus culture.

“This is the best move for students because it will allow for students to feel more comfortable while still enjoying a history of campus culture,” Paige said. “This change may improve the comfort level for students on Tuesdays and Thursdays and will also garner an opportunity for more feasible study experiences.”

Noise-making devices, such as disc jockey booths, megaphones and loud speakers would be prohibited in Library Plaza if the resolution receives university approval, according to the formal SGA document.

As a result, the Student Code of Conduct would also be updated to reflect the plaza changes, as noted in Resolution 1502.

Under the updated Code, individuals or groups would not be able to block students from walking through Library Plaza or disrupt normal University activities.

Additionally, actions that could threaten student health or safety will be prohibited.

3 Question

4

Teara Mayfield, running uncontested for Executive Vice President, said she looks forward to facing the challenge of student body growth.

“We represent a university that boasts 34,000 students and coming fall ‘16, [Georgia State] will boast 55,000 students so it is hard to make sure you’re reaching out to everybody,” she said. “It’s easy to get up here and talk about transparency, but it’s hard to make 34,000 students see you … Our greatest challenge is [not] being able to reach out to as many students as we would like to. [Once] they come to our Senate meetings, they can see how diligently we are working to make things better as soon as possible.”

Student Vox:

How do you feel about Unity Plaza becoming the new “Plaza”?

last week Local

Drug dealers face time in prison for robbing postal workers

Two DeKalb County drug dealers, William James Wilkins, 28, and Michael Anthony Fairnot Woods, 27, will go to federal prison after they pleaded guilty to two counts of armed postal robbery from August 2012 through January 2013, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Of the two charges, one count is for exposing a firearm during a crime and the other is for possessing marijuana with the intent to distribute. Wilkins will spend 18 years in prison and pay $2,895.37 in restitution along with five year of supervised release. FairnotWoods was sentenced to 15 years in prison and five years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay the same restitution amount as Wilkins.

National

Alabama officer indicted for confrontation

A federal grand jury indicted an Alabama police officer, 26-year-old Eric Parker, for using unreasonable force against Sureshbhai Patel, 57, on Feb. 6 during a confrontation, according to The New York Times. Patel, who was unarmed during a morning walk through his family’s neighborhood, was slammed to the ground by Parker. The Justice Department’s two-page indictment document alleges that Parker deprived Patel of his rights to be free from unreasonable search and seizures. Parker’s lawyer, Robert Tuten, said he expects the officer to plead not guilty.

Global

Somali government fighting to regain control of hotel

Jasmine Gay

Vincent Weston

Brandon Ailion

Major: Marketing Year: Sophomore

Major: Speech Year: Senior

“I kinda understand, but I mean, you really don’t hear the music unless you’re at the window in the library. I’ve done it before.

And [there’s] not as much room over there, so it’s gonna be way more traffic over there. So I don’t know how that’s gonna work.”

“I feel like it’s gonna change the routine of the school. We’re use to being out in this plaza. It could be a good thing, but it’s definitely gonna change things around.”

Major: Undecided Year: Sophomore

“I kinda use that to get underneath [Library Plaza] quickly, so that might be kind of annoying.

But this is already a big crowd.”

PHOTOS BY BRITTANY GUERIN | THE SIGNAL

Ten people were killed at the Maka al-Mukarama hotel, located at the capital Mogadishu, during a gun battle in the facility taken over by al-Shabab militants. One of the victims, Yusuf Bari Bari, was a Somali ambassador to Switzerland. US-trained Somali special forces have been able to take back control of portions of the hotel. However, recent reports state al-Shabab militants were on the top floors firing guns and throwing grenades.

It is believed there were originally nine assailants, but six have since been killed.

OPINIONS

www.georgiastatesignal.com/opinions

Turn up… OVER THERE

LAST WEEK’S POLL RESULTS

Why SGA’s suggestion to move courtyard events probably won’t work

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JOHN MILLER Columnist

John is an English major with a concentration in Literature. He spends his time cooking, reading, writing and watching movies. Mostly watching movies.

Tweet him @johnmillerdavid1

here are two thoughts when it comes to public musical events held on campus. One: They’re good, exciting and fun, and two: They’re aggravating obstructions.

These two opinions exist because people have conflicting interests about how to use to public university space.

Some people think of a walkway as a place to walk and some people think of it as a dance floor.

Of course, no one in authority is going to come out and say that either of these opinions is wrong. Instead, those at SGA have simply decided to suggest a resolution to move Plaza Time from Library Plaza to Unity Plaza.

Admittedly, Unity Plaza is more out of the way than the Library Plaza, the absolute epicenter of campus.

This means the move is sure to relieve much of the congestion caused by said events and that’s a good thing.

Also, it solves the noise issue since throbbing bass will no longer be heard in even the most remote corners of the fifth floor of the library nor will it be heard in neighboring classrooms.

Still, no matter where the events

What’s your favorite hangout spot?

are held, they’ll be an unavoidable presence as long as they’re held during school hours.

It doesn’t take a neurosurMAX MIN geon to see that the resolution won’t completely solve the issue; be pretty authoritarian to disallow the it just relocates it. events from happening altogether. On The debate will not be resolved by the other hand, they are disruptions a mere relocation because the central that have no place anywhere on camdisagreement is not over where the pus during school hours. events should be held but whether The best way to resolve the conthey should be held at all. flict would be to move the events The same students who walk away from campus during the normal through the Library Plaza on their school hours entirely — not ban them way to Student Center, Sparks Hall but restrict them to after-hours or priand the library also walk through vate indoor spaces where they will not Hurt Park on their way to the Univer- be disruptive. sity Commons.

This way, the parties can be as loud SGA’s suggestion to move the as desired without disrupting anyevents to Unity Plaza proves a major- thing. Also, those students who want ity of students would prefer the events nothing to do with these events won’t not take place on campus. But those be inconvenienced. who organize the events don’t want to I might sound like a buzzkill writstop, so the relocation is clearly SGA’s ing this, but I think anyone reading compromise. But, as Watterson wrote can agree with the old adage that in “Calvin and Hobbes,” “A good com- there’s a time and a place for everypromise leaves both people unsatis- thing. Whereas some of the student fied.” body feels like having a party Tuesday So how can people on both sides and Thursday mornings, a lot of us be satisfied? On the one hand, it would don’t.

MITCHELL OLIVER Columnist

Mitch is a senior finance major and student financial advisor. “My goal is to have more college students financially literate.”

Tweet him @madmoneyatl

into action: I t’s that time of year again. The end of spring semester is slowly approaching. Fall registration is upon us and if you’re still on the fence about summer semester at this point, then taking summer classes is probably not happening.

This time also marks the end of many students’ first full year with us at Georgia State — whether freshman or transfer students. Now that we all have a good year under our belts, I think it’s a good time to look forward at how we can be successful in future semesters to come.

First, one of the most pertinent issues facing us college students is how we’re going to pay for college once we’re already here. I know it is beaten into us in high school that we should apply for scholarships, have plenty of extracurriculars and try to land an internship.

So what happens when we get to college? Most of us seem to think that the scholarships dry up and that there’s no time for being active on campus.

Don’t let this mindset take control!

Scholarships are very much available to anyone all the way through graduate school and some are only open to upperclassmen. If you just put the effort in to seek out the right ones, I guarantee you can grab at least $1,000 per year in scholarships. Just think about how lucrative they are. Say you spend a total of one hour on each scholarship (research, writing essays, filing it out, etc.). If you apply to 10 scholarships and only get one for $1,000, you’ve still essentially made $100 per hour. I don’t know many other college student jobs

Sister Louisa’s Church 50% (7 votes) Krog Street Market 42.86% (6 votes) Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q 7.14% (1 vote) Erosol “Department Store” 0% (0 votes) Noni’s Bar & Deli 0% (0 votes) *As of March 30, 2015 Keep your eyes out for the next poll!

To vote on future polls, visit www. georgiastatesignal.com.

Have suggestions for poll questions?

Email them to signalmanaging@ gmail.com.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

DOLLARS & SENSE WITH MITCH

SPRINGING

YOU ANSWERED*:

Gearing up for the next academic year

that offer that kind of wage!

If scholarships aren’t your style, then at least let financial aid help you out. I spoke with one freshman, Claire Lacombe, on how she pays for college. On the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), she said she didn’t fill it out for financial reasons.

“Honestly for how little I’d get, it’s not worth it. I don’t think I qualify for any aid because of my parent’s income,” Lacombe said.

This worries me. It makes me wonder how many other students out there don’t apply for FAFSA just because they don’t think they’ll be awarded any financial aid. You would be surprised at how often you can find some financial aid for your college career just by filling out the form that takes maybe 20 minutes.

For example, you might not qualify for any aid your freshman year, but in two or three years the cost of attendance at Georgia State will most likely rise. Since 2011, when I started here, tuition and fees for 12 credit hours per semester has risen from $3,646 to $4,308 per semester! That’s almost $1,400 more per year I’m paying and the amount of aid I’m awarded has increased proportionally.

The form is designed to help find you any and all financial aid that the government can offer. Not filling out the FAFSA is one rookie mistake you can’t afford to make.

I believe extracurriculars are just as important as scholarships and financial aid. If it isn’t already clear to you now, make sure you understand the gravity

of what competition in the workforce means. Unless you graduate with honors and a 4.0 GPA, your degree will more or less be identical to everyone else at Georgia State — or any college for that matter.

What will matter to future employers and what should matter to you is what you did with your time in between classes for four years. Did you have to work your way through college?

Not necessarily a bad thing. Employers like to see organizational commitment to companies. Did you find an internship and gain important career-related skills? That’s a great headstart on your fellow classmates. Did you marathon House of Cards Season 3 in two days or finish the gallon challenge at your local bar? Maybe leave that off the resume.

What you do outside of class will, not surprisingly, be a strong indicator of how successful your career search goes after graduation.

So try to remember a few things as we roll into the next few semesters.

