Tiger's Roar- October 2019

Interim president focused on safety Page 4

Tiger’s

October 2019

Captured by Jonathon Jenrette

Roar

The Independent Student Voice of Savannah State University

Always a Tiger: In Memory of Karissa Tatum Page 6

Volleyball team opens season Page 6

Savannah, Ga.

2 October 2019

News

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SSU split between Thunderbolt, Savannah voting districts Brandy Simpkins, Contributing Writer Savannah State University students might get an unpleasant surprise on Nov. 5 when they attempt to vote. Depending on the address students use as their residence on campus will determine if they can vote in the Savannah municipal elections.

Savannah State University student residents must be registered under the address of 147 Tompkins Road if they wish to vote in the upcoming municipal elections. The majority of the residential students on campus are currently ineligible to vote in the upcoming municipal elections because they are registered as residents under the address of 3219 College St., which is considered within Thunderbolt’s city limits.

Antwan Lang, Savannah State alum and member of the Board of Elections, said “If students are unaware, they could potentially lose their voice in the city elections by not being able to vote.”

The last day to register to vote is October 7.

Students can change their address until that date to be eligible to vote in Savannah.

Residential student Amber Piercy was unaware of the address confusion. Upon learning about the issue, she said, “It is important to know the information because the decisions the people in office make will affect me and other Savannah State students at one point or another because many of us are in this city for about four years for school.”

Students who are registered to vote in the Savannah elections have several key positions on the ballot this year including mayor of Savannah and four city council members.

For a list of candidates, go to https://www.savannahga.gov/1679/Elections

REMEMBER

The last day to register to vote and change address for voting location is October 7th Voting will be taking place November 5th

SSU removes Dining Dollars from meal plans Michael Payne, Contributing Writer Dining Dollars are a thing of the past at Savannah State University.

For students living on campus, there are few things as important as making sure a meal plan is secured.

In years past, students had a strategy of purchasing the plan that had the best combination of meal swipes and Dining Dollars.

However, this year, the school has stopped offering plans with Dining Dollars. Joe Davis, director of dining services at Savannah State University, said the change is a result of policy at the University System of Georgia level.

This was before a decision was made by the state Board of Regents requiring all colleges to refund unused Dining Dollars at the end of each year.

Savannah State is not alone, “Almost every university in the Georgia system has stopped selling meal plans with dining dollars” Davis added.

At Savannah State, the on-campus meal times are from 6 a.m.- 11 a.m. for breakfast, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. for lunch and 4 p.m.- 10 p.m. for dinner. Meal swipes’ value are based on the meal they are used: $4.35 for breakfast, $6.09 for lunch and $6.39 for dinner. However the majority of menus of on campus restaurants contain items more expensive than the swipe rate. In the past, Dining Dollars would be used to cover the remaining balance. For example, if a student got an extra bag of chips with their lunch and it went over the $6.09 limit, they would use Dining Dollars to make up the difference.

With Dining Dollars no longer available, students were forced to use cash or Flex Funds, which are non-refundable at the end of the year.

Davis said part of the decision had to do with refunds

of Dining Dollars at the end of the school year.

“The university tried to continue selling Dining Dollars, but saw that each year the amount they were refunding increased,” Davis said. This indicated to administration that fewer students were using the extra money for food, as intended.

The school is recommending students use Flex Funds as an alternative to Dining Dollars. These funds can be loaded to a student account and used anywhere on campus, including the concession stands and the bookstore. Flex Funds can be added by phone or online to take the place of Dining Dollars.

Sophomore Malcolm Thompson, a business major, said, “It was more convenient for everybody,” when comparing this year and last years’ payment options.

However, the Flex Funds have their own set of issues for students.

“You’re told when you purchase these don’t put a whole lot on your card because you won’t be reimbursed,” Davis said.

Senior Jarius Chatman, a mass communication major, said, “It isn’t fair.” He was unaware of the Flex Funds option.

Students seemed largely unaware of the availability of Flex Funds and those who were aware, didn’t seem to be comfortable with the option, knowing there would be no refund for unused funds.

File photo/ Tiger’s Roar -Two students eat lunch in Tiger Exprses, which is now closed. Photo by Alexsia Brown.

