Technique 2011-02-04

Technique Friday, February 4, 2011 • Volume 96, Issue 21 • nique.net

The South’s Liveliest College Newspaper

Magic at Pemberton

Immerse yourself in spectacular acts of acrobatics and puppeteering with Peter Pan.415

MSFAC approves fee increases for campus services

By Hahnming Lee Editor-in-Chief

2011 Student fees Health: $154 Athletic: $127 Student Activity: $123 Technology: $107 Transportation: $76 Photo illustration by Vivian Fan / Student Publications

The Mandatory Student Fee Advisory Committee (MSFAC) unanimously approved $4 fee increases for Health, Transportation and Athletics on Tuesday, Feb. 4.

“It is my opinion that the members of MSFAC had to act in order for these valuable services to the entire student body to continue uninterrupted,” said Graduate Student Body President Anthony

Baldridge.

Transportation received their full request while Athletics and Health were cut from proposed $6 and $5 increases, respectively.

“We gave them an incredible amount of scrutiny and provided due diligence. I think we were very thoughtful in the increase to fees we provided this year,” said Undergraduate Student Body President Corey T. Boone.

Representatives from each group made cases to a committee

FBI raids on-campus dorm

Freshman student served search warrant

By Vijai Narayanan News Editor

On Jan. 27, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) raided a dorm in Towers Hall to serve a search warrant to a student allegedly involved in Operation Payback, a set of coordinated cyber attacks launched against the websites of financial institutions. The companies were targeted for denying financial services to the WikiLeaks group, which released hundreds of thousands of diplomatic cables online.

The Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS), an attack used by the activists to disable networks by flooding them with useless commands and information, temporarily shut down website operations for all three institutions.

A variety of electronic equipment, including computers and peripheral storage devices, were confiscated from Zhiwei “Jack” Chen, a first-year CmpE major to whom the warrant was served.

In a post made on Thursday, Jan. 27 on the social news website Reddit.com, Chen confirmed that the raid had indeed occurred that morning.

“FBI had a warrant to take

all my electronics. They came in the dorm room bustin in @7:00, and pushed everyone out of bed. They searched the place and questioned all people involved,” Chen wrote in the post.

Chen also claims to have been affiliated with the group that carried out the attacks.

“I was a passive admin for Operation Payback and quit early to avoid complications with the law, but it seems the FBI has gotten the better of me,” Chen wrote in the same post.

Before his account was deleted, Chen offered more details surrounding the situation. Upon request, he posted a copy of the search warrant and the identity of the FBI agent who executed the search. He stated that he never participated in the DDoS attacks, but was an administrator on the Internet Relay Chat (IRC) channel used to coordinate operations.

The FBI executed more than 40 search warrants last week in the U.S. as part of its ongoing investigation into Operation Payback. According to the FBI, anyone involved in executing or facilitating a DDoS attack faces up to 10 years in prison and can be exposed to civil liability.

made up primarily of students, both undergraduate and graduate, for why an increase was necessary and justified.

Dr. Gregory Moore of Health Services came before the committee asking to increase the health fee from $150 to $155. One of the reasons that Moore gave for the fee increase was a plan to hire two nurse practitioners and partially fund the salary for a dietician.

See MSFAC, page 3

Competition center finished

By TJ Kaplan Staff Writer

Photos by Michael James and Maddie Cook / Student Publications

Top: Jack Chen’s possessions were confiscated by the FBI on Thursday, Jan. 27. Left: Fliers were posted in support of Chen.

Tech’s student competition teams located in the Mechanical Engineering Research Building were notified in early Aug. that they would be relocated to a new facility on 14th Street. Commonly known as the Tin Building building, the building will be demolished in April as a part of the Institute’s move for more green space on campus.

The new building on 14th Street, currently named the Competition Center, is a building that is owned by Tech and was previously used as storage for Housing materials and other campus property. The competition teams were required to move out of the building before the start of the Spring semester due to construction and modifications to the Skiles walkway area.

According to Andrea Kuklenyik, Vice President of Wrek Racing and secondyear ME major, a decision had to be made by the Institute to either bring the old Tin Building up to code, or tear it down and move the organizations within it.

“We found out that the final decision had been made after [Institute] President G.P. ‘Bud’ Peterson met with the respective presidents of the teams housed with in the Tin Building and informed them that they could use this situation to their benefit, and this could be a growing point for the teams,” Kuklenyik said.

This shift will have an effect on a See Competition, page 5

HOPE White Paper unveiled during GT Day at the Capitol

By Emily Cardin Assistant News Editor

On Tuesday, Feb. 1, nearly 50 students from the Institute gathered on the steps of the State Capitol to celebrate the 2011 GT Student Day at the Capitol. During this event, the SGA presented their HOPE Scholarship White Paper, with the assistance of the College Democrats at Georgia Tech and the Georgia Tech College Republicans.

Students from a variety of years and majors attended in order to meet legislators, to see the inner workings of the political process and to witness the unveiling

of SGA’s White Paper.

“I’m here to fight for HOPE,” said Zachary Gardner, a firstyear MGT major. “I wanted to make sure that we have a fighting chance in regards to keeping our scholarships.”

The day’s activities, coordinated by SGA, began with a reception with the students, faculty from Tech as well as members of the Senate and the House. During the reception, Kristen Greig, Student Lobby Board Chair and third-year IAML major, read the contents of the White Paper.

SGA has been working in cooperation with the Georgia Tech College Republicans and Col-

lege Democrats at Georgia Tech to brainstorm some possible solutions for the large problems, specifically the continued lack of funding that surround the HOPE Scholarship.

The ideas generated were presented during the day to the State Senate in the HOPE Scholarship White Paper by Greig, SGA Director of External Affairs and third year MGT major, Elle Creel and Undergraduate Student Body President Corey T. Boone.

“The HOPE Scholarship should aim to fund 100 percent of the tuition costs for qualified

See Capitol, page 5

Photo by Sean Kolk / Student Publications

Attendees at the event had the opportunity to meet with representatives and learn about different legislative processes.

NEWS

2 • February 4, 2011 • Technique

Technique

The South’s Liveliest College Newspaper

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Copyright © 2011, Hahnming Lee, 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.

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From the files of the GTPD...

Arrest assured

Campus Crime

By Matt Schrichte Contributing Writer Hooked on chronics

Three Eighth Street Apartment students were issued code of conduct violations for marijuana possession on the night of Jan. 22. Officers received calls about a strong scent of marijuana coming from one of the rooms.

After knocking on the door of the room in question, the two officers and the housing representative heard a shuffle inside the room. Upon opening, the officers immediately noticed a strong odor of marijuana. The students inside the apartment denied knowing about any marijuana in the apartment. While housing did not per-

form a search, the students were all issued code of conduct violations.

Bobby Dod(d)ged

Two students were issued criminal trespass warnings for entering Bobby Dodd Stadium at 3:00 a.m. on the morning of Jan. 22.

The two students, one male and one female, were seen by an officer conducting a stadium check. The officer made contact with the two in the West stands. The two stated that they were on a date and were cooperative with the officer. They were able to gain entry through the bottom of gate two.

Officers arrested a wanted person after briefly letting him go on Jan. 25. While checking ticket scalpers’ identifications, one of them was found to be a possible wanted suspect. At that time, Communication gave the officers the name and profile of someone who might be using a false ID. Communication advised that the suspect had a large tattoo on his neck, which the officers were unable to locate on the subject being questioned, who was released.

After reviewing a picture of the subject at police headquarters, the officers realized that the subject in question had a warrant for his arrest in Clayton County. They were able to relocate the suspect and place him under arrest nearby Alexander Memorial Coliseum.

The suspect admitted that he and another person routinely use each other’s license number.

POLL OF THE WEEK

Which of the following proposals for HOPE do you support?

20%

Bring revenue through other taxes

28%

Raise the minimum GPA requirement Based on 125 responses

52%

Add an SAT requirement.

Next issue’s question:

How do you feel about the approved fee increases?

Tell us at nique.net

NEWS

MSFAC

Council Clippings

from page 1

With the increase in the number of visits to the center and a rise in the number of more serious medical problems, the nurse practitioners could help treat more common problems like a cold or sore throat. The Health Center has already committed to closing its Dental Clinic.

“When you look at Health, the amount of demand is outpacing their current ability, and they just need additional staff members.

We were well below the industry standard [relating to patient-tostaff ratio],” Boone said.

Parking and Transportation proposed an increase from $72 to $76 for their fee to help maintain services. Lance Lunsway, director of Parking and Transportation, and David Williamson, assistant director of Parking and Transportation, stated that every $1 not received would be a cut in nearly 800 hours in service. Furthermore, the rising cost of fuel necessitated a fuel surcharge.

Athletic Director Dan Radakovich asked for a $6 increase to Athletics to help some of its costs, from $123 to $129. The down year in football coupled with the somewhat lackluster home schedule made it a disappointing round of sales of football tickets, leading to less revenue. While there is a possibility that the ticket sales will increase next year, the way the football scheduling works makes it difficult to predict the sales from year-to-year. Radakovich said the increase would give some stability to the funding of the program.

Technique • February 4, 2011 • 3

This week in Student Government

E

Bill Summary

By Mike Donohue, SGA Editor

ach week, this section includes coverage of different aspects of Student Government, including the Undergraduate House of Representatives, Graduate Student Senate and the Executive Branch of both governments.

College Republicans

The Georgia Tech College Republicans successfully submitted a bill on Tuesday for $1320 to attend the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, DC. The bill will pay for registration fees and travel to the conference. The Graduate Student Senate failed the bill 15-17-1, but the Undergraduate House of Representatives passed it 28-10-6 which allowed the bill to pass the necessary enactment ratio.

According to its website, “CPAC [is] the premiere event for any major elected official or public personality seeking to discuss issues of the day with conservatives.” This year’s conference will include keynotes by Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-MN), former Rep. Newt Gingrich and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).

During the Senate meeting Tuesday morning, debate was brief. The only Senator to speak up, AE Sen. Michael Ellis, expressed concern over the fact that no graduates were attending and that it was a networking event.

“As the bill was presented by the organizational representative, I was hesitant to vote yes sim-

ply because the bill appeared to violate—or at least stretch—JFC policy regarding political activity,” Ellis said in an email. “In summary, to best represent my constituents and in light of acting with fiscal responsibility, I voted against the bill.”

After the bill was failed, ChBE Sen. Jana Blume and ME Sen. Mihir Pathak spoke out against the lack of debate on the bill. Pathak, the sponsor of the bill and the coordinating officer with UHR, expressed concern that he would have no explanation for why the bill failed in the Senate when presenting to the House.

The Undergraduate Representatives debated at length on the appropriate action to take after College Republican Chairman Kristin Greig told representatives that one fewer student would be traveling with the organization.

Representatives spent some time sorting out the implications of this before passing the bill.

