Sept. 23, 2011

Technique

Earth sends SOS

Friday, September 23, 2011• Volume 97, Issue 10 • nique.net

Students Organizing for Sustainability promote a greener lifestyle to protect the Earth.412

The South’s Liveliest College Newspaper

GTRI wins grant for solar tech

By Sam Somani Contributing Writer

The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), along with its industrial partners Suniva, Radiance Solar and other companies, was recently awarded a $2.8 million grant from the Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative to design more cost-efficient solar panel technology.

If this project, entitled SIMPLE BoS, is successful, the more inexpensive innovations could lead to “a bigger market for solar panels in the environment, which means more jobs, [especially] for Tech students,” said Joseph Goodman, leader of GTRI for SIMPLE BoS and Research Engineer at GTRI. GTRI is also receiving the help of the ME department, the COA and the Center for Biologically-Inspired Design (CBID). CBID will seek to inspire the design team, composed of the ME department and the CoA, by using biological principles found in nature as solutions for reducing the overall cost of solar panels. “[Biologically-Inspired Design] has the capacity to not only produce novel technologies that are more efficient and life-friendly, but [also] change the way engineers and biologists think about their craft,” said Marc Weissberg, CoDirector of CBID, in an e-mail. “It gives engineers a whole new tool-kit, and shows how deep biological knowledge is important to other areas besides medicine, or basic science.”

For starters, the implementation of solar panels can be broken down into two principal areas: the photovoltaic (PV) cell itself, which converts the solar energy into electricity, and the balance of the system, which includes other important processes, such as materials, See Grant, page 6

Over 5,000 students attend

TECH NIGHT AT SIX FLAGS Photo by Sho Kitamura / Student Publications

Approximately 5,100 students attended Tech Night at Six Flags, which was organized by the Atlanta Life Committee of the Student Center Programs Council on Friday, Sept. 16. Along with rides, this year’s event included an all-you-can-eat buffet.

By Katie Mitchell Contributing Writer

Every year, thousands of Tech students attend Tech Night at Six Flags, an exclusive event in which the amusement park is open to only Tech students for several hours at heavily discounted prices. The Student Center Programs Council (SCPC) hosts the event.

This year, the event was on Friday, Sept. 16 from 6 p.m. to midnight. Down by over 1,000 from last year, attendance for the event was 5,100. The low attendance may explain the mixed reviews from Six Flags patrons.

The experience was “exciting, fun, exhilarating, scary [and] overall amazing,” said Sydney Ray, a

first-year UCS major.

Gordon Waller, MSE grad student, was not impressed by the allyou-can-eat buffet, offered for the first time this year. Waller thought the buffet was “not very good.”

Food was also on the mind of George Das, a second-year CS major, as he would have liked to have seen “more concession stands open.”

Sarang Damle, the chair of SCPC’s Atlanta Life committee, which organizes Tech Night at Six Flags, and a third-year MGT major, admitted that the buffet was not to his standards, but attributes the unsatisfactory food to its being the first time Six Flags has provided food at this event, noting that SCPC had no See SCPC, page 7

Photo by Sho Kitamura / Student Publications

After buying tickets, students took buses provided

by Auxiliary Services to the Tech Night at Six Flags.

Freshman reps voice concerns, plans for campus 2011-12 Freshman Elections

Photo by John Nakano / Student Publications

Despite a high voter turonout, many students noted a lack of visibility in both the elections process and campaigning.

By Savannah Andersen Contributing Writer

Last week, freshman elections for SGA’s Undergraduate House of Representatives (UHR) came to a close, as Alex Bandes, an ME major, was named President, while Emily Russell, an IE major, Gillen Heisler, an IAML major, and Alex Letov, a BME major, claimed other representative positions.

Bandes took the lead with 305 votes, Russell with 300, Heisler with 252 and Letov with 249.

As the results show, Bandes won the position as president by only five votes.

“The close margin just indicates that [we] are really going to have to work together to come up with solutions to campus issues because the constituents’ votes were split so evenly. I think it reflects the diversity of our student body and our representatives,” Bandes said.

“There is a wide range of opinions as far as what people would like to see changed on campus, including dining hall selections and campus transportation. They also seem to be interested in a few SGA-sponsored freshmen social events—something I am really excited about,” Bandes said.

Russell’s plans include addressing the pressures

associated with being a new Tech student.

“One of the biggest issues facing Tech freshmen is achieving a balance between academic success and being connected socially with their peers...I plan to promote student study programs and provide ways for students to connect both in and out of the classroom,” Russell said.

Meanwhile, Heisler is focusing on other areas of potential concern.

“Some plans [we] have in mind are trying to make the campus more handicap-friendly, increasing the use and availability of BuzzCard at local businesses, addressing many dining hall complaints, making some improvements to the dorms around campus and streamlining the Buzzport website to make information about clubs and organizations more readily available,” Heisler said.

During the election, two candidates, Heisler and Michael de la Guardia, who came in fifth in votes, had elections violations, causing each to lose approximately 10 percent of their votes, respectively.

Some students expressed that they did not feel a significant presence from those campaigning.

“I didn’t have time to meet the candidates and an See Freshmen, page 6

NEWS

2 • September 23, 2011 • 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: Kamna Bohra / news@nique.net Opinions Editor: Chris Russell / opinions@nique.net Focus Editor: Siddharth Gurnani / focus@nique.net Entertainment Editor: Zheng Zheng / 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

Out of Line

From the files of the GTPD...

Campus Crime

By Nishant Prasadh Development Editor Loudness at Lambda Chi

A GTPD officer responded to a noise complaint at the Lambda Chi Alpha house around 3 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 16. The officer heard loud music coming from the second-floor balcony of the fraternity house and asked the brothers on the balcony to turn the music off, as quiet hours were in effect at the time.

Within five minutes after the officer left, loud music began to play at the Lambda Chi Alpha house once again. The officer pulled in front of the house and asked to speak to the fraternity’s president. The fraternity’s external

vice president instead responded, saying he was in charge of the house at the time, and the officer told him the fraternity would be receiving a Student Code of Conduct Violation.

Approximately 30 minutes later, the same officer noticed that loud music was once again playing from the Lambda Chi Alpha house.

The officer issued the fraternity a second Student Code of Conduct Violation and informed the external vice president that if another noise complaint related to the house occurred that night, he could go to jail.

Around 2:40 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 18, an officer was driving on Techwood Drive when an SUV driving in the opposite direction crossed the officer’s path before swerving back into its proper lane.

The driver shouted an apology to the officer while passing him moments later, and the officer turned and followed the SUV as it pulled into a parking lot.

The officer initiated a stop and approached the driver, whose breath had an odor of alcohol and whose eyes were glassy and bloodshot. The officer asked for the driver’s license, and the driver was unable to properly extract his license from his wallet.

The officer administered various field sobriety tests and found that the driver, who is 18 years old, was impaired. The driver was arrested and taken to Fulton County Jail.

POLL OF THE WEEK

What do you think of the new block seating policy?

28% 37%

I don’t sit in a football block. I have no opinion.

Incentives like Dean Dull points should be incorporated.

Based on 87 responses

14%

The changes are necessary and welcome.

18%

Next issue’s question:

What do you think of the new Technology Store?

Tell us at nique.net

I don’t see what’s wrong with the way it is currently.

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.

Bill Summary Bill

Amount

GSS

UHR

GT Paintball (Week of Sept. 19) GT Paintball (Week of Sept. 12) Student Publications Golf Cart Surf Club VP Stipend NROTC Veto Override JacketPages Student Assistant Woodruff Arts

$1920 $5407.50 $2,602.45 $224 $1644 -$1920 $600

30-0-0 30-0-0 29-1-0 30-0-0 -5-23-0 28-0-0 --

41-0-3 41-4-1 41-3-2 44-2-0 28-11-6 21-20-3 42-1-0 33-12-1

Prior Year: $513,752.50 Capital Outlay: $844,391.55

Executive Veto

Undergraduate Student Body President Elle Creel came before the UHR on Tuesday night to offer an explanation for the previous week’s Executive Veto of the Joint Allocation to Naval ROTC Sailing Team.

Creel stated that the Institute could be held legally liable for the actions of student organizations and that the chartering process offers the Institute some legal protection.

“The chartering process ensures that organizations are truly

student-led, not fronts for a campus departments which are not the intended recipients of Student Activity Fee funding. I believe that it is important that the chartering process remain legitimate; therefore, I do not want SGA to set a precedent that undermines the process,” Creel said.

This past weekend, the NROTC sailing team raced in the University of South Carolina Fourth Annual Sailing Regatta, the competition for which the team was requesting funding from SGA.

Bubble the

By Emily Cardin, Staff Writer

E

Technique • September 23, 2011 • 3

The team ultimately placed third in the competition.

Civil and Environmental Engineering Representative and NROTC member Evan Boyce, who authored the bill and spoke in favor of the bill at last week’s UHR meeting, spoke again at this week’s UHR meeting about the bill.

“I am disappointed in the entire process. I respect the presidents and their power to veto. The fundamental problem here is JFC policy and how only chartered organizations can request money.

Every student is required to pay $250 in Student Activity Fees, but only the students in chartered organizations have access to the money, ” Boyce said.

The House failed to override the veto on a 21-20-3, due to an almost unanimous failing of the bill earlier in the day from the GSS. Vice President Stipend

Creel also sponsored a bill to increase the stipend paid to the Executive Vice President position.

She encouraged representatives to raise the stipend to be equal to what is paid to the Speaker of the See Council, page 5

A

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

Troy Davis execution Troy Davis, convicted of murdering a Savannah police officer in 1989, was executed Wednesday, Sept. 21, at 11:07 p.m. Davis had been near execution three separate times since his conviction.

In 2007, the Georgia Parole Board granted him a stay-of-execution just hours before execution by lethal injection.

In 2008, the Supreme Court intervened just 90 minutes before the scheduled execution.

The Court later declined to hear the case.

This Tuesday the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Parole denied Davis’s clemency after a daylong hearing.

The Supreme Court again halted the execution for several hours on Wednesday night to review the petition for a stay-ofexecution submitted by Davis’ attorneys, though they eventually allowed the execution to continue.

The case has garnered international attention from human rights advocacy groups, the NAACP and even President Obama.

DADT Repealed Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) came to an official end on Sept.

20 after nearly 17 years of existence.

The policy was enacted into law in 1993 and limited the military’s ability to question members about sexual orientation while homosexual members of the military could not discuss or participate in homosexual acts.

Since its enactment, DADT has been responsible for discharging almost 13,000 members because their sexual orientation became public knowledge.

After the Senate followed the House this past December to vote to repeal DADT, President Obama still had to determine that the military was ready for such a change. In July, President Obama approved the change, and training programs began in preparation for the inclusion of openly serving homosexual men and women.

NEWS

Council

Photo by John Nakano / Student Publications

One major issue brought up in this week’s UHR meeting was the waiver of JFC policy for SGA use, but not for other groups’ needs.

Technique • September 23, 2011 • 5

from page 3

House and the JFC Chair.

She said that the stipend change should reflect the recent increases in responsibility made to the role, including oversight of the SGA Student Advisory Board, among other Executive responsibilities. “[SGA] froze the stipend amounts for other organizations last year, and we should just reallocate existing money instead of increasing the amount,” said Member-at-Large Mathias Rost.

Secretary Travis Wagner reminded representatives that the funding increase would be coming from Undergraduate Legislative Reserve funds, not Student Activity Fees.

“SGA froze the amount that we give for stipends to other organizations, but those organizations can still use their own funds to augment the stipends. That’s exactly what we are doing here,” Wagner said.

The bill passed on a 28-11-6 vote.

Woodruff Arts Night

Representatives discussed a bill to allocate $600 to provide for transportation for GT Night at Woodruff Arts Center. The event, to be held on Sept. 29, is free and open to all students.

JFC Chair Charley Crosson reported that the bill did not meet with JFC policy, and several representatives were hesitant to waive the policy in order to pass the bill.

“The transportation allocation to the Woodruff Arts Night is in direct violation of JFC policy for funds coming from the joint [Prior Year] account,” said Daniel Farmer, CS Representative. “This policy would prevent any other organization from obtaining money for transportation to their event, and it is nothing short of outright hypocrisy for SGA to waive policies in order to support its own events when it will not do so for others. This funding should have

been found from other sources in advance, or should have been taken from the [Undergraduate Legislative Reserve].”

Creel and others raised concerns about a possible drop in attendance if transportation were not free, as well as the safety concerns regarding traveling after dark.

“I supported the request for funding for transportation to the Georgia Tech Night at the Woodruff Arts Center because I believe that it is important that we provide a safe, convenient and free way for all students to attend this event,” Creel said.

Other representatives, including Representative Hunter Hammond, expressed a desire to change JFC Policy to address similar issues that could arise in the future.

“We should address this as a policy issue and change the [JFC] policy,” Hammond said.

The bill passed on a 33-12-1 vote in UHR.

ON CAMPUS 4 4 4

On Wednesday, Sept. 21, the Technology Store in the Barnes & Noble at Tech Square had its grand opening and ribboncutting ceremony.

Offering bundles of computers, related accessories, school supplies and Tech gear, the Technology Store’s ribbon-cutting included Institute President G.P. “Bud” Peterson and Undergraduate Student Body President Elle Creel.

4 4 4

The Institute President’s wife Val Peterson hosted an “Informal Conversation” event with students in the President’s Scholars Program and the Honors Program on the evening of Wednesday, Sept.

21, to discuss campus issues with students and to share her impressions and expecations of Tech’s campus.

NEWS

6 • September 23, 2011 • Technique

Grant

Photo by Jon Drews / Student Publications

A $2.8 million grant from the Department of Energy will allow GTRI to collaborate with companies to produce solar panel tech.

Freshmen

from page 1

uninformed decision only hurts the election process,” said Richard Benifeld, a first-year MGT major, of why he did not vote in this semester’s elections.

“I didn’t vote in the election because I was uniformed about where to go, when to vote, and who the candidates were,” said Marvin Orrel, a first-year UEC major.

