Technique Friday, October 28, 2011• Volume 97, Issue 14 • nique.net
The South’s Liveliest College Newspaper
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HOMECOMING STEP-DOWN
Students take stage at Ferst Center for annual show
Roosevelt Inst. facilitates education talk By Joe Boltri Contributing Writer
By Madison Lee Contributing Writer
The National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) presented its fourth annual Homecoming Step Show to a full house in the Ferst Center last Friday night. The competition showcased the rhythmic talent of members from eight historically black fraternities and sororities on campus. A time-honored percussive dance,
stepping is a complex combination of modern and traditional moves that range from stomping and clapping to the vocal chants unique to each fraternity and sorority. After the students completed their performances, the judges announced that the winners of the competition this year were both the men of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. and also the laSee Step, page 5
Photos by Ben Stewart / Student Publications
Students showcased a variety of different themes at this year’s show.
On the evening of Thursday, Oct. 20, members of the Tech community gathered in the Clary Theater in the Student Success Center to attend an education discussion hosted by the GT Roosevelt Institution. The evening consisted of a showing of the documentary Waiting for Superman followed by a panel discussion between those attending and several Atlanta leaders involved in the education field. The three panelists that were invited to field questions from the students and faculty in attendance were David Jernigan, Executive Director for the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) of Metro Atlanta; Jerri Nims Rooker, Director of the Center for an Educated Georgia; and Kim Seoudy, Georgia Recruitment Manager for Teach for America. The goal of the program was to promote an awareness and understanding of the issues faced by the American education system. “We wanted to get people engaged initially via the film and let the panelists bring it back to a more tangible level,” said Haley Gillett, Project Coordinator for the screening and discussion and a fourth-year PUBP major. “Having members of the community as speakers made it more real for us as students to get involved as advocates.” GT Roosevelt Institution leadership also sought to begin a dialogue that could lead to tangible solutions to current problems in the education system. The panel first fielded several rounds of questioning from President of the GT Roosevelt Institution Chris Esposo and then engaged in a general discussion with all those attending. “We need rigorous thinkers like the people here at Tech to form cross-collaborative partnerships to make meaningful change,” Esposo said. “Tech’s students aren’t usually exposed to these social issues, but from them we can gain insight that is not found in our regular course work.” Waiting for Superman, released last year, documents the many flaws that can be found See Roosevelt, page 2
TEAM Buzz celebrates 15th anniversary with service By Katherine Mitchell Contributing Writer
Approximately 1,700 members of the Tech community gathered at the campanile in order to participate in TEAM Buzz, an annual day of service geared toward improving the Atlanta area this past weekend. Initially founded with the idea of bringing the Tech community together while simultaneously providing service to the Atlanta community, TEAM Buzz organizers provided breakfast, a guest speaker, lunch, t-shirts and a postservice celebration to the hundreds of students that volunteered their Saturday morning. “It’s nice to have a day devoted to getting off campus and doing some good,” said Nate Muller, the Outreach Chair for TEAM Buzz, who attributed the success of TEAM Buzz to the change in
scenery it provides Tech students. “Existing in our little stressful bubble in the middle of Atlanta, [we like] to get that warm feeling of helping out someone else rather than having to think about your thermo homework.” Attendees could choose from approximately 32 projects, including those that focused on the environment, education, animal rights and medical care, each of which lasted approximately three hours and required participants to venture out into different communities. Grant Park Conservancy, Discovery Program, Furkids, Inc. and MedShare were some examples of the projects available for students to choose. Joseph Taylor, a first grader at Flat Shoals Elementary, was one of the students who received tutoring by volunteers via the Discovery Program, a student-led Saturday tutoring and enrichment
program. “My favorite part was counting the strawberries,” Taylor said, who practiced his math skills during the tutoring session. By the time TEAM Buzz had ended, he had answered fifty addition problems and one word problem and had won two rounds of a counting game. Norquata Allen, a project coordinator and a second-year AE major, attributed her involvement with this year’s TEAM Buzz to past events by the organization. “I really enjoyed [TEAM Buzz] last year and wanted to become more involved with it,” Allen said. Despite its recent completion, plans to improve next year’s event have begun already, including serving better food options as an extra “thank you” to TEAM Buzz participants and pushing for more See Buzz, page 2
Photo by Sho Kitamura / Student Publications
Students gather at the campanile before breaking off into smaller groups. This year’s TEAM Buzz featured over 32 service projects.