Technique (September 11, 2009) by Technique

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Library fountain faces demolition

Lottery program may not sustain HOPE past 2012 By Andrew Nelson Contributing writer

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The library fountain will be replaced with a new set of stairs, replacing the current stairs on Skiles walkway. The project is being carried out in conjunction with the building of the nearby Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons. By Zimu Yang Staff Writer

The lifting of drought water restrictions has allowed water to freely flow out of the Campanile fountain, but the library fountain will see a different outcome. Having been off all semester, the construction of the Clough Undergraduate Learning Center (CULC) is forcing its demolition. “The library fountain will be going away as a part of the redevelopment of the Skiles

walkway … and the stairs that are currently there and the bridge that bridges across from Skiles to Price Gilbert, they will all be redeveloped to make it more pedestrian and student friendly,” said Howard Wertheimer, director of Capital Planning and Space Management. The fountains in front of the library were generally used by students to relax and decompress while taking a break from academics. The fountains feature a threetiered design, and were a

gift from the Price Gilbert, Jr. Charitable Trust and the Gilbert family, and become a The restarting of the campanile fountains raised speculation about when the library fountains would re-start as well. After the fountains are torn down, a series of terraced stairs will be built to replace the library fountain. “The metaphor is the Spanish steps in Rome as it becomes a gathering place. It will be integral with landscape as well,” Wertheimer said.

The library rotunda will be kept unchanged in its place and a renovation is planned for the library tower. The redesign of Skiles Walkway does not permit the existence of the fountains as they are. As of yet, the structures do not pose a structural problem to the CULC. State budgets cuts have not yet changed the projected timetable for the construction of the CULC. The state legislature is currently shifting

Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship program needs some help of its own to continue providing financial assistance to students at Tech and all state universities. The Georgia Lottery Program, which funds both HOPE and statewide pre-kindergarten programs, is not growing along with the budgeted allowances to students needing the scholarship. In the last fiscal year, HOPE funded 216,172 students with a total of $522.8 million. But funding from the state lottery in the last year has grown less than one percent, causing concern for the Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC) – the overseeing body for the HOPE scholarship – and danger for the scholarship which has provided billions of dollars to Georgia students since its inception in 1993. Students rely on HOPE to ensure a full education without worrying about the high cost of college, and dips in the tuition funding would affect nearly all Tech students from in-state. GSFC officials say they are certain that tuition, a major factor in a college education, would not be affected by re-budgeting around the lottery shortcomings and that tuition should still be met by HOPE’s provisions. However, if funding trends continue, book allowances may drop to half the current level by 2012 and possibly altogether by the next year. If the trend is not corrected by 2014, funding for school fees may drop. Current mandatory fees are $718, over half of which is covered for HOPE recipients, This could be an issue for prospective students in deciding whether to attend Tech for college. To Josh Wien, first-year CS, HOPE was not a deciding factor in attending Tech, as he was already strongly considering applying. However now that he is at Tech, he feels the impact of

See Fountain, page 6

Mock dorm fire emphasizes safety

See HOPE, page 6

WELCOME BACK

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Fires in a dorm room can quickly spread to engulf the entire room, as shown in this demonstration. By Vijai Narayanan Assistant News Editor

The Georgia Tech Police Department hosted its third annual mock dorm fire safety event on the afternoon of Sept. 9 in conjunction with the Georgia Office of Insurance and Fire Safety Commissioner. The event was held as part of the National Cam-

pus Fire Safety Month, an initiative launched in 2005 in order to drive down the number of fire related deaths on college campuses across the country. “Wherever you go, firefighters will tell you that the last thing they want to do during a fire is search and rescue. What we want to do is to show people how quickly fires can devastate a space

and get them thinking about fire safety,” said John Oxendine, State Insurance and Fire Safety Commissioner. In preparation for the event, Housing built a dorm style room using spare furniture and bedding. The space covered enough area to house a bed, desk and See Fire, page 7

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Daniel “DBay” Baily of the GTGs sings to the crowd at the Welcome Back Party hosted in honor of Institute President G.P. “Bud” Peterson’s Investiture Ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 3.

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Technique

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Founded in 1911, the Technique is the student newspaper of the Georgia Institute of Technology, and is an official publication of the Georgia Tech Board of Student Publications. The Technique publishes on Fridays weekly during the fall and spring and biweekly during the summer. A DVERTISING: Information and rate cards can be found online at nique.net/ads. The deadline for reserving ad space is Friday at 5 p.m. one week before publication. To place a reservation, for billing information, or for any other questions please e-mail us at ads@nique.net. You may reach us by telephone at (404) 894-2830, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. COVERAGE R EQUESTS: Requests for coverage and tips should be submitted to the Editor-in-Chief and/or the relevant section editor. OFFICE: 353 Ferst Dr., Room 137 Atlanta, GA 30332-0290 Telephone: (404) 894-2830 Fax: (404) 894-1650

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Emily Chambers editor@nique.net Telephone: (404) 894-2831

NEWS EDITOR: Vivian Fan / news@nique.net OPINIONS EDITOR: Kaitlin Goodrich / opinions@nique.net FOCUS EDITOR: Kate Comstock / focus@nique.net ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR: Jennifer Aldoretta / entertainment@ nique.net SPORTS EDITOR: Nishant Prasadh / sports@nique.net

Campus Crime By Zimu Yang StaďŹ&#x20AC; Writer A testy textbook case

Missing some T s

An officer was dispatched to a shoplifting in progress at the Barnes and Nobles Bookstore in Tech Square on Sept. 2. A white male, approximately 6â&#x20AC;&#x2122;4â&#x20AC;? in height who was wearing a white T-shirt and black nylon pants, carried two unpaid textbooks towards the exit doors leading to the Management building. When the complainant confronted the suspect, the suspect ran away towards the West Peachtree Street exit of the Management building. Although the suspect disappeared, the two textbooks were able to be recovered.

On Friday, Aug. 28, several employees of ISP Sports Contractors left their offices at Bobby Dodd Stadium. When they returned, they discovered several pieces of signage had been torn off the wall in the hallway. The missing signage include a large gold â&#x20AC;&#x153;GTâ&#x20AC;?, two mid-sized gold Tâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, and a mid-sized gold S. An officer was called in two days later on Aug. 30 to take statements. The total value of the damage is unknown, but the stolen signage amounted to approximately $1,000 in total. In addition to the signage, sev-

eral cases of beer were stolen from the Super Suite of the stadium. No signs of forced entry were visible. However, a large window located in the Club Extension Room, which is accessible from seats in the east stands, was found opened.

Did you go to President Petersonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Investiture? 39.7%

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Broken shell

On Sept. 1, a 380mm shell casing was found in the first floor north-side stairwell of the Student Center. There was a hole on the stair where the round appeared to have struck. A fragment from the round was found one flight of stairs below where the shell casing was found. No other damage was found. The round is estimated to have been on the rarely-used stairwell for at least a month. The shell casing and fragment were turned over to a police officer for further investigation

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Copyright ÂŠ 2009, Emily Chambers, Editor-in-Chief, and by the Georgia Tech Board of Student Publications. No part of this paper may be reproduced in any manner without written permission from the Editor-in-Chief or from the Board of Student Publications. The ideas expressed herein are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Board of Student Publications, the students, staff, or faculty of the Georgia Institute of Technology or the University System of Georgia. First copy freeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;for additional copies call (404) 894-2830

LookÂ forÂ usÂ atÂ theÂ CareerÂ Fair onÂ Sept.Â 14th

From the files of the GTPD...

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What do you think about the library fountain being demolished? !"##$%&$'( 5/31,75,.

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Council Clippings

This week in Student Government

ach Tuesday, elected members of the two houses of the Student Government Association, the Undergraduate House of Representatives (UHR) and the Graduate Student Senate (GSS), convene to consider allocation bills and discuss issues facing campus. Here is a summary of those two meetings.

By Vijai Narayanan, Assistant News Editor

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Breaking

Bubble the

lot of things went on outside the bubble of Tech in the past week. Here are a few important events taking place throughout the nation and the world.

Mexican plane hijacking ends without violence

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Undergraduate House of Representatives members review funding bills at last Tuesday’s meeting. This edition of Council Clip- and the Atlanta Journal Consti- in 1997, the event draws together pings covers the UHR and GSS tution. Due to rising newspaper over 2,000 students and alumni. costs and an increase in circula- The event will be held on Oct. 10. meetings from Sept. 8, 2009. tion, the bill was passed 38-6. The Over 35 different projects will be Collegiate Readership bill was postponed in GSS after available for students to particiThe UHR passed a bill grant- a lengthy discussion on whether pate in. ing an additional $10,000 to the funding newspapers was wise, Collegiate Readership Program. given the failing nature of the inHomecoming This program distributes news- dustry. SGA also considered a bill propapers to students at various locaviding funding for homecoming tions across campus. The intent of Team Buzz events, including the Wrek Parade the program is to expose students SGA approved a bill granting and the homecoming concert. The to relevant information about the $3,485 to the TEAM Buzz service Student Center is responsible for community and the world. organization. The bill was passed the planning and development of The program currently has 41-4 in UHR and 16-0-0 in GSS. all homecoming events. A band funding of over $30,000 per year, Each year, TEAM Buzz puts on a has yet to be selected for the conwhich covers the distribution of service day dedicated to serving cert. The bill passed 41-4 in UHR USA Today, The New York Times the Atlanta community. Started and in GSS 9-6-1.

After being taken hostage for 45 minutes, a commercial airliner and its 104 passengers were released peacefully on Wednesday. The Boeing 737 Aeromexico flight was flying from the popular vacation town of Cancun into Mexico City, when the plan was taken hostage Wednessday afternoon by five to seven people, believed to be of either Bolivian or Mexican descent. The hijackers took the plane as it arrived in Mexico City, and threatened to bomb the plane if they did not speak to Mexican president Felipe Calderon. The plane was moved to a remote location in the airport, where the passengers were let off safely just before federal police stormed the plane and took hijackers into custody. The motive for the hijacking was still unclear.

Obama urges Congress to act on health care President Obama addressed a joint session of Congress on Wednesday with the goal of reenergizing efforts in the stalled healthcare reform process. During the speech the President drew numerous standing ovations. Obama received much criticism recently from both sides of the aisle for not being decisive enough in the debate and leaving too many of the details of reform to Congress. The president voiced his support for a public option that would allow the federal government to sell insurance in competition with private insurers. However, in a departure from past statements he stated his willingness to alternative choices. Obama fervently noted that healthcare reform can no longer be postponed, as soaring costs threaten to increase the national defecit marginally and cripple both the inividual patients and the economy. He also came out in force against what he called scare tactics and misinformation campaigns by the opposition.

Be your own drummer Or guitarist, cellist or saxophonist. Deloitte’s Dietrich Schmidt certainly is. He’s a business analyst by day and a rock star by night, playing across Texas with his band, The Ars Supernova. You won’t find a more innovative approach to career-life fit. Dietrich’s or ours. Meet Dietrich at www.deloitte.com/yourfuture. It’s your future. How far will you take it? As used in this document, “Deloitte” means Deloitte Consulting LLP, a subsidiary of Deloitte LLP. Please see www.deloitte.com/us/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries. Copyright © 2009 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved. Member of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu.

Wear appropriate attire!

!"#$%"&'()*+*,-!-)*+*./00*1(2$ Open to GT Students and Alumni only Undergrad !"Grad !"PhD Bring your Buzzcard and resume

Dress for the Career Fair is business formal.

For an uptodate list of com panies attending, go online to: www.careerfair.gatech.edu/ students

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Attend Georgia Tech’s first “Shakeless” Career Fair! To stop the spread of germs,

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Want to be a liaison? Apply online at www.careerfair.gatech.edu/ students

hand Sanitizer will be pro vided and shaking hands with employers is discouraged.

NEWS

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Melkers awarded $1.15 million to study women in science By Siddharth Gurnani Contributing Writer

Associate professor of Public Policy in Ivan Allen College Dr. Julia Melkers was awarded over $1.1 million to study women in science by the National Science Foundation (NSF). In particular, her research area addresses collaboration and social network issues for academic scientists. In partnership with coprincipal investigators Dr. Eric Welch from the University of Illinois and Dr. Monica Gaugham from UGA, Melkers’ core project addresses the question of why professional networks are important for career advancement for women scientists in particular. Melkers’ team recently received a 3-year grant for $1.1 million dollars entitled, “Empirical Research: Breaking through the Reputational Ceiling: Professional Networks as a Determinant of Advancement, Mobility, and Career Outcomes for Women and Minorities in STEM.” NSF has awarded four rounds of grants to academic institutions and individuals across America with the aim to recruit and retain women in science and engineering related fields. “This research is motivated by ongoing evidence of under representation of women in academic science, particularly in some fields, as well as exit from scientific careers,” Melkers said. According to her research, it is essential to be in the right social networks for female scientists to further their careers. She and

her team were interested in finding out what made these networks of female scientists important for career advancement and job satisfaction. Some results that Melkers and her team found were that women develop collaborative ties with colleagues that they meet for the first time at professional networks, as well as the fact that women retain relationships longer than men with colleagues that they know from graduate school. “Women are more likely than men to be introduced to new collaborators by individuals in their academic research networks”, Melkers said. Melkers feels this grant will help her team expand their sample to a wide range of schools, examine institutional effects on networks, as well as look more carefully at underrepresented groups. The NSF grant limited Melkers and her team’s research, as there are very few minority scientists in Carnegie-designated Research I institutions. Minorities and women, statistics show, are underrepresented in Research II and comprehensive institutions as well. The Carnegie designation is a classification of institutions based on a variety of aspects, such as degree programs and size. Because of this specification, Melkers promises that her team is capable of handling these studies now that they possess the funding. When asked about the kind of impact she expected from this study and its impact on the Tech community, Melkers explained that she hopes that her studies will

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3 1/2 yrs, 2 of it apart, maybe it will work again some day but even if it does, I’ll always love you. presidents Dearest employer: If I am not a match for your organization, let me know--that way I can go on to not match other organizations. cyberbuzz The defibrillators in the student center all expired in January... Are greek events really “unequaled” anywhere on campus? swine flu swine flu+budgeting=kid in my calc class blowing nose in notebook paper i just wanna be one of the bros walked in on my friend “raising the flag”...by the way I am a girl beat GA in volleyball, the first of many victories over the red and black this year walked the entire perimeter of campus....not one bus passed me and twenty people at each stop Tommy! I love you and your chicken fingers! Traditions Night! WHOO! White Out! WHOO! I love football season! ROTC boys look cute in uniform! strike three, you’re out phew, i was just humoring you anyway glad that’s over Found a pubic hair in a new textbook I bought. WTF. undergrads need to visit their ta’s more. office hours are becoming nap time. ece w00t It’s impossible to find a job at tech :( How am i supposed to support my drug habit now? Getting packages is fun redheads rock YELLLOOOOOOWWWWWWW this girl with swine flu ate my cookies. hello seepy cocoa bean foxy roxy is 5’10 Now I know why the GTGs autotune everything Who wants deep fried Oreos?? I picked the right roommate... I’ve been reading the same FAB weekly as I pee for 3 weeks now. New bathroom reading material please! So I may be taken but, ladies!! You can hit on ME! Shout out to all the Ramadamians!

