Vol. 80 No. 20

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FEB. 12 - FEB. 18, 2013

National Signing Day Wrap-up

VOL. 80 | NO.20

Player bios and coaches’ reactions to one of the biggest days in college football.

What’s on the Table?

Love Bites

Georgia State alum Jonah Hooper takes on the title role in Michael Pink’s “Dracula” as performed by the Atlanta Ballet

A look at three legislations on the table at the Georgia General Assembly.

• How will students be affected?

• Who are the key players in the bills?

• What is the current status?

SGA president and students voice their opinions on potential bills.

News | Page 3A

inside

protect yourself this tax season

Playing notes, breaking records

More students are filing taxes electronically this year, increasing the rate of cybercrime. See what you can do to avoid identity theft.

Kesean Henderson is more than a saxophone player.

She is a thrower on a record-breaking mission.

NEWS| PAGE 6A

Sports | PAGE 11A

Daily news at www.georgiastatesignal.com PAGE 5b

News 3a

s k n i t S e v o L

Special A&L edition

Valentine’s Day never lives up to the hype. From fun date ideas to advise for singles, we’ve got you covered.

a&L | section B

Opinions 7A

Sports 11a

Arts & Living section b

2A

NEWS

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2013

blotter

last week...

Global

Five Canary Islands residents died on Sunday after a lifeboat they were in fell 20 meters into the sea from the cruise ship docked in the port of Santa Cruz de la Palma. Three people were injured However, no passengers were involved.

A fox attacked a four-week-old baby boy in his South London home on Feb. 6. The baby was treated for a hand injury at St. Thomas’ Hospital.

It is believed that the baby’s fingers were severed but re-attached by surgeons in a three-hour operation. Police are continuing in the investigation.

ing the targets. According to Walid, when he contacted the target’s manufacturer Thompson Target about his concerns he met with some resistance.

A female Georgia State student stated that a male student has been making sexually suggestive comments. The case is now being handled by investigations.

A woman’s body, identified as 33-year-old Bonny Cooner, was found in an abandoned Franklin County well, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Cooner was last seen on Jan. 28 in her Canon home. Cooner’s boyfriend Brent Shubert has been arrested and charged with malice murder, aggravated assault and concealing a death.

In line of the countdown and celebrations for Mardi Gras on Saturday night, gunfire amid a partying crowd on Bourbon Street wounded four people. According to authorities, the gunfire stemmed from an argument involving some of the people in the crowd. No arrests have been made and police are currently looking for three male suspects.

A Michigan gun store selling targets depicting skeletons wearing turbans and holding an AK47 has been appealed by Muslim civil liberties to stop selling the targets. The Muslim groups believe the target may cause gun owners to have negative views on Muslims. Dawud Walid, the executive director of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, met with the gun store owner, who agreed to stop sell-

Hundreds of College Park citizens lined up for hours on Saturday as College Park spent $20,000 to buy and destroy hundreds of guns in a buyback programs. Some people were in line for cash, while others gathered to make a statement.

Dozens of gun collectors skimmed the lines to try to buy guns before the city did so. The buyback program was meant to decrease the 300 million guns in the U.S.

Weather WED 53/34

University Center

Local

Metro Mall security guard Darien Long, the guard in the viral video who who shot a woman with a stun gun in a local mall, has received $23,000 in an online account set up by an anonymous person to help him fight crime. Long began posting videos online to attract the city’s attention and bring crime awareness. Long told CBS Atlanta that he asked for the account to be shut down days ago. He has received the money but has not used it yet.

National

February 1

University Commons A student was arrested for alcoholic possession under 21 years old. After further investigation it was discovered that 14 individuals were occupying a room and a half bottle of Vodka was in the kitchen.

Urban Life

Officers arrested a nonGeorgia State individual for possession of marijuana. The officers investigated an odor of marijuana and came upon a man who had it in his possession. He was arrested, processed and transported to Atlanta Pre-Trial.

February 4 Courtland North

source: weather.com THURS 55/35

FRI 55/31

A Georgia State staff member stated when he

SUN 43/30

SAT 42/26

arrived at his office, he discovered $1,375 was stolen from a steel unlocked box. There was no forced entry reported.

This case is being handled by investigations.

Freshman Hall

A Georgia State staff member reported that a fellow staff members was making sexually suggestive comments toward her and harassing her on the job. The case is being handled by investigations.

University Lofts

Drug related objects were found after a Georgia State staff member was doing inspections. The items were confiscated and turned over to Georgia State Police.

Student Recreation Center

Officers responded to a disorderly person complaint. When officers made contact with the individual and he continued to respond in an aggressive and irate manner. The individual fled the scene and officers

pursued in an unsuccessful apprehension. The individual’s identification will be turned over to investigations for all listed charges.

February 6

University Commons

A non-Georgia State individual was arrested for theft, criminal trespassing and a criminal trespassing warning issued. Georgia State Police responded to a verbal altercation.

Contact was made with two individuals matching the description of the parties involved. One was found with an iPhone that was property of the complaint. He was arrested and transported to Fulton County Jail. The other was issued a Criminal Trespass Warning and escorted off campus

Piedmont North

An non-resident was escorted off campus for attempting to gain access with a modified Panther Card. He was issued a Criminal Trespass Warning.

Photo of the week Miss Georgia State contestant Danyelle Nelson competed for the title last Saturday. For a complete look at the photos from the competition go to georgiastatesignal.com JOSHUA YU | THE SIGNAL

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NEWS What’s on the table?

www.georgiastatesignal.com/news

A breakdown of major issues in this year’s General Assembly ASIA THOMAS

News Editor

Guns in Schools Following the December shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, people around the country are now more concerned about gun safety than ever.

Under the head sponsorship of Rep. Charles Gregory, House Bill 29, also referred to as the Georgia Campus Carry Act of 2013, will repeal previous prohibitions by allowing individuals with permits to carry guns on private and public colleges and universities.

Other bills will allow permit owners to carry concealed weapons in churches, parks and historical sites.

Key Player: Rep. Charles Gregory (head sponsor) Current Status: As of Jan. 30, this legislation has been sent House Second Readers. The second reading is a stage of the legislative process where a draft of a legislation or bill is read for a second time.

How it will affects students: This legislation would change safety protocols on University System of Georgia campuses.

As of time of print, Gregory was not able to be reached.

What students think: “I think to have guns on campus is not so bad,” visiting scholar Chuanhua Zeng said. “Because if you have a gun, you can protect yourself.”

“It’s our Second Amendment right,” senior Joseph Perry said. “It could decrease crime as well.”

“Ultimately, guns don’t kill people, people kill people,” student Corbin Cottingham said.

“This seems to be a popular issue.

At the last SGA meeting, I brought up this topic and the major of SGA supports the current law: no guns on campus. As a reminder, all Student Government meetings are open to the public and guests are allowed to voice their opinions,” said Marcus Kernizan, SGA president.

Criminal Justice After recommendations from a report produced by the Special Council on Criminal Justice Reform to reform Georgia’s current juvenile justice system, the legislation may take action.

Last year, the state passed a legislation that reformed the adult criminal reform and now, people, such as Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Carol Hunstein and Rep. Wendell Willard, say the state should take similar steps to reform the juvenile system.

A reform would ultimately offer juvenile offenders help and a second chance. The reform would allow juvenile justice judges to assign non-violent juvenile offenders to community treatment programs and behavioral health programs, rather than repeatedly locking them up.

In fiscal year 2013, $300 million was appropriated to the Department of Juvenile Justice.

In her final State of the Judiciary address, Hunstein highlighted that the state already spends over $90,000 every year on each juvenile offender in jail, only for 75 percent of the offenders to repeat the crimes again.

Key Player: Rep. Wendell Willard (head sponsor) How it will affects students: The juvenile justice reform affects students who are under the age of 18 and are considered minors.

As of time of print, Willard was not able to be reached.

What students think: “For the most part, I feel like that’s a lot of money going to people who did wrong,” sophomore Lena Whitfield said. “But if you think about it, it is something that can help the state as a whole.”

“They should spend the money on programs like after school programs. Not more jails and juvenile detention centers,” sophomore Tabrisha Love said.

“Juvenile Reform is much needed in our communities. I am excited to see that our elected officials and Chief Justice are exploring new options to fix the juvenile justice system. The proposed legislation may not be a comprehension solution but it is definitely a step in the right direction,” said Marcus Kernizan, SGA president.

Changes in HOPE Legislators are hoping to increase the number of students at technical schools with the proposal of House Bill 54, a legislation that will change the minimum grade point average students in Technical College systems need to maintain their HOPE Grant.

The proposed legislation would change the required GPA for the HOPE Grant from 3.0 to 2.0.

“We’re not trying to lower the standards of technical schools,” Rep. Stacey Evans said. “It is just a reality that students are at technical schools too.”

This change would not only help current students, but also will allow workers with little to no previous formal education who have lost their jobs to enter or re-enter technical colleges.