Despite less visibility than most freshmen expected, one notable aspect of this year’s campaign was the use of diverse advertising strategies.

“I definitely think Facebook was really involved, but I think it was actually detrimental to the campaigns because it was overused,” Benifield said.

“My campaign strategy was to go out and meet my fellow classmates and express my enthusiasm for serving as their representative.

I think that letting people meet you and get to know you is the most effective approach,” Russell said.

“My campaign strategy in-

volved advertising to the freshmen class through flyers as well as one on one interaction,” Bandes said. “Tech has a great, personal atmosphere, where just about everyone is willing to talk to you. I found that a lot of people wanted to learn about the election if I just gave them a little bit of information about what was going on.”

Since the new freshmen representatives took oaths to become official members of the UHR on Tuesday, Sept. 20, they will need to work together and with representatives from other classes to meet all the needs of their constituents.

“All I can say is that I am extremely anxious to work handin-hand with many of the most intelligent, hardest working student leaders our great school has to offer in the Student Government Association,” Heisler said. “I know we may not see eye-to-eye on some issues, but it is our duty as elected representatives to do our job responsibly and in the best interests of the Tech community as a whole.”

from page 1

wire management, racking [and] mounting and interface to utility.

“Since the industry has done such a good job of making PV cells more efficient and lower cost, there has not been much focus on the balance of system,” Goodman said.

The balance of the system takes up a good chunk of the cost of producing and integrating solar panels into an existing environment.

Through the SunShot initiative, GTRI and its partners plan to reduce the cost of the solar panel to about $1 per watt. GTRI and its partners also plan for a 75 percent reduction in solar cost, which will render the cost of solar energy

equivalent to that of burning coal for electricity.

In other words, solar energy could be cost-efficient enough to become the citizens’ primary source of power.

“You’ll be able to look at your electricity bill and solar panel bill and say ‘All right, well, it’s about the same amount,’” Goodman added.

Goodman, who received his Masters in ME from Tech, said that winning the grant was made possible by “the deep student engagement, coupled with the industry partners who have a track record of commercialization and low-cost installation.”

It will be these groups of students, whose numbers can range from 50 to 100, who will come

up with ideas for SIMPLE BoS through research, capstone projects and the like.

Faculty and leaders of SIMPLE BoS will then work closely with the industry to perfect ideas by imposing on the projects realistic constraints that the solar energy market faces.

Working with Suniva has “given [the students] another degree of freedom in design,” according to Goodman, since Suniva manufactures photovoltaic cells, and these cells can later be modified to suit an outstanding design rather than vice-versa.

GTRI hopes to have a product ready for commercial use within the next three years. Within five years GTRI plans to introduce a solar panel product to the market.

Photo by John Nakano / Student Publications

The four freshman representatives have voiced fellow students’ concerns about dining hall quality, assimilation into Tech’s academics, residential life and access to information about organizations.

sliver

technique

www.nique.net

hm is it recommended to study alone? maybe they should banish studying alone it is so boring my first sliver! i love Tech so far! #freshman how do you get your slivers in the paper? shmeow are you the world’s foremost expert on anything? to the brown chick in the red dress carrying way too much stuff in the mgt building: I want to be your friend “but I am le tired!” “hokay, take a nap then fire ze missile!” where is the Campus Crime Watch? The best part of the paper is reading about drunk freshman antics.

Reading off the slides is not teaching.

What is this asterisk next to one of my multiple choice answers?

Ohh... It’s the answer key!

I have experimentally determined that the cyclability of the new Skiles Walkway is low. I am also now more firmly than ever convinced of the power of gravity.

Its ok to be jealous. I would be too. your football report last friday was full of contradictions, absolute Now that I posted a sliver, I’m one step closer to graduation “Professor, I was mugged by a group of squirrels today and they stole my ECE HW.” You may think you want to get out, but once you’re out you’ll change your mind Slivering for slithering silver snakes from sliverin My first sliver, unlike my undgrad degree, it only took me five years. Shout out to 516! Oh yeah, you all graduated.... :( @papajohns girl, email me [REDACTED] , @sliver guy, dont let me down! @papajohns guy: Sorry dude. - sliver guy.

CS 4540 will put hair on your chest.

I guess thats why there aren’t any girls in there :( to the girl who said I wasnt creepy in brit rec: Thanks! shoot me volcanology = class about volcanoes sounds easy, right?

NOT

making friday lectures more interesting

www.nique.net

NEWS

Technique • September 23, 2011 • 7

Israel notes value of literacy, leadership

By Aakash Arun Contributing Writer

On Wednesday, Sept. 14, the IMPACT Speaker Series continued with a presentation by George Israel, President of the Ferst Foundation for Childhood Literacy.

Israel, who is experienced in business, government and the non-profit sector presented on “The Keys to Building Successful Organizations: People, Production, Profit.”

Israel introduced the foundation and its initiatives in developing a more productive and educated workforce by distributing books to children with the help of partners in 76 counties in Georgia.

Israel also talked about the skills required to be a successful leader. He discussed job descriptions and interview strategies that companies use to recruit candidates. Israel was the CEO of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce from 2002 to 2010. He was also appointed as the Mayor of Macon from 1979 to 1987.

“In the state of Georgia there are 750,000 children under the age of 5...Imagine if every child was read to at least once a day, imagine the difference we can make in reducing crime rates,” Israel said.

The Ferst Foundation for Childhood Literacy’s mission is to prepare preschool children in Georgia for reading and learning success. Each month, a new book is mailed to every registered child under the age of five with the hope that every child enters Kindergarten after being read to by their parents. The “Imagination Library” is at no cost to registered children and they are allowed to keep books for future reading.

Photo by Sharad Gopal / Student Publications

George Israel speaks at the LeCraw Auditorium. Israel discussed literacy and other subjects as part of the IMPACT Speaker Series.

According to Israel, 85 percent of the parents receiving the books reported reading to their children every day and hence the project has been successful. The project also helps develop bonds between parents and children and increases parental awareness of their children’s reading levels. Israel also reported a drastic increase in average test scores on the Criterion Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT) taken by 8th graders in Morgan County enrolled in the program. After highlighting the accomplishments of the Ferst Foundation, Israel continued to talk about requirements for the formation of a successful organization.

“It’s the people that supply the ingenuity, creativity, their education and their experience,” Israel said.

Israel explained the “three P’s” to successful organization: People, Production and Profit. According to Israel, the most important factor in recruiting employees is the job description. He explained the importance of gaining relevant information about a candidate’s behavior such as the objectives of a particular candidate and his or her activities. He talked about the necessity of hiring candidates that fit a particular position. He continued to explain the system of three interviews that should be conducted while hiring candi-

dates.

“You want to validate and zero in on the weaknesses and ask open-ended questions that encourage them to talk,” Israel said. He talked about being able to judge whether a candidate is perfect or is a misfit for a position at the end of an assessment. He explained about the importance of a leader that shows interest in his or her people in order to motivate them to get required goals accomplished. Israel continued to talk about leadership.

“Leadership is a process by which a person influences others to accomplish objectives. Good leaders are made, they are not born,” Israel said, highlighting the characteristics, objectives and accomplishments of historical leaders such as George Washington and Napoleon. Israel explained the different types of leadership and whether physical and intellectual traits such as height, extraversion, fluency and intellect correlate with the ability to be a leader.

“What do you want your epitaph to read about your career at the end of your life? What do you want people to think about you when you get to the end of your business life?” Israel asked.

A number of students and faculty members attended the event.

“I’m genuinely passionate about literacy and wanted to see what the scene is like. It was good to get a sense of the reality. He works more on ideologies…I was expecting more detail on how to build a successful company,” said Urvashi Goverdhan, a third-year CS major.

Since 2002, the IMPACT series has been a weekly event that has brought business leaders to campus to share experiences and to provide leadership advice.

SCPC

from page 1

control over what was served.

Damle anticipates the food being better next year and for SCPC to be able to further subsidize the price of the meal for Tech students.

Other plans for next year include more decorations, a photo booth and performances by local bands.

Damle realizes that the main attraction of Six Flags Night is the rides but strives to add value to the overall experience.

Making sure SCPC volunteers are well-trained will also add value to the Six Flags experience, as Damle recognizes that this was one aspect that needs improvement.

Unknown to the average Tech student, Six Flags only operates the rides while SCPC is in charge of the logistics for Six Flags night.

Meanwhile, other Tech organizations and campus departments provide support.

SGA allocates money to SCPC in the beginning of the year, helping the organization discount tickets.

The Buzzcard Office makes purchasing ticket sales more efficient by allowing students to buy their Six Flags tickets online via their BuzzCard.

Auxiliary Services provides the buses that shuttle students to and from Six Flags.

In an effort to make sure that Tech Night at Six Flags and other events throughout the year remain popular, SCPC offers specials.

Those who attend enough events to be invited to join its exclusive mailing list.

This incentives program included free Flash Passes for the Six Flags event that allowed its users to bypass long lines at rides.

The program also provides limited backstage passes to future performances.

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nique.net

Opinions

Opinions Editor: Chris Russell Experience: that most brutal of teachers.

But you learn. My God do you learn.

“ ”

OUR VIEWS Consensus Opinion

Conference expansion

New additions bolster ACC, highlight other issues

Following the developments of the past few days in the arena of conference expansion, the ACC is set to welcome Syracuse University and the University of Pittsburgh as its two newest members.

The move is unquestionably a good financial decision for both the ACC and the two new teams, as it adds two powerhouse basketball teams to the conference, extends the conference’s reach into new television markets in New York and Pennsylvania and will ultimately lead to more exposure for both the new teams and the conference. The ACC could also leverage this move to gain access to better venues (the idea of moving the conference basketball tourney to Madison Square Garden in New York City has been mentioned).

It also highlights the shifting focus from tradition and traditional rivalries to television contracts and the financial bottom line. Syracuse and Pittsburgh fans will certainly be disappointed by the

abandonment of old Big East Conference rivalries in exchange for financial growth.

Additionally, the expansion will also affect non-revenue sports in a more negative way than revenue sports, particularly when it comes to travel. The recent nationwide expansion rush has been driven almost purely by a push for increased football revenue, and non-revenue teams—which have essentially been overlooked—will be forced to deal with more exceedingly long trips to away games with very few advantages in exchange for the effort.

The bottom line for Tech fans is ultimately positive. With the addition of Syracuse and Pitt, programs that feature decent football and superb basketball, Tech now enjoys a comfortable spot in a major conference that is safe from raids in the future. Conference stability has been an issue for many major programs for the past couple years, but with two new schools strengthening the ACC lineup, Tech has little to worry about.

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 Mike Donohue, Business Manager

Vivian Fan, Outreach Editor Siddharth Gurnani, Focus Editor Nishant Prasadh, Development Editor Chris Russell, Opinions Editor

Matt Schrichte, Advertising Manager Alex Sohani, Sports Editor Zheng Zheng, Entertainment Editor

EDITORIAL CARTOON By Casey Tisdel

—C. S. Lewis

Technique

8

Friday, September 23, 2011

Qwikster signals death of mail DVDs

by Benjamin Wright The Oracle, U. Southern Florida

Netflix has been a trailblazer in the field of instant streaming and DVD rentals since it started its subscription-based digital distribution service in 1999.

Allowing customers to rent DVDs and Bluray discs through the mail and stream films and television series for a flat-rate price, Netflix seemed like it was really on top of its game.

While companies like Amazon and Hulu have started to challenge Netflix in the digital streaming arena, Netflix still had a firm upper hand. That is, until it decided to raise its initial flat-rate prices this past summer, which included charging some subscribers twice as much as they were already paying for both streaming and DVD-by-mail.

Public reaction appeared to be overwhelmingly negative, enough so that co-founder and CEO Reed Hastings took to Netflix’s online blog Sunday to apologize for his poor communication in the process—as well as seemingly announcing an overall dismissal of the DVD-by-mail format Netflix pioneered.

Just in the past week, Netflix has lost the rights to stream films from Starz, Disney and Sony, three of its most prominent suppliers of streaming content, and Netflix’s stock has dropped as much as 15 percent in recent days.

With staffers like Hastings reportedly selling off their own stock in the company, perhaps subscribers should have seen this coming.

In the video posted on Netflix’s blog, Hastings says that when they looked toward the future of the company prior to the controversial price increase, they saw that DVD-by-mail and streaming services were becoming very different from one another and splitting them up would let them provide more focus on the respective formats.

Netflix has created a new spinoff company, Qwikster, which will provide customers with DVD, Blu-ray and the new addition of video game rentals. Qwikster will have a new website separate from Netflix at qwikster. com and will be run by former Netflix executive Andy Rendich.

What all of this really sounds like is an attempt to cut clean from their DVD-by-mail service that has become increasingly less popular in the wake of online streaming.

While Hastings insists that Rendich and his new Qwikster team will be able to devote more time to improving DVD-by-mail service, the casual nature and reserved tone of the entire video makes this feel like a low-rent affair.

Now if Netflix’s streaming ser-

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vice had been offering a variety of special content that you couldn’t find anywhere else, perhaps this wouldn’t be cause for alarm.

Yet, since the announcement of the price increase, Netflix has lost three major suppliers of streaming content, while sites like Hulu Plus have been adding upto-date television series and acquiring licenses from major film distributors like Criterion and 20th Century Fox. On Monday morning, Netflix subscribers received an email with the subject line “An Explanation and Some Reflections,” which was once again an apology from Hastings and the announcement of Qwikster. What’s really stirring about this whole apology front is that it feels like we’re being sold Netflix, not receiving an apology.

It would appear as if the plan all along was to eventually sever the limb of Netflix that was the DVD-by-mail distribution process, and it’s even fair to suggest that the price hike was a way to draw sides between the two and see who had more subscribers— clearly, streaming walked away with a victory.

As Hastings sends the new Qwikster CEO off on his way to “innovate” his new company, it seems as if Rendich is serving as a martyr for the Netflix namesake. While the name Qwikster is already being skewered by the Internet community, particularly because there’s already a Qwikster Twitter account owned by someone infatuated with smoking pot and Elmo, it seems like only a matter of time before DVD-by-mail subscribers realize that Netflix has no interest in physical media anymore.