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Self love is the best love

Editorial

Danielle Birzer, Editor-in-Chief

October is the month of World Mental Health Day. In September, the Savannah community hosted the Out of Darkness walk at Lake Mayer and watched as the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Savannah branch raised over $22,000, but what are the stats on mental illness for the state of Georgia?

How much more work do we have left to do as a community and on campus before our 2020 World Mental Health Day? While 2.3 million individuals in Georgia live with some kind of mental illness, Georgia is in the bottom three states of those who offer mental health care resources and insurance access to those individuals suffering. Currently Georgia also only has 18.7% of beds necessary to care for individuals who may need hospitalization for their mental illness.

Every seven hours, one person dies by suicide in the state of Georgia and is the leading cause of death of Georgia residents ages 15 to 34 years old. Those stats total to twice the annual homicide rate for the state. Ninety percent of those who die by suicide have a pre-existing mental illness.

With stats like these, we have to stop and address the problem and see what we can do on our campus to effect positive change. If every HBCU in Georgia came together to prioritize students’ mental health, we could make a significant impact in the statistics of the state of Georgia. The Counseling Center on campus offers free, confidential, and personal counseling services to all students on campus. Never be ashamed to get help. Call (912) 358-3129 to schedule your appointment today.

Another way to affect state-level change is by making healthcare more accessible. Get engaged with the decisions our lawmakers are making regarding insurance, affordable medical care, and mental illness-related laws. November is coming. Stay educated, vote, and make your voice heard.

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Tigers Roar Danielle Birzer, Editor-in-Chief

October 2019

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The Tiger’s Roar is the independent monthly student newspaper of Savannah State University. We welcome and encourage letters to the editor and staff. All letters must include an address and phone number for confirmation. We reserve the right to edit all published content for purposes of length, style, grammar and libelous material. Ideas expressed in editorials do not reflect the opinions of the editors and staff.

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4 October 2019

Features

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Interim President puts safety as her main priority for SSU Danielle Birzer, Editor-in-Chief

On July 1, Kimberly Ballard-Washington officially started her tenure as interim president at Savannah State University after the retirement of Cheryl Davenport Dozier. Tiger’s Roar sat down with Ballard-Washington after the semester started to discuss her plans in this role and the future of Savannah State University.

Q: Tell us your backstory and what brought you to this point.

A: “I’ve worked in the University System of Georgia for

over 20 years and at the university office for the last 11-plus years now. I’m one of the legal advisors for the university system. My title is Associate Vice Chancellor for Legal Affairs, so I’ve had the pleasure of working with all our institutions and universities within the university system. I’ve worked on campuses prior to going to the University System Office. I’ve worked with the University of Georgia for about 10 years and also have worked at Valdosta State University. It’s very nice to be back on campus and with students.”

Q: What brought you to working within the University System of Georgia?

A: “When I started my legal career working at the

University of Georgia in legal affairs and from there, going to work with more of the institutions felt normal, like a natural lead of progression for me. Had I been in the business world, it would have been like going to the home office, so going to work at the system office so I could work with not just the University of Georgia but with all the other institutions made me feel as though that were something I would enjoy doing. I have really enjoyed getting to know all the universities and the different cultures within the system of Georgia, and I’m very happy to be here at Savannah State University.”

Q: Have you worked on the other HBCU campuses?

A: “I have been to other HBCUs in my regular job as Asso-

ciate Vice Chancellor; I worked with all other institutions and with all the institution’s presidents. A lot of our campuses have legal advisors and make large legal teams so my work with those institutions was not as hands on as it might have been for the institutions that didn’t have legal advisors. I’ve also worked with those campuses when they had vacancies, so I’ve been working very closely.

“Here you do have a legal advisor but you only have one person fulfilling that role so you need someone to talk to,

bounce things off, who [has] worked on those fields, so I’ve served in that purpose with various institutions, particularly the institutions that have only one attorney.

“Our office served as a legal advisor for the institutions that didn’t have an advisor at all. Working with HBCUs, I’ve specifically worked with Albany State and Fort Valley State previously. [I] served as interim president at both of those institutions although it was for very short, finite times. When I went to those institutions, I knew the timeframe that I would be president on those campuses. It wasn’t an open-ended situation- we were waiting on a search to start and so forth.