“In the immediate future, it could affect 8,900 students and in the long term it could affect thousands more,” Evans said.

According to Evans, 42,000 students withdrew from technical schools last year.

“We looked at why students left, and found that most of the students left right after the HOPE Grant was changed,” Evans said.

How much it will Cost: The legislation would cost the state between $5 to $8 million.

Key Player: Rep. Stacey Evans (head sponsor) Current Status: On Feb. 7, Gov. Nathan Deal relayed his support of HB 54.

“Now that the Governor supports the bill, now it is a bipartisan effort,” Evans said. “We are excited.”

How it will affect students: Although Georgia State is a four-year university, this legislation still could affect our students. Students may later choose to attend technical for additional training or a change of career field. The lower GPA would make it easier for students to receive and retain the HOPE grant, which would assist with raising tuition fees.

What students think: “I feel like if you cannot maintain a 3.0 grade point average, then you do not deserve the grant,” sophomore Tabrisha Love said.

“I think it is better for lower income students. A lot of students can’t keep grades up because of work and school,” sophomore Gina Blackhurst said. “Just because you can’t keep a 3.0 doesn’t mean you’re a bad student and should lose HOPE.”

NEWS

4A

Campus Briefs The Centennial Distinguished Speaker Series will continue on Feb. 14 as Dr. Drew Pinsky, American board-certified internist, addiction medicine specialist and media personality, speaks at 3 p.m. at the Student University Center Ballroom. The program will run for 45 minutes and a Q & A session will follow. Doors open at 2 p.m.

The annual Polar Bear Plunge will take place on Feb. 17 at the Indian Creek Pool. A trophy will be awarded to the department or student group with the most participants. The event is free for students, but there will be a $5 t-shirt available for purchase. All of the proceeds will go towards funding the Bennett A. Brown Scholarship.

Georgia State researchers, students and community members are currently recruiting students to participate in a program to help improve air pollution in low-income neighborhoods. The Research Experience for Undergraduates program of the Community, Soil, Air, Water (CSAW) program is sponsoring the students and research. For more information, visit http://csaw.gsu.edu/ nsf-reu/.

The newest Learning Center in Piedmont North opened on Feb. 5, as well as renovations to the general lobby areas. The Learning Center will provide a place for students to study and use different forms of technology.

Gun right advocates gathered outside Georgia’s Capitol building on Feb. 8 around 10:30 a.m. to rally in support of their right to bear arms. 13 guest speakers spoke to a crowd or nearly 375 protestors. The congregation included protestors from the Georgia Tea Party, People for Gun Rights, Guns Save Lives and members of the Facebook group Second Right.

Students In the City, a student blog sponsored by Georgia State, recently launched their website. The blog features stories from the lives of six Georgia State students.

CENCIA sponsored Sounds of Spain featuring guest artist Pepe Romero on guitar on Feb. 10 at 8 p.m. at the Rialto Center for the Arts. Pieces included Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol and de Falla’s Three Dances from “El sombrero de tres picos.”

The College of Education Alumni Club will host the Have a Heart Benefit and Silent Auction on Feb. 17 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Callanwolde Fine Arts Center. Tickets are $50. The event will help fund the College of Education’s Centennial Alumni Scholarship.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2013

Who will drive afterward?

Complaints filed against Panther Express drivers may lead to a change in transit firm ANDRES CRUZ-WELLMANN

Associate News Editor

F

ive complaints could be all it takes.

Complaints filed against certain Panther Express shuttle drivers last semester have worried other drivers that their jobs are now at risk.

An earlier investigation by The Signal revealed that Georgia State is planning to request a new fleet of buses that will decide whether the university stays with First Transit or changes transit firms.

Michael Sproston, director of Parking and Transportation of Auxiliary and Support Services, could not be reached as of press time to confirm the status of the plans.

The situation the Panther Express drivers at Georgia State are facing is not unique either.

In December of 2009, First Transit fired 40 Georgia Tech bus drivers after it lost a biding competition when the university decided to change firms.

“What our experience has been at Georgia Tech, when they fired 40 drivers literally weeks before Christ-

mas, citing a couple complaints and also demanding that the contractor buy a whole new fleet of buses, they hired the new drivers without any on-the-job security, no guarantee of a pay raise and if the drivers [got] in any accidents, they had to pay out of pocket for the damages,” Ben Speight, union representative for Teamsters 728, said.

Fear of being let go now lingers among bus drivers.

“I’ve been driving for six years, and none of the times [I’ve been driving ] have I received a complaint,” Kathy Stafford, Panther Express Blue Route driver, said. “It’s kind of a bummer when all the positive things going on out there are never heard of.”

As of now, First Transit remains one of the few transportation companies to have a collective bargaining agreement with the workers, allowing them to get minor raises and benefits that many other transportation companies do not provide.

Though, First Transit abides by the freedom of association policy, allowing employees the choice to part of a union or not.

“The [freedom of association policy] provides our employees the

“

I’ve been driving for six years, and none of the times have I received a complaint. It’s kind of a bummer when all the positive things going on out there are never heard of.”

—Kathy Stafford, Panther Express Blue Route driver

option to choose union membership or to not be a part of the union,” said Timothy Stokes, spokesperson for First Transit. “No employee is ever forced to join a union, as we leave that decision up to our employees.

At every First Transit location that has union presence, it is our goal to always work closely with its representatives and keep a strong and positive relationship.”

The collective bargaining agreement covers workers’ rights such as wage increases, health and welfare, paid holidays, vacation, overtime pay, hours of work and their 401(k).

Despite the agreement, drivers

still feel unsafe about job security and feel that their good work goes unnoticed.

“We work here for the students.

We work here for you. We are here because of you and we want to do a good job and we think that we have been doing a pretty good job, but sometimes it seems that it’s overlooked and the negative things come to the surface more,” Stafford said.

Sandra Simpson, office manager of Teamsters 728, also noted that the majority of drivers have never had a single complaint.

“This is a very difficult system where there is no due process where people can’t confront. And usually what I find out is...that [the cases] are usually not black and white,” Simpson said.

As Simpson noted, the procedure that drivers go through when a complaint has been filed against them does not allow them to argue their case, which makes it difficult for the accused to maintain their job.

As of press time, neither Sproston nor First Transit could be contacted to verify the status of the request, which would determine the future of all Panther Express drivers.

legislation

Proposed bill could allow guns on campus RAVEN SCHLEY

H

Staff writer

ouse Bill 29 was recently proposed by Rep. Charles Gregory, R-Kennesaw, as a way to combat potential criminals.

If enacted, the bill will allow students 21 and older, professors and any other adults to carry guns on college campuses around Georgia.

Essentially, the proposal will amend Part 3 of Article 4 of Chapter 11 of Title 16 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated and repeal restrictions against carrying a firearm on any public, or private technical school, vocational school, college, university or postsecondary institution.

H.B. 29 is said to be a defense mechanism.

If every student and professor on a college campus possessed a gun, they would be more equipped to

handle themselves in a life-threatening situation.

However, not everyone agrees with the bill. The University System of Georgia is lobbying against it, and several officers from the Georgia State Police Department spoke out about the issue as well.

“The [police department] supports the laws that currently exist,” said Chief Mullis Sgt. Sharon Ware agreed. “[The bill] would definitely harm more than it would help safety on college campuses. It would put more students in harms way.”

One precaution that has been discussed upon the proposal of H.B. 29, is possible training for students who are ill equipped to operate a gun properly; however, Ware disagreed with this notion.

“There is no way that there would be any sort of training sufficient enough for a student to learn how to

operate a firearm.”

Ware assured that the bill most likely would not pass, but in the event that it does she said that things would have to change dramatically at the police department.

“We would really have to re-evaluate a lot of the things that we do,” Ware said.

Some students from Georgia State also spoke out on the new bill proposal.

“I believe that college students don’t really have self control due to immaturity and peer pressure...I don’t want to feel like I am a danger to someone,” student Tiara Lamm said.

Following Lamm’s sentiments, student Christopher Denis agreed by saying,“ [A] college campus is not the proper environment for a firearm.”

However, Denis also saw how having a gun could be beneficial.

“I would feel more capable of protecting myself,” he said.

Some students also expressed concerns that having guns on campus might evoke even more confusion and fear.

“It might have a negative effect because of tension. There would be a fear because no one would know whether, or not another person is carrying a gun,” student Binh Siu said. “There are more deaths caused by the misfiring of guns versus in defense of something.”

It is possible that the inspiration behind H.B. 29 is the recent college shootings that have occurred.

Four people were left wounded after a shooting at Lone Star College in Houston, TX on Jan. 22.

Nonetheless, the fate of H.B. 29 is unknown as of now, but it will be decided within the next few months.

The state legislature thinks that the bill will make college campuses feel more protected. This view is not widely held though.

Percentages from a news poll on gun control • 80% of the participants in the survey think that Georgia legislature should continue to require permits to carry a concealed weapon.

• 29% of the participants think that guns should be allowed on college campuses, while 65% believe that it should remain against the law.