“I think there was a lack of

Bill

Amount

GSS

UHR

Engineers without Borders Tau Beta Phi E-week College Republicans Women’s Club Basketball

$702 $605 $1320 $550

29-0-0 30-1-0 15-17-1 28-2-3

44-0-0 41-0-3 28-10-3 39-0-0

You can follow Mike at the Nique’s blog, The Pulse. Check in at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday for updates from UHR sessions at nique.net/pulse.

communication and misunderstanding from many sides over the bill. Many facets of the bill raised questions, and then there were some procedural issues on the floor of the House. Pieces were unclear from the very beginning with the writing of the bill itself in its line items and then, JFC’s recommendation could not be officially established in the House,” said BC Rep. Grace Stephens.

“Thirteen members will be attending from GTCR. The error occurred due to miscalculation or miscommunication by several parties involved. We are happy with the final outcome,” Grieg said over email when asked about the confusion over the number of students attending.

According to Joint Finance Committee Policy, SGA may not fund “Political Activities,” defined as activities “the primary purpose of which is to support the election or defeat of a candidate for public office or to provide a monetary contribution to a political party.”

Neither Undergraduate Student Body President Corey Boone nor Graduate Student Body President Anthony Baldridge said this information would make them veto the bill.

“I have no intentions on vetoing the bill. The event is a conference, not a political rally. It is my understanding that it is focused on leadership development not mobilizing for a conservative cause.” Boone said in an email.

Corrections The graph on the front page of last week’s issue was mislabeled. The infographic regarding deposits and expenditures were switched. The legend at the bottom of the graph was labeled correctly.

NEWS

Capitol

Technique • February 4, 2011 • 5

from page 1

students,” the document stated.

“To meet the original intent of the merit scholarship, students who deserve HOPE in Ga. should not have to go into debt in order to cover tuition costs.”

A Sunday alcohol sales tax and a lottery-regulated casino are proposed to generate revenue, while a reduction in Pre-K funding, an exclusion of remedial courses from the scholarship, a limit placed on for-profit institutions and an increase in high school GPA requirements to keep the scholarship afloat have all been discussed as solutions.

The paper was presented first to students, faculty and legislators during a private morning reception, and then was presented for official resolution recognition in the State Senate by Senate Majority leader Chip Rogers. Rogers spoke to the students at the reception about what it means to be in political office and fielded questions about the State legislatures’ seeming hesitancy to address the problems surrounding the HOPE Scholarship.

“There are millions of examples of what people think we ought to

Competition from page 1 number of organizations that were housed in the building, including Wrek Racing, GT Motorsports, GT Off Road, EcoCar, Solar Jackets and RoboJackets.

The effect will vary greatly from organization to organization, based on their space, mechanical and recruitment needs.

“This move will have both a negative and positive effect on our organization, as we now have much more space and amenities, but at the same time it makes it very difficult for our members to come work with the team—the new buildling on 14th Street is far from campus,” said Luis Romero,

Photo by Sean Kolk / Student Publications

Students were invited to sit inside the House Chamber as part of the event. SGA presented a White Paper regarding possible changes to the HOPE Scholarship, which was discussed by representatives.

but ultimately we must make one plan. If we cherry-pick solutions, we can really create conflict.”

Institute President G.P. “Bud” Peterson also addressed the students, faculty and legislators in regards to the issue of HOPE, as well as budgeting and financial issues. He addressed the loss of formula funding and expressed his concern over the HOPE Scholarship.

Peterson outlined the administration’s decision to continue with a six percent budgetary reduction plan for FY2011 as opposed to the four percent reduction plan once suggested by the Board of Regents.

“If we have been overly cautious, and the finances aren’t as tight as we believed, instead of asking to get money back, we can simply allocate more funding,” Peterson said. “[Tech] faces some challenges, but by no means are they catastrophic.”

Peterson also encouraged students to learn from the day’s activities, and to remember the ultimate purpose of government.

“Democracy is a marvelous thing,” Peterson said, “but it doesn’t work unless we are participatory.”

do [about the HOPE Scholarship],” Rogers said. “But up here, this issue is hard to handle. Our national Congress is afraid to touch Social Security for fear of political repercussion. In Ga., the

HOPE Scholarship is similar to that.”

Rogers stressed the need for a comprehensive and cohesive plan to solve the HOPE problem as soon as possible.

“[The Senate] needs to work with Governor Deal and the House in order to come together with one single plan to address this issue,” Rogers said. “We have many options and suggestions,

President of GT Motorsports and fourth-year ME major.

The distance that the new building is from campus has caused the leaders in these organizations to become concerned about possible recruitment in the coming years, and the logistics of younger team members travelling to the building to work.

“We are a little worried that it is going to be somewhat of an issue to recruit kids next year and then get them to come through Home Park to get here—its not like you can just drop by the shop on your way back from the library,” said Jonathan Skoczylas, member of GT Motorsports and third-year ME major.

According to Kuklenyik, Tech paid for all of the moving costs and allowed organizations the use of institute vehicles, but the other machines and equipment that could not be moved individually and had to be moved by professional movers. Moving forward, the organizations involved are still in process of organizing all of their materials.

“We are still working on moving everything in and getting situated — it’s a lot of stuff to move around, and now that we have so much space, there is a lot to unpack. We’re definitely glad to be out of a building that sounds like its about to fall down all the time,” Skoczylas said.

The new student competition center is located on 14th Street.

Organizations made the move at the end of the Fall semester.

Photo by Kevin Bandy / Student Publications

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CLASSIFIEDS

Opinions

Opinions Editor: Matt Hoffman There are a terrible lot of lies going around the world, the worst of it is half of them are true.

—Winston Churchill

“ ”

OUR VIEWS Consensus Opinion

Fair, frivolous fees

Fee increases should be considered more carefully

The fee increases approved by the Mandatory Student Fee Advisory Committee add some necessary fund augmentations to departments in real need of the funds, but some increases seem frivolous in this time of austerity.

As campus continues to grow, the need to have efficient transportation around Tech becomes even more necessary. The Transportation fee increase also seems reasonable considering the rising cost of fuel, which heavily affects the department’s bottom line. The Health fee increase also has its merits since the money will be used for tangible goals that the Health Center has clearly laid out for the campus. SGA and the Office of Information Technology should also be applauded for their ability to make do with what they already receive from the student body.

The increase in the Athletic Fee, however, seems poorly timed and unnecessary. Given that the substantial increase in the student fee four years ago

has been followed by an added cost for block seating as well as several marginal increases, the Athletic Association must learn to balance its own budget and not try to dip into the pockets of students when the department’s ticket sales fall short.

While the AA is no doubt being affected by the stagnant economic conditions, they must not forget that students are as well.

But the underlying problem with the system is the lack of transparency of the whole process. The majority of the students voting on the fees will never pay the fees themselves, and the vast majority of student are completely unaware of the proposal before they go to vote. Instead of a secretive committee, the fee increases should be put to the vote in UHR and GSS. If Representatives and Senators were allowed to vote, fee increases would be considered more thoroughly and debating them in the legislative bodies would bring the situation to the forefront.

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

Hahnming Lee, Editor-in-Chief Vivian Fan, Managing Editor Kate Comstock, Business Manager Jennifer Aldoretta, Layout Editor Alex Mitchell, Sports Editor Kamna Bohra, Focus Editor Vijai Narayanan, News Editor Steven Cappetta, Advertising Manager Nishant Prasadh, Online Sports Editor Mike Donohue, SGA Editor Chris Russell, Online Editor Matt Hoffman, Opinions Editor Jarrett Skov, Photo Editor Reem Mansoura, Outreach Editor Patricia Uceda, Entertainment Editor

EDITORIAL CARTOON By Casey Tisdel

Technique

6

Friday, February 4, 2011

College Republicans funding improper “JFC never considered the possibility that this bill violated the political activities clause of JFC policy.”

Mike Donohue SGA Editor This year, 21 months before the presidential elections, the Conservative Political Action Conference will feature keynotes by presidential contenders such as Newt Gingrich, Michelle Bachmann and Tim Pawlenty. Attending the event will be 13 members of the College Republicans. They will be doing so, supporting these political candidates, using Student Activity Fee (SAF).

Joint Finance Committee policy prohibits the use of the SAF for political activities. CPAC certainly qualifies as a political activity. While College Republicans may claim that CPAC is simply a networking opportunity for its members, the purpose of the Conference goes well beyond that. The conference attendees conduct a straw poll each year, naming their top picks for the Republican presidential nomination. Candidates use CPAC keynotes to push their campaigns, hoping to curry favor with the conservative wing of their party. These are the activities of an organization that supports a political agenda and can make or break the career of a budding Republican nominee.

JFC never considered the possibility that this bill violated the political activities clause of JFC policy. Any bill put forward by the College Republicans (or the College Democrats for that matter) ought to be scrutinized carefully to make sure it does not violate this rule. Although GSS did fail the bill, there was no debate at all, save for a single statement of opposition by AE Sen. Michael Ellis.

No one mentioned the fact that CPAC is a partisan activity, and no one thought to fight for the failure or the passage of the bill based on what they thought SGA ought to finance with the SAF. UHR, though it did debate the bill at length, got bogged down in details, distracted by miscommunications and errors among UHR, GSS, JFC and College Republicans. Based on this confusion alone, UHR should have failed or postponed the bill and asked College Republicans to come back the following week. Although this would have prevented College Republicans from using the funds since the event would have been completed by the time funds would have been available, it would have served as an apt warning to student organizations to be prepared before asking for a rushed decision from SGA. Regardless of the procedural confusion that resulted from the debate, UHR completely failed to consider the wisdom of the bill. Not one representative asked

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his or her colleagues to pause and consider the ramifications of funding a political activity. No one brought up JFC policy. No one uttered even the weakest of opposition.

However, both student body presidents have the opportunity to correct this error. Undergraduate Corey T. Boone and Graduate President Anthony Baldridge can use their veto pens to make sure that the SAF is properly spent.

They should do so quickly and with confidence.

Why did the bill get as far as it did? In part, the bill’s success is due to the Chairman of College Republicans, Kristen Greig. Greig stood on the floor of UHR through the entirety of debate Tuesday evening, speaking up with commentary and support. This was in violation of House rules, but she was rarely reminded of that fact.

Greig had also presented earlier that evening, leading the HOPE Open Forum. Perhaps this is why the Representatives were comfortable with her causally participating in debate. The fact that she could represent the student body in a political issue as important as HOPE and then turn around to represent the interests of College Republicans, a goal of which is to elect candidates who hold Republican ideals, is troubling.

Greig should remove this conflict of interest immediately by resigning as either Student Lobby Board Chair or as Chair of the College Republicans. The members of SGA who represent the student body should not split their loyalties.

This week’s SGA meetings revealed several troubling issues with the way SGA views its relationship with partisan political activities. With tough fights over the future of HOPE and the budget about to peak, it’s important that the representatives of the student body rededicate themselves to the people who elected them: the student body.

OPINIONS

Technique • February 4, 2011 • 7

Constitution degraded to political prop The Constitution has made quite a comeback in the last year or so, becoming a symbol of good government to whomever is holding it up. When the Republicans took back the House in early Jan., some congressmen took turns reading the Constitution aloud, in nearly its entirety, as a show of their commitment to it.

While the Constitution is undoubtedly one of the most important documents in American history, the scene was a completely unnecessary stunt and speaks volumes on the poor state of discourse about the document.

