Technique Friday, February 3, 2012 • Volume 97, Issue 22 • nique.net
The South’s Liveliest College Newspaper
SC: V arrives
Is this tale of swords and souls one which should be eternally retold?413
MSFAC releases health, transport fee increases
No changes recommended for athletic fee, AA warns of future increases
Infographic by Ian Bailie / Student Publications
By Kyle Bulkley Contributing Writer
The Mandatory Student Fee Advisory Committee (MSFAC) met on Thursday, Jan. 26, to discuss proposed increases to Tech’s mandatory student fees for the 2013 fiscal year. It discussed proposed changes to the athletic,
transportation and health fees, ultimately deciding to recommend to change the transportation fee from $76 to $81 per semester and the health fee from $154 to $160. The committee will give its recommendations to Institute President G.P. “Bud” Peterson, who will, in turn, recommend fee changes to the Board of Regents.
“The deliberations are based on thorough reviews of the budgets submitted, especially the explanations of how the dollars are linked to the services,” said Jim Kirk, Director of the Tech Office of Institute Budget Planning & Administration and co-chair of the committee. “One of the key questions that we always ask is, ‘what
would be the impact on services to students if the requested increase is not approved?’” The committee’s goal was to strike a balance between providing exceptional services to Tech students and keeping the cost of school affordable. “Because of the significant financial burden that Tech students
Stingerette to designate “pick-up” zones
have recently incurred through the Special Institutional Fee — a $544 per semester fee issued by the USG Board of Regents that is not covered by HOPE — we examined all fee requests with great scrutiny,” said Elle Creel, Undergraduate Student Body President. See MSFAC, page 5
NSSE shows emphasis on collaboration By Mike Donohue News Editor
Photo by Sho Kitamura / Student Publications
Stingerettes are parked in Tech Square during the day before beginning their service at 6:00 p.m. Parking and Transportation will designate certain locations as “pick-up points,” which will be given to students when they call a van. By Sam Somani Staff Writer
To increase the overall efficiency of their transportation systems, Parking and Transportation has introduced various changes to the Stingerette system. “One of the problems Stingerette drivers encounter is finding a student who has requested a ride,” wrote Emily Gooding, SGA Parking and Transportation Committee Chair, in an email. “Although the student might identify a
street corner, they could be inside a building, waiting on the sidewalk, etc.” This has caused great delays to other students waiting for Stingerette rides. “I remember a few weeks ago, when I was riding the Stingerette, and I had to wait in the car for like five minutes for some guy who was inside the recreation center,” said Luke Bufardi, a first-year CHBE major. “I thought to myself, ‘Why bother taking the Stingerette in the first
place?’” However, Parking and Transportation has been able to come up with what may be a long-term solution. “We recently pulled together a focus group to identify the best ‘pick-up-points’ for various locations on campus,” Gooding wrote. “Now, when a student requests a ride, they will receive a message with specific instructions on where the Stingerette will pick them up.” The focus groups also sought to increase the safety of students who rode the Stingerette late at night. “All of these areas were determined to be the
safest, best-lit locations, and many are areas inside buildings where students can see the street,” Gooding wrote. In addition, students need not wait very long for the implementation of these improvements. “They will be implemented as soon as possible,” Gooding wrote. “The location of the correct pick up point will be sent to the student as soon as they request a Stingerette ride, so it’s just a matter of changing the programming to reflect this.” The changes may take some getting used to, however. “It’s a mini-culture change. I’m sure it’ll have its rough points,” said Eran Mordel, SGA Vice President of Campus Affairs. “I think at the end of the day it’ll be helpful on the both efficiency side and the safety side.”
Photo by Sho Kitamura/ Student Publications
Tech students are more likely to collaborate on coursework than their peers at other universities, although they are less likely to receive academic and personal support from faculty, according to a report released last week by Institute Office of Assessment using data from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). “The results of the 2011 NSSE survey continue to show that Georgia Tech students find that the Institute sets high academic expectations and provides opportunities to participate in co-curricular activities...all of which provide preparation in solving real-world problems and workrelated knowledge and skills,” the Office of Assessment wrote in the report’s conclusion. The NSSE is administered yearly around the country to measure what Tech’s report calls “self-reported behaviors that correlate with positive learning and personal development outcomes.” The report compared a survey administered to 637 first-years and 820 seniors at Tech to similar surveys administered at six other universities: North Carolina State, Penn State, Texas A&M, Minnesota, Washington and Virginia Tech. Respondents to the survey at Tech, 65.8 percent of whom were majoring in engineering compared to 23.4 percent at peer universities, indicated that they were more likely than their peers to spend 11 hours per week on class work. Tech students also indicated that they were more likely to feel that the Institute emphasizes spendSee NSSE, page 5
NEWS
2 • February 3, 2012 • Technique
Technique
The South’s Liveliest College Newspaper
Founded in 1911, the Technique is the student newspaper of the Georgia Institute of Technology, and is an official publication of the Georgia Tech Board of Student Publications. The Technique publishes on Fridays weekly during the fall and spring and biweekly during the summer. A dvertising: Information and rate cards can be found online at nique.net/ads. The deadline for reserving ad space is Friday at 5 p.m. one week before publication. To place a reservation, for billing information, or for any other questions please e-mail us at ads@nique.net. You may reach us by telephone at (404) 894-2830, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Coverage R equests: Requests for coverage and tips should be submitted to the Editor-in-Chief and/or the relevant section editor. Office: 353 Ferst Dr., Room 137 Atlanta, GA 30332-0290 Telephone: (404) 894-2830 Fax: (404) 894-1650
Editor-in-Chief: Vijai Narayanan editor@nique.net Telephone: (404) 894-2831
News Editor: Mike Donohue / news@nique.net Opinions Editor: Chris Russell / opinions@nique.net Focus Editor: Siddharth Gurnani / focus@nique.net Entertainment Editor: Hank Whitson / entertainment@nique.net Sports Editor: Alex Sohani / sports@nique.net
Follow us online: http://nique.net Twitter: @the_nique Copyright © 2011, 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
From the files of the GTPD...
Campus Crime By Kamna Bohra Managing Editor Crazy, stupid love
An officer was dispatched in the early morning hours of Thursday, Jan. 19 following an angry call from a woman. At the scene, he found a male victim who had been physically attacked by his exgirlfriend. Earlier in the evening, the victim and the suspect had been watching television and consuming alcoholic beverages in her apartment. Later, the two began to “mess around” and took a shower together, but the male victim could not remember if the two had engaged in sexual intercourse. The suspect began to vomit in the bathroom and then wanted to talk about her relationship with the victim. The victim then suggested that he would leave, but the suspect “went crazy on him” and began to hit and choke him. The male victim dialed 911, but his friend gave him a ride from the apartment shortly after. The victim and his friend returned home, and the victim
called his mother about the situation. The suspect appeared in the front yard, and when the victim asked her if she had driven her car there, she confirmed that she had and then threw her belongings onto the lawn. The victim then called 911 again for help due to his ex-girlfriend’s irate behavior. The officers arrived on the scene. Neither party pressed charges at the time, but the female suspect was given a Student Code of Conduct violation for underage possession of alcohol. Alcoholics Anonymous
In the early morning hours of Saturday, Jan. 14, two officers were dispatched to the Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity. There, they found an intoxicated female student vomiting in the men’s restroom. The officers were unable to find the student’s identification, but her friend provided the officers with her information. The student slipped in and out of consciousness. Vomit was
found on the toilet, the floor and her clothing, and the offender’s speech was slurred and incomprehensible. The offender was taken to Emory Midtown Hospital, and she was issued a Student Code of Conduct for underage possession of alcohol. Flashing lights
In the late evening of Wednesday, Jan. 11, a police car was parked near the intersection of Fourth St., NW, and Fowler St., NW, with his blue lights activated to get the Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Beta Theta Pi fraternity houses to turn off their loud music. A male holding a can of beer approached the officer in his car and began banging on the window. The suspect demanded to know why the officer was there. Upon further questioning, the officer discovered the suspect had lied about his age. The suspect then walked away, claiming he could do whatever he wanted on his “property.” The reporting officer ordered the suspect to approach the police vehicle several times. “Come make me,” the suspect said. The suspect was then arrested for public intoxication, underage possession of alcohol and obstruction.
Correction An article last week about the campus debate on gun control laws stated incorrectly the date of a town hall to be held by GT Students for Concealed Carry on Campus. The town hall will be held on Feb. 23 at 8 p.m. in the Molecular Science and Engineering building.
NEWS
Council Clippings
Breaking
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 Jordan Lockwood, Staff Writer
Bill Summary Bill
Amount
GSS
UHR
HyTech Racing Paintball Club Woodruff Arts Night Climbing Club Ramblin’ Raas Disc Golf Club Airsoft Club Mars Society Sailing Club SCPC
$23,977 $5197 $112.50 $3584 $5061 $874 $666 $1682 $5519 $4725
8-17-2 24-1-2 23-0-0 26-0-0 26-0-0 26-0-0 20-0-1 17-0-0 15-0-2 14-0-2
47-4-0 46-1-0 45-1-0 45-0-1 45-4-2 44-0-1 40-2-3 43-1-0 47-0-0 46-0-0
Prior Year: $328,946.72 Capital Outlay: $743,252.88
Raas
As this organization had already received money last semester from SGA, debate ensued about the actual money required by the organization to cover their event. Calculations from one undergraduate representative showed that SGA might in fact be giving the organization more money than necessary for the event by passing the bill. However, another representative brought to the body’s attention that Tech would host the event and that the event would feature a few dances by the organization. This would allow Tech to polish its national reputation, according to the representative. On this note, discussion ended and the bill passed in the House. The Graduate Senate expressed concerns that the event might be
unnecessarily expensive due to its venue at the Georgia World Congress Center. The organizational representative rebutted by explaining that the Ferst Center, the original venue, would be too small to accommodate the high attendance expected. Hytech
The HyTech Racing team submitted a bill to purchase equipment for their upcoming competition later this spring. A major expense on the bill was the purchase of a $20,000 trailer. The purpose of this trailer would have been to serve as a method of transportation and storage for tools at their competition, but some representatives shied away from passing the bill at this cost. The bill was ultimately amended per GSS, which struck out the
sliver
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don’t be that guy who buys a milkshake at Chickfila -the guy in the back of the line lost and insecure...you found me, you found me! look at me now...I’m spending paper!!!! I don’t wanna graduate. there are no engineers where i’m going brian gregory ftw! my econ professor talks about drugs instead of econ in class. wtf woot woot! dear Tech: it’s the third wk of school and I’ve already almost pulled 2 all-nighter...St op that! Midwifery should be taught in the same course with fencing and boxing, riding and rowing. great genius is declared in doing nothing particular to prove it. There are some enterprises in which a careful disorderliness is the true method. if you’re an Object(), does that mean a girl can’t say “You’re not really my type”? I’m a bi.....pedal I listen to the Harry Potter soundtracks when I’m walking to classes I hate computers and Im a cs major. Is this bad? Girl with the nyan cat shirt, pretty sure I just fell head over heels for ya GLue from horses? How? They dont even have opposable thumbs. tea time on fridays, classy what is it with guys and not using umbrellas? does it make you manlier? note that pneumonia isn’t sexy... i’d date a ginger...i don’t care what color your hair is :) Do i really have to have a facebook to comment on nique.net? $1.3 billion, not trillion.... the ME school spends $20million on research and $4 million on TA, tutoring, and other class room support. Apparently this is how we get good teaching. To the annoying Asian guy in my physics 3 class: could keep your enthusiasm to yourself? You’re making a fool out of yourself.
