February 26, 2019 KSU Sentinel

FEB. 26

2019

Vol. 52 Issue 21 | Since 1966

THE SENTINEL Kennesaw State University | The Sentinel

www.ksusentinel.com

EVENTS ADDRESS RACIAL CLIMATE

NEWS

CARE Services opens food pantry on Marietta campus Ellie Oliveira | Contributor

pg. 3

RACIAL PRIDE IS NOT RACISM

Despite not being affiliated with KSU, people are allowed to demonstrate on campus in the university’s designated areas.

OPINION

Vanessa Banks | The Sentinel

RECENT KSU LAWSUITS ECHO WHITTEN’S UGA EXPERIENCE

pg. 4

Jake Drukman | Staff Writer highly reminiscent of the policy that UGA adopted after its legal battle with YAL. When asked whether or not Whitten’s experience with the YAL lawsuit at UGA had any effect on how the two lawsuits were handled at KSU, KSU Spokeswoman Tammy DeMel did not respond in time for publication.

Both university’s policies are prefaced by a promise from each university to uphold students’ First Amendment rights, especially those to free speech and the right to assemble peaceably. They each contain a system through which individuals or groups from the school can reserve areas for demonstrations and expression, but also specify areas that can generally be used without special permissions or notice.

Both policies also list provisions for groups who are not affiliated with the university to speak or demonstrate on campus, though these provisions are more restrictive than those that apply to students or faculty. At both KSU and UGA, unaffiliated demonstrators are restricted to the defined “public forums.” At KSU, the public forum includes certain zones of the Campus Green.

The policies also contain a guarantee from each university to not deny a person or group’s ability of free expression based on ideology or political opinions, even those that “contradict university ideals,” so long as demonstrations do not disrupt university activities.

KSU students recently brought up concerns about the policy when a man and his son who are not affiliated with KSU and do not live in the community visited the Kennesaw campus to share their beliefs on the Campus Green earlier this month.

“Kennesaw should be a private campus so people like this cannot be on campus,” freshman chemistry major Courtney Kettles said. “He is not a student, he is not an administrator, faculty or staff.”

“In the policy, they should include that it is specifically for Kennesaw students or Kennesaw staff and faculty,” Kettles continued. “Not just anybody to step on the campus and cause these kinds of situations and bring negative attention to this campus.”

STUDENT LANDS BERT SHOW JOB

pg. 7

COACH PLANS TO MAKE EXIT

SPORTS

Kennesaw State settled two lawsuits filed by student groups in October last year after changing its policies relating to free speech, echoing a similar lawsuit filed by a student group at the University of Georgia in 2014.

In May 2014, Young Americans for Liberty at UGA filed a lawsuit against UGA officials, including Kennesaw State President Dr. Pamela Whitten, who served as UGA’s provost at the time.

The complaint made at UGA cited similar concerns to the two more recent lawsuits filed by student organizations at KSU, stating that the university’s policies regarding free speech infringed on the students’ First Amendment rights, and were therefore unconstitutional.

The legal battle between UGA and YAL lasted several months, with the university filing several motions to dismiss the case before YAL voluntarily dismissed the complaint on Feb. 27, 2015, according to legal documents obtained by the Sentinel.

YAL filed its voluntary dismissal only nine days after UGA updated its freedom of expression policy.

The update eliminated some of the policy’s ambiguous rules and altered some of its restrictive provisions, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The lawsuits at KSU were brought on in early 2018 by Ratio Christi, a Christian student organization, and Young Americans for Freedom, a conservative student group. Both organizations cited “unconstitutional” free speech restrictions that violated the First Amendment in their complaints against university officials.

KSU denied the allegations from Ratio Christi in a response to the complaint, which was filed in September.

The university later adopted a new freedom of expression policy in early October. Three weeks after the policy change, both lawsuits had been dropped.

YAL at UGA was represented in the lawsuit by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a legal organization that specializes in defending religious groups. ADF is the same organization that later represented both Ratio Christi and YAF in their lawsuits against KSU. The new freedom of expression policy that KSU adopted after the YAF and Ratio Christi lawsuits is

ARTS AND LIVING

KSU CARE Services opened a new pantry on the Marietta campus on Feb. 5 as a response to the growing demand from food insecure students on the Marietta campus.

College is difficult for many students, but it becomes an even greater challenge for students facing homelessness and poverty.

Kennesaw State’s Campus Awareness, Resource and Empowerment Services inaugurated the new walk-in pantry early in February in the Joe Mack Wilson Student Center.

CARE Services opened the new pantry to meet the growing demand of students facing food insecurity at the Marietta campus, CARE Services Director Marcy Stidum said.

The service center offers support to students who are dealing with homelessness and food insecurity and students who were previously or are currently in foster care. Stidum said that CARE provides case management, access to the campus pantry and personal care items, and it assists in temporary and permanent housing.

The CARE pantries help provide nutritious meals to students who are food insecure, meaning that they do not know when or where their next meal will come from.

Stidum said the new pantry has already surmounted its weekly average of student shoppers during its first week of opening.

“We see about 25 students per month,” Stidum said. “I would like to get that up to 60 to 75 per month.”

Since its start, CARE Services has helped over a thousand students at KSU, many of whom had been forced to cut out breakfast and dinner and mainly focus on lunch, Stidum said.

Among CARE Services’ beneficiaries is a mechanical engineering student who graduated in December 2018.

Stidum said he used CARE Services for three years as his main source of food support. Some services included shopping the pantry and using donated swipes to the dining facilities on both campuses.

The Marietta CARE pantry now provides students with frozen meals from The Commons and toiletries for the duration of the month.

Some of the service center’s biggest concerns are issues with supply and demand and staffing. Stidum said many students choose the same products, so it is hard to find a balance for donations with the increase in traffic flow. The majority of the food donated is from students, faculty and staff.

“All of the donation money is restricted, as by design, only for students,” Stidum said. “So, when I say I want to hire more staff, I don’t have the money.”

Stidum said that CARE Services relies on the Federal Work-Study Program and volunteers for staffing.

Stidum started at the KSU Counseling Center in 2010 where she met a student, “Penelope,” who was homeless. She was in awe of Penelope’s ability to go to school while homeless.

“I was very impressed by her and her resiliency and tenacity to do it even though she was homeless, but also humbled by the fact that I was trying to help her,” Stidum said. “But then I was like, ‘Are there more students like you?’”

After Stidum helped Penelope, 15 other homeless students came to her for help. Stidum then had the idea to start an organization to specifically help students who are homeless, have food insecurity and who were or are currently in foster care.

Stidum said CARE Services received a donation to start funding of the program in 2013. Since then, $300,000 has been contributed to the program. Last year alone, $50,000 went straight to the students.

Thousands of homeless and food insecure students have been helped through KSU’s CARE Services already, and Stidum hopes to see continued growth, changing lives along the way.

To learn more about CARE Services visit care.kennesaw.edu.

pg. 8

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Page 2 | Kennesaw State University | The Sentinel | February 26, 2019

NEWS

UNIVERSITY ADOPTS NEW UNIFORM LOGO AS PART OF REBRANDING

Parking and Transportation plans implementation of bike-sharing app in Kennesaw Sasha Avchukov | Staff Writer

Houida Aldihri | The Sentinel Camille Hobbs | Staff Writer Kennesaw State’s Office of Strategic Communications and Marketing issued a campus-wide email on Feb. 18, addressing its adoption of the new “KS” mark as the official university logo, replacing all other logo images.