Nobody outside of courthouses and law schools actually discusses what is in it anymore. Most people just say that they know it better than some other people on the opposite end of the political spectrum.

Still, with everyone claiming that some other group of people do not know it, I ask you this: have you actually read the Constitution? All 4400 or so words?

If you have and think you know it as well as those in Washington do, test yourself on it with this slightly modified question that used to appear in popular polling services: Which of these phrases appear in our Constitution?

“The consent of the governed,” “Of the people, by the people, for the people,” and “From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.”

The answer? None of them.

“America has been reduced to thinking that a Spelling Bee relating to the Constitution is sufficient.”

Hahnming Lee

Editor-in-Chief When the actual question (with five choices, none of which are in the Constitution) was asked in a poll, nearly nine-out-of-10 Americans got it wrong. How can people hold it up as sacred when they do not even know what is in it?

But do not worry, it turns out some of the most prominent people in Washington know the exact words just as well as the average American.

In a debate with Tea Party darling Christine O’Donnell, Senator Chris Coons claimed that separation of church-andstate was in the Constitution, and O’Donnell said she did not realize it. Liberals everywhere rejoiced that the witch was proven to be an even bigger idiot, but guess what, Senator? It is not in the First Amendment as you claim, or really anywhere in the Constitution.

Earlier in the year, at a Tea Party rally, John Boehner, the new Speaker of the House, erroneously said he thought that “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” was a part of the preamble to the Constitution at a rally where he talked

about restoring its importance within government. Unfortunately Mr. Speaker, you are thinking of the Declaration of Independence.

Some reading may think that it is horrible that our politicians cannot even recite simple lines from the Constitution, but it is because the American people now expect politicians to engage in these “gotcha” and pop-quiz moments at any given moment on a public stage While I do not find Boehner to be a particularly competent politician, it is not because he made a mistake relating to the Constitution at some rally.

Honestly, I would not hold it against my politicians that they do not know the Constitution word-for-word. Sure, I would much prefer if they had a deep understanding of the document, and I think that this would stop a lot of the talk of “unconstitutional” every time someone does not like a law, but I do not think that knowing the document’s exact wordage at any given point equates to knowledge. As engineers who regularly take open-

notebook tests, I think that we would be holding them up to an unfair and hypocritical standard.

America has been reduced to thinking that a Spelling Bee relating to the Constitution is sufficient, and that it is often better just to claim that you know it better than some other people than to consider the idea that there are still legitimate and different ways to interpret it.

Instead of latching on to these phrases that really are just rhetoric, people should first read it, and then really think about how it applies to modern life.

If people continue to engage in these petty fights over exact wordings, they miss an opportunity to really think about its applications. I point to the second amendment, now widely believe to be about individuals owning guns.

The phrase “the right to bear arms” actually may have had (arguably, of course) a military connotation and a focus on the militia at the time it was written, only really shifting in meaning in the last 30 years and with interest groups like the N.R.A. pushing for the now more commonly accepted meaning.

People will miss an opportunity to think about this and the meaning of it if the Constitution continues to act like a prop, proof of patriotism purely based on memorization.

Public-private co-op aids social change Michelle Obama’s recent partnering with Wal-Mart in a campaign that aspires to offer more healthful options to shoppers highlights just how much power almighty corporations have in the world. In a worldwide economy where many of the top-50 organizations have larger budgets than some countries, these organizations have a frightening amount of authority of markets and thus, many consumers’ lifestyles. Wal-Mart, which garnered $408.21 billion in sales in 2009, can be categorized as an organization that has almost unlimited power in the grocery market sector. It’s about time that we see this retailing giant conduct a campaign that really attempts to offer corporate responsibility in a form that will see some direct benefits to the markets it serves.

While Wal-Mart’s move to decide to participate with the initiatives that the First Lady’s “Let’s Move” campaign is fairly transparent in its positive public relations implications, it is still an admirable move. Wal-Mart is hoping to convince their suppliers to cut back sodium levels by 25 percent and sugar by 10 percent by the year 2015.

These goals directly align with the First Lady’s “Let’s Move” campaign which aims to decrease childhood obesity by educating children at an early age about healthy eat-

could be realized much sooner through collaborative initiatives. These are the kinds of relationships that should be further explored by the current administration in order to leverage the power that these Kate Comstock large corporations possess.

While some might bristle Business Manager at the idea of the government working in cahoots with large corporations, it makes the control that Wal-Mart has sense from a perspective that over many of its suppliers, it is there is a mutual relationship an attainable goal. Wal-Mart that can be exploited by both has the potential to be more sides. Both large corporations successful in its endeavors to and the government can benpromote a healthy lifestyle efit from the positive public to its shoppers than the U.S. relations that can be genergovernment has in attempts ated from these kinds of camto promote regulations that paigns, corporations can reap promote health. We as a soci- benefits from greater sales and ety are heavily relying on cor- the government has accomporate social responsibility to plished their goal of adding to steer our buying patterns, and, the welfare of society.

However, the future of by extension, our health as a these kinds of endeavors with society.

It is no secret that Wal- large corporations should Mart is perceived as less-than- not rely solely on initiatives favorable by many that feel the coming out of Washington. organization utilizes unfair la- Because of the growing influbor practices and the presence ence that the modern business of the stores in small commu- organization has on society, nities often drives small town they should strive to introduce competitors out of business. initiatives that will also add to Indeed, it is somewhat diffi- their bottom line and contribcult to accept the news of their ute to the welfare of society.

These mega-corporations, partnership with the First Lady as something other than like Wal-Mart, have potential a public relations stunt. Al- to create real changes through though, if more relationships corporate responsibility initialike the one that Wal-Mart tives, but if they fail to act on and the First Lady recently their own accord, other corpocreated existed there could be rations could fail to capitalize more situations where change on this unique opportunity.

“Large corporations and the government can benefit from the positive public relations that can be generated.”

ing habits and physical activity. The campaign has also pushed for better food options in schools and improved food labeling. It is estimated that about 32 percent of children are considered overweight or obese. Children that grow up overweight or obese have a higher chance of becoming overweight and obese adults, which could lead to a plethora of medical problems associated with obesity.

In addition to working with suppliers to offer healthier food options, Wal-Mart also hopes to help address “food deserts,” a problem that has historically plagued low-income neighborhoods. The organization is well poised to utilize its economies of scale to offer healthier food options to low-income areas at prices that are still competitive with cheap and unhealthy food. The result could lead to better nutrition for children and families that live in areas that don’t traditionally have access to better food options.

The task will still be no small feat, but considering

BUZZ

Around Campus

Who do you think will win the Superbowl?

Amrinder Chawla Fourth-year ECE

“Steelers, because they are better overall.”

Sam Pak First-year BMED

“I’m really not paying attention to it.”

Zachary Churney Second-year ME

“I’d say the Packers because I hate the Steelers.”

Michael Polson Third-year CS

“I’ve never really followed football.”

Photos by Benny Lee

OPINIONS

8 • February 4, 2011 • Technique

OUR VIEWS Hot or Not

HOT– or –NOT Stairway to Purgatory

While few people who live in NAA would categorize it as ‘heavenly,’ it certainly got much less hellish late last week when the stairway to the complex at Techwood and North Ave. reopened. Now residents have to brace for the next inconvenience that Housing will no doubt dump on the students who live in the facility that seems to be perpetually under construction.

Fishy evening

While some students take to drinking like fish on Thursday nights, this upcoming Thursday they can just go hang out with them instead.

The annual GT Night at the Aquarium has become a treat for students in need of an early semester break, albeit a very short break. Such activities help to build a sense of campus community and provides access to Atlanta hot spots.

Frightening turtle

The men’s basketball team regrettably was not able to keep its home-court streak going in its loss to Maryland on Sunday night. Hopefully the flu and other medical reasons won’t continue to hinder the team as the Jackets begin their final stretch of the regular season. They are going to need a lot of momentum going into the ACC Tournament in March and maybe beyond.

Fed up

While some people believe that all publicity is good publicity, last week, the theory was proven incorrect. The F.B.I raiding of Tower Resident Hall brought a load of negative attention to Tech. Though nothing has been settled yet, ideally, the Tech student in question will be cleared of all wrong doing, and the situation will quickly blow over and cleared up.

Fiscal restraint, understanding needed during budget season

Every semester you’re charged a Student Activity Fee. Your SGA is charged with being a steward of that fee with the purpose of filling the gap in areas of student life that the Institute cannot fill. The story all told, SAF revenues amount to nearly $4.8 million dollars ($4,753,968 to be exact). If you weren’t aware of this fee or that it added up to a few million dollars, I’ll let that sink in for a moment.

If you were aware of these numbers, we’ll keep moving.

While a great deal of money is collected each year in SAF revenue, the number of requests by student organizations consistently outpaces the money that we oversee. Hence we reach the inherent problem that has surrounded the SAF since its inception. There is a great disparity between collected revenues and yearly requests.

Historically, both revenue and requests trend upward at a fairly steady rate, but what is driving this trend? The poor state of the economy? Increased enrollment?

Sheer necessity for more funds?

It is likely a combination of all of these factors driving the need for greater SAF revenue.

The question then seems to be: who is making these requests?

Requiring just under one third of its total operating budget from SAF funds, the CRC accounts for nearly 40 percent of the total budget requests. While the Student Center requests significantly less ($1.25 million), it still comes to some 25 percent of overall requests. Combined, these two campus staples garner nearly two thirds of collected SAF revenue.

With such widespread student use, many might be asking themselves: why shouldn’t they? Any

“Given the poor state of the economy, many organizations depend on the SAF funding to maintain normal operations.”

Brad Bauerkemper JFC Chairman

one of the 109 student organizations requesting budgets can probably give a few reasons why.

Given the poor state of the economy, many of these organizations depend on SAF funding to maintain normal operations.

For some this means travel to a tournament, to others it means hosting a yearly event. Regardless of the occasion, organizations are finding it increasingly difficult to obtain outside funding, and it seems a Skiles walkway bake sale doesn’t go as far as it used to. Unfortunately, a bad economy doesn’t increase the amount of SAF revenue. Equally unfortunate is that UHR and GSS still expect organizations requesting funds to use SGA as a last resort. This expectation may seem an impossibility to some, but as long as the voting bodies continue to see groups that do raise their own funds and pay higher dues, the expectation will remain. Still, a problem remains.

While the number of student organizations that submit budgets each year has remained fairly consistent, the number of newly chartered organizations on campus, and the amount of each budget request continues to climb.

Thus, the solution to the current fiscal issue is both a commitment to fiscal responsibility on behalf of SGA and a great deal of under-

standing from the students.

As Chairman of the JFC, I am responsible for ensuring that each submitted budget is checked, combed and considered with the utmost scrutiny. The idea is not to deter organizations from requesting funds, it is simply a process by which we ensure that the student’s money is being allocated properly and that fiscal responsibility is being practiced.

In furtherance of this idea, UHR and GSS passed a bill earlier last Fall that effectively tightened the requirements on budgets. These new restrictions now require each organization requesting a budget to attend a budget information session, update contact information regularly and attend a budget hearing. Although these requirements have been enforced in the past to some extent, failure to complete them is now accompanied with the possible budget denial or reduction.

