Technique Friday, April 6, 2012 • Volume 97, Issue 29 • nique.net
The South’s Liveliest College Newspaper
SGA Voters’ Guide Polls open today. Check out a quick cheat sheet inside this week's issue.42
Fraternities, sororities compete in Greek Week
Photos courtesy of Greek Week Committee, photo illustration by Ian Bailie / Student Publications
By Vijai Narayanan Editor-in-Chief
As the mud and sweat dried on participants of this year’s Tug, they couldn’t help but commiserate with their fellow brothers and sisters over the feeling of shared physical strain during the heat of competition. Months of preparation led up to the day’s event, and while the outcome was not what some had hoped for, the preparation for and
hardships of that day served the main purpose of Greek Week – to foster closer relationships within and between the different Greek chapters. “When you are holding onto the rope it’s just extremely comforting to know that your brothers have your back, and it really encompasses the main idea behind Greek Week, which is to create trust between your brothers and sisters,” said Matt Waples, a member of the Delta Chi frater-
nity and a first-year MSE major. This year’s festivities included traditional events like Tug, a tugof-war in a mud pit, and Greek Sing, a singing and dancing competition, but also featured several new events including the Bromance Challenge, which was a hit among participants. Modeled after “The Newlywed Game,” a late 80s TV game show, Bromance required participants in teams of two to demonstrate how much they knew about each
other’s lives, the goal being to showcase how well chapter members knew one another. A unique change to the format of Greek Week this year involved the added option for chapters to collaborate with others on select events, which would give them the opportunity to earn more points and get to know other members of other chapters. Altogether, nearly 50 Greek chapters and over 2300 people participated in events during
Tech joins together to improve campus By Jordan Lockwood Staff Writer
Photo by Josh Sandler / Student Publications
A TBD volunteer spreads pine straw in front of the O’Keefe Gymnasium. Volunteers completed more than 70 projects.
Volunteers swarmed over campus on March 31 for the 12th annual Tech Beautification Day. “After the great extracurricular activities, excellent academics and fun times we have here, it’s a great feeling to give back to the school in any way we can,” said Barry Weaver, a first-year BIO student. “We really made Tech ready to blossom into its spring beauty.” Institute President G.P. “Bud” Peterson and Dan Radakovich, Director of the Athletic Association, welcomed participants at the Kessler Campanile before they were led to their project locations by volunteer project managers. Event organizers say the event was a chance for students, faculty and staff to give back to their campus by improving the aesthetic qual-
Greek Week, including those from the Collegiate Pan-Hellenic Council, Interfraternity Council, Multicultural Greek Council and the National Pan-Hellenic Council. Greek Week concluded on Thursday night following Greek Sing, in which chapters demonstrated their musical talents for judging. An overall tally of points to determine the overall winner of Greek Week competition was unavailable at the time of press.
Candidates engage in campus debate
ity of public outdoor spaces. Volunteers worked on over 70 projects, including general cleanup, landscaping and other maintenance work. “Tech Beautification Day is unique in that it offers everyone a chance to give back to Tech and improve our campus,” said Matt Kogan, executive co-chairman of the planning committee and fourth-year BA major. “It allows students, faculty and staff an opportunity to improve the aesthetics of the campus while working with peers.” The event is the result of a collaboration between a several Institute offices, the student executive committee and a number of corporate sponsors. The day incorporated the Greek community as well. In collaboration with Interfraternity Council and Collegiate Panhellenic Council,
The two undergraduate student body presidential candidates, Hunter Hammond and Eran Mordel, and their running mates, Kia Andrews and Amit Khanduri, participated in a Tuesday morning debate over a variety of campus issues as voters prepared to go to the polls on Friday, April 6. The candidates took the opportunity to present their platforms to a general audience. Both candidates were able to engage directly with one another regarding issues such as dining and improving the engagement between SGA and the student body at large. “What we hope to do is have more healthy dining options,” Hammond said. “What we also want to have is more flexibility in dining options so people aren’t locked into a certain system.” Mordel felt that a it was best to keep, but
See Day, page 5
See Debate, page 7
By Sam Somani Staff Writer
NEWS
2 • April 6, 2012 • Technique
Technique The South’s Liveliest College Newspaper
Editor-in-Chief: Vijai Narayanan editor@nique.net M anaging Editor: Kamna Bohra managing.editor@nique.net
Section Editors
News: Mike Donohue news@nique.net Opinions: Chris Russell opinions@nique.net Focus: Siddharth Gurnani focus@nique.net
basic facts
Entertainment: Hank Whitson entertainment@nique.net Sports: Alex Sohani sports@nique.net Founded in 1911, the Technique is the student newspaper of the Georgia Institute of Technology. The Technique publishes on Fridays weekly in the fall and spring and biweekly in 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 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 relevant section editor. Copyright © 2012, Vijai Narayanan, 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 free—for additional copies call (404) 894-2830
Students can go to the polls starting Friday, April 6 at 1PM by going to elections.gatech.edu. Below are the students running for a spot in the Undergraduate House. The number in parentheses indicates the number of possible seats.
SGA Undergraduate House Candidates Management (3): Senior Representative (4): Civil Engineering (2): Evan Boyce Katarina Rose Jenkins Vett Vandiver College of Computing (2): Sam Meyer Gregory Jones Reeves Broussard Material Science (1): Junior Representative (4): Sharif Mahfouz Curtis Lemieux Patrick Nadeau Economics (1): Modern Languages (1): Nicholas Picon Kristopher Bryant T.J. Kaplan Kris Surapaneni Electrical Engineering (3): Physics (1): Brandon Owens Rahul Castelino Daniel Mendel Soph. Representative (4): Nicholas Buehler Public Policy (1): Dillon Roseen Matt VerSteeg Merry Hunter-Hipp Alex Bandes Industrial Design (1): Co-Op Fall&Spring (1): Gillen Heisler Eric Chiu Joshua Sandler Kelliann Morrisey ISYE (3): HTS (1): Tim Ochsner Daniel Forrest Lauren Burtz Aerospace Engineering (2): Macie Whatley Kyle Yawn Robert Hannon Open: AA (1), ARCH (1), Chemistry (1): Andrew Frazelle BC (1), BMED (3), ME (4), Kabir Dhada LCC (1): PTFE (1), EAS (1), MATH CHBE (2): Kevin Guebert (1), PSYC (1), INTA (1) Daniel Uchiyama
Tagline: Hammond Andrews #STANDUP Presidential Candidate: Hunter Hammond Major: 3rd Year Business Administration Current Role: Junior Class President Vice-Presidential Candidate: Kia Andrews Major: 3rd Year Business Administration Current Role: Chair of Cultural and Diversity Affairs Committee
Tagline: Eran Amit Spark 2012 Presidential Candidate: Eran Mordel Major: 3rd Year Industrial and Systems Engineering Current Role: Vice President of Campus Affairs Vice-Presidential Candidate: Amit Khanduri Major: 3rd Year Business Administration Current Role: Vice President of Academic Affairs
safety
Better student perception about crime and creation of Campus Safety Community to help voice student opinion about safety issues on campus.
Current resources are limited, “rethink” campus safety Increased awareness and revamping Stingerette system for more efficient service.
Put a student representative on the Board of Regents. Increase Student Lobby board activity.
Increase Student Lobby Board activity and continue Student Advisory Council meetings. Emphasize GT Day at Capitol.
external affairs
dining New healthy options and greater flexibility in dining options. Rethink contract with Sodexo.
More dining and meal plan options. Keep current contract with Sodexo.
Infographic by Brittany Miles / Student Publications
sliver
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this cs4400 test on friday has really gotten in the way of my plans to party i don’t care if you don’t think leggings are pants!!!!! i’ll wear what i want :) hankook dates are the best!!!!! doing the hokey pokey at crc lifeguard training, really?? totes adorbs <3 i’ll tell you what i want, what i really really want i really really want to get a sliver published!!!!! why do guys have pinterest accounts??? jw... so excited for sbxii :D being single, am i doing it right?? Code: lonewbdawnbhiuth atoinnddoootkati krvaamoaot isye 3232 < welfare wednesday one time I took two pieces; there werent enough for everyone She obviously disnt know u were tomorrow The internet is for jerks I am a Jerk I relax with tea or whiskey. Today its tea. Can I curse in slivers? speed holes Baman Piderman avg + stddev = I know if Im beating the curve linus is the only one who really gits me Im looking for love in Alderaan places social networking is an oxymoron I need to find the Leslie Knope to my Ben Wyatt momocon is hosting Glados?..thats pretty impressive.. there is a saying in AE, treat your girl like you treat your plane. get in her 5 times a day and take her to heaven and back. going to start a Disney animated movie marathon..which should I start with?.. Cute blonde in the front row of ME 3322 lecture... you free friday night? vcu= bigtime bracket buster Two ties = Bigtime
NEWS
Council Clippings
This week in Student Government
E
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 Sam Somani, Staff Writer
Bill Summary Bill
Amount
GSS
UHR
Colleges Against Cancer Trailblazers Night at the Hawks Bicycle Infrastructure Underwater Hockey Club Wreckless Society of Hispanic Engineers Culture Tech Engs. for a Sustainable World African Students Association
$228 $360 --$1008 $2438 $3918 $904 $5780 $58.30 $413.60
21-1-1 23-0-0 17-3-3 21-0-1 18-0-1 Post. 19-0-0 23-0-0 18-0-5 18-1-3
1-38-0 --40-0-0 38-0-0 38-0-0 39-0-1 39-0-0 40-0-2 33-4-1 40-0-0
Prior Year: $405,422 Capital Outlay: $695,987
Budget Discussions
UHR completed its budget discussions and passed its final version of the budget to the conference committee on Tuesday. This week, discussions centered primarily on Tier III cultural and special interest organizations. Representatives examined each club requesting funds in turn, seeking to cut the remaining gap between the amount of money requested and the amount of money that will be available from next year’s Student Activity Fee. When representatives examined the Tech Off-Road Club, some noticed that the club had requested $45,000 more than it had received last year. A representative familiar with the club said that much of the club’s budget was covered by corporate sponsorship. Saying they wished to encourage the use of corporate funds by the
group, representatives denied the $45,000 increase in budget. Among those requested line items cut was $17,000 for professional driver training. Although the organization indicated it had been wishing to provide the training to members for some time, representatives took issue with the how few members would benefit — four, according to the budget request. Representatives recommended that the organization return to SGA in the fall with an allocation request if they still wished to pursue the training. Representatives debated at length a number of requests from the Interfraternity Council to fund stipends for its executive positions. Some representatives claimed that Greek organizations should not receive Student Activity Fee funds because they are not open to all students. Supporters of
sliver
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those struggling- you’re not alone, and it’s ok to ask for help. you are not weak, you are strong. To all the survivors of Domestic Violence, stay strong. You are loved, and you are perfect in your own way. Idea: let washers and dryers go negative on the time, instead of showing “0”. That way I know who to not feel bad about emptying on a busy night. I wear leggings because they are pants. Problem? Stop looking. So Glen how’s not being on the team going for you now??? I guess you need a new pickup line now huh? Sliver King, can I take you out? Friday night, call me To the girl knitting in my psychology class: you can knit me a scarf any day. Who the eff puts true or false questions on a math quiz? A little sun = little clothes has anyone noticed the quality of articles on nique going down with every edition? MSE girl I met at Springsteen concert... should have gotten your name! VIACYCLE! WHY YOU NO OPERATE AT NIGHT?! I had to rely on the stingerette ;( come up to meet you, tell you I’m sorry - you don’t how lovely you are Really great issue for April first. Fantastically funny and clever. How much of a douche do you have to be to walk around north ave without a shirt, jw ...and if I get a 100 on the next two tests.........I ‘ll get a B! Can’t wait to stomp some waffles with the Wafflestompers at Under the Couch this Sunday!! why can’t spring break be 2 wks? we CLEARLY deserve it... Indian girl across the hall is cute Oooo, I’m a Delta.. and Oooo, I’m an AKA.. shutup already, no one wants to hear you talk! -gdi Also, keep posting SMBC, XKCD, PHD... I love them love them love them.
this view moved to strike funding for IFC stipends entirely from the budget. Another group of representatives argued that Greek life adds value to campus and should be funded with Student Activity Fee funds. They moved to fund a portion of the stipends. This motion was defeated, however, and the House moved to strike the all of the stipends. After all line items had been discussed, Member at Large Mathias Rost recommended that a line be added to the budget instructing the accounting of sports clubs be moved from the CRC to the Student Organization Finance Office in light of accounting irregularities detailed in an SGA report last month. Vice President of Finance Charley Crosson advised against such an instruction, saying that the Executive Branch of SGA was working with the CRC to find a solution. Rost said that UHR should take the initiative and not wait on the Executive Branch to act. The House chose not to amend the budget with such an instruction. At the conclusion of its meeting, the House voted to approve its version of the 2013 budget. Members of the House and Graduate Senate will meet on Saturday to discuss the differences between the two versions passed and negotiate a compromise. This conference committee version of the bill will appear in front of both houses on Tuesday and be subject to an up-or-down vote with no amendments being allowed.