Technique • February 3, 2012 • 3
line items for the trailer and a capital expense of buying a chassis, on grounds that they were unnecessary. The bill was unsuccessful in the Senate due to concerns of expenses and funds transfer between organizations. Woodruff
This bill was amended from last week’s bill to remove transportation fees after funding was successfully secured from Auxiliary Service’s BuzzFunds. MGT Rep. Mathias Rost moved to censure Graduate President James Black for allegedly attempting to interfere with conference commitee. The motion failed 1-44-2. Climbing
The GT Climbing Club submitted a bill for travelling fees to an upcoming competition. One of these travel expenses was struck out because the destination was within the 150 mile radius of Tech, making it ineligible for SGA funding. Mars Society
The Mars Society is taking a crew of six people to conduct a two-week simulation of life on Mars at the Mars Desert Research Station in southern Utah. The bill was amended to a larger total to give the club more travel expenses. Vice President of Finance Charley Crosson, in his report, mentioned that organizations are allowed to ask for more travel expenses, especially those requiring return travel.
Bubble the
Facebook files for IPO Traders can expect to see the ticker symbol “FB” on a major stock exchange soon. Facebook, Inc. filed paperwork to go public last Wednesday. The social media company intends to raise $5 billion in an initial public offering. Raising income from advertising to its 845 million active users, the company earned $1 billion in profits last year. While the exact price of a stock isn’t yet certain, Facebook has conducted a self-valuation and expects to be traded at about $29.73. The company is likely to refile its paperwork numerous times before being traded in the coming months. Each filing will provide more information about the financial details of the move, including how many shares will be initially sold and the exact trading price.
Republican primaries heat up The Republican race to the candidacy continued Tuesday with a heated debate in Fl., preceding Gov. Mitt Romney’s win there. Each debate and subsequent primary election has shed light on the complex electoral factors that will determine the Republican candidate for the presidency this fall. Romney has attracted voters
as a more moderate candidate that might be more successful in swing states and states with multipart electorates, such as Florida. Former Speaker Newt Gingrich, has emerged as the most staunchly conservative, attracting evangelicals, tea partiers, and strongly pro-life groups. He focused on illegal immigration before losing the Fl. primary to Romney.
US, NATO to exit from Afghanistan soon Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced last Wednesday that the United States and NATO intend to end combat missions in Afghanistan by next year. Some forces will remain in the country, serving in a “training, advise and assist role,” said Panetta. He further explained that the U.S. intends to maintain a “strong presence” in Afghanistan, including civilians involved in recovery and development efforts. The Obama Administration had previously expressed a goal of ending combat military operations in the region by 2014.
Atlanta streetcar construction begins The City of Atlanta began work last Wednesday on a downtown streetcar project, estimated to be completed in 2013. The streetcars will travel between Centennial Olympic Park and the Martin Luther King Center, with twelve stops along its 1.3 mile span. Fares will be equal to those of MARTA trains.
NEWS
MSFAC
Technique • February 3, 2012 • 5
News Briefs
from page 1
One proposed increase in particular — the $5 requested by the Athletic Association (GTAA) — did not receive approval from MSFAC. In general, the current athletic fee of $127 per semester helps the AA organize sporting events, subsidize student ticket prices and fund student transportation to those events. Athletic Director Dan Radakovich said that the AA would ask for bigger fee increases in future years if they did not get the $5 per semester increase this year. The committee decided by a vote of 9-2-1 to recommend no increase in the athletic fee. “The majority of the committee felt that the Athletic Association didn’t adequately justify the fee increase,” said Charley Crosson, co-chair of the committee and Undergraduate Vice President of Finance. MSFAC looks to tie fee increases directly to actual services, according to Crosson. In the case of the athletic fee, the GTAA could not identify exactly what the increases would be used for. Parking and Transportation asked for a small transportation fee increase to maintain its current level of bus service. The committee elected to increase the fee by a total of $5 in order to increase the number of Midnight Ramblers in service, with several members citing campus safety as a reason for doing so. “We’ve had a lot of positive student feedback about the Midnight Rambler,” Crosson said. “We thought it was important to continue increasing late-night travel options, especially in light of recent safety concerns.” The committee will recommend a $6 increase in the student health fee, amended down from the requested amount of $9. Student Health Services had hoped to use the additional $3 to fund salary increases.
North Ave Dining Hall to open 24/7 North Ave Dining Hall will resume its 24-hour service and hot breakfast beginning Feb. 5. In response to student complaints regarding the reduced service, GT Dining released an email last week announcing the reversal. Students were encouraged to use the facility at late night and early morning hours, as attendance will determine future service, according to GT Dining.
Asst. Coach Todd Spencer resigns
Infographic by Lisa Xia / Student Publications
NSSE
from page 1
ing time studying “quite a bit” or “very much.” Although the report showed that Tech students were more likely than their peers at other institutions to feel that their experience at Tech contributed to their skill in analyzing quantitative problems, students at peer universities indicated that their schools helped improve their speaking and writing skills better than Tech did for Tech students. According to the report, Tech students felt they had substantially worse relationships with their faculty than students at peer universities. 58.1 percent of Tech seniors said that their relation-
sliver
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It is turning into a habit to read slivers while on the toilet.== So excited to see my slivers on the Technique!!! Thank you sliver guy!!! The fate of my Technique: sliver, cartoon, random interesting articles are read; tablecloth for eating near my laptop; tossed or recycled in the end. I am lonely and have nothing to do on a Friday night.... :( Congrats! You’ve been upgraded from the friend zone to the colleague zone! *\o/* Is it bad when your prof uses slides from MIT and does nothing but read straight from the slides? I am at GT right? i ruv you :) muah Comedy @ Tech - Feb 18th, 8PM - East Arch 123 | Laugh. Smile. Cheer. “You might want to use Joe’s toilet next time.” “Why?” “Just a thought.” ~happy birthday to my weird roommate I’m glad my fees allow bums to hang out in the front row of the student center lounge every morning. would you forever alones please learn to properly cook toast so that we don’t have to have a fire alarm at 4am?! Meow meow meow meow... love that commercial Have no plans for Spring break... any ideas? what’s the probability that I fall asleep in statistics? suck it February!!! can netflix be a class? HUSTLA DA RABBIT. Yes, that means you Liz. Here is a scary thought...Gordon Ramsay comes to our dining halls Um, to the guy in Barnes and Noble who sold me my notebook: You make my giney say “Oh Dear!” thanks for lunch library sex is the best Coding is the best thing ever when it works. Coding is the worst thing ever when it doesn’t. Ever walk through home park at night? Course I want to carry a gun.
ship with professors was available, helpful or sympathetic compared to 75 percent of seniors at peer universities. Tech students indicated that professors helped little when it came to work outside the classroom and lab, with only 12.6 percent of Tech seniors saying that professors helped with nonacademic work “quite a bit” or “very much.” Of seniors at peer universities, 25.5 percent indicated that professors helped with non-academic work. The report also compared the 2011 data with data from 2008 and 2003. It noted significant increases in first-years who reported that they felt Tech helped teach them to work effectively with oth-
ers “quite a bit” or “very much” between 2003 and 2011. When looking at extracurricular activities, 30.9 percent of Tech seniors reported studying abroad, compared to 21.8 percent of seniors at peer universities. Tech students were also more likely to report that they had had serious conversations with persons of a different ethnic, religious or political group than themselves. Overall, 89.1 percent of Tech first-years and 87.3 percent of Tech seniors reported that their educational experience at Tech was “good” or “excellent”. This was an improvement of 5.8 percentage points from 2003 for first-years and 5 percentage points from 2003 for seniors.
Todd Spencer, assistant football coach for offensive linemen, resigned last week after reports that he had violated NCAA regulations. According to the Athletic Association, the Association’s internal monitoring system revealed that Spencer had sent text messages to prospective student athletes, a violation of member-created NCAA rules.
Severe Weather Awareness Week
Feb. 6-10 is Severe Weather Awareness Week in Ga. In light of last year’s particularly dangerous spring storm season, students are encouraged to make preparations for storm-related emergencies. Preparedness programs are categorized as family preparedness, thunderstorm safety, tornado safety, lightening safety, and flooding preparedness. Each will be given consideration in preparedness programming and planning.
Opinions
Opinions Editor: Chris Russell If you’re going to be crazy, you have to get paid for it or else you’re going to be locked up. —Hunter S. Thompson
“ ”
OUR VIEWS Consensus Opinion
Fee Transparency
Mandatory fee increases require explanations
This week, the Mandatory Student Fee Advisory Committee released their recommendations for increases to student fees for the following year, and while the recommendations of the committee are spot on, some of the fees they had to consider are worrisome. The lack of accountability shown by the Athletic Association (AA) of the proposed increases to the Student Athletic Fee is the main concern. Whereas other departments laid out exactly where the additional revenue will go, the AA gave no information on where they planned to apply the funds from their requested $10-per-year increase. Given the fluctuating costs (particularly in recruiting) and revenues (from ticket sales and merchandise) inherent in sports, it is understandable that it is difficult to make exact statements about their finances, but they should still be able to say specifically how the increase will benefit students or give specifics as to why it is necessary.
This would not be a major issue had it not arisen before. Last year, the AA attempted to do the same: a fee increase without any context for the spending, and threats that a larger fee would be necessary if they did not get funding soon. This cannot continue indefinitely, and the issue must be resolved. What really needs to happen is for MSFAC to draw up rules about what costs departments can expect students to pay for through fees. Ideally, such guidelines would force the AA to communicate what concrete things it needs students to pay for to exist in its current state. They argue that students are not the only recipients of their spending, but if this is the case, students should not be the main source of their discretionary spending. The AA should be able to depend on students to keep the lights on, but it is their responsibility to find the funding to grow their programs through other sources of revenue.
