The Signal Vol. 85 No. 25

MARCH 27 - APRIL 3, 2018

VOL. 85 | NO. 25

/gsusignal

@gsusignal

ATL A NTA

IN ACTION

NEWS | 3 After march, Georgia students gear up for sit-in calling for stronger gun regulations in hopes of preventing more school shootings.

PHOTO BY VANESSA JOHNSON & COVER DESIGN BY KHOA TRAN | THE SIGNAL

An estimated 30,000 students and protesters came together in demonstration against gun violence during March for Our Lives on March 24.

CUTTING DOWN VOTES

SPILLING THE BEANS

MISSING SGA

FIFTH SHOT AT HISTORY

Senate Bill 363 pushes for smaller voting window, earning backlash from Democrats.

With finals around the corner, here are the best spots to get caffeinated.

Before tackling student engagement, SGA should hold itself accountable.

Former men's basketball head coach "Lefty" Driesell on Naismith ballot.

NEWS | PAGE 4 WWW.GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

ARTS & LIVING | PAGE 10

News 3

OPINION PAGE 12

Arts & Living 7

SPORTS | PAGE 14

OPINION 11

Sports 13

NEWS

2

GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

BLOTTER MARCH 20

When you get that test back...

A Georgia State faculty member was threatened on the Clarkston Campus.

The investigation is ongoing.

MARCH 21

What’s in a name?

Street.

Uncommon

signaleditor@gmail.com

GSUPD issued a criminal trespass warning at the University Commons to a non-Georgia State individual around 6:30 a.m. The case has been cleared.

executive editor (atlanta) Open executive editor (perimeter) Open Editorial NEWS EDITOR Open

signalnewseditor@gmail.com ASSociate NEWS EDITOR Open signalassociatenews3@gmail.com OPINIONS EDITOR Open signalopinions@gmail.com ARTS & LIVING EDITOR Open signalliving@gmail.com

MARCH 22

A student became the victim of identity theft last Wednesday in what is currently an active case.

That’s a lot

Personal items were stolen from a Georgia State student in Library North.

Not gonna tell you twice

Could you watch my stuff?

Bicycle Thieves

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Christina Maxouris

A Georgia State student’s bicycle was stolen at Poplar Street and Broad

Items belonging to a Georgia State student nearing $1,500 in value were stolen from Patton Hall.

ASSociate ARTS & Living EDITOr Samuel Puckett signalassociateliving2@gmail.com SPORTS EDITOR Jerell Rushin signalsport1@gmail.com ASSociate SPORTS EDITOR D’Mitri Chin signalassociatesport1@gmail.com copy editors Alaa Elassar, Sydnie Cobb signalcopyeditor@gmail.com

Someone not affiliated with Georgia State was arrested in Student Center East for trespassing after receiving prior notice.

Production production design editor Khoa Tran signalprod@gmail.com

Associate production design editor Salinna Phon

ILLUSTRATION BY ERIK REID | THE SIGNAL

signalprod2@gmail.com

PHOTOGRAPHY photo EDITOr (atlanta) Vanessa Johnson signalphoto1@gmail.com

photo EDITOr (perimeter) Open signalphoto2@gmail.com

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

ASSociate photo editor Julian Pineda signalphotoatl@gmail.com

Digital online EDITOR Danny Varitek

Infinite Appeal, a Georgia State organization promoting community leadership and fashion, held their annual spring fashion show on March 25. Students start preparing for the show each Fall semester.

signalmanaging@gmail.com ASSociate Online Editor Open PODCAST EDITORS Caleb P. Smith, Charles Wright

Marketing Marketing MANAGER Open

signalmarketing1@gmail.com promotions associate Chynna Terrell signalpromo1@gmail.com Research Associate Open

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signaladvertisingco@gmail.com STUDENT MEDIA ADVISOR Bryce McNeil bmcneil1@gsu.edu business coordinator Wakesha Henley whenley@gsu.edu STUDENT MEDIA ADVISOr (perimeter) Alice Murray amurray25@gsu.edu

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PHOTO BY VANESSA JOHNSON | THE SIGNAL

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TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2018

taking Action after the shooting Post-march, Georgia State students prepare for sit-in WILLIAM SOLOMONS Staff Reporter

T

ens of thousands of protesters gathered outside of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta on Saturday, March 24, 2018, to march against the NRA and a lack of gun control. The march kicked off with speakers, including survivors from the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre and congressman John Lewis.

“I am sick and tired of gun violence. We must stop it, and we must stop it now,” Lewis said. “[The vote] is the most powerful democratic tool we have in society, and we must use it.”

The march ended at Liberty Plaza adjacent to the Capitol. But following the march, Atlanta won’t be quiet for long.

Students at Georgia State have taken the initiative to repeal legislation that they believe can foster the same degree of violence witnessed in Parkland by creating a petition.

The petition, created by Georgia State junior Audrey Maloof, calls upon Gov. Nathan Deal, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and the Georgia Legislature to repeal House Bill 280 (HB280) that allows students to carry firearms on college campuses across the state.

“There is no guarantee that a new majority will repeal either law, and there is no guarantee that we will even be able to elect a new majority; however, we believe it is necessary to try our best to do so,” Maloof said. “We believe that the current lawmakers in Georgia in both the Senate and House should not be able to actively make our campuses less safe and continue to run without opposition.”

Maloof said that gun legislation should not be a partisan issue, and that she is open to hearing both sides of the argument. She said that she wants to take action before it is too late.

“We do not want to be complacent and wait until something terrible happens at a school in Georgia before we speak up.

If we

gun m refor now!

no

stop gun violence

gun on s cam pus

enough is enough!

Fourteen desks were placed beside the capitol by artist Joseph Guay in memory of the 14 children who lost their lives in the Parkland shooting.

can take action to avoid senseless tragedies, we have a moral obligation to do so,” Maloof said.

The petition states that, although the bill was initially vetoed

by Deal, it was still passed in 2017. Due to this, the students behind the petition said that they would take a new approach to repealing the bill.

“I cannot believe that people who are of adult age, almost voting age at least in some cases, are willing to give up their rights to anything, but apparently y’all are.”

— JERRY HENRY, Executive Director of georgiacarry.org

THE BIG PLAN

“We are planning a sit-in for March 29 at the Capitol to demonstrate that we are willing to mobilize for what we believe.

We will be registering students to vote at this rally as well,” Maloof said.

Maloof also said that there were several members of the House and Senate that were in support of the petition and had plans to join the students in the sit-in at the Capitol. By publishing the list of attendees of the sit-in, the signatories on the petition said they hope the rest of the state will vote out these individuals since many of them are up for re-election in the next legislative cycle.

Another student working on the petition said that she was ready to take action and make a difference politically.

“We are such a massive voter base that is often left out of the democratic process. Campus Carry is a bill that impacts all of us yet so many people do not know it exists. Part of our movement

PHOTO BY VANESSA JOHNSON & ILLUSTRATION BY DAO NGUYEN | THE SIGNAL

is working to mobilize students and help them become part of the democratic process,” student Latisha Hamilton said.

In response to House Bill 60, former mayor Kasim Reed said that he would not allow firearms in all public city buildings with the exception of security and other related authorized personnel.

OPPOSING THE SIT-IN

Even though the petition has gained support from both students and legislative members, the document still is being questioned and rejected by others. Executive Director of GeorgiaCarry.org, Inc. Jerry Henry said that he does not think the petition’s purpose is constitutional.

“Why don’t we repeal the First Amendment and the Second Amendment and the Third Amendment, and let’s just go back and let’s let everybody do whatever they want to do and lets make everything illegal. This is ridiculous. I cannot believe that people who are of adult age, almost voting age at least in some cases, are willing to give up their rights to anything, but apparently y’all are,” Henry said.

In an email to The Signal, Maloof said that she did not want to repeal the Second Amendment or take away concealed carry permits at all but rather just repeal Campus Carry legislature.

“You have a group of guys that want to go repeal a law. Big deal. Have at it,” Henry said. “If people want to get active, that’s fine. Be active.”

Henry said that he believes that what the students are doing is unnecessary because there has not been a shooting on a Georgia college campus in recent history.

