The Signal Vol. 86 No. 24

GOING DOWN

JUST GOOGLE IT

MAKING WAVES

A NEW ERA

Students report getting stuck in elevators across campus – and the university knows.

Why talk to someone about your problems when you can just ask Google?

Pool rock band Lunar Vacation talks about their time in the spotlight, away from GSU.

Gene Hill, women’s basketball head coach, rejuvenated the program in just one season.

NEWS

PAGE 6

OPINIONS

PAGE 8

A&L

PAGE 13

SPORTS PAGE 18

VOL. 86 | NO. 24

MARCH 26 - APRIL 2, 2019

GOODBYE, COACH

SPORTS | PAGE 15 Ron Hunter led Georgia State to the best stretch in men’s basketball history. On Sunday, after another one-and-done NCAA appearance, he left for Tulane University.

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NEWS TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 2019

www.georgiastatesignal.com/news

Georgia State facilities’ roaches and mold SGA suggestion box rats on unkempt facilities ZACH SALLING Staff Reporter

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oaches, mold and broken call boxes may not be the first thing Georgia State facilities want to acknowledge, but for students who pay for them, it’s a priority.

Freshmen liaisons Jaylan Scott and D. Campbell Diaz initiated a “Suggestion Box” campaign on campus for feedback and suggestions regarding how SGA can better serve the student body. The suggestion boxes were placed inside the lobby of each student dormitory early August 2018. The box had a card and writing utensil next to it for students to cast their information.

SGA President Franklin Patterson said in a video advertising to the student body to “make sure your voice is heard, because your voice matters.”

The suggestion box garnered over 285 suggestions among the six dorms.

Scott and Diaz informed the SGA committee about student responses for review and action, of which Diaz has already set in motion.

“I have been meeting with Panther Dining, GSU PD and Housing representatives to voice the concerns of students,” Diaz said.

Of the directed suggestions, SGA freshman liaisons focused their attention on PantherDining, GSUPD and the University as a whole.

“If a student made a suggestion, their voice is currently being advocated for,” Diaz said.

“BUGS IN FOOD”: PANTHERDINING SUGGESTIONS

“There’s been reports of bugs in food and students getting sick, which is not really acceptable,” Diaz said of Georgia State’s dining facilities.

For PantherDining, Diaz reported 47 suggestions to improve the variety of food. Students also noted that “food lacks seasoning, vegan options,” in addition to lacking overall diversity.

“Students feel like they’re not getting what they’re paying for,” Diaz said.

Students also want PantherDining to better serve them through “extended hours on weekends, staff friendliness, and advertising nutritional meetings with counselors.”

Aside from basic necessities, students urged for small luxuries too.

Diaz said, “Vegetable and fruit variety and TV suggestions are currently being implemented” and to soon “expect taste testing and an improved feedback system in the future.”

“A LOT OF ROACHES”: GEORGIA STATE HOUSING SUGGESTIONS

Roaches aren’t the first thing students dishing out a couple thousand for Housing want to worry about, but for some students, it’s a reality.

“There were a lot of roaches,” Diaz said. “Pest control isn’t really good with the dorms and the maintenance turnaround times are pretty bad.”

However, Diaz suggest that staffing is the issue.

“There’s one person to handle all these requests,” Diaz said. “Communication between the RA’s and Housing, there’s not really a streamlined way for them to communicate with residents.”

Additionally, students listed non-working amenities as a problem. “[Students] wanted laundry rooms to be improved. Machines weren’t working very well,” Diaz said.

Upon arrival, students complained, saying “floors are dirty when people are moving in.”

Following the out-of-order washing machines, students had reports of “mold and dirt in the laundry room.”

Diaz acknowledges that the price students pay doesn’t show in Housing’s amenities.

“Students are paying thousands of dollars to stay at the

dorms,” Diaz said. “They’re not getting their money’s worth, especially in the Commons.”

Students wanted basic living conditions improved – and more.

“They wanted the furniture updated, I guess there was old furniture in the common area they have downstairs, and they wanted the stairwell opened,” he said. And some kind of recreation.”

Also, students are weary of Housing’s current arrangement: pairing students with complete strangers.

“People don’t really know who they’re going to be living with, so people have suggested students doing bios to know exactly who they’re going to be living with,” Diaz said.

Furthermore, students complained about RA’s and “how they handle the students.” RA’s handling of students in the past have raised concerns over racially-charged issues just this past year Students expressed interest in “more events in the dorms,” so students could network and commingle.

“BROKEN CALL BOXES”: GENERAL UNIVERSITY SUGGESTIONS

Security measures around dorms were a major concern for students.

“Patrolling around buildings; assisted security in all the academic buildings; fixing street lights and police call boxes. A lot of people complained about the officers in general, some students saying they felt like criminals. Police aren’t really in front of the dorms. They want to see cops standing in front of the doors,” Diaz said.

Diaz has already had meetings with the Georgia State Police Department and Panther Dining to some avail.

“As for GSUPD, they are currently working on more security guards moving to the Ride Safe program which will be updated with an “Uber” like app, allowing students to track the carts and security will be more present in front of the dorms,” Diaz said. “Expect call box updates and card access to more buildings in the future.”

Georgia State has had a longstanding issue with crime on campus, which it’s been attempting to curtail through their recently established dispatch center. Broken call boxes have also been a longstanding concern on campus.

“All departments and committees already have the information pertaining to them,” Diaz said.

and quality, elevator repair speed, extending dining hours and increasing police presence in front of the dorms and on the housing corridor,” Diaz said.

Diaz hopes to initiate change soon, so that SGA’s reputation could also get a boost on campus.

“This will show students we actually care. These are the things they want worked on, so if we can get some of these things solved we can actually take credit for that,” he said Yet, Diaz faces the issue of how much influence his initiative and student voices will have.

“Be assured that I am meeting with these representatives to get these tasks done but I can only provide the information and voice concerns,” Diaz said. “Feasibility is a large part of discussing what things we can achieve. We will regularly meet with these departments to make sure they are holding up their end of the process of improving our university.”

However, a date for the initiatives has not been confirmed.

“I CAN ONLY PROVIDE THE INFORMATION”: ACTION? To get expedite department’s plan of action, Diaz plans on meeting regularly with departments and “pushing legislation through Student Government.”

“The most suggested ideas were improving food variety

ILLUSTRATION BY EVAN STAMPS | THE SIGNAL

NEWS

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SGA faces pushback on GILEE opinion resolution

The resolution urges Georgia State to withdraw from law enforcement program WILL SOLOMONS & ADA WOOD News Editor & Associate News Editor

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controversial Student Government Association resolution, which was slipped onto the March 14 agenda at the last minute, attracted unwanted attention from university officials early Friday morning.

The opinion resolution urges the university to withdraw itself from the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange program and to “redirect its funding to appropriate police training activities.”

“That was the most filled-out bill that we have ever had passed in the Senate.”

— SEN. JAZMIN MEJIA Student Government Association Senator The last-minute agenda amendment was made by Sen. Jazmin Mejia, who sponsored the bill. Sen. Hamza Rahman introduced the bill and joined the meeting via Webex.

The resolution faced pushback even before it made it to the Senate floor. Senior Director of the Student Center Boyd Beckwith audibly cautioned SGA University-wide President Franklin Patterson to postpone the resolution indefinitely just minutes before the meeting began.

Despite those warnings, the resolution was read on the Senate floor by Mejia during SGA’s second-to-last university-wide meeting of the year.

But before any motion for discussion was made, Sen. Kaelen Thomas immediately motioned to table the resolution indefinitely with Sen. Nigel Walton seconding it, a motion that would have effectively killed the resolution.

That motion failed in a Senate vote, but Sen. Danny Mai’s motion to refer the resolution to an ad hoc committee subsequently passed.

“I had heard that a resolution similar to this might make it to

the floor and so I was aware beforehand,” Thomas said. “But the decision to postpone the resolution indefinitely was something I decided at the meeting.”

Mejia said she was disappointed that the senators didn’t discuss the resolution and that it had been hastily redirected to committee.