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 Ian Bailie, Design Editor
Nishant Prasadh, Development Editor Chris Russell, Opinions Editor Alex Sohani, Sports Editor Hank Whitson, Entertainment Editor
Mitt Rodney By Casey Tisdel
Technique
6
Friday, February 3, 2012
YOUR VIEWS Letters to the Editor
Safety statement ignores key details In last week’s Technique article regarding on-campus concealed carry, President Peterson asked, “... what are the chances that we could actually use that weapon to defend ourselves?” The answer: certainly higher than if we are not carrying. And if he expects a student being attacked to reach into their pocket, pull out their phone and pull up their Jacket Guardian app, can he please explain why drawing a weapon would be out of the question? He states that the crime numbers for Tech seem high because we report off-campus crime, which is reasonable, but the admission that it is largely an off-campus problem hurts his own arguments. By disallowing any and all carrying on campus, Tech is effectively disarming, proactively targeting, and further endangering off-campus students, the same ones that Tech is supposedly “bending over backward” to protect. Violent crime is sure to increase as our poor economic situation continues. However, students are still discouraged from ensuring their own safety and are forced into relying on solely on the Hill and GTPD, who have offered no real solutions for the offcampus crime problem. I applaud both groups for keeping the actual campus extremely safe, but they continue to patronize and endanger off-campus students by infanticizing those who are capable of responsibly carrying a firearm. Dane Kalejta ISYE ‘10
Relying on police insufficient “John Koch, President of the College Democrats, urged students to keep their faith in GTPD. ‘These are people who have sworn an oath to protect us,” Koch said. “They’re armed for a reason.’” And that reason is to enforce the law. The police motto “to serve and protect” applies to the law, not the citizens the law is written to protect. From a legal standpoint, the protection of individuals is a side effect of a police officer upholding the law. This well-documented American legal doctrine was ignored in the quoted piece and the concerned article. We cannot manufacture or reprint skewed claims, no matter how much we would like to believe they are true. Similarly, a key perspective was omitted: it is not the successful use of force that is required to deter crime, but the equal threat of its use. By the very definition of “deter,” if the use of force is necessary, we have already failed. The area around and on campus is targeted because there are no weapons allowed. Criminals see no-firearm zones as safe targets because they assume we are lawabiding citizens. The police force
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.
works in a similar fashion. If police were to advertise their absence from an area, crime would likely increase. We have made known an area where there is little threat of deadly force, so why would that area not be a target? Unfortunately, cursory searches for crime statistics and their locations yield less than satisfying results, so supporting my argument with statistics is not possible at this time. Nicholas Smith Fifth-year CS
Violent crime supports case for concealed carry I must first commend the GTPD’s efforts to curb crime on campus. Thanks to their efforts, crime on campus has decreased by 67% since 2008. The majority of this reduction has occurred in burglaries, which have consistently decreased since 2008. While all reductions in crime are welcome, burglary, by definition, does not pose risk of physical harm to students. More pertinent to the immediate safety of students is violent crime against individuals, which can be narrowed to aggravated assault and robbery. Violent crimes on campus also decreased from 2008 to 2010, falling from 16 incidents to seven. However, that progress was lost: The most current statistics show 16 incidents again in 2011. For those of us who support concealed carry on campus, violent crimes are a sticking point. By no means will concealed carry reduce crimes where an individual is not involved or threatened. However, in cases of robbery and aggravated assault, a concealed weapon poses a decisive confrontational advantage. While the debate regarding concealed carry on campus is beyond the scope of this letter, proponents of concealed carry are correct to note an increase in violent crime on campus. Given this increase in crime, many wish to protect themselves against such crimes and deter criminals seeking easy targets. Robert Eagar Pres., Marksmanship Club
OPINIONS
Technique • February 3, 2012 • 7
Lessons can be learned from quitting I was cold, terrified and very unhappy with gravity. It was winter break, and I was flying down a mountain in northern Idaho a few notches above my skiing skill level. Although my run had begun quite well, my skis eventually decided that they wanted to take the fastest route between my current position and the bottom, despite my protests. “I can handle it,” I thought. “Just turn a little bit more, and you’ll slow down enough to take the rest of the route slowly.” That didn’t happen. “Oh, screw it.” I bailed. From what my friends (who are much better skiers than I) say, the tumble was spectacular. All of a sudden, my skis were four feet in the air, my head was six inches in the snow and powder was everywhere. I skidded to a stop, thankful that I had given up on the run before a tree had made the decision for me. I learned a lot in those 30 seconds, and I don’t use “learning” as a euphemism for carving a face-shaped track down the mountain. Having averted catastrophe, I stepped away from my disaster and began another run. We often find ourselves in situations similar to my predicament on the slopes, where we’re forced to make a choice: quit immediately and suffer a few bumps and bruises,
“When the alternative is skiing yourself into a tree, sometimes bailing out and starting anew is the best option.” Mike Donohue
News Editor
or stick it out, hoping to fix things in time to avoid truly crashing and burning. Silicon Valley is full of people who attempted to create a start-up but saw the writing on the wall after a few months. They eventually quit, but they went forward leveraging the knowledge they had gained from their failures to be quite successful in their subsequent ventures. After all, when do we learn more than when the whole world is falling apart around us? Mistakes beget negative consequences, and once that link is established you can be sure we’ll avoid that mistake again. Failure teaches us what works and what doesn’t, what we like and what we abhor. A failed entrepreneur will have learned about the perils of markets, the fickle tastes of consumers, and the warning signs that portend disaster. By stepping away early, he or she will be able to process that knowledge with relatively few negative consequences.
Entrepreneurs have a lot of incentive to bail out of a venture: They have finances tied up in it, they have families to care for, etc. Those factors don’t make the decision to quit easy, but it does mean that there are forces at work in both directions. As students in college, we don’t have nearly the same pressures. I could easily create a laundry list of things I have quit while in college. I’ve quit extracurricular activities, two majors, projects, relationships and leadership roles. Many of those times I’d stayed longer than I should have, trying to salvage my pride and not wanting to let the situation beat me. Sometimes (a series of Jan. conferences I’ve planned come to mind) I tried doing the same type of thing again and again, despite knowing deep inside that I received no enjoyment and little value. If I had bailed earlier in those instances, I could have saved myself a lot of stress and channeled my energy to more
useful pursuits. The hardest thing to deal with when contemplating quitting is the shame and fear of what friends will think. I recently worked with someone who was planning on quitting one of the groups I’m involved with. She went back and forth on whether she should step back, with most of her anxiety directed at what the rest of the group would think. While I’m sure some of the people we worked with were not thrilled to see her go, none of us begrudged her when she eventually did leave. We all understood that she had to take care of herself, and leaving our group was the best thing for her. Am I saying that we should quit the moment the going gets tough? Of course not. Perseverance will often result in success down the road. We often need to do things we don’t enjoy in order to get things done. We need to recognize when it is time for us to step away as gracefully as possible and hand the reins over to someone more passionate or more capable. Quitting will cause discomfort, hurt feelings, and hurt pride. People may get angry and projects may suffer. But when the alternative is skiing yourself head-first into a tree, sometimes bailing out and starting anew is the best option.
Oversigning persists in recruiting process When four-star defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson turned down Tech to commit to Alabama on Wednesday, it probably should not have been a surprise. It’s hard to fault a top prospect for spurning Tech for the defending national champions. There’s a slight issue, though. With Tomlinson and other Signing Day commits in tow, Alabama received letters of intent from 26 players for its 2012 class, meaning they have committed to one scholarship over the limit of 25 imposed by the SEC starting this season. It could and would have been worse, though, if Alabama had not already taken questionable steps to avoid the problem. Two longtime Alabama commits, running back Justin Taylor and defensive tackle Darius Philon, had their scholarship offers revoked by coach Nick Saban in January without warning. Suddenly, just days before National Signing Day, each player found himself without a scholarship despite having been committed to Alabama for months. Mark them down as two new entries on the ever-growing list of victims of oversigning, a disgusting practice that has gained a foothold at several major programs. It’s a tactic that always ensures that teams that oversign will be able to fill out their 85-scholarship allotments, provided they are willing to betray players who have
The change from one-year deals to four-year deals, while technically separate from the oversigning debate, would give players much more security upon signing by forcing coaches to be far more accountable. There is a case to be made Nishant Prasadh that with the freedom recruits Development Editor have to jump from school to school and switch commitments, college coaches almost players in back-to-back classes. have to oversign to ensure they South Carolina’s Steve Spurri- reach 85 scholarships each seaer and Arkansas’ Bobby Petri- son, even if a few recruits are no have historically abused the stepped on along the way. It’s a completely unfair practice and have spoken in favor of it, citing the flexibility comparison, though. Where the loss of one or two recruits it offers to support their case. It’s pretty pathetic. Even in a 24-person recruiting class Alabama’s Saban said that try- will hardly cripple a program’s ing to achieve a 25-player class ability to compete, withdrawal was “difficult,” ignoring the of a scholarship offer to a comfact that the vast majority of mitted recruit can be devastatthe nation has had little trou- ing to the player, leaving him ble accepting this completely without a school and, in most cases, without any other offers. sensible practice. The two spurned Alabama There have been fairly successful efforts to crack down recruits, Philon and Taylor, on oversigning. The Big Ten were lucky enough to sign has been one of the most in- with other SEC schools in the novative conferences in college end…but if they had not had athletics, and its policies on those offers, they would have oversigning are no exception. had to accept Saban’s “offer” to Schools are never allowed to let them grayshirt at Alabama. It’s a simple sign of the be more than three scholarships above the limit of 85 for power that oversigning-prone any reason, and internal dis- coaches can wield to manipucussions have persuaded nine late their recruits. Increased of the 12 schools to shift from awareness of the practice has renewable one-year scholar- produced change, oversigning ships to four-year grants as of will not truly be curbed until this season, an approach that a more formal regulations are handful of schools around the put in place at both the NCAA and conference levels. country are adopting.
“[The] withdrawal of a scholarship offer to a committed recruit can be devastating to the player.”
committed on the promise of a scholarship offer. What happens to the victims of oversigning varies from case to case, but none end cleanly. Many are asked to grayshirt, or defer enrollment by a year to count toward the following year’s class. Those with poor grades are often sent to junior colleges to improve their academics. The most brutal tactic, though, is the “medical hardship,” something that Alabama has allegedly abused heavily. Here, a rarely-used scholarship player already on the roster is forced to accept a release from the team under the guise of a nonexistent medical issue. He can no longer play and, more importantly, no longer counts for the 85-scholarship limit. Oversigning and its effects result from a push to get as much talent on the roster as possible, so it is little surprise that many of the schools known to habitually oversign are in the cutthroat SEC. Former Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt once signed 30 and 37
BUZZ
Around Campus
Do you think that concealed carry should be allowed on campus?