Netflix may believe it is on to some sort of genius repositioning of their brand that nobody has caught onto, but the majority agree that Qwikster is another foolish move in a long series of events that appear to be an unraveling of this company.

In an age where consumers are growing to appreciate accessibility of products in one place—in this case streaming and DVD-bymail—Netflix is practically forming a divide and saying, “No.”

OPINIONS

Technique • September 23, 2011 • 9

Innovation required in Tech education When the U.S. News and World Report released its annual ranking of colleges and universities last week, I was both surprised and pleased to learn that Tech had improved its standing in a variety of disciplines. The fact that the Institute was able to do so during tough economic times is a testament to the leadership and foresight of both current and former members of the campus community who have worked to achieve these results. While rankings are not the most accurate measure of the quality of education or campus experience at an institution, they are meaningful not only to students frantically seeking employment upon graduation this semester but also to talented students who are considering attending this institution.

However, I still can’t help but feel that there is a lot more work to be done to make Tech a better place for innovation and the exchange of ideas.

There are many avenues for improvement, and there are many tough challenges that require creative solutions if the Institute hopes to matriculate not only citizens who are capable of securing wellpaying jobs or careers but also those who are truly capable of changing the world.

There are two main problems that I believe Tech must tackle to help achieve this

“The fact...is that the current system for imparting information and conducting evaluations is broken.”

Vijai Narayanan Editor-in-Chief

goal: improving the quality of teaching and increasing the interdisciplinary nature of education.

I’ve been fascinated with the problem of how to improve the quality of teaching for quite some time. It’s an incredibly challenging problem to solve, not least because the student-faculty ratio has been on the rise for several years due to budgetary constraints.

The fact of the matter is that the current system for imparting information and conducting evaluations is broken.

How many times have you walked out of a classroom with a less than satisfactory grade (even when it was curved to an A), and been forced to move on the next unit, even though you clearly (as your grade indicated) didn’t have a firm grasp of the concepts presented in previous chapters? Why did you get such a poor grade in the first place?

Studies show that most students have difficulty retaining information during lectures after about 15 minutes. Imagine

if instead of working problems for homework, students were asked to watch video lectures at home on their own pace before coming to class. Students could pause, rewind and watch the lectures as many times as they needed in order to gain a firm grasp of the concepts.

Students could then spend time in class working on problems with one another in groups. Tests would be conducted periodically to measure the progress of each student.

However, when a student does poorly on a test, he would have the opportunity to spend more time on the material to gain a firm understanding and take another evaluation before moving onto the next topic.

By implementing this model, a student could ensure that he builds upon the information learned in one chapter or course in another.

What I’m suggesting here is not at all a new approach to improving the quality of teaching. There has been a push in recent years from innovative educators and organi-

zations to adopt this model in K-12 schools. An institution like Tech should employ its resources to try such radical ideas and help solve this problem.

Another challenge that Tech must tackle is increasing the interdisciplinary opportunities on campus. There have been countless efforts on this front, which in recent years have culminated in the construction of the CULC. While this is certainly a step in the right direction, I’m a bit skeptical at the effectiveness of these initiatives at directly addressing the problem.

The CULC is intended to be a center for learning where primarily first- and secondyear students interact with one another and work together to come up with new ideas. I believe that it would make more sense for the building to house upper level courses, where students are actively engaged in major-level topics.

Lastly, I’m a firm believer in the notion that a stronger liberal arts college should be well-equipped to complement any great engineering school.

The problems of the future will be located at the intersection of science and the liberal arts. Giving students more opportunities to experience the liberal arts via the Ivan Allen College will ultimately make them better equipped to solve tomorrow’s challenges.

Nosiness, bragging impair relationships Thanks to the Career Fair last week, GPAs and achievements have become hot topics of student gossip around campus. While concerns and competitions over grades are certainly nothing new to a Tech student, the poor manner through which we express our opinions over others’ qualifications and performances should be reexamined.

Every person has his own thoughts on someone who is doing better or worse than us from a GPA or job qualification perspective. While opinions such as these are natural responses to our own surroundings, they can likewise often be overly judgmental and based on unfounded bias.

For example, one of the most common and memorable complaints I often hear during the school year is, “His GPA isn’t that much higher than mine.

It’s so unfair!”

Success is a result of nature and nurture. While being “born smart” certainly helps one to obtain higher qualifications, one must also strive to reach for them or nothing can be accomplished. The most successful people I know in life are not the most naturally smart people, but rather those who understand that effort will lead them to their final goals and work for it. If one knows that work will lead to success, is that not commendable knowledge to have on its own? I firmly believe so.

“If one is truly confident with his own abilities, there’s no need to further build himself up by bringing others down.”

Zheng Zheng Entertainment Editor When people talk about being “smart,” they generally associate it with a condition one is born with. So often, people tend to neglect the importance of actually working for a goal.

Nothing in life worth having comes easy. If one is truly indignant about being bested, then he can certainly work his way up to achieve their own expectations. Otherwise, complaints such as these simply seem whiny and will garner little sympathy from an audience.

While I understand that genetics is rife with randomness, life is certainly not determined by a flip of a coin. A person’s success, regardless of the perspective taken, is not based solely on luck. One does not do better than another because of chance, so complaints such as the one above hold little merit. People making these remarks rarely understand the amount of effort put by the accused into their work, so statements such as this are often uninformed and assuming.

On the other hand, it is

also not uncommon for people who do well to show off their successes in the faces of their peers. While trying to obtain a little acknowledgement is normal, rubbing it in and being overly judgmental of other’s performances shows—simply put—a lack of class and weakness of character.

Modesty is a virtue. Those who flaunt their successes are often doing so to seek attention and approval, and that is usually—unbeknownst to them—very obvious to the people around them. If one is truly confident with one’s own abilities, there’s no need to further build oneself up by bringing others down. It’s a competitive world out there, and a lot of times people take every opportunity to show off their abilities. This is understandable. The key is to make sure it’s done in a tasteful way that does not reflect poorly on one’s character.

At other times it is simply inconsiderate to think ill of others for performing poorly.

How can one ever be sure that

there are not personal reasons for their low marks? There could have been a death in the family, an accident, a terrible breakup, the birth of a child, etc. The point is that life does not stop for school. As much as it may seem, we do not live in a sort of bubble in college where no regular life events can occur. Be considerate of others.

Don’t make judgments until you are fully aware of the circumstances.

So as one can see, problems can easily arise from both sides and it’s often difficult to properly gauge others’ performances. One great way to deal with this is to simply put less focus on them. Spend less time worrying about what other people have accomplished in terms of grades or qualifications and focus more on improving yourself. One should use other’s performances simply as guidelines to set goals for oneself, not as excuses or means through which to bring others down.

Hopefully all of this will serve to bring more awareness and self-reflection on the topic of success. We cannot change what others do when it comes to our own success, so why bother worrying about them?

The only person we have absolute and total control over is ourselves. The only thing we can do is to better ourselves and put all of the bitter resentments and biased judgments away.

BUZZ

Around Campus

What are you looking forward to about the start of fall?

Matthew Salley Third-year ME

“The weather. Fall has always been my favorite season.”

Patti Murphy Third-year BIO

“Leaves! Because they’re pretty awesome.”

Ted Liang Graduate NRE

“What new construction projects Tech is cooking up.”

Jobin Thomas Fourth-year EE

“Tech football.”

Photos by Kevin Brawley

OPINIONS

10 • September 23, 2011 • Technique

OUR VIEWS Hot or Not

HOT– or –NOT Six Flags

Students who attended last week’s Tech Night at Six Flags were pleased to find that many of the rides had much shorter lines than in previous year.

Estimates put attendance for this year at around 1,000 fewer students than the event has seen in previous years. While this in itself was not a good thing, it meant that fewer students were jostling for spots in line.

Record highs

Tech football fans (and anyone else watching the games this season) can tell you Tech’s been rocking the gridiron this season, but a few broken records in last week’s rout of Kansas have highlighted just how well Tech has been playing. The Jackets set school records with 604 rushing yards and 768 total yards and broke a 38-year-old NCAA record by averaging 12.1 yards per carry for the game.

IC Flood

An eight-inch water line burst in the IC Main building on Thursday morning, covering the entire first floor with approximately a foot and a half of water. Power was shut off in the building for the remainder of the day in order to fix the pipe and allow the outlets to dry before reopening the building. Here’s to hoping that it gets fixed in a quick and effective manner.

Golden tickets

Despite the football team’s success, ticket sales continue to fall short. Bobby Dodd Stadium seats 55,000, but the season opener saw just over 42,000 tickets sold. At press time there were still over 9,000 unsold tickets for the Sept. 24 game against UNC. On-field success is the only proven way to increase attendance, so if Tech continues to pile up the wins, perhaps the problem will solve itself.

Knowing the difference between stress, distress during midterms The start of a new academic year brings the excitement of new beginnings: reconnecting with friends, enjoying relationships, and, for some, the promise of graduation. Now the time has come for many students to face the first round of exams and midterms.

We know that Tech students are among the best and brightest students in this country and this year’s first-year class is exceptional in their academic achievements.

However, we also know that Tech students have a difficult time recognizing stress from distress.

In a focus group study of students conducted by the Counseling Center in 2007, one finding indicated that Tech students, when faced with stress, tend to push through or work through their stress to achieve their academic goals. What happens as a result is that, if left unmanaged, stress levels may increase and lead to distress. In the end, unmanaged stress can be detrimental to students in their academic success and can also affect other areas such as relationships, work and family life. Unmanaged stress can take its toll on a student’s physical, emotional and psychological well-being, manifesting itself in such things as hypertension, depression, anxiety and low self confidence.

The first step to managing stress is to recognize some of its signs.

For many Tech students, signs of stress can appear in physical, academic and social areas. Physical signs of stress can include feeling frequently tired or exhausted, frequent headaches, hypertension or significant changes in eating or sleeping. Academic warning signs of stress can include an unusual

“Success at Tech means not only academic success, but also success in creating a balanced and healthy personal lifestyle.”

Ruperto Perez

Director, Georgia Tech Counseling Center drop in grades, skipping classes and a loss of interest in class work.

Socially, some of the warning signs of stress include withdrawing from others, feeling irritable towards friends and family or difficulty in relationships.

One way to think about managing stress effectively is to develop effective ways to cope with stress. Learning effective relaxation techniques and engaging in healthy exercise and diet are a few ways to effectively cope with stress. Perhaps even more important than developing effective coping strategies to manage stress is to have a plan in place to manage stress before it happens. By building a healthy diet and exercise into your lifestyle, maintaining healthy relationships and balancing an academic and personal life, it becomes possible to effectively manage stress before it becomes too overwhelming.

Stress that goes unaddressed can lead to distress which may result in unhealthy coping styles such as excessive video gaming, isolating oneself from friends and family or substance use. Still others may experience levels of distress that are so overwhelming that it can lead to feelings of depression, helplessness and overwhelming anxiety. There are some students who are able to recog-

nize these signs and to find ways to address their distress. In other instances, there are some students who are unable to recognize these signs and may need others to help them recognize their distress and to guide them to services on campus that can provide help. All students, staff and faculty should be aware of instances where a student is experiencing significant distress and be able to assist them in obtaining helpful services.

The Counseling Center offers a number of services that can help students manage their stress and services to help students develop an effective plan to cope with stresses when they occur.

The Stress Management Series of workshops offered throughout each semester provide information and education on various ways of managing stress. Individual or group counseling can also be helpful for helping students establish effective coping strategies for stress.

Success at Tech means not only academic success, but also success in creating a balanced and healthy personal lifestyle. By being able to manage and cope with stress effectively, students increase their ability to succeed academically and personally to experience an enriching and rewarding quality of life at Tech.

sliver

www.nique.net

Of course only SGA could take a working brand new jacketpages and break it.

What color is the Bank of America Building? Brown, right?

A bad memory is an excuse to forget the present. A good memory is merely a better excuse.

Be an optimist prime, not a negatron. #25 baby hey guy talking on the phone in the cfa line, get out of my personal space SUDOKU, SUDOKU, SUDOKU!!! PUT SUDOKU IN THE TECHNIQUE! We’re working on it. Keep slivering. - sliver guy Dear Substitute, that marker DOES NOT WORK suck it, Kansas Calc II test = fml what is her name? can we get a lock on the door to the ladies’ room in howey? the absence of one makes me afraid to go...

Dear all Asian women, I love you. -All Jewish Guys Multiple choice questions on Physics exams are weighted too heavily.

“ALLCAPS ALLITERATION” is actually assonance. Aww. There should be bike lanes on the wider sidewalks. It would make life easier for pedestrians and bicyclists7alike. p.m., Flag 137, Technique We are NOT the next Nimmy and Dharmik!

I’m a CS major and I shower... I only wish my roommate would do the same :( you play Street FIghter too? if you like Mahvel talk to Jameil I miss Red Jesus, the only religious figure I respect Notice to fish: start rating the girls in binary before you lose all hope saw the technique hating on HvZ in the last edition... whats up with that?

Be care what you say, for I suspect that rumors can travel in a vacuum

F cus

focus@nique.net Focus Editor: Siddharth Gurnani Assistant Focus Editor: Alex Kessler

going GREEN

Inside the environmentally friendly issues and trends facing the Tech campus today

LEARNING GOES PAPERLESS

Eight and a half by eleven—white, blank, empty.

Paper has always been one of the necessary elements of school that students take for granted.

For decades upon decades Tech students have clutched lined notebook paper in their hands as they trudge to class; they have frantically flipped through these same sheets during finals week, reviewing the pile of notes they scribbled months ago.

As the world develops technologically, however, could paper finally be leaving the classroom once and for all?

According to a survey conducted by the Faculty Focus, eighty-three percent of college-age teachers allow laptops in their classrooms and a little over half of these teachers also allow smart phones.

The trend is only growing with teachers moving towards online homework, electronic notes and websites like T-Square, Webassign and MyEconLab. Why not continue the trend?

