The Signal Vol. 82 No. 21

NEW MAJORS

Two bachelors degree programs in computer skills are making their way to Georgia State.

NEWS

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CHANGE MAKERS

Three women who integrated Georgia State honored at firstever Groundbreaker Lecture.

ARTS & LIVING

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RJ HUNTER

BLOTTER

PAGE 2

The former Panther has made his way back to Atlanta to chase his lifelong dream.

SUDOKU

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PLANNER

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SPORTS

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FEB. 25 - MAR. 03, 2020

VOL. 87 | NO. 21

HONORING

ATLANTA’S

AFRICAN AMERICAN ATHLETES

ILLUSTRATION BY SHANCHEZE JOHNSON | THE SIGNAL

FROM 755 HOME RUNS TO 27,000 POINTS SCORED, FROM THE WNBA TO THE NFL, FROM THE 1960’S TO THE 2010’S: THESE TEN PEOPLE HAVE EXCELLED IN ATHLETICS AND PAVED THE WAY FOR ASPIRING BLACK ATHLETES.

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BLOTTER FEB. 14

Valentine’s Day off to a bad start...

At 10:29 a.m., a non-Georgia State offender was arrested at 521 Hank Aaron Dr. for criminal trespassing and a weapons law violation.

FEB. 15

It’s 5 o’clock somewhere

A Georgia State student was arrested for a liquor law violation on the corner of Piedmont Avenue NE and John Wesley Dobbs NE at 4 a.m.

FEB. 18

Oops, wrong signature

At 9:46 a.m. in Student Center West, a Georgia State student was a victim of forgery. The case is still active.

JAN. 23

In trouble? Yes, you ar-son

On the Clarkston campus, a Georgia State student was a victim of arson in H building at 12:44 p.m. The case is still active.

FEB. 17

Say no to drugs, kids

Seven Georgia State students received a judicial referral after a drug law violation at 12:47 a.m. at Piedmont North.

ILLUSTRATION BY MONTENEZ LOWERY | THE SIGNAL

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2020

www.georgiastatesignal.com/news

New plans from Georgia State’s Senate

Pay raises, coronavirus policy and online class expansion MARY A. BRASSFIELD Staff Reporter

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n Feb. 13, Georgia State senators held their university senate meeting on the Clarkston campus to discuss what each community on campus has worked on and to introduce new projects that the university is planning.

PAY RAISES

“Some areas where we still have some ambiguity is around pay raises,” Georgia State University President Mark Becker said. “The Governor did not recommend pay raises for state employees in general.”

This also included state employees who teach grades K-12.

The only state employees who were recommended for a raise were employees who make less than $40,000 a year.

These employees were recommended to receive a fixed pay raise of $1,000.

Becker said the university is still learning to whom this raise will apply. Their current understanding is that it only applies to those individuals who are paid through state funds.

Individuals who are contract employees or paid through grants or tuition are not included.

“This is a new world, this is a new budget allocation for us,” Becker said.

It is not known if the institutions themselves will be distributing these raises or the University System of Georgia will. Becker included that he asked this question but has not received an answer.

THE CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)

“Even though there is not an epidemic in this country, it does affect the university system, certainly Georgia State University,” Becker said.

The USG has passed a policy to cancel all study abroad trips to China for the remainder of the year.

“I think it would be accurate to say, even though I’m not an expert on diseases, [that] we know less about this virus than we know about it,” Becker said.

Becker said that an individual asked if there were any concerns about taking a trip to Taiwan. As of now, there are a few cases of the virus there, so it was deemed unsafe to travel to it.

Georgia State has also created a working group to look at a particular case of individuals who were affected by the coronavirus. Becker said the group will not actively do anything immediately, but the purpose will be to obtain a better understanding of the virus just in case a student or member of the university becomes infected.

The university also wants to be prepared just in case they are approached by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services about participating in a mass vaccination of the institution.

ONLINE LEARNING

Becker and Provost Wendy Hensel decided to have a conversation about the significance and importance of the online format. Hensel began the presentation with data from the online department: There are 500 online courses, 398 additional hybrid courses, which she said this translates to 1,700 fully online courses taken by more than 50,000 students.

Hensel said that she knows from some of the teachers with whom she spoke that not everyone was excited about online programming.

“What these statistics should demonstrate to you is [that] it is really not a question of if we should go in this direction — it’s how can we do it,” she said.

Georgia State currently offers 27 online-hybrid degrees and 40% of Perimeter College students are fully online.

Hensel felt that this plan to focus on the online programming is consistent with Georgia State’s mission:

to be accessible for all students.

“We know there are people who cannot come downtown for an education. We know we have nontraditional students. We know we have students who need flexibility who are traditional students,” she said.

This plan is to help create innovative solutions for all Georgia State students and possibly reach people who are not students at Georgia State.

Hensel then began to present data about Georgia State’s graduate program. She said that the increase from 6,921 students to 7,090 from 2015-2019 was entirely thanks to the online program.

“66% of students enroll in an institution that is less than 50 miles from their home,” she said.

Hensel made it clear that people often associate these programs with allowing international students a way into the institution, but in reality, this will allow a pathway for citizens of Georgia to enroll in a program that will be of high quality.

More than 49,000 students attend the Ashworth College online department in Dunwoody. According to Hensel, they are currently the top provider of online education in Georgia. Other USG schools have fewer than 10,000 students.

To draw some momentum to the online program, Georgia State decided to offer certificates to students because they take a shorter time to receive.

The USG decided to allocate funding for Georgia State associate’s degree and certificate programs because of data provided that showed an increase in numbers of students receiving them.

Georgia State is also reviewing enrollment data over the summer.

Hensel said that they have realized that they lose many students over the summer to other online programs because Georgia State doesn’t offer enough online courses during the summer.

The university is monitoring those numbers and will be making changes in response to them.

The first major that this online program will target is the largest major on the Perimeter Campuses: business administration.

The online program will allow students to finish their third and fourth years completely online to help students who are not able to attend on-campus classes to receive their bachelor’s degree.

Georgia State will also be putting together a list of online courses for courses with a large number of drops, fails or withdraws in hopes of increasing students’ success rate.

Professors will be able to attend master course modules where they collaborate with their colleagues to come up with superior online courses that will potentially help students learn

better. Professors who choose to participate will receive funding from the administration of their departments.

Online students will now be required to take a mandatory orientation course to ensure they understand what the class will detail throughout the semester.

“Many students do not sign in until the the course had already begun, and then they realize they’re having technological issues. They don’t realize they actually have to self-structure through the courses,” Hensel said. “After you go to the mandatory orientation course online, then you will be able to proceed to your enrolled course.”

Students who have never attended a college or university before will be required to take a Freshman Learning Community course at all Perimeter campuses.

“Leadership for all of this will be through the office of the provost in part because all of this is academic quality,” Hensel said.

ILLUSTRATION BY ALLEN NGUYEN | THE SIGNAL

NEWS

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Goodbye STEM, hello MANGO

Gaurav Bhatia introduces a new education model to schools BROOKLYN VALERA News Editor

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aurav Bhatia launched a project called the “MANGO model” this year as an update to the STEM model.

With the rise of the STEM model, there has been a decline in support for the humanities. Between 2009 and 2016, the number of STEM majors has increased by 43% while humanities have decreased by -0.4%, according to Emsi, a data guide for education and employment.

Bhatia has spoken with Atlanta Public Schools, Cobb County Schools, and the Doraville City Council. According to Bhatia, they’ve all shown interest in the MANGO model.

“Right now I’ve been in the beginning phase where it’s like [schools] are interested,” Bhatia said. “I know with the Doraville City Council, the most recent response was, ‘How can I help?’”

The STEM model is a commonly used educational model that focuses on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

“The STEM model, while a great model of schooling, is very limited,” Bhatia said. “I teach English as a second language and the acronym STEM doesn’t really embrace those sets of skills, as well as many other areas of the humanities, whereas MANGO is more comprehensive.”

The “M” in MANGO stands for “multiculturalism,” which includes a variety of topics like cultural diversity, gender equality and protecting people who are bullied based on disabilities.

The “A” stands for “art,” which includes traditional arts — painting and drawing, music, theater, and media literacy.

“One important piece I want to add to the art is media literacy because the media is a part of the arts too,” Bhatia said. “Being able to not just look at sources critically but finding different types of sources other than CNN or Fox News.”

The “N” stands for “nature” focuses on environmental awareness and wildlife preservation, as well as animal rights.

The “G” stands for “grammar” to help people with writing, speaking, listening and reading.

Finally, the “O” stands for “opportunity.” Bhatia said he wants to see today’s students more prepared to have the skills for tomorrow’s workforce.

Bhatia included his interest in vocational schooling under this category as well as college planning, helping people decide how to Gaurav Bhatia introduced the MANGO model, which better accommodates humanities, to replace the STEM model.. pick a major and how to pick a college. But it doesn’t stop at college assistance because Bhatia wants to help students decide whether or embraces those ideas,” he said. not college is for them or whether trade school is another route as Bhatia has an extensive background in education. He currently well as knowing what skills are in demand. works as an active learning and intensive English instructor Bhatia’s vision is to implement programs for these topics in each at Beulah Heights University, as an academic coach at Infinity school that decides to incorporate the MANGO model.

Learning and as an English teacher at English For a Lifetime “I actually organize a group called Language Exchange Atlanta and the ‘M’ in multiculturalism as well as the ‘G’ for grammar Language Institute.

PHOTO BY MATT SICILIANO-SALAZAR | THE SIGNAL

Bhatia is a Georgia State alumnus with a Master of Science in education. He also worked at Georgia State for eight years as an activity coordinator between 2007 and 2015.