Always fill out your FAFSA and update it yearly — even if you don’t think it’s worth it. Always look for scholarships even as you approach graduation. Most importantly, have a game plan for what you should be doing when you’re not in class. Do things that will help foster your future career, help you network or just spice up your life a little more.

Besides graduate school, this might be the last four years we’re in an academic environment. We should take advantage of the perks that brings and enjoy it while we can before we get thrown into the “real world!”

Dear readers, Our annual Panthers of the Year issue aims to recognize some of the most influential members of the Georgia State community.

In choosing our nominees, we look for those who have had impact on their peers’ lives as well as the general student body’s lives.

Let me preface this issue by saying, if possible, I would have chosen multiple Panthers of the Year. There are many people on campus who impact Georgia State. However, we were limited to one for each category: A student, an athlete and a faculty member.

For our student, we chose someone who comes from humble beginnings and took huge strides to explore this colorful, big city. For our athlete, we chose someone who’s leaving us with a grand slam dunk in Athletics history (forewarning: If you thought we would have surely chosen basketball star player R.J. Hunter, you’re in for a surprise). For our faculty member, we chose someone who goes well beyond the call of duty to serve our students.

And now, I turn this back to you, our readers. Who on our Georgia State campus has had the most influence on you or someone you know? Write me a letter to let me know and we may just recognize them for you.

Yours truly,

Anna Yang signaleditor@gmail.com

OPINIONS

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TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2015

RETURNING THE FAVOR How to help Georgia State help its community

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ZACH ITZKOVITZ Columnist Zach comes from various suburbs north of Atlanta and have since found his way to the belly of the beast. Zach’s first taste of downtown Atlanta was in 1996, when the Olympic Games honored us with its presence. He was being carried around in a baby backpack. Now that he’s here AND cognizant, he intends to explore with the curiosity of his former self and the understanding of his experience.

n 2010, Georgia State purchased the Wyndham Garden Hotel and Baymont Inn and Suites. I don’t know the amounts involved, but something tells me Georgia State didn’t quite break the bank. The hospitality industry in Atlanta wasn’t doing too hot. In fact, businesses all over the country weren’t doing too hot. In the wake of one of the worst recessions in American history, Atlanta’s unemployment rate wavered between 12 and 13 percent.

High unemployment is a fertile foundation for homelessness and hunger and any Georgia State student can attest to the problem. Yet, it is important to distinguish between dirty people hanging out on the street and homeless people. Most students who encounter a request for money walking through campus don’t know anything about the person asking them — save for their seemingly insufficient funds.

When it comes to homelessness, there seems to be two schools of thought: the “it’s their fault” idea and the “we have to help them” idea. Regardless of how many students oblige people who request money, I would guess it’s a casual decision. No one leaves home with the intention of giving money to whoever asks. It’s an impromptu feelgood move and hopefully it yields good results for both parties.

It’s important to ask: How important is it to solve the problem of homelessness or at least diminish it? That depends on values. Even if economic prosperity outweighs ethics, there’s a clear benefit to absorbing thousands of people into the workforce. It’s complicated because the homeless need more than a home.

Abraham Maslow, a 20th century psychologist, created a hierarchy of needs to prioritize human necessities.

Physiological needs are the pyramid’s foundation. If the elements challenge the processes of the human body, shel-

ter is very much a physiological need.

But that’s only the pyramid’s foundation. Safety is the next necessity — this includes, among other needs, financial security.

We’ve all heard this one: Feed a man a fish, he eats for a day — teach a man to fish, he eats every day. Homelessness and food insufficiency are closely related and often overlap. Maybe I only speak for myself, but when I am asked for money on campus, the common reason people justify their request is that they need food. Giving them food helps until they’re hungry again. Five dollars is just one degree of separation from hunger. More money helps, but many people on the street wouldn’t know what to do with loads of cash, depending on the amount.

If Georgia State actually wants to help the locally helpless, there are ways to do that. One way is to use some housing money to help bring people off of the street and into the workforce.

According to The College Board, 17 percent of undergraduates live in University Housing. For such a small number, Georgia State has exhausted an odd amount of money and effort on housing. The school could also partner with some non-profits, such as the Atlanta Community Food Bank, to do meaningful philanthropic work.

So what can students do about this?

The Opportunity Development and Diversity Education Planning Office is located at 1 Park Place South, Suite 527. This office is responsible for fostering relationships connections to other organizations for the improvement of Georgia State’s community resources and of Atlanta as a whole. Anyone can stop by during the week between 8:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.

If enough students voice their discontent about the school’s budget allocation, the administration would be reckless to ignore their voices.

Evil or merely

MISUNDERSTOOD? A look at how we judge our villains — both in pop culture and in real life

NICOLE MOTAHARI Columnist Nicole is a double major in biology and English. When she’s not writing, she enjoys listening to musical theater and watching British TV with her family.

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o everyone’s going gaga over the new “Cinderella” movie. You know, pretty blue dress, orphan chick who marries the prince with a shoe fetish? That story. However, no one ever seems to pay attention to the villains as anything other than an evil character who makes the saccharine good guy look like an absolute saint.

As is the norm with “Cinderella,” you spend a good deal of it wanting to bitch-slap Lady Tremaine (Ella’s stepmother) until you hear the fantastic monologue she has that transforms her from merely an evil stepmom to a woman who lives in bitterness, having faced more loss and sorrow than she could bear.

Are all villains truly evil or is evilness a scale with varying degrees?

Looking at a few examples, it seems that movie and storybook villains can be as complicated as real-life people.

Of course, my favorite one to dwell on is Loki Odinson/Laufeyson from the Thor movies. We definitely have the Scar-like resemblance in that hatred of the golden brother (Thor or Mufasa depending on which story you pick).

However, unlike Scar who is evil enough to have his own brother killed, Loki merely lies to his brother on his way to the throne to keep his brother on Earth. Loki even offers the throne back to his brother when impersonating Odin, but that’s another story. So while we have Scar’s fratricide as a darker, more potent evil, Loki’s mischief seems light in comparison to murder.

Speaking of the struggle for power,

let’s discuss the modern spectrum of evil from foolish to downright midnight evil.

On the lighter side of wrongdoings, we have folks such as Aaron Schock and Bill Clinton. Schock was the youngest Congressman ever to be voted into office, but unfortunately, his fiscal talents were not as strong as his political skills. Schock spent over $10,000 of taxpayer money decorating his office to look exactly like the Downton Abbey study. Bill Clinton received oral sex from a White House intern, the now infamous Monica Lewinsky, and was nearly impeached for it.

Are these acts truly evil? Schock was forced to pay back the money out of his own pocket. Clinton’s actions hurt his own family more than they did the country. Is it our right to throw a man out of office for his personal life?

These actions seem mild in comparison to other acts, both in modern times as well as throughout history.

Vladimir Dracula, the real person whom the famous vampire was based upon, slaughtered and skewered many people in his life, hence his nickname “Vlad the Impaler.” Elizabeth Bathory tortured and killed more than 300 virgins so that she could bathe in their blood to stay forever young, kind of like the Evil Queen in “Snow White.”

Are we going to judge villains and politicians on the same scale we use to judge mass murderers? Life is rarely as simply as black and white, good and bad. Evil depends on the eye of the beholder — it’s up to you to decide where those misdeeds fall on your personal scale of wrongdoings.

EDITORIAL

SGA should spread not just ‘awareness’ but also practice ‘accountability’

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n contrast to last year’s SGA Meet the Candidates Debate, “transparency” was no longer the big buzzword — this year, “awareness” seemed to ooze from all of the mouths of the candidates while discussing their platforms.

However, a bigger question remains: “Why was the ‘awareness’ of each positions applications so low?”

This year the seats of president, executive vice president, vice president of public relations and vice president of academic affairs were all uncontested — for students who participate in the electoral process, they are now “boxed in” and forced to have to vote for that candidate.

In addition to a low audience presence, the absence of questions from current position holders lurked around the auditorium as Nyomi Haynes of this year’s Election Commission asked for others to address the candidates with their concerns. Only awkward silence ensued.

The question remains - if your successor is up on stage, why not use the opportunity to ask questions on their goals and views?

However, it should also be noted that re-running candidate for Vice President of Student Life Jovan Paige and former Executive Presidential Candidate Christian Hill were the only two SGA-involved individuals from the audience that stepped up to the plate to ask questions.

We give a nod to Hill, who was previously disqualified from the 2013 SGA Elections due to a physical altercation as well as Paige, who was found not guilty of allegedly being involved in an altercation. The Dean of Students issued a statement declaring a close of the investigation case in the summer of 2014.

Both Hill and Paige held upcoming SGA position holders accountable for their words and plans. Paige demanded “tangible” or clear steps from candidates. One such example is when he questioned Candidate for VP of Student Services Gregory LaFortune’s proposal to reduce smoking on campus. In response, LaFortune admitted to not having taken many steps himself but planned on working with other departments who already had initiatives in mind.

The two former position holders’ efforts to question and hold SGA leaders accountable for their platforms show that from past incidents, each learned that its not just student media who will ask questions, but rather the students they will potentially represent.

In a simple survey of the students on campus, The Signal gauged the awareness of upcoming SGA Elections. Some said they were a little aware while one said she didn’t know there was an election coming up at all.

The general consensus from the

students was that they knew the SGA existed but didn’t know what they did or how important they are. In one biting remark, a student said, “I feel like it’s like make-believe a bit.” He later implied SGA representatives are in a way “imaginary leaders.”

This particular student credited the general apathy towards elections to general ignorance and other pressing priorities. He, like many other students, is unaware that the SGA acts like a state’s representative in Congress.

Admittedly, this isn’t only SGA’s fault, but someone has to initiate the conversation. What does SGA do besides provide free services? Theoretically, those in the SGA should know that best.

Above all things, the governmental student organization has a duty to provide a voice for the student body when it comes to important decision-making by the university.

