March 2, 2012 by Technique

Technique

Hope through art

Friday, March 2, 2012 • Volume 97, Issue 26 • nique.net

A North Korean artist uses satire to shed light on a regime he says needs change. 415

The South’s Liveliest College Newspaper

NADH late-night attendance remains weak After 2 a.m., the number of patrons per hour at NADH drops quickly. To the right is a breakdown of when students visited it during a representative day each month while it offered 24-hour service. GT Dining did not collect data in December and did not offer 24-hour service in January.

SEPTEMBER

2 a.m. to 3 a.m.

OCTOBER

3 a.m. to 4 a.m.

NOVEMBER FEBRUARY 0

4 a.m. to 5 a.m.

5 a.m. to 6 a.m.

68 20

6 a.m. to 7 a.m. 80

Number of patrons at NADH Infographic by Lisa Xia / Student Publications

By Sam Somani Staff Writer

Despite the reinstatement of 24-hour service and hot breakfast at North Avenue Dining Hall (NADH) earlier this semester, student traffic between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m. at NADH remains weak. “We are seeing a little more activity from the 2 a.m. to 3 a.m. time period, but after 3 a.m., there are many 30-minute windows where there are no students coming in,” said Dori Martin, marketing director for Dining. “We have a facility open, food out, staff present and no customers.”

This poses a challenge for the longevity of 24-hour service at the location. During most business hours, an average of 30 people enter NADH every 15 minutes. However, between the hours of 2 a.m. to 7 a.m., fewer than five students enter the facility during each 15-minute interval. “We want to be sustainable as well and utilize our resources and put them where people are actually using them,” said Staci Flores, general manager for Dining. The reinstatement has been prolonged to the end of this semester as sort of goodwill to the community, according to Martin.

“Reinstating is not a permanent decision, in the sense that the numbers aren’t speaking to what the students want,” said Eran Mordel, SGA Vice President of Campus Affairs. “The administrators will look at this again.” At the beginning of this semester, Dining removed hot breakfast from the menu at NADH and cut its hours between 2 a.m. and 7 a.m. This provoked a reaction from students who felt that they were no longer receiving the services they had paid for at the beginning of the year. “We didn’t have enough time to communicate it properly be-

cause of that December break,” Flores said. “We wanted to open back up and be transparent and communicate to students saying, ‘There is low participation and for us to continue this program that everybody says they would like, we need you to use it.’” According to Dining, the closure of the aforementioned services at NADH allowed them to reallocate resources to other projects and services. “When we did close during that time period, all of that food that was under-utilized was food dollars that we could put towards the lunch and dinner programs,”

Martin said. “So, you were seeing a lot more interesting, creative and more proteins, on the menu because we are better able to afford those things when we better utilize our food dollars.” The closure allowed for efficient allocation of staffing time. “We also redistributed labor at Brittain and NADH so they opened up an additional breakfast line,” Flores said. Following the outcry, Dining agreed to reinstate the cancelled services at NADH. The data that Dining acquires this semester will See Dining, page 7

GOP race sees talk of college, science Students hold By Mike Donohue News Editor

As the Republican presidential nomination race hurtles towards its ten-state Super Tuesday contest on March 6, the four remaining candidates have each staked out positions

regarding higher education, as well as science and technology. Concerns about a growing national debt and suspicion of college-educated elites have colored each candidate’s rhetoric as their public statements have drifted rightward since the beginning of the cam-

paign. Higher education has come up in the campaign partly as a proxy punching bag for those whom the GOP candidates believe are “elite,” including President Barack Obama, and partly as an example of federal overspending.

Most recently, Rick Santorum raised eyebrows when he called Obama a “snob” for what Santorum said on Meet the Press were Obama’s calls for all Americans to attend college and be remade in Obama’s

See Election, page 7

Photos by Gage Skidmore / Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License

Newt Gingrich

Newt Gingrich represented Georgia in the House of Representatives for twenty years, four of which he served as Speaker. He is credited with unifying and molding the modern Republican Party during his tenure, which was marked by a refusal to compromise and a tight fiscal policy. Despite shutting down the government for weeks, his Congress passed a balanced budget under the Clinton administration in the late 1990s.

Ron Paul

Ron Paul, currently serving Texas in the House of Representatives, is a staunch libertarian, garnering a consistent minority vote on the GOP ticket. He proposes a deconstructivist domestic policy coupled with an isolationist foreign policy, placing him at odds with many mainstream voters. Paul draws most of his support from the younger end of the conservative electorate, who often state that he receives too little media coverage.

Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney has held positions in both business and politics, serving as CEO of Bain & Company and Governor of Massachusetts. He is the most moderate of the candidates and is thus considered most electable by many voters. His significant wealth and aloof persona have at times distanced him from less well-off voters. He remains the most successful in terms of delegates and many believe he is the most likely to win the nomination.

Rick Santorum

Rick Santorum is a former senator from Pennsylvania who has crafted a presidential campaign from a resolutely conservative social ideology. He argues for the presence of government in determining social values and promotes conservative Christian positions on marriage and reproductive health. His persistent and rigorous campaigning ethic has given him a recent sweep of success and made him the second most successful candidate.

conceal carry license debate By Jordan Lockwood Staff Writer

Students gathered on Feb. 23 for an open forum to share student perspectives regarding the proposed Georgia House Bill 981. HB 981 would allow the concealed carry of a firearm on all educational campuses in Georgia, except for private institutions that choose to maintain their restrictions. Should the bill pass, Tech would not be able to opt out of the requirement to allow concealed carry on its campus. The College Republicans, GT Marksmanship Club and Students for Concealed Carry sponsored the forum. The moderator for the discussion was David Wilkes, vice president of the Marksmanship Club. Some students in attendance felt that this onesided sponsorship contributed to the heavily biased nature of the debate. “I thought that if they had reached out directly to more organizations, a more balanced debate could have been had,” said John Koch, president of the College Democrats of Georgia and a fifth-year HTS major. “I look forward to trying to work with them to have a more fair discussion of the issues.” “It was a bit disappointing that more people who are against it didn’t come out to let their thoughts be known,” said Andrés Celedón, chairman of the Georgia Tech College Republicans and a third-year PUBP major. Many students at the debate spoke in favor See Debate, page 5

NEWS

2 • March 2, 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 © 2012, Vijai Narayanan, Editor-in-Chief, and by the Georgia Tech Board of Student Publications. No part of this paper may be reproduced in any manner without written permission from the Editor-in-Chief or from the Board of Student Publications. The ideas expressed herein are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Board of Student Publications, the students, staff, or faculty of the Georgia Institute of Technology or the University System of Georgia. First copy free—for additional copies call (404) 894-2830

From the files of the GTPD...

for providing false information.