“I want to have a lot of things done this year, putting together a board of directors and a list of different schools and what we’re going to try to do in each of them,” Bhatia said.

Fines for texting and driving might increase

It could cost you twice as much for a texting and driving ticket ROSS MCWATERS Staff Reporter

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rresponsible driving might become more expensive.

HB 113 is the first attempt to update the Hands-Free Georgia Act. The law, which took effect in 2018, prohibits drivers from handling their phones while they drive. Motorists are required to use hands-free technology to have conversations over the phone.

The bill has resulted in Georgia State Patrol writing nearly 25,000 distracted driving tickets the first year the bill was in effect; however, that figure does not include tickets written by local police. Atlanta police wrote an additional 17,000 tickets.

Currently, first-time offenders are fined up to $50 and one possible point on their license. Second-time offenders face a maximum $100 fine and two possible points. Thirdtime offenders sustain a $150 fine and a possible three points.

First-time offenders have the opportunity to have their ticket pardoned by presenting an affidavit that proves that they own hands-free technology. Also, court fees are prohibited in distracted driving cases.

Since the Hands-Free Act took effect, Georgia traffic fatalities fell by 2.2% in 2018 and an additional 4% in 2019.

HB 113 is meant to further discourage drivers from handling their phones. The bill is sponsored by Republican Rep. John Carson.

“There are four points on how [Carson] is updating the bill,” Rachel Meyer, Carson’s legislative aide, said.

HB 113 proposes increased fines, allowing court fees, removing the affidavit provision that allows first-time offenders to pardon their ticket and doubling the fine incurred in school or construction zones.

The maximum fine would increase to $100 for the first offense, $200 for the second offense and $300 for the third offense. However, the point system would remain the same.

Some are reluctant to believe that the proposed bill would make any difference.

“People are going to do it regardless … increasing the fine is just a way to make more money because they know

people are going to do it, and it’s not going to stop people,” Joshua Stowell, a Georgia State student, said.

Stowell has received three distracted driving tickets, two while handling his phone while stopped at a red light.

“We are living in a technologically advanced world … we all have GPS on our phones,” Stowell said.

He suggested lawmakers consider those whose jobs require constant phone use and frequent driving.

“My brother is a realtor, and he’s always on the road going from house to house,” Stowell said.

Other critics call the proposed legislation a tax instead of a fine, but Carson has denied these claims.

“A tax is mandatory, you have to pay it. It’s not avoidable.

Whereas, this fine is avoidable … that’s how … Carson addressed that,” Meyer said.

The bill will also allocate the fines to a trauma foundation that provides grants to trauma victims.

“The fines are going to be allocated to the Georgia Trauma Trust Fund. So, they’re not going back into government … they’re going to go right back directly to dealing with the consequences of distracted driving,” Meyer said.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2020

NEWS

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The journey to creating a new major

Major eligibility approved for two bachelor’s degree programs BROOKLYN VALERA News Esitor

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wo new degree programs are making their way to Georgia State. The Admissions and Standards Committee approved major eligibility requirements for Bachelor of Science degrees in data science and game development.

On Jan. 23, the Student Government Association held their first university-wide meeting of the semester where Sen. John Le, Student Services Committee chair, announced the committee’s progress. “[The Academic and Standards Committee] are pretty much over everything that happens in the academic catalog or approving new programs,” Sen. Le said.

Shelly-Ann Williams, director of the College of Arts and Sciences, presented the degrees, according to Le. Both new degree proposals will be coming out of the Creative Media Industries Institute.

“They’re still under review in the Board of Regents,” David Cheshier, director for Academic Programs at the Creative Media Industries Institute, said.

Major eligibility requirements for both degree programs are similar to the requirements for a bachelor’s degree in computer science in the undergraduate course catalog. Students must have a 2.5 GPA across three course areas (A, B and C), meaning they must receive a grade of C or higher in each course.

The bachelor’s in data science requires Principles of Program for Data Science I (DSCI 1301) for Area A. The bachelor’s degree in game development requires Programming for Games I (CMIS 1301).

Area B gives students the choice to take either Theoretical Foundations of Computer Science (CSC 2510) or Discrete Mathematics (MATH 2420).

Area C offers Precalculus (MATH 1113), Calculus of One Variable I (MATH 2211), Calculus of One Variable II (MATH 2212) or Multivariate Calculus (MATH 2215) to meet the area requirement.

The GPA requirement for the course areas

are based on a first-attempt basis.

Withdrawal failings count as an attempt, but regular withdrawals before the withdrawal period ends do not count as an attempt. The university “Repeat to Replace” policy courses are not counted as first attempts.

“People that transfer into Georgia State that want to go into [the bachelor’s in data science] program can use the grades from their transferred courses into GPA calculations, or they can attempt them once here,” Le said.

Attempts taken at Perimeter College count as first attempts as well.

“I asked [the committee] about making an academic pathway from an [Associate in Science] in data science at Perimeter and then transition here for a [bachelor’s degree],” Le said. “They said, at the moment, they’re planning on just having students … take computer science courses at Perimeter College instead of data science, and then, when they come here, their courses can just replace data science requirements.”

According to Le, the actual courses for each degree program haven’t been created yet.

The degree programs use a different programming language that students must learn to progress in each course. Computer science uses Java, data science uses Python and game development mainly use C# and C++.

Currently, there is an existing degree program where students can earn a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies degree in game design and development.

“From what I can discern from this whole conversation with [the committee] was that they want to separate the game design and development,” Le said. “Because game development is so coding heavy, if you take into account data science and computer science requirements, it requires a lot of math because it is a computational science.”

The list of optional courses for the bachelor’s degree in game design and development are so wide-ranging that a student could potentially avoid or ignore the coding side of the degree.

The degree program has the makeup of two degrees in the form of one, but the game development side of the program doesn’t have a math requirement.

“My assumption is that they want to actually separate the game development side from it so that it can include the math requirements

so that people won’t just go straight into coding and get lost or go into system levels programming or any of the really rigorous computer science courses and then just get lost,” Le said.

The bachelor’s in game design and development will remain the same. The bachelor’s degree in game development is just an additional degree program that gives students more options and a better focus on the coding side of games with better preparation for the math needed to excel in the program.

“I think they just want to add a math requirement to it because it has to have the same rigor as if you’re taking data science or computer science,” Le said. “They want to give more options while also keeping that math rigor because it is very computational overall.”

The Bachelor of Business Administration degree in computer information systems has also become an option for students interested in computer information to combine technical skills and business skills.

“A lot of the main reasons why they put these kinds of major eligibility requirements for computer science is because a lot of people, if they don’t go into computer science, they’ll try to hop into the [computer information systems] track over on the business side, if they don’t do that, then there’s really not much of a choice,” Le said.

The computer information systems degree program requires students to take Introduction to Programming (CIS 3260). According to Le, that course can be replaced by Principles of Programming I (CSC 1301) for students that either took a programming class early or changed their major from computer science to computer information systems.

There is also already a Master of Science in data science and analytics in the J. Mack Robinson College of Business.

“The thing about data science is that it’s a very quickly growing field because now you’re having a lot of people that know how to do all of the technical stuff,” Le said. “But they don’t have the skills to actually relay that to terms that people can easily understand and data science closes that gap between those.”

The growing need for data science in the business field has introduced the desire to develop a degree program specifically for it, according to Le.

NEWS BRIEFS LOCAL Macy’s is bringing new tech jobs to Midtown

According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Macy’s will bring 630 software development jobs to a new tech center in Atlanta. The tech center will be located in T3 West Midtown, a new building in Atlantic Station.

Macy’s plans to focus on their online sales after announcing that they will close approximately 125 stores within the next three years, a fifth of their retail stores.

NATIONAL Mike Bloomberg to release women from NDAs

Former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg has come under a lot of scrutiny since entering the presidential race, according to U.S. News and World Report. Over the past three decades, women have been asked to sign nondisclosure agreements after making sexual harassment and discrimination complaints against him and his company.

Bloomberg plans to release three women from their agreements, allowing them to speak publicly for the first time.

GLOBAL Egypt’s bans of various art forms now include street music

According to ABC News, musicians involved in street music are now upset after Egypt declared street music an “inappropriate form of art.” Musicians Syndicate, a union that gives performers permits, operates under Egypt’s culture ministry. The union banned singers from performing a genre called “mahraganat,” which means “festivals” in English, after declaring their lyrics too lewd.

ILLUSTRSTION BY AMBER KIRLEW | THE SIGNAL

NEWS

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GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

STUDENT MEDIA SERIES: NEW SOUTH & UNDERGROUND

How The GSU Review became New South and Underground IMANI DENNIS Staff Reporter

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tudents interested in journalism, writing, art, film and almost any other major can find a home in Georgia State’s student media.

In addition to The Signal, there are four other student-led media organizations on campus: Album 88, Neo Network, New South and Underground.

Although Underground and New South share a similar origin story, New South tailors to graduate students and writers while Underground was formed as a way for undergraduate students to get their art published.

New South began in 1975 as The GSU Review as a graduate student journal that publishes poetry, nonfiction, fiction and art.

“New South is in its thirteenth year under its current name,” Anna Sandy-Elrod, editor-in-chief, said.

Sandy-Elrod has been in her position for three years, but before that, she spent a year as the poetry editor.

New South operates inside the New South Writing Workshop at Georgia State Sandy-Elrod said that planning for production can be very complicated.

“The simple answer is that we read submissions for several months, choosing which to publish, then create the order of the pieces,” she said.

From there, they add feature art folio, a cover and then do final edits before publishing.

Unlike Underground, New South does not decide themes for the journal, with the exception of a biannual “mini-issue” online.

New South has regular events as well as release parties for their issues. They also hold off-site events at the Association of Writers conference.