An example of this is when SGA spoke to President Mark Becker about the Georgia Public Broadcasting partnership that would be aired over the student radio station’s time from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. The students of WRAS, the radio station, hashed out concerns with the SGA who acted as the liason.

The SGA also has a say in funds that go out to student organizations (students, this comes out of your activity fee). Even further than that, the SGA sits on a board to advise the University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents (and these people have a say in your tuition, students).

This makes it important for student awareness of SGA and who they vote for. The person you place within that seat (similar to local government elections) advises on funding and other issues.

And their connections to the institutions beyond will become increasingly important as we consolidate with Georgia Perimeter College and create two-year programs under Georgia State’s banner. Will students attending the two-year program still be able to access the same resources our four-year programs access? Will tuition increase or decrease drastically?

For the capabilities and power SGA has, they should show the student body results, and in turn, students and former position holders should hold the new candidates and leaders accountable.

After the debate, there was a second chance to ask questions one-onone with candidates. If you didn’t feel comfortable asking during the debate, you had the option to step right up to them and ask.

Spreading awareness is a good first step. But it’s time we start asking our representatives questions and hold them to their promises.

ARTS & LIVING

www.georgiastatesignal.com/artsandliving

CLEANING OUT

YOUR CLOSET Part I: Physically purge

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physically purging.

The first place to start when trying to organize and clean your place is throwing out trash! And I’m not just talking about those 12 candy bar wrappers, 14 water bottles and six chip bags you’ve been hoarding in your room. I’m talking about the clothes, shoes, bags, notebooks, gift bags and anything else you think you will need and never end up touching.

PHOTO BY EMILY LASHER | THE SIGNAL

EASY CLEANING Here are just a few tips of ways to clean easier: • Spray lemon juice on water stains and rinse off after 10 minutes • Use a bottle of Coke to clean toilet rings, pour it over the stains and let it sit for an hour. You may need to scrub just a little bit after • Use white vinegar and Q-Tips to clean the grime on the racks

of sliding doors and windows • Pour baking soda over dirty grout and spray with baking soda and let it sit a few minutes.

Then scrub away.

Spring cleaning can get pretty overwhelming when you first look around at your pig sty. But it’s important to just take it one room at a time. Before you know it, you will be living in paradise.

1. The first thing that has to be done is sorting. Go through every nook and cranny in your room and put everything that you use either every day or at least once a week into a pile. Of course you can leave things that come from different rooms in separate piles. You don’t need to mix kitchen utensils with your underwear; that’s just unnecessary.

2. Once you have your first pile done take all of the remaining items and put them into a separate pile. Now you can go through the piles and decide what you use the most and what you are just taking up space with. It may be hard to do but you have to be strict with yourself.

3. Now grab a trash bag! Everything that you decided not to keep must go quickly or you may end up keeping it even longer.

GIVING BACK:

So many times people never know what to do with the things they no longer want to keep. Here are a few places to give your unwanted things.

•

Plato’s Closet (2480 Briarcliff Road Northeast #2, Atlanta, Georgia 30329) • Clothes Mentor (7159 Mt. Zion Blvd. Jonesboro, Georgia 30236) • Goodwill (235 Peachtree Rd. NE #2300, Atlanta, Georgia 30303) Once everything is separated and you’ve picked your favorites, it’s time to put things back. This step is essential because incorrectly putting things back could possibly send you spiraling back into your pit of winter clutter.

A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING EVERYTHING IN ITS PLACE

Written by Nichole Place

pring is finally here, which means it’s time to clean out your closet. It is the season of starting fresh. But I don’t mean by publicly ripping your mom a new.

(Sometimes Eminem is not the best person to look to for advice.)

Spring cleaning is all about getting your life in order; from around the house to cleaning up your eating and finally organizing your schedule. Part I of this series starts with

GET THE F#*K OUTTA HERE!

1. When deciding where to put everything it’s important to pick a form of organization that works best for you. You could sort by color, size or type; there are tons to choose from. It is just a good idea to have an easy way of finding everything you need so you don’t end up with a house that looks like a tornado just tore through it. We all know there was no tornado; you’re just that gross.

2. A great way of saving space and looking less cluttered is to put everything into clear storage boxes. Containers are an awesome place to put the things that you need around but don’t reach for often. It keeps them out of sight but you know exactly where to find them.

3. Creating places for things that don’t have a home is extremely

&

useful. You can put a basket where there wasn’t one, add shelving and even give certain objects another purpose.

A NEW LIFE PURPOSE: • • •

Shower Rod = Clothing rack Towel rack and S hooks = Hanging mug rack Pegboard = Shoe rack

Organizing is a huge part of spring cleaning, but cute little boxes won’t get rid of those nasty stains in your tub or the grime around your sink. And when you first get your cleaning supplies out, everything can be pretty overwhelming. So to be sure you don’t forget the small places, I’ve made a checklist for you.

You can thank me later.

SPRING CLEANING CHECKLIST Dust (shelves, fans, window sills)

Wipe down books that are rarely touched

Scrub off marks on walls, doors, moldings and cabinets

Wipe down light switches and outlet covers

Throw out old mail, pens and medicines

Sweep behind washer and dryer

Wash all sheets, pillowcases, and blankets (even if they haven’t been used in a while)

Wipe dried soap off washer, dryer, counter, tub/shower

Wash windows, picture frames and mirrors

Scrub grime around faucets

PERSON

OF THE YEAR MICHAEL SAMUEL Being the Panther of the Year defines someone who has given back to the community. Michael Samuel spent his college years helping middle school and high school students establish their journeys for the future.

Written by Inga Masic, Associate Arts & Living Editor

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Samuel made his mark on Georgia State through his involvement in various organizations and his presence on the social scene. Georgia State’s diversity is what motivated him to be involved in such depth as well as initially motivating him to attend the school.

“I wanted to try new things, meet new people, and in doing so, I have made a lot of friends,” Samuel said.

“I have broken down a lot of barriers because when I came here, I was close-minded and when being around different types of people, you get to see a different side of who people are.”

His Backstory and Struggle Samuel was born in Queens, New York. Later in his life, he moved down to Columbus, Georgia and decided to come to Atlanta for college.

Samuel is choosing to pursue a Bachelor degrees in both Business Administration/Business Economics and Risk Management and Insurance.

“My senior year of high school I took AP Econ with my soccer coach and I fell in love with it,” Samuel said. “I have always had an interest in money, how to make money and how to make money last a long time.

I had a nice upbringing, but there were certain things that I knew we couldn’t do because

we couldn’t afford it. So knowing how to balance my money and how to make money is something that drives me, so I will be able to tell my kids that I can pay for school if needed.”

The struggle with money during his life was one of the obstacles that Samuel had to overcome. He was determined to build a college education for himself through the help of scholarships.

Samuel also began to view diversity in a new manner before arriving to Georgia State.

He has developed a new sense of mind regarding aspects he never thought he would have encountered.

His involvements “I really just couldn’t afford to come here, so I was able to get a scholarship from the Risk Management Department, which allowed me to take school seriously,” Samuel said. “Diversity was the biggest piece for me personally. I came from a small southern town, so I was a close minded Christian guy. [With] coming to Georgia State I had to deal with people that have different sexual orientations, different socioeconomic statuses than me and different religious views. By joining organizations I was forced to not only get to work with those people but also get to know them.”

First year peer mentor Two year RA for Piedmont North Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society National Society of Collegiate Scholars Administrative Assistant at J.P. Turner & Co Planning Intern at SignatureFD Records Associate at GV Financial Advisors

The Effective Method The key to student success, Samuel believes, is experiencing all the social wonders that come along with college as well as the academic ones.

“Time management. I think that you really have to know how to balance school and life. One of my favorite poems is a poem called ‘If ’ and there’s a line

that says, ‘Fill the unforgiving minute with 60 seconds worth of distance run,’” Samuel said. “It’s powerful because everyone has the same amount of time every single day; everyone is given 24 hours. Yet, some people are billionaires and some people are poor. So learn how to maximize your time.”

Giving back Samuel’s constant application to current events and programs occurring around campus has created a change in the community.

“Through being an RA [residential assistant] for two years, I had the opportunity to touch hundreds of students’ lives through one-on-one meetings with them as well as scheduling

Research Assistant at GSU programs catered to their needs,” Samuel said. “I am also a member of the Collegiate 100 which is an arm of the 100 Black Men of America. With this organization I have volunteered with high school and middle school students to steer them on the right path and help them get into college.”

Lead Ambassador of the 1913 Society Member of School’s Judicial Board Utilities/ Telecommunications Analyst for Portfolio Management Team

PHOTOS BY JADE JOHNSON | THE SIGNAL

Inside the influenced Some of Michael Samuel’s closest friends and peers bask in his impact on their lives and their thought’s on his accomplishment.

Has he inspired you to be more involved in both an academic and social setting in school?

James Supreme: “His ability

to network with his fellow classmates and individuals in downtown Atlanta community has indirectly showed me that relying on a degree to advance in your career post-college is not beneficial in the economic environment we live in today.

The connections one makes along the way is just as important as a degree.”

Prince

Asumadu: “He has

inspired me to be more goaloriented when it comes to academics. His drive and determination shows in his work ethic. That’s one of the reasons I consider him one of my brothers because he makes me want to be a better student. As far as social aspect, Michael is amazing at communicating with individuals and making them feel welcome.”

Ra Mackey: “Mike’s personality is very magnetic.

He inspires me especially in a Amen

social setting. He’s very freeflowing and very much so a people person.”

Why do you believe he deserved to be Panther of the Year?

“Representing something bigger than yourself is not an easy task.

Michael deserved this title because he eats, breathes, lives and goes asleep to dream about Georgia State University every single day. What Michael has done with the opportunities at GSU has been an inspiration to his peers and serves as an inspiration for panthers long after he graduates.”

Supreme:

Asumadu: “He is genuine. Just in a recent conversation with him he told me that seeing all his mentees take on positions on Georgia State campus and making that own name for themselves was a satisfying moment. I believe it’s not the amount of titles he holds, but how many people he can impact. For that, he deserves this award.”