In a recent effort to more clearly define the institution, KSU decided to ditch the “mountain” logo for the “KS” mark, which is primarily associated with KSU athletics.

According to the email, official letterheads for the familiar logo and other various materials will be available to KSU’s colleges and administrative departments on March 15, with sub-brand logo packages intended to be ready by April 26.

University Spokesperson Tammy DeMel said that the mountain and KSU logos were not building an identifiable, unified brand and making the transition would consistently establish KSU’s voice within the community and abroad.

KSU’s departments and colleges are able to request a logo for a specific unit at visual identity program website, according

to an email sent by Strategic Communications on Feb. 21.

The email stated that a brand extension “includes colleges, divisions, centers, offices and key administrative units” while a sub-brand is defined as “smaller departments and units that are associated within a brand extension.”

An example of a brand extension includes departments such as the College of the Arts while a sub-brand includes the department of dance within the College of the Arts, according to the email.

Since receiving feedback from more than 6,800 alumni, students and staff last fall, the Office of Strategic Communications and Marketing finished the initial research and discovery phase of its rebranding process and has moved into its brand strategy and positioning phase.

Moving forward into the creative concept development phase, Strategic Communications will be creating formal core values and a mission statement to further demonstrate the university’s

practices and policies to the public.

With several phases still remaining to be completed, Alice Wheelright, associate vice president for marketing and communications, stated that Strategic Communications aims to have the rebranding process completed by summer 2019.

Members of the Strategic Communications and Marketing team partnered with branding experts at an Atlanta-based firm, Tailfin Marketing, to get some additional consultation on the rollout. Tailfin worked with other in-state universities, such as the University of Georgia and the Georgia Institute of Technology, as well as major corporations such as Chick-Fil-A and Lyft.

Tailfin Marketing teams up with clients in order to “help those brands find their stories and tell them far and wide,” according to their website.

Kennesaw State’s department of parking and transportation plans to bring Zagster, a bike-sharing app, to the Kennesaw campus after implementing the service on the Marietta campus more than a year ago.

KSU implemented Zagster on the Marietta campus in February 2018 to provide students with efficient transportation and promote healthy habits. Kelley Wisniewski, assistant director of marketing, culinary and hospitality within campus services, said the app now has nearly 1,300 registered members who have completed a total of more than 18,000 bicycle trips since the app launched.

“We believe this program benefits our campus community by offering an affordable and efficient way to travel between popular activity points on the Marietta Campus,” Wisniewski said. “We love that the system is user-friendly and are pleased to see students and employees enjoying the service.”

The department of parking and transportation is in the planning

process of bringing Zagster to Kennesaw, which includes adding infrastructure to connect areas of campus via bike paths.

Wisniewski said the plans also include an interoperable bike-sharing network that provides connections throughout Cobb County.

Wisniewski added that once the concept is fully developed, the department will have a more detailed timeline of implementation to create a more bicycle-friendly infrastructure on the campus.

“The projects that we have planned are designed to promote a safe, integrated transportation system that encourages the use of transit, bicycling and walking to increase connectivity and accessibility throughout campus,” Wisniewski said. “Each of the projects that we are working on contribute to this and move us closer to that goal.”

There are 35 bikes placed across seven stations located at key activity points on the Marietta Campus.

The first hour of bike rental is free,

and trips that last more than an hour cost $3 per additional hour with a maximum rental price of $24 per ride.

KSU implemented Zagster, a bike rental service, on the Marietta campus a year ago.

Houida Aldihri | The Sentinel

“We believe this program benefits our campus by offering an affordable and efficient way to travel between popular activity points on the Marietta Campus.”

“This is a great way for students to quickly cross campus on a cold, wet day as well as enjoy a lengthier ride to take advantage of the more temperate weather and longer daylight hours as we approach spring,” Wisniewski said.

There is no cost to sign up for Zagster, and students can download the app from the Apple App Store or Google Play store.

Cade Lanktree contributed to this article.

Faculty-utilized federal grant app reaches 100,000 installs Peyton Elliott | Staff Writer A federal grant application, Grants. gov, recently reached 100,000 installs from users, grant professionals and Kennesaw State faculty on both its iOS and Android platforms.

The app, which officially launched in 2018, is a large database designed to easily find federal grant and scholarship opportunities, add grant deadlines to users’ calendars and offer a subscription to be notified when changes are made to grant listings.

The app also utilizes its website and social media to post about new grant and scholarship listings, offer tutorials on how to use the app and give information on the grant process.

Natasha Williams, the assistant director of pre-award services at KSU, is responsible for assisting faculty in identifying funding opportunities for their research as well as training faculty through both general and discipline-targeted workshops. Williams said Grants.gov simplifies part of her job by finding funding opportunities through searches and having the ability to track and manage opportunities in progress.

“Funding is very competitive, and one of the challenges I think the faculty has is they don’t have a lot of time,” Williams said. “So, I think the more we can automate the funding services, tracking the applications

Natasha Williams utilizes the Grants.gov app. Photo Courtesy of Natasha Williams and getting the announcements, the earlier they can get the information.”

Williams said she uses the app several times a day depending on what opportunities are available because it is efficient and it does not force users to spend a large chunk of time on computers, scanning through separate searches for funding possibilities.

The Grants.gov app allows users to search through several thousand federal funding possibilities in a centralized location. Users can access the quick search bar feature and type a desired keyword to substantially narrow the number of listings. Once the desired listing is accessed by the user, the application process can be tracked until completion.

Williams added that some of her colleagues in the Office of Research use the app regularly, and students can also use the app to find scholarship and fellowship opportunities ran by federal funding agencies. Williams suggested that students who are interested in finding federal grants should go to the Grants.gov YouTube channel and view the videos.

The Grants.gov mobile app was nominated for FedScoop’s Innovation of the Year award in 2018 after receiving a substantial amount of positive user reviews.The Grants. gov mobile app was nominated for FedScoop’s Innovation of the Year award in 2018 after receiving a substantial amount of positive user reviews.

Kennesaw State University | The Sentinel | February 26, 2019 | Page 3

NEWS

CAMPUS EVENTS ADDRESS RACIAL CLIMATE FOLLOWING CONTROVERSY

OUTSIDE THE NEST Hijacking suspect killed after Dubai flight makes emergency landing

Arielle Robinson | Staff Writer Two events were held on Kennesaw State’s campus that addressed recent racial incidents including reports of racial profiling, rumored threats of a racially fueled shooting and the exposition of a discriminatory group chat.

Alumnus Jaye Newton and sophomore psychology majors Dasia Jones and Jazzmyne Shorter hosted a town hall in conjunction with KSU’s NAACP chapter, which centered around making students aware of their legal rights during interactions with authorities.

The “Know Your Rights” town hall was held in the Student Center University Rooms on Feb. 19, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in response to Newton being pulled over by a Kennesaw police officer with Jones and Shorter in the vehicle.

All three claimed that the officer racially profiled them and falsely accused Newton of driving on the wrong side of the road, running a red light and having a marijuana roach in his car.