“At Fort Valley State, I filled a gap between after the president was announced—he couldn’t arrive prior to the former president leaving—so I filled a small window of time. A similar situation occurred at Albany State. Here at Savannah State, I’ll be on campus while a search is being conducted.

Right now, we don’t know who our next president will be of Savannah State University.“

“My goal is to focus on things that really matter to our students. For me, from my vantage point, it’s about customer service, and our customers are our students.”

Q: Are there any measures for safety right now that you’re focusing on?

A: “This summer we put together a task force that doesn’t

have a real name yet, but it was a group of people working toward safety initiatives. One of the things I recognized when I arrived on campus is that a lot of units were touching safety or safety concerns on this campus but weren’t really connecting. I wanted all those units to sit down and talk, and now every Monday, those units are getting together and making plans for what we can do differently, where the concerns are from different units, and so on.

“Safety is everyone’s job. Safety concerns have to be addressed by everyone on this campus. We often think public safety is it, but if our housing people are saying things, they need to know what the process is for them to share. If our parking people are saying things, then we need to share in that responsibility. What we did with this group was bring people to the table for all of the concerns to be able to be discussed openly, and I think that’s working.

“We now have a visitor’s center that will be starting that came from this particular group. The idea is that individuals coming onto campus will have the opportunity to not just come in, show their driver’s license, and go wherever they’re trying to go. One of the problems is back-up traffic; people that need to come in quickly—faculty and students—need to get on campus to get to their classes and what have you, and we’re slowing down that process and we don’t want to do that.

“What I understand that has happened in the past is that individuals were waving students in because the line is too long. We don’t want the line to get to long, but we want to focus on what we need to focus on and by having the visitor’s center, we will help our visitors get maps and be able to be shown exactly where they need to go. If they’re trying to go to the library, they’ll be told how to get to the library. If they need to visit a student, visitors will be told how to actually do

that, get directions, etc.

“Our campus is very large so coming onto campus and knowing where you’re going isn’t enough. The visitor’s center is going to serve dual purposes, though; it’s going to be part of our security model and will also help with our customer service initiative in making sure our visitors are comfortable on campus, know where they’re going, and can get all the information that they need. If someone needs to a particular office that this person is trying to go to, then the visitor’s center can serve that purpose.“

Q: Students have heard rumors that Greek life may

be impacted on campus by changes in leadership and financial issues. Are there any changes coming to the Greek experience on campus?

A: “Greek life will stay the same as it always has been. I haven’t heard any concerns about Greek life from the students or of any that has been discussed with me. If there’s something we need to be doing differently, then individuals can absolutely get into contact with me.”

Q: What are your goals for Savannah State while you’re here serving as interim?

A: “My goal is to focus on things that really matter to our

students. For me, from my vantage point, it’s about customer service, and our customers are our students. We often here that the customer is always right, and although the customers aren’t always right, we need to treat our customers—our students—with dignity and respect, even if we have to tell them that they’re wrong. We have to be able to communicate in a positive manner. We want to have students here who will enjoy their experience with Savannah State.

“Life as a student should be a comfortable environment; the only hard thing you should have to deal with as a student is the classwork, you know? Academic matters should be hard; however, you shouldn’t have difficulties with what’s going on in the dining hall, with your food service, with your residence life, with your residence halls. Those issues shouldn’t be there, and your student experience should be comfortable for you. I want to work to make sure that all our students are comfortable, and that they have a comfortable environment in which we can live, work, and study.

“Students become alums, and I want them to be happy about the time they spent at the institution because then they’ll give back to help other students and this institution can continue to grow. That will grow our alumni base, grow our scholarship funding, and so forth.”

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to say to students?

A: “We are all here to serve you, without the students, there

is no Savannah State. We need you, and we need to hear from you. Our vice president for student affairs needs to hear your concerns; I need to hear when there are concerns. I don’t want our students feeling like they have to exist in a vacuum. If something isn’t working properly, then we need to get information. If something’s not right, let us know because we can’t fix what we don’t know. It’s a wonderful thing to be a Tiger. If you’re a new student, take pride in that. The Tiger Nation is alive and well, and I am excited to be a part of it!”