Campus Crime

Tenth Street Confusion

By Lauren Brett Contributing Writer BFFL’s

In the early morning of Friday, Feb. 17, officers on bike patrol noticed four students climbing the roof of the Student Center. The officer contacted the students and noticed that one of them had a “Blue Moon” beer bottle in hand. One student, who was underage, still had a half empty beer bottle; all four had flushed faces and red, bloodshot eyes. When questioned, they admitted they had been drinking. They had decided to access the roof of the Student Center to smoke cigarettes after partying at their respective fraternity houses. Paramedics were called for one of the students and the other three were informed that they were free to leave. The officer suggested someone stay with the fourth student until his examination was finished. None of the three wished to stay and left the scene without further incident. The Norm

Officers were dispatched on the morning of Feb. 15 to Howey Physics building. A professor informed the officer that around 5 p.m. the day before, a commotion was heard in the hallway, which was unusual since it was the end of a business day. He went to investigate and heard the sound of glass being broken. When he ar-

rived at the main door entrance, he recognized a student standing on the opposite side of the shattered door looking dazed. When questioned, the student admitted to shattering the glass. The professor then asked the student to come into his office to talk. The student explained that he was under a lot of pressure and depressed over his studies. The professor contacted the counseling center and the Dean of Students to make them aware of the student’s situation. Wannabes

A call was placed on Feb. 18 concerning four males in the North Avenue Apartment recreation center who were not students. When officers arrived at the apartments, the officers observed the four playing basketball. When questioned, all admitted that they were not students at Tech. Three suspects could produce valid identification, while the fourth provided only a verbal name and date of birth. When checked, this information provided no results, and the suspect confessed that he had given a false name. He then provided his real name and explained that he had not given his real name because he thought he was wanted for failure to pay a super speeder ticket. The suspect was released and given a warning

On Monday, Feb. 20, at 2 p.m., officers arrived at the intersection of Tenth Street and Fowler Street in reference to a mentally ill person. Officers met a female who, when questioned, gave officers a blank stare. When officers offered to get her some water, she responded, “She would like some water,” but refused to drink it. She never stated that she wanted to hurt herself or another person, had committed criminal acts, or was off her medication. At 3:30 p.m., the officer observed the same woman yelling “Jesus” at the intersection of Center Street and Tenth Street. She was still unresponsive to help, but was eventually convinced to get into the police car. She was taken to the Atlanta Union Mission for Women, which refused to accept her because of her mental state. The women was then voluntarily taken to Grady Hospital to be evaluated. Are you lost, ma’am?

On Feb. 17 at 2:30 a.m., an officer observed a female walking around the fourth floor of the GT Library. The female had been seen earlier that evening and did not appear to be a student due to her age and condition of her clothes. When officers asked to see her Tech ID card, she stated that she had lost it. Her name was run through the police database, and it was discovered that she had an outstanding warrant. She was taken into custody and transported to Fulton County Jail.

NEWS

Council Clippings

Breaking

This week in Student Government

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

By Sam Somani, Staff Writer

Bill Summary Amount

Bill

GSS

Sailing Club $14.00 23-1-0 Spanish Speaking Org. $446.00 27-0-0 Public Speaking Club $75.00 12-11-3 Public Speaking Club $54.00 27-0-0 Tech Beautification Day $2197.65 4-22-0 STAC $142.00 25-0-1 En2Em $208.55 21-0-2 Erato $467.89 19-0-0 Black Graduate Students Assoc. $487.50 16-2-0 Prior Year: $285,248 Capital Outlay: $725,108

Tech Beautification Day

Funding for the fourteenth annual Tech Beautification Day (TBD) came under close scrutiny this past week during consideration by the GSS. The initial versions passed by each house were different and had to be reconciled in a conference committee before this week. The bill was ultimately passed due to support from UHR, which overrode the GSS vote by exceeding the enactment ratio needed for the funds to be awarded. The primary reason for opposition in GSS was the fact that funds awarded to TBD would be used for projects that would improve Greek properties on campus, which are technically not considered to be Institute property. “Greek students have shown their commitment to improving campus year after year. However, the Senate was extremely uncomfortable with using student activ-

UHR 42-0-0 PASS 49-0-1 50-0-1 47-0-3 --49-0-0 --47-0-0

ity fee revenue to improve private property, and with the precedent that would [be] set,” wrote CE Sen. Aaron Greenwood, who served on the conference committee between the House and Senate, in an e-mail. Greenwood went on to say that he was against funding the cleanup of all private property, not just Greek houses. “We made very clear that it didn’t matter who owned the property (Greek letter organizations, religious groups or even citizens outside the Tech community), we did not feel that improvements funded through the SAF were appropriate,” Greenwood wrote. “We’re certainly grateful for all of the Greek involvement in TBD, but we’re not comfortable with funding improvements to private property owners.” However, UHR still chose to fund the bill with a near unanimous vote of 47-0-3.