“I was like, ‘Okay clearly, there’s a much bigger issue at hand,’” Jones said. “So we need a space to encourage people to speak and keep pressure on one another and keep pressure on Kennesaw.”

“A lot of people either are scared of the police or they don’t have the time to dive into what their rights are,” Newton stated during the town hall. “So when that time comes [when pulled over by a police officer] and a police officer says you have to do something, you’ll know if you have to do it.”

Elected officials of KSU’s Student Government Association, Senator for American Minorities Bisma Hussain and Director of External Affairs Matthew Weese were there to voice support for students concerned about the racial climate on campus.

“We’re here because we want to make this school a better place,” Hussain said. “Nobody should have to go to school worrying about their life.”

Elijah John, the target of the discriminatory group chat, also attended the town hall and mentioned that he wants students, faculty and staff to take a “diversity management course” before attending the university so that everyone is educated on different issues such as race and religion.

In addition to the town hall, the Presidential Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity held a meeting on Feb. 21 to discuss “issues relating to the recent racial incidents at KSU.” Panelists from various departments around KSU spoke about how students, faculty and staff can report incidents on campus.

Deputy Police Chief and Director of Administrative Operations Trudi Vaughan would not comment on the rumored threat of a shooting on campus in early February because it was an ongoing investigation at the time.

A meeting agenda was passed out to everyone in attendance, and it detailed how to report incidents, how investigations are handled in various departments across the university and how KSU can handle issues of diversity through training and educational opportunities.

KSUnited leader Alexa Vaca made a comment about campus police’s policy on learning more about campus emergencies.

“I think that the police have the duty to inform the KSU community about issues that affect our safety, and we shouldn’t have to go in and file an open-records request to know what happened,” Vaca said.

“I think that your concerns are valid,” vice president and chief legal

Sasha Avchukov | Staff Writer

What Happened?

A Dubai-bound flight from Bangladesh made an emergency landing on Sunday after a man attempted to hijack the plane, according to NBC. A crew member reported the man for “suspicious behavior,” which led to an emergency landing in the city of Chittagong and an immediate response from emergency officials.

The suspect was shot and killed by military officials who stormed the plane at Shah Amanat International Airport, according to

In Context

Sansevrio responded to students about bringing concerns directly to President Whitten. affairs officer Nwakaego Nkumeh said. “However, if there is a pending investigation then there are limitations in which we can provide information. To not compromise the investigation, we are limited in which information we can provide.”

Some students from the town hall attended the CORED meeting and asked about bringing their concerns directly to President Dr. Pamela Whitten.

“While I totally get the fact that everyone wants to go to the president, part of that is top down, a lot of that is grassroots,” Associate Vice President for Student Affairs

Kevin Barrett | The Sentinel

and Dean of Students Dr. Michael Sanseviro said.

“I’m not saying we don’t want the president involved in these conversations too, but let’s make sure that we’re not losing a tremendous opportunity for us to be the change we want to see instead of always relying on the expectation that a senior administrator has to mandate that change,” Sanseviro continued.

Grad student earns prestigious scholarship

An army official told the AP that before the suspect died from the injury, he wanted to speak to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The country’s civil aviation chief, Naim Hassan, said the man seemed unstable.

“I am saying this because of his behavior,” Hassan said. “He wanted

volume of our professors and how they prep you and show that you are a qualified student,” Onwuzuruike said. “It was really overwhelming that, me, a student from Kennesaw State, can have just as good of a shot as anybody to win that scholarship.”

Onwuzuruike graduated from Georgia State University in 2017 and began working as an associate security analyst for WellStar Health. In 2018, he enrolled in the Michael J. Coles College of Business’ MSHMI program.

Onwuzuruike said that he almost pursued a degree in computer information systems, but his mother, with her nursing background, helped him develop an interest in the healthcare industry and in particular, health informatics.

“They always pushed me to strive for the best and strive for excellence in our household,” Onwuzuruike said. “Education is the most powerful tool and weapon that you have in the entire world.”

He added that studying health informatics allowed him to satisfy his interest in technology and computers while supporting his admiration

for healthcare workers.

Onwuzuruike talked about how he recently came back from a trip to Nigeria about two months ago, and upon arriving in the United States, he realized how fortunate he is to have so many opportunities. He added that there are many people in Nigeria who would be grateful for the opportunity to pursue an associate’s degree or even a high school diploma.

“Take advantage of all the opportunities,” Onwuzuruike said. “Go get your bachelor’s, go get your master’s, go be a lawyer, go be a nurse, whatever the case may be, just strive for excellence in everything that you do.”

Onwuzuruike is now working as an information security analyst for Piedmont Healthcare. His long term goal is to go back to school to pursue a doctorate so he can teach and inspire the future generations of healthcare informatics professionals.

“Later on in life, I plan to be a professor, to give back to the future leaders, like my professors did for me,” Onwuzuruike said.

Architecture professor receives leadership award for work as thesis coordinator Peyton Elliott | Staff Writer The Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture and American Institute of Architects awarded a Kennesaw State professor with the 2018-2019 Practice and Leadership Award for effective teaching, scholarship, outreach, professional practice and leadership.

Liz Martin-Malikian, an associate professor of architecture, was awarded for her role as a thesis coordinator, observing the question, “Is doing architecture doing research?”

Martin-Malikian said that she was nominated by a jury member who coordinated her Practice and Leadership Award package, which included input from colleagues, alumni and students supporting the award.

Martin-Malikian said that winning the award for a behind-the-scenes role in the coordination of theses was an honor and added that teaching undergraduate students is an interesting challenge.

“As coordinator, I am incredibly humbled to receive this level of recognition from two of the

country’s premier organizations in architecture,” Martin-Malikian said. “I take great pride in mentoring our students and helping them realize their dreams of one day becoming professional architects or pursuing research in graduate school. There is a great sense of accomplishment in knowing that my efforts leave a positive impact.”

Martin-Malikian plans to travel to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, to receive her award at the 107th annual ACSA meeting on March 29.

In addition to this award, Martin-Malikian initiated KSU’s Cooper Carry Three Minute Thesis Competition, coordinated Thesis Studio competitions and raised funds for a student research grant sponsored by local architecture firms.

Martin-Malikian also received the Outstanding Faculty Award and University Service Award for Distinguished Service and Leadership from Southern Polytechnic State University in 2009 and 2011, respectively.

According to the ACSA website, its mission is to “lead architectural education and research.”

ACSA has 5,000 architecture faculty and staff represented in its 200 member schools as well as 300 supporting members from architecture firms and product associations. The organization’s core values are teaching and learning, equity, diversity and inclusiveness, creative scholarship, research, practice and responsiveness.

According to AIA’s website, the organization has more than 94,000 members across 200 chapters around the world. AIA advocates for the value of architecture and provides the best possible resources for architects to perform important tasks.

KSU’s Department of Architecture provides multidisciplinary curriculums to expand critical thinking, embrace new technology and encourage creativity and innovation. The department offers a five-year bachelor’s degree that is accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board.

to talk to the prime minister.”

Before the suspect was pronounced dead, Rahman described him as a “terrorist” and said that he was arrested and taken in for questioning, according to the AP. The 25-year-old suspect claimed to have had a pistol and a bomb, the Times of India reported.

