vol.80 no. 19

12
NATIONAL SIGNING DAY New brew in town The future is now. Georgia State hopes to land several of the area’s top-flight recruits. Bible study group turned brewers opens their Atlanta brewery follow us! facebook.com/gsusignal twitter.com/ gsusignal online exclusive PLAY BALL inside like us! HAD A LITTLE TOO MUCH? Women do it to have fun and face the same risks as everyone else when they drink alcohol. Damage to the liver, pancreas can happen and also they can be sexually assaulted,” Milagros Marshall, registered nurse at Grady Emergency Room sports | PAGE 3A A&L | PAGE 6b PAGE 3A PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MIKE EDEN | THE SIGNAL Sports 9a Opinions 7A News 3a Daily news at www.georgiastatesignal. com Arts & Living section b Hope, renewal abound as panthers prepare for one of sports most magical moments—opening day audit report brings changes One mistake found in the 2012 audit report leads to new withdrawal procedures for students sports | PAGE 3A

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Page 1: Vol.80 No. 19

NATIONAL SIGNING DAY

New brew in town

The future is now. Georgia State hopes to land several of the area’s top-flight recruits.

Bible study group turned brewers opens their Atlanta brewery

PAGE 5b

follow us!

facebook.com/gsusignal

twitter.com/gsusignal

online exclusive

PLAY BALL

inside

like us!

HAD A LITTLE TOO MUCH?

Women do it to have fun and face the same risks as everyone else when they drink alcohol. Damage to the liver, pancreas can happen and also they can be sexually assaulted,”

Milagros Marshall, registered nurse at

Grady Emergency Room

sports | PAGE 3A A&L | PAGE 6b

PAGE 3A

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MIKE EDEN | THE SIGNAL

Sports 9aOpinions 7ANews 3aDaily news at www.georgiastatesignal.com Arts & Living section b

Hope, renewal abound as panthers prepare for one of sports most magical moments—opening day

audit report brings changesOne mistake found in the 2012 audit report leads to new withdrawal procedures for students

sports | PAGE 3A

Page 2: Vol.80 No. 19

blotterlast week...TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2013 2A

Local Clark Atlanta University student Amir Obafemi, 21, was arrested on Saturday in the shooting over a pickup basketball game inside the Morehouse Col-lege’s campus gym that wounded Morehouse student Cornileus Savage. Savage was shot in the forearm and was hospitalized in stable condition. Obafemi faces charges of felony aggravated assault and carry-ing a conceiled weapon. The Saturday night basket-ball game between Morehouse and Clark Atlanta was cancelled and a rally to decrease violence has been planned instead.

A 15-year-old male student shot fellow student Telvis Douglas, 14, in the back of the neck in a courtyard outside of Price Middle School in Southeast Atlanta Thursday afternoon. The suspect was arrested at the scene, and Douglas was taken to Grady Hospital. His injuries have been reported as non-life threatening. Officials and Mayor Kasim Reed have confirmed that the shooting stemmed after an altercation between two gangs. The metal detectors were not working on the day of the shooting. Atlanta school officials say they plan to immediately test all school metal detec-tors and review the procedures for student entrance and exit.

NationalOn Friday, the Obama administration proposed new rules that will guarantee access to contraceptives un-der the Affordable Care Act. The regulation also al-lows religious nonprofit organizations that object to not offer the benefits for their employers. However, the workers could receive a stand-alone private insur-

ance policy that would provide them with birth con-trol at no charge.

60 to 70 Harvard University students were forced to withdraw after being caught in a cheating scandal in an easy class. Recently, the course began to offer more rigorous coursework, and 125 students were caught cheating on a take-home final exam. At Harvard, “withdrawing” orders students to take a forced break that can only be cleared after the undergraduate stu-dent has held a paid, non-academic full-time job for at least six months. In addition to the students that were forced to withdraw, a quarter of the involved students were given a stern warning and a note on their student record. The rest of the students were not punished.

Global10 Turkish officers are reportedly working to investi-gate what Turkish authorities believe to be the body of New Yorker Sari Sierra, who was reported missing on Jan. 21 while vacationing alone in Istanbul. The body was found near the ruins of the old city wall Saturday. Police told the daily Hurriyet that the victim may have been stabbed to death; however the state-run Anato-lia news agency said the body was found with a head wound. No official cause of death has been released.

Egypt’s Interior Minister has apologized for and vowed to investigate the public beating of a naked man by riot police under his command that has threatened to ensue into increased public anger. The Associated Press caught the beating on camera, and as protests raged in the streets the video was broad-casted live on Egyptian television late Friday evening.

January 28Freshman HousingGeorgia staff mem-bers notified officers of an odor of marijua-na. When officers made contact with the suspect-ed residence, no mari-juana was located.

University centerA Georgia State student was issued a Criminal Trespass Warning af-ter attempting to steal a food product. The estab-lishment called the po-lice who escorted him out.

T Parking DeckA report was filed for Theft from Auto. A staff member said that she parked her car on Jan. 16 and returned on Jan. 18 and discovered someone stole her parking decal. The case is being han-dled by investigations.

Broad StreetA Georgia State student stated that her iPhone was stolen after she left it on a countertop restaurant. The case is being handled by investigations.

General Class-room BuildingA Samsonite travel bag was stolen after a stu-dent left it unattended in a stairwell. The bag contained a cell phone, cellphone case, social security cards for the students children and himself, credit cards, a Panther Card and a fire arms license. The case is being handled by in-vestigations.

January 29Unity PlazaA suspended Geor-gia State student was escorted off campus. The Georgia State po-lice questioned the in-dividual and informed him, until the proper documents informing the police department that the Criminal Tres-pass Warning was sus-pended, it would re-main effective.

Urban LifeOfficers responded to a suspicious male sleep-ing in the lobby. When the officers questioned the individual they

found that he was not associated with Geor-gia State and was is-sued a Criminal Tres-pass Warning and es-corted off campus.

January 30Student Recre-ation CenterA report was filed for theft. A non-Georgia State affiliate said he left his iPhone and a white case in a black book bag, under a bleacher unattended and when he returned an hour later, he dis-covered it had been stolen. The case is be-ing handled by investi-gations.

January 31Broad Street NWAn officer responded to an illegally parked car. During an exterior inspection of the car, the officer observed marijuana on the floor. The drugs were taken as evidence and the ve-hicle was towed. The case is being handled by investigations.

Editorial DepartmentEDITOR-IN-CHIEF Sabastian [email protected]

ONLINE EDITOR [email protected]

PRODUCTION DESIGNER Aysha [email protected]

ASSISTANT DESIGNER Anna [email protected]

NEWS EDITOR Asia Thomas [email protected]

ARTS & LIVING EDITOR Terah Boyd [email protected]

SPORTS EDITOR Rhett Lewis [email protected]

PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR Mike [email protected]

OPINIONS EDITOR Miles [email protected]

COPY EDITOR Ismael [email protected]

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR Andres Cruz-Wellman

ASSISTANT ARTS & Living EDITOR Josh Yu

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR Hunter Bishop

Marketing Department

Marketing MANAGER Chris [email protected]

SOCIAL MEDIA SPECIALIST Sarai [email protected]

CIRCULATION COORDINATOR [email protected]

Advertising Department

ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Baylye [email protected]

STUDENT MEDIA ADVISOR Bryce McNeil [email protected]

MISSION STATEMENTThe Signal shall provide, in a fair and accurate manner, news of interest and significance to the Georgia State University community and serve as a forum for the expression of ideas of members of that community. Furthermore, The Signal shall

provide an opportunity for students to pursue experience within a professional newspaper environment. The Signal shall also provide truthful and ethical advertising of interest to the Georgia State University community.