sliver

www.nique.net

Rapunzel whips her hair back and forth. Tangled is a very delightful movie. looking for a cute asain girl -_Ever notice that Vonage now features Indians in all of their advertisements for cheap international phone service. There’s a joke there somewhere, but I just cannot nail it down... The DOP from RHA rocked Comedy @ Tech Really NAA Dining? 2 meat sauces for the pasta... when the clock strikes midnight vegetarians be damned! i am indeed the boss please, Sliver King, tell your readers to come watch volleyball! Dear sophomore arch student, no one in the lab want to hear your music blasting... its 2am --your older arch friend can you add a print button for the online technique articles? thanks Just walked past a guy looking at porn on his phone. In the Culc. What the heck?! Keep that stuff private! SOC 1101 makes me dumber... Girl on the elevator who couldn’t remember what floor you lived on, I hope you remembered what room you lived in. Letters to the editor submission tool is broken :( Sometimes I wish that slivers had a “like” button... Babe-raham Lincoln Community Returns Six Seasons and A Movie Vehement DANGIT! exclaimer, thank you for the entertainment. Hey cutie in my ME 4210 class, wanna go to formal with me this weekend? Next time, we’ll try not to make sandwiches while you’re in class. for all of you trying to find girls at Tech, we are hosting a volleyball tournament on Saturday! love having a coffee place in the CULC now. too bad I gained a lot of wait and lost a lot of money cus of that starbucks.... got caught making out in library and they just apologized and left so we kept making out

Technique • March 2, 2012 • 3

“The reason the graduate students were against this was because it was an improvement to private property, but this property is located on Tech property, so the representatives in the committee felt that these projects actually served the best of our students’ interests,” said Sophomore Rep. Nicholas Picon. CS Rep. Daniel Farmer spoke against the bill during the UHR meeting. He agreed with the graduates. “I was against it initially because the student activity fee was going to one part of campus, especially when there was none for other organizations such as CCF,” Farmer said. T-SPLOST

A new resolution was brought up in open forum of UHR supporting the new Transportation Investment Act. This act, also known as T-SPLOST, will seek to improve the transportation of metro Atlanta through its Atlanta Streetcar line, as well as the Atlanta Beltline Project by implementing a transportation special local one-percent sales tax (TSPLOST). “I think it lines up with every initiative that Tech pushes,” said Eran Mordel, SGA Vice President of Campus Affairs, citing the positive effects to campus safety, accessibility to Tech, the aesthetics, less congestion and sustainability in the nearby area. The resolution will be in old business for next week’s meeting, when a vote on the measure could be held.

Bubble the

U.S. plumbing bill: $1 trillion According to a study by the American Water Works Association, the U.S. may need to spend $1 trillion over the next 25 years to improve plumbing infrastructure. The grid of pipes created in the late 19th century and throughout the 20th century is approaching the end of its life span. These pipes are responsible for carrying drinking water throughout cities, which are decaying rapidly. The payment for these repairs, however, may not come from taxes but directly from household water bills. —The Huffington Post

N. Korea Agrees to Drop Nuclear Activities North Korea has agreed to a suspension of its nuclear and long-range missile tests after discussions with the U.S. This will allow the International Atomic Energy Inspectors to carefully monitor the activities of all nuclear plants and to confirm the shutdown of their nuclear reactor in the city of Yongbyon. “These are concrete measures that we consider a positive first step toward complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean peninsula in a peaceful manner,” White

House spokesman Jay Carney said. In exchange, the U.S. has promised to meet North Korea’s nutritional needs, offering them 240,000 metric tons of food aid in return, and more if needed. The U.S. halted food aid in 2009, when talks about nuclear disarmament fell through. If the agreement moves forward, this would be considered a significant policy shift by North Korean leader Kim Jung-un, who took over from his father late last year. — Reuters

Automobile Rearview Cameras Mandated by 2014 The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is planning to propose a new bill to Congress that would require the installation of rearview cameras in all new cars beginning 2014. The mandate could result in over $2.7 billion of total extra installation costs for automakers each year. “Safety is the number one priority at the Department of Transportation — and we give especially high priority to the safety of children. While the department has made progress toward a final rule to improve rearward visibility, it has decided that further study and data analysis — including of a wider range of vehicles and drivers — is important to ensure the most protective and efficient rule possible,” the NHTSA said in a statement. Each year, 17,000 people are involved in an accident due to a reversing vehicle, including 228 deaths, according to the New York Times. — The Los Angeles Times

NEWS

Tech facilities seek LEED seals By Lauren Brett Contributing Writer

As the emphasis on green technology has continued to increase over the past few years, Tech has become home to more LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified buildings. LEED is a certification that can be awarded to buildings that meet certain requirements established by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). This certification verifies that a building was designed and built using environmentally friendly strategies. Tech has increased efforts to receive LEED certification in recent years and now has a total of seven LEED-certified campus buildings spanning classrooms, offices, athletics and residential buildings, with “six or eight projects in the works” according to Howard Wertheimer, Tech’s director of Capital Planning and Space Management. LEED certification comes at specific levels, Platinum and Gold being the two highest. Current policy states Tech’s new construction and renovations will also be designed and constructed to be LEED Gold certified or higher, as of 2009. However, this lofty award comes at a price. As a state institution, Tech does not receive a tax break or other financial assistance for these projects, and up-front costs for the technology needed to qualify as any kind of LEED certified building, especially Gold or Platinum, can be high. “The cost is in the plaque recognition”, Wertheimer said. Buildings constructed and renovated to meet LEED standards often help to pay for themselves, as they help to reduce energy con-

Photo by Sho Kitamura / Student Publications

A LEED Gold seal hangs in the North Avenue Apartments. LEED certification is a signal of environmental sustainability benefits. sumption and reduce the cost of utility bills. According to Tech’s Office of Environmental Stewardship, the sustainable technologies in place result in an 11 percent reduction in energy consumption, resulting in $7 million in savings. Motivation for this certification is fairly obvious. “As a university, we own and operate these buildings forever…so the initial up-front cost is pretty insignificant in the grand scheme of things,” Wertheimer said. “Most of the time, our return on our investments is in less than seven years.” “We can take those savings… and reinvest them,” Wertheimer said, “[having technologies like] lights that go off when people leave rooms… and continuing to add controls to make things for automated… further reduce our carbon footprint and energy consumption.” “The focus is on doing the right thing… designing everything in the most sustainable and appropriately economical way that we can,” Wertheimer said.