“That was the most filled-out bill that we have ever had passed in the Senate,” Mejia said after the meeting. “If they had any questions, they could literally refer to the bill. We had sources on the bill that they could look into themselves if they wanted to form their own opinion.”

The resolution cites evidence pertaining to alleged atrocities committed by GILEE’s global partners, including Egyptian, Hungarian and Israeli law enforcement agencies.

“GILEE’s training partners include foreign law enforcement agencies that restrict civil liberties, violate human rights, and/or engage in bigotry, including anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and violent manifestations of homophobia,” it stated.

The resolution further states that GILEE’s collaboration with Chinese law enforcement also raises concerns.

“GILEE collaborates with Chinese law enforcement, which has engaged in mass surveillance, arrested human rights activists, raided houses of worship, and imprisoned one million Uighur Muslims in concentration camps,” the resolution states.

According to Patterson, the ad hoc committee will be comprised of SGA representatives who are not involved with the resolution in any way and who hold no bias. That committee will be led by Sen. Kiersten Nicholson.

Patterson said the committee will spend one day listening to representatives of GILEE, one day listening to opponents of GILEE and then one day to ultimately make a decision.

That ultimate decision, Patterson said, is “whether this bill should be voted down or whether this bill should be voted for.”

After the Senate adjourned, Beckwith criticized the resolution.

“I was surprised that it was allowed on the floor at the last minute because obviously something that substantial does need significant review by the senators before they attempt to vote on it,” Beckwith said.

He said the resolution was substantial because the issue of whether or not to support GILEE has come up in the past.

“It’s come up before,” he said. “It’s significant and I don’t think that all our senators are aware of all the issues around the GILEE program.”

The morning after the Senate meeting, Beckwith emailed Robert Friedmann, the founding director of GILEE, and

Senators raise their placards to vote at the second-to-last university-wide meeting on Thursday, March 14.

informed him of the meeting’s events.

Friedmann responded shortly after, noting that “senator [Danny] Mai was correct and indeed the motion passed.”

“It is time to put a stop to this farce,” Friedmann said. “Up to now only 2 senators have bothered to find out anything about GILEE.” Through email correspondence, Friedmann told The Signal that “the resolution has no merit whatsoever” and that “the students are absolutely not properly informed about GILEE.” In what GILEE calls peer-to-peer law enforcement, the program sends top U.S. law enforcement to Israel and other

“The resolution has no merit whatsoever.”

— ROBERT FRIEDMANN Professor Emeritus, Director of GILEE

countries for training in tactics such as bomb threats and terrorist attacks. The international representatives then come to the U.S. for training in urban and rural policing tactics such as violent crime, homeland security and emergency management.

GILEE is operated as a 501(c)(3) of the Georgia State University Foundation and was founded in 1992 in preparation for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta. Since then, GILEE has aided in security planning for six other international olympic events, including the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.

According to the GILEE website, “GILEE’s focus has been on anti-terrorism training ever since its establishment in 1992.”

GILEE has faced backlash over the years. A previous article by The Signal identified that “in 2010, Georgia State’s Progressive Student Alliance partnered with other organizations and held a protest in Unity Plaza, demanding the end of GILEE and gathering a petition of 900 signatures.”

After the resolution exits the committee, it will likely be reintroduced at the Senate’s last meeting of the year on Thursday, April 18, where several top university officials will be in attendance. Among those expected to be present is Georgia State University President Mark Becker, who in 2017 said, “GILEE embodies the values and mission of Georgia State.”

PHOTO BY DANIEL VARITEK | THE SIGNAL

TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 2019

NEWS

5

The first amendment, confined

Free Speech Zones bring religion and retail to the plaza BEN COLETTA Staff Reporter

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ree speech zones have been available at Georgia State for several years, with the university implementing them to curb overcrowding in Library Plaza.

Since their implementation, students or groups looking to participate in speech activities have been regulated to Unity Plaza and Urban Life Center Plaza.

But how does the university define what “free speech” activities for these areas are?

“Speech, expression and assembly activities guaranteed by the First Amendment, including distribution of non-commercial printed materials,” the student code of conduct for this year states.

But it doesn’t stop there, with the code going into specifics. “[Georgia State] holds the First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech, freedom of expression, and the right to assemble peaceably as essential rights of a free people and the cornerstone of scholarly inquiry,” the student code of conduct for this year states. “The University is firmly committed to affording the University Community with the opportunity to engage in the peaceful and orderly exercise of these rights.

To achieve this objective, while at the same time fulfilling its educational mission and maintaining a safe campus environment, the University has certain time, place and manner restrictions that apply to Speech Activities, without regard to content.”

While this may sound very supportive of the first amendment, Georgia State’s regulation of speech prompted the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education to give Georgia State a yellow speech code rating.

FIRE states that, “Yellow light colleges and universities are those institutions with at least one ambiguous policy that too easily encourages administrative abuse and arbitrary application.”

Since being made into a designated free speech zone, Unity Plaza has become the most popular speech zone on campus where groups looking to practice the university-defined “speech activities” can gather. During the week students will notice no shortage of diverse groups out vending and speaking with students.

However, the free speech zones aren’t a protection from the law and occasionally people have to be removed from Unity Plaza.

So, when does “free speech” become a problem?

According to GSUPD Chief of Police Joseph Spillane, “The only time [GSUPD] would intervene is if something went beyond free speech, if someone was being assaulted or some other law was being broken that didn’t have anything to do with the speech or the content of the speech.”

And, in the event of an intervention, “What we would do is come talk to the person and tell them what they are doing that is crossing the line from whatever the speech issue is, crossing into a criminal issue. It depends on their behavior and if they’re acting a way which would be criminal,” Spillane said.

GSUPD doesn’t jump straight to removing the group from the area, in fact they usually begin with a warning that their behavior is heading in the wrong direction, according to Spillane.

“We would pretty much allow them to stay unless they continue to violate and at that point we would tell them they needed to leave our property, Georgia State University property,” he said.

After being removed from Georgia State property, the group is free to walk right down to the public street and do the same thing.

“We don’t try to push any arrests or anything

Entrepreneur Arbishou Rojas sets up his venue every Wednesday in front of the Georgia State Student Center. Rojas designs and sells T-shirts to take a stand against bullying.

but we do try to maintain the peace,” Spillane said.

The university cannot deny anyone the right to speak based on content. The university can only regulate the locations they deem as fit for “speech activities” like gathering and speaking.

What this means is that occasionally groups come to Georgia State and spread messages that not all students agree with, and in some cases students may find them offensive.

One of the frequent groups that convene in Unity Plaza are religious based, sometimes attracting students who then surround the speakers and begin arguments.

Spillane said the main strategy is to keep opposing groups separated. The last time the street preachers came to the free speech zone, GSUPD put up barricades and banners to prevent an physical altercations from ensuing.

“At the time, Dr. Holloman was the dean of students, and he came out there to talk to the students who were yelling back at the preachers and to talk about de-escalating the situation,” Spillane said. “And, I think that helped, having someone from the university out there to speak to the students about freedom of speech issues — that these people have their opinion and you have yours but we don’t have to go to blows about it, we can all coexist in a free speech zone.”

Free speech in universities has been a hot topic as of late, with President Trump vowing to remove funding for research at universities who don’t support free speech on campus.

While the president failed to provide further details, it is unclear if Georgia State’s speech zones are enough to allow the university to receive federal research grants when and if the President puts legislation into place.

While the reputation of the free speech zones on campus has been marred by abrasive groups, there are also a large number of groups and students alike who use the designated zones to

PHOTO BY MICHAEL PASCALE | THE SIGNAL

sell goods.

Eric Okolo is a biology major at Georgia State and also the CEO and founder of the popular brand Rose from Africa. He started selling his shirts and products in Unity Plaza last September.

His shirts and sweatshirts bear the image of the African continent made out of roses.

Okolo said the free speech zones provided a great opportunity for his growing brand.

“The only time [GSUPD] would intervene is if something went beyond free speech, if someone was being assaulted or some other law was being broken that didn’t have anything to do with the speech or the content of the speech.”