Technique • April 6, 2012 • 3
Breaking
Bubble the
Man charged with seven murders
Seven murder charges have been filed against One Goh, the man accused of a fatal shooting rampage on Monday, April 2 at Oikos University, a California Christian college. Goh, a forty-three year old nursing student originally from South Korea, is accused of fatally shooting seven people Monday. He is being held without bail. Goh reportedly bragged about being capable of violence and felt too old to be attending school, according to an Oikos nursing instructor who knew him. He surrendered to authorities about an hour after the attack at the University that left seven dead and three others wounded. Police say in court documents that Goh admitted to bringing a .45-caliber handgun and four magazines of ammunition to Oikos. The documents say he acknowledged shooting several people before fleeing. Along with the murder charges, Goh faces three counts of attempted murder. Prosecutors also charged him with a special circumstance allegation of multiple murders that could make him eligible for the death penalty. Goh is scheduled to make his first appearance in Alameda County Superior Court next week. - Fox News
Credit card numbers stolen Global Payments, a payments processing firm, has announced that a data breach at the company has potentially compromised up to 1.5 million credit and debit card numbers from all of the major card brands. Global Payments confirmed the breach last Friday and released a statement, explaining that while card numbers may have been accessed, the names, addresses, and Social Security numbers of card holders were not affected. It was then confirmed by Visa on Friday that all of the big name companies such as MasterCard and Discover were affected. Executives at Global Payments said that an investigation was underway and that the breach was limited to only a few servers, and confined to accounts in North America. - CNN.com
Tornadoes rip through Dallas Violent tornadoes tore through northern Texas on Tuesday. According to the National Weather Service, between six and 13 tornadoes touched down in the region. Almost 200 homes were destroyed and 650 experienced damage, according to the Red Cross. About 250 departures and arrivals were cancelled Wednesday at the Dallas/ Fort Worth Airport. Videos showed images of trucks being lifted and flung hundreds of feet from their spots. - CNN.com
NEWS
Technique • April 6, 2012 • 5
Tech Auto Show The Annual Tech Auto Show, held on Saturday, March 31, hosted classic antique cars, 4x4 off-road trucks, concept cars, prototype cars, race cars, cars designed to have alternative energy sources and many different kinds of motorcycles at different levels of development — some were aged classics from the 1900s, while others were unfinished student vehicle projects. The intent of the Auto Show is to highlight Tech’s impact on transportation design and engineering with awards to vehicles for “Best in Show,” “Engineering” and “Design,” to name a few.
Photos by Sho Kitamura / Student Publications Photo by Kevin Brawley / Student Publications
Day
from page 5
the Greek Initiative was launched in 2009 as a way to get the Greek community motivated to, according to the event website, “take pride in [Greek] property as an important part of the Tech campus.” Each fraternity or sorority could submit their own service project ideas and apply to have the tools supplied by the planning committee. “This year’s event was very successful. [We] rekindled our past partnership with GT Greek Week for 2012, and we saw over 1100 volunteers sign up for projects,” Kogan said. “GT Facilities also provided amazing support for the event and reinforced the notion that this year’s event was very successful.” Students looked forward to seeing the effects of their work around campus in the coming weeks. “The fun of participating each year is not only seeing all the people who come out to show their support, but also hearing the positive comments from tour groups and other visitors to the campus after the event,” said Michael Hodgson, a fourth-year AE major. The planning committee has plans to increase the scope of the event in the coming years. “In the future, we look to expand [Tech Beautification Day] further and increase the participation and scope of the event,” Kogan said. “We also are potentially looking to work together with similar events, such as TeamBuzz, in the future.”
NEWS
Student rep on BoR proposed By Sam Somani Staff Writer
Over the past week, the issue of whether SGA should attempt to get a student representative on the Board of Regents has generated debate between the undergraduate presidential campaigns of Hunter Hammond and Eran Mordel. Hammond is in favor of a representative who would have complete visibility into the Board’s affairs and be alHAMMOND lowed to engage in all of the Board’s discussions affecting students. The student need not have an actual vote. “Having student representation on the Board of Regents, having a voice — that’s the most important part,” Hammond said. Mordel doubted the value of getting a representative on the Board. “While trying to place a student representative on the Board of Regents is a bold and innovative initiative, we are not sure this is the most viable and effective way to convey the student interests’ to the Board,” Mordel said in a statement on his campaign website. Currently, the Board gauges student reaction and asks for input through the Student Advisory
Council, which is a 35-member board composed of student body presidents from all the Georgia institutions. “This group is very active, meets regularly and has a high level of interaction with the System Office through the Student Affairs department,” said Regents spokesman John Millsaps in an email. “In addition, the Chancellor, regents and senior staff participate in the SAC’s meetings.” However, Hammond believes this group may not be as effective as its purpose may state. “The council meets infrequently, and usually, they may meet with one of the regents or their s e c r e t a r i e s ,” Hammond said. Mordel believes that this representative may not be able to fully MORDEL execute the Student Advisory Council’s job. “The Board of Regents represents all 35 university system institutions. Students from a fouryear research institution like Tech have drastically different views toward education than students from a two-year, non-residential school like Bainbridge College in Bainbridge, GA,” Mordel said. “In order to have a student’s voice on the Board, the 35 schools from across the state must be in absolute unity.”
Hammond said he was prompted to suggest a student representative after last year’s HOPE and fee discussions. “The problem with HOPE was a huge catalyst for bringing this up,” Hammond said. “The overall reaction has been that [students] need some way to be represented, and so let’s move forward with it.” Mordel, however, did not see fee increases reason enough to pursue this endeavor. “It’s not the best thing when a fee goes from $140 to $544, but if that [weren’t] the case, then we wouldn’t have the resources, time, money and faculty to provide for the level of education we’re receiving,” Mordel said. “That money has to come from somewhere.” This is not the first time that plans for student representation on the Regents have been undertaken. Previous SGA Presidents Alina Staskevicius and Nick Welkamp attempted to create this position, but were unsuccessful due to a failure to get on the Board’s agenda, according to Hammond. He claims this year will be different. “We have an ‘in’ with an adamant administrator here, who has a connection to a regent,” Hammond said. This ‘in’ would allow Hammond to present the plan to the Board of Regents in their meetings. When asked to name the administrator, Hammond declined, saying that the administrator preferred not to be named.
Technique • April 6, 2012 • 7
Debate
from page 1
to rethink, the current set of services. “[It’s important] to realize what resources we have,” Mordel said. “There’s a huge contradiction when you say students are paying too much, but you want to revamp the entire food service on campus and bring new services on campus.” Near the end of the debate, the candidates discussed ways of improving SGA’s engagement with the student body. Khanduri suggested using comment boxes and a “filter-free feedback forum” to increase the approachability of SGA. Andrews felt these ideas were not enough. “Although these ideas are great, they haven’t implemented anything yet,” Andrews said. “I’ve talked to friends who are athletes, who are international students, and they don’t even know what SGA is, they don’t know how to vote, they don’t know anything
about what SGA is. And a comment box is not something that athletes are going to use.” Instead, she suggested a more proactive approach through reaching out and letting these people know what exactly SGA can do for them. Some members of the audience saw a distinction between the two campaigns. “It was surprising how much the candidates aligned on issues, but the big issue is how you’re going to go about solving these issues,” said Jacob Tzegaegbe, a CE grad student. “That’s where I saw the big difference between the two — one ticket who put a lot of thought into this and the other who focused on execution and direction.” Others used the debate as a way to learn more about the issues. “It fulfilled my needs, most of the questions I had were answered and it opened up a few things that I didn’t really know before the debate,” said Luis Hasbun, a secondyear CE major.
Photo by Sho Kitamura / Student Publications
Executive Vice President Amit Khanduri speaks with supporters after the debate. Both tickets discussed a variety of issues.
Opinions
Opinions Editor: Chris Russell Politicians are like diapers: they should be changed frequently, and for the same reason. —Robin Williams
“ ”
OUR VIEWS | Consensus Opinion
BoR Representation
Representative on Board feasible, but not crucial
With SGA election season in full-swing, increasing student interaction with the Board of Regents (BoR) is a topic on many students’ minds. Currently, the two attitudes towards interacting with the BoR are at opposite ends of the spectrum. On the one hand, we have Tech’s SGA focusing on building relationships, being polite and not making waves. On the other, we have Georgia State’s Occupy-style protests, focused on disruption and anger. The problem is, neither of these two styles work. Playing nice and being polite have their place and work for minor issues, but students should not be afraid to advocate loudly for their goals and the needs of college students in Georgia. At the other extreme, obnoxious protests will not work either. Barging into meetings and disrupting proceedings only serves to make enemies and exacerbate tensions on both sides. That is not to say that protesting does not have its place. More than any quiet negotiations, loud disagreement will result in awareness of the issue, which is exactly what is needed. Students—given their limited time in college and limited power while there—
will have a hard time mustering the political pressure needed to force change, but they can influence those who will. Parents, alumni and families looking at college can all put pressure on the government that students alone never could, and, as such, students should raise as much awareness and political fuss as is necessary to get those people involved. This, ultimately, is the most likely path to success. Getting a student on the BoR would have utility for the student body, but not enough to justify the effort required to accomplish such a goal. At the end of the day, all it would do is get a student representative into quorum meetings, where, most likely, the Regents have already made their decisions, and not necessarily into the private discussions where those decisions can be influenced. Given that this student would likely only be on the board for one or two years, his or her ability to influence the multi-year plans of the BoR will be severely hobbled. Ultimately, a BoR rep would have some usefulness, but the efforts required to get him here would be better spent petitioning the legislature and relevant stakeholders for change.