ADVERTISINGThe deadline for all advertising is 5 p.m. on the Tuesday prior to the desired issue of publication. Ads must be print-ready and in PDF format; files must be delivered via e-mail at [email protected]. Please visit our website at www.georgiastatesignal.com/advertising for more information, including rates and payment methods.

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DISCLAIMEROpinions and Letters to the Editor expressed in The Signal are the opinions of the writers and readers. It does not reflect the opinions of The Signal.

The first copy of The Signal is free. Additional copies can be purchased from our office for $1.00 each.

THE SIGNAL STAFF

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Photo of the week TERAH BOYD | THE SIGNAL Monday Night Brewery opened to the public for tours and tastings. See A&L 6B for more information.

Page 3: Vol.80 No. 19

www.georgiastatesignal.com/newsNEWS

Young women are increasingly turning to alcohol and booze-filled nights for recreation and stress relief, according

to a recent Center for Disease Control study. Drinking among females, particularly

young females aged 18-34 is on the rise and is a major health risk. According to the CDC study in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Re-port, binge drinking and excessive alcohol consumption results in about 23,000 deaths of women per year.

Binge drinking is most common among the Caucasian and Hispanic demographic and women with household incomes above $75,000.

Twenty percent of high-school aged girls and 24 percent of women aged 18-24 partici-pate in binge drinking, according to the CDC study.

This type of drinking also entails very dangerous risks to women and girls, includ-ing unintended pregnancies, sexual assault, homicide, suicide and falls. Alcohol also in-creases the risk for breast, liver, mouth and throat cancer.

“Women do it to have fun and face the same risks as everyone else when they drink alcohol. Damage to the liver, pancreas can happen and also they can be sexually as-saulted,” said Milagros Marshall, registered nurse at the Grady Emergency Room. “It is very common to see cases of excessive alcohol abuse [here at the Emergency Room].”

The study showed one in eight women, age 18-24, binge drink at least three times a month, and one in five high school girls binge drink at least once a month.

The CDC defines binge drinking for women as having more than four drinks in a short period of time. Women of college age were shown to drink an average of six “stan-dard-size” drinks in one sitting.

This can be attributed to “non-standard”

amounts of alcohol being consumed, such as oversized beer cups, mixed drinks, and extra-large shot and wine glasses. This occurs fre-quently in college settings.

According to another study the CDC published three days prior to the study on women, binge drinking has also increased among Americans in general.

“Excessive alcohol consumption, in-cluding binge drinking, accounts for 80,000 deaths in the U.S. each year, making it the third leading preventable cause of death,” said Ursula Bauer, director of the national center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion in the study.

Those deaths are typically the result of vehicle-related incidents or violence against others while under the influence.

“The long term effects of binge drinking are also very damaging. There is deteriora-tion of the teeth, people also suffer problems with the liver and pancreas as well as men-tal problems. Seizures and conditions such as delirium tremens can be fatal,” Marshall said.

Alcohol has always been a drug of high abuse among college students. The increase of binge drinking, when alcohol is consumed, is particularly troubling and harmful for young women.

Although binge drinking is more com-mon in men it is an important and under-recognized health issue for women, said Dr. Thomas Frieden, CDC Director in the study, according to CNN’s blog.

In the study, concerns were expressed for the health of women who binge drink due to the fact that women get drunk more easily than men, as they are often smaller. .

Georgia State student and sophomore, Sara Shahgholami said stress and pressures on women can turn them to binge drink.

“Life is stressful, in terms of the pressures of life, of the media and society, and work,” Shahgholami said.

Sophomore Jessica Baxter believes that as the expectations and responsibilities of women increase they are more prone to binge drink.

“Honestly I think a lot of people drink just to have fun. People do it to, I guess, to ‘turn up’ or whatever. It’s easy [for students] to get,” Leena Manzoor, Georgia State sopho-more said. “I don’t know that there’s an exact amount for ‘binge drinking’ because every-one is different. If they start getting loud or dancing they might have been binge drink-ing”

The perception of binge-drinking at Georgia State is also mixed among students.

“I live on campus and sometimes I feel the RA’s don’t always pay attention to it…it happens all the time. If the school really want-ed to do something about it they could. [They were] stricter about it at the Commons than the Lofts,” Baxter said. “It depends on who’s on duty. Not all of the employees are equally strict.”

Greater enforcement of alcohol policies and possibly requiring first year students to live on campus could help curb the problem.

“One way that could possibly stop it, or slow it down, is forcing freshmen to live on campus. I know UGA and Tech do that and they can monitor the students,” Manzoor said.

Both the CDC and Georgia State stu-dents agree one of the things that can be done about the issue is greater education.

The CDC recommends women avoid binge drinking and follow the U.S. Dietary Guidelines (one drink for women, two for men). Women should choose not to drink if there is any chance they could be preg-nant and be cautious of consuming drinks where the alcohol content is unknown. The CDC says federal agencies and national part-ners are working with states and communi-ties to support actions to reduce binge drink-ing. Agencies will also help states and com-munities report binge drinking statistics and whether health care providers screen and counsel for excessive alcohol use.

States and communities can increase en-forcement of the laws on sale and consump-tion of alcohol and also develop partnerships with groups, including schools.

Pour up, drinkCollege aged women are the largest binge drinkers in America

DARRIS POPEStaff Reporter

Binge Drinking Stats:

Binge drinking is falling among men and boys and slowly increasing among women and girls.

1 in 6 Americans binge drink. More than

38 million US adults.

1 in 8 American women binged drink.

Nearly 14 million US women.

Age group with most binge drinkers: 18-34 years old

College women on average drink 6 drinks per binging episode.

25% of American women age

18-24 binge drink.

20% of women age 25-34 binge drink.

15% of women age 35-44 binge.

Most likely to drink are women (and men)

with household incomes above $75,000

Binge drinking causes 80,000 deaths

in the US each year (total), 23,000 of

those deaths are women and girls. In 2006 it

cost the economy $223.5 billion.

Among women who binge drink the average

about of episodes per month was 3.2. The in-

tensity was 5.7 drinks per episode. Wom-

en 18-24 on average had 6.1 drinks per episode.

62% of high school students in 12th grade

binge drink. 1 in 5 of those students are high school girls.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MIKE EDEN | THE SIGNALTwenty-five percent of college-age women binge drink, according to a recent study from the Center for Disease Control.

Page 4: Vol.80 No. 19

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 20134A NEWS

Georgia State’s marching band has turned down the re-quest to participate in the

Dragon*Con festival once again. The marching band was invit-

ed to perform in the 2013 annual Dragon*Con festival in Atlanta this year but decided not to participate.

Georgia Tech’s marching band is now scheduled to perform instead.

Dragon*Con is a convention that takes place in Atlanta every year and draws tens of thousands of guests to the downtown area. Fans of science fiction, comic books, and fantasy series come together, usual-ly in costume, to attend demonstra-tions and the parade.

Associate Band Director, Dr. Chester Phillips, makes the deci-sions on which events the band ac-cepts and denies.