— JOSEPH SPILLANE GSUPD Chief of Police

“[The free speech zone] was a huge stepping stone for my business because it was a way for me to test the market of my business and a way for me to promote my brand.” Okolo said. “Before I went out to Unity Plaza with 100 shirts, I had only sold like two [shirts], and all I had was feedback on Instagram from my friends. And, because of the opportunity to go out there, I was able to tell that this was a brand that people actually want.”

THE DEBATES The Signal hosted the 2019 Student Government Association debates on Tuesday, March 12. That same night, Atlanta Sen. Kaelen Thomas became the next Speaker of the Atlanta Senate.

Thomas had been running for the position against his competitor Averyona Walters.

But, when she arrived over 30 minutes late to the scheduled debate, she was disqualified from the race.

Walters appealed the election commission’s decision to the Student Judicial Board and had a hearing on March 13. The SJB ruled in agreement with the election commission’s decision, officially removing her from the race.

Walters said she now has her eyes on the position of Communications Director, which would be appointed by the next president, or an open Senate seat in the future.

Due to a suddenly uncontested race, the debates opened with the executive vice president candidates.

Students on the Atlanta campus will choose between candidates Jesse Calixte, Hamza Rahman and Gregory Wright.

The moderating panel for the debates consisted of Ada Wood, associate news editor for The Signal, Shari Celestine, opinions editor for The Signal and Kevin Sanchez, news director for Panther Report News.

This year, more than 120 students were in attendance – a large increase in turnout compared to last year’s number of around 40 students.

The debate for president followed. Five candidates are running for president this year, the largest candidate pool in over 10 years.

Students will be voting for the following candidates from Tuesday, March 26, through Thursday, March 28 this week: Anthony Jones, Ira Livnat, Jazmin Mejia, Nashbi Grand-Jean and Shay’na Fields.

The debate can be viewed in full on YouTube via PRN’s channel or with highlights for the EVP and presidential debate via The Signal’s channel.

Scan the QR code below to watch highlights of the presidential debate.

NEWS

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GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

What exactly are we eating?

Issues with food labeling at Georgia State raises concerns DEREK ESCRIBANO Staff Reporter

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eorgia State prides itself on being one of the most diverse universities in the country. As such, students are bound to have an equally diverse set of dietary restrictions. From vegetarianism to life-threatening allergies, these students rely on Georgia State to label the food that it provides.

But has Georgia State been compliant?

According to Chris Garcia, a Georgia State student and SGA representative, not exactly.

“A lot of the grab-and-go items don’t have the nutritional labels on them,” Garcia said at an SGA meeting on Mar. 5.

“They also – more importantly – do not have the ingredients on them. It’s a lawsuit waiting to happen.”

The problem is not only with the grab-and-go items, however. Freshman students living on campus are required to purchase a meal plan, at the rate of $1,934 per-semester.

This allows them to eat at any Georgia State dining hall seven days a week.

When their already narrow selection of food is restricted even further by the absence of labeling, some students go hungry.

Karstyn McDaniel is a vegetarian student at Georgia State who visits the dining hall for meals on a daily basis, and she believes mislabeling may have caused her to eat meat.

“Once I bit into a ‘veggie nugget’ that was not where they usually have them and it didn’t taste right ... It may have been meat,” McDaniel said.

She never finished her meal that day.

“We have recently expanded the labeling procedures at our dining halls – our food items will be noted on the sneeze guard as vegan (vgn), vegetarian (veg), and if they contain nuts, dairy, fish or seafood,” Leslie Knapp, the nutritionist at Georgia State, said, Melody Yates, a vegan student at Georgia State, doesn’t believe that these changes came soon enough. As a result of poor labeling procedures, Yates has been eating eggs and dairy for the past several months, which is strictly against her beliefs.

This mismanagement of the food not only interferes with Yate’s individual beliefs, but also has impacted her health.

“I’ve been having stomach aches,” Yates said.

ILLUSTRATION BY SHANCHEZE JOHNSON | THE SIGNAL

Knapp said students with allergy concerns should always “let our staff know so we can best meet your needs.”

Some students, however, believe that the staff in the dining halls are inadequately advised with how to deal with these concerns. For example, Karstyn McDaniel described an instance in which she had to get her stir-fry made allergen free, but a staff member “didn’t know how to do it.”

Change is on the horizon for vegan students at Georgia State, however, as Knapp and the rest of the nutrition team are “working directly with our students to increase our plant-based offerings by surveying students” needs and wants pertaining to vegetarian and vegan recipes; performing quality control assessments on our current plant-based offerings; increasing marketing efforts; and increasing staff training.”

Stuck — on so many levels

Students recount frequent elevator perils in University Housing BRIA SUGGS Staff Reporter

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eorgia State’s dorm elevators may not be as safe as one would hope. The likelihood of getting trapped in campus elevators isn’t uncommon, and students are more likely to get stuck in certain dorms over others.

Georgia State student Thomias Hughes found himself trapped alone in elevator two at Piedmont Central at the beginning of the spring semester. The elevator car became stuck coming down from the 11th floor, leaving Hughes stuck for “at least thirty minutes,” he said.

“The call button wasn’t working. It wasn’t working at all,” Hughes said.

In order to make it out, Hughes had to make a quick call to his mother, who then called campus security. And then his phone died.

The elevator Hughes was stuck in has been out of service for most of this semester, and was fixed over spring break. It is now operating normally.

However, Hughes isn’t alone in his unpleasant experience riding Georgia State’s residence hall elevators. Students Kamyra Jackson and Shaniya Stanley have also been in

similar situations.

Jackson doesn’t have the best luck with campus elevators and has gotten stuck three times -- in Piedmont North, Piedmont Central and even M-Deck. Her second most recent encounter was getting stuck in Piedmont North a little less than a month ago.

“The elevators get stuck over there a lot,” Jackson said.

Stanley had troubles with elevator three in Piedmont Central at the beginning of the spring semester when she was riding with a friend.

Her friend exited the elevator but before Stanley stepped out, the elevator started to rise with the doors open. As the elevator rose, the doors started to close. Then the elevator came to a stop in between floors, with Stanley still inside.

“It stayed right there for a little bit, and then I kept clicking the [6th floor] button, and it finally opened,” Stanley said.

When asked, all three students interviewed agreed that elevator maintenance is an issue on the Georgia State campus. “[Elevators] take too long, and then they’re always [broken],” Stanley said about Piedmont Central. “I don’t even remember when they all worked [at the same time].”

During a brief survey of Georgia State’s dorm elevators, most of them are up to date with their inspections.

University Commons, Piedmont North, Piedmont Central and Patton are due for inspection this August.

As reported by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, “elevators and escalators shall be thoroughly inspected at intervals not exceeding one year.”

According to Abdul Momen, director of Maintenance and Operations, “Once a year, the inspector inspects [the elevators] and [provides] a permit.”

“The private developer Corvias group manages Piedmont Central, Commons and freshman hall; [the] remaining student housing dorms are managed by [the Georgia State] Housing group,” he said.

When asked if all dorm elevators are up to code, Momen replied “As per my knowledge, all elevators should be regularly inspected. Even [if] the permit expires, there is a grace period for the inspector to come back and inspect.”

Momen said that they are aware of several elevators malfunctioning, and that there are plans to remedy this.

“There are several very old elevators giving us lots of trouble,” he said. “I learned Housing [has] a project to replace a few soon.”

He also confessed to knowing about students getting stuck in elevators, and that “The Piedmont dorm elevators reported frequently malfunction.”

OPINIONS TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 2019

www.georgiastatesignal.com/opinions

The Great Drop-Off

Should I care about my attendance?

SHARI CELESTINE Opinions Editor

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pring Break is over and you’re wondering where did time go, not because you’ve been so busy this semester but because you’ve only been to a handful of classes and the semester is almost over. You can remember where it all went wrong; it was the first day of courses and you realize your professor doesn’t check attendance. He just starts going into his lecture notes and pulls up a forty-page powerpoint presentation. That’s it, that’s the whole class.

To be on the safe side, you showed up for class the second week to see if anything would change. But it didn’t; it’s still the same large room with a max-capacity student body and a

boring professor who drones on without taking attendance.

