Vol 81 No. 28 | April 15 - April 21, 2014

APRIL 15 - APRIL 21, 2014

VOL. 81 | NO. 28

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green lane project People for Bikes advocates for cycle lanes to increase safety for bicyclists

Disturbing allegations shatter integrity of the men’s tennis program

News | 4

Double

It’s money month The Signal’s money guy gives you tips for a healthy financial diet

Fault

Opinions |8

Read the details that led to the dismissal of two men’s tennis coaches

DAY & Night Turntablist

Page 20 & 22

DJ Roco wins first place at the Project X DJ competition

A&L | 14

Signal Exclusive: Q&A with Levick, PT 2 Athletic Director Cheryl Levick discusses football, basketball and Panthersville

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY CANDRA UMUNNA | THE SIGNAL

DAILY NEWS AT WWW.GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

Sports | 21 News 3

Opinions 7

Arts & Living 11

Sports 20

2

NEWS

last week...

Local Third floor chemical spill at Georgia

State’s Natural Science Center Four Georgia State employees were transported to Grady Memorial after being exposed to a chemical spill at the university’s Natural Science Center on Thursday, April 10. Andrea Jones, Associate Vice President and Spokesperson for Public Relations said that one of the employees had respiratory issues due to the exposure. She also said that the four employees felt dizzy when they were transported to the hospital. There have been no further details released about the spill.

National Growing and implanting

reproductive organs Scientists from the U.S., Switzerland and Mexico grew reproductive organs and nasal cartilage and successfully implanted them into patients through tissue engineering, according to CNN. To do this, scientists create a 3-D scaffold that resembles the pa-

TUESDAY APRIL 15, 2014

blotter

tient’s missing organ(s), and then proceed to take small sections of muscle and tissue from the individual to extract cells. The cells then grow on 3-D scaffolds outside of the body for a few weeks and are implanted into the patient when the process has completed. Researchers hope to expand and broaden the currently small pilot studies at a later time.

April 7

stolen. The case is being handled by investigations.

A student stated she left her purse unattended and returned to find her belongings had been stolen. A report was filed for theft and the case is being handled by investigations.

University Center

Library North

april 8

Global World’s second-largest economy

Rec Center

slowing down China’s exports fell by 6.6 percent and imports dropped by 11.3 percent in March, according to BBC News.

This has led to recent indicators pointing to a slowdown of the world’s second-largest economy. BBC also reported that analysts were expecting an increase in both imports and exports in March, but the decrease will add to the country’s concern about the economy, which has shown signs of weakness from poor data in the manufacturing and retail sectors.

A Non-Georgia State affiliate who had received a prior notice for trespassing was observed on the property. Officers made contact and the individual was arrested, processed and transported to Fulton County Jail.

Library North

A report was filed for theft. A student said he left his wallet unattended for approximately 30 seconds and returned to discover his wallet had been

Officers made contact with a male who was loitering in the building. A report was filed for a criminal trespassing warning. The individual was issued a criminal trespassing warning and escorted off the property.

april 9

University Center

A student stated he gave an unknown male his debit card and pin number to deposit money orders. He later found money had been stolen from his account. A report was filed for theft and fraud; the case is being handled by investigations.

calls. A report was filed for harassing phone calls. The case is being handled by investigations.

April 10

Decatur St. SE

A report was filed for suspicious activity. A Georgia State officer questioned a male loitering near a trash can fire. The male was detained and later released. The case is being handled by investigations.

G Parking Deck

A Georgia State staff member stated her front side light had been stolen from her vehicle. A report was filed for theft and the case is being handled by investigations

Haas Howell Bldg.

A Georgia State staff member stated she was receiving unwanted phone

Photo of the week PHOTO BY ALLYSON BUSCH | THE SIGNAL Wuxtry Records in Decatur has been open for business since 1978.

THE SIGNAL

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NEWS

www.georgiastatesignal.com/news

Sports Arena classrooms and facilities said to be outdated and lacking space

PHOTO BY CANDRA UMUNNA | THE SIGNAL LAUREN BOOKER Associate News Editor

D

r. Jacalyn Lund, department chair for the Department of Kinesiology and Health, has raised concerns about the lack of health classroom space in the Sports Arena for the Department of Kinesiology.

Lund said the exercise science major has grown over the past several years but faces a lack of classroom space.

“We now have over 800 undergraduate majors. Our space allocation in the Sports Arena is inadequate,” Lund said. “We have submitted space requests for new areas but to date have not been successful in securing new activity areas. This lack of space also means that we are unable to offer an activity program for students at Georgia State, unlike many universities around the nation.”

The Department of Kinesiology and Health has five different programs, including health and physical education, exercise science, sports administration, sports medicine and kinesiology.

Lund said that the Department has two labs for biomechanics and exercise physiology and one lab for sports medicine. She added there is only one classroom and one gymnasium type of space in the building.

The Sports Arena has been a multipurpose facility since 1973 and held sporting events for the Summer Olympics in 1996. Since then, the space has served multiple roles as a stadium, classroom building and office space.

“Our lack of space means that we must be creative with our use of space when scheduling classes and there are times when we want to schedule more classes but can-

not,” Lund said.

The Department of Kinesiology and Health is a part of the College of Education. There are more than 1,200 students enrolled in the College of Education.

For the fiscal year 2014, the College of Education received $28,127 from Student Activity Fees Committee funds.

In all, there are 45 organizations under the College of Education’s sphere.

Some of the funds were given to the Department of Kinesiology and Health’s three organizations (MUSCLES, Panther Athletic Training Student Organization and the Sports Management and Administration Club) and a chartered organization (Health and Physical Education Club). The organizations were collectively approved for $4,376.72.

Jloani Robinson, a sports administration masters student, said the Sports Arena facility is a lot older than the buildings he has seen.

“It’s been here for years. In this day and age with the ways to pursue the new, the best, it’s an arms race. You know ‘keeping up with the Joneses’, which is even in recruiting,” Robinson said. “Athletes want to see facilities that are up to date. That’s nice, brand new and shiny. They haven’t really done that since I have been in Atlanta. I have been in Atlanta for like 10 years now, and it’s basically still the same.”

Robinson said that he has feels as though the technology in the Sports Arena facility is adequate.

“I guess you can do a better job at replacing or updating ever so often, but when you are operating on a certain budget, you have to be realistic. It all depends on what Dr. Lund wants to do. As far as where she wants the money to go, whether it’s for research or

updating equipment,” he said.

Robinson added that he understands why the space hasn’t been expanded.

“I get why they can’t do it because you are in a city. The only way you build is to build up. You can’t really expand anywhere else because of properties. Everything is so tight and Georgia State might not own a building a block from here. So, it’s pretty understandable,” Robinson said.

Nichole Ransom, another sports administration masters student, said that the Sports Arena facility is outdated.

“They are more like high school classrooms. We have technology and the boards and stuff are great. It could all be better.

Like the Sports Arena could be updated, but that all comes with money,” Ranson said.

She added that she wishes all her classes were in the Sports Arena facility.

“I wish so because we won’t have to go all over campus. But we have to come here anyway to see our advisers and some of the GAs are here,” Ranson said. “So, that would be very good to have to just go down the stairs or go across the hall to get to class. It would benefit everyone.”

Masters student Daphne Adebayo has some personal recommendations for the facility and its equipment.

“I think that they are really good classrooms. The only complaint that I have is that they get a little hot,” Adebayo said.

“I would like bigger desks.

I am six [feet] one [inches tall] and that’s a problem that I can barely fit into those desks,” he continued. “I feel like if we got bigger desks or maybe new desks or more stable desks, that would be good.”

PHOTO BY LAUREN BOOKER| THE SIGNAL The Biomechanics Laboratory displays memorabilia from the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.

PHOTO BY LAUREN BOOKER| THE SIGNAL First Aid labs are sometimes held in the Arena’s practice courts.

PHOTO BY LAUREN BOOKER| THE SIGNAL Applied Physiology Laboratory is one of the Department of Kinesiology and Health’s three labs.

NEWS

4

TUESDAY APRIL 15, 2014

University

New bike lanes planned for Downtown CLEO DURHAM Staff Reporter

I

t is common to see people on bikes weaving through traffic on campus. If cyclists do not maneuver around cars on the street, they must navigate their way down a crowded sidewalk to get to their destination. Downtown Atlanta’s bike lane system is still developing, but more often than not, cyclists share bustling roads and sidewalks with other travelers, which can be dangerous for the cyclist.

A bike advocacy group, People for Bikes, seeks to change this with the introduction of protected lanes, also called cycle tracks, in the city through the Green Lanes Project.

People for Bikes has selected Atlanta to be a part of the next installment in the Green Lane Project, which will include two cycle tracks that will directly serve Georgia State, according to Interim Assistant Director of Planning Jonathan Lewis who works in the Transportation Department for the City of Atlanta.

With Georgia State’s campus intertwined with the city of Atlanta, the new bike lanes are intended to make cycling a safer option for students and staff who bicycle to, from and around campus.

“There’s one planned on Peachtree Center Avenue that would run north-south. There is one planned for John Portman Boulevard that would run east-west. So with the combination of those two, Georgia State students would have a protected bike facility,” Lewis said.

By the year 2016, Atlanta seeks to double the percentage of workers who commute via bike from 1.1 percent to 2.2 percent. The city of Atlanta also wants to double the number of miles of high-quality bicycle lanes and facilities from 30 to 60 miles, according to a press re-

People for Bikes will install bike lanes on Peachtree Center Avenue and John Portman Boulevard. lease from the city of Atlanta.

Georgia State religious studies Professor Molly Bassett rides her bike regularly to and throughout campus. She said while she feels safer than some cyclists in Atlanta, it is generally unsafe to ride a bike in the city.

“Protected bike lanes would be fantastic and I think it would encourage a lot more people to ride,” Bassett said.

The number of people riding bikes in Atlanta has increased almost 400 percent from 2000 to 2009, according to the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition, another advocacy organization.

However, without proper infrastructure to cater specifically to the rising number of cyclists, it is not always the safest mode of transportation.

The number of cycling fatalities in Georgia increased from 19 deaths in 2012 to 26 deaths in 2013, according to the Georgia Department of Traffic and the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety.

The Green Lane Project facilitates the construction of protected lanes, which are different from traditional bike lanes since they are separated from traffic and the rest of the street with the use of curbs, planters, parked cars and posts, according to People for Bikes website.

“Protected bike lanes bring predictability and order to busy streets: drivers like knowing where to expect riders, and pedestrians report fewer bikes on the sidewalk,” according to the organization’s website.

Sophomore Kris Bridges said he rides his bike to class and off cam-

PHOTO BY AFI CAKPO | THE SIGNAL

pus to places like Centennial Olympic Park and Little Five Points, but he is not in favor of the protected bike lanes.

“All I can think of is the frivolous construction and taking up space on Atlanta’s already narrow streets. I love riding my bike, but I don’t think the bike lanes are a good idea,” Bridges said.

He said that if cyclists can’t keep up with cars on the street, they should ride on the sidewalk.

People for Bikes ultimately chose Atlanta as a participant in the Green Lane Project for two reasons, Lewis said.

“They see a lot of momentum in the 15 projects that we have. They also cited the strong partnership between the city and some of our sister organizations like the Atlanta Beltline and the Atlanta Bicycle Co-

alition. They really liked how the not-for-profit sector was working closely with the city,” Lewis said.

The Green Lane Project is one of the ways People for Bikes promotes its larger initiative of advocating bicycling.

People for Bikes works directly with Congress members to lobby reform on the topic of cycling. Also, through the Community Grant Program, the organization funds bicycling projects in cities throughout the U.S., according to the People for Bikes website.

The other cities selected for the Green Lane Project include Boston, Ma., Denver, Co., Indianapolis, In., Pittsburgh, Pa. and Seattle, Wa..

The project will kick off with a press conference in Indianapolis, In. at the end of April.

State

Brazilian students joining STEM programs at Georgia universities CIARA FRISBIE

Associate News Editor

T

he Atlanta Regional Education Consortium (AREC) on March 31 hosted over 125 students from the Brazil’s Scientific Mobility Program (BSMP) to join STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) programs at colleges and universities in Georgia.

Fulton County’s Chairman Dr. John Eaves and Dr. Jun Liu, Georgia State’s Associate Provost for international initiatives, co-hosted the AREC. “Monday’s meet and greet served as an opportunity for all of the program’s students who are currently studying in Atlanta to network with one another, as well as admission counselors from Atlanta-area colleges and universities that do not have an IEP program,” stated the office of International Initiatives.

Dr. Liu said that AREC’s welcome reception was a wonder-

ful opportunity for individuals at Georgia State to meet Brazilian students and for those students to meet each other.

“The energy in the room was excellent, and I think all of the students were excited to learn about Atlanta’s many colleges and universities,” Dr. Liu said.

The Brazilian students at the event currently attend various universities within Georgia such as Kennesaw State, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, the University of Georgia, Mercer and Oglethorpe, according to Saporta Report Dr. Liu said that the focus of the event was on the 125 Brazilian students and their attendance.

Seventy-five staff and administrators from Atlanta-area colleges and universities also attended.

“The college program is the newest initiative in this ongoing relation. It’s part of Brazil’s effort to reduce a skills shortage in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math by sending students to noted universities around the world,” Saporta Report states.

Georgia State’s Office of Inter-

national Initiatives website also states that Atlanta BSMP students are enrolled in the pre-academic Intensive English Program (IEP) at the universities they currently attend.

Cheryl Delk-Le Good, director of IEP at Georgia, said that the amount of time it takes to complete the program depends on the level at which the students place when they first arrive.

“Students who place into the upper levels of a program may only need 1-2 semesters of pre-academic English prior to beginning an academic program,” she said in a statement. “Taking English courses concurrently with academic coursework is also an option at many institutions that have the resource available.”

As soon as the students complete all of their English proficiency requirements, they may apply to various fields in the University.

Dr. Liu also said that BSMP students play a crucial role as ambassadors between Brazil and the U.S. and within Atlanta, particularly at Georgia State.

“The students represent an important indicator of how strong Atlanta-Brazil ties are. We welcome the students to our campuses and hope they will make Atlanta their new home,” he said.

“We strongly encourage Georgia State students to get to know their BSMP classmates and to learn about Brazil’s culture, history, politics and more.”