• 56% of the people who participated in the survey think that there should be a federal ban on new assault weapons.

• 75% of participants are in favor of background checks on all gun purchasers.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2013

5A

V-DAY NEWS

Atlanta tops the list for romantics The city has the most erotic readers ASIA THOMAS

News Editor

A

s Valentine’s Day approaches, love is in the Atlanta air, as well as erotica.

Atlanta was recently ranked as the number one city for erotica readers by uStarNovels.com, a business that personalized romance and erotic novels.

Seattle is No. 2 and Los Angeles in 10th place.

The data, compiled by uStarNovels.com, used to rank the cities was based on 2,000 customers in the United States over a two-year span After researching the number of erotic novels ordered by city, the company divided that amount by population to finalize the per capita rankings.

The company’s list was based on 2,000 customers over the past two years. The company examined the number of erotic books ordered by city, and then divided it by population.

“Of the 2,000 orders from around the U.S., Atlanta averaged the most number of readers per million people,” said Darren Shuster, founder and principal of Pop Culture PR. The uStarNovels.com report showed that Atlanta has 600 percent more erotica novel readers per capita.

Atlanta was the only city in the Southeast to make the list.

“Looks like the smaller cities, com-

pared to New York City and Los Angeles, did better overall in rankings,” Shuster said.

The cities with higher populations, such as Houston and New York City, ranked the lowest for erotic novel readers.

Compared to other cities, Atlanta is smaller and “less busy,” according to Shuster, with smaller social opportunities that open doors for erotica.

According to romantic fiction writer and Atlanta resident Ambrielle Kirk who describes Atlanta as a “very young city,” the region and demographical make up of Atlanta are possibly the reasons the city peaked the list.

For small, southern areas, Kirk said the recent instruction of e-readers has also increased readers because it allows people to access erotic and romance novels in the privacy of their homes.

“I think it’s really awesome that we made the list,” Kirk said.

Georgia State students were not too surprised about Atlanta’s ranking on the list.

“I guess we’re a really romantic city,” freshman Bre Peters said. “I think our location has something to do with it. It makes a good plot.”

Peters, who reads erotic and romance novels “from time-to-time,” said that it provides more “entertainment” in addition to the aspects of the city.

Senior Joseph Perry agreed.

“Atlanta is a big entertainment city,” Perry said. “And sex sells.”

Cities for Most Erotic Novel Readers 1. Atlanta 2. Seattle 3. Las Vegas 4. San Diego 5. Dallas 6. Chicago 7. Houston

ILLUSTRATION COURTESY OF WWW. FORALLWOMENTOKNOW.BLOGSPOT.COM

Debate: Religion vs. Contraceptives Differing opinions over birth control mandates and religious freedoms ASHIA GALLO

8. Brooklyn 9. New York 10. Los Angeles Source: uStarNovels.com

Student Activity Fee Funding for Academic Teams for Fiscal Year 2014

The Academic Team Fee Council has released budget request forms and instructions for the fiscal year 2014 (July 1, 2013 – June 30, 2014). The Fee Council operates under the overall structure of the Student Activity Fee Committee and guidelines from the Student Activity Fee Overview document apply which lists restrictions placed on the expenditure of fee funds. In addition to these general guidelines (http://www2.gsu. edu/~wwwdos/wordFilesEtc/SA_Fee_Overview_Approved_Sept_23_2011.pdf), the Academic Team Fee Council is restricted to distribute funds to competitive academic teams.

Entities eligible to receive funding within this council must be

· a chartered student organization or student group affiliated with an academic / university department at Georgia State University; · team-based; and competing on a regional, national, or international level; · with the purpose of enhancing the academic experience.

The Academic Team Fee Council will be reviewing budget requests for FY 2014 and invites all eligible academic teams to apply. To apply for funding for your academic team, please provide all necessary information through the Academic Team Fee Council Budget Request Application. Budget application forms are available through orgsync at: http://gsu.orgsync.com/Forms (scroll down until you see the document entitled ‘Academic Team Fee Council Budget Request Form’).

Applications must be submitted by Friday, March 1, 2012, 4pm. Applications need to be submitted in hard copy to the Political Science department (General Classroom Building 1023, attention: Jeannie Grussendorf). Late applications will not be accepted.

Additionally, representatives of applying academic teams need to be available to present their budget requests in person to the academic team fee council on March 7th, at 4pm in the General Classroom Building 1081.

Please note that if an academic team receives funds for FY 2014 from any other fee council then they cannot also get funding from the Academic Teams Fee Council.

Please, direct any questions to the Academic Team Fee Council’s non-student member Jeannie Grussendorf jgrussendorf@gsu.edu.

Staff Reporter

T

here is much debate over whether or not religious organizations and business owners have the right to deny free birth control to employees under Obamacare because of their personal religious views.

Several lawsuits from faithbased organizations have been filed against the birth control mandate, which is a part of President Obama’s health care plan. Whether or not religious organizations should be forced to provide contraception that directly conflicts with their own religious beliefs also raises the question of the mandate’s constitutionality.

“As a Baptist, I have no problem with it,” said Baptist Collegiate Ministries (BCM) member Robert Nix. BCM is a well-known Christian ministry on Georgia State’s campus.

“I can, however, see the danger in making the Catholic Church provide the birth control,” Nix said in reference to the various charities, schools and hospitals sponsored by the Catholic Church who are required to fund Obamacare as well.

Other students see it as a choice issue instead of a religious one.

“I don’t personally care,” said BCM member Allison Miller, “but as far as [providing birth control] being required, it should be a choice. This is a healthcare bill, and whether or not one needs birth control is not a healthcare problem, it’s a personal choice.”

Dr. Julia Kubala, Senior Lecturer and Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Institute for Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies, disagrees with birth control being taken out of Obama’s health plan.

As for religious groups who feel as if their personal beliefs are being compromised, Kubala said that “it is up to the individual” whether or not they choose to use the provided contraception.

She added that “reproductive health is a part of healthcare, and should therefore be included in the healthcare plan.”

Georgia State junior Tierra Davis also believes that the birth control mandate is just.

“It helps more than it hurts,” Davis said. “Look at what we already pay for [as a nation]. We pay taxes for prisons, why can’t we all pitch in for birth control?”

Davis added that it would be unfair to allow religious organizations to take themselves out of

“

This is a healthcare bill, and whether or not one needs birth control is not a healthcare problem, it’s a personal choice.”

—Allison Miller, BCM member

something all companies have to abide to.

“Despite whether or not I was religious, I had to stand up and say the pledge [under God] every day,” Davis said. “Just like I had to show respect, [the organizations] need to respect everyone and just do it.”

Junior Takiya McCarter also disagrees with giving religious organizations the option to not fund Obamacare strictly because they are against the birth control mandate because “everybody is not Catholic.”

Another debate is that women who may depend on Obama’s health care plan from their employer would have their rights taken away if the lawsuits continued to the Supreme Court and were successful in excluding birth control from the plan.

Nix said, “[Women] are not required to work at the places that may go on not to offer it. Apply elsewhere.”

Nix also suggested looking into other affordable options that do include contraception, as well as petitioning and using public opinion to gain the desired health plan from their employer.

Junior Korien Stroud, however, said that “every woman should have these rights” and that taking a woman’s birth control benefits as part of her healthcare bill would be “denying these rights.”

Other organizations, such as Hobby Lobby, that are not religious-based but have religious owners also disagree with purchasing the Obamacare insurance that would include contraception.

“Hobby Lobby is a craft store,” Miller said. “But if they are demanded to do something against their religious views, regardless of what they’re selling, their rights cannot be infringed upon.”

Fellow BCM member Nix, however, disagreed.

“The government has a right to spend tax money how they choose,” Nix said.

NEWS

6A

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2013

Increase in e-filers threatens cyber safety ASIA THOMAS

News Editor

A

s tax refund season surfaces, students have yet another concerning issue to worry about: cybercriminals invading their tax documents.

Recent reports and developments have shown that electronically filing tax documents this year can potentially increase the susceptibility to cyber crime.

Georgia was recently ranked 19th in its adoption of e-filing for individual tax filings, according to leading cybercrime prevention solutions provider ThreatMetrix.

ThreatMetrix also reports an estimate of 3,806,100 individual electronic tax documents will be filed by Georgia residents and business owners.

This estimate includes 1040, 1040-A and 1040-EZ tax forms.

In addition to residents and business owners, a large amount of college students are choosing to file their tax documents electronically for convenience and simplicity.

“College students e-file because most of it is free,” junior Victor Morales said. “This time

of year students have just paid tuition and are trying to save money.”

E-filing has become a popular and convenient tax trend However, recent tax laws require electronic filing for some tax preparers.

“One of the reasons that efiling will be up in Georgia this year is that starting in January 2012, any paid tax preparer must e-file their clients’ tax returns if they will file individual taxes for 11 or more clients,” said Alisdair Faulkner chief products officer of ThreatMetrix.

Recent security flaws in Java software will increasingly threaten this year’s electronic tax filing as well.