Sandy-Elrod says that, for the most part, the only challenge is bureaucracy and navigating around administration on campus.

However, the strengths of the New South team keep the issues to a minimum.

“Most of the time, [publishing] goes fairly smoothly. We have a solid team,” she said.

New South contributors have received many awards for their writing. Works that have first appeared in New South have also appeared in the “Best American Poetry” series of poetry anthologies, the “New Stories from the South” anthology series and the “Best Small Fictions” anthology. Sarah Green, who is a micro-prose contributor for New South was included in the national publication “Best Microfiction 2020” for her story “Lafayette Indiana.”

New South also holds writing contests. The publication recently announced their 2020 contest.

Copies of New South can be found at various places around campus but can always be found in the English department.

Readers can also find the publication’s issues on its website.

Underground spun off from New South and is now on its tenth anniversary of operation at Georgia State. It is also the first undergraduate publication at Georgia State.

Underground, which gets its name from The Underground shopping center, encourages students to submit art of all styles, including creative writing and photography.

Its editor-in-chief, Cayce Tiedemann, says a lot has changed since she took over the journal. She took over the position in May 2019 after holding a poetry position for a year.

“When I first took the position, the journal was virtually unknown around campus,” Tiedemann said. “For many of us, it felt like the English department’s secret clique.”

Tiedemann said that during this period, Underground accepted submissions from all over the world. Typically, only a few Georgia State students were published per issue. She felt that this was one of the main reasons that Underground was so unknown.

“I knew I had to make a lot of changes if I wanted our organization to grow and our journal to stand out,” Tiedemann said.

So, she implemented an Atlanta-based theme and made Underground into a Georgia State-exclusive publication.

The publications first issue under this theme was “IN TRANSIT,” which was a broad theme involving commuting, and “TAKE ROOT,” which is a spring theme focused on what keeps students “grounded.”

“We wanted something that worked as a pair since most of us will be in our positions for both fall and spring issues,” Tiedemann said.

The two themes are meant to complement one another. After choosing a theme, the journal opens up to submissions from students.

There are four main editors for each category: art, production, poetry and prose. The rest of the team are active members who give input and submissions as well.

Tiedemann says that there are no specific obligations when undergrad students join Underground.

“This allows our staff to shine at what they’re comfortable with [creating],” she said.

However, Underground has encountered challenges in production and planning.

“I had to become mindful that some students might join our organization solely to be published in our journal,” she said.

“This required me to be more explicit about the terms on which staff members may [submit] their work.”

Underground works with an independent publisher, so their low price allows them to produce what Tiedemann describes as a journal that is “visually stunning and professional.”

Occasionally, colors will print strangely or are represented incorrectly.

“The company is more than willing to troubleshoot with us,” she said.

Although there are challenges, the changes Tiedemann and her team have made led to what she says was the biggest turnout in Underground history for their “IN TRANSIT” release party in December 2019.

Underground hosts other events, including an open mic night for their release parties for each issue.

“This gives students an opportunity to see the new issue, share their writing and perform music,” Tiedemann said.

They are currently planning a “Vision Board Party” to encourage students across other fields of creative study.

They also participate in weekly workshops for creative writing and publishing alongside the Emerging Writers Workshop.

Although these publications are of the same beginnings, Underground and New South have formed a different voice and style from one another.

Both New South and Underground are active on Instagram and take submissions through their websites.

Anna Sandy-Elrod and Cayce Tiedemann lead students who are interested in journalism, writing, art and film at New South and Underground.

PHOTO BY DEVY PERKINS | THE SIGNAL

TUESDAY, 25,2019 2020 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY JANUARY 15,

www.georgiastatesignal.com/opinions

YOU’RE SUBCONSCIOUSLY DRESSING TO IMPRESS The way you dress impacts the way everyone thinks about you NICOLE CASTRO Staff Columnist

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t’s no secret that people love to flex on Instagram; your social media are really just a collection of your highlights, your “best self ” that you wish to present to the world. This “best self ” has become synonymous with luxurious vacations, parties, expensive cars and designer fashions. Supposedly.

Urban Dictionary defines “flex” as a verb, meaning “[to show] off your valuables in a non-humble way.” It is all about perception, folks. Flexing has everything to do with the impression you give people and the way they see you, by any means necessary. It may take form in a decade-old BMW 328i with well over 100,000 miles on the odometer, or maybe it is something more innocent like a counterfeit pair of Gucci slippers. People are enamored with brand names, not products.

One might argue that luxury brands are made with higher quality materials and last longer. While this may be true in some cases, it is not the rule. The majority of items produced by more affordable brands have the same longevity as their more costly counterparts, if not a longer lifespan.

Recovering hype-beast and Georgia State sophomore Matthew Morgan admits that knock-off designer items are improving in quality.

“Everything is so good, like, with such tiny details that I wouldn’t be able to tell if something’s fake,” Morgan said.

Designer clothing is often very trendy, as well. I cannot justify spending hundreds of dollars on items that will only be in fashion for a season or two. However, Morgan recognizes a certain appeal of these trends that not everyone acknowledges.

“You spend $400 on a hoodie and it’s either going to resell for more money, or you resell for just a little bit less and you still have like 300 something dollars back,” he said, implying that these high-end fads are not a complete waste of money.

Science suggests that people do not wear designer clothing for their own amusement. According to a study in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior, individuals wearing designer clothing were generally perceived to be of higher status, greater wealth and greater trustworthiness.

ILLUSTRATION BY SAMAR KHADER | THE SIGNAL

Despite being taught not to judge people based on the way that they look, it is a habit of which we are all guilty.

These characteristics are relevant when it comes to finding friends, but they are even more important when it comes to finding a mate. It is more common in males than females, as they are the ones obliged to prove themselves to be worthy suitors. By wearing brand-name clothing and accessories, a man says to the world that he is able to provide for himself and, therefore, his mate. Remember, the peacocks are the ones with the pretty feathers, not the

peahens.

Regardless of your belief, looks matter. The clothes you wear and your material possessions are all speaking for you before you even introduce yourself.

Whether you dress to impress or dress for your own comfort, you are presenting yourself to the world through your appearance. For those of you who dress luxuriously, I realize that you may believe that you are dressing for yourself. But can you admit that you are dressing that way to prove something to the world?

Georgia State undermines its future The Computer Science Department is underfunded BRONSON THARPE Staff Columnist

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ithin the Computer Science Department classes are often taught by graduate students, or GTs as the university calls them. One such GT, as Georgia State calls them, told my entire class point-blank that she’d “rather be doing research.” And why shouldn’t she?

GTs, especially in computer science, are being unfairly asked to fill in talent vacuums that shouldn’t exist in a department of our size. In the fall of 2019, a staggering 38% of Georgia State’s computer science staff were grad students, compared to an average of only 20% across all other departments on the Downtown campus.

In the wake of the massive growth of the Department of Computer Science in recent years, Georgia State has demonstrated a remarkable apathy for providing it with the resources that it needs. Total staff for the department has only grown 34% in the last 10 years, while undergraduate enrollment has increased by 75%.

This can essentially be broken down into one depressing

statistic: Faculty doubled, but enrollment quadrupled. With such lackluster attempts to hire real professors, it should be no surprise to anyone that the number of unexcited graduate students teaching often difficult classes is excessively high.

Associate Chair of the Department of Computer Science Rajshekhar Sunderraman attributed these dismal statistics to a trend that is not specific to Georgia State.

“While the computer science department has seen a large growth in undergraduate enrollments putting a strain on resources, this is not unique to [Georgia State],” Sunderraman said. “It has been a trend seen across the nation.”

He’s right: 83% of Computer Science Departments reported that the effects of enrollment growth made management more difficult compared to just three years ago, according to the Computer Research Association.

But Georgia State seems less willing to support our department than other institutions. According to the CRA’s annual report, the average public research university with a department our size has approximately 39 tenure-track or full-time teaching professors for computer science; Georgia State’s department only has 24, as of fall 2019.

In other words, we’re not keeping pace even with other underfunded departments. This comes at a critical time when

intradepartmental diversity and enrollment are expected to continue increasing.

The fundamental issue, as is often the case, is money: The department needs approval for more highly paid faculty positions in order to retain them. It’s not surprising that recent personnel losses are often due to a lack of competitive pay. Without immediately resolving this issue, the problems that plague the current system will continue to metastasize until students begin to flee.

The department has done an admirable job attracting talent and a diverse student body in recent years, but now, it’s time for the university to ensure that all members of the department have the support that they need and deserve. It’s time for Georgia State to acknowledge the hard work that the department leadership has put in and throw in the proper financial support.

A commitment to computer science represents a commitment to the future of the university in its entirety. Year after year, every major will become more technologically dependent. By denying our computer science department the funding it desperately needs to keep pace with the influx of new students, Georgia State is implicitly undermining its own mission.

OPINIONS

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Atlanta lacks an exciting nightlife The ridiculously boring truth of Atlanta’s culture RAQUEL CROSTON

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Staff Columnist

Editorial NEWS EDITOR Brooklyn Valera

A

tlanta is home to the Western hemisphere’s largest aquarium, the World of Coke, Chick-fil-A’s College Football Hall of Fame and plenty of Waffle House and Subway’s. But what else is there? Well, nothing really, nothing at all.

Atlanta is not the ugly stepsister of cities like New York or Miami, but the unrelated cousin whose mom is merely best friends with yours.

Atlantans will try to convince you of Atlanta’s rank among the greatest cities in the U.S. but do not be deceived. Be prepared to be bored out of your mind unless you’re Tyler Perry or Ludacris.

Ranked in the top nine most boring cities in the world, Atlanta is described as a “sprawling metropolis [that] lacks the compact historic charm of many other Southern cities, and you’ll need a car to get to the interesting neighborhoods outside of the unremarkable downtown.”