“By taking legal guns off campus, then they believe that they will be able to protect yourself more? With the illegal guns? You know you’re not going to get guns off campuses. You’re not going to stop people like that. You can go demonstrate, you can do all the petitioning you want to do. People are going to do bad things.

You are not going to stop it,” Henry said. “Show me one shooting in Georgia that has been conducted by a person with a concealed carry licence.”

TIMELINE OF GEORGIA GUN LEGISLATION 1833

Black individuals banned from having any firearm

2006

Georgia becomes a “stand your ground” state

1837

Concealed weapons banned

2014

Gov. Nathan Deal signs “Safe Carry Protection Act”

1846

Concealed weapons ban repealed

2017

Campus Carry law enacted for college campuses

NEWS

4

GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

PHOTO BY JULIAN PINEDA & ILLUSTRATION BY AMBER KIRLEW | THE SIGNAL

If Senate Bill 363 passes, busy college students will have one less hour to cast their vote.

Cutting down hours

Senate bill moves to cut down voting hours and days in Atlanta ASHTON PACKER Staff Reporter

G

eorgia State students who live within Atlanta’s perimeter may not be able to vote for as long as they used to, after the introduction of a new bill from the Georgia Senate.

On Feb. 23, the Senate passed a bill that would reduce voting hours in Atlanta and would disallow voting on the last Sunday before elections—a day that often held high African-American turnout. Senate Bill 363 (SB363), introduced by Republican Sen. Matt Brass, includes changing the voting hours within the city and reducing the number of allowed early voting days.

Currently, the city of Atlanta’s voting laws require polls to be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. during election seasons, as well as a required Saturday polling day for early voters. Districts have been granted the right to provide an additional early voting day on a Sunday if they choose.

SB363 would change these rules, according to Sen. Brass in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, to introduce more uniformity to state voting. Areas across the state with populations less than 300,000 have voting hours from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

After SB363, large cities including Atlanta

would have voting hours that match the rest of the state, closing an hour earlier than before.

The bill would also limit early voting days to one Saturday or Sunday, not both.

According to Sen. Brass, the bill is designed to produce more fair elections, allowing citizens across the state an equal amount of time to cast their ballots.

“One person should not be allowed to vote one hour longer than another person,” Brass told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

But Georgia State student and Midtown resident Austin King said the bill will create an even crazier rush hour and will only work in the benefit of people who can vote within that time frame.

“The capacity of Atlanta is huge. Rush hour starts around 3:30 and typically doesn’t end until around 7. Imagine all of those people trying to get to the voting area during rush hour traffic. They can’t get to it because it closes at 7. [The bill] is going to limit a lot of voters, unless you have the privilege of being able to get there on time. A lot of people don’t have that privilege, so they need an extra hour sometimes or another day,” he said.

The bill comes after Governor Deal expressed displeasure in Dekalb County’s use of the extra Sunday law, which the county admitted was used to increase turn-out from African-Americans, who overwhelmingly vote as Democrats.

Olivia Mitrovich, event coordinator for Georgia State’s College Republicans, said that

she does not think the bill will make much of a difference to voters. “With it only cutting it down about an hour, I don’t think that it should be a problem,” Mitrovich said.

Mitrovich said she and the organization support the passage of the bill and believe it would be advantageous.

“Some areas across the state do close earlier, so I believe the students in those districts are not given the same time frame that we are allotted in Atlanta and things could get tricky.

I definitely agree with having uniformity,” she said.

But Evan Malbrough, president of Georgia State’s Young Democrats, said that he thinks the bill is solely designed to suppress Democratic votes.

“Cutting the voting time would be more detrimental than helpful. We shouldn’t prioritize uniformity over functionality. I believe it is targeted at Democrats because we’re talking about Atlanta, which is a very large Democrat population that’s growing,” Malbrough said.

He said the bill targets people working service jobs who may work later than most, and don’t have the luxury of time to get to voting locations.

“I feel like an extra hour would allow for more streamlined voting. It’s hard for someone who works late to just hop into a security line because the voting lines are already very long,” Malbrough said.

REASONS FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS NOT VOTING IN 2010 (18-24) 34.7 percent too busy or conflicting work 23.1 percent Out of town 12.2 percent Not interested 8.4 percent Forgot 21.6 percent Other

TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2018

NEWS

5

SGA Debate round-up

NEWS BRIEFS

Lacking student attendance, candidates promise further involvement JAMES FOX

March For Our Lives

Staff Reporter

In solidarity with the March For Our Lives march in Washington, D.C., organizers in Atlanta pitched a march of their own. The march gathered at the Center for Civil and Human Rights and marched to the Georgia Capitol. Students might recognize the Center for Civil and Human Rights as the meeting place of many Black Lives Matter marches around 2013-2016. MARTA bus routes were rerouted around the incredible volume of students and residents who attended. Many well-known Atlanta political figures and organizers attended, including John Lewis, who was the keynote speaker.

S

tudent leader hopefuls debated in front of an empty room last week, where Student Government Association (SGA) Executive Vice President, Speaker of the Senate and Presidential candidates, along with senators, debated on their stances.

As expected, student involvement was a major issue brought up during the debates. Other issues included campus carry, transportation, transparency and environmental initiatives around campus.

First up was Speaker of the Senate, Fatoumata Barry and Jessica Siemer. Both Barry and Siemer agreed that communication was key, both in getting information to and from students, as well as staying in touch within SGA. “One thing that I see a lot in SGA is that people drift off when they see the work they’re putting in is not getting results,” Siemer said. “There has to be that clear communication so that you can see when people do start to drift away, and intervene at that point.”

And that same communication point is what EVP candidate Anthony Jones focused on during his big night.

“What I’ve realized from sitting in all of these committees is that administration doesn’t know there is a problem unless we as a student body bring the problem to them. And not just the problem, but solutions,” Anthony Jones said.

“There is no reason why there are 54,000 students and only 25 senator applications for Student Government Association.”

A point that his opponent, Ayesha Iqbal aso addressed.

“I think there are three sub-problems here: students that don’t have time, students that just don’t care, and students that don’t know what’s going on,” Iqbal said. “For the students that don’t have time, I think we have to make easy-access, technology driven apps and forms. For students that don’t really know what’s going on, that’s just spreading awareness around campus. Something as easy as just talking in a classroom can spark a lot of ideas. And for the students who don’t care, I

(From left to right) Jazmin Mejia, McKenzie Tookes, and Kaelen Thomas participate in the debates for the senate seat for the College of Arts & Sciences.

think we need to find out why they don’t care and why they aren’t interested.”

The President of SGA is the most important position because the representative will regularly meet with university administration to advocate for students. It follows that this debate had the greatest student turnout. The three students running for president are Franklin Patterson, Sai Maddali, and Terry Fye. Hot topics between the three candidates were student involvement as well as SGA accountability.

“I am actively trying to make change on campus,” Maddali said. “I’m not just going out there to talk to you and learn your concerns. I’m working to solve them.”

Dunwoody student Fye and former Perimeter College student Patterson both followed Maddali’s promise. Patterson used his experience at the Clarkston campus to incorporate Perimeter students into his platform and explain how his experience

PHOTO BY UNIQUE RODRIGUEZ | THE SIGNAL

at both PC and Downtown will allow him to help bridge the gaps between the different student bodies.

As for Fye, accountability, he said, has been his priority in the past as well.

“As Speaker of the Senate, that was my main job, to hold my senators accountable in making sure that students know what they’re doing,” Fye said. “One thing we do on the Dunwoody campus is that we come into the cafeteria and we basically table within the cafeteria.”

The second and final day of debates included SGA senator hopefuls, running to represent each of the colleges at Georgia State. SGA senators represent their individual colleges and vote of policies to present to university administration.

They play a very important role in SGA, yet only 11 people showed up to the debate, and even from the ones on the roster, many didn’t show up.

You can find the full live coverage of the SGA debates at georgiastatesignal.com/live.

Changes to HOPE requirements

Two bills may increase student chances at getting the scholarship BRENNA HILBY Staff Reporter

G

eorgia legislators have continued to push forward two bills that could significantly change the chances of financial aid for Georgia students.

House Bill 928, first proposed in the House several years ago, aims to extend the HOPE scholarship time limit after receiving a high school diploma or GED from seven to 15 years.

