Technique Friday, August 20, 2010 • Volume 96, Issue 5 • nique.net
The South’s Liveliest College Newspaper
celebrating 125 years of
Georgia Tech
Photo courtesy of the Georgia Tech Library and Archives; Photos courtesy of Blueprint; Photo by Joey Cerone / Student Publications; Photo Illustration by Vivian Fan / Student Publications
NEWS
2 • August 20, 2010 • Technique
Technique
The South’s Liveliest College Newspaper
Founded in 1911, the Technique is the student newspaper of the Georgia Institute of Technology, and is an official publication of the Georgia Tech Board of Student Publications. The Technique publishes on Fridays weekly during the fall and spring and biweekly during the summer. A dvertising: Information and rate cards can be found online at nique.net/ads. The deadline for reserving ad space is Friday at 5 p.m. one week before publication. To place a reservation, for billing information, or for any other questions please e-mail us at ads@nique.net. You may reach us by telephone at (404) 894-2830, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Coverage R equests: Requests for coverage and tips should be submitted to the Editor-in-Chief and/or the relevant section editor. Office: 353 Ferst Dr., Room 137 Atlanta, GA 30332-0290 Telephone: (404) 894-2830 Fax: (404) 894-1650
Editor-in-Chief: Hahnming Lee editor@nique.net Telephone: (404) 894-2831
News Editor: Vijai Narayanan / news@nique.net Opinions Editor: Matt Hoffman / opinions@nique.net Focus Editor: Kamna Bohra / focus@nique.net Entertainment Editor: Zheng Zheng / entertainment@nique.net Sports Editor: Alex Mitchell / sports@nique.net
Follow us online: http://nique.net Twitter: @the_nique Copyright © 2010, 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. First copy free—for additional copies call (404) 894-2830
From the files of the GTPD...
Campus Crime By Vijai Narayanan News Editor Stealthy protection
On Aug. 6, officers responded to a call from the Graduate Living Center about an individual carrying a possible sword on his back. The suspect was spotted entering the elevator after meeting a friend in the GLC lobby. The officers immediately established a perimeter around the building to close off all exits. They then began a search of the hallways on different levels in order to find the suspect, to no avail. The team then began a room by room search of the building. As rooms were cleared, officers identified a female student as the same student who had met the suspect
upon his entrance into the building. She stated that the suspect had already left the building, but she called him back to return to the scene. She said that her friend had an umbrella that looked like a sword. After returning to the scene the suspect confirmed that he had a black umbrella that had a sword handle on it. Officers inspected the umbrella and advised the suspect not to carry the umbrella on campus. Illegal Fire
GTPD was called to the Family Apartments on Aug. 8 in reference to a fire alarm that had been
triggered earlier during the night. The complainant had identified the people responsible for the alarm and stated that they were staying in a room without permission from the Institute. Upon arriving at the suspects’ room, officers found that they had been sub-leasing the apartment from its rightful owner, against the rules of the housing department. Both suspects admitted that they knew they could not sub-lease the apartment. Keys were confiscated and suspects issued a criminal trespass warning. Nobel discovery
Officers identified four sticks of dynamite that had suffered heat damage while conducting an inventory of the explosives bunker at the North Avenue Research Area. The Atlanta Bomb Squad placed the explosives in a containment vessel to be moved and destroyed.
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NEWS
Technique • August 20, 2010 • 3
Tech undergoes Rankings continue to improve administrative by Nishant Prasadh Online Sports Editor
Tech recorded another strong showing in the 2011 U.S. News and World Report rankings for America’s Best Colleges, which were released Tuesday, Aug. 17. The Institute tied for the No. 4 ranking for engineering programs at schools that offer doctoral degrees with the California Institute of Technology. Tech also tied with the University of CaliforniaSan Diego for No. 7 among all public universities in the nation. “The fact that Tech has sustained a top 10 ranking in U.S. News and World Report for more than a decade helps to give visibility to the Institute and our tradition of excellence,” said Institute President G.P. “Bud” Peterson. Tech earned recognition in a variety of more specific categories, including high rankings for individual schools and academic programs. Seven of the Institute’s engineering schools ranked in the top five for their respective disciplines. Leading the way were the School of Industrial Engineering (No. 1 overall) and the School of
Aerospace Engineering (No. 2). The Schools of Mechanical, Biomedical and Civil Engineering each earned a No. 3 ranking, while the Electrical and Environmental Engineering programs came in at No. 5. Notably, some of Tech’s individual programs saw improvement from last year’s marks. The School of Mechanical Engineering rose one spot after coming in at No. 4 in the 2010 rankings, and the College of Management continued its steady rise; one year after jumping from No. 35 to No. 31, it rose three more spots to No. 28 in the national rankings. Aside from individual schools of study, the Institute was acknowledged for excellence in four categories of general academic programs: internship/co-op opportunities, undergraduate research, study abroad programs and senior capstone projects. “From a recruiting standpoint, potential students, faculty and staff who are considering a top ranked university environment look further and find out about all the opportunities available through various programs,” Peterson said. A new feature of the re-
2011 College Rankings
Department
2010
2011
Aerospace Engineering
2nd
2nd
Biomedical Engineering
3rd
3rd
Civil Engineering
3rd
3rd
Electrical Engineering
5th
5th
Industrial Engineering
1st
1st
Management
31st
28th
Mechanical Engineering
4th
3rd
Public School Ranking
7th
7th
Overall Ranking
35th
35th
Photo by Josh Sandler / Student Publications
port this year included a survey of high school counselors to determine which university they thought offered the best education. Tech tied with several other universities for No. 22 overall, including public institutions such as the University of Michigan and the University of North Carolina and private universities such as Rice University, Emory University and the University of Southern California. Only one public school (the University of California-Berkeley) was ranked higher in the poll.
The successful showing follows a similarly strong performance by Tech’s College of Engineering in the publication’s April release of its graduate school rankings. The Institute placed in the top 10 for nine engineering fields, including a No. 1 ranking in Industrial Engineering and a No. 2 ranking for Biomedical Engineering. Three other graduate programs—Aerospace Engineering, Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering—placed in top five of their respective categories.
changes by Coby Lu Staff Writer
Campus administration has undergone many personnel changes over the past several months, including the introduction of two new academic Deans and a new provost. The summer semester also saw the additional turnover of staff in several important campus positions. While some members joined the campus community to fill vacancies created by the departure of their predecessors, others moved into new positions created to meet the needs of the Institute. Ravi Bellamkonda, a professor in the Wallace H. Coutler Department of Biomedical Engineering, has been named Associate Vice President for Research (AVPR) within the office of Executive Vice Presidents for Research (EVPR). Bellamkonda’s main duty is to promote research at Tech. “Professor Bellamkonda is a well respected faculty member of the biomedical engineering engaged in very exciting research,” said Steve Cross, the Executive Vice president for Research. “He has served Georgia Tech in numerous capacities, most recently as a core member of the Tech strategic planning effort. He is currently leading a task force on innovation with Professor Merrick Furst. As Associate Vice President for Research, he will work closely with me to enhance Tech’s ability to pursue interdisciplinary research.” Bellamkonda’s goal is to influence not just See Changes, page 5
the Tower Check out the second issue of the Tower print journal
undergraduate research journal
We are currently accepting submissions by undergraduate researchers from all majors for the next issue Look forward to our digital journal which will be available soon
For more information visit our website
<gttower.org>
NEWS
Technique • August 20, 2010 • 5
Tech awarded $20 million for new research center by Coby Lu Staff Writer
The department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Tech recently received funding to study the formation of complex molecules such as RNA and DNA. The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Astrobiology and Exobiology programs awarded $20 million to a coalition of research teams. The money will support the establishment and development of the Center for Chemical Evolution (CCE) on Tech’s campus. “Our research team seeks to understand how certain molecules in a complex mixture can work together to form highly ordered assemblies that exhibit chemical properties similar to those associated with biological molecules,” said Nicholas V. Hud, a professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Director of the CCE. “Such a process was likely an essential and early stage of life, so we are also working to understand what chemicals were present on the prebiotic Earth and what processes helped these chemicals
Changes
from page 5 research at Tech but also the education and service by promoting creativity and influence. He also seeks to facilitate research at all levels, making it easier for undergraduates to participate in the research experience as well as making it easier for graduate students and faculty to conduct their research. “...I’ve always been interested in the context of this job in working in environments that give people the freedom to do what they wanted to do, encourage them to reach higher,” Bellamkonda said.
form the complex substances ultimately needed for life.” The main objective of the CCE is to understand the fundamental physics and chemistry behind the formation of complex molecules that can carry information and control processes. There is also a focused target to understand the formation of DNA and RNA. “We will work backward from the complex substances found in living organisms today, such as proteins and DNA and make materials that are a little bit different and simpler in chemical structure,” Hud said. “We will then strive to determine if there were possibly chemicals and conditions on the early Earth that would have given rise to these and similar substances.” The research is divided into three themes. The themes include identifying potential biological building blocks from the products of prebiotic reactions, investigating the chemical components and conditions that promote spontaneous assemblage of increasingly complex molecules and preparing and characterizing highly-ordered chemical assemblies to study their
potential to function like biological substances. “The first [theme] is primarily on instrumentation development and ultrasensitive analytical techniques development and a sub focus on interface reactions and reactions that occur…between different phases,” said Thomas Orlando, a Professor of Chemistry, Adjunct Professor of Physics and Associate Dean for Energy Research.
School of Chemistry and Biochemistry Regent Professor and School Chair Charles Liotta will lead research for the second theme. This theme seeks to understand the physical organic chemistry of early metabolism. One of the current projects in this theme is looking at solvents and amino acids for non-coded peptide bond formation. Another project is identifying and understanding possible thermodynamic
The EVPR is part of Institute President G. P. “Bud” Peterson’s effort to create ‘One-GT’ that integrates University, GTRI and Enterprise Innovation Institute. “It follows that my position is…designed to help Steve Cross and Bud Peterson implement their vision for One-GT,” Bellamkonda said, “A Georgia Tech that is the technological university in the world and an innovation foundry in the next century, addressing globally relevant problems and policy in health care, energy, information, logistics, materials etc.”
Nina Swaczuk has been named General Manager of the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) at Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI2). “[ATDC] is a start-up accelerator that helps Georgia technology entrepreneurs launch and build successful companies,” according to the ATDC website. ATDC provides various services including help fundraising, bootstrapping programs, consultation and educational service regarding entrepreneurship. “It is an exciting time to be part of ATDC as this successful start-
up accelerator begins its fourth decade of helping Georgia entrepreneurs launch and build science and technology companies,” Sawczuk said. “With the economy encouraging more people to start companies and ATDC’s membership now open to a broader group of enterprises, the organization has never been more important to the state’s entrepreneurs.” Paul Kohn was named Vice Provost of Enrollment Services. Kohn replaces former Associate Vice Provost Deborah Smith, who retired in May. Enrollment services covers ad-
Photo courtesy of Communications and Marketing
Nicholas Hud is the Director of the Center for Chemical Evolution (CCE) which focuses on the formation of DNA and RNA molecules.
and kinetic chemical sinks of material that is hypothesized to subsequently act as source materials for biological building blocks. Research in this theme related to solvents that could form peptide bonds in prebiotic conditions could lead to new environmentally-friendly chemical processes. “These solvents, aside from being important in prebiotic reactions have important in industrial projects in making new chemicals because they are green solvents,” Liotta said. “They can be used as solvents and then be recycled.” The third theme is lead by David Lynn, chair of the Department of Chemistry at Emory University and Ram Krishnamurthy, an associate professor of chemistry at the Scripps Research Institute. This theme of the research looks to develop methods to create polymers and assemblies that mimic natural macromolecules. Another aspect of the research is the focus on commercializing the research. These efforts are being lead by Associate Professor Facundo Fernandez. Research in See Center, page 11 missions, scholarships, financial aid and the Office of the Registrar. One of Kohn’s main goals as Vice Provost of Enrollment Services is to promote diversity. “I look forward to working with the Enrollment Services team at Tech to further develop innovative and effective strategies for recruiting and retaining the future alumni of Georgia Tech. From what I have learned so far, the students, alumni, staff, faculty and other supporters reveal an enthusiasm and energy that I am eager to become a part of,” Kohn said.
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Technique • August 20, 2010 • 7
Freshman class most diverse ever by Hahnming Lee Editor-in-chief
Tech’s incoming class of freshman is one of the most diverse and also contains the most number of students in the Tech Promise program. Applications continued their trend of increasing from year-toyear, with 13,500 students from 49 states and 89 countries applying for admission. The number marked an 18 percent increase over last year’s total. “We are very pleased with the freshmen class that’s coming in… we were really pleased not only with the quality, academically… but also the fact that we achieved that quality and augmented [the class’] diversity,” said Rick Clark, Director of Admissions. The percentage of women also reached an all-time high, increasing to 35 percent. This growth coincided with large rises in the number of African American and Hispanic students, with both increasing by over 50 percent from last year’s class. Even with the makeup of the class differing from past years, the average SAT score and GPA remained similar. The average GPA was 3.89 and the average SAT score was 1376. The diversity of the class was partly attributed to a change in the admissions process. The staff in the office looked to emphasize the need to cater to individual students and not try and only fit them in certain categories. “We say a girl from North Carolina is going to have different questions and needs than a girl from Alphraetta or even a guy from North Carolina,” Clark said. The office is also making an effort to reach out to students who have been admitted and those that
have not even applied. Letters, postcards and other correspondences are established between current students and prospective students to maintain interest in Tech throughout the high school students’ college decision process. These are also sent to those who have been accepted to Tech but have not yet made a decision. These relationships and messages sometimes start even earlier than a high school student’s senior year, as the admission office has made an effort to reach out to students just as they are entering high school. “It starts all the way back from targeting 9th graders and 10th graders, and trying to work them through their high school careers,” Clark said This was done through a variety of ways, including creating an online presence, like on Facebook. “The traditional way you identify [these students] has changed so much, and where kids are finding out about schools is so different from the way it used to be. When I say that, I only mean four years ago or five years ago, it’s not generations,” Clark said. The admissions process for students also underwent some changes in conjunction to the recruitment process for prospective students. In keeping with the attitude that each student should be looked at individually, there was an even larger shift away from a formulaic approach towards a more holistic one. “We never got as granular as we do now…we put so much more focus on course selection and rigor,” Clark said. The class is also made up of more than 20 percent legacies. “It’s always a goal to increase diversity geographically [and] eth-
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Photo by Josh Sandler / Student Publications
This year’s incoming freshman class is one of the most diverse groups and contains the most number of Tech Promise students. nically, and we were able to do all of those this year, in a year when we also went up in SAT profile and academic rigor,” Clark said. The Tech promise also has its largest class in the program ever, with 71 incoming freshmen from 31 counties becoming beneficiaries. The program is intended to pay for the tuition of those students with a family annual income totaling less than $33,300. The program is paid for through the Tech Foundation, which receives and manages financial donations received by the Institute. “[The program’s purpose is so] that kids would not have to balance that weight of financial pres-
sure when they are trying to focus on their studies,” Clark said. The down economy has contributed to the number of students who qualify for the purely needs based program, but the admissions office has also increased its reach out to some parts of Georgia that may have been overlooked in the past. “[As a staff] we’re doing better reaching further geographically in the state,” Clark said. The program was originally started in 2007 by former Institute President G. Wayne Clough to help provide in-state students with a college education and graduate debt-free. Since the program’s inception, 93 Tech Promise students have graduated.
News Briefs Senate Report details wasteful spending Sen. McCain (R-AZ) and Sen. Colburn (R-OK) released a report called “Summertime Blues” detailing 100 projects funded with stimulus money that are described as wasteful. Two of the mentioned projects are current research programs at Tech. The first project funds research “to understand, model and support improvisation, or real-time collaborative creativity, in the context of jazz, Indian classical and avant-garde art music,” said the report. The report then goes on to ask, “How will this help the United States out of an historic economic slump?” The program received $762,372 from the federal government. The second project received $427,824 from the National Science Foundation to research how video games can help improve the mental health of the elderly. “Research is necessary for the long-term economic success of our state and our nation. Federal agencies funded research projects at Georgia Tech because they determined that the projects meet the appropriate criteria for stimulus funding,” said Tech spokesperson Matt Nagel.