Nicole Garcia First-year MSE
“Because the police [literally] can’t be everywhere and because we are in the middle of Atlanta, yes.”
Kaitlin Ahlstedt First-year BCHM
“If they have proper permits for it, they should be allowed to.”
Jake Wetherall Third-year ISYE
“With proper licenses students should be allowed to carry weapons.”
Rohan Nagarkar Fourth-year ECE
“I think it’s a horrible idea.” Photos by Sharad Gopal / Student Publications
OPINIONS
8 • February 3, 2012 • Technique
OUR VIEWS Hot or Not
HOT– or –NOT North Ave. Dining
Early birds and night owls alike got some good news this week, as GT Dining announced that the North Ave. Dining Hall would be resuming hot breakfast and 24-hour service, effective Feb. 5. This comes as welcome news, particularly to residents of the complex who can grab a hot breakfast on the way to class or take a snack break from latenight cram sessions.
Architect Alumnus
Tech’s College of Architecture was paid a visit by one of its more distinguished alumni this week, as Michael Arad, the architect behind the 9/11 memorial in New York City, spoke at a David C. Allen Lecture. Arad’s design for the memorial was completed and dedicated at a ceremony marking the tenth anniversary of 9/11.
Slidin’ Along
The men’s basketball team simply cannot catch a break. A slim halftime lead at No. 21 Florida State evaporated as the Jackets dropped the road contest 68-54. The Jackets are 1-7 midway through the ACC schedule and have now lost 10 of their last 11 contests. A return home will hopefully help, but perhaps not: The Jackets are 0-5 in “home” games at Philips Arena this season.
Untimely Texting
The football team will have to add a new assistant coach after Todd Spencer, who oversaw the offensive tackles, resigned some time after committing a recruiting violation. In November, Spencer sent two impermissible texts to a recruit and was suspended before handing in his resignation. As of press time, there is no word on a replacement.
Notice something HOT or NOT around campus? Email us at opinions@nique.net.
Some fees worth increasing, despite burden of Regents’ fee Tech equals a great education. Not only for the numerous benefits a degree will yield upon graduating, but also for the privileges students enjoy while in school. Tech strives to solicit solutions and ideas from its truly gifted student body to solve institutewide problems. In the levying of student fees, Tech is no different. The Mandatory Student Fee Advisory Committee is tasked with forming a recommendation each spring to the President as to how the five fees should be modified on behalf of students and the rest of the Tech community. Deciding how much of students’ money will be spent, and on what, is one of the most sobering duties student leaders have. The Board of Regents rocked the student body last April with its decision to increase the Special Institutional Fee by $350 per semester to a total of $544 per semester. The climate surrounding student fees could not be more tense as students struggle to find a way to fund this added burden. For graduate students, the effect was a pay cut. Clearly, any recommendation to self-impose a fee increase must come with a concrete need. This year, above all others, the committee’s responsibility to thoroughly investigate the need for fee increases would be all the more important. I firmly believe that’s exactly what we did. Only two fees were recommended for an increase and were done so for a total increase of $11 per semester, one of the lowest proposed increases in years. The Health Fee was recommended to be increased by $6 per semester to offset increased Institute Overhead charges and
“Deciding how much of students’ money will be spent...is one of the most sobering responsibilities student leaders have.” James Black Graduate Student Body President
changes to Board of Regents policy on employee benefits. Institute Overhead is charged for centralized Tech services that the Health Center utilizes at no direct cost. Unfortunately, Institute Overhead was instituted in FY2010 to be phased in over multiple years. This year is the fourth year of consecutive overhead increases which are passed on directly to students through fee increases. This is yet another way of billing students through fees for things that traditionally were handled via tuition revenue. Aside from this, in order to prevent employees from leaving the health center for jobs with benefits, workloads had to be increased to meet the minimum requirement set by the Board of Regents to remain eligible. The Transportation Fee was recommended to be increased by $5 per semester to meet increased contractual costs ($3 per semester) to maintain services at their current level. The other $2 per semester were added due to recent concerns about campus safety and the need for a more robust latenight bus service. An additional bus will be added to the Midnight Rambler route to cut wait times between buses in half (from 30 to 15 minutes). The committee also recommended maintaining the Athletic
Fee at its current level despite an increase request of $5 per semester. Proponents cited rising costs due to tuition and fee increases for athletes, but why should students who are currently struggling to pay their own fees have to pay more to cover athletes’ fees? I’d like to close with a serious reminder that the fee process we are privileged with here at Tech is undermined every time the Board of Regents institutes a modification of the SIF without soliciting input from committees such as Tech’s MSFAC or students in general. It’s clear to see that the process we hold so dear to debate $6 here or $5 there is rendered mute by their insistence that the SIF is the answer to decreased state funding and lottery revenues. I can tell you it’s not the answer and it isn’t the only solution to the problem. A better solution would be to expend some political capital and fuel the economic engine of the state by increasing Tech’s state appropriation. The general public complains about increasing tuition, but schools are forced to do so by the decisions of the very people they vote into the state legislature when cuts to state appropriations for education are made. There is a better way. Maybe it’ll just take more Tech grads in government positions to figure it out.
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Focus
focus@nique.net Focus Editor: Siddharth Gurnani Assistant Focus Editor: Gaines Halstead
This week’s Focus highlights philanthropic efforts undertaken by Tech students both in the community and around the world. For more content, visit nique.net/focus
Technique
9
Friday, February 3, 2012
Phi·lan·thro·py (noun): Goodwill to fellow members of the
human race; especially : active effort to promote human welfare 180° Kitchen teaches participants culinary arts By Avanti Joglekar Contributing Writer
The elimination of global poverty is an incredibly difficult goal to make a reality without focusing efforts and resources within the community structures most likely to result in sustainable progress. Tech invests in a variety of programs providing assistance to thirdworld countries abroad, yet the bubble created by a beautiful college campus makes it hard to imagine that the same lack of basic human needs including food and shelter plague an entire neighborhood within a 10-minute drive from the Student Center. Head down Northside Drive and turn onto Joseph E. Boone Blvd, where, amidst one of the worst neighborhoods in Atlanta, populated by the homeless, alcoholics, drug addicts, prostitutes and 4900 malnourished children under the age of 12, a nonprofit outreach facility called the City of Refuge exists to help the local community. Within the City of Refuge is the 180° Kitchen, named for the alternative path it offers less privileged 18-25 year old “at risk” youths
heading in the wrong direction, through training in the culinary arts. “The saying give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day, but teach him how to fish and he’ll eat for life represents the holistic approach we take at 180° Kitchen,” said Damon Sheppard, who facilitates the higher education in culinary nutrition provided by the program. The 12-week program does more than just feed the participants and the neighborhood; rather, it metaphorically teaches them “how to fish” via cultivating skills in the culinary realm, from the urban gardening projects to educate the youth on where food comes from, all the way to the preparation, delivery, and services aspects of the dining experience. Emphasis on the health benefits of proper nutrition empowers individuals with an education and valuable skills that help alleviate the barriers to a sustainable source of income and stability. “Solving an issue like poverty involves a relational process with long term commitments from organizations like City of Refuge to help a person walk the path from dependency to independence,” said Tony Jones, Director of Community Involvement.
Greeks head philanthropic efforts at Tech By Gaines Halstead Assistant Focus Editor
Leading the change for philanthropic efforts on campus, Greek organizations have their unique ways of helping give back. Social sorority Zeta Tau Alpha participates in monthly service events and annual fundraisers to raise awareness about breast cancer. Social fraternity Lambda Chi Alpha volunteers with the St. Baldrick’s foundation to shave their heads in order to raise awareness about childhood cancer. South Asian fraternity Alpha Iota Omicron’s philanthropy includes a large initiative to help those less fortunate in coun-
Color
tries throughout South Asia. Their annual 5K “India Run for Hope,” hosted ever year here at Tech, collects over $30,000 to combat cancer in India by providing the nation’s impoverished communities with the opportunity for cancer screening and treatment. Perhaps there isn’t a greater hands-on volunteering organization than that of the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity. By enlisting non-paid help to work and building supply donations to build with, the organization is able to build new homes or repair older ones at affordable costs for those less fortunate. Volunteers for Habitat for Humanity are responsible for
building over 50 houses and saving $50 million in labor costs every year in the AtlantaMetro area. One of the most recognized events in the world has become a cornerstone of Tech’s philanthropic efforts. The Relay for Life is part of the American Cancer Society’s national and annual fundraiser project designed to help put an end to cancer. Last year, employees from the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center helped build a house. It is not only the students that are doing the work, but faculty and other employees are helping out with the initiative as well.
EWB develops solutions for impoverished By Lorelyn Kilby Contributing Writer
Designing and implementing a solar powered well for the villagers of Mungoa-Goa, Cameroon, removing uranium and arsenic from water sources in the Navajo Nation: These are just two of the many projects the Georgia Tech Chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB) are working on currently. This humanitarian group puts their engineering skills to work by developing and implementing solutions to health hazards in de-
veloping communities. EWB is a national non-profit organization that helps student chapters create solutions for health infrastructure needs. Travel costs are covered by funds raised through donations and corporate sponsorship. Currently at seventy-five members, EWB-GT has several active projects and is constantly working to spread philanthropy throughout the campus. In Oct. 2011, they organized the inaugural “Designing for Good” competition, a challenge in which small groups of students competed against one another to provide an improved design for refugee camps. In addition to improving health on a global scale, EWB has several local outreach pro-
grams that service the community. They have many education opportunities and fundraising initiatives. This organization serves as a resource for students to both raise their awareness of health concerns as well as building engineering skills in a humanitarian setting, both locally and internationally.
FOCUS
Soap project recycles, fights disease By Emily Moran Contributing Writer
Sometimes, the biggest problems have the smallest solutions. Derreck Kayongo illustrates this concept brilliantly. After a tough childhood as a refugee in Uganda, he moved to the U.S. to create a better life for those back home that are less fortunate than him by tackling a huge epidemic with a simple solution. Millions die every year because of a lack of basic cleanliness: since 2009, seven million children have died due to disease that could have been prevented with proper hygiene. Kayongo’s idea started with a stay at a hotel, where he noticed his soap was replaced every day although he barely used it. When he inquired the fate of the lightly used soap, he discovered it was all being thrown away: not even recycled. While this seems like an insignificant fact, in fact an estimated three million bars of soap per day are thrown away. Kayongo found an ingenious way to bridge the gap between the waste of the hotel industry and the lack of sanitation measures in less developed countries. In 2009, he began asking for hotels in the Buckhead area for their used soap and was given, in all, about 500 pounds of soap by the Intercontinental after his first presentation. While maintaining a full-time
job, he faced the challenges of finding the time to collect soap, lifting and loading soap, usually with only his wife to help, and spending time and money trying to network with potential donors. The work was physically demanding, and it put a financial strain on his family. With determination, Kayongo was able to get the Global Soap Project off the ground and managed to begin sending soap to various countries in need. Fast forward three years, and the success of The Global Soap Project is evident. Desmond Tutu, a South African Nobel Peace Prize winner, gave a nod of approval to Kay-
ongo’s work. “So many times you think that the best feeling comes from helping poor people, the whole reason we do this. But the best feeling was getting recognition from him [Tutu], it felt like we received part of his Nobel Peace Prize,” Kayongo said. Last year, Kayongo received national recognition for his work as a Top Ten Finalist in CNN’s Hero’s Awards. Through this publicity and the efforts of the Kayongo family and dedicated volunteers, The Global Soap Project has been able to send soap to Afghanistan, Haiti, Uganda, Kenya, See Soap, page 12
Photo by Will Folsom / Student Publications
Volunteers help out at the warehouse in Norcross, Ga., where they clean, shred, disinfect, process, cut and distribute used soap.