The second piece of legislation, Senate Bill 405, proposes a $1,500 per-semester grant for lower income students that do not meet the GPA requirements for HOPE. Jennifer Lee, the Georgia Budget & Policy Institute’s higher education expert, said the bills “would work together in terms of capturing a larger number of students and provide financial aid to them.”

“Georgia State is probably one of the colleges that could benefit the most from both of these programs,

LOCAL

and consequently I think what happens at Georgia State does affect the state as a whole,” Lee said.

Lee said that Georgia State specifically would benefit from the passing of these two bills as the university is home to two significant undergraduate populations that would gain the benefits: students over the age of 25 and students with lower-income backgrounds.

“One, [the university is] large, and two, a quarter of the students are over the age of 25, which is very significant, and a very high population of lower to middle income students who would also qualify under the income requirements,” Lee said. “It could be a huge help to those students who are struggling with the cost of higher education.”

Because of these significant populations, a great amount of Georgia State students could potentially benefit from one, or both, of these bills.

“I think it will help a lot of Georgia students, who will have to meet all the other HOPE requirements in terms of GPA but are cut off from the HOPE scholarship because of that somewhat arbitrary timeline. And that time limit has not always been in place,” Lee said.

These current “arbitrary” conditions of the HOPE scholarship have only been in place for about seven years, and the time limit was essentially created by legislators to cut costs following the 2008 recession.

Lee explained that the Georgia legislature brought forth reforms to the HOPE scholarship in 2011, as state funding was also getting butchered and Georgia colleges were raising tuition. That meant that scholarship amounts increased as well, because spending for HOPE largely follows tuition increases. So restrictions furthered to prevent more students from receiving HOPE as they were “running out of money in the lottery,” according to Lee. For students like Sydney Lord, the changes around the HOPE scholarship could have prevented her from missing out on a semester of education.

A public policy major at Georgia State, Lord said she lost HOPE for one semester when she dropped below a 3.0, and that she “depended on the HOPE scholarship” to get her through college.

With the per-semester grant proposed in the Senate bill, however, she could have had less financial troubles during that time.

NATIONAL Dowd’s resignation/ Mueller’s investigation

John Dowd, the head of Donald Trump’s personal legal team handling the Russia investigation, has resigned over strategic differences with the President. He urged the president to cooperate with Robert Mueller’s special counsel and to cease the public attacks against Mueller, where Trump disagreed.

Attacks against Mueller by Trump had drawn the criticism of even congressional Republicans, but no legislative action. It was accounted that Trump has hired Washington legal veteran, Joe DiGenova, however it was announced Sunday that conflicts prevented him from joining the team.

GLOBAL French policeman dies a hero

Arnaud Beltrame, French military-police Lt-Col, traded places with a victim during a hostage negotiation in southern France, suffering fatal gun and knife injuries soon after. Beltrame graduated from the the military school of Lycée militaire de SaintCyr L’Ecole French, going on to serve in several positions around the country. His final posting was with the Departmental Gendarmerie, a function of the military serving as interior police. president Emmanuel Macron responded, condemning the attack and praising Beltrame.

Flags were hung at half-mast all over France in Beltrame’s honor.

2018_SC_PartTimeJobFair_Newspaper_Color_Marks.pdf

1

3/8/18

11:08 AM

Student Center

Part-Time

Job Fair Wednesday, April 4, 2018 12 - 4 P.M. Veterans Memorial Hall, Dahlberg Hall

Looking for work on campus? Stop by the Student Center job fair to hear about opportunities and interview for potential job openings. Resumes and applications will be accepted on site.

C

M

Y

Business professional attire required.

CM

MY

Applicants must be a currently enrolled Georgia State student to attend.

CY

CMY

K

Supported by Student Fees | studentaffairs.gsu.edu Applicants will have the opportunity to apply and interview for: ●Accounting Assistant

●Audio-Visual (AV) Technician

●Digital Marketing Assistant

●Student Human Resource Assistant

●Cinefest Attendant

●Information Desk Attendant

●Event Technician

●Student Office Assistant

Student Center Student Center East, Suite 310 404-413-1860 @georgiastatesc

studentcenter.gsu.edu To request disability accommodations at this event, please contact Disability Services, 404-413-1560 or via email: dismail@gsu.edu.

TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2018

ART SCENE SUFFERS MAJOR LOSSES Atlanta’s DIY scene “losing home” after downtown venues close Yonker said.

On March 17, Mammal hosted Homage, an Staff Reporter art opening featuring 20 graduating seniors from Georgia State. The event was held at 217 Mitchell Street, which Mammal said was their “temporary tlanta’s dyed-in-the-wool underground art show space” in a post on Instagram. arts and music scene suffered major When these spaces are undermined by larger losses in recent weeks after the closure property developers and “art is pushed aside,” of three Broad Street venues: the Mammal the scene will inevitably suffer the consequences, Gallery, Eyedrum Art and Music Gallery and according to Creative Loafing writer and Murmur Media. On March 3, Mammal Gallery Georgia State graduate Jacob Chisenhall. He announced their permanent relocation via a has been heavily involved in the music scene for Facebook post. several years, and feels that after these closures, The “temporary but indefinite” closures came specifically that of Mammal Gallery, downtown to pass following a fire on Feb. 4 at 79 Broad Atlanta has now “lost one of the last truly viable Street, which resulted in one fatality, according aspects about it.” to Atlanta authorities. The building that caught “It finally felt like part of downtown Atlanta fire, as well as Mammal Gallery, Eyedrum and belonged to the people. Now just seeing not one, Murmur are owned and controlled by German but all three of these venues being quashed out development company Newport Holding. at the same time, [that part is] taken away,” said The company closed these art venues and Chisenhall. “People are just trying to survive and other Broad Street properties due to concerns give people a space to share their various forms of surrounding fire codes. Newport Holding U.S. art, which is really noble and honorable, and I don’t Vice President April Stammel told The Signal think that the developers care about that at all.” that these closures were based on a “need to He expanded on how he thinks developers ensure the safety of tenants and guests.” are overlooking the importance of art in Atlanta She said the company owns and controls and are focused on how lucrative properties can 47 buildings in an eight to 10 block stretch of be. He said the closures “really raise an eyebrow” downtown Atlanta, and that the group’s primary as to where Atlanta property owners’ minds investments are focused on developing and “restoring the history” of properties in this area. are, which he thinks are “with their wallets.” He also explained that these closures and potential Stammel said that Newport is consulting with organizations housed in other Broad Street development of the area will influence people properties to establish a more long-term solution both in and out of the art scene.

“When I think of downtown, a now very to the closures. lucrative area, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the In regards to Mammal’s announcement homeless population that has accrued in that of permanent relocation, Stammel said costs particular part of town swept away. [Developers] prohibited Newport to renovate Mammal don’t really respect the space, nor the people Gallery in order to bring the space up to code, within them,” Chisenhall said. which prompted Mammal’s final decision Yonker said many in the scene want to paint a to relocate. The properties were not initially picture of a cycle in which developers come into designed as music venues, she said, which is why an area and want to kick out the art community. it is hard to maintain them and keep them up to However, he sees things a little differently. code in such a way.

In working closely with Newport, who he Mammal Gallery operator and owner Chris Yonker maintained that finances made it difficult found have “no ill intentions” and were “really good” about working with Mammal, he realized for organizers to bring the building up to code. that “there’s a lot of variables that go into arts “We knew the whole time that that building organizations and developers working together.” was not up to code and we were trying to do “Developers are generally larger companies, everything in our power to bring it up to code. and it comes down to one specific thing for them, But being renters in a building, it doesn’t make sense for us to spend a ton of money to bring which is not squandering the investment money it up to code when we don’t own the building,” that has been given to them to do something

BRENNA HILBY

A

PHOTO BY UNIQUE RODRIGUEZ & DESIGN BY DEMETRI BURKE | THE SIGNAL

[with],” Yonker said. “They have a lot on the line when they’re trying to figure out how to make something work, and in general, arts organizations are not an easy thing to legitimize at times.”

He explained that it’s a “delicate balancing act” in the work of compromise between a development company and an arts organization, and that although “art is an investment to provide culture to a neighborhood,” there’s only so much money developers can invest into it.