Phillips says that many band members’ schedules will already be “full with [football] games and pa-rades” during the weekend of the Dragon*Con festival, which also overlaps with Labor Day weekend.

“The students’ time is valuable to us and we will always view our band members as students first,” Phillips said.

Phillips said that band members are also expected to “have a lot of events around that time” and that he did not want for the students to be overwhelmed with such a booked schedule at the start of the semester.

Band members, however, were unaware of the invitation to Dragon*Con as well as Phillips’ rea-soning for turning the invitation down.

Eric Vogel, the sousaphone sec-tion leader and three-year veter-an, suggested the band’s participa-tion in the Presidential Inaugura-tion weeks ago might have played a role in Phillips’ declination of Dragon*Con.

“Since the inauguration, we have wanted to have more of a profes-sional public image,” Vogel said.

Vogel said that Dragon*Con participants might “not be the crowd we’re going for.”

“We now have more credibility as a university band system,” Vogel said.

As a result of this, he said he thinks the band can look beyond solely Atlanta-born events, such as Dragon*Con.

Sousaphone player and three-year marching band veteran Bish-op Herrington also credited the in-auguration with playing a possible role in the band’s increased selectiv-ity with event invitations.

“There’s definitely a bigger buzz about us ever since we gained na-tional attention,” Herrington said. “The Georgia State marching band

has become a priority for high school band students looking for a college band that will possibly take them to the next level. We now have the credentials to be that band, which makes us look great in terms of recruitment.”

Herrington also said that Phil-lips has always been selective about the types of events in which the marching band participates.

Color guard member Adri-ona Isom had no idea about the Dragon*Con parade inquiry either.

“I hadn’t heard anything about it, but I guess you have to pick and choose the kinds of events that are right for the band,” Isom said.

She also addressed the recent in-flux of publicity the marching band has received both locally and na-tionally.

Isom said that the coverage of the band has had a positive effect.

According to Isom, they have received “very good publicity” and as a result, the demand for the band has increased.

“I’m sure the events and football games going on at that time are the main reason why Dragon*Con can-not happen,” said color guard mem-ber Rachel Wahaus.

Georgia State Marching Band turns down Dragon*ConASHIA GALLOStaff Reporter

DARRIS POPEStaff Reporter

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SOURCE: HTTP://DRAGONCON.LIVEJOURNAL.COM/2930131.HTMLThe route for the 2013 Dragon*Con parade, which the Georgia State marching band turned down.

... we Since the inauguration, we have wanted to have more of a professional public image ... (Dragon*Con) not be the crowd we’re going for.”

—Eric Vogel, sousaphone section leader and three-

year veteran

Page 5: Vol.80 No. 19

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2013 5ANEWS

Audit report findsfinancial aid inaccuracies2012 report shows Georgia State did not have adequate controls on financial aid refunds

A mistake found in an audit re-port of Georgia State’s fiscal year 2012 has led to several changes in

the way the university recognizes unofficial withdrawals.

The report, conducted by the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts, found a case where a student received all Ws and Fs. It was estimated that this student received $1,375 in financial aid and Title V funds that, if the student withdrew, had to be re-turned.

That one mistake showed that the uni-versity did not have adequate internal con-trol procedures to identify students who of-ficially withdrew during an academic semes-ter, causing financial aid inaccuracies.

“The $1,375 is the amount of feder-al financial aid that the auditors are saying should have been returned to the Federal government because of the one student they found that was an unidentified unofficial withdrawal,” said Sterling Roth, chief audit officer and director of University Auditing and Advisory Services.

The failure to provide documentation of these unofficial withdrawals caused the uni-versity to fall out of compliance with federal regulations.

The report recommended that Georgia State should “improve established monitor-ing processes in place to ensure that unof-ficial withdrawals are identified and the re-quired Return of Title IV Funds calculation

is performed. The university should also contact the U.S. Department of Education regarding the resolution of this finding.”

According to Bruce Spratt, comptroller and associate vice president for Finance and Administration, the university has imple-mented procedures that ensure that unoffi-cial withdraws are identified.

“The procedures the University has im-plemented will ensure that all students who receive all W’s and F’s will be notified at the end of the semester and required to submit proof that they earned the grade of F,” Spratt said.

According to Spratt, the university will notify the students, who then must respond within two weeks of the notification date. If the students do not respond during that pe-riod they lose their Title IV financial aid and Georgia State must refund the aid money in accordance with Title IV requirements.

Students who receive financial aid and then withdraw or fail all of their courses will also be put through a vetting process. They will have to prove that they actually attempt-ed to complete the work.

“By federal law, we need to ensure that they were not just trying to benefit from the receipt of federal funds without any intent to complete the courses,” Spratt said.

The university will also contact the stu-dents’ professors to verify that each student was making an effort to complete work. If it cannot be confirmed, then the university will reverse the funds.

“I have no doubt that the Recommenda-tion will be implemented. In fact, there will be follow-up later to ensure that it is. There was only that one error in a sample of 25,” Dr. Sterling Roth said.

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Page 7: Vol.80 No. 19

Have you ever wanted to be able to expe-rience life as one of your favorite char-acters for a day? Dragon*Con gives

thousands of people this opportunity every year. Created in 1987, Dragon*Con “offer[s] over 3,500 hours of non-stop programming, con-certs, a film festival, the South’s largest costume contest, and the largest Art Show in all of fan-dom” (dragoncon.org) to the city of Atlanta. On top of celebrating the worlds of Anime and gam-ing on this day, Dragon*Con helps to raise funds for charities and foundations. Dragon*Con is one of the most popular and highly celebrated cultural events in the city of Atlanta.

Unfortunately, Georgia State’s band has turned down the opportunity to play at this event for 2013. Why? Well, according to their calendar of events from Aug. 30, 2013 to Sept. 2, 2013, the event days for Dragon*Con 2013, the Georgia State band will be participating in IMP 2013: Atlanta at Georgia State. What’s IMP you may ask? IMP Atlanta is an annual conference whose primary objective is “Building and Man-aging Relationships in a Global Network: Chal-lenges and Necessary Capabilities” (robinson.gsu.edu). Yes, slightly –well more than slightly, less fun than Dragon*Con 2013, but nonetheless still important.

Since Georgia State’s band won’t be able to

participate in this historic event this year, can Georgia State students look forward to Georgia State’s Band playing in Dragon*Con 2014? More than likely no, this isn’t the Georgia State band’s first time turning down the opportunity to play at this event.

For Georgia State to be a school that throws around the word “diversity” much as it does, one would believe that Georgia State, being in the heart of Downtown, would make its pres-ence known in the majority of cultural events taking place in the city of Atlanta. But nonethe-less, we see Georgia State band’s inherent lack of desire to participate in an event as unique as Dragon*Con.

What does this say about not only the Geor-gia State band (or should we place more em-phasis on the band directors, W. Dwight Cole-man, Robert J. Ambrose, and Steven Harper?) but about Georgia State as a whole, because the Georgia State band is of course reflective of Georgia State itself? Georgia State thrusts the notion of an acceptance and admiration of diver-sity, yet, it turns down the opportunity to have a notable presence in one of Atlanta’s most diverse cultural events more than once! These repeated refusals reflect a lack of appreciation for differ-ent subcultures in Atlanta. When asked about this issue Khalid Abdullahi, a junior at Georgia State said, “As a GSU student, I am shocked that the band would turn down such an opportunity. Having been a Dragon Con attendee in the past, I can assure that GSU students were in heavy attendance. With thousands of people travel-ing from all around the US to Atlanta, it makes no sense that the college in the heart of Atlanta would not show support, and ultimately gain more national exposure through Dragon Con.”