Although I do believe SGA has taken positive steps towards fiscal responsibility with these policy changes as well as some other initiatives, I still foresee an increase in the SAF coming down the pike in the coming years. That is why I believe that the relationship between the student body and SGA will only succeed if the students are understanding of that fact.

sliver

www.nique.net

Alex, I’m a vegetarian.

To the weird girl in my CS class who always wants to sit with me.

You’re weird. the odds are good but the goods are gay... you know when there’s a turbo on the front of your book the class is going to blow you were doing 55 in a 54 is it sad that I only read the technique for the slivers?

My sociology homework this weekend was to be a troll. Problem, society? U mad? to the drunk girl singing justin beiber at 2am with a megaphone: no one loves you The girl with Hebrew tattoo behind her ear is gorgeous High 37 degrees.... well, i guess time to move further south To the pretty VSA secretary, I will miss your spams next year i don’t even know what my hobbies are anymore.

My machine design teacher def looks like the Asian guy from mythbusters. Busted!!!

The world don’t move to the beat of just one class...

Yes, I have in fact played 6 hours of video games. You would if you saw Incursion, too.

If they truly anticipated such drastic budget cuts, why are we continuing to begin new construction projects??

It ain’t test time professor. It’s T-SHIRT Tiiiiime You figure there’s a lot of tiger mom kids at tech?

What’s a tech exam like? Well it’s kinda like a wombo combo... on you leggings and tights arent pants. thats why they’re AWESOME Time definitely flows slower in most of my lectures Juggling 3 different girls is a lot of work. I don’t know how the mormons could do this.

Is it appropriate to hit on girl’s at the gym?

Hahah, the first thing the raided kid did was broadcast everything he knows/did to the world on reddit. Ahhahahaha great job.

I love Cabbage like ze diabetics like ze candy

Focus Ellis speaks on energy sources, leadership

By Amira Saleh Contributing Writer

On Wednesday, Feb. 2, students and alumni gathered in the LeCraw Auditorium of the Management building to hear Admiral James O. Ellis, Jr. speak on “Energy, Prosperity, and Leadership” as part of the weekly IMPACT series.

Ellis completed 39 years in the Navy in 2004. His career included services as a naval fighter pilot, commander of the USS Abraham Lincoln, a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and commander of the U.S. Strategic Command.

Along with holding a bachelor’s degree from the US Naval Academy, Ellis, MS AE ‘70, is a member of the Tech’s Engineering Hall of Fame as of 2005.

Ellis is president and CEO of the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO), a nonprofit organization which monitors and promotes the safety and excellence of nuclear electric generating plants in the United States.

INPO is sponsored by the commercial nuclear industry.

“Energy generates prosperity,” Ellis said in his speech.

For every one percent increase in per capita income, a 0.5 percent increase in electric generating capacity is required. In the U.S., nuclear energy accounts for 20 percent of electricity generated annually. In France,

focus@nique.net Focus Editor: Kamna Bohra

Technique @gtsga: Tell us what you think about the HOPE Scholarship Debate here:... http:// fb.me/yRTZU5I8

9

Friday, February 4, 2011

REBUILDING Tech professors unite

HAITI

By Divya Varahabhatla Contributing Writer

On Jan. 12, 2010, the Republic of Haiti experienced a massive earthquake which left thousands homeless, injured or dead. As reported by New York Times, “the [estimated] total cost of the disaster was between $7.2 billion to $13.2 billion, based on a death toll from 200,000 to 250,000.” The destruction was not limited to the population, but also the environment.

Now, a year later, the rebuilding of Haiti continues as part of an international effort for the “poorest country in the western hemisphere,” according to a BBC article. More recently, Tech professors Reginald DesRoches and Kimberly Kurtis have been researching cheap alternatives to building construction as part of a larger effort to reconstruct the

to reconstruct Haiti

buildings, shops and homes that once made up the country’s infrastructure.

As members of the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, DesRoches and Kurtis have conducted the project with Joshua J. Gresham and Brett Holland, CEE graduate students.

Recently, “[the researchers] developed a method to recycle rubble into a strong construction material, which could be a possible solution for safely and inexpensively rebuilding Haiti’s structures,” according to a press release.

A New York Times article reported that “less than five percent of this has been removed since Jan., and even less has been properly disposed of…. The United States Army Corps of Engineers’ debris management plan says it would take a dump truck with a 20-cubicyard bed 1000 days to clear the debris, if it carried 1000 loads a day—or about

three years.”

For such a problem, DesRoches and Kurtis developed a research idea to use the problematic rubble and debris as starting materials of concrete.

“The concrete is made from recycled rubble and indigenous raw materials using simple techniques. And it meets or exceeds the minimum strength standards defined by the American Concrete Institute and used in the U.S.,” according to a press release.

“We have found we can turn one of the dilemmas—the rubble—into a solution via some fairly simple methods of recycling the rubble and debris into new concrete,” DesRoches said.

DesRoches himself is personally invested, as he is originally from Haiti.

As part of the project, he and Gresham See Haiti, page 10

See IMPACT, page 10

Image courtesy of Ruth Gregory

Spring offers alternative breaks

By Allyn Woodward Contributing Writer

Photo by Jonathon Cornwell / Student Publications

Ellis discussed nuclear energy in democratic and nondemocratic settings.

Although people may have complained of boredom during the unexpected snow days at the beginning of the semester, another break from school is already on everyone’s mind: spring break.

As many students think of locations such as Panama City, Daytona and Miami as spring break locations, students from across the country are going to be flocking to the warm weather areas to escape the frigid temperatures of the North or the frigid temperatures in their droning, everlasting lectures.

While some students look for pure relaxation for their breaks, others consider alternatives that combine relaxation and service. With the beaches packed with high school and college students, there are plenty of other opportunities to get some

sun and fresh air and to help improve other communities and the wildlife.

This is exactly what Katie Lebedev, a fourth-year HTS major, accomplished when she went on an alternative spring break to Tucson, Ariz. Lebedev joined Trailblazers in a trip two years ago as several students spent a week in the Sierra National Park to help clear and upkeep the trails for other visitors to enjoy.

“I didn’t live on campus anymore, and it was awesome how we all came together in the middle of nowhere, alone. We had to take all our food together and make clean water together. I got to meet a lot of people I would never have talked to, and I still keep in touch with them,” Lebedev said.

As part of a small, diverse group, Lebedev met students from different parts of the world such as France and China, while they backpacked through the park.

“It was definitely one of the best experiences I have had at Tech—the best social experience. I plan on going to California on another Trailblazers trip,” Lebedev said.

Going to a new place with new students and not knowing the logistics of the area can feel overwhelming, but rest assured, all groups have a leader to help group members safely get to their destinations.

Lebedev and her group went with a leader who organized the entire trip from choosing the location to finding volunteers to join the program. The leader even arranged for someone to come and to pick them up from the airport and take them to the trails.

In addition to the Trailblazers’ annual alternative spring breaks, Habitat for HuSee Break, page 11

FOCUS

10 • February 4, 2011 • Technique

Haiti

from page 9

traveled to Haiti to gather samples and to study the techniques and tools used by local workers.

They also engaged in recycling to eliminate the obstacles to reconstruction, which include getting rid of the rubble that is plaguing the streets and landfills of Haiti and finding a cheap alternative to buying brand-new construction materials. Reusing the rubble also eliminated the costliness of clearing and storing rubble in landfills.

“I feel fortunate to have been involved in this research because

it demonstrates that the rubble which continues to impede redevelopment in Haiti can actually be used in the reconstruction effort. We are hopeful that this research will spur reuse of concrete rubble, when appropriate, in new construction in Haiti,” Kurtis said.

The team hopes to share its study with government officials of Haiti and any organizations that are working with the reconstruction of the country. The hope is to help Haiti develop strong materials for construction and to speed along the recovery of the nation.

Image courtesy of Ruth Gregory

In Haiti, the research team met volunteers from around the world, along with journalists who were reporting on the catastrophe.

IMPACT

from page 9

on the other hand, 80 percent of annual electricity consumption is due to nuclear energy.

Ellis pointed out, however, that approximately 25 percent of the world has no access to electricity, which means that basic needs of health and well being are not being met globally.

Nuclear energy will lead to economic success and prosperity, and is also “an essential element to democratization around the world,” Ellis said.

Tech students wanted to know what the issues were concerning nuclear waste and whether or not the U.S. should be concerned with non-democratic countries around the world that are presently developing commercial nuclear industries.

Ellis discussed the importance of recycling the byproducts of energy generation, and said these nondemocratic countries must place value on a culture of safety.

They must be able to question authority to ensure that proper safety measures are in place and upheld.

Along with his discussion of energy options and the economy, Ellis also shared his views on leadership and teamwork with Tech students.

“Leadership isn’t management.

You manage things and processes, and you lead people,” Ellis said.

“Don’t fake it. You cannot be what you are not, but [you] can change what you are. You have to find out for yourself what your leadership style is and modify

Photo by Jonathon Cornwell / Student Publications

In addition to his discussion of nuclear power, Ellis spoke about finding the right leadership style by leaving one’s comfort zone. what you don’t like about it,” Ellis said of practicing and finding different leadership styles.

To Ellis, leadership is a process of continuous learning.

“It is amazing what you can learn by dropping yourself into something that is not your comfort zone,” Ellis said.

“In a time of drastic change it is the learners who inherit the future. The learned usually find themselves equipped to live in a world that no longer exists,” Ellis said, quoting author and philosopher Eric Hoffer.

Ellis presently serves on the

board of directors for Lockheed Martin Corporation.

Additionally, Ellis has recently served as a Presidential Appointee on the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board and has functioned as a member of the Military Advisory Panel for the Iraq Study Group.

The IMPACT Speaker series, which brings business leaders to campus to share experiences and to offer advice to students and to other entrepreneurs, occurs every Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. in the LeCraw Auditorium of the Management building.

FOCUS

Break

Technique • February 4, 2011 • 11

from page 10

manity is hosting an upcoming trip to Jacksonville Beach, Fla., at which students can learn new skills and help give a family a home.

“I enjoyed the alternative spring break not only because it was community service, but also because I was working with people passionate about community service,” said Andy Barrenechea, a second-year BME major who participated in the Habitat for Humanity trip during his 2010 spring break. In collaboration with the Office of Community Service, Barrenechea is now planning the 2011 spring break.

During the trip, students will conduct house-building and meet the future residents on-site during the day, and be able to go to the beach, see movies and relax during the evenings.

These alternative programs are offered during the fall semesters as well.

Photo by Ben Keyserling / Student Publications

Image courtesy of Georgia Tech Communications & Marketing

Students who attend alternative spring breaks often work to clean up wildlife areas, including parks, beaches and riversides.

The Office of Community Service and recreational, corporate and religious organizations host alternative spring breaks annually.

During one of his fall breaks, Subi Mohan, ISyE ‘10, went on another program hosted by Georgia Tech Trailblazers to Saint Marks Wildlife Refuge in Tallahassee, Fla., where he helped to clean up wilderness trails.

Another fall semester service

“It was a really friendly environment, and though it was rough waking up in the mornings sometimes, we had time to go out to the city,” Williams said.