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Dr. Julia Melkers poses in her office. Melkers was awarded $1.1 million dollars by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to study how women in science interact with different academic networks. have a theoretical as well as practical impact. She expects the quantitative study of the professional networks to add to the existing literature on the science and technology workforce and further solidify the reputation that other Tech colleagues have built in the area of women and minorities in science. Tech currently has a robust Women in Science and Technology program and has numerous recruitment programs for women interested in attending the Insti-

tute. Practically, she hopes that the studies will develop a better understanding of the roles and characteristics the professional networks play for women. In addition, she hopes this research will help women improve career advancement and outcomes in academic science. “We hope that our results will inform structural aspects of non-Research intensive academic environments, and the nature of interventions designed to attract,

retain, and advance women and minorities in those institutions, including mentoring program structure, as well as opportunities for faculty advancement,” Melkers said. Dr. Melkers concluded that she was excited about the new grant and that she may be able to add an undergraduate student to the project through the generous support of the Tech’s Women, Science, and Technology (WST) Program Student-Faculty Research Partnership.

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NEWS

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HOPE

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the scholarship on his ability to attend college. “After getting all the financial aid packages from the schools I had been accepted to, Tech with HOPE was by far the most economical option,” Wien said, “I wouldn’t be financially devastated if HOPE cut book and fee funding. Money is a bit tight right now, so it would just make things a little bit harder.” Georgia’s student education financial programs are rated highly, in terms of meeting the needs of students pursuing technical, twoyear and four-year degrees. Funding like this is in great demand, not only among students, but also for those unemployed throughout the nation. In Georgia the unemployment rate has reached over 10 percent as of this July. People in the workforce may seek additional technical training or a degree to bolster themselves on the job or improve their chances of being hired, in part because of the funding provided by HOPE. Georgia saw a similar problem in 2004, when demand for the scholarship was high enough to potentially deplete the program’s reserves within a few years. This prompted the state legislature to implement the requirement for recipients to have a minimum 3.0

GPA in high school, rather than the previous standard of a numerical grade average of 80. Now legislators and GSFC officials are investigating potential solutions including capping tuition funding by credit hour, which other lottery-backed state financial aid and scholarship programs like Florida have already started. Officials are determining the best course of action as projected enrollment in Georgia’s university system grows to nearly 300,000 students this fall, and 100,000 more students over the decade. GSFC has set a key task force for fixing the disparity between funding and demand for the HOPE scholarship in the next six to twelve months, an action that could promote college enrollment and improve academic credentials for a workforce struggling in the current economic climate. The scholarship program has seen problems before with its funding, and it is a task for state lawmakers and education officials to seek the solution for students and an educated workforce. Students like Barrett Ahlers, first-year AE, may see the situation optimistically. “I’m getting money for good grades,” he said, “and with the economy the way it is, I’m happy more people are able to benefit from the program even if I get less money.”

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The bursar’s office in Lyman Hall handles financial disbursement.

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In place of the fountain at the library, the Clough Undergraduate Learning Center plans include added green space to the area, including the addition of steps styled after the Roman Spanish steps.

Fountain

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the sale of bonds and, unless the bonds go unsold, the expectation is that construction will remain unaffected. Tech planners are also anticipating private donations and funding to offset any lost funds. Current estimates project that the building opening is still years away. “It will be about two years from now so hopefully summer 2011 if all goes well. So that for fall 2011 the building will be in operation,” Wertheimer said. The exact demolition date for the library fountain has not been decided, since the exact timetable is still unavailable. However, despite the lack of deadline, the library water fountains will not be turned on again. “When water restrictions were lifted we wanted to make sure that we turned on the fountains in a responsible, strategic way and

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minimize water use,” said Sejal Patel, assistant director of Capital and Space Planning. Patel noted that while students would not be able to spend time in the fountains, the CULC would provide plenty of new opportunities for recreation. In addition to the creation of a Starbucks on the second floor, the building will also house an open air garden accessible to students on the terrace. All the labs for courses taught in the lecture halls will be located in the CULC as well. Tutoring and student support for the classes will be consolidated into the CULC as will be the Center for Enhancement for Teaching and Learning (CETL) and various student support success programs. “[The CULC] is a program that was developed about ten years ago by a cross section of leadership at Georgia Tech and it will become the academic home of undergraduates and it will be

a place for every freshman and sophomore student who comes to Georgia Tech will take class because all the introductory science classes... [All these resources] will all be co-located in this facility,” Wertheimer said. Additional features to be included in the building are a café adjacent to the south entrance opening up to Skiles Walkway and Student Center Commons and work areas similar to the Library East Commons. “It will be a one stop shop for students so they will be more successful,” Wertheimer said. “[The CULC] will connect to [the library], from the Library West Commons. There will be a portal that will provide entry to and from the CULC and Price Gilbert. Somewhere down the line when state funding becomes available we will renovate Price Gilbert across the tower and revisit the security control points to the tower complex.”

NEWS

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Two students arrested in alleged manhole cover theft

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Three manhole covers like this one were stolen from sidewalks near Centennial Place. The culprits appear to be two Tech students, who were sent to Fulton County jail and face criminal charges. By Vivian Fan News Editor

Two Tech students were arrested Tuesday night for stealing manhole covers on Merritts Avenue at the Centennial Place Apartments neighborhood off campus. Along with that manhole cover, two others were also missing along Hunicutt St. near Luckie St., both located slightly south of Tech’s campus. Located right off of the North Avenue Apartments bus stop, maintenance and the Atlanta Police Department discovered the missing covers Tuesday afternoon after a Tech student nearly stepped into a coverless manhole. The student contacted 11Alive News, who then notified apartment management and the City of Atlanta’s Watershed Management Department concerning the missing covers. According to an interview with Tom Abrahmson, second-year MGT, done by 11Alive News, the covers had

been missing for days before, and had caused Abrahmson himself to almost step into the hole. After being alerted by the 11Alive News team, the Centennial Place apartment complex managers sent a maintenance crew to fix the problem, despite it being the city of Atlanta’s responsibility. Although the apartment managers had covered up the holes, Atlanta police department later investigated the area under suspicions of theft. When the Watershed Management Department, who is responsible for the covers, replaced the manhole covers, the police had notified them that the original covers were located. Despite the suspicion that the manhole covers were stolen for their metal, police determined that the covers could have been recovered and that it was a less serious matter than that. Although Atlanta police has recognized the increase in copper and metal thefts in the last few months, they noted that this was likely not such

a crime, due to the inefficiency and lack of monetary turnover for manhole covers. Later that afternoon, police were called to Centennial Place, after apartment maintenance workers spotted one of the missing manholes in the apartment of two Tech students, after one had placed a phone call concerning a problem in the apartment. Along with the missing manhole cover, police later recovered a stolen park bench and a pedestrian sign as well. Police arrested them later that night. The names of the two students have yet to be released, but police did say that the pair lived only 100 feet away from where the manholes were missing. Although their alibi is still not known, the two students were sent to Fulton County jail immediately after their arrest. In addition to their night in jail, the pair also may face future charges including theft by receiving stolen property and reckless conduct.

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chair, similar to those found in freshman dorms. After a brief introduction, a spark triggered a fire in the room. The fire grew large and spread quickly across the space, engulfing the entire room in flames within a minute. Regional fire departments were on hand to extinguish the fire after it had reached a high intensity level. The aftermath of the fire showed a grim scene. Everything from the mattress to the bed frame was charred, and smoke continued to rise for several minutes after the flame was extinguished. At one point during the fire, the crowd voluntarily stepped back due to the intensity of the heat, which could be felt over 5060 feet away. “I thought it was a really great experience and I was really surprised at how quickly the entire thing went up in flames. I was also really amazed at how hot the fire felt even from far away,” said Chris Sanders, sixth-year ME.

“I was really surprised at how quickly the room caught on fire, it really shows how you can’t just brush fire safety aside,” said Angela Rice, CHBE ’09. “The main thing we want people to take away from this event is to take fire safety seriously and make sure they know what to do in case of a fire. If a fire starts in your dorm you have less than a minute to make it out of the dorm,” said Chad Arp, the Fire Safety Educator for the Cherokee County Office of Fire-Emergency Services. While personal safety in the wake of armed robberies around campus has been a topic of concern, Oxendine hopes that people also pay attention fire safety. “You always hear about being safe when going home at night, and not being alone by yourself, but you rarely hear about fire safety. We want to get students active about fire safety so that when they find someone doing something unsafe, they can inform and prevent fires from occurring,” Oxendine said.

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As part of the mock dorm fire event students who were in attendance were taught how to properly use a fire extinguisher.

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Boy who laughed with me when the stinger drove right past me - you are awesome! Ash, stop pretending to be an AE And for the most disappointing realization of the semester....OPERACION REPO IS FAKE!!!!! “If I could have had my way...this year....” JDR I totally think you are the cutest guy I’ve ever seen :) c I LOVE LIFE! all I need is a significant other ;) Shruti is loud and abusive whoa molly [please do not use last names] ruined my life; i thought the world should know to the male who called me a Am I the only one who doesn’t use Facebook? Woot for MS Outlook! My productivity has shot through the roof since I switched over from Thunderbird. Sorry Mozilla, Firefox is a quality product, but T-bird doesn’t keep up with the competition. I guess it does help to pay your software developers... To the male who called me a “creep”, one simply cannot “peer” into a window that is WIDE OPEN. Is it my fault that this building is built in such a way that my window is directly aligned with yours? Nope. @ Sliver writers: creepy guys have feelings too. stop screaming outside caldwell/folk after midnight. you’re not funny, you’re annoying. I get it... I’m watching MTVU...you don’t have to keep telling me. my professor dressed as Gandalf came into our test review and yelled “YOU SHALL NOT PASS!” I LOVE HUMANS....and food of course (that’s free) Well, it’s 3 AM, YET AGAIN....I’m starting to think I won’t get to sleep before 3 at all this semester. Thanks roommate. is the vocalist for Paramore a real ginger? oh man. sore throat....swine flu here I come! “...that reducing the wind speed lowers the life coefficient...” MAN I am tired. Almost done though...

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Opinions

Opinions Editor: Kaitlin Goodrich Most people have the will to win, but few have the will to prepare to win. —Bobby Knight

“ ”

OUR VIEWS CONSENSUS OPINION

HOPE can be saved

Compromises can be made to keep scholarship viable The statement that HOPE funds could run out as early as 2014 is upsetting and forebodes negative consequences for students and the University System. There is no way that the HOPE situation could be completely dire now without warnings ahead of time. Either HOPE has time to be reevaluated and fixed or Georgia has been hiding the reality of HOPE from us for some time. We hope that all measures possible to save HOPE will be taken. The HOPE program is one of the best parts of Georgia’s school system. By eliminating HOPE, we would kill the competitiveness of our universities and take value from Georgia education as a whole. Schools in Georgia would lose attractiveness to top students while letting underprivileged students fall to the wayside. Since there have been no announcements of doing away with the Georgia lottery, we assume there will still be a

substantial amount of revenue taken in by the lottery. That money revenue can be reevaluated and redirected in such a way as to sustain some HOPE benefits. Yes, adjustments will have to be made. Perhaps the rigor of HOPE requirements should be adjusted or new sources for funds could be evaluated. Currently, we do not have access to data to make recommendations for actual solutions, but we hope for communication and transparency throughout the reform process. There are a lot of factors to be considered, but if a group of students can shoot off ideas for reform in a few short hours, we certainly hope that decision makers can devote time to reaching a compromise and some solution. We think everything possible should be done to keep HOPE viable. If there truly is no solution, we wants to see the facts and know why.

The Consensus Opinion reflects the majority opinion of the Editorial Board of the Technique, but not necessarily the opinions of individual editors.