Georgia State’s largest campus is situated in said unremarkable downtown, nestled in tight beside the sketchy and mostly boarded up Five Points - not to be confused with the spunky and fun Little Five Points closer to Georgia Tech’s campus. Despite being only a walk away from something as powerful as the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, nothing about downtown Atlanta will take your breath away quite as much as the pervasive unpleasant smell surrounding John Calhoun Park.

Students frequent neighboring Buckhead for bars and late-night drunkenness without fear of stumbling through Atlanta’s crime-infested streets.

“The only thing that moves fast is the cop cars,” freshman Keelin Unger said.

Even if you are lucky enough to receive an invitation to a bordering city, you have to have a way to get there first. With MARTA being $5 for a round trip, it begins to add up on a student

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salary. Public transportation is laughable, usually taking you only slightly closer than a ride on Uber.

Most students on campus try to avoid extra expenses by leaving their vehicles at home instead of paying the $400 a semester to park.

Staying within downtown is not an option without pockets deep enough to accommodate for it.

The most exciting thing most students can afford to do is getting high; I can hardly blame them.

“There’s not much to do on a student budget,” Sophie Houneou, a freshman at Georgia State, said. “Like, the city is not pretty enough to just walk around and sightsee, everything is an Uber away, there’s not much culture here — unless you

go to museums— [there’s] not even much energy on the streets. Everyone I see is a student, but even that means nothing because everyone is so closed off that it doesn’t even feel like a community.”

Atlanta has a history and culture that plenty of people love and hold dearly, but the city they loved is not the same. People don’t want to talk about what Atlanta is, or what it may be becoming. Natives are quick to throw up arms over the notion that Atlanta is boring but stumble over themselves trying to tell you how to have fun without spending copious amounts of money or getting in a car to leave the city they swear is the best.

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Free food is nice but how about concerts The problem with finding a headliner for Homecoming JASMINE BARROW Staff Columnist

H

omecoming in college is a whole affair.

Here at Georgia State, we have a whole week full of school-sponsored events, free food, giveaways and even a ball.

But each year when Homecoming comes around, new Georgia State students usually ask, “Who are we gonna get for Homecoming?”

Our students are genuinely curious and excited for the answer. The next look on their faces is usually one of confusion when they are told, “No one.”

I went through this ordeal during my freshman year, and in addition to being confused, I was disappointed. Being that Georgia State means being in the heart of Atlanta, I would think we would have an array of at least hometown artists from whom to choose, such as Lil Baby or Usher, but we don’t.

There are many factors that go into having a performance at Homecoming, such as budgets,

location and lighting setup. But that’s not the issue here. The problem is that we have no Homecoming concert at all.

We see other schools have multiple artists like Howard University. They had Saweetie, DaBaby and Lori Harvey. Or take a look at Kennesaw State: Even though they had one artist, but it was one of the hottest female rappers in the game right now, Megan Thee Stallion.

While they were posting videos of these energetic live performances, here at Georgia State, we were posting our free breakfast or a picture of Pounce.

Having a Homecoming concert adds to the overall Homecoming experience. The absence of it leaves students wanting more.

“It’s bulls--- that we don’t have a concert.

Like, it’s a shame that we go to this big school and can’t get a [Homecoming] concert or a decent performer,” Georgia State student Jada McCladdie said.

Our replacement for not having a fall Homecoming concert is to have a random spring concert called Pantherpalooza. Don’t

get me wrong, Pantherpalooza is a nice event to have. Who doesn’t like to go to a discounted concert and not worry about paying for an uber or parking? But it seems the artist line-up is getting worse each year.

Last year, we had 6lack, an alternative R&B artist and rapper. The issue with having him as the headliner for Pantherpalooza is he makes music that I can fall asleep to.

I asked some students who they would like to see perform at Pantherpalooza. Georgia State students Jalen Ingram and Chere Amalaha both said Lil Baby and Megan Thee Stallion; Kierra Smith suggested Roddy Ricch. These are only the suggestions of three students, but all of the artists they suggested are energetic or “lit” artists.

If we have to decide on one artist for the entire school to watch, it shouldn’t be someone whose music makes us want to sleep or cry. So, if Pantherpalooza is the alternative to having a Homecoming concert, then we should at least have a lively performer. Georgia State got it right the years before 2018, so let’s hope they do it again.

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ARTS & LIVING TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2020

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The scorching ramifications of climate change Brazilian professor speaks on the politics of sustainability HANNAH JONES Staff Reporter

E

ach morning, new headlines depict an environmental disaster. The focuses include the loss of habitats, rising sea levels and, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2019 marked the second hottest year recorded in the Earth’s history.

In the last decade, according to CNN, fires in the Amazon rainforest have resulted in the destruction of the equivalent of 10.3 million football fields. To Americans, this is equal to losing all of Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts and New Jersey to flames.

In short, the “lungs of the Earth” are burning.

Dr. Romulo Sampaio is a professor of environmental law at the Fundação Getúlio Vargas School of Law, a prestigious university in Brazil. Sampaio presented research and analysis of the fires within his home country at Georgia State’s College of Law building.

The moist environment within the rainforest means that fires occur rarely. These fires are set to clear the land, effectively speeding along deforestation rates. According to CNN, scientists predict that the amount of burned forest could double by 2050, consuming 16% of the rainforest.

Sampaio began by explaining that the country has many environmental policies: 20% of Brazil’s land is environmentally protected, with 1,871 environmental protection areas. The issue, Sampaio argued, lies within the enforcement.

In 2018, Brazil elected Jair Bolsonaro as president. Bolsonaro wasn’t taken seriously throughout the election, and the country was stunned by the outcome. Bolsonaro campaigned on a conservative anti-environment platform, unpersuaded by scientific evidence. “[Bolsonaro] was elected saying that the environmentalists are communists, are leftists, who create panic to input a communist type of government in Brazil,” Sampaio said. “He has a nationalist and development narrative that undermines the perception of effective enforcement action because this narrative … sends a message to the environmental criminal, ‘He will not come here and enforce those stupid environmental laws against me.’”

With fires raging through the Amazon, the Brazilian government felt commercial and international pressure.

Social media played a significant role, with the hashtag #PrayForAmazonia reaching over 3 million tweets.

“This reached a peak of international attention that I’d never seen before,” Sampaio said. “They realized the impact of bad environmental policies had on the exportations of Brazilian goods and commodities … This is good news, that information travels fast and everybody in the world now, at least a good portion of the world, cares about social, environmental issues.”

But, he said, there are other people who have effective means of undermining environmental policy, and “that’s what the current government is doing, and that’s what the wildfires in the Amazon reflect.”

Sampaio isn’t the only one concerned by the government’s inaction.

Georgia State junior Nino Vo is the co-director and campaign director of the People for the End of Animal Cruelty and Exploitation (PEACE) club.

The organization’s mission is to spread awareness about the positive impact of a plant-based lifestyle, with an emphasis on a vegan diet and animal rights.

Vo has been vegan for the past five years, making the switch after watching a documentary called “Cowspiracy.”

According to the documentary’s website, animal agriculture is responsible for 91% of Amazon destruction. Even more shocking, 1-2 acres are cleared in the Amazon every second.

Vo believes that while recycling is a valuable option, the process is more of a band-aid to ease people’s consciences. She said more emphasis should be placed on reducing and reusing materials.

With over 300 students in the PEACE club’s email chain, Vo is optimistic about this generation’s dedication to sustainability. With regard to the current government, she is weary.

“It’s funny that the U.S. is treating climate change like a political topic and not just as the fact of the matter and that it’s affecting everybody in humanity,” Vo said. “[The] U.S. being one of the leading countries and has this power, and not just like, financially speaking when I’m talking about power, but even to influence and to put the image out there for other countries. I think they’re treating this as more political than it should be, but it should just

Romulo Sampaio presents a research analysis of Brazilian environmental policies and the fires that have impacted the Amazon rainforest.

be treated as an emergency that’s for the whole planet.”

Decatur Earth Club advisor Susan Lomant helps coordinate the campus’s two gardens and promotes environmental education among students. The club’s primary focus is to teach students to garden and live more sustainably. The fresh produce from the gardens is free for anyone who needs it.

Lomant believes further preservation measures are needed for the natural environment.

“If you talk about carbon footprints and look at the finite nature of the Earth and its resources, eventually we’re going to use them up one day or damage them to the point where they’re not really usable,” Lomant said. “So, I think it’s important to preserve what we have and learn to work with it instead of against it.”

Arguably, Donald Trump is working “against it.” The president frequently denies climate change and has become known for his disregard of national park preservation and other long-standing environmental regulations.

This month, according to The Hill, Trump proposed a 26% cut in funding to the Environmental Protection Agency. The recommended 2021 budget would eliminate 50 EPA programs and lead to massive cuts in research.

This proposal is ill-timed in the wake of Amazonian fires

PHOTO BY SYLVESTER SILVER III | THE SIGNAL

and the Antarctic’s recent record-breaking temperature highs.

This month, according to The Guardian, Antarctica reached an “incredible and abnormal” 69.35 degrees Fahrenheit.

Lomant, like Vo and Sampaio, believes that environmental efforts should transcend political affiliations.

“Unfortunately, there is a strong political party association which goes with climate change,” Lomant said. “I think we do need to be more mindful. It’s unfortunate that a lot of what we do every day involves generating a lot of trash … a lot of it is just thrown out, and it has to go somewhere. [Trash] doesn’t just disappear into the black hole, and I think for a lot of people, once it’s out of sight, it’s out of mind.”

Vo is optimistic that environmental activism and attention are here to stay.