Dr. Randall Engle, a Professor of Psychology who does not allow computers in his room says, “The first class I taught was in 1969 and I have been teaching for a long time. Over the last eight to ten years, my experiences with computers are that they have been a distraction. The temptation is very great to get on Facebook or to surf. I don’t think physically writing has any particular advantage over typing for processing information, but with computers I often lose the attention of not only the Facebook surfer, but the people behind him or her.”

What do students have to say about this phenomenon? “I take notes on my iPad using a stylus pen... it actually works out really well, and my backpack is really light because I don’t have a lot of folders in there,” said Alexa Pierre, a first-year ECON major. The stylus pen keeps her away from her computer and she does not use any paper.

“This shift is a good thing. It allows us to use different media—video, still images, music, digitized archives, web sites, and so forth—in the classroom, and this is enormously positive,” said John Tone, associate dean for the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts. Tone, however, does not allow students to use computers in his classes.

Using slide shows in class also allows the teachers to post the class notes before exams, which can be a useful study tool.

The online trend does present one discreet notable downside, however: the cost to the student. Each time a professor puts a lab online or posts a reading on TSquare, one of two situations can occur.

In one situation, the homework can be completed completely online, an approach that would come with its own potential issues. A disobliging math lab might

not allow submissions, a critical webpage to submitting homework could struggle to load on a computer 10 minutes before a deadline or long hours in front of the screen could lead to eye strain.

In the second, more common situation, professors ask students to print posted documents and bring them to class. This puts the monetary burden of printing on the student. When students have only 55 free prints a week in the library, printing can be an irritating burden that could even take away BuzzCard money.

There is an upside to moving towards paperless classes, however. When considering the reduction of Tech’s carbon footprint, the removal of actual paper becomes more attractive.

For instance, in a class of about 150 people, submitting all homework online can save thousands of sheets of paper per class. At Tech, each semester extends about sixteen weeks and an average class takes up three hours each week. If each student in that class of 50-100 students only received one sheet of homework each class period, the students used 4000-5000 total sheets of paper.

Summed over all classes and students, the paper saved by taking notes on computers or distributing them online and submitting assignments online would be tremendous.

Following this trend of paperless action are banks and businesses, who offer their financial and documentation services completely online. As more and more corporations adopt this strategy, schools will follow; external grading and work submission services offer a huge incentive to professors with ever-growing class sizes. If not for the environment then schools will adopt the paperless classroom for ergonomic reasons.

However, the total elimination of paper causes some issues as well. The production of paper is a demand-driven business, such that trees are planted and grown with the intent to cut them down later for wood pulp. A large part of forest reproduction actually relies on this process, and as universities consume a large percentage of the U.S.’s paper supply they too are in indirect control of the health of tree farms. Planting trees will only be more economically viable than cutting down rainforests if demand is high enough.

The trend towards paperless classes seems like it is here to stay. Whether the savings in natural resources as a result of lesser consumption of paper outweigh energy consumption by electronic tablets, computers and the like is hard to say.

Campus Calendar

11

Friday, September 23, 2011

FROM THE EDITOR

Classes turn to new technology to go eco-friendly

By Erin Sapp Contributing Writer

Technique

Focus takes on a new direction

By Siddharth Gurnani Focus Editor

Welcome to Focus 2.0. After a lot of deliberation and feedback we have decided to change the face of the Focus section and produce a section unique to both the readers and the Technique. The section is being reinvigorated with new, creative ideas and designs.

Until now, Focus covered student interest stories, events organized by student organizations and student responses to happenings on campus. The News section also covered major campus events, organizations, and responses relevant to student life, leading to an overlap between the two sections at times.

From an editor’s point of view, defining the purpose of the Focus section was not an easy task. Focus lacked direction, and for a while the editorial board struggled to differentiate and develop it. Even the most ardent of readers would be puzzled by the placement of content.

In an effort to remove ambiguity, the new Focus section is adopting a thematic approach.

Every week there will be a new theme, and articles featured in the section will be related to the theme.

Keep an eye out for interesting themes like social networking, travel and leisure, fashion and style, romance and love, Halloween, the male-to-female ratio and many others like these.

The Focus section is meant to represent the voice of the students, and we aim to explore a perspective that impacts Tech students on a more practical and personal level through the content in these pages.

Our objective with this new approach is to relate Focus back to the readers–the student body. We want to bring stories that matter to students and may even inspire them. We intend to be informative, reflective, creative, well-written and fun all at the same time.

Every week, expect to read about a theme accompanied by staples like tips and trends, student organization profiles, student responses to a pertinent question, ways to get involved and campus events. Also look out for unique and creative layouts.

This week’s theme is “going green” and we have sought to cover stories on the subject that would be meaningful and useful to the readership. There is a student organization profile, student response and tips on how to maintain a “green” lifestyle.

We thank our readers for remaining dedicated to the paper and we are proud to show our dedication to you by unveiling our latest improvement. We intend to keep the section exciting, fresh and full of useful and relevant information. If you have comments about content, suggestions for themes, an interest in writing for us or want to leave feedback, send us an email at letters@nique.net.

Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011

Monday, Sept. 26, 2011

Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011

Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011

Friday, Sept. 30, 2011

WHAT: Football game vs.

North Carolina WHO: Tech football WHERE: Bobby Dodd Stadium TIME: Kickoff at 12 p.m.

The undefeated Jackets (3-0) play their first conference game against the North Carolina Tar Heels (3-0). Following a strong start, the Jackets and their recordsetting offense will face their best opponent to date.

WHAT: Creating a Professional Résumé WHERE: Clay Theater, Bill Moore Success Center TIME: 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Career Services will host this session on how to improve your résumé to get noticed and get hired during your internship or job search. This is a useful event for those needing their résumés critiqued.

WHAT: Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities (C21U) WHERE: Georgia Tech Global Learning Center TIME: 8:00 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.

C21U, Georgia Tech’s living laboratory for fundamental change in education, will be hosting a launch event with a panel of educational innovators. A new student competition will be announced as well.

WHAT: Black Box Comedy Festival 2011 WHERE: DramaTech Theater and Under the Couch TIME: 8:00 p.m.

DramaTech Theater presents the eighth annual Black Box Comedy Festival, celebrating 23 years of improv comedy at Tech with one of Atlanta’s largest comedy festivals. This festival will be held until Oct. 1.

WHAT: Tech night at the Woodruff Arts Center WHO: All students WHERE: Woodruff Arts Center TIME: 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Students can enjoy Tech performances, tickets to the High Museum of Art, tickets to either the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra concert or the Alliance Theatre and Symphony musicians—all free of charge.

FOCUS

12 • September 23, 2011 • Technique

Profile: Students Organizing for Sustainability (SOS)

By Ben Goldberg Contributing writer

Quick Look

Promoting “green” lifestyles may be difficult alone, but there are also ways to connect with Tech students who share the passion of keeping Earth healthy in a fun and creative way.

Students Organizing for Sustainability (SOS) was founded seven years ago as a way for students to get informed and active with environmental advocacy projects on campus.

“It’s not just about recycling,” said Alice Shen, president of SOS and a fourth-year CmpE major.

“We are working from Tech outwards to make our planet more sustainable.”

SOS hosts a variety of events and projects that go beyond simply recycling.

The largest and most popular event put on by the organization celebrates Earth Day annually in April. The event is complete with freebies and a live band performance, and it draws a large variety of organizations.

Other side projects within SOS

• 30-40 active members • 3:2 girl-to-guy ratio • $15 membership fee • Meetings are Mondays or Wednesdays at 7 p.m.

Check http://sos.gatech.edu for more information are headed up by officer-led committees dedicated to brainstorming and hosting their projects.

Examples of these have included an organic community garden, an offshoot of SOS known as Starter Bikes, a “Campus Kitchen” geared toward donating leftover food to the homeless, “Weigh to Waste” programs to measure waste production and plenty of other projects.

“Getting involved is easy and can result in great leadership op-

Photo courtesy of Luke Chambers

SOS is a student-founded and student-run organization on Tech campus that is dedicated to the promotion of environmental and economically sustainable practices in the community and campus. portunities,” Shen said. “You can be the director of any projects you propose.”

SOS urges students to take initiative by stepping up with their

own projects.

In addition to leadership opportunities, SOS provides a great networking opportunity.

“We have lots of volunteer

students with all kinds of majors and interests. SOS is also closely linked to the city of Atlanta so there are many chances to meet new, exciting people,” Shen said.

STUDENTS SPEAK >>> Each week, the Focus section will seek the opinions of the student population on some of the burning questions pertaining to the theme. In recent years, Tech has made huge strides towards sustainability through various recycling programs around campus, healthier food in their dining halls and “green” infrastructure projects.

Students acknowledge green initiatives, seek ways to achieve more

By Ben Goldberg Contributing Writer

It is a tremendous feat that a university like Tech, dedicated to math and sciences, ranks among the top institutions in the country with regard to promoting green technology initiatives.

According to the most recent 2011 Princeton Review poll of the greenest college campuses, Tech attained the highest possible score and was placed on the Green College Honor Roll with only 15 other colleges that displayed outstanding commitment to sustainable living.

As the campus transforms to meet the needs of global resourcefulness, students are noticing the difference.

“It’s hard to be ‘green’ in the middle of a city, and it’s easy to ask how we can conserve, but I definitely think it’s a priority for our campus and I appreciate the initiatives we’ve taken,” said Sebastian Tadjuddin, a fourth-year IE major.

In 2008 Tech was recognized as a “Tree Campus USA” campus by the Arbor Day Foundation–a notable accomplishment for an urban location.

Tech requires all vendors to provide green products, its cleaning equipment uses seventy percent less water and ninety percent less chemicals than traditional equipment and the recently instated trayless system further reduces water consumption.

“[Tech] has made it a lot more convenient to recycle and be green,” said Melaena Roberts, a second-year CS major. “At home it can be a pain to recycle, but it’s nice that they have the multi-option bins in the Clough Commons even though the bin that says ‘Landfill’ makes me feel guilty.”

“It’s not like I’m on a crusade or anything,” said Daniel Hamilton, a third-year CmpE. “My roommates and I try to recycle milk jugs and paper whenever we can.”

According to the Princeton Review, Tech’s inaugural football game day recycling program collected nearly twelve tons of aluminum cans, glass and plastic bottles from home game attendees.

While recycling is a significant part of green living, some students believe it is the only method with which they can help the cause.

“I would probably do more than just recycle if I knew more about the situation,” said Nick Beyer, a second-year ME. “More research into the benefits of being green and the consequences of not would inspire me to do more.”

“All resources are limited and it’s great that Tech is doing what it can...We should do more, but sometimes I forget about ways I can contribute,” said Logan Carpenter, a first-year ME major, when asked if there were enough

Photo by Basheer Tome / Student Publications

The terrace garden on the rooftop of the Clough Commons is one of many green initiatives around campus. Using recycling bins is a simple way for students to be a part of sustainability measures. recycling initiatives on campus.

“I do what I can. Conserving water, turning off lights when I leave the room, unplugging my phone when it’s charged, these are common sense things that we can all do,” said Ben Merva, a secondyear BIO major.

It is clear that Tech is making large investments towards green technologies but how are these initiatives being funded?

“If we could be sustainable while also saving money in the long run, then we should definitely pursue it; if not, we should consider otherwise because tuition costs are steadily rising,” Merva said.

Whether students approve or disapprove the costs and changes of green initiatives on campus, Tech will continue to be confronted with the needs of an increasingly “green”-conscious population.

Photo by Michael Schneider / Student Publications

Photo by John Nakano / Student Publications

Photo by Sho Kitamura / Student Publications

Photo by Justin Levine / Student Publications

Students Speak

FOCUS

Technique • September 23, 2011 • 13

SAA kicks of year with membership drive

By Breanna Poteet Contributing Writer

Founded one year ago, the Student Alumni Association (SAA) is working to increase connections between current and former students in several different ways, including a recruitment drive which was held on Thursday, Sept. 15.

The kickoff this past Thursday was intended to draw new members to the SAA while encouraging past members to rejoin. At the event, students could register to join and receive a free chicken sandwich and drink, courtesy of Chick-fil-A. “[The event] was very well planned, and the sponsor, Chickfil-A, made sure it would draw a lot of people,” said Donovan Shuman, a first-year ALIS major and first-time member. This statement was corroborated by the long lines of people at every location.

Shuman also said she decided to come out to the event and join SAA in order to develop a network of connections among the Tech community, a goal that other students echoed..

“I decided to attend in order to meet with alumni and build my network,” said Rahim Panjwani, a first-year AE and ECON major.

Most of the attendees at the seven different host locations had heard about the event through email.

The day’s events did not just end with the morning kickoffs, however. That evening, new members were treated to a free dinner catered by a Tech alumnus— chef Riccardo Ullio, CE ‘90, MS ENVE ‘93—on the Tech Tower Lawn.

At the event, SAA members had the chance to win several door prizes, and those who did not register online or in person that day had the opportunity to do so at the door.

Students who attended were also able to meet and have dinner with alumni representing their employers and companies.

The event also served to introduce new members to the history of the SAA and to inform them of

the organization’s goals and upcoming events.

The SAA was founded in Fall of 2010 as a way of connecting the diverse group of people that is the Tech community through common traditions and interests.

The organization gives students an opportunity to network with past and current Tech grads while learning more about Tech traditions.

In order to facilitate these goals, the SAA has put on a number of events, including Dinner Jackets and Mentor Jackets.

Dinner Jackets is an opportunity for SAA members to network with Tech alumni and learn about their careers while interacting with fellow students, and Mentor Jackets is a year-long mentorship program designed to assist SAA members with preparation for life after college.

Another category of events offered through the SAA is Get Ready for the Real World, which hosts a range of events that includes alumni speakers sharing their life stories, leadership discussion panels, networking events and more.

“Participation is relatively easy, and you only have to devote the amount of time you want to,” said Stephanie Hancock, a second-year MSE major, of the commitment level required in the SAA. Paying the student dues of $10 grants one year of membership as well as a “swag bag” full of freebies. “[SAA has been] a large part of my life and has presented me with plenty of chances for good leadership development while working to make a difference in the Tech community,” said SAA President Justin Rowland, a fourth-year BME major.