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Features

October 2019

5

Savannah City Council set to widen roads near campus

Jasmine Floyd, Contributing Writer

The City of Savannah plans to widen DeLesseps Avenue and Skidaway Road near Harry Truman Parkway- but first, they need to take ownership of property in nearby neighborhoods.

The city plans to include sidewalks, bike facilities, gutters and curbs to DeLesseps Avenue. These changes will affect the stretch of road from Waters Avenue to Skidaway Road.

Local residents of Heritage Way apartments agree that there needed to be change and it will be safer for people to cross the street.

“I can’t wait for the roads to be fixed,” says Dre’Shun Hogan. “Honestly it’s been a long time coming. There are definitely some parts of Skidaway that are a bit too narrow for comfort. Although, the construction will be a nuisance, I feel that widening the road and streets will increase safety for the pedestrians.”

Alderman John Hall, who represents the people in the affected area on Savannah City Council, is pleased the roads are being widened. He agrees it will make the roads much safer for pedestrians to walk, ride bikes, and enjoy the beautiful area.

“Although this process will slow traffic down, I want to ensure that everyone in the area is safe. I believe it is time

for beginnings in Savannah. I want Savannah to be place where it is way to navigate”.

Hall says the process is expected to begin around May 2020.

A special city council meeting to discuss the use of eminent domain for some properties in the proposed construction area took place on Sept. 25 at Savannah City Hall.

The area sits within of mile of Savannah State University at the closest entrance to the Truman from campus.

Kamal Fleming, a senior at Savannah State who majors in mass communication said, the road needs to be widened and infrastructure improved.

“The drainage improvement is important because when it rains in Savannah, Delesseps floods badly. It has your tires gripping the road,” he said. “Delesseps is a main road that connects the eastside of Savannah to Truman Parkway and Waters Avenue much faster than going around. The effect students, faculty, and visitors will definitely [feel will] be longer travel time with the detour of Delesseps traffic now being pushed heavily onto Skidaway Road and LaRoche, which is the road the front gate of Savannah State is located [on]especially during rush hours.”

Savannah native Jamal Touré, who is an adjunct professor at the university, has mixed feelings about the new construction. He questioned if the construction will be worth the use of eminent domain by the city and the nuisance it will cause to the neighbors.

“What is really important about this construction is not how this will affect Savannah State University, yet how do the residents feel, how do businesses feel in regard to the property being taken. In my opinion, it is crucial,” Touré said. “I’m not concerned how the students and faculty will be able to get on campus my issue is with someone’s property being taken. Dr. Haynes Walter says, ‘How does this impact black people?’ How will this construction impact the residents who live along Skidaway and their property?

When the city wants to do something to impact the community, it needs to benefit people.”

Antwan Lang, a Savannah State graduate, said, “If it is houses that no one lives in and it’s abandoned, then that is perfectly fine, but if these are people’s homes, then they are going to have to get fair market values for the residents’ homes if the city is going to do eminent domain. The city needs to make sure every right is protected for the citizens, and I’m sure they’re expanding so that traffic may flow better and it’s easier to maneuver through the streets.”

SGA and NAACP host mayoral forum ahead of elections

Keeshan Williams, Contributing Wiriter

Mayor Eddie Deloach addresses students at the mayoral forum.

On Tuesday, Sept. 24, students at Savannah State University gathered at the Howard Jordan Building, Torian Auditorium for the 2019 SSU Mayoral Candidates Forum presented by Savannah State’s Student Government Association and the Savannah chapter of the NAACP. Mayor Eddie Deloach and candidates Alderman Van Johnson, and former Sen. Regina Thomas came to speak on the importance of Savannah State and how the university is a part of the overall vision for the city of Savannah.

Moderators Prof. Jamal Toure & SGA Vice President Ian Sanvill had questions for the candidates in regard to the school’s well-being and safety including school liability, community policing solutions, economic solutions for the school, and campus safety. As candidates stood before the

community and student body each representative gave their stance on these topics.