“We thought veganism was a trend, but now you see these big influencers out there, when it comes to celebrities or even just the availability of plant-based foods everywhere,” Vo said. “But I think we need to never stop pushing it and at one point, people are going to keep seeing it, and they’re going to realize it’s not just a niche issue and it shares a commonality with so many other issues, and they’re going to register that as a fact.”

The end of Georgia’s segregation in education Georgia State honors the women who integrated its campus Written by Brooklyn Valera | News Editor

Georgia State hosts its first-ever Groundbreaker Lecture, honoring Maurice C. Daniels’ book and the three women that sued Georgia State and ultimately led to its integration.

T

The culturally diverse campus of Georgia State that many students have come to know and love has not always been so accepting.

Georgia State held its first-ever Groundbreaker Lecture Thursday to honor the achievements of Myra Payne Elliot, Barbara Pace Hunt and Iris Mae Welch, the lead plaintiffs who sued for the right of African American students to attend Georgia State.

Elliot, her family and Hunt’s family attended the lecture.

“This is a story of great inspiration for young people, for middle-aged people, for older people.”

– Maurice C. Daniels Author of Ground Crew: The Fight to End Segregation at Georgia State

PHOTO BY MATT SICILIANO-SALAZAR | THE SIGNAL

Hunt and Welch are now deceased, but their legacies live on through their families.

The lecture allowed Maurice C. Daniels to discuss his book, “Ground Crew: The Fight to End Segregation at Georgia State,” released in 2019, which highlights the battle of the NAACP civil rights lawyers and the journey of the three women.

“This is a story of great inspiration for young people, for middle-aged people, for older people because it’s a story about courage, it’s a story about hope, it’s a story about encouragement, it’s a story about sacrifice. It’s also, sadly, a story about pain,” Daniels said. “These women and others who were involved in this case experienced a great deal of sacrifice as well as pain, and as we go forward, I believe we have a lot to learn from these women and others who were involved in this case in terms of how to persevere in order that you can achieve your goal.”

The actions of Elliot, Hunt and Welch and their civil rights lawyers are the reason why so many African American students can attend schools in the University System of Georgia today.

“Even though it was difficult, they hung in there, they persisted, they persevered and ultimately won this important case,” Daniels said.

The state of Georgia, along with many other Southern states, refused to desegregate following the 1954 Brown v.

Board of Education decision.

The Georgia State College of Business Administration (now known as Georgia State) denied nine African American applicants from attending the school in 1956, a time when the South was still full of overt racism and hate.

The 1959 Hunt v. Arnold decision was the first federal victory for the NAACP against segregated education in Georgia and eventually led to the desegregation of public colleges and universities in Georgia and Mississippi.

Elliot, Hunt and Welch were never actually able to pursue their education at Georgia State after the court decision.

“Although none of them were ever able to attend Georgia State University, tens of thousands of black students have matriculated through the University System of Georgia as a result of the courage and sacrifice that they exhibit,” Daniels said.

In the late 1990s, Daniels was able to speak to the two main lawyers in the Hunt v. Arnold case, Donald Hollowell and federal judge Constance Baker Motley.

“They told me about this case and how it had not been chronicled in the historical record,” Daniels said.

His conversations with both lawyers sparked his interest in their work in the case, and it led to him researching it and the people involved in it.

“These three women, as well as the six other applicants, black applicants who made an application to Georgia State University in 1956 … were denied admission, so I went about the process of trying to learn more about their struggle and their sacrifice that ultimately led to this court victory, this historic court victory in 1959,” Daniels said.

Alyce Pruitt, Hunt’s first daughter, attended the Groundbreaker Lecture in her mother’s honor.

“My mother was a strong woman, and I feel I gathered that strength from her, seeing the things that she was involved in,” Pruitt said. “As far as the case, after the case, she was involved in a lot of civil rights [activism]. In the civil rights movement, she actually worked at [the Southern Christian Leadership Conference] with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I saw her as well as them strive for equality for minorities. So, it has instilled in me a strength of never giving up.”

Pruitt also took after her mother’s push for equality.

“I was around twelve years old, so I would actually go with her on a lot of those marches here in Atlanta and every day after school, I would ride the bus down to SCLC. We’d go down there and help out,” she said.

Although her mother was involved in the civil rights movement, Pruitt felt as though Hunt never saw the completion of her own situation.

“Even though she won the case, she didn’t feel the completion of it because she never got to go to the school,” Pruitt said. “We saw Charlayne Hunter[-Gault] and Hamilton Holmes benefit from it because they actually got to go to [the University of Georgia], but she never got to go [to Georgia State]. I wish she was alive now to see that it really was a completion.”

The case brought a lot of fear to Hunt and her family, so much that Hunt decided to leave Georgia entirely before the case was decided.

“The case began in 1956, [but] she actually left Atlanta in 1958 because she was frightened for her life and the life for her kids, and she took us to my grandmother’s house in Pennsylvania, and she went on to live in Washington, D.C.,” Pruitt said. “My grandmother wanted her to bring us to them because they feared for our lives as well as hers. They wanted her to leave here.”

Hunt found out later through the attorneys that they won the case.

Elliot also attended the lecture with her three daughters and her granddaughter. Elliot doesn’t visit Atlanta often because the city she remembers no longer exists, so it’s harder for her to get around in the always-changing city.

She recalls Davidson’s of Atlanta and H. L. Green, two department stores that were in Atlanta in 1959, but closed in 1989 and the 1990s, respectively. Nevertheless, Elliot is still proud of what Atlanta has become.

“I am proud of the progress that we have made in a calm and civilized way,” Elliot said. “I hope that continues from now on.”

Zakiya Merrill, Elliot’s granddaughter, had no clue about the impact her grandmother made in the history of Atlanta and the University System of Georgia.

“When you think of a legacy, when you think of people that we celebrate during Black History Month or just people that we celebrate for being pioneers … I did not know the role that she had played in Atlanta,” Merrill said. “We’re from here, so it’s a big deal that she was a part of integrating Georgia State, that’s a big deal, and I had no clue, I didn’t know.”

Merrill was one of the readers of “Ground Crew” because the book helped her grasp a better understanding of Elliot’s role in history.

June Harland, Elliot’s first daughter and Merrill’s mother, didn’t know about her mother’s fight against segregation either until she was 37. Elliot didn’t often reminisce about her past with Georgia State.

“She said she didn’t like the way that it made her feel. She said when they walked out of that courthouse that day, her and my daddy, she said they never said another word about it,” Harland said. “It was a scary time, and she didn’t want to relive all of that hatred, all of that venom.”

According to Harland, family has always been the most important thing in Elliot’s life. Elliot encouraged her children to further their education. Elliot also encourages others to go to college if they can, if they can’t, she encourages them to find something they are good at and make a living doing that.

“Learn how to bake chocolate cakes and sell them, have what you want. Do something that you do well, and it’ll happen,” Elliot said. “Live so that young people will want to admire you for what you’re doing.”

“Live so that young people will want to admire you for what you’re doing.”

– Myra Payne Elliot Daughter of Barbara Pace Hunt

PHOTO BY MATT SICILIANO-SALAZAR The Pruitt family discusses their thoughts on the impact that Mrya Pain Elliot has had on the Civil Rights community.

PHOTO BY MATT SICILIANO-SALAZAR Maurice C. Daniels discusses his new book “Ground Crew: The Fight to End Segregation at Georgia State.”

ARTS & LIVING

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GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

Student actors perform The Vagina Monologues Panthers spread awareness for violence against women HANNA WEILAND Staff Reporter

T

he Georgia State Speakers Auditorium hosted “The Vagina Monologues,” a play written by Eve Ensler that tackles everyday issues people with vaginas experience. The critically acclaimed play was written in 1996 during what is known as the thirdwave feminist movement. Ensler’s work is raunchy and hilarious yet emotional and compelling showing the ups and downs of having a vagina.

Only in February are colleges able to perform the pages of the award-winning play on a day known as “V-Day.” Georgia State participates and encourages more than just theater students to perform.

Students of different classes, majors and ages joined theater professor, Mary Emily Deal, and collaborated on the work beginning in January. The performances started with Deal introducing the group. Deal explained the history of V-Day and Ensler’s play, including the importance of the play.

“The Vagina Monologues” is used to spread awareness about violence against women. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 35% of women have experienced physical and sexual intimate partner violence or sexual violence by a non-partner. In 2017, a global study on homicide by the U.N. discovered that over 87,000 women were killed intentionally with half of the killing done by intimate partners.

On a Wednesday morning on campus, performers took the stage of the Speakers Auditorium to own their sexuality, their vaginas. After Deal’s introduction, three students took the stage to begin the upcoming short segments they had prepared for the audience during the preceding month.

The matinee performance showed a preview of what the next day’s evening show would look like. Due to illnesses, some performers had to cover extra lines as well, therefore causing them to read directly from the playbook. Nevertheless, this adversity did not hold them back. Each line was portrayed with as much heart and talent that could match a long-time actor’s work.

The hard work began in mid-January when the performers were cast after auditioning. During the auditions, students performed selected pieces from the play, and the producers decided which act the student will perform.

Performers had the

opportunity to act and direct their portion while a few stuck to directing or acting, respectively.

After preparing for her pieces to be performed the next month, junior Aysia Johnson, an art major and theater minor, realized the outlandish writing would be a significant jump out of her comfort zone.

“They are all real stories,” Johnson said. “One story [‘The Little Coochie Snorcher That Could’] had me messing with an older woman, and I didn’t know how I felt about saying all of this stuff in front of my parents, but you have to push through and get comfortable.”

Being uncomfortable was one of the most significant obstacles performers had to get through. Between the choreography and descriptive writing, Ensler’s play challenged the students to step out of their comfort zone.