Trolley turnaround Tech is planning a new Trolley turnaround behind the student center. It will be located in the parking lot between the student center and Skiles and next to the Weber buildings. The change will not be implemented until the planned Skiles walkway construction is done and the Tin building is torn down, meaning the change will not likely roll out until next year.
Summer Ne
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5 from c enth Presiden ser ved as omplications du t, A rthur G. Ha Presiden President bet we ring surger y. He nsen, died on M Student t of his alma mat en 1969-1971 b was 85 years o onday, July Hansen Center opened i er, Purdue Univeefore leaving to ld. Hansen a predec also led efforts tots doors for the rsity. During his become the es fir te r He was sor to the Campaise funds for the st time on Aug. nure, the 3 Student Kent Sta also present d us Recreation Athletic , 1970. t u C e r i e i n n n C cident. A t g bers of t mid ques the time of th er (CRC). enter, h e c a m e t ions from pus com to have m pus, Hana militar y progra unity about the memprogram sen was able to m (ROTC) on need come Ch. In 1982, Hans preser ve the his came t ancellor of Texas n left Purdue to oric beA&M. Photo co
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PTFE, MSE now one degree program The schools of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) merged together with the school of Polymer, Textile, and Fiber Engineering (PTFE) to create the largest MSE program in the country. The school now has 55 thesis-granting faculty, surpassing MIT by 11 positions. The newly merged school will hopefully streamline interdisciplinary research activity. According to Dr. Robert Snyder, the school hopes to become a top-five MSE school in three years, and the No. 1 school in five years. Current PTFE students, and those entering the Institute through Fall 2011 will be allowed to pursue a degree in the field. The MSE School will also offer a Materials Science degree with a focus in polymers. Out-of-state students participating in the Academic Common Market will be grandfathered under the program, as long as they remain eligible.
ew n d e am n s a os t r v B o r p nd te u t rovost abei P t w s e n n e I s as th will officially r, a l L . Bra
r. Rafae ic A ffairs. Bras st began last ye nd D d e c n annou t for Academ r a new provo om the post a e t u t i t s The In Vice Presiden The search fo o step down fr hool of Chem t 1. Sc ve Executi tenure on Sept. uster’s decision faculty of the e Instih t gin his g Dr. Gar y Schsition with the f o r e c emic offithe followino a tenured po d a c a f e i return t Biochemistr y. will be the ch versight of all istr y & e Provost, Bras d budgetar y o especially criti A s th exercise broa itute. This is rrent nation cu st n tute ands within the In e adapts to the of new faces i e t h e Colleg as the Institu ras joins a set ll, including t of cal now cial climate. Bistration this fa d the College al finan er level admin len College an the uppof the Ivan A l arketing ions & M municat s n y o f Co m a es e rt u D Photo co ting. Compu
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Waffle House opened its do nity on June 9, following a yea vation process. While the chain wide, the Waffle House facility in T features. The walls of the Waffle H photographs of different Waffle Hou and also with Tech related pictures, cluding portraits of Tech athletes. Another area on the wall is dedica to famous Tech alumni, including Jim Carter, Wayne Clough and Bobby Jones facility is managed by Travis Bell, a fo Tech football player. The location also h outside patio with seating and a Wi-Fi l area and a waiting room for take-out Features common to all Waffle Hou clude a jukebox and the standard men facility will be open 24 hours a day days a year. The Institute does have a Joe Rogers, Jr., son of co-foun alum and is the current CEO fle House location was p American Apparel sto in December of 2
New stude dining o
Upon arriving on campus this fa plethora of new dining options at t ously occupied by Pandini’s is now way and Taco-Bell restaurant. The will continue to operate in the sam to bring new restaurants was sparke In addition, two new restaurants center food court. Zaya, a Mediter same place as the old Chick-fil-A fa Cafe Spice, is located in the same s er restaurants will continue their o court. This was done to give studen well as more vegetarian choices.
g. n a l d. o ed m v o w r e p N p pproveda a a i g r o h e ee r m of Gis called a Bacnd e t g s y S e y d iversit new degree ral Studies a ts the Un n
News Recap
e u gents atee at Tech. Th and Intercult guages. Studewill e R f o gr an es ard ee The Bo l for a new de lied Languag of Modern Lster. The degr and a e sa es pp ol a propo Science in Augh the Scho g this fall semcultural studi 15 hours elor of offered thro gram startin uage studies, ust complete or within will be roll in the pro foreign lang . Students m mplete a min plete at om can en mbination of ciplinar y fieldng them to co must c s o i i c s be a in an interd luster, allow m, student cluster their chosen cof the progra t within jor. A s part . the start a d a a d o m e r r l e b e o th hours a nese. F ll be off least 12 languages wi nish and Japa and ChiTwo ogram: Spa an, French added. r e rm of the papproval, Ge nguages to band A ralowing e the next lasian, Korean ss. nese ar ering of Rus anning proce tions Publica tudent The off also in the pl hit t / S w re T an by Eth Photo bic are
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Skiles walkway to be closed
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all, students will be greeted with a the student center. The space previw taken by a new Chick-fil-A, SubJackets / WoW Cafe and Wingery me location as before. The decision ed by declining sales at Pandiniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. s will be introduced to the student rranean restaurant is located at the acility. An Indian restaurant, called space as the old Burger King. Othofferings in the student center food nts more variety of ethnic options as
Student Cerone /
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It was announced that work crews will begin work on numerous projects associated with the construction of the Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons (CULC). Skiles walkway will be closed starting on Dec. 20 for the duration of the spring and summer semesters. In order to facilitate traffic through the center of campus, the Skiles alleyway, which lies between the south side of the Skiles Classroom building, the Coon building and the Tin building, will be reconfigured. The alleyway construction will be completed by Dec. 1 so that the pathway is open to the campus community when campus reopens in the spring. The renovated alleyway will be more open, better lit and have an emergency call box. The Price Gilbert Library plaza will also undergo renovation, including the removal of the library fountain. Furthermore, the sidewalk between the Student Center Commons and Bunger Henry will also be closed due to work on the Tech Green.
Photo co
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Students bur ned in accid ent
On June 2 Tau fraternit, a thermite reaction cause dents. Tommy house and resulted in d an explosion at the Ze third-year C y Keen, a third-year A E the hospitalization of twta Beta cent of their HEM student received b student and Paul Grzybo o stuu w bodies, respe ctively. A persrns on 30 percent and 2 ski, a stated at the 0 peron familiar ti in a two-lite me that the students mixwith the incident The resultingr soda bottle when the ed two chemicals ers, who proc explosion caught the attesystem exploded. nti ee Police determded to call the police depon of bystandinside the fra ined that there were artment. the house, anternity house and procee more chemicals in to remove d a hazardous materials ded to evacuate was treated a the remaining substanc team was called activity was sts an accident. Sources als es. The incident o a fraternity re rictly recreational and w stated that the as not a part lated activity Photo by Jo of . sh Sandler/ Student Publi ca tions
Photo by Josh Sandler / Student Publications
Photo by Joey Cerone / Student Publications
PRESIDENT BUD PETERSON delivers his
2010 Institute Address and shares Georgia Tech’s new Strategic Vision for the next twenty-five years.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 31 11 AM Ferst Center for the Arts Refreshments provided following the President’s address
www.gatech.edu/vision
NEWS
Center
from page 5
the first theme is leading to new methods of analysis that have widespread industrial use. “Complex mixtures are found in many chemical industries – including petroleum, food and pharmaceuticals,” Fernandez said. “The instruments and protocols we develop to sort through the complex mixtures that result from model prebiotic chemical reactions are going to be valuable to these industries too.” Research in the third theme could lead to the development of new substances with broad applications in a variety of fields including, therapeutics, diagnostics and drug delivery methods. But the innovation of the research lies not just in the commercial viability of the research. “It is also important to realize that definitions of innovation vary between disciplines. From our perspective the increase in the fundamental knowledge base of chemistry and physics, as well as the sharing of that information, is indeed innovation. It is not just the spin-off technologies,” Orlando said. Many of the tools and devices have already been in development for previous projects in related fields. The CCE expects that much of the Center funding will go to pay for the salary of researchers; particularly post-docs, graduate students and even undergraduates. The funding will also go to the CCE’s education and outreach programs. “Our ultimate goal is to create a complete chemical pathway showing how relatively simple substances can interact with the environment and each other to spontaneously produce complex assemblies that exhibit properties normally associated with biological substances, and perhaps shed some light on the earliest stages of life on Earth,” Hud said.
Technique • August 20, 2010 • 11
New joint BS/MAT launched with GSU By Matt Hoffman Opinions Editor
The Board of Regents approved a new BS/MAT (Master of Art in Teaching) joint degree program between Tech and Georgia State University on Aug. 11. The program will begin this fall. “[For a long time], Tech students have become teachers. If you go out into the school in the state, you will find math and science teachers who will say ‘I got [my] first degree at Georgia Tech and then decided to become a teacher.’ This program is to make it easy, give students good advice and get them certified on the master’s level,” said Donna Llewellyn, Director of the Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (CETL). The new program has been nearly a year in the making and is part of the larger goal of the Institute to develop undergraduates with the degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) into teachers. “We have an NSF [National Science Foundation] project called Tech to Teaching which the purpose is to facilitate success of students of students who want to teach in STEM fields…The best STEM students in the state and the region come to Georgia Tech, but we don’t have a college of education, so this [program] facilitates STEM students to become STEM teachers,” Llewellyn said. The NSF push for math and science teachers comes from the lack of qualified people to teach in these areas. “There is a tremendous shortage of math and science teachers across the state. Even in the current recession, they are still hiring math and science teachers…We contacted some of the local school
Photo courtesy of Communications & Marketing
The new joint BS/MAT degree program between Tech and Georgia State is designed to make it easier for students to become teachers. The program focuses on training teachers in math and science. districts and asked them how many math and science teachers they plan to hire in the next five years; they were in the hundreds,” Llewellyn said. While the intention of the program is to develop more math and science teachers, students in other fields can also enroll in the BS/ MAT program. All the MAT programs offered at GSU are eligible to students in the program. “This is not just restricted to just math and science teachers. People in other fields can do it too, but their major must align with the field they want to teach in,” said Beth Spencer, Director of Pre-Teaching serving the Georgia Tech community. Students wanting to enroll in the new program need a 3.5 GPA and have completed at least 30 hours and not more than 90. Students must also maintain a 3.0 to
remain in the program. Students will also need to complete 6 hours of graduate level courses in their field while at Tech. Students enrolled in the degree will have the option of cross enrolling at GSU to take education courses to satisfy free elective hours. “This nice thing about this agreement is that nobody has given up anything, we have just made it easier for students. You get your Georgia Tech degree exactly the same way you would have gotten your Georgia Tech degree. You get the MAT the same way you have gotten the MAT. It is just seamless now,” Llewellyn said. The estimates of the number students who would enroll in the program are conservative for many reason, including GPA requirements, interest from the student body and knowledge of the opportunity.
“This program is going to start small, because Tech students don’t know about it yet, but I think it will grow. We expect for it to start at maybe a dozen,” Llewellyn said. “I think this is going to be a small program [not only] because of the GPA requirements, but also because I meet with a lot of juniors and seniors. It is not unusual at all for students to come meet with the spring of their senior year and say they want to become a teacher,” Spencer said. The Pre-Teaching Department also offers other opportunities for those interested in becoming teachers. Currently there are three classes, CETL 4001, 4002 and 4003, that are offered on campus to give students a feel for what a MAT degree entails. Students pursuing STEM fields are eligible to receive Noyce scholarships ranging from $20,000-$24,000.
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Opinions
Opinions Editor: Matt Hoffman Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in getting up every time we do.
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OUR VIEWS Consensus Opinion
Steady, controlled change
New administrators welcome, but continuity needed We welcome all the new students, staff and faculty members to campus and look forward to a productive and eventful year. However, with change, especially to the upper level administration, comes adjustment. The campus community needs to be patient and understanding as adaptations to campus are made, hopefully for the better. New faces also bring in new ideas and fresh perspectives, which should enhance the community discussion. A vibrant campus conversation is more important now than ever as the Institute will roll out the new strategic plan on Aug. 31. The members of the campus community who have stayed but recently moved to new positions will hopefully be able to better help Tech at their new posts. While many of the new members of the upper level administration may not work directly with students on a day-to-day basis, the decisions that they make will impact students as the campus leadership
continues to move Tech forward. Students should also be consulted and input should be sought when major changes to the institution are made. Tech’s previous methods to success should not be ignored in this process. The school has come quite far in a small amount of time, and failure to retain the Institute’s identity would be tragic and regressive. The changes made to many positions should also help to foster a new era of efficiency for the Institute. To help ensure that this goal is achieved, the administration needs to clearly articulate the roles these new position entail and inform the campus of these roles. Now, after beginning the process of transitioning between people in these positions in the administration, an era of continuity would be appreciated. Continuity will allow Tech to build on its solid foundation and continue to make necessary improvements to the Institution for many years to come.
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, Online News Editor Chris Russell, Online Editor Matt Hoffman, Opinions Editor Jarrett Skov, Photo Editor Reem Mansoura, Outreach Editor Matthew Winkler, Editor Emeritus
EDITORIAL CARTOON By Rose Peng
—Confucius
Technique
12
Friday, August 20, 2010
ADL promotes double standard By Sam Barr Harvard Crimson
Cambridge, Mass — The manufactured controversy over what has ludicrously come to be called the “Ground Zero Mosque” has a lot of depressing aspects. But easily the most surprising and, for me, upsetting development is that the Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish human rights organization, has sided with Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, and the other opportunistic GOP pols who are exploiting this issue. A couple weeks ago the ADL came out with a statement recommending that “a different location be found” for the Cordoba House, the Muslim community center, similar to the YMCA and JCC, that is being promoted by a Manhattan imam with a long record of ecumenicism and moderation. The ADL argued that “ultimately this is not a question of rights, but a question of what is right. In our judgment, building an Islamic Center in the shadow of the World Trade Center will cause some victims more pain— unnecessarily—and that is not right.” The principle at work here seems to be, “Whatever the victims of Sept. 11th don’t like, isn’t right.” It reminds me of the idea that we should support the death penalty because the families of murder victims tend to want murderers executed. What I found even more astounding was the ADL’s notion that this is “not a question of rights.” The group calls itself “the nation’s premier civil rights/ human relations agency,” and it’s sniffing at the idea that Muslims have a right to build mosques (not to mention swimming pools, restaurants, and the rest of the Cordoba House’s features) wherever they please. The ADL has argued in court against the use of zoning laws to restrict the construction of houses of worship, but apparently “sensitivity” is more important than religious freedom. Don’t get me wrong, sensitivity is important. But in order to demand that one party be more sensitive, there has to be some rational basis for another party’s feeling offended. If I cursed loudly and deliberately in the vicinity of schoolchildren, you would say, I may have a right to do that, but I should have been more sensitive because there’s a legitimate interest in protecting children from dirty words. Maybe I believe that children don’t need to be protected from curse words, but still, sensitivity to the sincere beliefs of others requires me, morally if not legally, to hold my tongue. The Cordoba House situation isn’t like that at all. The only reason to take offense at a Muslim community center built two blocks north of the World Trade Center is the assumption that all Muslims have some connection with, and responsibility for, the actions of the 9/11 terrorists. That’s why
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we have seen politicians and other commentators blur the difference between moderate and jihadist Muslims and imply that we are at war with Islam per se. Carl Paladino, a Republican running for NY governor, says the proposed community center would be a “monument to those who attacked our country.” Newt Gingrich points out that there are “no churches or synagogues in Saudi Arabia,” as if the center were sponsored by the Saudi government, not a moderate Sufi Muslim leader about as far, spiritually speaking, from radical Sunni Islam as any Jew or Christian. Pat Buchanan says building a mosque near Ground Zero would be like “building a Shinto shrine” at Pearl Harbor. Because, you see, we’re at war with Muslims just as we were at war with the Japanese. It really is that simple for them. But it’s wrong and the ADL should have said so and left it at that. As Peter Beinart says, “Would the ADL for one second suggest that sensitivity toward people victimized by members of a certain religion or race justifies discriminating against other, completely innocent, members of that religion or race? Of course not. But when it comes to Muslims, the standards are different.” Exactly, because they don’t see Muslims like Feisal Abdul Rauf as “completely innocent.” This is collective guilt, pure and simple. The whole sad affair with the ADL reminds me of Beinart’s great article a couple months back about how American Jewish organizations have sacrificed their human-rights liberalism on the altar of Zionism, in the process losing the allegiance of many younger American Jews. Beinart wrote, “These groups would never say, as do some in Netanyahu’s coalition, that Israeli Arabs don’t deserve full citizenship and West Bank Palestinians don’t deserve human rights. But in practice, by defending virtually anything any Israeli government does, they make themselves intellectual bodyguards for Israeli leaders who threaten the very liberal values they profess to admire.” Now the threat to liberal values has come to New York, and the ADL has blown a major opportunity to stand up for them.
