SPSU’S STUDENT NEWS PUBLICATION
Volume 67 Issue 6 || February 4, 2014
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Editorial Board The Sting’s Executive Board & Editorial Board readthesting.com 678-915-7310 Editor in Chief - Randy Brown Jr.
sting@spsu.edu
Secretary to the Editor- Zuri Coleman
zcoleman@spsu.edu
Managing Editor - Desmond Hilson dhilson@spsu.edu
Treasurer - Trista Land
treasurer.sting@gmail.com
Copy Editor - Matt Strauss copyed.sting@gmail.com News Editor - Christopher Harris campusnews.sting@gmail.com
Opinions Editor - Jason Ramaley Features Editor –Tabitha Robinson features.sting@gmail.com
Games Editor - Connor Cobb Sports Editor - Joe Thomas sports.sting@gmail.com
Layout & Design Editor - Brandon Rich layoutdesign.sting@gmail.com
Creative Marketing Director - Desmond Hilson
cmd.sting@gmail.com
Web Development - Addison Wilson webd.sting@gmail.com
Advertising Manager - Joseph Pitts jpitts2@spsu.edu
Faculty Adviser - Prof. Jeff Greene jgreene3@spsu.edu
Administrative Adviser - Ron Lunk
rlunk@spsu.edu
The Sting is the student news publication of Southern Polytechnic State University
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1100 South Marietta Parkway, Marietta, Georgia 30060 Located in A-246 of the Joe Mack Wilson Student Center The Sting is a monthly publication
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EDITORIAL
Welcome By Randy Brown Jr.
Photo By: Addison Wilson
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Editorial 7
e Home A
fter nearly 3 months of separation, the SPSU community has been reunited with its beloved globe. It’s a shame, the circumstances that surrounded its removal. Nonetheless, let’s take this opportunity to come together. Let’s use the reappearance of the globe to support each other as a community.
A year from today this place will be called Kennesaw State University. And while I have accepted the reality and looking to work diligently with our neighbors, what happens here over the next few months will be special. The globe and other significant landmarks on this campus will forever hold stories of our existence, of SPSU’s beginnings. Take care of them. They are just as much yours as the clothes on your back.
I am not calling for rallies or protests, but a time of togetherness. Our time here is limited. We should be focusing on the preservation of such moments as Though the future is roughly well as others. vague, home will live with me. readthesting.com || February 4, 2014
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“if you see
say some
By SPSU Police
Over the last month, our campus has unfortunately experienced several incidents of significant vehicle vandalism. Most incidents are a combination of “slashed tires” and “keyed” car bodies. All reported incidents appear to have occurred without provocation. The SPSU
Police Department has obtained multiple leads assisting our efforts in identifying the perpetrator(s). We need additional assistance from the campus community in order to ensure this senseless vandalism stops immediately.
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Campus News 9
something, ething� If you have knowledge of any information regarding these recent crimes please contact the SPSU Police Department and please report any suspicious activity to the SPSU Police Department
Persons wishing to provide anonymous information can contact Atlanta Crime Stoppers http://www.crimestoppersatlanta.org/index
(678) 915-5555
(404) 577-TIPS
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Consolidation Committee Discusses Structure and Mission Statement
Meeting held on January 22nd, 2014 By Christopher Harris An SPSU-KSU Consolidation Committee gathered on January 22nd to discuss a new structure and mission statement for the combined university.
Photo By: Desmond Hilson
statement should be finalized by January 30th. Committee members also touched on issues related to university structure, including
In an attempt to keep the Southern Poly name, the “Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering and Engineering Technology” was proposed
was explored for other schools as well, but thus far hasn’t been attached to any other school. Committee members
of Architecture and Construction Management” because it allows for expansion of the programs and the university as a whole.
“As a university, we need to operate efficiently. We need to reduce the absolute number of Senior Administrators and Back Office overhead, and redirect fund to instruction, educational support, and research.”
