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At 8:13 a.m., a nonGeorgia State offender was stopped for criminal trespassing on the J Deck. It was exceptionally cleared. JAN. 10
Joyriding in the W
A non-Georgia State offender was arrested on the W parking deck for auto trespassing at 1:20 a.m.
NEWS BRIEFS
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JAN. 11
Waiting for football Sunday, maybe?
Georgia State police arrested a non-Georgia State offender at 9:59 p.m. at GSU stadium for criminal trespass.
JAN. 14
Taking an “L” in the W
A Georgia State student was the victim of criminal property damage in the W parking deck at 1:18 p.m.
JAN. 12
Paying for parking wasn’t an option
Georgia State police cleared a non-Georgia State offender for criminal trespass on the J Deck at 8:51 p.m.
LOCAL
NATIONAL
GLOBAL
Atlanta Falcons hire new head coach
Biden outlines $1.9 trillion stimulus package
Travelers to England quarantine for 10 days
Arthur Smith was named the new Atlanta Falcons head coach after firing Dan Quinn in October. The team had a 0-5 start in the season when Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris assumed the role of interim head coach. Smith was a graduate assistant at his alma mater, the University of North Carolina, where he started his career. Before accepting the Falcons position, Smith was named offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans to start the 2019 season.
On Thursday, President-elect Biden outlined his $1.9 trillion stimulus package. More than $400 billion of the package goes directly to pandemic relief. Most of the package will help accelerate the vaccine deployment and safely reopen most schools within his first 100 days in office. The plan will include $1,400 stimulus payments to individuals and families, with $300 weekly unemployment benefits, federally mandated paid leave for workers and for child care costs.
All international arrivals to England will have to quarantine for 10 days amid concerns of spreading COVID-19 to new individuals. The UK government previously opened up their “travel corridors” between countries with fewer coronavirus cases. Unfortunately, Grant Shapps, the UK’s transport minister, said he is suspending the corridors. Snapps said UK experts had previously assessed the risk of each country. Now, that is increasingly difficult because of the number of people traveling.
PHOTO OF THE WEEK Photo by Matt Siciliano-Salazar | The Signal
MISSION STATEMENT The Signal shall provide, in a fair and accurate manner, news of interest and significance to the Georgia State community and serve as a forum for the expression of ideas of members of that community. Furthermore, The Signal shall provide an opportunity for students to pursue experience within a professional newspaper environment. The Signal shall also provide truthful and ethical advertising of interest to the Georgia State community. COVERAGE REQUESTS Requests for coverage and tips should be subwmitted to the Editor in Chief and/or the relevant section editor. SUBMIT LETTER TO EDITOR Letters must be submitted to the Editor in Chief via e-mail and must include the text of the letter in the body of the message. Letters should be 400-500 words maximum. The Signal will allow longer letters, but only in rare circumstances. Letters must include the full name(s) of the writer(s) and include their year and major. If the writer is a faculty member, they must include their title and department. Letters will be fact-checked prior to publication. The writer may be obligated to make changes to the letter for publication. Letters will be edited for grammar, clarity, length, factual accuracy and adherence to The Signal’s policy. The Signal reserves the right to modify and/ or reject letters at the discretion of the editorial staff. DISCLAIMER Opinions and Letters to the Editor expressed in The Signal are the opinions of the writers and readers. It does not reflect the opinions of The Signal. OFFICE INFORMATION The Signal Student Center West, Suite 250 P.O. Box 3968 Atlanta, GA 30303 Phone: 404-413-1620 Fax: 404-413-162
E’LAFAYETTE STONE SHOOTS A JUMP SHOT DURING HIS WORKOUT AT EHB BASKETBALL CLUB ON THURSDAY AFTERNOON.
NEWS
January 19, 2021
WWW.GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM/NEWS
The presidential inauguration has been a tradition since George Washington, the first U.S. President, began his presidency on April 30, 1789.
PHOTO COURTESY OF SHUTTERSTOCK
Inauguration goes virtual as safety concerns grow Rioters, COVID-19 infections and threats cause first online Inauguration LEAH LI Staff Reporter
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he inauguration for President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will occur on the west side of the White House in Washington D.C. this Wednesday, Jan. 20. Afterward, Biden will take the oath of office and deliver his inaugural address. Following that, Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, will join in a Pass in Review on the opposite front side of the Capitol building and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and her husband. Then, representatives from all military branches will escort him from 15th Street to the White House. Unlike past presidential inaugurations, all of these activities are socially distanced due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, a “virtual parade across America” will be held. According to Voice of America, the parade organizers said its purpose is to “celebrate America’s heroes, highlight Americans from all walks of life in different states and regions and reflect on the diversity, heritage and resilience of the country as we begin a new American era.” The presidential inauguration has been a tradition since George Washington, the first U.S. President, began his presidency on April 30, 1789. That day was the first Inauguration Day in American history. According to the White House Historical Association, large crowds watched President Washington go to the Federal Hall with both houses of Congress presenting. Washington himself even danced after the inauguration. The inauguration isn’t just the president’s oath. Its activities have become more entertaining, including parades and music that are widely celebrated across the country. It “reflects not only the president they honor but also the desire of many Americans to celebrate our nation’s rich history and the transfer of presidential power,” the White House Historical Association site states. The people’s votes do not directly elect the President and Vice President. The states the candidates win dictate how many “electoral votes” they’ll receive. Members of the Electoral College complete this, and the process consists of three parts: selecting the electors, meeting and voting of the electors and Congress counting the electoral votes.
The Electoral College has 538 electors, representing the number of senators (100), state representatives (435) and the three electors for Washington, D.C. To win the election, the presidential candidate needs at least 270 electoral votes out of the 538 votes total. Political parties nominate their electors in each state earlier in the year. On the general election day, voters select the presidential electors in their state by voting for the candidate from their party. For example, if the Democratic candidate received more votes in the popular vote, then the electors from the Democratic Party are chosen in that state. Traditionally, on the Monday after the second Wednesday in December, the electors meet and vote to determine which presidential candidate wins the election formally. In 2020, they met on Dec.14. All 50 states and Washington D.C. use the “winner-take-all” system, which means all the state or district electoral votes are for the presidential candidate who wins a majority of votes there. The elector must swear to vote for the candidate who wins in the state. In this election, Trump lost 74 electoral college votes, receiving 232 votes, while Biden got 306. Among the swing states that ended up Blue this time, Trump focused the most on those that ended up in his favor in the 2016 election: Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia. On Jan. 6, Congress met to count the electoral college votes formally, certifying Biden’s win. However, the 2020 election saw unprecedented events take place. Despite losing the election, President Trump continued to make accusations and statements assuring his supporters he won the 2020 election. President Trump also made claims that Democrats stole the election. In this election, many voted by mail to avoid gathering in crowds during the pandemic, which President Trump claimed led to fraudulent election results. In September, at the first presidential debate, he argued that mail voting is designed for fraud and is easily “manipulated” without providing any evidence. According to the Associated Press, before the election
results came out, President Trump said it’s inappropriate for Philadelphia election officials not to allow his campaign to observe mail-in voters. After losing on election day, President Trump asked for multiple recounts in Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Michigan, resulting in Biden’s favor. No concerns of fraud have been reported. President Trump insisted that many absentee votes were not legitimate and sued those swing states that turned Blue. Many state attorneys and governors have already confirmed the transparency of this election and turned President Trump down. AP News states that Josh Shapiro, the Pennsylvania Attorney General, said President Trump’s lawsuit was “more a political document than a legal document.” Nonetheless, President Trump still firmly believes he has won the election. On Jan. 6, Trump supporters organized a large rally in Washington, D.C., to overturn the election results. The rally became violent. Four people died, over 52 were arrested and 14 officers were injured, with two wounded seriously; the D.C. National Guard was activated and prepared for responding to the violence. Following this violence, some members of Congress are thinking about removing President Trump from the White House. Since Vice President Mike Pence refused to invoke the 25th Amendment, the House of Representatives decided to impeach him by charging him with “incitement of insurrection.” On Jan. 13, they voted for the impeachment, which passed with 232 for the impeachment and 197 against. There were 10 Republicans among the 232 members who supported the impeachment. Dan Scavino, the Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications, posted a tweet on Jan. 7 stating that President Trump promises “there will be an orderly transition on Jan. 20” while he still “totally disagree[s] with the outcome of the election.” Despite President Trump’s continuous denial, Congress confirmed Biden’s victory as president. Biden’s inauguration will occur on Jan. 20, and the U.S. will have a new president.