Different student groups, religious groups, companies and colleges sponsor host trips annually,

project was a one-week winter venture with Project H.O.N.O.R in New Orleans that Cameron Williams, a third-year MGT major, attended. During his winter break, Williams helped rebuild communities that were devastated

by Hurricane Katrina.

offering different perspectives on the respective service projects.

“Spring break is not only a great time to relax, but also a great opportunity to make a difference in someone else’s life,” Barrenechea said. “The more you give, the more you get back.”

technique the south’s liveliest college newspaper.

Entertainment Peter Pan

entertainment@nique.net

Technique

Entertainment Editor: Patricia Uceda Assistant Entertainment Editor: Zheng Zheng

Friday, February 4, 2011

Step Afrika stomps expectations EVENTS

Step Afrika!

PERFORMER: Step Afrika!

LOCATION: Ferst Center for the Arts DATE: Jan. 29, 2011

OUR TAKE: «««««

Cast dusts crowd with magic at Pemberton Place SHOWS

Peter Pan PERFORMER: Threesixty Entertainment LOCATION: Threesixty Tent, Pemberton Place DATE: Jan. 21 - Mar. 20

OUR TAKE: «««««

By Dimple Bansal Contributing Writer

Between the World of Coke and the Georgia Aquarium stands a 100-foot tent encompassing the scenery of 1904 London, the perilous seas on which Captain Hook of the Jolly Roger sails and the fabled island of Neverland. Threesixty Entertainment has created a fresh interpretation of J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan at Pemberton Place. For those that grew up with the Disney film, this adaptation is markedly different, striving to be more faithful to Barrie’s original work. Technical issues are clearly present, but it is hard to walk away unmoved by what happens on the stage.

The feeling sluggishness permeates most of the first act; however, a few standout moments leave the audience breathless. Of particular note is the sequence when the children make the breathtaking journey from their London home to Neverland. This is an impressive demonstration of

the first-of-its-kind 360-degree projection of computer-generated imagery, faithfully rendering over 400 square miles of London while showcasing the acrobatic prowess of the actors.

The first act also brings out the impressive work of Sue Buckmaster, director of puppetry. Nana, the ostrich and the infamous crocodile are presented in a unique and creative manner through the use of simple objects and the puppeteers’ skills, particularly that of Christopher Keller. While some might see this as a flaw that detracts from the realism of the acting, it adds another dimension to this unconventional production.

In the same way, the ropes and coat hangers used for flying are clearly visible, and this can either be seen as unprofessional or creative, depending on the audience member’s perspective. It seems clear that director Ben Harrison realized that certain elements such as flying and the animal characters would be more or less impossible to pull off convincingly. Choosing to embrace this fact, rather than unsuccessfully try to avoid it, is admirable.

Despite these innovative additions to a classic story, the show is not without its flaws. Ciaran Joyce is fittingly cast as the titular Peter Pan. While most actors do the best with what they are given, the decision to cast adults as children negatively impacts the overall performance. As a whole, the dialogue consists of too much yelling, which limits the range of emotions

that can be expressed. Too many set changes are clumsily executed and draw the audience’s attention away from the main action. While billed as an exciting aspect of the performance, the sword fighting instances are unimpressive due to their lack of believability.

While the first act leaves something to be desired, once intermission is over, the story immediately picks up. Finally it seems as if the narrative has some direction as opposed to feeling like a disjointed collection of adventures.

Relationships between characters are developed more thoroughly, particularly that between Peter and Wendy.

A brief duel between Hook and Pan while balanced on the plank is another standout moment of entertainment. It all culminates in a heart-wrenching ending that leaves the audience grappling with a gamut of emotions; here more than ever, one can see the striking difference between Barrie’s thought-provoking work and the simple tale of youth told in the Disney adaptation. The emotional gravity of the show makes it difficult not to recommend.

The performance venue itself provides an intimate setting in which to view the show. Even the back row is not too far removed from the stage, and actors often walk out into the audience adding to the feeling of immersion in the tale. The combination of acrobatics, puppetry, technology and theater brings out a unique retelling of this timeless story.

Images courtesy of BRAVE Public Relations

13

By Chris Ernst Senior Staff Writer

Step Afrika is the first professional dance troupe in the world dedicated to the new tradition of stepping.

Their excellent fulllength shows blend storytelling, humor, dance and music in an easily-digest-

ible vignette style.

While some audience members may learn a lot, others can see straight to the slightly exaggerated truth of the presentations, making the show entertaining for both seasoned steppers as well as those who are just having their first encounter. The complexly choreographed routines were executed with astonishing skill and grace while easily combining all the different elements of the show together.

At its most fundamental, stepping is a form of dance. However, it is much more than that in that it often includes song and theatrics to augment the polyrhythmic movements of the dancers. It is more than movement; it is chanting and singing in and out of time with stomps, claps, slaps and hits sometimes combined with skits or mime to tell a story.

Stepping is always percussive dance which means the sounds of the dancers’ movements are significant, or even primary elements, of the whole experience.

Step Afrika’s goal is for everyone to understand and appreciate the dance form while also seeing it as an educational tool. As a distinctly American art form, Step Afrika is a global ambassador touring around the world through the Americas, Europe and Africa.

The group also hosts an annual conference of sorts in Johannesburg, South Africa called the International Cultural Festival, the fruit of a 10-year collaboration with the Soweto Dance Theatre. Step Afrika uses their shows and workshops to promote teamwork, academic achievement and cross-cultural understanding.

The show at the Ferst Center is in a vignette style with about eight different sections. Each section highlights a different or related aspect of stepping. This format is surprisingly entertaining because it would otherwise sound boring just having 10-minute sections lined up one after the other.

However, each vignette is its own story and has its own function. For instance, one section may use several props to make different sounds while another section may be literally tell a story which revolves around stepping.

All of the different aspects and influences of stepping from traditional African tribal dances to the black fraternity and sorority pledging process are expertly explored in this informaSee Afrika, page 14

Image courtesy of Ferst Center

ENTERTAINMENT

14 • February 4, 2011 • Technique

Beam gives Kiss experimental, pop sound MUSIC

Iron and Wine Kiss Each Other Clean LABEL: Warner Bros.

GENRE: Alternative TRACK PICKS: “Walking Far From Home,” “Tree by the River” and “Monkeys Uptown”

OUR TAKE: «««««

By Matt Cohen Contributing Writer

For nearly a decade, Sam Beam, the core and only constant member of Iron and Wine, has whispered his way into the hearts of listeners with his soft, entrancing voice and minimalist folk music. Over the years, however, the style of his music has evolved, and the sound has advanced tremendously. Unlike in the beginning stages of the project, when Sam Beam was using a four-track recorder to compile his songs into demos, the current trend for Iron and Wine’s albums has been to embellish the poetic lyrical structures with a wider assortment of instrumentation. Since 2005’s In the Reins, which featured the instrumentally diverse Calexico as the backing band, Iron and Wine has continued to move away from the early sounds of stripped-down acoustic guitar and quiet vocals into a territory dominated by greater diversity and pop accessibility. This progression is apparent in Kiss Each Other Clean, the newest album by Iron and Wine, which delves into a more experimental realm than the band’s previous releases.

The opening track of the album, “Walking Far From Home,” is probably the track that is most

Image courtesy of Warner Bros.

reminiscent of the traditional Iron and Wine instrumental and lyrical structure, with a verseonly structure lacking choruses or bridges that begins each line of the verses with the same two statements. It evokes emotions of a departure from home or any other haven, with the primary means of conveyance being the images conjured by the lyrics.

Imagery is the crucial component of Beam’s lyrics. While the true interpretation of many of his lyrics are open-ended, and could seemingly be analyzed for a semester-long course, the images depicted are the truly important elements. His songs summon one to stroll through memories, to feel the bittersweet sting of love and the vice-like, ever-present grip of death. They allow one to understand that all humans share some of the same underlying experiences. “Walking Far From Home” is one of those tracks, urging the listener to remember the difficulty in leaving a comfortable niche, but also the vastness and beauty of that which was awaiting upon departure.

The most likely candidate for a first single from the album is

“Tree by the River,” a bright, textured track filled with sweet and uplifting backing vocals, chimelike bell runs, a galloping pace set by shakers and the gentle buzz of a synthesizer. The latter is a new addition to the Iron and Wine instrumentation which plays a large part in the album. “Tree by the River” tells of long-lost relationships from childhood, a time when new lovers first etch their names in a tree near a romantic sanctuary, and when one of them truly begins to understand the harsh duality of love as being both “the thorns and the roses.”

It is easily the most relatable and approachable track on the entire album.

It is at this point in the album where the experimentation begins to flourish. Tracks like “Monkeys Uptown” and “Rabbit Will Run” include chunky, Gorillaz-esque bass riffs and trill-filled guitar runs befitting a Mars Volta breakdown. Along with drum machines, quick-paced marimba fills and synth lines. “Monkeys Uptown” provides the listener with a glimpse at the possible future direction of Iron and Wine musically and allows the listener to

decide whether the style transition that is occurring will be captivating or merely disappointing. But this track does little to fall short of the exciting, enthralling mark that it tries to make.

The album reaches one of its high points with the track “Godless Brother in Love,” a painfully beautiful song that is comparable to earlier Iron and Wine gems such as Our Endless Numbered Days’ “Naked As We Came” and The Shepherd’s Dog’s vampirefriendly “Flightless Bird, American Mouth.” Light piano chords and the smooth stroking of a harp add a rich melodic layer to the song’s already immaculate structure. This track will likely please people across a wide listening spectrum. Unfortunately, once this high point is reached, the album loses steam for a substantial interval, barring the powerful “Your Fake Name Is Good Enough for Me,” the closing track of the album which plays on for seven minutes of inventive instrumentation, squealing vocal melodies and prophetic vocal lines.

Stylistically , Kiss Each Other Clean can be thought of as Sam Beam “walking far from home.”

What was once primarily folk rock is now a conglomeration of atypical structures, electronic sounds, saxophones and horns and varying percussion beats and fills. This venture into a more experimental musical domain is likely to catch some devoted Iron and Wine fans off-guard, but it also encompasses a great potential to attract a more diverse group of listeners and to please the already established fan base. The album won’t please all listeners, and many of its songs fall short of the usual Iron and Wine grandeur, but it’s hard to deny that Sam Beam is still a musical blessing to the world.

Afrika

from page 13

tive show. Stepping is made up of many different types of dancing from South African gumboot dance to the powerful techniques of the Zulu people. The most popular stepping, however, takes place on college campuses. Most steppers were college students who pledged a black fraternity or sorority. But a similar style of dance permeates Africa, which is what the show explores.

Overall, the dancers were sublime. Their choreographed movements entertained both the eyes and ears in a way only stepping can. Every movement was practiced and perfect.

While what they do may be slightly esoteric, this dance troupe obviously knows what they are doing and immensely enjoys bringing their art to new people as well as those who already enjoy it.

People who already know all about stepping will see the show as a showcase about something they already know they like.