During the meeting the committee— which is made up of deans, vice presidents, and faculty from Kennesaw State University and Southern Polytechnic State University—argued about the wording for the mission and vision statement. Dr. Papp, who will be the president of the new what colleges would as a name for one university, said that be included in the new of the colleges. The the mission and vision university. Southern Poly name
Committee members also proposed a number of other ideas such as combining art and architecture, combining all of SPSUs programs into a single college, splitting humanities and social sciences, creating a college of liberal arts, and also creating a college of interspecifically didn’t want national programs. Committee members to include the Poly spoke about seeking name on the “School readthesting.com || February 4, 2014
Features 11 to create colleges that “aren’t too big but are also comprehensive.” Dr. Papp closed the meeting by saying, “As a university, we need to operate efficiently. We need to reduce the absolute number of Senior Administrators and Back Office overhead, and redirect funds to instruction, educational support, and research.” Upcoming meetings are scheduled for January 30th, February 10th, and February 14th.
Upcoming meetings are scheduled for
JANUARY
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FEBRUARY
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By Jason Ramaley Photo By: Desmond Hilson
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he Surveying and Mapping Society of Georgia, SAMSOG had its annual seminar here on campus this past January. Mathew Irwin, President of the SAMSOG SPSU Student Chapter had some time to chat with Executive Director Ginger Jones, who oversaw the SAMSOG
seminar this year. Ginger had wonderful things to say about the long-standing relationship between SPSU and SAMSOG. Jones had mentioned that when SAMSOG’S surveyors first came to SPSU to hold the technical seminars, they were held in a much smaller game room back in the mid 1960’s. Since then,
many surveyors have enjoyed coming to SPSU for continuing their education as most of them had very strong ties to SPSU. If you aren’t familiar on what SAMSOG does, the surveying and mapping society’s role is to coordinate meetings and programs for Georgia Land Surveyors. SAMSOG’s chapter
meetings provide a primary focus for the members. For the last fifty years, SAMSOG continues to be the principle source of information regarding the State of Georgia’s activities that affect land surveyors and the surveying profession. SAMSOG has also been huge contributor to the educational system here in Georgia, holding numerous
technical seminars here at SPSU, as well as Georgia Tech. If you would like more information on SAMSOG, check out their website at SAMSOG.org.
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Campus News13 Greek Update
Pi Kappa Phi By Zachary Little
In only twelve hours, SPSUs Pi Kappa Phi fraternity raised $630 to help people with disabilities by riding a stationary bike. The money raised will be going to the fraternity’s national philanthropy, Push America. According to Osei Amparbeng, a member of Pi Kappa Phi, “We ride the stationary bike to simulate the national bike rides Push America hosts.” Push Amer-
ica hosts two biking in Push America you events. One, called can visit their website Journey of Hope, has at pushamerica.org. a route from California to the capital. The other, Gear Up Florida, is from Miami to Tallahassee. Push America is a philanthropy owned by Pi Kappa Phi that helps people with disabilities. The proceeds will be going to help build ramps and building accessible amenities at camps. If you have any more interest
Photo By: Desmond Hilson
“The proceeds will be going to help build ramps and building accessible amenities at camps.” readthesting.com || February 4, 2014
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Do we really need holiday to remind By Jason Ramaley
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hings never t u r n out like they are supposed to. I’m one of those older non-traditional students you read about in the last issue of The Sting, so I’ve had plenty of time to be in the dating and relationship scene. Even though I’ve been in the most incredible relationship with my girlfriend over the past two years, Valentine’s Day means absolutely nothing to me. I will do something nice for my girlfriend on the 14th, but I do that throughout the year anyway. Big deal. In the past, not having a girlfriend with Valentine’s Day approaching affected me in the worst way. How could anyone not feel horrible being single, or even worse having a relationship end before February 14th? Everywhere you turn you see large displays of Valentine’s Day gift ideas, and
there are always constant reminders on television and radio that will drive the cupid’s dagger - not arrow, directly into our backs and hearts for a good month or so. Some pain can be pleasure as some of us know, but what the mainstream media does to our minds, souls, and self-esteem is reprehensible.
Love is stronger than money, but my perfect analogy of Valentine’s Day would be a quote about money from Paul Stanley, the lead singer of the rock band Kiss. The flamboyant and extremely wealthy musician was asked what money brought to his life in a 1988 documentary, in which Stanley stated “Once you have money you realize that it’s not important; what money gives you is the opportunity to forget about money. “ Think about that quote for a minute and replace the money with love.