Other returning members concur that involvement with the SAA has been a very rewarding experience.

For students who missed the kickoff this past Thursday, signup is still open online through www. gtsaa.com and members may also join the Official Tech Alumni Association LinkedIn group.

Global warming is a term that has people talking. Everyone from politicians to students knows of, or at least has heard of, recent climate changes thanks to popular coverage in the news.

The term was first coined in 1969 and Webster’s Dictionary defines the term as “an increase in the earth’s atmospheric and oceanic temperatures widely predicted to occur due to an increase in the greenhouse effect resulting especially from pollution.”

Some statistics support the theory of global warming, and according to a study done by NASA, the global temperature has increased by approximately 0.8 degrees Celsius over the past 130 years. But what does this mean?

Some scientists argue that the Earth is warming and that carbon dioxide emissions from pollution have caused this significant increase. But scientists seem to dis-

agree about the effects of global warming.

Have the changes in climate caused the apparent increase in the frequency and intensity of storms? Is there really a noticeable change in the intensity of storms?

Dr. Judith Curry, a professor in the Earth and Atmospheric Sciences department, is a specialist in climate change and other concentrations within the EAS department.

In a publication titled “Mixing Politics and Science in Testing the Hypothesis That Greenhouse Warming Is Causing a Global Increase in Hurricane Intensity,” Curry argues that data indicating that the earth has experienced a significant increase in hurricane activity is incorrect.

According to Curry, the data of category-three hurricanes cannot be distinguished from category four and five in the database and therefore solid conclusions cannot be drawn about an increase in the intensity of storms over recent

Staying green on campus

By Georgia Wang Contributing writer

Sometimes life moves so fast that it is easy to forget the consequences of our actions. The most convenient or affordable choice may not always be the most sustainable option. However, there are lots of little things you can do to make a big difference. These small changes not only benefit the earth, but can benefit you as well.

Here are some easy tips and tricks to help you go green without slowing you down.

Use Reusable shopping bags Photo by Basheer Tome / Student Publications

The Student Alumni Association (SAA) started its second year with a membership drive that featured events all across campus.

Plastic bags are made from crude oil and natural gas and take up to 1000 years to decompose, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Reusable bags not only cut back on the waste, but stores like Target and CVS actually give you money back for every reusable bag you bring.

Turn off the lights

This is a simple, but often overlooked, way to go green. If you’re not in the room, turn the light off.

Shop with friends

Save gas by taking one car to go shopping or run errands. Singing along to the radio is more fun with friends anyway.

Print on both sides of paper

Whenever you’re printing at the library or Clough Commons, make sure the printer is set to double-sided printing to cut paper usage in half.

Photo by Basheer Tome / Student Publications

Students had the opportunity to network with Tech alumni from various fields at the event, which had free food from Chick-fil-A.

Are changing weather patterns a concern?

By Lauren Townsend Contributing writer

TIPS & TRICKS

years.

“There is no increase in global hurricanes. In fact, since 2005 the number of global hurricanes has been quite low,” Curry said.

The question is, then, why have people become more aware and more concerned about the recent detrimental storms. For example, the hurricane that recently hit New York?

“The major atmosphere and ocean circulations for the past few years are quite similar to what we saw in the 1950’s, which also saw many land-falling hurricanes, major droughts in Texas, and numerous floods. Sometimes I think we have weather amnesia, in terms of thinking that the recent weather is somehow drastic or exceptional,” Curry said.

However, evidence still suggests that the earth has increased in temperature over the last few decades.

Since the Industrial Revolution, the release of carbon emission has caused the increase in

global temperatures across the planet. In fact, according to data from NASA, the ppm (or parts per million) concentration of midtroposphere carbon dioxide has increased by a value of about 22 ppm from 2002 to 2010.

This raises the question of what can be done to stop the pollution of carbon dioxide in earth’s atmosphere or protect the planet from future weather hazards.

“Reducing air pollution and carbon dioxide through use of cleaner energy sources will have some effect on the climate, although exactly what kind of an effect remains uncertain. A better focus is to work to reduce our vulnerability to extreme weather events, by not building on flood plains, better building codes, and better infrastructure for our water resources,” Curry said.

Though the causes and effects of climate change remain highly controversial, every individual’s contributions can help to stop the increase in pollution.

Use a reusable water bottle

Next time you pick up a plastic water bottle, imagine a quarter of that bottle being filled with oil.

That is how much oil was used to produce that bottle. Reusable water bottles are inexpensive, convenient and durable, and they come in great designs that make you happy to drink water.

Buy Local

Shopping at a local farmer’s market supports small farmers and gives you fresher, more organic food choices. Tech partners up with local vendors to bring food, demonstrations, and activities to you. Check out the Farmer’s Market every Thursday from now through Nov. 17 on Tech Walkway. More information is available at http://gatechdining.com/ sustainability_farmers.html.

Efficient shower heads

Place an empty gallon plastic milk jug up to your shower head and turn on the water. If it is filled up in 30 seconds or less, then purchase a water saving shower head that can save up to 50 percent on water used. This will reduce your carbon footprint tremendously.

Entertainment

entertainment@nique.net Entertainment Editor: Zheng Zheng

Technique

15

Friday, September 23, 2011

Assistant Entertainment Editor: Hank Whitson

Gears 3 improves on all fronts, offers new modes GAMES

Gears of War 3 CONSOLE: Xbox 360 GENRE: 3rd-person shooter DEVELOPER: Epic Games RATING: M RELEASED: Sep. 20

OUR TAKE: «««««

By Andrew Akker Contributing Writer

Few shooters have made a name for themselves quite like

the Gears of War series. The series brings an unparalleled level of detail and engagement and improves both in its third installment.

The last game ended two years ago, with Marcus Fenix and his team working to restore humanity from the brink of destruction by the Locust and Lambent forces. After defending the ship from Locust forces, a once-thoughtdead Chairman Prescott tells Fenix that his father is actually alive and being held in a research facility. He also learns that his father may have developed an end to the fighting once and for all and sets out to go find him.

Upon first starting up the game, most will see familiarity.

The menus and loading screens are mostly unchanged from the first two games. From here, players will be able to join parties to play the campaign, as well as other modes. One new feature in this installation of the series is the ability to play four player co-op campaign mode. The ability to play with friends makes the game a bit more fun and also adds a challenge, as the enemies are stronger than if one plays with only the computer for assistance.

See Gears, page 18

Image courtesy of Epic Games and Microsoft Studios

Elbow rocks Center Stage CONCERT

Elbow PERFORMER: Elbow LOCATION: Center Stage DATE: Sept. 20

OUR TAKE: «««««

By Jonathan Peak Contributing Writer

D KspE Is tC W x o F e t h t a l l e ca s a

photo-illustration by Vivian Fan/Student Publications

By Kristina Sharifi Contributing Writer

Wicked, the famous Broadway musical will grace the city of Atlanta once again. Back after three long years, Wicked will be at the fabulous Fox Theatre until Oct. 9.

From the time it began in the Fall of 2003, Wicked has been seen by nearly six million people just on Broadway.

Wicked is the winner of a substantial 35 major awards, including a Grammy and three Tony awards. It has seven productions worldwide including in cities such as London where it has been a sold out show for five years.

Wicked is the ingenious retelling of the childhood classic The Wizard of Oz. Wicked, however, turns back time to years before Dorothy follows the yellow brick road with her red jeweled shoes. Music and lyrics are

by Stephen Schwartz but the musical is based off the novel written by Gregory Maguire, Wicked: the Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.

The musical version gives us a look into the untold and unlikely friendship of Elphaba, who is the Wicked Witch of the West, and Galinda (then

later Glinda) the Good Witch of the North. It dates back to when the two are in sorcery school together and goes through all the obstacles of their friendship. The musical teaches the meaning of true friendship while doing a fantastic job of keeping the audience entertained through its humor, costumes and set design, and strong vocal performances.

Wicked does a great job keeping the audience entertained with its mild humor. Some of the humor comes from answering questions one may have had from The Wizard of Oz like, “where did Dorothy really get those red jeweled shoes?”

While having the occasional reference, Wicked is just a spin-off to Dorothy’s classic tale. No prior knowledge of Oz is necessary to understand the plot completely or to enjoy the show.

Not only was the humor a stand out in Wicked, the costume and set design was magnificent. The costumes are extremely extensive. The show uses 90 wigs all made of real human hair and all are made individual to the actor. There are 179 different types and finishes of leather used in the actors’ shoes, gloves, hats and costume trim.

These are only a few facts to get an

SHOWS

Wicked PERFORMER: Wicked LOCATION: Fox Theater DATE: Sept. 14 - Oct. 9

OUR TAKE: ««««« idea of how impressive the costumes and set really were.

Now the real reason Wicked has been enchanting audiences are the vocal performances. Elphaba is played

by Dee Roscioli who has played the role more than any actress including a famous performance in Chicago that had sold out shows. Her presence as Elphaba is clear as she enters the stage and the audience erupts into applause. Roscioli has been in the business from an early age performing in Cats. Her voice is strong and perfectly in tune for songs in the musical such as “The Wizard and I” and “Defying Gravity.” “Defying Gravity” is a favorite as it is the song right before the intermission. Elphaba and Glinda mesmerize their spectators with a perfect duet in “Defying Gravity.”

Glinda the Good, also known as Galinda, is played by the bubbly Amanda Jane Cooper. With a BFA in Acting and Musical Theatre from See Wicked, page 16

On Sept. 20, British rock quartet Elbow filled Center Stage with a grand, intimate sound in an unparalleled show of skill and competency.

Self-described as somewhere between Coldplay and Radiohead for the average listener, but “experimental prog rock without the solos” for those in the know, Elbow creates a sound that is rather their own walking the line between the grandeur of heartbreak and confusion of childhood. Playing as a group for more than 20 years, Elbow has created a cohesive sound, which keyboardist/producer Craig Potter credits to them “all work[ing] together.”

The set list was almost exclusively derived from their latest two efforts: this year’s Build a Rocket Boys! and 2008’s Mercury Prize (Britain’s Grammy equivalent) winning The Seldom Seen Kid. In their native Britain and over much of Europe, Elbow has reached arena status playing huge shows for the masses – and success suits them well. They effectively manage to transfer this to a smaller venue, still achieving a “celebratory feel” that is “grand sounding” — goals stated by Potter. Though on a smaller stage the soaring vocals, roaring solos, and crazed fans ardently singing along transfer well, making it easy to imagine being in a vast arena — each person is captivated by a level of intimacy no matter how far from the stage one may be.

Elbow’s level of professionalism and experience shines, showing the little things really do matter. Having lights properly timed, the added touch of two violins to the group or actually having a disco ball for the song “Mirrorball” are all just small parts of a larger whole that make a concert not just run smoothly, but capture the crowd. But most important was the charisma of lead singer Guy Garvey, who, like the piedpiper, effortlessly leads his audience under the allure of his music.

When Garvey asked to learn a “traditional Georgia song” he was answered with hundreds of waving hands and the low tones of the our local “cricket” team’s tomahawk song. He then See Elbow, page 17

16 • September 23, 2011 • Technique

ENTERTAINMENT

Diaries drips with blood, hormones TELEVISION

Title NETWORK: CW WHEN: Thursdays 8 STARRING: Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder

OUR TAKE: «««««

By Yameen Huq Contributing Writer

Rarely has a soap opera had so much blood. The third season of The Vampire Diaries kicked off on Thursday, Sept. 15 on The CW. A fairly standard teen drama with the occasional dabble in grotesque violence, the show is more or less what’s on the label. However, the season opening, at least, comes packaged with an amusing B-movie gimmick: vampire-wolf hybrids.

As with nearly all television shows, viewers following from day one are already more than familiar with the show’s ups and downs. To the uninitiated, this show is about the adventures of a girl and her vampire lovers—the apparent hallmark of any romantic fantasy—as they live, love, learn and fight through hordes of the unsavory dead.

This particular episode centers on Elena, the human main character, and her birthday. However, nearly all the action involves the good vampires tracking a pair of particularly sadistic ones.

The undead on this show seem to follow all the traditional rules: aversion to sunlight, garlic allergies, stakes through the heart, etc. The opening scene itself features a vampire-wolf hybrid and regular vampire breaking into a couple’s home to feed. Apparently he’s a “Ripper,” which means he

mauls the victims into bits and feels guilty enough to put all the meaty pieces back together. This naturally cuts to a scene where the main characters are bathing and discussing relationship problems.

The “Ripper,” Stefan, is the formerly good brother of Damon, one of the main characters. This and future episodes are likely to revolve around their search for each other and reconciliation.

There are various other elements of the supernatural that are hard to follow for new watchers, such as vampires who see dead people. For the most part, all the ancillary plot points take a backseat to the two brothers’ plotline.

The acting is passable. Every monster seems to have the identical brooding look, with the head tilted slightly downwards and eyes facing out under the brows.

Between all the snarky jokes,

most characters spend their time being contemplative and pensive.

This doesn’t lend itself well to any kind of character depth. The male characters are extremely difficult to tell apart, the only saving grace being that some of them dislike the sun and some of them love the full moon, which is about as helpful as it sounds.

Overall, the multiple storylines can make this season premier difficult to follow. For someone not well versed in all the character relationships and history, the story can be incoherent and random, seemingly jumping between characters that rarely interact within the actual episode. There are many sequences involving teenage drama and romance, but they generally get in the way of the action.

The visuals are decent enough.

Special effects, such as super

speed, are barely believable and the production values stay average at the very least. Fight sequences are generally limited to verbal threats and scowls. In this particular episode, the violence is limited to vampires torturing their victims.

Mood whiplash is the key word of this show. Within minutes of a violent torture sequence, the viewer is treated to characters flirting and partying only to be brought back into another gory scene.

There are very few people who love both cheesy love stories and absolutely brutal, gory violence.

The few who like to engage in such passive-aggressive entertainment will find much to like here.