Deloach said to keep SSU open he sees the importance of having small schools around. “The city gets $185 million having the school here and we can get things done with that.” Deloach said he plans to keep SSU alive and keep it improving, “We have to be the advocate.”

“The control is at the regent and state level. It is our job to speak up about what we need in the workforce,” Deloach said. He promised to get in touch with the chief of the Savannah State Police Department to provide better policing, and to partner with the school for employment opportunities after graduation.

Johnson said he believes in order to maintain the viability of the university he said, “Savannah State has to be the forefront of the city mind, keep students and opportunity here.” With strategical & intentional partnerships established, Johnson said he believes this is

Students line up to ask questions of candidaes

what will keep SSU alive and improving. “Our police chief has to have a relationship with students,” he said.

Johnson said Savannah State has a large impact on the economy in the city, “You can make something real hot and something real not.” Businesses give discounts to SCAD and Johnson pushes for the same thing for Savannah State students.

Thomas took a more personal approach on her stances on school viability, economics, and policing within this university. Thomas said she’s been fighting for SSU for 13 years and she has already done many things to improve this university. To maintain viability at SSU, Thomas said, “When we have problems keep it in the institution and not to the public.”

She said that if students get jobs in their field upon graduation this helps keeps the school alive and i mproving. For community policing solutions, she said, “I have sent letters and have met with the president to discuss these issues and have sat down with the police department.”

After closing statements, student Angelina Vance, a political science major, said, “Outside of his shallow but appreciated attempts to connect with the students through our modern colonialism, Van Johnson’s platform was clear and concise, he has my vote.”

India Cade, also a student at Savannah State, said “I believe all candidates had strong platforms and a lot of information but there was one candidate that stood out to me and it was Regina Thomas. She was realistic and the most memorable.”

Sports

6 October 2019

Always a Tiger: In Memory of Karissa Tatum Jame’Cia Taylor, Contributing Writer

Hearts were heavy as teammates, friends, faculty and administators gathered in the Kennedy Memorial Garden on Savannah State University’s campus after the death of a student in early September.

Karissa Grace Tatum passed away on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2019 in a car wreck. She was a volleyball player at Savannah State University and a junior mass communications student.

On Monday, Sept. 9, Savannah State students and faculty gathered at the academic quad between the Asa Gordon Library and Sciences & Technology Center in her honor.

Members of the university spoke of their good memories and experiences shared with Tatum. Her

smile, good-nature, and outgoing personality ranged through the reflections given that night, and the biggest message given was ‘Gone, but never forgotten’.

“She was a fellow athlete and a good friend to everyone.” said 19-year-old sophomore Foday Tarawally. “I’ll always remember her for her kindness. She was one of the sweetest people.”

D’mario Woods, also a junior, said, “On Fridays, we would have open gym and play volleyball with her and the team. She was so warm-hearted and always had this positive vibe about herself. You could talk to her about anything and she would be there to listen.

It’s still so hard to believe. We’ll miss her.”

Junior Gerald Woodridge also gave his condolences. “She was a motivator, she was someone I could go and talk to when things were hard. I knew her for two years. It’s really difficult to cope with. The next time I saw her, I wanted to tell her to have a good season.”

Tacoionia Nash was her community assistant when she first moved into Tiger Court. “Ever since her freshman year, she always had a smile on her face. She was a very loving person. Her roommates, friends, especially the volleyball team I know are taking it very hard. They were her family.”

Nash continued, “If I could tell her family one thing, it would be to keep their heads up.”

October Volleyball Schedule

Date

1st 3rd 5th 5th 9th 11th 15th 22nd 25th 28th 31st

Opponent Albany State University Paine College University of Mt. Olive Belmont Abbey College Benedict College Fort Valley State University Clark Atlanta University Benedict College Middle Georgia State Univ.

Brewton Parker College Middle Georgia State Univ.

Time

6:00 pm 6:00 pm 4:00 pm 6:00 pm 6:00 pm 6:00 pm 7:00 pm 7:00 pm 6:00 pm 7:00 pm 6:00 pm

Location Home Home Belmont, NC Belmont, NC Home Home Atlanta, GA Columbia, SC Home Mt.Vernon, GA Cochran, GA

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Volleyball team opens season with heavy hearts Mya White, Contributing Writer

After the original season opener was postponed due to the Hurricane Dorian evacuation, the Savannah State University volleyball team played its first game against College of Coastal Georgia on Sept. 17 in the Willcox-Wiley Gymnasium.