sliver

www.nique.net

Ukrainian black metal is my anti-drug If I don’t get an explanation for why fire was shooting out of that building... You guys saw that too right??? It was like a flamethrower going straight up It’s ok to publish that thing I said about Barbo, he doesn’t know we call him that pair a, pair a, pair a dice, bankrupt when she rolled snake eyes. things you hear in analysis: i have finitely many balls i always go the extra mile to avoid doing things She said yes! Swoldiers get swole. I’m on the HH train!! Choo Choo! Apparently, rolling the dice is not a good way to “find the derivative” :/ AE 3515 sucks... like seriously... 2 pizzas and a 2 liter for under 10 bucks? #couponwin OMG...taxes -__neeeeeeeeddddd slllllleeeeeeepp pppppp...... The RHA Auditor is so awesome Hashtags are *not* ok for slivers To the girl who asked if you could FedEx things from the GT post office, I hope you eventually see the irony in your question true love: the willingness of one person to share his/her Girl Scout cookies with another Space planning hates students. hi chris PINEAPPLE FLAVORED RUM EXISTS... BEST NEWS EVER As a biker, I’m not going to hit you. Calm down. The picture of the guy staring at a painting at the art crawl is hilarious Tech, I’m a ECE PhD student who’s never come within a hundred yards of a Women’s Studies class, and I’m starting to think I’m in the top five campus feminists. Y’all need to step up your game. ALL NIGHT LOOOONG!

With emphasis on green and sustainable design only increasing in society, Wertheimer is aware of the impact LEED-certified facilities could have on students making their college decisions. “[LEED certification] is something potential student’s would look at when considering Tech,” he said. Tech’s five million square feet of sustainable buildings have already received significant media attention with regards to its work towards environmentally friendly and efficient facilities. The Princeton Review named Tech as one of the “Greenest Colleges in the U.S.,” placing it and 17 other schools on its 2010 Green Rating Honor Roll for maintaining the most sustainable practices, policies and course offerings among all campuses rated for their environmental friendliness. Tech also received recognition on Forbes. com on their list of “America’s Greenest Colleges in Universities” in 2010. See LEED, page 7

Technique • March 2, 2012 • 5

Debate

from page 1

of the proposed legislation, saying it would be a positive change for overall safety on campus and the surrounding area.. “I have been waiting for a bill like this for a very long time. I believe that the constitutions of our state and country afford me the right to keep and bear my arms,” said Stuart Michelson, CS grad student. Other students in favor of the legislation cited the dangerous areas surrounding campus (including Home Park and English Avenue), the inconvenience of not having their weapons on their person and the unfairness of being unarmed given that criminals do not obey concealed carry restriction as reasons to allow concealed carry on campus. A few students, however, were vocal in their opposition to the legislation. Many of them said that relaxed gun restrictions for young, stressed and densely packed college students would be a recipe for trouble. “The College Democrats at GT believe that HB 981 would create an environment detrimental to

the Institute’s academic mission and would pose serious safety issues for the average Tech student,” Koch said. Those students opposing HB 981 are not alone. Both Chief of GTPD Teresa Crocker and Institute President G.P. “Bud” Peterson have voiced concerns about allowing concealed carry on campus in the past. No representatives of the police department or of the President’s office attended the debate. HB 981 also allows concealed carry in places of worship, state mental hospitals, polling places, bars, school zones and government buildings. Citizens involuntarily committed to mental health hospitals or drug or alcohol rehabilitation centers may not receive a concealed carry license within five years of discharge, unless allowed by a probate judge. The bill also removes the governor’s right to remove firearm rights in an official state of emergency, allows the use of silencers for hunting purposes and requires the return of confiscated firearms to their acquitted owners following legal trials.

Photo by Sho Kitamura / Student Publications

Students gather to speak during the conceal carry debate. A bill before the Georgia Assembly would allow guns on campus.

NEWS

REPUBLICAN PRIMARY RESULTS

Technique • March 2, 2012 • 7

Colorado Caucus Date: Feb. 7, 2012 Winner: Rick Santorum Percent of vote: 40.3 Santorum’s first outright win after the drawn-out Iowa caucuses injected his then-flagging campaign with new momentum. His victory in Colorado was joined by simultaneous victories in the Minnesota Caucuses and the non-binding Mississippi primary.

Michigan Primary Date: Feb. 27, 2012 Winner: Mitt Romney Percent of vote: 41.1 Fending off a resurgent Santorum, Romney took his boyhood home of Michigan in a hardfought battle. Despite several gaffes highlighting his wealth, the former Massachusetts governor proved to some pundits that he is still able to connect with conservative voters.

Infographic by Ian Bailie / Student Publications

Election

from page 1

image. In later statements, Santorum clarified, saying he takes issue with what he believes is the liberal tilt and political correctness of college campuses, not the act of going to college itself. Ron Paul has called for the complete elimination of the Department of Education and for

the government to get out of the student loan business, although he says he would not immediately end student loan programs. He is against any federal assistance for universities, believing that state and local government should handle them. Each of the GOP candidates have called for lower federal spending, claiming that one of

the reasons the country has not fully recovered from the 2008 crash is decreased investor confidence due to unsustainable government spending. Few, however, have addressed funding of science and technology head-on. Gingrich, known for his selfdescribed “grandiose” ideas, famously claimed he would work to establish a base on the Moon

by 2020, funded through private investment. He has also called for more funding for the National Science Foundation. Romney has called for an increase in the number of H-1B visas, which bring in high-skilled workers from outside the country. Those new immigrants would be able to work in the science and technology fields.