OPINIONS
Technique • August 20, 2010 • 13
Oddities of Tech bring about tolerance While the new school year marks a new beginning for some of us, for the majority it means the second, third, fourth, fifth or even sixth year beginning. This fall is the beginning of my fifth year as an undergraduate, and I have to admit, as tired as I get just thinking about all of the sleep that I will be missing next semester, I get equally excited to come back to all of the things that I miss about campus while I am away during the summer break. While I did have a great time during my internship this summer, I found myself missing some of the unique and quirky culture that can be found at Tech. It is very rare to find a group of people that do so many interesting and sometimes dorky things. No one at work, besides fellow Techies, caught my jokes about LAN parties and Humans vs. Zombies games. Being away from the campus really made me appreciate what an open campus we have and how receptive students are to things that some campuses might make fun of because it is not “cool.” I mean, let’s face it, we can do some strangely unique activities on Tech campus that would be ridiculed at other schools, and we’re quite proud of it, as we should be. Tech has consistently defined its own unique culture since they opened their doors. What
“Being away from the campus really made me appreciate what an open campus we have.” Kate Comstock Business Manager
other group of students would actually complete double the school work just to ensure that a fictitious student became an engineer? To me, the line between “geeky” and “normal” is blurred on the Tech campus. We all have so many things that we could be considered “dorks” about. This creates a culture within the campus that is very tolerable of things that many campuses would not find “normal.” There are very few campus cultures that consider a fixation with robots the norm, and very few campuses that would consider the release of a new World of Warcraft expansion or patch a valid excuse for missing class. Here we have a little space in the world where we can do some frankly geeky things and not feel weird about our activities. Students undervalue the unique opportunities that Tech culture offers. It took me almost four years to stop referring to the different activities and hobbies that I saw around campus as “weird” and
embrace the fact that I am surrounded by a group of people that pick their hobbies because they truly enjoy them and not always because it is considered popular to do so. There are too many of us who are still hung up on the fact that the new things they see people doing on campus are weird. Just because an individual Tech student’s hobbies are not understandable, does not mean that they are not as equally enjoyable as others. Over the years I have missed out on several opportunities to participate in really interesting things on campus simply because I was too busy making fun of the other activities people were doing that were not familiar to me. If I had been more open to other new activities throughout my last fours years at Tech who knows what kind of other friends I could have made or what other things I could have learned. One of the most important things that we can do as students is learn more about
the other people that are surrounding us, that includes not being judgmental about what other people are doing to fill their free time. If you do not feel that the anime club is the best fit for you that does not mean that you should not listen to what people have to say about the subject nor does that mean you should make fun of it. In many instances, the best way to become involved on campus is to embrace the sometimes wacky culture that exists here and utilize it to create a better experience while pursuing your college career at Tech. All Tech students owe it to themselves and their Techies to work to help support the unique culture on campus that allows students to freely express themselves through their interests around campus. Every Tech student should give a club, organization or new hobby that they see being pitched around campus in the upcoming week a chance. Even though it may be something that you would never be caught dead doing in high school, the new school year is a great time to give a hobby a chance that you may consider strange. And who knows, you may genuinely enjoy something that is only available within the unique culture of hobbies that Tech offers.
Summer sports stories masquerade as news What happened in sports this summer? When asking this question, actual sporting events were likely not the first things to come to mind. No, it was likely a long list of ridiculous announcements and news only the most hardcore fans could care about it. It has been a summer of exciting fake news. There is no other way to describe it. So many events have happened off the field while so little has happened on it. When Michael Vick being involved in legal troubles is just passing news, you know that the summer has been very different from any in the past. There was the NBA free agency. When LeBron famously uttered the words “I’m taking my talents to South Beach,” he instantly cemented himself as a villain and created a new phrase that will take on some sort of sexual definition in the coming years (if it has not already). The way the show played out, with LeBron sitting in front of a bunch of children acting as accessories to his arrogant display, getting softballs from Jim Gray about chewing nails and LeBron handing out a scholarship to the University of Phoenix, it was something I would not have expected to ever see. Now? It will likely become a norm for those headline athletes. I am looking at you, Chris Paul. Enough ink has been spilled on whether he was right
those players injured should be doing the heavy reading on the posters after being smashed to the ground which is when the information is kind of the most important. And of course, there’s Brett Hahnming Lee Favre, one of my favorite targets. He has toyed with the Editor-in-chief Vikings all summer and has finally decided to come back as a “favor” to his teammates, wrongdoers. Someone has to all of whom most certainly pay, and as long as it’s some- love him. How could one not be endeared to the 41-year old one, justice has been served. On the subject of the with ankle problems after he NFL, they have commend- made the cardinal sin of quarably changed their methods of terbacking by throwing a ball evaluating players’ health and across his body on his backnow see any sort of head injury foot for an interception that as serious. It is troubling that decided the most important they did not take concussions game of the season, not going as seriously in the past, but the to any mandatory workouts fact that they are willing to and skipping the first preshow some sort of acceptance season game? When a bunch of their wrongs is welcome. It of teammates have to travel to is more troubling that the play- a guy’s home town to get some er culture still refuses to fully sort of answer whether or not embrace this. When someone he is playing and the kicker is gets knocked in the head and the first to leak the news guy in becomes disoriented, it is com- question had made a decision, mon sense that he should not you know that Brett Favre be doing anything to stress has to be involved. Somehow, himself out. In football, it is I do not foresee the $16 milthe opposite; when you do not lion he is making this season as go back in because of an inju- strengthening the notion that ry, you are considered “weak” he is doing the team a “favor.” I don’t envy sports fans toand letting the team down. Has it really come to the day, who have to deal with all point where a giant poster is of this acting as news in place required to remind players that of recaps of games. Still, it they should not be going into can’t get worse…right? Who games where they could suffer am I kidding? After all of this, serious brain damage? Even I am prepared for just about worse, I don’t think any of anything.
“I don’t envy sports fans today, who have to deal with all of this acting as news in place of recaps of games.”
or wrong or if something could have happened differently, but I just cannot handle the fact that we, as viewers, criticized him endlessly about all of this but were glued to the television when he came to finally announce his intention to play with his best friends in Miami. The fact that ESPN was a willing partner made me question what the NBA will look like in 20 years, with more players concerned about looking the part of superstar than acting it. Then there was the debacle in the NCAA with USC. Somehow, the NCAA has decided that it is important to enforce the rules that it makes, a truly novel concept. They are now trying to use USC as an example for this. This would be fine if the athletes that are most affected by this were not in middle school when Student Athlete A and Student Athlete B wrecked havoc on the proud program. With the coaching staff also gone, the NCAA seems to want to remind the people that innocents must be accountable to the actions of
BUZZ
Around Campus
What is your goal for the coming year?
Sanny Chun First-year CM
“It’s my first time in the U.S. My goal is to adapt to this place.”
Sagar Govil First-year ISYE
“To enjoy Tech to the fullest and see what it’s all about.”
Clark Howell Second-year ISYE
“To stay busy, but not too busy, and maintain sanity”
Gus Boyd Second-year AE
“Get back in shape and do well in Calculus III.”
Photos by Jarrett Skov
OPINIONS
14 • August 20, 2010 • Technique
OUR VIEWS Hot or Not
HOT– or –NOT Green glory
Remedial report
Tech was named to both the Princeton Review Green Honor Roll and the Sierra Magazine’s Cool 20 for efforts in campus sustainability and promotion of green technology. Such recognition shows that Tech practices what it teaches. Leading the way amongst college campuses when it comes to going green also reenforces Tech’s role as an innovator and a model.
The McCain-Coburn report shows a lack of understanding and appreciation for the importance of knowledge development. The way the report derides and marginalizes the work and research of the educated is shortsighted. Tech and many other institutions have shown that research can lead to valuable new small businesses that produce jobs and strengthen the economy.
Rankings repeat
Construction circus
The U.S. News and World Report college rankings were released, and Tech again fared very well. The Institute held its position as the seventh public school and the 35th overall. While these rankings should not define an university, they are a nice yearly reminder that Tech continues to excel as a preeminent institution of higher education and global leader in engineering.
While dealing with the major projects currently taking over campus is annoying, the lack of completion of some smaller project before the start of fall semester creates a nuisance. In particular, road and sidewalk closings can just push students to the limit, as not being able to get to a place a student does not even want to go to in the first place makes it even worse.
New year offers chance to honor past, carve path into the future Welcome to campus! You have the distinction of being part of a student body that boasts the bestqualified and most diverse freshman class ever. In addition, 20102011 will be a banner academic year for Tech from both a historical and a future perspective. This year marks not only the 125th anniversary of Tech, but also the 50th anniversary of both the matriculation of black students to campus and the Ramblin’ Wreck. Although we’ll be celebrating these milestones throughout the year, we are also embracing the opportunity for our campus to chart its future course. I hope you will plan to join me Aug. 31 at 11 a.m. inside the Ferst Center when we officially launch our new strategic plan to take Tech to its 150th anniversary. This has been a year-long process that has involved participation by many of you, and I look forward to your involvement in helping us bring the plan to life in the coming year and years to come. As each of you prepares for the academic challenges that lie ahead, I want to make sure you are aware of a number of changes on our leadership team. Dr. Rafael Bras joins us in Sept. as our new provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs, coming to Tech from the University of California-Irvine, where he was the Dean of the Henry Samueli School of Engineering. On May 1, Dr. Steve Cross began as Tech’s executive vice president for Research (EVPR), providing leadership, strategic focus and support for the Institute’s
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“I hope you will plan to join me Aug. 31 at 11 a.m. inside the Ferst Center when we officially launch our new strategic plan.” G.P. “Bud” Peterson Institute President
multifaceted research and economic development enterprise. Dr. Ravi Bellamkonda, a professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, has been named an associate vice president within the Office of the Executive Vice President for Research (EVPR). Joining us this fall is Dr. Jacqueline Jones Royster, our new Dean of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts who arrives from the Ohio State University. While College of Management Dean Steve Salbu is taking off the semester to focus on research, Senior Associate Dean Sri Narasimhan will oversee day-to-day operations. Nina Sawczuk has been named general manager of the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) at Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI2). We have a new vice provost for Enrollment Services, Paul Kohn, who has joined us from the University of Arizona. Gregory R. Moore has been named senior director of Stamps Health Services, joining Tech from the University of Kentucky, where he held a similar position. Corey Boone, a fourth year College of Management student, is your new SGA Undergraduate Student Body President.
Anthony Baldridge, who is a Ph.D candidate in Chemistry, will serve as SGA Graduate Student Body President. Many more changes are taking place. We are in the process of hiring a new vice president for Institute Diversity, an associate vice president for Communications & Marketing and new leadership for the Office of Information Technology and Office of Human Resources. While you may or may not come into contact with these new faces, you can be confident in knowing that we have a team of dedicated professionals who are focused on making Tech one of the most highly respected, technology-focused learning institutions in the world. Our faculty and staff represent only a part of the overall larger equation here at Tech. Each of you plays a pivotal role in making sure that leadership, innovation, entrepreneurship and public service continue to be hallmarks of our both our institution and our graduates. I encourage you to embrace the many opportunities available to you here at Tech. Learn from our leadership, our faculty and your fellow students and join with me as we work together to Design the Future.
sliver
www.nique.net
getting shot at (literally) and having your trucks blown up by IEDs is less stressful than GT. No joke. Summer officially wasted I’m ready to go back now At tech, we have to skype women in from outside Got out. Started to miss Tech. Then discovered LIFE - YEAH ! I actually can’t wait till fall semester to start! I think I have a case of Stockholm syndrom with tech.. What the hell happened to SGA Course Critique? IT retards must have accidentally deleted the old and better functioning site. QUIET EVIL DRAGON! i’m trying to have a conversation. but grown up oxycotton tastes like chalk! it’s a 26 bedroom, 2 bath. comet, comet, comet, comet, comet! yayyy i have an island. why are you mad at me? you’re like my best friend! i just want one baby or even two baby while they’re still in style ew, bodyguard’s like my brotherguard. gross.com/stabmeintheheart.html unbreak my heart, say you love me again So, my chinese officemate brushes his teeth... on the sink of the lounge kitchen! ads are great Tech construction is just like its social life: there’s no access to the G-Spot (CULC) until after graduation. research sucks Grad orientation = waste of time butterscotch girl wants you. please notice me. it’s a boop loop! booooop. IPST building = Chinatown Police: “Put your hands up!” Me: “AND DEY STAY DARRE!” I’m concerned with the student organization, FASET, and it’s seemingly downhill path. I want the best for incoming students, but I’m not sure they’re getting that. Keep FASET fun! SUP
OPINIONS
Technique • August 20, 2010 • 15
Chances to improve grads’ High expectations call for renewed dedication experiences lie ahead
Let me welcome everyone to the fall semester and another academic year at Tech! This time of the year always brings a different atmosphere to Tech with orientations, campus events and a welcoming environment for all new and returning Jackets. This year will prove to be one filled with a myriad of events and activities within and sponsored by the SGA. From the graduate side of SGA, there will be a number of issues and activities that we plan to tackle in this academic year. Communication amongst graduate students will be a main focus this year in Grad SGA. What is becoming increasingly important and also increasingly difficult is to communicate major campus initiatives focused on grad students to all those students across campus. To facilitate communication across the departments and the campus, the Board of Governors was created this summer comprising graduate-focused student organization presidents that will relay information amongst the different graduate constituencies. Additionally, there will be initiatives to create graduate-specific communication resources and avenues that provide information on various events and resources. I want to invite all graduate students to a time honored tradition at Tech, the graduate student picnic. The picnic gives grad students, their families and friends an opportunity to enjoy an evening of free food and entertainment as a welcome back and to Tech from Grad SGA. This year’s picnic will be Sept. 3 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the IC Lawn with free T-shirts for grad students who attend. Professional development has become a key initiative in the past few years
“We cannot achieve success without your support or involvement.”
“This year will prove to be one filled with a myriad of events and activities.”
Corey T. Boone
Anthony Baldridge
Undergraduate President
Graduate President as the job market continues to become tougher and grad students seek ways to become more competitive. Teaming with Career Services and the Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, we will be hosting the Second Annual Career Symposium that will provide all graduate students with workshops and panels covering career topics ranging from job search to interviewing skills in all areas of employment including government, industry and academia. This year’s event will take place March 10, 2011 in the Student Center. Partnering with the Provost’s Office, one of Graduate SGA’s greatest events has become the Georgia Tech Research and Innovation Conference (gtRIC). Last year’s conference was truly an accomplishment that showcased some of the best research and efforts of graduate students at Tech. This year will continue to develop the research symposium and expand it to include even more presenters. The event will take place on Feb. 8, 2011 in the Student Center. It is also important to mention that the Graduate Communication Center will continue to offer writing development to all graduate students. Another issue dear to graduate student’s hearts is the student health insurance. This year will be a significant year for the student health insurance in that Tech is able to select an insurance provider for the
coming years in a significantly different system than we are in now. This will be a significant task for SGA and exploring all aspects and concerns as well as having a transparent process will be of the utmost importance. As we look to this year, it will definitely be one filled with many things to accomplish. The items mentioned here constitute the most important issues and events this year but only represent the tip of the iceberg. I encourage everyone to look out for announcements on our many other initiatives throughout the year. All of this can only be accomplished through the collective efforts of the graduate students who donate their time and efforts by serving within Grad SGA. This year, I am thankful to have recruited an exceptional executive cabinet that will work to accomplish all of the events and goals for this year. Complementary to accomplishing these goals are the honorable grad students who serve in the GT Senate. With all of this, I want to extend an invitation to anyone interested in joining SGA to join us. We are always looking for people to join us in the Senate as well as the various committees within the executive cabinet. To explore more, be sure to visit www.sga.gatech.edu and also look out for important announcements here as well. I wish all of you the best for a fruitful academic year and most importantly, Go Jackets!