Mayor Kasim Reed left on March 5 to Sao Paulo and Rio De Janerio, Brazil to lead a delegation of Atlanta-based companies and organization officials on a trademission.

Mayor Reed was joined by City Council President Caesar Mitchell and council members Keisha Bottoms, CT Martin and Kwanza Hall and Invest Atlanta President and CEO Brian McGowan, according to an official press release provided by The City of Atlanta’s official website.

“The objective of this trade mission to Brazil is threefold: help Atlanta-based companies position themselves in the Brazilian market; promote Atlanta to potential

investors; and increase Atlanta’s visibility on the global stage,” said Mayor Kasim Reed. “I am confident that this trade mission to Brazil will strengthen Atlanta’s position as an international economic capital, expand opportunities for our businesses and foster job creation.”

Mayor Reed’s trip was being supported by the Mayor’s Office of International Affairs, Invest Atlanta, Metro Atlanta Chamber and the Georgia Department of Economic Development, according to Saporta Report. Another supporter of the trip is the BrazilianAmerican Chamber of Commerce, Southeast U.S. “Brazil represents Georgia’s eighth-largest export market. In 2012, Georgia exported $1.01 billion in goods to Brazil. Brazil ranks second among Georgia’s Latin American investors based on total employment and total number of facilities,” Metro Atlanta Chamber stated.

TUESDAY, APRIL 15, 2014

NEWS

5

Fee funds increasing for Georgia State orgs.

JASMIN FIELDS Staff Reporter

T

he Student Activity Fee Committee (SAFC) decided to increase the amount of money allocated to all colleges and organizations in the University at their final budget meeting on April 4.

According to the SAFC budget, which compares the allocation of student fees from the original 2014 Fiscal Year (FY14) to the final allocation for the 2015 Fiscal Year (FY15), the total amount of fee allocation in FY14 within Georgia State was $2,597,333. For FY15, the amount has increased to $2,747,333.

“All of our money that we received is based on a head-count.

More money came into the budget than we had known of when we first allocated the funds,” said Dr. Rebecca Stout, associate vice president for Student Affairs and dean of students.

In FY14, the highest amount of SAFC’s reallocation was to the arts with an allocation of $272,742.

For FY15, the allocated amount was $284,292. The next highest allocation amount was $263,200 for the various colleges.

In FY15, the amount for the colleges increased to $286,470, maintaining it as the highest in the final SAFC budget.

The lowest amount of allocation for both FY14 and FY15 was in Sustainability Initiatives. The amount of allocation was $10,000.

As stated in the budget, the total amount of SAFC allocations for colleges is divided between all seven of the colleges and schools at Georgia State.

The money that is allocated to each college is used by the college and their charter organizations that are affiliated with them.

The money goes towards “travel, events and activities of that college and they are usually based on their mission. These activities are also open to all students,” Stout said.

The amount of money allocated for all colleges within the university has increased from the original SAFC budget in FY14 to the final SAFC budget in FY15.

The college that received the greatest amount of allocated funds was the College of Arts and Sciences for both fiscal years. The original amount was $123,352.

The final amount on the budget increased to $136,148.

According to Dr. Stout the College of Arts and Sciences received the most allocation because of the large number of students that were enrolled in the fall of 2013.

Nygel Jones, a sophomore and physics major, said he understands why the College of Arts and Sciences has the most money being allocated to it.

“When you have the College of Arts and Sciences where you have majors like biology, chemistry, and physics where constant research is going on and constant research is going on in every field but those are the major fields that a lot of people want to invest in... and requires a lot of money,” Jones said.

The college that received the least amount of allocated funds and increase was the School of Public Health.

The school had $1,708 reallocated to it in the FY14 budget which increased by $516 leading to a final amount of $2,224 allocated for FY15.

The fee allocations in the budget are broken down into different groups which include colleges, academic teams, arts and diversity. Other sections are the Honors College, International Student Association Council (ISAC) and media.

The fee allocations are further broken down into the Student Government Association, the Student Bar Association, UniversityWide and Sustainability Initiatives.

SAFC Contingency, money set aside that covers unforseen future expenses that are not included in the budget, and essential services without contingency are also included.

CHARTS BY JASMIN FIELDS | THE SIGNAL

ODS focuses on new technologies to help students with disabilities KIMBERLY CLUNIS Staff Reporter

T

his year the Office of Disability Services (ODS) decided to utilize new technology, including assistive software and hardware like Zoom Text and Wynn Wizard, to enhance campus life for students with disabilities.

This software can now be used at various locations around the University. These tools will be completely up-to-date by the end of April, according to the ODS spring 2014 newsletter.

Jordan Hall, a freshman philosophy major, is one of the many students who take advantage of some of the services offered by ODS. Hall was born with Cerebral Palsy (CP) and was diagnosed at 18 months old, but said her condition is one that does not define her.

“I’m not the girl in the wheelchair that happens to be named Jordan,” she said. “I’m Jordan who happens to be in a wheelchair.”

Hall said that a common misconception of her condition is that it is associated with a lack of cognitive development. She said that the form of CP she was diagnosed with only affects her muscle and physical movements.

“I used to walk in a walker, but as time progressed, it was just too painful, so the wheelchair has

been better for me,” Hall said.

Hall also said that since her disability only limits her movement, she mostly uses tools that help with test-taking and writing. She uses the Dragon Naturally Speaking software, one kind of software provided by the ODS, which converts voice to written text.

“I use the Dragon recorder on my computer to record my voice first, and then it transcribes what I say,” she said.

Along with voice-to-text software, ODS provides other various assistive software/hardware specific to certain disabilities.

Some software tools provided include Zoom Text, a software that enlarges everything on a computer screen for low-vision individuals. Jaws software outputs email, word processors and other content on computer screens to speakers for blind and visually impaired individuals.

Other software include Wynn Wizard, a tool for those who need reading and writing assistance that scans printed pages and turns them into electronic text and speech.

One popular hardware tool provided by ODS is the CCTV or closed-circuit television, according to Donna Hardaway, administrative secretary for the ODS. For individuals with visual impairments, this tool makes it easier to accomplish daily tasks. It does so by projecting a magnified image

like an article in a newspaper, or a photo of a loved one, or just a difficult crossword puzzle onto a TV screen for the individual to view clearly.

“It’s like the student’s personal projector,” Hardaway said.

Along with the CCTV, students can also take advantage of the Braille Embosser, a printer that renders text like handouts and tests as Braille for students with visual impairments.

There is also the BIGtrack mouse that uses a large and brightly colored trackball that only requires thumb use for individuals with some difficulty with motor control.

Hardaway joined Disability Services three years ago after starting at Georgia State as a student in 2009. She said her experience working in the office equated to working alongside family.

“I really do love working in this department. All of the students and all of the staff here are absolutely awesome to me. We’re a family here,” Hardaway said.

Staff members of ODS are especially unified in their efforts to better campus experience for students with disabilities, according to Hardaway.

“We all are on the same page as far as wanting to help the students to be able to achieve their goals,” she said. “We’re always growing and we’re always open for improvement that are going to help the students.”

The Office of Disability Services includes twelve rooms, six with computers and six without, equipped with many of these tools for students to stop by and use when working on homework and classwork.

Being a frequent visitor to the office, Hall said that her experience is always a positive one.

“One thing that I do like is that it feels personal and I don’t feel awkward,” she said. “Like, I don’t feel like a burden.”

Hall said that people often take on an attitude of pity when interacting with students with disabilities, but the ODS staff do not.

“It feels really good to go to a place and know that they don’t view you like that,” she said. “Nobody’s life is perfect; everyone has disabilities – the only difference is that mine is one you can see.”

Along with the ODS office, students can also visit the 2nd floor of Library North or the 2nd floor of the College of Education to take advantage of the newly updated software for their needs.

They can also visit room 130C in the College of Law’s Library in the Urban Life Building, room 230 in Career Services in the University Center and the MILE at the Commons building.

PHOTO BY RAVEN SCHLEY| THE SIGNAL Donna Hardaway is an administrative secretary in the Office of Disabilities.

NEWS

6

TUESDAY APRIL 15, 2014

Shuttle drivers continue to fight for living wages KIMBERLY CLUNIS Staff Reporter

T

eamsters Local 728, previously one of the largest labor unions in the U.S., and MV Transportation, the current transportation firm for Panther Shuttle buses, ratified a contract on April 4 to revive benefits lost by shuttle bus drivers during the transportation firm switch in May 2013.

Some of these benefits include paid leave on jury duty and vacation, job security against unjust discipline as well as protection against unsafe buses. This did not include higher wages, according to Teamsters Organizing Director Ben Speight.

The University changed transportation firms from First Transit to MV Transportation in May 2013, and wages for shuttle bus drivers were lowered from $11.50 an hour to $10 an hour. Twentyfive drivers were laid off as a result of Georgia State replacing its previous bus fleet, detailed in an earlier article by The Signal.

In the process of changing

firms, Teamsters Local 728 was no longer recognized, according to Speight.

Speight said that after the switch from transportation providers, shuttle drivers decided to reorganize their union with Teamsters Local 728 last summer.

The two groups met in March to negotiate agreements between them and MV Transportation, before ratifying the contract to revive lost benefits.

“They took everything we had worked for financially,” Alan McCray, a shuttle driver, said.

Ben Leake, a philosophy major and member of PSA, was the first to help organize support for shuttle bus drivers at Georgia State after receiving an email feed from Jobs with Justice (JWJ) about shuttle bus drivers’ fight for living wages, pay high enough to maintain a normal standard of living.

“I was interested in building student support at Georgia State around the issue,” Leake said.

In a letter from JWJ written to President Becker, Neil Sardana, an organizer of JWJ, informed the president of the wage issue with the bus drivers and asked him to speak out in favor of the bus driv-

“

They took everything we had worked for financially.”

-Alan McCray, shuttle driver

ers.

“MV Transportation is not practicing the core values of Georgia State by decreasing hourly wages and not being respectful of workers’ well being. President Becker, please, it’s time for you to immediately establish a base living wage for all current and future contracted campus workers and intervene to tell MV to pay a living wage for all GSU bus drivers,” Sardana’s message stated.

President Becker said Georgia State’s request for proposal for transportation vendors was based on the need for a more efficient bus fleet that would also provide accommodations for students with disabilities.

Along with this, Becker said the MV Transportation contract is funded through a transportation fee by students and that the uni-

versity has made efforts to limit student fee increases.

Addressing this response from Becker, Leake said that Becker was creating a false dichotomy between students and workers.

Speight said this was essentially pitting students against workers when they are actually equal and it was similar to saying that workers are not a part of the community.

“There’s a saying that goes, ‘If you don’t have a seat at the table, then you’re on the menu,’ and the workers clearly do not. They too should have a voice at the table,” Leake said.

Becker’s response also said that the university does not have control over wages for contract employees of private companies.

Leake said that PSA’s efforts for the president’s intervention on the issue are because of his influence.

“We’re interested in having President Becker take a stance on the issue because he is the president of the university. Him speaking out on the issue and taking a stance on the issue carries a lot of weight for the way things play out,” Leake said.

McCray is one of the five shuttle drivers who decided to reapply for his position as a shuttle driver at Georgia State.

He said that his reason for reapplying as opposed to relocating was not only because he had accrued certain benefits in his position, but had also established close relationships with faculty, staff and students at Georgia State.

“Why does parting have to be such sweet sorrow when we can continue to grow as a family and move forward?” McCray said.

Currently, other organizations like United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) along with JWJ and PSA has teamed up to garner support for shuttle bus drivers by encouraging supporters to send emails and leave voice mails for the president, according to Speight.

OPINIONS

www.georgiastatesignal.com/opinions

Does the Rate My Professor chili pepper factor in more than just attractiveness?

R NICOLE MOTAHARI Associate Web Editor 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.

egistration time is upon us once more and as students sign up for classes, they look to the old college standby—ratemyprofessor.com— a website that allows students to rate their professors based upon teaching quality, course difficulty and looks. The infamous chili pepper option on the website allows students to mark whether they find their professors attractive or not.

If a professor receives a chili pepper, then that earmarks them as hot. Rate My Professor awards chili peppers based on the overall sum of all ratings (hot or not corresponding to positive and negative) for the instructor. For instance, if I received eight ratings of hot, and five ratings of not, each hot counts as plus one, and each not counts as minus one, therefore adding positive eight and negative five results in an overall score of positive three (Yes, I know I’m doing hardcore math— hang in there with me, the scary part is almost over).

Since the rating is positive, I will receive a chili pepper.

If it was negative, no chili pepper would appear. When ranking, the professors are ranked via their scores, so a professor with a total score of negative three would be ranked above a professor with a lower score of negative five.

While the chili pepper is meant to be indicative of physical beauty, it seems to also have a great deal to do with quality of the professor and how passionate they are about their subject. The more interested in their subject they are and the better they are able to convey that fascination, the higher the chance they’ll receive chili peppers from their students. Of course, attractiveness is something that tends to vary based upon the viewer, but everyone has a general society-created standard that consciously or unconsciously is applied to your professors when making that decision, whether it’s your nerdy-cute lab T.A. or your dashingly handsome English professor who puts Leonardo DiCaprio to

shame when he explains Romeo and Juliet in Shakespeare class. However, if a professor is decent looking but stands in front of the class and reads off his notes in a monotonous voice, it’s much less likely for students to give him the ‘not’ rating on the website.

In 2006, Todd Riniolo, a professor of psychology at Medaille College, published a paper based on a study comparing the teaching evaluations of professors who received chili peppers on Rate My Professor with those of professors who did not. On average, faculty members with chili peppers scored 0.8 points higher than professors who did not, possibly pointing to a link between professors who teach well and general attractiveness.

One Georgia State professor agrees, saying “It doesn’t necessarily matter in terms of pedagogy, only that they can contribute to a professor’s confidence.

Furthermore, I believe to give an instructor a chili pepper (particularly a male instructor) one has to like them as a person beyond mere aesthetics, so what the chili pepper communicates is a general likeability along with aesthetic pleasantness. All this can boost an instructor’s confidence and potentially decrease the likelihood of their being boring or adversarial in class.”