Recent Georgia State graduate Blair LeBlanc, who is also a local artist and organizer said the culture of the neighborhood fostered a sense of community between people in and out of the scene. To them, the closures were wildly unexpected.

“I had no clue that everything was going to be shut down. At first it seemed like things were just going to close down for a little bit, but everything’s totally shut down. I’m still in this mode of, ‘I can’t believe Broad Street isn’t going to be a thing anymore.’ It was just a community, and it really felt like it was coming together in this way. The rug got pulled out from underneath us,” they said.

Within this community, Chisenhall said he thinks these venues once provided a secure place for people in the scene and the surrounding area, and that “a lot of people are going to potentially be losing a home.”

“It provided a home, a place of security, and now even if Mammal Gallery gains a new place to house themselves, it will still indirectly affect the people that could have gained something from Mammal being in that location. The same goes for the population of people around there,” he said.

Both Chisenhall and LeBlanc said most people in the scene are shocked but unsurprised about the fate of these these DIY spaces, and

both think that even though DIY arts isn’t going anywhere, these closures are an immense hit to the scene en masse.

In terms of the future of Mammal, Yonker said the organization has been in a “perpetual limbo” for the past two years, and accepted nearly losing the building on several occasions. With this final closure and permanent relocation, he said they can finally “start moving towards something more definite,” or perhaps pursue something different in the future.

“If we can find another spaces that’s suited well for doing performances and stuff, we’ll open another Mammal, but if we don’t, we might try pursuing something different,” he said.

But for now, “it’s all a big question mark.”

BRINGING THE HOUSE DOWN The U.S. division of Newport Holding GmbH acquired several properties on Broad Street in March 2017, including the recently shut down art venues.

The Mammal Gallery has been an art gallery and event space in Atlanta since 2013.

Mammal Gallery’s scheduled art events will be held 217 Mitchell Street for the foreseeable future.

No statements have been put out

by Eyedrum or Murmur in terms of any potential relocation.

GO FIND YOURSELF: DECIDING WHAT TO BELIEVE IN Finally end the battle of not knowing who you are through religion

JOURNEY 1: YOU BELIEVE WHAT YOU BELIEVE Accepting who you are on the inside means being fearless in defending your beliefs in situations you would normally rather avoid. For some, during their journey of finding out who they are, facing their family about their new-found beliefs is unthinkable. However, for the brave few that take a dip in an unfamiliar water, they often find their relieved soul awaiting them.

Sai Maddalli, a freshman, said it was through a mutual connection he found himself.

“I was first introduced to the religion I am today because of my girlfriend. She wanted to go to church on Sunday morning. Being her only ride, I decided I'd tag along and see what it was about. I was fascinated at the ideas, the culture, and the processes. Over time, I learned more and more and read the religious scriptures and I became passionate as well. It was a small seed, but I decided I wanted to be baptized and join,” Maddalli said.

While becoming baptized is a huge, rewarding step into the journey of Christianity, to Maddalli it also meant facing the common struggle of explaining his conversion to his fully Hindu family. But Maddalli knew pursuing what he believes is right would benefit him in accepting who he truly is.

“This was the first time I felt spiritual and the first time I felt like I could believe in a religion so that was truth in itself for me. Switching from Hinduism to Christianity was a decision many people opposed, but it was the right one for me. I keep specifying ‘for me’ because I think it's incredibly important that religion is personal to each of us. Changing religions was hard, because my parents felt like I was telling them their beliefs were wrong; however, feeling spiritual made me feel religious and not ever worrying about the fact of which religion it was. I'm happy to have my spirituality and my own truth, while knowing that others feel the same way for their own,” Maddali said.

JOURNEY 2: BELIEVING IN NOTHING When hearing about a religion that believes in nothing, you might falsely discredit it with a pessimistic approach. However, Georgia State students find that believing in nothing gives you the power to determine your own energy and feelings.

Baris Kilic, freshman, believes (or maybe doesn’t?) just that.

“I’m an active nihilist. Active nihilism says nothing exists and you get energy from saying and doing nothing. We consider Buddhists passive nihilist because they don’t have any life forms in energy, in contrast He (Nietzsche) gets his full energy from nothing. So, he says ‘I believe in nothing, but I’m getting all my energy from nothing,’” Kilic said.

Our journey through life can expose us to many new things, and make us question the old. Carey Brock, Junior, has accepted that.

“I used to be a Christian, but I just like fellowshipping with everybody. I can’t say I have a religion now but just staying positive will lead me in the right direction. Hanging around positive people leads you to the right direction,” Brock said.

AUTUMN BOEKELOO Staff Reporter

We have been told since grade school that college is the time to find yourself. We are expected to walk out of the doors of graduation knowing exactly where we are going and who we are going to be. However, to family or long-time friends, the person leaving the building might not be the same person who entered it several years ago. As infants, we are often born into the religion our family believes in. But, when we move away and experience a new lifestyle, we develop our own belief system. Be it the religion you grew to know and follow, or a different path you found along the way, the indisputable truth is you will always believe in what you truly believe.

Whether it is a higher power, practicing positivity, or nothing at all, these Georgia State students have found a peace of mind within their beliefs. The Signal hopes their journeys inspire you to find your own inner strength and finally close a hole of void in your life.

JOURNEY 3: CHANGE IS UPON US: NOT KNOWING WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN Stepping foot into college, you might feel undeniably passionate or completely undecided about your faith. Beliefs shape who you are as a person. Whether you believe in a higher power, or nothing at all, beliefs are a crucial part of the Western lifestyle. With a place of worship on every corner, you might feel unsure about your opinions on religion. It is no secret that Georgia State is a widely multicultural university. After two to eight years of classes, organizations, and socialization, by the time commencement rolls around, it is not surprising if your views on religion, or what you believe in change.

Alexander Klinkert, freshman, has found enough reason to question their place in organized religion.

“I’m not an atheist, but I don’t belong to any church or organization. I believe there is a God, but I don’t know which one it is or how to devote myself to it. I developed this [belief] through thinking and meditation. We’re all college kids—we’re all trying to figure out what’s going on,” Klinkert said.

JOURNEY 4: THE MANY FORMS OF A HIGHER POWER While in America it is the normal to believe as you wish, the governments in other countries take a more involved approach.

Because these officials enforce laws and regulate society, the norm is to obey and trust their pursuits.

Ling He, sophomore, has experienced this first hand.

“In China we don’t really have the right to believe in some extreme religion. It’s okay to believe in God or common religions but most people believe in the president of China.

That’s how my parents educated me, and I believe most of the Chinese born students would think the same way I do. It represents the minority of the school,” He said.

JOURNEY 5: HAVING STRENGTH IN YOUR FAITH WHEN YOU FIND IT

A FINAL NOTE: Whether you want to embrace your religion and relate to the interviewee, or are currently searching to find out your inner beliefs, we hope this article broadened your knowledge on the various religions circulating at Georgia State.

If you decide religion is the right road for you, having passion and continuously exerting your faith shows your growing love for the belief. As mentioned, religion is not for everybody—but the students who have accepted a religion into their lives found it’s made them feel apart of something bigger than themselves.

Brandon Nijakowski, sophomore, uses religion to inspire him. “[Christianity] grew on me as I got older and going through experiences. I’m first in my family to go to college and I just feel like God has got this plan for me. I’m just trying to stay away from bad temptations,” Nijakowski said.

Sam Kalnitz, sophomore, has found resolve in his religion as he’s grown in college.

“I am Jewish. It’s very based on unity. There’s definitely not many Jewish people here (at Georgia State) but it doesn’t matter.

You meet new people here and you see how they react to it and how strong they are, and you take a look at yourself and say ‘You know what? You believe in what you do and just be you.’”

ISLAM JUDAISM

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PAGE DESIGN BY DEVIN PHILLIPS | THE SIGNAL

ARTS & LIVING

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GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

Spilling the beans

events not to miss march 28 - april 3

A guide to the coffee on campus

Wednesday, march 28 Textiles in the Americas

SAMUEL PUCKETT

Associate Arts & Living Editor

Enjoy the wonderful breadth of indigenous fine arts in this exhibit by the Michael C. Carlos Museum. The exhibition showcases over a hundred examples of Central American textiles.

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tudents really are a simple market.