4
NEWS
TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021
Moderna believes vaccine is effective for a year Americans question the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine MARY BRASSFIELD & LEAH LI News Editor & Staff Reporter
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chills, headaches and fatigue. as human bodies need some weeks to build immunity s 2020 comes to an end, Americans find The CDC states they are “normal signs that your themselves at a critical point in helping treat after vaccination, it’s still possible to become infected. the coronavirus. body is building protection” and should disappear The goal of vaccination is to enable the body’s COVID-19 cases are increasing every day, and within a couple of days. People should still get the immune system to recognize and fight the COVID-19 government officials try to find a plan to ensure every second shot despite side effects after the first one virus, protecting people from being infected. American receives the vaccine. unless “a vaccination provider or your doctor tells you Nonetheless, people may test positive on antibody With many unprecedented events that have taken not to.” tests if their body develops immunity for COVID-19 place since the pandemic began, Americans find However, if the side effects increase or don’t go away after vaccination, indicating they have some protection themselves facing another dilemma; Should they trust after, it’s better to call a doctor. against it. the vaccine? Downplaying the importance of protective At a vaccination appointment, the patient will According to the CDC, clinical trials show that the masks, mixed messages over lockdown protocols and get two printouts. One is a vaccination card, stating Moderna vaccine is 94.1% effective among individuals the need to obey the social-distancing rules may have what vaccine they received and when and where they who received two doses and are not infected before. contributed to many Americans not taking this virus or received it. The other one is a fact sheet containing the vaccine quite seriously. more specific information about the vaccine, either While 50% of individuals question the vaccine’s in print or electronically, to further understand the seriousness, the other half may not get it because they benefits and risks of receiving it. question its efficacy. For the vaccine to substantially reduce the number Many Americans of color, Black and Latinx, say of lives lost in this pandemic, there will need to be a they will not get either vaccines, Moderna or Pfizernear-universal willingness among all Americans to get BioNTech, because of incidents in America’s medical vaccinated. history when it comes to people of color. After Biden, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, For example, the Tuskegee experiment is credited former President Barack Obama and many other as one of America’s medical history’s most disturbing. political officials received the vaccine, officials hope Also, there are economic and cultural inequities in the this will help other Americans follow suit. U.S. healthcare system that disproportionately harm COVID-19 has killed more than 318,000 people and — TAL ZAKS Black and Latinx communities. infected nearly 18 million in the U.S. alone. There are genuine reasons why some people may be There’s still uncertainty about the exact number Top Chief Medical Officer skeptical and fear the new vaccines. of Americans needed to be vaccinated to reach herd at Moderna Public health officials face real concerns with Black immunity. Americans that could impact the country’s ability Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute The CDC recommends people who have had to reach its goal of vaccinating over 100 million of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, predicted that the COVID-19 and then recovered to receive the vaccine Americans. As President-Elect Joe Biden wanted to number would need to be somewhere between 75 to since there are possibilities of re-infection and severe accomplish within his first 100 days as president. 85% at a recent Harvard event. According to a poll in September done by the Kaiser health risks resulting from exposure. On Friday morning, Fauci said that “it’s quite Family Foundation and The Undefeated, some 70% There are some potential side effects. The most feasible’ for the U.S. to achieve Biden’s goal of of Black Americans believe that people are mistreated common ones include pain or swelling on the injected distributing 100 million doses of the COVID-19 based on race or ethnicity when seeking medical care. arm and some flu-like symptoms, including fever, vaccine in his first 100 days of office. The circumstances surrounding the pandemic called for a quicker-than-usual development process, resulting in perceptions that corners are being cut while creating the vaccine. The National Medical Association, an organization of Black doctors, has created a committee to vet the science behind the new COVID-19 vaccines and allow their results to be made public so Black and brown communities will know the vaccine is safe to receive. The FDA granted Emergency Use Authorization for the Moderna vaccine on Dec.18, trying to put the pandemic in control as effectively as possible. The FDA website states that the EUA allows “individuals 18 years of age and older” in the U.S.U.S to use this vaccine. Two shots are required for the vaccine to work effectively, with the second shot 3 to 4 weeks after the first one. Both vaccine companies are currently testing people to see if adding a third dose — a booster shot — might extend protection. With the month in between doses, it is unknown how long it will protect people from catching the virus again. Moderna believes its vaccine should protect people against COVID-19 for at least a year, Moderna’s top chief medical officer Tal Zaks told the JP Morgan’s 39th Annual Healthcare Conference. “Our expectation is that the vaccination should last you at least a year,” he said. Moderna’s clinical trials have shown that the vaccine was 94% effective in preventing symptomatic infections. The company released its data, showing the vaccine also prevents all infections, including those that do not cause symptoms. The vaccine doesn’t contain the live virus, so As vaccines begin to be distributed, Americans across the country question the safety of this vaccine. receiving it will not cause people to contract COVID-19. However, people should be aware that,
“
Our expectation is that the vaccination should last you at least a year.
”
PHOTO BY HARRY WYMAN | THE SIGNAL
TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021
5
THE SIGNAL
Mixed- status immigrants, dependents, and college students, could receive the third stimulus check from the IRS.
PHOTO BY MATT SICILIANO-SALAZAR | THE SIGNAL
What is included in the third economic relief bill? Timeline of each economic relief payment and their details MARY BRASSFIELD News Editor
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irst Economic Impact (Stimulus) Payment
On March 27, a $2.2 trillion bill known as the CARES Act passed through Congress, and President Trump signed it into law. The Act responded to the economic fallout of COVID-19 and allowed Americans to stay home to help combat the pandemic in America. The bill includes $300 billion dollars for stimulus payments to individual Americans, $260 billion for increased unemployment benefits, $500 billion in loans for corporations, $339.8 billion to state and local governments and the creation of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPE loans) that provides forgivable loans to small businesses. This bill did not come easily since Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House leader Nancy Pelosi were at odds with what they wanted out of the bill. The Kentucky Republican urged Congress to pass an aid bill that contains neither legal immunity nor state and local government support— this caused a roadblock for Democrats trying to pass the bill. “What I recommend is we set aside liability and set aside state and local, and pass those things that we can agree on knowing full well we’ll be back at this after the 1st of the year,” McConnell said to CNBC reporters. After more than 30 days of deliberating in Congress, lawmakers finally decided how much money they would send to Americans, corporations and states for assistance. Individuals and heads of households received a one-time payment of $600, plus $600 per dependent under 18, and married couples received up to $2,400, plus $500 per child. The bill also included $300 weekly benefits for individuals who filed for unemployment after losing their jobs or laid off during the pandemic. Payments phased out first for Americans with an annual adjusted gross income of less than $75,000, married couples included. For individuals who make more than $75,000 a year, heads of households earning more than $112,500, and married couples who earn more than $150,000, the amount was reduced by $5 for every additional $100 of adjusted gross income. Most eligible taxpayers received their first Economic Impact Payment within the same week the bill was signed into law.