Anyone else who prefers to keep their love and bloodlust in separate domains is better looking for more concentrated doses of romance or horror.

Image courtesy of The CW

Wicked

from page 15

Carnegie Mellon University, Cooper has an impressive resume. She has been seen as Ali in Letter from Algeria on the Abingdon Theatre stage as well as Little Red Ridinghood in Into the Woods. Cooper does more than an excellent job as Glinda mastering pieces like “Popular” and “I’m Not That Girl (reprise).”

Other characters that stood out were Madame Morrible, The Wizard, and Fiyero. Madame Morrible is played by Alma Cuervo, who is actually an expert at the role since she has had the delight in returning to the stage as Madame Morrible. Cuervo also has an equally impressive resume with a MFA from the Yale Drama School. She has had several famous Broadway roles in shows like Beauty and the Beast, Women on the Verge…, Cabaret and Titanic.

Mark Jacoby is The Wizard.

Jacoby has extraordinary and notable talent. He conveys his character perfectly with all the qualities one would expect in The Wizard. Additionally, he has had distinguished roles in several very famous shows including the Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera, Walter Hobbs in Elf, and Padre Perez in Man of La Mancha.

Finally, Colin Hanlon is the handsome and ever-so-charming Fiyero. Hanlon has had roles in the famous Broadway musical Rent as well as I Love You Because.

Hanlon has outstanding stage chemistry with Roscioli, which only adds to their brilliant performing.

While the Fox is running shows every night of the week save Mondays, Wicked will remain in Atlanta for only a few short weeks.

With so many talented actors, an astounding musical score, charming humor, a stirring plot and unbelievable set and costume design, Wicked is not a “wait and see” but a “go and see it now” kind of show.

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ENTERTAINMENT

Technique • September 23, 2011 • 17

Straw Dogs lacks classic’s ambiguity FILM

Straw Dogs GENRE: Suspense, Thriller STARRING: James Marsden DIRECTOR: Rod Lurie RATING: R RELEASE DATE: Sep. 16

OUR TAKE: «««««

By Chris Ernst Contributing Writer

Straw Dogs, a remake of a film of the same name waters down the original for modern audiences but maintains a modicum of verisimilitude that is perhaps more salient, or at least more focused.

Starring James Marsden, the Mississippi-set film does not pack as many punches or have as many complex themes as the original, but the ones it does explore are interesting. This remake is based on the 1971 original, which is based on the novel, The Siege of Trencher’s Farm.

The trailer for Straw Dogs is deceiving as it depicts the film as an action-packed horrorfest. As it turns out, Straw Dogs explores characters and their relationships for over an hour before any action picks up. When screenwriter David Sumner (Marsden) and his actress wife, Amy (Kate Bosworth), move to Amy’s hometown, personalities and ideologies clash as the city-slicker struggles to fit into the rustic community while Amy’s old flames and friendships are rekindled. Conveniently enough, the Sumner residence needs repairs, which a band of locals happily work on. This band of locals includes Amy’s old steady boyfriend from high school, Charlie (Alexander Skarsgård).

Charlie does almost everything he can, without being too obvious, to make the newcomer feel unwelcome. The differences between these two men and their ideas of what makes a man a man clash. Both men succeed in their own contexts as men with good lives and their contact challenges the audience to reconsider what defines masculinity. David pans Charlie and his kind as “straw dogs,” Chinese ceremonial forms with no substance which are cast away after their usefulness expires.

Charlie is not as eloquent, but has some choice words pertaining to his thoughts concerning David.

Caught in the middle is Amy, Charlie’s ex-lover and David’s wife. Her character straddles the two (literally and figuratively), switching allegiances and mostly just being indecisive. She generally seems underdeveloped; at times she defies David and does what she thinks is best, while at other times she exemplifies the obedient wife. She yells at her husband for not standing up for himself, and yet she never stands up for him either.

In the original, Amy is more of a feminist (as was en vogue at the time) and wants to share the male gender role by doing traditionally male tasks like mechanical repair.

However, in the remake, she tends to be satisfied with preaching a lot and going for barefoot bra-less jogs.

The remake lacks ambiguity, which the original nailed. During conflict, this remake proclaims an obvious good and bad guy, which the original does not. The original presents arguments for both sides; the 2011 version does not.

Overall, the remake is a watered down SparkNotes edition.

The characters are not as ambiguously good and bad and the audi-

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ence is led to ethical conclusions instead of deciding on their own what is right.

Perhaps the biggest downfall of the remake is its celebration of violence. Violence in the remake is either exactly justified or not; there is no gray area. The audience feels the exciting conclusion as revenge instead of a last resort.

Charlie evilly attacks Amy. David is the hero and saves the day instead of being a broken man driven to the edge doing something he could/should have avoided, but really deep down did not want to.

By the end, it’s just the bad guys getting their gory comeuppance.

There is no complex emotional machinery driving these people, just clear “good” and “bad.”

Straw Dogs will please audiences as a revenge thriller, but not without investment. The movie clearly defines the good and bad guys without dexterity. It is a heavy-handed treatment of characters and events, but there is actually something underneath the studio gloss. However, it is mostly lost by the satisfying ending.

Really Straw Dogs (2011) is just a lighter version of the original Straw Dogs (1971) movie, which may actually satisfy today’s audience.

Image courtesy of Screen Gems

Elbow

from page 15

transforms this into the vocal riff for “Grounds for Divorce” – easily one of their best songs and the most memorable moment of the night.

Surprisingly helpful and interesting was Garvey’s introduction to each song. Often these are an annoying waste of time, but when filled with tales of lost childhood innocence, marriages on a bus unbeknownst to the bride, or friends departed the stories become the opposite. They also help to decipher the meanings behind Elbow’s sometimes obtuse lyrics of “simian strolls” and laying “my bones in neat little rows”.

Opening act Glasser provided a stark contrast to the production of Elbow — featuring only vocals and percussion with pre-recorded loops. An interesting act full of Björk-esque vocals and jungle beats, Glasser was the opposite of charisma, apparently lost in their own world of convoluted dancing.

Elbow’s strengths as great as they are, made their mistakes — though small — rather glaring and disarming. Garvey started the night with a “Good evening Atlantis” a faux pas that was repeated through the night. And though his vocals are amazing, Garvey’s enunciation (or lack of) often made already difficult lyrics impossible to understand.

However, in reality these mistakes make no difference in a show where a band holds themselves to such high standards. Elbow’s ability to convert their intimate studio recording into a grand, arenastyleshow is astounding.

Elbow is probably one of the best, most praised bands from the UK the average listener has not heard of. However, their concert at Center Stage proves why they are so popular at home and, with shows like this concert, their audience is sure to grow.

18 • September 23, 2011 • Technique

ENTERTAINMENT

Neon Indian is intimate and energetic CONCERT

Neon Indian PERFORMER: Neon Indian LOCATION: The Masquerade DATE: Sep. 19

OUR TAKE: «««««

By Lauren Payne Contributing Writer

The dimming streets of Midtown Atlanta on Monday, Sept.

19 seemed to foreshadow little more than an evening of postsummer, pre-autumn purgatory and metropolitan blues—that is, until Denton, Texas’ Neon Indian rose from the primordial sludge of this deceptively barren evening to perform at the Masquerade.

Fans of every feather flocked to this spectacle in celebration of electronic musician Alan Palomo’s recently released and widely anticipated Era Extraña, which presents an appropriate maturation in theme and style from 2009’s Psychic Chasms.

Opening act Com Truise provided for a somewhat underwhelming prelude to the feature presentation, offering potent beats mired in aimless and repetitive melodies, but was soon applauded off the stage in favor of Palomo and his crew. Although the band’s equipment fit neatly into a small van, the ensuing audiovisual explosion could be compared to a

magician pulling a handkerchief of baffling length out of his sleeve: opening with an electrified rendition of 2009 single “Terminally Chill,” frontman Palomo sculpted an alluring soundscape marked by serene vocals gliding over jubilant waves of analog synth. Keyboardist Leanna Macomber’s smooth vocal contributions, in addition to drummer Jason Faries’ relentless beats, also added pleasantly surprising layers of complexity to this live rendering of new material.

While the ensemble took extra care to pay tribute to standout tracks off of Chasms, including the frustratingly catchy “Deadbeat Summer” and epiphany-inducing “Mind, Drips,” the audience was also taken on an aural tour of less familiar ground covered in

Palomo’s sophomore effort. The glowstick-touting crowd jerked and swooned to the simultaneously taut and lax vibrations of “Polish Girl,” and stood mesmerized by the melancholic murmur of instrumentals such as “Heart: Decay.” The somewhat autumnal tone of the intermittent instrumentals also stood as an affirmation of Palomo’s progression from the more carefree vibes of his debut record.

Palomo and his bandmates proved successful in creating an atmosphere of placidity without succumbing to insouciance—as the bass-heavy drum characteristic to the ruthless “Ephemeral Artery” resonated through the foundations of the building, one got the impression that the band

and audience were enclosed within the atrium of a beating heart.

The performance was also marked by an assortment of pink and blue lights that continuously dashed across the room, while a lone disco ball that hung from the ceiling produced an illusion of scattered stars.

In spite of the set list lasting a mere hour, Alan Palomo and his backing instrumentalists proficiently conveyed the musical themes of Era Extraña, all the while maintaining a friendly and energetic stage presence.

Although the section of the venue in which the performance was held is endearingly named Hell, Neon Indian managed to make Hell seem like a nice place to unwind.

Image courtesy of Neon Indian

Gears

from page 15

In order to enjoy the campaign you must sit down for a while.

There is also replay value in unlocking harder difficulties to play through the campaign multiple times. The story, as it was with the previous games, immerses players and is enjoyable throughout. Don’t forget about the co-op mode either, which is loads of fun.

A few new enemies try to attack you as well. Luckily there are new weapons to battle them with, such as the Retro Lancer and the One Shot.

A new Beast Mode has been included, where the player fights as the Locust against the human COG forces. The player starts out as a smaller, weaker Locust character, but the player can then use rewards gained from kills to upgrade to a better and more powerful Locust character.

The multiplayer in GoW 3 is very similar to that of GoW 2, with some differences. Due to the problems players experienced during the launch of GoW 2, the games are now hosted on dedicated servers to reduce lag and fix other issues. There are quite a few modes to play, such as Team Deathmatch, King of the Hill, and some new modes such as Capture the Leader, where a designated target must be captured and held for thirty seconds while being able to struggle and still inflict damage on enemies.

GoW 3 took an already amazing series and improved all the aspects that made it great. This title is definitely one to check out.

ENTERTAINMENT

Technique • September 23, 2011 • 19

Sunny stymied by commercials TELEVISION

Always Sunny in Philadelphia NETWORK: FX WHEN: Thursdays 10 p.m.

STARRING: Danny DeVito, Glenn Howerton, Kaitlin Olson, Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day

OUR TAKE: «««««

By Brian Edmonds Contributing Writer

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, a sitcom specializing in twisted and usually uproarious humor, returned to FX for the premiere of its seventh season on Thursday, Sept. 15. Possessing arguably some of the funniest moments on TV over the past six years, Sunny seems to have found a formula that works.

Proclaimed by fans as “Seinfeld on crack,” viewers have grown fond of the gang over the years. Some probably even want to party at Patty’s Pub, the Irish bar that Charlie, Dennis, Mac and Dee run. Heck, hanging out with Frank, played by Danny DeVito, for an afternoon could produce stories to last a lifetime. Just thinking about Charlie as a gasoline salesmen or the dance till you drop competition brings smiles to fans’ faces.

It’s an understatement to say that the bar has been set high for season seven. The premiere registered only a blip on the radar of laughs. Riddled by far too many commercials, the episode opened interestingly enough: Frank is dating a prostitute.

Unfortunately, the plot and comedy did not go far from there.

The writers, perhaps aware of their own shortcomings, titled the sow premiere “Frank’s Pretty Woman.”

Sunny had all its usual ingredients for a knock out episode: drugs, alcohol and Charlie wallowing in his own filth. Oh yeah, Mac is really fat too. Yet the jokes seemed to be a step behind.

Frank plans on proposing to his prostitute girlfriend Roxy, but Charlie advises against it. The two end up driving a limo with an unsuspecting woman riding along as Charlie’s date. She thinks she’s going out with a millionaire.

This type of trickery is nothing new for Sunny, however, when Charlie begins spewing vomit all over himself and the passenger, one couldn’t help but wonder what else is on TV. We’ve seen this type of grossout humor from tons of other sitcoms. Fans watch Sunny because it feels fresh, original, and has some really funny characters. Vomit humor is a waste of these beautifully crafted pillars of comedy.

The episode treads water for the duration of its time, riffing on Mac’s extreme obesity and using

Roxy to fill space. Dee attempts to “clean Roxy up”, but to no avail, as they both end up snorting cocaine.

Meanwhile, Dennis and Mac gorge themselves on some repulsive looking chimichangas and insulin needles. Mac’s obesity goof is funny in the teasers but only provides a few laughs throughout the actual show.

Perhaps the most troubling part of the season seven premiere was the excessive number of commercials. FX interrupted the show seemingly every seven minutes.

It’s no wonder the writers could not get a good flow going.

At the end of a typically hilarious episode our heads are spinning from the mayhem. Last Thursday’s episode had viewers waiting for the episode to go somewhere.

My viewing party was surprised and disappointed when the credits began rolling at 10:30, expecting an hour long premiere.

Don’t get me wrong, it was not an bad episode. Fans have just grown accustomed to more from Sunny. These are the same guys who brought us the Dayman after all.

CITY SCENE

Photo by Chris Gooley / Student Publications

By Sayan Das and Brent Hornilla Contributing Writers

Opeth hits Center Stage

Having entertained Atlanta audiences back in 2008, Opeth is returning to the city as part of its United States tour. Following the release of their tenth studio album Heritage, the progressive metal band is set to play at the Center Stage Theater on Sept. 30. The ideal way to get to the venue would be to ride the Marta bus which stops right across the theater. The concert takes place on a Friday with entry starting at 7:00 p.m.