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 Vijai Narayanan, Editor-in-Chief Kamna Bohra, Managing Editor
Maddie Cook, Production Manager Mike Donohue, News Editor Will Folsom, Photography Editor Siddharth Gurnani, Focus Editor
Nishant Prasadh, Development Editor Chris Russell, Opinions Editor Alex Sohani, Sports Editor Hank Whitson, Entertainment Editor
Winner’s Cup By Casey Tisdel
Technique
8
Friday, April 6, 2012
Advice on the way out the door
“[I] decided to cobble together all the random bits of advice I’ve accumulated over the past four years.” Chris Russell Opinions Editor
Traditionally, an editor’s last editorial is called his or her “swan song.” Almost without fail, editors start feeling maudlin and churn out a teary-eyed ballad lamenting Tech’s shortcomings, occasionally concluding that it is all worth it in the end. I’m of a mind, however, to do something a little different. My predecessor (the always-late, notquite-great Matthew Hoffman) broke with tradition by, instead, passing out awards to those on campus who annoyed him most. Given that I am neither one to blindly follow tradition nor one to stir up unnecessary trouble, I, instead, decided to cobble together all the random bits of advice I’ve accumulated over the past four years but that don’t really qualify for an editorial of their own. First, keep in mind that the top-tier research faculty that tour guides like to brag about so much are not necessarily top-tier teaching faculty. They can be lovely people, but too often they’ve forgotten what it’s like to NOT know what they know. When you’ve worked in a field for 20+ years, what you consider “trivial” will reduce an undergrad to crying in a fetal position. In fact, I’ve really only had one class with a full professor that I really enjoyed, and it wasn’t even in the field that made him famous. Go for the young professors instead. They remember what undergrads can understand, more out to prove themselves and more interested in finding research assistants. Second, another bit of advice on how to train your professor: They. Are. Human. In all likelihood, they’re teaching that class because the Institute says they have to. So, get interested in the one thing they’re guaranteed to be interested in: their research. At the very least, this means they’ll be more willing to meet you outside of class, and, at best, it could result in a good reference, a research position or a mentor in your field. Third, establish a group of close friends as soon as possible. Classes suck, and unless you have an outlet for that suckiness, you’re going to go mad. Find people you can let loose with. Having a friend you can chat with over coffee is one thing. Having friends you can hug-tackle to the ground in Piedmont Park, trust to pull your inexperienced ass out of a snow bank while skiing or go on a 1 a.m. coffee run with a croquet mallet for protection is another entirely. Fourth, get a hobby, and make sure it’s something worth talking about. Whether it’s painting,
photography, writing or even just being the craft beer geek of your group, find something you enjoy spending your free time on and spend it there. It might even pay off in the end: The ability to interest someone is a staggeringly powerful. It makes you stand out in a job interview, gives you a leg up when finding advisors in grad school and is an essential survival skill in the world of start-ups. Fifth, get a job. A real one, one that pays you and actually expects you to do something for it. College is great for teaching you concepts, but it isn’t worth a dime when it comes to teaching you how to work on something that others are depending on and that is going to be sold to a customer. Software that only works twothirds of the time might get you a B or C in school, but it’s a quick path to the unemployment line in the workforce. Sixth, hope for the best, plan for the worst. If you’re panicking about an assignment, chart out the absolute, apocalyptic, oh-godhow-did-this-happen worst-case scenario, and put it in perspective. Odds are, things are a lot rosier than they seem. After realizing that even if you fail the next five problem sets, your GPA only drops by 0.08, the world seems a lot cheerier, and going to bed no longer seems like a crime against humanity. Finally, keep everything in perspective. That half-hour you spent mentoring a freshman on how to apply for internships or how to pick his major will, in all likelihood, have more of an impact on the world than anything you’re likely to get from an entire semesters worth of work in any given class. And I guarantee you that the two hours you take for a midnight stroll around campus with a pretty girl will mean more to you than any number at the top of an exam ever will.
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.
OPINIONS
Technique • April 6, 2012 • 9
Cosmetic fixes do not address problems Every few weeks or so, the editorial board of the Technique will sit down to hash out our consensus opinion on some facet of life at Tech. One way or another, we’ll begin discussing how unhappy students generally are, how students can often feel persecuted and how apathetic they can be. We’ll talk about initiatives the administration launch, causes SGA can champion or something else along those lines. Then we’ll come to a consensus on the issue, disband and go back to life. Sometimes the initiative we discuss comes to life, and sometimes it dies. Either way, I’m never really satisfied, because after four years here, I’ve yet to see anything happen that truly improves the lives of the typical student on the street: not I <3 GT Week, not the Strategic Plan, not even the Farmer’s Market (although I hear the food there is very tasty). I will grant that these things improve life at the margins, maybe teasing a smile out of a student here or reducing a bit of friction there, but these initiatives are only bandages covering up two broader issues: there aren’t enough women at Tech, and classes are really tough. I am not a woman, so I can’t really speak to what it feels like to be one of the few woman at Tech, but I can speak as a guy who’s had several very strong
“...after four years here, I’ve yet to see anything happen that truly improves the lives of the typical student.” Mike Donohue
News Editor
female role models during my time here. They’ve taught me more than any academic class, they’ve challenged me to look at problems in new ways and they’ve provided me sound advice and guidance when I’ve needed it. My male role models have been valuable to me, too, but my life would not be as complete today if everyone I looked up to were male. Every student at Tech, male or female, deserves the chance to have an equal chance of having strong female and male role models. Those people are essential to creating wellrounded graduates ready to enter a 21st century global society. Yet, despite this crucial need, we stand at a point where we take as a triumph a female to male ratio of 38 to 62 in the entering class of 2011. All of this when the ratio of women to men enrolled in college nationally is reversed—57 to 43 in 2009. My knowledge for why this disparity exists is admittedly limited, and people much smarter than I have researched
the issue and come up with a variety of solutions. Whatever the root cause of the problem, fixing the ratio needs to be a priority goal for not only the Institute, but also the state and federal governments. My feelings on Tech’s academic rigor can be summed up fairly simply: Tech’s tough, get a helmet. It’s callous, but true. Tech’s instructional method is based on the idea that professors push their students to the very limit of what they are capable and then see what sticks. Students don’t often see their professors as partners in learning. To a student who received a 42 percent on that last test after he stayed up all night studying, his professor can be called nothing but an adversary. That situation is the product of a number of factors, all deeply systemic. Professors are encouraged to focus more on high-quality and prolific research than on undergraduate instruction. The teaching of science and engineering lends itself to the brutal rule of the
normal curve. More than all of that, though, is the deep tradition fighting against coddling student or demanding anything but what is beyond their very best. There are obvious negative effects of students receiving 42’s on every test. They often feel like their professors don’t care about their success. This spawns the common attitude that they don’t graduate— implying a rise to a higher plane—so much as “get out”—calling to mind prison escapes. Those effects are temporary, though, and altogether a pretty good deal: four years of suffering for 40 of success. I’ve laid out the two big obstructions to a blissful life at Tech: the lack of women and the overabundance of academic pain. Students can do little to fix these problems in the short term, although I applaud their efforts to improve life at the margins. Even the administration has little power to improve these problems. For women, only through work for broader societal change can true progress be made. For the tough academic path Tech student’s walk, the acceptance of their lot in life is the only true solution. Everything else is but an attempt to twist and turn around the curves the Institute throw at students—admirable, but ultimately futile for the average Tech student.
Small schools a blessing for new athletes With the NFL Draft coming up in a few weeks, it’s time to start thinking about all of the different draft scenarios that could arise. It’s an exciting time when NFL teams are looking to improve their rosters with the top young talent from the college game. Looking at several mock drafts from publications like ESPN, we see several powerhouse schools filling the boards, with schools like Alabama, LSU and USC projected to have multiple first-round picks. We see teams like these topping the final college football rankings year after year, but this year more than ever we are seeing smaller schools producing elite athletes. If you had asked a diehard college football fan five or ten years ago if they thought Stanford and Baylor would be projected to have at least two first-round projections per team, people would have said you were insane. Then, if you had told them that those two schools would have their quarterbacks selected with the top two picks of the draft, you probably would have been laughed at. Seeing this happen should send the same message to both fans and athletes alike: If you’re a great player, you will shine and be noticed no matter where you play. Sure, if you’re the hottest athlete coming out of high school, it’s easy to see why you would decide to go to a
coaches generally are telling these players that they could be the focal point of their offense. This sometimes leads to multiple athletes being recruited to the same position. For instance, during the Alex Sohani 2011 recruiting class, Notre Dame recruited five defensive Sports Editor end prospects. Four of them were considered among the top 150 athletes coming out prime examples of this, all of high school (according to earning the playing time of a ESPN.com), which puts them starter as freshmen at their re- in an elite status. Now, there are only two starting defenspective institutions. While Poe and Griffin were sive ends on any given footnot the most highly-recruited ball team, so at least three of athletes coming out of high those five guys will be reduced school, Luck was, making to smaller roles, and that’s him an interesting case. Luck not even including possible was tied as the valedictorian defensive ends who are either of his high school and came already enrolled or who will be out of Stratford High School recruited in the future. From the perspective of a as one of the top five quarterback prospects in the nation. recruit, it’s not the smartest He elected to pursue the path decision to go to a school that of earning a solid degree from has several other players on the Stanford while being the fo- same talent level. If the player cal point of his 2008 recruit- winds up as a second- or thirding class. This is what athletes string player, he will likely seem to lack at times coming have no shot at making it to out of high school: the sense the next level. I don’t mean to sound to see that while you may be playing for a smaller football preachy, but I think that stuschool, it’s better to go to a dent athletes need to make sure place where you feel comfort- they go to a school where they feel like they will be an asset to able and will be able to shine. Every year, we see several the team. Everyone knows that athletes transfer to smaller most student athletes won’t schools because they have been be professional players, but if buried on a depth chart be- you’re skilled enough to make hind a superior player. a D-I roster, shouldn’t you at When an athlete is being least put yourself in contention recruited out of high school, to be?
“Student athletes need to make sure they go to a school where they feel like they will be an asset to the team.”
bigger football school. More national attention, more lucrative television contracts and more high profile competition come with being a consistent title contender. But at the end of the day, most of these bigtime athletes are looking to use their time in college as a means to reach the NFL. It seems to me that a lot of these young athletes being recruited to the college ranks don’t realize the amount of time that talent scouts spend evaluating talent all over the country. Just in this year’s class, a defensive tackle from University of Memphis, Dontari Poe, is considered one of the top-15 athletes being drafted. For those who don’t know, Memphis is not in a college football power conference and has only gone 5-31 over the last three seasons. The most important part about improving your NFL stock, at least in my opinion, is earning as much playing time as possible. Baylor’s Robert Griffin, Stanford’s Andrew Luck and Memphis’ Poe are
BUZZ
Around Campus
What have you thought of the SGA elections?
Joon Kim First-year BME
“It’s a great chance for the candidates to gain leadership experience.”
Katherine Beaman First-year NRE
“The platforms of the candidates are pretty vague in my opinion.”
Thomas Marian Third-year EIA
“I haven’t been following it, so I don’t have much to say about it.”
Morgan Cavender First-year ME
“I can’t tell you who I’m voting for, but I have made up my mind.” Photos by Sharad Gopal / Student Publications
OPINIONS
10 • April 6, 2012 • Technique
OUR VIEWS Hot or Not
HOT– or –NOT Tugboat
Every year, Greek Week brings with it many of the trappings and traditions most often associated with Greek life: singing, brotherhood and Greek puns. Most of all, though, it brings with it that most iconic activity of Greek Life: Tug. This traditional marriage of teamwork, strength and mud is always a pleasure to watch, as is the weeks of practice beforehand.
Shutout
This past weekend, the Tech baseball team posted shutouts in each of their victories over the Duke Blue Devils. Both shutouts came during a doubleheader on Saturday. The first came when junior pitcher Buck Farmer pitched a full game and earned a 1-0 victory for the Jackets. Then, junior pitcher Luke Bard and sophomore pitcher Alex Cruz closed out the day with an 8-0 win.
SGA Representation
While elections for student body presidents and executive vice presidents are in full-swing, some other campus elections are most decidedly not. While many majors and years have some unfilled spots going into the election (like two people running for four positions) some positions are completely open, with no one interested in running for them.
Eat Fresh: Twice
Tech students apparently cannot satisfy their unyielding hunger for sandwiches, or at least that is what the executives at Subway seem to think. Despite a Subway sandwich shop in the Student Center just this Fall, another Subway opened this week at Tech Square behind Moe’s. On the plus side, Tech Square also saw the opening of Gyro King just next door.