According to a recent press release by the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team, a flaw in the Java 7 software “could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary commands on a vulnerable system.”

This flaw allows cybercriminals to influence users to unknowingly utilize the Java applet.

Cybercriminals are able to accomplish this by using engineering techniques to either influence Java users to link to a website

hosting a malicious Java applet or create a legitimate website to upload a malicious Java applet.

Cybercrime is a matter that can take money out of the pockets of hard-working students who rely on their tax returns.

Freshman Alexis Watkins believes that college students who fall victim to cybercriminals suffer a “waste of time and money.”

For this reason, Watkins said she had her father to help prepare her tax returns.

“I think it’s easier and safer to just do it in person,” Watkins said.

In a 2012 identity theft report by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, the IRS identified 1.5 million undetected tax returns, leaving an excess of $5.2 million in potentially fraudulent tax refunds.

Although e-filing is ultimately an easy and convenient way to deal with the hassle of filing tax documents, college students, especially should become more aware of potential fraud.

“I think the risk goes both ways,” Morales said. “The professional tax preparers can scam you too, but physical contact makes it easier to remember them and catch them if they do.”

Alisdair Faulkner, a nationally recognized expert on cybersecurity issues, offers tips for students to safely e-file their tax documents.

1. Make Security Part of the Decision Process.

Choose a tax preparation service or website that provides bank level security, such as two-factor authentication and anti-malware protection.

2. Keep Your Eye on the Address Bar. Make sure any Web form you submit is HTTP Secure. An easy indicator is the “s” found after “http” in a Web address or the padlock icon typically found to the left of the Web address. In addition, make sure the address of each page is a valid IRS or tax preparation website.

3. Watch for Suspicious Emails and Pop-ups.

If a cybercriminal suspects you are filing taxes online, they may send you a “phishing” email asking for additional personal information. Although these may look like authentic requests, do not respond.

No legitimate bank or tax preparation service would ask a user to enter sensitive information into a pop-up screen or into a link provided via email.

4. Safeguard Your Password.

If you set up a username and password on an e-filing website, make sure your password is unique from any other personal accounts, especially social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. If your password is the same across multiple profiles and one gets compromised by cybercriminals, all of your accounts will potentially be at risk.

5. Update Your Devices.

Even if you are aware of fraud facts and are cautious, malware might still be on your computer to intercept data from legitimate websites. Update the anti-virus and malware detection software on any device on which you will enter tax information before you get started.

Corrections/retractions correction

retraction

College of Law receives $557,571 grant

Georgia State marching band turns down Dragon*Con

The original version of this article ran in the Jan. 29 issue of The Signal. Further contact with the College of Law has led the author to correct the story online.

The version below is the corrected version.

Georgia State Professors will now have the opportunity to expand online resources and create a fellowship at other universities thanks to a grant received from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF).

The $557,571 grant will help expand public health law instructional programs and allow greater access to resources for the purposes of health law instruction.

The grant will help fellows at other universities expand public health law programs and will include the addition of courses on specific topics, interdisciplinary courses, and externships (short experience opportunities in a certain field and fellowship opportunities).

Mentors, such as Georgia State College of Law professor Charity Scott, will work in concert with fellows of other universities to help expand public health law at their own institutions.

The fellowship program will be developed and headed by Scott and Stacie Kershner. The application process for the fellows will open in the fall.

The grant will explore various ways to expand teaching of public health law, in addition to experiential practice based

learning.

The Center for Law, Health & Society also plans to develop a virtual library to further health law education. The library will include resources for professors of other schools, including instruction and suggestions for laying the groundwork to development of public health law programs elsewhere.

The Law College will also continue inviting prominent guest speakers in health law.

The College will host a seminar called Copyrighting DNA: Protecting Synthetic DNA Sequences as a Work of Authorship, featuring Professor Andrew W. Torrance, Docking Faculty Scholar of the University of Kansas School of Law, Michael B. Landau of Georgia State College of Law, and Brent R. Bellows PhD, JD of Knowles Intellectual Property Strategies, LLC. The Center for Law, Health & Society is a division of the College of Law’s public health program.

The center is also affiliated with the HeLP (Health Law Partnership), a live client clinic where students work on cases affecting children and their families’. The students work under supervision and help low-income clients. The clinic is a partnership between The College of Law, Atlanta Legal Aid Society and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. More information on the Health Law Partnership can be found at http://healthlawpartnership.org/.

The health law program has grown significantly at Georgia State in the last decade. It is now ranked No. 2 in the nation by US News & World Report.

The orginal version of this article ran in the Feb. 5 issue of The Signal. Further contact with the directors of the Georgia Tech marching band and other sources has led the author to correct the story online.

The version you see below is the corrected version.

Georgia State’s marching band will be unable to participate in the Dragon*Con festival for another year.

The marching band was invited to perform in the 2013 annual Dragon*Con fes-

tival in Atlanta this year but decided not to participate due to scheduling conflicts.

Dragon*Con is a convention that takes place in Atlanta bringing fans of science fiction, comic books and fantasy series together, usually in costume, to attend demonstrations and the parade.

Associate Band Director, Dr. Chester Phillips, makes the decisions on which events the band accepts and denies.

Phillips said that many band members’ schedules will already be “full with [football] games and parades” during the weekend of the DragonCon festival, which also overlaps with Labor Day weekend.

“The students’ time is valuable to us and we will al-

ways view our band members as students first,” Phillips said.

Phillips said that band members are also expected to “have a lot of events around that time” and that he did not want for the students to be overwhelmed with such a booked schedule at the start of the semester.

In the orginal article, The Signal also erroneously reported that Georgia Tech’s marching band would take up the reins at the Dragon*Con parade. As of press time, Georgia Tech has not confirmed participation.

“Maybe we can do [DragonCon] in a later year, but we definitely can’t perform everywhere!” said Adriona Isom, color guard member.

correction

Opinion: GSU, why not Dragon*Con? The orginal version of this column ran in the Feb. 5 issue of The Signal. Further contact with the directors of the Georgia Tech marching band and other sources

has led the author to correct the story. Below are the corrections: —Georgia Tech will not be playing at the Dragon*Con parade. As of press time, Tech

has not confirmed participation.

— The Georgia State Marching Band is directed by Dr. Chester Phillips, Director of Athletic Bands.

The Signal strives to provide accurate and accurate articles and to serve as a forum for the expression of ideas of members of that community. If you have a factual error to report, please email Editor-in-Chief Sabastian Wee at signaleditor@gmail.com

OPINIONS

www.georgiastatesignal.com/opinions

web responses to last week’s “GSU, Why skip dragon*con?”

letter From the editor Dear readers, In the last two weeks, The Signal published three inaccurate pieces—two articles and an opinion column. Hard lessons were learned.

As editor-in-chief of this publication, I take full responsibility. No excuses.

The two news articles, “College of Law receives half a million dollar grant for Public Health Law” (Jan. 29, Issue 18), “Georgia State Marching Band turns down Dragon*Con” (Feb. 5, Issue 19) and the opinion column, “GSU, why skip Dragon*Con?” contained factual errors and should not have been published as it was. See corrections on page 6A. However, I continue to stand by our columnists’ right to publish an opinion. While this does not mean I endorse their point of view, it is a right I would not deprive from anyone at Georgia State.

My only concern is the erroneous information that was published.

The inaccuracies are not acceptable, not for you or The Signal. It is obvious our current fact-checking system was simply not working.

As such, we have implemented new procedures that will help avoid these kinds of mistakes in the future. These procedures include a detailed fact-checking checklist, mandatory one-on-one editing sessions and extensive story planning.

It is teachable moments like this that remind us we are not immune to the kinds of bumps and bruises endured by the professional world. We too can fall into the trap of chasing that career-making news story that ends up exploding in your face. It’s a misstep seen far too often in our field.

And too often, we end up going on the defense, reacting exactly the same as the public in feeling attacked and unjustified.

It is the same reaction I had when the complaints first surfaced.

While the news staff was scrambling to verify the facts in the opinion column and news story, I went to Twitter to defend the stories. In a comment to former Signal editor-in-chief Sheena Roetman, I said: “Everyone becomes a journalism expert when they don’t like what they read.”

It was a statement made out of frustration and in defense of my staff, but an apology is owed to you for a comment that showed a lack of respect to our readers. You have been the engine of our redesign and rebooting efforts to best serve Georgia State and you deserve accurate reporting.

Additionally, I want to be clear about what is not The Signal’s mission. We harbor no ill will towards any organization, student or administrative. We do not want to demonize anyone, nor do we want to ruin anybody’s life or career. We’re not a PR engine for the university—that job belongs to University Relations. We’re not obligated to only write “positive” stories, nor are we always on the hunt for “negative” stories. Despite how things may be perceived, it is simply not the case with us.

All we want to do is to learn and practice good journalism, which is part of our greater mission to serve the Georgia State community.

But in order for us to produce accurate and in-depth stories, there must be cooperation between both parties. And in order for that to occur, there must be trust between them.