Dining

from page 1

be made available to students before any changes are made regarding future service offerings. “What we’re doing at North Ave. every week is letting students know, on our plasma screens in fact, ‘Hey look, this is how much the participation was each day from a four-hour time period at North Avenue’ and kind of inviting them,” Martin said. Individual components of the plan, however, were attacked. “Regarding hot breakfast, it needs to be consistent,” Mordel said. “If they are providing it at Brittain and Woodruff, then this option need to be consistent across the board too. No qualms there.”

LEED

from page 5

The Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons (CULC), one of the several projects in the process of receiving certification, is aiming for LEED Platinum standing. If accomplished it will make the CULC the largest LEED Platinum university building in the country. Tech has worked to make the CULC more sustainable, equipping it with solar panels and an underground cistern. This prevents it from having to use potable city water, which, according to Wertheimer, “saves 6500 gallons of water per day.” “It’s not just about LEED. I think that it is a very good benchmark…but at the end of the day it’s about doing the right thing and being good stewards of our environment,” Wertheimer said.

Opinions

Opinions Editor: Chris Russell Dawn: When men of reason go to bed.

“ ”

OUR VIEWS | Consensus Opinion

Late night dining

Nighttime food options severely lacking on campus

With GT Dining looking at discontinuing late-night dining and hot breakfast at the North Avenue Dining Hall (NADH) in Fall 2012, dining on campus needs to be reevaluated with an eye toward what students really need. Students ultimately need food options late at night. If it’s not financially viable, getting rid of the NADH’s late night option is perfectly understandable. However, that leaves Tech students to fend for themselves for late-night food. If Tech has a library that’s open for 24 hours and classes that require students to use it, there should be somewhere students can go to get some kind of food after normal dining hours. Such an option would not need to be comprehensive; expanding the food selection at Starbucks or replacing Jazzman’s with a Buzz-By graband-go would be more than sufficient. Since students in housing presumably have their own food for those hours, options in the center of campus would make more sense, so people working late could get something more than a candy bar.

It is important to keep in mind that GT Dining has complete control over students’ late-night options. Many of the options students used to have for late-night meals — like Quizno’s and Wingnuts — are no longer nearby, and the only option is Waffle House, which is not close enough to the center of campus to make it good for a quick bite. Dining should also reevaluate the value of the options it offers campus. Specifically, if it gets rid of the hot breakfast options at NADH, aspects of the pricing and quality scheme need to be modified. As it is, the cold breakfast it offers costs the same as a hot breakfast elsewhere on campus, which makes little sense, considering the high cost relative to the value of the meal. While Sodexo is an outside contractor, its overall performance and quality reflect on the Institute, both in terms of recruiting and the well-being of current students. Therefore, Dining should insist that Sodexo maintain a wide variety of options at a high level of quality.

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

Priorities By Casey Tisdel

—Ambrose Bierce

Technique

Friday, March 2, 2012

WAM builds support, fosters community

“‘Community of sisterhood is powerful...the gathering of women in solidarity leads to the development of their voices.’” Julia Turner

Chair, Women’s Awareness Month Committee

Women’s Awareness Month started as a week of women’s programs in 1997 and grew to a full month in 2000. For 12 years, WAM has been highlighting women’s empowerment, focusing on issues like heart health (the number one killer of women in the U.S.), sexual violence, gender stereotypes and much more. Back in September, the WAM executive committee went on a retreat to figure out how we wanted to shape this year’s month. In discussions and brainstorming sessions for the theme, we kept coming back to what had called us to participate in WAM: the women we met. The staff at the WRC, the other women volunteers, the women from the various event committees — these connections were what got us excited about WAM and the events held during the month. We were able to step out of the “woman” box, but we were only able to step out together. Arriving at this conclusion, we found the following quotation to assert what we were all thinking: “Community of sisterhood is powerful...the gathering of women in solidarity leads to the  development of their voices, their skills and knowledge. Unfettered by expectations of  submissiveness, surrounded by peers, a woman can say what she needs, share what  she knows, ask for credit where it is due, learn her rights…She rises above the noise  and discovers her presence, her gravity, her wisdom.” From this expression of the power of female community, we came to the theme “Together We Rise above the Noise.” We wanted to emphasize the community that WAM creates, not only during the month, but also for Tech women in general, at all times. Our advisor, Melanie DeMaeyer, summed it up by saying, “We feel it captures all that women in our community face each day and that it speaks to the power that resides in community of women. We are proud to be a part of developing our own community of women and hope that as you attend our programs this year that, you too, will be proud of our community and be inspired to continue to nourish and advocate for it throughout your time at Tech.” On Tuesday, as a preview event for WAM and as a program for Body Image week, we screened Miss Representation, a documentary about women in the media… and about how women are not in the media. The film highlights some of the “noise” we thought of when coming up with our theme for this year. The constant deluge

of images that promote women as objects rather than humans, as only valued for their bodies and not their minds. At WDS we bring together women for a day of service, in what, I think, begins to address some of the issues raised by the Miss Representation video. In a small way, WDS begins to show us how we can change the world, one project at a time — and more importantly, how we can change it together, as a sisterhood. Clothesline, a new event this year, supports women who have been affected by violence. The symbolic support of the line, the shirts hanging shoulder to shoulder — a visual representation of the community WAM upholds. In a similar way, Take Back the Night provides a safe space for victims of sexual abuse to reclaim some of their power. One of the most powerful effects of the space TBtN creates is that it encourages women who have not spoken about their rapes to speak out as well. By having the audience participate in a candlelight vigil, we provide a community of support for those who share their stories. I like that we’re ending the month with the Red Dress Fashion Show this year. Not only does the event raise money for a charitable organization geared toward women’s heart health, it also brings women from diverse areas of campus together to support a common health issue — one that is also a major problem for men. WAM has always been about creating a safe community for women on campus. As a collective of powerful women, we want to step above the noise created by the media, popular culture, societal gender norms and stereotypes. We hope that at month’s end, members of the Tech community come away with a better understanding of the issues we are raising, and more importantly, the reasons why we are raising them.