Immediate intervention in Syria necessary for Syrians, Americans By Jared Szuba Michigan Daily, U. Michigan
It has inexplicably taken until now, as the Syrian opposition’s death toll surges toward 10,000 and over a year has passed since Bashar al-Assad’s government resorted to unrestricted violence to put down a previously peaceful uprising, for tangible assistance to be provided to the Syrian resistance movement by the Western world. Until this week, the most that international leaders could muster has consisted of a few feeble words of condemnation and pitifully ineffective economic sanctions. But even now, the granting of “nonlethal aid” (primarily medical supplies with some communications equipment) by the U.S. and Turkey is nowhere near enough. This uneasy hesitation should have been expected. Learning from the explosive consequences of heavy Western military presence in predominantly Muslim countries, it’s obvious why the option of inserting significant numbers of ground troops is off the table. Unfortunately, the Syrian opposition is having a brutal time of leading the fighting themselves. The Free Syrian Army, comprised mainly of ragtag defectors from Assad’s slaughtering ranks, has repeatedly called for foreign weapon supplies to protect the civilian populace and beat back the onslaught, but arming them could prove gravely reckless. U.S. intelligence agencies have indicated that al-Qaeda may be joining the uprising, complete with suicide car bombings and the vocal support of al-Qaeda’s ringleader, Ayman al-Zawahiri. It was even reported that at least one rebel army com-
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mander fought against American forces in Afghanistan. Though the major opposition groups have disavowed ties with the terrorist network, the U.S. cannot afford to take this risk. Historically, Washington’s arming of opposition groups has tipped the battle scales for the benefit of immediate policy gratification, but this habit perpetually returns to bite the government with troubling human rights headaches (think the Afghan mujahedeen or the Indonesian army in East Timor). The opposition Syrian National Council and Free Army have also persistently requested a no-fly zone such as the one that was implemented over Libya with overwhelming success. They assert that Western air control would immediately enable the safe defection of tens of thousands of Assad’s soldiers. Offensive military options are not the only weapons being used by the Syrian government. Assad’s army recently planted tens of thousands of landmines along the border with Turkey, viciously blocking a major escape route for refugees fleeing the bloodbath. Turkish leaders have suggested that their military may establish a “buffer zone” on the Syrian side of the border to generate shielded refugee escape routes, but they refuse to do so without international security support to defend against probable attacks from Assad’s forces. This is the closest any capable nation has come to firmly considering a viable plan for effective aid. If Turkey continues to refuse to intervene without foreign security forces, then the international community is morally obligated to provide them, even if it’s only in the
form of UN peacekeeping troops. The U.S. and all Western powers have major strategic interests in endorsing these two reasonable intervention options. Syrian opposition leaders are bound to evolve into weighty political authorities in the future post-Assad government. To ignore their calls for help now is to imbue in them an unforgettable memory of abandonment later. They will not soon forget that the U.S., who in 2003, invaded their close neighbor Iraq and for years imposed economic sanctions upon them that crippled their poor, subsequently chose to stand idly by and watch the butchery of yet untold thousands of their brothers, wives, cousins, husbands, mothers and children. It’s an understatement to say that the U.S. is in painful need of strong allies in the region. The longer the Syrian people are massacred, the further the opposition may be pushed to extremist tactics to achieve their victory. The last thing Washington needs is an extremist-sympathetic (or worse, radicalized) Syrian government grudgingly bitter about the U.S. lack of support. Assad will ultimately fall, but the longer he remains in power, the higher the bodies of innocents will pile. The implementation of a no-fly zone and the enforcement of civilian escape corridors are the moment’s most logical potential courses of action, but whatever is done, the ultimate aim must remain restricting Assad’s forces’ capabilities of slaughter. As the late Christopher Hitchens so potently wrote, “Neutrality favors the side with the biggest arsenal.”
sliver
www.nique.net
to the couple in front of the library: the first kiss was cute, the make-out session after, not so much. If you post about someone, provide more information... Two of the previous Slivers could have been me! Man, if you arch students argue so much together, it’s no wonder you tick off us CE students. And CE stands for Civil Engineering. Get it right. xkcd in the comic section? About time, if you ask me. Now if only you had the alt text of xkcd and the votey from SMBC...then you shall have my love, ‘nique The “April Fool’s” issue should have just been ten pages of sliver. YOU YOU MUST CONSTRUCT ADDITIONAL SLIVERS Who has a meeting on a Friday at 5:00? I should be drinking by now. sewer cats are not for petting. HAPPY (EARLY) BIRTHDAY TREY! - <3 L2 I don’t go even go here anymore. Graduated!!!! Woah SMBC in my Technique? That’s awesome, but HOW WILL I SEE THE VOTEYS? Majors Ranked According To Desirability Shh no tears, only dreams now I should make a Facebook profile named “No one, ever,” and then just go around liking stupid statuses. I made a 98 on a test with a 45 average. I feel like a god. To the sir/madame that slivered the lyrics from Pogo’s “Go Out & Love Someone”, I second your good taste in music :) Why are we supposed to be at graduation at 8 am? 8 am is disgusting GT should do more for mental health The end is near egyptian looking girl that works at student center - you’re smokin’ watch me do my Azonto, Azonto, Azonto what do you do when one of your best friends is a compulsive liar? if you ever need help with computers/viruse s, john t. from geek squad tech support is awesome
Focus
focus@nique.net Focus Editor: Siddharth Gurnani Assistant Focus Editor: Gaines Halstead
This week’s Focus section takes a look at all things politics, at the campus, local and national levels. Read through the following pages for a better understanding of politics at Tech and how international students perceive U.S. politics.
Technique
11
Friday, April 6, 2012
Republicans, Democrats make efforts to engage students By Emily Moran | Contributing Writer
“[There are] not a lot of Democrats, we have to stick together, solidarity is key,” Colin Baxter first-year AE Member, Young Democrats
With the national election looming just over the horizon, both College Republicans and Young Democrats are working to provide a venue to help students better understand the current political climate. Democrats and Republicans here on campus face many of the same stereotypes that a majority of people associate with the party as a whole. However, the College Republicans are hoping to break that mold. “I’m a young, Hispanic conservative, which you don’t see very often. Not all Republicans are gun-toting, bible loving, right extremists that you see. Most Republicans just want better for themselves,” said Andrés Celedon, president of the College Republicans and thirdyear PUBP major. At meetings, the College Republicans discuss local GOP events and sometimes have guest speakers come and talk about pertinent political issues. They also provide networking opportunities for members on the weekends. This year, the College Republicans held voter registration drives alongside the Young Democrats, hosted a 9/11 memorial, advocated for concealed carry on campus and helped to establish a club on campus. On the other side of the spectrum is John Koch, who leads the Young Democrats on Tech’s campus and at the state level. This year, the Young Democrats have handed out Valentine’s Day condoms, had a meeting to discuss Democratic platforms, participated in a statewide rally for Young Democrats in Georgia
and were involved in the opposition to concealed carry on campus. As with the Republicans, the Democrats on campus are making an effort to abolish the established stereotypes that come with the national stigma of their party. “People need to learn what socialists are before they call someone a socialist, and people must realize there’s a difference between being a flagrant hippie and simply caring for your fellow man,” said Colin Baxter, a member of Young Democrats and a first-year AE major. In this year’s coming election, there is one thing both Democrats and Republicans on campus can agree upon. “Job creation and the economy will be the key issue in this presidential election,” Baxter said of Democrats’ interests. “We want everyone here graduating to be able to get a job, it impacts everyone here on this campus,” Celedon said on behalf of the Republicans. “I enjoy politics the way others enjoy football. There are two teams going up against each other…each is trying to get that touchdown to win the election. Except in this game, the fate of the country is at stake,” said Imran Ali, a fourthyear MGT major. However, Ali has chosen other ways to get involved in government, particularly by interning at the State Senate. “I chose to get involved in government outside of Tech because my political leanings don’t necessarily match up completely with the Democrats or Republicans. I’m hoping to intern again in a government position this summer to continue to gain exposure with the inner workings of how government works,” Ali said. Thus, Ali has found an effective way to still enact change in his community without choosing sides.
across the globe, each representing their own different political systems. Communists, socialists, Tories, moderates and leftists: all of these can be found studying here on campus. It is hard to find such political diversity in other situations one comes across in life. It is through these various political mindsets that the effects of the effect of the United States foreign policy on different countries can be understood firsthand. With the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and tensions building in the Korean Peninsula, the U.S. has become more involved in international politics. Opinions on the matter vary greatly with nationals of some countries feeling that the U.S. is overstepping its boundaries and others feeling that it is necessary to ensure regional stability.
“I feel like the United States should work to create a better relationship with China. Both are great nations and can do many things for the world if they just work together instead of arguing. Having lived in both nations, I have seen both sides and don’t understand why a solution hasn’t been met,” said Vitu Su, a thirdyear ME major from Beijing, China. “Although I may not agree with their wars, I do agree with their message. [The U.S.] is working to promote democracy throughout the world and that is a great thing. I feel that the U.S. could find another way of promoting its ideas that doesn’t involve war,” said Sita Mendez, a fourthyear MGT major from Galicia, Spain.
Despite their differences, Young Democrats and College Republicans at Tech work to get young people to get out and vote. “I’m all for getting people to vote, no matter which way they vote. I’m all for people getting in the political process. You shouldn’t complain about the political process if you aren’t a part of it,” Celedon said. Both org a n i z a t i on s also face diculty when it comes to inspiring involvement from other Tech students. “We have to try to find people who are already interested. We do our best to get as many people registered and to physically go vote, which is the hardest part,” Celedon said. “There’s not a lot of Democrats down south, we have to stick together, solidarity is key,” Baxter said. Regardless of political sentiments, political involvement is essential. This generation will soon be leading the country. With the multitude and ease of options of political activism on campus, anyone can get involved in creating change in his or her community.
“I’m a young, Hispanic conservative....Not all Republicans are gun-toting, bible loving, right extremists that you see,” Andrés Celedon third-year PUBP President, College Republicans
Photo Illustration by Vivi Kreisel / Student Publications
Exchange provides unique perspective on politics, policies By Gaines Halstead Assistant Focus Editor
Each year the U.S. hosts over 700,000 international students at universities across the nation. Last year, Tech hosted roughly 3,000 of these students within both its undergraduate and graduate programs. With such a large consortium of students on campus, the university provides American students the chance to experience more than just simple cultural differences. For many American students, international students studying in the U.S. provide them with an opportunity to expand their knowledge of world politics from an external viewpoint that would normally only come from studying or working abroad. There are a wide range of students hailing from countries
See Exchange, page 12
Photo by Blake Israel / Student Publications
Students got the chance to hear President Barack Obama speak on the war in Iraq during a 2008 election campaign stop at Tech.
FOCUS
12 • April 6, 2012 • Technique
Lobbyists advocate, promote Tech at all levels By Madison Lee Contributing Writer
Tech plays a substantial role in the political and social environment outside campus thanks to the tireless efforts of the Office of Government and Community Relations (GCR). Its members work to build relationships with people and organizations in Atlanta, around the state and in Washington, D.C., gaining support for Institute initiatives and making a positive impact at a local level. Under Georgia’s Gold Dome, Executive Director Dene Sheheane, Assistant Director Betsy Jackson and GCR Associate George Ray lobby throughout the year, motivating legislators to invest in Tech’s future. The funds they raise are reflected in development projects on campus. “We’re very pleased that the Governor and the General Assembly have supported our primary capital priority, $59 million in bond funds to construct the Engineered Biosystems Building. This significant investment by the state was a product of hard work from a number of partners including President Peterson and his Executive Leadership Team and our Capitol Jackets members, alumni who advocate on Tech’s behalf,” Ray said. When it comes to legislative priorities and funding, the State Relations team often has to overcome obstacles in their liaisons
Photo by Scot Medway / Student Publications
The GCR office, located in the A. French building, is the Institute’s primary connection to the federal, state and local governments. between Tech and the State Capitol. “The challenging budget environment over the last several years has fundamentally changed how we advocate for Tech’s legislative priorities. It’s crucial that we demonstrate how our priorities will benefit the state in the long run,” Ray said. In D.C., the Federal Relations Office works with policy-makers in Congress to reach Tech’s goals. This can be difficult because elect-
ed officials and policymakers in Washington have many demands on their time. “We attempt to overcome this by ensuring that Tech’s voice stands out… [and] that the Georgia congressional delegation appreciates the great work being done by our students, faculty and researchers,” said Robert Knotts, Director of Federal Relations. “Less tends to get done legislatively in D.C. in a presidential election year, but our advocacy
efforts never stop. We work hard to build bipartisan support and give Tech a seat at the table as we respond to the research, technology and innovation challenges posed by the federal government,” Knotts said. The Community Relations team focuses on working closely with local organizations to improve the lives of Atlanta residents. “We’re trying to see how we can more strategically engage in community service…finding a balance between interfacing with the Mayor and Atlanta City Council, interacting with nonprofits and making Tech a part of that process. For example, we have logistics experts here on campus who can help increase the capacity of the Atlanta Food Bank to serve the community,” said Chris Burke, Director of Community Relations. Whether they do it by building relationships with Georgia legislators, lobbying with Congress or working with City Council for the community, GCR’s greatest priority is to show that Tech has a lot to offer. “Fortunately, Tech has a great track record and potential for future contribution to Georgia’s economy. We work with our campus partners to share that message with all of our stakeholders and show them how we make an impact in their communities,” Ray said.