If there is one thing you can take away from this, it’s that we will be working harder than ever to provide you with reliably accurate news and in-depth stories. We are ultimately grateful that our readers were able to quickly notify us of the inaccuracies. Reporting these mistakes will allow us to pay closer attention, to verify every single bit of information and make sure every source is reliable.

Lastly, I want to urge you to let me know if you ever have any concerns. I practically live in The Signal newsroom, so you are free to come by any time on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

You can reach me at signaleditor@gmail.com or tweet me @SabastianW1. You’ve got questions, I’ll do my very best to get you the answers.

These last two weeks have taught us what our primary obligation as journalists are: to serve our readers and our community. Awards mean nothing, but our audience means everything.

Sincerely,

Sabastian Wee Editor-in-Chief

8A

OPINIONS

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2013

Letters to the editor Editor’s note: This letter to the editor was written in response to “GSU, why skip Dragon*Con”, an article authored by Jaira Burke, a staff columnist hired by The Signal. The Editorial board at The Signal would like to remind readers that student columns printed in the Opinions section do not reflect the opinions held by the Editorial staff.

I am writing in reference to the article concerning the marching band’s decline of the invitation to play at Dragon*Con. I’m not sure what sort of vendetta the editors either want to start or believe they already have with the marching band and the school of music in general, but it’s really getting absurd and offensive to school musicians and non-musicians alike. Other artistic organizations have their own bones to pick with the music department, but that has never stopped any of them from very excitedly and genuinely giving congratulations where it was due. Insofar as your readers are aware, you don’t even have a specific reason to be so combative. How petty are you, then, to denigrate one of the university’s largest groups of students who regularly represent the entire school, including yourselves,

In response to last week’s “Throwing the baby out with the bathwater” On September 21, 2011, at 11:08 pm, the state of Georgia became an international pariah when it executed Troy Anthony Davis, the man accused of killing Savannah police officer Mark McPhail in 1989. The claims of innocence around Troy Davis were not without validity. There was no murder weapon found, no physical evidence, and only blurry eyewitness testimony. Seven out of the nine witnesses would later recant their testimony claiming they were coerced by the police to finger Troy.

The state of Georgia will once again come under serious scrutiny as it has announced the execution of Warren Lee Hill for February 19th at 7 pm, a black man who has been proven in the court of law to be mentally disabled. As our fair state has put itself directly on the path of breaking a serious amendment to the Constitution (executing the mentally disabled counts as “cruel and unusual punishment”), it should force us to stop and reflect on the death penalty. The United States of America ranked high in 2010 in the number of citizens it executed according to Amnesty International, putting itself right itself next to China, Saudi Arabia, and North Korea; havens of democracy and human rights, or am I wrong? More than two-thirds of the countries on this planet have abolished the death penalty. Only 58 still

Submitted on behalf of GSU’s Progressive Student Alliance, BlackOut, and The Alliance for Sexual and Gender Diversity Luke O’Donovan is a queer youth and political activist who has been a personal friend to many and an ally of student led movements at Georgia State University (GSU).

Last year when he was assaulted by campus police during a March 19th anti-budget cuts demonstration many progressive faculty signed an open letter in support of him. In response to the concerns and protest voiced by the campus community at that time all charges were dropped against Luke.

This time around Luke was the victim of a homophobic attack in which he was stabbed in the back during a party on New Year’s eve. Once more it is time for us to stand up in his defense. The media frenzy following the tragedy of the murder of school children in Sandy Hook has focused the attention of the public on issues of youth and violence. In this context there have been grossly inaccurate statements made by the media describing Luke’s response to his attackers at the party as a type of ‘stabbing rampage’. This is completely false and ignores the fact that Luke’s actions that night were entirely in his own self-defense.

This narrative also glosses over the clearly homophobic nature of the attack. Luke was repeatedly insulted with

on the grandest stages available? What good do you really expect to come of that? It’s especially unfortunate for you, really, considering the unusual concentration of honors students and university scholars within all factions of the music program. How sad it will be when the infuriated responses are likely more articulate, more well-written, and more researched (not that it would take much - Dr. Phillips’ name is on essentially all university references to the marching band and you still managed to miss it) than the original article.

Since the original author didn’t seem to understand, that’s much closer to the actual meaning of irony. The marching band actively does everything they can to present the best possible image of Georgia State, so we only ask that you do the same. It would be “frankly awesome.”

Hannah Wildes Junior, English and Film/Video Major Presidential Scholar Charter Member of the Georgia State University Marching Band

have it on the books.

In 1972, fewer than 350,000 people lived behind bars. At the end of 2010, there were 2,266,800 adults in incarceration. We live in a country that locks up a higher percentage of its citizens than most other developed nations. Since the birth of the privatized prison, coincidentally around the same time as the beginning of the “War on Drugs”, incarceration has quintupled. In 2003, Thomas P. Boncszar of the Department of Justice—Bureau of Statistics announced in his study that one in three young African-American men will be locked up behind bars if current trends continue, which they seem to be doing. He also noted that in larger urban areas more than half of young black men were under some form of correctional control.

Last week, Tuesday February 5th would have been Trayvon Martin’s 18th birthday. A couple weeks from now on February 26th, it will be the one year anniversary of his murder. No judge, no jury. Kaushalya Charan De had it wrong in her opinion piece last week. The Old South didn’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. That baby is alive and well; this is the New Jim Crow. Strange fruit is hanging from the poplar trees.

Thomas Gagne French Literature

homophobic slurs throughout the night, including being called a “faggot” during the fight itself. Several witnesses have reported watching between 5 and 12 men mobbing up on Luke and stomping on his head and body with the intent to kill. Luke’s situation is similar to that of our Black transgender sister CeCe McDonald who was convicted and imprisoned after fighting off racist and heterosexist attackers.

Another repeated claim in this pattern of disinformation is that Luke left the party after being kicked out and returned with a knife to force his way back in. As multiple witnesses have testified and will testify, Luke was never kicked out of the party and did not leave. He remained at the house where the party was occurring up until the physical confrontation occurred.

After having been held without bond since the fight, Luke was released in mid-January pending his trial. Progressive Student Alliance, BlackOut, Alliance for Sexual and Gender Diversity and allies urge the campus community to organize in support of Luke during this critical time. For more information please go the website letlukego.com, also check the Progressive Student Alliance at GSU Facebook page for updates and events on campus to support Luke.

submit letters to the editor to signalopinions@gmail.com.

From our Twitter feed

Christopher Oun Senior - English Major

more details on page 2A

YOUR VOICE • YOUR OPINIONS “What are your plans for this year’s Valentine’s Day, and what was your worst Valentine’s Day nightmare experience?”

Name:Chauncey Walker Major: Journalism “I have no plans for Valentine’s Day this year. I work in the library so I’ll be working this Valentine’s Day. I think my worst experience was when I got stood up. It wasn’t an official date, it was just two friends meeting up because neither one of us had Valentines. We went to go see the action movie “Valentine’s Day” and it was crowded so firstly I had to sit in the front row where your neck is all the way up and secondly he never showed up because he had to take his mom somewhere, so I watched a whole love movie by myself in the front row of the movie theater.”

Name: Sabri Khaled Major: Computer Information Systems “Unfortunately I don’t have anything planned for Valentine’s Day this year but probably the worst was taking someone out on a date and not having my wallet. Having to explain myself out of that one was pretty embarrassing. The worst thing was that halfway through the meal I realized I didn’t have my wallet so I tried texting people to find somebody who could come by and drop off my wallet. But I couldn’t find anybody so finally I had to confess. The more I explained the worse it got and the more guilty I seemed.”

Name: Alexis Okeke Major: Women’s Studies “This year I don’t know if I have any plans, but I’d love to be able to spend it with someone, but its on a Thursday so I might just hang out with friends.

My worst Valentine’s experience was in Elementary school when you get to hand out the Valentines that you have.

I wanted to give my crush a Valentine, but someone found out that I put it on his desk after I made it all anonymous and they called me out on it at lunchtime. I was so embarrassed. When you’re little your crushes are so personal an nobody knows but your best friend. It was traumatizing”

Name: Maher Abdo Major: finance “Last year was the worst because my girlfriend broke up with me. And this year I don’t have any plans because that bitch decided to leave me for some stupid-ass guy. It really made me feel some type of way, so it’s hard. I don’t care about Valentine’s Day though really because every day should be a loving day.”

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OPINIONS

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2013

This Valentine’s Day, don’t ignore the gift of support

W

hile many of us will be stuffing our faces with milk chocolate bunny rabbits and opening envelopes with inked hearts etched all over them this Valentine’s Day, others will count down the ticks and tocks of the class room clock, hoping for the day to pass.

For many of those people, love is not the candy-coated expression it is for us; instead it’s a sour filled jawbreaker.

This is the reality for students who are victims of domestic violence.