What if I haven’t received my check?
If you didn’t get the full amount of that payment, you might be eligible to claim a Recovery Rebate Credit when you file your 2020 federal tax return. The IRS started sending out stimulus payments immediately, but while 80 million people can expect the money to hit their bank accounts by Wednesday, others will wait longer before the cash is in their hands. Check the status of your first Economic Impact Payment. Some people received their payment in partial payments. If you received partial payments, the application would show only the most recent. Confirm your payment type: direct deposit or by mail.
Who won’t get a check?
The main people excluded from receiving payment are wealthy individuals, non-U.S. citizens and “adult dependents” who can be claimed on someone else’s tax return, which means that some young people and college students ages 18 to 26 will not qualify for a payment.
Second Economic Relief Payment
Americans expected more support from the government during the pandemic to help combat the effects of the virus. Since President Trump allowed millions of Americans’ unemployment benefits to expire and millions to lose homes and businesses in the pandemic, Americans wanted a second stimulus check or aid sooner. The pandemic lasted almost the entire year of 2020 and claimed the lives of millions around the world, leaving many financially reliant on the assistance of U.S. government aid to survive. Congress passed another bipartisan deal that President Trump signed into law that gives $600 checks to adults with annual incomes up to $75,000, plus another $600 per child. Some Americans earning more than $75,000 will also receive money if they meet the specific qualifications outlined below. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he hopes to start sending out payments swiftly.
What is different from the second payments?
Mixed-immigration-status families were made eligible for this payment and the previous CARES Act payment
from the spring. Anyone in the family who is a U.S. citizen or has a “valid identification number” listed on their tax return will be eligible to claim this payment.
How does the U.S. government know where to send the money? If you have already received a payment from the first round of stimulus checks, then the IRS will deliver this second payment in the same way. Most Americans will receive the payment through direct deposit, but the IRS will send you a paper check if it does not have your bank details on file or you closed the account the IRS has on file.
Third Economic Relief Payment President-elect Joseph Biden has outlined his $1.9 trillion emergency legislative package to help combat the unprecedented effects caused by COVID-19. His plan will help fund a nationwide vaccine effort and help provide direct economic relief to Americans. The American Rescue Plan will include a budget of more than $400 billion toward fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, $160 billion to execute a national vaccinations program, $1,400 stimulus checks for Americans and $400 weekly unemployment benefits until September 2021. Biden has pushed Congress for $2,000 stimulus payments, which would be accomplished by passing the additional $1,400 checks. Biden downplayed the deficit spending that his bill would require, saying that the benefits of aggressively spending to combat the economic impact of the pandemic would “far surpass the costs.” If the Biden administration fails to gather enough Republican support, then stimulus backers could move to pass it under a process known as budget reconciliation. This process only requires a majority vote for legislation to become law.
But what if I still have more questions?
The IRS created a FAQ website with the latest information. It is updated frequently: irs.gov/coronavirus.
OPINIONS
WWW.GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM/OPINIONS
January 19, 2021
Your GPA shouldn’t define your intelligence Don’t let society’s standards grade you ALYSSIA HARDGE Staff Columnist
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In Georgia State Perimeter’s humanities department, the pathways require students to take a mandatory language class.
PHOTO BY HARRY WYMAN | THE SIGNAL
Mandatory language classes are stressful
Foreign language requirements don’t help the student GABBY MILLER Staff Columnist
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n college, there comes a time when you finally decide what you are going to do for a career. There are specific pathways to take before you can get an official degree. Specific majors have different requirements for students to fulfill. One of the types of conditions is that you have to take a foreign language class. Some of the pathways that have this requirement are ‘Philosophy, Politics, and Economics’ as well as ‘Political Science’. Because of these mandatory classes, students find completing their pathway more stressful. People do not focus on understanding the material when there is just pressure to pass. In my experience, I focused on passing more than learning something new. Once students got a passing test grade, everything they studied and committed to memory would just disappear. Because for many students, the grade was all that mattered. The priority of passing the class is all that matters. You can study the subject for hours, but the pressure remains if you pass or not. Then, all the material leaves your brain after passing that particular section because the task was fulfilled. If you have a learning disability such as dyslexia, it is more challenging to
understand the language class you are currently taking. For example, some people who have dyslexia write backward. This is to show how they think or see words inside their heads. But let’s put this into perspective. As someone who already struggles with their first language, how can you truly understand a class focused on a second language? Someone with dyslexia finds it harder to understand the textbook format, which makes studying challenging. Mandating a language class for unrelated majors makes things unnecessarily complicated. It makes learning the elementary level of that language ten times harder than it usually has to be. Finally, this constant reminder that learning a second language could land you better job opportunities makes things more memorable. Professors and advisors regularly told me this. You would probably think that taking these classes allows you to learn the language, but this simply is not the case. The constant reminder of the number of opportunities that open up if you study a language makes things more stressful for many students, making it harder to pass. Because of the way specific pathways are, some students leave with certain expectations of the working world. Even though the job opportunities are not
taught to us in that class, it becomes a haunting reminder of how things are in society. You have to be talented in certain things. Sure, you can graduate from an Ivy League school. Still, if someone else graduated from a typical college but is fluent in Spanish, for example, the other person would most likely get the job. This is because being fluent in a language used almost everywhere is a skill to have if you want to branch out in different places. But that doesn’t negate the added stress that comes with making it a mandatory class. Pathways are not like having a major — it is training to get to that place. So when your pathway says there is a mandatory language class, things get more challenging. You are constantly reminded you need to pass these classes to move on with their pathway plan. If you do not get at least a C in the grade book, you fail. Even with a C, people will not think you have tried hard enough to pass the class. Mandatory language classes are stressful and unnecessary. The constant pressure to pass and the opportunity to be fluent in a particular language is beyond stressful.
ow many times has your GPA affected for future? I bet you could count it all on the one hand. Why does it matter? Many students grew up being told, “Your GPA is so important. Don’t have a bad GPA, or you won’t get into college.” Yet, here we are, in college, most of us struggling to keep at least the 2.0 needed to get the credit for a class. Anyone could study nine hours to memorize random facts to get 70% on an exam and forget all the material within a week. Our grades are not a representation of our intelligence. They are a reflection of society’s standards on how we should be graded. These standards do not consider that people are learning differently, and not all of us received the same education. It is time for our GPAs to stop reflecting on what we are expected to learn and start remembering our learning. A GPA reflecting your intelligence is like a muddy puddle showing your reflection. Growing up in the gifted, honors or Advanced Placement programs, I’ve seen some intelligent students I know end high school with lower GPAs than the on-level students. And if we are sincere, their GPAs would have been a lot lower if it weren’t for the extra points those classes added. I was one of those students. By the time my senior year of high school came around, I was burnt out. Before that, my classmates and I treated our grades like a competition. It wasn’t about understanding the material from your classes; it was all about getting the correct answers and getting an A. If you finished the class
with an A, you got extra points, and so on. The funny part is, those same students are the college burnouts. They never had to try. They never had to learn how to study. No one pushed them to try and get the grades they did. They just had it in them. Getting an A on a quiz was like riding a bike. For some, it was the easiest thing ever. For others, they kept falling. The University System is flawed in many, many ways. The grading rubric they use is just one of the flaws. College is hard. COVID college is even more challenging. Though this is my second COVID college semester, I feel for the students who have been dealing with this from the start. Transitioning from in-person classes, tutoring sessions and study groups to Zoom meetings, online conference hours and YouTube videos is a significant change. If many students are like me, we aren’t getting used to it. Every one of us learns differently, and most of us aren’t meant for online classes. So grades drop, motivation plummets and sooner or later, we drop out. The world has adjusted so much to incorporate the COVID era into our daily lives. But we aren’t learning. Whether we are college burnouts, COVID college students or just straight 4.0 students, we deserved to be graded on a better scale. The grading rubric is outdated. The world is evolving, and it’s time to stop using students’ society-approved GPAs and start using the skills and knowledge they have to offer as a deciding factor.