With English and the other humanities being the most represented subjects among the ‘hottest’ Georgia State professors, one can also make the assumption that the more students connect with their professors on an

intellectual and personal level, the more likely they are to give them that extra rating. While STEM professors are usually on a tighter schedule to cram in as much information as possible before the end of the term, professors teaching subjects in the humanities have more of an opportunity for class discussions. This allows students to relate a little more than with purely lecture-based teaching, in which the instructor is usually catering to a group of 50 or more students and in which there is little to no time for student-teacher interaction. This perhaps explains the high correlation between those specific subjects and the chili pepper rating.

While students may see the rating as something fun and harmless, some professors find it unprofessional, as if it’s encouraging students to overstep boundaries between education and fun. I can see where they’re coming from, but I disagree with the statement. Students will judge their professors whether there is a chili pepper option or not, and we will still talk about it. All the website does is provide a venue for feedback regarding the instructor for students to share and pass on the information. If a professor is young and attractive, students are more likely to take their class, especially for some of the general core requirements where teaching methods are the same. If I have to see the professor for three hours a week, I know I’d rather have someone with whom I find it easier to relate, and if they’re good looking and passionate about their subject to boot, then that’s just dandy. Overall, the chili pepper is a fun option to look at, and despite the intended purpose, it does seem to have a relationship with how likeable and passionate a professor is.

Editorial

Tennis firings raise questions over Athletics’ leadership

A

s uncovered by The Signal, last month’s firing of the men’s tennis staff has revealed serious problems with the program’s coaches that goes far beyond Georgia State Athletic’s initial characterization of the situation.

Copies of internal documents received by The Signal show troubling violations of University and NCAA policy that were only brought to light after the two coaches began to lose trust and ultimately point fingers at each other. Allegations of their alleged misconducted collected by the University, which ultimately led to their dismissal, including allegations of gambling, improper use of University funds on non-sanctioned trips, numerous extended leaves of absence,alcohol use with student athletes, plus multiple alleged recruiting and NCAA violations.

This seemingly belies the initial statement put out by the Athletic Department that couched some of the violations as “minor” but told little else about the situation as a whole.

Further, it raises questions as to the leadership of Georgia State Athletics.

For example, why were these people hired in the first place? And if such seriously disturbing behavior was going on during trips with students, how was it not noticed or reported by others in the department that traveled with the team?

If others did catch on, why did it take so long to get rid of these toxic elements? Or worse, why was their behavior toler-

ated? Will they be held responsible for their act of covering it up like Assistant Coach Cesar Vargas was?

The fact is that it’s strange that Athletics hired coaches like Barthel and Vargas in the first place.

According to Athletics’ own investigation, Head Coach Joerg Barthel had a history of gambling at his previous job with the University of Nebraska. And Vargas was hired despite having any kind of Division-I coaching experience.

In a statement to The Signal, Athletics Director Cheryl Levick said that they had conducted a background check of Barthel prior to his hiring, but they found nothing to indicate a history of gambling.

“No gambling issues were found during a thorough hiring process and background check, including during talks with representatives of his previous employers,” Levick said.

“He was highly recommended.”

However, apparently it was common knowledge among the tennis coaching staff that Barthel regularly gambled, or at least to Vargas, who further alleged that Barthel had a history going back to Nebraska, where he allegedly lost $1,500 betting with a student.

Moving forward, Levick said the Athletic Department will continue to “to be proactive and due diligent” in its vetting of coaches and staff during its hiring process, but she did not suggest any specific changes to its recruiting or compliance practices.

However, that same system clearly failed in this case. And because of it, the school’s reputation and program will likely be set back several years.

If it wasn’t for the assistant coach getting fed up with Barthel constantly missing practices and gradually falling out with him, it might never have gotten reported or been resolved. That’s very strange. With all the coaches, players, information directors and compliance officers, how were none of them able to figure out that this kind of behavior was going on right behind their backs and report it?

And if this was going on for so long with the tennis program, who’s to say similarly questionable behavior hasn’t gone on with other sports and not gone reported?

Unfortunately, these questions are embarrassing to the University and will likely leave egg on the faces of the entire Athletic Department as we seek to hire new coaches and recruit players in the future. And that’s a shame because – outside of the behavior of the coaches – the men’s and women’s tennis programs may be in what’s seen as a golden age down the road after coming off of recent Sun Belt championship and hosting one of the top ranked players in the country, respectively.

Indeed, the integrity of the program and the entire Athletic department is at risk with these allegations. How the school continues to respond is important, but it should never have been allowed to get to this point.

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OPINIONS

TUESDAY, APRIL 15, 2014

Dollars and sense with Mitch

Happy Financial Literacy Month!

I

t’s that time of year where economists around the country try—and inevitably fail—to get more people financially literate. Since it’s a special occasion, I thought I’d surprise my readers with a pop quiz! All groans aside, it’s only three questions, and they’re really easy (right?). Let’s see how you do.

Question 1: You have $100 in savings with a MITCHELL OLIVER Columnist Mitch is a junior finance major and student financial advisor.

“My goal is to have more college students financially literate.”

Leave your questions for him online at georgiastatesignal.com

Follow him @madmoneyATL

two percent interest rate. After five years, do you have: A) More than $100 B) Exactly $100 C) Less than $100

Question 2: Imagine that the interest rate on

your savings account was one percent per year and inflation was two percent per year. After one year, would you be able to buy more than, exactly the same as, or less than today with the money in this account?

A) More than today B) Exactly the same as today C) Less than today

Question 3: Do you think that the follow-

ing statement is true or false? “Buying a single company stock usually provides a safer return than a stock mutual fund.”

A) True B) False C) I don’t know

I’ll post the answers at the end so you can see how you did. While these questions may seem like common sense to most people, the reality is that, to most older Americans, they aren’t. Two economists surveyed people across the country who are 50 and older with these same three questions. Less than half answered the first two questions correctly. Less than a third answered all three correctly. While extensive research hasn’t been done on younger generations, I fear our grades wouldn’t be much better.Let’s get a statistic here on our generation’s financial literacy. I’m sure there’s something out there.

So with it being Financial Literacy Month, I must impart a few tips to get you started on your path to financial enlightenment. These are three things you can do this month to get you started.

They’re so simple, yet so many people don’t do them.

First, just make a budget! In the same survey I mentioned earlier, 61 percent of Americans admitted to not having a budget. That’s 61 percent of the country that spends money each month with no clue as to where their dollars go. Budgets can be complex or simple. For most college students, the basic expenses are food, gas and fun. That’s three basic categories to budget for, and I pick those three specifically because they are the most variable expenses (meaning they can change month to month) we as college students have. To budget, simply pick a dollar amount for each category and do everything you can to either “meet it or beat it.”

Beating it means you spent less than your budget

was, which is great! With a food budget of $200, if you spend your month eating PB&J sandwiches and tuna and only spend $75 on food, then you’re $125 under budget. That $125 can go straight to savings! This is the basic idea of how a budget works.

Second, build a rainy-day fund. Here’s what I think: there’s a 99.99 percent chance something bad will happen to you that requires money to fix.

There’s a law, Murphy’s Law, that states that anything that can go wrong will go wrong. So it is in your best interest to have some money saved away specifically for these financial hiccups you will encounter. For college students, $500 would be more than enough to cover most things that come up.

As you grow older, you can bump up your emergency fund to $1,000 or $2,000. Things will come up, and it is always much easier to simply tap into your rainy day fund than struggle for months to come up with money.

Third, find a way to track your spending. This ties in with the first point, but I can’t stress it enough. Whether you use an iPhone app, an Excel spreadsheet, Mint.com or another web-based app such as PowerWallet (my personal favorite). By doing this, you can see exactly how much you have to budget in the first place, how much of your money is going to specific categories, and you can track your progress with simple line graphs. If you do not know where your money is going each month, there’s no way to save it.

**Answers: A, C, B

Where have all the rebels gone?

To heaven, hopefully.

W

CHRISTIAN WILKINS Columnist

here have all the rebels gone? Don’t count Kanye or Bieber or Miley. Even though they promote parties and drinking, promiscuity, clubbing and fashion. There is not anything necessarily wrong with these pursuits; they are for the free and what the young hold dear, but they are a grandparent’s worst nightmare.

Today, the youth break away from the family at home to grow themselves in the city lights, to be an independent soul burdened with freedom of mind, to break conventions and to create ambitiously. But they still balance it with a good time of primitive leisure, to be high as the clouds with nothing to restrain “who we are.” What is not to love? Well, nothing—except that every single drop of the social patron is a neonblotched, strobe-flushed pipe dream.

The real rebels died a long time ago. A noteworthy one was gunned down in 1965 and another in 1968.

Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. respectively were removed from the rebel image permanently with their assassinations. It is important to remember that in their prime, each was one of the most hated men in America; they openly spoke out about various injustices that the mass media wouldn’t dare mention.

Personally, I think we should be moving back to the times when a rebel had a cause.

They caused many questions to be asked and, more importantly, actions to be done on account of their revelations. What actions take place over today’s rebellion? It’s something usually a bit more immature than one might think. The rebelling being done nowadays is more centered on living free than change; in fact, today’s counter culture is focused on stagnation.

Back then, to live freely meant something completely different, because it was known that not all slavery was done with chains and links. Today, the goal is mainly to make money and to have the ability to show it, to increase appearance and to share it, and

to know what is happening but not always to act. This state should continue on and on.

If one compares the rhetoric of a Martin Luther King Jr. speech and a modern Top 40 song, it’s obvious they have different goals. Though they were intended for the same audience, one is often obscene and careless, the other strong and sensible. Guess which one got more airplay when released? It may even be hard to call it a counterculture when it is so constantly welcomed by media powers at be.

There is a reason why every year, radio and TV seemingly gets a tad farther past risqué. It has become more and more normal to see an upheaval televised; a curious case of a rebellion inside a tradition. There is rebellion in what is shown and a tradition in showing it, all making a convenient scapegoat to poisoned troubled youth. While sex and violence may be shocking on the screen, it is not any more offensive than when the word “damn” was first used in movies or when rock and roll first entered the mainstream. However, any true revolution will not be televised. There is simply no time in the heavy schedule of gore and sensation to show the positive side of going against the grain.

Parents have been angry before, but slowly the image of riches spreads everywhere and now is just a part of life. Its the same in the concept of desensitization, except it affects both the supposed authority and the captives. A cat and mouse chase of accepting the new and breaking the tradition can ensue between parents and kids even after they are adults, or in college as the wish to be “progressive” becomes increasingly popular. Like a tornado, it spins from the ground reaching toward the sky and essentially “started from the bottom.” Good for social progress, but in what direction?

“Now its here.” A little wildness is not a bad thing, but one of the worst side effects of this false modern rebellion is its focus on appearance. Before when

someone wanted to come off as different or dirty they dressed so; now, the rampant image of the white collar crook causes expensive to mean dangerous, as if the jewels obtained were through some sort of criminal activity. However, this is often not the case and, still, a standard of “fly” is set by the priciest of items and must be attained at all costs. That is why some people would rather buy a pair of J’s than eat, why grilles even exist, and the newest fashions are viciously consumed by citizens who live under the poverty line.

To apply to Georgia State, it is the difference between Spotlight Programs Board and Conscious Collective. One has no trouble of hosting an event in which B.o.B can bring girls on stage to have a twerk contest, while the other wouldn’t dream about it, plus hold a meeting in which students could personally meet the legendary poet Nikki Giovanni (an actual rebel) before her lecture in the distinguished speaker series. It is no coincidence that one is massively more popular than the other—and it’s not Conscious Collective. Who could blame someone for picking recreation over poetry.

So think Lupe Fiasco, Tupac or maybe even Kendrick Lamar as they are a little better than the usual suspects for the modern rebel role. And the best/most controversial work of which seldom makes to our ears through the radio. If not, Stokely Carmichael, Winston Churchill and Voltaire are timeless templates.

Think of the people who can watch the news and disagree with some of the report. Think of the myriad independent companies run out of the university that realize the realities of business. These minds have always been around at different quantities, sometimes dwindling. A resurgence is what is needed. Where have the all the rebels gone? Many places, but luckily, some of them never left.

TUESDAY, APRIL 15, 2014

Why Georgia State’s advisement needs to be revamped

Y

MIA MCDONALD Columnist Mia does amateur photoshoots, maintains the title of ‘bookworm’ and hangs out with friends and family.

Follow her @MiaMore09

esterday I attended a senior forum hosted by Dr. Jonathan Gayles, and one of the questions we were asked was about the effectiveness of our advisors. My answer: Close to none. This may seem harsh, but unless you’re a junior or senior, your chances of receiving useful information is limited.

At the beginning and the end of every semester, there is a campus broadcast––an email––we all receive encouraging us to visit our academic advisor.

As a first-year student, I could definitely see the necessity, but the higher up you go in your major, advisement seems to be a useless chore.

When I first transferred to Georgia State, one of the first places I was directed to was advisement. I went in thinking my advisor was going to lay everything out and tell me exactly what I needed to know.

Long story short, I was less than impressed with the outcome of my session. I, like most students, was told to focus on the “core curriculum,” ENGL 1101 and 1102, POLS 1101, and a Math/Science elective, but my major classes shouldn’t be my concern just yet.

As an English major, it would’ve been nice to know that I’d have to take intermediate levels of foreign language ahead of time. For those of you who knew exactly what you wanted to major in and took the recommended 12 credit hours per semester, that method was just fine, but for the rest of us, we needed a more helpful plan.

Sophomore year rolled around and I was assigned a new advisor right in the middle of the school year because my first advisor quit, but not before they made sure I was ill prepared for the rest of the year.

After that, I made it a point to look things up for myself. After realizing that all my advisors were doing was looking at my Academic Evaluation, I stopped wasting my time asking questions I could answer on my own.

After having conversations with different groups of students, I noticed we all seem to come to the same consensus that advisement is a joke. We don’t

9

OPINIONS

discover anything we can’t learn from our peers, really.

So why exactly do we run into this issue? First, it was said that advisors are assigned to too many students. We now have more advisors in the SunTrust building (floors 13 and 14) to remedy that problem.

So what’s the excuse?

I understand that advisor-student ratio is off, but is that not why we’re assigned to different advisors based on our major and classification? A friend registering for fall classes just now found out how to access her Academic Evaluation. The biggest shocker comes in knowing that financial aid advisement, One Stop Shop, is just as terrible, but that’s another subject entirely.