So this year, Georgia Tech will be playing at Dragon*Con 2013. Oh the irony!

Jaira is an international economics and modern languages major with a concentration in Spanish. Jaira is a member of the InterVarsity Campus Ministry as well as the International Justice Mission.

Follow her @JairaTheIcon

OPINIONSwww.georgiastatesignal.com/opinions

From the Editorial Board

Everything we learn about college from popular culture tells us that universities are simultaneously plac-

es of higher education and betterment, as well as places where it’s okay to cut loose and get drunk.

When a student leaves high school and enters into university, it is an important time of development. Many times, this is a student’s first experience living outside of their childhood home, and the first time they are free to roam without the supervi-sion of their parents.

Naturally with this new discovered freedom, many students are able to drink alcohol and experiment with other drugs more than they ever were previously able. Binge drinking is a problem on university campuses worldwide.

You may have heard the term “know your limits” when it comes to alcohol, but most new drinkers don’t. According to a study by the National Institute of Health, around 1.825 college students die every year due to unintentional injuries related to alcohol consumption. There are an es-timated 696,000 students yearly who are assaulted by another student under the in-fluence of alcohol.

The numbers don’t stop there either: yearly thousands of students are sexually assaulted by students under the influence of alcohol. Alcohol contributes to many crimes on campus, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t preventable.

There is nothing wrong with having a beer or a glass of wine to unwind, but it is up to students to learn their limits and drink responsibly. You are still responsible for your actions when you are intoxicated; alcohol consumption is never a viable ex-cuse.

It is important for students at Georgia State who are legally allowed to drink to not contribute to a culture of binge drink-ing. Not only does excessive alcohol con-sumption contribute to physical injury, but it can also has a real negative effect on your ability to keep up your grades and stay in school.

Keep it classy Georgia State; nobody likes to have to be told about the embar-rassing things they did because they can’t remember. Nobody likes hearing stories about themselves throwing up out a car window, or waking up without your cell phone or keys.

Be careful not to get drawn into a peer group where binge drinking is seen as nor-mal behavior. Alcohol consumption may be part of the college experience, but trips to the hospital shouldn’t be.

Please enjoy alcohol responsibly, be-cause you aren’t just creating a negative environment for yourself, but you are also contributing to a culture of binge drinking that we don’t need here at Georgia State.

Know your limits, Georgia State

Why not Dragon*Con?

JAIRA BURKEColumnist

They’re selling canned air in China right now. Yes, air. That free stuff, all about you, that you’re breathing in right now as you

read this. Chinese entrepreneur Chen Guang-biao is selling fresh air in soda cans; each being 5 RMB, for 80 cents to the people of Beijing. So, why is Guangbia able to get away with selling cases of “free” air? Short answer: For now, it’s the only breathable air available.

Beijing and the rest of Northern China are snuggled up in a blanket of smog. The unwanted toxic “visitor” has descended for the fourth time this year and it’s only been a month. Medical mask have become the new fashion for citizens-–a number experiencing respiratory illnesses--with 100,000 masks being sold daily over the past month. It’s so bad, citizens were warned to stay indoors and keep cars off the road as vis-ibility is a mere 300 ft. (not even a quarter of a mile).

So what’s an enormous soot-filled pillow thousands of miles away have to do with stu-dents here at Georgia State? Like Beijing, At-lanta is a rapidly growing metropolis. While

we don’t have a quarter of Beijing’s population, there’s something to be learned, if not warned, from their unwelcomed guest.

You don’t have to be an environmentalist to know that cars release highly toxic gas into the air, i.e. carbon monoxide. With the removal of a third of its vehicles of the streets, Beijing is already taking major steps towards cleaner air and ultimately a healthier environment. With the majority of students commuting to campus we might want to consider the consequences of driving.

I’m not asking you to go sell your 1994 Hon-da Civic and pick up a bike. I, myself, drive to campus and understand that Marta or cycling is not possible for every student’s punctuality. Less cars result in less toxic gas releases. So car-pooling is a great way to start! And you save gas as well! Can’t carpool? Driving your own car is fine but you have to keep the car maintenance up-–oil checks, tire rotations, fluid checks. I can’t count on my fingers how many oil leaks I’ve found on parking lot floors around campus. Poorly maintained cars result in sick cars and they end up puking through their exhaust pipes. (I hope the personification of the cars helped get the point across.)

While these steps you can take may seem minuscule, they are significant. The pollution buildup did not happen overnight for China but when the pot reached its boiling point it finally spilled over into the burners. What you need to extract from all of this if you cannot consume the whole is that the events taking place in Bei-jing right now can happen in Atlanta. Some-where now, Dr. Seuss’ head hangs low, saying “I told them so.” It may not happen in a year, or even five but it can and will happen unless we plant the seed of care in our minds now.

Ami Dudley is a junior English major and one of The Signal’s premier staff critics. She was recently published in “The Underground” literary journal. Follow her @amidudley

AMI DUDLEYColumnist

A fresh breath of smog

... we may not be able to bring the murdered person back to life, but we sure as hell can resurrect the $20,600 a year we are spending to keep these murderous clowns alive.

“Even though I am living in an African-

American female body, I have found very economical standards from the

“Old” South that could save this “New” South hundreds of millions of dollars every year and restore some piece of mind to many of our under-sieged communities. Like the Old South laws dealing with murderers and dead-beat-dads. When we threw out all of the cus-toms of the Old South around fifty years ago we threw the baby out with the bath water.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau of criminal statistics, Georgia’s tax-payers are pay-ing over 130 million dollars annually to keep their sentenced-to-life murderers and death roll inmates in prison (Census). These prisoners get three meals a day, free medical and dental at-tention, work-out rooms, and a little “booty-hole” business if a poor soul has the bad luck of getting left behind in shower with one of them.

In the Old South, when a man or woman was convicted of killing someone beyond self-defense, they were executed within six months of their convictions. This law would release 130 million dollars back into our economy and have many wilding folks leave Georgia. Of course the arguments against this would be: “the wrong per-son is executed,” “many more minorities would end up on death roll” and “killing criminals is not going to bring the murdered person back.”

However, with the state-of-the-arts foren-sic, that should bring the mistakes of identify-ing the killer to a bare minimum. At present, there are more Caucasians serving life sen-tences. And we may not be able to bring the murdered person back to life, but we sure as hell can resurrect the $20,600 a year we are spending to keep these murderous clowns alive.

The Old South had a very successful way of getting the men of their communities to be very responsible for the children. That’s right, good old fashion castration. African-American males were not the only ones cas-trated in the Old South. They went after ir-responsible, violent Caucasian males as well. In 1915, there were 100 castrations in Geor-gia and more than half of them were Cauca-sian males. Many were over the men either raping some one’s daughter or leaving chil-dren. If we had laws like this, men would be around to help take care of their children and tax-payers would save millions from welfare payments, food-stamps and WIC vouchers.

I have found through the laws from the Old South at-least $200 million in savings, a way to keep families together and a powerful crime deterrent. And, there are other customs that could enhance the quality of life. So let us swallow our pride, pick up the poor baby in the street and bring it back in the house.