Technique Editorial Board Emily Chambers, Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Saethang, Managing Editor Hahnming Lee, Business Manager

Jennifer Aldoretta, Entertainment Editor Vivian Fan, News Editor Nishant Prasadh, Sports Editor Kate Comstock, Focus Editor Kaitlin Goodrich, Opinions Editor

Matt Hoffman, Advertising Manager Kelvin Kuo, Photography Editor Siwan Liu, Layout Editor Reem Mansoura, Development Editor Craig Tabita, Online Editor/Editor Emeritus

EDITORIAL CARTOON BY VIVIAN FAN

Technique

Friday, September 11, 2009

Technophiles turn their gaze to printed word by Rachel David

The Daily Titan (UWire)—As a lover of reading and someone who wants to have a career in the world of print one day, i.e. newspapers or book publishing, I am disheartened by the latest technology which has set its sights on my beloved world of print: video advertisements in print sources and e-readers. In mid-September, Entertainment Weekly will be unveiling the first ever video advertisement in a print magazine. There is a small speaker below the screen that will allow the reader and all those around him, whether they like it or not, to listen to a Pepsi Max commercial and the CBS fall line-up. As if there aren’t enough distractions when it comes to reading, we now have to endure the incessant white noise of commercials when trying to read the latest celebrity gossip. Outrageous! Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t commercials things we try to avoid at all costs, even going as far as to press mute when an overly annoying one comes on TV. Anyone seen the Mary J. Blige AT&T commercial? I rest my case. So now when you’re sitting in the doctor’s office and trying to tune out the crying kids that the lady next to you has brought along with her, or Dr. Phil on the TV in the waiting room yelling in his southern drawl at the latest dysfunctional family to cross his path, you have to block out the person next to you who’s reading a magazine with a built-in screen. Is there nowhere safe from the constant bombardment of advertisements? We now have to have it embedded in our reading material? No wonder we are breeding a generation of children who can’t focus on a task before them for longer than two minutes. How can we expect them to when white noise invades every aspect of their existence? How can the printed word compete with a loud, flashy video screen placed directly within the text? And for those of you gungho about the latest technological annoyance to hit the market, don’t worry about the advertisement’s batteries dying; they are rechargeable. Yes, can you believe it, you can watch that same Pepsi Max ad over and over until your heart’s content. Also disrupting the sacred world of print are e-reading devices, most notably Amazon’s

Write to us:

letters@nique.net We welcome your letters in response to Technique content as well as topics relevant to campus. We will print letters on a timely and space-available basis. Letters should not exceed 400 words and should be submitted by Tuesday at 7 p.m. in order to be printed in the following Friday’s issue. Include your full name, year (1st, 2nd, etc.) and major. We reserve the right to edit for style and length. Only one submission per person will be printed per term.

Kindle. By no means is the Kindle the sole murderer of print sources; other devices, such as Sony’s Reader, iRex’s iLiad and Jinke Electronic’s Hanlin eReader are just a few companies and devices that also believe in robbing individuals of the pleasure of browsing a bookstore or booksale and smelling the unique, welcoming scent of a new or old book. Say goodbye to the days of waking up, drinking a cup of coffee and walking to the end of the driveway to pick up the newspaper. Not only are these e-reading device companies putting countless individuals out of business and denying readers the aesthetic pleasure of reading, they are doing away with a cultural tradition: reading a tangible newspaper with a cup of coffee. Now, I’m fully aware of the benefits of technology as a whole, and am not completely immune to it myself: I just bought a BlackBerry Curve; however, must technology infringe on every aspect of our lives? Just because we have the know-how and tools to create “bigger and better” things or “smaller and sleeker” things, doesn’t mean we have to. Some things are just sacred. There is nothing stuffy or static about enjoying the peace and quiet that can come from reading or the feel of actually flipping through pages of a newspaper or book. How sad to think that one day future generations may walk into a library with e-readers sitting on the shelf, where beautiful hardbound books once resided, how sterile. I can’t imagine looking up at the various bookshelves throughout my house and seeing one lone e-reading device in place of my sundry and alluring book collection. Sounds lonely.

OPINIONS

Technique t 4FQUFNCFS t 9

Advice is as hard to give as to take Being a high school student is one of the most frightening occupations out there. I certainly couldn’t be paid enough money to go back. I should buy my former high school counselor a drink next time I see him; chances are good that he’d need it. My brother just started his senior year at the high school in our hometown. He’s an aspiring multimedia designer with an eye toward a future that might include coming to Tech like his older brother, or perhaps a (cheaper) school closer to home and friends. The anxious tone in his voice becomes more severe with each phone conversation, and the tone of the questions changes from joking to desperately sincere. He could say just as easily, “I’m afraid. I have no idea what I want to do. I don’t want to end up penniless and alone. Please help me not screw up my life.” The melodrama of the looming high school graduation is simultaneously feared, reviled, romanticized and admired in popular culture. The implication that high school represents “the best four years of your life” is a cruel sentiment disseminated among an already nervous population of worried, hopeful young adults at the end of the structured, well-defined period of their lives. No one wants to believe

“It’s impossible to say with certainty what you value until you have experienced a test of those beliefs.” Richard Otis Assistant Entertainment Editor

their best days are behind them. It’s no surprise, then, that there’s a great deal of fatalism inherent in events like the prom, leading the collectively fearful and hormonal to awkward after-parties for two in cheap hotel rooms and the back seats of parents’ cars.,(That’s a story for another time). That’s not to say college students don’t face similar problems. Our questions just run deeper and reflect a greater existential dilemma. It’s not merely, “What am I going to do after I graduate?” anymore, like it was in high school. We have that figured out. But now the questions, like the coursework, have become more complicated. We ask ourselves, “What does it mean for me to live a good life? How can my limited time in this world be spent in a way most fulfilling to me?” Personal philosophies are not constructed in a vacuum. Life experience shapes our views and carves out a niche

for how we process new information. That’s why even the most brilliant people in the world often have different opinions. High-minded platitudes will often not stand up to the scrutiny of day-to-day living; truth is completely relative to the individual. This is why experience so important. It’s impossible to say with certainty what you value until you have experienced a test of those beliefs. What makes this idea so intuitive and universally applicable is also what makes it completely useless as advice. Unlike my brother, I was fortunate not to have a relativist giving me advice on life after high school graduation. Philosophers rarely give practical advice. Words of wisdom don’t often translate well to reality. But what else can be said? I don’t have the key to my brother’s lifetime happiness anymore than I have the key to my own. If there’s anything experi-

ence has taught me, it’s that you can do everything right and still fall short. Conversely, you can do it all wrong and somehow luck out. I imagine most people’s lives to be a series of decisions and turns that fall somewhere on that continuum. My brother, like all of us, will probably stumble in the dark until he finds something that seems like a good enough idea that it’ll work. More ambiguity is not what high school students want to hear, but it’s almost certainly what’s in store for them. How counselors, mentors and motivational speakers deal with the paradox of assuring students that everything will work out is a combination of glittering generalities and small lies, but I don’t envy them any more than I blame them for trying. After all, it’s not like life’s events are completely random. There are many cases where the work we put in is equal to the reward we get in return. As long as you keep things in perspective and take the opportunities where you can to move infinitesimally towards your goals, chances are good that you’ll end up somewhere in the ballpark of contentment. If not, at least you’re less likely to have regrets about how you lived your life. Maybe that’s the right advice to give.

Traffic tickets cost more than just fines Everyone tries to give college students advice. Most of which is all nice and sentimental. Here is some advice that all college students can live by: Do not run traffic lights in the city of Atlanta…at least until you are 21 years-old. More importantly, can anyone tell me when the traffic light in the city of Atlanta became mandatory to follow? I never got the memo, and apparently the majority of my fellow drivers in the city also have not gotten the memo. I always thought traffic lights in Atlanta were similar to the 55mph speed limit on the connector, more of a FYI than a real, important law. So I got a traffic ticket for failure to obey a signal at Peachtree and Forth. Like a good citizen, I was going to just pay the ticket and be done with it. Unfortunately, it is not that easy. First, I had to wait for the ticket to be registered with the Municipal Courts of Atlanta, which apparently can take up to seven business days. Why it takes seven days to put a ticket into a computer system when it only takes three minutes to hand write a ticket is beyond me, but the court system says it does. In actuality, it takes longer. So I kept on calling the telephone number on the back of the ticket like the officer told me to do in order to find

have known about that before I had signed up for a class there that was supposed to last after the sun had set. Tomorrow I have to attend a class called VIP MADD. Does that make any sense? I did not Matt Hoffman drink and drive. Drinking and driving kills people. I know Advertising Manager this. Unfortunately I am pretty sure that unlike other VIP of Atlanta, he must appear in events, this one will probably court. Why the officer who not have an open bar. It is gave me the ticket, the infor- even worse because instead of mation on the back of the tick- watching College Game Day, et or the first lady I talked with I have to listen to the people at the court all failed to inform who made it so that all of us me of this little fact seems way between 18 and 21 cannot leunder a level of reasonable ex- gally buy and consume alcopectation from the courts. Re- hol. Talk about pouring salt gardless, last Wednesday I had into a wound. my day in court. Originally the community I was thinking that I would service part did not upset me show up, plea nolo and be that much, but then I actually done with it. The solicitor had had to do it. It was not work another idea in mind. Since I intensive; it was just boring. am under 21, I got put into the Besides, is cleaning up dog poo TLC Program, which means I the best thing I can do for the have to complete eight hours of Atlanta community? classes and eight hours of comBut I will give the court munity service, all because system credit for one thing: if of a traffic light ticket. Am I their goal is to discourage peothe only one thinking Eighth ple from ignoring traffic lights, Amendment violation here? then they are doing a great job. So I attended my first class But unfortunately, I belast Friday night off of Donald lieve they are accomplishing Lee Hollowell Parkway. I had more effectively through maknever heard of Hollowell being people deal with screwed fore then. up system than teaching the It turns out that the road faults in what the people did. used to be called by another I screwed up, and I am willname. Bankhead. I have nothing to admit that, but it really ing against Bankhead, but I should not require this much at the very least would like to effort for a traffic ticket.

!"#$%&$'(#)*+,-*)#)*$)#).$/01# lights in Atlanta were, more like an FYI than a real, important law.”

out the amount of the fine, but I had no luck. On the seventh day I talked to the operator. She told me to just send in the check, because it takes some time to get into the system. Apparently the courts believe that I was just going to send them a check for almost two hundred dollars without any record of it in their system. I may be dumb, but I ain’t stupid. At this point, I had lost all faith in the telephone method and tried to find an alternative. Turns out you can check it online. When I checked it and found that it was in the system, I sent in the check. Almost a week goes by and the check never cleared my checking account. Finally, last Monday I called up the courts again to see if they had gotten my check and if so, did I need to be in court on Wednesday since apparently paper work is not the court system’s forte. It turns out if someone is under the age of 21 and he gets a moving violation in the city

!"##

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What did you do for Labor Day weekend?

Justin Carlin Third-year EE

“Refereed a soccer game.”

Cindy Wang First-year BME

“I danced and tried to get rid of the Freshman 15.”

Shalv Madhani Second-year BME

“Went to the football game.”

Stan Guillaume First-year BChE

“Went to my first club.” Photos by Lauren Townsend

OPINIONS

t 4FQUFNCFS t Technique

Community matters, however HOT– or –NOT you decide to define it at Tech OUR VIEWS HOT OR NOT

Spirit week

With two football games to get excited about in one week, the level school spirit was bound to be high. Campus added to the inundation of good will by including a traditional T-Night celebration and a white out against Clemson. Distribution of free t-shirts for the white out intensified feelings, as everyone knows the best way to make a Tech student happy is free stuff.

24 hour coffee fix

Jazzman’s has officially become a 24-hour establishment for tired students to frequent in the library. Now instead of desperately trying to stay awake sustaining on food from the snack machines, students will be able to purchase coffee and snacks all night long. Allnighters may be miserable, but this will make the experience slightly more bearable at three in the morning.

Football fiasco

While everyone enjoyed winning our first football game of the season, the chaos of the ticketing system dampened spirits some. Students who had tickets got thrown out after simply trying to join friends in other areas. Maybe the student section was a little chaotic before strict block rules, but it never caused trouble other than the occasional popped personal space bubble.

Class conflicts

Student attendance at Peterson’s Investiture was sadly low last week. From the implications of our poll, most students could not attend due to class conflicts with the event. Although it had been previously implied that classes would all be canceled during those few hours, they were not. This oversight on administration’s part made many students miss out on Tech history.