What about the female’s perspective? I can’t imagine the pressure that young women feel who are still single past the age of 29. All of their friends seem to be married, some with kids which can make those young ladies feel like there is something wrong with them. Add in family pressure like parents wanting grandchildren, and seeing the all their friends’ post their fabulous lives online in living color only adds to the misconception of this painful holiday called Valentine’s Day. Regardless of what your family, friends, and the media lead you to believe, there is no perfect time to get married. But many experts agree that the worst time to get married is while you are still a teenager. Even though I don’t know what it’s like to be a woman, but from being around so many women in my life, women seem to
take the subject of age harder than men. And sadly enough, that mindset has spread to today’s more sensitive male population. Remember, time goes by extremely fast. The time that you waste worrying about your re l a t i o n s h i p status and age could be time spent m a k i n g yourself b e t t e r. Being alone gives you time to embrace y o u r passions without any i n t e r fe re n ce , and that is a life changer in itself.
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da d us of love?
Photo Source: bschwehn http://www.sxc.hu/browse.phtml?f=download&id=1411312
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Opinions15
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IN PURSUIT OF A DREAM THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS
3
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By Sharon Roberts
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s a non-traditional student on this two-year journey back into academia, I can honestly say coming to the end of this journey is bittersweet. My intentions were to return to school and finish what I started over 27 years ago. What has ended up happening is I’ve formed friendships with people who are 27 years younger and watched my self evolve into this woman with purpose, and commitment. readthesting.com || February 4, 2014
Features17 This SPSU journey started because of a recurring nightmare that I had for a decade or more. The characters were a mixture of high school classmates, sprinkled with a few familiar faces from my first college experience throwing
When the runner approaches the finish line, no matter the time it took to get there, it is the accomplishment of making it to the end. I often say, “it is not starting the race that counts as much as that you actually finish it.”
I can report that I haven’t had that nightmare dream again. I have proven to my three boys, you can overcome any obstacle with perseverance, just believe but more so, traditionally or non-traditionally never stop being in pursuit of a dream.
“When the runner approaches the finish line, no matter the time it took to get there, it is the accomplishment of making it to the end. “ in some random characters to make things more bizarre. Toward the end of the dream everyone is getting ready to graduate but I am lost, unable to join the group and then it happens. I wake up, sweaty, dazed and feeling incomplete. On December 10, 2010, I stepped foot on the SPSU campus to attend an orientation, and after an icy winter storm had passed I was able to walk into my first lecture after 20 years of absence. A tear did not fall down my cheek, but a smile formed on my lips for my prayers had been answered and it was happening! Ten has significance for me- on the 10th of May I plan on walking across that stage to receive that congratulatory handshake. I expect to see family and friends who have taken this journey with me in audience. And I will look around me at the faces I have greeted daily as we all move on to the next life adventure. The overwhelming moments of being a working mother combined with a double life as a student are overshadowed by a 3.2 GPA. When we add to the mix, countless conversations and mentoring opportunities where sometimes I became the mentee instead of the mentor- I am amazed on how much this journey has evolved into more than a degree. readthesting.com || February 4, 2014
Photo By: Desmond Hilson
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By Desmond Hilson As I walked up the Atrium stairs, I wasn’t at all that sure what to expect from Christopher Miller, Founder and Mobile Advocate of the MAC (Mobile Applications Club); it’s a little known club here on SPSU’s campus. I was told to meet Miller in J-368, which turned out to be a small, incredibly hot room. The sweltering heat was likely being produced by the numerous iMacs there. These machines were being pushed to the limit by students coding their way into the future. I found myself sitting in a chair examining the Chickfil-A bag resting on the desk. As I further observed his current workstation my eyes opened wide. A big grin appeared on my face as the image of a young Steve Jobs appeared on the screen of an iMac to his left. DH: What interview were you watching? CM: It was an interview that was lost and it came out after he passed away. They kind of touched on touchy topics that he couldn’t have public because he was talking about the corporation he used to work at. DH: Why did you choose to watch that interview? CM: There was a metaphor that was about organizations and how people come together and basically can kind of bounce off one another. Whether it be positive ions or negative ions. It comes out to be some kind of energy being dispersed in an effort. Looking at his computer screen, I saw that he was preparing a PowerPoint presentation to be given at the MAC’s next general body meeting. This meeting happens every Friday, in the J Building, room J-251 from 1PM – 5:30PM.