Maybe our advisors are overworked, and maybe there’s no sure way to predict all the questions with which they’ll be presented. This very well may be the causes for confusion, but are advisors working towards improvement or are they content with that outcome? I propose that advisors go through an explicit semester training. As the catalog changes every year, so should the advising style. We need fewer excuses and more results. Also, we need proper guidance. From the start of our collegiate careers to the day of graduation, we need to be assured we’re on track.

We also play a role in this and have a responsibility. Students, make sure you’re getting the most of your college experience. If you can stand in line for the newest Jordans, sitting and strategizing for class surely isn’t that difficult. Challenge your advisors and make sure you stay on top of them; don’t wait until the last minute.

So the next time you receive that campus broadcast about advisement, take full advantage of the opportunity. At the end of your next advising session, fill out the performance survey and BE HONEST! After all, the fate of your success ultimately depends on it.

Advisors, start advising.

Letter to the Editor

Response to The Signal’s Pantherpalooza coverage Dear Editor, After attending Panther Palooza this past weekend, I was looking forward to the coverage that The Signal would give to both headliners, but, when I read the product, I was thoroughly disappointed. Not only was the fact that Panic! At the Disco headlined as well as B.o.B dismissed in the headline of the article, but the little that was written about Panic! At the Disco was riddled with inaccuracies. The author of the article, Nicole Motahari, failed to do a simple Google search of the name of Panic! At the Disco’s opening song, which is correctly titled “Time to Dance” not “When I say Shotgun.” She also failed to give credit where credit is due to the other members of the band. It was the bassist and lead guitarist who made use of the tables downstage and kept the fans engaged and screaming for more. Brendon Urie sang and danced, and he only did a backflip once to lead into the song “I Write Sins Not Tragedies.” Motahari also didn’t clarify that “Anyway You Want It” was performed as a cover of Journey, and it wasn’t Panic! At the Disco’s song. Campus events and the Spotlight program board brought Panic! At the Disco and B.o.B to perform for us not only for our entertainment but also as a compliment to the success and skill of the artists.

The courtesy of doing a little research and checking the facts is only to be expected from a newspaper, but it seems this article fell through the cracks.

-Jazmine Castro-Diaz Freshman/ International Studies

THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 2014 Noon - 3 p.m. 路 Dahlberg Hall

GET EXPERIENCE. MAKE MONEY. OPEN TO ALL GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS & ALUMNI

Contact Robert Maxson at 404-413-1831 for more information

career.gsu.edu | 404-413-1820

To request disability accomodations at this event, please contact the University Events Management at: 404-413-1377/ events@gsu.edu.

ARTS & LIVING

www.georgiastatesignal.com/artsandliving

The HANDY GUIDE

TO YOUR

FUTURE

RECORD STORE

PURCHASES For Broke College Students,

By Broke College Students PHOTO BY ALLYSON BUSCH | THE SIGNAL

MAHAD MOUSSE & PAUL DEMERRITT

T

Staff Reviewers

he seventh Record Store Day is upon us once again. This year, it can be put in that ripe spot of being not so brand new that there’s no one but you and a couple of nomad bloggers who’ll end up showing, but not too old that it has long since been watered down to the point of unrecognizability by massive corporations hoping to cash in on impressionable twenty-somethings with buzzwords like “trendy” (cough!cough!Cochella!cough!).

Record Store Day was dreamed up by a group of record store owners based out of Baltimore back in 2007 who derived inspiration from success of annual Free Comic Book Day. It has been celebrated by record stores worldwide every year since 2008 on the third Sunday of every month.

The event frequently comes with its share of fanfare, special events, instore appearances/performances by musicians and oh so very much more.

But the blood and guts of Record Store Day has always been first and foremost about the records. Oh, so many records. But with all the new releases, live albums releases, vinyl reissues releases, special edition box sets releases (with commemorative T-shirts) and so much more ready to clutter your nightstand, how do you sort through the selection to find the purchases most worth your dollar?

Below is a tentative list of some of the albums I think may be worth a bite out of your tax return. More information about the complete list, including regional exclusives, can be found at recordstoreday.com

spitting fire and all but destroying on the album that spawned his greatest hits and bolstered his legacy. With essential tracks such as“Mo Money, Mo Problems,” “Going Back To Cali,” “Miss U” and “Hypnotize” it wouldn’t be a stretch to call the whole album a countdown of the best of the 90s in hip-hop.

1) CHVRCHES RECOVER EP

This is a vinyl release of the debut EP of that delightful electro pop outfit everyone is going to end up talking about waaaay more in about a year.

And while it doesn’t feature the single that first garnered them commercial radio play, “The Mother We Share,” you’ve still got your fair share of retro synth goodness that’s definitely worth the vinyl re-issue.

2) THE CURE/DINOSAUR JR - SIDE BY SIDE “JUST LIKE HEAVEN”

As far as Record Store Day exclusives go, the limited edition “Side by Side” series really are mustbuys. The idea is simple enough;

5) OF MONTREAL JIGSAW PUZZLE seven-inch vinyls with a track by the original artist as the A-side, followed by a cover of the track on its B-side.

The Devo/Flaming Lips vinyl of “Gates Of Steel” is definitely worth looking into (especially considering the fact that it features a rare Devo live performance), and the Pantera cover of the criminally underrated Portland hardcore act, Poison Idea’s “The Badge,” also bears a mention. But for pure musical bliss, you can’t go wrong with “Just Like Heaven,” serenaded by The Cure and covered up by Dinosaur Jr. Respectively.

chalk up literally anything involving the remaining members of Led Zeppelin leaving their dingy castles to record music. The accompaniment of Black Crowes is just extra icing on an already loaded cake.

4) THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G - LIVE AFTER DEAD

3) JIMMY PAGE & THE BLACK CROWES - LIVE AT THE GREEK

The legendary Led Zeppelin axmaThis includes the legendary Led Zeppelin ax-man tearing it up on stage with The Black Crowes for one night only. Did I mention this is an exclusive release with only so many editions printed and no hint of a follow-up performance? And you’re not reaching for your wallet, why? On the list of things titled “unlikely to see again,”

A reissue of the infamous Biggie Small’s final album released back in 1997 on triple vinyl, and frankly it’s long overdue. Live After Dead arguably featured Smalls at his best:

It wouldn’t be a proper Record Store Day without a shout out to a Georgia act who’s been given the spotlight of the day to float a new single. A track left off the cutting room floor from the recording sessions of their newest full length, Lousy With Sylvainbrair, “Jigsaw Puzzle” keeps to the established hazy psychedelic pop weirdness that the Athens outfit does so well. Flip to the B-side to check out an alternate version of “Triumph of Disintegration” from the LP. Check out the full guide at georgiastatesignal.com/ recordstoreday2014

C I S U M E T A ULTIM E D I U G L A V I T S E F THE SIGNAL’s

JEWEL WICKER & NAJA MCGOWAN

Associate Arts & Living Editor and Staff Reporter

M

usic festival season has begun! But before you buy your tickets, check out these helpful festival apps, fashion tips and previews of local music festivals in The Signal’s 2014 summer music festival guide.

FESTIVAL PREVIEWS

COACHELLA VALLEY MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL Location: Indio, California…or your living room Dates: April 11-13, 18-20

We know, we know, very few college students can afford to actually travel to Indio, California and attend Coachella, but ironically, this choice may be the most convenient and economical.

A few years ago the popular festival started streaming a good chunk of its sets on YouTube, so now fans from all over can join in on the fun.

Although the first weekend of the popular festival is over, there’s still one

more weekend to go! This weekend’s festivities will air live on AXS TV. The sets streamed on YouTube will also be available for on-demand playback for a few weeks. So grab a few snacks—and a flowered headband, if you must—kick your feet up and enjoy the show.

Watch for: Ellie Goulding, Foster the People, Empire of the Sun, Pharrell Williams, Muse, Blood Orange, Beck, Nas, Arcade Fire, Disclosure

HANGOUT MUSIC FESTIVAL Location: Gulf Shores, Alabama Dates: May 16-18

What better way to kick off summer than heading to Gulf Shores, Alabama for three days of live music ON THE BEACH. Three-day general admission tickets are $229, not including service fees.

The fifth-annual festival will feature over 80 artists on six different stages. Last year’s lineup included Stevie Wonder, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Roots, Kings of Leon, Public Enemy and more, which means this year’s artists have some pretty big shoes to fill.

Go for: The Black Keys, The Killers, Outkast, Modest Mouse, Jack Johnson, Childish Gambino, Chance the Rapper, Bleachers

SHAKY KNEES FESTIVAL

Location: Atlanta, Georgia Dates: May 9-11

The second annual Shaky Knees Festival will take place just down the street at Atlantic Station. Four music stages will be placed among retail stores, restaurants and bars so that patrons can dine, shop and hear their favorite bands.

Last year, the then two-

day festival took place at the Historic Fourth Ward Park and Masquerade Music Park with less than 30 musical acts including The Lumineers and Band of Horses. In less than a year they’ve more than doubled that.

Single day tickets are $84, while 3-day passes are $169.

Go for: Alabama Shakes, The National, Modest Mouse, The Replacements, Cage the Elephant, Iron & Wine, The Lone Bellow, The Districts, Wake Owl

COUNTER POINT MUSIC FESTIVAL

Location: Kingston Downs, Georgia Date: April 25-27

April 26 marks the 20th anniversary of the release of Outkast’s debut album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, so it’s only right that the Atlantanatives celebrate the milestone with their reunion performance at the second annual Counter.Point Music Festival.

Not only is this festival one of the most economical and convenient for ATLiens, it’s sure to be one of the rap duo’s livelier shows out of their 40-date reunion tour this year.

Three-day general admission tickets are $199. Single day passes are $90.

Go for: Outkast, Foster the People, Chance the Rapper, Janelle Monae, Run the Jewels, Schoolboy Q, St. Lucia

10 ESSENTIAL MUSIC FESTIVAL SURVIVAL APPS 1. GAS BUDDY

By GasBuddy Organization Inc Free IOS/Android

Between the cost of tickets, clothing and accommodations, your pockets may be looking a little lean. The Gas Buddy App figures out your location using GPS and helps you find the cheapest gas prices in your area so you can save some money on transportation.

2. FESTIVAL READY APP BY VICTORINOX Free IOS/Android

Made by a company who created the swiss army knife app comes the swiss army knife of festival apps. This all-encompassing app includes features that help you find your friends, locate your previously marked campsite, check live weather reports, make a packing checklist, get festival camping tips and use messaging. It even includes a sound flare.

3. SHAZAM

By Shazam Entertainment Ltd. Free IOS/Android

Music festivals are a time of musical exploration.

This app helps find songs from new acts you just discovered or find those exclusive debut tracks from your favorite band. Open Shazam and it will listen for a second, compare the sound in its expansive music database and then send you the track info if it finds a match.

4. Find My Car Smarter

By FMC Free IOS

Many of us lose our cars in grocery store parking lots, so it is not hard to fathom losing your vehicle in the sea of cars in music festival parking lots. Find My Car eliminates having to remember to remember to use the app—it uses Bluetooth smart technology to save your car’s location when you park.

5. PZIZZ

By Pzizz technology limited Price: $4.99 IOS/Android

Festivals are 24-hour parties, but at some point you have to reboot. That can prove to be difficult if you’re camping or staying at a hotel anywhere near the festival. That’s where Pzizz comes in. The app features inspiring words, soothing music and comforting sound effects to help lull your senses and blur out noises so you can reset for the next day.

6. BATTERY DOCTOR

By Beijing Kingsoft Internet Security software Co.Ltd/K.S. mobile Free IOS/Android

What’s the use in downloading all these amazing apps if your phone dies halfway through the day? Battery Doctor is an app packed with tools for optimizing battery life. It includes shortcuts for disabling features for better battery life, a unique three-stage charging system and general power-management tips.

7. GLYMPSE - SHARE LOCATION WITH FRIENDS

By Glympse Inc. Free IOS/Android

The Glympse app is the easiest way to share your location with friends at a festival. There is no sign-up and no new social media features to learn. The simple app allows recipients to receive a link, allowing them to view your estimated time of arrival and your location in real-time for whatever length of time you choose.

8. HAPPY CAMPING

By Random House Digital, Inc. $0.99 IOS

For those brave souls that choose to camp, here’s a cool app with useful features for your outdoor adventure. Happy Camping features a flashlight, compass, checklist, strobe light and sound effects all within one app.

9. WATER YOUR BODY

By Daniel Floyd Price: $0.99 IOS/Android

Staying hydrated is essential when it comes to outdoor events, and I’m not talking about alcohol.

Water Your Body takes your weight, decides how much water you should be drinking every day and reminds you when to hydrate.

10. INSTAGRAM

By Instagram, Inc. Free IOS/Android

If you don’t have Instagram, please remove yourself from under your rock, even if it’s just for the festival. Instagram is a festival-goer’s best friend. Its easy uploading and instant socialmedia sharing features allow you to share your photos and videos, inciting jealousy in all your friends.

5 MUSIC FESTIVAL FASHION ESSENTIALS > LADIES

1. CROSS-BODY BAG A cross-body bag is the best way to keep up with all the essentials you need to take for the festival.

They force you to pack light and are convenient to carry around.

2. DENIM

Denim is a must for any outdoor music festival.

Whether it’s short shorts or a chambray, denim fabric is breathable, comfortable and easy to style.

3. MAXI’S

Maxis are great for festivals because they have that effortlessly bohemian quality and are also comfortable. Just keep in mind length when choosing a maxi.

You want it to hit at your ankle, not your toes—you want to avoid tripping and mud dragging.

4.

HEAD/HAIR ACCESSORIES

Floral headbands, turbans, fedoras, sun hats—the possibilities are endless when it comes to head gear. Head and hair accessories serve multiple purposes at music festivals; in addition to adding an element of style, they also protect your head and face from the sun, camouflage messy hair and keep sweat out of your eyes.

5. BOOTS

Close-toed shoes are the only option for the hours of standing, moving and dancing that are inevitable at any music festival.

From combat to ankle booties, boots are a great choice because they protect your feet and go with anything.

> FELLAS 1. TANKS

Tanks are a music festival essential.

They are stylish, comfortable and allow for ventilation. Keep in mind that you need to regularly apply sunblock to avoid getting too crispy.