During the performance of the emotional “My Vagina Was a Village,” junior Kalli Edwards sat alone and displayed raw emotions with tears and moved the crowd reciting lines like “not since the soldiers put a long thick rifle inside me. So cold, the steel rod canceling my heart…” The performance resulted in a tremendous amount of cheering.

Freshman Catherine Keeton, a director and actor for the monologues, performed the “The Woman Who Loved to Make Women Happy.” It was a story about

“The subject [of vaginas] should be a little bit more in people’s faces.”

— BRIA MOON Georgia State student discovering the various types of moaning a woman can have in intercourse. Keeton displayed the daring movements and sounded with grit without missing a beat of the character.

Bria Moon, a senior political science major with a minor in theater,

believes the pieces force you to think about the work due to its in-your-face attitude.

“All the pieces encourage that in different ways and different subcategories.”

Wearing all black with a T-shirt adorning the title and a torso with a microphone vagina on the front, the performers confidently nailed their lines discussing controversial topics such as genital mutilation, finding the clitoris and where a person with a vagina should be allowed to have hair.

For the evening show, Moon and Johnson acted out “The Little Coochi Snorcher That Could,” a piece that discusses sexual abuse throughout the life of a young girl with each actor playing a different version of one girl.

“Going through the different abuses the girl went through, it was very uncomfortable for me at first because I have experienced a similar form of abuse,” Moon said. “It was really hard to unpack and express that and speak the truth.”

The rawness of the acting was essential to the students because the audience needed to see the everyday issues, hatred and violence a vagina goes through. Focusing on the most intimate issues, the stories leap from self-love to denial of what a vagina means to the storyteller.

By spreading their legs and sitting in an “un-ladylike” position, the choreography is an essential aspect to the portrayal of the story.

“A lot of choreography comes from what comes naturally to us at first,” Johnson said.

The naturalness helped tell the story in an authentic way. There was nothing fake about the collection of pieces portrayed. The intention was to get the audience to react and talk about different issues.

“People don’t want to talk about it, but it is real life, so it is nice to get to see crowd reactions and see who agrees and who resonates with it,” Johnson said.

The socially taboo subject did resonate with the audience by leading them to get on their feet to yell back at the performers who encouraged them to engage in their piece. No performance had a subtle fight; each line was groundbreaking and in the audiences’ mind after the parts concluded.

To see young college students portray the graphic yet beautiful lines that Ensler wrote more than two decades ago brought hope and understanding of how a “vagina wants everything.”

ILLUSTRATION BY SAMAR KHADER | THE SIGNAL

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2020

ARTS & LIVING

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Watch out for these hip-hop, R&B and pop hits

A guide to the biggest album releases of 2020 SHARAYAH DAVIS Staff Reporter

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he year 2019 gave audiences award-winning albums like Billie Eilish’s debut “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?,” Tyler, the Creator’s “IGOR” and Lizzo’s “Cuz I Love You.” With 2019 being such a significant year in music, many wonder what the characteristic sounds of 2020 will be.

The year may have only just begun, but 2020 is already starting to show its potential as more artists announce their newest albums. Here is a comprehensive list of some of the biggest pop, R&B and hip-hop albums to be released in 2020, along with comments from Georgia State students.

Starting with pop albums, Halsey released her third album “Manic” on Jan. 10.

Coming off of the high from winning the “Favorite Song - Pop/Rock” category in the American Music Awards, many had high expectations for the album.

Rawiya Kameir from Pitchfork magazine praises the autobiographical nature of the album, saying that continuing in that direction could provide many artistic opportunities. But Kameir criticizes the album’s sound for overpowering the lyrical potential.

“Sadly, some of the album’s most compelling moments are overpowered by the tedium of modern pop,” Kameir wrote.

On Jan. 31, Kesha released her newest album “High Road.” Recorded for four years, fans eagerly awaited the album since her previous release of “Rainbow” that highlighted self-acceptance and women’s empowerment.

Georgia State student and Kesha fan Gavin Hall spoke about the nostalgia he felt when listening to the album for the first time.

“The release of Kesha’s ‘High Road’ album takes me back to the Kesha I grew up listening to in the late 2000s,” Hall said. “Her newest album takes a turn back to her (seemingly) carefree days. I am really happy that she can go back to expressing her true self through her music again.”

Other pop albums to expect in 2020 include the 1975’s “Notes on a Conditional Form,” The album will be released on April 24 after being pushed back from a February release. This was to accommodate the time needed to release the album on vinyl.

Lana Del Rey’s “White Hot Forever” is also scheduled for release in 2020, with no exact date confirmed as of yet. After the praised release of “Norman F---ing Rockwell!”, Del Rey announced that yet another album was on the way next year.

As for R&B, a few artists have announced their upcoming album releases for the year. SZA announced her newest album in the latter half of 2019. The title of the album has yet to be confirmed, but fans are excited nonetheless.

Georgia State student Xavier Adams speaks about his expectations for the new album.

“On ‘Ctrl,’ she was able to sing about modern approaches to love with tracks like ‘The Weekend’ and ‘Doves in the Wind,’” Adams said. “Hopefully, her follow-up eludes the sophomore slump and expounds upon her confessional lyricism with a more stripped-down production.”

Normani announced in September 2019 that she was in the studio recording her debut solo album for a 2020 release. The

former Fifth Harmony member has stunned audiences with her solo performances, and many fans are eager for the album release. “[Normani] has shown an ability to capture a throwback spirit with her video and song ‘Motivation’ while holding her own on songs with Sam Smith and Megan Thee Stallion,” Adams said. “For her debut album, hopefully, she’ll break further away from Fifth Harmony’s shadow and show that her commanding performance at the VMAs was no fluke.”

The Weeknd announced his newest album on Feb. 13, releasing photographs that Rolling Stone magazine noted were reminiscent of “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.”

[The Weeknd is] ready to drop an album after dropping ‘Blinding Lights’ and ‘Heartless,’” Adams said. “It’s likely to be more upbeat than 2018’s ‘My Dear Melancholy’ and feature some disco influences.”

This year will have a substantial influence from hip-hop as countless artists have already announced new album releases.

Migos announced

set for a 2020 release date after being announced in November 2019.

Georgia State student Morgan Phillips is a long-time J. Cole fan who has followed his music since she was in middle school.

She appreciates Cole’s willingness to speak about issues in the black community while also creating unique and uplifting beats.

“In ‘KOD,’ he definitely had more radio and high-energy songs rather than slower tunes like in ‘4 Your Eyez Only,’” Phillips said. “In this new album, I expect to see more of the prophet/storyteller side of Cole with some fast songs that will end up on the radio. But I know, whatever it is, it will be great.”

Adams is also excited for the release and hopes to see Cole experiment with his alter ego KiLL Edward as well as featuring more special guests.

Drake has also teased the possibility of a 2020 album release with many fans speculating that it will be a follow up to “What A Time To Be Alive,” his collaborative album with Future.

Adams is hoping for the possibility of the album being more conceptual.

“Maybe making a concept album will allow him to venture into discussing personal stories, not pertaining to relationships or fighting for his spot in the rap game,” he said.

Atlanta native Lil Baby announced his second album “My Turn” on the first day of the new year, which will be released this Friday.

“As one of many rappers to emerge out of Atlanta in the last three years, Lil Baby has made his mark in top tier collabs with other artists — Drake, Young Thug, Gunna.

Hopefully, his next project continues his hot streak,” Adams said.

The sheer number of projected album releases this year can be daunting, but the sounds of 2020 are sure to impress fans and solidify the year’s place in music history.

ILLUSTRATION BY SHAMAR KHADER | THE SIGNAL

the release of “Culture III” during a Twitter Q&A in March 2018. The album was initially supposed to drop in 2019. The group opted to delay the album for a 2020 release.

Adams noted some improvements that he hopes to see from the new album, coming off of the release of the previous “Culture II.” “Hopefully, ‘Culture III’ has fewer tracks to allow them to focus more on the noteworthy hooks and flow that made their debut irresistible,” he said.

Adams also commented on possible improvements for Megan Thee Stallion’s new album, which was announced in October 2019.

“It [could] also be interesting to see if she can add some emotional songs as well to avoid the criticism fellow breakout star DaBaby gets for his songs ‘all sounding the same,’” he said.

J. Cole’s new album “The Fall Off ” is also

2020 ALBUM RELEASE TIMELINE:

Jan. 10- “Manic” by Halsey Jan. 31- “High Road” by Kesha Feb. 28- “My Turn” by Lil Baby April 24- “Notes on a Conditional Form” by the 1975 TBA- “White Hot Forever” by Lana Del Rey TBA- “The Fall Off ” by J. Cole TBA- “Culture III” by Migos

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SPORTS TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2020

www.georgiastatesignal.com/sports

Altanta’s best African American athletes These ten people impacted the city through sports JULUAN HARDEN Sports Reporter

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tlanta is seen as the Black Mecca of the U.S., boasting some of the most impactful African American icons in sports.

Over the decades, these iconic figures have each left an indelible mark on their respective game and franchises.

Here are the ten who left the biggest impact.

1. HANK AARON

Hammerin’ Hank needs no introduction. Arguably the face of Atlanta sports, many still consider Aaron the homerun king. Many see his face when reflecting on the rise of African American baseball stars after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1942.

Along with attempts to guide the Atlanta Braves into a contender, he constantly received death threats after his success in Major League Baseball. Aaron’s 755 home runs rank second all-time.

2. DOMINIQUE WILKINS

To this day, the “Human Highlight Reel” is considered by many to be the greatest Atlanta Hawk in franchise history. Although he was not drafted by the Hawks, Wilkins spent the majority of his career in Atlanta.