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Cade Lanktree | News Editor A Kennesaw State student in the Master of Science in Healthcare Management and Informatics program received the 2019 Richard P. Covert Scholarship for Management Systems during the week of Feb. 10.

The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society presented Fortune Onwuzuruike with the distinguished scholarship at their Global Conference and Exhibition in Orlando, Florida. Onwuzuruike, the son of Nigerian immigrants, earned one of the four scholarships awarded nationally each year by the HIMSS Foundation.

In addition to this $5,000 scholarship award, Onwuzuruike received complimentary admission to the Global Conference and Exhibition which featured 45,000 attendees, 1,300 vendors and 300 educational sessions, according to the HIMSS website. Onwuzuruike said he was able to make connections and network with companies such as IBM, KPMG and Optum.

“To be able to represent Kennesaw State on a national level in comparison to some of these big schools — it just really speaks to the

the Associated Press.

The commandos shot the suspect when he fired at them after being asked to surrender, Army Maj. Gen. Motiur Rahman told reporters, according to the AP. The suspect died before he reached the hospital.

At least 140 passengers and seven crew members were evacuated from the plane, an air vice marshal for the Bangladesh Air Force said in a news conference broadcast live, according to NBC.

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Page 4 | Kennesaw State University | The Sentinel | February 26, 2019

OPINION

Students should examine heart health Abi Marmurowicz | Managing Editor

Trade programs, such as welding, are alternatives to higher education.

Laurent Schmidt | The Sentinel

STUDENTS SHOULD BE INFORMED OF ALTERNATIVES TO HIGHER EDUCATION Naomi Williams | Staff Writer

High school is aimed to prepare students for college, but some students choose to pursue other paths.

If teachers and administrators would teach and emphasize the importance of alternative education programs to Georgia high school students, then more students will have the opportunity to start succeeding in their career. Teachers need to make their students aware of all options to succeed, regardless of GPA or career path.

High school students can choose alternative paths, such as construction, welding or cosmetology, instead of attending a traditional four year college. Students can even receive certification in their chosen career program, which can give students the opportunity to either work full-time or earn their degree faster after high school.

Unfortunately, most students do not know about alternative routes because teachers and administrators are only informing certain high school students about these programs.

“While it was open to everyone, [teachers] didn’t make it known to everyone,” junior integrated studies major Emily Harris said.

“They only let certain students know that these were options.”

The Georgia Department of Education offers alternate programs for student success.

According to the Georgia Department of Education, the Career, technical and Agricultural Education program has 17 career pathways for students, including agriculture, mathematics, arts, communication and health science. CTAE programs in Georgia offer work-based learning opportunities and higher education classes students can take for high school graduation and college credit.

According to the Georgia Department of Education archives, only 67.8 percent of high school students in the state enroll in a CTAE career program between 2017-2018.

Teachers and administrators not emphasizing this option to high school students cause students to miss out on opportunities that can help them decide what career they want to pursue.

Kyle Robinson, a senior music education major, said he would have joined an education program at his high school if he was informed.

“If there was an education program, I definitely would have because it would have given me the skills and knowledge that I could have used for my career before I started college,” Robinson said.

On the other hand, most students that

joined a career program at their high school were successful in their career pathway.

Rachel Takacs, a senior sociology major, said she was involved in work-based learning which showed her the major she wanted to study in college.

“I did an internship because, at the time, I wanted to be an occupational therapist, so I interned at the pediatric clinic,” Takacs said.

“I’m glad that I did because I realized that’s not what I wanted to do as a career.”

Not only will these programs help students develop fundamental job skills, but they can also help the economy grow in different communities, according to Todd Powell, the assistant director of adult and commuter student affairs at KSU. These programs also attract business owners to these communities, and employers will hire students based on their job experience or education status.

Overall, high school teachers and administrators need to inform all students about the benefits of alternative education and trade programs. If more students knew about these programs, they would have another chance at achieving their career goals. By providing high school students with alternative routes to higher education, more students will succeed in a career path they love and enjoy.

Students must understand vital difference between racial pride, racism Haneefa Walton | Contributor The racist messages uncovered in the GroupMe chat of Kennesaw State students hit home for many on campus, leaving students wondering if they sit next to the accused students in any of their classes. The revelation that this happened on campus made it apparent that KSU students must finally address the thin line between racism and racial pride. Students may have racial pride, but transforming it to racism should never be tolerated.

It is essential to understand that there is a difference between racism and racial pride.

Merriam-Webster defines racism as, “a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.”

Psychology Research and Reference describes racial pride as, “an attitude signifying a preference for cultural representations of one’s racial group.”

Empowering a particular religion or culture, which has historically felt discriminated against, is not a form of racism. People

showing pride in their ethnicity, race, religion, gender or sexual preference and trying to educate others on a specific cultural or religious plight is also not racism — the keywords being “empowering” and “educate.”

Pride can quickly turn into racism when an individual seeks to demean, oppress, assault or injure another group because of racial differences.

“Racism is when you believe that one race or culture is superior to another, and with that, there is maltreatment and a lack of empathy towards a race that is seen as inferior,” senior communications major Gillian Goodwin said. “Racial empowerment is not believing that one race is superior to another but acknowledging cultural, socioeconomic differences between races.”

In a forum titled, “Racial Pride vs. Racism,” the original user expresses his love for the white race but also notes that because of history he feels like his racial pride leads him to be labeled a Nazi or skinhead. He is not alone.

As an American of African descent, I am pro-black. I love my history, both the written and unwritten. I try my hardest to support black-owned business and I strive to educate people on the historical oppression and the empowerment agenda of my people. My love for my race does not make me a racist.

While I served in the Marine Corps, I had the pleasure of serving as an Equal Opportunity Representative to educate and bring cultural, religious and gender equality awareness to the many duty stations in which I served. During the many awareness events, I stressed the importance of cultural and religious diversity.

Diversity is how new ideas and inventions are born. If everyone were the same or thought the same, there would never be new ideas and there would never be change. Global diversity in art, music, and politics shows that, historically, many races and cultures are linked together by influence.

Fortunately, KSU offers many religious and cultural-based organizations that provide networking opportunities and diversity for all students. These organizations strive to bring awareness to issues and education to the student body. The next time these organizations host an event, make sure to stop by, ask questions or take a handout.

Racism is a symptom of lacking knowledge.

Without proper knowledge or exposure, racism will not disappear. It is everyone’s responsibility to distinguish the line between racial pride and racism. Racial pride is important, and even necessary, but should not be manipulated to oppress or harm other races.

February is traditionally viewed as the month of love, but many forget that this month should also be dedicated to their hearts in a more literal sense. As American Heart Month comes to a close, it is important to reflect and learn more about what individuals can do for their hearts as heart disease is nothing to ignore. It is imperative that people of all ages are educated about their health and how they can help others.

President Lyndon B. Johnson originally created American Heart Month in 1963 after the nation took a toll from a massive spike in heart conditions. Since then, health systems around the country have stepped up to spread awareness and offer free screenings and heart health events during the month of February.

Unfortunately, heart disease is still the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and every year, 1 in 4 deaths is caused by heart disease. With such a heightened prevalence, American Heart Month highlights the steps that every community needs to take.