What does the word community mean to you? Does it conjure frustrations of a useless buzzword? When I first came to Tech I put little stock in ideas and ideals like being part of a strong community. I was here for school, pure and simple academics. Tech was the school for me because classes were full of hard, concrete material that could be proven and derived analytically. Community was a nice word and I thought I might have some extra time for it but what I really wanted was classes. Then I got to Tech. Freshmen year turned out to be one of the most pivotal times in my life. I lived on a hall with great guys and we generally raised a ruckus, I joined a campus organization and got to know lots of new people and got involved with my hall council. I threw myself into school, mostly socially, and grew bonds with many people and groups. Without realizing it I had built a strong community that helped me through an academic wake up call. Even people that claim to not need or even have a community crave that connection with others around them. Without even realizing it we all naturally integrate into a community. Community is a hard concept to grasp but avoid the temptation to dismiss the importance of it because of its complexity. Seeing familiar faces at social events hosted by your fraternity, working on a move in salsa club with a friend or saying hi to your neighbors as you walk down the hallway are all examples of community. Some people find it within a Greek organization, some in a club or organization, and some

“Community is a hard concept to grasp, but avoid the temptation to dismiss the importance of it because of its complexity.” Elliot Mork RHA President

find within their residence hall. Everyone wants to feel like they belong to something larger and are accepted into a group to build lasting relationships. One of the best examples of community I’ve seen at Tech is the fourth floor of Harris. Each member of the floor brings something unique but they bond as a group. Activities aren’t planned but just evolve as if one big family shared the top floor in one of the oldest buildings on campus. There is always a story to tell from the last weekend, mostly everyone has a nickname and they can count on each other to help during hard times. The experiences on the fourth floor define their time at tech, as one resident put it, “I live on campus because of my community.” There are several factors that contribute to a functioning community. The demographics of the students in a hall, the architectural layout of a building, the Reslife staff and the officers in a hall council all contribute toward the success of a tight knit community. In FE buildings the difference of having auto closing doors vs. open doors affects the feel of a building more than you would guess. The careful manipulation of some factors can really encourage a community to form. That is

one challenge that RA’s, PL’s and RHA hall council officers face on a daily basis. RHA works to create a welcoming environment to encourage the creation of community within the residence halls. Most people know RHA or Hall Councils as a great way to get free food during finals week but there is something bigger going on: a chance to feel the pain together with others you know are going through the exact same thing creates bonds that last longer than finals week. That interaction and yes, community building, is what makes living on campus something special and not just a place to sleep. I encourage you to think about the communities you are involved with. After a bad test can you go to someone and talk about it? Make sure you are not braving Tech alone, it takes the support of your peers. If you aren’t a part of a community, join one. Opportunities are boundless with over 400 organizations or groups of friends on campus. They do take a little time and effort just like any relationship, but you’ll reap the rewards for years to come. Be intentional with your efforts and know the dynamics of a community you are thinking about joining. It could be the most important decision you have at Tech.

sliver

www.nique.net

I should sit on the Korean in front of me There are no more seats left Excuse me, but I don’t think facebook and espn are that important. Kindly get the f*** out of the computer cluster. People are waiting iPhone sliver score Rawr? dear old man wearing bow tie: I do not care if the ES&T building is not my house DO NOT WAKE ME up just to tell me to take my feet off of a chair!@!#$ If i was a bear I would have mauled u and the bow tie When im up all night studying I will take a nap wherever I so please Now go shine ur bald spot and go bother someone else over something trivial Sincerely- SleepingStudent HiddenBear 100 Days til the end of exams!! MOO!!! GO JACKETS!!!! GO BUCKS!!! what happened to the ‘nique archives? I have no way to read slivers I submit. :( timtebo caveman timtebo hungry timtebo smash 1 heisman 2 nationalchampionships so easy a caveman can do it There are only 6 home football games this year. That means I just paid $6 per game. Way to make money off your students, GT. I’m watching the games on TV next year! in trying to take notes on which powerpoint slides are important, i realized a real slide sounds way more fun. dude in defbods: stop playing your neopets and WoW during class anyone else think beebz is overcompensating for something....

Focus

focus@nique.net

Organization Spotlight: Culture Tech aims to promote diversity on campus and increase cultural interaction. Events include International Food Fair and performances during Culture Fest. culture@gatech.edu

Focus Editor: Kate Comstock

Technique

Friday, September 11, 2009

Dragon*Con provides outlet for fantasy aficionados By Melissa Hyde Contributing Writer

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A showdown of social networking By Sarah Malis Contributing Writer

At the end of a long day filled with classes, the first thing many students do is go back to their dorms, apartments or houses, and log onto the computer. Instead of checking up on Buzzport or T-Square, students take refuge on their Facebook or Twitter accounts. Facebook, the highly addictive social networking site, is used for just about anything—Facebook chat with friends, (even if they live right down the hall) relentless poking wars, and random quiz taking. Twitter is also a social network that lets users send and read messages, or “tweets”. Your “tweets” are uploaded on your profile page, and then delivered to your “followers”. Twitter has gotten so popular, that even the Georgia Tech Police Department has their very own profile. While both are wildly admired, which one rules cam-

pus? Is it Facebook, or is it Twitter, because it allows users to give a quick status update and then move on with their lives? Both sites are great social networking devices, but the battle between them must be investigated here on campus. “I prefer Facebook, because Twitter is nothing but status updates…it’s just Facebook without all the other stuff you can do with it. It’s not as well connected and held together like Facebook is. Also, getting and sending bumper stickers is great,” said Chris Mays, a third- year AE. When asked which would last longer, Facebook or Twitter Mays said, “Facebook…I think the majority of the people would prefer to use it. It’s more consistent.” Elsewhere on campus, there seems to be more Twitter bashing. “I prefer Facebook because you can actually talk to people on it. I like Facebook chat, even though it shuts down all

user name, while Facebook is more ‘actual’ name.” Others on campus see Facebook as the more fun social networking site. Christian Doetsch, a second-year CS, said “I prefer Facebook. There are more features to do things. And more applications, like the graffiti wall. And you can poke people. Facebook is better for communication… it has different networks, groups and applications. For the sake of it, Twitter is easier to use. It’s simpler for older people.” While many students praise Facebook, others argue that Twitter also has something to offer for mass communication and networking. “I like using Twitter because it is multifunctional,” said Umehani Dalal, ’08 EE. “I follow friends to keep up with their lives and what they are up to which is incredibly useful now that we have graduated and are in different parts

Dragon*Con is the largest multi-media convention in the U.S.; the convention focuses on gaming, literature, science fiction and comics. The convention was held Sept. 4-7 and is in its 23 year. The convention is so large that it takes up four downtown Atlanta hotels. The Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt and Sheraton hosted the conference and also provided shelter for many of the attendants throughout the Labor Day weekend. Most of the other hotels in and around downtown Atlanta were also booked becasue of the convention. Dragon*Con boasts a wide array of guests, from blog writers to sci-fi icons, the convention has something for almost everyone and attracts tens of thousands of guests every year. The convention this year drew many notable stars such William Shatner, whose fame as Captain Kirk has made him a household name, and Patrick Stewart, widely known for his work on StarTrek and X-Men. To a newcomer, Dragon*Con is overwhelming, sprawling across the Centennial Olympic Park area of downtown. This year, just about every single hotel and overflow hotel associated with Dragon*Con was entirely booked up. One website suggests to newcomers to the convention to reserve a hotel room now if they want to garauntee themselves a room come Sept. 2010. Milling about in the massive hotel spaces designated for Dragon*Con were over 30, 000 comic, game, manga, anime and fantasy aficionados drawn to the convention by various lures. These devotees come from all around the world and all different walks of life. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, however, that many of these fans are Tech students. “I’ve been three times, maybe two times before. I’m looking forward to meeting the cast of Star Trek. William Shatner’s actually not going to be here today (Saturday), but Leonard Nimoy and Patrick Stewart are who I’m really excited about,” said Emily Simonds, a first-year ME major.Simonds also looked forward to browsing and buying in the convention’s expansive dealer’s room. There is a great deal of shopping that can be done at the convention, especially in terms of rare or collectable items. The dealer’s room is full of tables where the die-hard geek can buy

See Facebook, page 12

See DragonCon, page 13

acebook Photoillustration by Siuwan Liu/Student Publications

the time” said Molly Degenhardt, a first-year undeclared IAC. “I think Facebook will stay longer than Twitter, because Twitter just seems like a fad.” Greyson Jarvis, a fourthyear PTFE , also believes Facebook trumps “tweeting.” “I like Facebook…I don’t know, I feel anti-Twitter. Facebook will last longer, because there seems to be an anti-Twitter sentiment. I don’t think it’s going to catch on as much [as Facebook].” Some students saw the positives and negatives in both networking websites, such as Andrew Barth, a first-year BME. “I like Facebook more… I don’t really do much of the status updates, which is what Twitter is—a play-by-play of your life,” said Barth. He also said that while “Twitter is easier to use,” Facebook is better for communication purposes. “Facebook is easier to connect with people over Twitter. Twitter is more

Alumnus seeks seat on Atlanta city council By Chris Russell Staff Writer

Photo by Eric Turner/Student Publications

Weslee Knapp, IE ‘98, is running for city council member at-large, on a platform of decreasing crime and increased autonomy for Atlanta universities

Tech has always touted its position as a producer of global leaders and innovator in terms of technology, finances, and politics. Soon, though, it might also be able to claim another of its alumni as a local leader here in Atlanta. A few months ago, Weslee Knapp, IE ‘98, announced that his candidacy for the position of City Councilman At Large. This is an unmistakably important occasion for Tech, as, historically, Tech’s role in local government has had a very limited range. Tech undeniably holds an important position in Atlanta’s education, technology and businesses, but

when it comes to the city itself, Tech’s history hasn’t been quite as influential. “The Georgia Tech influence in our city has largely been from the financial and business sector, and not from the government one,” said Knapp. “Tech grads have run for district [positions] before, but there’s not been one that ran for an at-large chair in more than a decade.” “At-large” means that the position represents the city as a whole, instead of just one of the 12 districts that make it up. Knapp is currently a partner in the realty firm KellerKnapp, which he started with a Delta Chi fraternity brother in 2002. While at Tech, Knapp

was a President’s Scholar, and cofounded Tech’s Mock Trial team. When asked how one moves from IE to realty to politics, Knapp points to the problemsolving skills Tech’s programs imbue in its students. He says that the analytical skills Tech students learn in the course of their studies—particularly in the fields of math and science—allow Tech graduates to have much more expansive possibilities after graduation, rather than only preparing them for careers in a single field. Knapp has been politically active for a while now, particularly with the city’s youth. He is on the Honorary Board of See Alumnus, page 12

FOCUS

t 4FQUFNCFS t Technique

Homecoming invites all students to step under Buzz’s ‘Big Top’

Photo by Michael James /Student Publications

Homecoming chairs worked this year to coordinate efforts and organize a more cohesive and inclusive homecoming week. By Robert Zbedi Contributing Writer

In just under one month, Georgia Tech will host its annual Homecoming events for the 90th time. Homecoming week will take place Oct. 11- 15 this year; the theme is ‘Buzz Under the Big Top.’ Amid returning alumni, reveling students and the all the seasonal festivities of the Wreck Parade, however, attentive students will notice that there’s something different, something new about the festivities this year. Home-

coming may be a well-loved and time-tried tradition, but here on its 90th birthday its caretakers have decided that change is in order. According to Heather Aquilino, fourth-year INTA and the Chair of the Student Center Homecoming Committee, the unspoken assumption has always been that Homecoming is an exclusively Greek event. Though non-Greek student organizations have been allowed and encouraged to participate in the past, the emphasis always appeared to be on fraternity and

sorority competition, leaving the rest of the student body to watch from the sidelines. Though referred to as the ‘Housing Bracket,’ any group of students that wants to can register as a competing team, whether or not they live in the same hall, the same dorm, or even on the same side of campus. This year, homecoming week breaks a slew of changes in programming. New competitions include Powderpuff football and cheer leading, a syrup-chugging contest, a day of ‘clown competition,’ and – specially introduced for Housing teams – the ‘Homecoming Spirit Contest,’ an answer to the perennially popular pomp display contest. “Usually the only people who participate have a house,” explained Ramu Annamalai, second-year IsyE, Homecoming’s Intra-Fraternity Council Overall Chair. “That just wasn’t fair for the Housing teams.” But, Annamalai said, “We can’t have them putting something up outside the Residence Hall. The RHA would flip!” The solution is the Homecoming Spirit Contest, one of the week’s first events. Though teams can prepare beforehand, the actual build begins on Sunday night, and will include students decorating any common interior space. Judging starts the next morning, and points will be awarded for creativity, attractiveness, humor, and relation to this year’s over

arching ‘Buzz Under the Big Top’ theme. In the past two year homecoming has featured the themes “Fight, Win, Rock & Roll” in 2008 and “Buzz and the Knights of Tech Tower” in 2007. Aquilino is particularly excited about this new event, and the possibilities it presents. “I think it’ll be a lot of fun, it’ll really bring the Homecoming spirit into the halls,” said Aquilino. Even before the real competition kicks off on Sunday, though, Tech’s student body will have the opportunity to sample some of the whimsical ‘Big Top’ innovation the Homecoming team has been working so hard on. GT Homecoming will begin its ninth decade in true circus fashion, with a full-fledged Carnival on Skiles walkway. Occurring alongside the annual Team Buzz event, the Carnival promises fun for all students, team-affiliated or not. “The Carnival has been something that I’ve wanted to do since we chose the Homecoming theme. To make it the kind of event I wanted it to be, I knew I needed help from the IFC/CPC exec,” said Aquilino. That such help materialized is, in fact, perhaps the most important change to this year’s homecoming of all. “In the past, things tended to be very disoriented, very splotchy. There’s been a big push this year

to put on a more cohesive effort… we’re all banding together to have a great homecoming,” said Annamalai. “Chairs never worked together. Until the event we’d never met, had no idea how things worked. Last year, I had no idea that a Mock Rock Chair even existed,” said Aquilino. The new cohesion and communication has enabled the Chairs to create a homecoming of completely unprecedented proportions. As if all the other changes weren’t enough, this year’s Big Top has a last act that promises to top all the others. The brandnew Buzz Bash concert on Friday Oct. 16 is shrouded in secrecy and surrounded by a barely-contained sense of excitement. Aquilino could not reveal details, for “contractual reasons.” “This is totally new for homecoming,” Carlson said, “nothing of this magnitude has ever happened before.” That kind of grandiose dreaming – and grandiose achieving – seems to have come naturally to the chairs this year. The basic formula wasn’t hard, in any case; according to Carlson, the real trick was just asking, “What can we do to make this the best Homecoming for everyone?” It remains to see if this year’s new events could be next future traditions. “Hopefully this year will pay off,” Carlson said, “I really do think we’ve laid the groundwork.”