After cramming for exams, papers and presentations, all we really want is a hot drink and a soft seat. Coffee shops know this universal human truth, so it’s no wonder students can find a variety around campus. But if we’re so easy to please, how do some shops manage to rise above the rest?

thursday, march 29 Fine Art at Spelman Spelman College of Fine Arts will be hosting new work from “Deborah Roberts: The Evolution of Mimi,”. The exhibition explores themes of girlhood and identity and runs through April.

INNOVATIVE AMENITIES

New to Downtown, the people at Post Office Coffee and Cowork are eager to find and foster their community. The beans for their coffee come from Atlanta’s own Radio Roasters. According to manager Siglinda Riley, local producers make up all of the sparkling waters, tea and kombucha, as well as all the other wonderful extras a coffee shop can offer. They even host a local produce pop up market, Luke and Letty.

But they're more than a local coffee shop; they are a meeting and coworking venue. With several meeting rooms and common areas, not to mention Google Fiber Wi-Fi, they're prepared for just about every kind of crowd you could imagine.

The cowork space sees a wide variety in its use.

“We have artists, we have people that work at the city buildings,” Riley said. “Book signings, all kinds of things.”

ATTENTION TO TRADITION

If you want traditionally Italian style coffee made from some exceptional beans, Condesa Coffee is the way to go. They source the beans from Counter Culture Coffee, who trains the baristas all in-house.

According to Condessa barista Will McKenzie, the training is rigorous.

“They like us to be very consistent, even when it comes to temperature,” McKenzie said. “They’d have us steam 10 pitchers of milk at a time and they all had to be within like two degrees of each other.”

FRIDAY, march 30 Adult Prom?

For our 21+ readers, this is your shot at a second shot at the pageantry of prom, without the chaperones. IF Only For One Night 2018, put on your best clothes and stunt while you get wild.

Coffee shops around campus offer students unique places to study between classes.

A PERSONAL TOUCH

Perhaps the favorite on campus, Ebrik Coffee Room is full of character. It is marvelous that a place with such industrial furnishing affects such warmth.

The coffee comes from the Land of a Thousand Hills, an Atlanta roasterie. The owners of Ebrik want to start roasting their own beans in house at the Downtown store, but at this point that still requires more planning.

Barista Farah Mohamoud, known as YP in the shop, said the management of Land of a Thousand Hills has been surprisingly helpful in

PHOTO BY KHOA TRAN | THE SIGNAL

saturday, march 31

exchanging knowledge on roasting.

The baristas at Ebrik are energetic and eclectic. According to YP, they are allowed and encouraged to develop autonomy and discretion as they make drinks, with each barista producing an original style.

“Please make it correctly, but if you want to do something differently, you have full freedom to do that,” YP said. “Some people make their drinks sweeter than others but some customers like their drinks sweeter than others. It's one of those things where some people make better drinks for a customer than others.”

Baconfest Get your tickets soon for a truly gluttonous event. In the Old Fourth Ward they will be serving bottomless beer, bacon and unlimited games for all to enjoy.

You might need a day to recover from this one.

sunday, april 1 April Fools Comedy Night The Decatur Arts Alliance in collaboration with Three Taverns Brewery will be hosting a night of comedy. The event is set to host a variety of local and nationally recognized comedy acts.

Crash-dieting disguises itself as lifestyle changes We struggle to distinguish fad diets and health advice SARA ABDULLA Staff Reporter

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o matter how much we declare to love our bodies at all sizes and all shapes, there are times when we look in the mirror and can’t help but notice a bulge or two that wasn’t there before the holidays. Suddenly, we find ourselves skipping breakfast and joining the spring rush at the gym, in order to look better in the skimpier clothing spring and summer demands we wear.

What is complicated is differentiating between crash diets and genuine, sustainable lifestyle changes. Generally, when people decide they want to lose weight (whether or not to conform to society’s beauty expectations), they also want to be healthier. We simply tend to go about it the wrong way.

Sonali Sadeqee, health coach and yoga teacher, said that a tragic mistake most people make is altering their habits too quickly, leading to the “rebound” effect many of us are familiar with.

“The busy life dynamics are always a pretty big obstacle to transform, but that’s the process.

My job is to support my clients to make gradual changes that actually upgrade their entire lifestyle,” Sadeqee said.

Indeed, yo-yo dieting can lead to adverse effects both psychologically and physiologically.

It’s easy to fall into the habit of wanting to lose great amounts of weight every few months, becoming demoralized by the challenge of sudden and significant life changes and then gaining the weight back.

Jessica D. Todd, the coordinated program director of nutrition at Georgia State and a registered dietician, said people face massive misinformation from the media and their peers.

“Media is a powerful source. There’s things on Facebook, Instagram, [with] these really goodlooking fitness models, and they’re putting out their exercise regimen [and] what they’re eating, [and] a lot of the time it’s very restrictive,” Todd said.

Todd explained that these types of diets foster a cycle of restrictive eating and poor body image.

She cited research on the consequences of putting stress on your body with inconsistent eating, like damaging your gut microbiome, an essential component to optimal immunity from toxins and for cognitive function.

“Not understanding the science behind nutrition metabolism and just jumping on a diet bandwagon [is a big mistake],” Todd said.

Something Sadeqee and Todd emphasized is the importance of finding healthful habits that work for you. Going plant-based, for example, typically represents a healthy lifestyle, but it’s not always necessary to cut out meat and fish in order to lose weight and reduce disease.

In the future, when you’re scrolling through Facebook and see one of those colorful photos with phrases like, “SUMMER CHALLENGE: No junk food, no alcohol, no dairy, and no eggs for that #sexyslimfigure!” accompanied by a lean, blonde woman, consider: is cutting out everything I enjoy in life sustainable? More than that, even if I manage to get that #sexyslimfigure, will I truly be happy without my nightly glass of Pinot Noir?

monday, april 2 x

Science escape at Tellus The Tellus Science museum is hosting a week of spring break fun. Beginning Monday with a day of astronomy, there will be themed exhibits as well as career professional panels.

tuesday, april 3 Artists in the Wild At the Chattahoochee Nature Center, the Roswell Arts Alliance hosts Artists in the Wild. Explore the grounds with local artists and feel free to ask them questions.

More events and info at georgiastatesignal.com.

TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2018

ILLUSTRATION BY PHILIP DURAL | THE SIGNAL

How to solve gun violence for good

In order to find solutions, we should look to the root of the problem

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JAMES FOX Staff Reporter

James is a journalism major on the Downtown campus. He likes MMA and being outdoors.

When he can’t get outside he spends his free time reading and writing. He grew up in East Atlanta and loves his city.

Tweet JAMES!

@KingJames21usa

hy is it only when some psychopathic white guy goes on a shooting rampage that we start talking about gun violence? There are Americans getting gunned down in the streets every single day in our inner cities, whether from robberies, gang violence or police shootings. The high rate of gun violence in America can only be fixed by addressing the root of the problem— violent crime.

FBI crime statistics show about 1 in 20 arrests in 2016 were for violent crime. Of those, firearms were used in 71.5 percent cases of murder, 40.8 percent of robberies and 24.2 percent of aggravated assault cases. But more often than not, the firearms used for these crimes were obtained illegally. A study conducted by the University of Pittsburgh found that 79 percent of guns recovered from crime scenes were not legally obtained. The Chicago Police Department reported in 2016 that there were 3,550 shootings and 771 homicides in just one year. In 2017, those numbers fell to 2,785 and 650 respectively. You might be asking yourself, “If shootings dropped, doesn’t that mean gun control works?” No, it’s a little more complicated than that.

Between 2016 and 2017, several districts in Chicago have set up what are called “Strategic Decision Support Centers.” According to the Chicago Police Department, the centers “include predictive crime software that helps district leadership make deployment decisions, additional cameras, gunshot detection systems, and mobile phones to officers in the field.” In other words, they set up cameras and listening devices in high-crime neighborhoods. Is this really the solution we want to gun violence?

I don’t want Orwellian surveillance systems watching over my neighborhood—I should have the right to protect myself. We should put more legal firearms in the hands of the people.

In 1982, Chicago banned the possession of handguns, which at the time were used in 38 percent of homicides, according to Just Facts. By 1990, that number shot up to 57 percent, and in 2010 it was as high as 75 percent.