Heart disease does not only occur in older adults. It is becoming more common for younger generations to suffer from heart-related conditions that can lead to heart disease such as obesity.

According to the CDC, 49 percent of Americans have at least one of the top three risk factors for heart disease — high blood pressure, high cholesterol and a habit of smoking.

Younger populations may believe that they have years, or even decades, before it is time for them to worry about heart disease. However, heart health awareness merits everyone’s attention at every age.

Scary enough, the first sign of heart disease can often be a heart attack or even sudden death.

In the United States alone, someone has a heart attack every 40 seconds, according to the CDC, so it is important

to know the signs and symptoms and how to care for someone experiencing a cardiac event.

The National Institute of Health explains that the signs and symptoms of an acute coronary event, such as a heart attack, could include chest or upper extremity pain, cold sweats, dizziness, weakness and shortness of breath. Whether acute or chronic, the NIH advises that emergency help be called immediately as all chest pain needs to be evaluated by a physician.

Thankfully, heart disease can be prevented when people make healthy choices and manage their health problems. Dietary substitutions for sodium can reduce the risk for cardiac events, as well as paying close attention to body composition, physical activity and stress levels.

Students should challenge themselves and encourage others to move more throughout the day, explore healthy hobbies such as evening walks, stay away from second-hand smoke and actively visit a physician each year for a checkup.

Older adults and people with a genetic predisposition should go one step further than yearly screenings by obtaining imaging tests, which are often non-invasive.

Following a heart-healthy lifestyle will benefit one’s overall health. When you keep your heart healthy, you will also feel great and help yourself stay that way for years to come.

With continued awareness from important initiatives such as American Heart Month each February, communities, health professionals and families can work together to create opportunities for people of all ages to make healthier choices and to also spread awareness about the dangers of heart conditions and how to prevent them.

Whether or not students experience heart disease symptoms, all hearts deserve the care and attention necessary to sustain a fruitful life.

Celebrities should not promote weight loss supplements Gia Cruz | Staff Writer Celebrities such as the Kardashians, Amber Rose and Jenni “J WOWW” Farley are just a few famous faces that use their platforms to advertise weight loss products. Companies such as Flat Tummy Co. and 310 Nutrition use celebrities to endorse their products through social media. Instead of promoting unhealthy weight loss supplements, celebrities should use their platform to promote self-love and a healthy body image.

With people usually idolizing the person holding the weight loss supplements for the cameras, they tend to ignore the true side effects that these products bring. Social media does not offer expert advice and is definitely not the platform for these products.

Some see a seemingly perfect celebrity with a toned physique or a picture-perfect body, but others look at it as the “easy way out.” Since these celebrities are putting no effort into uploading work out routines, they make it appear that the weight loss programs work like magic.

“They’re just something for you to spend money on and for advertisers to bribe you to try their products,” junior sports management major Nasya Chauncey said. “You know what’s best for you and how to lose weight. Some of them may work, but it’s just something for you to waste money on. I don’t think they actually work.”

Fox News reported that due to “flexible federal regulation of weight

loss products and their often obscure ingredients, many registered dietitians question whether these programs offer more than what can be attained through a traditional healthy lifestyle.” Other dietitians worry that participants will lose money or their health will decline.

Registered Dietician Abbey Sharp wrote on her personal blog that “this method has historically been tied to the diet industry [and] it almost always involves non-nutrition professional ambassadors whose goal is their bottom line.” The idea of selling products via social media is not new, and sellers often care more about the money instead of their clients’ health.

Everyone’s body is not built the same, and it is unrealistic to assume that a single weight loss pill will have the same effect on all participants. Bodies are structured differently, and factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes and heart conditions are not taken into consideration when these social media giants start their advertising schemes.

Some believe that social media is an empowering platform, showing great examples of a body that can be obtained, while others believe that this is just a way to prey on and take money from those who are misinformed. Instead of using hashtags to satisfy their endorser, celebrity platforms should instead be used to promote body awareness and positivity.

Kennesaw State University | The Sentinel | February 26, 2019 | Page 5

Skate Night February 28th | 8:30PM-10:30PM @ Sparkles ENTER TO WIN A

55� SAMSUNG TV Apply today at AmericanCampus.com/Kennesaw

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Page 6 | Kennesaw State University | The Sentinel | February 26, 2019

ARTS AND LIVING

KSU OFFERS ARTIST FRESH START EXPERIMENTING WITH NEW STYLES Tyhi Conley | Staff Writer

When experimenting with the styles of character design and muralism, creating art can be like fathering two kids — impossible to choose a favorite.

For junior art major Cameron Moore, making art at Kennesaw State is simply about enjoying the process en route to the end goal, a process he described as the telling of a story.

“As a creative, you can pull from anywhere,” Moore said. “It can be someone you see at the store, and you like the way they talk or the way they move, and that can inspire you. It’s literally taking all of the inspiration that I’m getting in life and pushing it out in a form of artwork. That’s what I do when I sit down and draw.”

Moore’s story began with drawing character designs from comics, TV shows and video games. The more he exposed himself to different art forms, the more he experimented with different styles and techniques of his own. Moved by the world around him, Moore established himself as an artist at age 13 under the pen name YoyoCam, a collaboration of popular Hyun animation character Yoyo and Moore’s first name.

After talking to his former art teachers about entering local art exhibitions around Atlanta, Moore was able to organize a solo show in August 2016. The exhibition drew the attention of his former high school principal, who commissioned Moore to paint his first mural at Redan High School in January 2017.

Moore’s open mind continued to prove fruitful. Following the creation of the mural, he discovered his love for spraypaint and officially became a mural artist. Since then, Moore has made murals at the Kindezi School West and on Estoria Street outside of the Krog Street Tunnel.

However, the same mindset that drives him may have also hindered him in classrooms before college. In general art

Original art has been cropped to fit into available space. classes, Moore said he felt boxed in. To him, being confined to rules removed what Moore found most desirable about his profession.

“I find the most pride in my colors and my composition,” Moore said.

Moore then gestured to a painting which hung high above his dresser — a stand-out from the others lining the walls in his KSU dorm. While the majority of his hanging artwork featured characters and symbols, this painting was an environmental scene.

The ridges were high and bright, the sky was dim, yet scattered with multiple planets, and the point of view looked of someone resting on the river.

“I wanted to keep a nice balance of interests, and somewhere to rest your eye,” Moore said. “My perspective is the most important part of my art.”

Unlike his high school courses, Moore credits a part of his artistic growth to higher

Image Courtesy of Cameron Moore

education. He says that in college he has been forced to learn art forms he would otherwise be oblivious to.

Looking back, Moore said not much has changed. He may no longer be suffering from the curse of the gifted, but he said he continues to feed off the energy of art trends and his peers.

Moore said he detests when artists close themselves off to the world. He said he even seeks out compatible artists in order to open his eyes to their process, reminding others that the only thing more significant than expressing one’s own point of view, may be trying to understand someone else’s.

In pursuit of a life where he can live off of his art, Moore is currently developing long formatted stories to pair with the characters he has created. Moore is also available for commission and can be reached on his Instagram page @yoyocam.