Music Midtown Returns

Ranging from Indie to alternative to Brit pop, the Music Midtown Festival will provide a musical treat for the people of Atlanta. After a six-year absence, the festival finally returns to Atlanta. Other than the local bands such as the Constellations and the Manchester Orchestra, the concert is also set to feature well-known acts such as Cage The Elephant, the Black Keys and Coldplay. The concert will take place on Sept. 24 and the gates will open at noon.

Actor’s Express Awakens Spring

Image courtesy of FX Productions

This week is the final stretch for the production of Spring Awakening at Actor’s Express. Those in attendance should brace themselves for mature content, ranging from sexual situations to strong language. Show times are at 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday, and with ticket prices as low as $26 it’s sure to be a steal. Check it out at: www.actors-express. com.

20 • September 23, 2011 • Technique

ENTERTAINMENT

Drive offers brutal thrills marred by bad dialog FILM

Title GENRE: Action, Drama STARRING: Ryan Gosling DIRECTOR: Nicholas Winding Refn RATING: R RELEASE DATE: Sep. 16

OUR TAKE: «««««

By Patricia Uceda Contributing Writer

Danish filmmaker Nicholas Winding Refn’s latest film Drive stars Ryan Gosling as the brooding hero and Carey Mulligan as his token damsel in distress. Visually stunning, this noir-style thriller gets bogged down with weak dialogue, but once the action picks up it is a thrilling ride that fans of gory action movies are sure to love.

Ryan Gosling plays the driver, a Hollywood stuntman by day who moonlights as a wheelman by night, remaining nameless the

whole film. To say he is a man of few words would be an understatement; he probably says less than fifty words the entire film.

He is a stoic, existential hero in the vein of old Clint Eastwood western movies. He does his getaway driver work begrudgingly and anonymously, using a fake phone to converse with the crooks and making it clear that he is not involved with anything beyond driving.

Carey Mulligan plays his beautiful neighbor Irene, a single mother who is struggling to make ends meet while her loser husband is in jail. Her ill-fated relationship with the driver develops at a snail’s pace, partially because of their inability to converse normally. Their conversations are excruciatingly drawn out, with exaggerated pauses between each short, soft-spoken sentence. Apparently the director thought this would make their relationship seem more intimate or meaningful, but it was definitely a bit over-the-top, and had many audience members laughing during scenes that were meant to be serious.

Just as the driver’s relationship with Irene is starting to heat up, Irene’s husband Standard is released from prison. Played by Oscar Isaac, Standard is an alcoholic thug who owes a significant amount of money to the wrong people. When Irene and her son’s safety are put in danger, Gosling’s character steps in and offers to help Standard steal the money he owes. Nothing goes according to plan and the driver suddenly finds himself enemy number one to a gang of murderous mobsters.

Gosling plays the archetypal character well, although at times it is hard to take him seriously; there’s just something about his signature crooked smile that is too reminiscent of The Notebook.

However, he does a good job of breaking out of that mold as the film progresses. Mulligan does a decent job playing Irene, although she isn’t really given much to work with, as most of her scenes involve her looking forlorn and depressed.

It would have been nice to see her character take a more active role instead of just being the typical damsel in distress we have come

to expect in action movies.

Also making notable appearances are Bryan Cranston and Christina Hendricks. Cranston plays Shannon, an anxious mechanic who is always planning his next get-rich-quick scheme.

The driver works part-time in his garage when he’s not picking up stuntman driving jobs. Hendricks plays Blanche, the sometimes -girlfriend of the thug Standard owes money to. She accompanies the driver and Standard on their ill-fated heist, although her intentions are shrouded in mystery.

Hendricks’ transition from office beauty in Mad Men to the hardliving Blanche was wonderfully done, and she did a good job of evoking the desperation of a criminal.

Albert Brooks and Ron Perlman both play leaders of the Jewish mob that targets the driver after he inadvertently ends up with their money. It was a good departure from Brooks’ wholesome work, who previously voiced Marlin in Finding Nemo. Despite his character’s awful actions, we are still able to feel some sympa-

thy towards him, as it is obvious he does not relish doing the things he has to do in order to save his own skin. Perlman was equally as believable as the cold-hearted Nino, bringing a lot more depth to the role.

As far as the action scenes, this movie is not for the faint-hearted.

It has almost as much gore as a Quentin Tarantino flick; prepare to see faces caved in, heads blown off and other maimings. Having set the tone of a classic, noir-style film, the CGI effects that take over during the action scenes are actually a little jarring at first. It doesn’t quite match the film style when the driver suddenly starts fighting back and taking names, but action buffs won’t mind the stylistic jump too much.

Drive certainly delivers plenty of action. The story may not be entirely new for an action film, but the way it is delivered adds a whole new dimension. The dialogue is a bit slow, but once the action picks up you forget that entirely. Definitely go see this in theatres if you are craving an action film with a little artistic integrity.

We’d like to hear from you.

Write us a letter. letters@nique.net

ENTERTAINMENT

Technique • September 23, 2011 • 21

Theme Crossword: Only U

By Robert Zimmerman United Features Syndicate ACROSS 1. Lover of Narcissus 5. Parting word 10. Old storyteller 15. Error 19. Mr. Greenspan 20. Early Schwarzenegger role 21. Soap opera 22. In -23. Disease of plants: 2 wds.

25. Astonished 27. Hare-like 28. Nonsense 30. Undergo dentition 31. Overdue 32. Modified leaf 33. Actress -- Sorvino 34. Dark 37. Farmyard sound 38. Blockhead: var.

42. Magnanimous 43. Fetch 44. Student, of a kind

45. Bishop’s bailiwick 46. “Toy Story” boy 47. Tossed 48. Hardens with heat 49. Cougar 50. -- volente 51. Torso 52. Attached a certain way 53. Beginners 54. Sandal part 55. Bankruptcy 56. Peaceful 57. U: 3 wds.

61. Legal scholar 63. -- probandi 64. Proclaims 65. At full tilt 66. Tasty tubers 68. -- Gay 69. Maturate 72. Old Venetian magistrate 73. Honeycomb parts 74. Exfoliate 75. Pallet

76. -- Nelson Manning 77. Falcon-headed god 78. Retinue 79. Like Al Yankovic 80. Buckles under 82. Dorian Gray’s creator 83. Calvados 84. Folklore creatures 85. Chop 86. Change direction 87. Guide on Everest 90. Less ruddy 91. Certain painting 95. Dazed: hyph.

97. Like a perjurer 99. Jannings or Gilels 100. Dentist’s directive 101. Dewy 102. Slips up 103. Yield 104. Most distant areas 105. Erratic 106. Candidate in ‘96

DOWN 1. Peerage title 2. Inkling 3. Fastener 4. Philosophical study of being 5. Keenness 6. English poet 7. “Picnic” playwright 8. -- Claire 9. Overwrought 10. Chocoholic 11. Start suddenly 12. Idem

13. White House org.

14. Hobbies 15. Mark from a squeegee 16. Boor 17. Hankering 18. Punch 24. Supporting structure 26. Steer anagram 29. Telephoned, British style 32. Threshold 33. Toned down 34. Certain flower, for short 35. Path for swimmers 36. List of feasts

37. Begrimed 38. Big bomb 39. Loan shark 40. A berry, in fact 41. Charter 43. Plainspoken 44. Harass, in a way 47. False show 48. Beatitude 49. Combustible heaps 51. “What fools -- mortals be” 52. Sagacious ones 53. Aquarium fish 54. Doubly

55. Skins 56. Commemorative stone: var.

57. Very bad 58. Some hits in baseball 59. Wooly 60. Call forth 61. Worn-out horses 62. Samoan island 66. Belgrade natives 67. Advantage 68. Drop a syllable

69. Similar 70. Encircle 71. Circular current 73. Friend 74. Points of balance 75. Frisked 77. Cry of contempt 78. -- die 79. Take forcibly 81. Section of theater seats 82. John -- Booth 83. Aesthete’s concern

85. House for a cleric 86. Vice -87. Design detail 88. Scottish philosopher 89. Blyton or Bagnold 90. Sleigh 91. Flurry 92. Curly hairdo 93. Knitting stitch 94. If not 96. Clear 98. Touch-me- --

22 • September 23, 2011 • Technique

Piled Higher & Deeper by Jorge Cham

Crossword Solution from page 21

COMICS

Non Sequitur by Wiley

COMICS

Non Sequitur by Wiley

DILBERT ® by Scott Adams

Technique • September 23, 2011 • 23

SPORTS

Kansas

from page 28

history and marked the third time this season that Tech has scored on its first offensive play in a game.

The Jayhawks answered on their second series with a 10-play 62-yard drive, capped with a 10yard run touchdown by freshman running back Darrian Miller.

Tech started its next drive from its own 17-yard line. Five plays for 54 yards, a sack for a loss of 11 yards and an incomplete pass by Washington resulted in a 37-yard punt that was downed at the Kansas three by redshirt sophomore defensive back Jemea Thomas.

The Jayhawks struggled to get outside of their own ten-yard line, amassing only four yards, and had to punt. Freshman kick returner Zach Laskey returned the ball into Kansas territory, going 12 yards to the Kansas 44.

On this drive, redshirt senior A-back Roddy Jones rushed for 33 yards to the Kansas 11. Jones eventually punched the ball in with a rush for four yards into the end zone, ending the first quarter with a 14-7 lead.

After the kickoff by the Jackets, the Jayhawks started on their own 29. With a balanced attack of 31 yards on the ground and 29

Photo by Austin Foote / Student Publications

David Sims shrugs off a defender on his way to the end zone. In three games this year, Sims has 205 rush yards on only 30 carries. through the air, Kansas was able to rush 11 yards to the end zone to tie the score.

Tech responded with a fiveplay, 72-yard touchdown drive that ended in a 19-yard rush by sophomore B-back David Sims.

Kansas attempted to answer but could not get past the Jackets’ defense. After Webb was sacked by redshirt sophomore linebacker Brandon Watts on third down, Kansas took a delay-of-game penalty and then punted the ball 44 yards for a touchback.

The Jackets capitalized on Kansas’ errors and a 41-yard pass

from Washington to Smith set Tech up for a 24-yard field goal to increase the Jackets’ lead to ten.

To end the second quarter, a Webb-to-Beshears connection for 42 yards allowed Kansas to kick a field goal and decrease Tech’s lead to 24-17.

Despite the close halftime score, Tech received the ball to start the second half and dominated the third quarter, outscoring the Jayhawks 28-0.

On the first play of the third quarter, senior A-back Embry Peeples ran 63 yards for a touchdown on a toss play.

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Technique • September 23, 2011 • 25

The Jayhawks failed to answer, picking up only three yards before punting. The Jackets got the ball back, and after earning a first down, Washington completed a 67-yard touchdown pass to Smith to increase the lead to 38-17.

Kansas had an unsuccessful fourth down conversion and Tech capitalized with a 52-yard Washington-Jones connection for a touchdown. After the score, the Jackets led 45-17.

“We were spreading the love.

When everybody’s touching the ball, everybody’s happy,” Washington said.

The Jackets continued to feed off of the Jayhawks’ sloppy play on both sides of the ball as Kansas could not muster any offensive production in their next possession. The Jackets scored on a 21-yard touchdown by Sims and brought the score to 52-17 at the end of the quarter.

Two possessions later, the Jackets started the fourth quarter at the Tech 47. Redshirt freshman quarterback Synjyn Days came in to lead the team and kept the ball on the majority of the carries. To cap off the drive, Days scored a two-yard touchdown on the Jackets’ first possession of the quarter.

The struggling Jayhawks were

forced off the field after their fifth three-and-out of the half.

After the punt, the Jackets marched down the field with most of the rushes coming from reserves such as Days, redshirt freshman B-back Charles Perkins and redshirt sophomore A-back Robert Godhigh. Perkins capped the eight-play, 75-yard drive with a three-yard touchdown run, bringing the score to 66-17.

On the next Kansas possession, the Jayhawks finally showed a spark on offense. Senior quarterback Quinn Mecham, in the game to replace Webb, threw two completions each to sophomore wide receiver Andrew Turzill and freshman tight end Jimmay Mundine. Mecham capped the drive with a 10-yard completion to Turzill for a touchdown, setting the final score at 66-24.

The Jackets outscored the Jayhawks 42-7 in the second half after a tight start to the game. With the record-setting performance, the Jackets continue to lead the nation in total yards per game, rushing yards per game and points per game.

The Jackets will next take on North Carolina at home on Saturday, Sept. 24 in their first conference game.

26 • September 23, 2011 • Technique

SPORTS

TIME-OUT with Alex Mitchell

Alex Mitchell is a MGT major in his fourth year at Tech. He has watched sports his entire life, and takes a critical view towards many of the trending topics in the sporting world. To contact Alex with your opinions about Time Out, email him at timeout@nique.net.

Hello fellow Techies, and welcome to the fourth installment of Time Out. The subject of this week’s column will cover what the Tech faithful witnessed on Saturday: the greatest offensive game in Tech’s storied history.

Let me provide a few quick notes on what happened on the Flats this past weekend if you were too hungover to make it to the game or you are too lazy to read Danielle’s recap on the back page of this paper.

Tech’s offense looked unstoppable en route to racking up 768 yards of total offense and 604 rushing yards, both of which are school records. The Jackets scored early, with a 95-yard touchdown run from Orwin Smith on Tech’s first play of the game, and they scored often, with four touchdowns in the first few minutes of the second half.

The offense was impressive to watch to say the least, and it was one of the program’s best moments since the famous Cumberland game 95 years ago.

However, Cumberland College had decided to cancel its season in 1916 and the game against the Jackets was the team’s only game of the year. It was also a member of something called the Smokey Mountain Conference, whatever that was.

Kansas is no Cumberland.

Kansas is in one of best conferences in all of football and has some of the same types of players that Tech does. This is the same Kansas team that beat Tech last season and won the Orange Bowl in 2008.

Still, Tech took Kansas to the woodshed on Saturday and made the Jayhawks look like Western Kansas State A&M. This was supposed to be a down year for Tech after losing Joshua Nesbitt and only returning 12 starters from a team that went 6-7 last season. So how did the Jackets pull off Saturday’s offensive outburst?