A 2015 study from the Brookings Institute revealed that the overwhelming majority of the victims of gun violence are black males.

Homicides accounted for an astonishing 82 percent of those deaths. It’s especially high for black men in their 20s, where the firearm homicide rate is 89 per 100,000 people.

By allowing honest, law-abiding American citizens to own guns, I believe we create a safer environment. As the great American author Robert Heinlein said, “An armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life.”

Instead of pushing a police state into our most high-risk communities, we should empower responsible, law-abiding citizens to protect themselves.

“All these cops, the government—nobody’s going to be able to stop these guys. If you put in surveillance cameras, they’ll just get more creative,” Delva said. “The police are the biggest gang in America. The same way that Larry Hoover ran the Crips and had guys go into houses, shoot people up and rob them, the police do the same shit to young guys these days.”

THE CAUSES

According to Every Town Research, there have been 302 school shootings since 2013. Of those, 11 were students in Georgia schools. Banning guns isn’t going to eliminate school shootings because the issue of gun violence in America goes so much deeper than school shootings.

A gun ban isn’t going to stop anybody from getting guns illegally—that’s happening right now. We need to find out why crime is so

rampant in so many places in America and start by addressing those issues. A lot of violence in the inner cities is gang-related. The Los Angeles Police department states people will often join gangs for identity, protection, fellowship, intimidation and the profitability and protection in selling narcotics. If people are brought up in a dangerous environment, they are more likely to join a gang. It’s an act of desperation. If there were more opportunities and services available in many of these areas, people wouldn’t need to resort to violence.

Similar to gun bans, greater policing and incarceration is more of a short-term solution that politicians will spout to appear like they care about an issue. America is currently home to one in four of the world’s prisoners. We have more people incarcerated than anywhere else in the world, and it has little to no effect on crime rates.

It also puts a huge burden on the taxpayer—it costs about $29,000 a year to hold an inmate in a federal prison. Also, people find it very difficult to find jobs and return to a normal life after leaving prison.

Instead of quick fixes, let’s try some long-term change. Instead of looking at the prison system as a punishment, we should use it to reform criminals and help them get out of whatever situation put them there. For gangs, we should take on the problem as early as possible. We need teachers and school administrators to be positive role models and support kids who come from at-risk neighborhoods. We need to educate people on the dangers of drug use and do everything we can to get drugs off our street.

That means eliminating the supply by rooting out traffickers at the border. Also, recognizing and providing services for addiction will help to eliminate the demand. We need to keep looking for the root of the problem in order to find solutions.

EDITORIAL

12 STUDENT SUBMISSION

GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

An Unexpected Turn to Dance

Georgia State’s majorette-style dance team, Crown Jewels

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Kenneth Johnson is a senior at Georgia State University majoring in Journalism with a concentration in broadcasting. He is currently a Multicultural Competence and Peer Education (MAP) Ambassador for the Multicultural Center and the Vice President of Delta Lambda Phi fraternity.

Follow Kenneth on Instagram @Kennytastic77.

n November 2016, Michaundra Denson found a dance team that seemed shrouded in a vision of high hopes. Each time she performed with her team, Denson and other groups of young women not only built leadership skills but showed society the importance and joy of dancing.

Denson is one of the founding members of Georgia State’s first and only majorette style dance team, Crown Jewels. The purpose of the organization is to provide team members and society with an appreciation for the arts through majorette style dancing while representing the university with pride.

One fateful meeting with the president and founder of the team, Danielle Holmes, at the Multicultural Center gave Denson the opportunity to learn more about herself and inspire young students to never quit on their passion.

She started dancing at age five, but makes it known that she was not born with the art of dance.

The dancer believes people hold back on their true potential, insisting they push themselves and says, “Some people are taught to dance while others are born to dance. I don’t judge based from that.” She then smiles and adds, “I feel like anybody has the potential to dance. It just depends on the person.”

Crown Jewels provides a set of young women a chance to express themselves through the art

EDITORIAL Where are you SGA? Student leaders failed to show up to support their candidates

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n March 20 and 21, The Signal moderated the Student Government Association’s annual debates, putting potential Presidents, Executive Vice Presidents, Senators and Speakers to the test with hotly contested campus issues and concerns. When moderating the annual debates, The Signal’s goal was largely to inform the student body of its options when voting. You deserve to know your candidates’ platforms, and we provide a forum to voice them.

And while the debates ran smoothly, they did little to engage the audience. Why? Because there was hardly an audience at all. Among the 413 seats in Student Center’s Speaker’s Auditorium, a cursory glance across the room would show you only about 5 percent of those seats were filled.

But before we start pointing our fingers at the student body, we should be holding our SGA representatives accountable as well - who incidentally all failed to show up. Where were SGA’s current Senators? Where were the EVPs? Where was the Speaker? Where was the President? When asked during their March 22 meeting why their attendance was almost nonexistent, SGA representatives simply said “they didn’t know.”

It seems the conversation about SGA accountability is more troubling than we initially thought. Not only does SGA have difficulty in communicating to the student body, it also has difficulty communicating internally.

For the third year straight, SGA has struggled to pull in a lively audience to its debates. And we must ask: if SGA won’t even show for its own debates, why should the students?

of dancing. The group also learns how to trust one another and build humanity skills that could apply to their own life in society. Denson jokingly compares her experience of failing a dance move to her Spanish homework and emphasizes how the team helps her become a better leader. “It helped me listen and be more open minded and try to be more understanding of other people. Whether I agree or not, at least I can hear them out and try to take their perspective from what they’re saying.”

If not for her encounter with the organization’s president, Denson believes her life would have shifted into a different path that wouldn’t allow her to shine to her fullest potential. Performing at least three-to-four days a week currently, Denson now appreciates meeting Holmes as a calling. “If it was not for her having this vision that was a year in the making before what everybody sees now, I wouldn’t know what path to choose. It took a lot of work in the process of a year getting the team publicized, but she didn’t give up on herself, the organization or the team.”

Though dancing lets Denson express and release her emotions, it also has allowed her to see how working in a team can be a tough challenge. As her love of dancing becomes stronger with each performance, Denson finds that she must hold a balance between fun and business and refuse to

lose herself by comparing herself to others. “For a time period, it wasn’t fun [because] I was trying to make sure [my dancing] looked like what the other people [were] doing and [satisfied] the choreographer,” she says. “It just didn’t feel or look right. I had the moves and such but the extra piece of me and what made it look good wasn’t in there.”

As a 23-year-old senior, she finds that young kids look up to her as a mentor each time Denson performs. As a teacher at Dance 411 Studios, she believes she must ensure students never feel like a failure by setting an example. “There are people who are watching and looking up to me, so I can’t let them down,” Denson explained. “What type of message am I sending if I just give up and let it get me down? It might send the wrong message as a person would say, ‘Oh, it didn’t work for her, so maybe I should [quit] too.’”

Though Denson believes that Crown Jewels has helped her gain a variety of leadership skills, she insists that people should never give up on their passion. “Don’t let anybody take you away from what you want to do.” She continues in a cheerful yet quiet tone, “believe in yourself. And if you don’t, someone else will believe in you.”

TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2018

CATHY MANT

STILL GOING STRONG 17 YEARS AT GEORGIA STATE Find out what motivates women’s golf coach to come back year after year BLAKE CORRIGAN Staff Reporter

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uccesses in sports are an almost daily occurrence. A sustained lifetime of consistent success is a much more rare occurrence. Georgia State women’s golf head coach Cathy Mant, however, defines the term “sustained success” with her lifetime of winning contributions to the game of golf.

Mant has been the head coach of women’s golf at Georgia State for 17 and a half years and has run up the record book over that time. Her journey to becoming the women’s golf coach with the most wins in Georgia State history did not happen overnight though.

Mant, who is an Oregon native, began her lifelong journey with the sport of golf at the impressionable age of 9 years old. As a self-proclaimed jock, she chose golf in part, because in her early days, there weren’t too many other options available. That fact paired with the fact her father had begun to take a liking to the sport set the stage for the sport to quickly develop into her passion.

Her passion for the sport was also accompanied by a major talent for the game, which brought her to Arizona State.