The Class of 2014 brings with it some of the brightest minds that Tech has ever seen. You all have the most diverse class with the highest test scores to date. With such incredible credentials, it is only fair that you expect great things from your experience here at Tech. As your Student Body President, it is my goal to lead SGA in a manner that meets and exceeds those expectations. When I think about Tech, I like to say that it is in the business of facilitating greatness. If you need evidence of this, then take a walk down Skiles walkway during lunchtime and ask a random Tech student what he has been involved in or what his life ambitions are. I can point out a host of students who I interact with on a daily basis who are bound to leave a profound mark on this world. It is for that reason that I ran for this office, and it is for that reason that the scores of students involved with SGA do what they do. They want to provide a learning environment that meets the expectations of their illustrious peers. This year your SGA will pursue a strategic approach to enhancing the student experience that focuses on a few key areas. They are as follows: academic excellence, community outreach and campus support. Through those avenues, we hope to provide sustainable change to this campus that impacts Jackets for years to come. Now, I know that you are thinking to yourself
“What does this mean?” That is why I would like to take a moment to detail a few areas that we are hoping to partner with the administration to address. Academic Excellence: Let’s face it; we are all here to learn. That is why we have created a new position within that solely focuses on academics. This position will pursue areas such as establishing a Student/ Faculty Rights and Expectations, as well as working with our LEAD program to develop a Leadership minor. We also will be focusing in increasing the number of value-added experiences in the classroom. That goes beyond simply increasing faculty/student interaction, but it allows students to tackle real-world problems and develop solutions. Community Outreach: Tech has a tremendous impact on the surrounding community. This year, we will seek to leverage that impact to bring sustainable, positive change to our surrounding communities. By building relationships with neighborhood associations and government entities, we provide students with an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of those who live right next door to us. We also position our students as vehicles of positive change in the Atlanta community. Campus Support: One of the key areas that we intend on improving with those departments that provide integral support to our students is in communication. We aim to provide
real-time feedback on initiatives so that departments are able to understand if their resources are focused in the areas that maximize the value added to students. While we plan to do these things and have every intention to carry them out, we cannot achieve success without your support or involvement. That is why we ask that you be fully engaged and provide us with feedback. There is a host of ways to get involved with your SGA. You may run for Freshman Representative or join a committee. If that doesn’t suit your needs then you can just come and sit in on one of our meetings that are held every Tuesday at 7:30 in the Flag Building (Rm 117). We want to serve you effectively but need your full participation in order to do so. When I was a freshman, I recall hearing a very similar call for involvement from the Student Body President of that year. I, as well as hundreds of other students, accepted that call and worked to make this campus a better place to learn. Now it is your turn to take ownership of your Tech experience and make a difference in this community. If ever I may be of assistance, please don’t hesitate to send me an email at coreytboone@gmail.com or visit my office. I am here to serve you! As you embark upon your Tech experience, please make it a goal to have the best time of your life. Tech provides with it a rich experience full of traditions (and opportunities to make your own). So, get involved, learn the traditions and write your very own Tech story. With such a phenomenal group of scholars, I know you will make a difference in this bright community.
tech n iq e u all we’re missing is
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!
pizza meetings on tuesdays 7 p.m., flag building, room137
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FOCUS
Photo by Michael James
FOCUS
2 • August 20, 2010 • Technique
Buzz rolls out of Mini 500 race, onto red carpet By Julia Turner Contributing Writer
Roll out the red carpet, because Tech’s got a new Emmy to add to its collection of awards and trophies. Every year, Tech’s Communications & Marketing department creates a public service announcement (PSA) to promote the Tech brand during all televised athletic events, including basketball and football games. Students may remember last year’s PSA, which featured Tech tradi-
tions such as the Mini 500, and also highlighted Tech’s status as a noteworthy research institution. The PSA caught the attention of judges at the Southeast Regional Emmy Awards, winning an award for “Outstanding Achievement: Television Special Achievement Excellence” in the Commercial category. In addition to the Emmy, last year’s PSA won the Grand Gold award from the Southeast Region’s Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) in the Audiovisual Communications, Television category. The group involved in the making of the PSA was “pleasantly surprised” after winning such accolades, according to Katherine Bows Taylor, the director of Communications and Marketing. Taylor also oversees the production of the PSA. “You never know what the competition is going to be like for these. It really shows the talent that we’ve got within our Communications & Marketing team,” Taylor said. Work begins on the
annual announcement in late Jan. or early Feb., with the first month dedicated to brainstorming concepts for the video. “Most college PSAs are very generic. We want ours to be something creative that stands out, something that distinguishes Tech for the unique institute that it is,” Taylor said. For Taylor, that means revealing the students and research within the campus. One of the distinguishing qualities of the Tech PSA was student involvement, including the recreation of the Mini 500 complete with cheering extras, who were all Tech students recruited during the summer semester. Students were important participants in the PSA’s production. Members of the production team used student feedback to check the credibility of the storyline, and students ended up being stars of the show. In an effort to make the video more authentic, the production team hoped to get a student athlete to play the starring role. They accomplished this goal with the help of the Athletic Association. Frequenters of Tech tennis matches may have recognized Doug Kenny, a fourth year IE student and member of the Tech men’s tennis team, as the Mini
500 competitor and test subject in the video. “I did some things on camera that I never thought I would do, [like] dressing up in tights and having two lawn blowers pointed at my face [or riding] a tricycle on a treadmill with my shirt off and baby oil covering my body. Regardless of the unusual circumstances, I had a blast and am really glad that I was asked to participate,” Kenny said. Another interesting aspect of the video included the recruitment of a crowd of cheering onlookers for Kenny at a recreation of the Mini 500. Sarah Mallory, former student communications manager for Communications & Marketing, and the Ramblin‘ Reck Club helped recruit interested students as extras for the video. The goal of these students was to bring the moment alive with enthusiasm, despite the fact that the video was filmed on a hot June day. “We could not have done it without their involvement,” Taylor said regarding student participation in the film. Another interesting aspect of the production included filming at various research labs on campus, including the Exercise Physiology Lab and at the Center for Robotics and Intelligent Machines. Another one of the
challenges included coordinating the set of extras and props for the filming of the scenes. The entire video was shot on campus over a period of four days. The technical side of production fell to Maxwell Guberman, a videographer for Communications & Marketing. In addition, Sam Rickles, CM ‘10, decided to try his hand at the video production. Rickles created a two minute film to give more information about the Mini 500 and the people involved with the 2009 PSA. This film uses much more original footage than the PSA, which had to comply with time restrictions. The official PSA is approximately 40 seconds long. Rickles’ finished film, along with a video on the making of the PSA can be found online at www.gatech.edu/mini500. The website also includes links to PSAs from previous years. Communications & Marketing was highly impressed with student participation in last year’s commercial, and it welcomes student ideas for similar future productions. According to Taylor, the more people on board during the idea stage of planning, the better. The 2010 PSA is in its final stages of production and will air at the first televised football game of the season. Expectations are high.
Image courtesy of Georgia Tech Communications and Marketing
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Technique • August 20, 2010 • 3
UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDAR
AUG 23
- First day of classes Red Cross Blood Drive Rock Your Face Off [Navy Armory Building, 8 p.m.]
monday
AUG 30 - Student Involvement Week Organizational Fair [Skiles, 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.]
monday
AUG 24
- Technique meeting [Flag building, 7 p.m.]
tuesday
AUG 31 - East Campus Tips for Success and Women’s Cheesecake Reception [Brittain Recreation Room, 7:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.]
tuesday
AUG 25
- Red Cross Blood Drive - Exchange Program Info. Session [Savant 211, 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.]
AUG 26
- West Campus Tips for Success and Women’s Cheesecake Reception [Hefner Learning Center, 7:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.]
wednesday
SEP 1 - Welcome Back Week Mini Golf and Funnel Cake [Skiles, 11 p.m.-2 p.m.] - Student Involvement Week Organizational Fair [Skiles, 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.]
wednesday
AUG 27
- DramaTech Open House [Dean Dull Theater, 6 p.m.-8 p.m.] - Latino Welcome Weekend Cookout and Game Night
friday
thursday
SEP 3
SEP 2 - Welcome Back Week Dunk Tank and Ice Cream [Skiles, 11 p.m.-2 p.m.] - Student Involvement Week Organizational Fair [Skiles, 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.]
thursday
- Welcome Back Week Movie Showing of Kick Ass [Skiles] - Student Involvement Week Organizational Fair [Skiles, 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.]
friday
O H
N O ATL S D A N A
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NE SOCIE A M U
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OICE ATLA V E N One Voice Atlanta is a group of college students who focus on eliminating human trafficking in Atlanta. According to the website for the Tech chapter of One Voice, Atlanta has the highest human trafficking rate in the USA. One Voice serves to create awareness and generate funds for trafficking victims. One Voice Atlanta will host a gala on Oct. 19, including entertainment and a silent auction, along with awareness efforts. To get involved, visit http://sites.google. com/site/gtonevoiceatl/home.
A NT The Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta focuses on enhancing the lives of ill children through both medical treatment and emotional support. Volunteers at the Children’s Healthcare often plan activities, service projects and fundraisers for the children. They also interact with the patients to provide them with an emotional support system. To volunteer with the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, visit http://choa. org.
ARE HC
TY
The Atlanta Humane Society (AHS) is an animal charity that functions as a pet adoption center, a clinic and an educational program provider. It focuses on assisting abused and neglected animals. The program allows for work in the pet shelter and one-on-one volunteering with dogs and cats staying in the shelter. The Foster Care component focuses on special needs animals, and the AHS offers pet rescue and animal welfare. To participate in the Atlanta Humane Society, visit http://atlantahumane.org.
S HEA ’ N E R LT D L
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Hands On Atlanta offers more than 1,000 volunteer opportunities per month, focusing on a variety of issues, including adult literacy, animal support, conservation, AIDS support services, disability services and meal service for the homeless. The organization also includes an AmeriCorps program whose members serve as teaching assistants, tutors and mentors. Hands On Atlanta also coordinates volunteer programs with elementary schools in the metro Atlanta area. Go to http://handsonatlanta.org for more information.
B D A O NK O F The Atlanta Community Food Bank (ACFB) distributes over two million pounds of food across the state of Ga. on a monthly basis. With food pantries, community kitchens and senior centers, the ACFB protects low-income families from hunger and food insecurity. The ACFB conducts projects such as the Atlanta Prosperity Campaign, Atlanta’s Table, Kids in Need and Community Gardens. To volunteer with the ACFB as an individual or as a group, visit http://acfb.org.
Volunteers with the Atlanta Children’s Shelter aid children from broken families by providing comfort and safety, along with the more tangible daily meals, clothing, health care and educational opportunity. The shelter also assists families on the whole with housing aid, job search assistance, parenting classes and financial management counseling. To volunteer, visit http://atlantachildrensshelter.com.
Open Hand’s mission is to help people prevent and manage chronic diseases. Programs offered through Open Hand include Medical Nutrition Therapy, dietary counseling, senior meals and meals prepared daily for children and low-income families. The organization also runs an Open Hand Pantry that gives food to low-income clients with medical issues on a weekly basis. To learn more about volunteering with Open Hand in Atlanta, visit http://projectopenhand.org.
S U ERS O H ,I D A
. NC
H A ND N E P O
M
CHIL
SHELT S ’ N ER E R D
Madhousers, Inc. is an Atlanta-based non-profit corporation that provides temporary and emergency shelter for homeless individuals and families. The locations of the shelters are in various places around the city. Each hut is constructed by hand by the members of Madhousers. They use scraps, donations and materials from local supply stores. Construction knowledge is not necessary, as volunteers can learn on the job. To volunteer with Madhousers, Inc., visit http://madhousers.org.
Atlanta offers multitude of ways to give back
FOCUS
6 • August 20, 2010 • Technique
Prominent Tech figures give advice to freshmen MEET...THE MAN WHO RUNS THE PLACE
Photo by Michael Schneider / Student Publications
Institute President G. P. “Bud” Peterson
Holding a doctoral degree in mechanical engineering and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, Peterson has been president at Tech since April 2009. Before that, he held top academic and administrative positions at the University of Colorado at Boulder, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Texas A&M University. Peterson has also served on the National Science Board (the scientific advisors to the President and Congress) since 2008.
As a scientist and engineer, Peterson has authored or co-authored over 300 written works and holds eight patents. “I met my wife Val my freshman year—best thing that ever happened to me. Other than that, I think my freshman year gave me confidence. I was able to do some things that I had never tried before, and I found that I could actually do them,” Peterson said regarding his own freshman year at Kansas St.
MEET...THE FAMOUS STUDENT WHO NEVER EXISTED George P. Burdell
In the 1920s, Tech mistakenly issued thenfreshman William Smith two admission applications; Smith saw this as an opportunity, and both he and his fictional George P. Burdell applied. Both were admitted, registered for classes and graduated in the class of 1930. Smith and his fellow conspirators then revealed the prank, much to the chagrin of the administration; however, the students had already adopted George, and he continued to earn his master’s degree.
Burdell continued his career in the armed forces, appearing on plane, ship and submarine rosters, and articles abound in Atlanta publications bear his name on the byline. One of Burdell’s most recent achievements was garnering the most votes in Time Magazine’s 2001 Person of the Year; naturally, Time caught on and foiled the plot. Still, Burdell lives on as the official Tech alias and having the campus general store in the Student Center named after him.
MEET...THE UBIQUITOUS YELLOW JACKET MASCOT
MEET...THE YELLOW JACKETS’ MAIN MAN
Since the 1980s, Buzz has been promoted from a particularly enthusiastic yellow-clad cheerleader to an icon on campus. Buzz appears in person at games, is printed on official Tech documents and promotions and the name is attached to the ubiquitous BuzzCard. Though Buzz is technically a cheerleader, he or she must be one of the most physically fit on the team. Besides typical cheering and running around in a stifling costume, Buzz does a push-
Since becoming Athletic Director in 2006, Radakovich has seen one of the most successful sports campaigns in Tech’s history: a combined win-loss record of 213-80 for the Yellow Jackets’ teams. After joining Tech, he started the Athletic Director’s Initiative Fund, now worth more than $12 million and dedicated to go beyond normal budgetary expenditures on special projects. From his experiences as
Buzz
Dan Radakovich
a freshman at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, he offers this advice to the next Tech class. “I wished I had used the resources more that were available to me when I was first starting college. They were all around me but I tried to do too much on my own. I have since gotten a bit smarter and learned to take advantage of the all the resources available [to me] to make better and more effective choices,” Radakovich said.
Photo by Michael Schneider / Student Publications
Image courtesy of Georgia Tech Communications and Marketing
up for every Tech point at football games – fortunately, this was long after the Cumberland game. Buzz has placed first and second in various national mascot challenges if not just for general excellence then for active public displays. In a 1999 game against Duke, Buzz defended himself against the Blue Devil—armed with a giant flyswatter—by beating him with his own weapon and then breaking it in front of the mortified Duke fans.
FOCUS
MEET...THE UNDERGRADUATE SGA PRESIDENT
MEET...THE UNDERGRADUATE SGA VICE PRESIDENT
Corey T. Boone
Brenda Morales
For her third year in the Student Government Association (SGA), Morales will be responsible for coordinating and chairing the Undergraduate House of Representatives (UHR), which controls funding for student activities and organizations. Now a fourth-year BCHM major, Morales has had the time to determine just what about freshman year has kept her going through Tech’s rigor and SGA’s dedication. “One of the most impor-
MEET...THE GRADUATE SGA PRESIDENT
MEET...THE GRADUATE SGA VICE PRESIDENT
As a Ph.D. student studying organic chemistry, Baldridge has served as a graduate senator for three years and as the Student Welfare Chair. Baldridge has earned several fellowships, including a Student and Teacher Enhancement Program (STEP) Fellowship, through which he works with faculty at Marietta High School to mentor younger students competing in science fairs. He was also a student core contributor to the recent Strategic Vision,
During her time as a Ph.D. student studying industrial and organizational psychology, Schnure has been strongly involved in the graduate Student Government Association (SGA) as a senator and an executive community member. She recently appeared on National Public Radio (NPR) to talk about her research on narcissistic leaders, noting that their negative personality traits, or “dark sides,” often show up to prevent good leadership.