Those who do not know anything about stepping will see the show as an almost purely educational but still thoroughly enjoyable experience. Both are effective and entertaining in their own ways. While the focus of the show is the dancing, there is a cursory explanation of the history of the form, its roots and its practices.

Step Afrika is one of the most energetic shows around. Between the jumping, chanting, rhythm and noise, the dancing can almost fall by the wayside. As a multidisciplinary form, stepping encompasses much more than dancing, and this entertaining and enthusiastic show grasps it all.

Step Afrika excitingly blends history, dance, theater and music to create a show that will leave all the audience members walking out of the theatre wanting to recreate some of those sweet dance moves they just saw.

ENTERTAINMENT

Technique • February 4, 2011 • 15

Dead Space 2 fails to impress Speech triumphs with strong actors GAMES

Dead Space 2

CONSOLE: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Miscrosoft Windows

FILM

The King’s Speech

GENRE: Survival Shooter

GENRE: Drama, History

DEVELOPER: Visceral Games RATING: M

STARRING: Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter

RELEASED: Jan. 25, 2011

DIRECTOR: Tom Hooper

OUR TAKE: «««««

RATING: R

By Hank Whitson Staff Writer

The Dead Space series seems to live by the motto “Mediocre Games borrow. Great Games Steal.” Fortunately, it takes from the best. It cribs Alien’s aesthetics, boosts its gunplay from Resident Evil 4 and pilfers Final Fantasy X’s sphere grid system for upgrading weapons. It sounds like a winning recipe, but I felt that the first game was not equal to the sum of its parts.

So how does Dead Space 2 compare? The single-player campaign starts off with its strongest moment. Our engineer-hero Isaac Clarke is helplessly bound in a straightjacket and running for his life as the space colony is over-run with necromorphs.

Clarke has a bit more baggage than your typical survival-horror hero. He is stricken with grief over his girlfriend’s death in the events of the first game, and these issues are made manifest in the sequel through creepy hallucinations and conversations with her ghost. I also want to applaud Visceral Games’ decision to give Isaac a face and voice the second time around. He’s no Nathan Drake, but I actually felt like I was controlling an actual character as op-

Image courtesy of Visceral Games

posed to a mannequin.

Another area where Dead Space 2 has improved is level-design, though it is a case of two steps forward and one step back. Setting the game on a colony as opposed to a space-ship has allowed developers to throw in a little more variation, though most of the new sites are outer-space takes on typical horror destinations. We have a creepy space church level, a creepy space kindergarten level and a few creepy space streets. It is an improvement over the endless sea of dark industrial corridors in the first game, but all the environments still feel like hallways, with the exception of the fantastic zero-g sections, which are greatly improved over the first game.

In Dead Space 2, Combat is very similar to its predecessor. The main innovation the series brings to the table is the novelty of shooting off enemies’ limbs to weaken them. There is more depth there than you might think, since all of the weapons have geometric firing patterns that help distinguish them from your typical third-person shooter arsenal, and picking the right gun for the right tentacled horror involves some strategy. You must also mix in timeslowing stasis fields and bursts of

telekinetic energy to thwart the mutant space zombie hoards, and everything feels a little faster and more cohesive this time around.

Due to the scarcity of resources, you have to be very careful about which weapons you choose to buy and upgrade. Consequently, you are punished for experimenting and trying different weapons. The game attempts to alleviate the situation by allowing you to re-allocate your upgrades later on in the campaign, but that service also comes at a cost.

Visceral expects you to love the game so much that you will play through it multiple times, upgrading your gear and expanding your arsenal each time, and the higher difficulty settings are calibrated with these replays in mind. The campaign is only about 10 hours long, so three runs is still a lighter time-investment than Dragon Age or Mass Effect, but it is still frustrating to have to wait for the second go-round to try out that flamethrower.

But is it scary? It is scarier than the latest installments of the Resident Evil franchise, though it is less frightening than games like Silent Hill and Fatal Frame. LimSee DS2, page 16

RELEASE DATE: Dec. 24, 2010

OUR TAKE: «««««

By Robert Soloman Contributing Writer

The King’s Speech stars Colin Firth as Prince Albert, second in line to the British throne and plagued by a crippling affliction for a public figure: a pronounced stammer. Albert’s awkwardness is highlighted in an early scene where he is thrust in front of a microphone, resulting in strained silences that make the viewer as uncomfortable as the on-screen audience.

Albert at the least can rest relatively easy, knowing that his more

charismatic brother Edward, played by Guy Pearce, is ahead of him in succession. Despite this, with prodding from his domineering father King George V, Albert is compelled to overcome his speaking problem.

At first, this results in a sequence of absurd remedies, including smoking cigarettes to “relax the throat.” None of this works, leaving Albert’s wife Elizabeth searching for more unconventional measures.

What Elizabeth finds is Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue, played by Geoffrey Rush, who goes beyond the jaw-relaxing exercises to discover the psychological cause behind the stammer.

Few of the subsequent plot points would surprise anyone. It is clear that Albert will overcome his stammer, though not without significant hiccups along the way. The title of the film tells us that Albert will become King of England. For those who pride a twisty plot, this movie will not satisfy. Of course, fans of difficult See Speech, page 16

Image courtesy of The Weinstein Company

ENTERTAINMENT

16 • February 4, 2011 • Technique

Archer provides endless laughs TELEVISION

Archer NETWORK: FX WHEN: Thursday, 10 p.m.

STARRING: H. Jon Benjamin, Judy Greer, Jessica Walter

OUR TAKE: «««««

By Jordan Killpack Contributing Writer

FX’s animated comedy Archer follows the exploits of the eponymous Sterling Archer as he navigates the treacherous waters of international espionage office politics.

Sterling Archer has a lot in common with James Bond. Both are handsome, debonair, notoriously womanizing and, of course, highly-trained secret agents. The difference is that Archer is an endlessly self-centered, obnoxious jerk whose neuroses and obsessions with minutiae rival those of George Costanza from Seinfeld.

Add to this the fact that his boss, the M to his Bond, is his domineering mother and that his crazy ex-girlfriend is a spy at the same agency, high jinks must ensue.

Archer is a show defined by contrasts. It takes a manly, roguish super-spy, one of pop culture’s most enduring images, and then puts him in such mundane circumstances as justifying his expense report or dealing with a

Image courtesy of Radical Axis

human resources representative.

Instead of being suave and sophisticated, Sterling Archer is often boorish and egomaniacal, focusing more on coming across as cool or cracking stupid jokes than on completing the mission at hand.

The show is highly indebted to the style of pop culture-heavy absurdism popularized by Adult Swim. In fact, Archer’s creator, Adam Reed, was also responsible for that network’s under-watched series Frisky Dingo.

In addition, viewers may recognize the voice of Archer as H. Jon Benjamin, who voiced Coach McGuirk on Adult Swim’s Home Movies.

However, Archer is far more tightly written than typical latenight fare, a characteristic that makes it more akin to Arrested Development than Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Jessica Walter and Judy Greer, two regulars on Arrested Development, also voice characters here. The show transi-

tions seamlessly between scenes so that a character in the next scene will often finish a sentence started in the previous. Recurring jokes provide more continuity than any semblance of a serial plot does.

Pop culture references, such as a continuing fascination with Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone” (the theme song from Top Gun), lend the series a “Seinfeldian” silliness without weighing it down.

The premiere of the second season, which aired on Thursday, Jan. 27, finds Archer’s spy agency, ISIS, in a financial predicament.

As a result, Archer and crew take a menial job (menial for superspies, anyway) protecting a German dignitary’s teenage daughter from plotting Spanish communists who want to kidnap her for a hefty ransom.

Archer never takes itself too seriously, and any attempt the show seems to make at tapping a vein of emotional truth is always subverted soon enough.

DS2

from page 15

ited resources and firepower help establish tension, but the bombastic blood and gore will wear you out. Some of Isaac’s death animations are so drawn-out that you will grow numb to the violence before the necromorphs finish dismembering him. For the inevitable follow-up, I would love to see Visceral take a page from Eternal Darkness’ book and do some more with Isaac’s mind games.

As with the single player, Dead Space 2’s new multiplayer mode is a mixture of other titles’ successes. Each game is divided into two rounds, where two teams take turns playing as human soldiers and necromorphs. Imagine a lighter, quicker version of Left 4 Dead ’s competitive multiplayer

Speech

from page 15

themes do not dominate Academy Awards voting, either.

The highlights of the film lie not in the individual acting merits, but in the interplay between Albert and Lionel. Lionel pushes Albert, calling him by his childhood nickname Bertie in order to bring him to an equal level.

Rather than diminishing Albert, this act shows that he can rise above the place he has placed himself: second-best. By engaging with Lionel as an equal and demonstrating his worth, Albert demonstrates his worthiness to be King.

The film is altogether very lovely and well-acted. It is certainly worthy of much of the praise

overlaid with Call of Duty’s rankbased unlockables. There is quite a lot to unlock too, but with only five maps, the core game lacks the depth to hold your attention for long.

While it is initially thrilling to rip through stronger human opponents as a necromorph, that manic bloodlust will abate over the course of a week of play. It would be the perfect rental if EA had not locked access to the multiplayer with a one-use-per-copy registration key.

All in all, Dead Space 2 is a very polished addition to the survival horror genre. If you enjoyed the first game, you will love this one.

But for me, it is still missing that spark of innovation that would set it apart from the titles that inspired it. thrust upon it.

Another thing the film does that is completely extraordinary is make the audience believe that a member of British royalty is an underdog. A lot of credit is due to Firth for humanizing this character, but an equal praise must be given to the direction.

Much of the film is shot through a wide-angle lens, which is not a flattering effect. As a result, rather than the lush cinematography that one would expect, the film manages to feel very real for what it is.

It is admirable to see a film of this type so grounded, and if you have any inclination to see it you certainly should, as it is a contender to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards this month.

ENTERTAINMENT

Technique • February 4, 2011 • 17

Theme Crossword: Get a Move On

By Robert Zimmerman United Features Syndicate ACROSS 1. Blooper 5. Lorikeet cousin 10. Sonogram, for example 14. Phase 19. Jason’s ship 20. City in Florida 21. French department 22. Piano part 23. Barrel’s contents 24. Hold 25. Gritty fruit 26. Flavoring for liqueur 27. Unexpected success 29. Start of a quip by Joey Adams: 5 wds.

32. Corms 34. Saharan 35. Port in Pennsylvania 36. Attachment: hyph.

39. Unwanted elements 41. Work by Bizet 45. Part 2 of quip: 4 wds.

51. Old greeting 52. Paddy plant 53. Redirect 54. Swellhead’s problem 55. Contemporary of Gauguin 57. Elect 58. Eyes 59. Common symptom 60. Disencumbers 61. Morse or Clemens 63. Welfare org.

65. Celtic language 66. Toddler 67. Part 3 of quip: 2 wds.

71. Rent 72. Bursts 73. Beethoven’s “Fur --” 74. Canceled 77. You bet!

78. Cubicle 79. 41 Across, e.g.

81. Fleece or soak 83. Chandelier part 85. -- tempore

86. In abundance 88. Indigenous Japanese 89. Serv. branch 90. Part 4 of quip: 5 wds.

94. Franklin -- Roosevelt 96. Sloping, as a stage 97. Telamon 98. -- Raton 100. Kind of bean 101. Basilique du -- -Coeur 104. End of the quip: 3 wds.