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Cooking demos help build student solidarity Lily Merriman | Staff Writer Making healthy and nutritious food choices is challenging to many people, but college students are presented with the added challenges that stem from a lack of time and money.

This is why, in summer 2015, KSU decided to conduct trial runs for cooking demonstrations on campus. The idea stuck, and for the last four years, the demos have continued, showcasing a variety of inexpensive and easy-to-recreate meals such as pad thai, jambalaya and fish tacos.

“Everything happens around food, and it’s a great opportunity to get students together to learn how to prep healthy foods that they can do at home and that doesn’t cost a whole lot,” KSU Health Promotion and Wellness Director Sherry Grable said. “It’s also great just to get that social aspect — to get students connected, make friends and have a healthy outlet.”

Throughout the years, recipes for the cooking demos have been based on popular requests from previous attendees.

In fact, last week’s “Jammin’ Jambalaya” demo was inspired by students’ requests and featured king cake, a traditional New Orleans pastry, often baked as part of Mardi Gras celebrations.

Ellie Thomas, the center’s registered dietitian, said that requests are reflective of the diverse student body at KSU. Many request specific types of meat, and there are also a variety of requests for vegetarian dishes.

Thomas has overseen the demos for this semester and said they are typically held on campus about once every two weeks.

Cooking demos begin with a discussion about general safety tips such as proper knife-handling and appropriate meat temperatures. Next, the menu is reviewed step-by-step, and then it is time for students to get their hands dirty.

“You hear ‘cooking demo’ and if you haven’t been to one you think like, ‘Oh I’m going to come in and I’m going to

Vanessa Banks | The Sentinel watch someone cook,’” Thomas said.

“There is a big teaching component to it, but then everyone’s in the kitchen cooking a recipe. So that part of it is just really fun and kind of casual.”

Thomas said that she hopes students leave the cooking demos with a renewed sense of self-confidence in the kitchen and a better understanding of how to build a balanced meal, whether it be at home in their dorms or in the Commons with friends. Thomas said she also loves the sense of community and togetherness that the cooking demos bring to the student body at KSU. “You get to meet other students on campus and perhaps try a food that you’ve never tried before that’s also free,” Thomas said. “You’re not going to a restaurant and paying for a meal that you may or may not like. Instead, you get to come here and try things with pretty low-risk and you become more confident in your skills in a really fun space.”

Students interested in attending a cooking demo at KSU can call 470-5786394 to register. For more information on the cooking demos, as well as a full-length calendar of upcoming events for the spring 2019 semester, visit wellness.kennesaw.edu.

Kennesaw State University | The Sentinel | February 26, 2019 | Page 7

Rebekka Cacciatore | Engagement Director For many college students, landing a dream job before graduation can seem almost unheard of.

Kennesaw State senior journalism major Blake Eason received that very opportunity when he was recently promoted from intern to assistant producer of “The Bert Show” on Atlanta radio station Q99.7.

After his fall internship with “The Bert Show” ended in December 2018, Eason was offered an internship position with WSB-TV for the spring 2019 semester. However, shortly after accepting the position, WSB-TV notified him that their internship program had been canceled until further notice.

Coincidentally, the position for assistant producer of “The Bert Show” opened up at the same time, and with no knowledge about the cancellation of Eason’s internship at WSB-TV, the show’s host, Bert Weiss, offered Eason the job.

“I think sometimes we have these ideas, dreams and goals in our head of what we hope to do in life, but then along the way the universe is kind of like, ‘Hey, this feels more like you,’” Eason said. “With the internship at WSB-TV getting canceled and then this getting brought on, it’s pretty clear that radio is going to have a pretty big emphasis in my future.”

As the assistant producer, Eason’s daily tasks include phone screening during the show, attending postshow meetings, learning how to cut audio and put it together, assisting Show Director Tommy Owen with a variety of needs and speaking during on-air segments of the show.

Weiss and Eason formed a mentor-mentee relationship during Eason’s time interning for the show when Weiss would guide Eason through his up-and-coming experience in the industry.

Though his duties and the dynamic of his job have changed drastically from being an intern to a paid employee of “The Bert Show,” Eason’s favorite part of the experience remains working with Weiss and the talented cast of the show.

Eason with host Bert Weiss “There’s just not that many people who get to do what I get to do in an industry like this, and for that, I am forever grateful,” Eason said.

Eason’s commitment to the show has changed the trajectory of his last year of college and his day-to-day life.

“Personally, for me, I have always found more joy in chasing after my goals and dreams, versus staying up late and going to parties,” Eason said. “This is just a sacrifice I’m willing to make for the job. It’s not every day that you get to say you work for Bert Weiss at 22 years old.”

Eason values being able to work with and be guided by Weiss’s long-time experience on the show and in the radio entertainment industry.

“Just the fact of him alone letting me stay and be part of the team, and all of his affirming thoughts and comments throughout the day and at random moments, show me

1. Trunk extension 5. Dojo pad 8. *Villanova ____ at end of each half in ‘18 championship 11. Away from port 12. Windmill blade 13. Key material 15. Hefty competitor 16. European sea eagle 17. Walnut ____, MN 18. *____ Sunday 20. Smelling tainted, as in meat 21. Soft and sticky 22. Giant bird of “One Thousand and One Nights” 23. *____-elimination 26. Making sounds like Babe 30. Beatle wife 31. Not absorb, nor repel 34. Twelfth month of Jewish year 35. Batman to Bruce Wayne 37. Elizabeth Gilbert’s “____ Pray Love” 38. Cubic meter 39. Ghost of Christmas ____ 40. P in POI 42. Make work 43. Puffed up 45. ____ and effects 47. Mont Blanc, e.g.

48. Oddball’s attempt?

50. Tropical tuber 52. *Penultimate NCAA round 56. Like cornflakes leftovers 57. Slavic version of John 58. Tangerine plus grapefruit 59. Chased up an elm 60. Blow off steam Photo Courtesy of Blake Eason 61. Tear violently 62. Da in Russia who he really is,” Eason said.

Eason also said he plans to stay at 63. Before of yore the show as long as he possibly can.

64. Pasturelands He said he enjoys the creativity he is able to put into his work, and the fun, energetic work experience the show provides him.

“I truly do believe that there is ... a place for everyone,” Eason said. “If you work hard and you’re good at what you do, there’s a spot for you in the industry. The fact that I already have a seat at the table is amazing. So, I’m going to eat what they give me and be grateful for it because the food is really, really good.”

“The Bert Show” airs Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m.

To find out more about the show and its internship opportunities, visit thebertshow.com.

Black History Month film screening addresses racism Zack Hill | Staff Writer In order to address violence against the black community for Black History Month, the Kennesaw State African-American Student Alliance hosted a screening of the 2018 film “The Hate U Give” on Thursday, Feb. 21.

The screening of the film took place just days after screenshots of a group chat started by KSU students gained attention on social media.

The critically-acclaimed film is about a 16-year-old African-American girl who witnesses a police officer shoot her best friend, prompting her to fight against the injustice that plagues her community.

AASA President Okenna Okpareke said the goal of the screening was to get audience members to reflect on the injustices portrayed, to reduce ignorance around issues of racial injustice and to build empathy and a sense of

community among those who attended.