Before you knew it, you were skipping classes every week, emailing random classmates to ask for lecture notes and only showing up when there was a scheduled exam on the syllabus.

I took Intro to Film History last semester. It was a class just like this, and I took a day or two off to get more hours in at work. No big deal -- the professor even supplied us with lecture notes and a study guide. When it came time for the first exam I thought nothing of the days I skipped to make more money.

After all, I had the notes and the study guide. I was prepared as long as I studied them, right?

Wrong. On that first exam I, along with everyone else that skipped a class or two, learned that the last twenty to thirty questions of every exam was especially for students who showed up to lectures. If you missed his class, he’d take a chunk out of your grade!

So, before you remove that alarm setting from your phone,

just think about what you’re doing by not showing up to class.

Keep in mind that you’ve already paid for this class (somewhere around $300 per class) and that’s not money you can get back.

This is college; professors aren’t going to hold your hand and make sure you attend every class, especially when it’s a general course.

It’s so easy to fall into a pattern of missing classes. You think it’ll just be this one time -- you need to catch up on studying for another class, or you need to pull another shift at work, or you need to finish that paper, it’s just this one time. All it takes is once and then you’re hooked, you find yourself making up elaborate excuses to keep missing classes and before you know it, it’s time for midterms or worse, final exams.

You are an adult; it’s up to you to take your education seriously now. That means showing up for class, whether the professor takes attendance or not.

A break: what students deserve What students are up to during Spring Break MYA GRANT Staff Columnist

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fter dealing with the stress of mid-term exams and dropping classes, spring break couldn’t have come at a better time. Students are getting the week-long break we deserve to relax, regroup and come back ready to finish out the semester strong.

Spring break isn’t always what you see on television.

Although most college students go to the beach or out of the country, not every college student has a wild spring break story that they’ll remember for the rest of their lives.

Majority of students plan to travel for spring break.

According the ABCNews, the most common travel places for students are Cancun, Mexico, Las Vegas, Nevada, Miami, Florida, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic. The average cost for these trips can range anywhere from $200-$600 depending on transportation, hotel expenses, food and souvenirs.

Planning early for these trips is key to saving money and getting better deals — many of these places are tourist

ILLUSTRATION BY DEMETRI BURKE | THE SIGNAL

attractions and they know when to raise their prices, so watch out for that.

Students may also be travelling for educational reasons.

Studying abroad during spring break will give you the break from your normal Georgia State routine and help you experience a new country and culture while still learning your specific subject area. Students are more than welcome to study abroad during different semesters but doing it for spring break sounds reasonable, especially if it’s your first time and you just want to try it at least once.

Another common activity for students during spring break is going home and spending time with their families. Some students come from families who live 4+ hours away from Georgia State — or even in a different state — and can only afford to

see them for elongated periods of time rather than every other weekend for those who live closer. Going home for the break allows students to spend quality time with their families and gets them away from campus to fully enjoy their vacation time.

To the students who will be working for their spring break, I applaud you and don’t feel like you’re missing out just because you’re working. You have time over the summer to travel, go home and go to the beach — I’m pretty sure the weather will be nicer over the summer anyway — but right now focus on making your money. As many students who work will be taking off for the break, this will give you more hours to work and make your next check look a lot better. So don’t look at working over the break as a negative; use it to save up your money and plan for the summer or for next year.

Depending on your classification, you may have about one to three more spring breaks left so no worries. Summertime is almost here and will be just as great. But no matter how you spend your spring break, always make sure you’re spending it safely and beneficially and be ready to come back with a clear head to tackle the last month and a half of this semester.

OPINIONS

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GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

Disconnected at Georgia State

Our generation has to learn to put the phone down KHADIJAH GREEN Staff Columnist

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he advancement of technology brought about many benefits to society. The improvement of medicine, the increased safety of cars and the ability to connect with people worldwide are a few. But, this hasn’t left society unaffected. The ability to connect with others and work through life situations has plagued our generation.

We often log into our favorite social networking sites and connect with friends and family miles away. The world is at our fingertips, but we are unable to connect with our neighbor.

The advent of technology has affected how students react in life situations. Students are unable to communicate their emotions properly. Instead of communicating effectively in their relationships, students are more likely to “ask Siri” or Google for relationship advice or basic information – approaching a friend or relative is unheard of.

One student on the Clarkston campus said he would ask Google before a family member.

“I would rather take advice from a credible source than family,” he said.

Building relationships is key in our developmental process as young adults. We need interactions with other people to continue to develop as functional adults. Trusting search engines more than family members is becoming more and more common. We are asking search engines questions about relationships and recipes and health information – when we could strengthen communication between family members.

The fact that this student relies on Google as a credible source rather than family is alarming. There are fake websites claiming to be “credible” created daily. On these websites you run the risk of getting scammed.

Approaching a family member and having difficult and awkward conversations will build up students communication skills. Talking to family members who have opposing views from yours will challenge your viewpoints and get you to think about things from another perspective. Using Google for all our information is biased, the search engine only shows you opinions that are within your safe zone or along the lines of your every day ideals.

Seawards Dawson, a journalism major on Clarkston campus, said he enjoys talking to family and friends regardless of their viewpoint.

“I have a fairly decent relationship with my family,” Dawson said. “If not them, I go to my friends next, regardless of their

viewpoint. I’d like to hear what they have to say.”

Not all students are so far gone in the hole of world wide web. But if some of us are stuck in the and some of us aren’t, how do we effectively communicate with one another?

First, we have to stop relying so much on our phones.

Our phones and the internet are not the only means of communication, experience or survival. We have to understand that there are other students out there who want to communicate with us.

Second, we have to be open to awkward conversations and someone challenging our ideals. We are never right all the time. We sure as hell don’t agree all the time – but it’s okay. A lot of students rush to social media when they don’t agree with someone in a face-to-face conversation.

It’s easy to login to Facebook and find a group of people, that also think how you think, and voice your frustrations with them, but this does nothing for us as young adults.

We are not learning anything if we constantly run away when our ideals are challenged. We have to listen to what the other person is telling us and try to understand their perspective. We have to also know we will be wrong, sometimes.

Lastly, we must also build communication skills to effectively network for the career we want. I highly doubt your employer would want you to “ask Siri” over the associates at work.

ILLUSTRATION BY DEVIN PHILLIPS | THE SIGNAL

Equality of outcome is wrong

Equality of outcome is antithetical to freedom; some say we need it ZACHARY VINSON Staff Columnist

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s a student at Georgia State, I am sure that you have heard about how diverse our student body is.

Apparently, our faculty and administration are much less diverse than the students they serve and that is apparently a problem for some. The Signal’s Ada Wood reported in September that GSU’s faculty breaks down as follows. 15.5 percent black, 64.7 percent white and 10.6 percent Asian with no data available on Hispanic demographics. The idea that these demographics are a problem is inherently stupid.

The first question is what does a racial ratio look like? Should it be representative of the student body at large? Should you base it on the city or state demographics? Maybe it should be nationally representative since technically faculty could be hired from a pool of applicants all over the US. The most reasonable answer would probably be to base it

off US demographics as a whole because that is the group of people who make up those capable of being hired for positions at GSU. The government census website says that the overall demographics of the US are as follows: 76.6 percent white, 13.4 percent black, and 5.8 percent Asian.

So, it appears that GSU’s faculty is loosely representative of US demographics as a whole, but even if it were not representative there would be no problem because different people make decisions that result in different outcomes. The United States is the freest most prosperous country in the history of the world, which means that individuals are capable of making personal decisions that result in unequal outcomes.

If discrimination is occurring then there is a problem, but if there is no discrimination then pushing diversity through equality of outcome is not a moral good. In fact, it is a communist principle used by Stalin to divide people along class lines and ended with millions dead and millions more starving.

Communism is not the problem here on campus because the equality of outcome principle is applied to diversity rather than class.

Makungu Akinyela, an associate professor and director

of undergraduate studies in the African-American Studies Department here at GSU, says that having a professor that shares your background is important.