Kathy Schnure
NS_1123 Georgia Tech Newspaper Ad.indd 1
and in 2008 he received recognition as the most outstanding teaching assistant in chemistry. “The major thing that has stuck with me since the first year [at Tech]... is the large input students have on Georgia Tech campus. This input is unmatched by any other institution of higher learning that I know of, and I feel it is something that separates Georgia Tech from all others,” Baldridge said of his time since his move from Piedmont College to Tech.
Photo by Jarrett Skov / Student Publications
Anthony Baldridge
Image courtesy of Georgia Tech Communications and Marketing
tant things that I found was that I am most productive and most motivated when I am busiest. I wish that I had been more involved my freshman year. I had time, so I was able to procrastinate, but being busy has forced me to manage my time well, and I actually think I have a better balance now than I had back then. I would definitely encourage freshmen to find activities that they enjoy, make time for them and take opportunities to meet other people,” Morales said.
Image courtesy of Georgia Tech Communications and Marketing
freshman] that the next four years travel at warp speed. I realized this the summer after my freshman year, and I quickly began getting involved and pursuing activities that would allow me to give back to Tech. That’s what kept me motivated to run for Student Body President, and it’s what motivates me everyday to try to make a difference. I’d tell any freshman to explore this campus and find a way to leave your mark,” Boone said.
Photo by Eric Mansfield / Student Publications
For his third year in the Student Government Association (SGA), Boone, a fourth-year MGT major, will be responsible for overseeing SGA as a whole and holding veto power over bills from the Undergraduate House of Representatives (UHR). He has been involved with several student and institute organizations on campus since his first year, a time when he realized something important about college. “I wish I learned [as a
Technique • August 20, 2010 • 7
Though not as particularly relevant to freshman as the undergraduate SGA is, Schnure can still offer a word of advice to the incoming freshmen. “This piece of advice certainly transcends location: use your calendar [or] planner. There’s no worse feeling than that stomach drop you get when you realized you’ve missed a meeting or assignment simply because you didn’t write it down. Don’t learn this the hard way,” Schnure said.
5/19/10 11:11 AM
Georgia Tech
s t r o p S l a r u m a Fall Intr
Get Involved!
Registration Meeting August 30, 6 PM Flag Building, Rm. 117 Online Registration August 31, 8 AM ‐ September 1, 12 PM Late Registration (For those who do NOT attend the registration meeting)
There is no victory...
September 1, 1 PM ‐ 5 PM First Day of Play September 6
Sports Offered Phase I
Cornhole Sand Volleyball
Flag Football Ultimate Frisbee
...Without Honor. Want to be a referee?
Contact Dru Jenkins at Dru@gatech.edu.
!"#$%&$'$()'*#$+%,-+%.'/012&)'%$' gtim@gatech.edu or 404.894.9984. Campus Recreation Center • 750 Ferst Drive • Atlanta, GA 30332
ENTERTAINMENT
Photo by Jarrett Skov
FERST CENTER FO R TH E ARTS AT G EO RG IA TEC H
GT STUDENT TICKETS Tickets to all shows in the Ferst Center’s 2010-2011 Season go on sale to students on Thursday, August 26 at 10 a.m. at the Ferst Center.
STUDENT TICKETS ON SALE AUGUST 26!
GT Student tickets are $10 to any show except Margaret Cho-$15. You can purchase up to 2 tickets at the Student price for each performance.*
I
TECH
WelcomHoeme
SEE GREAT SHOWS ALL YEAR RIGHT HERE ON CAMPUS! DEBBIE REYNOLDS Season Opener!
A PETER WHITE CHRISTMAS
WITH RICK BRAUN AND MINDI ABAIR
Friday, December 10, 2010
Saturday, September 11, 2010
STEP AFRIKA!
BREAK OF REALITY–FREE! Friday, September 17, 2010 Shows at 12 noon & 5 p.m.
Tickets required, available at Open House
DAVID SANBORN TRIO
Saturday, January 29, 2011
JON FADDIS JAZZ ORCHESTRA
Saturday, February 12, 2011
FEATURING JOEY DEFRANCESCO
CIRQUE MECHANICS
Friday, October 1, 2010
Friday, February 18, 2011
ROCKAPELLA
MARGARET CHO
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Saturday, February 19, 2011
DIAVOLO
DOUG VARONE & DANCERS
Friday, October 15, 2010
Saturday, March 5, 2011
PAULA POUNDSTONE
MELINDA DOOLITTLE
Friday, October 22, 2010
Saturday, March 12, 2011
MICHAEL BOLTON
ERIC MARIENTHAL
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Friday, March 25, 2011
AN EVENING WITH
NRITYAGRAM DANCE ENSEMBLE
BRANFORD MARSALIS
Friday, November 5, 2010
LILY CAI CHINESE DANCE Friday, November 12, 2010
Sunday, March 27, 2011
JONAH BOKAER
KATHY MATTEA SONGS AND THE SEASON
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Saturday, April 2, 2011
PEABO BRYSON
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Come early to get the best seats! Free posters and refreshments, and the first 60 students to purchase tickets receive a free CD! Sponsored by
See show descriptions at www.ferstcenter.gatech.edu *Student
Ticket Notes
Buzzcard required for ID. Tech students may purchase up to 2 tickets at the student price per performance. A non-student guest must be accompanied by a Tech student. 15% discount available for additional tickets. After the August 26 Open House, student tickets can be purchased at the Box Office in the Student Center.
Limited ticket availability. All programs subject to change.
349 Ferst Drive
404-894-9600
Student Ticket program sponsored by
Division of Student Affairs
Enriching the Educational Experience ( E 3 )
www.ferstcenter.gatech.edu
ENTERTAINMENT
Technique • August 20, 2010 • 3
Dance flick steps up to a new dimension
Image courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures FILM
Step Up 3D GENRE: Music/Romance STARRING: Rick Malambri, Adam Sevani, Sharni Vinson, Alyson Stoner DIRECTOR: Jon Chu RATING: PG-13 RELEASED: Aug. 6, 2010
OUR TAKE: ««««« By Robert Solomon Staff Writer
For many, the arrival of Step Up 3D to theaters may be a sign that 3D has officially jumped the
shark. It’s hard to believe that Avatar only just came out last Dec., especially with the glut of 3D products that have flooded theaters since then. While CGI animated films have made the transition smoothly, live action films have not been so lucky. When Avatar came out, it showed the potential advantages of using 3D for movies. It helped viewers have a more immersive experience, and many watching it felt it was an enhancement and not just an annoying distraction which required those weird glasses. Unbeknownst to many watching at the time, that experience was made possible through special cameras.
The economy sucks.
Free pizza rations on Tuesdays.
7 p.m., Flag 137, Technique
With the success of the movie and a perceived increase in interest in the technology, over-eager studios looking to boost the bottom line took many movies originally shot on film and hastily make them into 3D in post-production, making the once seemingly organic effect decidedly unnatural in most movies billed as 3D. Perhaps the biggest example of this is with Clash of the Titans, which received a lot of criticism for its shoddy 3D effects. The number of movies shot with the special cameras specific to 3D is low, but there are still some out there doing it right. Step Up 3D was shot with these special cameras, making it the first real 3D live action movie since Avatar. Now this is all well and good,
you may ask, but how does that justify giving Step Up 3D four stars? Certainly the plot is not the reason. While Dance Flick may have failed as a comedy, it did manage to lampoon certain clichés that all dance films seem to have. Step Up 3D manages to dispense each one in the first ten minutes of the film. True to dance film form, our hero is quickly introduced to the crew that he will be dancing with as well as the “Biggest Dance Battle Ever,” which closes the movie. However, the lukewarm plot is not what’s important in this movie. Instead, the focus is more on the amazing dance routines than on the actual story line. As a result of the quick introduction, the movie has more time to show the dancers dancing. 3D may seem a strange choice for a dance film, but it turns out to be one of the best uses of the medium yet. As the dancers leap, dive and move through the frame, the sense of depth enhances the intricate choreography by showing us how each dancer is a part of the whole. The dancers in the background are equally a part of the routines as the ones in the front. When done well, this is the freedom that 3D gives the viewer. It allows us to watch different elements depending on what catches our own unique interest. This phenomenon is widely helped by the fundamental realism of what is being performed. While some misguided CGI is applied at times, the moves of every dancer are very real. These are obviously real dancers performing real choreographed routines. Another thing that adds to the realistic element is how director Jon Chu wisely restrains himself from cutting every two seconds, and instead lets segments of larger routines play out. With several seconds of an unbroken take to watch a dancer hurtle through the air before landing, not only within the screen but also within one’s own field of vision, the anticipation is heightened, making the payoff all the greater. While the director is able to restrain himself, he is less able to resist filling the frame with random
flying objects to remind you that the film is in fact 3D. There are a few sporadic outbursts of bubbles of water droplets every now and then. Thankfully, the projectiles flying at the viewer are kept to a minimum. Once the plot is set in motion, the camera is largely left to record the dancers, which is what’s really important. Now I could tell you about how the set-piece routines cleverly use environmental objects to enhance the depth of the staging, but that is better seen with one’s own eyes. Instead, I will tell you about one of the weaker dance routines included in this movie. This consists of a two-minute long dance that is performed by several awkward dancers. This dance routine is a bit random, and feels more like an homage to Gene Kelly than anything else. The dance is certainly nothing compared to Singing in the Rain, but it is able to hold its own thanks to the 3D effects. To see these dance routines in 3D feels like the true calling of this medium, as opposed to garish 3D tricks thrown at you in other genres of film. (See the trailer for the latest Resident Evil movie for plenty of examples of this). Sure, explosions and rubble flying at the viewer look cool, but is it really needed? Not necessarily in most cases. What sets films like Avatar and Step Up 3D apart is the fact that the 3D effects actually enhance the film. Certainly the enhanced depth of field versus reality has its moments, just as an overabundance of color can. I breathed a sigh of relief when the 3D camera just spent a few moments taking in Times Square, with the buildings appearing much larger than they actually are. It is in the enhancement of these small, everyday realities that 3D will find its place, if it isn’t killed by Hollywood excess first. It is probably the only movie I would tell anyone they have to see in 3D, if you’re planning on seeing it at all. If you do watch it, close one eye during one of the furious dance sequences if you find yourself not being impressed.
While you’re he these local m FOX THEATRE
Atlanta’s Fox Theatre is one of the most prestigious historic venues in America and a main attraction of Atlanta nightlife. It has 4,678 seats and annually puts on more than 300 performances a year, specializing in everything from plays to concerts to movies. The Fox is located in the center of Midtown, right on Peachtree Street. Coming this fall, Drake, Lady Antebellum and The National are all playing at the theatre, so be sure to check them out when they visit town. Photo by Jon Drews
Variety Playhouse is a theatre and nightclub located in Atlanta’s own Little Five Points. While it may be a different environment than the more formal one usually at the Fox, it is perfect for those who prefer smaller venues for their concerts. There are chairs for sitting or standing room if you prefer to groove to the music. This fall, Sara Bareilles, The Script, Motion City Soundtrack and Perpetual Groove are all scheduled to perform. Even if none of these acts appeal to you, be sure to check out Little Five Points. Browsing the trendy shops or eating at one of the local restaurants is a great way to spend an afternoon.
TABERNACLE
Photo by Kelvin Kuo
The Tabernacle is a 100-year-old church that was converted into one of Atlanta’s premiere music venues. It has a standing room as well as seats in two balcony floors. While bigger than the Variety Playhouse, it is still an ideal place to enjoy some great bands and intimate performances. It is located right by Centennial Olympic Park, which is another great place to check out during your leisure time. MGMT, Slightly Stoopid and Adam Lambert are all scheduled to perform this fall.
Photo by Joey Cerone
VARIETY PLAYHOUSE
ere, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t miss music venues MASQUERADE
The Masquerade is an old mill building that was converted into a small concert venue located on North Avenue. It has three stages of differing sizes called Heaven (top floor), Purgatory and Hell (basement). This unique layout offers a variety of music for concertgoers, with local bands performing on the smaller stages and better-known bands on the larger stages. This fall, The Maine, Something Corporate, Hot Hot Heat and Senses Fail are all slated to perform.
Photo by Colin Ake
THE EARL
Photo by Rob Combier
The Earl (East Atlanta Restaurant and Lounge) is a trendy hipster music venue/bar located on Flat Shoals Avenue. It is known for its amazing burgers as well as frequently featuring many local and indie bands. There are tables as well as a large dance floor. With live shows almost every night, this venue is always hopping. Upcoming shows include Peelander-Z, Bomber City and Jamie Lidell. Be warned of the smoke filled atmosphere and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget that this venue is 21 and up to enter.
CENTER STAGE
Center Stage is a cozy venue located in the heart of Midtown on West Peachtree St. It hosts some of the biggest names in show business, as well as smaller, more local bands. With stadium style seating, every seat is a good one. Shows are for all ages unless otherwise specified. The venue is easy to get to on MARTA, just a couple of blocks away from Peachtree Center. Jimmy Eat World, Wale, Flyleaf and Jason Derulo will perform this fall, so make sure to check them out when they come to Atlanta.
Photo by Justin Levine
6 • August 20, 2010 • Technique
Piled Higher & Deeper by Jorge Cham
COMICS
Non Sequitur by Wiley
COMICS
Non Sequitur by Wiley
DILBERT ® by Scott Adams
Technique • August 20, 2010 • 7
GT Ski Trip Breckenridge, CO December 18 - 23, 2010
www.crc.gatech.edu 5 nights, 4-day lift ticket Plane & Ground Packages Available Ski Trip Meeting - September 9 at 6:30 PM Student Services Building, Rm. 117 This trip is open to everyone, so bring family and friends!
SPORTS
Photo by Kelvin Kuo / Student Publications
2 • August 20, 2010 • Technique
SPORTS
Athletic venues embody Tech’s winning background By Alex Mitchell Sports Editor
Tech has a long and storied athletic tradition, and the sports facilities in which the Jackets play are a major part of each sports team’s history. The sections that follow detail the home stadiums of several of Tech’s major varsity sports teams. Bobby Dodd Stadium
Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field houses one of the most storied programs in college football. The stadium was built in
1913 by students and is the oldest active on-campus stadium of any NCAA Division I football team. In 2003, the stadium underwent renovations that increased the stadium’s capacity to 55,000 seats. The largest crowd at the stadium since then came in a game against No. 2 Notre Dame in 2006, with 56,680 fans in attendance; the most in Tech history was 60,316, when the Jackets hosted Georgia in 1973. Because of the stadium’s age, it has gone through numerous reconstructions that have constantly changed its seating capacity. The
most recent renovation took place in the summer of 2009, as the sound system was improved and a $4.5 million, 2,400 square foot video board was erected above the South end zone. Tech named the stadium in honor of former Head Coach Bobby Dodd in April 1988. Dodd led the Jackets to a 165-64-8 record in his 23-year tenure as the head coach and served in some capacity with the institution for 56 years. The field was originally named after John W. Grant, a one-time member of the Georgia Tech board of trustees, in 1914.
Russ Chandler Stadium
Russ Chandler Stadium, the home of Tech baseball, opened in 1930 with the funds that Tech collected from the 1929 Rose Bowl game. It is known to some fans simply as the “Rusty C.” The stadium was reconstructed in 2002 and has a listed capacity of 4,157. The attendance record of 4,609 was set on April 9, 2008, when Tech hosted Georgia. Tech has hosted numerous NCAA Regionals and ACC tournaments at the stadium over the past two decades. The stadium also served as a training site during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. It was named in honor of A. Russell Chandler III, who donated much of the necessary money needed for its renovation in 1985. Alexander Memorial Coliseum
Photo by Kelvin Kuo / Student Publications
Fans at Bobby Dodd Stadium watch Georgia Tech upset then No. 4 Virginia Tech, 28-23. Bobby Dodd Stadium is the oldest on-campus stadium of any NCAA FBS team, having been active since 1913.