2. SHORT SLEEVED BUTTON UPS

Button-ups are great for music festivals because they come in all colors, patterns and cuts and add an effortless level of cool to any outfit.

4. BACKPACKS

Obviously you need something to lug around your necessary items. Backpacks are perfect because they are as light as you want them to be, and you can easily sling them on you back and forget about them until you need something.

5. SLIP ONS

Slip ons are a must.

Not only are they stylish and versatile, but they are also comfortable. Try some Converse, Toms or Vans to complete your festival look.

6. HEAD GEAR

Snapbacks, fedoras, and bucket hats—add any head accessory to your outfit for an effortlessly stylish look that will also protect your head.

Signal photographer Mike approves.

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ARTS & LIVING

TUESDAY, APRIL 15, 2014

DJ Roco mixes his way to first place

PHOTO BY ALLYSON BUSCH | THE SIGNAL The Project X DJ Competition was held on Wednesday, April 9.

STUDENT VOX: Students’ share their spring music discoveries Matthew Chou

PHOTO BY ALLYSON BUSCH | THE SIGNAL DJ Roco was inspired by mixes heard on Hot 107.9 and V-103.

ALEX KUGACZEWSKI Staff Reporter

A

thick, surging bass rumbled through the air as bodies twisted, swayed and shifted beside the stage. Lights spun against the wall and danced along the floor, just as the crowd moved to loud, seductive beats booming from the speakers. Only the music—no words at all—could be heard.

When the announcer finally revealed the winner of the Georgia State’s Project X DJ Competition, the crowd erupted into a rapturous applause: DJ Roco took the title for first place.

When 23-year-old Rodgerick Copeland, known by his stage name DJ Roco, isn’t studying to complete his computer science major, he’s hard at work compiling new sets and practicing his technique.

Copeland’s journey into the world of DJing began as an eighth grader creating mix CDs and handing them out to his friends. According to Copeland, it foreshadowed his future endeavors.

But those future exploits couldn’t have been possible without the radio.

“One day I was listening to the radio, and I heard mix shows like Hot 107.9 and V-103, and I was interested in the mixing. You put one song on top of another and it amplifies it,” Copeland said.

Copeland bought his first audio mixing program, Virtual DJ, and saved money from his job at Kroger to buy turntables. DJing

quickly became more than just a passing interest.

“I would practice day and night, day and night. It wasn’t an easy process. It took roughly three years to become efficient at scratching and blending,” Copeland said.

Copeland said that his musical inspirations can be separated between artists inside and outside the disc jockey scene. His favorite DJs include DJ QBert, Hershey and Spinz, while his favorite rappers include T.I. and Kanye West.

When Copeland first started, however, his family was not certain of his decision to plunge into the disc jockey scene. He recalled his family’s apprehensive reactions to his newfound interest.

“They kind of shook it off... I wouldn’t say entirely, but it wasn’t a reality for them. It wasn’t there yet,” Copeland said.

As Copeland gradually began landing small events at cookouts and birthday parties, earning his first payments and working his way into the clubs, his parent’s reception gradually changed as well.

“They started becoming believers. They started saying ‘wow, he’s really doing it.’ My sister’s there in the background going, ‘Go Rodgerick, go Rodgerick,’” Copeland said.

The years of hard work paid off Wednesday, April 9, at Project X DJ Competition, where Copeland won the battle for first place.

“It felt like I won the Superbowl or something. It felt good to put work into your set and have it pay off,” Copeland said as a smile spread across his face.

“This semester I recently discovered what shoe gaze is. And it’s kind hard to [describe]. It’s pretty much punk rock, except it has elements of trance music. You can clearly hear guitar riffs and what seem to [be] punk lyrics. You hear just the droning of various pitches of synths. I haven’t figured out if i like it or not, but it’s new.”

Hannah R. Rigdon “I’ve only really discovered one

new artist this semester. One of my fraternity brother’s DJs put me on to it. They’re called the Young Punks.

They’re an electro duo from the UK and they just have some really fun songs. ‘Harlem Breakdown’ is one of their songs. And it’s really fun, you know, really upbeat and I like it. It’s a good groove you can get ready in the morning to.”

Chase Morgan Smith “Recently I’ve discovered Deptfod Goth and Daughter. Umm

APRIL IS STD AWARENESS MONTH

wow, what else have I discovered?

Oh! St. Vincent, I discovered [her] and I love that. Lyla Foy, love her.

I recently rediscovered The Internet and I forgot how much I loved them.

Crystal Burton “Well I’ve recently discovered Chelsea Wolfe, St. Vincent, Chvrches. Disclosure is really good.

Youth Lagoon...I discovered a lot actually!”

Medical Network for Education & Research is conducting FREE screenings for Gonorrhea and Chlamydia You should be screened if you: 1. Are at least 18 years of age; 2. Have had a positive test for Gonorrhea iGonorrhea or Chlamydia and have not received any antibiotic treatment; 3. Have had unprotected genital contact with someone known to be positive for Gonorrhea or Chlamydia and have not received any antibiotic treatment.

If you suspect you have Gonorrhea or Chlamydia and have not been tested, free screenings will be conducted at our office in April and May by appointment only.

Treatment options will be provided.

Please contact the study coordinator for more information: Loretta Patrick, R.N. 404 292-1144 or mednetstudyteam@gmail.com

IMPORTANT FACTS TO KNOW:  Gonorrhea is a very common infectious disease. CDC estimates that, annually, 820,000 people in the United States get new gonorrheal infections.  It is especially common among young people ages 15-24 years.  Any sexually active person can get gonorrhea through unprotected anal, vaginal, or oral sex.

ARTS & LIVING

TUESDAY, APRIL 15, 2014

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TOP FIVE UNDERRATED

MUSIC MOVIES WILD ZERO (1999) MAHAD MOUSSE Staff Reporter

S

ure when you think the quintessential music movie it’s easy to rattle of the big ones; This Is Spinal Tap, Tenacious D and the Pick Of Destiny, Hard Day’s Night, Almost Famous, or god help you, Rockstar. But beneath the more obvious choices, there are plenty of underrated classics in the making.

Check out the complete top 10 list online!

1) Wild Zero (1999) 3) The Harder They Come (1972)

5) Singles (1992)

This story centers on a group of 20-somethings living in an apartment block in Seattle. Think Friends, only with a grunge soundtrack, if you will. It gets the extra bonus points for 1) Cliff Poncier (played by Matt Dillion), the douchey musician who just steals the show every time he opens his mouth and 2) his band mates all being real-life members of Pearl Jam; including Eddie Vedder being his self-esteem whipping boy. Also Alice in Chains swing by as themselves playing a basement show. There’s even a “blink and you’ll miss it” cameo by Chris Cornell as “confused looking guy standing next to a car alarm.” If you recognize half of those names, and own a stitch of flannel, this movie is worth a gander.

4) 24 Hour Party People (2002)

Steve Coogan plays Tony Wilison, the head of the famous Factory Records; the very same label that signed groundbreaking post-punk acts like Joy Division, A Certain Ratio, and Happy Mondays.

The great thing 24 Hour Party People does is have a great sense of humor about itself. If you’re a fan of this genre of music, you already know there’s a level of pretension that’s unfairly associated with its fan base.

What 24 Hour Party People does is take the real events, spice them up with a sprinkle of dramatization, and deconstructs the whole scene as having been spawned entirely off the suggestions of a couple of really drunk men.

The classic story of The Harder They Come, where Jimmy Cliff, playing an exaggerated version of himself, struggles to find work before becoming a star reggae singer. And that’s where you’d expect the story to end. But in The Harder They Come, Jimmy Cliff reaches this zenith with still another 40+ minutes of movie to go. That’s when you realize the rest of the movie is actually about how Cliff became a marijuana runner; fighting off hordes of rival gang members by day, while maintaining his music career. It answers the question, “what if Walter White from Breaking Bad had a part time job as a lounge singer?” years before anyone thought to ask it. Throughout the movie Jimmy Cliff is basically a mis-mash of Han Solo, Shaft, and Jimmy Cliff (which is a full time job). The fact that this soundtrack may have single handily broke open the U.S. markets to other young reggae artists (like Bob Marley for instance) is just the icing on the cake.

2) Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure/ Bogus Journey (1989/1991)

While there’s no doubt in my mind that Bill & Ted is anything BUT underrated, I’d feel like it’s an easy one to skip over in terms of a music movie. Bill and Ted you see, aren’t just destined to be the best rock band in the world. They’re destined to unite to world and bring about world peace by the sheer brilliance of their hard rocking (demonstrated throughout the course of two movies by them playing really shitty covers).

I’m putting both movies in because while Excellent Adventure is the better movie, Bogus Journey, had the better soundtrack, featuring Steve Vai shredding all over the damn place.

What happens if you took Kiss Meets The Phantom Of The Park, made it not suck, made the band anyone else but Kiss, had that new band give a damn, and then crossed their adventure over with a forgotten George Romero script? You’d have the single greatest music classic of all time, Wild Zero. It stars the Japanese garage rock band Guitar Wolf.

Its members are in order: Guitar Wolf (the dynamic leader), Bass Wolf (the charming, if occasionally violent stoner) and Drum Wolf (the endearing team heart). When aliens arrive to earth and raise the dead, aspiring musician Ace knows the only smart thing to do is to turn to his idols, Guitar Wolf, (self proclaimed the coolest band in the world), and hope that they happen to be as good at killing alien zombies as they are at being awesome. SPOILER ALERT! They are! Armed to the teeth with exploding motorcycles, laser guided musical instruments, and enough guns to put 50 Cent’s crew to shame, Guitar Wolf spend the movie’s entire 98 minute run being awesome. How rock n roll is this movie? The fact that the band take the time and energy to enthusiastically shout “Rock n’ Roll!” in broken English throughout the course of this movie every time someone so much as sneezes, puts somewhere between “very” and “ridiculously so”.

reviews

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TUESDAY, APRIL 15, 2014

ALBUM REVIEW

The War on Drugs: “Lost in the Dream”

D

Release Date: Mar. 13, 2014 Grade: A Verdict: Adam Granduciel has crafted a penetrating ode to isolation that rises above its negative emotional space.

ALEC KUGACZEWSKI Staff Reviewer

espite its romanticized splendor, there’s an uncomfortable reality buried beneath the roaring crowds and the variegated lights of the musician’s life on the road.

Friends and family are left behind in pursuit of the performer’s dream: an intoxicating rush of personal exorcism and surging creativity delivered through strummed guitars and soaring voices.

Enter Adam Granduciel, whose return from a year-long tour found him enveloped within the thick fog of alienation. Friends turned into silhouettes as the joys of homecoming became fleeting vapor trails along familiar city streets.

It’s an astonishing achievement, then, that Granduciel’s third album refuses to slip into the mire of morbid self-pity. Instead, the record feels like the aftermath – a hard-fought deliverance from personal hell.

Channeling classic, pastoral Americana and an astral, hazy ambiance, “Lost in the Dream” isn’t just a kaleidoscopic road trip through the American heartland: It’s a journey into Granduciel himself.

Perhaps the most striking aspect of “Lost in the Dream’s” sound is its accurate namesake.

Throughout the record, Granduciel launches American icons such as Bruce Springsteen into the orbit of 90s shoegaze, crafting a consistently compelling atmosphere.

In “Under the Pressure,” synthesizers swell in waves around sparse piano notes as a driving drumbeat leads the track through earthen tones of swirling greens and muted browns.

Granduciel’s return to everyday life is painfully vivid as he sings “Lying in a ditch / pissing in

the wind / lying on my back / loosening my grip / wading in the water / just trying not to crack / under the pressure.”

Elsewhere, Granduciel opens the emotional floodgates with “Eyes to the Wind,” where vibrant acoustics lead the listener through weathered, rustic roads before giving way to a euphoric conclusion colored by the exhaling of a saxophone.

But that victory didn’t come without a fight: “there’s a cold wind blowing down my old road / down the backstreets where the pines grow / as the river splits the undertow / but I’d be lying to myself if I said I didn’t mind.”

That fight is exactly what makes Lost in the Dream so emotionally resonant; every chord change, every surge of synth – it all comes from a place we’ve been before.

When Granduciel confesses “Just wanna lay in the moonlight / see the light shine in, see you in the outline / it never gets too dark to find / Anybody at anytime” in “An Ocean Between the Waves,” the brilliance of “Lost in the Dream” hits you, and you realize that you’ve been lost in it, too.

Granduciel’s plunge into his deepest emotional wells has undoubtedly turned out for the best – not just for his personal catharsis, but also for his audience. 2011’s Slave Ambient, as fantastic as that album is, felt too reserved to consistently make deep, decisive cuts to the heart.

With Lost in the Dream, however, Granduciel has thrown his insecurities like javelins to the wind, piercing and with pinpoint precision. And we’re eager to take the hits, because by day’s end the rush of rejuvenation awaits.

Maybe, then, getting lost isn’t so bad after all.

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WHEN 5AM HYSE EP ESTA. Paradise V/A - THE JOURNEY V/A - The Journey

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TYCHO Awake

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FREDDIE GIBBS & MADLIB Piñata PANTHER GOD Golden Changes

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CUNNINLYNGUISTS Strange Journey Volume Three

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MUTE SPEAKER Jong Wuk

MAC DEMARCO Salad Days

DIBIA$E EXCUSE THE TAPE HISS

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MOVIE REVIEW

Cinefest

Draft Day Rating: PG-13 Running time: 109 mins.

Grade: B Verdict: Draft Day proves a good sports film can be made, sans cliches.

MAHAD MOUSSE Staff Reviewer

F

rom the start, Draft Day is an awkward-looking film. On the surface, it looks like it’s trying to capture the Hollywood magic of Moneyball (AKA: The movie that made you give a shit about baseball team building for two hours), but it doesn’t have any of the big names to make it anything close to Oscar-worthy. The casting of Kevin Costner (All Waterworld/ Postman/Heaven’s Gate jokes aside, he is actually good for what little material there is) and the odd release in mid-April all but affirms this. And, yet, it is also movie that received the glittering seal of approval of the multi-billion dollar juggernaut that is the NFL and ESPN respectively, which has more than a few scratching their heads.