Kaushalya Charan De is a non-traditional Georgia State student. A San Francisco native who has lived in different parts of the world, she has also been a Vedic astrologer for the last 29 years.

Throwing the baby out with the Bath Water

KAUSHALYA CHARAN DEGuest Columnist

One week before the start of the spring semester, we invited David Simpson, former Associated Press and Atlanta Journal-Con-stitution editor, to do a workshop with The Signal staff. Part of the theme was to under-stand how we could be the best in the world in regards to Georgia State. We learned to better understand our audience and to en-gage them with stories they care about.

We may have won first place in na-tional competitions and a record-breaking 10 first place awards from the Georgia State, but it is our readers’ recognition that makes us the proudest.

From the staff of The Signal, we would like to thank you for your readership. This school year, through our rebooting efforts, everything we have done has been to serve you. You made this happen, Georgia State. In return, we will vigorously continue to be the best in the world in bringing you Geor-gia State and Downtown Atlanta stories.

To be the best in the world

Page 8: Vol.80 No. 19

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2013 8A OPINIONS

1. Why do you think binge drinking is becoming such a problem among women?

2. Do you think there is a problem with binge drinking at Georgia State?

3. How do you think binge drinking should, or could be handled? Do you have knowledge of how other schools handle drinking?

Name: Athina AguirreMajor: Biology and French

Name: Tymira JonesMajor: Applied Linguistics

Name: Yelissa NavarroMajor: Undecided

1) I think they think it would be bet-ter if they did at one moment, sort of to excuse themselves so that they’re not [drinking] habitually. If they’re really drunk at once they could be like “Oh it was a party,” or something.2) Um, maybe. I think, like I said, most people don’t want to do it in a habitual manner, so they would rather kind of “do it all the way” and get drunk. I think a lot of people drink at the end of finals or the end of the semester as a celebratory [event].3) It could be possible, but some people are going to do whatever they’re going to do. Because even when people smoke and they know all the side effects and they have to worry about getting caught it entices some people to do it more. It’s all up to the per-son, they’re going to make their choice.

1) Yeah, I think it’s an emotional thing. Women, we let our emotions rule us, and we sometimes, we don’t think logi-cally. That’s because of our emotions and because we don’t know how to han-dle it in the proper way, some women will drink.2) From what I’ve seen I would say so, dealing with the stress of grades. Espe-cially when finals come around, you would think that wouldn’t be the time people do it, but a lot of people do it around that time.3) I think GSU should have a program that will educate people, I’m not sure if they do right now. Even if it was out here in the courtyard that would work, especially since there’s a lot of people around at that time. They should do something.

1) It’s obviously bad for your health, and you’re not in control of your ac-tions. That’s a serious problem, not just for women, but for anyone who binge drinks. (Do you have any insight why someone would drink like that?) I think they do it as a social or cultural thing.2) I don’t think, not as much as I’ve heard of other places. I think the residence halls here are a little stricter, because at places like Tech and UGA it’s pretty much out in the open. They have one campus that’s enclosed while ours is very open.3) I wouldn’t know how to start with the problem.

YOUR VOICE • YOUR OPINIONS

You’ve got the opinion.We’ve got the soapbox.

Now hiring columnists

Letters to the editorAccording to the article in The Signal, dated January 22,

2013, “Panther Express Shuttle service causes tension and worries”, several complaints were filed against bus drivers contracted out by Georgia State. However true, or untrue, these accusations may be, I feel that these bus drivers are being unfairly scapegoated. Furthermore I feel that these complaints are a complete distraction from the real prob-lems facing our university. Now, I come from a hard work-ing union family, which means I don’t complain. No matter how sweltering the heat or how long the walk, we persevere with our heads high. That being said, it gives me no great pride these words that follow.

First of all, I’d like to complain about how our univer-sity is literally bursting at the seams with students, yet our tuition is being hiked. Secondly, there’s no available com-puter at the library, yet our student fees are on the rise. Let’s not stop there; I’d like to complain about the fact that my diploma will not be worth the paper it is printed on when I graduate. I’d like to complain that when I bring up these issues, I get told by the wisest among us to “get a job” even though I already work two jobs to make ends meet. Or how about my supervisor at GSU who was just laid off (with no advance notice) due to the excuse of “budget cuts”? Accord-ing to the last issue of The Signal, our highest paid professor

makes close to $1 million. Our lowest paid professors are forced to give us meaningless assignments for their depart-ment mandated evaluation that they do not even have the time to grade because our classes are filled to the brim.

We have such a diverse university, yet I hear so many racist and sexist comments from my peers. The chances are high that the young woman who sits next to me in my History class will be sexually assaulted or raped before she graduates, if she hasn’t been already. The chances are high just as high that the young black man who sits in front of me will be arrested on false charges.

Imagine a university where we all felt safe, where we were all respected for our talents and qualities as human be-ings rather than the paycheck we represented to our univer-sity. Where we were respected by our faculty, staff, and con-tracted employees, and where we respected them in turn. I know that is the university we all want. Right now, students from Quebec to Chile are fighting for that type of university. It is that type of university we should fight for too.

Thomas GagneFrench Literature

2014

On January 22, The Signal published a front-page article titled “Panther bus conflicts” which purported to expose various complaints and safety concerns with FirstTransit, the company contracted to run the Panther bus service. Un-fortunately, this article was severely misguided. The article not only failed to objectively evaluate the criticisms raised against FirstTransit, but it also failed to take seriously the perspectives of the workers who were the subjects of the criticism—not even one worker was interviewed for the piece. While we doubt The Signal intended this as a mali-cious attack on Panther bus drivers, we would like to briefly raise a few concerns that were mistakenly left out of the arti-cle. Unfortunately, seemingly inconsequential articles such as these can have very detrimental impacts on our campus community.

First, we’d like to draw attention to the fact that the en-tire article highlights only five complaints. Given that these drivers transport thousands of students every single day, it is extremely hard to see how five written complaints consti-tutes a massive failure on behalf of the drivers.

Most importantly, however, we must insist on plac-ing the criticisms of Panther bus drivers within the larger context of attacks on workers’ rights and struggles for fair contracts. You might not realize this, but the bus drivers who get you to and from your classes, parking, and dorms are union bus drivers who belong to Teamsters Local 728. This union and others like it have increasingly come under attack in recent years. In fact, a few years ago, Georgia Tech

used the pre-text of a few complaints about its bus service to effectively force out FirstTransit and its unionized driv-ers. Sound familiar? As Panther bus drivers face contract negotiations during the coming year, it is important that we refuse to let a few complaints publicized by The Signal serve the same purpose: to strip workers of their most fundamen-tal right to organize.

And, (just in case you are asking) why is it important that our bus drivers have this right?

The bus drivers who work for FirstTransit at Georgia State are predominantly low-income women-of-color. These women are hyper-exploited in the labor market and rarely have union representation or protection. The job stability and higher wages which unionization affords these women allows them to dream of putting their children through col-lege, to feel secure in their ability to feed their family, and to feel some semblance of control in their work. As students, we must always stand with workers in their efforts to make their voices heard and never be the ones actively silencing them. We should demand a union campus with representa-tion for all workers, not contribute to the administration’s strategy of breaking unions.