I am a member of the MAC Group on Facebook, and I remembered Miller posting information about an app he’s currently working on. DH: What are you working on? CM: My personal project is an app by the name of “Atlan-tra”. It actually is pretty developed. It was loosely based on another app I done before with traffic and transit but, this one will be focused more on traffic cameras, transit locations, bus stops, train stops, and just different things related to how people commute to work. He pulled out his phone and opens up the “Atlan-tra” app. As he thumbed through the app, Miller points out details about the process of data collection from MARTA, GRETA, and CCT to concentrate routes and times all in one place, on one screen in the palm of your hand. We went into conversation about an app by the name of “Campus Map – SPSU” that the MAC club developed and published in April of 2013. The app takes the SPSU campus map and it overlays it upon Google Map, giving the user the functionality to pan, zoom, rotate, and pin point their location on campus. The app is available in the Android Play Market and the Apple App Store. DH: Have you heard about the interactive map the university is developing? CM: Yes, I have. I have actually been having in-depth conversations with Stephanie Coleman with not conflicting with their application [SIC]. It’s a web-based application and we’re not sure if they have a mobile app. The campus map application that we’ve been working on is more of an opportunity to fill in the void in areas the interactive map will not have. readthesting.com || February 4, 2014
I tried my best to process the details of the numerous apps the MAC is in the process of developing. I wondered how it would appeal to those who aren’t skilled in developing.
19 Features19
My question was answered without having to ask by Miller in the form of a comparison to Big Macs. CM: Sometimes it can be overwhelming looking at a large-scale project for the first time. We don’t like to offer five Big Macs for someone to eat at once. We definitely want to give them small bites at first. And if they want more, we say you can have the whole burger but, only one. The MAC has a number of roles that students can sign up for. The ten teams the MAC offers are: Digital Media, Business Planning, Device Management, Mobile Advocate, Social Networking, Android, iOS, Windows, Quality Assurance, and the MAC team. We went continued in discussions about the advancement of the MAC. Chris explained the certain goals his club hoped to achieve. As the interview drew to a close I opened up the floor to Miller. CM: I’m so happy, in all of the confusion of the school transitioning to a new name, to know that KSU actually has a mobile presence. There was an event where KSU was hosting a Mobility Live Intern Summit, which was a part of the Mobility Live Conference. The big idea of the conference was for big Atlanta companies, such as Verizon and others, to make Atlanta and the Southeastern region of the United States the mobile capitol of the United States. And I was proud to know that we’re actually connected to that now. So, I’m happy about that.
Photo Source: Desmond Hillson
<body> <p> Scan QR Code to join THE MAC /p> <page on scan=”Facebook(‘THE MAC’)”>Join Us </scan> <script> function Facebook(name,job) { alert(“Mobile“ + Applications + “, the “ + Club); } </script> </body> readthesting.com || February 4, 2014
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games A New era of sporting
What is eSports?
ByMatt Dinoff
M
any of us grew up watching our favorite sports on television: baseball, basketball, soccer, football, and many more. Young kids would look up to the
stars of their favorite sports, go outside and imitate their favorite players, enjoying the game even more. In this day and age, however, professional gaming is taking over, nearly replacing the
professional sports These competitions world for some fans. are typically played in the presence of a eSports, also known as live audience. Here, professional electronic the best of the best sports, is the general battle each other for term to describe prizes, money, and professional video the glory of being the game competitions. number one player in
the world. Contrary to popular belief, though, professional gaming is not something new.
1980â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Back in the 80â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s when video game arcades were popular, Atari held the first ever video game competition featuring their game, Space Invaders. More than ten thousand competitors attended the event, which would begin a chain reaction for a phenomenon that would take the world by storm.
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Games21
1990’s The 90s brought in the reign of PC gaming. Games like Quake, which came out in the early 90s, was considered a leader for the PC eSports generation. Later in 1998, Starcraft was released for the PC and quickly became one of
the biggest games in history. Blizzard’s real time strategy game caught the gaming world by storm with its expansion pack Brood War in 1998 which would send the world of eSports in the right direction for the 2000s.