From a young age, he knew that being a black athlete was huge as he had icons to look up to growing up.

“Being part of the civil rights era, where I grew up in the sixties with civil rights heroes, really taught me to be a man at a really young age,” Wilkins said.

His legendary clashes with Larry Bird’s Boston Celtics and the “bad boy” Detroit Pistons in the 80s were legendary. Wilkins wrote the history of the Hawks and played in some of the franchise’s most memorable games.

3. DEION SANDERS

“Primetime” will always be known for bringing the swagger to Atlanta. In 1991, Sanders played for both the Atlanta Falcons and the Atlanta Braves.

He played for the Falcons in the day and jumped on a flight to play in a playoff game for the Braves at night.

No matter the field, Sanders was electric. He stole bases on the diamond and ran back punts for touchdowns on the gridiron.

4. WARRICK DUNN

Dunn is easily one of the most underrated athletes in Atlanta sports history for both his time on and off the field. He was a running back for the Atlanta Falcons from 2002-2007 and was big on and off the field for the dirty birds. In his five-year tenure in Atlanta, he rushed for 1,000 yards in three out of those six seasons and was pivotal in the Falcons reaching the 2004 title game.

Dunn, now a minority owner of the Falcons, also gives back to the community. The building of single-parent homes is a prime example of his warm heart.

“This is part of who I am, to see people smile and help anyone that I can possibly help,” Dunn said.

Dunn is one of many who continue to invest in their communities after hanging the cleats up.

exciting Hawks of all time.

He played for Atlanta from 1985 to 1991 alongside Wilkins.

Together, they would compete in big games against the likes of the Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics.

As a pioneer for undersized guards like Earl Boykins, Isaiah Thomas and Muggsy Bogues, his legacy still lives today.

7. FRED MCGRIFF

The “Crime Dog” is arguably the most exciting player to ever wear an Atlanta Braves uniform. Dealt from the San Diego Padres in 1993, McGriff made an immediate impact for the Braves, hitting a homer in his first game with the team.

That same year, he helped the Braves overtake the Barry Bondsled New York Giants for the National League West division title. The Braves would fall in the National League Championship Series to the Philadelphia Phillies later that season, but McGriff would get his World Series ring with the Braves in 1995.

8. DAVID JUSTICE

Without Justice, Atlanta may still be searching for a championship. His home run in game six of the 1995 World Series played a significant role in the Braves winning the championship.

Aside from a lockout-shortened postseason, Justice never missed the playoffs. For a period of time, he was even blackballed by some fans for criticizing the level of support the Braves were getting before their World Series run 1995.

However, when he was traded in 1997 to the Cleveland Indians, relations soured between him and the Braves. Nevertheless, Justice was inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame in 2007.

to the franchise, playing in Atlanta from 1968-78. He was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2014 as, of course, a Falcon.

10. TERRY PENDELTON Pendleton’s time in Atlanta was drastically cut short, but it was great nonetheless. He signed with the Braves in 1990 and turned the team from worst to first in 1991.

That same 1991 season, he had his best individual season batting .319 and 187 hits, leading the National League. His performance was vital in leading the franchise to its first World Series berth since leaving Milwaukee.

Pendelton would stay in Atlanta until 1994 when an MLB-wide strike ended the season early. He came back to Atlanta in 1996 and again played in a World Series, but the team lost to the New York Yankees.

He was inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame in 2018.

9. CLAUDE HUMPHREY

Humphrey was the centerpiece of a brutal Falcons defense in the 1970s. The second overall pick in the 1968 NFL/AFL Draft, he is the only Hall of Fame defensive end drafted by the Falcons.

Despite playing in an era without sacks being recorded, he retired as one of the best defensive players of all time, retiring with an unofficial 126.5 sacks and making the Falcons relevant in the National Football Conference – Western Division.

Most importantly, he displayed loyalty

5. ANGEL MCCOUGHTRY

From 2009-19, McCoughtry gave Atlanta Dream fans something to look forward to after the NBA season. She has WNBA All Star and six All-WNBA selections under her belt. Many WNBA fans label her as a future Hall of Famer and point to the Dream’s six straight playoff appearances from 2009-14 as an argument.

But what many people also do not see is how hard she works.

Her time spent overseas, training and playing in Europe is what makes her drive an inspiration to others. She has the highest usage rating of any WNBA in history, at 31.8. This is a stat that measures the percentage of a team’s plays that were run by a single player.

Needless to say, she was a vital member of the African American community during her time in Atlanta and is an inspiration to all female basketball players around the world.

6. SPUD WEBB

The 5-foot, 7-inch high flyer is best known for defeating Michael Jordan in the 1986 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. Widely underrated in league history, Webb is considered one of the most

ILLUSTRATION BY MONTENEZ LOWERY | THE SIGNAL

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GSU is a new destination for transfers Why collegiate basketball players want to be Panthers JULIAN HARDEN Staff Reporter

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asketball is by far the bread and butter of Georgia State athletics. The program’s greatest call to fame is the exceptional talent that comes in year after year.

Not from high school prospects, though.

The Panthers are currently seeing a golden age of basketball. Much of the credit goes to the recruiting staff for getting bigtime transfers to play for Georgia State.

The men’s basketball team has mastered the ability to recruit solid talent by finding hidden gems on other NCAA basketball rosters. The Panthers eagerly exploit that in order to gain an edge in the Sun Belt Conference by tapping into the constant player transfers in college basketball.

One of the main reasons that Georgia State does so well at getting transfers is the city itself. All of the current and old transfers talked about how Atlanta was a big draw in coming to Georgia State.

“The city of Atlanta and getting kids an opportunity to play for a winning program something that we want to build off of,” head coach Rob Lanier said.

Under former head coach Ron Hunter, the city of Atlanta helped boost the success of the program. In Hunter’s tenure, the team reached multiple NCAA Tournaments.

In his first year as head coach, Lanier looks to be continuing this trend.

“Being able to recruit transfers with experience is one of our best assets,” Lanier added.

He sees the addition of transfers to the program as a vital piece for the success of the program.

Under Hunter, the program was able to acquire bigtime transfers to win and continue to grow the program.

The Panthers have made the NCAA Tournament in three of the last four seasons and, during each season, added impact transfers. Players of the past, such as Devin Mitchell, Willie Clayton and Justin Seymour, along with the current talent (redshirt senior Damon Wilson and redshirt sophomore Justin Roberts) have made Georgia State a haven for those in the transfer portal.

For Wilson, after he left the University of Pittsburgh, the choice to come to the state was an easy one. Born in Atlanta, he is not a stranger to Georgia State and Hunter’s success attracted him to the program.

“I’m from Atlanta, and I wanted to come home,” Wilson said. “Georgia State is a basketball powerhouse.”

Wilson’s answer is similar to the other transfers who were lured in by the city. For others, there is a tie to the school. Redshirt sophomore Justin Roberts is in his first season as a Panther after one year with DePaul University. His connection to the school is a special one.

“I knew about Georgia State when I was in middle school, and I grew up down the street from RJ Hunter,” Roberts said.

One of the biggest transfers to come to Georgia State was former Louisville forward Kevin Ware Jr. in 2015.

Ware, widely known for his gruesome leg injury in the Louisville Cardinals’ 2013 NCAA Tournament against Duke, spent three seasons with the University of Louisville, which won the national

Coach Rob Lanier talks about the main reasons that Georgia State basketball is doing so well at getting transfers.

championship that season. But allegations of corruption led him to leave the school.

He transferred to Georgia State for the 2015 season and put on a show for the Panther family.

Ware’s first year at Georgia State was a major success, winning the Sun Belt Conference Tournament MVP, and also being on the team who upset third-seeded Baylor in the first round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament. The historic game for Georgia State was their just their second NCAA Tournament win in program history.

“I chose Georgia State because it had everything I needed and wanted,” Ware said.

Ware is originally from Georgia, which gave Georgia State the advantage in getting transfers to return closer to home. A common trend among transfers looking at the school is the connection to the state of Georgia and a desire to play in the major market of downtown Atlanta.

Ware was not the only big-time transfer to

come to Georgia State. Ryan Harrow made the move from the University of Kentucky to Georgia State, arriving before the 2013 season. Like Ware, Harrow provided an immediate impact on the team. He led the Panthers to two Conference championships, one 2013 and one 2015, with Ware.

Harrow and Ware both earned team and conference honors during their tenure at Georgia State. Ware was named to FirstTeam All-Sun Belt in 2015, while Harrow eclipsed 1,000 points in a Panthers uniform.

Harrow was also named to the First-Team All-Sun Belt in 2013. His honor came after he guided the team to a record 17-1 conference record.

The 2013 team with Harrow was the best team under Coach Hunter to not reach the NCAA Tournament.

The additions of Ware and Harrow, amongst others, are a critical reason for Georgia State’s consistent success in the Sun Belt.

PHOTO BYPhoto by Shel Levy | THE SIGNAL

Each transferred to Georgia State and transitioned well, giving the program a national platform. Large networks, such as ESPN and CBS, were giving airtime to a small school out in the Sun Belt.

In year one, Lanier continues to bring in transfers. Lanier has signed players from the University of Memphis and the University of Cincinnati in his first year.

Last month, former Memphis Tiger Ryan Boyce transferred to Georgia State.

Boyce’s relationship with Coach Lanier goes back to his days in high school. He fell in love with the system and the choice was easy.

As we look back at this golden age of Panther basketball, the addition of impact transfers will be the most critical part of the program. The rise or fall of the basketball program will be predicated on the quality of transfers that can be lured to downtown.