“I’m most definitely a huge advocate of wearing other people’s shoes and putting yourself in their position,” Okpareke said. “Ignorance has the base word of ignore, and people can ignore the relevance of things going on in the world for their own comfort. Even though this didn’t happen to you, it could have been your sister, brother, cousin or close family member. Everybody should have a chance to live a fair life, free of all types of ridicule, discrimination or harassment.”

Okpareke hopes that showing “The Hate U Give” helped people understand how to be better allies to marginalized groups.

“I feel like [the film is] real and relevant,” Okpareke said. “It is people of college and high school age, both African-American men and women, being unfairly treated by the media and law enforcement.”

The screening of the film took place just days after screenshots of a group chat started by KSU students gained attention on social media.

Students used the group chat to share hateful and discriminatory messages, targeting people of color and other marginalized groups.

“I would see it as the same

issue, but with different players,” Okpareke said regarding the timeliness of the screening in relation to the group chat messages.

“Even though this didn’t resort to physical altercations, it could be influencing other groups of people to want to act out to get their point across.”

The AASA was created in the 1980’s by Dr. Jerome Ratchford to help strengthen the African American community at KSU. “I’d describe it as an organization on campus, but in a deeper way it is a family unit,” Okpareke said.

“It ushered in a culture, a place of belonging and a home away from home for a lot of African-Americans and other minorities.”

The AASA is involved in hosting and taking part in several different events and activities involving the Kennesaw community.

“We have things like breast cancer awareness, campus safety and drug awareness,” Okpareke said. “We also [help] with black finance and other things to help allow students to be productive members of society after graduation.”

To find out more about the AASA and future events or activities, visit their Owl Life page at owllife. kennesaw.edu/organization/aasa.

Feb. 19 SOLUTION

CROSSWORD:

March Madness

Solutions to this week’s puzzles will be in the next issue.

DOWN 1. Falls behind 2. Archipelago unit 3. Square one?

4. Good-for-nothing 5. Nobel Prize winner Curie 6. Bug 7. High school student 8. Rumpelstiltskin’s weaver 9. Green-eyed monster 10. Tie ___ 12. Ruled against, as President can 13. Prod 14. *Fill-in-the-blanks 19. Pepsi and Coke 22. Part of human cage 23. Daytime entertainment, pl.

24. Spouse’s parent 25. Neil Diamond’s “Beautiful ____” 26. Tiny leftovers 27. Intestinal obstruction 28. N in RN 29. Mirths 32. *1 or 68, e.g.

33. Crew tool 36. *Automatic vs. ____ 38. Creepy one 40. *Coach’s locker room talk 41. Similar to sextant 44. Andrew ____ Webber 46. *Hang a banner, e.g.

48. Abraham Lincoln bill, slangily 49. Lacking sense 50. Ruptured 51. Ice, dark, and middle 52. *Twelve’s opponent 53. Type of molding 54. Forearm bone 55. Purges 56. Slovenly abode

SUDOKU

STUDENT PROMOTED TO ASSISTANT PRODUCER AT ATLANTA’S “THE BERT SHOW”

ACROSS

Feb. 19 SOLUTION

Listen to Owl Radio!

Check them out on the RadioFX app and online at ksuradio.com!

Get involved with The Peak!

Apply online at studentmedia.kennesaw.edu!

Page 8 | Kennesaw State University | The Sentinel | February 26, 2019

SPORTS

GORE, PALERMO LEAD LAX AS MARQUETTE RALLIES FOR WIN Rio White | Sports Editor Sophomore Siena Gore and junior Izzy Palermo combined for nine goals as the Kennesaw State lacrosse team gave up a halftime lead to Marquette to lose 19-15 during a home match on Saturday, Feb. 23.

Playing their first home match of the season, the Owls kept the score close despite Marquette’s aggressive tactics and possession advantage.

KSU managed to draw fouls to set themselves up with several free position shots that helped increase their lead, as they made eight of those shots during the game.

The Owls got out to their first lead with less than 10 minutes left in the first half, gradually expanding it to 10-6 at halftime. Scoring four of

Siena Gore maneuvers around Marquette players during Saturday’s game, scoring five goals.

her five goals in the first half, Gore leads the Atlantic Sun Conference with 13 goals in three matches.

In the second half, a substitution

by Marquette proved to be a defensive turning point that allowed them to hold KSU to just five more points. The substitute goalkeeper made six saves, compared to just one from the previous goalkeeper.

KSU initially continued to hold the lead in the second half, going ahead by as many as five points, but Marquette persisted and began their comeback late in the match.

The Golden Eagles continued to show aggression on offense, gradually wearing down KSU’s defense. Scoring four goals in just

Kevin Barrett | The Sentinel

Track teams finish up at ASUN indoor championships

Skinner to leave KSU

Rio White | Sports Editor The men’s and women’s track and field teams traveled to Lynchburg, Virginia, for the Atlantic Sun Conference Indoor Championships from Feb. 22 to Feb. 23, coming in second and third place.

For the first time in eight years, the men’s team will not be holding the indoor championship trophy, finishing as the runner-up behind Liberty. KSU had won seven consecutive titles and eight of the previous nine before this season.

Despite the broken streak, the team did have a number of impressive performances confirming the quality that still persists within the team. Senior Paris Williams was named as the Most Outstanding Performer of the meet, winning the 60-meter hurdles and finishing second in the long jump.

The Owls also took the top two podium spots for the weight throw, as senior Chuck McConville won first place with a career-best toss while sophomore Tyler Blalock finished in second with his own personal best throw.

In addition to Williams finishing with the top score in the 60-meter hurdles, the Owls filled the podium with the two next best times.

Junior Cameron Bolden placed first in the 60-meter sprint, becoming the first player in ASUN history to win the event three years in a row.

The men’s track and field team was unable to defend its indoor title.

three minutes, Marquette went on to finish the match on a 7-0 run and prevented KSU from winning its first match of the season.

Goalkeeper Alex Bunn continued her good form for the Owls, coming up with 10 saves as she climbs up the all-time saves list.

“I thought we came out hard,” head coach Laura Maness said. “The last 10 minutes of the second half, I think we got a little careless with some of the stuff that we focused on in the scout and I think it was a lot to do with fatigue.”

Up next, the Owls travel to South Carolina to go up against Winthrop on Saturday, March 2, at 1 p.m.

Rio White | Sports Editor The men’s team finished with 11 medals on the day.

The women’s track team last won the indoor title two years ago, and this year, they finished in third place with a total of eight medals.

Redshirt senior Jordan Gray was named Most Outstanding Player for the women, claiming victory in the pentathlon and long jump before finishing second in the pole vault and shot put.

The other first-place finishes came from Julija Tarvide, who won the high jump, and Da’Yona Henry, who placed first in the triple jump.

Long-distance specialist Brenda Ayuk came up with a pair of third-place finishes for KSU. As a result of her scores, Gray will be going forward, participating in the pentathlon and long jump at the NCAA Championships.

“I am so proud of this group of women and what they were able to accomplish,” Director of Track and Field Cale McDaniel said. “I’m excited for Jordan Gray to compete at the national championship and for the rest of the group to get geared up for the outdoor season.”

Next, the men’s and women’s track teams will head to Georgia Tech to take part in the Yellow Jacket Invitational from Friday, March 15 to Saturday, March 16.