This was also Savannah State’s first game since the death of their teammate, junior Karissa Tatum.

At a pre-game ceremony, there was a moment of silence for Tatum, who lost her life after a car wreck on Sept. 4. News outlets say Tatum was evacuating for Hurricane Dorian when she lost control of her car.

Tatum, jersey number 11, was from LaFayette, The Lady Tigers honored the hitter by selecting a chair with her jersey to remain empty for the remainder of the season.

In the opening game, the Lady Tigers were pumped for the new season, which was the first they played in the SIAC as a Division II team since the switch. However, after a hard game, the Lady Tigers could not get the win. The Lady Tigers took a loss, with a score of 0-3.

Since the opening game, the Lady Tigers saw a loss in their first SIAC game against Fort Valley State University on Sept. 20 with a score of 0-3. However, the women saw their first win at the second home match against Brewton-Parker College on Sept. 23 in an exciting match that ended 3-1.

The win also highlighted freshman defensive specialist Destini Williams, who was named SIAC Newcoming of the Week on Sept. 24. Williams was the first SSU player to earn the title since the school joined the conference.

On Sept. 26, the Lady Tigers were defeated in three consecutive matches on the first day of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Crossover Tournament in Albany, Ga. The team lost against Lane College, Lemoyne-Owen College and Miles College during the tournament.

On Sept. 27, the team bounced back with two wins against Tuskegee University and Central State University in day two of the tournament; however, the volleyball team took another hard loss to Spring Hill College with a score of 0-3 that evening. The final game of the SIAC tournament was also a loss against Kentucky State University on Sept. 28. The Crossover left the team at a 3-7 record for the season and a 2-6 record in the SIAC.

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Features

Morehouse among six HBCUs to add men’s volleyball Jamaica Williams, Contributing Writer

Jarvoo Edwards approached the totem pole with grave poise. Elated to have succumb thus far, the Morehouse interim athletic director began to introduce Morehouse’s newest initiative.

“I am proud to announce that in the school year of 2020, Morehouse College will field a NCAA, SIAC, Division II men’s volleyball team.”

The college is among six HBCUs to get a grant from USA Volleyball and First Point Volleyball Foundation to add the non-traditional sport. Other HBCUs include Central State University, Benedict University, Paine College, Fort Valley State University and Kentucky State University.

During the school year of 2020-2021, Morehouse will enlist 18 student athletes, 3 having full-ride scholarships. The mission is to populate student body, engage student involvement and reveal more leadership opportunities, according to statements from Morehouse’s president.

While Savannah State University is not in the first six to join the initiative, it recently joined the SIAC. Many students at the university said they would support a

men’s volleyball team if one were added.

Mass communication major Toddassia Mcclendon said, “The addition of a male volleyball team to Savannah State University would give students more exposure.”

Jaylyn Roberson, member of Savannah State women’s volleyball team said, “Having a male’s volleyball team would not only stop stereotypes but also bring incentives for the athletic department.”

Roberson said she thinks adding a male equivalent to the traditionally female sport could help the women’s team, as well. “This would open everyone’s mind since volleyball is looked at as a ‘female’ sport. There are countless benefits acquired through volleyball. For example, being present to every game, practice teaches you responsibility. Volleyball builds character, it brings you out.”

According to the USAV, volleyball is America’s fastest-growing sport for males. In the past five years, the popularity of men’s volleyball has increased by 22 percent.

Annual SSU College Fair connects students with future employers Amos Nivens, Contributing Writer Students and alumni are invited to participate in Savannah State University’s annual Fall Career Fair will take place Wednesday, Oct. 16 to find employment opportunities.

The Career Fair is organized by the university’s Career Services Department. The event is scheduled to be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Tiger Arena.

Approximately 50 vendors will be at this year’s career fair, which is open to all majors. While there is no fee, there is a dress code. All students and alumni must dress in professional attire in order to get in the door.