Mackey: “Besides his school

activities, Mike is a very loving and caring person. He checks up on me a lot and really looks out for my well being.

He’s genuine and sticks to his word; that’s why he was the perfect choice for this title.”

“

I didn’t want to come here for four years, leave and act like I was never here.”

What the future holds Do you have any plans after leaving Georgia State?

Samuel: “I plan on going to

Wall Street, hopefully working with Goldman Sachs and investment banking and I want to do that for two years. After that I’ll come back to school and get my dual law degree in the NBA.”

In the far future, what is your hopeful set status in life?

Samuel: “I hope to be a Chief Legal Officer (CLL) for a big bank. I would love to have a wife and kids and have the dog.

I want to be able to provide for my family and be able to live comfortably and also give

back to my community. The university hosts these things called the President’s Society Dinner; all the big donors come back and President Becker throws a huge party for them because they give back so much. I told my advisor that one day I will be on the guest list and I would love to be able to say that I gave Georgia State a million-dollar donation.”

ATHLETE OF THE YEAR RYAN HARROW Harrow was Georgia State’s leading scorer of the 2014 - 2015 season. He was also the second-fastest Panther to score 1,000 points in his Georgia State career.

Written by Jared Oliver, Staff Reporter & Akiem Bailum, Sports Editor

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March 31, 2013.

This turned out to be a big day in Georgia State men’s basketball history. On this day, it was announced that the Panthers had landed a transfer from Kentucky and John Calipari, one of the premier hoops programs in the country.

In addition, Georgia State had enticed someone from nearby Marietta to return and play the final two years of his eligibility in his home state. That player whom the Panthers managed to get averaged nearly 10 points

(LEFT) SUBMITTED PHOTO (MIDDLE) PHOTO BY CHRIS TRIPLETT (RIGHT) THE SIGNAL ARCHIVES

a game in his final season with the Wildcats and started 24 of the 29 games he played in Kentucky blue.

On March 31, it was announced that Ryan Harrow would be trading Wildcats blue for Panthers blue.

This season in his senior year, Harrow has been a focal point of Georgia State’s dangerous backcourt of himself and junior guard R.J. Hunter. He was the Panthers’ leading scorer during the 2014-15 regular season, averaging 20.2 points per game —

tops among all Sun Belt players.

Harrow also, in only two years of basketball with Georgia State, surpassed the 1,000-point plateau as he achieved the feat in the second-fastest time period in school history.

Even though he injured his hamstring in the team’s final home game of the season, Harrow had more of an impact on this team in two years than some players can have with all four years at one school, hence why he has been chosen as The Signal’s Athlete of the Year.

ty Basketball as a junior and was named the Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year in his senior year.

He was a YouTube sensation between playing Georgia high school basketball and traveling across the country with the Atlanta Celtics in the off-season.

Kareem Watts, a Georgia State student and one of Harrow’s close friends, says there is more to the Panthers’ senior guard than basketball.

“Although many people know of Ryan because of basketball ... only a select few understand how much of a caring person he really is. He loves to see people have a great time when they are in his company,” Watts said. “Ryan loves playing 2k12 [a popular basketball video game] with his friends and is hard to beat. I believe Ryan has a sixth sense when it comes to basketball, so he has an edge.”

Early beginnings Harrow is known to be a quiet person off the court. He is not really someone who is the most talkative around people, but he is never shy when it comes to the hardwood.

He is a hometown kid who spent his last two years at Walton High School. While at Walton, he was one of the best players at the prep level. The fit ball handler averaged 31.6 points per game and five assists. He compiled a multitude of awards including Mr. Cobb Coun-

Harrow in wildcats blue After graduating from Walton High in 2010, he played his freshman season of college basketball for head coach Sidney Lowe at North Carolina State.

Harrow restarted his college career at the University of Kentucky under head coach John Calipari.

Calipari is not a coach that accepts transfers, simply because he believes if they were not good enough to get in the first time, they won’t be the second time.

For Harrow, he made an exception.

Harrow playing for the SEC powerhouse was not the smoothest transition for him. It took a lot of time for Harrow to adjust to the physicality and speed of the game.

Following the 2012-13 season, Harrow received notice his father had suffered a stroke and was rendered physically impaired. His family and Coach Calipari thought it would be best if he transferred closer to home to be with his father.

Because of the circumstances surrounding Harrow and his family, Coach Calipari advocated for

Harrow to be eligible the following season. The NCAA granted Harrow a waiver, allowing him to play immediately for the Panthers.

The team had a spark of attention considering its winning ways throughout the 2013-14 season.

“You go to the pre-games and you watch the shoot-arounds, he looks happy [in Atlanta],” Ziggy Onwumere-Amadi, a senior student, said. “His homecourt advantage was even more because he’s from this area. So, it allowed him to do a lot of things that maybe others wouldn’t do in certain situations.”

Note: Ryan Harrow was not available for an interview with The Signal by press time.

For a more extensive piece on Harrow, visit www.georgiastatesignal.com. Key search terms: Athlete of the Year, 2015, Panther, men’s basketball, Ryan Harrow

Harrow in panthers blue “I was really excited to be back home in Atlanta,” Harrow said after his Georgia State debut. “All of my friends and family were here.

To be able to play with my new teammates against someone else was really exciting for me.”

Mike Holmes, Associate Director of Sports Communication at Georgia State, thinks Harrow made the best decision for his career.

“I truly believe that Georgia State was the best thing that could ever have happened to Ryan,” Holmes said. “He was able to just go out and be a basketball player, the same type of player that made him one of the top-ranked players coming out of high school. He was more relaxed and I think enjoyed playing basketball more at Georgia State than he did before.”

His on-court leadership was felt all season as he continued to put up big numbers and provide a major presence. At the Sports Arena on Feb. 17, he scored 17 points, including his 1,000th for his career in a 68-41 win over conference foe Texas State.

“His story and the reason he came to Georgia State attracts a

lot of people,” said Briana Donaldson, a senior student who is also a member of the Pantherettes dance team. “Whenever someone does something out of the love of their heart, like his reasons for coming to play with us. That’s why he has such a strong presence.”

Harrow was labeled a quiet guy, he never really spoke too much on the Southern vs. State rivalry. Following the win on March 5 against UL-Monroe he simply said that to him it would just be another game.

But the Panthers’ second game against Georgia Southern became a nightmare for Harrow. He had the ball in a transition play and hit the ground awkwardly. Harrow injured his hamstring and tried to return to the game but it was a no-go.

The Panthers still defeated the Georgia Southern Eagles on March 7 winning the regular season title in the Sun Belt for the second time in a row.

The Panthers also beat Georgia Southern to win the Sun Belt Conference Championship. Harrow was not able to play but became the number one supporter from the sideline for his team.

The final game In the first round of the NCAA tournament, 14-seeded Georgia State was scheduled to play the three-seeded Baylor Bears.

Georgia State did the impossible, as some would say, thanks to star junior guard R.J. Hunter hitting a game winning threepointer winning the game for the Panthers 57-56. Harrow could be seen from the bench yelling from the top of his lungs when Hunter

hit that miraculous shot.

Harrow suited up for round three of the NCAA tournament against six-seeded Xavier University. Harrow was able to contribute six points.

In Harrow’s second season with the team, he became the No. 19 player to score 1,000 points in a Georgia State uniform. He led the team in points most of the season averaging just over 20 per game.

What’s next?

With Harrow’s career at Georgia State now at a close, the conversation now turns to whose court fans will get to see him next. Donaldson believes that Harrow will make it into the NBA. “I hope he makes the [NBA].

I’m pretty sure that there are a lot of teams that need ball han-

dlers,” Onwumere-Amadi said.

“He can create his own shot off isolation, maybe off of set plays.

He knows how to run plays. So, that’s what, really, people look for. If not, there’s always Europe and China and he can still get a check like that and probably impress somebody enough to get to the NBA.”

FACULTY OF THE YEAR MARISE PARENT Neuroscience professor and receiver of GSURC Faculty Award for Undergraduate Research, Parent is also a mother in many ways.

Written by Lauren Booker, Associate News Editor

D

Dr. Marise Parent was raised by grandparents with impaired hearing. She also witnessed her aunt suffer memory deterioration as a result of Alzheimer’s disease.

Through living in a family with disabilities, Parent was drawn to the field of neuroscience.

“There is nothing like witnessing it in your own family to realize the critical role that memory plays in your personality and without memory, there is essentially no you because you don’t remember what just happened. You don’t remember the experiences of your life,” she said.

Alzheimer’s is a form of dementia that causes memory loss, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Originally, Parent wanted to be a counselor but later decided to get her Ph.D in neuroscience because she wanted to find the reason behind character defects through science.

“It has sort of been an accident. I didn’t do the research beforehand, but I did always have an interest in the brain and what happens before it goes wrong and

I have been impacted by it,” she said. “We have bipolar [disorder] in my family and even substance abuse. A lot of the things people explain to be personality flaws etcetera to me has always been at the level of the brain.”

Parent has never conducted research directly associated with Alzheimer’s, but she is now examining if there is a link between obesity caused brain inflammation and memory loss. She said she wants to know if overeating is a cause and consequence of memory deficits.

“I study the brain and memory, and I have been studying it for 25 years and have often said that my hope is that maybe some of the stuff we do can help conditions associated with memory deficient such as Alzheimer’s,” she said.

Because of Parent’s dedication to the field of science, she has amassed funding from the National Science Foundation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She also was awarded the GSURC Faculty Award for Undergraduate Research last year.

PHOTOS BY MARC VALLE | THE SIGNAL

Mentoring through adapting Along with being a teacher and researcher, Parent is also an administrator and mentor. She was drawn to mentoring after being mentored by James McGaugh, a renowned researcher in the field of memory and learning.

Through mentoring, Parent strives to train students who are not just scientists but also critical thinkers.