“It is important in terms of having examples of the possibilities of what you can do, having role models, being able to bounce your experiences off of someone who may have shared a common experience.”

That is a racist statement. Suggesting that black students need a black professor in order to be able to have a role model or to assume that all black people have a common shared experience is egregiously ignorant. It is the same logic that racists used during the Jim Crow Era to suggest that schools could not be integrated. Imagine a white guy said the same things about a need for a professor of the same race. They would correctly be called racist and castigated for it.

The point here is not to call out this professor, but rather explain how pushing for diversity when there is no active discrimination is counterproductive because freedom does not create equality of outcome. Freedom creates equality of opportunity.

ARTS & LIVING TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 2019

www.georgiastatesignal.com/artsandliving

Shaky Knees or Shady Knees?

The what and why of free tattooed admission DANIELLA BOIK Staff Reporter

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haky Knees, the alternative rock music festival held in Old Fourth Ward’s Central Park, is offering the promotion of a lifetime — a trade of skin for free admission.

While the deal seems easy, there are some rules that apply.

Including size and design, any fan who gets inked must post a picture on their Instagram with the hashtags #ShakyKneesFest and #ShakyTat. Although listed on their website, Taylor said that Shaky Knees doesn’t do any promoting of the deal offered.

“We don’t publicly promote the tattoo policy,” Taylor said. “It’s spread via word of mouth amongst SK fans.”

However, Shaky Knees does promote the tattoo policy, providing a single webpage of information on their website along with an informative post on their Facebook page.

Hutch, who chooses to go by his first name, is a tattoo artist at Red Rose Tattooing Company. Although his shop isn’t listed on the website as a participating sponsor, he said he has done several tattoos for Shaky Knees fans in the past.

“The shop I work at, we’re not sponsors or partners with them or nothing, but really the Shaky Knees people don’t even care if you get it done at a different shop,” Hutch said. “Cause last year I also did some, and they told me they let them in no questions about what shop u got it from.”

For those trying to cheat the system, he thinks it would be easy to tell if the tattoo is temporary.

“I don’t know if they sit there and try to wipe it away, but it is definitely easy to check if a tattoo is real. They just gotta scratch it or rub it really,” Hutch said.

As far as placement, don’t get it anywhere you couldn’t show a stranger .

“You have to show the box office staff so don’t get it any place on your body that we don’t want to see,” he said.

As for the promotion, Hutch believes it’s really all to market the festival.

“I think they do it to spread recognition,” Hutch said. “It definitely builds awareness for the festival, people are always going to ask hey what tattoo is that.”

Georgia State student and religious Shaky Knees attendee Adrienne Riga also agreed with Hutch about the tattoo being an advertising plan for the festival.

“People love to talk about their tattoos,” Riga said. “So when people travel to other parts of the world, they won’t recognize the logo. It’s a conversation piece and could potentially invite someone else to experience an Atlanta-based music festival.”

Student David Echard thinks it’s a smart marketing plan by Shaky Knees because of how tattoos cater to the Atlanta hipster scene.

“Most of the people who’d go to the festival would already have tattoos so they’d be down for it,” he said. “Weird tattoos are a total hipster and alt-rock thing.”

Unlike Echard, Georgia State student and regular concert goer Savannah Rogers believes the tattoo policy is a large commitment considering the size of the festival .

“I wouldn’t view it as weird if someone had a tattoo of the Woodstock music festival, because of the cultural significance, but a logo for some random music festival?” Rogers said. “Yeah that’s weird.”

On the other hand, Rogers agrees with Echard that it’s smart of Shaky Knees to use their fans to advertise.

“Any press is good press,” Rogers said.

And aside from aesthetics, some students think the tattoo policy is perfect for those who wouldn’t normally be able to afford admission. Kaitlyn Crosby is all for getting the logo added to her tattoo sleeve.

“I believe they also do it to give people the opportunity to be able to attend the festival even if they can’t afford the full price of the ticket,” she said. “For me personally, I am getting the tattoo for Shaky Knees this year because one, I love the look of tattoos, so one more is not going to do any damage. I love the conversations tattoos spark with other people,” she said.

Shaky Knees’ tattoo policy gives their fans a chance to do something a little out of the ordinary, save money and have a story to tell.

Price and location

C a r i n g f o r a y o u r n e w S h a ky t a t:

Average price for the Shaky Knees tattoo: $50-$80

• Wash tattoo with warm water and antibacterial soap • Apply a thin layer of Aquaphor or non scented lotion • Clean about 3-5 times a day for two weeks • Avoid any direct sunlight • Never pick or scratch while healing • Keep moisturized

Suggested tattoo placement: • Ribcage • Behind the ear • Ankle • Wrist • Forehead

s t o ry c o n t i n u e s o n p a g e 9 A tattoo of the Shaky Knees logo could give you access to the festival for life.

Some students are contemplating this option for the indie music festival.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MATT SICILIANO-SALAZAR | THE SIGNAL

Nostalgia killed the college kid Written by Eugene Rubinchik

Staff Reporter

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TV’s first music video, “TV Killed the Radio,” may have foreshadowed the future, but Instagram’s polaroid icon might not quite signal the same

message.

Recent digital technology blurs the line between practicality and overkill, and members of the current generation are beginning to take action.

Yuliya Veligurskaya is the owner of the nostalgia Instagram account Studiocult.co. Studiocult.co displays modern and artistic interpretations of previous media such as the 90’s hit Minesweeper, the first generation of the program Paint and retro WordArt. Veligurskaya thinks the page’s popularity is due to people’s appreciation for remembering a simpler time.

“As technology has advanced, we have come to the realization that our lives have improved in one way or another but have also also become more complex,” Veligurskaya said.

“The once groundbreaking inventions such as Microsoft Paint for instance are now seen as cute and endearing. They make us long to come back to a simpler time.”

Although no visual artist would call Microsoft Paint superior to Photoshop, it’s the childhood familiarity of these once industry changing programs that brings the current generation together.

“Our relationships tend to be fickle nowadays, our understanding of each other comes through the lenses of an Instagram account,” Veligurskaya said. “I honestly just think it’s a search for [familiar relics of the past] that make sense.”

Veligurskaya’s work, supplying over 20,000 Instagram users with references to Windows XP and old video games, illustrates the power of nostalgia. Nostalgia is a bittersweet feeling, but it seems to be one that older Instagram users can’t live without it.

The feeling of nostalgia spans further than Instagram.

Evident through the revival of the Polaroid, many recent trends have displayed a resurfacing of older, less practical technologies.

Rather than focusing on how less efficient certain pieces of technology are though, multi-platinum producer DSonthebeat has a much more optimistic perspective.

“Stranger Things made nostalgia socially acceptable, and even fashionable but grunge did this 30 years ago,” DSsonthebeat said. “Many see the grunge movement as the spark of all of this in the recording industry too but there’s a difference between imitating the past and using elements of it to give the present a bit of personality.”

To DSonthebeat, these technological advances serve more as a marketing strategy. “[Music Software Companies] could make products which cost loads of money because their customers weren’t ordinary masses but professional studios, labels and well-known professional musicians. Everytime a company would embrace mass market strategy, the product quality would drop,” DSonthebeat said.

“We’re not hipsters, there’s a logic to using old technology,” DSonthebeat said.

While analog technologies like old synthesizers, film cameras, polaroids, gameboys, vinyl records and cassettes are often categorized as trendy, there is a healthy population of artists and individuals who appreciate the quality of these items.

Gameboy vs. iPhone Games Video games have played a generational role in children, yet the current generation is facing something not yet experienced.

Smartphone games have replaced more traditional forms of portable video game systems such as Nintendo Game Boys.

While arguably not an “analog” piece of technology, more primitive forms of systems such as the Game Boy, Game Boy Advance SP and Nintendo DS share many of the same characteristics of other analog forms of technology.

Older portable game systems played a role in teaching children persistence and problem solving, and these systems were complex yet intricate in their hardware.