Technique • February 3, 2012 • 11
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.
Giving back to the community By Julia Wayne Contributing Writer
Service projects aren’t just beneficial for the recipients — they also allow Tech students to leave campus and meet interesting people and get to see and explore other areas of Atlanta. “I volunteered as the manager of the concession stand for the North Metro Miracle League. It made me feel like I could contribute to people’s wellbeing without being a professional,” said Joey Benamy, a second-year CE major. Other students choose to join service-oriented organizations in order to constantly have opportunities to volunteer with a set group of people. “I joined [Omega Phi Alpha] because I wanted a chance to meet girls who like doing service and having fun as much as I do,” said Laurel Street, a first-year INTA major. Omega Phi Alpha is a service sorority open to all girls on campus. “I’ve volunteered at the Boys and Girls Club. Upcoming projects include volunteering at a local furniture bank that makes furniture accessible to low-income families and helping with the AIDS memorial quilt,” Street said. Another important part of service lies with those who organize
the projects and encourage other students to take part. “I plan projects with contacts I’ve gained online or through past experiences. Last semester, a couple of sisters and I took part in finishing the construction of a house in the Bankhead neighborhood,” said Katie Flint, Director of Community Service for Alpha Phi and a third-year STaC major. “I’ve gone on Trailbazer trips, which involve restoring nature trails while hiking through the woods,” said Trisha Long, a firstyear ISyE major. Service can even involve leaving the country. A Tech organization, GT Trailblazers, organizes alternative spring breaks. For some students, however, a week or two isn’t enough. “I’m going to Africa this summer to teach kids English,” said Taylor Donnell, a first-year ChBE major. “It’s part of the army’s mission to develop soldiers that are more aware of other cultures so that the army knows I’m not just learning about war, I’m learning about other people and how to best represent the US in front of them.” Regardless of where you are, or who you’re helping, philanthropy evokes joy and compassion from within.
12 • February 3, 2012 • Technique
Alumni donations, gifts help build campus By Nirav Bhatia Contributing Writer
There is no greater gift than the gift of giving, especially when the gifts are given to Tech by former students. Alumni contributions make up a large part of the effort to help better both our school and our campus as a whole. Be it Klaus’s socket-ready tables or the colossal Bobby Dodd stadium, Tech needs money for development. To fulfill the high demands, Tech’s fundraising campaign initially had a target of 1 billion dollars, but what’s better than a billion dollars? Try 1.5 billion. To assist Tech in achieving its fundraising target, alumni give back to Tech in three forms: gifts, pledges, or deferred pledges, a method in which the donor includes Tech in his or her will. “Alumni provide 50 percent of all philanthropy that comes to Tech, which is atypically huge,” said Barrett Carson, Vice President of Development. Even the co-op program is a reality thanks to alumni generosity. A seven-figure endowment by Newton W. Thomas supports many of the engineering students who participate in the co-op program. About 50,000 to 75,000 of Tech’s donations are given to one in four members of the faculty and put towards a variety of different needs, ranging from helping fac-
ulty with their research efforts to providing lab equipment to high school students. With all this, the question that obviously arises in one’s mind is: why give back? The answer: rigor. The academic rigor at Tech prepares its graduates to go above and beyond in any work environment and other high performance situations throughout life. Tech graduates are one of the most sought-after individuals by corporations and it this desirability that provides a rewarding income. When a company like Facebook or Apple approaches a student nearing graduation, whom do they ultimately have to thank? None other than the very institution that gave them the opportunity to excel at that level. The reasons alumni give back are plenty. “They want to increase the size and quality of school, improve faculty,” Carson said. They also want to improve student experience by making the campus more beautiful by adding walkways, trees, and benches everywhere. Even parents give back, out of the desire for their child to succeed at this institution. “Corporations, after alumni, are the largest philanthropists at Tech and they simply want to invest in an extremely talented pool of individuals who can eventually serve them in the best possible
Photo by Josh Sandler / Student Publications
Tech’s development office is located in the Wardlaw building on North Avenue. Administrators here help raise capital for projects. way,” Carson said. It is important that we all don’t just walk out of Tech and never look back at the institution that gave us a world-class education and led us to our dream job or career. If we were all to do so, we would be denying many more wishing to be in our positions. It is not just a privilege, but an honor to be a Tech alumnus
and without the support of the alumni, there wouldn’t be Grant Field, Bill Moore Success Center, Marcus Nanotechnology building, Zelnak Basketball Center, or many other pillars that make Tech a superior institution. “Philanthropy makes a very big difference at Tech,” Carson said. As future alumni, it is our responsibility to maintain that tradition of giving back.
Soap
from page 11
Swaziland, Ghana, South Sudan, St. Lucia and Uzbekistan. While publicity has helped the organization immensely, there are still several ways to get involved and help out. The best way to do so is to volunteer at the warehouse in Norcross (for more information visit http://www.GlobalSoap.org). Get a group of friends together and spend a day doing meaningful work. Another equally important way to help is to spread awareness. Create an event for Global Handwashing Day, Oct. 15, and let others know how important basic hygiene is to saving lives. Or go the extra mile. Create an on-campus group to raise awareness and help get others involved in the Global Soap Project. Yet another way to get involved is to raise money for the Global Soap Project. “Every bar of soap we make costs about 15 cents; so for about every $100 dollars that gets donated we can send about 100 bars of soap, which is amazing. You can’t buy soap for that cheap in the US,” Kayongo said. Also, every time you stay at a hotel, ask them what they do with their soap, and educate them about the Global Soap Project. Kayongo envisions that every hotel in the US will wake up to the notion of recycling soap and hopes to make the Global Soap Project truly global by acquiring soap from hotels throughout the world and re-distributing it as needed.
Entertainment
entertainment@nique.net Entertainment Editor: Hank Whitson Assistant Entertainment Editor: Jonathan Peak
Technique
13
Friday, February 3, 2012
Soulcalibur’s story shallow, character creation deep
image courtesy of Namco
GAMES
Soulcalibur V CONSOLE: PS3, Xbox 360 GENRE: Fighting DEVELOPER: Namco RATING: T RELEASED: Jan. 31
OUR TAKE: ««««« By Brent Hornilla Contributing Writer
Lately, the fighting game scene has been dominated by 2-D franchises like last year’s Mortal Kombat and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom, so the recent release of Soulcalibur V is a welcomed one. For those unfamiliar with the genre, Soulcalibur is a weaponsbased, 3-D fighting game featuring horizontal, vertical, and kick attacks.
Core basics aside, there have been a number of significant changes, key among them being the removal of the Soul Gauge and the introduction of the Critical Gauge. This new gauge functions similarly to the super meters in just about every other fighting game, filling up as you give and take damage so that you can use it later to execute a flashy super move (“critical edge”) or to beef up a normal one (“brave edge”). Parries have also been replaced with a more advanced Guard Impact that repels any attack at cost of some Critical Gauge. More advanced players will be glad to hear the 8-Way Run system is still in place, but with the addition of a double-tap for side-stepping. This new fighting system runs smoothly for newbies and veterans alike, but some may find themselves disappointed with its similarity to other franchises. While the game boasts some new characters, most
of them play like older characters with new skins, notable exceptions being Natsu (Taki’s demonimbued apprentice), Ezio (of Assasin’s Creed fame), and Devil Jin (accessibly only by character customization). That being said, there is a lot to desire outside of actual matches. The story mode follows Patroklos (and only Patroklos), son of Sophitia from previous installments, on his quest to rid his sister of the “malfestation” that has befallen her from contact with Soul Edge. This is a twist for any fighting game, as convention is to have a brief story for every character to tell a greater story from multiple perspectives, but while the idea is a step in the right direction, its execution is definitely flawed. The plot itself isn’t that interesting, and the few redeeming cut scenes are overshadowed by endless storyboarding and poor voice acting. More often
than not, players will find themselves frustrated with Patroklos. This forces players to endure a story they probably won’t care for with a character they might not be comfortable with. The standard arcade and quick battle modes are still present but none are all that impressive. However, to judge a fighting game by its lack of an immersive single player wouldn’t be fair. Visually, the character designs and stages are wonderful to look at, with some stages even featuring multiple tiers. True to expectations, the franchise still boasts the most expansive customization system of any fighting game. Players
can detail just about every feature, from their character’s voice to their facial scars. The clothing selection itself ranges from suits of armor to polka-dotted miniskirts. While move sets are borrowed from the game’s pre-existing characters, it’s important to note that height will actually affect game play through reach and attack rating. You can even bring your custom characters online, which is where most of the fun is anyway. Making people rivals allows head-to-head stat comparison, and thanks to Global Colosseo, you can even meet other players locally. While certainly not the pinnacle of the franchise, Soulcalibur V is a great game with solid ame play. Diehard fans and new players alike will be able to enjoy it so long as they aren’t afraid to play online, but if they’re looking for something with an in-depth and moving story, Soulcalibur V is not the best choice.