OPINIONS
TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021
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Purity culture is inherently sexist and problematic Purity culture shames women more than men CALLIE MCNORTON Staff Columnist
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n the heart of any place rooted in religion and home to conservatives, many young people find themselves facing “purity culture”. It’s described by Linda Kay Klein, author of Pure, as “the foundation of genderand sexual-control upon which purity culture stands,” which is “global, cross-religious, and crosscultural.” Women live within a society that does not provide enough conversation or acceptance, forcing the idea that they should stay pure. From Muslims using “honor-culture” or Mormons using “worthiness” to white evangelicals and “purity,” all of these ideas are rooted in the same concept: abstaining from sex. In parts of the Southeastern United States, no one talks about sex; if anyone is talking about sex, it’s because someone did it when they were not supposed to. “Everyone spoke as if it was taboo and said to wait until marriage. Shifting from middle school to high school with this mentality made me feel alone,” Grace Ralph, a student from Southeast Georgia, said. A lot of the concepts surrounding purity are gender-specific. Men and women are supposed to abstain, but women are given purity rings and taken to purity balls. People in these communities often see men as sexually deprived while they see women as non-sexual. There is way more conversation around male sexuality, from watching porn to doing the actual deed. Often within the church, men confess an addiction to porn, and the congregation praises them for their bravery. It is hard to imagine a woman coming forward and even harder to imagine
it taken positively. I can only assume that this veil of purity has wrapped women up in shame. However, within Christianity, sex is still a beautiful thing. In a 1994 study, it was conclusive that religious conservatives enjoy sex. Not all women in the church carry shame. Many choose to wait until their wedding day, and being scared into abstinence can have nothing to do with it. These women want to share this special gift with the one they believe God has chosen for them. “We practice chastity to develop purity, not for the sake of our own sexuality, but for the sake of Christ,” Joe Carter wrote for The Gospel Coalition. So why is there such a catch-22? Sex is not talked about enough in actual sexual education classes, particularly in the South. A study from the Guttmacher Institute revealed that from 20112013, 80% of adolescents, age 15-19, learned how to say no to sex, while 55% of young men and 60% of young women were taught about birth control. Only 6% of LGBTQ+ youth aged 13-21 felt they had been well represented in sex-ed. “Sex and sexual desires are a natural human need; to repress that is starving yourself of a basic necessity of life. Purity culture has the potential to be positive if taught from both sides — abstinence, and if you decide to have sex,” Ralph continues. Students in the South need to reflect on their upbringing and education and revisit the information they learned. An excellent first step is visiting Georgia State’s Student Health Promotion. The patriarchy of religion and lack of education creates a purity culture that sexually disempowers women; let’s change that.
Civil disobedience and reform are not born of moderatism and respectful behavior; they are the extremist’s work.
PHOTO COURTESY OF QUALITYLENZ
Is there such a thing as good and bad extremism?
MLK’s legacy proves that extremism is a double-sided coin ABIR ODEH Staff Columnist
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ow many of us think about the connotations or the denotations of the words we use? I would bet few of us do. How many of us realize the changing meanings and associations of words over time? I will bet that a few of us reflect on the events that change our perception of certain words. When you think of the word extremist or fundamentalist, very rarely is it in a positive light. I do not blame you; I, like you, shudder at the use of these words and hesitate to associate myself with them. Their reputation is too foul and the events associated too frightful. However, we are nearing a national holiday for a man, like many others, regrettably dubbed as an extremist. He was a man who embraced the word if it meant that he incited change and fought injustice. An extremist is someone whose beliefs are far from the center or moderate societal beliefs. Martin Luther King Jr. was a man whose political views and societal goals were far from moderate citizens. Therefore he was found in the crossfire of the complacent’s condemnation. So why do we hold indignation for extremists when it is they who incite the fires of change? Some of the most outstanding leaders of our present and our past, Martin King, Malcolm X, Mohandas Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and so many others, faced the accusation of extremism.
They showed us that we could be better and shouldn’t be afraid to fight for reform and advancement. So, why do we shy away from the word and whisper it under our breath rather than wear it proudly?
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He was a man who embraced the word if it meant that he incited change and fought injustice.
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— ABIR ODEH
Staff Columnist
But it is also the extremist that teaches us that we need both sides of the coin. That while we may have terrorists, like
the Nashville bomber or the KKK, we also have King, whose extremes were for love, justice and civil equality. As we condemn the extremist for being extreme, we must also condemn the moderate for their impassiveness to injustice. King detailed his disappointment with the moderate in his “Letter from Birmingham City Jail”. “The white moderate who is more devoted to ‘order’ than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says ‘I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I can’t agree with your methods of direct action’; who paternalistically feels he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives by the myth of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait until a ‘more convenient season.’ Shallow understanding from people of goodwill is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.” As in the era of King’s leadership, we live in a time that needs civil disobedience, protests and demonstrations, and that restrained freedom is simply not enough. For, if anything, this past year taught us that “whoever takes a life … it will be as if they killed all of humanity; and whoever saves a life, it will be as if they saved all of humanity,” as the Quran 5:32 states.
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Dissecting the 7-2 Panthers as individuals
Grading each player on the men’s basketball team MALIKAI COLLINS Staff Reporter
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ith nine games under the Georgia State men’s basketball team’s belt, the team has had the chance to find its identity and players in leadership roles to take this team to the next level. The Panthers have finished off the non-conference portion of their schedule and have had their first look at Sun Belt opponents with two meetings against Coastal Carolina. The team boasts a 7-2 record through the first third of the season, tying them with the Chanticleers for the conference’s top spot. With the spring semester underway and grades back on everyone’s mind, it is only right to see where the individuals on Rob Lanier’s team stand. Overall performance, efficiency and team role on and off the hardwood will factor into each player’s score. Additionally, each player included averages over 18 minutes per game.
Corey Allen, A-
The senior guard leads the team in scoring, averaging 15.4 points a game, but sometimes, it looks like he could score 25 on a nightly basis. Allen uses his top-end speed with the ball to create space and exceptional off-ball offensive movement to get to his spots. One of the conference’s best shooters, his 32 makes from deep are the 35th-best in the nation, and his 54% from three ranks 23rd. Even more impressive, Allen’s shooting from the field ranks top-12 in the country among guards at 55.7%. A big reason for his efficiency comes from the team’s all-around talent on offense. As one of four starters averaging double-figures in scoring, Allen’s ability to make shots and get in a rhythm makes him a lethal weapon. “He’s not having to force shots; he’s not having to get creative. He’s just getting open,” associate athletic director Mike Holmes said. “When you’re a really good three-point shooter, and you have nobody within five, six, seven feet of you and you get a wide-open look at the basket, you’re going to make those.”