Photo courtesy of KSU Athletics

Danny Lewis (2) takes a shot on goal while North Alabama players surround him.

Ryan Borgerding | The Sentinel

Last-second shot from Street sparks overtime win for women, Hooker leads men despite losses Kate Norum | Staff Writer Rio White | Sports Editor The Kennesaw State men’s and women’s basketball teams played two games each last week as the women defeated North Alabama 74-72 on Tuesday, Feb. 19, before falling 79-48 to Florida Gulf Coast on Saturday. The men lost to the Lions 76-61 on Wednesday and to the Eagles 78-56 on Saturday.

A close win began the week for KSU as the women’s team defeated North Alabama in overtime for its third win in four games.

Sophomore Kamiyah Street tallied 29 points against the Lions.

With five seconds left in the game, Street hit a three-point shot to tie the game and send it into an extra period. The wild last-second shot was featured on SportsCenter’s Top 10, as shared by the basketball team’s Twitter account.

Before that shot, the Owls were down by eight points with just 14 seconds, but Street and freshman Amani Johnson made quick decisions that allowed KSU to rally.

In overtime, important free throws by Johnson and a strong performance by sophomore Lexi Mann made the difference for an Owls victory.

“I think that it was huge for our confidence,” head coach Agnus Berenato said. “Kamiyah knew that she wanted to score at the end of the game because she is a winner. She is a winner on and off the court and I am really proud of her.”

On Saturday, the women’s team was not able to continue their success from their previous game,

falling to Atlantic Sun Conference leaders FGCU. Despite a combined 37 points from Street and sophomore Alexis Poole, just 11 points came from other players as the Owls struggled early on. Poole led the team with 21 points and 11 rebounds for her 11th double-double of the season.

The Owls increased scoring in each quarter against the Eagles but put themselves behind early after putting up just eight points in the first quarter. With the loss, the women have yet to win a game away from home.

The men’s basketball team could not gain enough momentum to get past North Alabama on Wednesday night after trailing by just one point at halftime.

Everything flowed for the Owls in the first half as they distributed the ball evenly and several players scored. Both teams played back and forth with little room for error.

Redshirt junior Tyler Hooker and freshman Danny Lewis combined for 17 points in the first half, while Isaac Mbuyamba and Bryson Lockley each had five rebounds.

In addition, Hooker and Lockley had three blocks each to help the Owls set a team record with 12 blocks on the night.

After the Owls trailed 35-34 at halftime, the Lions immediately attacked from the three-point line in the second half.

The small deficit quickly grew larger as the game progressed. A 14-0 run by North Alabama sealed

the game and dashed any hopes of a comeback for KSU. Hooker led the team with 20 points while Lewis scored 13 and Lockley managed 10.

Despite the promise of the first half, the Owls were outplayed in the second half by a more defensive Lions team.

“With all the mistakes and turnovers we had, we just need to be able to find our rhythm and move forward, especially in the games we have coming up,” Hooker said.

On Saturday, a strong second half from KSU was not enough against FGCU after the Owls trailed by 22 points at halftime.

Lockley led the way in the first half with 11 points but had very little support as KSU could only muster a total of 20 points. At the same time, the defense allowed the Eagles to find room and create a large lead.

By the time Lewis and Hooker started to score in the second half, FGCU was too far ahead for the Owls to come back from the previous deficit. KSU scored 36 points in the second half through a variety of players, but its losing streak was extended to four games.

Next, the women’s and men’s basketball teams will play on Tuesday, Feb. 26, away at Liberty at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. before coming home on Saturday to play their final home games of the season against Stetson at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Kennesaw State’s department of athletics announced on Thursday, Feb. 21, that men’s basketball Head Coach Al Skinner will be stepping down from his position at the end of this season.

Skinner began his tenure at KSU in the fall of 2015, having been most well-known for his success at Boston College. He led the Eagles to seven NCAA tournaments, as high as a No. 3 national ranking in 2005 and finished as the program’s all-time leader in wins.

During his time with the Owls, Skinner coached players such as Yonel Brown, Kendrick Ray, Aubrey Williams, Nick Masterson, James Scott and Tyler Hooker.

After seeing improvements during his first two seasons, the basketball team’s record dwindled over the next two years following the departure of several key players.

Without that core group of consistent scorers, the team struggled to find an identity heading into this season, culminating in the 5-24 record they currently hold.

As of Saturday, Feb. 23, Skinner has accrued a 40-82 overall record at KSU, including a 22-34 record in the Atlantic Sun Conference.

Despite the struggles on the court, Skinner has been credited for his mentorship and positive force toward the young men he has coached.

“We certainly appreciate the time coach Skinner has spent at Kennesaw State,” Director of Athletics Milton Overton said. “He has invested in the lives of countless student-athletes over the years and we wish him the best in the future.”

Finding a new coach is just one aspect to work on for a team that has shown flashes of potential over the years, despite records that would suggest otherwise.

For all of Skinner’s past achievements, the local recruiting trail was an area that was not fully utilized during his tenure. Of the current roster of 14 players, only three players are from the state of Georgia and only one is a regular participant.

Although the current plans to improve the team need to be long-term, next season can be positive as only two players will graduate this season. Lead scorer Hooker along with consistent starters Bryson Lockley and Isaac Mbuyamba will return.

Kennesaw State University | The Sentinel | February 26, 2019 | Page 9

Page 10 | Kennesaw State University | The Sentinel | February 26, 2019

HOUSING AND RESIDENCE LIFE Student Worker Makes a Difference

ZSAVAUGHN DANIEL

Why do you love living on the Marietta Campus?

“I wanted to do more and take the next step, which meant getting involved in RHA. Currently, I’m the Director of Finance and Administration” -Zsavaughn Daniel

The Marietta Campus is relatively quiet, and it helps me relax from my classes.

There are also a large number of people who are interested in playing video games, which is my hobby.

How did you get involved in RHA and what position do you hold?

For more information about how you can get involved in RHA, visit our Owl Life page at owllife.kennesaw.edu/organization/RHA

I got involved with RHA after my second year when I was in the community council for University Courtyard and University Commons. I was the Director of Finance, and I wanted to do more and take the next step, which meant getting involved in RHA. Currently, I’m the Director of Finance and Administration, and you could describe my

role as creating the meeting agendas and taking minutes.

What else are you involved with on the Marietta Campus?

I am in different clubs such as the Not Your Professor’s Book Club, Writers and Warlocks, and I’m on the eSports team for Smash Brothers Ultimate because I really love the game.

What is your favorite thing about being involved in RHA or in other organizations?

In RHA, I love being able to talk to different people on the campus such as the Campus Police (who are all really nice), Resident Directors, RAs, community councils and first-year students.

We will be hosting information sessions soon for those interested in applying to be a part of RHA for the 2019-20 academic year.

To find out more about our upcoming events, check us out on social media @kennesawrha

ksuhousing.kennesaw.edu

T LON EXPRESS A CAMPUS SERVICES STORE

CUSTOM PRINTING AVAILABLE Shop for Art Supplies, Postal and More!

Monday – Friday | 8 AM – 5 PM talonexpress.kennesaw.edu 2nd Floor | Kennesaw Campus Student Center @KSUCampusServ

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