AMI DUDLEY According to the Bureau of Justice, women between Columnist the ages of 16 and 24 experience the highest rate of intimate partner violence. Let’s keep in mind here that vicAmi Dudley is a junior English major and one of tims of domestic abuse are not exclusively women but The Signal’s premier staff men as well. But before we address what can be done and critics. She was recently why we should care, let’s briefly explore what domestic abuse is. published in “The I do not wish to insult your intelligence by posing the Underground” literary question “What is domestic abuse?” However, I found, afjournal. ter inquiring several students, the consensus to be “harmFollow her @amidudley ful physical contact of some sort.” While this constitutes,

it is one of many forms of domestic abuse. Verbal, mental, and emotional abuse as well as social sabotage and stalking are not only forms of domestic abuse but are all too common in student relationships.

Just because an act of abuse does not result in physical harm does not make it any less abusive than an act that would. I spoke with post-grad student Mechelle Pollard who holds a degree in Sociology. She informed me that “many victims minimize the severity of the abuse” and this can be dangerous. We often joke about being stalked by a lover and write it off as “cute,” or “weird but harmless”. Or we may chat with our friends about a defaming Facebook post by a lover or ex-lover and do nothing more about it. What we don’t realize is that our acceptance of what seems petty only makes room for more consequential acts of abuse. So why do students willingly accept this?

We often misconstrue less overt acts of abuse, such as shoving or poking, as “love taps” or charge verbal beatings to the abuser’s personality. But for students who recognize these acts as abuse, they are finding it difficult to tell anyone. Why?

“

Just because an act of abuse does not result in physical harm does not make it any less abusive than an act that would.

Most students, especially those living on campus, don’t have a support system anymore, which is usually comprised of family and friends. Consequently, communication about this issue is quietly swept under rugs. So what can we do about this?

We, as a student body, must become the support system away from home. We are the keepers of each other, especially while we are on campus. Do not be leery of contacting Georgia State Police, Georgia State Counseling Center or Georgia State Health Clinic if you witness or suspect a friend is being abused. They are part of our support system. While $10 bouquets of roses and sweet treats make nice Valentine’s Day gifts, try giving the gift of support.

Watching idiots has become a national pastime

F TERRY HARLIN Columnist Terry Harlin is a social studies teacher in Gwinnett County.

Born about a mile from campus, Harlin is back to his native ground, pursuing a graduate degree. He plays drums, DJs and pontificates.

rom the “Three Stooges” to “Honey Boo Boo”, the antics of the cerebrally challenged hold a certain lure for most Americans. Through snubbing fictional lunacy or the latest reality TV offerings, even staid intellectuals occasionally feel the impulse to celebrate the come-uppance of a fool who shamelessly parades his or her folly. Some professors refer to these celebrations as a “seminar.”

To the unbridled glee of a billion spectators, the internet provides the video-recorded opiate for these ever more addicted masses. Who is the latest viral buffoon?

Meet 18-year-old Penelope. Appearing in a Miami courtroom for Xanax possession, her constant hair fondling, fidgety facial expressions and untimely giddiness leads the judge to question if she is on drugs. Theatrically reacting as if he had propositioned her, she claims sobriety.

When dismissed, Penelope lightheartedly leans towards the obviously Hispanic judge to say “adios” in her own elusive accent.

Then odd turned to bizarre as His Honor summons

“

We laugh in the comforting notion that justice is occasionally served to morons.

her back to double bail to $10,000. Penelope’s dismay overrides what tiny portion of prefrontal cortex is functioning and imprudently stimulates the simultaneous ascension of her middle finger and utterance of the “fword.” The judge patiently beckons her and sentences her to 30 days in jail for contempt of court.

Penelope’s subsequent court appearance certainly lacked the entertainment value of the first and will prove a poor sequel in terms of YouTube hits. Presumably she learned her lessons – don’t play in court and don’t mess with the judge. But few of us prove as inclined to witness the lessons learned as we are to gawk at the schooling process. Watching some prissy, silly dope-head who likens her jewelry to rapper Rick Ross, get taught how to behave compensates for having to deal with her capricious

The Weakly Comic by william miracle

ilk in traffic or at the club, in the ladies’ room and even in class. We laugh in the comforting notion that justice is occasionally served to morons.

But what happens when we are the morons? What happens when some judge doubles our bail because he didn’t like our “goodbye?” Should we suffer in jail instead of four weeks of class because we tell someone off? Judges must maintain order, but under what perverted interpretation of the founding fathers’ words did members of the lowest branch of government reach such exalted heights that they should arbitrarily rob someone of their liberty over an insult?

Forget the annoying Penelope. Think of the jerk who spills beer on everyone at parties and cheats his way into law school. Seven years after graduation, his name on the ballot for State Court judge proves a percentage point more familiar because of the number of his yard signs.

Eight months later, you stand innocent before his hungover majesty, as he ignores your attorney and responds to your protests by jailing you for a week.

So until we rein in our men and women in the black robes, judge not lest ye be judged.

guest column

Tax season: protect your identity

I

t’s that time of year again- love is in the air and romance is abound during…you guessed it, tax season! Many adults moan and groan when they think of this, but for us college students, it should be a smooth and quick process.

A big misconception about taxes is that they are costly to file and it takes an accountant or a place like Liberty Tax to complete them. This idea couldn’t be farther from the truth.

For a majority of college students with one or two part time jobs, filing your taxes couldn’t be easier—but it could be very dangerous.

Your W-2 form has most of your personal information including your social security number. Since most W-2s are given as a hard copy to employees, it is important that you keep yours safe until you file your taxes.

This can be difficult with multiple jobs. So the first tip is to try and file as soon as you get all of your W-2s.

Another useful tip is to always be aware of your online security. Keep your firewalls and anti-virus software up to date, especially if you use websites like TurboTax to file your taxes online. Just think what could happen if someone could access all the forms you’ve entered online. Not only could they steal your identity but they could put you at risk for tax evasion or worse if they were to alter your tax information.

If you want to go the extra mile, you can even save your completed tax return to a flash drive or disc and then delete the information from your computer.

So now that you know how to do it safely, filing your Federal and State returns should be simple. I use TurboTax free edition and it takes about 20 minutes. That’s with four W-2s to handle.

For the state return for Georgia, you can either pay a website like TurboTax about $25 to do it, or you could go and fill out the 500EZ form, print it out, and send it in the mail. This option is essentially free, but I find it much more convenient to just let the online tax software file both Federal and State together. Another thing to note is that since at our age, taxes are so simple, there is no reason to pay a dime for filing federal taxes! The free versions of software out there do more than enough for the small amount of deductions you can take.

One last important tip though: if you choose to pay for an online service, do not let them deduct the price out of your tax refund. There is a $30 fee in most states for doing this, compared to no fee for just paying with your credit card.

Hopefully by following these tips you can be safer during this time and protect your identity.

Now hiring

columnists

You’ve got the opinion.

We’ve got the soapbox.

Mitchell Oliver is an Eagle Scout studying Finance at GSU and hopes to one day become a top financial consultant or financial adviser His influences for writing include Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner of Freakonomics fame.

Follow him @madmoneyATL.

SPORTS

www.georgiastatesignal.com

Track and field

THROW OUT

THE (OLD) RECORD BOOKS DAVID NORWOOD II Staff Reporter

K This is a weight similar to what Henderson throws during competition. It weighs 25 pounds. Here are several other things that weigh about 25 pounds. Imagine being able to throw each one of these items over 50 feet, which is how far Henderson has thrown the weight in recent competitions.

• a 2-year-old toddler • a small dog • 10 feet of metal chain • a 19-inch flat screen television • 3 one-gallon jugs of water • about 4,500 U.S. pennies • five MacBook computers

Favorite artists: Drake, The Weeknd and Taylor Swift

Favorite genres of music: Rap, R&B and Pop

Favorite saxophonists: Charlie Parker and Duke Ellington.

Favorite song: “A Sentimental Mood” by Duke Ellington & John Coltrane

Celebrity she’d like to meet: GEORGIA STATE ATHLETICS

Alicia Keys

esean Henderson, a senior thrower on the women’s track and field team, uses her strength to hurl weights through the air at a record pace while using her touch and feel to make sweet music off the track.

Henderson has been playing saxophone since the fifth grade (several years before she picked up her first track and field weight) and enjoys the relaxing effects of the instrument.

“I enjoy sports more than playing the saxophone,” Henderson said. “I play the sax when I need to relax.”

While Henderson has a predilection for playing sports over playing the saxophone, she still manages to make music apart of her sports life.

One might think jazz would be plentiful on Henderson’s pre-meet playlist, but that is not the case.

“I definitely love listening to jazz, but it’s a little too slow to listen to before track meets,” Henderson said. “I need to play stuff that will get me hyped and get me going- like upbeat 2 Chainz. The music makes no sense. The beats are so catchy, you have to start dancing to them.”

Even though athletics brought Henderson to Georgia State, her passion for music started long before she ever threw a weight.

She joined the band in fifth grade and eventually joined any group that would afford her the opportunity to hone saxophone craft; from jazz ensembles to symphonic and concerts bands.