2000’s Ringing in the new millennium, video games and eSports would explode in popularity with the World Cyber Games in 2000, Major League Gaming (MLG) and the semiannual DreamHack events which spawned in 2002. One of the biggest games that continued to draw huge crowds was Starcraft. Finally twelve years after it’s predecessor, Starcraft II was released to a fan base as big as ever and still growing. Next, would come the MOBAs, (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) with Defense Against the Ancients (DOTA), based on a fan-made mod of Warcraft III, readthesting.com || February 4, 2014
and it’s competitor and spiritual successor, League of Legends(LoL). Released in 2009, League of Legends quickly became one of the most played games in world. League of Legends has taken the eSports world to new heights and venues with their Season Three World Championships. Held in the Staples Center, it sold out tickets in under an hour last October, offering a prize pool of over two million dollars to the victor. With their success in the past, Riot Games’ League of Legends looks to expand in Season Four with a third party sponsorship. The new
Coke Zero Challenger Series in both North America and Europe is taking the top amateur teams from both regions and having them battle each other in hopes of getting into the professional League Championship Series (LCS), which begins on January 14th. eSports is an ever growing sport, encompassing any competitive game from fighters like the Street Fighter series, to shooters like Call of Duty and Battlefield and anything and everything in between.
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Gaming on the Go By Connor Cobb
To begin, I’d like to apologize for an issue that occurred in my last article that many of you likely noticed. Due to a clerical error, the article titled “Top Bottom Five,” was actually an incomplete draft and was mistakenly published. I apologize for any confusion that it may have caused. I’ll just come right out and say it: I hate mobile gaming. I’m not referring to gaming on a 3DS or
Vita, as I quite enjoy my Nintendo 3DSXL, rather I hate playing games on cell phones. Back in the stone age, when cell phones had tactile buttons, mobile gaming was primitive but showed promise. In another lifetime, I actually had the original Metal Gear on my Sony Ericsson, and rather enjoyed it. Like most things in life, however, Apple showed up and decided to ruin everything. The iPhone’s push for a touchscreen-
mostly stayed away from the mobile gaming scene, spending the spare time I had with my old Galaxy S1 on the Solitaire app. The old gal was living on borrowed time however, being a whole three years old, so I recently saw it fit to upgrade to a Galaxy Note 3, and in doing such, embarked on an explorative journey of just what the mobile gaming could offer me on my new hardware. I A journey I will now
only interface on mobile devices meant that mobile gaming would forever be handicapped, relegating the genre almost exclusively to gimmicky flash game knockoffs, and 99 cent shovelware. Most games that would attempt anything close to gameplay depth end up with the kind of floaty and imprecise controls that are miserable to experience. For
that
reason,
share with you. Before going any further, I would like to clarify that I’m only covering games from the Android marketplace because Apple is the spawn of Satan.
Minecraft: Pocket Edition
Photo Source: http://adrienwagner.deviantart.com/art/My-house-in-Minecraft-pocket-edition-424185925
We begin our journey with the app that has been firmly situated at the top of the “Most Popular” list for about a year now: Minecraft Pocket Edition. It’s not difficult to see why either, as it’s the same Minecraft that we know, love, and figured out what 20 euros was in US dollars for. The movement and interaction works about as well as one would expect to with a virtual joystick, though this version is nowhere
near as complex or content-packed as its PC counterpart. At the end of the day, it works, but the lack of drag-and-drop functionality makes interfaces (particularly the inventory) clunky and confusing.
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Games23
Photo Source: http://cdn.dualshockers.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Star-Wars-Tiny-Death-Star.jpg
Tiny Death Star Do you love being endlessly monetized? Do you lose sleep at night knowing that you have money you havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wasted on virtual goods yet? Do you need to affirm your existence with the knowledge that
a corporation sees you as an open wallet to lift money out of? If yes, then have I got a game for you! Tiny Death Star has pretensions towards being a Sim Toweresque management sim in the Star Wars
Rymdkapsel Do you love being endlessly monetized? Do you lose sleep at night knowing that you have money you havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wasted on virtual goods yet? Do you need to affirm your existence with
upwards of six hours to complete, but the game is only too happy to let you pay real money to hurry things up. I stopped playing when I realized I had yet to actually have fun with the game.