Justin Roberts, A-
The junior guard has recorded a team-best three 20-point games this season, all of which have resulted in wins. He is second behind Allen with 14.8 points per game. Aside from scoring, the 5-foot, 9-inch combo guard does quite a bit of everything for the Panthers, leading the team in both assists (4.6 a game) and steals (2.11 a game). Roberts uses his quick first step to create space for open shots, and when he cannot get a good look, he penetrates the lane before finding an open man. His teammates are also scoring off his plays, which is why Roberts leads the team in assists. On the other end, he is an aggressive defender and uses his elite lateral quickness and passing anticipation to create turnovers. Roberts’ 2.1 steals per game are also a team-best, in addition to his assists. Like most of the team, his biggest game of the season came in the opener against Georgia Tech, a 123-120 4OT win for the Panthers at McCamish Pavilion. Roberts finished the game with a team-high 26 points, including five threes, nine rebounds and six assists. To open the season the way Roberts did was remarkable for his confidence as a scorer and a leader for the team, and his spirit continues to grow. “You want to have confidence in whatever you’re doing. And I think what that Georgia Tech win did is it helped build confidence,” Holmes said. “You see those shots fall, and you know you can compete against an ACC program.”
Kane Williams, B+
Since the beginning of last season, Williams stood out as the team leader when Lanier gave him the keys. Williams has done a great job attacking the rim and drawing fouls, evident by his team-highs in both free-throw makes (36) and attempts (57). Additionally, he uses tight handles to stymie defenders and get to the bucket. Williams doesn’t shy away from contact and will crash the boards, averaging 3.9 rebounds a game. With the most playing experience with the Panthers, Williams knows what it takes to be a leader and inspire his teammates. His rough Georgia Tech game never got to his head, and he is continuing to be the voice the team needs, both on and off the court. “If you look at the numbers, Kane definitely got off to a slow start this year, putting some pressure on himself as a senior and a leader of this team,” Holmes said. “What we’ve seen [despite the struggle] is his totals have kept going up. It’s like, ‘All right, if I’m not going to make the shot, let me find a guy who’s open and get an easy bucket.’ That’s what you look for in a leader of a basketball team.”
Evan Johnson, B-
The freshman guard looks like a future piece of the unique program Georgia State has become. At first glance, Johnson’s speed and quick handles are the strengths. His offensive awareness is that of an upperclassman, and he pushes the tempo and plays out on the break in his backup role. Once Johnson starts attacking the rim and gets a better flow of the offense, his untapped ceiling will rise.
Jalen Thomas, C
Thomas is shooting a solid 50% from the field on the season and capturing 5.2 rebounds per game. However, the second-year Panther is struggling early and is another player who needs to find his confidence and fit in the offense. Thomas does well when crashing the boards and protecting the rim but seems hesitant to shoot the ball at times.
JoJo Toppin, C+
Toppin had a shaky start to the season but began to find his stride during a three-game streak where he averaged 11.3 points a game. The UGA-transfer has also shot the ball well at 61% on the season. A raw athlete, Toppin needs to shoot the ball and crash the boards more often to build his confidence and reach the potential he came here to showcase. From there, the sky may (literally) be the limit for the sophomore workhorse. “The young man can just about jump and touch the ceiling,” Homles said. “I look forward to having fans in the stadium again to see him play just because of the energy he brings. He’s one of the few guys who, after the game, gets shots up and puts the work in for when his time comes.”
Eliel Nsoseme, A+
There is no other way to say it: Eliel Nsoseme may be the best big man in the Sun Belt Conference. Although he is undersized for the center position at 6-feet, 9-inches, Nsoseme is a skilled rebounder with great instincts around the rim and averages 10.6 boards a game, 17th in all of Division-1 basketball. He finds his shot around the rim using his strength and skilled footwork. He is scoring 13.6 points a game on a team-high 66% shooting from the field. He has posted three double-doubles this season, including a 20-board night against Mercer, where he was just four points shy of recording the second 20-20 game in program history. “If he continues to put up [those numbers], I think he has to be a [Sun Belt Conference] first-teamer,” Holmes said. As a redshirt last season, the Cincinnati transfer sat out for the 2019-20 season. His 2020-21 campaign has turned the heads of many, including Holmes, who watched him practice multiple times every week before last March. “Having been around Eliel for a year and watching him practice, I thought he was going to be pretty good. He’s turned it up a whole [other] notch this year knowing that he can play,” Holmes said.
Collin Moore, C+
Moore has had a rough time shooting the ball this season, but he is only a freshman. His willingness to not be disgruntled and show confidence in his shot could be valuable for the Panthers team in the years. On defense, Moore seems comfortable as he is third on the team in steals with 13.
Ryan Boyce, C+
Boyce has seen a boost in playing time over the past four games and is shooting 51% from the field. While he does a decent job at grabbing the boards, the junior must develop either a jump shot or improve his finishing ability. The more Boyce builds chemistry with his teammates on the court, the more dangerous this team can become.
PHOTO SUBMITTED BY GSU ATHLETICS, PAGE LAYOUT BY EVAN KOENIGS & ILLUSTRATIONS BY MYAH ANGLIN | THE SIGNAL
ARTS & LIVING
WWW.GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM/ARTSANDLIVING
January 19, 2021
Eating disorders affecting men in the fitness community Nutrition professor and students give tips to battle ‘Bigorexia’ JADA JONES Arts & Living Editor
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n the Recreation Center’s basement, “gym bros” are found in the free weight room, profusely sweating and grunting loudly with every heavy lift. These guys’ biceps are barely contained by their sweat-stained “GSU Football” Gildan T-shirts. These men can also be intimidating, especially to someone who doesn’t frequent the gym. Some people go to the gym in hopes of coming out looking like a member of Georgia State’s powerlifting club. To be lean, cut and muscular is to be in shape, confident and healthy. But sometimes, it’s not. Beauty standards for men and women are the inverse of each other. For women, beautiful means thin and toned, but not too muscular. And for men, attractive means shredded and muscular but not too skinny. Oversaturation of unattainable beauty standards for women results in over half of teenage girls engaging in unhealthy weight loss methods like skipping meals, using laxatives or fasting. Professionals are more likely to diagnose women with an eating disorder before their health declines detrimentally, as the signs and symptoms are easier to spot than they are in men. But men suffer from eating disorders just as much as women, but some men suffer differently. The term “bigorexia,” or muscle dysmorphia, is a condition that primarily affects male bodybuilders. People with this condition obsess over being more muscular and typically see themselves as not muscular enough. Someone with muscle dysmorphia may spend an excessive amount of time working out, overspend on fitness supplements and engage in abnormal eating habits.
The Bigger, the Better
Gotta Get Those Gains (the Right Way)
Intermittent fasting is one of the few diets that does not limit what someone eats, but when they eat. The
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Social media provides us with images that get ingrained into so many young men’s brains as the ideal physique, and it makes many envious to be that muscular.
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— HUNTER MEECH
Georgia State Senior
However, studies suggest that restrictive diets like these can increase someone’s chances of developing binge eating disorder. “I’ve known guys who have starved themselves for 16-20 hours and then tried to gorge themselves and eat an entire day’s worth of calories in less than eight hours,” Meech said. “Of course, this leads to even more eating disorders such as binge eating where guys will try to eat as much as they can in hopes of putting on as much muscle in a short period of time.” Dan Benardot, a professor of nutrition at Georgia State, compares intermittent fasting to driving a car from Atlanta to Los Angeles: if a person is a car, then the calories consumed are the gas. He explained that you couldn’t overfill the tank before you leave Atlanta to satisfy the trip’s total fuel needs, nor can you let the tank go to empty and provide fuel once you get to Los Angeles to give the car what is needed for the trip. The car won’t make it. “What happens with a lot of people who are physically active is they tend to backload their intake. They have a little breakfast, exercise, exercise, exercise. Then, they don’t eat very much. At the end of the day, they have a huge dinner to consume the fuel they actually needed earlier while they were exercising, compromising their goal of losing fat and gaining muscle,” he said.