Tech’s Alexander Memorial Coliseum has been home to the men’s basketball team since 1956. The arena has gone through several renovations, each time adding seating capacity while still maintaining the intimacy and character of the arena. Its original capacity of roughly 7,000 has been expanded over time to 9,191. The Coliseum’s popular nickname of the “Thrillerdome” was coined by former Tech announcer Brad Nessler during the 1983-84 season after five games ended in exciting fashion. Since the Coliseum opened, the men’s team has had a home winning percentage of over .700.
O’Keefe Gymnasium
O’Keefe Gymnasium was used by O’Keefe High School during the 1950’s and was given to Tech in the 1960’s. It has been the home of Tech’s volleyball team since 1995. The gym is able to host around 1,000 people. The Pep Band helps keep the crowd energized during games, leading them with a cheer of “Point Tech!” every time the Jackets win a point. Bill Moore Tennis Center
Tech’s tennis program hosts one of the nation’s best tennis facilities with the Bill Moore Tennis Center. Its namesake, Bill Moore, is a member of the Georgia Tech Hall of Fame. He provided the funding to help open the Center in 1988. The center features outdoor courts that can seat 1,500 and a two-story indoor court structure. Shirley C. Mewborn Field
Starting in March 2009, the softball team began playing its home games at the newly built Shirley Clements Mewborn Field after 21-plus years at Glenn Field. Mewborn Field can seat up to 1,500 spectators, and like the baseball field it has both chairback and bench seating. The facility also features indoor batting cages and bullpens along the sidelines. Tech has hosted NCAA Super Regionals at Mewborn Field in each of the stadium’s first two seasons.
Technique • August 20, 2010 • 3
SPORTS
Baseball players prep for future via draft, summer league By Alex Mitchell Sports Editor
Last season, the Tech baseball team enjoyed a successful season that consisted of 47 wins and an opportunity to host a portion of the NCAA tournament. The team featured a number of quality players, and 10 of those players were drafted in the 2010 Major League Baseball draft. Nine of those 10 players will not return to the Tech team next season and will join MLB team’s farm systems. Senior pitcher Kevin Jacob will return to the Jackets after being taken in the 18th round by the New York Yankees. An injury made Jacob’s stock drop, so Jacob will return to Tech and try to get drafted higher next season. The most notable loss for the Jackets is pitcher Deck McGuire, who was selected eleventh overall by the Toronto Blue Jays. After negotiating his contract, McGuire signed a minor league deal with Toronto with a $2 million signing bonus. He was the first Tech pitcher to be selected in the first round under the tutelage of Manager Danny Hall. Even though Tech lost some talent, they do return several key parts of the team next season. Some of those players decided to play in the Cape Cod Summer Baseball League in the offseason. Last year junior pitcher Jed Bradley was Tech’s second start-
Photo by Kelvin Kuo / Student Publications
Mark Pope delivers a breaking ball in last season’s win against UGA at Turner Field. Pope only allowed two runs in seven innings. ing pitcher behind McGuire. Bradley started 16 games for the Jackets and posted a 9-5 record. He had a high ERA at 4.83, but he was able to pitch many innings, throwing a total of 91.1. Bradley built on his strong season as a Tech starter in the summer league, going 2-3 with a 1.98
ERA. Bradley only pitched 41 innings for the Wareham Gatemen, but he managed to lead the entire league in strikeouts with 44. Bradley’s strong showing in the summer earned him a spot on the Western Division team’s roster for the 2010 All-Star Game. In the game, Bradley pitched one per-
fect inning of relief and struck out one batter. Joining Bradley on the Wareham Gatemen is junior relief pitcher Jake Davies. Davies performed well out of the bullpen for the Jackets last season making 17 appearances. The southpaw posted a 3.52 ERA, but he did not lose a game all season (2-0) and batters were only hitting .268 against him. Davies also had a strong showing for the Wareham Gatemen bullpen with a 2.38 ERA. Davies also performed well at the plate, hitting two doubles and four RBIs in only 26 at bats. His numbers helped earn him a spot in the Cape Cod home run derby. Junior third baseman Matt Skole also competed in a home run derby this offseason, finishing third in the 2010 AmeriTrade College Home Run Derby. Skole was a force at the plate for the Jackets last season hitting .335 with 20 home runs and 63 RBIs. The 6-foot-4-four left-hander will most likely replace first baseman Tony Plagman in the middle of Tech’s lineup next season. Skole also managed to drive in runs for the Falmouth Commodores this summer. Skole only hit .245 but managed to keep his slugging percentage high with his 11 doubles and three home runs. Skole also has a Tech teammate playing with him this summer in sophomore pitcher Mark Pope. Pope was the mid-week starter for the Jackets last season as a true
freshman and was a key player down the stretch. Pope had a great freshman season for Tech going 8-1 with a 3.78 ERA. Pope’s pivotal start of the season came in the game against UGA at Turner Field, and the hard-throwing righty pitched seven solid innings with nine strikeouts en route to a win. Pope continued his hot streak in the summer league for the Falmouth Commodores, leading the team in strikeouts with 42 and in innings pitched with 44.2. For the season, Pope went 2-2 with a 3.22 ERA. Pope’s ERA could have been better were it not for two poor starts where he gave up 10 runs in each game. Sophomore pitcher Luke Bard also competed in the Cape Cod Summer League this summer, but the righty played a smaller part for the Brewster Whitecaps with only 24.1 innings pitched. Bard played a limited role for the Jackets last season as well, coming out of the bullpen averaging only 1.1 innings per appearance. Bard had a rough freshman season with a 7.53 ERA, but his nearly 2:1 strikeout to walk ratio was a positive. For the Whitecaps, Bard’s ERA was much lower at 4.44 and he was called upon to start two games. Bard was able to find the strike zone for the Whitecaps, almost as well as he did for Tech, throwing five more strikeouts than walks.
sliver
www.nique.net
Every time i enter this classroom, a small part of my soul escapes into the steam that billows forth from tech’s sewers Like a dementor, except i don’t get chocolate from this suffering How do people not know they’re pregnant?? I don’t understand!!!! 9 months of ignorance?? Big words are coming out of your mouth, but they have little meaning I’M A SOCIALIST - OKAYYY?! STOP HATING. Two blonde guys who keep “debating” each other in class - cage fight and get it over with I’ma get out my vuvuzela app on my iPod to start shutting these people up. BAHHH. false. But, but, but.... the economy! But, but, but... society! Hard work pays off in the future, laziness pays off now. diversity is too much to ask for sunflower seeds in the vending machines? i see popcorn in the machines and there arent any microwaves! For a school that prides itself of being green, we’re sure doing a great job of eliminating green space. The enthusiasm of summer freshman have made me realize how jaded I’ve become. Fun. Soccer fans get so butthurt the minute you say anything remotely derogatory about their “perfect game”. Lol.
The economy sucks.
Free pizza rations on Tuesdays.
www.nique.net
7 p.m., Flag 137, Technique
sustaining success: 20
Last season, Head Coach Paul Johnson once again proved that his triple-option offense could be successful at Te This year, Johnson will look to replace four key players and improve on Tech’s eleven wins. If Tech wants to repea games in a much improved ACC .
offense
Backfield
This season, Tech’s backfield will be led by senior quarterback Joshua Nesbitt. Nesbitt returns to the Flats to start his third season under center after rushing for 1,037 yards and 18 touchdowns last year. Nesbitt will have to use his experience this season because he will be without his former go-to running back, Jonathan Dwyer. Dwyer left Tech after his junior season, creating a hole at the B-back position. It is a spot that has been filled by senior Anthony Allen. Allen played at the A-back position last season, but at 6 feet, 230 pounds, he figures to possess the size and strength to play B-back. After transferring from Louisville in 2007, Allen performed well in his first season as a Jacket, rushing for 618 yards on only 64 carries. Senior Lucas Cox and junior Preston Lyons will back up Allen at B-back. This season, Tech will have depth at the A-back position with 13 players currently listed on the roster. Juniors Roddy Jones and Embry Peeples figure to be the starters for Tech’s first game, but junior Marcus Wright and sophomore Orwin Smith should see ample playing time. Last season, Jones struggled with injuries but still managed to rack up 345 yards and three touchdowns. Peeples did not have quite as productive of a season (170 rushing yards), but he will be an asset to the team because of his big-play ability. Peeples hauled in an 87-yard touchdown pass against Vanderbilt last season and had two plays of over 20 yards against Duke.
Offensive Line
Tech will have to replace three starters on the offensive line this season, but they do return one of the best centers in the country in redshirt senior Sean Bedford. Bedford is the only Jacket to be named on the preseason All-ACC team and is on the Outland award preseason watch list. Bedford, a former walk-on, started all 14 games last season and is an anchor on a developing offensive line. Although the offensive line is inexperienced, it does have depth. In a recent interview, Head Coach Paul Johnson alluded to the fact that he could see four different players playing guard this season and four different players splitting time at tackle. One player who should start in the first game is senior right tackle Austin Barrick. Barrick was originally recruited to play tight end but was changed to A-back, and he later again switched positions, settling on tackle. The senior played in every game as a sophomore and started the first nine games of the season as well as the Orange Bowl last season. He missed four games late in the year with a lower leg injury suffered in the game played against Vanderbilt. Sophomores Nick McRae and Omoregie Uzzi will see a lot of time at the guard positions this season, and junior Nick Claytor will most likely be the other starting tackle opposite Barrick.
Receivers
Tech must replace a key playmaker at receiver in former Jacket Demaryius Thomas. Thomas chose to forgo his senior season in favor of pursuing an NFL career and was drafted in the first round by the Denver Broncos. Replacing Thomas will not be easy as the 6-foot-3-inch receiver accounted for 1,154 yards of Tech’s 1,774 total passing yards. Nesbitt will have to find a new go-to receiver, but he will have plenty of options to fill the void. Sophomore receiver Stephen Hill started alongside Thomas last season, and although he was Nesbitt’s second option, he still hauled in 137 yards as a true freshman. It is clear that Hill did not have the same kind of season statistically that Thomas had last year, but at 6-foot-5-inch, Hill possesses an ideal build to flourish in Tech’s offense. Hill will hope to slowly take on the role as the No. 1 receiver and to work towards Thomas’ production. Starting opposite Hill this season will likely be a combination of junior receiver Tyler Melton and sophomore receiver Daniel McKayhan. The duo only combined for six catches last season, but Melton in particular has been a strong blocker over the past two years. With another year of experience under their belts they will likely see more passes thrown their ways this season.
Photo by Kelvin Kuo / Student Publications
Key skill players to watch for on offense
Anthony Allen RS Senior B-back
Stephen Hill Sophomore Wide Receiver
Embry Peeples Junior A-back
As a redshirt junior last season, Allen rushed for 618 yards on 64 carries at the A-back position. This season, Allen will replace Jonathan Dwyer and play the B-back position. Allen enters his senior season as the Jackets number one short yardage back. Expect Allen to get a lot of carries in the redzone this season.
Sophomore receiver Stephen Hill faces the tough job of replacing Demaryius Thomas as the Jackets’ go-to receiver. Last season, Hill had 137 yards receiver as a true freshman. If the coaches use Hill like they did Thomas last season, expect Nesbitt to look for Hill on deep passes down the sidelines.
Junior Embry Peeples will take over an A-back spot that was vacated by Allen moving to B-back. Peeples will share carries with other A-backs, but Tech hopes that Peeples will be a big-play back. Last year, Peeples made an impact in the running and passing game, contributing over 300 yards of offense.
010 football preview
by Alex Mitchell Sports Editor
Tech. He led the Jackets to an ACC Championship and a BCS bowl berth in just his second season on the Flats. at as ACC Champions, they will need to play well on both sides of the ball and find a way to win key conference
Defense
Defensive Line
This season, Tech’s defensive line will have to deal with changes in both personnel and schemes. Switching the defense to a 3-4 scheme means that Tech’s defensive line will feature one less player. The group will also have to find a way to deal with the loss of former standout end Derrick Morgan, who skipped his senior season and entered the NFL. The 3-4 scheme requires its linemen to be able to stop the run, and Tech will have the key players to clog opposing team’s running backs in the lanes. Junior Logan Walls figures to be the starter at nose tackle this season after starting last year at defensive tackle. At 295 pounds, Walls is big enough to stop the plays, yet small enough to break the pocket and get quick pressure on the quarterback. The ends need to be fast, but they also need to be big. Morgan was somewhat lacking in size at around 265 pounds. However, one of his possible replacements, sophomore defensive end Izaan Cross, fits perfectly in Tech’s new scheme with his 292 pound frame. As a true freshman, Cross started two games and had 10 tackles, including a fumble recovery at Vanderbilt. Starting at the other defensive end spot this year will be junior Jason Peters. Peters had 11 tackles last season, and he has vaulted into a leadership role on the defense.
Linebackers
At linebacker, Tech returns all of its starters from a year ago. The key linebacker this season will be senior middle linebacker Brad Jefferson. Jefferson is the captain of the defense, calls all the plays and is the one defensive player that Johnson has said will be assured of a starting role. Jefferson led the team in tackles last year with 95, eight of which were for losses. The other starting middle linebacker spot will be sophomore Julian Burnett or redshirt junior Kyle Jackson. Jackson missed all of last season with a foot injury, allowing Burnett to take over his starting role. Jackson has more experience than Burnett, but Burnett made 71 tackles for the Jackets last season as a true freshman. The favorites to win the outside linebacker jobs are redshirt seniors A.T. Barnes and Anthony Egbuniwe, but redshirt sophomore Malcolm Monroe and redshirt junior Albert Rocker will have an opportunity to start as well.Barnes has been a member of the Tech football team since 2006. After redshirting his first season, he played all 12 games the next season. Egbuniwe transferred to Tech after his freshman season at Tulsa. He has been nagged with injuries throughout his career, but he managed to start nine games at defensive end last season. However, because of Tech’s switch to the 3-4 system, Egbuniwe will be asked to rush the quarterback from a standing position rather than with his hands on the ground.
Photo by Kelvin Kuo / Student Publications
Secondary
In the secondary, Tech has a lot of talent returning from last season, and they will add redshirt sophomore safety Cooper Taylor, who was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome three games into last season and was granted a medical redshirt. As a freshman in 2008, Taylor ranked second on the team and second among all ACC freshmen in tackles with 69. Redshirt senior Mario Edwards and redshirt junior Jerrard Tarrant are currently penciled in as the starters, though. Edwards played at Virginia Tech in 2007 but then transferred to Georgia Tech in order to receive more playing time. Edwards emerged as a leader late last season when he had six tackles in the Orange Bowl. Tarrant scored four touchdowns last season, two on defensive plays and two on punt returns. At corner, Tech will use senior Mario Butler and redshirt senior Dominique Reese. Butler recorded 45 tackles and two interceptions and has been Tech’s most consistent cornerback while starting every game over the past two seasons. Reese played safety last year and was plagued with injuries throughout the season, allowing him to only start six games.
Players to look for on the defensive side
Jason Peters RS Junior Defensive End
Julian Burnett Sophomore Linebacker
Junior Jason Peters will have to find a way to replace All-American Derrick Morgan’s production. Based on his performances in the spring and summer practices, Peters has a chance to make an impact on the team. Peters had only 11 tackles last season, but he is better suited for Tech’s new 3-4 defense.
Last season, Julian Burnett made a splash as a true freshman recording 71 tackles from the outside linebacker spot. Burnett will most likely play at one of the two inside linbacker spots this season, so expect the upcoming sophomore to rack up more tackles than he did last season.
Cooper Taylor RS Sophomore Safety
Player portraits courtesy of the Georgia Tech Athletic Association
Cooper Taylor missed almost all of last season after being diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndtome. The safety received a medical redshirt, so he will only be a sophomore this season. As a true freshman, Taylor was second on the team with 69 tackles garnering national attention.