“In recent evaluations from the vendors who usually come, they often say that they are looking for students that dress professionally and suggest that students should work on interviewing skills,” Jordan Riles, career development specialist, said.

Career Services is working with professors to make sure that students get class credit if the event interferes with student’s class time.

“It is imperative for juniors and seniors to get there, but it is good networking practice for freshmen and sophomores,” she said.

When asked why attending is so important, Riles said it helps students prepare for professional life. “For students that rarely hear about jobs and internships opportunities, they are coming to you, so it is convenient,” she said. “It builds professional readiness, and you’re able to put all your professional skills into action.” Riles said students who attend should bring copies of their resumes and business cards, if they can.

Shaunce Riley, director of Career Services, said “Students should be excited about the Career Fair. This is the opportunity that employers are coming to our campus seeking interns and employees. It is also a way to build your network,” he said.

Riles and Riley encourage students to come by the office and to watch for upcoming events and programs.

Career Services will be hosting a Dress for Success event on the Oct. 9 to prepare students for the Career Fair.

October 2019

7

Movie Review: It: Chapter 2 falls flat Fredrick Barnes, Contributing Writer The best way to describe “IT: Chapter Two” is that it’s the first movie with more blood and gore except now everyone is grown up.

James McAvoy plays the character of Bill, an author and screenwriter who is still grieving the death of his younger sibling, Georgie. Bill Hader’s Richie is now a stand-up comedian and James Ransone’s anxious character Eddie is now an insurance liability assessor.

Jessica Chastain’s Beverly is still the redhead with a sixth sense, except now she’s in an abusive relationship with a rich wet blanket. Ben (Jay Ryan) has transformed from his pudgy lovesick adolescence to become a confident real estate mogul. Stanley, played by Andy Bean, is still submissive and hasn’t accomplished much, yet he, by all accounts, is in a decent, stable marriage. That leaves Mike (Isaiah Mustafah) as the only character who has stayed in the quaint town of Derry.

The primary problem with “IT: Chapter Two” is it’s run-time is so long.

In the event that abruptness isn’t really the focal point of good horror, it would unquestionably create a story that throws Pennywise at us. Afterward, the move just lets the clown eat, lurking and prowling and biting through children, scene-after-scene, until the only options left for the viewer are to laugh, cringe, or get up and leave.

More than once, there’s the line, “You gotta be f***ing kidding me,” and it’s hard to not have that same train of thought throughout the movie. After all, the film is almost three hours long with too many flashbacks.

On the off-chance that you have any interest in the folklore of how and why Pennywise does what he doeswhich is eat kids by the bunch like candy- it helps to have either seen the first “IT” movie or read the book.

If not, you’ll need to trust director Andy Muschietti to deliberately woodchuck his way through 1,100 or more pages of dread, and hurl almost every horror trope imaginable at the audience.

Maybe the film can’t believe that something is scarier when it’s suggested than when it’s continually exemplified by wicked old women, spiders with the face of men, and the like. These scare tactics seemed to be quite literally everywhere- in basements, inside fortune cookies and restroom stalls and, obviously, in a confusing hall of mirrors.

Muschietti’s other film-making decisions feel forced as well; the merciless bullying of a gay child that opens the movie appears to have little s ignificance other than communicating that endurance is better than confrontation.

Being African American I couldn’t help but realize Mike seems to be poorly written in the sense that the other characters seemed to have a complete story and Mike’s was a bit surface-level.

Features

8 October 2019

Collective Face Theater presents ‘Dark of the Moon’ Jame’Cia Taylor, Contributing Writer

Dark of the Moon, Ardsley Park The Collective Face Theater Ensemble presented a rendition of the 1945 Broadway play “Dark of the Moon” in the Kennedy Fine Arts building during the month of September.

The production follows the story of a witch boy John and his quest to be human to engage in a forbidden love with Barbara Allen. This ill-fated love is based in the rocky tops of Appalachia during the 1940s.

Airrey Bonner, 21, is a senior visual and performing arts major at Savannah State University who is one of the actors in the production. She plays two characters, the flirtatious Hattie Heffner, and another town woman Greenie Gorman. ¨My characters are both your typical older women from

the mountains in the mid-1900s. Greenie Gorman is a married woman and is picked on by the townspeople because of who she has married. While Hattie on the other hand is a very flirtatious woman. She even flirts with the pastor at one point,” said Bonner.