Maxing Out the Cycle
Like any other mental illness, the most effective way to overcome eating disorders is to seek help. But for some, that’s not an option, whether it be limited access to resources or not knowing they have a problem. But there are ways to slow the process. Ross asks open-ended questions to his clients interested in losing weight to ensure they are setting fitness goals for the right reasons. “When I train people, and they tell me their goals, I always ask them, ‘Why?’” he said. According to Benardot, the best and correct way to diet is to “never overfill the tank.” Consider researching factual, scientific journals about dieting and avoid baseless diet fads found on the internet. Benardot also mentioned that using weight to determine the validity of a diet is “misleading.” “Part of the problem is that they think that the diet is successful because they say, ‘Oh look, my weight [has] gone down,’” he said. “Weight is the worst imaginable metric that you could think of because it’s misleading. What you really want to know is, ‘Is my fat going down? And am I keeping my muscle?’” Creating a healthy relationship with food helped Meech conquer his struggles with eating. “I find that the best thing that’s worked for me is to focus on eating healthy meals without focusing on the [number] of calories and the ratio of carbs and proteins,” Meech said. “Understand that unhealthy food isn’t evil and will not ruin your physique if you practice moderation and stay active.”
Men in fitness are susceptible to eating disorders and body dysmorphia due to the media’s presentation of male beauty standards.
PHOTO BY MATT SICILIANO-SALAZAR | THE SIGNAL
Senior Hunter Meech worked at Georgia State’s Student Recreation Center and is passionate about fitness. He explained his struggle with dieting and the media’s effect on his self-image, as well as his experience of seeing his friends exhibit unhealthy habits. “Bigorexia is a term I’m far too familiar with, and sadly, many men who lift weights struggle [with it] whether they know it or not,” he said. “Social media provides us with images that get ingrained into so many young men’s brains as the ideal physique, and it makes many envious to be that muscular.” Men in fitness tend to follow a strict diet, with some examples being ketogenic diets, “If It Fits Your Macros” dieting and intermittent fasting. Meech followed the “If It Fits Your-Macros” diet and found himself engaging in disordered eating habits. “You basically eat the calculated amount of proteins, carbs and fats your body needs for your goals,” he said. “This resulted in me becoming incredibly anxious about going over and eating too much. I [was] extremely lean but to a point where I looked emaciated, and it only continued to hinder my body image issues even more.” Senior Freddie Ross, a former employee of the Recreation Center and a personal trainer, agrees that unrealistic body images in the fitness world contribute to people’s warped perception of their bodies. “In my opinion, eliminate ads that push the narrative of men needing to be 270 pounds of ripped, lean muscle to be adequate as a human,” Ross said. “[We should] have open, honest conversations about people and their relationship with food and exercise.”
most popular intermittent fasting method is the 16/8 method, where one eats for eight hours of the day and fasts for the other 16. During fasting periods,only consume water and zero-calorie drinks.
ARTS&LIVING
TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021
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Students share their ‘core’ fashion aesthetics Music, culture and history inspires popular fashion
ISA CARDONA Associate Arts & Living Editor
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rom popular aesthetics like “cottagecore” to the lesser-known “wormcore,” core aesthetics refer to the fashion trend of centering one’s style around a specific feature. Hundreds of styles fit into the category of core aesthetics, and they often stem from music, culture and history. Sophomore Whitney Chase describes her style as “campcore.” Camp refers to the essay, Notes on Camp, written by Susan Sontag in 1964. Sontag defines camp as “an aesthetic style and sensibility that regards something as appealing because of its bad taste and ironic value.” Camp was the 2019 Met Gala theme, which showcased iconic looks from celebrities like Lady Gaga and Billy Porter embracing the aesthetic. “That [theme] was so up my alley, and I never heard that word used before the Met Gala,” Chase said. “I like wearing ugly things but making it look like part of my aesthetic.” Her style has drastically shifted within the last year alone, switching from monochrome black and white outfits to bright colors and mixed textures. Chase does not follow a set of rules with styling and instead puts together outfits with pieces that feel interesting to her. “I want every piece of my clothing to have a distinct personality to it,” Chase said. On the other end of the fashion spectrum, sophomore Reaghen Cerda jokingly describes her style as “a hipster attending a funeral.” “I like a grunge kind of look,” Cerda said. “[It’s] kind of like how Courtney Love dressed in the ’90s.” This style gained traction through the grunge music scene and emphasized a thrifty and uncoordinated look with an edge. An example would be pairing a faded, oversized flannel with combat boots. Cerda mainly gets supportive comments from
friends and strangers for her style, and she loves that her look can inspire others. “When I’m out in public, sometimes little kids come up to me, and they tell me ‘Oh, I like your outfit or I like your hair,’” she said. “That makes me feel good because I remember seeing older girls when I was young and being like, ‘I want to look like them when I get when I grow up.’” Sophomore Ezra Blanchar created an aesthetic out of their passion for environmentalism. “I think that someone’s ‘core’ is something that usually inspires them to dress or act in a certain way,” they said. Blanchar’s style is “earthcore,” which promotes eco-friendly fashion. They thrift most of their clothing, and they adamantly make sure they wear everything they buy. “I think about the future of fashion, like what is something that’s pushing the boundaries of clothing,” they said. According to Business Insider, fashion production makes up 10% of total global carbon emissions. People buy more and more clothes for the year because fast fashion companies have switched from seasonal clothing drops to near-weekly drops. Blanchar takes steps to minimize their carbon footprint and hopes that others will join them in prioritizing the environment’s health over mass-produced clothing. “I want to make sure I’m making a difference and inspire others to make a difference because I would like to live on this earth as long as we can,” Blanchar said. Core aesthetics provide an excellent opportunity to explore different styles or establish a style based on one’s interests or beliefs. No one knows what the next fashion trend will be, but it’s important to remember that the best accessory in fashion is the happiness and confidence that comes from self-expression.
Goldie Notnice, a professional tattoo artist at City of Ink Tattoos, speaks on the change towards acceptance and being a female artist in the industry.
PHOTO SUBMITTED BY GOLDIE NOTNICE
Getting inked is becoming more acceptable
Tattoo culture shifts into the mainstream DEENA KAYYALI Staff Reporter
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ody art exists in countless cultures around the globe. For thousands of years, societies have ascribed various meanings to unique tattoos and designs.
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People are beginning to understand that getting tattooed is an artistic expression of yourself.
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— SCOTT ROGERS
Tattoo Artist at Inksomnia Tattoo & Body Piercing
While the ancient Egyptians used tattoos to display high status, the
ancient Greeks used them as a mark of shame for convicts. Even in today’s American society, the meaning of tattoos is ever-changing. While they still hold a certain stigma about them, they are gradually becoming more accepted and appreciated. A survey published by the Statista Research Department in 2019 states that, in the U.S. alone, about 44% of the population has at least one tattoo. Scott Rogers, a professional tattoo artist at Inksomnia Tattoo and Body Piercing, has noticed the change of culture over the last few years. “The industry grows every day,” he said. “The outlook on tattoos has moved into an artistic one, and away from one of judgment. People are beginning to understand that getting tattooed is an artistic expression of yourself.” The image of the tattooed American has changed over the past decade. As body art becomes more accepted into society, those who have “professional” and “elite” careers are beginning to feel comfortable showing off their ink. Goldie Notnice, a professional tattoo artist at City of Ink Tattoos, spoke on the change towards acceptance and being a female artist in the industry. “I absolutely have seen a change in the stigma around tattooing,” she said. “Not just with the body art itself, but even with being a female in the industry. We are being more accepted, and you’ll see more of us working alongside the guys in shops.