SPORTS

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2020

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Atlanta Press Club’s Sports Industry Luncheon

What top-level executives have in store for the future MICHAEL CUNEO Staff Reporter

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he Presidents for the Atlanta Falcons, Braves and Hawks sat down on Thursday, Feb 13, at a luncheon hosted by The Atlanta Press Club to explain a new bill that they are hoping will legalize sports betting in Georgia.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported in November of 2019 that Atlanta’s four major sports teams had come together to form a coalition, the first of its type. As part of the alliance, the presidents of each team signed a letter that urged Georgia lawmakers to face the significance of sports betting in the state.

In 2018 the Supreme Court struck down a 1992 bill that made sports betting federally illegal in most states.

Since then, just 12 states have legalized sports betting with several more passing laws that have yet to see a launch date.

Falcons CEO Rich Mckay, who played an instrumental role in negotiating the funding of the $1.5 billion Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Downtown Atlanta, made it clear that sports betting is happening and that it’s in the best interest of professional sports teams to get on board as soon as possible.

“Let’s face facts, the phone is where a lot of consumption is going in the streaming world, and that is where mobile sports betting is occurring,” McKay said when asked about the bill he and his colleagues are supporting. “So to us, the idea that you can begin to engage with those people, which in the state of Georgia is thought to be $1.5 billion, in our mind, it made perfect sense.”

Braves CEO Derick Schiller echoed McKay’s thoughts and pointed out that the legalization of sports betting would result in a significant amount of tax revenue.

“I think this an opportunity for Georgia not to be left behind,” Schiller said. “You need to think about this going back to the fundamental thought that I think everyone in this room knows is that sports betting is happening today in the state of Georgia illegally, and the state of Georgia is receiving zero tax dollars for that.”

The panelists at the Atlanta Press Club’s Sports Industry Luncheon on Feb. 13.

Hawks CEO Steve Koonin made it clear that the sports teams would not be making any money off sports bets.

“We’re doing this not for an economic gain in the literal sense, but to keep future fans engaged in our sport. Schiller said. “Just because you were successful 50 years ago doesn’t mean your successful today.”

When asked about the morality of sports betting, Hawks President Steve Koonin said the argument is not valid.

“What confuses me with these arguments is that this is happening.” Koonin said. “So if you’re against legal, therefore you’re tacitly endorsing unregulated illegal because the behavior is not going to stop because some people are opposed. What we’re saying is make it legal, make it regulated make it taxed because it’s not a behavior that’s going away.

The three presidents also mentioned neighboring Tennessee, who recently passed sports betting laws with the hope of persuading Georgia legislatures.

Ultimately, Georgia, a state that holds an active evangelical populous, will have to decide on betting, and it very well might come down to money, something sports is exceptionally proficient at generating.

COURTESY OF LAURI STRAUSS | ATLANTA PRESS CLUB

Thriving on the court and in the classroom How the men’s basketball team has performed this year AVERY WIGGINS Staff Reporter

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or any college athlete, the balance between sports and academics can become a hassle. With intense training schedules and long road trips, athletes are expected to maintain a good GPA while performing at their best.

This is something the Georgia State men’s basketball team has addressed head-on.

With discipline and hard work, the team has made significant strides academically. In fall 2019, the team had an overall 2.98 GPA, the highest of any men’s basketball team in the program’s history.

So how has the team been able to break records in the classroom?

For the players, they make the most of their time to study. Twice a week, they have a study hall. Here, players meet with tutors to better learn the curriculum of their

courses and tackle any schoolwork that piles up throughout the week.

In addition, the players also have the academic advisers’ office at their disposal. The office allows players to join forces to study, do homework or just give each other academic advice.

Junior guard Kane Williams works very hard in school.

But it was not always like this. Despite slacking off for his first two years, the communications major has increased his GPA to a 2.8.

Williams has dedicated more time in the classroom to ensure his success on the court. He goes to study hall twice a week and also studies in the academic advisers’ office three times a week.

“You make time for what you want, and I want to get a degree, so I make time for that,” Williams said.

Another player who studies hard is redshirt sophomore guard Justin Roberts. His major is speech and communication and his minor in African American studies. As a freshman, he made the Honor Roll in the 2017-18 academic year at DePaul University.

At the start of every week, Roberts creates a schedule reminding him to complete his studies. To complete this schedule, Roberts has created a specific study strategy tailored around his hectic sports schedule. While simple, taking notes and studying them for 10-15 minutes has proven very effective for Roberts.

“My [parents] always stressed [academics] in my household,” Roberts said.

Head coach Rob Lanier is incredibly proud of his team for their extreme focus on their academics and for taking their studies seriously.

“I’ve seen so much improvement in our guys since last summer that I don’t know if it would be fair to call out just one individual, as … some guys have tougher majors than others,” Lanier said. “We are proud of the work all of them are doing.”

For Lanier, Williams, Roberts and the rest of the men’s basketball team, there is one goal: a Sun Belt Conference Championship. However, beyond basketball, the goal is bigger. Come to college as boys, but leave as well-educated men.

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Panther legend RJ Hunter has returned to Atlanta From Boston to Turkey to Chicago, now he is back home KRYSTAL WHITE Sports Reporter

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ost people remember RJ Hunter for his famous game-winning shot to upset the No. 3 Baylor Bears in the first round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament.

Hunter holds a number of records for the program. He eclipsed the school’s all-time scoring mark in just two and a half seasons, finishing his career with 1,819 total points.

Out of the top 11 seasons in total threes made, his name appears three times on the list. Hunter also became the first to make a 100 in a season.

In a single game, he knocked down a school and Sun Belt Conference record, making 12 three-pointers at University of Texas at San Antonio. The 12 threes were the most by anyone in the NCAA during the 2013-14 season.

He also tries to come back as much as he can. Shortly before signing with the College Park Skyhawks on Feb. 7, he attended the men’s basketball game against South Alabama on Jan. 30 — a 76-73 win for the Panthers.

“They look good,” Hunter said about the team. “I know a lot of guys from there still. The crowd and atmosphere was good. They have a lot of support for me. I was up there with [Ryan] Harrow. We were up there like a bunch of OGs.” But he has done plenty more since taking down Baylor.

He has traveled the world in the last five years, from being a first-round pick and playing overseas to now playing for the College Park Skyhawks, an affiliate of the Atlanta Hawks.

“The amount of love I have for Georgia State is out of this world.

I’m waiting for the invite. If [the NBA invites] me, I would, of course, come any time.”

— RJ HUNTER

Georgia State Men’s Basketball 2012-15 Hunter was selected with the 28th overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics. He played for the Celtics for a season before being cut after the season ended.

In 2016, he played for the Chicago Bulls for a short period of time. Eventually, he became a two-way player for the Houston Rockets before heading to Turkey to play for Turk Telekom B.K., a club in the Turkish League.

In his best game against Gaziantep, he had 19 points, three assists and five rebounds. He was not in Turkey for a long time but he found a surprising takeaway from his experience overseas, noting the transition from U.S. to European basketball.

“How normal life is in places you would not expect,” Hunter said. “I remember the USA and Turkey were in the middle of a beef. My family was texting and calling me asking if I was okay. I told them, ‘I’m chilling. Everybody else over here ain’t tripping.’ It is an eye-opening [experience] accepting different cultures and trusting yourself.”

During Hunter’s time in the NBA, he learned something very important about being successful in the business.

“Trust in yourself,” he said. “There are a lot of things coming at you from different angles. A lot of people in your corner for the wrong reasons. A lot of [myself ] thinking people are in your corner for the wrong reasons.

All of that comes and goes, but I think the trust in yourself is what a lot of the top players do.”

Hunter is back in Atlanta playing for the College Park Skyhawks. This season is the inaugural season for the team. The Skyhawks are currently within one game from sixth place in the playoffs. Hunter had 11 points, five rebounds and three assists. He had a slow start in the first

Former Panther RJ Hunter passes the ball to his teammate during a College Park Skyhawks home game. Photo submitted by College Park Skyhawks

“I always believe in my talent and attack my dream. If not, I’m still playing basketball.”

— RJ HUNTER Georgia State Men’s Basketball 2012-15 half but found a rhythm in the second.

“It is timing more than anything,” Hunter said following the game. “I was a second off on a lot of things. I like what I saw, though. My condition was better than I thought it would be, taking a couple of weeks off. I got good looks, so I will just watch films and adjust.”.

Hunter has a lot of experience that he can bring to the Skyhawks. From playing in the NBA, previous experience in the G League and overseas, he has knowledge on every level of basketball. Hunter has found a lot of success from playing the G League previously. He wants to continue to be successful with the College Park Skyhawks.

“Honestly, why I came back was because G League has

COURTESY OF COLLEGE PARK SKYHAWKS

been a great opportunity for me,” Hunter said. “Each year I played in the G League, I found myself [in] a two-way [contract]. I kind of kept my name in it. What I have learned about this business is what works for you, you have to keep going back to it.”

Playing for the Skyhawks is one step closer back to the NBA for Hunter. Current Hawks point guard Brandon Goodwin is living proof of this. After being a member of the Skyhawks, Goodwin signed a multi-year contract with the Hawks to begin his 2020.

Hunter is open and chasing to get back to the premier league of professional basketball on the planet, the NBA. “I always believe in my talent and attack my dream,” Hunter said. “If not, I’m still playing basketball. I get [so] caught up in this job and business that I do not realize what I am doing.”

Back in Atlanta after years of playing elsewhere, Ronald Jordan is back where it all started. While he may best past his days wearing Panther blue, being here and playing basketball is still a dream come true. Above all, patience continues to be a virtue for him.

“I’m playing a game I love for a living. I’m at home. My family is coming to the game to support me. I’m just going to take it one step at a time, believe in myself, and take it from there.”

Hunter has not forgotten about Georgia State at all. If Georgia State needs to reach him, he is one phone call away.

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