FOCUS

Photo by Eric Marcus Taylor/Student Publications

Marcus Taylor, third-year EE, steps inside Dr. Who’s call box, one of many fantasy props on display during this year’s Dragon*Con.

DragonCon

from page 11

collectibles and art to their heart’s content. Basically, it’s a nerd’s paradise. “I always like the dealer’s room. It’s nice, because you can buy stuff that you normally can’t buy in the mainstream,” said Simons. The dealer’s room advertises itself as a supply room full of items you can’t buy in the mainstream, with “one of the largest assortments of original crafts, medieval arms and artifacts… Japanese Animation merchandise and hard-

back and paperback books to be found in the world,” as boasted of on Dragon*Con’s website (www. dragoncon.org). From comic books to corsets and customized spandex leggings and headpieces, you can find it in the dealers’ rooms, where a ridiculous amount of cash is shelled out each year to supplement the near-mandatory costumes seen at fantasy conventions each year. One look at the attendants at Dragon*Con and someone not familiar with the convention would assume that Halloween had come

early this year. The fantastic-looking wardrobes and accessories, often complete with replica weapons, are another huge element of Dragon*Con called “cosplaying.” Cosplaying is an often elaborate display in which fans dress as their favorite characters from just about any show, movie, book, or comic. Cosplayers often spend massive amounts of time designing, sewing and creating their own outfits, or for those without the creative bug, there are always the dealer’s rooms where sometimes, they just buy one. Either way, Dragon*Con is filled out with an epic number of alter-egos from every imaginable fantasy, anime or science-fiction story-line. “I’ve always liked sci-fi, basically I’m big Dune fan as you can note from the costume. Also, we went out last night and it was freaking awesome. This is my first time,” said Liam Holland , firstyear ME. “I’m excited about Stargate and Leonard Nimoy,” said Collin Strassburger, first-year AE. “I’m looking forward most to commenting on other people’s costumes.” said Strassburger. He, like Holland, was cosplaying this year. “I’m dressed up as Rorshach, from Watchmen -- the movie, not the comic books,” he said. “I’m looking forward to Stargate, Star Trek, Star Wars, you can get the idea,” said Strassburger. Other Dragon*Con participants enjoyed the music artists that the convention brings to Atlanta and the riotous after-event parties held for convention attendees at clubs and hotels throughout the city. When asked what his favorite part about the convention was Marcus Taylor, third-year EE, said, “For me it was the concerts and parties. There were a lot of good artists there.” When “fantasy” has no limits, Dragon*Con is sure to entertain.

Technique t 4FQUFNCFS t 13

Alumnus

from page 11

the Special Olympics, and is involved in a handful of children’s programs and fund raisers. There are many ties between Tech and the city of Atlanta, and Knapp’s campaign brings these ties into sharp relief. “It really is a unique opportunity for [Tech], particularly when three of the largest issues we face are budget constraints, crime and economic opportunities, all of which tie back to Tech and Tech students,” said Knapp. Foremost on Knapp’s agenda is addressing Atlanta’s spiking crime rate, which he believes causes and is caused by several of the other issues facing the city. “Crime is greater, now, as the results of the economy and the [lack of] youth programs in the city. “Crime is also taking away from Tech, and every other school in the Atlanta university system. Companies come to Atlanta because of the youth and the college grads that come out of places like Tech. They are going to move to Atlanta to hire talented young people to help run their company. If your city’s crime rate increases, kids will stop coming to your university…crime really could threaten [our whole university system].” In addition to how crime drives away potential students, Knapp also worries about how it will affect the job prospects of students approaching graduation. If the city has a reputation for being an unsafe place to live and work, why would companies want to set up shop here? “We have to make Atlanta a place where people want to do business, and, unfortunately, that’s not the case for a lot of companies right now,” said Knapp. Knapp plans to address rising crime rates on three different fronts, the first of which is, as he puts it, “putting the swagger back in the police force.” Knapp said,

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“The first thing is paying police what they’re due and coming up with a mechanism for that. They’ve been promised pay increases for the last eight years, and have received exactly one.” Education and after-school programs are other areas where Knapp believes a little extra effort could go a long way. He says, “If you’ve got a bunch of 16, 17 year old kids sitting around a room doing nothing all day instead of out playing basketball, eventually, they’re probably going to end up doing something stupid.” The third way he believes crime could be challenged is starting up a citizens-on-patrol program, where retired police assist current officers with day to day tasks like traffic and paperwork, freeing up more officers for patrolling the streets. Knapp points to other cities, like Los Angeles, where similar programs have been markedly successful in reducing crime rates. Knapp also wants to give Tech a bit more autonomy over its own affairs and cut through some of the red tape that prevents speedy growth. “Just from an efficiency standpoint, everything Tech does on its campus still has to go through the city. Hopefully, one thing we can do is expedite that, so everything that takes place on Tech’s campus can happen more quickly,” said Knapp. One of his goals for the election itself is to see more participation across the board, but in the college-age demographic in particular. He also offers a bit of information to chew on to students who don’t feel that municipal elections are worth voting in: “There was an election in 2005 in district 6 [Tech’s district], that was decided by just 3 votes. If you don’t believe you have a choice, just think what a few more Tech students could have done.”

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FOCUS

t 4FQUFNCFS t Technique

Facebook

from page 11

of the country/world. I also follow CNN, WSJ and AJC, etc. to keep up with the news. And, my guilty pleasure, I also follow celebrities like John Mayer and Oprah to see what they are up to and hear their thoughts.” Just like Facebook, you can connect with people with similar interests, but with Twitter, you can “follow” your interests and follow the “tweets” of your favorite businesses and artists. “You can also follow people

that share interests similar to yours, like garyvee, who always has something insightful to say about wine. Or you can follow your favorite store to see when they have sales and specials,” Dalal said about Twitter. There are other advantages to Twitter that outshine Facebook. “I don’t have a data plan on my phone, so I can’t browse the web from anywhere and everywhere. What I like about Twitter is that you can “tweet” via text messaging and also keep up with other people’s tweets via text messaging.

So this way as long as I have my phone I can keep up with everyone,” said Dalal. “The other thing I really like about Twitter is that you can follow someone without having them follow you which is what sets Twitter apart from Facebook,” Dalal said. All in all, both networking sites are great for communication around campus. However, it seems that at Tech, Facebook is the preferred Internet site. Twitter advertises that one can “share and discover what’s

happening right now, anywhere in the world.” Unfortunately, many Tech students see Twitter as too simplistic or just a fad that’s on the verge of dying out and many feel that it is not as useful of a tool to stay connected with groups of friends. While Twitter does have some perks, such as quick, to the point status updates, Tech students like the sheer versatility and multitude of applications, features, chat and photos of Facebook. And of course, who doesn’t love a good ‘poking’ war?

Even though Facebook is more complex than Twitter, users agree that it is a great connection tool, because it allows a more hands-on approach, allowing users to create their own ‘space’ and maintain network outreach through hundreds of add-ons and applications. Only time will tell which networking tool will reign supreme over the other. It is no secret that Twitter and Facebook will each have a spot on campus, as they both have unique qualities for communication, networking and fun.

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Entertainment

entertainment@nique.net Entertainment Editor: Jennifer Aldoretta

Tengo’s Popular Songs crosses genre boundaries Arkham GAMES

Arkham Asylum GENRE: Action-Adventure CONSOLE: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Windows DEVELOPER: Rocksteady Studios RATING: Teen RELEASED: Aug. 25, 2009

OUR TAKE: !!!!! Image courtesy of Matador

MUSIC

Yo La Tengo Popular Songs GENRE: Alternative Rock LABEL: Matador TRACK PICKS: “Periodically Double or Triple,” “Here to Fall,” “When It’s Dark” and “All Your Secrets” RELEASED: Sept. 8, 2009

OUR TAKE: By Yameen Huq Contributing Writer

If you’re in the mood for literally any kind of song, then Yo La Tengo’s latest album, Popular Songs, is perfect for you. Formed by a married couple and their friend, the band’s latest album runs the gamut of different music genres, from psychedelic rock to peaceful acoustic. An alternative band with a strong, cult following, Yo La Tengo is known for performing a wide variety of music as well a vast number of cover songs. Never featuring a dull moment, this album contains a song for any kind of listener, whether one prefers fun rhythms or music with a spacey, more cosmic feel. With such a wide range of songs, it’s difficult to review such a schismatic general album; it is preferable to examine each individual song. However, each song does exhibit a preference for looped melodies and drawn out build-ups. The album starts off with “Here to Fall,” a mix of chill rhythms and a mildly jazzy piano accompaniment. The song has the feel of spy movie theme and the music video of skywriters helps enhance this cool, re-

laxed feeling. The next song, “Avalon Or Someone Very Similar,” marks a 180-degree shift in tone, capturing a pleasant, acoustic sound. The song’s cherubic female vocals, light drums and guitar all create a very pleasant environment for the listener to be lost for 3 minutes, a short song compared to the rest of the album. The music video for this song is a simple scene of kites in the park, serving to highlight the relaxed, almost “hippieish” nature of the song. “By Two’s,” another radical shift in tone, follows “Avalon.” This song continues the folk-influenced feel. However, the focus is changed from “earth” to “sky,” continuing the peaceful sounds, but replacing the pastoral feel and nature setting with otherworldly tones and psychedelic, spacey sounds and rhythms. The esoteric feel of “By Two’s” is contrasted with the next song, “Nothing to Hide.” Bringing us back down to “earth,” the song “Nothing To Hide” contains a classic rock sound and grunge feel. The slight element of grunge and group vocals reminds us of this band’s alternative roots. “Periodically Double or Triple” continues the trend of “earth” music, but switches the traditional alternative music to a more groovy, funk trend. The song in general carries a fun, crazy feel exemplified by light, fast drum beats and a music video featuring nothing but literal messy eating. The song also features heavy solos by the Rhodes piano, an instrument that See Tengo, page 17

By Danny Spiller Senior Staff Writer

Given the wildly uneven history that Batman has had with video games, I didn’t get my hopes up when I first heard about Batman: Arkham Asylum. Sure, the story sounded

Asylum appealing, the screenshots were stunning and the inclusion of so many major characters was a plus, but I still wasn’t convinced. I knew I wouldn’t get a real sense of the game until I played it. So I did, and it’s incredible. The story begins with Batman returning Joker to Arkham Asylum, Gotham City’s mental health institution for the criminally insane. Upon arrival, Batman grows increasingly suspicious at just how simple it was to capture the Joker and suspects that the clown is up to something. Sure enough, Joker has planned some elaborate trap for the Dark Knight, and Batman must race all over Arkham Island to stop the criminal mastermind and

Technique

Friday, September 11, 2009

Batman sets the bar high for future comic book games save Commissioner Gordon. While this may sound like typical Batman fare, character biographies, hidden patient interview tapes and the mysterious Spirit of Arkham all make the story a much richer and more fulfilling experience. As far as its presentation, Arkham Asylum is the game that finally gets it right. It’s dark, moody and gets away with a lot considering its Teen rating. All of the characters look fantastic, and even though the designs on some of the villains have been changed (like Scarecrow), the new looks are respectful of the original characters and should not be a problem for fans. The design of Arkham

is terrific as well, as more is present on Arkham Island than just the intensive treatment facility that bares its name. The inclusion of other buildings (such as Arkham Mansion, a medical facility with underground sewers), as well as the mass of land between all of these locations, give Arkham Island an authenticity that is rarely matched in other game environments. Of course, it doesn’t matter how great a game’s characters and environments are if the game doesn’t play well. Fortunately for Batman: Arkham Asylum, the controls are intuitive and the gameplay is very enjoyable. See Arkham, page 17 Image courtesy of Rocksteady Studios

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ENTERTAINMENT

Arkham

from page 15

At first, the control for movement – and especially for combat – may come off as too simple. In reality, it’s a decent way to ease the player into the game. Before you start swinging from gargoyles, gliding from rooftops and hurling batarangs, it’s important to know how to move around and fight some goons. The combat system is a great example of the old “easy to learn, hard to master” adage. One button used for attacks, one button for countering enemy attacks and one button for a cape stun are the three basic buttons that will be

needed for fighting. It seems too easy in the beginning when you can get away with just mashing the attack button and never taking a hit. However, as you progress, the game requires you to abide by its “freeflow” philosophy: seamlessly moving from enemy to enemy and chaining together a large combination of attacks by using your basic attack, counter and stun. Gadgets and special takedowns are eventually introduced and further help Batman bring about his special brand of justice. Speaking of gadgets, Batman comes well prepared when he shows up on Arkham Island. He is

initially equipped with the iconic batarang as well as a combination grappling/spear weapon called the grapnel gun. As the game progresses, Batman will receive more gadgets that will assist in transportation, enemy submission and access to previously unreachable areas. The grapnel gun quickly becomes one of the most important gadgets, both as a mode of transportation as well as strategic advantage. The grapnel gun plays a large role in the excellent stealth missions, where Batman is required to stay out of sight if he plans on surviving the threat of armed guards.