“Students go off and they become successful and you saw them that first day in your office and they could barely squeak.

They were so shy and intimidated by you and then they go off and rule the world in all kinds of different ways,” she said. “And then they go off in journalism, medicine, business and law. Maybe it’s a way for me to have many, many children.”

Amy Ross, a Post-doctoral fellow, has been Parent’s student for about seven years and said Parent’s mentoring style hasn’t significantly changed throughout the years. Instead, it adapts to students’ needs.

Parent said she adapts her teaching style to help students

Learning from her Researching in Parent’s lab is the first lab experience Georgia State undergraduate psychology major Yaar Gholamhosseini ever had. He credits Hannapel and Parent for devoting time to helping him, despite their hectic schedules.

“I am always getting to experience new things that I would have never thought I would have a chance do,” he said. “Her and Riley both have been accommodating to me …They are busy people clearly … and they still time to meet with me per-

succeed in the course or lab.

“I think I am a bit more flexible and realize that you have to use multiple strategies because there’s multiple types of learners,” she said. “No two students are the same and just when I think I have mastered how to be mentor to one student and think I am doing well, I get a new student who doesn’t work that way.”

Studying in Parent’s lab has helped Ross decide to become a research scientist because she loves collecting data. She wants future students of Parent’s to understand that she is good at what she does.

“She may tell you things that don’t make sense at first, but if you listen to her advice, she will always put you in the right direction,” she said. “She always has our best interests in mind. She’s a very good mentor.”

Feeling young is what Parent said she loves about working with students.

“I am so happy when I hear about their success. Yesterday I found out that one of my students got into Cornell. I am so excited

for her,” she said. “I say it makes me feel young again because it makes me remember of how I felt then… so, it is exciting to see students who are just setting out in life. So I enjoy it.”

Ph.D student Reilly Hannapel said Parent’s lab has opened up opportunities for him through starting a state-of-the-art project.

He also said she is well at integrating her students into her studies.

Hannapel said Parent is a great professor because she lets students set their pace for experiments and stays involved in academic and personal lives.

“She knows my girlfriend and my puppies. They have all hung out,” he said. “So she is good at integrating us not only in an academic way but also in her life and ours as well.”

Ross also agrees that her favorite aspect of Parent’s mentoring style is that she’s always available.

“Even if she is not here, I can contact her and be like, ‘Help me.’

She has [what] I guess they call an open door policy. She’s very good at that,” she said.

Aside from work sonally and help me move forward with things.”

He said the lab prepared him for the future career through providing him with presentation experience in the undergraduate research conference and hands-on learning in the lab.

“I can tell you that they are absolutely facilitating me during this entire experience,” he said. “It’s not like I come in and fill some bottles and clean rat cages. It’s a part of it, but there is a lot more you get to see and

be a part of, which is really the exciting part.”

Lexi Faulkner, Georgia State senior neuroscience major, said she has also retained more information in Parent’s class than in her other classes combined.

“I never feel like I have to cram for it, because it’s always explained thoroughly the first time. So I don’t have to go back and remember every single detail and every crazy thing and then forget once the test is over,” Faulkner said.

When Parent is not working or mentoring, she is watching “Real Housewives” episodes, practicing Iyengar yoga for 90 minutes four times a week or spending time with her family.

“I love the Housewives of Atlanta. I do. It’s really bad, but I prefer watching what I call ‘low brow’ television. I feel like I think so much in my job that I don’t think when I play,” Parent said. “So yoga gets me away from thinking. And of course doing things with my son and husband. We like to travel but you know on a weekly basis I try to do as much yoga as possible.”

She said hanging out with her son also brings her joy.

“Right now he’s into magic tricks [laughs],” she said. “He’s 13.”

Parent strives to give life her all even though she juggles many roles. She advises current and prospective science students to enjoy working in the field and be prepared to work hard.

“It’s a tough field because there [is] a bit of rejection,” she said. “I have always believed that if you do your best then that will get you the furthest. You can’t worry about what others think.”

columns

14

Sex column

Improve your Sex: Learn and Live

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s college students are wrapping up the semester, the social side of our higher education is about to emerge full force. Young adults deserve to know accurate things about their body and what to do to stay sexually healthy, mentally and physically.

No matter what sexual endeavors come up, knowing these things will benefit you and your partner (or partners).

SYDNEY CUNNINGHAM Columnist

Sydney is a sophmore, Journalism major at Georgia State University. Sydney’s pastimes include drinking coffee, reading, watching films, marathoning television shows and jamming to Fiona Apple. She also writes sometimes.

Follow her @SydneyMCun

1. Get Checked

According to Stanford University’s Sexual Health Peer Resource Center, one in four college students have a sexually transmitted disease (STD).

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention notes that although people ages 15-24 represent only 25 percent of the sexually active population, they account for more than half of the new STD diagnoses each year.

The rest of the population outweighs college students, but they are still contracting diseases more often.

Getting checked is the only accurate way to tell where you stand with possible STDs. Some STDs have mild symptoms that get confused with another infections and some STDs give no symptoms at all.

Getting checked at a clinic is the

only guarantee. At Georgia State, our on campus Planned Parenthood and our Student Health Clinic offer STD testing, all disclosure kept to the patient and the provider.

So, how often should you get checked? It depends. It depends on how many partners you have. If you are open and free with your sex partners, it is only the responsible thing to do for you and your partners to get checked twice a year.

If you are unaware of a partner’s sexual history, sporadically use protection, or are in an open relationship; getting checked is the best way to quell any fears or paranoia.

2. Plain old water is all you need

Douche, body washes, soap and feminine “hygiene” products. According to the National Health Services, all of these are harmful for your hygiene and health. No matter what genitalia you have, whether it be a vagina, a penis or anything in between, these products are harming you more than helping you.

Applying soap and similar “cleaning products” to these areas can cause the mucosal lining to become dry and unhealthy.

Specifically speaking of using a

TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2015

douche, no matter what it advertises, it can severely offset your sexual health.

With common advertisements claiming to “maintain” your pH balance, it does the opposite; pH balance is maintained by lactobacilli, that good bacteria that’s already in your vagina.

Your genitalia is not inherently gross.

You are not dirty. Vaginas clean themselves and all you need to clean yourself is with your hand and with some water.

Penises and vaginas alike.

3. Have the conversation

It might not be sexy and it might not be romantic, but it is necessary.

Ask your partner about sexual experiences they’ve had and communicate openly. Share what you are expecting and ask the same. Being non-judgmental and curious of things such as number of partners, what you like and what you expect of one another should all be on the table.

As far as health goes, be honest about if you have been checked and do not get offended when a partner feels more comfortable if you were to get tested.

4. Know yourself

Before you expect anyone to do right by you, you have to know yourself first.

Be familiar with your own sex and know

the parts of your genitalia.

Also, know your partner’s genitalia intimately. You shouldn’t expect to please your partner when you are sexually ignorant about their parts. For instance, the clitoris is a feature overlooked by both genders and essential in sexual well being when it comes to vaginas.

Masturbate. Stigmas aside, it can reduce stress, improve sleep and make you feel more comfortable about your parts and the parts of others.

According to Planned Parenthood, “People who feel good about their bodies, sex and masturbate are more likely to protect themselves from sexually transmitted diseases and unintended pregnancy.”

Always use protection. Communicate honestly. Get tested. These are all things the majority of us have heard since we learned about sexually transmitted diseases in grade school. We are very familiar with but rarely follow these sincerely in our daily lives.

People with unhealthy sexual relationships and risky behavior are not an anomaly. Closing your eyes to risks mentally and physically and hoping for the best is not a good way to navigate your life. Empower yourself with knowledge and feel more at home in your body.

campus life column

The home stretch: Surviving the Rest of the Semester MIA MCDONALD Columnist

W

e’re just shy of 50 days until the semester is officially over, but you’re not sure if you’re going to make it to the end. Spring break is still in your system and you’re not ready to come back from vacation. Do you have to give yourself a pep talk class? It’s OK. You just have a case of being a regular student.

Maybe you’re trying to see how many days you’ve already missed of classes to see if you can afford to miss another -- the constant self-bargaining of “If I go to class on Monday, then I can skip Wednesday” is your favorite method. You’re beginning to regret using your three unexcused absences earlier in the semester.

What exactly is it about these last few weeks of the semester that are so difficult to get through? Is it the tease of a weeklong spring “break” or the temptation of summer?

It’s both.

Let’s be honest; truthfully you checked out mentally once it became March. Your number one priority is solidifying and securing your summer plans.

Graduating seniors have it the worst. Your only focus is graduation.

All the other days in between are just barriers and obstacles to you. It’s so bad it even has its own name: Senioritis.

You’ve been here for at least four years so surely a month and a half won’t kill you. You should have a senior checklist that looks something like this: • Pass all classes • Turn in any senior portfolio or specific major requirement • Secure post grad internship or job/career • Pay off loans • Order and pick up cap and gown

This isn’t the only list nor a perfect list, but change it to fit your needs.

So how do we defeat these feelings of detachment from school and work?

Is it even possible to do or are we too far removed?

Whether you’re looking forward to being done for the semester or being done with Georgia State for good, that is what should keep you going. Even if you have to remind yourself daily of the credit hours you need ‘til you’re finished, do it. Set specific goals for each class and day if need be.

Like our professors love reminding us, we’re all adults and your education is your responsibility. Your motivation is the closeness of completion and the ultimate investment in yourself.. That may sound easier said than done, but take it from a super duper senior -- this works. The only thing I look forward to is being done.

If you need another reminder, look at your grades. Can you really afford to slack off right now? If most of your semester has been spent turnin’ up then you definitely need to turn down. Even if you’re in good standing, you don’t want your average to decrease. One of the hardest things to do is raise your GPA once it drops.

Another plus is towards the end of the semester, some professors schedule optional office hours days instead of holding a full class. This is a great time for you to play catch-up in your work and check in with your professors.

Granted, you’ll probably be studying for finals, but you do get a chance to take a little breather.