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OPINIONS

01001011010 Two Bits 01010100110

Layers of procrastination escape undergrads Greetings, friends. As a grad student, I consider procrastination to be an area I excel in. In fact, given that I can’t really remember what I’m here studying—given the number rats I see here, I assume it is somewhere in the field of biology, though I wouldn’t swear by it—I would go so far as to call it my area of expertise. So, when I hear you adorable undergrads talking about how much you procrastinate, I can’t help but smile at your naivete. While I have no doubt that some of you spend more time on Facebook than you should, you clearly don’t understand the subtle shades of procrastination in the same way I do. As a general thought exercise, I like to compare each different flavor of procrastination to a different level in Dante’s Hell. The metaphor is really quite apt: a depressing spiral, where the deeper you go, the worse and more vile the offences you encounter. The occupants of the first ring of Procrastination Hell can, at some level, be considered productive, much in the same way that the residents of Limbo aren’t necessarily evil. At this level, procrastination is avoiding one assignment by doing another. It’s answering emails. It’s procrasticleaning. At the end of the day, some-

thing useful is done. While you occasionally see hardcore procrastinators here on a rare guilt-trip to the land of productivity, Procrastination Hell’s main resident is the freshman trying to convince himself that he actually is a hard worker. At this tender stage in life, students like to think well of themselves. Their fragile egos just can’t bear to admit that they don’t want to work, so they find things to convince themselves they’re staying busy. In the second ring, on the other hand, we find students

trying to convince others that they’re staying busy. Here, we find excuses like organizing to-do lists, making life plans, making coffee and—my personal favorite—cleaning out their inbox. Things that, in an abstract sense, could make them more productive but that, in all actuality, won’t. Once we enter the third ring, we reach the point of no return. Once you engage in the behaviors, there’s no easy way back, if any at all. Redditors, Stumblers, Tumblrs, serial blog-readers and Netflix-watch-

ers lurk in the murky depths of this ring. Much like the tar pit in Dante’s opus, once trapped by them, one does not simply escape the draws of this behavior. With an almost Pavlovian sense of conditioning that keeps you coming back looking for more, there are no casual users for these sites. Once here, you’re here for eternity. Past this, you get to the real honey badgers of Procrastination Hell: the ones who really just couldn’t give any less of a damn if they tried. The name of this pit of despair? Grad school. Here, at the bottom level of Procrastination Hell, are the people who when asked, “What are you doing?” can, in all honesty, respond, “Nothing.” Sitting, staring at the ceiling. Stirring your coffee while staring ahead in a daze. Throwing little paper balls into a glass. True, mindless, apathetic nothingness. Now don’t get me wrong, everyone does this occasionally, but the denizens of this ring of Hell take it to another level. Every morning, they wake up, take a shower (optional) and drive to their lab with absolutely every intention of staring into space for hours on end. So, my friends, keep this in mind when next you bemoan your procrastination. While you may be unproductive at the moment, just remind yourself: at least I’m not in grad school.

Direction, identity needed for success As I walk down Tech Walkway (formerly known as Skiles) and through the Student Center to get to the Technique office each day, I am accosted by flyers, free swag and awkward conversation-starters from organizational representatives. It might be an attempt to convert me to Spiritual Cause A. It might be a request to purchase flowers for a charity drive. It might be a bake sale to fund a trip to the park. It might be another, entirely separate attempt to convert me, yet again, to Spiritual Cause A. Across these dozens of requests, I might remember the organizational representative who tricked me into at least looking at a flyer by sticking it under my face and saying, “Hey, will you throw this away for me?” But otherwise, I have little recollection of what spiritual philosophy I entertained for five minutes, and I certainly cannot remember what event I partially funded with the change in my wallet. This series of events, coupled with short-term memory loss, makes me wonder: What makes an organization memorable, unique, useful and relevant to anyone’s daily life? This question applies to all kinds of organizations, from ones that have cropped up since you started reading this editorial to ones that have existed for a century, like this paper. When evaluating your organization, consider its origi-

collaborate to host an event or to push an initiative that only benefits those in your spheres of influence, which are typically only members of the involved organizations. Furthermore, collaborate with Kamna Bohra organizations with different ideas, skills and types of peoManaging Editor ple to bring to the table. From the moment you step onto campus, you are inundathosting events and producing ed with the idea of giving back relevant services. If a student to Tech before you’ve even athappens to find those events or tended a class or joined a club. services cool enough, not only Don’t get me wrong—nearly will he be able to communi- three years at the Institute have cate your organization’s ideals provided me with countless exto his friends, but he’ll also feel periences and a priceless educompelled to join. By doing cation, and I do want to give this, you roll your techniques back to it. But take a step back for recruitment and awareness when considering your organization in the context of Tech, into one. More recently, I’ve noticed and begin to think beyond a more collaborative approach Tech to Atlanta, to Georgia, to to programming and pushing the U.S. and to the world. When you graduate, you’ll initiatives on Tech’s campus. Collaboration is great because begin to contribute to the it consolidates large groups of greater community, and what people with similar visions, better time is there to practice and pragmatically speaking, engaging with those outside of it generates more funding. the Tech bubble than starting But don’t do it for the sake of now? Finally, don’t start an orgaadding “collaboration” to your organization’s long list of ide- nization for the sake of saying als. Create your own identity you started an organization or first so that when organiza- for the satisfaction of typing tions seek to collaborate, they that line onto your résumé. know what you have to offer. Your organization will never Also, be selective about collab- be particularly sustainable or oration—join forces with the long lived if you can’t transfer appropriate organizations on its ideals or your passions to its large events or major initiatives next generations of leaders or if that target every demographic you don’t consider its longevity of the Tech community. Don’t in planning.