Exchange
from page 11
“The U.S. is a friend of Japan and that’s all that matters to me. What the U.S. does in other countries is important because it affects me, but I make sure not to stress about it because Japan has many of its own problems to worry about,” said Kazuma Warashima, third-year ID major from Tokyo, Japan. “I don’t worry too much about what the U.S. does around the globe only because it never really adversely affects England. I don’t really care too much for American politics, but as long as the U.S. doesn’t cause any harm to the U.K. then I’m happy,” said Harriet Holloway, second-year MGT major from Oxford, England. International students at Tech also get the chance to view their home countries from an external standpoint. “I have learned a lot about the United States since I started living here. I have seen first hand how Barack Obama wants to help Korea. With everything going on between the North and the South of Korea right now, I think it is important the [US] be there to help support my country in case something goes wrong,” said Jiny Baek, third-year CM major from Incheon, South Korea. The US foreign policy is always a matter of heated debate. Tech’s international community presents a huge learning opportunity. Interaction amongst students leads to a better understanding of each others countries and cultures.
FOCUS
UHR, GSS fund campus groups By Lorelyn Kilby Contributing Writer
Most students have heard of the Student Government Association, some could even point out the undergraduate or graduate student body presidents if they saw them, but far fewer students have heard of UHR, the Undergraduate House of Representatives and the Graduate Student Senate (GSS). The House and the Senate are part of the Legislative branch of SGA. Fifty-six undergraduate representatives and 33 graduates elected from academic units and classes meet weekly to consider financial bills and resolutions that affect the entire undergraduate student body. Some of their responsibilities include allocating the student activity fee money to chartered student organizations, modifying the structure of student government, approving bylaws and constitutional amendments and expressing the position of the student body. “There’s nothing that compares to an organization that can enhance the experience of every student on campus. There is a lot of work to be done to support it and working alongside the impressive people who make it work is what continually motivates me to stay involved at a higher level,” said Brooke McDaniel, Speaker of the House and a fourth-year BA major. “Realistically, the professional communication and people skills I’ve learned will take me further
than a lot of my classwork Additionally, I’ve learned that the people around you are almost always your greatest resources and that If you are willing to go out of your way to help people out when they need something, be it someone else in SGA, an administrator or another student, it will certainly come back to benefit you in the long run,” McDaniel said. Representatives spend many long meetings settling budget discussions and disputes. “Budget season means long meetings, and anyone involved in UHR knows that from the start. It isn’t something that anyone in the room takes lightly when you are allocating nearly $5 million,” McDaniel said.
Many students aren’t aware how beneficial of a resource SGA can be. “The most frustrating part of UHR and SGA as a whole is that no matter how many students you reach through an open meeting, a newsletter or social media there are still many students that don’t understand what we do or what opportunities are available for them,” McDaniel said. Anyone is welcome to sit in on UHR and GSS meetings. GSS meetings are Tuesdays at 11 a.m. and UHR meetings are Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. in the Flag building. To get more information on how to submit a bill, get funding for a student organization or how to get involved with them, visit sga.gatech.edu.
Photo by Sho Kitamura / Student Publications
One main purpose of the UHR and GSS is to enhance campus life by allocating student activity fee money to campus organizations.
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www.nique.net
Technique • April 6, 2012 • 13
STUDENTS SPEAK Each week, the Focus section seeks student opinion on some of the most important and pertinent questions related to the theme of the week.
National elections evoke mixed feelings By Alex Kessler Contributing Writer
There are only eight months to election day, and the election campaign has already seemed to reach critical mass in the media. Experts, pundits, political analysts and talking-head anchors meticulously dissect the race step by step on 24-hour television— but what do the actual voters, Tech’s students, think? “Economics and war are my two big make-or-break topics,” said Hunter Clarke, a first-year CS major. “I am more interested in the GOP candidates because of their stances on the health care system,” said Carrie Simpson, a firstyear BME major. On the subject of individual GOP candidates, feelings are not too strong. “I am kind of torn, I am not in favor of any candidate because of differences in multiple issues. Ron Paul is the closest but he doesn’t really have a chance,” Clarke said. “The conservatives all look comical, and they focus on personal views and attacks rather than general issues,” said David Koehler, an AE grad student. “Romney stands out the most to me. He has new ideas and plans to bring to the table,” Simpson said. “Romney is the least abrasive. It is unfortunate that people
choose based on a lack of negative qualities rather than number of positive qualities,” said Justin Sheppard, a first-year INTA and BCHM double major. “I feel like it is the same thing, they make promises but do not deliver. I do not think radical change will happen,” said Joyce Wong, a fourth-year STaC major. There seems to be a general malaise about this election term. Quite a few average students at Tech do not follow the race or have a strong passion towards either Obama or any GOP candidate. There are few different explanations for this. “Publicity for US elections seems to start too early, I’d lose interest too soon if I were a voter,” Koehler said. Perhaps the indifferent attitude towards elections can be attributed towards lack of progress with current events and a stagnant economy, and that the widespread American disenchantment of political leaders reflects a seeming impotence of the powers of government. “I will vote for Obama, I feel like his intent is in the right sphere, it is just that he is operating inside an unfunctional structure,” Sheppard said. Things are sure to pick up as a GOP candidate is nominated, and the war between Democrats and Republicans ensues. At such a time in US politics, it is important for everyone to cast their vote.
Entertainment
entertainment@nique.net
Technique
15
Entertainment Editor: Hank Whitson
Friday, April 6, 2012
Assistant Entertainment Editor: Jonathan Peak
Taiwan: Apple’s romance sweeps box offices
FILM
You Are the Apple of My Eye GENRE: Romantic Comedy STARRING: Zhendong Ke, Michelle Chen DIRECTOR: Giddens Ko RATING: NR RELEASE DATE: Aug. 19 Photo Illustration by Ian Bailie / Design Editor
By Jonathan Peak Assistant Entertainment Editor
A rare occurrence took place at the beginning of last fall: A Taiwanese movie took, and held, the top box office spot. Even rarer, it was not an action or martial arts movie, but rather a simplistic, charming romantic comedy. You Are the Apple of My Eye (Na xie nian, wo men yi qi zhui de nu hai, literally “In those days, the girl we chased after”) tells a coming-of-age story that stirred the memories of the Taiwanese
and offers a fascinating and often amusing glimpse of young Taiwanese life for Americans. You Are the Apple of My Eye is based off of a semi-autobiographical novel by author Giddens Ko, who also made his directorial debut. The movie follows the adventures of troublemaker Ko Ching-teng (Zhendong Ke) and his friends as they all simultaneously pursue the top-student in their class, Shen Chia-yi (Michelle Chen). After being forced to sit behind
star student Chia-yi, prankster Ching-teng changes his stripes and begins studying hard with Chia-yi’s help. They grow close and even after they go their separate ways to college remain together—though childishness and naivety keep them from becoming an item. After an argument, they are torn asunder and fall out of contact for years. The story begins and ends with their happy reunion— the time in between learning what it truly means to love somebody. The film follows the simple
rom-com formula of boy meets girl, boy chases girl, boy loses girl for almost the whole movie. The movie only diverts from the formula at the very end as Chingteng comes to a touching and surprisingly mature realization, fulfilling the film’s other role of coming-of-age story as the boy becomes a man. Even though You Are the Apple of My Eye is a far superior movie, it almost seems like an American Pie for Taiwan. Though certainly a more conservative culture than ours, the humor is sometimes
OUR TAKE: ««««« plenty crass. From the rather public “incident” that forces Ching-teng to move seats in front of Chia-yi to the “four-legged monster” in the dorm showers— though perhaps tame to Americans—was racy to Asians, earning it a NC-16 rating for its Singapore release. Underneath the all the provocative grime, a genuine and charming story of growing up shines through. The boys’ often painfully awkward attempts at wooSee Apple, page 17
Wrath entertains despite similarities to predecessor FILM
Wrath of the Titans GENRE: Action STARRING: Sam Worthington, Ralph Fiennes DIRECTOR: Jonathan Liebesman RATING: PG-13 RELEASE DATE: March 30
OUR TAKE: ««««« By Joe Murphy Contributing Writer
With the faint smell of the summer blockbuster season in the air, moviegoers were once again brought back to the world of Olympic gods and mythological creatures on March 30 with Wrath of the Titans, the second installment in the epic tale of the Grecian hero Perseus. And this
time, all hell has broken loose – or so the posters claim. Stunning visual effects contrasted against two-dimensional characters and dialogue may result in some mixed reviews for this film. A decade after the events of Clash of the Titans, the half-god warrior Perseus (Sam Worthington, Avatar) is trying to live a simple, off-the-map life with what is left of his family. However, when Hades (Ralph Fiennes, Harry Potter), the scheming god of the underworld, threatens to release the massively destructive titan Kronos upon the world, Perseus is forced to reenter the battle between gods and men. Teaming up with fellow demigod Agenor (Toby Kebbell, War Horse) and warrior queen Andromeda (Rosamund Pike, Pride and Prejudice), Perseus journeys to the depths of the underworld to stop Kronos before it is too late, See Wrath, page 19
Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.