image courtesy of Namco
SOPA-style legislation jeopardizes online entertainment By Joe Murphy Contributing Writer
Imagine a world without free knowledge. This was the message that awaited the millions of people who tried to log in to the hugely popular online reference site Wikipedia on Jan. 18. Viewers soon found that access was restricted to the site for an entire 24-hour period, the reason being that Wikipedia, along with hundreds of other popular sites including Google and Tumblr, was participating in what was soon to be called the largest online protest in history. The target of this protest was the government’s recent
proposition of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and PROTECT IP Act (PIPA), which if carried out would have allowed corporations to shut down websites that distribute any form of copyrighted material. All protesting sites (excluding Google) completely shut themselves down, giving the public a taste of what the effects of these two acts might be. Of course such censorious legislation has been proposed in the past, but without much effect. Bills like the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) in 1998 sought to enforce the rules of copyright infringement on the Internet, but were proven to be
easily circumvented by Internet pirates. SOPA and PIPA, on the other hand, take a much more aggressive approach, allowing corporations to demand government intervention without first seeking court orders and due process. The acts would also entail harsher penalties for pirates, including stiff fines and jail time. In effect, this would allow enormous entertainment corporations like News Corp, Sony and Time Warner to shut down any sites they accuse of violating copyright terms. Due to the massive number of protestors mentioned above and President Obama’s opposition,
both bills have been postponed indefinitely. But in no way does this mean that the legislation is gone for good, and the question of what would happen to the entertainment industry if both bills pass still remains. Hollywood lobbied hard for SOPA and PIPA. From the movie studios’ perspective, the bills would simply ensure that earnings went to the right people. For example, the Motion Picture Association of America has been cheated out of billions in revenue due to the enormous number of pirated films available on the Internet. In addition, music that is illegally downloaded robs musicians
of money that should rightfully be theirs. Lawful compensation, therefore, would be one of the key policies implemented by the SOPA and PIPA bills, and would most likely be considered a reasonable undertaking to the average working-class citizen. However, the fact remains that a substantial portion of the population still opposes SOPA and PIPA despite the studios intellectual property claims. The reason for this opposition is that the two bills would prohibit much more than just illegal downloading of film or music. In fact, if the bills See Piracy, page 15
14 • February 3, 2012 • Technique
Money juvenile, unconvincing FILM
One For the Money GENRE: Romance STARRING: Katherine Heigl DIRECTOR: Julie Anne Robinson
CITY SCENE
RATING: PG-13 RELEASE DATE: Jan. 27
Photo by Chris Gooley / Student Publications
OUR TAKE: « «««««
By Lauren Payne Staff Writer
By Lorelyn Kilby Contributing Writer
Only one month into the new year, the book One For the Money has already set some pretty high standards that will be near impossible to top. The story, based on the work of author Janet Evanovich, follows the trials of Stephanie Plum, an independent woman born and bred in New Jersey who struggles to stay above hard financial times. In desperation for some cash after her car is taken by debt collectors, Plum convinces her cousin to give her a job as a recovery agent for his bail bonding business. Out of her element and unprepared to face the criminals she is tasked to bring in, Plum receives aid from “Ranger,” a bounty hunter at the top of his game. Plum immediately jumps on the case with the highest reward: bringing in vice cop Joe Morelli, a sexy man from Plum’s past who left her bitter with no compassion or pity. The hour that follows is packed with witty banter and a cat and mouse game between Morelli and Plum, until Plum realizes she’s in over her head and things are more dangerous than she imagined. In true chick flick fashion, she has a moment of revelation during which she becomes gung-ho bounty hunter and com-
Vinyl record show Photo courtesy of Lakeshore Entertainment
mits to getting to the bottom of a mysterious murder. The movie, however, does little to capture the playful and comic moments of Evanovich’s novel. For those who have not read the book, the finished film was like a stone skipped across a lake, giving the audience ripples of a story, but leaving no desire to dive in. The story was shallow with little character development to show what life Plum had been living, alienating the audience and leaving no context with which to relate. The lack of character development left events unimportant, making the movie fairly anti-climatic. The story line itself was unrealistic and so typical it might make a Mary-Kate and Ashley movie gag. Somehow even more unrealistic than the plot line was Heigl’s “Jersey” accent. It was as if her voice coach sat her in front of a marathon of Jersey Shore followed by a class in vocal delivery by Jenna Marbles. However, if it were not for her awful attempts at convincing the audience she was
from Jersey, the movie would be far less comically entertaining. As far as romantic interests go, there is about as much sexual tension in the movie as a game of Truth or Dare at a sixth grade party. Katherine Heigl looks great in the movie, with her body featuring as one of the only redeeming qualities. While the two male co-stars (Jason O’Mara and Daniel Sunjata) are both as fit as action figures, there’s no “action” in these Barbies. Any flirty interactions were sarcastic jabs cut short of anything serious. Director Julie Anne Robinson, also responsible for The Last Song, failed to capture the story that has been so popular on paper. Overall it was impressively fickle, even for a chick-flick. Between the bad accents, predictable story, and lack of action, this movie lacks creativity and more serious themes making it a hard watch for even the most open-minded. One can only hope the sequel, Two for the Dough, does a better job in recreating Evanovich’s visions.
Come celebrate the culturally enduring vinyl record this Saturday, Feb. 4, at the Highland Inn Ballroom Lounge from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Take the opportunity to reminisce and connect with fellow record enthusiasts, enjoy live performances from local bands, and browse rare record collections all for an enticing entrance fee of $0. Vinyl records of myriad age and genre will be on sale, and food and drink will be readily available. Bring a friend, steep in nostalgia for a beloved relic of 20th century culture, and spare yourself from an otherwise empty Saturday afternoon.
Mandala art show Swiss psychologist Carl Jung once stated that the mandala (Sanskrit for “circle”) embodies “a safe refuge of inner reconciliation and wholeness” and often used this artistic medium as a psychoanalytic tool and form of therapy for his patients. The Oglethorpe University Museum of Art opens its doors to the general public on Sunday, Feb. 5, for a firsthand viewing of The Sacred Round: Mandalas by the Patients of Carl Jung. The exhibit also features a handmade book containing the drawings and dream descriptions of one of Jung’s patients. For a humble fee of $5, fight the Freudian machine and get to know Jung’s innovative approach towards the psychoanalytic method.
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Announcements Silverwood Recording Studios (Midtown/Douglasville) Fullservice recording studio and video production company. Georgia Tech staff and students receive a 20% discount. Web: studio.silverwood.com Phone: (678) 653-1883
ENTERTAINMENT
Technique • February 3, 2012 • 15
Del Rey divisive, destined for controversy MUSIC
Lana Del Rey Born To Die LABEL: Interscope GENRE: Pop, Alternative TRACK PICKS: “Blue Jeans,” “National Anthem” and “Radio”
OUR TAKE: «««««« By Jonathan Peak Assistant Entertainment Editor
Lana Del Rey was one of the most hyped artists of the past few months after the release of her single “Videogames” last October propelled her into the blogosphere limelight. The attention only increased after her performance on Saturday Night Live was slapped with the unbecoming label of “worst performance ever.” True to the adage that “any press is good press,” the excitement around her major label debut only increased as netizens jumped to both ferociously attack and vehemently defend her. All this culminated last Tuesday (Jan. 31) when Born To Die was released to strong sales and polarizing reviews. Del Rey’s given name is Lizzy Grant, under which she drew a bit of attention in 2008 with her first EP. However, after an album, a name change, and subsequent erasure of any previous material Lana
Del Rey was ready to expose her self-proclaimed “gangsta Nancy Sinatra” persona to audiences. On her album, Del Rey astutely deconstructs American culture over the course of 12 tracks. On the surface her album could be a non-stop party anthem, name dropping more brands of alcohol than any rapper. However, behind the Cristal, Bacardi and Pabst Blue Ribbons are self-important, sometimes clever, but often vacuous lyrics with content most comparable to Lady Gaga’s work. Each paints a picture of a lost America, youth with nowhere to go on a search for purpose and religion — but ultimately losing themselves in booze and sex. But both conclude that’s just fine; one deciding we were Born This Way, the other we were Born To Die. But while Gaga’s records could be the party, Del Rey’s feels more like the hangover: full of regret and heavy weariness. And morose her album is, every song a slow-burning, tear-filled manifesto of lament. However, Del Rey creates a unique album that feels truly “American,” using seemingly every trope from popular music in the past 20 odd years. Ballads like “Born To Die” and “Blue Jeans” feature in the background cat calls often reserved for the raunchiest rap songs. She does her best Gwen Stefani, faux-rapping her way through the tracks “Off to the Races” and “Diet Mountain Dew.”
Photo courtesy of Interscope Records
For “National Anthem,” Del Rey pulls the strings almost directly from The Verve and channels Rihanna’s stuttering vocals on “Summertime Sadnessa.” Del Rey’s voice changes almost every song, ranging from the dark, husky vocals of Cher to the highpitched squeals of a Bollywood singer. Through all of these contrasts, Del Rey still manages to create a cohesive album, which, though slow, never bores. Del Rey is essentially a contrasting artist and persona — one destined to be both hated and loved. Though ambitious, Born To Die never raises itself above the mere pretense of promoting Del Rey’s view of what America is and should be. Instead Del Rey’s strong songwriting capability carries the album; when the glum lyrics and obtuse production are
removed and only bare melodies are left, they are undeniably some of the catchiest in the business. Interesting, however, is how far her promoters will go in the fight against detractors. Del Rey’s SNL performance was flat and off-key, both musically and artistically, and deserved criticism — though “worst ever” may go too far. Many major music outlets already awarded her the “Next Big Thing” and are now faced with the reality that maybe she’s not all that. It will be interesting to see how the public reacts as the gap between tastemakers’ and consumers’ whimsies comes to a head. Del Rey is by no means a bad artist, but rather one whose music and persona prove to be more conflicting and divisive than likable, warranting a listen simply for juxtaposing all of what is America into one album.
Piracy
from page 13
were put into action, web-masters would become responsible for anything that is posted on their site’s forums. Bloggers would even be held accountable for content posted in comments. The use of company logos, even those found on a Google Image search, could lead to legal intervention if the company deemed it a form of copyright infringement. Perhaps some of the most radical changes would occur on sites like YouTube. If SOPA and PIPA were passed, remixed songs, television episodes, and game replays could be criminalized and those responsible for unauthorized redistribution could be prosecuted. In order to avoid liability, video sharing sites would have to manually review the content of each submission before making them publicly viewable, negating the possibility of immediate uploads. This is obviously a complicated issue. While the bills would allow traditional entertainment moguls to exist and thrive in a digital world, the considerable cons are the potential for censorship and sending online creativity into a steep nosedive. The bills have been struck down for now, America is holding its breath, and the Internet continues to be the largest source of media and information in history. But if similar bills are put into effect, they would fundamentally alter the face of the internet. We may have to ask ourselves if we are prepared to live in a world where what goes online is controlled.