“When I went to college, there were two power houses in women’s golf: Arizona State and the University of Miami, and Miami was really far away,” said Mant on her decision to be a Sun Devil.

The tenure at Arizona State was a great one according to Mant, who never even visited the school before deciding to attend. These were the days before athletic scholarships and Title IX, so Mant’s decision to come to Arizona State was a risk due to the high level of competition at the university. Fortune does indeed favor the bold, and fate was on Mant’s side in college. She got her first tournament start because one of the seniors had the measles. From that tournament onward, Mant was in the lineup. Propelled by the opportunity to play at the top school in the country, Mant turned her skills into the equivalent of the NCAA title in 1970 by winning the Division of Girls and Women’s Sports Championship, an individual honor.

The LPGA Tour was the next stop for the golf standout as she entered the tour in 1976, beginning a 10-year career. It was on the LPGA Tour where Mant would see some holes in her game that would later become focal points in her coaching career.

“My game was good enough to be there, but it wasn't stellar,” said Mant.

Even though Mant wasn’t a superstar during her time on the LPGA Tour, it would be remiss to think she wasn’t learning and evolving the entire time. She had three major takeaways from the tour: short game, mental coaching and course management. In 1986, Mant retired from the LPGA Tour for good, and began teaching before falling into coaching.

Coach Cathy Mant, advises the women’s golf team on Oct. 3, 2017, while competing against Jacksonville University.

“My joy and my energy comes from if I can help them (women’s golf team) and how they grow from when they come in from a freshman to when they graduate— that energizes me.”

— CATHY MANT, Head coach In 2000, Mant would be named the head coach of women’s golf at Georgia State. Mant brings a unique style of leadership to the team, saying she isn’t one of the "it’s my way or the highway" type coaches often found in sports.

She is a much more personal coach. Chloe Howard, a freshman standout on the team, said really likes Mant’s ever-evolving style of coaching.

“She’ll always ask what we want to do differently, how we’re feeling at practices. It’s not like every semester she asks what can change, all the time she’s asking if we’re happy,” said Howard.

This style of coaching keeps the team on their toes as well as ensures each golfer feels

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY GEORGIA STATE ATHLETICS & PAGE DESIGN BY DIANA TAVERA | THE SIGNAL

comfortable and is in a good environment to grow as a player.

With so many things accomplished in her life and 17 years at Georgia State alone, the question must be asked— what keeps Cathy Mant motivated and coming back year after year? For Mant, it’s simply the love for young people and watching them grow as people and athletes.

“My joy and my energy comes from [helping the women’s golf team] and [watching them] grow from when they come in from a freshman to when they graduate— that energizes me,” said Mant.

Over the past 17 years, Mant has collected numerous awards and honors for her coaching duties at Georgia State. Mant is a six-time Coach of the Year award recipient, a Grainger Award winner and led the Panthers to three conference championships in 2006, 2009 and 2010. Her golfers have brought in 21 team tournament victories, and over 20 individuals have medaled.

This list of accolades is impressive, but Mant and her players fully understand that there is still work to be done and each season leaves its own legacy. This season did not get off to the start Mant wanted. Using her years of golfing experience, Mant and the team have made changes in practices, workouts and even brought in a mental trainer to stay ahead of the game. The changes appear to be working as the team has steadily improved since the rocky

start to the season.

The players seem to be taking Mant’s coaching wisdom to heart as the confidence has not waivered.

“I’m hoping to win, individually as well as a team. I know that my team can win our home tournament. We definitely can do that,” said Howard.

This confidence, in part, can be attributed to none other than Mant and her knowledge. For the accomplished Mant, she is only concerned with her players giving it their best and continuing to improve, and they are doing just that midway through the 2018 season.

FUN FACTS

Winningest coach in Georgia State history Former LPGA Tour Pro Six-time coach of the year winner “I’m very competitive, so I want to be good.”

SPORTS

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GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

“Lefty” Driesell on Hall of Fame ballot for fifth time Former men’s basketball head coach can finally join the greats JERELL RUSHIN Sports Editor

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ifth time’s a charm? Georgia State fans and college basketball historians hope so. It’s alarming in their eyes that a certain Panther’s name doesn’t sit inside the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame after already being on the ballot four times.

Former head coach Charles “Lefty” Driesell’s accolades include a 786-394 record, 16 regular season conference championships, six conference tournament championships, eight top-10 finishes, 13 NCAA Tournament appearances and four Elite 8 appearances.

When Driesell retired in 2003, he was the fourth-winningest coach in Division I college basketball. The three ahead of him— Bob Knight, Adolph Rupp and Dean Smith—were all enshrined while active.

“I don’t want to get into any comparisons, but I think I’m in pretty good shape this year,” Driesell said.

He was the first coach to win 100 games at four different schools. Whatever the shape the programs were in prior to Driesell arriving (a combined five NCAA Tournament appearances), he left them in better places. He won 176 games at Davidson, 348 at Maryland, 159 at James Madison and 103 at Georgia State.

This time around he’s the only college coach on the ballot.

First-time finalists who he is up against this year include Ray Allen, Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, Katie Smith and Tina Thompson.

However, the hall doesn’t have a cap on how many people can be selected. So, in theory, all 13 finalists could be inducted.

Driesell was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007, its second year in business. His biggest moment at Georgia State was winning the Atlantic Sun tournament championship in 2001 and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

“We beat Wisconsin in the first round and they had been in the Final Four the year before, so that was a great win for us. Then Maryland beat us and went to the Final Four that year and won the National Championship the next year,” Dreisell said.

Maryland was where Driesell earned his notoriety and what gives him the most consideration for a spot in the hall. “[The game was] no different, you just want to win, whoever you play. But I certainly wasn’t pulling for Maryland,” Driesell said.

The 29 wins he and the Panthers won in 2001 were the most he won in a single season. Georgia State had just one NCAA Tournament prior to Driesell, but they’ve had two since.

“I loved my time at Georgia State. I had a lot of great young men that I coached. I loved living in Atlanta. My two daughters lived there, and that was one of the reasons I took the job. I think Atlanta’s a great city to recruit in. Georgia State’s a great school.”

In earlier days of college athletics, recruiting was considerably less challenging than in his six-year Georgia State career.

However, Driesell’s run at Georgia State shows that he can coach with today’s restrictions.

“Back then, you could recruit 12 months out of the year, 24 hours a day. So now you’ve got all these restrictions, you can’t do this, you can’t do that. It made it easier,” Driesell said.

For every knock on Driesell’s resume, a counterargument exists. He coached a great deal when there weren’t recruiting restrictions, but so did the other greats who were elected. He never won a national title, but neither did Pete Carril and John Chaney. He’s 12th in all-time wins, but the 12th leading scorer in NBA history is in the hall.

As Driesell is more removed from his coaching career with every year, the risk grows that his accomplishments will be looked upon as just numbers. Making winners out of programs

Former Georgia State basketball coach "Lefty" Driesell, gets nominated for the Naismith Hall of Fame ballot for the fifth time.

that had relatively little success is a tough task. It may be undervalued by the voting committee in favor of other candidates solely because of recency.

“If I did get in, it would be a lifetime dream come true,” Driesell said. “But it’s really a tribute to your players.”

A constant throughout the 41 teams Driesell coached was good defense, what he calls a must to be successful. He ran a man-to-man defense, but thinks good players are the backbone of a great program.

“We had good players, we worked hard, and played together, we played good defense. We didn’t take bad shots,” Driesell said.

Although this was case at all four schools he coached at, the

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY GEORGIA STATE ATHLETICS

floor inside GSU Sports Arena will always read “Charles ‘Lefty’ Driesell Court.”

“I’m really honored that my name is on the court at Georgia State. That means a great deal to me,” Driesell said.

He probably would never say it, but it could mean a greater deal if 16 members of the 24-member committee believe Driesell is honorable enough for enshrinement.

The hall reveals the Class of 2018 on Saturday, March 31 at the 2018 Final Four. The enshrinement ceremony is set for Sept. 7 at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.