Paul Johnson finally has the pieces to make his “no-longerhigh-school-now-major-collegiate” offense work.

Tevin Washington is the perfect quarterback for the tripleoption. He is incredibly bright and always seems to read the play correctly and he has the skills to back it up. He cannot run as hard as Nesbitt, but he knows exactly when to pitch and he can actually throw the ball, something Nesbitt could never do properly. Washington has already passed for 200 more yards than he did a year ago in only half of the attempts.

But it is not all Washington that led Tech to break a handful of school records on Saturday.

The Jackets have more home run threats this season than they have

Photo by Austin Foote / Student Publications

Tech fans cheer during the third quarter of the 66-24 win over Kansas. The Jackets are currently leading the nation in scoring with 59.3 points per game and total offense with 675 yards per game. had since the Joe Hamilton days.

Starting with the guy who scored the first touchdown on Saturday, Smith is the first truly elusive back that Johnson has had at Tech. His speed allows him to get to the outside faster than the cars going down I-75 and he can break tackles too.

The triple-option offense comes down to one-on-one matchups so when Smith makes the first guy miss, there usually is nothing in between him and the end zone.

Which is exactly what you saw on Saturday. The only thing that could have tackled him on Saturday was Bermuda.

“Today was [Smith’s] day,” Johnson said following Tech’s big win on Saturday, but it could have easily been someone else’s day. Tech has a multitude of run-

ning backs that can be inserted at any time, and they are after each play. For example, Embry Peeples had only 22 yards in the first two games of the season, but he gained 110 yards against Kansas.

The running back rotation seems to keep the backs fresher while defenses are huffing and puffing with hands on their hips.

Tech also has a budding star playing receiver who can also block any cornerback in college football. I am of course referring to new-and-improved Stephen Hill. Hill was supposed to be the go-to-guy last season, but could never find his groove with Nesbitt. Hill only had 15 catches last season and had what seemed to be thousands of dropped passes.

Enter Washington, and Hill immediately bursts onto the scene

as “Bay Bay 2.0”. In fact, Hill is only 16 yards shy of what Demaryius Thomas did in his first three games in 2009.

With Tech’s rushing game, there is about as much pressure on Hill and the rest of the receivers as there is on Kobe Bryant in a pickup game. All the receivers have to do this season is catch the ball because there will be openings when teams cheat on the run.

Only time will tell if this year’s Jackets can win big and make a run for the ACC Championship, but there no more questions about whether or not Tech has the offense to make some noise. Tech has played three pedestrian opponents so far this season, but the offensive numbers are impressive no matter who the Jackets are playing, even Cumberland.

SPORTS

Technique • September 23, 2011 • 27

NORTH CAROLINA AT TECH - SEPT. 24 (12:00 p.m.)

TAR HEELS

By Joe Sobchuk, Contributing Writer

Color

VS.

The Jackets kick off Family Weekend this year against the Tar Heels in their first nationally televised game of the season.

Tech comes in with a No. 25 ranking in the AP Poll, marking the first time it has been in the rankings since its loss to Kansas last year. The Jackets are looking to start the season 4-0 for the first time since their 1990 National Championship season.

UNC was the only team the Jackets did not beat that season; They played the Tar Heels to a tie on the way to their 11-0-1 campaign. Here are three things the Jackets will have to do in order to remain undefeated.

First, the Jackets will again have to rely on their running game to put up big numbers both on the scoreboard and the stat sheet. Last week against Kansas, the Jackets broke several records, including the NCAA record for yards per rushing attempt with 12.1 yards per attempt. The Jackets also broke the ACC record for net rushing yards in a single game with 604. They scored nine touchdowns with seven of them coming on the ground, including a 95-yard counter play by junior A-back Orwin Smith on Tech’s first play from scrimmage. Thanks in large part to their rushing attack, Tech leads the nation with 59.3 points per game, 427 rushing yards per game and 675 yards of total offense per game.

Although they have put up huge numbers, Tech’s rushing attack faces its toughest opponent yet, as North Carolina averages only 77 rushing yards allowed per game. In order to overcome this, the Jackets will have to balance their triple option with a consistent passing game. Junior quarterback Tevin Washington threw two long touchdown passes last week against Kansas and has not thrown an interception all season. Smith racked up 108 receiving yards and a touchdown on only two catches. If the Tar Heels can slow down the triple option, Smith may see the ball thrown his way a few more times.

Finally, Tech’s defense will have to step up against a North Carolina team that scores an average of 31.3 points per game. The Jackets’ defense has had some trouble on third down this season, allowing opponents to convert 48 percent of their third down attempts. They must also improve in pressuring the opposing quarterback, as Tech has only five sacks this season as opposed to North Carolina’s ten. Getting to the quarterback early and often and containing the Tar Heels’ rushers may very well determine Tech’s success in this game.

PREDICTION: Tech 35, UNC 28 sliver

www.nique.net

its all freaking fluid mechanics its not fair life needs to slow down Hurtin’ for certain in a quicksand of drool.

I will become a master of accents; otherwise, I’d fail classes being unable to understand TAs gt’s tv guide has the worst music ever. top 25? HELL YES ive never had a sliver published, maybe todays the day Congratulations, buddy. - sliver guy Shoutout to Greco for that life saving extra credit!

6:15 rehearsal, leave apt at 6:12- west campus win single girl who is somewhat nerdy looking for nice boy topsy timmy get me out of here!

Why do the garbagemen need to bang the Dumpsters repeatedly every morning....

ATTN Tech boys, if you’re wondering why you don’t have a girlfriend, it’s because you have terrible hygiene and play computer games all day. It’s not because of TBS. DEMACIA!!! what’s with the hating on HvZ by the ‘nique? we can’t have a bit of fun before reality sets in?

Thank God humans v zombies is over This school is a prison Why do I still go here?

LOG OFF THE SC COMMONS COMPUTERS hipster kb is the hip to my hop “You shouldn’t think what you’re feeling.”

Your leg sticking out your driver’s window on I-85. Yep, you deserve that Auburn tag. what happened to the nique pdf on the website? :( I can no longer read the slivers every week... definitely had to cross the Missouri River to get to my morning class today--wait, no, that was just the IC flood I miss Bunny :( Can we get Five for Fighting to play at our homecoming concert?

JACKETS

Photo by Austin Foote / Student Publications

Photo courtesy of UNC Athletic Communications

The North Carolina Tar Heels are 3-0 for the second time in three years as they enter their first road game of the season. Interim head coach Everett Withers is undefeated since taking the reins from Butch Davis, who was fired this past offseason. The Tar Heels won their ACC opener for the first time in eleven years after beating Virginia 28-17 last week. Although not ranked in the AP Poll, they currently sit at No. 25 in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll. In order for the Tar Heels to remain undefeated and move up in the rankings, they should plan on doing the following this Saturday.

First, the Tar Heels’ defense must be forceful in stopping the Jackets from executing big plays. This defense has only given up an average of 16.3 points per game and their front seven has 10 sacks and only allows 77 rushing yards per game, equating to 11th and 16th in the entire FBS, respectively. Senior safety Matt Merletti is coming off a breakout performance against Virginia last week in which he recorded seven tackles and intercepted two passes on Virginia’s final two possessions. The combined strength of the running and passing defense will be a huge factor in determining the outcome.

Next, the Tar Heels will have to expect their running game to produce. UNC senior running back Ryan Houston ran for two scores last week as redshirt freshman Giovanni Bernard rushed for 102 yards on 12 carries. It was the first 100-yard game of Bernard’s career, as he sat out his first season last year with a knee injury. UNC is averaging 179 rushing yards per game and managed to gain 132 yards on the ground against Rutgers’ No. 12-ranked rush defense. The balanced stable of backs at UNC could pose problems for the Tech defense.

Third, UNC should strive to control the ball and clock in an effort to set the tempo for this game. The Tar Heels hope to string together a few scoring drives early and keep the Jackets’ defense on the field. Sophomore quarterback Bryn Renner has completed 81 percent of his passes this year and has been sacked only once. By minimizing turnovers and sustaining drives, they should not have to catch up to Tech’s potent offense.

Sports

sports@nique.net Sports Editor: Alex Sohani

shorts

Technique

Running this town Alex Mitchell talks about Tech’s eye popping stats through three games and the excitement they bring.426

28

Friday, September 23, 2011

OFF THE CHARTS Tech avenges 2010 loss to Kansas with record-setting performance

Uzzi earns ACC Lineman of the Week Honors

Redshirt junior offensive guard Omoregie Uzzi earned ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors on Monday, Sept. 19 after helping the Jackets earn a 66-24 win over the Kansas Jayhawks. Uzzi helped the Jackets break several school records in total yards earned and rushing yards in a single game.

Uzzi was a preseason second-team AllACC selection after Tech led the nation in rushing in 2010. His 15 career starts make him the most experienced player on one of the nation’s most inexperienced offensive lines.

Volleyball swept in ACC opener against Clemson The volleyball team kicked off conference play on the road against the Clemson Tigers.

The Jackets fell into an early hole and could not recover, eventually being swept by the Tigers 3-0.

Junior rightside hitter Monique Mead led the Jackets with 11 kills and six digs, but the Jackets has a season-high 31 unforced errors on the night on 0.70 hitting.

Pitt, Syracuse invited to join ACC

After sending in applications requesting to join the ACC, Pittsburgh and Syracuse were extended invitations to become the 13th and 14th members of the ACC. The university presidents of each of the other 12 ACC schools unanimously voted to add both teams. Both schools leave the Big East after decades of affiliation with that conference.

Photo by Austin Foote / Student Publications

Orwin Smith runs past a defender in Tech’s 66-24 win over Kansas. Smith led the team in receiving and rushing with 157 and 108 yards, respectively, and became the first player in Tech history to have 100 yards receiving and rushing in a game.

By Danielle Sharpe Contributing Writer

Coming off a 28-25 loss to Kansas a year ago, Tech was able to avenge its loss when it played the Jayhawks on Sept. 17 in Bobby Dodd Stadium. The Jackets were sharp in their run and pass games, controlled the clock efficiently and reached the end zone on several occasions to dismantle Kansas in a 66-24 victory, improving to 3-0 on the season.

Tech had a school record 768 yards of offense, with 164 of those yards coming from the passing game. The remaining 604 yards came on the ground, also setting a school record. The Jackets broke a 38-year-old NCAA record of yards per carry in a single game, averaging 12.1 yards per carry on 50 attempts.

Tech had six different players elude the Kansas defense on their way to the end zone.

Meanwhile, Tech’s defense

contained Kansas’ offense to 362 total yards after the Jayhawks amassed 534 yards against Northern Illinois in their previous outing. “[We had] a lot of big plays.

It was fun. Especially after [the loss] last year, it was fun,” said Head Coach Paul Johnson.

Kansas received the game’s opening kickoff but was quickly forced to punt the ball. A 17-yard pass by Kansas sophomore quarterback Jordan Webb to junior wide receiver

D.J. Beshears was the first and only big play of the drive, as Tech’s defense contained the Kansas offense afterward.

A 44-yard Kansas punt put the Tech offense at their own five-yard line. Junior A-back Orwin Smith took a handoff from redshirt junior quarterback Tevin Washington on a counter play and ran 95 yards for a touchdown. It was the longest running play in Tech See Kansas, page 25

Women’s tennis kicks off season with strong start

By Adam West Contributing Writer

Photo by Thien Huynh / Student Publications

Viet Ha Ngo hits a forehand in a match this past weekend.

Ngo rallied to win her match after dropping her first set.

Returning from a winning season last year, the women’s tennis team started their season strong with the Georgia Tech Invitational in Alpharetta, Ga. from Sept. 16-18.

Yale, Oklahoma State, Georgia and Tech were represented at the tournament.

Tech opened on the first day with a strong showing in which all the Jackets playing singles matches earned victories and lost only three total sets. In addition, Tech won all three doubles matches: two against UGA and one against Yale.

Senior Jillian O’Neill won her first two sets of the tournament against Oklahoma State’s Kanyapat Narattana 6-1 and 6-0. Freshman Jasmine Minor, in her first collegiate match, won in two sets against Georgia’s Kelli Jordan. Senior Caroline Lilley, who was paired with O’Neill for the doubles matches, won her first set against OSU’s Malika Rose but dropped the second set. Lilley

was able to rebound and claimed the victory with a 6-2 final set.

Day two opened with doubles play and the Jackets got off to a slow start. Tech won only one of its doubles matches on Saturday but bounced back to claim victories in all their singles matches. The Jackets only lost two sets in eight matches.

Senior Lynn Blau and Junior Elizabeth Kilborn won the lone doubles victory against UGA on Saturday. They posted a 9-8 (7-2) victory against the UGA team of Maho Kowase and Lilly Kimbel.

Tech sophomore Muriel Wacker easily defeated UGA’s Kelli Jordan in a 6-0, 6-0 showing. Senior Viet Ha Ngo was able to come back from a first set defeat to win the final two sets 6-3, 6-3 against Yale’s Blair Seideman.

The Jackets won four singles matches and three doubles on Sunday to finish off the weekend.

Sophomore Alex Anghelescu won all three of her matches and finished the tournament off with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over UGA.

Blau and Kilborn, who won the final three games they played together in the spring, continued their trend. The duo won the doubles title with three match victories. Their final match ended with an 8-4 win over Oklahoma State.

Anghelescu and teammate freshman Jasmine Minor won an 8-2 victory against a mixed team from Yale and Oklahoma State on Sunday. O’Neill and Lilley bounced back from a defeat on Saturday to take a win from the Cowgirls’ team of Mary Jeremiah and Meghan Blevins, 8-4.

In the individual matches, Kilborn did not lose a single set and only lost five games over the entire weekend. In addition to Kilborn and Anghelescu, Blau also recorded a perfect match score to start the season 3-0.

The rest of the team fared well in singles play, with the Jackets only dropping three matches in the entire weekend of individual matches, all of which were on the final day of the tournament.