Image courtesy of Rocksteady Studios

Technique t 4FQUFNCFS t 17

Players will have to choose their own means of subduing the guntoting goons, whether it is hiding in a vent until the right moment or jumping from a gargoyle when a guard’s back is turned. Fortunately, Arkham Asylum doesn’t lose sight of Batman’s reputation as the “World’s Greatest Detective.” Early on, in an effort to prove he is smarter than the Caped Crusader, the Riddler challenges Batman with a list of riddles, interview tapes and trophies that can be either solved or found somewhere on Arkham Island. While the trophies and tapes can be simply found, the riddles take a little more effort and require the player to use a little more brainpower. Though completely optional, the Riddler challenges are by far some of the most enjoyable aspects of the game and feel much more rewarding than the typical inconsequential side quests of many other games. There are some minor downsides to Arkham Asylum. Playing through the game will not take a terribly long time, and even though the Riddler challenges and an additional challenge mode add some length and options to the game, the main quest is still a brief experience. Also, there will be times when Batman might need to jump from one ledge to another, and the slightest miscalculation due to sluggish controls in a tight spot lead you to fall over the edge and backtrack. While not a huge inconvenience, a few of these misses will cause some unnecessary and frustrating hikes back to your previous position. But these minor issues don’t change the fact that Batman: Arkham Asylum is an absolutely phenomenal experience. It comes highly recommended for anyone interested in stealth/action games, but it is absolutely unmissable for fans of the Bat.

Tengo

from page 15

hasn’t been often featured since it was made famous by Ray Charles in The Blues Brothers. “If It’s True,” the next song, uses an orchestra intermixed with optimistic, positive lyrics to create a cheerful uplifting feel. While the song may lack the complex groove of some songs and the spacey feel of others, this cheery tune is perfect for keeping your spirits up. This is followed by “I’m On My Way,” another uplifting song with lyrics and hushed male vocals similar to that of Pink Floyd. “When It’s Dark” brings us back to the peaceful hippie feel. This song continues the nature imagery while featuring chord progressions reminiscent of Jethro Tull. “All Your Secrets” continues to mimic the style, this time of the Beatles, featuring a soft contemplative ballad with nostalgic lyrics. In fact, many of the band’s songs feature a style reminiscent of the Beatles music and lyrics. The last three songs are substantially longer in length than the previous nine totaling about 10 minutes each. “More Stars Than There Are in Heaven” resonates with that slightly grungy rock feel, while “The Fireside” works as a soft, acoustic ballad. The schizophrenic album ends with “And The Glitter Is Gone” which again takes us from soft, acoustic melodies back to the grungy, alternative rock. Music is said to be an art form that demands violation of its previous rules in order to be beautiful. Every musical movement can be seen as a reaction to an earlier one. In that sense, this album succeeds, giving the listener a vast array of very different songs and sounds. While you may not like every song on this album, the wide range guarantees that there’s something for anybody.

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Extract squeezes out familiar laughs FILM

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TAO–THE MARTIAL ART OF DRUMMING Friday, April 9, 8 p.m.

ENTERTAINMENT

RELEASED: Sept. 4, 2009

OUR TAKE: !!!!! By Kenny Phillips Senior Staff Writer

Extract, the newest film written and directed by Mike Judge, begins in a small flavored extract factory owned by a man named Joel. It is the perfect setting to satirize Joel and his rag-tag gang of employees. But, much as in Mike Judge’s earlier Office Space, the entire film centers on the personal life of one man. The setting is completely irrelevant. It could have been anywhere. It is merely a physical location that adds another source of stress for Joel. Joel is a man whose life is under perpetual stress. From the moment he wakes up to the nights he spends at the bar, Joel is constantly abused by life’s annoyances. His factory is filled with idiots, his home is plagued with the world’s most pestering neighbor, and his wife promptly denies any “tender access” past eight at night. Joel trudges through, hoping his ship will come in. Of course, as soon as the sale of his factory is almost assured, an on-site accident involving an employee’s lower appendage brings an even greater degree of chaos to bear. The pending lawsuit postpones the sale, the nearly handicapped man set to gain a million dollar settlement attracts a money-seeking vixen named Cindy to the factory and then this fair creature brings unrighteous thoughts to poor Joel’s head. In pursuit of Cindy, Joel does nothing but horribly complicate his life further. With compliments to Extract, I find myself captivated by the litany and talent of film-industry stars in this movie. Jason Bateman fills the shoes of Joel well, making a relatable icon of the frustrated everyman. The rest of the cast also sports

an unusually high amount of talent for a Mike Judge film. Mila Kunis as Cindy steals the show with comedic moments paired with feminine wiles. J. K. Simmons and Ben Affleck do well as “buddy” characters to Joel. Simmons builds a serious rapport with Bateman as the gruff company manager Brian, whereas Affleck takes a humorous route as the amiable, drug-addled bartender, Dean. Kristen Wiig holds a major role and completes an expectantly effective performance as Joel’s wife. The rest of the cast includes David Koechner, Beth Grant, Gene Simmons, Dustin Milligan and Clifton Collins Jr. Following the protagonist around is something that Mike Judge does well. I was hoping for a bit more in this movie. The picture easily flowed with some exceedingly funny moments and presented a humorous atmosphere that contained no poison of forced phony gags. Judge precisely controlled the camera to represent the scenes in the best angles. Judge directed every aspect of his film as expertly as always, capturing the audience’s attention as they watched Joel’s life slowly circle the drain. I felt like I had seen this identical tale before, that the factory was too similar to the cubicles of Office Space or the future society of morons in Idiocracy to be considered original. How many times will Mike Judge write a story about a man confounded by the life around him, thrust into a worse situation, just to work his way out into a better position and end it with a final scene that this one guy’s life might just be on the up-and-up from now on? I have seen it three times, and time has not sweetened it. It’s not that this is a bad movie. No, the comedy is genuine and plentiful, the acting is great with a large selection of strong performers and Judge knows how to craft this story and lead his audience. I only wish that perhaps next time a Mike Judge film comes to theaters it will not follow the same story line as his past films. I can only recommend this film to those that greatly loved or have not yet had their fill of previous Mike Judge films, for I am sure they will enjoy this laugh riot.

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Technique t 4FQUFNCFS t 19

Houston’s Look botches return to previous glory MUSIC

Whitney Houston I Look To You GENRE: R&B, Dance-Pop LABEL: Arista TRACK PICKS: “Nothin’ But Love,” “For the Lovers” and “I Got You” RELEASED: Aug. 28, 2009

OUR TAKE: !!!!! By Chris Ernst Staff Writer

Whitney Houston’s last successful CD was released in 1998. I Look To You has been highly anticipated since the commercial disappointment Just Whitney in 2002. The anticipation has built up for seven years, the world in desperate need for Whitney to divorce Bobby Brown and grace the universe again. Whitney had the best-selling album by a female artist as well as the first female artist whose album debuted at the top spot on the Billboard 200. But that was a different person in a different time. Without any context, this album would not get much attention. There is a serious gap between the Whitney Houston who sang “Didn’t We Almost Have It All” and this new one. The album lacks all the star

power for which she is famous. The entire affair is slightly under whelming and more than a little unexciting. This is quite unfortunate for her, because while there are many shudder-inducing songs in her body of work, none of them are on this album. Gone is the Whitney of “I Have Nothing” and “The StarSpangled Banner.” Say hello to a Whitney that smells of nostalgia and melancholy. This album is an utter disappointment, fit for a DList, talentless hack. Somehow Akon got on this album. Think David and Goliath, but sad. Akon has nothing on Whitney, past or present. The album’s production ranges from pedestrian to really quite good. “Nothin’ But Love,” “For the Lovers” and “I Got You” are all well produced, with interesting sound design not usual of a typical R&B album. They take the focus off Whitney’s voice, which is a good thing. Whitney’s voice is an imitation’s shadow of its previous punching, pounding power. It sounds like rocks in a sack, compared to what it once was. Some would argue that her voice has “matured” appropriately for a 46-year-old. Others argue that her lifestyle is to blame. Regardless, it sounds years beyond what it should. Because Whitney’s voice has exponentially aged, gone are the “gear shifts” for which she is fa-

mous: those unnecessary, yet amazing key changes that take an ordinary song and make it soar (see “I Will Always Love You” and “I Have Nothing”). This album should not be vocally challenging for Whitney, however she sounds strained and even in pain much too frequently. If you can get over Whitney’s voice, then the more subtle aspects of the album can be heard. I Look To You really is not too bad, aside from Whitney’s voice. It is a disappointment, but from many other artists, this album would be something of which to be proud. It is under whelming, yes, but only when great expectations are expected to be met like they have in the past. This album is much slower and requires time to get into its groove. No song here is good enough to be a classic, but there are a couple of nice ones. “Million Dollar Bill” is the most Top 40-friendly. It has a great groove and at least a whisper of Whitney’s old abilities. There is a funky guitar going in there and driving drums to keep it going. It does not sound restrained by Whitney’s new voice, like almost all the others do. However, it is still obvious she’s just not what she used to be. There are no other songs like this one on the album, which is a shame because she struck gold with it. “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength” is a piano ballad, a poor decision because there’s nowhere

for her voice to hide. The cracks and wheezes comes out in full force. The song itself is all right, but this is where Whitney’s voice sounds perhaps its worst. This song is ripe for some huge runs and incredible gear shifts, but instead lacks this titular strength. It is a sadder version of “The Greatest Love of All.” This album features a disappointing version of Whitney’s voice. However, there are some good elements worth hearing. It

does take a while to get beyond how far her voice has fallen. There are no big bombastic songs like the Whitney of before, but there are some mid-tempo grooves. There is nothing innovative here. Do not expect the Whitney you know and love because you will be disappointed. Consult YouTube and your personal music collection for when you want to hear some real Whitney. Realize that this is something different that is not as good.

Image courtesy of Arista

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ENTERTAINMENT

Top Chef sizzles in new season TELEVISION

Top Chef: Las Vegas NETWORK: Bravo WHEN: Wednesdays, 9 p.m. GENRE: Cooking, Drama STARRING: Padma Lakshmi and Tom Coliccio

OUR TAKE: !!!!! By Chris Harless Contributing Writer

The beginning of the new school year marks the return of many of our favorite shows. The premiere of Top Chef: Las Vegas occurred on the same night as the finale of Top Chef: Masters. The sometimes deemed inferior, Top Chef: Masters managed to reduce some of the anticipation for the normal Top Chef over the summer months, but fans are still understandably excited for the return of the real Top Chef. The host of the show, Padma Lakshmi, promises that this season will bring “more chances to win big than ever before.” That certainly fits in with the Las Vegas setting of Top Chef season six. There will likely be some very interesting Sin City themed challenges including the occasional high-stakes Quickfire Challenge. These challenges give the contestants the opportunity to win large cash prizes. This season promises to be bigger and better in every way. As always, the guest judges include some big names from the culinary world as well as some big celebrities. The season premiere started

off with a particularly recognizable guest judge, Wolfgang Puck. Other judges include Tyler Florence, Todd English and Natalie Portman. The contestants for this season reinforce the bigger and better nature of Top Chef: Las Vegas. They include some of the most experienced chefs of any of the seasons as well as a few chefs on the other end of the spectrum. Like always, all of the contestants seem to have their strengths and weaknesses. The chefs from this season include a 2009 James Beard nominee and a chef who worked with Eric Ripert, a superstar in the French-American culinary world. Of course, there are lesser-known chefs as well including a caterer and several restaurant owners. All of the chefs are given an equal chance of winning the grand prize. This prize is normally $100,000 and a feature in Food and Wine magazine. However, this season’s prize is even bigger than previous seasons because it also includes $100,000 of merchandise from Macy’s. This season also has the added drama of a sibling rivalry. The two brothers, Michael and Brian Voltaggio, are expected to be very competitive with each other, and it is already apparent that this is true. Although they live about 3,000 miles apart, that competitive sibling rivalry is still very much alive. Top Chef is a rare type of reality show. In most shows of this genre, the contestants frequently fight or argue, but this rarely happens in Top Chef. It’s refreshing to watch a show with people who are respectful to one another for a change,

and to many people, this is one of the more alluring aspects of the show. As a relatively new Top Chef aficionado, I can report that I have thoroughly enjoyed the show since I began watching it. While most new fans will not understand some of the culinary terms used in the show, they will quickly pick up on them. You may even learn a thing or two about cooking from watching Top Chef. Avid fans of the series are naturally very excited for the new season, and they are definitely excited for good reason. The first two episodes of the season were filled with different twists and exciting challenges, and I fully expect to see more twists and turns as the season progresses. If you already watch Top Chef, then the new season will surely live up to your every expectation. If you don’t currently watch the show, then Top Chef: Las Vegas will definitely turn you into a fan of the series. I know I look forward to the rest of season six and many more seasons to come.