Concerning society, I definitely feel like we are moving forward. Before, doctors, nurses and lawyers had to follow a certain image. Now, so many of them have visible tattoos.” Tattoos have made their appearance in everyday culture, including shops and the media. Hit television shows like Ink Master and companies like InkBox, which specializes in selling semi-permanent tattoos, have had great success. People of all ages are feeling more comfortable with the idea of getting tattooed. “I can say full-heartedly that I feel more comfortable and more accepted [in] society with my tattoos today than how I felt about them when I first got them,” student Cameron Gowan, a junior with a full sleeve on his right arm, said. “When I got my first tattoo, jobs wouldn’t hire you if you had any sort of body art. Over the past three to five years, I have found that jobs have been a lot more accepting of them.” While there is still a stigma associated with tattoos, people are beginning to see body art differently. Many are realizing that the pieces on their bodies can be a further extension of their inner selves. “It’s a further expression of my artistic views,” Notnice said. “Instead of people viewing it as me ‘staining my temple,’ they are beginning to view it how I feel about them, which is that I’m simply enhancing my beauty.”
SPORTS
January 19, 2021
WWW.GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM/SPORTS
The mother of players and wife of a head coach Dayo Lanier on her basketball-filled home MEADOW BARROW Staff Reporter
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The Panthers lost many key players from their 2020 second-place team, but the future still remains bright with a solid roster.
PHOTO BY MATT SICILIANO-SALAZAR | THE SIGNAL
Brett Surrency’s squad bound for a bounceback 2020
After the departures of many key players, a new era begins ANTWANE WILLIS Staff Reporter
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he Georgia State men’s soccer team wrapped up their 2020 season in a disappointing fashion last month, losing in the Sun Belt Conference championship. They played the entire season and managed to end with an efficient 9-22 record. Even though the team experienced an unconventional season, this did not discourage them as they continued to display good performances. Head coach Brett Surrency was impressed with the way the team played, given the circumstances. “There were a lot of different things going on this year that were very atypical with respect to COVID,” Surrency said. “We had a good bit of contenders come back, and we also had to integrate new players, which can take a while.” The Panthers faced some of the same teams on multiple occasions, which was unusual for the team and coaching staff. The team took advantage of this byproduct of the pandemic and defeated the Mercer Bears twice. It also produced a trilogy with the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, which ended in a draw,
with both teams winning one apiece and the last meeting ending in a tie. Recent graduate and goalkeeper Paul Tyson experienced some additional adversity due to the pandemic but still enjoyed his final season at Georgia State. “It was strange because we obviously faced the same [Coastal Carolina] team during regular season twice, which we had never done before,” Tyson said. “That was unusual because you never get such quick turnarounds to prepare for the same team.” The rest of the team and the coaching staff had the same attitude. Surrency was impressed with how his athletes continued to improve even when adapting to a new season. Multiple Panthers were named to the Georgia State honors list for the fall academic semester, and freshmen defender Alex Henderson received student-athlete of the week honors in November. “George Proctor is the first player that comes to mind because he was the conference defender and player of the year,” Surrency said. “I was very pleased for him because a lot of times we don’t think he gets the notoriety that [he] deserves for the work that
he puts in.” The coaching staff instills discipline and hard work in its players every single season. Paul Tyson acknowledged that these lessons from the soccer field would stay with him for the rest of his life. “I just think that there are some things, as a student-athlete in a good program, that you learn and take it with you in life,” Tyson said, “From all aspects like teamwork, determination and even down to small things like time management and to respect the opinions of others.” Even though the season has ended, Surrency is already looking forward to next season, and he is excited to take the field. He and the coaching staff are always sharpening their skills to ensure his team will always have useful guidance and great performances. “I’m honestly excited just to get back with the guys,” Surrency said. “I think the gaps in-between seasons are always nice to start because you’re usually coming off of a longer season, and that entails a lot. But after the break, we’re ready to get back going again.”
ollege sports are packed with an immense amount of fun and excitement, and they are some of the most popular sources of entertainment in the media industry. A lot of blood, sweat and tears go into the success of college sports, and the sports scene would look very different if it weren’t for the passionate individuals behind the lights and cameras that keep every program alive. Sports fans only see the hard work and dedication that players and coaches put into the game every season. But what most people don’t see, and often fail to understand, is what goes on beyond a single season and after the games. Running a successful sports program is a yearlong commitment from not just coaches but everyone involved — athletes, doctors, trainers, nutritionists — except for a few weeks off throughout the year. As such, many of these professionals also have families waiting for them at home. So what role does a coach’s wife play in their husband’s career? Dayo Lanier, the wife of Georgia State’s men’s basketball head coach Rob Lanier, has enjoyed every day of the 22-year experience. “This is Rob’s second head coaching job,” Lanier said. “He was the head coach at Siena College years back, so I’ve been in this position before—when our kids were much younger.” The Lanier family eats, breathes and sleeps basketball. Their son, Emory, a freshman for the Davidson College Eagles, and 17-year-old daughter Kai, who attends Woodward Academy, are both active on the basketball court. “I’m fairly involved, in terms of attending most [Panther] home games
and watching away games,” Lanier said. “Because I’m following three different basketball seasons, I have to keep track of several games.” Although Coach Lanier spends a significant amount of time away from his family, it’s not all bad for Dayo. Alone time is a cherished monument in her life. “As anyone in the Lanier household will tell you, I’m a major introvert,” Lanier said. “Rob’s time away often coincides with my moments of introverted solitude or time with the kiddos.” Having alone time is a good thing, but she experiences some difficult times as well. Scheduling family activities while considering not just one basketball season, but three can be overwhelming. “The biggest challenge has to be the inability to schedule things definitively or too far in advance,” Lanier said. “Due to the basketball season, workouts and recruiting periods — family vacations, trips and other activities are relegated to very specific, and sometimes limited, time slots.” For the Lanier family, hectic schedules and busy basketball seasons are a common and familiar thing. But this never gets in the way of their family bonding. “We’re pros at family bonding,” Lanier said. “We definitely know how to make the best use of the time we have to spend together and supporting one another at games and events.” Although there are so many aspects, good and bad, that come with being a coach’s wife, the real enjoyment for Dayo comes from knowing that her husband is living out his true purpose in life while also finding a healthy worklife balance. “I’m proud of how much he loves his family, and [he] is the best husband and father we could ask for,” Dayo said.
SPORTS
TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021
Three things we learned about the Hawks this week NAJEH WILKINS Staff Reporter
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he NBA season has been anything but normal so far. Games are postponed, star players out for their respective teams and teams continue to scramble; the league requires a team to have at least eight players healthy to compete. The Atlanta Hawks are the embodiment of a topsyturvy season, but not from cancellations They cannot seem to hang on to leads. After starting the season 4-1, Atlanta is now 5-7 and dropped two of three last week. Here are three things we learned last week.