Bonner said she has worked in the Collective Face Ensemble, and Director David Poole, previously. ¨I started working with them by preparing costumes for their production of ‘The Great Gatsby’. Ever since my sophomore year working with them and learning more about their organization, I knew I wanted to do more with them specifically in acting,” she said.

Poole is a professor at Savannah State University. ¨Dark of the Moon” was directed and designed by Poole and is produced in cooperation with Players By The Sea. “Over the summer, Prof. Poole contacted me and said he wanted for me to audition along with Collective Face.

I was shocked and honored. I was excited, but it didn´t really hit me until it was time to audition. Seriously, it was as if I was rubbing shoulders with celebrities!”

Bonner said she thought the show had its own appeal, as well. ¨’Dark of the Moon’, in my own words, I would say the production is very out-of-the-box. It has a very demonic or unorthodox aura to it. However, it´s very adventurous. In this creepy, dark play, there´s so many different and bright personalities in this show. If one could say there’s a moral behind the story, it would be about

truthfulness. If you’re not truthful then you´ll suffer the consequences, and I think each side suffered from that.¨ Olivia Bevel, a 24-year-old graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design, played a witch in the production. ¨My character, the bear witch, has no speaking role.

It’s a more physical role, so basically the audience needs to know my emotions through my actions on stage. My character’s main goal is to bring John back to [the witches].

We are his family, and to see him leave his family of ghouls and surrender his livelihood to a human, to want to be a human instead of a witch upsets us. We don’t like to see him leave us for Barbara, his human wife, and we become protective of John.¨ Playing a witch in this play requires some technique. ¨The hardest part of my role was the physicality. There is a multitude of dancing, crouching and crawling that my character does in the play. Some nights I go home very tired as if I´ve just came back from a workout session... If you get the chance to come and see the show, look at each of the actors’ performances. They are the reasons why the play becomes such a work of art. In certain scenes, you can really catch the emotions from characters´ faces, and for me, some of the scenes nearly bring me to tears.”

Editor’s Note: Editor-in-Chief Danielle Birzer played a role in the production of “Dark of the Moon” as a musician.

She did not participate in the writing or editing of this story.

OctobeR Happenings 4 6

36th Annual Oktoberfest! At Coastal Empire Beer—Come to Coastal Empire Beer’s third annual Oktoberfest celebration complete with craft beers on tap, German food, and entertainment. Anyone who comes in lederhosen or dirndl attire get the first pint free.

Picnic in the Park 2019—The Savannah Philharmonic will perform a free concert in Forsyth Park for the annual Picnic in the Park called “Color Your World with Music”.

Other local schools will perform as well as the 3rdInfantry Division Band giving rousing patriotic tribute with the 1812 Overture. Emily Yocum Black will perform as soprano.

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Savannah Haitian Historic Festival—Savannah’s annual Haitian historic Festival featuring traditional dance, music, and food will be held in Franklin Square.

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Walk for Freedom 2019—A21 is hosting their annual walk to raise awareness about global slavery in Forsyth Park from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

Register at www.a21.org

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Celebrate the 20th year of Savannah Pride festival downtown with events starting Thursday, October 24 and ending on Saturday, October 26. Events include the Savannah Pride Parade, Pawrade, a downtown bar crawl and more! For more information visit www.savannahpride.com

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The Savannah College of Art and Design presents the annual festival filled with cinematic creativity from both awardwinning professionals and emerging student filmmakers. Each year more than 63,000 people attend the eight-dayy SCAD Savannah Film Festival. The festival is host to a wide variety of competititon film screenings, special screenings, workshops, panels and lectures.

The 2019 Shalom Y’All Jewish Food Festival will be held on Sunday from 11 am until 3 pm. The event will be held in Monterey Square. Participants of all ages will enjoy a taste of ethnic Jewish cuisine as well as family entertainment including music and dance. There is no admission charge for the festival. Food purchases are by tickets which are sold in advance at the temple office, and at the event (at full price).