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ENTERTAINMENT

Technique t 4FQUFNCFS t 21

THEME CROSSWORD: WASHINGTON SLEPT HERE By Robert Zimmerman United Features Syndicate ACROSS 1. Cul-de- -5. Penn and Lennon 10. Gibe 14. Badenov or Godunov 19. Son of Aphrodite 20. Simple dwelling 21. Burn plant 22. Circumstance 23. A state: abbr. 24. Something for a maestro 25. Do in 26. Shrewd 27. Start of a quip by Steven Wright: 6 wds. 31. Soap opera, e.g. 32. Baseball’s Slaughter 33. Layer of ore 34. Abbr. in bus. 37. WWII’s “Big Three” 40. Anthracite 42. Jumbled mass 44. Mil. facility 46. Game of cards

48. Start computing: 2 wds. 51. The Emerald Isle 52. Loud sound 54. Portico 55. Comes back 56. Gentle one 57. Inventor Nikola -59. Poet 61. -- Pasha 62. Colletti or Rorem 63. Adopt 65. Wedding-notice word 66. Colleens 70. Part 2 of quip: 2 wds. 73. Part 3 of quip: 2 wds. 76. Set in position 77. Tatami 78. Straw hat 80. Flatfoot 83. Earlier 84. Friendly relations 87. Vehicle with pedals 88. Copied 90. Disinclined 92. America’s Cup shape

94. Fed. agents 95. Desperate 96. Patty and -- of “The Simpsons” 97. Stage remarks 99. -- -de-France 100. Begrudges 102. Scoria 104. “-- --, no gain” 106. Reception 107. Do a farm job 110. Pitfall 112. Perilous 115. End of the quip: 6 wds. 120. Private road 122. Jason’s ship 123. Leporine animals 124. Legal claim 125. Place for gutters 126. Commotion 127. Garment shape 128. Loose and bitter 129. Exhausted 130. Attempt 131. Aeries 132. Pistol

DOWN 1. Tractor-trailers 2. Originate 3. Viola da gamba cousin 4. Finnish composer 5. Old oath 6. High: prefix 7. Not a soul 8. Sound 9. Fundraising event: 2 wds. 10. Inter -11. Trundles 12. -- Epoque 13. Turn

14. Closed curve 15. Performance 16. Auberge 17. Hogcote 19. Slow crawler? 28. Old school 29. Outback animal, for short 30. Opens wide 35. Cheek 36. Nicene -38. Outside: prefix 39. Wearing footgear 41. Regions 43. Directed

44. Official records 45. In the -47. Picnic spoilers 49. Labor camp 50. Hibernian 53. God of wealth 55. Itinerary: abbr. 58. Yank: abbr. 60. Collection 64. Biblical judge 67. Paved ways: abbr. 68. Coup d’-69. Jersey 71. Time off

72. Broadway backer 73. Manufacturing group 74. Doing away with 75. Bumpkin 77. Anna -- Bullock, aka Tina Turner 79. Descartes 80. ROTC student 81. Think 82. Omnipresent 85. Double

86. Tokyo, once: var. 89. Agnus -90. Something of worth 91. Russian thistle 93. Repels 97. Muslim title: 2 wds. 98. Rational 101. Borgnine the actor 103. Macaw genus 105. Fiber from the agave 108. Collect

109. City in Australia 111. Norman Vincent -113. “-- -- cold, starve a fever” 114. Surrealist painter 116. Regular 117. Exchange fee 118. “Exodus” author 119. Confined 120. -- Plaines 121. Kind of sheet

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PILED HIGHER & DEEPER BY JORGE CHAM

CROSSWORD SOLUTION FROM PAGE 21

COMICS

NON SEQUITUR BY WILEY

COMICS

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DILBERT 速 BY SCOTT ADAMS

Technique t 4FQUFNCFS t 23

SPORTS

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Football

GSPN QBHF son in reference to Burnett. On the other side of the ball, though, Tech just could not maintain their momentum from the first half. Even with Nesbitt still in the lineup, the Jackets had two drives in the third quarter and ran just eleven offensive plays, including a dropped pass and another Nesbitt fumble. Neither team scored in the quarter, and Tech remained ahead 31-7. Jacksonville State started off the fourth quarter by kicking a 26-yard field goal. Tech responded with a seven-play, 62-yard drive that was capped off with a 26-yard touchdown pass from Nesbitt to A-back Anthony Allen. It was Nesbitt’s last play of the game. The junior completed six of 11 pass attempts in the game for 141 yards and a touchdown and ran for 94 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries, but he also had three of Tech’s five fumbles. Scott Blair missed the extra point attempt and sent a 42-yard field goal attempt wide left later in the quarter. Following the missed field goal, the Gamecocks put together an impressive 11-play, 75yard scoring drive against Tech’s reserve defenders. The drive concluded with less than a minute left in the game, and the Jackets ran off the final seconds. The final score was 37-17 in favor of Tech. Familiar names were atop the stat sheet for the Jackets. Dwyer

D-Line

1IPUP CZ +PO %SFXT Student Publications

Jerrard Tarrant jukes around JSU punter Patrick Tatum during his punt return for a touchdown in Saturday’s game. Tarrant became the first Tech player to return a punt for a touchdown since Jonathan Smith in 2003.

and Nesbitt were the team leaders in rushing yards and attempts, and Thomas led the team with four receptions and 101 yards. Tech racked up 497 total yards as a team, including 335 on the ground, but the Jackets likely would have put up better numbers if not for the three lost fumbles. On the defensive side, Morgan had two sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss. Senior linebacker Sedric Griffin contributed on seven tackles, and junior rover Morgan

Burnett had the team’s lone interception early in the second quarter after leading the team in 2008 with seven picks. The unit as a whole was strong at times, forcing the Gamecocks to punt seven times, but struggled in run support often. JSU’s top two rushers, Calvin Middleton and Jamal Young, each averaged more than five yards per carry. The reorganized special teams unit had mixed results. Redshirt sophomore Chandler Anderson

took over punting duties for Blair and landed one of his two punts inside the Gamecocks’ five-yard line. Blair was solid on kickoffs, but he once again struggled with his accuracy as a placekicker, missing an extra point and a field goal attempt. The seemingly easy win ended up shrouding the team’s mistakes in the game. “In hindsight, scoring on the first play of the game might not have been as good as you would think,” Johnson said.

GSPN QBHF hold them to fewer points than they did,” said Defensive Coordinator Dave Wommack. Overall, Head Coach Paul Johnson expressed disappointment with the amount of intensity and fight of the entire team during the first half, and the defensive line was no exception. “I thought the first group [of the defensive line] was OK... When the thing happens at the end like it happens when you are trying to play a lot of people, it kind of leaves a bad taste in your mouth. I’d like for them to put up more of a fight,” Johnson said. Morgan led the team in sacks with two, for a loss of 17 yards. Hall also received credit for a half of a sack when he teamed with linebacker Julian Burnett to bring down JSU quarterback Marques Ivory. While the three sacks were not well below the average for the Jackets from last season, it does raise concerns. The caliber of opposing teams’ offenses will increase as the season progresses, and the defense’s ability to get penetration and attack the backfield will be driven first and foremost by the line’s ability to match the level of their opponents. Overall, the defensive line did not raise new concerns with their performance on Saturday, but they did not answer the skeptics’ questions that existed prior to the opening game.

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SPORTS

Volleyball

GSPN QBHF

kill of the set. The fourth set was even early on, as neither team was able to build a lead of more than two points. With Ohio up 16-14, though, the Jackets took nine of the next 11 points, forcing the Bobcats’ front line into several mistakes to build a 23-18 lead. Ohio fought back at the end, but a kill by Tech senior outside hitter Chrissy DeMichelis sealed the 25-21 victory and tied the match. Ohio was in command throughout the fifth and final set. The Bobcats took the first four points and quickly went up 8-2. Hunter earned five kills in the set to keep Tech in contention, but Ohio still cruised to a 15-8 victory to take the hard-fought match. Mead and Hunter matched their kill totals from the MTSU game with 13 and 12, respectively, and Roderick had a season-high eight kills. Despite the strong kill totals, though, the Jackets were once again victimized by a low hit percentage, as they hit just .172 compared to .266 for Ohio. Tech earned a win over Northern Illinois in the Blue Raider Bash finale. NIU led for most of the first set, and until the end of the set they prevented the Jackets from any runs of more than two points. With the Huskies up 2220, though, DeMichelis recorded back-to-back kills and followed up by teaming with Roderick on a block as Tech rallied for four

straight points. After NIU added a point, DeMichelis landed another kill to clinch the set 25-23 for the Jackets. The second set was even early on, and eventually the Huskies had a 10-9 lead. From there, Tech went on an 11-2 run as Roderick had two kills and freshman outside hitter Susan Carlson landed two service aces to give Tech a 20-12 lead. NIU responded quickly by winning six of the next seven points, but two Hunter kills pushed the Jackets to complete the 25-20 second set victory. In the third set, the teams battled evenly throughout, as neither side was able to build a lead of more than two points until the very end. With the score tied at 21, Tech took four of the final five points to win the set 25-22 and take the match. Hunter had a team-high 16 kills, and DeMichelis hit .375 with 11 kills as the team’s hit percentage rose to .281 for the match. McCullers had 20 digs, and junior setter Mary Ashley Tippins had 40 assists. “I’m proud of our team for the way they bounced back after tough losses to two very good teams. We have to…learn how to finish matches to become a better team,” Johnson said. The Jackets return home this weekend for the Georgia Tech Courtyard Classic. They will take on Clemson tonight in their first game against an ACC opponent, then face Southeast Missouri State and Mississippi tomorrow.

Technique t 4FQUFNCFS t 25

Staﬀ Picks

Sept. 12

Prasadh (13-4)

Cappetta (15-2)

Hoffman (14-3)

Lee (14-3)

Staff (14-3)*

Troy vs. #1 Florida (-34.5)

Troy

#2 Texas (-31) vs. Wyoming

#3 USC (-4.5) vs. #8 Ohio State

USC

Florida Int’l vs. #4 Alabama (-36)

Houston vs. #5 Oklahoma State (-16)

OSU

Hou.

OSU

Syracuse vs. #7 Penn State (-28.5)

PSU

Syr.

PSU

#9 BYU (-18) vs. Tulane

BYU

Tulane

BYU

E. Washington vs. #10 Cal (NL)

Cal

Vanderbilt vs. #11 LSU (-15.5)

LSU

Miami-Ohio vs. #12 Boise State (-35)

BSU

Mia-OH

BSU

Idaho State vs. #13 Oklahoma (NL)

Marshall vs. #14 Virginia Tech (-20.5)

#16 TCU (-11.5) vs. Virginia

TCU

UVA

TCU

#17 Utah (-14) vs. San Jose St.

Utah

#18 Notre Dame vs. Michigan (3.5)

#19 North Carolina (-5) vs. UConn

UNC

UGA

Arkansas St. vs. #22 Nebraska (-23)

Neb.

Ark. St.

Neb.

SE MO St. vs. #23 Cincinnati (NL)

Cinn.

UTEP

Mizz.

South Carolina vs. #21 Georgia (-7.5)

#24 Kansas (-14.5) vs. UTEP Bowling Green vs. #25 Missouri (-17)

* The final column, labeled “Staff”, represents the consensus of the non-editor sports writers. ** Starting this week, picks will be made based on the spread rather than just the expected winner.

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SPORTS

Miami was expected to struggle early in the season thanks to a brutal four-game stretch against four ranked opponents, but one week into their 2009 campaign, the outlook has gotten brighter. The Hurricanes traveled to Tallahassee for a Monday night battle against No. 18 Florida State and pulled off the upset, topping the Seminoles 38-34 in one of the most exciting games of the opening week. With upcoming games against a pair of reeling teams in Virginia Tech and Oklahoma, the No. 20 Hurricanes have the opportunity to vault themselves into the upper tier of the national rankings. Against FSU, Miami scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including one with less than two minutes left, to take !"#!$%"#%!&'"()$%*"$+%",%-./0#%"0))%/1%"&*02%"$0"3.$+./"$+%"4.!-."52%67!*&"#./%"./"$+%"5/!#"-./8$%9"$+%":8**.;!/%1<"&%)%/1%" stepped up and held the home team out of the end zone on three straight plays to seal the victory. Several Miami players played key roles in the comeback win, but none was more impressive than quarterback Jacory Harris. In just his third career start for Miami, Harris completed 21 of 34 passes for 386 yards, including an accurate 40-yard strike to =*!2.1">%/?!-./"0/"$+%"5/!#"&*.2%"$0"@%!$")08*",%-./0#%"&%)%/&%*1"!/&"1%$"8A"$+%"B06!+%!&"$08;+&03/'" Heading into the Sept. 17 battle against the Jackets, Miami will have ten days off to prepare for the game. The ground attack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

VS.

JACKETS

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By Nishant Prasadh, Sports Editor

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HURRICANES

GEORGIA TECH at MIAMI - SEPT. 17 (7:30 PM)

=+%"M!;I%$1<"0))%/1%"#00I%&".-A*%11.2%"0/"$+%.*"5*1$"A#!7"0)"$+%"1%!10/9"3.$+"$+%"%/$.*%"8/.$"%N%;8$./B"$+%.*"@#0;I1"A%*)%;$#7" $0"1%$"8A"!"LO67!*&"$08;+&03/"*8/")0*"?8/.0*">6@!;I"M0/!$+!/"P37%*'"=%;+"+!&"#.$$#%"$*08@#%"&.1A!$;+./B"CK,"0AA0/%/$"M!;Isonville State for the second straight year as they opened a 31-7 halftime lead en route to a 37-17 victory. =+%"M!;I%$1<"1$!*1"3%*%"0/"$+%.*"B!-%19"@8$"$+%"$%!-<1"A%*)0*-!/;%"!1"!"3+0#%"*!.1%&"1%2%*!#";0/;%*/19"./;#8&./B"10-%" $+!$"+!2%"#./B%*%&"$+*08B+08$"$+%"0))1%!10/'"=+%"0))%/1%"+!&"52%")8-@#%19"./&.;!$./B"$+!$"#!1$"7%!*<1"@!##";0/$*0#".118%1"-!7" ;0/$./8%"$0"A#!B8%"$+%"$%!-"$+.1"1%!10/9"$+08B+"-01$"0)"$+%")8-@#%1"0;;8**%&"./"$+%"0A%/"5%#&"3%##"!)$%*"$+%"*%1A%;$.2%"A#!71" had developed. JSU was able to break a number of decent runs in the game as their offensive line proved to be a match for =%;+<1"*%2!-A%&"&%)%/1.2%")*0/$")08*'" =%;+"3.##"/%%&"!##"$+*%%"#%2%#1"0)"$+%"&%)%/1%"$0"A%*)0*-"3%##"$0";0/$!./"!"A0$%/$"4.!-."0))%/1%'"=+%"M!;I%$1<"1%;0/&!*7"3!1" solid against JSU, with junior rover Morgan Burnett collecting an interception and redshirt sophomore Jerrard Tarrant perform./B"3%##"./"+.1"&8!#"*0#%"!1"1$!*$./B";0*/%*@!;I"!/&"A8/$"*%$8*/%*'"4.!-.<1"A!11./B"B!-%"1$0#%"$+%"1A0$#.B+$"./"3%%I"0/%"!)$%*" C,D"1+8$"&03/"$+%.*"B*08/&"B!-%9"@8$":8**.;!/%"*8//./B"@!;I"J*!.B"K00A%*"3.##"A01%"!";+!##%/B%")0*"=%;+<1")*0/$"1%2%/' On the offensive side, Tech should receive a boost with the expected return of redshirt sophomore A-back Roddy Jones )*0-"!"&.1#0;!$%&"3*.1$'"M0/%19"3+0"1$!*$%&"!##"HG"B!-%1"#!1$"1%!10/"!$"(6@!;I"!/&"3!1"0/%"0)"=%;+<1"#%!&./B"I.;I0))"*%$8*/" men, was ready to play against Jacksonville State but was held out as a precaution. He ran for 97 yards on seven carries last year against Miami as the Jackets racked up 472 rushing yards in their 41-23 victory in Atlanta.