Mark your calendar for exam dates, start working on that paper that’s due in three weeks, catch up on reading, etc.

Prepare yourself for what you know is coming. The end of the semester is almost here, but until then continue to stay focused and finish strong. Adopt the attitude of work hard play harder.

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ATLANTA DOGWOOD FESTIVAL FRIDAY, APRIL 10 – SUNDAY, APRIL 12 PIEDMONT PARK

INTO THE FURTHER is an immersive, interactive, 4D experience that takes guests physically and virtually into the world of INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 3.

STOP BY THE SIGNAL OFFICE TODAY AT 33 GILMER STREET, 200 UNIVERSITY CENTER TO RESERVE YOUR TICKET (WHILE SUPPLIES LAST).

No purchase necessary. No phone calls, please. Limit two passes per person. Each pass admits one. Winner will choose a date and time window during Dogwood Festival hours. Tickets are not available for purchase.

“INTO THE FURTHER” IS ONLY AT THE DOGWOOD FESTIVAL AND “INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 3” IS ONLY IN THEATRES ON JUNE 5

reviews

TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2015

ALBUM REVIEW

15

Enslaved finally falters with the lackluster ‘In Times’ ALEX KUGACZEWSKI

Staff Reviewer

T

he old adage “aged like fine wine” typically isn’t one used in the context of musicians, let alone artists working within the confines of rock and metal, but Enslaved makes for the rare exception.

Active since 1991, the Nordic quintet forged a path of blackened earth with withering records like the uncompromising “Frost” and 2001’s crushing “Monumension.” But standing still was never part of the plan; the band began experimenting with sounds of decades past, venturing further from their blackened core and closer to the progressive slant of 1970s rock.

But that core – the blistering, inhospitable black metal – is exactly what the five Norseman intended to recapture with “In Times.” Fusing that vile sound to the expansive scale of their most recent recordings should, in theory, have made for a definitive statement. It didn’t. Instead, Enslaved has finally shown its fans that even the tallest of giants eventually tumble down to earth. For the first time, Enslaved sound less like shrouded acolytes conjuring the raw element of their Nordic roots and more like tired

imitators grasping at past glories.

Flickering sparks of the band’s ingenuity are scattered throughout the record’s six tracks, but these individual moments rarely cohere into compelling wholes. “Daylight,” for instance, features one of Enslaved’s finest guitar solos to date, but that stunning display can’t rescue the aimless drift of the tune it supports. Carried to that exhilarating conclusion on the weariest of riffs, it’s a chore to sift through the song’s nine minutes. Moreover, it’s a painfully vivid reminder of just how vital this band sounded a mere three years ago. Enslaved hasn’t just penned better riffs than this; they’ve penned better songs as well. Sure, album opener “Thurisaz Dreaming” may be the band’s most upfront assault in ages, but it also happens to be their weakest. As the

track roars on, it becomes increasingly clear that Enslaved is stuck in a rut and spinning its wheels. Gruttle’s vocals may deliver the band’s promise of renewed brutality, but his ferocity is often deflated by the lifeless wash of noise beneath. It’s beyond disappointing given just how talented this crew has proven themselves over the years.

Even when the record shines, it can’t manage to sustain the luster.

“Nauthir Bleeding” serves as the perfect example. The brooding ambient sprawl of the track’s intro churns through extended permutations of Floydian drama before exploding in a surge of primal fury. Beyond this clever bait-and-switch tactic, however, is yet another over-extended progressive jam that winds through far too many ideas, hitting unbelievable highs just as often as it hits head-scratching lows. “One Thousand Years of Rain” sports some of the band’s catchiest melodies to date but is ruthlessly sabotaged by the ridiculous medieval chanting that halts the song’s momentum. Inadvertently, Enslaved has created a mad game of back and forth between sheer brilliance and puzzling incompetence. It’s the type of song — and really the type of album — that a listener can only take so much of before throwing their

“In Times” Grade: C Verdict: Enslaved’s winning streak finally comes to halt with “In Times,” their most tedious and recycled affair. hands up in the air, white flag waving.

Unfortunately, “In Times” is the type of record that’s going to leave fans wrestling with nostalgia for the better times. Never before has the band seemed so content to ride its own success, as if they’ve methodically pried the scraps from records past and furnished such a perfectly recycled replica that even they can’t even gleam the deficiencies. As Enslaved moves forward, change is going to be necessary; it always has been, but the need for new inspiration has become more apparent than ever. Enslaved, for better or worse, made good on its word to meld the past and the present, but it just might be time to leave both behind and gaze towards the future.

FILM REVIEW

Swedish production comes as a good surprise in this year’s Atlanta Film Festival FERNANDO MATTOS

Staff Reviewer

T

he rainy Sunday of March 26 proved to be a perfect day for watching films. People lined up outside the Plaza Theatre around noon for the start of the third day of the Atlanta Film Festival.

“Aerobics: A Love Story” was one of these films. This production from Sweden movie tells the story of Maria, a mentally challenged woman, and Janne, a man who dreams of selling his ideas for television shows. As these two persons fall in love, they find in each other the strength to keep going. The film also marks the directorial debut of Andres Rune in the world of features.

There are many layers to this production, beginning with its aesthetics.

Rune brings forth luminous environments where the camera almost always searches for wide shots. These elements invite the viewer into the story in a movie that keeps no secrets. This camera conveys every feeling and thought of these characters immediately and without barriers. It is almost impossible not to connect with these two people

who want to leave their mark in the world.

This desire is constantly conveyed in the film. In one scene, Maria writes Janne’s name on a tool shed with chalk.

Janne says this is the most wonderful thing someone has ever done for him. He takes the chalk and proceeds to trace Maria’s body on the tool shed.

Both of them are leaving marks, maybe hoping that their lives are not in vain and that they too have something to say and to leave behind, despite what others say about them. While Maria is often labeled by others as a “retard,” Janne is often told that his ideas are worth nothing.

They do leave behind a mark, yes, which is probably the only thing that cannot be bought or forgotten. Maria and Janne leave in each other the mark of love, symbolized in the film in simple and yet moving scenes, such as when the two spread coffee cream on each other. This impulse to touch is constantly captured by the camera.

Maria feels the need of touch; she wants to be able to have contact with another body and go beyond just words. It is this touch she yearns for when, early on in the film, she masturbates in her room when she first sees Janne sleeping on his couch. She also

now playing at

seeks touch when she slaps her sister in the face. The slap is not the result of aggression but rather the need to feel physically connected with someone.

During the film, Rune is successful in evoking touch with the visuals alone and this becomes one of the best characteristics of “Aerobics.”

Contributing to the construction of Maria’s character is the superb acting.

Marina Nystorm plays Maria with realism, but without ever letting the disability define her character. The disability is only a layer, and Nystorm lets the viewers go beyond the appearances to discover what dreams and desires move Maria. Victor von Schirach, on the other hand, constructs in Janne a character who is on the edge of giving up. Much of his emotions come through gestures, which better construct the figure of someone who has always had problems communicating. Often, Nystorm and von Schirach do better without the words, relying only on movement and expression. The visuals are stronger, as they should be in a film.

If the movie fails in one area, it is in the way the director Rune chose to put it all together in the editing room.

There are too many cuts that detract from the story. In several scenes, Rune cuts through many different angles

abruptly, which forcefully interrupts the narrative and makes the viewer step away from the fantasy of watching a movie. While these cuts remind the viewer that the struggles of these characters are reflections of real life, their overuse seems unnecessary. It is as if the editing wants to compete with the story.

“Aerobics” is, however, a great experience with its characters that show in an incredible manner the desires and anguishes of being human. One walks out of the theatre feeling that there is, indeed, something that connects us all.

“Aerobics: A Love Story” Rated: R Grade: B+ Verdict: Simple, touching and symbolic, Aerobics was one of the first good surprises of this year’s festival.

“Unbroken” SYNOPSIS: As a boy, Louis “Louie” Zamperini is always in trouble, but with the help of his older brother, he turns his life around and channels his energy into running, later qualifying for the 1936 Olympics.

When World War II breaks out, Louie enlists in the military. After

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AU.RA Jane’s Lament

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COLLEEN GREEN I Want To Grow Up

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HUNDRED WATERS The Moon Rang Like a Bell (Remixed)

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JEFRE CANTU-LEDESMA A Year With 13 Moons

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HOT SUGAR God’s Hand

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JUMO Hylé EP

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A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS Transfixiation

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ALEX CALDER Strange Dreams

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GROENI Hewn EP

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BEACON L1

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MICHNA Thousand Thursday

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MONSOONSIREN Falstrati EP

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SORROW Search of the Miraculous EP

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RONIIA RONiiA

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JAGA JAZZIST Jaga Jazzist ‘94 - ‘14

his plane crashes in the Pacific, he survives in a raft until he is captured by the Japanese navy.

SHOWTIMES: Wednesday- Friday 1 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 6 p.m., 8:30 p.m.

Rated: PG-13 Running Time: 137 minutes

calendar & games

16

Campus & Downtown Events Spotlight Comedy Corner

March 31 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Cinefest This will be an event held at the Georgia State’s first ever Blue Comedy Corner, and will be a chance to enjoy your evening with the spotlight crew. You can take a crack at being creative with your humor, and bring out all the stops with a fun improv experience. Come join the fun and get ready to laugh all night.

This event is free for all Georgia State students with a Panther ID.

FreshStart Tobacco Cessation

April 1 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Email nmorrison@gsu.edu for more information If you are looking to break the nasty habit of smoking tobacco, this four-session event is just for you. FreshStart is a support program offered by the Department of Student Health Promotion and focus on helping those who want to make a change in their health. You will receive a Free Quit Kit by participating in the sessions, which will help boost the journey to quitting.

GACE Statewide Career Fair

April 7 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Cobb Galleria This event is a chance to get your foot in the door for the career of your dreams. Current student or graduates are able to attend and meet employers from around the state pulled out of the databases of Georgia’s most distinguished schools and universities. In this

event you will encounter opportunities for internships, jobs or part-time jobs in your desired field of work.

TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2015

Word Search

TEDxGeorgiaStateU

April 7 5 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Cinefest (Suite 420) TED is a company that thrives off the idea of the continuous spread of ideas and innovation.

They are coming to the Georgia State community to grace this goal with our students and graduates. They wants students to embrace action in their lives, and strive toward a continuous vision.

Vagina Monologues

April 7 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Speakers Auditorium, Student Center This event is the shed a light on the violence toward women around the world. Given that it is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, it is the appropriate time to bring this controversial problem to Georgia State.

It’s a chance for student, staff, and the community to learn things about violence toward women that may be unknown.

This event is hosted by Student Health Promotions.

BAROMETER BLIZZARD CELSIUS CLOUDS

COLD CYCLONE DOWNPOUR DRIZZLE Puzzle 2 (Very hard, difficulty rating 0.96)

Sudoku

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Blue Man Group

April 7 - April 12 Fox Theatre They wildly acclaimed Blue Man Group is coming to the Fox Theatre, and they are bringing out all the stops. They are known for their creative collaboration of music, comedy, and artistic expression on stage, and make the experience something that all ages can sit back and be amazed by. Check the Fox Theatre website at http://foxtheatre. org/events/blue-man-group/ for times and tickets and get ready for an eccentric show that will never be forgotten.

DROUGHT FAHRENHEIT FLOOD FLURRIES

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Generated by http://www.opensky.ca/sudoku on Sun Mar 29 18:37:54 2015 GMT. Enjoy!

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Puzzle 1 (Easy, difficulty rating 0.39)

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FOG FORECAST FREEZE FROST HAIL HOT HUMIDITY HURRICANE ICE LIGHTNING MIST MONSOON OVERCAST RAIN SHOWER SLEET SNOW SQUALL STORM SUNNY TEMPERATURE THERMOMETER THUNDER TORNADO TSUNAMI TYPHOON VISIBILITY WINDY

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Generated by http://www.opensky.ca/sudoku on Sun Mar 29 18:37:54 2015 GMT. Enjoy!

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SPORTS

A TALE

OF TWO VICTORIES Georgia State prevailed in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2001 and 2015 AKIEM BAILUM Sports Editor

W W

hen the Panthers qualified for the NCAA tournament with their 38-36 win over Georgia Southern in the Sun Belt championship, it was the third time Georgia State got a taste of March Madness.

The team previously qualified for the tournament in 1991 under head coach Bob Reinhart after winning the Trans-Atlantic America Conference [TAAC] championship.

The 1990-91 Panthers entered the tournament as a sixteen seed only to lose in blowout fashion to the Arkansas Razorbacks by a final of 11776. The TAAC has since changed its name to the Atlantic Sun. The following pair of tournament appearances would see the

Panthers end up in the win column after their first game. The 11-seeded Georgia State, with Charles “Lefty” Driesell at the helm, scored an upset victory over six-seeded Wisconsin on March 16, 2001 with the final score being 50-49. The Panthers were down by 16 in the second half only to rally their way to victory.

Then came March 19 of this year. Georgia State upset the threeseeded Baylor Bears with an epic come from behind. With the team trailing by a score of 56-44 late in the second half, Junior Guard R.J. Hunter led the Panthers on a 13-0 run, culminating in his game-winning three-pointer, lifting Georgia State to the 57-56 victory over Baylor.

For a deeper perspective, the Signal analyzed the Panthers’ pair of occasions where it was on the correct end of the madness that is March.

www.georgiastatesignal.com/sports

March 19, 2015: 57-56 victory over Baylor:

Georgia State’s 2015 team also received major contributions from a trio of transfers in senior guard Ryan Harrow (Kentucky), redshirt junior guard Kevin Ware (Louisville) and senior forward Curtis Washington (USC).

For Ron Hunter’s 2015 Panthers, the game plan vs. three-seeded Baylor would be all about defense.

A defensive strength of the team was their ability to force turnovers. For the 2014-15 campaign, Georgia State forced an average of 15.3 turnovers per game. It would be the case even moreso as Scott Drew’s Bears team was one of the more turnover-prone teams in the Big 12 with nearly 13 a game.

The Panthers were shorthanded as they had to play without Harrow

shot as Georgia State took a 50-49 lead. Senior forward Mark Vershaw had a chance to win the game for the Badgers at the free throw line, but missed both of his foul shots leading to Long grabbing the ensuing rebound.

Wisconsin had a chance to win the game, but their last hope in the waning seconds was with a halfcourt shot that did not even touch the rim as Georgia State celebrated its upset victory over the Big Ten’s Badgers.

Georgia State’s defense turned out to be particularly effective on senior guard Roy Boone, Wisconsin’s leading scorer. As a team, Wisconsin was not good offensively, but the Panthers held Boone, who averaged nearly 13 points a game for the season to only four points.

Long (Georgetown), Cooper (LSU) and senior Panthers guard Kevin Morris (Georgia Tech) were all transfers from bigger schools on the 2001 team.

minutes of the game when Hunter scored 12 of his eventual 16 points, including his game-winning three that was the difference in Georgia State’s come-from-behind 57-56 win over Baylor.

Just as the 2001 eleven-seeded Panthers needed to rally against Wisconsin, so did this team vs. the Bears as a 14-seed.

Lost in the hoopla over Hunter’s game-winner that made him (and his father, head coach Ron Hunter) into household names across the country, the Panthers would not have had the opportunity at victory if they did not win the turnover battle. Georgia State forced Baylor into 21 turnovers while the Bears managed only six on the Panthers.

Venue:

Boise State University (BSU) Pavilion in Boise, Idaho Attendance:10,216 Television: CBS

2001 Georgia State seed: 11

Starting five: Deltorio “Bam” Campbell (junior forward) Thomas Terrell (junior forward) Darryl Cooper (senior guard) Shernard Long (senior guard) Kevin Morris (senior guard) Head coach: Charles “Lefty” Driesell

2001 Wisconsin seed: six Starting five: Andy Kowske (senior forward) Mark Vershaw (senior forward) Kirk Penney (sophomore guard) Mike Kelley (senior guard) Roy Boone (senior guard) Head coach: Brad Soderberg

March 16, 2001: 50-49 victory over Wisconsin The 2001 Panthers’ victory over Wisconsin was a defensive-minded contest, one where going into the matchup seemed to favor the Badgers. Brad Soderberg’s team was the best defensive team in the Big Ten and the only team in the conference that gave up less than 60 points per game for the season.

That defense would have to be countered with offense on the Georgia State side as Driesell’s 2001 team averaged about 80 points per game that season.

The Panthers were as down by as many as 16 points in the second half only to rally to get within five. Senior Badgers forward Andy Kowske made a pair of free throws with under a minute to play, appearing to ensure a Wisconsin victory.

Cooper completed a fourpoint play, bringing the Panthers within one at 49-48. He then stole a Wisconsin pass and threw it to Long, who converted it into a bank

who suffered a hamstring strain in the team’s regular season finale vs.

Georgia Southern--a game in which Georgia State won 72-55 for the regular season Sun Belt title.

Coming into this matchup, the Panthers knew they would have to contend with 6-foot-8 junior forward Rico Gathers, the leading rebounder in the Big 12 with over 11 per game.

Baylor averaged nearly 40 rebounds per game and Gathers was a huge reason for that.

The Panthers made it close at the half, only trailing Baylor by a tally of 33-30 before the Bears extended their lead to 12 at 56-44 late in the second half. For the vast majority of the game, R.J. Hunter only scored four points.

This was until the final three

Record before the game: 28-4

Leading free-throw shooter: Bam Campbell: (3-4 from the line)

Leading scorer: Kevin Morris (18 points)

Leading three-point shooter: Darryl Cooper (2-5 threes)

Leading rebounder: Bam Campbell (11 rebounds)

Team shooting percentage: 37.7 percent

Leading in assists: Kevin Morris (three assists) Record before the game: 18-10 Leading scorer: Mark Vershaw (19 points) Leading rebounder: Kirk Penney (six rebounds) Leading in assists: Four players tied with one each

Leading free-throw shooter: Mark Vershaw (7-11 from the line) Leading three-point shooter: Ricky Bower (2-2 threes) Team shooting percentage: 39.5 percent

Venue:

Veterans Memorial Arena Attendance: 11,758 Television: TBS

2015 Georgia State seed: 14 Starting five: Markus Crider (junior forward) Curtis Washington (senior forward) Kevin Ware (redshirt junior guard) Ryann Green (senior guard) R.J. Hunter (junior guard) Head coach: Ron Hunter

2015 Baylor seed: 3 Starting five: Royce O’Neale (senior forward) Rico Gathers (junior forward) Johnathan Motley (redshirt freshman forward) Kenny Chery (senior guard) Lester Medford (junior guard) Head coach: Scott Drew

Record before the game: 24-9 Leading scorer: R.J. Hunter (16 points) Leading rebounder: Three players with five each Leader in assists: Ryann Green (four assists)

Record before the game: 24-9 Leading scorer: Taurean Prince (18 points) Leading rebounder: Taurean Prince (15 rebounds) Leader in assists:

Leading free-throw shooter: R.J. Hunter (4-4 from the line) Leading three-point shooter: Ryann Green (3-6 from three) Team shooting percentage: 40.7 percent

Kenny Chery (six assists) Leading free-throw shooter: Taurean Prince (6-6 from the line) Leading three-point shooter: Royce O’Neale (3-6 from three) Team shooting percentage: 44.2 percent

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2013 18

SPORTS SPORTS

TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2015

Basketball

DONE. A “ AKIEM BAILUM Sports Editor

fter weeks of speculation, Georgia State junior point guard R.J. Hunter has made it official — he intends to declare for the NBA draft.

On the morning of Monday, March 30, Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted that Hunter intended to declare for the draft. Hunter confirmed it in a report from the Atlanta JournalConstitution (AJC).