“With these iPhone games, there is no story, no detail, nor is there any depth,” Georgia State student and Game Boy guru Gruem Tesfamariam said. “The games are relatively short and can be beaten in one sitting. I understand that everyone has an iPhone these days and parents just want to shut their kids up, but these kids are being denied the opportunity to experience a real story. Watching characters develop, for instance, forces us to reevaluate ourselves.”

It seems that app developers, like music equipment companies, are seeking a mass market and repel the idea of niche gaming. Many applications do serve educational purposes, yet Tesfamariam argues that a well-developed game will teach life skills at a much greater level.

Film vs. Digital Cameras National Geographic photographers were once hailed for their distinctive photo manipulation techniques and for being the gatekeepers for international wonders. But currently though, the average phone camera is capable of taking photos comparable to many digital cameras.

While this allows photography to become a lot more accessible, it also renders it more of a hobby than a learned skill.

“I normally shoot on 35mm film,” Georgia State student Ronen Schechter said. “I still like to shoot on my digital cameras. However, to achieve that valuable look means to distort the photo through editing and color correction.”

The valuable look that Schechter mentions is associated with the feeling of nostalgia. Old photographs reflect simpler, easier looking times, and they often give a semblance of looking back at a past memory.

“When I look back on my photos, physical or through an Instagram feed, I can see through the photo and remember the moments I had during that day,” Schechter said.

Schechter and his production crew, which includes many Georgia State students, Potluck, plans on shooting a film in 16mm this summer.

Paper Book vs. eBook Long since the advent of electronic literature with Amazon’s Kindle in 2007, the invention has opened up many doors and shut closed many others.

“I think it separates reading from any other electronic activity,” Georgia State student Sophia Drewry said. “Like every other book lover, I enjoy the hunt for finding a good book, the old pages, smell and all. It becomes more of a physical activity than reading off your computer screen.”

The organizational and easily accessible aspects of eBooks do create a healthy sense of practicality in their use, and many bibliophiles who want a way to consolidate their libraries would definitely find use in eBooks.

However, for those who take pride in a physical library and avoid screen time, paper books remain the top choice.

The once groundbreaking inventions such as Microsoft Paint for instance are now seen as cute and endearing. They make us long to come back to a simpler time.”

EARLIEST FORMS OF TECHNOLOGIES Paper book: 2500 BC

- Yuliya Veligurskaya owner of the nostalgia Instagram account Studiocult.co.

Vinyl record: 1877

Vinyl Records vs.

Digital Players A casual stroll through your nearest Barnes & Noble will reveal the mass appeal that vinyl records have attained. Once the most prominent mode of music listening, vinyl records now lack common luxuries that current generations are exposed to.

The incapability of switching songs immediately and changing albums with the press of a button make vinyl records far less practical than digital music streaming, yet they still achieve high sales. In fact, record sales have steadily increased from .9 million in 2006 to 16.8 million in 2018.

Similar to film cameras, the answer to why these sales occur lies in the quality of the actual analog device.

“Vinyl sounds different because of the way the disc is printed,” DSonthebeat said. “In general, anything that has a subtle complexity seems more ‘real’ to the human ear. Tape and vinyl are imperfect. Each time you play something on those it will sound different because of the motor of the player and the imprecision of the needle. That’s why it feels different.”

Whether these sales will continue to increase or simply transfer to a different form of primitive technology lies in the hands of careful marketing and trendsetting. But if it can be found in a ‘90s sitcom, then it will most likely have some sort of appeal.

Analog Synth: 1920s

eLiterature: 1970s Digital synths: 1970s Digital camera: 1975

Analog Synths vs.

DAW Synths Whether stain wood finished or cased in industrial metal, early synthesizers have a classic design that remains groundbreaking to this day.

Moog popularized the synthesizer in the late ‘70s, reestablishing the sound of music. Bands like Pink Floyd utilized the equipment, introducing an alternative to acoustic music that was just being established in the music industry.

The turn of the last century saw a familiarization with DAWs, or Digital Audio Workstations. Musicians were then capable of loading infinite numbers of digital synthesizers onto their computers. And while vast numbers of producers such as J Dilla still prefered the use of analog synthesizers, the last 10 years have seen a rapid increase in the use of digital synthesizers.

“Most synths can be replicated extremely well on the computer,” analog synth user Gemini.horror said. “I’ve seen audio comparison tests of a $2 app up against the $3,000 synth it’s replicating and the differences are almost non-existent.”

Like other analog forms of technology though, analog synthesizers still have support from select groups of artists.

“As a musician, I prefer getting hands-on with an instrument, patching cables, turning knobs, happy accidents,” musician Andrewvoltage said “It’s part of the magical experience of making sounds. .The limitations help foster creativity.”

Film camera: 1889 Gameboy: 1990 Digital music player: 1997

iPhone: 2007

PAGE DESIGN AND ILLUSTRATIONS

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COMIC BY AMANDA DIXON-SHROPSHIRE | THE SIGNAL

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Music as a coping mechanism Students are increasingly looking to music for stress relief GUILLERMO RIVERA Staff Reporter

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arijuana is often used by those looking to let out steam at the end of the day, but today, some are turning towards music production for a better sense of calm.

“Smoking is a way of meditation and decompressing, and with music, you can do the same thing,” Emeka Nnakwe, a junior at Georgia State, said. “Any art form gives the same effects. It is calming to create.”

And once many previous smokers found more confidence in making music, they were able to further themselves from their previous smoking.

“I took a week-long break from smoking to focus more on my music, and I definitely felt more productive in the studio,” sophomore Tash Toufiq said. “I did miss it, but I

“When I’m in an unwavering mood, I make music,” Nnakwe said. “It helps express things that I can’t say with words, and helps answer questions I have buried deep inside.”

— EMEKA NNAKWE a junior at Georgia State didn’t really feel like I needed it.”

Students slowly integrate marijuana into their daily lives due to the fact that it can also help control their emotions, which can overall help improve their mental health and get rid of daily stressors.

“Sometimes people use drugs to cope with problems that they have and to kind of regulate their own emotional states,” Dr. Olivia Calvin from the Department of Psychology at Georgia State said. “People can feel the need to use something even if it’s not in a physiological sense.”

At the same time, making music can also be an outlet for a person to control their emotions and put their thoughts and

stresses into something physical, or in this case auditory.

“When I’m in an unwavering mood, I make music,” Nnakwe said. “It helps express things that I can’t say with words, and helps answer questions I have buried deep inside.”

Delving into different art forms, including music, allows students to decompress in a very similar way to recreational drugs and can replace said previous behavior. Making music is a great way to blow off steam if it’s writing, recording, producing or simply just picking up an instrument and playing some random notes.

From student band to SXSW featured artist Lunar Vacation makes waves in the pool rock scene MARY PITTS Staff Reporter

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unar Vacation, an Atlanta based pool rock band whose melodic tunes are beloved by more than 88,000 listeners on Spotify, has grown up.

The group has progressed from suburban high school band kids to official SXSW Music Festival featured artist.

Lunar Vacation is comprised of keys player Matteo DeLurgio, drummer Connor Dowd, guitarist Maggie Geeslin, guitarist and vocalist Grace Repasky and bassist John Michael Young, the latter three of which attended Georgia State.

“We all went to the same high school and met through mutual friends,” Young said. “All the guys did marching band together so we knew each other from that. Grace had demos she wanted to record so she came to my house with them and eventually Connor was around and we jammed and formed that way.”

Since their formation in 2016, the band has gained a solid following in Atlanta where they have played shows at venues

like the Drunken Unicorn, The Masquerade and local festivals.

Their fan base began to grow even more when Lunar Vacation connected with Canadian indie rock band Calpurnia via social media.

“We linked up with Calpurnia over Instagram when they reached out,” Young said.

Calpurnia’s notable online following, propelled by frontman Finn Wolfhard’s fame from starring in Netflix’s Stranger Things, pushed Lunar Vacation further into the spotlight. Lunar Vacation began traveling with Calpurnia, performing as their opening act.

“We played a show in Nashville with Calpurnia, then a show at the College of New Jersey,” Young said. “Then we played a DIY show in Columbia and then made it down to Savannah for Savannah Stopover Festival.”