ENTERTAINMENT
Technique • February 3, 2012 • 17
Theme Crossword: Highs and Lows By James Barrick United Features Syndicate ACROSS
1. Inbox clutter 5. Unfriendly 10. Fig genus 15. Jane Austen title 19. “For -- -- Jolly Good Fellow” 20. Control system, for short 21. Love 22. Midday 23. Uncertain: 4 wds. 25. Impoverished: 3 wds. 27. Borrowed term or expression 28. Carapace 30. Hollow stone 31. Corn spikes 32. All -- lead to Rome 33. Crop 34. “Annie --” 37. Mohair relative 38. In a joyous way 42. Of snow-capped peaks DOWN
1. Synagogue 2. Gourd 3. ‘80’s supergroup 4. Affected 5. On solid ground 6. Dastardly looks 7. Toward the mouth 8. Egg: Prefix 9. Indeed, of old 10. Withered 11. Solid anagram 12. Monk’s hood 13. Vessel with a spigot
43. In good order: Hyph. 46. Apocalypse 47. Honey wine 48. Draconian 49. Organic compound 50. WAVE relative 51. Raggedy -52. Certain club members 53. Cane 54. -- -- hand 56. Prolonged meeting 58. Tribunal 59. Presses down 60. Ancestral groups 61. “-- Idiot Brother” 62. Saint -63. Take as a given 64. Outpouring 66. Fax predecessor 69. Saddle animal 70. Digital money: Hyph. 71. Linden and Holbrook 72. Coffee, disparaged 73. -- Ben Canaan
74. Verbatim 75. Knowing 77. Glacial frag. 78. Ripped 80. End-of-flight event 82. “Ars --, vita brevis” 83. Writing paper: 2 wds. 85. Pindarics 86. Band for a sleeve 87. Pummel 88. “-- moi, le deluge” 90. Encore! 91. -- plexus 93. Disinfect 94. Worth saving 98. Available to all: 3 wds. 100. Ruined 102. Certain bond, for short 103. Start 104. Tsar’s order 105. Role in “Othello” 106. Prompt 107. Accepts 108. Alma -109. Put in storage
14. Tropical shore plant: 2 wds. 15. Equipped 16. “-- Indigo” 17. Pouting look 18. Emmet 24. Aka Clemens 26. Unmixed 29. Glory relative 32. Decomposes 33. Dull, heavy sound 34. Lorenzo of “Falcon Crest” 35. Coeur d’-36. Showing promise:
Hyph. 37. Rathskeller fare 38. Order 39. Purchase requirement: 2 wds. 40. Lots 41. Org. founded in 1844 43. Marriage notice 44. Makeup 45. Arab VIP 48. Favorite place 52. Easy to break 53. “-- Pacific” 54. Spikes 55. Send forth
57. Word in a threat 58. Moves effortlessly 59. Stiffened fabric 62. Memorize 63. Gay -64. Source of dandruff 65. Cousin to the agouti 66. Defrosts 67. A stamping out 68. -- Rice Burroughs 69. Sagan or Sandburg 70. Citizen overseas, for
short 74. Snail on a plate 75. Postscript 76. Troubles 77. Aurora -79. Scandal sheet 81. Circle dance 82. Pupa antecedent 84. Nonsense poet 86. Linksman 88. “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” playwright
89. Troublesome ones 90. Church house 91. Secondary track 92. Point -- -- return 93. Hogshead 94. Slap 95. Raucous sound 96. Toy-blocks brand 97. Sufficiently, once 98. Game VIP 99. Letters in genetics 101. Russian river
18 • February 3, 2012 • Technique
COMICS
Piled Higher & Deeper by Jorge Cham
Non Sequitur by Wiley
SUDOKU PUZZLE by sudokucollection.com Crossword Solution from page 17
COMICS
Non Sequitur by Wiley
DILBERT ® by Scott Adams
Technique • February 3, 2012 • 19
20 • February 3, 2012 • Technique
SPORTS
2012 GEORGIA TECH FOOTBALL SIGNEES Position
Hometown
Dennis Andrews
QB
Tallahassee, Fla.
Micheal Summers
WR
Statesboro, Ga.
Freddie Burden
OL
Statesboro, Ga.
Marcus Allen
BB
Hilliard, Fla.
Francis Kallon
DE
Lawrenceville, Ga.
DJ White
CB
McDonough, Ga.
Anthony Autry
WR
Norcross, Ga.
Chase Roberts
OL
Duluth, Ga.
Pat Gamble
DT
Carrollton, Ga.
Adam Gotsis
DL
Victoria, Australia
Travin Henry
ATH
Sparks, Ga.
Ryan Rodwell
P
DeLand, Fla.
Tyler Stargel
LB
Orange Beach, Ala.
Lynn Griffin
S
Jacksonville, Fla.
Roderick Chungong
DE
Silver Springs, Md.
Justin Thomas
QB
Prattville, Ala.
Beau Hankins
LB
Birmingham, Ala.
Name
Jackets sign 17 in 2012 class By Alex Mitchell Senior Staff Writer
Feb. 2 marked the annual National Signing Day — the day where potential football recruits send their letters of intent to various schools. This year, Head Coach Paul Johnson and his staff managed to sign 17 players to become freshmen next season. The recruiting class is balanced with eight players on offense, eight on defense, and one special teams player. The special team’s player is punter Ryan Rodwell, and he is expected to help solve some of the team’s recent punting woes. On defense, the Tech recruiting class is heavy on defensive line. A total of four players are committed to play defensive line next year for the Jackets, but the standout of the group is defensive end Francis Kallon. Kallon played at Central Gwinnett High School this past season. He is originally from England, and just started playing football this past season. However, his lack of experience did not stop some of the top schools in the country from trying to persuade him to join their team. Tech received another defensive line commitment from another international prospect in defensive tackle Adam Gotsis. The Australia native was originally scouted by a former Hawaii player who played under Johnson at Hawaii, and at six-foot-five and 295
pounds, he should be competing to become Tech’s starting nose tackle in the coming years. A pair of linebackers also committed to Tech to help strengthen the front seven of the defense. Tyler Stargel and Beau Hankins are both expected to play inside linebacker in Tech’s 3-4 defense and come to Tech as three-star prospects. Stargel blocked four kicks as a senior, suggesting that he could be a force on special teams right away and help a unit that was a major weakness for Tech this past season. Hankins, meanwhile, could project as a ballhawk considering his four forced turnovers during his senior year. The Jackets also addressed concerns on offense with two running backs and two receivers to replace the starters they lost at those positions this season. Tech also received two letters of intent from quarterbacks. The biggest name in that group is B-back Marcus Allen of Hilliard, Fla. Allen, who is not related to the NFL Hall-of-Famer of the same name, but is related to longtime NFL star Champ Bailey, chose Tech primarily for the opportunity to play running back rather than linebacker. Quarterback Dennis Andrews was the first player to sign with Tech, and he is already enrolled in classes this semester. Andrews is
small for the position, but projects the athleticism necessary to play quarterback in Tech’s offense. Justin Thomas is the other quarterback that Tech signed on Wednesday, and he is Tech’s highest-rated recruit in the class. Thomas originally committed to Alabama as a cornerback, but decided to come to Tech so he could have a chance to play quarterback at the college level. Thomas is reportedly one of the fastest players in the nation coming out of high school, and he could create a bit of a quarterback controversy next season if he can learn the offense quickly enough. The offense also beefed up its offensive line with a pair of commitments from three-star guards. Both Chase Roberts and Freddie Burden come from Ga., and both come to the Flats with surprising athleticism. Even at 285 pounds, Roberts played tennis in high school while Burden played tight end. One positive for Burden is that he played for a run-dominated offense in high school that is similar to Tech’s scheme. Tech’s recruiting class includes eight players from Ga., four players from Fla., and four players from Al.. The eight from Ga. is the lowest number of commitments Tech has received since 2008. Tech’s recruiting class is currently ranked ninth in the ACC, according to ESPN.com.
Technique • February 3, 2012 • 21
SPORTS
Tennis drops two vs. ranked opponents By Joe Sobchuk Staff Writer
The No. 19 ranked men’s tennis team hosted the ITA KickOff Weekend for the first time in school history this past weekend, playing host to three other ranked teams in Auburn, Illinois, and North Carolina. The Jackets met the No. 20 ranked Auburn Tigers on Sunday, while the No. 18 ranked Tar Heels faced the No. 15 ranked Illini on Sunday, Jan. 29. The winners of the two matches met on Monday, with the winner of that match advancing to the ITA National Indoor Team Championships. The losers played a consolation match on Monday as well. The Jackets lost both of their matches, falling to Auburn 4-1 on Sunday and Illinois 4-3 on Monday. Senior Kevin King and junior Juan Spir, the second-ranked doubles pair in the country, gave the team an early lead with an 8-3 win over Auburn’s Alex Stamchev and Daniel Cochran. However, that would prove to be the Jackets’ only doubles victory as the Tigers’ Andreas Mies and Lukas Ollert beat junior Juan Melian Puigventos and freshman Vikram Hundal, 8-6 and Dennis Lengsfeld and Lucas Lopasso defeated senior Dusan Miljevic and freshman Eduardo Segura Mandarino, 8-5 to take the doubles point. King, who is also the nation’s No. 9 singles player, won the first
Photo by Josh Sandler / Student Publications
Kevin King hits a shot against Auburn’s Andreas Mies. King topped Mies 6-3, 6-3 before losing his singles match on Monday. singles match of the afternoon, besting No. 18 Andreas Mies in straight-sets, 6-3, 6-3. But Auburn responded, overcoming an early deficit by winning each of its remaining matches in straight-set fashion. Auburn’s Ollert defeated Hundal 6-3, 6-1, as Stamchev beat Spir 6-2, 6-4. Lengsfled eked
out a win in a tight match with Miljevic, 6-4, 7-5, to seal the 4-1 victory for the Tigers. The loss to Auburn meant that the Jackets would square off with the Illini in the third place consolation match. This match was a closer one for Tech compared to the previous day, but the Jackets
still fell short, 4-3. This was the third straight loss to a ranked team for the Jackets, whose record now sits at 1-3. Tech earned the doubles point in a sweep, as King and Spir defeated Illinois’ Dennis Nevolo and Farris Gosea 9-8 (7-3), while Melian and Hundal beat Tim Kopinski and Ross Guignon 8-5. The third doubles match was a close one between Miljevic and Segura and Illinois’ Bruno Abdelnour and Roy Kalmanovich, but was left unfinished at 8-8 as the Jackets had already clinched the point for doubles play. The Jackets could not find similar success in the singles matches, as they lost their first three to fall behind the Illini 3-1. Each of these losses was in straight sets, as Hundal lost 6-0, 6-2 to Gosea, Miljevic dropped a 6-1, 6-1 decision to Kopinski and Segura could not keep up with Illinois’ Guignon, falling 6-1, 6-1. The Jackets mounted a small comeback after that, tying the match at 3-3 with a 6-1,6-4 victory by Spir over Kalmanovich and a 7-5, 6-1 win over Abdelnoir by Melian. However, it would prove to be too little as Nevolo, the second-ranked singles player in the nation, bested King in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4 to earn the victory for his team. The loss was King’s first of the spring season. The Jackets will be back in action on Saturday, Feb. 4, when they host South Carolina.