ENTERTAINMENT
16 • April 6, 2012 • Technique
Game’s new season starts strong TELEVISION
Game of Thrones NETWORK: HBO WHEN: Sundays at 9 p.m. STARRING: Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke
OUR TAKE: ««««« By Avanti Joglekar Contributing Writer
The second season of the HBO original series Game of Thrones premiered on Sunday to the largest audience yet of 3.9 million viewers, according to Entertainment Weekly. Achieving a total of 6.3 million viewers after accounting for rebroadcasts and a prime fan base in the essential 18-49 year old demographic, the television version of George R.R. Martin’s fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire is on the path for Season 3 renewal. The episode is titled “The North Remembers,” and opens with a recap of the events of the first season, in which the fictional and extensive Kingdom of Westeros is left with a “king on every corner” after the death of King Robert Baratheon leaves the throne open to the winner of the games. Although Baratheon’s son Joffery claims the throne, his lineage comes into question when Eddard Stark, an old and trusted friend to the deceased King, comes to learn that Joffery is not Robert’s son, but rather the product of an incestual relationship between Cersei Lannister and her twin brother. The impulsive execution of Stark by Joffery creates war between the Stark family and the Lannisters, and sets the scene for the second book’s titular “Clash of Kings.” After the introductory cred-
its roll, the first scene highlights the sorrow of Sansa Stark, who is forced into engagement to the young King who cruelly sanctioned the murder of her father. Tyrion Lannister—the youngest of the power-hungry Lannister siblings—returns to King’s Landing to take the position of Hand of the King after the execution of Eddard Stark left the position open. Tyrion compensates for the impediment of his “dwarf” size with a biting wit, sarcasm and sharp intelligence that prove necessary to bring a semblance of order to the tyranny of his nephew’s blood-thirsty mean character. In Winterfell, the youngest of the Starks, Bran, is serving as lord in the absence of his mother and brother, who are away at war. The potential symbolism of the comet with a red streak for a tail is explored by characters across the world of Westeros, with each party
sliver
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You don’t know what SXSW is? jokes, right?? I was the one who started the arch students complaining about each other and I’m actually ID I know you like me far too much, I’m just afraid that I feel the same about you Relay for life looks like Occupy SAC fields 3rd and 4rth year architecture students, got any more small rectangles to laser cut? To the boys that cat called me from across the street while going to my boyfriend’s fraternity house, I’m flattered but no thank you. can’t wait for ramblin’ on! Does he look like a voter?! -in my best Samuel L. Jackson voice kenan thompson zzzzz it’s funny because vending machines my april fool’s status of transferring to ole miss was convincing only b/c I go here WREK = hipster radio In West Philadelphia born and raised... “Before I do anything I ask myself ‘Would an idiot do that?’ - and if the answer is yes, I do not do that thing.” I came along, I wrote a song for you, and all the things you do and it was called Yellow. I am told the sliver editor likes Community: Pop-Pop >> Bazinga? (Oh and that was my first time slivering) Why is the facebook image right below the twitter image, instead of being beside it (on nique.net)? yes I know who Wale is. -kid who tweeted about tyga Gandalf would make a good Tech professor. You shall not pass. Dear 2nd Year Arch Students some fourth years love you guys! Ignore the haters. http://www.youtube.com/tellyawards?x=XYKpPNDt8YM nextbus blows Girl waiting for Caldwell guy, are you that cute blonde? OOOORRRRRRBBBBBIIIIIIICCCCCIIII IOOOOOOOO!!!
interpreting it to mean something for the ultimate victor or loser in the game for the throne. Across the sea in the desert-like, arid land Daenerys Targaryen is traveling across with her three newly -hatched dragons. Jon Stark goes beyond the Wall into the wilderness of the North, with the mysterious ongoings hint at a greater problem for Westeros coming with the encroaching winter. “Game of Thrones” is uniquely impressive with its ability to convey complex narrative content in manifold chunks that captivate the audience in classic HBO quality television brand fashion. In line with the HBO promise of quality television guaranteeing artistic freedom, violence, graphic content and lewd sexual scenes, the episode highlights the extreme disregard for the lives of humans and a shocking blurring of the line between good and evil.
Photo courtesy of HBO
Eugene’s cuisine, service unrivaled RESTAURANTS
Restaurant Eugene LOCATION: Buckhead CUISINE: Modern American COST: $60-200 HOURS: Sun-Thu, 5:30 -10 p.m., Fri-Sat 5:30 - 11 p.m. PHONE: (404) 355-0321
OUR TAKE: ««««« By Hank Whitson Entertainment Editor
A little over a year ago, I raved about the Buckhead-based Holeman and Finch. That lively public house happens to share a driveway with a sister establishment titled Restaurant Eugene. It is a quieter, pricier and more formal venue than H&F, but it is also one of the most enjoyable and delicious dining experiences Atlanta has to offer. The atmosphere is intimate, with romantic lighting and elegant decor. From the moment you step foot in the door, the staff is incredibly polite and almost excessively attentive. Usually good service can be equated with transparency or a lack of complaints, but at Eugene, the entire staff does its best to make you feel pampered. Those who have enjoyed Holeman and Finch’s creative bar menu will be unsurprised to hear that Eugene boasts a seasonal list of unique and refreshing cocktails. As one would expect from a fine dining experience, there is also a large wine list, available by bottle and by glass. Of course, the restaurant’s cuisine is the core of the experience. The menu is divided into three
categories: Fish, Vegetables and Meat. Rather than the traditional division between appetizers and entrees, courses are listed from small to large in each of these categories. Some of the offerings include citrus cured trout tartare, ash roasted beets & carrots, sorghum glazed pork belly and corriander & black pepper cobia. Each of these dishes is accompanied by delectable garnishes and extra ingredients that provide depth and complexity to the dish. Like Holeman and Finch, Eugene gets its ingredients from thirty-two local farms, and that freshness translates to exquisite flavor in each course. I enjoyed the spring onion and green garlic soup, which was delightfully accented with bacon croutons. My entree was the moulard duck, which included pan seared breast, leg confit, duck jus and foi gras butter. While the latter could have easily been overpowering, it was surprisingly subtle for its richness. The vegetables served included pickled melon rinds and kohlrabi greens were a perfect counterbalance to the dish. It was the best duck I have ever had, anywhere. Both vegetarian and carnivorous prefixed tasting menus are available as well. Normally, each menu is five courses long, but there are also two optional extra courses for each menu. The vegetarian menu offers dishes like wild mushrooms. Optional wine pairings are also available for each menu. If you have one shot to make a memorable evening or a strong positive impression on someone, I cannot recommend Eugene highly enough.
ENTERTAINMENT
Technique • April 6, 2012 • 17
DramaTech’s Rent marred by bad acoustics SHOWS
Rent PERFORMER: DramaTech LOCATION: DramaTech DATE: March 30
OUR TAKE: ««««« By Brent Hornilla Contributing Writer
DramaTech’s latest production is a bold undertaking. One of the most easily recognized musicals to date is Rent, a modern-day adaptation of La Boheme that follows the story of a group of impoverished artists struggling to make it in Alphabet City, a neighborhood in the Lower East Side of New York City. Among them is Mark,
a filmmaker and the narrator of the story; his former girlfriend, Maureen, a performance artist; Maureen’s lover, Joanne, a public interest lawyer; Mark’s roommate Roger, a musician; Mimi, an exotic dancer, with whom Roger falls in love; Tom Collins, a computer genius; Collin’s lover, Angel, a street musician and drag queen and Benny, a former member of the group who, after marrying into a wealthy family, became their landlord. What sets this particular production apart from others is the layout of the stage. Rather than having a conventional stage, the entire room is used and audience members are allowed to sit around the middle. However, this is not as simple as moving around some chairs, as the area allotted for
seating is still actively used by the cast. The result is a much more immersing and hands-on experience for those willing. Audience members will find themselves in the midst of dance numbers as they are (even) encouraged to get up and participate. While being so close to the action allows for a better impact on the audience, it is not without its drawbacks. For those unfamiliar, DramaTech productions are held in a black box theater, which is essentially a square room with black walls, the idea being lower maintenance costs and a greater focus on the actual people over showy lighting effects and complicated sets. However, due to the nature of the performance space, this leads to poor acoustics for a musical. While most auditoriums deal
with this by placing an orchestra space beneath the stage, this is not an option for a black box production. Although dealt with as best as it could be handled, this was a prominent issue throughout the performance. The presence of a band sitting out in the open would often drown out the actors. Also, since audience members are not focused in one direction relative to the stage, speaker placement is made even more difficult. If you have never seen Rent before, it might be better to put it off for another rendition since the acoustic issues make the play exceedingly difficult to follow. Otherwise, this is a unique production style that is not often see and is well worth checking out for those that enjoy being in the middle of the action.
Photo by Sho Kitamura / Student Publications
sliver
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saw some kid kick a bottle out of the CULC doors today instead of just picking it up...laziness level: fat I wonder how you can tell which slivers are mine...creep! yayyyyy tech blah blah The Blue Route sucks I don’t believe in vegetarian sandwiches Soliciting religion makes you and your “God” look weak. Hail Satan Too full to do work Dude, your gaand is like a solar eclipse man1 chutiya, saamne aa ke bolay! I found out how many licks it takes to get to the centre of a tootsie pop By the time you read this, I will have already failed my audio quiz. We should stop calling our newspaper the ‘nique. Do you know what it means in French? Why so many beautiful women in my 3133 class? Can’t...stop... staring...MARRY ME Google knows how to code. Microsoft doesn’t I know socks and sandals are comfy, but wearing them with shorts and a collared shirt is a bit much My senior design team member said p*nis to our client Follow your heart! 2nd year archs, you wouldnt know good if it koolhaas’d you in the face. 2nd year archs, i wrote a script for it, and yes, your music does suck. dear second year arch students, i cant hear myself think over you slurping lar’s d***. please stop. i was trying to remember what you called a bad crop that you just need to slash and burn, and then i remembered: second year archs. why won’t that walrus just go away Get your party on with SAA Ramblin’ on! (Graduates only) Ramblin’ On Grad Party!
Apple
from page 15
ing girls, frustrations with trying to enter college and ignoble acts of immaturity resulting in heartbreak are all easily relatable, no matter the country or place. Even the phallocentric humor reflects a relatable, nostalgic time and place that fades away as the characters grow into adults. What truly makes You Are the Apple of My Eye a treat to American audiences though is the revelation of student life in Taiwan. Things that are familiar and commonplace in Taiwan (students cleaning the school, tests that single-handedly determine your fate, or teachers moving room to room rather than students) reek of the exotic and unfamiliar. This isn’t a film that celebrates Taiwan’s rich culture so much as embraces it and lives alongside it. Despite a strong story, the director’s debut feature is far from technically perfect. The sound is uneven between camera cuts in scenes and cheesy flashbacks at the end are overly sentimental. The most laughable moment in the movie is the poor special effects (or lack thereof) that recreate the massive 921 earthquake that shook Taipei in 2009. The quake that claimed over 2000 lives is reduced to a few camera shakes. Despite its shortcomings, You Are the Apple of My Eye proves to American audiences why it was so popular in Taiwan. It broke records for a Chinese-language movie in Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong and China upon its release largely thanks to its saucy retelling of growing up, encapsulating so many people’s own experiences. Despite the language and culture gaps that come with watching a foreign film, You Are the Apple of My Eye offers a entertaining and stirring glimpse of adolescence in Taiwan and the desires and memories that bind us all together no matter the culture or landscape.
ENTERTAINMENT
Wrath
from page 15
and end his war with the gods once and for all. If there is one thing to say about the creators of Wrath of the Titans, it is that they went big. Enormous cyclops, mind-bending labyrinths and earth-shaking volcanoes create a massive, visually spectacular landscape for this movie. If only the cast were as lively as the computer animation, then this could have been a truly great film; as it stands, the cliché characters and flat dialogue cannot keep up with the pace expected of the epic film that Wrath claims to be. The problem with the characters of Wrath of the Titans is that, with the exception of a few, they are simply too predictable. Most viewers could probably guess at the ending of the film within the first thirty minutes, and therefore
all but lose interest in the rest of it. The dialogue sounds over-practiced and unnatural, taking away the credibility of the characters and leaving the audience with nobody to really connect with and root for. And, as with the first film, the wigs tend to comically fall outside the boundaries of believability. As for the overall plot, Wrath tends to resemble its predecessor a little too closely. Hades once again tries to defeat the all-powerful Zeus, causing Perseus to leave behind his simple life once again in order to go on an epic journey with a band of warriors, climaxing in his final confrontation against a monolithic creature that seeks to destroy human civilization… once again. The resemblance between the two films is a bit of a downfall, as some might have wished that the writers had taken
the story into a more unique direction. Of course, the two movies are not so identical to the point of blatant repetition; some surprising plot twists and new characters (as well as the deaths of some old ones) help to keep Wrath of the Titans interesting. Fans of the first film will no doubt be entertained, but it may be hard for new audience members to grasp the already-established story lines and character relationships. But they should still try. On the whole, Wrath of the Titans lives up to the expectations set by Clash, and it will be up to fans to decide whether or not its phenomenal visuals outweigh its discrepancies in the character department. It may not be an Oscar winner, but if viewers are yearning for an entertaining action film, then Wrath should certainly not be overlooked.