“Create your own identity first so that when organizations seek to collaborate, they know what you have to offer.”

nal grander purpose. Does it still serve that purpose? For older organizations, you’ll often find that the purpose has evolved, but be sure that evolution is a product of time and the changing community and not an abandonment of seemingly lofty goals. You should also consider other organizations with similar goals and purposes, and avoid repeating organizations. Duplication or even triplication dilutes your ability to achieve your organization’s goals and often confuses students who are interested in your purpose. When looking for students to join your organization or your cause, don’t just host recruitment drives. Unless those flyers involve free donuts or Taco Bell, I will likely throw them away within 30 seconds of your shoving them into my hands. Unless the emails I receive from signing up involve free donuts or Taco Bell, I will likely filter them into my Spam folder. You should instead seek to raise awareness of your purpose to everyone by

Technique • March 2, 2012 • 9

BUZZ

Around Campus What do you think of the NADH since it restarted hot breakfast and late night?

Teryn Adler Third-year BCHM

“I don’t eat there much as I think the service is terrible.”

Cambre Kelly First-year BME

“I love the hot breakfast and am glad it’s back.”

Apoorv Jain Second-year CS

“Not as good as it was earlier, as it’s now by request only.”

Jaequce Marine First-year BME

“Breakfast at 3 a.m. is always good.” Photos by Sharad Gopal / Student Publications

OPINIONS

10 • March 2, 2012 • Technique

OUR VIEWS | Hot or Not

HOT– or –NOT Accessible Rank

According to a soon-to-bepublished book, College Success for Students With Physical Disabilities, Tech now ranks as one of the most accessible schools for students with disabilities. The book, which aims to inform and guide students with physical disabilities, includes a listing of schools — of which Tech is a member — that provide more than the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Dominant Drive

The women’s basketball team finished off one of its best seasons ever on Sunday, Feb. 26, defeating Clemson 62-50 on Senior Day to finish the year with a 12-4 record in ACC play. That mark is the best conference record in program history — and for the first time ever, the Jackets have secured a bye in the first round of this weekend’s ACC Tournament.

Hot Hot Hot

On Sunday, Feb. 26, a fire alarm went off in the north wing of North Avenue Apartments. While this is nothing new to residents of the complex, what was new was that an actual fire did set off the alarm. A grease fire went off in a student’s kitchen, triggering the alarm. Moreover several students in the building said that while their alarms started blinking, no alarm was being sounded.

Sudden Slide

At 7-3 through its first 10 games, the softball team seemed to be fine despite some early struggles—and then last weekend happened. Tech dropped four games in two days on Feb. 24-25 and lost a fifth game on Wednesday, Feb. 29, to fall to an even 8-8 on the season. Only one loss was to a ranked team, and Tech’s hopes of remaining in the top 25 are essentially shot.

sliver

www.nique.net

If I ever got a tramp stamp, I would want it to say “Caution. Makes Wide Right Turns.” It would only get BETTER with age! Is is sad that I know my library card number more than my credit card number? I need friends! Football players: saying you are one isn’t gonna get you some! everyone who likes GT memes should go to ebaums man i hate twiiter; why do people use it? if it was never submitted, is it just <dacted> ? next month is woman’s awareness month, so when is men’s awareness month? why do frats at tech suck? you just gotta believe!! worst thing about my awesome co-op: I can’t read slivers anymore :( x I like you too, but I don’t know what to do, silly! What she order? …fish fillet please don’t walk on grass? please don’t put a curve in a high traffic path. #burgerbowl #shortestpathisa straightline This co-op is missing campus, but loving the lack of homework keep them windows reallll tight dW = EBD Meme’s are becoming way to popular! Will the bubble burst? to the cute girl in my OS design class: i wish you existed dude who wrote about Techs’ difficulty thanks your article made me sit down and rethink my experience here at Tech shouldn’t cs1332 be about use/implementation instead of how to build from scratch? Can a professor really deny a student more paper on a written exam? Scumbaggery the sun has gone down, and it’s overcast-take your sunglasses off right now. patronize baby tommy’s. they have great pizza Dear students talking in class, just because you aren’t speaking in English doesn’t mean it isn’t disruptive.

Together we must end domestic violence, change attitudes More than 20 years ago, I read a study of junior high school students in Rhode Island that included one finding I’ve never been able to get out of my head. Students were asked if a man who spent money on a woman during a date was entitled to force her into sexual activity. An astounding 25 percent of the young boys said yes—and even more astounding—17 percent of the junior high school girls agreed. You may think that sounds like a long time ago—and it was. But, sadly, dating violence remains a very real problem in our country—especially on college campuses. Today, while in college, nearly one in five women will be a victim of sexual assault and one in ten teens will be hurt on purpose by someone they are dating. These aren’t just statistics, these are people you know: your roommates, your friends, your sisters, your classmates. This is a problem we all have to face. Awareness is the first step to pushing back against a problem this big. When I held Senate hearings on violence against women more than two decades ago, domestic abuse in American society was rarely spoken about in public. I’ll never forget the stories of abuse I heard in over a thousand hours of hearings. The brutality of family members, acquaintances and strangers against the women in their lives was absolutely devastating. It was those hearings that led to the Violence Against Women Act, and since then annual incidents of domestic violence have dropped by more than 50 percent. But for women in college and younger to-

“...ending dating violence and sexual assualt isn’t just a matter of laws and legislation. It’s about education. It’s about attitudes.” Joe Biden Vice President of the United States

day, the risk is still much too high. That’s why I joined with Education Secretary Arne Duncan last April to announce historic new guidelines for colleges and universities about their responsibilities under Title IX to prevent sexual assault. Under the federal civil rights law, schools have an obligation not only to respond appropriately when an assault occurs, but also to create a climate on campus that makes such violence unacceptable. I also started an initiative called 1is2many to help reduce dating violence and sexual assault among teens and young adults. We harnessed the power of technology to get our message out, launching a national contest to develop “Apps Against Abuse.” The two winning apps—which will be available later this spring—will let you get in touch with your friends quickly and safely so you can call for help if you need it and stop violence in its tracks. We’ve also made sure the National Dating Abuse Helpline can be reached by text, online, or phone 24/7. Last month, the FBI changed the way the federal government defines rape. The narrow, outdated definition—unchanged since 1929—said the assault had to be forcible and against a woman’s will to be classified as rape.