As Henderson got older, her extracurricular activities expanded to the world of sports.

She joined the basketball team in middle school and later tried shot putting in high school, where she excelled mightily.

Henderson graduated from Decatur High School in 2009 and committed to Georgia State, despite having an offer from Andrew College to play basketball.

Women’s track head coach Chris England immediately took notice of Henderson’s commitment on the track and her preparation.

“Whether she’s at practice in pouring rain, the sun beating on her or in frigid temperatures, she’s always putting her best effort,” England said. “She’s always going the extra bit”.

England also acknowledged the importance of assistant coach Travis Coleman on Henderson’s development as a thrower -- an impact not lost on Henderson as well.

“He just pushed me farther than my other coaches did and had me start thinking I could go to the Olympics,” Henderson said.

Henderson also credits her teammates for her strong performances.

The relaxed environment her teammates help create is key for Henderson’s preparation for throwing.

“If I’m just goofing off, relaxed, I’ll throw well,” Henderson said. “If I’m tense, thinking about it a lot, it’ll be a horrible day .”

When Henderson first broke the Georgia State school weight throw record during the UAB track meet earlier this season, she didn’t allow it to make her complacent while still competing.

“I actually thought I only threw it 14 meters, but it was 15.03 meters”, Henderson said. “I got excited but I couldn’t show it because I was still competing. I got excited with my teammates afterwards. On the inside I was pretty happy about it.”

While Henderson’s swan song at Georgia State is only months away, she still has several lengthy goals that she would like to accomplish.

“For the indoor conference I want to be in top five [weight] and for the outdoor I want to place top five for the hammer,” Henderson said. “I want to get 55 feet in the weight. I currently throw 49. It’s a heave, but I can get it. *Interview was done on Jan. 29, 2013. On Feb. 9 , in Birmingham, Ala., Henderson broke her own school record in the weight throw with a toss of 15.56m (51’ 0.75”).

COME MEET ALUMNI AT OUR INFORMATION SEMINAR LILIAN SARFATI, MD ’12

Family Medicine Resident

DECISIVE. RESILIENT. COMPASSIONATE. THE DEFINITION OF A ROSS GRADUATE. Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) provides clinical rotations at teaching hospitals across the US.

Register at RossU.edu or scan the QR code.

GRAND HYATT ATLANTA IN BUCKHEAD

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2013 • 2 PM

Speak with alumni and our admissions staff. Bring your family and friends who are helping you make this important decision; refreshments will be provided.

Our graduates have attained more US residencies than those of any other medical school in the last five years.

RUSM is eligible to participate in the US Federal Direct Loan Program; financial aid and scholarships are available to those who qualify.

For comprehensive consumer information visit www.RossU.edu/med-student-consumer-info 2013 Global Education International.

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1/14/13 1:26 PM

13A

SPORTS

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2013

For the love of the sport Sports hold a special place in the hearts of players and coaches

L

ove, and at times sports, can be a complicated business.

Things like desire, loyalty, and dedication are all put to the test on a daily basis in the fields of play, both love and game.

Even in an age when players often seem to care more about their Twitter hits than their batting average, it’s refreshing to find that some athletes are simply in it for the love of the game.

Some, such as junior tennis player Thomas Cook, are fans of the individualized nature of certain sports.

“I really love that it’s just you out there,” Cook said. “It’s a very individual sport, so it’s all up to you; how you want to play, everything.”

Men’s golf coach Joe Inman loves golf because it is an individual sport; as well as for the intestinal fortitude one needs to do well on the links.

“It is so unbelievably difficult, and that’s what I love the most, because I know if it’s that hard, a lot of people are going to quit,” Inman said. “If the game was easy, everybody would be good at it. I love that it’s difficult. I love that it takes perseverance. It takes integrity.

It takes everything you want to build in character in someone in the world.”

For team sport athletes, like junior volleyball player Emily Averbeck, the love of the game can extend to togetherness with one’s teammates.

“What I love most is the fact that I’m with my family all the time,” Averbeck said. “My girls, they’re everything. It’s a team sport, so we rely on each other all the time.”

’s e in es t n ish e l Va ay w D

For many athletes, a relationship with their sport does not simply happen overnight, but is a lifelong journey towards happiness.

“I started when I was four,” Cook said. “I was playing baseball, soccer, and tennis at the same time. My dad made me pick one, he gave me the choice to pick one and I knew I enjoyed tennis the most.”

One can flirt around with several different single people before finally finding “the one.”

Coach Inman also tried out several sports as a child before settling on golf.

“I’ve had a golf club in my hand since I was two or three years old,” Inman said. “But I really didn’t focus on it until I was probably thirteen or fourteen. I couldn’t hit a curveball. I wanted to play baseball. I wore glasses and when they threw an actual curveball, I just couldn’t do it. In golf, you don’t have to be big, you don’t have to be fast, and you don’t have to be strong.

You’ve just got to be smart.”

As much as athletes love the games they play, there are some aspects of their sports they wish they could fix.

“We only have a certain amount of subs and in a five set match that we have to play, it’s not enough for us,” Averbeck said. “There are certain situations where we want a certain individual on the court, and if you run out of subs, you can’t do that. So, I would say more subbing.”

All in all, small problems and eccentricities will not be enough to deter an athlete or a coach from being passionate about the sports they love and maintaining their desire to win.

And on Feb. 14 many athletes and coaches have found their Valentines—the sports they play for the love of the game.

“You’re the love of my life, don’t change. Keep being difficult. That’s what’s fun. It keeps the riff-raff out.”

-Joe Inman

“Thanks for always being in my heart and for being the one thing that I’ve loved consistently for many, many years.”

-Emily Averbeck

Kevin Love is a power forward for the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves and two-time NBA Allstar. He holds the post ABA-NBA merger record for most consecutive double-doubles with 53.

Joe Hart is the keeper for the English national team and the English Premier League’s Manchester

City F.C.. He started all 38 league games in goal for Man City last season and helped them secure their first league title since 1968.

Brandon Flowers is a starting cornerback for the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs. In his five seasons in the league he has recorded 16 interceptions and scored three touchdowns.

Pete Rose is MLB’s all-time leader in hits and games played. He was named to 17 all-star teams, won three World Series titles, was named the NL MVP in 1973, and the World Series MVP in 1975.

ȥȥBienvenidos a Atlanta

golf profile

Maria Palacios brings her dream to Georgia State HUNTER BISHOP Associate Sports Editor

F

Maria Palacios brings a Spanish flavor to Georgia State.

“I’d like to thank the sport of tennis for being in my life for seventeen years.”

-Thomas Cook

Valentine’s Day-themed player names

ȥȥ

AKIEM BAILUM Staff Reporter

GEORGIA STATE ATHLETICS

or the most part, golfers come in two flavors: they’re either artists relying on their natural feel and touch on the course, or they’re engineers building their swings piece by piece on the driving range based on commonly accepted swing mechanics.

Maria Palacios, a junior from Castellon, Spain, is definitely the former, having a strong sense for the actual game of golf, while eschewing the more technical side of the sport.

“Yeah, I’m more like my feelings,” Palacios said. “I don’t know really know how golfing works; I like to play by feeling.”

Her focus on the game pushed her from Spain to West Texas College and a stellar junior college career.

She placed first in regionals, sixth in nationals and fourth in the junior college rankings for the 2011-2012 season.

Palacios transferred to Georgia State in the fall of 2012 and finished the four-tournament fall slate with a stroke average of 76, including an 11th place finish in her Georgia State debut at the Cardinal Cup in Louisville, Ky..

She chose Georgia State over several other schools such as the University of Nebraska, taking special notice of the weather and the atmosphere that Atlanta provides.

“I was looking at the University of Nebraska and I said it’s too cold up there,” Palacios said. “[Atlanta’s] weather is good. Atlanta is a pretty important city, I think. And it’s big, and the weathers great.”

But, for Palacios, the advantages don’t stop at athletics.

“In Spain, if you want to study and play a sport, no-

body does that, it’s really hard,” Palacios said. “We don’t have schools like this, where we can play sport. And I wanted to have something. My dad was saying, you need to have a career to fall back on, if you want to play, because if you get injured you have nothing.”

Her ambitions stretch beyond the collegiate level, however, hopefully landing squarely in the fairways and greens of the pro tours back home in Spain and the rest of Europe.

“I want to turn pro,” Palacios said. “I want to go back to Spain and start over there, because I guess it’s easier if you start on the European Tour.

You travel around Europe, but it’s home. I would like to come here, sometime, but at the beginning, first in Europe.”

The women’s golf team hits the links for the first time this spring on Sunday, Feb. 10 at the UCF Challenge in Sorrento, Fla..

14A Player ofOf theTheweek PANTHER Week

SPORTS

Sports Calendar Wed., Feb. 13 MBB Hofstra* GSU Sports Arena 7:00 P.M.