109. Aspiring unknown 113. Magnificent 114. Roman statesman 115. Davenport native 117. Perished 118. Sultan’s decree 119. End- --; consumer 120. Bete -121. Krabappel of the “Simpsons” 122. Ciphers 123. Meeting: abbr.

124. Take the stage 125. Judge

DOWN 1. Chatters 2. City on the Oka 3. Cyma reversa 4. Portend 5. Prototype 6. Sour to the taste 7. Low- --; nutritious 8. Jai -9. Traveler on foot 10. Specious reasoner 11. Confession of faith 12. Morphology: abbr.

13. Chutzpah

14. Castilian 15. Offer 16. Passage into a mine 17. Kitchen injury 18. Gen. Robert -- -28. Box sleigh 30. Staffordshire’s river 31. Medieval strongbox 33. Carell or Jobs 36. Hairstyle 37. Dribbles 38. Overbearing 40. Son of Zeus and Hera 42. Authoritative

43. Duck 44. Promontory 46. Proceed gradually 47. Writer -- Cather 48. Paint-on-plaster technique 49. Old Irish alphabet 50. Rival 56. Misjudged 58. Ins and -59. Church part 62. Low spirits (with “the”) 63. Seed covering 64. Elmo and Olaf: abbr.

65. Lamb, alternatively 68. Equals 69. Admit 70. Great name in tennis 72. Prize money 75. One of 50: abbr.

76. Italian title 77. Digging tool 78. PC part 79. Ye -- Ale House 80. Swimming holes 82. Good deals

84. Eyeglasses 86. Pomegranate cousin 87. Kind of battery 88. Sat in on 91. Points of convergence 92. Rhetoricians 93. Merit 95. Rub raw 99. Spore case 100. Greek goddesses of destiny

102. Cognizant 103. Wicker artisan 104. Stoltz or Idle 105. Dry: prefix 106. Yikes!

107. Relaxation 108. Diving bird 110. Officer’s assistant 111. Part of NB 112. A cheese 116. Intelligence

18 • February 4, 2011 • Technique

Piled Higher & Deeper by Jorge Cham

Crossword Solution from page 17

COMICS

Non Sequitur by Wiley

COMICS

Non Sequitur by Wiley

DILBERT ® by Scott Adams

Technique • February 4, 2011 • 19

Technique • February 4, 2011 • 21

SPORTS

2011 GEORGIA TECH FOOTBALL SIGNEES Position

Hometown

Trey Braun

OL

Tallahassee, Fla.

Bryan Chamberlain

OL

Albany, Ga.

Chaz Cheeks

LB

Gainesville, Ga.

Corey Dennis

WR/DB

Troy, Ala.

Jamal Golden

DB

Wetumpka, Ala.

Jeff Greene

WR

Peachtree City, Ga.

Anthony Harrell

LB

Tampa, Fla.

Jabari Hunt-Days

LB

Marietta, Ga.

Errin Joe

OL

Lakeland, Fla.

Zach Laskey

RB

Peachtree City, Ga.

Vad Lee

QB

Durham, N.C.

Tyler Marcodes

LB

Normal, Ill.

Shaquille Mason

OL

Columbia, Tenn.

Tremayne McNair

LB

Jacksonville, N.C.

Nick Menocal

LB

Miami, Fla.

Chris Milton

RB

Folkston, Ga.

Domonique Noble

DB

Mount Ulla, N.C.

QB/DB

Monroe, Ga.

RB

Carrollton, Ga.

Sean Tobin

SN/LB

Holmdel, N.J.

Kyle Travis

LB

Cumming, Ga.

WR/DB

Acworth, Ga.

Name

Demontevious Smith Broderick Snoody

Darren Waller

Football gets largest class since ‘04

By Alex Sohani Assistant Sports Editor

On Wednesday, Feb. 2, the Jackets signed a total of 22 football players to letters of intent for the 2011 season. The class consisted of 10 prospects from within the state of Ga., making this the third straight year with at least 10 instate signings. Unlike the previous two years, the majority of the class came from out of state, with four players from Fla., three from N.C., two from Ala., and one each from Tenn., Ill., and N.J. Tech, needing depth at the linebacker position, used this class to address its No. 1 need. The eight newly signed linebackers will be developed in order to fit into the new 3-4 defense implemented by Defensive Coordinator Al Groh.

Highlighting the linebacker prospects is Jabari Hunt-Days. Days is the brother of Tech quarterback Synjyn Days, and will be joining after playing in Marietta, Ga. Sean Tobin, recruited to aid the recent struggles on special teams, will be working at the long snapper position along with linebacker. As a late addition to the class, Nick Menocal of Miami, Fla. decommitted from the Miami Hurricanes and joined the Jackets, adding a run stopping ability that could help Tech’s rushing defense. Anthony Harrell from Tampa, Fla. comes from Jesuit High School, which has sent Tech talented athletes such as for-

mer B-back Anthony Allen.

With two starters leaving the offensive line after the 2010 season, the Jackets were expected to recruit some replacements. Tech picked up some major size on the line, with two linemen over 300 pounds and all four over 285 pounds. Errin Joe is a prototypical lineman for Head Coach Paul Johnson’s offense, combining speed along with the ability to knock defenders over.

Keeping up with the tradition of tall receivers, Tech signed two tall athletes in Darren Waller and Jeff Greene. Waller, at six-footfive, could be seeing time at receiver or safety and has been heavily praised for his blocking ability that is crucial to the execution of the spread option. Greene, the tallest recruit at six-foot-six, will be looked upon to use his size to jump up and catch the ball over the heads of defenders.

Another need addressed in the class was at the running back position with the majority of the experienced backs leaving at the end of the 2011 season. Broderick Snoddy from Carollton, Ga. is a speedy track athlete that will play at A-back and possibly as a returner in the kicking game. Zach Laskey will likely see time at the B-back position with his physical running style. However, he will need to gain some muscle weight to shape up for the position.

Many of the players who signed in the class are versatile

athletes that could see time at one of many positions. Seven former quarterbacks appear on the commitments list, such as Demontevious Smith who may see time under center or as a defensive back.

Tech appears to have gotten a steal in commitment Jamal Golden, the Alabama Gatorade Player of the Year. Golden could see time at many positions but likely will be tested at the cornerback position.

Arguably the biggest recruit signed in the class, however, is Vad Lee from Durham, N.C. Lee fits the spread option scheme very well with his natural scrambling ability. During his senior season in high school, he led Hillside High School to an undefeated season and a class 4A state championship. His arm impresses the Tech coaches as well, as he threw for 3223 yards, and rushed for another 1300 during his career. His excitement to join the team has the Tech coaches and fans alike ready to see the results in the future at the quarterback position.

The only player in the class to enroll early is offensive lineman Trey Braun, with the rest joining the team during the summer for fall practices.

“I think we addressed our needs and signed a very balanced, talented group...We are excited about this class and feel like we have a number of players who are not only quality players, but quality young men as well,” Johnson said.

22 • February 4, 2011 • Technique

SPORTS

Ramblin’ With Kelsi Weseman

by Wayne Bishop Contributing Writer

Image courtesy of GTAA

Kelsi Weseman is a junior short stop for Tech’s softball team.

Technique: What or who got you interested in softball?

Weseman: When I was younger my older brother played baseball, so I got interested in that.

Technique: Is there another sport you wanted to play as a kid?

Weseman: I used to want to play basketball, but then I got too short.

Technique: Do you have any role models in sports?

Weseman: I never really looked up to any big names, but just to the older players in my sport.

Technique: Do you have any hobbies outside of softball?

Weseman: Not really, softball takes up a lot of my time.

Technique: Do you have a fa-

vorite band?

Weseman: It changes on a regular basis, but right now it’s a band called Every Avenue.

Technique: Do you have any favorite TV shows?

Weseman: I always try to watch Grey’s Anatomy and Glee.

I usually end up having to watch them online.

Technique: Do you like to cook much?

Weseman: I do like to cook, but I usually don’t get to do much of it so I end up going to the dining halls.

Technique: Do you have any favorite dish to cook when you get a chance?

Weseman: Shepherd’s Pie. Technique: Do you have a favorite restaurant when you don’t get to cook?

Weseman: I like California Pizza Kitchen or La Parilla.

Technique: If you could have one super power, what would it be?

Weseman: I would like to be in multiple places at once.

Technique: Do you prefer ice cream or frozen yogurt?

Weseman: Ice cream Technique: Do you have a favorite flavor?

Weseman: I usually like rocky road without the nuts in it, just chocolate with marshmallows, and chocolate chips.

Women’s BBall loses in OT

By Kyle Gifford Staff Writer

The No. 25 ranked Tech women’s basketball team traveled to Coral Gables, Fla. to take on ACC rival Miami Sunday, Jan. 30. The Jackets came in having won 14 of their 15 previous games. The night ended in disappointment though, as Tech fell to the Hurricanes 8474 in overtime. The loss marked only the second ACC loss for the Jackets, and they now sit in third place in the conference.

Senior guard Alex Montgomery led Tech with 19 points, six rebounds and five assists on sixof-13 shooting. She also added two steals to round out an allaround solid game. Junior center Sasha Goodlett and freshman guard Tyaunna Marshall both contributed double-digit points in the losing effort, scoring 18 and 11, respectively.

Tech played well in the first half, shooting just over 55 percent from the floor and 37.5 percent from beyond the arc. The Jackets even led by 11 points late in the first half and went into the break with a seven-point lead but lacked momentum as Miami continued to eat at Tech’s lead. Tech dominated points in the paint and points off turnovers in the first half, besting the Hurricanes 2612 and 18-6 in those categories, respectively.

The second half proved to be the Jackets’ undoing, as Tech saw

Photo by Joey Cerone / Student Publications

Alex Montgomery drives past a defender in a game against Connecticut. Montgomery led Tech with 19 points versus Miami. their seven-point lead evaporate at the hands of a much sharper looking Miami team. The Hurricanes shot 50 percent from the floor and from three-point range in the second half as the Jackets’ shooting percentages fell to 41.7 percent from two and zero percent from downtown. Miami also took the second half advantage in points in the paint and points off turnovers, outscoring Tech 20-14 and 12-10, respectively.

Miami continued to capitalize on their second half adjustments and took the lead from the Jackets with 0:44 to go in the second half.

It took a jumper by junior guard Mo Bennett with six seconds left for Tech to pull even and force overtime.

Overtime proved to be too much for Tech to overcome, as they were outscored 14-4 in extra time. Miami’s sophomore guard Stephanie Yderstrom nailed two three pointers to go along with teammate junior guard Shenise Johnson’s six-for-six free throw shooting to seal the game.

Despite Tech’s dominance in important statistics, Tech gave up 48.1 percent shooting from the floor and 42.9 percent from three-point land. Tech also sent Miami to the line 36 times, which Miami capitalized on, making 26 of those shots.

Tech looked to rebound against another ACC foe, Maryland, on Thursday at Alexander Memorial Stadium.