Technique • April 6, 2012 • 19
CITY SCENE
Photo by Chris Gooley / Student Publications
By Jonathan Peak Assistant Entertainment Editor
Tea with Beatrix Potter Atlantan Holly Stevenson holds her annual springtime one-woman show, playing author Beatrix Potter. Tea with Beatrix Potter features puppetry to bring Potter’s creations Peter Rabbit, Jemima Puddleduck, et al. to life. Taking place at the historic Barrinton Hall in Old Towne Roswell, this is sure to be a treat. Tea will also be served along with games and prizes for children. Events begin at 1 p.m. this Saturday (April 7) with admission at $10.
Christian Music Weekend
Six Flags Over Georgia hosts a special Easter event this weekend featuring some of Christian music’s hottest artists. There will be two concerts held in the park, one on Friday with another the following day (April 6 and 7). Bands playing include The Afters, Kutless and Tenth Avenue North. The concerts begin at 5 p.m. and are free with park admission.
Ghost Brothers of Darkland County
Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.
Interested in photography? Come to the Technique’s weekly photo staff meetings. Thursdays at 6 p.m. Flag building, room 137 photo@nique.net
The Alliance Theatre debuts a new musical, Ghost Brother of Darkland County, based off of a book by Stephen King. The musical centers around the McCandless family in Lake Belle Reve, Miss as the head of the clan, Joe, faces events from his adolescence that resulted in the death of three. The Southern gothic masterpiece features a score by John Mellencamp, with just the right amount of twang. The premiere was this Wednesday (April 4) and there will be showings through May 13.
ENTERTAINMENT
20 • April 6, 2012 • Technique
Journey a soulful experience of stunning artistry GAMES
Journey CONSOLE: PS3 GENRE: Adventure DEVELOPER: Thatgamecompany RATING: E RELEASED: March 13
OUR TAKE: ««««« By Brent Hornilla Contributing Writer
Journey does not begin with some complicated tutorial or dramatic opening scene, but simply with the player awakening as a robed figure in the middle of a vast desert. A large mountain stands in the background, its summit a shining beacon for the player to follow. There are no looming dark forces, no inevitable evils and no insurmountable odds. The player is a person on a journey and nothing could be simpler. Game play revolves around three mechanics: walking, jumping and shouting in tones. Pieces of cloth that litter the landscape will help lift the traveler during jumps, while glowing orbs can be found to permanently increase gliding distance by elongating the traveler’s scarf. A number of
Photo courtesy of Thatgamecompany
puzzles are encountered along the way, but these are not so much challenging as they are necessary. This minimalist approach completely immerses the player in the game world, highlighting the game’s captivating visual and audio effects. From rolling dunes to crumbling ruins, every shot is a thing of beauty. Even the act of walking is turned into a mosaic of shifting sands and fluttering
cloth. As the player wanders through the world, there is a random chance for him to encounter another traveler, at which point he may choose to continue the journey together or travel independently. This person is a total stranger, as neither player is given a name or gamer ID and there is no way to communicate save the occasional
shout. Journey even disables PlayStation Network chat features to further cement this anonymity. Only upon completing the game together are players given each other’s names. This removes all preconceptions one might typically have based on age or race or sex. Before the player is another person, and choosing to venture forth together namelessly, allows for the most compelling experi-
ence ever had with a video game. Thatgamecompany’s stated mission is to create video games that provoke emotional responses, and Journey is the embodiment of that ideal. While a full run through may only take a couple hours, this is a game that resonates with the soul, and no words can do it justice. It is not so much a game to be played as it is a work of art to experienced.
technique
making friday lectures more interesting
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ENTERTAINMENT
Technique • April 6, 2012 • 21
Theme Crossword: Hard Times By James Barrick United Features Syndicate ACROSS
1. -- Nostra 5. Revealed 10. Numbers game 15. Implausible 19. OT shepherd 20. Ottoman title 21. Of hearing 22. Box for bodkins 23. Nethermost: Hyph. 25. Cleaned out: Hyph. 27. Captive 28. Abrasive mineral 30. Barnstormers, e.g. 31. Trails 32. French department 33. “Render -- Caesar...” 34. With caution 37. Eat at 38. Like Neptune’s kingdom 42. Anguish 43. Crayfish: 2 wds. 46. Gob 47. Foible DOWN
1. PC board 2. Double reed instrument 3. Denomination 4. Not acidic, the opposite 5. Like a marshmallow 6. Despises 7. Bone: Prefix 8. BBC’s “Doctor --” 9. Joe Jr. to Joe Sr. 10. Obsolete kind of disc 11. Bizarre 12. Ilium 13. Get darker
48. Trial location 49. “-- de lune” 50. Budget concern 51. Ruminant animal 52. Eateries 53. Kind of mother 54. Russell and Powell 55. Rec room amenity 57. Look 58. Sometimes, barely 59. Horse opera 60. Bug 61. “The Merry --” 62. Improbable stories 64. Alla -65. Part of MLB 68. Gooch in “Auntie Mame” 69. Literary category 70. Abetted 71. -- & Perrins 72. Drug bust 73. Destroyer god 74. Glacial deposit
75. Oscar Madison, famously 76. Household mem. 77. Worn, in a way 79. Outmoded employee 80. Taking eagerly 82. Tore 83. Bookworm 84. Kind of blue or green 85. Quickens 87. Hazard at sea 88. Ending in a point 91. Intrinsically: 2 wds. 92. Repartee 96. Dependable: Hyph. 98. Expressionless: Hyph. 100. “-- -- Really Want to Do” 101. Spanish snacks 102. Flaxen 103. Jazz tp. 104. Noggin 105. Prayer in stone 106. Corpulent 107. Unearthly: Var.
14. Ornamental plant 15. Troublesome kid 16. Corpuscle 17. Third gospel 18. Legal claim 24. Onion roll 26. Dog with a muzzle 29. Whimper 32. Malleus-stapes link 33. Make free 34. Falter 35. Deft 36. Kind of hen for roasting: 2 wds.
37. Hopeless case 38. Amount regularly consumed 39. Was uncooperative 40. Frame 41. Dilettantish 43. Allude 44. Musical interval 45. Blast 48. Bomb fins 50. Saint John’s bread 52. Commends 53. McQueen or Wozniak 54. Cynical
56. Fastened 57. Playground fixture 58. Stair part 60. Turn out 61. Walked through water 62. Persian 63. Once more 64. Fetch 65. Traveled a certain way 66. Sierra -67. Business expense 69. Get in touch with
70. Residue 73. Stabbing weapon 74. Cappuccino base 75. Go nowhere 77. Cuts 78. Final-sale words: Hyph. 79. Fries anagram 81. -- Skywalker 83. Night flight: Hyph. 85. Kind of portable chair 86. Rendezvous
87. Stripes 88. Graceful horse, for short 89. Salad plant 90. Campus out west: Abbr. 91. Baby talk 92. Treat for Fido 93. “God’s Little --” 94. Cogwheel 95. Circular current 97. Pinna 99. Keyboard key
22 • April 6, 2012 • Technique
COMICS
Piled Higher & Deeper by Jorge Cham
Divergent Thoughts by Chad Kroeber
SMBC by Zach Weinersmith
Sudoku Puzzle
Advertise with us!
Visit nique.net/ads for information by sudokucollection.com
COMICS
SMBC by Zach Weinersmith
DILBERT ® by Scott Adams
XKCD by Randall Munroe
Crossword Solution from page 21
Technique • April 6, 2012 • 23
Technique • April 6, 2012 • 25
SPORTS
Softball sweeps N.C.State, tops Kennesaw State By Joe Sobchuk Staff Writer
The Tech softball team travelled to N.C. State over the weekend for a three-game series against their conference foes. The Jackets swept the Wolfpack, winning both games of a Saturday doubleheader by scores of 6-4 and 6-3, as well as the series finale on Sunday, 5-2. The sweep made it six wins in a row against ACC opponents for the Jackets and catapulted them into third place in the conference standings. With the losses, N.C. State remains winless in conference play on the season. Junior Hope Rush pitched a complete game for the Jackets in game one and earned the victory, giving up four runs (three earned) on six hits while striking out two. Rush also scored the first run of the game on a solo shot in the second inning. After the Wolfpack tied the game in the bottom of that frame, the Jackets offense exploded in the third, scoring four runs off of five straight hits. A few singles and a wild pitch set up runners on second and third for senior Kelsi Weseman, who brought them both home with a shot to center field. The next batter, sophomore Alysha Rudnik, hit a two-run homer to center field and gave Tech a 5-1 lead. Weseman scored another run in the fifth, when two wild pitches and a passed ball allowed her to advance all the way around the diamond.
Photo by Josh Sandler / Student Publications
Hope Rush readies a pitch against an opponent at home earlier this season. Rush pitched two complete games against N.C. State, in a 6-4 win on Saturday, March 31, and a 5-2 win the next day. N.C. State closed the gap late in the game with two runs in the fifth and another in the sixth, but it was not enough to complete the comeback. The second game of the doubleheader also resulted in a victory for the Jackets. Freshman Kylie Kleinschmidt went the distance for Tech, pitching a full seven innings while giving up three runs on four hits and walking five. Tech’s offense continued from where they left off, scoring three
runs in the first inning to take an early lead. Sophomore Ashley Thomas scored the first run off of a Rush single, with Weseman and junior Kelly Delashmit also scoring in the inning. The Wolfpack scored two runs of their own in the third to cut Tech’s lead to one, but that was as close as this game would get. N.C. State could not get out of their own way as they committed four errors on the day and gave up four unearned runs. Two came in the fifth, with an-
other coming in the sixth due to a throwing error. The Jackets beat N.C. State again on Sunday, scoring all five of their runs off of homers. Rush pitched another complete game a day after her last one, giving up no earned runs off eight hits and striking out three. Weseman hit a solo shot on the third pitch of the game to begin the Jackets’ attack. Rudnik blasted a home run to center field in the third inning to bring home Weseman and fin-
ished the day three-for-three. The Wolfpack came back to score two runs in the fifth to cut their deficit to one. Tech hit another tworun homer in the top of the sixth, however, this time off the bat of freshman Karly Fullem. That made the score 5-2. The win on Sunday brought the Jackets’ record up to 23-16, while the loss dropped N.C. State to 15-22. The Jackets went on to extend their win streak to five games in a midweek contest at Kennesaw State. Sophomore Ashley Thomas went three-for-four, falling a homer short of the cycle as Tech won 6-3 in a game that ended after five-and-a-half innings due to rain. Tech recorded only six hits on the evening but took advantage of several KSU mistakes to secure the victory. The Jackets scored five runs in the third inning and one in the fourth; over that span, sophomore Hayley Downs and Thomas scored on wild pitches, and Bear and senior Danielle Dike both brought in runs when they were hit by pitches. KSU center fielder Natalie Rhodes had a two-run triple as part of a three-run third inning, but Rush held the Owls’ offense in check otherwise, allowing just four hits and a walk over four innings pitched. The Jackets return to action on Saturday, April 7, when they kick off a weekend series at home against the Maryland Terrapins with a doubleheader.