Not to mention the fact that the script was pitched by a relatively young writing duo whose credits between the two of them before Draft Day are a few episodes of the canceled show Nurse Jackie. Not exactly something that screams “this is a good

investment” at the top of its lungs.

But despite the cash investment and permission to use the NFL logo, ESPN personalities and actual teams (a lovely hook for football fans that may be lost on everyone else), what Draft Day ends up being is neither an exciting nor a particularly groundbreaking film. The script is merely an exercise in trying to get the audience from point A (the beginning of the NFL Draft Day) to point B (the conclusion of said draft) through a sea of meaningless points that fail to make any sort of impact.

For the uninitiated, Draft Day is the day of the year when NFL General managers of the 32 teams in the National Football League draft college football athletes through a series of rounds, each team picking in an order based on their team’s respective performance. There IS plenty of room for drama to be milked from this day.

And to the film’s credit, when it sticks to the football side of things, it’s every bit as exciting as watching Brad Pitt make all those frantic phone call trades in Moneyball.

The clashes between Cleveland Browns’ GM Sonny Weaver Jr. (Costner) and his

brash new coach Vince Penn (Dennis Leary who all but steals the shows in the scenes he’s in), the last-minute wheeling, dealing and double dealing over phone lines, the appeasing of the Browns’ rabid team fan base, it’s all here; more than enough to keep the film interesting without having to double-dip dangerously into “soap opera B-story” territory. But, unfortunately, a good two-thirds of the film is just that.

Sonny tries to get over his father’s recent death (the former coach of the Cleveland Browns), while avoiding discussing his feelings for his number cruncher/workplace fling Ali (Jennifer Garner, who’s all but wasted in the role). The romance subplot just feels awkward to sit through and the needlessly complicated family drama isn’t much better. Field Of Dreams it is not. But when Draft Day sticks to the subject matter at hand, without feeling the need to water down the experience with weak subplots, the film has its good moments.

Moneyball proved that you don’t have to ride out on trite cliches in script writing 101 to make an audience care about sports.

Draft Day comes up far short of doing the same.

Belladonna of Sadness (1973) Synopsis: After being banished from her village, a peasant woman makes a pact with the devil to gain magical ability.

Showtimes: Showtimes: Weekdays: 11:00pm, 3:00pm, and 7:00pm Weekend: 3:00pm and 7:00pm Rated: R Running Time: 93 minutes

Study abroad column

Break guilt: making cash at a Mainz call center and liking it

Music column

How the Wu-Tang Clan abandoned the struggle

T

PAUL DEMERRITT Columnist

CALEB ROBERTSON Columnist

Caleb Robertson is an English major at Georgia State. His golf cart’s name is Roxanne. Caleb spends his free time rock climbing and playing video games and is a strong supporter of Batman’s war on crime. He is currently studying abroad at Mainz University in Mainz, Germany.

Paul DeMerritt is a freelance journalist and musician with extensive experience reporting on the music and culture of Atlanta and the globe.

Follow him @PaulDeMerritt

Follow him @CJRobertson10

F

inding a job in your temporary foreign home is a great way to cover the costs of studying abroad. My study abroad program came with a paid fellowship at the University, but I wanted some extra cash to fund my travels around Europe, so I picked up a second job at a call center in Mainz.

If you’re looking to get a job while studying abroad, be sure you know the labor laws in the country in which you’re studying. I had to go through a bunch of hoops to get a German social security number just so I could opt out of the system.

But as with any job, the easiest way to find work when studying abroad is to know the right people.

The company I work for does marketing consulting based on market research, which is where I come in. Basically, I call customers of a particular company and survey them on what they think of that company’s product. It’s a simple, mundane job that pays well enough, and it allowed me to continue my streak of successfully avoiding working in the food service industry.

There are a couple of differences between the work environment here in Germany and the places I’ve worked in America. The most glaring is the amount of breaks my co-workers take. When I first started working, I made as many calls as I could, one right after the other, without anything more than a stretch-break between them.

As I got more comfortable in the somewhat laid-back workplace (the bosses occasionally walk around handing out candy to the callers), I started doing as the Romans did and taking breaks with my co-workers. It took me a while to get used to taking these breaks, but enjoying a bit of fresh air every now and then really improved my mood. It even helped me convince people to take a fifteen-minute survey.

I suppose Google has it right: Happy employees are better employees. Relaxing every now and then on the job actually helped me do better at it. Most European employers also give more vacation days and parental leave for both genders. Allowing their employees to focus on their personal lives improves job satisfaction, which in turn improves output. Maybe American companies outside of Silicon Valley can learn a thing or two from this model.

17

columns

TUESDAY, APRIL 15, 2014

he shifting modes of digital music distribution have put strain on record labels and musicians in ways never imagined before the dawn of the Internet. Artists and the people who manage them constantly try to invent new ways to outwit the everlooming threat of an album’s leak.

With this in mind, it might actually seem reasonable that the Wu-Tang Clan have decided to suddenly release a new album recorded in secret that will only exist as one copy encased in an engraved silver-andnickel box. This one sacred LP, entitled “Once Upon A Time In Shaolin,” will tour around the country in museums, galleries and festivals where patrons will be charged a fee to listen to the 128-minute, 31 song secret opus.

It’s perfectly respectable for an artist to want to maintain complete control over their music, but the legendary New York rappers have chosen a form of distribution that commodifies music in one of the most desperate acts of capitalism ever undertaken by an artist.

Hip-hop comes from a place of struggle. Its original incarnation was decidedly anti-capitalist, emanating from the collective minds of DJs spinning records at block parties and house parties. Open mic nights and cyphers allowed anyone with a functioning set of vocal chords to participate in hip-hop and use the genre as a mouthpiece with no price tag attached.

But in a desperate attempt to maintain control, Wu-Tang have grabbed the music from the people and handed it over to institutions who embody high-class prestige.

The community of hip-hop has been so contagious because of its ability to be rapidly shared among friends. Certainly Wu-Tang frontmen the RZA or

“

But this is the core of the issue: hip-hop never cared about the trappings of royalty and extravagance.

GZA never connected to hip-hop because they payed to see it in a museum.

“We’re making a single-sale collector’s item. This is like somebody having the scepter of an Egyptian king,” said the RZA in an interview with Forbes Magazine.

But this is the core of the issue: hip-hop never cared about the trappings of royalty and extravagance.

The point wasn’t for MCs to use the mic to turn their music into an arbitrary symbol of wealth and replace the sources of power they contested.

Hip-hop was meant to be a communal source of power and social uplift that required no entry fee, no socioeconomic prerequisites, and no trip to museums - only a fierce loyalty and uncompromising love of the music.

So yes, the Wu-Tang Clan will most likely succeed in maintaining control over the distribution and monetization of their art. Yes, every artist deserves to make as much money as possible for the effort they put in.

But sadly, the one-time heroes of struggle have traded financial security for the sacrifice of the downto-earth ideology that gave them status similar to a deity among the same fans that will be alienated by their new album.

Sex column

You should rethink over-sharing your relationship on Facebook

W

RACHEL KINGSLEY Columnist

Rachel believes even though society has become more open about sex, it’s still a highly taboo subject.

To become more open and accepting, she believes we need to start with education. Rachel shares her experiences.

Follow her @rachelkingsley

e all have that friend on Facebook--the one who changes his or her relationship status every other day. There was one day that my friend changed her status from “In a Relationship” to “In a Complicated Relationship” and then to “Single.” The cycle of relationship statuses started again the next day.

And with each new relationship update, the comments reflected the status—an outpouring of happiness (“You guys are so perfect for each other!”), then the “ugh, I hope it all works out,” and then, finally the “single” status with accompanying comments like “He’s such a piece of crap,” and “You’re so much better than him.”

Are we helping or hurting ourselves by being so public with the ups and downs of our relationships?

I am the opposite of my relationship rollercoaster Facebook friend. Only close friends know with whom I’m in a relationship, and only a couple of those people know if my significant other and I get into a fight.

On Facebook, it still says I’m single. This isn’t because I’m embarrassed of my boyfriend; it’s because I don’t think my relationship should be public. My relationship is between myself and one other person—not my 200+ friends online.

With the influx of social media, we want to let everyone into our lives—and we want to show others how “happy” we are in our relationships (whether we are or not).

We have what I call the “happy-Facebook-couple-syndrome,” where we compare our own relationships to the ones that pop up on our newsfeeds with cheesy pictures and cheerful updates. The updates make relationships seem easy and perfect, like something out of a Disney movie.

But we all know that real relationships take work

and patience. Most of the time, they are not perfect.

When you don’t constantly compare your relationship to those on your feed, you’ll have a better understanding of the particulars of your own relationship and can focus on your partner.

If you don’t mind having your “friends” involved in your relationship, then I say go for it. Put every fight and every bad relationship day out there for all to see, because it really is a show for the rest of us.

We do love drama—if not in our own relationships, than through yours on Facebook.

What happens when person A puts a status about fighting with person B? Friends comment about how awful person B is and then that person sees it. Even though person A and B may work out their issues, person B will still been seen in a negative light with all the friends, which may cause some relationship friction.

I have a friend who broke up with his girlfriend of two years because of her over-sharing problem.

“Every time we had a fight, she posted something about it—got everyone involved, even her family. I couldn’t deal with it anymore,” he said.

With the amount of over-sharing and openness that we have become accustomed to, it’s no surprise that relationships are not lasting as long. In fact, the average relationship only lasts an average of 2 years and 9 months. Is this because of social media? In part, perhaps. Perhaps there is also a correlation between the constant comparisons to other couples we see on social media. Do I think you should delete all social media, live in a cave and keep your relationship hidden? Absolutely not.

But a practicing a little more private, offline living may help you and your significant other become closer. This way, you can develop your own sense of what your relationship should be.

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Disney’s The Lion King

Fox Theatre 4/10- 4/25 The Tony-award winning Broadway musical Disney’s The Lion King is coming to the Fox Theatre starting this week. Come see the popular Disney story live and as directed by Julie Taymor.

Tickets are on sale now. Visit foxtheatre.org for more details.

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GSU Night at Six Flags

April 25 6-12 p.m.

Ticket prices: TBA For one night only, go to Six Flags on a discounted price with fellow Georgia State students.

Enjoy rollercoasters, food and fun. Contact campusevents@gsu.

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SweetWater 420 Fest

Centennial Olympic Park April 18-20 The 10th annual SweetWater 420 Fest will be held at Centennial Olympic Park. Enjoy beer, live music and more in the park during the three day festival!

3-day weekend passes are $18.

For more information, visit www. sweetwater420fest.com.

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Celebrate Spring!

Callaway Gardens Through 4/20 Callaway Gardens is celebrating the arrival of spring over the course of five weekends. The events will highlight the resorts vast variety of flowers, including over 20,000 azaleas.

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9-11 p.m.

Are you curious to see what happens on the season finale of Scandal? See the episode on the big screen with other Scandal fans.

Enjoy a night full of mystery and surprises!

Puzzle 4 (Easy, difficulty rating 0.30)

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April 17 Speakers Auditorium

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If you enjoy trying new, different foods, come out and enjoy several different food trucks on Georgia State’s campus. For the original price of eight dollars, students can get a food truck meal for only two dollars.

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April 16 1 p.m.

Troy Moore Library, 939 Langdale Hall Receiving an outstanding alumni award from the College of Arts and Sciences, David Liss will be having a discussion about being a novelist. He has published six award-winning novels.

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A Discussion with GSU Food Truck Event April 17 5 4 7 2 Novelist and Comic Unity Plaza Book Author 8 David 7 Liss 4-7 p.m.

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TUESDAY, APRIL 15, 2014

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Generated by http://www.opensky.ca/~jdhildeb/software/sudokugen/ on Sun Apr 13 15:05:47 2014 GMT. Enjoy!

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SPORTS

www.georgiastatesignal.com/sports

MEN’S TENNIS COACHES FIRED AFTER TROUBLING VIOLATIONS Athletic Director Cheryl Levick addresses violations and how to make sure it does not happen again

ALEC MCQUADE

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Sports Editor

fter last month’s firing of the men’s tennis coaching staff for serious violations of University and NCAA policies, Athletic Director Cheryl Levick said the school will continue to practice its existing system of recruiting and evaluating coaches.

Head Coach Joerg Barthel and Assistant Coach Cesar Vargas were dismissed in March after an internal investigation leveled allegations of gambling, alcohol use with student athletes and taking personal trips on University money against the pair.

“The dismissal of both coaches was a result of a combination of violations of NCAA and University policies,” Levick said in an email to The Signal, citing the violations that led to their dismissal––but not specifying which was the tipping point.

Levick said the alleged violations first came to her attention on March 10 when Vargas raised concerns with Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance Erik Paz and Executive Senior Associate AD Jamie Boggs who immediately informed her.

Levick also said they found no background of gambling issues when vetting Barthel before hiring him on July 19, 2012.

However, Vargas said in his statement to Athletics in response to his alleged violations that Barthel was heavily reprimanded when he was an assistant tennis coach at Nebraska for gambling with student athletes.

When asked how Athletics will ensure hiring coaches and staff that won’t put in jeopardy the safety of student athletes, Levick said, “We will continue to be proactive and due diligent in our hiring practices. We realize the importance of hiring talented coaches with high integrity. This was a case of a very talented coach making poor personal choices that bled into his professional life. Ultimately, he lost his job because of it.”

Women’s tennis Head Coach Robin Stephenson was named frequently in the Athletic’s Department’s investigation, especially in sections about a suspicious trip Barthel took to Europe in which he met up with Stephenson. However, Stephenson was not dismissed, and became interim head coach of the men’s tennis team following Barthel’s dismissal.

“Robin Stephenson was not found to be in violation of any NCAA or University rules,” Levick said on why Stephenson was not dismissed fol-

lowing the investigation. “Through our standard process, she will be evaluated at the conclusion of the tennis season.”

Barthel’s dismissal was announced April 1 by Georgia State Athletics for “personnel reasons.” Records received by The Signal revealed a much more complicated story.

According to records obtained

by The Signal from an internal investigation by Georgia State Athletics, Barthel was notified on March 11 of allegations against him that violated University Department politics as well as NCAA rules.

The offenses first dated back to April 2013 and included allegations of making players sleep on hotel floors, engaging in gambling, borrowing money from student athletes and their families, going on personal trips on Georgia State University’s money and not giving players a mandatory day off in February.