The International Socialist Organization stands squarely behind Local 728. Workers’ power

Sean PhilipsThe International Socialist Organization

The Weakly Comic by william miracle

submit letters to the editor to [email protected]. more details on page 2A

Page 9: Vol.80 No. 19

www.georgiastatesignal.comSPORTS

Talent search wraps upPanthers close in on first recruiting class of Trent Miles era

National signing day coverage

Georgia State Football Verbal CommitmentsQB- Clay Chastain- 6’4” 220 Georgia Military College (Milledgeville, Ga.)

RB- Gerald Howse- 6’1” 220 Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (Miami, Okla.)

DT- George Rogers- 6’3” 300Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (Miami, Okla.)

QB- Oshay Carter- 6’3” 230Trinity Christian (Jacksonville, Fla.)

RB- Kyler Neal- 6’1” 210East Paulding HS (Dallas, Ga.)

TE- River Bryant- 6’4” 235Jackson County HS (Jefferson, Ga.)

TE- Sebastian Willer 6’6” 265Calhoun HS (Calhoun, Ga.)

TE- Keith Rucker- 6’4” 225Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio)

TE- Bill Teknipp- 6’5” 295Eagle’s Landing HS (McDonugh, Ga.)

OT- Daniel Ziegler 6’4” 250South Gwinnett HS (Snellville, Ga.)

OT- Brandon Pertile- 6’5” 295Countryside HS (Clearwater, Fla.)

OL- Davis Moore- 6’5” 290Loganville HS (Loganville, Ga.)

OG- Alex Stoehr- 6’1” 285North Gwinnett HS (Suwanee, Ga.)

DT- Will Cunningham- 6’2” 255Ida Baker HS (Cape Coral, Fla.)

DE- Mackendry Cheridor- 6’6” 245Columbia HS (Decatur, Ga.)

DE- Kingsley Ejike- 6’3” 220Newton County HS (Covington, Ga.)

DE- Carnell Hopson- 6’2” 245South Paulding HS (Douglasville, Ga.)

DE- Tevin Jones- 6’4” 250Luella HS (Hampton, Ga.)

DT- Jalen Lawrence- 6’0” 265Westside-Macon HS (Macon, Ga.)

LB- Kight Dallas- 6’2” 220Stephenson HS (Lithonia, Ga.)

LB- Trey Payne- 6’0” 230Northside HS (Warner Robbins, Ga.)

LB- Jameel Spencer- 6’0” 210Woodward Academy (College Park, Ga.)

DB- Deonte Davis- 5’11” 170South Gwinnett HS (Snellville, Ga.)

DB- Trenton Hill- 6’0” 195Martin Luther King HS (Atlanta, Ga.)

DB- Robert Dowling- 5’11” 185Lassiter HS (Marietta, Ga.)

ATH- Tyshaun Clemons- 6’1” 190Gordon Central HS (Calhoun, Ga.)

ATH- B.J. Clay- 6’0” 175Dacula HS (Dacula, Ga.)

*Chastain, Howse, and Rogers enrolled at Georgia State in January 2013.

National signing day, the college football equivalent of ground-breaking on a brand new sky scrapper, is Wednesday, Feb. 6.

Students, alumni and fans will finally be able to see the fruits of new head coach Trent Miles and his staff ’s labor on the recruiting trail and will get their first glimpses at the future of Georgia State football.

Ben Moore, editor of panthertalk.com, believes coach Miles and his staff have been well received during the recruiting process, especially in the met-ro Atlanta area.

“Recruits have responded very well to the new staff and Georgia State as a whole,” Moore said. “[Miles] quickly assembled a top notch staff with excellent recruiters and they attacked metro Atlan-ta, resulting in 15 commits from the greater Atlanta area.”

Several of Georgia State’s verbal commitments enrolled in school this January and will most like-ly have immediate impact on the field this coming fall.

“The Georgia State coaching staff was able to enroll three players early from the junior college ranks in quarterback Clay Chastain, running back Gerald Howse and defensive tackle George Rog-ers,” Moore said. “I believe all three will play sig-nificantly at their respective positions and I believe that Chastain and Howse will start.”

One of the position groups that Georgia State appears to have concentrated on during the recruit-ing process is the defensive line.

“Looking at the numbers it’s easy to see the staff was focused on adding depth to the defensive line,” Moore said. “Stopping the run has been a consistent problem for the Panthers in the last few years and new defensive coordinator Jesse Minter has prom-ised an attacking style. If the current commits hold, the Panthers will have 19 scholarship players on the defensive line. That’s excellent depth.”

Signing day is the finale of the recruiting sea-son production, yet it can also be the most stress-inducing day as coaches wait for letters of intent to roll into their fax machines.

That stress is caused by the fact that coaches realize the mind and decision making process of a high school senior can be a very fickle thing.

“Most coaches, if honest, don’t feel 100 percent about any prospect until they sign their National Letters of Intent,” Moore said. “These are 17-year-old young men we are talking about making the most important decision of their life to this point. Georgia State has several commitments that have taken other visits to bigger schools in the Big East, Big Ten, ACC, and SEC. They are very likely hear-ing from those coaches up until they sign their Let-ters of Intent.”

The entire coaching staff hopes that on Wednes-day, all of Georgia State’s commitments, from the greater Atlanta area all the way down to south Flor-ida, will decide to become part of this new Panthers family.

The Signal will be providing all day, up to the minute coverage of national signing day on Wednesday, Feb. 6.

We will be posting updates on signings on our web-site, www.georgiastatesignal.com, and you can follow us on Twitter @GSUSignalSports.

The Athletics Department will also be hosting their Annual Signing Day Show on Wednesday evening in the Georgia State University Student Center State Ballroom.

During the show, head coach Trent Miles and his staff will answer questions and introduce Georgia State’s 2013 football signees. There will also be video presen-tations.

Light refreshments will be provided during the show and admission is free.

We would like for you to send questions for coach Miles and his staff in regards to signing day and Georgia State football in general.

We will select several questions and do our best to have them answered and post the responses on our web-site and twitter feeds.

Be sure to check back throughout the weeks to come as The Signal will try to contact the 2013 signees and continue to bring you the best Georgia State football coverage possible.

RHETT LEWISSports Editor

“As for the true freshman, I’d look for LB Kight Dallas to make an im-mediate impact,” Moore said. “He is a tremendous player who was com-mitted to South Carolina from April to December [2012]. Kight also held offers from Purdue, Cal, South Caro-lina and Southern Miss. “

“He’s an under the radar guy, but at 6’5, 250lbs he is physically ready to contribute right now,” Moore said. “Jones played at Luella HS in Hampton, GA and was a dominant player, drawing scholarship offers from UCONN, Florida International and had interest from Georgia Tech, UCF, Duke and other FBS schools.”2012 stats- 72 tackles, 6 sacks, 3 fum-ble recoveries

LB- Kight Dallas

Lithonia, Ga.

Norcross, Ga.Hampton, Ga.

DE- Tevin Jones

“I’d keep an eye on CB Shon Akins who visited January 18 but is being courted by BCS schools,” Moore said. The 5’9”, 164 lbs. senior from Norcross HS in Norcross, Ga. also has offers from California, Florida Atlantic, Fresno State, and Troy and is considered to be a long shot as far as Georgia State is concerned. 2012 stats- 91 tackles, 1 INT, 10 passes defensed

CB- Shon Akins

Moore believes Chastain is the front-runner for the starting quarterback position in the fall. He has already enrolled at Georgia State. Chastain will have three years of eligibility at Georgia State and choose the Panthers after garnering interest from both Auburn and Mississippi State.2012 stats- 1,907 yards passing, 20 TD, 7 INT

QB- Clay Chastain

Milledgeville, Ga.