Winning
from page 24
30 points and 17 rebounds. Once again, the Jackets started the game off slow, allowing Clemson to go on an 11-3 run through the first seven minutes. However, the Jackets rallied on a 12-4 run over the next five minutes to tie the game at 15-15. Both teams exchanged a series of field goals and turnovers to end the half before the Tigers went into the intermission up 27-26. Tech turned up the intensity level on the defensive side of the ball for a second straight game, holding the Tigers to 38 percent shooting in the second half while shooting 50 percent on the offensive end. Clemson came out of the locker room and quickly earned their largest lead of the game, going up 36-31 through the first three minutes. However, the Jackets struck back quickly, coming within one point after two straight baskets by Marshall. An 11-5 stretch by the Jackets gave them a 47-40 lead midway through the second half with two free throws by Goodlett. Despite efforts by the Tigers, they never came within two points of the Jackets through the rest of the game. The Jackets held Clemson to one basket through the last 4:22 of the game. The Jackets, with a 6-3 conference record, returned home to play against the N.C. State Wolfpack on Thursday, Feb. 2, after the time of press. They then will host the Maryland Terrapins on Monday, Feb. 6.
Technique • February 3, 2012 • 23
SPORTS
Stretch
Jackets succeed at Rod McGravy Inv.
from page 24
points scored by the Jackets was the third highest scoring total of the season. Udofia led the Jackets in the scoring through the game with 16 points on 14 shot attempts, and sophomore guard Jason Morris was the only other Tech player in double figures with 15 points. Freshman forward Julian Royal continued his streak of strong play in ACC contests posting nine points and six rebounds. The Jackets then travelled to Tallahassee, Fl., to face the Seminoles in what proved to be an early defensive battle. The two teams combined to shoot 15 of their 43 shot attempts in the first half, while only scoring a combined 49 points. Rice, the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, missed the game with a foot injury, adding to the Jackets’ woes. Without Rice, the team managed to come out on top in the first half with a 25-24 advantage. However, Tech’s defensive efforts were not as strong in the second half, as the Jackets allowed Florida State to shoot over 61 percent and hit six of their 10 three-point attempts to close out the 68-54 loss. The Seminoles started off the game quickly, kicking things off with a 14-5 run through the first seven minutes of the game. A jumper by sophomore center Daniel Miller with 11:24 left in the half lit a spark for the Jackets and begun an 18-8 run that gave the Jackets a 23-22 lead with just over three minutes left in the first period. The Jackets hit five of their eight shot attempts on the run, while adding seven points from the foul line. Two more free throws by Udofia gave the Jackets a narrow 25-24 lead going into the locker room. To start the second half, Florida State retook control of the
By Adam West Contributing Writer
Photo by Josh Sandler / Student Publications
The Tech Track and Field teams had a successful weekend at an event hosted in Lexington by the University of Kentucky. Athletes from Tech performed well all around and brought the school the gold in the men’s high jump. Senior Mykhail Chambers cleared 2.04 meters to take the gold medal in the high jump, while freshman Brandon Mbaba reached 1.99 meters for third place. In the women’s long jump, sophomore Julienne McKee leaped 5.97 meters for second place. McKee also placed second in the women’s triple jump with a distance of 12.46 meters. Senior Jhanelle Mcleod also placed in the top ten for the triple jump, clearing a distance of 11.88 meters.
The men had a productive day on the track, placing high in the mile run, the 200-meter dash, and the 800-meter run. Sophomore Alec Clifford, freshman Jeremy Greenwald and junior Eric Powers placed fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively, in the mile run. All three crossed the line within one second of each other, the first after 4:10.04, and the last after 4:10.82. In the 800-meter run, senior Rick Scheff and freshman Zack Fanelty placed fifth and seventh. Junior Perron Jones came in third in the 200-meter dash. For the women, freshman Stephanie Kalu finished in fourth place in the 60-meter dash with a final time of 7.52 seconds. The next event for the Jackets is the VT Elite Invitational in Blacksburg, Va., this weekend, Feb. 3-4.
Sophomore forward Kammeon Holsey shoots a layup. Holsey combined for 11 points and five rebounds in these two contests. game. With 18:34 left, Florida State’s Luke Loucks hit a jumper to put the Seminoles up 28-27, and the Jackets would never take the lead through the rest of the game. Tech struggled from the perimeter, allowing Florida State guard Michael Snaer to hit open three-point attempts throughout the half. Snaer scored 16 of his gamhigh 21 points in the second half on five of seven shooting from the field. Sophomore guard Brandon Reed scored a team and seasonhigh 18 points in the contest, hitting 50 percent of his shots through the game. Sophomore
center Daniel Miller was the only other Jacket to finish in double figures. However, the Jackets allowed three Florida State players to hit double figures in the game with each shooting over 70 percent. With the win, Florida State is tied at first place with North Carolina in the ACC with a 6-1 conference record. After posting the two losses, the Jackets fell to a league-worst 1-7 ACC record. The Jackets will look to turn their season around on Saturday, Feb. 4, at home against the Eagles of Boston College before hosting the N.C. State Wolfpack on Thursday, Feb. 9.
Photo courtesy of the GTAA
Perron Jones runs the 200-meter in an event earlier this season. Jones finished in third place in the 200-meter at the McGravy Inv.
Sports shorts
Kilborn named ACC Co-Player of the Week
Junior Elizabeth Kilborn earned ACC Women’s Tennis Co-Player of the Week honors on Tuesday, Jan. 31, after finishing the past week with a perfect 3-0 record. With the three wins, Kilborn improved her season record to 12-1 overall with a 6-1 singles record. Kilborn and her partner, senior Lynn Blau, have a perfect 6-0 record in doubles play. Against Georgia State and South Carolina, Kilborn dropped only two games in singles play, winning 6-0, 6-1 against Georgia State’s Maryna Kozachenko and 6-1, 6-0 against South Carolina’s Dijana Stojic.
Golf fifth after opening round of Amer Ari Inv.
With the Jackets’ golf team opened up their spring season in the Amer Ari Invitational on Wednesday, Feb. 1. The Jackets finished the first day of the tournament in fifth place behind Texas, UCLA, Washington and Southern California. Sophomores Richard Werenski and Bo Andrews both posted a score of 3-under-par 69 to lead the Jackets to a 10-under team total. Senior James White, an All-American, finished two-under-par along with freshman Anders Albertson to close out a strong day. The Jackets will conclude the tournament from Feb. 3-4, prior to the time of press.
Bard named to Stopper of the Year Watch List
Junior RHP Luke Bard was named to the Preseason Watch List by the Baseball Writers Association for their annual Stopper of the Year Award. Bard was named after eight saves and a 2-2 record in 2011.
sports@nique.net Sports Editor: Alex Sohani
17 Again
Technique
Alex Mitchell discusses the 17 new incoming recruits in the new 2012 recruiting class.420
Friday, February 3, 2012
24
Jackets hit worst stretch since 08-09 By Alex Sohani Sports Editor
Coming off of a 1-8 stretch over their last nine games, the Jackets were looking to turn things around during a two game road stretch against the No. 7 ranked North Carolina Tar Heels and the No. 21 ranked Florida State Seminoles. However, the Jackets were unable to put a win in the record books, falling 93-81 to the Tar Heels on Sunday, Jan. 29, before dropping another contest 68-54 to the Seminoles on Wednesday, Feb. 1. Tech fell to 1-10 over their last 11 games, the worst losing stretch since the 2008-09 season. The Jackets had their worst defensive performance of the season, allowing the Tar Heels to shoot over 54 percent for the game while giving up 15 turnovers. Junior guard Glen Rice Jr., the team’s leading scorer, struggled through the game, hitting two of his seven shot attempts and only four points through the contest. Rice finished the game missing both of his three-point attempts. North Carolina started the game off quickly, shooting 60 percent in the first half and knocking down 18 shots for 52 first half points. Within the first 20 seconds of the game, North Carolina’s Kendall Marshall hit an open three-point shot, which prompted an 11-4 start through the first three minutes of the game. The Jackets tried to respond with a quick three-point score by junior guard Mfon Udofia, but the Tar Heels went on a 7-0 run to take an 11 point, 18-7 lead. Despite the Tar Heels having early-season woes from behind the arc earlier in the season, they hit five three-point shots through the first ten minutes of play, blowing open a 30-18 lead. The Jackets never
Photo by Josh Sandler / Student Publications
Glen Rice Jr., the team’s leading scorer attempts a shot over a defender earlier this season. Rice struggled against the Tar Heels before sitting out against the Seminoles due to injury. closed the margin to under 11 points in the first half, eventually going into the locker room down 52-32. North Carolina finished the first half, hitting eight of their 12 three-point attempts, a season high.
Coming out to kick off the second half of the game, the Tar Heels continued with a strong shooting performance, only allowing the Jackets to come within 15 points through the first ten minutes of the period. After going up 84-63 on
an electrifying dunk by North Carolina’s Harrison Barnes, the Tar Heels coasted through the rest of the game for an easy 93-81 win. Despite the loss, the 81
By Songee Barker Contributing Writer
points. The win by the Jackets was the fourth straight victory at home against Virginia. The 11 points by Marshall marked her 20th game in double figures this season. The Jackets started off slow against the Cavaliers, only hitting four of their first 12 shot attempts before hitting their stride and shooting 56 percent to close the half and go into the locker room up 34-30. Walthour hit three threepoint shots in the final seven minutes of the period to close out a strong first half. Tech’s defense then took over, holding the Cavaliers to only 23 second half points on 32 percent shooting. The Jackets took a 40-31 lead early in the second half and held off the Cavaliers for
the remainder of the game to secure the win. A 12-2 run with less than ten minutes left to play gave the Jackets a 13-point lead, all but securing a win for the team. Of the 24 shots made in the game, 18 were off of assists. The Jackets then hit the road to take on the Clemson Tigers. They were successful in continuing their winning streak against the Tigers with a final score of 63-54, making this game the fifth straight win over their rival. The Jackets have not lost in Clemson, S.C., since the 2006 season. Goodlett and sophomore guard Tyaunna Marshall both lead the team with a combined
See Stretch, page 23
Women’s hoops extends winning streak to three
Photo by John Nakano / Student Pblications
The team huddles together before a game. Tech continues to play strong defense in the second half, holding Virginia and Clemson below 40 percent.
The women’s basketball team was riding high coming off a conference victory against the Florida State Seminoles on the road. The Jackets were looking to continue their success at home against the Virginia Cavaliers on Jan. 25, before heading on the road to face the Clemson Tigers on Jan. 29. Tech came out successful in both contests, beating the Cavaliers 63-53 and the Tigers 63-54. In the Jackets’ victory 63-53 victory against Virginia, senior center Sasha Goodlett posted a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while senior point guard Metra Walthour contributed with another 11
See Winning, page 21