VOLUNTEER AT COMMENCEMENT Sign up at commencement.gsu.edu/volunteers For more information, contact the Commencement Staff at 404-413-2743 commencement@gsu.edu commencement.gsu.edu

TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2018

SPORTS

15

Van Fleet returns to Alma Mater and is thriving

panther of the week

The Panthers have won over 70 matches in four years CHRISTIAN CRITTENDEN Staff Reporter

W

omen’s beach volleyball head coach Beth Van Fleet is now in here fourth season at the helm of the program. She is very familiar with the school as she played her college career at Georgia State. Van Fleet recorded incredible numbers for digs and kills. Before she became the head coach, she was an assistant on the inaugural beach volleyball team at Georgia State.

PHOTO BY GEORGIA STATE ATHLETICS

MEGAN LITUMBE

What is like being able to coach at your alma mater?

COACH VAN FLEET: It’s near and dear and something that's very special to my heart. I think that's a huge reason that I got into coaching at all because I had the opportunity to come back to Georgia State to get started.

In your short time here, all of your teams have had over a .500 record. What do you think are some of the reasons behind that? Also, how have you been able to translate your success as a player into being a coach?

VAN FLEET: First of all, it's incredible that we’ve had over .500 seasons, and I think a lot of that is because of the support that the administration has given us since day one. They’ve built an incredible facility for the athletes. It's very intriguing when recruits come on campus to be able to see themselves playing in our three-court facility, so the support from administration has been monumental in our success. Beyond that, from a coach’s perspective, I think especially early on I relied heavily on my playing experience professionally, and used a lot of that information and what I had learned struggling through eight years on the pro tour myself and trying to improve the learning curve of out athletes here. But most importantly I think we’re successful because we're gritty, because we’re hungry and we work very hard.

Did you play for Team USA? VAN FLEET: I got to represent the USA in the NORCECA games.

SOFTBALL

Alumna Beth Van Fleet gives insight on coaching the beach volleyball team for the fourth season.

How was that experience?

VAN FLEET: Being able to travel at all to represent your country is just such an incredible honor. So I was able to play on the NORCECA tour, and I think I played in four or five different stops. You would go compete against other athletes from North America, Canada and the Caribbean. But just getting to see the game from different perspectives, from strengths that different countries had and trying to learn how to play to that, just helped us all to become better athletes.

Which do you enjoy more? Playing or Coach?

VAN FLEET: I think I probably like coaching more now, but I loved playing. I absolutely loved going

PHOTOS BY UNIQUE RODRIGUEZ | THE SIGNAL

through the workouts and feeling terrible so that you could feel great in competition, but I’m really loving the coaching space. I feel like I’m able to impact and help a lot more athletes than just myself.

What is your favorite moment from your playing career?

VAN FLEET: My favorite moment from my playing career is the time that I got into the top-10. My partner got six-packed, her glasses flew off, and ended up changing the momentum of the game from that play on and ended up getting into the top-10, which for me was like winning a gold medal. It was a really special time.

Jake Rogers: “I'm here to win”

Transfer pitcher focused on strikes and wins in first year with Georgia State D'MITRI CHIN

Associate Sports Editor

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fter spending two years at Cleveland State, Jake Rogers has taken his talents to the Georgia State Panthers baseball team where he has seemingly positioned himself to pitch in the weekend rotation, which is by no means an easy task.

During his last year as a pitcher at Cleveland State, Rogers posted a 9-2 record with an ERA of 3.38. Rogers is off to a promising start as a Georgia State Panther due to the experience he gained before transferring downtown.

"I think at Cleveland State being able to go there for my first two years and being able to play in a great conference up there [helped prepare me for the opportunity at Georgia State," Rogers said. "I pitched against a lot of great teams, and being able just to take that and take it up another notch here and do what I've been able to do so far. But I've got a little ways to go."

Rogers may not be content with what he's been able to accomplish thus far as a Panther, but his record of 3-2 surely isn't a lackadaisical start with his new team.

However, being that Rogers typically pitches the day after Hunter Gaddis, who is the team's ace pitcher, Rogers is just as confident that he can produce strikes and wins for this ball club. He mentioned that he isn't phased by having to pitch behind a high-caliber pitcher such as Gaddis.

"No pressure at all," Rogers said without hesitation. "The thing I have learned is I had to throw behind two great guys in junior college, so I'm just here to be me, and that's a big thing I had to learn. I'm not here to top him or anything. I'm here to win, and that's a big deal for me."

As for the mindset Rogers has, he isn't concerned about competing with the other pitchers on the roster. Instead, he is focused on overpowering opposing batters and giving his team the best chance to win every time he takes the mound.

"My mindset is just to go out there and throw strikes," Rogers said. "Go out there and throw strikes and mix speeds."

Although Rogers is a Panther, he likes to refer to himself on the mound as a different breed.

"Go out there and be a bulldog on the mound.

That's who I am, and that's how I've always played this game, and that's how I'm gonna keep playing it."

Rogers has over 20 strikeouts on the year thus far. He's been able to work batters early in the pitch count, which allows him to throw a variety of different pitches to produce strikeouts.

"The fastball has been there, changeup, mix and then we get to big breaking ball counts that I've thrown really well in, and that's a big thing at this level. You have to be able to throw breaking balls for strikes, and if you don't, you can't pitch at this level,” Rogers said.

Since joining the Panthers, Rogers has received considerable support from the fans. He says, "It has been really awesome, and it's been a blessing to be here."

Rogers has indeed found a new home at Georgia State.

Local homegrown senior, Megan Litumbe was a constant in Georgia State’s offense last weekend. The Grayson, Georgia native tied Ivie Drake for the team-high for home runs during the second inning of the Panthers 6-5 win over South Alabama on March 24. However, Drake hit one herself just two innings later. Once again, Litumbe tied her when she hit a 2 RBI home run in the sixth.

In the second half of the doubleheader, Litumbe drew two walks, scored in the first inning and hit a single. In a quiet day for the Panthers in the series finale, Litumbe hit one of Georgia State’s six hits a drew a walk. 4 hits, 3 runs, 3 RBI, drew three walks.

SPORTS BRIEFS Beach Volleyball — Sit at 16-5 on the season after winning four games last weekend. Two dual sweeps put the Panthers on five-game winning streak. Senior Day sweep of Louisiana Monroe and Mercer wraps up 6-0 home record for the season.

Softball — Dropped a chance to win first Sun Belt series of the season when they fell 5-0 to South Alabama. Split a doubleheader with the Jaguars last Saturday. Megan Litumbe hit her 58th and 59th career home runs.

Track and Field — Third outdoor competition ended with three first-place finishes at the Weems Baskin Invitational. Nuria Ramirez, Kiona Bradshaw and Rashell Reid were first-place finishers.

SPORTS CALENDAR GOLF

STANDINGS

MARCH 27

MARCH 27

Women’s Golf

GSU Beach Volleyball Complex

JOHN KIRK POINTER INTERCOLLEGIATE, HOST: GEORGIA STATE

KENNESAW STATE

ALL DAY

Stockbridge, Georgia

TROY

ALL DAY

GEORGIA TECH

Atlanta, Georgia

men’s Golf ALL DAY

MARCH 31 3M AUGUSTA INVITATIONAL

Augusta, Georgia

9 P.M.

MARCH 28

MARCH 27 HOOTIE AT BULLS BAY

6 P.M.

SOFTBALL

Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina

Awendaw, South Carolina

school

MARCH 29 Troy, Alabama

APRIL 2 CHARLESTON INVITATIONAL

SUN BELT BASEBALL

BASEBALL

6 P.M.

MARCH 30 TROY

Robert E. Heck Softball Complex

1 P.M.

ALL DAY

MARCH 31 TROY

Robert E. Heck Softball Complex

3 P.M.

Conference Overall streak

COASTAL CAROLINA

6-0

19-7

W7

SOUTH ALABAMA

3-2

13-10

W1

GEORGIA SOUTHERN

5-1

12-11

W4

GEORGIA STATE

1-4

12-11

L1

TROY

3-3

16-8

L1

APPALACHIAN STATE

0-6

5-16

L7

TEXAS STATE

3-3

14-8-1

L3

TEXAS-ARLINGTON

4-2

11-11

L1

LITTLE ROCK

4-2

13-10

W1

LOUISIANA-MONROE

3-3

13-10

W1

LOUISIANA

2-4

10-13

W1

ARKANSAS STATE

1-5

9-12

L1