Football

SOURCE: BEN MOORE

Page 10: Vol.80 No. 19

Many would think being the only senior and biggest player on the team would satisfy anyone’s

college career.James Vincent, however, remains

humble about his goals. Vincent said nobody really inspired

him to play basketball, but like many players he had a family member who used to play the game.

“I can’t say anything inspires me to play basketball, I just play because it’s fun,” Vincent said.. “My father played at SC State when he was in college and I wanted to beat my father’s records as far as blocks.”

Speaking of records, Vincent is clos-ing in on several school records. He’s al-ready achieved a lot at Georgia State in-cluding averaging 2.8 points following 2.4 rebounds per game in just three sea-sons.

“I am very proud of these goals be-cause I never expected to be how it is now,” Vincent said. “I just broke a record for most blocks and I am ranked in the nation for blocks now. I never thought I could get to something like that.”

Vincent is the only senior on the team. Playing with a young team is not a problem for him.

With five freshmen and six sopho-mores, Vincent said he has never seen a

young team so determined. “It’s very fun playing with this team

and they are all very funny guys,” Vin-cent said. “They keep me laughing and they are really determined, to be such young guys. That keeps me motivated, to see them that way and they play like it is their last year playing.”

Off the court, Vincent said he clicks the most with players David Travers and TJ Shipes, the biggest jokers on the team.

Head coach Ron Hunter can be hard on Vincent, but only for his own good.

“I think he is a great coach because he knows what he is doing,” Vincent said. “He yells and actually speaks his mind more than most coaches. I think he actu-ally understand me more than any other coach that I have had.”

Music is associated with many ath-letes’ pregame routines, but not Vincent.

“I’m actually a backwards ball play-er,” Vincent said. “I like to take a nap be-fore the games and I don’t listen to music because I fear that is kind of distracting. It gets me crunk, but at the same time the lyrics are in my mind the whole game.”

Vincent, a studio art major, is that he wants to be a graphic designer after graduation and would like to own his own business.

Vincent, always a team player, feels like his last season could be the start of something good for Georgia State.

“I feel it’s more about them than it is for me,” Vincent said. “It’s my last year and I need to set a platform for them to build upon.”

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2013 10A SPORTS

TIFFANIE SMITHStaff Reporter

Senior leadership on display

Before Thomas Cook started his collegiate ca-reer, he was billed as a four star recruit and the number one ranked tennis player in

Georgia. While in high school, he accomplished several

feats such as defeating the No. 2 and No. 3-ranked players in Louisiana and posting a record of 31-11 at the conclusion of his prep career.

An Atlanta native, he didn’t venture too far home as he continued his post-prep tennis career by committing to Georgia State.

With his prep career in the books, it brought forth new opportunities and new challenges by continuing on playing collegiately as Cook would be playing against more talented players from around the world, not just United States.

One new challenge was brought forth as soon he set foot on campus. He was the only American-born athlete on Georgia State’s men’s tennis team.

“Communication can be difficult sometimes but I think I’m getting used to the language bar-rier,” Cook said. “Learning firsthand about differ-ent cultures has been a huge plus.”

While the roster may consist of talented ath-letes from around the world, adjusting to playing and living in America could be a quite challenge

for the foreign athletes. Coach Barthel looked at Cook being Ameri-

can-born as a positive for the team.“He’s a team leader,” Barthel said. “He’s from

Atlanta. He’s always played in Atlanta. He leads the freshmen by example. He helps freshmen from the other parts of the world to adjust (to playing in America).”

Despite not sharing the same cultures, Cook still managed to bond with his teammates on and off the tennis court.

One thing they all bond over is video games, with the FIFA occer series being their game of choice.

“I’m a big FIFA soccer fan,” Cook said. “A lot of the guys on the tennis team play, but they’re not quite on my level.”

Cook’s favorite tennis player is Roger Federer and he even sees a little of himself in the Swiss ten-nis champion.

“Federer, in my opinion, is the most amaz-ing player to watch,” Cook said. “He hits some of the most unbelievable shots and makes them look easy. I think I might play with his aggressive style, but it’s extremely tough to compare with the great-est in the world.”

Aside from playing tennis at Georgia State, Cook values his education and recently changed his major from exercise science to managerial sci-ence.

Cook, a junior, made the switch to prepare himself for a possibly like in the family-owned business currently ran by his father, but hasn’t ruled out the possibility of playing tennis after his time at Georgia State is up.

“I would like to try the early stages of the ATP tour to see how I do and possibly teach tennis here and there later on in my life,” Cook said. “Definite-ly will continue in some way throughout my life.”

After his experiences at Georgia State, you can bet Cook will be suited for a life in business or ten-nis, and should feel comfortable anywhere in the world.

For Cook’s bio and career accomplishments please visit www.georgiastatesignal.com

ANDRES CRUZ-WELLMANN| THE SIGNAL James Vincent slams against William & Mary

DAVID NORWOOD IIStaff Reporter

One man welcoming committee

GEORGIA STATE ATHLETICS

basketball

TENNIS

athlete profiles

Page 11: Vol.80 No. 19

On making the CAA All-Rookie teamMy initial thoughts were confusion. I could have never

received the honor of being named on the All-Rookie team without such an amazing team that supports each other and pushes each other to do their best on and off the court.

Offseason conditioningRight now with my foot injury I can only do upper body

workouts and core workouts. My team and I work out with our strength and conditioning coach Mel Schmitz five days a week; weights three days a week and conditioning three days a week.

Sweet home MinnesotaI know it sounds silly but when you grow up where you

can’t even go a mile with out a body of water you get used to playing games out on the ice in the winter, or ice skating, or swimming and fishing in the summer.

Volleyball slangShag. It means to go pick up the balls in the gym. I don’t

necessarily like doing it, but it’s a fun word.

Favorite athleteDanielle Scott-Arruda. She plays on the USA Women’s

National Volleyball team. She recently played in the 2012 Olympics and she is 40 years old.

*To find out who Eliza says is her smartest teammate and to read the full interview transcript, please visit our website at www.georgiastatesignal.com.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2013 11A

Tue, Feb. 5 MGLF SeaBest Seafood Invitational (final round) at Ponte Vedra, Fla. All Day

Wed, Feb. 6MBBUNCW*at Wilmington, N.C.7:00 P.M.

Thu, Feb. 7WBBWilliam & Mary*GSU Sports Arena7:00 P.M.

Fri, Feb. 8SBBulldog Kickoff Classicat Starkville, Miss.11:00 A.M. and 1:30 P.M.

Sat, Feb. 9MTR and WTFat Birmingham, Ala.All Day

Sat, Feb .9MTENGeorgia SouthernBlackburn Tennis Center1:00 P.M.

Sat, Feb .9MBBTowson*GSU Sports Arena2:00 P.M.

Sat, Feb. 9WTENAuburnat Auburn, Ala.2:00 P.M.

Sat, Feb. 9SBBulldog Kickoff Classicat Starkville, Miss.6:30 P.M. and 8:30 P.M.