GEORGIA STATE ATHLETICS

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

KENDRA LONG Kendra Long, a junior from Atlanta, Ga., contributed 11 points and four steals in Georgia State’s 57-52 victory over William & Mary on Thursday, Feb. 7, to help the Panthers secure their first home win since Dec. 29, 2012.

She also added 18 points on seven of 15 shooting from the field on Sunday, Feb. 10, in a 59-72 defeat at the hands of CAA foe Hofstra.

Long, the only Panther in school history to have back-to-back seasons of 50 or more threepoint baskets, connected four times from beyond the arc on Sunday.

Long, a speech major, is averaging 10.2 points per game this season and has never missed a contest in her three years of service at Georgia State.

Thu., Feb. 14 WBB Towson* GSU Sports Arena 7:00 P.M. Fri., Feb. 15 MTEN ETSU At Johnson City, Tenn.

11:00 A.M. Fri., Feb. 15 BSB Butler GSU Baseball Complex 4:00 P.M. Sat., Feb. 16 MTEN Nebraska At Johnson City, Tenn.

10:00 A.M. Sat., Feb. 16 WTEN UCF

Five qs with... *CONFERENCE GAMES

At Tallahassee, Fla. 12:00 P.M. Sat., Feb. 16 SB Northern Kentucky and Presbyterian College Robert E. Heck Softball Complex 3:00 P.M. and 5:30 P.M. Sat., Feb. 16 BSB Butler GSU Baseball Complex 1 :00 P.M. Sat., Feb. 16 MBB George Mason* At Fairfax, Va. 4:00 P.M. Sun., Feb. 17 SB Northern Kentucky and Oakland Robert E. Heck Softball Complex 12:30 P.M. and 3:00 P.M.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY12, 2013

Chirs Locandro YEAR: Junior Major: neuroscience From: Kennesaw, Ga. Sport: Soccer

Sun., Feb. 17 BSB Butler GSU Baseball Complex 1:00 P.M. Sun., Feb. 17 WTEN Florida State At Tallahassee, Fla. 1:00 P.M. Sun., Feb. 17 WBB UNCW* At Wilmington, N.C. 1:00 P.M.

GEORGIA STATE ATHLETICS

Homecoming

“I wanted to be closer to home. I was also interested in doing some research because I’m a neuroscience major and the school I was previously at (Colgate) there weren’t really any opportunities for that.”

Expectations

“I think two years ago I played a little better than I did last year, so get back to that. I was great on offense-consistent, and I really didn’t make many mistakes on defense.”

Toughest players to defend

Mon., Feb. 18 MGLF Wexford Plantation Intercollegiate At Hilton Head, S.C. All Day

“The more agile, the better he is with his feet, that can throw me off. Usually I can handle the size. The ones that get me are the guys that are tricky with their feet.”

Mon., Feb. 18 MBB William & Mary* At Williamsburg, Va. 7:00 P.M.

Famous encounter

Funniest teammate

“Tyler [Prince]. He isn’t funny himself, he isn’t a comedic person.

But just the way he acts, it’s funny to watch and he’s just a goofball basically.”

“About five days ago I was eating in Midtown and I ate next to Rampage Jackson (mixed martial artist and actor). I didn’t say anything to him, but I thought that was really cool.”

To find out what Chris eats before the big game and what he wants more of on the soccer pitch, visit www.georgiastatesignal.com.

THE

SIGNAL Our new website is finally here.

Go to

www.georgiastatesignal.com

and check it out

And let us know what you think! facebook.com/gsusignal twitter.com/gsusignal

Courtyard Music Series.jpg

Cinefest Film Theatre

http://www.gsu.edu/studentcenter Styles

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http://www.gsu.edu/cinefest

Georgia State University uLearn

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WHATʼS HAPPENING ON CAMPUS!

Facebook

cinefest movie times

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Twitter Twitter

All shows free for GSU students, faculty and staff with ID. Guests $3 before 5 p.m. and $5 at 5 p.m. and after.

February 11-17

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Detropia

Monday-Friday: 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m., 7 p.m., 9 p.m.

Saturday-Sunday: 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m., 7 p.m.

Supported by Student Activity Fees

For details, visit www.gsu.edu/cinefest.

Campus Events Styles

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SPOTLIGHT PROGRAMS BOARD www.gsu.edu/spotlight

Spotlight Programs Board 2013-14 Applications Now Available!

President and Vice President Applications are due Thursday, February 14, by 4 p.m. Committee Director Applications for Concerts, Graphic Design, Membership, Panther Prowl, Public Relations, Special Events and Traditions are due Monday, February 25 by 4 p.m. All applications are available in 380 Student Center.

Soul Food Cypher

Wednesday, February 13, 7-9 p.m.

470 University Center

From your brain, through your mouth, to the masses.

Express yourself to the beat. Light refreshments will be served.

Spotlight Programs Board in Unity Plaza Thursday, February 14, Noon-1 p.m., Unity Plaza Celebrate Valentineʼs Day with Spotlight Programs Board.

Panther Prowl: Atlantis

Friday, February 15, 8 p.m.-1 a.m.

Student Center Ballroom

Come along and ride on a fantastic voyage to the lost city of "Atlantis." Set sail with Spotlight for an evening filled with face painters, magicians, casino games and more. There will be free food and a build-a-bear station (one per GSU student), while supplies last.

Admission is free for GSU students with a valid Panther ID and $3 for guests ages 10 and up (three guests per GSU student only). We look forward to welcoming you aboard.

Love Doctor

Friday, February 22, 8 p.m.-1 a.m.

Student Center, Speakerʼs Auditorium

Are you having relationship problems? Do you need better pick-up lines? Come to an open session with David Coleman, the real love doctor! Coleman is known worldwide as The Dating Doctor. He has been honoured 13 times as the National Speaker of the Year — 10 times by Campus Activities Magazine and three times by the National Association for Campus Activities — and he was honoured as the 2011 National Entertainer of the Year. He is a highly sought after speaker, author, entertainer and radio and television personality. Donʼt miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to solve all of your relationship woes! There will be a reception afterwards to mingle and enjoy light refreshment.

For more information, call Spotlight at 404-413-1610.

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CAMPUS EVENTS

www.gsu.edu/studentevents

DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER SERIES: Dr. Drew Pinsky Thursday, February 14, 3 p.m.

Student Center Ballroom • FREE

Campus Eventsʼ 2012-13 Distinguished Speaker Series will feature Dr. Drew Pinsky, aka Dr. Drew.

Pinksy stars in Celebrity Rehab and hosts the popular radio show Loveline and the hit HLN TV show Dr. Drew on Call. He is currently working on a new book, Recovering Intimacy. The event will take place in the Student Center Ballroom (overflow seating will be in the Speakerʼs Auditorium). The Distinguished Speaker Series events are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Campus Events at 404-413-1857.

GSU Night at the Aquarium

Friday, February 15, 6-11 p.m., Georgia Aquarium

All Georgia State University students, faculty, staff, alumni and their families and friends are invited to GSU Night at the Aquarium on Friday, February 15. An entry ticket to the Georgia Aquarium will include access to Deepoʼs Undersea 3D Wondershow Theater and Frogs, A Chorus of Colors; no additional ticket purchase is required. Also, there will be one viewing of the AT&T Dolphin Tales show, with seating beginning at 7 p.m. and the show beginning promptly at 7:30 p.m. (additional ticket purchase is required and only 1,600 tickets are available).

Ticket prices are the same for students and non-students and are as follows:

February 8 until 4 p.m., February 15 (or until sold out, whichever comes first): $16 – Aquarium entry only

•

$26 – Aquarium entry with Dolphin Tales ticket

Ticket sales are not restricted to persons affiliated with GSU. Tickets can only be purchased in person at Campus Tickets (open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday – Friday) in the University Center. More information about this event can be found at the Campus Events website at www.gsu.edu/studentevents or by contacting Campus Events Special Events Director Jeunice Owens-Walton at cespecialevents@gmail.com.

Campus Events in Library Plaza

Tuesday, February 19, Noon-1 p.m., Library Plaza Black History Month Celebration

Open Mic Night

Wednesday, February 20, 7-9 p.m.

Courtyard Stage, Student Center, First Floor

Whether itʼs poetry, comedy, playing an instrument or singing your heart out, any and every talent is welcome in our show! Cash prizes will be given for the top three GSU student winners. If you are interested in performing, stop by Campus Events in 370 Student Center to apply or visit our Facebook Page.

Campus MovieFest Finale Thursday, February 28 Doors open at 7 p.m.

Show starts at 7:30 p.m.

Rialto Center for the Arts

GSU students had five days to write, direct, shoot and edit a short film. Now we reveal the best of the best. Come to this red-carpet finale event, dressed in your best style.

Top winners will be announced from Georgia State University, and they will advance to the CMF Grand Finale in Hollywood, California, in June 2013. This event is a collaborative effort between Campus Events, Spotlight Programs Board, GSTV, the Student Government Association, the Residence Hall Association (RHA) and the Rialto Center for the Arts.