Atlanta will go as far as Trae Young takes them
Last week, Young struggled from the field, and his team followed behind. He scored an efficient 26 points last Monday in a home win against the Philadelphia 76ers. But that was a team unsure if they would have the eight players necessary just hours before tip. Then, after shooting just 1-11 and scoring only 4 points against the Utah Jazz, the Hawks had no chance in that game, and it was over before the fourth quarter even started. Whenever Young doesn’t perform well, the Hawks aren’t competitive and lose handily to superior teams. When he plays well – being aggressive offensively and sharing the ball – Atlanta has a chance.
His 26 points and 11 assists were vital Saturday night against the Portland Trail Blazers and kept Atlanta in the game until the very end. But at the end of the night, they became empty stats after the Hawks dropped another game. Young is the leader, and Atlanta needs him to step up more to have a chance at the postseason.
Clint Capela is Mr. Consistent
Capela secured three double-doubles this past week and was a force on the class. In just the first few weeks of games, he continues to show just how valuable he is to a young team. Saturday night was the ninth straight game Capela recorded double-digit rebounds this season. The firstyear Hawks achieved this feat on a monster night. He finished the game in Portland with 25 points, 15 rebounds and shot 11-16 from the field. The effort came the day after shooting 8-9 from the field. Atlanta will need his consistency moving forward.
Brandon Goodwin is taking strides forward
Goodwin has continued to impress this season and last week with hustle and effort. His numbers may not be gaudy, but his energy and leadership off the bench have been crucial.
Deshaun Watson’s possible future with the Falcons AARON WILSON, JR. Staff Reporter
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o, Arthur Smith is Dan Quinn’s replacement for the Atlanta Falcons, and the 38-yearold may bring precisely what the franchise needs: a refresh button. Though there is no general manager yet, signs are pointing to Terry Fontenot, vice president and director of player personnel of the New Orleans Saints, as the front-runner for Thomas Dimitroff ’s replacement. As covered last week, Fontenot has a wealth of experience and would be an asset to whichever coach the Falcons brought in. Having the young head coach in Smith makes Fontenot even more useful as someone that can assist if needed. Meanwhile, in non-Falcons news, the Houston Texans have managed to screw up even further, incensing Deshaun Watson at a time that could benefit the Falcons. How? Find out below.
Fight: One Last Flight
I cannot sit here and tell you that Smith will do what Quinn failed to do: deliver a Super Bowl to the Falcons and specifically the tandem of Matt Ryan and Julio Jones. But Smith looks like the perfect man for the job, giving Ryan and Jones one more shot before the
Falcons move on to a future without one or both franchise stalwarts. Much was made of Smith’s ability to plan games. His use of pre-snap motion and attempts to run the ball provides a moremodern fit to the NFL game. The Falcon defense showed they not only have the most atrocious defense of the last few years, but they also have an average-togood side that may be able to flourish with proper coaching. The offense was solid but underperforming due to Dirk Koetter’s scheme. With Smith at the helm and a new defensive coordinator, the Falcons can be a playoff team at the least, which sets up the old guard for one final flight.
Flight: Deshaun Watson’s future may affect the Falcons (and, no, he won’t be a Dolphin)
There is not much to be wary or concerned about for the Falcons right now, but there is an exciting situation to pay attention to Watson’s fallout with the Texans. Why? Watson’s relationship with the Texans seems broken and could shake up the league and impact the 2021 NFL Draft, where the Falcons may
This past week, he scored 15 against the 76ers and nine against the Trail Blazers. His jump shot continues to look better, and his aggressiveness on offense elevates the second unit. When he comes in the game, Atlanta doesn’t lose a beat offensively. Usually, the team either extends the lead or backs a comeback effort whenever he comes in the game. His play will continue to be valuable as Atlanta needs their young backup point guard to keep the bench and lead afloat when the starters aren’t in the game. The next step for Goodwin is to be a consistent double-digit scorer off the bench. If he can accomplish that feat, he will see more playing time.
ILLUSTRATION BY MONIQUE ROJAS | THE SIGNAL
Fight or Flight: Arthur Smith could be the Falcons’ answer
ILLUSTRATION BY MONIQUE ROJAS | THE SIGNAL
Trae Young will be the key for the Hawks in his second season
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acquire their next potential franchise quarterback. The Dolphins hold the third overall pick after acquiring it from the Texans. That is important because of a report (that I do not have much faith in) that Dolphins players are unconvinced by rookie Tua Tagovailoa’s play this season. However, between Watson’s financial ties to the Texans and the possible slow offseason in general, I doubt Watson and Tugavailoa will get traded for each other. But if that trade were to happen, there would be huge implications at the third overall pick. Coupled with the Jets possibly not taking a quarterback, it would allow the Falcons to choose between Justin Fields or Zach Wilson at fourth. It is unlikely that both events come to pass, though, which is why they ended up in the flight column.
January 19, 2021
THREE BIG THINGS
GAMES SUDOKU
UNIVERSITY
STATE
NATIONAL
Gene Hill’s women are hooping to begin the new year
Clint Capela’s great numbers overlooked by 1-2 week
The NFL’s conference championship games are set
After the Panthers’ women’s team waited almost a month to play, they dominated Coastal Carolina Friday 73-55, in their first game since Dec. 21. The Panthers used a dominant fourth quarter to secure the first of two big wins, as the next day, they completed the sweep, knocking off the Chanticleers again 76-65. Head coach Gene Hill’s women, are off to one of the best starts in school history, evident by their six wins in just nine games. Last year, the team won only eight of their 29 games.
The Hawks won only one of their three games last week, and it came against a Philadelphia 76ers team that was unsure if they had enough players to play in the hours leading up to the contest. On Friday, the Hawks suffered a crushing 116-92 loss to the Utah Jazz lost to the Trail Blazers 112-106 Saturday. In the three games, Clint Capela put up some great numbers, averaging 17.6 points on 62% shooting and 12.3 rebounds. However, he can’t be the only player giving it his all.
After the Green Bay Packers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers picked up wins this past weekend, Sunday’s NFC championship game seems to be a thriller: Tom Brady vs. Aaron Rodgers. Two of the greatest to ever do it with a Super Bowl appearance on the line. The AFC championship game will come down to two MVP candidates leading their teams, as Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills seek their first Super Bowl appearance since 1994. However, they will have to go through Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs to do so.
THE KICKBACK
TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021
GAMES
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COMIC
Your Comic Should be Here!
UPCOMING EVENTS FRIDAY
Talk Tuesday: We Gon’ Be Alright 12:00 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. Virtual
Donuts with the Dean’s Office 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. SCE Lobby
SGA University-wide Senate Meeting 7:15 p.m. - 9:15 p.m. Virtual
Black Light Winter: A Visual Ode to Hip Hop and Black Resilience 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Broad Street Boardwalk
Latinx Trivia 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Virtual
Making Better Moves: Decision Making Workshop 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Virtual
Women’s Basketball vs. Appalachian State 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Sports Arena
SUNDAY
MONDAY
Crowns Without Boundaries Pageant 4:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. SCE Ballroom
PRISM: Winter Lights 5:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Woodruff Park
Peaceful Place Meditation 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Virtual
Roast of Brokeback Mountain 9:00 p.m. Virtual
We Share the Dream: King’s Beloved Community Exhibit Virtual WeShareTheDream.org
JAN 25
SATURDAY JAN 24
Leadership Toolkit: Leadership 101 2:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Virtual
JAN 22
THURSDAY JAN 21
WEDNESDAY JAN 20
TUESDAY
JAN 23
JAN 19
THE KICKBACK
Circuit Training Fitness Class 5:30 p.m. - 6:15 p.m. Student Recreation Center