Barthel believed these accusations to be from his assistant coach, Cesar Vargas, in his statement in response to the alleged violations Georgia State Athletics presented to him because of several issues the two coaches have been having with each other and their trust.

Barthel alleged Vargas of similar violations.

Vargas’s official list of alleged violations included gambling on golf with enrolled student-athletes, permitting student-athletes to stay at his residence to and in-between terms, and numerous recruiting phone calls without proper documentation.

Cesar Vargas, former men’s tennis assistant coach, was dismissed along with along with former Head Coach Joerg Barthel in March.

Vargas was fired on March 27 for the alleged violations.

However, he said he was unaware some of his action were violations and were made under the direction of Barthel.

Both coaches’ terminations were officially announced on April 1, 2014, in a press release by Georgia State Athletics.

Athletics called the violations “minor” in the announcement.

In an email from Vargas to Assistant Athletic Director Jamie Boggs on March 28, Vargas said he would be meeting with Athletic Director Cheryl Levick for an appeal.

“The Director of Athletics investigated and took immediate action when the allegations were brought forward. The situation was handled appropriately and there was no violation of [Levick’s] contract,” Georgia State spokesperson Andrea Jones

said as a statement in response to the violations and if the situation violated Levick’s contract.

Accusations of gambling top the list Arguably, one of the more serious violations against both coaches was allegedly engaging in gambling activity.

Barthel was said to have gambled on professional sports. In addition, Barthel is alleged to have borrowed money from at least two Georgia State men’s tennis players and/or their families for the purposes of gambling.

In notes taken during a meeting between Barthel and Boggs about the violations, Boggs asked about gambling, and Barthel was noted as saying he gambled “occasionally here and there.” He also said he was unaware of it being a violation.

In his statement to Athletics in response the violations claimed against him, Barthel denied gambling saying he was unemployed by Georgia State and left the country to travel to Germany in fall 2012.

He said he played mini court tennis with a friend, Christopher Hill, on the conditions that the loser buy dinner and bet $20 on the Falcons winning their NFL game that night.

That same example was documented in the notes between Barthel and Boggs.

In his response, Barthel also denied borrowing money from student-athletes or their families for gambling. He said he occasionally borrowed gas money, but payed everyone back immediately.

In a later email to Boggs, Barthel accused Vargas of driving a rental car with student athletes to the Hard Rock Casino in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. to play poker until after midnight.

Barthel said both Vargas and players gambled.

In response to allegations of going to the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino with student athletes, Vargas said he did not drive the vehicle and that it was driven by Barthel. He added the trip was “premeditated and completely orchestrated by Coach Barthel.”

Vargas called Barthel an “avid gambler and poker player, and thus he wanted to travel to [the] casino in order to engage in these activities.”

He added that Barthel was reprimanded for engaging in illicit gambling activities with several members of the Nebraska men’s tennis program as an assistant coach there be-

fore coming to Georgia State.

Vargas said Barthel lost more than $1,500 to a former player who was a student athlete at the time, but transferred to another college.

Vargas said he played and lost $200 worth of chips that he withdrew from his personal checking account in less than an hour.

On the allegations of gambling on golf, Vargas said he played golf with student athletes on multiple occasions, but denied gambling anything of “tangible value.”

said Barthel gave no indication housing the athletes was a violation.

Vargas said he arranged for the student athlete to house with another athlete, and admitted he knew this was a violation, but at least the athlete would be “accommodated adequately rather than having to sleep on [the] apartment’s floor.”

Vargas said he went as far as contacting Nick Giancola, residence hall director for Piedmont North, an oncampus dorm for Georgia State, to set up a residency for the student athlete.

Team trips involving alcohol

Personal trips on university money

Barthel accused Vargas of drinking while on trips with the team on numerous occasions adding creating multiple situations with student athletes” talking openly about girls, drinking and partying.”

Vargas did admit to drinking, but turned most of it around on Barthel.

Vargas said he believed Barthel to be intoxicated before driving a team bus to the airport in Los Angeles after the two had been at a pub.

Vargas said he suggested one of the athletes to drive, but Barthel said he was fine and did not want one of the athletes to drive because then they would think he was drunk, according to Vargas. Barthel then drove the bus to the airport.

Vargas denied drinking with student athletes while housing them. He said one of the student athletes had brought his own alcoholic beverages to the apartment, but Vargas denied drinking with the athlete.

In an interview between Boggs and Vargas during the investigation, Vargas was noted as saying he had “lapses in judgement” and admitted he should have come forward sooner.

Other violations included going on a “personal trip” to Europe with Robin Stephenson, the assistant women’s tennis coach at that time and now head coach of the team, while acting as interim head coach of the men’s tennis team.

Barthel denied using University money for personal trips, and said he stays at his family home in Europe to save budget money. Barthel said he has never made secret of this fact.

Barthel said he met with Stephenson one time in Europe when she was out recruiting on her own. The two met coaching contacts and traveled to a tournament, according to Barthel.

Barthel said he speaks several European languages and thus was able to help Stephenson with her recruiting and travel.

Stephenson was hospitalized during her trip, and Barthel said he was able to help and speak the language.

The records do not indicate the reason for the hospital visit.

Vargas emailed several Facebook messages from Barthel to Boggs in an email. Vargas said the messages showed instances in which he had to cover for Barthel.

The messages reveal Barthel saying he is with “Robin” all week instead of recruiting for the weekend.

The two went on to discuss their cover stories in the messages as to say when certain pictures were taken so they are not caught.

Barthel accused Vargas of using “state funds for a personal trips to Mexico…and Europe…while claiming to have been recruiting.”

Athletes sleeping on Vargas’ floor According to notes from an interview with Vargas and Boggs that reviewed the allegations against him, Cesar confirmed that he did allow athletes to spend the night at his residence on multiple occasions at the direction of Barthel.

In his official statement on the alleged violations to Georgia State, Vargas said he had an argument with Barthel in which he expressed “discontent for having to host-student athletes” at his residence. Vargas said Barthel dismissed the conversation, saying he had no choice if they wanted to stay within the budget. Vargas

CONTINUED ON PAGE 22

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SPORTS

TUESDAY, APRIL 15, 2014

Q&A with Georgia State’s Athletic Director Cheryl Levick ALEC MCQUADE Sports Editor

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he Signal sat down with Georgia State Athletic Director Cheryl Levick to find out the latest news around Athletics.

What do you see this past basketball season doing for the program and university?

This was a wonderful season for them, it was a magical season for the fans. To win every game at home was amazing, and to end on such a disappointing note, we’re still not over it.

Incredible excitement about where the basketball program has gotten to and where it’s going. The hot topic right now is we need to keep Coach Hunter here. We’re going to keep Coach Hunter here.

We had a recap meeting for the whole season, what was great, what do we want to change, what could we do better, all the stuff.

Other parking options, can we do valet parkings here? I don’t know, let’s look at it because parking is always a challenge here.

We’re doing that part from an administrative standpoint. I bet you, right now, that Coach Hunter is making sure his players are going to class, staying focused on what they need to do and he’s looking at recruiting. He’s got one more scholarship out there,

is there somebody out there he wants to give it to.

It’s just a great time right now for men’s basketball at Georgia State.

How do you ensure Coach Hunter stays at Georgia State?

It is being handled.

As spring football comes to a close and we get closer to another season, what steps do you want to see this program accomplish by the end of next season?

I think Coach Miles is spot on when he says this program is in a massive building mode. He knows exactly how to do it, how to recruit for it, how to hire his assistant coaches for it and how to get this team ready.

He’s encouraged by what he sees, but he’ll also say they have so much more to learn, so much more to teach.

Coach Miles and his staff are in a teaching mode right now, and they’re also making sure the team is going to class, eating correctly, so establishing the basic foundations of a good football program. That’s what they’re doing every single day.

It’s a process that needs consistency and continuity with the process there, and he’s doing it. While he’s doing that, we’re fundraising as fast as we can to get

the new weight room built.

There’s not a coach or an athletic director that’s not going to say we want to win as many games as we can, and that’s exactly what we want to do. And we’re not going to go in there and try and lose, we’re going to try and win every single game we can win, and I think we have the talent to show some great improvement next year.

Do you wonder if you might be moving this football program too hard too fast putting them in the FBS after just four seasons?

I’m a strong believer that when an opportunity arises and a door opens, if it’s the right door, you go through it when the opportunity is there. You don’t wait.

We did a very thorough feasibility study from going to FCS to FBS, and every single result of that study showed that we can do this, and it was the right place at the right time.

Sure, couldn’t we have used a couple more years to get the team ready? Yes. That opportunity wasn’t there. That opportunity would not be there if we had waited. So, we are in the FBS, we are in the Sun Belt, it’s the right place at the right time. The caliber of recruits we’re getting going with an FBS program is very different.

So you’re seeing some upper mobility in that regard.

In the state of Georgia, the

state loves football. The state loves FBS football. This state is so excited that we’re supporting an FBS program at Georgia State, so we just need to keep this process going, and in another couple of years, these questions won’t be asked because the answers will already be shown on the field.

You stated the next three phases of the Master Plan you want to be completed, how soon would you like to see them completed?

Ideally, the faster we can get it in, the better. It really is fundraising driven.

We’ve got an architect working on each of those projects so we’ll have rendering soon. We’ve had one set of renderings for the weight room, and I sent it back because the cost was too high.

I’m trying to keep the cost of that project under $2 million, and we’ve got about half of that in right now for that one.

We’re just beginning the fundraising for the basketball practice facility, and we almost have all the money for the academic research facility. So, the donors have special thoughts about where they want to give their money...so we always honor the donors wishes.

As soon as the money comes in, we’ll get them built. It looks like the football weight room will be the first one.

How important is it to expedite Panthersville being moved closer to campus?

If we could find the land and find the money, we would have already done it. But, you need at least 10 acres to do it correctly.

To find 10 acres in Downtown or Midtown is difficult, it not impossible. And we’ll find chunks here and chunks there, and we’ve actually looked at more chunks of land than you can imagine, and they’re just deemed to small or they were too dirty in terms of the oil and things that had been in the soil. But, nonetheless, all very expensive.

We’ve yet to find the right match of where we can get at least ten acres and get everything moved here.

I support the frustration that I’m sure you and the other students have. It’s a long way out there in rush hour. Once you get out there, it’s fun and people enjoy it, but I understand that. The minute we can find any land or money that we can move it down here, I would do it in a heartbeat.

Until then, we need to make sure the quality of the facilities are as good as we can make it.

I applaud our coaches for doing such a great job in Panthersville when we have that commute issue on our hands. *Parts of this interview were cut for brevity.

22 TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2013

TUESDAY, APRIL 15, 2014 23 19

SPORTS

Golf’s “mates” set a winning tone for Panthers JEREMY JOHNSON Staff Reporter

G

eorgia State’s golf program has struck gold internationally in recent years.

“Gold” comes in the form of two cornerstones for the program in junior Damon Stephenson and sophomore Jonathan “J.J.” Grey, who have both been solid in their collegiate careers.

Stephenson has one overall victory and has finished in the top 25 11 times as a Panther. He is also successful in the class room as he was on the Sun Belt Academic Honor Role last season.

Grey burst on the college scene last year, winning the first two tournaments of his career and finishing his freshman season with 12 top 25 finishes.

Grey was named Freshman AllAmerican and finished his freshman season ranked No. 43 by Golfstat and No. 64 by Golf Week.

Grey is currently leading the Panthers in top 25 finishes this season with eight.

The Panthers’ roster includes four international-born players to go along with the five American-born players, which brings with it a little friendly competition.

“We kind of have friendly matches in practice,” senior Tyler Gruca said, “but during tournaments, we’re all trying to do the same thing, which is just help out the team.”

Stephenson and Grey have done just that, and have situated themselves at the head of the table as key pieces of the Panthers’ puzzle.

Stephenson, who is originally from Gold Coast, Australia, and Grey, originally from Kent, England, are first and second in top 25 finishes this

Tennis Violations (Continued from page 20) Vargas admitted to the reimbursements for trips, but said he did it under the direction of Barthel as a “form of ‘bonus’ for his performance.” He added that he had more than enough evidence to show he was in fact recruiting on the trip.

He provided Facebook messages to players he recited while in Mexico City that explained interest in the players he was contacting.

Vargas said in his trip to Europe this past fall, he never received reimbursement even though he was recruiting players on the trip, even though it was intended to be a personal trip.

Personal issues cause Barthel to be absent The Signal received several text messages and Facebook messages between Barthel and Vargas in which Barthel continued to say he would not be at practices because of not feeling well and other personal issues.

On several occasions, Barthel told Cesar he could not come in because he couldn’t see Robin. It is unclear if he was talking about Robin Stephenson, the women’s head coach, or someone else, according to the message. Later messages again brought up apparent personal problems between Barthel and Robin.

Barthel even trusted telling Vargas that he hurt himself after struggling emotionally. He did not elaborate on what he did to himself.

season for the Panthers. Stephenson has posted five top 25 finishes and Grey six top 25 finishes.

Gruca sees the pair as a barometer for the overall success of the team.

“Both of them, if they’re playing well, then we know we’ll have a good chance to shoot a good round and compete by the end of the tournament,” Gruca said.

Despite their similar statistics, Stephenson and Grey have had different roads to where they are as players and geographically.

Stephenson said he can remember hitting stones with sticks at the age of two or three, long before he would make himself into the promising golfer he is today.

Stephenson moved around the world to follow his father’s job growing up; living in the Philippines, Malaysia and Qatar.

It was when Stephenson lived in Qatar that he was introduced to the game.

“We were living in Qatar when I was 12 or 13, and there wasn’t much to do in the country,” Stephenson said, “but there was one really nice golf course that actually hosted a European tournament, so I played there quite a bit and sort of got into it.”

Eventually, Stephenson would catch the eyes of Georgia State, San Diego State University, University of North Carolina and Berry College, all of which wanted him in their programs.

Georgia State caught Stephenson’s attention, however, because of its location and Head Coach Joe Inman.

“Definitely liked the location of it in Downtown Atlanta,” Stephenson said.

“Lots of stuff to do, the access to some of the courses, coaching, [and] Coach Inman obviously has a lot of experience There are several messages where Barthel appeared to be emotionally unstable, and Vargas repeatedly said he will not give validation for Barthel not coming in but does support him.