Lunar Vacation’s dreamy sound has received recognition from the industry; most notably, they were offered a spot on the 2019 SXSW Music Festival lineup.

“We got involved with SXSW when we were invited to be an official artist,” Young said.

Located in Austin, Texas, the festival has the potential to elevate up and coming bands by providing a setting to “make professional connections, elevate their musical careers, and

discover the next wave of musical talent.”

The band, whose musical influences include Alvvays, Tycho, Stereolab and SALES, has grown up in terms of both Spotify monthly listeners and their ever-evolving sound. Their songs feel dreamy and lighthearted with a psychedelic rock feel.

“I guess you could say our sound has matured as we’ve grown up,” Young said. “People called us surf rock when we started but we were never quite that in my opinion. Now we are definitely much farther from that categorization. The used of synths has definitely expanded since we began.”

While they have come along way since originally forming the band, Lunar Vacation’s high school ties give them the advantage of a close-knit family unit when on the road.

“We are definitely a family at this point,” Young said. “We all care about each other on and off stage and invest time in hanging out outside of just making music. We also have developed our sound together as a band and have really grown our live performance to be something we hold at a high standard.”

UPCOMING ATLANTA SHOW: MARCH 30, PURGATORY AT THE MASQUERADE

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things you don’t want to miss

More events and info at georgiastatesignal.com

thursday

wednesday

tuesday

saturday

friday

monday

sunday

Fragrant Garden

Cyclorama

Film Festival

Pancakes & Booze

Brookhaven Festival

Atlanta Persian Festival

Scavenger Hunt

March 26

March 27

March 28

March 29

March 30

March 31

April 1

Ever wanted to learn the secrets of growing beautiful and fragrant plants in your own backyard?

These Roswell Master-Gardeners are here to show you the way, absolutely free!

Before its closure, the Cyclorama was a staple of Atlanta Tourism. This speaker series aims to explore the art and entertainment of Atlanta’s most “Big Picture” big picture.

This festival features over 25 short films, and even more adorable, adoptable puppies. With over 25 beers on tap, proceeds are going directly to the Lifeline Animal Project.

With live music and live body painting, explore Atlanta’s glistening art scene with a huge variety of local artists, photographers and brewers. Did anyone mention the free pancake bar?

What do a 5K race a car show and Smash Mouth all have in common?

They’re all going to be waiting for you at the upcoming Cherry Blossom Festival, also featuring the Spin Doctors and the Romantics.

In its sixth annual iteration, the APF seeks to expand the minds of its visitors to embrace aspects of Persian culture including culinary delights, dazzling music performances and more.

Gather your friends and come test your readiness for riddles as you explore one of Atlanta’s oldest cemeteries. Riddles range from kidfriendly to mindboggling, so bring your A-game.

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this week’s theme: Women’s History Month Submitted by Jonathan P.

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Since its Women’s History Month, we wanted to end March with a crossword to honor some extraordinary women. We hope you enjoy!

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To suggest a topic, email us: signalprod@gmail.com

across

3. ___ Obama is a writer, lawyer, university and former first lady of the United States.

8. Rita Moreno was the first Latina to win this award for best supporting actress.

9. Marilyn ___ was an actress, singer and style icon in the ‘60s.

11. Queen Liliuokalani was the first female monarch of this nation.

13. She was an iconic pop star who brought Mexican Tejano into mainstream culture.

14. She is the host of the highest-rated daytime television show in American television history.

17. Audrey ___ was a humanitarian, singer and actress most known for her roles in films like “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”

18. Anna ___ ___ is considered to be the first Chinese American film star.

19. She was a Mexican self-portrait artist and feminist icon.

21. Nicknamed the “Nightingale of ___”, Sarojini Naidu became the first female governor of Uttar Pradesh.

22. Ellen ___ is a comedian, author and actress who played the first openly gay leading televison character.

DOWN

1. ___ ___ ___ is a tennis player most remembered for beating Bobby Riggs in the “Battle of the Sexes” 2. ___ Ochoa was the first Hispanic woman to go into space.

4. Amelia ___ was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

5. ___ of Arc believed God had chosen her to lead France to

victory in its war with England.

6. Princess ___ was British royalty most known for her charisma and charity work.

7. ___ Sotomayor was the first Latina to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals 10. Junko Tabei was the first woman to reach the top of Mount ___.

12. She is a Japanese-American artist and activist who was married to John Lennon.

15. Known to some as the “Chinese Marie Curie”, Dr. ChienShiung ___ is a renowned physicist.

16. Her father helped gather her writings into a book after the Holocaust.

20. Maya ___ was chosen out of over 1,4000 applicants to design the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

SPORTS TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 2019

www.georgiastatesignal.com/sports

Ron Hunter leaves GSU for Tulane head coaching gig Hunter takes new job after Panthers 1-and-done in NCAAs again JERELL RUSHIN Sports Editor

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nother era ends inside Georgia State Athletics. This time, it’s on the sidelines of the third floor at the GSU Sports Arena.

RON HUNTER DONE AS HEAD COACH

Men’s basketball head coach Ron Hunter is leaving Georgia State after eight seasons for the same role at Tulane.

It’s possible that Hunter chose Tulane now because he felt that he had accomplished as much as he could at Georgia State.

Georgia State was thoroughly defeated by the Houston Cougars in the NCAA Tournament on Friday night.

After the game, he was asked by a reporter if he’d return to Georgia State for the 2019-2020 season.

“I’m going to take 48 hours to decide my future,” Hunter said.

It took him less than a 16. He met with tulane representatives, according the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, on Saturday.

Sources told Sports Illustrated’s Jon Rothstein Saturday afternoon that Georgia State’s most successful coach ever would bolt away from the school.

Senior writer for The Athletic Atlanta Jeff Schultz confirmed the negotiations were complete late Sunday morning.

“I’m really excited,” Hunter said to the AJC. “I can’t thank the people of Atlanta enough. This really is not about money. I agonized about this until midnight last night. I love the people of Atlanta and the Georgia State community. Again, I can’t thank them enough. But it’s time. At this point in my career, it’s time.”

But it’s also possible that Hunter left Georgia State because of the school didn’t offer him a contract after he brought the program back to the NCAA Tournament in 2018.

Hunter said, “It’s time for me to think about moving” to Schultz a few days before Sunday.

On Twitter, Schultz said that departing Georgia State has “been on his (Hunter’s) mind” since 2018 October.

Schultz went on to say that Georgia State maintains Hunter was offered an extension at some point. The date wasn’t reported.

The loss in the 2019 NCAA Tournament marks the fourth straight season that Hunter and Georgia State haven’t won on college basketball’s biggest stage. That’s a far cry from a consistent March Madness-winning program.

Still, Hunter is best known for leading the Panthers to an upset over No. 3 seed Baylor in the 2015 NCAA Tournament and falling off a stool after his son, RJ, made the game-winning shot.

Georgia State’s past two seasons ended season ended in

a double-digit losses to teams in the American Athletic Conference, Tulane’s conference.

At Tulane, Hunter will have, statistically, a better chance at making the NCAA Tournament. Four AAC teams made the 2019 NCAA Tournament. Georgia State was Sun Belt Conference’s only team to make it.

Only one Sun Belt team made the tournament in each of the past five seasons. The AAC has seen 14 teams make the past five NCAA Tournaments and at least two each season.

But Tulane can’t lay claim to any of those 14 tournament berths. The program hasn’t finished over .333 in the AAC during the span. Tulane was 0-18 during conference this season and didn’t win a game during the 2019 calendar year.

Hunter is up for the challenge of turning around the Tulane program like he did Georgia State.

Georgia State was an irrelevant March team before Hunter arrived. The Panthers had seven straight losing seasons.

They won 22 games in Hunter’s first season as head coach. It was only the fourth 20-win season in program history.

“This [meaning Tulane] is the kind of job I’ve always taken,” Hunter said, reported by the AJC. “The expectations are kind of mid-level, and you try to exceed those expectations. Mark my words, I’ll get it done.”

Today, 20-win seasons are the expected at Georgia State because he coached six of them himself.

That’s not the culture Hunter will soon enter at Tulane in New Orleans.