Photo Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/Rymdkapsel_screenshot_3.png
the knowledge that a corporation sees you as an open wallet to lift money out of? If yes, then have I got a game for you! Tiny Death Star has pretensions towards being a Sim Tower-
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universe, but what it really winds up being is a time sink. You spend your time stocking different floors with goods and employees to raise money to buy more floors to stock. The biggest problem is, tasks can take
esque management sim in the Star Wars universe, but what it really winds up being is a time sink. You spend your time stocking different floors with goods and employees to raise money to buy
more floors to stock. when I realized I had The biggest problem yet to actually have fun is, tasks can take with the game. upwards of six hours to complete, but the game is only too happy to let you pay real money to hurry things up. I stopped playing
All images released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported lisence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/3.0/
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Hornets Baseball Looks To Build On Successful 2013 Campaign Joe Thomas
Photos By: Julian Plowden
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Although the temperatures may not reflect it, spring is coming, and with it, another season of Southern Poly baseball. This year’s team will try to improve on a winning 2013 campaign that
first year of pro ball. Blount and the Hornets’ head coach Marty Lovrich were recently recognized by the Georgia Dugout Club for their successful 2013 seasons. Blount was named 2013 NAIA
an unfamiliar Martin Methodist squad, and non-conference games with Georgia Gwinnett and NCAA Division II Georgia Southwestern. Coach Lovrich indicated in an interview with SPSUHornets.com
“We set the schedule up, especially with as many new guys as we’ve got this year, to push them to the limit prior to that first conference weekend,” saw the Hornets finish 39-17 overall, with a 17-13 mark in the Southern States Athletic Conference, good enough for a fifth place finish. The SSAC again promises to be one of the NAIA’s toughest conferences, with defending national champion and Southern Poly rival Faulkner University topping the preseason coaches poll. The Hornets are ranked 17th in the same poll, a respectable ranking for a team that lost a considerable amount of talent from last year’s team, including Nick Blount. Blount, an SPSU standout in 2013, was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 9th round of last year’s Major League Baseball FirstYear Player Draft, and helped his minor league team reach the playoffs with a strong performance in his
College Baseball Player of the Year, and Coach Lovrich was honored as the 2013 NAIA College Baseball Coach of the Year. Additionally, incoming assistant coach Scott Mularz was awarded the 2013 Small College Division Assistant Coach of the Year by the Alabama Baseball Coaches Association, for his work at NCAA Division III Huntingdon College. But while the recognition is nice, the coaches and players will have to move it to the backs of their minds as they prepare to open the 2014 season. Looking forward, the 2014 schedule looks to be another difficult one. The Hornets will take on five teams that received votes in the preseason coaches poll, as well as series with an improved Brewton-Parker team,
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that the tough schedule was intentional, a sort of baptism-byfire for the incoming players. “We set the schedule up, especially with as many new guys as we’ve got this year, to push them to the limit prior to that first conference weekend,” he said. “We’ve really got no breathers during that time.” The 2014 season opens at Sir Walter Kelly Field with a three-game series over homecoming weekend against 15th ranked Lindsey Wilson College, including a doubleheader on Saturday, February 1st.
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28 new division 1 sports teams
New Wings... Same Dreams By Sampson Jenkins
T
he votes are in and all of the petitions are thrown out the door. The Board of Regents has decided that Southern Polytechnic State University and Kennesaw State University will become one as of February, 2015. What does this mean for our athletics department? There is always good and bad news to every situation, so I guess out with the bad news first. With the merging of both schools, obviously there is not enough room for every student athlete that currently has a spot on their respective team. Scholarships will have to be reworked and tryouts will have to be held once again to select the top players from each school to become one team. With that being said, I believe the good news will exceed the bad in so many ways. In addition to gaining many other sports such as cross country, golf, lacrosse, volley-
CROSS COUNTRY LACROSSE TRACK & FIELD TENNIS GOLF VOLLEYBALL SOFTBALL
ball, track and field, softball, and tennis, we will also be moving to Division 1. This is a huge step for SPSU and will offer the best competition an athlete could ever want as well as being looked at by top prospects to take their skills to the next level. Did I mention we will be getting a FOOTBALL TEAM in 2015?! The committee has been working very hard to provide as much information as possible as to the details of the merger and more will be released in time. SPSU has been a home to all of us for a long time and it is very sad to see it go, but in the grand scheme of things I think that this merger is going to open up so many opportunities for student athletes. At the end of the day being the best athlete we can is our number one goal, no matter what name is on our jersey.