FALL 2010
A Herman Brown Lecture
The College of Management and the Institute for Leadership and Entrepreneurship present
A Special IMPACT Speaker Series Event Featuring Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus
“Building Social Business” Thursday, August 26, 5 p.m. LeCraw Auditorium, College of Management
After the presentation Professor Yunus will sign copies of his latest book: Building Social Business: The New Kind of Capitalism that Serves Humanity’s Most Pressing Needs. Barnes & Noble will have the book available for purchase starting at 4 p.m. outside LeCraw Auditorium. This event is free and open to the public. No reservations are required, but please note that space is limited and seating is on rst-come, rst-served basis. For the complete IMPACT Fall 2010 Schedule, please visit: ile.gatech.edu
Technique • August 20, 2010 • 7
SPORTS
Johnson discusses coaching history, influences By Alex Buchanan Contributing Writer
The Tech football team opens the upcoming season looking to defend its ACC Championship with 14 returning starters. However, there is arguably not a single more important person returning to the Tech team than its head coach, Paul Johnson. Johnson enters his third season as coach on the Flats with a .741 win percentage, a BCS bowl appearance and the aforementioned ACC Championship. In only two seasons, Johnson has earned a great deal of respect from those around the program and his peers, but Johnson had no idea that he would be coaching a big-time college program considering his humble beginnings. Johnson comes from Newland, N.C., a small mountain town of less than 800 people. “It was Mayberry-like in a way. Kids used to hang out and play sports and hitchhike to work at the golf course. Usually, everybody that picked you up knew you,” Johnson said. An intensely competitive individual, Johnson played a number of sports during his years in high school and college. Johnson explored baseball, basketball and football during those years. “I always liked football the best, and when I got out of college, I went back to my high school and coached,” Johnson said. While Johnson had an inclination he would coach after graduating, he did not foresee being a college football head coach, instead imagining his life as a high school football coach. “I thought when I went to college, that’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to go back home and be the head coach at my high school.
Photo by Robert Combier / Student Publications
Paul Johnson looks calm in last season’s game against Wake Forest. Johnson’s decision to go for it on fourth down led to a win. My high school football coach had been a big influence on me, and that’s what I figured I’d do is go back and teach and be a head coach and when I got tired of that, maybe be a principal or something,” Johnson said. When coaching for Newland’s high school football program Johnson was approached by former Georgia Southern coach Erk Russell to be a defensive coordinator for the Eagles. Russell would go on to leave a lasting impression on Johnson. “He had a way with people, and I think you pick up a little
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something from a lot of different people along the way, and that’s what I’ve done. I haven’t copied anyone in particular and I think you have to be yourself, too,” Johnson said. Johnson would go on to become offensive coordinator under Russell in 1985 before transferring to an offensive coordinator position at the University of Hawai’i in 1987. In 1997, Johnson moved back to the southeast after the retirement of Russell to take the head coaching position at Georgia Southern, where his accomplishments would earn him Southern
Conference Coach of the Year and Region II Coach of the Year awards. After his head-coaching job at Georgia Southern, Johnson moved to Annapolis, Md. in 2002 to take over a Navy team that had just endured its worst losing streak in its 123-year history. Johnson turned the football program around, and in his last five years at the academy, Navy was 43-19. Johnson was able to win consistently at Navy despite not being able to offer scholarships. Navy’s strenuous academics also added an additional challenge. Johnson had to find players that could excel both in the classroom and on the field, a skill that carried over when he took the job at Tech. “We understand how tough the school here is academically and the time constraints involved. I think the type of people that you get to work with in those types of programs don’t have some of the issues that the other programs have off the field and so it’s been a positive,” Johnson said. Johnson’s credit to the team extends to their ability to carry out the schemes that make Tech’s offense so successful. “It’s like anything else: without execution it’s not going to work, the players make the thing work, there is no magic system,” Johnson said. Johnson’s success as a coach has proven that his option system can work at Tech, but his biggest strength may stem from his understanding of the human element of the sport. “Certainly, there might be a scheme that gives you a better chance than others, but it’s still the players that have to go out there and play and execute, and they’re the ones that deserve the credit. You have to give credit to
the players,” Johnson said. Johnson’s offense may be too controversial for most college coaches to implement, but Johnson has also made coaching decisions that other coaches would never dare to make (like electing to try and convert a fourth down against Wake Forest in overtime). “I think it’s mostly just a gut feeling for me whether I think we can make it or not, I’m not a big percentage guy. A lot of it is just a fly by the seat of your pants, you look out there and you see what’s going on and you adjust, football is about a game of adjusting,” Johnson said. As with any game of chance, there are players and fans alike that develop rituals to be performed at the outset of every game. Johnson is no different. “During the regular seasons on Thursdays I’ll walk down to the practice field a little early and have a cigar; if we have a winning streak going I’ll keep the brand the same. Otherwise I’ll change it around a bit,” Johnson said. Johnson keeps his routine the same, but even after all his seasons as a coach, Johnson still gets excited before every game. “I’m just anxious to watch our team play, I’m cautiously optimistic. I think people may be underestimating us just a little bit, but we’ll see. There are a lot of good teams in our division but I think we’re a good team, and I think we can be a better team than we were a year ago,” Johnson said. The doubters are quick to underestimate the team, but Johnson could not care less. “I kind of like it when they don’t give us a chance…it motivates me when people say we’re third or fourth in our division it’s fun to show up the critics,” Johnson said.
FRESHMAN
SURVIVAL GUIDE
Photo Illustration by Vivian Fan
FRESHMAN SURVIVAL GUIDE
2 • August 20, 2010 • Technique
Welcome from the Technique! By Hahnming Lee Editor-in-Chief
Welcome to Tech. Many of you reading this are on the high of finally arriving at college and experiencing the excitement of being a part of a new community. It is a great thing to feel, but you should not treat this as temporary. You should build your college experience so that you can sustain this and not make it just that fleeting feeling. It will inevitably take work to be successful. To say that Tech is an easy school would be a lie. Its challenging academics (and sometimes equally challenging social scene) can be daunting and intimidating. If you feel lost in your first few weeks of Tech, you are certainly not alone. It is not easy to transition into a new environment with almost unlimited independence. It can bog you down and the sheer number of choices can cause massive confusion The flipside of that somewhat scary independence granted to
you is that you can succeed in whatever way you want to. Unlike many other places, where you are told exactly what to do and how to do it, you can define your own success and the path you take to achieve it. Upper classmen often joke that freshmen come in as optimists and “get out” as pessimists because Tech has repeatedly “shafted” them. For many, college did not turn out as they had hoped. While there is some truth to that, it cannot be emphasized enough that the choices you make in college, and not outside circumstances, will largely determine your own experience. A professor or two deciding to give you a bad grade should not negate the positives, and don’t let a couple of these situations cloud your feelings about Tech. Our college is a wonderful place to spend the next four (or five, or six, or seven…) years of your life, and you should savor the time you have to figure out what
In this guide Swim in the Campanile. Watch the sunset from the top of Mason. Pull an all-nighter. Eat ramen five times a week. Build a wreck for Homecoming. Get lost on Peachtree. Check out all the 99 things you should (or probably will) do before you graduate. page 9
you want to do and go to do it. The school already offers great resources and groups of many diverse and different interests, and being located in Atlanta gives you even more opportunities to find exactly what you want. This guide presented was written to help you get started at the school and provide you some guidance before setting out. As a freshman, I was confused about everything and felt as though I had to uncover and discover half its secrets through word of mouth and on my own. This guide has done some of the leg work for you and provides you information you could only wish to find in any tour book, brochure or even online. We may be leaving some stuff out, but finding out for yourself is half the fun, isn’t it? Feel free to email me at editor@nique.net if you have any questions about surviving as a freshman, the Technique or Tech in general. I welcome any and all inquiries.
Technique: 99 years in the making
The ‘Nique, as we call ourselves, had its humble beginnings on Nov. 17, 1911. Apparently, we were just as preoccupied back then as we are now with our football rivalry against UGA— our first issue revolved around an upcoming game against our old foe (a game that we won, incidentally), and featured an article by legendary coach John Heisman. At the time, we were only Tech’s second student newspaper (The Georgia Tech beat us to the title of “first student newspaper”), but since The Georgia Tech merged with our publication in 1916, and it was our name that survived, we like to pride ourselves on being Tech’s longest-running student paper. We have chronicled everything
Make sure you learn all the catchphrases Techies say to each other before heading out on to campus. page 10 You don’t need a GPS to find your way around campus. Navigate Tech with our handy map. pages 6-7
from the first appearance of George P. Burdell on Tech’s rosters in 1920 to the peaceful, non-court-ordered desegregation of the Institute in 1961. And of course, we have kept up faithful coverage of Tech sporting events, including the 222-0 whopper of a football victory (the largest margin of victory in history) over Cumberland College in 1916. Today, we are published biweekly during the summer and weekly during the fall and spring semesters, with the exception of “Dead Week,” finals week and Spring Break. Around 30 students keep our paper running, and of course, we always welcome new writers, photographers and editors, so feel free to swing by if you’re interested.
Who is George P. Burdell? Read about Tech’s most mysterious and famous student. page 4
FRESHMAN SURVIVAL GUIDE
Technique • August 20, 2010 • 3
Hidden Secrets Around Campus TECH UNCOVERED JUNIOR ’S
n
ROBERT W. WILLIAMS AMERICAN MUSEUM OF PAPER MAKING
This s . offers un tr y. The R Ca ke don mSt ca et pa s Tenth morning Red Velv ne new to t cons o d dard Mint an s for any e the mo edule Thin l must-trie may not b ’s sleep schhters), are a l e hours ge student ng a ll-nig a fair pulli colle ed i s pus. Th e to a is a lready ep depriv v i c u d e. tly sle ss one (unle eing sligh experienc e but b -off for th t r a de
While grabbing a donut from Sublime, venture across the street and take a look at this museum dedicated to papermaking. It is an interesting stop on a journey around campus, and it offers information about paper you could not find anywhere else.
THINGS TO DO
op o NUTS ent donut shhe stanO D nt , IM E end SUBL mall, indepique t wists eoese’s, Oreuots
FOOD
FOOD
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Instead of staying in your room and playing video games by yourself, try meeting new people at Tech Rec, which offers not only video games but also pool tables, bowling and arcade games. Even if you are not that proficient in billiards or bowling, the location is a great place to pick up new hobbies.
4 • August 20, 2010 • Technique
FRESHMAN SURVIVAL GUIDE
Mystery Man: George P. Burdell TECH UNCOVERED By Kate Comstock Business Manager George P. Burdell could qualify as the most interesting man in the world, or at least on Tech campus. As the only undergraduate student to have received almost every degree at Tech, he is not only academically astute but also a very popular character within the Tech community who is invited to and attends almost every large social function on campus. Just who is this George P. Burdell? It is suspected that Burdell was created by a Tech student, William Edgar Smith, in 1927 when he used two registration sheets to register both himself and Burdell. Throughout Smith’s undergraduate studies he completed both his homework and tests for both he and Burdell. Smith even went so far as to change the homework and tests slightly so that professors would not catch on. After Burdell earned his first degree in Ceramic Engineering in 1930, he was regularly signed up for a plethora of activities on campus. He received his Master’s shortly after receiving his B.S.. Burdell was also inducted into the secret society ANAK and has been a member of many other clubs since. Several editions of the yearbook also show Burdell as a letterman in basketball. During the war, Burdell briefly attended Harvard with a Naval unit. After Burdell’s studies, he enlisted in the army as part of the flight crew for a B-17 bomber in World War II and flew over 12 missions. However, his career was short lived when an operations officer who was also a Tech alum recognized his name. In 1969 Tech transitioned its registration system to a computerized system. The new
method was thought to be very secure, but it was hacked shortly after registration began and Burdell signed up for over 3,000 credit hours. He still remains on the list for active undergraduate students. Naturally, the next step in life would be for Burdell to marry and settle down. In 1958 Burdell announced his engagement to Ramona Cartwright, a fictitious student at Agnes Scott, in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Their 50th anniversary was announced in 2006 during an NPR broadcast. Through all of his vast accomplishments, Burdell was selected by Time magazine to be a candidate for its Person of the Year in 2001. Burdell was leading with 57 percent of the votes and was on his way to winning; however, the staff at Time discovered who he was and pulled him out of the running. It is reported that Burdell often orders magazines and insurance policies but strangely changes his mind and rarely pays for them. He is also responsible for several false deliveries. Burdell was also the subject of many articles in the social section in the AJC for reportedly organizing several balls for community debutantes. Burdell stays busy with a myriad of activities. He served on MAD magazine’s board of directors from 1969-81 and is a current staff member of WREK. He has also made several appearances on ballots, in Tech plays and performances and on the South Park production staff. Burdell can also be seen in several different places and social events on campus. However, due to his very busy schedule, he is never seen.
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FRESHMAN SURVIVAL GUIDE
Technique • August 20, 2010 • 5
Tricks of the Trade: Traditions TECH UNCOVERED By Nishant Prasadh Online Sports Editor
Stealing the T: In 1969, a group of Tech
students had the idea to steal the T of the letters spelling out “TECH” on the eastfacing end of Tech Tower. Their attempt was successful, and for 30 years students attempted to duplicate the mission and sneak off with the east-facing T, turning a successful prank into what is arguably Tech’s most famous tradition. Although then-Institute President G. Wayne Clough outlawed stealing the T off of Tech Tower in 1999, the tradition has not died out; the north-facing T was stolen in 2001 (though the culprits were later suspended), and during a 2006 Tech football game at North Carolina State, the second T in a stadium banner reading “NC STATE UNIVERSITY” mysteriously disappeared.
Ramblin’ Wreck: The 1930 Ford Mod-
el A Sport Coupe that leads the football team onto the field at every home game is the older of Tech’s two official mascots. The Ramblin’ Wreck dates back to 1914, a time when the Jackets were formally known as the Engineers and has long been present at
major sports games and prominent on-campus events. The vehicle is maintained by the Ramblin’ Reck Club from year to year. Notably, no freshman should ever touch the Wreck; doing so curses the football team to lose to Georgia and sentences the student to bad luck throughout his Tech career.
THWG: Perhaps nothing defines Tech more than the pure, unadulterated hatred of the University of Georgia that every student learns from day one on campus. The phrase “To Hell with Georgia” is known as the Good Word, serving as a rallying cry for Tech students and alumni in a 110-year old rivalry officially called “Clean, OldFashioned Hate.” For many, the day of the Tech-UGA football game is the most important day of the year. Mini 500: The Ramblin’ Reck Club organized the first Mini 500 tricycle race in 1969, and today it remains a staple event of Homecoming Week. Fraternities, sororities, residence halls and independent groups sponsor teams of up to seven people—four riders and three crewmembers—for a race around Peters Parking Deck that spans 10 laps (for female riders) or 15 laps (for male
riders). The annual event draws a large crowd and is one of a handful of collegiate tricycle races in the country.
Freshman Cake Race: Before sunrise on the morning of Tech’s Homecoming Week football game, freshmen line up outside Russ Chandler Stadium and race to Bobby Dodd Stadium. The term “race,” however, implies a more civilized competition, as the Freshman Cake Race—which is split up into two races, one for men and one for women—is more of a mad dash over the half-mile distance that leaves many students exhausted or injured. The reward for the winner, aside from bragging rights, is a large cake made by students, alumni or faculty and a kiss from either Mr. or Ms. Georgia Tech at halftime of the football game. Budweiser: A staple of nearly every athletic event at Tech, the band—directed by Buzz—plays the Budweiser song between the third and fourth quarters of football games, midway through the second half of basketball games and at some point late in home games for several other sports. As the song plays, students and alumni bob up and down to the beat of the fun tune, a practice known as “Budweiser bopping” that often applies to Tech fans attending away games as well, whether or not the band is physically present. Cumberland game: Tech earned
the distinction of recording the most lopsided victory in the history of college
football with a 222-0 victory over Cumberland College in 1916. Earlier in the year, Tech lost to Cumberland 22-0 in baseball, but allegations arose suggesting that Cumberland had hired professional baseball players for the game. Legendary Tech coach John Heisman retaliated on the football field by redefining the term “running up the score.”
Georgia Tech Campus Map Administration/Services
Barnes & Noble @ GT 172 Bursar’s Office 29A Carnegie Building 36 French Building 30 Parking 178 Police Dept. 46 Student Center 104 Student Center Commons 114 Student Health Center 177 Student Services (Flag) Building 123 Student Success Center 31 Tech Tower 35
Athletic
Campus Recreation Center 140 Bobby Dodd Stadium 17 O’Keefe Gymnasium 33A Bill Moore Tennis Center 80 Alexander Memorial Coliseum 73 Russ Chandler Stadium 168
Woodruff Dining Hall
This West Campus dining hall is connected to the Woodruff dormitory and right next to the volleyball courts. Its proximity to the CRC makes it the perfect spot to grab food after a workout.