26 • April 6, 2012 • Technique
SPORTS
Jackets downed by two top-10 opponents By Alex Sohani Sports Editor
After a two-game win streak, the Jackets returned home on Friday, March 30 to face the No. 8 North Carolina Tar Heels before facing the No. 3 Duke Blue Devils two days later. The Jackets could not keep up with the two top-10 foes, losing 4-3 to North Carolina before being swept 7-0 by the Blue Devils. The two losses dropped the Jackets to 3-4 in the ACC and 9-9 for the season. The Jackets started off slowly Saturday against the Tar Heels, dropping the doubles point to give North Carolina an early 1-0 lead. Senior Viet Ha Ngo and Sophomore Muriel Wacker dropped their doubles match to start the day, losing 8-3, while shortly afterwards senior Lynn Blau and junior Elizabeth Kilborn dropped a more contested 8-5 match. Senior Jillian O’Neill and sophomore Alex Anghelescu’s match at the top court went unfinished due to North Carolina already earning the doubles point from victories in the first two matches. O’Neill then helped the Jackets rebound from the losses, dismantling her opponent Zoe DeBruycker in a 6-2, 6-3 win to tie the team match at 1-1. The Tar Heels responded, though, with two wins over Ngo and senior Carolina Lilley to take a 3-1 lead. Then, at the No. 5 spot, fresh-
man Jasmine Minor responded after dropping the first set to win a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 match and keep the Jackets in contention. North Carolina would take the team match immediately afterwards, however, with Kilborn losing 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 to give the Tar Heels the match-clinching point and eventually win 4-3 over the Jackets. The Jackets then faced an even more daunting task against the No. 3 Blue Devils two days later. The Jackets could not put anything together and were eventually swept, 7-0. The only bright spot for the Jackets of the day came in doubles play when Blau and Kilborn earned the Jackets’ only victory with a 9-7 win over Beatrice Capra and Rachel Kahan. However, the match did not matter in the scope of things, as Duke had already earned the doubles point. In singles play, much like doubles play, only the final match was competitive, with Duke’s Mary Clayton overtaking Anghelescu 4-6, 7-5, 1-0. O’Neill’s match against was the only other to go to a third set, but was bageled in each set she lost, eventually losing 6-0, 2-6, 6-0. The Jackets will look to bounce back from the consecutive losses when they head to Virginia to take on both the Virginia Cavaliers and the Virginia Tech Hokies on April 5 and 6, respectively.
Photo by Josh Sandler / Student Publications
Jasmine Minor celebrates after winning a game. Minor won a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 thriller to keep Tech alive in the eventual 4-3 loss to UNC.
Baseball
from page 28
the ninth inning. The two teams switched leads twice and tied three times. With the Jackets down by one in the ninth, fans at Russ Chandler Stadium put on their rallying caps for the Jackets. Thomas got a double early in the ninth, and moved to third when Dove hit a groundout. Davies then hit a fly ball to the left outfield and Thomas was tagged while trying to score from third, ending the game with a 4-3 score. Then on Tuesday, April 3, the Jackets defeated the Kennesaw State Owls 7-3. Scoreless for the first two innings, Tech broke the ice with a single by Wren that led Lynch to score the first run of the game. Sophomore shortstop Mott Hyde and Wren each added two runs, along with runs by Thomas and Dove. Freshman pitcher Cole Pitts only allowed two hits and had five strikeouts in the first four innings before junior Clay Dalton, Cruz and Evans each pitched a scoreless inning. Kennesaw’s three runs all came in the sixth inning off of hits by catcher Ronnie Freeman and second baseman Andy Almonte. The Jackets continue their conference schedule, facing the No. 2 Florida State Seminoles at Russ Chandler Stadium this weekend. Coach Danny Hall’s 1000th victory, a 12-3 win he recorded on March 16 against the Virginia Tech Hokies, will be celebrated at Saturday’s game at 6 p.m. The first pitch this Sunday will be thrown at 1 p.m.
Technique • April 6, 2012 • 27
SPORTS
Men’s tennis drops two matches Track & Field hosts
Yellow Jacket Inv.
By Alex Mitchell Senior Staff Writer
Following a 3-1 home stand, the Tech men’s tennis team traveled to NC on March 30 to take on fellow ACC members North Carolina and Duke. The Jackets could not replicate their success on the road and fell to UNC and Duke, 4-3 and 6-1 respectively. Tech started out the day against UNC by winning two doubles matches, capturing the doubles point. The No. 7 ranked team of junior Juan Spir and senior Kevin King won the first match 8-6, and senior Dusan Miljevic teamed with freshman Eduardo Segura to win the day’s third match. In the singles portion of the match, UNC won the first three points thanks to straight-set wins by the fifth-, third- and sixthranked players. Tech finally recorded its second point of the match when junior Juan Melian won a thrilling match, 7-5, 6-2. Spir followed that match with a three-set victory, which required two tiebreakers to finish. The deciding point came down to a matchup between the No. 1 ranked players for each team. King won the first set in the match 7-6 and fatigue seemed to play a factor for him throughout the remainder of the match. King went on to lose the final two sets 6-1, 6-2, sealing the match for UNC. Tech’s next opponent on April 1 was No. 6 ranked Duke. Duke scored the first three points of the match and Tech was never able to recover. Duke captured the first point of the day when its second- and third-ranked doubles teams won the first two doubles matches of the day. Tech’s No. 1 ranked doubles Want to reach
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By Danielle Sharpe Contributing Writer
Photo by Josh Sandler / Student Publications
Juan Spir readies a backhand in a match earlier this season. Spir had the only Tech win against Duke with a 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-3) win. team did beat Duke’s team 9-7, but the win did not factor into the scoring. Tech’s fifth and sixth ranked teams lost in straight sets, giving Duke a 3-0 lead. The most thrilling match of the day came next, with Spir defeating his opponent 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-3). The win proved to be Tech’s first and only win of the day. Miljevic looked to secure a second point for the Jackets after he convincingly took the first set from his opponent, 6-3. However, Miljevic lost the match’s final set
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on a tiebreaker, 7-6 (7-0). Tech would lose the final two matches of the day, with freshmen Sebastian Lopez and Vikram Hundal each losing their matches in straight sets to give the Blue Devils the 6-1 team match win. The loss by the Jackets dropped the team to 8-9 overall and 3-4 in conference. Georgia Tech returns home this weekend to take on Virginia Tech and Virginia on Friday and Saturday at the Bill Moore Tennis Center.
The Yellow Jacket Invitational was highlighted by freshman Nikita Krillov’s pole vault performance, setting the school record at 17’10.5”. This is the third time this season that he has shattered a school record in pole vault. Tech’s track teams saw much success this past Saturday at the George C. Griffin Track and Field Complex. Overall, the Tech men’s and women’s track and field teams garnered six first-place finishes throughout Saturday’s events. On the sprinting side, another freshman saw success during the Yellow Jacket Invitational. With her second-fastest time of the season, Stephanie Kalu earned a first-place finish in the 100m dash, finishing in 11.79 seconds. Also, senior Anthony McKay took first place in the men’s 200m dash with a time of 21.14 seconds. For the men’s mid-distance group, junior Shawn Roberts earned a first-place finish in the men’s 1500m run with a time of 3:48. Senior Rick Scheff took first
place in the men’s 800m with a time of 1:51, the fastest time by a Tech runner in the event this season. Senior Jhanelle McLeod earned first place in the women’s long jump with a leap of 19’7”, her career best. Including the six first-place victories, Tech nabbed a total of 15 top-three finishes during the Yellow Jacket Invitational. Freshman Zack Fanelty took second place in the men’s 800m run with a time of 1:52, while junior Doug Black earned second place in the men’s 5000m run with a time of 14:63. Freshman Glenn Powell ran a time of 14.45 seconds in the men’s 110m Hurdles to take second place, as freshman Brandon Mbaba jumped 6’8” to grab second place in the men’s high jump. Sophomore Jonathan Gardner leaped 49’8.5” to take second place in the men’s high jump. Next weekend, some of the Jackets will continue action at the Florida Relays in Gainesville, Fla., while others will compete at the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif.
Photo by Josh Sandler / Student Publications
Senior Mykhail Chambers performs the high jump. Chambers took third in the event behind fellow teammate Brandon Mbaba.
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Leader of the Pack Read about the softball team’s sweep of the N.C. State Wolfpack to start off a 4-0 week. 425
Technique
28
Friday, April 6, 2012
Tech takes Duke series, tops KSU
Women’s hoops finishes season in top 10
The women’s basketball team received one final honor when it was ranked No. 10 in the final ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ Poll of the 2011-12 campaign. The ranking marked the first time the team has ever been ranked in the top 10 of a major poll. The Jackets finished a stellar 26-9 regular season with a 12-4 record in conference play and advanced to their first ACC title game. The 26 regular season wins and 12 conference wins both set school records. The Jackets went on to secure an NCAA Tournament berth for the sixth straight season and, as a No. 4 seed, won their first two games to reach the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in team history. Tech ultimately fell to eventual national champion Baylor 81-68, but the campaign was still one of the most successful in team history.
AA announces plans for 2012 spring football game
The Athletic Association announced plans on Friday, March 30 to incorporate several events with the spring football game to create a larger event that will be called “Friday Night on the Flats.” Previously, the AA confirmed that rather than holding the game on a Saturday afternoon as usual, the spring game will be played on the night of Friday, April 20, with kickoff slated for 7:45 p.m. Prior to the football game, there will be several activities at Callaway Plaza for fans and a pregame concert outside the stadium; the band for this concert has not yet been announced. There will also be a postgame concert by Civil Twilight, a Nashville-based band whose members hail from South Africa, and a fireworks show once the game concludes.
Photo by Josh Sandler / Student Publications
Pitcher Alex Cruz throws a pitch during a game earlier this season. Cruz took over the final 4.2 innings of the second game against the Blue Devils, allowing no hits while posting four strikeouts to give the Jackets their second shutout of the day. By Hattie Arnau Contributing Writer
The Tech baseball team faced off against the Duke Blue Devils this past weekend at Russ Chandler Stadium in a series that finished with two Tech victories. The Friday night game was cancelled, resulting in a doubleheader sweep by the Jackets on the afternoon of Saturday, March 31, followed by a 4-3 loss to Duke on Sunday afternoon. Tech recorded two successive shutouts against a
conference opponent, a first in their ACC history. The Jackets then closed out the week with a midweek game on Tuesday, April 3. The Jackets added another win by defeating Kennesaw State 7-3 at Kennesaw’s Stillwell Stadium. Junior pitcher Buck Farmer pitched a complete game, the third of his career, in the first match up Saturday. After the game, Farmer was recognized as the ACC Pitcher of the Week for his zero-walk, 11-strikeout performance. Junior outfielder Brandon Thomas’ RBI double
Jackets tallied another shutout for the day. Junior third baseman Sam Dove, senior first baseman Jake Davies and sophomore catcher Zane Evans added two runs each along with runs by freshman catcher Connor Lynch and sophomore pitcher DeAndre Smelter for an 8-0 Tech win. Tech was unable to complete the series sweep on Sunday, with the Jackets trying to battle back even late in See Baseball, page 26
GT SWIM CLUB SPOTLIGHT
Farmer, Weseman earn ACC PotW awards
Two Tech athletes were the recipients of ACC honors for their performances over the past week. In baseball, junior right-hander Buck Farmer was named ACC Pitcher of the Week for his performance at home against Duke on Saturday, March 31. In a game that was postponed from Friday to Saturday due to rain, Farmer pitched one of the best games of his career, hurling a complete-game shutout on 110 pitches as Tech pulled out a narrow 1-0 victory. Farmer allowed just three hits and no walks in the game, striking out 11 Duke hitters as he reduced his season ERA to 3.48. Senior third baseman Kelsi Weseman, meanwhile, powered the softball team to four victories over Kennesaw State and N.C. State to win ACC Player of the Week honors. Weseman hit .625 and had an on-base percentage of .769 over the four-game span, hitting two homers and recording four RBI as Tech improved to 23-16 at the end of that stretch.
in the eighth inning was the only run of the game. Sophomore center fielder Kyle Wren and freshman second baseman Thomas Smith each added two hits for the 1-0 Tech victory. Junior pitcher Luke Bard started off the second game for the Jackets and held the Blue Devils to two hits and five strikeouts through the first five innings. Then, Sophomore pitcher Alex Cruz took over the game with bases loaded and one out for Duke. Cruz was able to keep the Blue Devils at bay, and the
The GT Swim Club hosted the East Coast Swim Club Championships (ECCs) this past weekend, from March 30 to April 1 at the CRC. 56 schools and 1,175 athletes competed in 48 men’s and women’s events. Tech finished as the No. 15 overall team as the University of Colorado came out of the weekend with the top overall team and women’s team. On the men’s side, The University of Florida earned top honors in what turned out to be a highly competitive weekend. Photos by Will Folsom / Student Publications