He said that he called a meeting of his teammates on March 30 in the team locker room and announced that he was turning pro. Hunter also says that he plans to sign with an agent within the next two weeks.

“I’m excited for him. He’s one of my great friends,” Devonta White, a teammate of Hunter’s from 20122014 said. “Very happy for him and his family and Coach [Ron] Hunter. I wish him nothing but the best of luck. He’ll go down as the best player in Georgia State history.”

Given Hunter’s status within the realm of Georgia State Athletics, a question remains on the possibility that his number 22 will be retired and hung at the top of the Sports Arena.

“They should get to that ‘tomorrow,’” White said.

The Panthers’ junior point guard also said he talked to his former teammates when contemplating whether or not to join the league. One in particular gave him a lot of advice.

R.J. Hunter declares for NBA draft

If we hadn’t have made the NCAA tournament, R.J. probably would’ve came back.”

Basketball Head Coach Ron Hunter

“Actually, while I was thinking, I was with Devonta [White] the whole time,” R.J. Hunter said. “Devonta’s the guy that’s going to keep it real with you.

So, he just told me to ‘do what’s in your heart and do what’s in your mind.’”

At a media availability session at the Sports Arena on March 30, Ron Hunter said he wanted to ensure that if his son made the leap to enter the draft, he was completely committed.

“If we hadn’t have made the NCAA tournament, R.J. probably would’ve came back,” he said. “Because that’s something we wanted to do together, and we would’ve gave that one more try.”

Hunter was projected to be a firstround draft pick prior to the season if he were to declare for the draft. His pro prospects were also said to be on the rise after having impressive performances at skills camps last year hosted by NBA superstars LeBron James and Kevin Durant.

Various draft boards have him listed as anywhere from a mid-to-late first round pick to a second-round pick.

The Panthers’ star guard rose to national prominence in this season’s

NCAA tournament when he made a game-winning three-pointer to defeat the three-seeded Baylor Bears in the second round.

“NBA scouts have been looking at him for a while,” former teammate Devonta White said. “It may be a surprise to the rest of the country, but his name was already well-known.”

According to a Georgia State press release, scouts from 26 NBA teams made their way to the Sports Arena this year. The ones that did not send scouts were the Denver Nuggets, Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors.

He finished the 2014-15 season averaging nearly 20 points a game for the Panthers.

Hunter will depart as the Panthers’ all-time leading scorer. He broke former Panther Rodney Hamilton’s all-time scoring mark on Jan. 24 at the Sports Arena in a 75-64 victory over Sun Belt rival Louisiana-Lafayette.

The record was previously held by Rodney Hamilton who played for the Panthers from 1994 to 1998.

The NBA holds its annual combine for potential draftees this May in Chicago.

PHOTO BY PATRICK DUFFY | THE SIGNAL ARCHIVES Junior guard R.J. Hunter announced he would be leaving the Panthers to sign for the NBA Draft March 30.

Ron Hunter serves as guest analyst for NCAA tournament AKIEM BAILUM Sports Editor

T

he country just cannot get enough of Georgia State men’s basketball coach Ron Hunter.

On Wednesday, March 25, it was announced that the Panthers’ basketball coach would serve as a guest analyst for CBS and Turner Sports’ coverage of Sweet 16 NCAA basketball tournament games the following Thursday and Friday.

Georgia State was eliminated from the tournament when they lost on March 21 to the Xavier Musketeers by a final of 75-67.

“The last two weeks have been a great experience for the entire Georgia State community. I was honored that the group at Turner Sports and CBS called and are giving me this opportunity,” Hunter said, according to a Georgia State press release on Wednesday.

Coverage for both days of the Sweet 16 matchups began at 6 p.m.

The tournament games were broadcast across two networks: CBS and TBS.

Hunter joined veteran sports studio media personalities Ernie Johnson, Sr., Seth Davis and Steve Smith from Turner Sports’ studios in Atlanta.

They were also joined by another guest on Thursday before the national audience: Ron Hunter’s son and Panthers junior point guard R.J. Hunter.

Ron and R.J. Hunter were both introduced at the same time as they entered Turner Sports’ studio on Thursday evening. After a highlight reel was shown featuring the Panthers’ run in the NCAA tournament, Georgia State’s coach was asked how much the win over Baylor meant not only to his team but to his family.

He said to Turner Sports on Thursday that it is a blessing to coach but that there is no greater blessing than being a father.

In the same segment, R.J. Hunter was also asked about how much the opportunity to play for his father played a role in his decision to come to Georgia State.

“At the end of the day, who am I to put being in the spotlight over family?” he said on TBS. That Thursday, he was also asked

by Seth Davis on where he is on his decision to either enter the NBA Draft or come back to the Panthers for his senior year.

“I’m trying to decide quick because just dragging it on doesn’t do any good for anybody,” he said.

He eventually decided to declare for the NBA draft on March 30.

His father and head coach said that the feeling is unique given that it is family.

“We talked about it today,” Ron Hunter said that Thursday. “It’s so surreal because it is my son.”

Toward the end of the opening segment of the pregame show on TBS, Coach Hunter also was asked about the difference in his team’s mindset between this season and last season.

“I’m a big believer that you’ve got to go through something to make something good happen,” Hunter said.

He mentioned that his 2014 team had not experienced a lot of adversity, having won 17 of 18 Sun Belt games — until last season’s championship game when the Panthers lost a big lead to Louisiana-Lafayette and the game to be denied an NCAA tournament berth.

Hunter said that his team had to go through the pain of the loss in order to rebound and win the conference this year to earn a place in this year’s tournament.

Both Hunters became national sensations after Georgia State’s comefrom-behind victory over the threeseeded Baylor Bears in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

The Panthers were behind 5644 before embarking on a 13-0 run, culminating in R.J. Hunter’s making a long game-winning three, sending Georgia State to the third round of the tournament vs. eventual opponent Xavier.

The made three-pointer became one of the signature moments of the tournament along with Ron Hunter falling out of his chair that he was coaching from during the game.

Hunter needed the chair as he was coaching with a torn Achilles which he injured in Georgia State’s championship celebration after winning the Sun Belt tournament.

Turner Sports representatives were not available for comment.

RESULTS OF SWEET 16 GAMES: • • • • • • • •

Notre Dame defeated Wichita State, 81-70 Wisconsin defeated North Carolina 79-72 Kentucky defeated West Virginia 78-39 Arizona defeated Xavier 68-60 Louisville defeated North Carolina State 75-65 Gonzaga defeated UCLA 74-62 Duke defeated Utah 62-57 Michigan State defeated Oklahoma 62-58

PANTHER OF THE WEEK

GEORGIA STATE ATHLETICS

Callie Alford Softball There’s a new leader at the top of the Georgia State home run charts. In game two of a Saturday afternoon doubleheader against nationally-ranked No. 24 South Alabama, the Panthers’ senior third baseman blasted her 33rd career home run, passing Lauren Jones and Paige Nowacki to become the Panthers’ all-time home run leader. The game itself resulted in a 13-11 loss to the Jaguars.

Alford attended Heritage High School in Conyers, Georgia.

She was a three-time All-State selection as well as a four-time AllRegion honoree. In 2011, the Rockdale Citizen named her AllArea Softball Player of the Year.

In her freshman season in 2012, she made the CAA AllRookie Team and the All-CAA Second Team. Alford led the team in RBIs with 43. She made the All-CAA Second Team in 2013 as well and once reached base in 25 consecutive games.

Last year, she made the AllSun Belt team and had a .302 batting average.

19

SPORTS

TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2015

SPORTS CALENDAR

*conference games

BASEBALL Wednesday, April 1

MEN’S TENNIS Saturday, April 4

Georgia Tech

ETSU at Johnson City, Tennessee TBA

WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD Friday, April 3

Friday, Apr. 3

Sunday, April 5

Florida Relays at Gainesville, Florida

UALR*

Appalachian State*

All Day

GSU Baseball Complex 6 p.m.

at Johnson City, Tennesse 10 a.m.

GSU Baseball Complex 6 p.m.

Friday, April 10 SOFTBALL Wednesday, April 1 Furman Heck Softball Complex

Georgia Southern* Dunwoody Country Club 3:30 p.m.

3 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Friday, April 3

WOMEN’S TENNIS Thursday, April 2

No. 8/9 UL Lafayette *

Troy*

at Lafayette, Louisiana 6 p.m.

Live Stream ($)

Piedmont Park 11 a.m.

MEN’S GOLF Saturday, April 11 Charlotte and Davidson Irish Creek Intercollegiate at Kannapolis, North Carolina All day

THE FINAL SCORE Track and field

The Panthers participated in the Yellow Jacket Invitational at Georgia Tech on Friday and Saturday. LaPorscha Wells earned a victory in the shot put and Alysiah Whittaker won the discus throw. Georgia State’s 4x100 relay team finished second and Stella Christoforou also notched second in the 1,500 meter run. The team now heads to the Florida Relays this upcoming weekend in Gainesville, Florida.

Men’s tennis

The Hawkeye State of Iowa played host to a pair of matches featuring Georgia State men’s tennis. Both resulted in losses for the Panthers. Georgia State lost to the nationally number 29 ranked Drake Bulldogs, 4-1. Sofiane Chevallier did win his seventh straight match. The Panthers also lost to Wisconsin-Green Bay, 4-2. Georgia State will face Eastern Tennessee State University [ETSU] and Appalachian State this weekend in Tennessee.

Women’s tennis

The ball bounced better for the women’s tennis team this weekend. On Friday, the Panthers defeated South Florida, 4-2 at Piedmont Park. Georgia State claimed the victory over the Bulls as Kristin Rehse beat South Florida’s Juliana Cardoso in the number four singles tilt. The Panthers followed that up with a 4-0 sweep of the Tulane Green Wave. The Panthers will play two more matches before the Sun Belt tournament starting April 16 in New Orleans.