Academic Buildings
Architecture (East) 76 Boggs Building (Chemistry) 103 Cherry Emerson 66 College of Computing 50 College of Management 172 D.M. Smith Building 24 Ford ES&T 147 Howey Physics Building 81 Instructional Center 55 Klaus Building 153 Library 77, 100 New Architecture 75 Old Architecture 76 Petit Biotechnology Building 146 Savant Building 38 Skiles Classroom Building 2 Van Leer Building 85 Weber SST 84 Whitaker Building 165
CRC
The campus’ best workout spot was a key facility for the 1996 Summer Olympics. It provides some unique amenities including a state-of-the-art pool, a rock-climbing wall and racquetball courts.
Campus Dining
Brittain Dining Hall 12 Food Court 104 Junior’s Grill 74 Pandini’s, Jackets, Einstein Bros. 114 Technology Square 170, 171, 172, 175, 176 Woodruff Dining Hall 116
Parking
Burge Deck Peters Deck North Campus Deck Student Center Deck Technology Square Deck Curran Deck CRC Deck Tenth and Home Parking Deck North Ave. South Deck
9 8 148 54 174 139 162 182 190
Dorms and Apartments East West Brown 7 Cloudman 13 Field 90 Glenn 16 Hanson 93 Harris 11 Harrison 14 Hopkins 94 Howell 10 Matheson 91 Perry 92 Smith 6 Towers 15 4th St. Apts. 134 North Ave. 191
Armstrong 108 Caldwell 109 Center St. 132 8th St. Apts. 130 Fitten 119 Folk 110 Freeman 117 Fulmer 106 GLC 52 Hefner 107 Hemphill 131 Montag 118 6th St. Apts. 65 ULC 64 Woodruff 116
Greeks Religious Organizations
Engineer’s Bookstore
Books are expensive, but they are a necessary part of getting through college. Engineer’s Bookstore has been serving Tech students for decades and is a great spot to pick up any and all of your textbooks.
AMC Nicknamed the “Thrillerdome” in the 80’s, the Coliseum houses the men’s and women’s basketball team. Basketball tickets are free for all students, so don’t miss an opportunity to go and cheer on the Jackets.
Howey Physics The building has four cavernous classrooms making it ideal to host those giant freshmen classes. Watch out for the stampede of people coming out at the top of every hour.
Brittain Dining Hall The newly renovated dining hall looks as close to Hogwarts as you’re going to get on Tech campus. It usually aims to feed anybody with a meal plan on East Campus, so don’t be surprised to see long lines.
Tech Tower
Tech’s most famous building, the iconic tower is one you’ll be able to see from all parts of campus. The building is the home to the Registrar, the CoE and the CoS offices. Map courtesy of GT Communications & Marketing
Technique • August 20, 2010 • 9
ninety-nine
1. Wear your RAT cap. 2. Ride the elevator to the top of the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel. It rotates. 3. Eat at Junior’s and wonder why Tommy isn’t in charge of all campus dining. 4. Buy a class ring. The year can be changed. 5. Drop a class. 6. Stand in line. 7. Go to the top of the Student Center and watch the sun set or rise. 8. Go to the beach. Any beach will do. 9. Visit Career Services before your senior year. 10. Blow off homework for a date (or a video game). 11. Pull an all-nighter, as if you have a choice. 12. Read at least one Technique from cover to cover. 13. Wander aimlessly around campus after being shafted by your last exam. 14. Run past a tour group screaming “The Horror! The Horror!” 15. Complain about Auxiliary Services. Choose from parking, housing, dining, etc. 16. Meet the waitress at Waffle House at 4 a.m. 17. Count her teeth and play the Waffle House song. 18. Fall asleep on your keyboar dddddddddddddddddddd dddddddddddddddddddd. 19. Go to a fraternity rush party and claim to be from Enu, Alaska. 20. Work for the Technique, or at least come to a meeting. Free pizza! 21. Climb on one of the magnolia trees near the Campanile. 22. During senior year, show up for your last lab or final hammered. Don’t blame us for the consequences. 23. Dance. Dance publicly and
GRADUATE wildly. Ignore the laughter. 24. Call your parents and beg for money. 25. Call Financial Aid and beg for money. 26. G o to North Ave and beg for money. 27. Build a wreck for Home c om ing. Personal vehicles do not count. 28. Pick up a guy or girl in the Library East Commons. 29. Light sparklers in your oncampus apartment to celebrate New Year’s. 30. Run in the Freshman Cake Race. Senator Sam Nunn did, and look what it did for his career! 31. Compete in the Mini-500 tricycle race. Try to avoid causing a mass collision. 32. Shove a large metal, beerdistributing object in your dorm room. When it’s empty, pass out. 33. Vote in the SGA election. It’s important to choose the people who spend your activity fee for you. 34. Put on the Freshman Fifteen. 35. Work out at the CRC to lose the Freshman Fifteen. 36. Date someone from another school. 37. Imagine your roommate is getting paid to ruin your life. 38. Realize that your profs are, in fact, getting paid to ruin your life. 39. Give Dean Stein, or any other administrator, a hug. Tell him or her that the ‘Nique sent you. 40. Complain about construction on campus. 41. As a consequence of #40, use Dijkstra’s Algorithm to find the shortest path to your classes.
things to do before you
42. Eat Easy Mac and/or Ramen noodles five times in a given week. 43. Wait 10 minutes for a Stinger when it would only take five to walk to class 44. Watch three red routes line up under the North Ave Stinger stop before a blue route passes by. 45. Get some free condoms. Use when appropriate (guys and gals). 46. Successfully appeal a parking ticket. 47. Shack. 48. Go to Under the Couch. 49. Take a nap in between classes in the Music Listening Room. All the tour guides say it’s all the rage at Tech. 50. Join SGA. 51. Quit SGA. 52. Wish you were home (not too much in your freshman year¬-it looks bad). 53. Streak during Midnight Madness, but don’t get caught by the GTPD. 54. Go to every Tech home game during one football season. 55. Road trip to at least one away game. While there, try to convince the public address announcer to page George P. Burdell. 56. Take the Stinger to the CRC. 57. Decide not to go to the CRC when the Stinger doesn’t arrive on time. 58. Drink “Hunch Punch”. 59. Take asprin and reconsider #58. 60. Skip class as a result of a headache caused by #58. 61. Spend a semester on campus and go to Flicks on Fifth. 62. Join one of the Student Center Program Councils. 63. Have a conversation with someone on a bench on Skiles Walkway. 64. Go to Athens. This is a No
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Photo illustrations by Siwan Liu / Student Publications
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FRESHMAN SURVIVAL GUIDE
Brain Zone. Plan to stay Emory. the night. 84. Make a late night trip 65. Go down to Savannah for to Wingnuts with said St. Patrick’s Day. friends. Free half-pound 66. Ask a professor to lunch. on Wednesday! 67. Ask a professor to happy 85. Go to East Side Market hour. and wonder how they can 68. Have a conversation charge so much money with the Dean Grifon the basis of “convefin statue until nience.” someone notices. 86. Sleep on your Then stare back or your hallmate’s like he or she is the floor by accident. weird one. 87. Play trivia 69. at Rocky Mountain Piz70. Learn the words to “Up za, Fifth Street Ribs and With the White and Blues, or anywhere for that Gold.” matter. 71. Break up, then make up, 88. Form an intramural sports with your boyfriend or team with your friends. girlfriend. 89. Sit at the Campanile and 72. Learn the story of Sidewonder if the fountains ways the dog. will ever be turned back 73. Register for a class that is on. taught in Tech Square, 90. Bowl at the newly renovatknowing full well you can’t ed Tech Rec. possibly get back on cam- 91. Figure out why differential pus in time for your next equations are important class. things to know. 74. Go more than one week 92. Discover why the lights are without showering. always on in the Architor75. Change your major. ture building. 76. Take a final. When 93. Visit a friend in the you’re finished, Architorture building. immediately Take a care package of change your Red Bull. major. 94. Eat too many 77. Talk to a Man“Naked Dogs” from agement mathe “V.” Vow never to jor about their eat there again. classes. Immediately 95. Express every opinion change your major. you’ve ever had on every 78. Get your picture made newsgroup. with the Ramblin’ Wreck. 96. Discover that your room79. Relax in the green space, or mate is not nearly as obwhat’s left of it, on campus. noxious now that he or she 80. Think about transferring has Word. to U[sic]GA. 97. Work with a professor on 81. Wake up. It was a research project for a only a bad semester, summer or dream. a week. 82. Get lost 98. Walk into while driva final and say, ing in At“What the hell lanta. Curse is this crap? And the plethora where is the regular of roads named guy?” “Peachtree.” 99. Concoct, but don’t en83. Make friends, or visit old act, a plan to steal a ‘T’ off ones, at Georgia State or Tech Tower.
FRESHMAN SURVIVAL GUIDE
10 • August 20, 2010 • Technique
Deciphering the Lingo of Tech TECH UNCOVERED
Burger Bowl
The giant field on West Campus where you can play games of frisbee, soccer, rugby, baseball and more. Earned the “Burger” part of its name because there used to be a Burger King at that location.
Co-Op
Co-operative work assignments, where you alternate working at a company and taking classes. It may postpone your graduation for about a year, but you’ll make a lot of money and will get a better job when you graduate.
CRC
Campus Recreation Center. A place to exercise and forget about differential equations for a while. Was used as a facility during the 1996 Olympic Games.
Course Critique
SGA run website showing teacher and class GPAs. Used extensively during registration to figure out which professors give A’s.
Curve
The curious grading scheme by which a 50 can become an B. Beware, as it does not always happen. Professors will usually give you an idea of what to expect on the first day of class or in the syllabus.
SGA
Klaus Building
Dead Week
The week before finals during which you are not supposed to have any tests. Be forewarned: some professors don’t understand this concept at all.
Building named after Tech alum Christopher Klaus. The building stands as a symbol that even dropouts can go on to do great things.
Dean’s List
Midnight Madness
Only takes a 3.0...sounds easy, doesn’t it? Just wait.
Drop Day
The Friday that marks the last day to drop a class.
E-Mag PHYS 2212, considered one of the most difficult and/or confusing classes at Tech. Back under the quarter system, the saying used to go, “E-Mag, Re-Mag, Three-Mag, Management.”
Faculty Honors A 4.0? Keep dreaming....
Getting Out
The elusive goal of any Tech student. It starts from Day One. Its target date is usually extended at some point.
Good Word, The “To hell with Georgia!”
Junior’s
Campus diner where Tommy serves up some of the world’s greatest chicken fingers. It also has a delicious breakfast for those morning people .
Starting the Sunday before finals and continuing every night during finals, students gather at midnight in public areas around dorms or lean out their windows to do one thing: scream at the top of their lungs.
Oscar
Not a green muppet. Online Student Computer Assisted Registration; it’s how you get classes, view your grades, pay your bills and, eventually, check your graduation status.
Student Government Association, the elected body whose main job it is to give out money from the collected Student Activity Fees to the various student organizations who ask for it. omenon of “g
Skiles Walkway
Tech’s “Main Street” for student walking to and from class. Prepare to be bombarded with flyers for organizations, blood drives, etc.
Sliver
A comment, quip, inside joke or one-liner that runs in the Technique Sliver Box. Contribute one at www. nique.net.
Square Root Club
Any freshman. Recruit At Tech or Recently Acquired Tech Students. Originates from Tech’s strong military roots.
The elite club that only admits members who meet this stringent criterion: the square root of your GPA is greater than your GPA. Get it? If it took you longer than a minute, you may soon gain membership into the group.
Shaft, The
Stinger, Stingerette
RAT
Whether it’s a professor testing you on material he specifically said he wouldn’t or registration holds causing you to miss out on a class, you will soon feel the phenomenon of “getting the shaft” during your time here. Also used to refer to the long, pointy tower in the Campanile fountain. The symbolism should be apparent.
Campus vans and buses. They aren’t on a strict schedule so budget extra time if you want to make it to class, or just get some exercise and walk. An hour should be enough. See also: Tech Trolley.
Student Center
The central hub of campus, where you’ll find a food court, the post of-
fice, Tech Rec, the Music Listening Room and a computer lab.
Tech Tower
The Administration Building. The T’s atop the tower are probably more heavily guarded than anything else on campus.
Tech Trolley
Not really trolleys. They’re actually Stingers disguised as trolleys, with much more uncomfortable seats. They run from the IC to Technology Square.
Technique
“The South’s Liveliest College Newspaper.” An excellent distraction during Friday afternoon lectures. Anyone can contribute, regardless of experience, and meetings are every Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Room 137 of the Student Services Building.
Whistle, The
The steam whistle that blows to signal class changes at five minutes before the hour. It also blows whenever Tech wins a football game.
Word
Old tests and notes to help you study for tests. Professors are required to provide this, but good luck getting it from them. They are good to have, but don’t just expect new tests and homework assignments to be exactly like the old materials.
WELCOME TOTHE NEIGHBORHOOD! Hi. We’re Grace Midtown, a nearby church with a passion for God and this community. At the core, we’re a family of people from diverse backgrounds who have embraced Jesus Christ and His amazing offer of rescue and relationship. Every Sunday we gather to
study the Bible, worship God, and share our lives with one another. We love the city of Atlanta and believe God has big plans for this area! We’re right down the street from the Tech campus and we’d love to have you join us! For more info go to www.grace-midtown.com.
Sunday Services @ 10:30 am, 6:15 pm, and 8:15 pm • 1095 State Street (up the road from Papa John’s)
FREE FOOD ALERT!
Bring this coupon on any Sunday evening in August or September 2010 for a free meal at 5:30 pm in the 3 Dollar Café, located downstairs at Grace Midtown.
FRESHMAN SURVIVAL GUIDE
Technique • August 20, 2010 • 11
In the Field Aid: Campus Resources TECH UNCOVERED Freshman Experience Tutoring
Personal resources
Housing Department
The Department of Housing offers tutoring services from Monday through Thursday for students living in Freshman Experience Dorms on campus. Tutoring is available for most first year subjects and several upper level courses. Check with your peer leader to find out exactly when and where you can meet with the tutors. http://bit.ly/9nGi6w
The counseling center offers students a limited number of free consultations. The Office of the Dean of Students offers crisis assistance in case of a personal or family emergency. SGA also offers free legal services to students.
Contact the Department of Housing when you have questions about on campus housing rules. If you have any problems with your room, file a work order request online at the housing website. In the spring, the housing office will post information about how to sign up for housing the following year. www.housing.gatech.edu
Bursar’s Office
Registrar’s Office
The Bursar’s Office handles billing and payments for the Institute. Contact the Bursar’s office if you ever have questions about the cost of attendance or questions about your financial standing with the Institute. bursar.gatech.edu
The Registrar’s Office assists students with course registration and contains the official school calendar. The office handles all forms of official student records, including your academic standing and course grades. registrar.gatech.edu
OMED
OIT
The Office of Minority Education offers services targeted at minority students. OMED offers academic support through concept classes, study groups and sessions. It also offers programs such as GT Challenge and Transitions. Even though their services are targeted towards minorities, they are open to all Tech students. omed.gatech.edu
OIT provides and maintains all campus software services, including T-Square, Zimbra Webmail, Buzzport, LAWN and OSCAR. If you ever have trouble accessing any on-campus software services, contact OIT. The department also offers virus removal and optimization services for your computer. oit.gatech.edu
Course Critique The website, run by SGA, compiles professors’ grades for classes previously taught. The site gives a breakdown of how many people received a particular grade and the size of the class. sga.gatech.edu/critique
Save the date!!! International Plan Fall 2010 Kickoff!
Keynote Speaker: President G. P. "Bud" Peterson Monday, August 23, 2010 Klaus Building Atrium, 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Freshmen and Current International Plan Students Don’t miss this opportunity to hear President Peterson share with you the role of the International Plan within Tech’s new Strategic Plan and to hear his thoughts on how an international experience helps prepare you for a future in a global environment. Limited seating so arrive early Refreshments will be served
Do you know Auxiliary Services? Visit us online at www.ImportantStuff.gatech.edu
Auxiliary Services Loves Students!