It’s just not true, and it’s a point that I make on college campuses all across the country. Rape is rape and no means no. No means no whether drunk or sober. No means no whether in the dorm room or on the street. There is never an excuse. Young women and men alike need to understand this. Under the new definition, rape occurs when there is no consent, and it also includes sexual assault against boys and young men in national law enforcement reporting. These are important changes, but ending dating violence and sexual assault isn’t just a matter of laws and legislation. It’s about education. It’s about attitudes. It’s about your participation. I need your help to address this issue in your dorms and on your campuses. Studies show that men’s ideas about what other men think is one of the strongest determinants of how they act. So guys, you need to speak out. The ultimate measure of a civilized society is how its laws and culture treat the abuse of women. Attitudes can change. Violence can end. But it can’t happen without universal understanding that dating violence and sexual assault will never be tolerated anywhere, at any time, for any reason. Period. That’s all of our responsibility.

Focus

focus@nique.net Focus Editor: Siddharth Gurnani Assistant Focus Editor: Gaines Halstead

Technique

Being at a diverse campus such as Tech, this Week’s theme of the Focus section takes a peek at different nationalities, languages and cultures on campus.

Friday, March 2, 2012

Tech hosts variety of nationalities, cultures Olcay Sarmaz, an Operations Management grad student from Turkey. Different cultures have difDuring the 2010-2011 school year, Tech hosted 4,364 interna- ferent foods, different languages tional and scholar students, giv- and different lifestyles. Going to ing both international students school in a foreign land, missing and Americans here at Tech the home is inevitable. Sometimes it opportunity to experience foreign can be a familiar aroma or hearing cultures. On any given day, the a few words of one’s native tongue, hustle to class can be character- but it seems to be the food that ized by the sound of several differ- makes students miss home the ent languages as peers communi- most. “[You] can’t replicate the taste cate the trials and tribulations of of the food back home. The spices life and school. The six countries that send the are so different,” Sandhiniti said. “[I miss] My family and dumost students to Tech are India, China, South Korea, France, Tai- rian (a spiky fruit native to Asia), wan and Turkey, according to an they’re amazing,” Wong said. “Luckily, Atlanta has everyOIE report. The fact that Tech is a diverse campus will not come as thing I miss from France, but it’s a surprise to many. The myriad of just far more expensive, especially cultures and languages that rou- cheese,” Anquez said. Different cultures carry their tinely pass by Tech landmarks contribute to the uniqueness of own stereotypes and misconceptions. It happens every day all over the Institute’s campus. Most Tech students have at the world. Somewhere, someone is some point in their college life probably mistaking the continent come across an international stu- of Africa for a country, wearing a dent, whether it be in a residence beret around Paris, or assuming hall, at a football game or in a that all Americans only listen to class. But how much do Tech stu- country music. Many of these stereotypes dents actually know about these different nationalities, their lan- are common misconceptions guage, their food, their culture? that, while sometimes based on harmless fun, More imporlead to many tantly, what do they know “The biggest culture people getting about the chal- shock was how kind the wrong idea lenges they face people are to each oth- about a place and sometimes when they arrive in the U.S.? er. Even though you forming hurtThe biggest don’t know somebody, ful biases. “We’re not challenge facing they will just give you those new to the a ‘hello’ or nod their all super crazy smart,” Sandhicountry is the culture shock. heads, which is not the niti said. “Genera l ly Greasy food, case in Europe.” people think monster trucks, Olcay Sarmaz, MBA student the language of and the second Turkey is Araamendment are all things that many Americans bic. It’s not; it’s Turkish,” Sarmaz grew up with but are alien in other said. The American culture is very cultures. The cultural differences felt by different nationalities vary. different from many Asian cul“The diversity of people here; tures. “Americans tend to be straightthere’s so many different races and languages, and the pace of life var- forward when speaking, but we ies widely here,” said Jane Wong, (Chinese) tend to be more respectan undergraduate ID major and ful and use hedging when coman exchange student from China. municating,” Wong said. “We were raised in a complete“The amount of unhealthy food that is available,” said Vivek ly different culture. Whereas here Sandhiniti, a first-year BME ma- parents like well-balanced athletic and smart kids, most Korean parjor from India. “I was shocked by the amount ents only care about grades,” Ro of overweight people here. There said. While some misconceptions are heavier people in France, but not nearly as many morbidly are ignorant and politically incorobese people,” said Martin An- rect, some are just amusing. “Well, women in France do quez, a PHYS graduate student shave their armpits, there are nonfrom France. While some found the food nude beaches, and not everyone hard to adapt to at first, others smokes,” Anquez said. “Taiwan is not in Thailand,” picked up on everyday nuances. “In Korea, everything is very said Chung Yu Shih, a PHYS close by so people just walk every- graduate student from Taiwan. Tech’s campus is home to stuwhere or ride the bus. But in the [U.S.], everyone just drives cars to dents from many backgrounds get anywhere,” said Esther Ro, a and provides others the chance first-year BIO major from South to learn about these cultures. Students intrigued by different Korea. “The biggest culture shock was languages and nationalities have how kind people are to each oth- plenty of opportunities to engage er. Even though you don’t know with students from other counsomebody, they will just give you tries. There will seldom be chanca ‘hello’ or nod their heads, which es to interact with a diverse group is not the case in Europe,” said such as present on Tech’s campus. By Emily Moran Contributing Writer

Top 6 Ethnicities of International Students

1 3 4 5 6 2

1. India 29%