Sun-Tue, Feb. 10-12WGLFUCF Challengeat Sorrento, Fla.All Day

Sun, Feb. 10MTENNicholls StateBlackburn Tennis Center9:00 A.M.

Sun, Feb. 10WBBHofstra*GSU Sports Arena 12:00 P.M.

Sports Calendar

Journalism • Media • Integrated Marketing Communications

MEDILLNORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

CONSIDERING AN MBA OR MARKETING GRADUATE DEGREE?

WHEN: Wednesday, February 6th at 5 p.m.

WHERE: Omni CNN Center, Pecan Room, 100 CNN Center Atlanta, GA 30303

PRESENTERS: Medill Dean Brad Hamm and IMC Chair Frank Mulhern, Ph.D.

SPACE IS LIMITED, SO PLEASE RSVP TO: http://tinyurl.com/imcinatlanta Admission is free. Attendees are also welcome to join Medill’s dean and Medill alumni in Atlanta for a dean’s reception at Latitudes Lounge in the Omni immediately following the information session.

Please join us for a graduate Information SessionMedill, Northwestern UniversityMaster of Science in Integrated Marketing Communications

PANTHER Of The Week

GEORGIA STATE ATHLETICS

Freshman R.J. Hunter and the men’s basketball team defeated two of their Colonial Athletic Associa-tion rivals this past week– downing league-leading Northeastern by a score of 78-73 on Jan. 30 and rout-ing Old Dominion on Feb. 2 by a score of 83-63.

Hunter tied a career high with 27 points versus Northeastern. He also con-tributed four rebounds, five assists, and one very timely block with less than 20 sec-onds to play to help pre-serve the Panthers victory.

On Saturday night Hunter dazzled the Geor-gia State faithful inside the Sports Arena with a career best 38 points, including a school and CAA record 10 three pointers.

Hunter is the fifth most prolific scorer in the CAA so far this season, averag-ing 17.3 points per game to go along with 5.5 rebounds per contest (as of Feb. 3).

R.J. HUNTER

Five qs with...

GEORGIA STATE ATHLETICS

Eliza ZacharyYEAR: Freshman Major: Biology From: Bloomington, Minn.Sport: VolleyBall

Page 12: Vol.80 No. 19

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Campus Events

CAMPUS EVENTSwww.gsu.edu/studentevents

DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER SERIES: Dr. Drew PinskyThursday, February 14, 3 p.m. Student Center Ballroom • FREECampus Eventsʼ 2012-13 Distinguished Speaker Series will feature Dr. Drew Pinsky, aka Dr. Drew. Pinksy stars in Celebrity Rehab and hosts the popular radio show Loveline and the hit HLN TV show Dr. Drew on Call. He is currently working on a new book, Recovering Intimacy. The event will take place in the Student Center Ballroom (overflow seating will be in the Speakerʼs Auditorium). The Distinguished Speaker Series events are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Campus Events at 404-413-1857.

EARLY BIRD TICKET DEADLINE EXTENDEDGSU Night at the AquariumFriday, February 15, 6-11 p.m., Georgia AquariumAll Georgia State University students, faculty, staff, alumni and their families and friends are invited to GSU Night at the Aquarium on Friday, February 15. An entry ticket to the Georgia Aquarium will include access to Deepoʼs Undersea 3D Wondershow Theater and Frogs, A Chorus of Colors; no

additional ticket purchase is required. Also, there will be one viewing of the AT&T Dolphin Tales show, with seating beginning at 7 p.m. and the show beginning promptly at 7:30 p.m. (additional ticket purchase is required and only 1,600 tickets are available).

Ticket prices are the same for students and non-students and are as follows:

Until 7 p.m. on February 7:$13 – Aquarium entry only • $21 – Aquarium entry with Dolphin Tales ticket

February 8 until 4 p.m., February 15 (or until sold out, whichever comes first):$16 – Aquarium entry only • $26 – Aquarium entry with Dolphin Tales ticket

Ticket sales are not restricted to persons affiliated with GSU. Tickets can only be purchased in person at Campus Tickets (open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday – Friday) in the University Center. More information about this event can be found at the Campus Events website at www.gsu.edu/studentevents or by contacting Campus Events Special Events Director Jeunice Owens-Walton at [email protected].

Campus Events in Library PlazaTuesday, February 5, Noon-1 p.m., Library PlazaFeaturing DJ Peter Parker

Campus MovieFest (CMF) Wednesday, February 6MUST REGISTER by TODAY to compete in the worldʼs largest student film festivalNoon-5:30 p.m., 480/485 University CenterAfter registering, get everything you need to make a 5-minute film in a week: an Apple MacBook Pro with editing software, a Panasonic HD camcorder and 24/7 tech support all for free! Sign up now at www.campusmoviefest.com/GSUand join the Facebook event page to stay updated on event info and for special prize opportunities! You may sign up on the day of the event in 480/485 University Center.The top 16 GSU films will be shown and compete for prizes at an on-campus red carpet finale at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, February 28, at the Rialto Center for the Arts. The winners will have a chance to screen at the Campus MovieFest Hollywood Finale, where they will be eligible to win even larger prizes and national exposure. Just last year, CMF had over 75,000 participants who earned $400,000 in prizes.Sponsored by Spotlight Programs Board, Campus Events, GSTV, the Residence Hall Association and the Student Government Association.

Miss Georgia State University Scholarship PageantSaturday, February 97 p.m. • Doors open at 6:30 p.m.Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University Join us at the Rialto Center for the Arts as 24 hopeful young women bring their best to compete for the crown at our 18th Miss Georgia State University Scholarship Pageant. As part of the Miss America program, Miss GSU will go on to compete in the Miss Georgia pageant this June. Miss Georgia will go on to compete in the Miss America pageant next January.

Tickets on Sale Now!GSU Students: $12 • Faculty, Staff and Non-GSU Students: $20Program book included in price. For more information: 404-413-1610 or [email protected]

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Spotlight

SPOTLIGHT PROGRAMS BOARDwww.gsu.edu/spotlight

GSU StorytellersThursday, February 7, 7-9:30 p.m.Speakerʼs Auditorium, Student Center This event is a rendition of VH1 Storytellers. We will feature three performances: Subconscious, Ari'Jo and Will Hill. You cannot afford to miss this event!

Soul Food CypherThursday, February 7, 7-9 p.m., 470 University Center The Soul Food Cypher is an open freestyle cypher event. The event is already established and occurs at WonderRoot every second and fourth Sunday of the month from 6 to 9 p.m. GSU is simply branching the event to its first college campus. This event is young, and we will one day see that we were its first step out of its “home” at WonderRoot into the world.

Spotlight Programs Board in Unity PlazaThursday, February 14, Noon-1 p.m., Unity PlazaCelebrate Valentineʼs Day with Spotlight Programs Board.

For more information, call Spotlight at 404-413-1610.

All shows free for GSU students, faculty and staff with ID. Guests $3 before 5 p.m. and $5 at 5 p.m. and after.

xcinefest movie timeshttp://www.gsu.edu/cinefest

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Cinefest Film Theatre

February 4-10 • ArgoMonday-Friday: 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m., 7 p.m., 9 p.m. Saturday-Sunday: 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m., 7 p.m.

For details, visit www.gsu.edu/cinefest.

Courtyard Music Series.jpg

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http://www.gsu.edu/studentcenter

WHATʼSHAPPENINGON CAMPUS! Supported by Student Activity Fees