Technique • February 4, 2011 • 23

SPORTS

Guards

from page 24

There are more experienced players at the end of Tech’s bench, and even though they are guards, they can all contribute at the same time on both ends of the court.

Offensively, Tech can gain by having five guards on the court at the same time by quickly scoring points. A lineup of junior guard Iman Shumpert, freshman guard Jason Morris and sophomore guards Glen Rice Jr., Brian Oliver and Mfon Udofia would average 54.5 points per game. That number would actually go up if the Jackets used this lineup more because Udofia and Morris only average 22.7 and 16.8 minuets per game, respectively, so more playing time would probably equal more points.

Another huge offensive area that could be affected by the move to a smaller lineup is team free-throw percentage. If Hewitt subbed Daniel Miller for senior guard Mo Miller, he would trade the big man’s 39 percent free throw shooting for the guard’s 92 percent.

The new lineup would also give this team an identity that has been lacking over the past four seasons. The Jackets could become a frenetic, fast-paced full-court offense. Tech’s running offense could become as famous as Syracuse’s 2-3 zone or the Princeton offense. Tech teams have always excelled athletically, so this smaller lineup would allow the team to

Photo by Doug Kim / Student Publications

Mo Miller looks to dish the ball inside in the game against Maryland. Miller’s 92 percent free throw shooting leads the team. run up and down the court, and wear down opposing teams.

Also, if Tech’s opponents left their big men in the game, then they would be forced to match up on a perimeter player. The advantages of this are two-fold.

First, the player who was being guarded by the taller man would have a significant advantage in that he could take his man off the dribble and probably beat him to the basket.

Second, this would force the opponent’s big men to hang around the perimeter, clearing the lane for potential drives to the basket.

One might think that this smaller lineup would hurt Tech’s

team in terms of defending taller opponents and grabbing rebounds, but that might not be the case.

Tech is not a team that is going to beat most opponents on the boards. At this point, losing a big man would not dramatically hinder the team.

In fact, Shumpert leads the team in rebounds playing from the point guard position with 117 and fellow guard Rice is second on the team with 111.

Employing an all-guard system would mean that Tech would have to use a full-court press defense.

The press would limit the number of possessions that opposing teams would have for their half-

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court offense and force opponents to turn the ball over. Given each players’ steal average, a five guard system to start the game would produce 7.2 steals per game, versus the 6.3 steals the team averages per game in the current two forward system.

The current Tech forwards are also not doing a good job guarding their fellow big men. Maryland’s center Jordan Williams had 21 points, Virginia Tech’s forward Jeff Allen had 18 and Clemson’s forward Jeral Grant had 20 in games against the Jackets, and those are just ACC games.

Syracuse’s Kris Joseph had 19 points and Georgia’s Trey Tompkins had 21 in nonconference games. Subbing out a forward would not allow opposing big men to score significantly more points than what they are scoring now, but it might even make forwards score less because their teams would get a lower number of possessions due to Tech’s steals in the press.

At 10-10 overall and 3-4 in ACC play, Tech needs all the help it can get for any hope of a NCAA Tournament bid. Although it was only employed for 15 minutes this season, the five-guard lineup looked better against Maryland than the alternatives.

With a lot of practice, Tech could perfect an up-tempo offense and a full-court press to change the pace of play and hopefully win enough games to receive a NCAA tournament bid.

Terps

from page 24

front late in the first half, but Tech came back again by going on a 7-2 run to end the half, highlighted by a three from senior guard Lance Storrs and a layup from Shumpert.

Storrs’ three was his first points since Nov. 30 against Northwestern.

Maryland opened the game up later in the second half with a 10-point run that was sparked by a pair of Holsey turnovers. Williams capped off the run with a highlight reel dunk.

Williams finished the game with 21 points and 15 rebounds, leading all players in both categories.

“I just wasn’t prepared tonight.

[Williams] is a big, good player, and I came out and didn’t do my assignment,” Miller said.

Tech cut Maryland’s lead to four when four different Tech guards hit baskets. This included Rice, who dropped his 16th and last point of the game with a sixfoot jumper. Along with his 16 points, Rice also led the Jackets with 12 rebounds.

“Our guys are playing hard.

The effort is great, and Glen did give us a great effort with 12 rebounds,” said Hewitt.

Tech was within four, but time was running out so the Jackets were forced to start fouling Maryland to stop the clock. Maryland made its free throws and won the game.

Sports

sports@nique.net Sports Editor: Alex Mitchell Assistant Sports Editor: Alex Sohani

Catch 22

Technique

Tech's football team signed 22 new players for next season. See who is coming to The Flats in 2011.421

Friday, February 4, 2011

24

lineup Men’s hoops falls to Terps, 74-63 Small could lead to big success

By Alex MItchell Sports Editor

On Jan. 30, the Tech men’s basketball team put its 3-0 conference home record on the line when it hosted Maryland.

The Terrapins only made one shot outside of the paint but held off the Jackets for a 74-63 victory.

The Jackets got bad news to start the game as both sophomore guard Brian Oliver and freshman center Nate Hicks would miss the game. Oliver missed the game due to the flu, and Hicks was recovering from an appendectomy.

“Having [Oliver and Hicks] might have helped, but I thought that we had enough to win this game. I really did.

I was very confident because of how we were playing and attacking our assignments over the last few games,” said Head Coach Paul Hewitt.

The game started off rough for the Jackets as Maryland’s star player, Jordan Williams, scored the first four points of the game to give the Terps an early lead. Williams’ second basket was off of a teammates’ miss that he leaped up high for and tipped in. “[Williams] established himself early in the game with all of those offensive rebounds and put backs and put us on our heels. He establishes a presence around the basket that we just didn’t have an answer for,” Hewitt said.

Maryland extended its lead to eight when Sean Mosley hit a layup at the 15 minute mark to make the score 14-6.

At this point, freshman for-

By Alex Mitchell Sports Editor

basket by towering over the six-foot tall sophomore guard Mfon Udofia who was guarding him.

Tech’s small team fought hard to stay in the game, and re-tied the game at 25 when Rice got fouled by Molsey and hit the two free throws.

Maryland went back in

In its recent game versus Maryland, the Tech men’s basketball team was forced into using a five-guard lineup for nearly 15 minutes of the first half. While this may seem like a disadvantage for the Jackets, having five guards on the court actually turned out well for Tech and could work to the team’s advantage in the future.

The Jackets lost freshman center Nate Hicks before the game because of an appendectomy and sophomore guard Brian Oliver missed the game due to the flu. These injuries left the Jackets with only two forwards, and by the five-minute mark of the first half, both had two fouls. The Jackets only had guards remaining on their bench for the rest of the half.

When freshman forward Kammeon Holsey went out of the game with his second foul, Tech was down by eight points. By the time the half ended, Tech’s small lineup had cut Maryland’s lead down to one and forced seven turnovers. “[The five-guard lineup] was probably the most effective offensively. We felt like we had options, but it was certainly their threes that got us back in the game. Maybe you go with them more, but there were times offensively that they could not get anything going,” said Head Coach Paul Hewitt.

Hewitt may want to re-think his strategy and go with this lineup more often.

First and foremost, running a five-guard system will put the best players on the court for the Jackets. Freshman center Daniel Miller, Holsey and Hicks are just not experienced enough to handle ACC play at this point in their young careers. The three big men rank seventh, eighth and ninth respectively in team scoring, yet only Miller is in the top five in terms of rebounds per game.

See Terps, page 23

See Guards, page 23

Photo by John Nakano / Student Publications

Jason Morris drives past a defender in Sunday’s game against Maryland. Morris, playing in his 20th consecutive game, made five of his seven shots for 10 points in a backup role. ward Kammeon Holsey picked up his second foul of the game, forcing him to sit for the rest of the half. This, combined with freshman center Daniel Miller’s second foul earlier in the half, forced the Jackets to use a five-guard lineup.

With this unorthodox lineup, Tech came storming back as freshman guard Jason Morris hit a jumper that was

sandwiched in between threes from sophomore guard Glen Rice Jr. and junior guard Iman Shumpert, tying the score at 14.

Maryland finally found a way to get the ball to Williams after the tie, as Williams put the Terps back in the lead by four. Williams had his way with Tech’s all-guard lineup as he found easy paths to the

Men’s tennis splits matches in Athens tournament

By Kyle Gifford Staff Writer

The No. 23 ranked Tech’s men’s tennis team traveled to Athens on Jan. 29 to participate in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend against No. 20 North Carolina and No. 47 Oklahoma State.

Tech’s tennis team was coming off back-to-back wins to kick off 2011 against South Carolina and South Carolina Upstate. The Jackets looked to continue their win streak and stay hot going into conference play. Tech worked its way to a draw in the tournament, losing to the Tar Heels, 4-3, and beating Oklahoma State, 4-2.

On the first day of the tournament, the Jackets struggled against a talented team from North Carolina.

The day kicked off with the doubles portion of the match up. Tech posted just a 1-2 record, with the only win coming from the team of seniors Guillermo Gomez and Dean O’Brien, who defeated the Tar Heel’s team of junior Cameron Ahari and sophomore William Parker, 8-5. It was the team’s first point it had lost on doubles the entire season.

Tech went on to split its singles match to end the day, with wins by sophomores Juan Spir and Magin Ortiga and junior Kevin King.

No. 48 ranked Spir had a back-and-forth match as he needed a tiebreaker to win the first set 7-6 (7-1). Spir performed much better in the second set as he easily took down No. 103 ranked Stefan Hardy 6-2 to win the point for Tech.

No. 13 ranked Gomez struggled in singles and

dropped his match against the Tar Heels’ No. 30 ranked sophomore Jose Hernandez, 6-4, 2-6, 6-1.

The second day of the Kick-Off proved to be much better for the Jackets as they swept the doubles matches to go along with a 3-3 split in the singles matches.

All three doubles teams posted impressive wins.

The first win came from Gomez and O’Brien, who defeated the Cowboys’ team of junior Eric West and freshman Tomas Patino, 8-2.

The second win was scored by seniors Eliot Potvin and Ryan Smith, who put down Oklahoma State’s Bains and senior Vlad Bondarenko, 8-5.

In the matchup of ranked teams, the No. 8 doubles team of King and Spir did battle with the Cowboys’ No. 9 ranked doubles pair of junior Aleksey Bessonov and freshman Rifat Biktyakov. The match went unfinished, but at the time it was called, Tech was leading 6-5, earning them the win on the scoreboard.

Tech’s first singles win came courtesy of Gomez, who beat Oklahoma State’s freshman Maniel Bains in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2. Tech earned two more wins, with King winning in three sets and Ortiga notching a victory after his opponent retired following the eighth game of their match.

Tech looks to post another win in their next match, as they take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Saturday, Feb. 5 at home. That match begins at 1:00 p.m.

They then play Georgia State at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Tech’s top players will also look to continue to play at a high level leading up to the ITA National Team Indoor Championship, which will be held Feb. 18 in Seattle, Wash.

Photo by Blake Israel / Student Publications

Eliot Potvin hits a backhand in a recent home match. Potvin, teamed with Ryan Smith, beat Oklahoma State’s team, 8-2.