Vargas said in a later Facebook message that Barthel was putting him in a “tough spot” by missing so many practices, adding he should tell the team what was going on because they had questions.

Vargas continually said throughout the records and messages that he had to pick up slack repeatedly because of Barthel not holding up commitments or creating unprofessional situations.

Other messages included Barthel saying he had hit “rock bottom” and left town to Mississippi visit friends and drink. This happened over the course of the team’s trip to Elon in which Vargas had to take over much of the slack, according to the records.

Following the trip, Barthel asks Vargas to cover for him a little longer and to tell Robin he did not know where he is, but says to everyone else that he will be back the next Wednesday.

The messages progressively show Vargas getting more and more frustrated with Barthel continuing to take time off and covering for him.

Other NCAA violations The list of violations against Barthel said he required athletic-related activity from Feb. 16-22 without providing a mandatory-day off but submitted a false log that said the athletes were provided with a day off.

Barthel denied all of the violations against him except for not giving players their mandatory day

PHOTO CREDIT: GEORGIA STATE ATHLETICS Damon Stephenson is the next big “Aussie” in the game of golf with 11 top 25 finishes in his career. on tour,” Stephenson said adding Inman has a wealth of knowledge and experience to help teach the team.

Stephenson also has a local idol that he looks up to: Adam Scott.

“He’s undoubtedly he’s probably the best Australian golfer,” Stephenson said. “A lot stuff he does, I defiantly look up to him. We came from the same hometown back in Australia.”

Grey’s path to Georgia State started with him seeing his mother play.

“She used to play internationally, and ever since I started, I was kind of always inspired to come over here and play.”

Grey got an early start at golf,

receiving lessons at age 11. He admits it wasn’t something that his friends thought of as fun.

“Everybody kind of considers golf an old man sport. So it wasn’t anything of any my school friends did,” Grey said, “but, I liked it enough to forget about that sort of thing.”

Grey’s early start jump started his skills and he would later garner attention from American schools such Georgia State, Colorado, Texas State and Maryland.

Once at Georgia State, Stephenson took Grey under his wing, not knowing the two would soon form a powerful duo for the Panthers. But Grey did not

stay under the wing for long winning his first two college tournaments he participated in.

“He just took off and went himself and had a great year,” Stephenson said of Grey as a freshman.

The two have even developed a solid friendship.

“We’re pretty good mates me and J.J. [Grey]. He’s from England so we have the Aussie, English banner going on,” Stephenson said of Grey.

Grey and Stephenson will be back in action at the Sun Belt Conference tournament April 21-23.

off in February, saying he “simply overlooked it with the time pressure of having to turn it in and planning [the] match at Georgia Tech.” Barthel’s signature is on the log.

Forms filled out by the student athletes on athletically related activity for that week all indicated the team practiced or worked out every day that week including Feb. 22, the day Barthel signed off as the players’ day off.

In an email from Vargas to Boggs, Vargas said he notified Barthel of the issue, but his response was “It’s fine, At the end of the day, I’m the one who signs those logs,” according to Vargas.

Vargas said he was instructed to change the log to say the team did not practice on Feb. 22 to indicate a day off.

Violations against Barthel included numerous recruiting phone calls without proper documentation.

Vargas said he has only spoken to three individuals with the purposes of recruiting. He said Barthel told him calls to recruits via Skype did not have to be properly documented on the call logs because the call was not made from the office.

He said Vargas believes himself to be the “main engine” towards the program’s success even after one year of coaching experience and said he had tried go overturn decisions and go around his back on multiple occasions.

Barthel said he had problems with Vargas in the past breaking team rules, including taking players out past curfew without his knowledge, citing a time he took players out until midnight to a beach in Los Angeles.

“Mr. Vargas is not trustworthy towards the program,” Barthel said.

“I believe it is his intention to become head coach for the men’s tennis team and he would do and present whatever he feels will help him achieve his individual goal.”

Barthel said he hired Vargas as an assistant coach despite that he had no experience working in a college environment. After developing what he thought was a trustworthy relationship, Barthel thought Vargas would be a good fit for his coaching style.

He added that Vargas became upset after Stephenson was promoted to the associate head coach position for the women’s tennis program. He said Vargas was “very angry at the fact that I did not ask for the same position in his case.

Barthel said he explained his one year of coaching experience was not long enough to ask for Vargas to be promoted.

Vargas did not discuss this in his statement, but did call Barthel an “avid gambler and poker player” even going as far as to call him an addict when it came to drinking and alcohol.

Outside statements

“Personnel issues” In his personal statement on the situation, Barthel said he had reason to believe the alleged violations against him came from Vargas.

He said Vargas is not well liked around the department, “especially by the ones working closely to him.”

Barthel said he had plans to make immediate coaching changes upon completion of the season, and he speculated Vargas may had found out.

Georgia State Athletics had several records of statements in regards to some of the claims against Barthel and Vargas.

Kurt Clemmons, an assistant women’s tennis coach, said after a compliance meeting, she summarized the information of the meeting to Barthel after he was not in attendance.

“My summary was that coaches are not permitted to bet on sports that are sponsored by the NCAA. [Barthel] made a comment indicating that he does bet on sports,” Clemmons said.

She added she was not sure if he was joking or serious.

Women’s Head Coach Robin Stephenson also said Barthel made a couple of comments about betting on collegiate and professional sports, particularly about losing a bet on the Atlanta Falcons.

Stephenson also said she had witnessed Barthel drinking beer at a team meal, but was unaware how much beer he had.

Miha Lisac, former Georgia State tennis player and assistant head coach, and now head coach at West Virginia University, said several of the coaches went out for drinks and went to Harrah’s Casino during a trip for Sun Belt meetings.

He left about 3 a.m. to sleep before the next meetings in the morning, and was sharing a room with Barthel.

He said he believed Barthel to come back to the room at 7 a.m. straight from the casino without any sleep. He did not know when Barthel’s last drink of the night had been or if he was intoxicated that morning.

STAFF PREDICTIONS

PANTHER Of The Week Guest pick of the week GEORGIA STATE ATHLETICS

JAMES CLEMENTS BASEBALL

James Clements knocked in the winning runs Friday to give the Panthers the edge against Texas-Arlington winning 11-10.

Clements hid a two-RBI double in the bottom of the eighth inning to put the Panthers ahead after trailing 9-7.

Clements had 4 RBIs on three hits in the game, both career highs for the outfielder.

He is hitting .361 this season with 13 hits and six RBIs. Clements is a sophomore businiess major orginially from Woodstock, Ga. He graduated from The Walker School.

The Scoreboard Men’s Basketball

Former Louisville guard Kevin Ware committed to play for Georgia State Saturday. Ware will petition the NCAA for immediate eligibility to play in the 2014-15 season.

Men’s Tennis

Georgia State defeated Georgia Southern 6-1 in their regular season

23 19

SPORTS

TUESDAY, APRIL 15,10, 2014 TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2013

can win on any given day.

I’m going with Kentucky because though Louisville is ranked higher, Kentucky has the 4th highest RPI in the nation, meaning they’ve had a tougher schedule. The experience against tougher teams will pay off here.”

On picking ULL: “Using how we fared against these teams to gauge my pick, we beat Troy on the road, but got destroyed by the Cajuns at home. For that reason, I’m picking ULL.”

Blue Man The biggest fan of everything Georgia State

On picking GSU: “You know I’m always going to be picking my home school, right?”

On picking Kentucky: “Baseball’s a difficult sport to predict because a lot of luck is involved. Any team

STAFF: finale on Wednesday in Statesboro, Ga. The Panthers won five of their six single matches.

Sand Volleyball

This weekend, Georgia State competed in the Fiesta at Siesta in Siesta Key, Fla. On Friday, Georgia State defeated Stetson 3-2. All five matches went to three sets, a Georgia State first.

√

Baseball

David

√

Jeremy

Georgia State defeated Mercer 8-7 on Wednesday at home. Outfielder Ryan Blanton scored the game-winning run.

The Panthers played conference foe UT-Arlington this past weekend at home.

Georgia State won the first game 11-10 Friday. Outfielder James Clements hit finished with two RBI. The Mavericks evened the series

Central Arkansas

National

BASEBALL April 15 Kentucky (17) √ √ √ vs.

Louisville (10) √ April 15 Oklahoma State (18) √ √ √ vs.

Oklahoma (28) √

Sun Belt

BASEBALL April 15 Texas (9) vs. √ √ √ √ UT Arlington April 16 Indiana √ √ √ vs.

WKU √ SOFTBALL April 15 UL Monroe √ √ √ √ vs.

√

Akiem

April 18-20 (3-game series) UL Lafayette √ √ √ vs.

Troy √

Georgia State BASEBALL April 15 Kennesaw State √ vs.

GSU √ √ √ April 18-20 (3-game series) GSU √ √ √ √ vs.

Texas State SOFTBALL April 15 GSU √ √ √ vs.

Jacksonville State √ April 18-19 (3-game series) GSU vs. South Alabama

√√ √

√

GUEST: √ Blue Man

as the Panthers lost 6-3. Outfielder Chase Raffield and catcher Joey Roach each hit a RBI in Saturday’s loss.

Softball

Georgia State lost to Georgia Southern 5-2 on Wednesday in Statesboro, Ga. MeQuilla Franklin lead the team in RBI with one.

This weekend, Georgia State played a series at home against con-

Sun Belt Standings STANDING

BASEBALL

SOFTBALL

1st

UL Lafayette 13-1 | Overall:33-4

UL Lafayette 10-1 | Overall: 29-7-1

2nd

Arkansas State 9-5 | Overall: 19-16

South Alabama 9-3 | Overall: 32-7

3rd

Texas State 8-6 | Overall: 19-15

WKU 6-3 | Overall: 24-13-1

4th

WKU 7-7 | Overall: 19-16

Texas State 4-5 | Overall: 21-21

5th

UT Arlington 7-7 | Overall: 15-20

Georgia State 4-5 | Overall: 19-20

6th

South Alabama 6-7 | Overall: 16-18

UL Monroe 3-5 | | Overall: 17-14

7th

UL Monroe 6-8 | Overall: 15-22

Troy 1-8 | Overall: 17-24-2

8th

Troy 5-8 | Overall: 18-18

UT Arlington 1-8 | Overall: 15-23

9th

Georgia State 5-9 | Overall: 17-19

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10th

UALR 3-11 | Overall: 13-19

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ference foe Texas State winning the first game 8-1 and the second 10-2. as center fielder Ashley Christy and catcher Mandy Blackwell each finished with three RBI.

Track and Field

Georgia State competed in the Furman meet on Saturday in Greenville, S.C. Tatiana Colbert clocked in at 54.43 in the 400 meter run, the fastest time in the Sun Belt this year.

What’s

Supported by Student Activity Fees

Happening

To request disability accommodations at this event, please contact the University Events Management at 404-413-1377 or events@gsu.edu. Please provide your name, event name, date and sponsor when making your request.

014 April 2 Monday Tuesday

14

Wednesday

Courtyard Music Series: Sean Quinn 12-1 p.m.

Courtyard Stage Student Center

Thursday Scandal Season 3 Finale Viewing Party

16

9-11 p.m.

Speaker’s Auditorium Student Center

15

Food Truck Fest

4-7 p.m.

Unity Plaza & Collins Street See details below.

Soul Food Cypher 7-9 p.m.

460/465 University Center See details below.

21

Courtyard Music Series: Angelina Sherie 12-1 p.m.

Courtyard Stage Student Center

22

Georgia State Story Tellers

17

23

Sat-Sun

Friday Gallery Lounge Exhibition Closing Reception 3-5 p.m.

Gallery Lounge Student Center See details below.

18

GSU Night at Six Flags

7-10 p.m.

Speaker’s Auditorium Student Center

24

19 & 20

25

6 p.m.-Midnight Six Flags over Georgia See details below.

26 & 27

For event details, visit our websites: Campus Events studentevents.gsu.edu

Cinefest Film Theater spotlight.gsu.edu/cinefest

Spotlight Programs Board spotlight.gsu.edu

Student Government Association sga.gsu.edu

Student Media studentmedia.gsu.edu

Student*University Center studentcenter.gsu.edu

Cinefest Film Theater

FREE for GSU students, faculty & staff with ID. Guests $3 before 5 p.m. & $5 at 5 p.m. & after.

Fantastic Planet (1973), April 14-20

. ' B N Q N Q N t 4 4 Q N Q N

Belladonna of Sadness, April 14-20

. ' Q N Q N Q N t 4 4 Q N Q N

E.T. (1982), April 21-27

. ' B N Q N Q N Q N Q N BMTP . Q N

. ' Q N TIPXJOH JODMVEFT /JHIU 'MJHIU TFSJFT

4BU Q N Q N Q N t 4VO Q N Q N Q N Q N

Campus Events and the Student Government Association Present

Thursday April 17, 2014 Collins Street

(next to the University Center)

and Unity Plaza

4-7 p.m.

Music, Food Trucks, $2 Meals

GSU NIGHT

FRIDAY

SI X FLAGS at

APRIL 25

6 p.m.-

FR

Food Truck Fest

Georgia State University Campus Events continues the tradition of

EE

Midnight

P

ARKIN S T E K C I T t Studen TS! R DISeCal)OUN O F Y L R A E BUY try & M (Entry / En

NOW till April 18

$23 / $33

G

At The Gate

April 21 - 24

$33 / $43

$28 / $38

You’re invited to

Monday, April 21 7-9 p.m.

460/465 University Center OPEN HIP-HOP CYPHER for Georgia State students and Atlanta emcees! Special guests and intellectual forums. We are changing the perception of rap through artistic vocal expression.

Friday, April 18 3-5 p.m.

Gallery Lounge Student Center Live Music Free Food Art for purchase

NI And Guests (Entry / Entry & Meal)

NOW till April 18

April 21 - 24

$30 / $40 $35 / $45

TICKETS ON SALE AT

CAMPUS TICKETS AND ONLINE

studentevents.gsu.edu Season passes not allowed

At The Gate

$40 / $50

C K ET RN T I 15 U T E , 8 or

FR

Closing Reception

Faculty, Staff, ALUM

R E1 EE JUN

F

THE April 2014 Gallery Lounge Exhibition

OR