FOOTBALL readthesting.com || February 4, 2014
SPORTS29
Basketball Story by Sampson Jenkins
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he Spsu men’s and women’s basketball team have been working as hard as ever to produce another solid year in the scorebooks. This season the lady hornets were bumped up to number 31 in the NAIA Division 1 Coaches Poll. Being the fourth time landing in the top 25, this season is looking to be another great one for our women’s team. With an impressive four game win streak, the lady hornets continue to be a dominant force in the NAIA. Their 10-4
one as it will be the with the best in the last they play on SPSU conference. courts. The merger will have The men’s team have a huge impact on our teams a long road ahead basketball starting out 6-11, but next season, but our forward Chris Key student athletes have may be the extra push what it takes to retain they need to turn their starting spots. their season around. With an impressive win over Southern Weslyan, the men look at the schedule and feel they have a great chance to get
“The competition will be tough, but in the end we will have the best players from both schools, making a lethal force to be reckoned with in Division 1”. record shows that our ladies have had a great start to the season and with the outstanding play of center Arnissa Galloway, can make this year a memorable
more W’s. Emmanuel College will be a tough test being 16th in our division, but the team will give it their all to prove they have what it takes to compete
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The competition will be tough, but in the end we will have the best players from both schools, making a lethal force to be reckoned with in Division 1.
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We Need More “Thugs” Like Richard Sherman Joe Thomas
At the end of a classic NFC championship game, filled with intrigue and backand-forth play, Richard Sherman fought gravity in a way that even now seems impossible, and made a play that should live on in NFL history. On a deep corner pass that would have given the San Francisco 49ers a victory, Sherman rose from the ground and tipped the pass to a fellow defender for an interception, securing a spot in the Super Bowl for the Seattle Seahawks. But because of what happened afterward, the play will always be a footnote. Sherman was stopped after the game for a post-game interview, and when asked to “take us through the play”, he instead went on a rant that by now everyone has seen. He called out Michael Crabtree, the wide receiver for whom the pass was intended, and the 49ers’ coaching staff for even thinking about throwing in his direction. His anger, visible on his face,
s h o c ke d sideline reporter Erin Andrews into a stunned silence. The postgame reaction from armchair sports analysts were mixed, ranging from laughter to support, and even to harsh criticism. Many who criticized Sherman threw such nebulous words as “class” around, arguing that his words were indicative of a larger personality issue. Twitter was filled with racial slurs, and as Sherman himself has mentioned, the word “thug”. In a post-game press conference, the Pro Bowl-cornerback said “The reason it bothers me is because it seems like it’s an accepted way of calling somebody the N-word now.” This argument has been hashed out by sports journalists and Twitter users alike. Many defending Sherman have pointed to his Stanford education as proof against his “thug-
“The reason it bothers me is because it seems like it’s an accepted way of calling somebody the N-word now.” ness”, but as Grantland writer Rembert Browne pointed out, what if he hadn’t gone to Stanford? What if he had gone to UCLA, or Georgia, or Morehouse? Using an Ivy League-quality education as a defense covers real issues; that we confront athletes as they are still in a mental state of competition, and expect them to turn into the boring, PRpolished interview subjects to which we are used. And that often, black athletes are held to a different, higher standard. The reaction to Sherman’s comments also points to a larger issue in the football
world. While the majority of professional football is made up of African-Americans, the NFL uses largely white athletes as the “face” of the league. Think back to the last NFL commercial you saw. Who was the star? Odds are it was Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Clay Matthews, Wes Welker, or one of the many other white stars in the league. There is a disconnect between how the majority of the players in the NFL look, and who the fans are. The NFL panders to this disconnect. And when the NFL fails to whitewash their image, like in the candid interview with
Photo Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Richard_Sherman_%28American_football%29.JPG
Richard Sherman, fans who have not been exposed to anything other than Manning and Papa John cracking bad jokes revert to plantationera thought; that black athletes should be seen but not heard. If anyone in the NFL should be a rolemodel, it is Richard Sherman. He worked hard to get to Stanford, and worked hard to get to the NFL. But by refusing to hold him up as an example, the NFL has condemned him to a trial-byTwitter, one that he can never win.
readthesting.com || February 4, 2014
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readthesting.com || February 4, 2014 Photo By: Desmond Hilson
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readthesting.com || February 4, 2014