PREDICTION: Tech 28, Miami 24

SPORTS

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Football opens season with win over Jacksonville State By Alex Mitchell Contributing Writer

Junior B-back Jonathan Dwyer set the tone for Saturday’s football season opener when he broke a 74-yard touchdown run on Tech’s first offensive play of the season. It was one of five touchdowns for the Jackets on the day as they cruised to a 37-17 victory over Jacksonville State University at Bobby Dodd Stadium to earn their first win of the 2009 campaign. That first play, an option pitch to Dwyer, was executed to perfection. All of the linemen, backs, and receivers took their respective blocking assignments out of the play, and when Dwyer caught the pitch from junior quarterback Josh Nesbitt, he had a wide-open field ahead and ran to the end zone untouched. “That play is designed to get the ball to the edge, and they made good blocks, the A-backs made good blocks and Josh [Nesbitt] made a big read,” Dwyer said. On the ensuing kickoff, redshirt junior linebacker Anthony Barnes forced a fumble that freshman safety Jemea Thomas recovered, and Tech was in position to take a big lead early in the game. The Gamecock defense stopped the Jackets near the goal line, though, and Tech settled for a 20-yard field goal by junior kicker Scott Blair to take a 10-0 lead. When JSU finally started their first offensive possession, they went nowhere. Quarterback Marques Ivory, a Georgia native starting for the Gamecocks in place of suspended senior Ryan Perrilloux, had his first pass knocked down at the line of scrimmage by junior defensive end Derrick Morgan. “I saw the ball and saw it was a screen, and my first reaction was to get my hands up,” Morgan said.

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Jonathan Dwyer jumps over a Jacksonville State defender to score his second touchdown of Saturday’s game. Dwyer had 95 yards rushing, including a 74-yard touchdown run on Tech’s first offensive play of the season.

Tech got the ball back but had an unsuccessful drive, going three-and-out after a dropped pass by sophomore A-back Embry Peeples on third down. On the Jackets’ next possession Nesbitt engineered a second touchdown drive that ended when Dwyer hurdled his way into the end zone from five yards out, giving Tech a 17-0 lead. For the drive, Nesbitt had three runs for 29 yards and completed an 18-yard pass to junior wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, and he narrowly missed on a pass to redshirt junior A-back Anthony Allen.

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www.nique.net

dear boy in NAE whose window faces NAN. please refrain from completing your homework by the window in the NUDE! thwg Note to all girls out there: there are also guys in frats who are good guys that dont only care about getting drunk... come find us damn you Speyer! DAMN YOU! jk, you know what? you’re alright. CEE 4100 with Teizer: send me email and ill bring pictures, yah? yah? how much would it suck to get (arm)pit stains on your white wedding dress? the next two weeks of football are gonna be filled with tiger cocks... hah hah hah. There needs to be a best of slivers OMFRICK! So OIT is trying to fix a printer, but the technician doesn’t have any buzzfunds on his card, to see if the printer works! WTF Tech?! someone should grow a strain of bud and call it Bud Peterson. Gets you so high, you think you run the place! ID 2202 is the biggest joke class ever i mean i’m all for teachers canceling class. but not after we’ve all been sitting there for 10 minutes! The road to enlightenment is long & difficult, so bring snacks & a magazine. I can’t believe there are so many cute girls on campus this year. Oh yea...most are freshmen and the others have boyfriends. I totally forgot. Silly me and me getting my hopes up of finding a decent girl here. LOL! Tall brown haired guy at Woodies. I want you bad! Andrea, marry me and make Jewsical come true!! In the future, all our news will be delivered in anonymous, single line chunks. new crop of girls working at the CRC: you are not hot enough to be having bad attitude. just swipe my ID and give me a towel. then say you’re welcome. shouldn’t be too much to ask for.

On Tech’s first drive of the second quarter, Nesbitt ran the offense well until he fumbled the ball in JSU territory, negating what would have been a long run. The Gamecocks made the most of Tech’s mistake and marched down the field towards their first touchdown. The drive was capped off with a trick play: JSU receiver Brooks Robinson took the snap and threw a screen pass to Ivory, who fired to Robinson for a touchdown to put the Gamecocks on the board. The score cut the Jackets’ lead to 17-7. Tech started their next drive on their own 27-yard line. Nes-

bitt took the first snap and fired a dart to Thomas, who caught it and gained 56 yards on the play, the longest completed pass of Nesbitt’s career. “It was a good pass, I thought I was going to score. I didn’t know the corner was behind me, but it was a good pass. The coach had told us to keep running deep and stretch the safety out,” Thomas said. Three plays later, Nesbitt ran the ball himself and scored a tenyard touchdown on the keeper to put Tech ahead 24-7. After another brief JSU possession, redshirt freshman quarter-

back Tevin Washington took over in relief of Nesbitt. On the fifth play of the drive, with the Jackets deep in JSU territory, Washington fumbled during a keeper run and the Gamecocks recovered. It was Tech’s third fumble of the game to that point. “Maybe we should have knocked the crap out of them in fall camp; they wouldn’t have dropped it so much. We have to get it fixed,” said Head Coach Paul Johnson. Tech’s defense held the JSU offense in check, with Morgan sacking Ivory on third down to force JSU to punt. Sophomore corner back Jerrard Tarrant caught the punt at his own 32-yard line and dodged around several Gamecock defenders as his blockers led him to the end zone. Tarrant’s touchdown was the first punt return TD for Tech since Jonathan Smith did it in 2003, and it was the final score of the half. The Jackets took a 31-7 lead into the locker room. Tech rested several of their first-string players throughout the second half thanks to the big lead and the short week before Thursday’s game against Clemson. Dwyer did not take the field after halftime; he finished the game with seven carries for 95 yards and two touchdowns. As a result, several of the Jackets’ reserves were able to get significant playing time in the second half. Freshman linebacker Julian Burnett was one backup who took advantage of the time on the field, as he made five tackles in the third quarter and finished the game with a team-high nine tackles. “Just knowing that someone [has] my back in case I go down… that takes a lot of pressure off me,” said junior linebacker Brad JefferSee Football, page 24

Sports

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Cross Country drops dual meet at UGA By Steven Cappetta Assistant Sports Editor

Both the menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cross country teams opened their seasons last Friday in a dual meet against Georgia at the UGA Equestrian Complex in Bishop, Ga. Both teams fell to the Bulldogs by the same score of 50-15 as Georgia swept the top positions in both the womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 5,000-meter and

menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 8,000-meter run. Techâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first finisher in the womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s race was junior Felicity Brower, who reached the finish line after 11 Bulldog runners. She finished with a time of 19:19. Freshman Elena Hubbard was the second to finish for the Jackets in her first ever collegiate race; she finished 16th overall and completed the race in 19:34. On the menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s side, the first

nine runners to finish were Bulldogs before senior Billy Mateker completed the race with a time of 26:28. Freshman Patrick Barron finished one second behind Mateker at 26:29 in 11th place. Tech lost two of their top male runners from last year in E.C. Gibbs and Nazar Trilisky, but the team returns several veterans in seniors Matt Hickey and Billy Mateker and

Technique

Opening strong

juniors D.J. McMillan and Mark Mendrek-Laske. The womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s running squad was very young last season and returns all five of its top runners. Sophomore Mary Kate DuBard will be a strong returner for the Jackets this season after earning All-South Region honors with a 22ndplace finish at the NCAA South Region Championships last year.

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Volleyball drops two in road set

Rebuilt D-Line Jackets fall against host MTSU and Ohio, beat NIU sees first action against JSU By Nishant Prasadh Sports Editor

After an exciting opening weekend in which the volleyball team took down Georgia and opened the season by winning their first three games, the Jackets stumbled in their first road series of the season. Tech dropped two of three games in last weekendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Blue Raider Bash at Murfreesboro, Tenn., falling against host Middle Tennessee State University in four sets and Ohio University in five sets before rebounding to sweep the University of Northern Illinois and emerge from the weekend 4-2 on the season. In their first game of the tournament on Friday night, the Jackets battled a 2008 NCAA Tournament team in Middle Tennessee and fell in four sets due to an inconsistent performance. The game was fairly even early in the first set, as Tech took advantage of the MTSU squadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mistakes to build a 7-6 lead, but the Jackets were unable to keep pace beyond that point in the set. The Blue Raiders took 14 of the next 16 points as they blocked five attack attempts and forced Tech to burn two timeouts, and the hosts eventually took the first set 25-14. Tech managed to come back in the second set; after struggling to build a lead as MTSU fought to a 12-12 tie, the Jackets won four straight points and did not relinquish the lead en route to a 25-20 victory, tying the match. The third set was similar to the first, as the Jackets stayed close early on before allowing the Blue Raiders to build a big lead. This time, Tech was down 8-7 when MTSU went on a seven-point run to build a 15-7 lead and force the Jackets to burn two timeouts. Tech was unable to put together a string of more than two consecutive points after that, and MTSU went on to win the set 25-20. The Blue Raiders jumped out to a quick lead in the fourth set, winning the first four points, but the Jackets

By Matt Hoffman Advertising Manager

While many aspects of the football team entered the season with few questions due to the many returning starters on both sides of the ball, the defensive line lacked such a luxury. The front four saw three starters leave in defensive end Michael Johnson and tackles Vance Walker and Darryl Richard, all of whom were NFL draft picks in April. Junior defensive end Derrick Morgan was the lone returning starter on the line and received the task of anchoring the unit. Overall, the veteran was pleased with his talented but less experienced teammates in Tech first game Saturday against Jacksonville State. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think [the defensive linemen] did a good job in stepping up and taking responsibility and filling their assignments,â&#x20AC;? Morgan said. Morgan led the line with five total tackles, four of which were solo tackles. He also led the team with 2.5 tackles for loss, which set the Gamecocks back a total of 18 yards. The rest of the front four were relatively flat for the season opener. Redshirt junior defensive end Robert Hall had three tackle assists. The new defensive tackles, redshirt sophomore Jason Peters and redshirt junior Ben Anderson, each had one tackle on the day. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I would have liked to go in there and 1IPUP CZ ,FMWJO ,VP Student Publications

Alison Campbell bumps the ball during a game at Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Keefe Gym. Campbell has made four starts for the Jackets this season and has provided a solid defensive presence at the outside hitter position.

chipped away at their lead over time and eventually tied the game at 16. After a fourpoint run, Tech led 24-22 with a chance to win the set, but MTSU fought back to win the next two points. The teams battled through several tiebreaker points, and with the score tied at 30, the Blue Raiders finally took two points in a row to claim the set and the match. It was Techâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first loss of the season. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We put ourselves in a position to win set four and continue the match, but had too many mistakes at the end,â&#x20AC;? said Head Coach Tonya Johnson in an interview with ramblinwreck.com. Freshman outside hitter Monique Mead once again led the team in kills with 13 and contributed to seven blocks, but she also had ten attack er-

rors. Those mistakes were the story of the day for the Jackets, who hit .143 as a team; the only player to record a hit percentage above .200 was sophomore outside hitter Bailey Hunter, who hit .364 and recorded 12 kills. Junior libero Jordan McCullers led the defensive effort with nine digs. Saturday afternoonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s game pitted the Jackets against the defending Mid-American Conference champions in Ohio University. Tech got off to a good start, winning the first three points of the first set and eventually going up 10-6 thanks to two kills apiece from sophomore middle blocker Asia Stawicka and senior middle blocker Brittany Roderick. The Bobcats were unable to put together a run of more than two points until late in the set, and Mead recorded five kills

and an untouched service ace as Tech won the first set 25-21. The Jackets built up a threepoint lead in the second set, but Ohio fought back to tie the game at 15. After Tech took the next point, the Bobcats went on a 7-1 run to take a 22-17 lead, and they cruised to a 25-19 victory to tie the match at one set apiece. An early 10-3 run for Ohio in the third set put them ahead 12-6, with Ellen Herman and Megan Simons combining for five kills during the run. While Tech fought back to within one point at 16-15, the Bobcats would hold the lead for the remainder of the set. The Jackets won three consecutive points with the set on the line, but Ohio finally took the set 25-21 on Hermanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s seventh See Volleyball, page 25

See D-Line, page 24

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Derrick Morgan closes in on Marques Ivory for a sack during Saturdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s win against JSU.