Hunter takes over the reigns at a Tulane program that knows nothing but losing. The Green Wave haven’t had winning overall and conference records during the same season in 12 years. Tulane hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament since 1995.

HUNTER’S FINAL GSU GAME

The Georgia State men’s basketball team had a shaky start against No. 3 seed Houston in the NCAA Tournament.

The underdog Panthers trailed by as many as 14 points during the first half of their Round of 64 game.

Devin Mitchell heated up, quickly scoring 10 of Georgia State’s first 17 points, to close that gap.

Then, D’Marcus Simonds rallied the team to bring it within five points of Houston. Houston responded and ended the first half leading 40-31.

There wouldn’t be any climbing back into the game during the second half for No. 14 seed Georgia State. The Panthers were outscored 45-24 in the half.

Georgia State (24-10) lost 84-55 to the Houston Cougars (32-3).

Four seniors, Mitchell, Jeff Thomas, Malik Benlevi and Jordan Tyson played their final games for the program. So did junior Simonds, who will declare for the NBA Draft.

“I’m pretty sick, but, you know, it’s basketball,” Simonds said. “You win some, you lose some… We had a really good team this season and I was happy to be a part of it more than

anything.”

Houston’s Corey Davis Jr. scored 26 points and made more 3-pointers, seven, than Georgia State’s six.

Georgia State made the most 3-pointers in program history this season but shot 6-of-26 from behind the arc against Houston.

The Panthers only attempted 23 3-pointers, in part, because Houston defenders played the shooters tight, even off the ball.

Georgia State shot 30 percent overall, its worst shooting performance of the season.

“Our shots just weren’t going down like we were accustomed to them,” Hunter said. “Their transition was unbelievable. That was the difference of the game.”

Things got out of control for the Panthers during the second half. Houston went on a 13-2 run to stretch its lead to 65-41 with 10 minutes remaining.

While Houston ran away with the victory, the Panthers went nearly nine minutes without a making a field goal.

Simonds scored 18 points to lead Georgia State, and Mitchell finished with 12 points. Mitchell scored just two points during the second half.

No other Panthers scored in double figures. Four Cougars did.

Georgia State missed more than a handful of makeable layups in the game, particularly during the first half.

Had those misses been makes, Georgia State’s goal heading to the second half would’ve been to take, or extend, the lead rather than to overcome a near 10-point deficit.

“We’ve been in situations like that before,” Mitchell said. “So I mean, we weren’t worried, but, you know, we knew we had to score the ball a lot better than we had been and get stops on defense. And it was just tough to be able to do that in the first half.”

The Cougars shot 51.6 percent in the game and began 6-of-8 when they owned a 15-3 lead less than five minutes in.

They took advantage of late defensive rotations by Georgia State to get easy shot attempts.

For the large majority of the game, Houston guard Corey Davis Jr. was the only Cougar to make a 3-pointer. He made all but one of Houston’s 3-pointers.

Kane Williams and Damon Wilson are key returners to a Georgia State program that has made two consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and three in the past five years.

Hunter said he fully-expects the Panthers expect to return the tournament next season despite the exodus of production in Simonds, Mitchell, Benlevi, Thomas and Tyson.

“I’ll be disappointed if we don’t get three in a row… That’s the core of our program,” Hunter said in the postgame press conference. “I’ve got guys, my sophomores and freshmen, that’s all they know about [is] going to the NCAA Tournament. They don’t know anything else. We’re not going to change that.”

Well, winning isn’t up to Hunter anymore.

2011

2012

2014

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2019

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“THE SHOT”

BACK IN THE BIG DANCE

3 IN 5 YEARS

TULANE

Georgia State hires Hunter notches his Ron Hunter as first 20-win season head coach at GSU in first year

Panthers go 17-1 “The Shot” by R.J. in Sun Belt to win Hunter, Ron’s son, regular season title helps Georgia State upset No. 3 seed Baylor in NCAA Tournament

Panthers Panthers clinch Hunter agrees to clinch NCAA third NCAA become new head Tournament berth Tournament berth coach at Tulane with Sun Belt and Sun Belt title Conference title with Hunter in the behind Sun Belt second straight Player of Year year D’Marcus Simonds

SPORTS

16

GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

Georgia State looking for rebound wins this week Panthers face one hot team and a fellow struggling opponent JULIAN HARDEN Staff Reporter

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he Panthers will finish their four-game home stand when Kennesaw State visits the GSU Baseball Complex on Wednesday. They’ll play their third Sun Belt Conference series when they travel to face Little Rock for three games this weekend.

GEORGIA STATE VS. KENNESAW STATE

The upcoming game against against the peaking Kennesaw State Owls (14-10, 2-0) will be a matchup of teams on opposite streaks.

Georgia State (7-17, 2-4) has struggled to gain traction this season and has failed to record consecutive victories since their 3-3 start.

After losing their past four games and getting swept 3-0 by Texas Arlington, the Panthers look to take advantage of their home field against the Owls.

Kennesaw State has won nine of its past 10 games and is on a three-game winning streak.

For Georgia State to get on the winning path, the pitching has to improve. Through 18 games, the Panthers have a collective 5.99 ERA and have allowed nearly six runs a game in their last five games.

The offense of Georgia State also needs to be prevalent as the team has had a small drop in its production from last season. The Panthers hit .262 last season, but are off to a sluggish start, hitting .253 this season.

After having inconsistent pitching in their first 15 games, the Owls have dropped their team ERA to 3.90 ERA. An issue for the Owls is their poor play away from home. This can be an advantage in favor of Georgia State. Kennesaw State is winless on the road (0-5), and in its last game away, the Owls lost 6-3 to Samford.

The key for Georgia State to win will be to take advantage of home field and get the offense going to put the Owls away early.

GEORGIA STATE AT LITTLE ROCK

Georgia State faces the Little Rock Trojans (7-17, 2-4) in an early but potentially critical three-game Sun Belt conference series.

While both teams are well-under .500, this doesn’t take away from the fact that Georgia State needs a series win against Little Rock to prevent them from falling out of the conference tournament picture.

Georgia State’s men’s baseball team wins 9-5 at home against Georgia Southwestern Hurricanes on March 2.

Both Georgia State and the Trojans are 2-4 in the Sun Belt and tied for the ninth and 10th seeds.

If Georgia State drops this series, it could put the Panthers in at a deficit in 10th place and contribute to them missing the conference tournament.

Last season, Georgia State was the lowest seeded team in the tournament at 10th and were bounced in the first round.

The keys to winning the series for Georgia State lies in its solid play on the road this season and whether or not it takes advantage of Little Rock’s struggling pitching rotation.

While Georgia State struggles at home, the Panthers have a stable track of play on the road. In their last five contests on the road, they’re only a game under .500.

Coincidentally, the Trojans have struggled at home and have a 4-10 record there.

PHOTO BY MICHAEL PASCALE | THE SIGNAL

Little Rocks enters this week after dropping two of three games at Georgia Southern and five of its past six.

Georgia State also needs to take advantage of a struggling Little Rock pitching staff if they wish to win the series. The Trojans have a 6.41 ERA through 24 games. Georgia State hitters, such as Jake Corso, Brandon Bell and Griffin Cheney, will try to take the Trojans out of the game early.

However, Little Rock has the advantage when it comes to offense. The Trojans hit .260 and have heavy hitters such as Ryan Benavidez and James Gann. Both players hit comfortably above .300, with Benavidez hitting .357 and Gann has a .319 batting average.

Georgia State will have its work cut out. While the Trojans have one of the Sunbelt’s best offenses, Georgia State will try to minimize it and bat well itself.

New dynasty a possibility for the Atlanta Braves The Braves of today are in a similar place as the Braves of the ‘90s JULIAN HARDEN Staff Reporter

T

he 2018 Atlanta Braves shocked the baseball world by not only going to the postseason, but winning their first division title since 2013. Those Braves, a mix of talented veterans and rookies alike, rattled off their first winning season in four years.

Before the 2018 season, the Braves were presumed to be still in rebuild mode and not in contention for a Wild Card spot in the playoffs.

The ‘90s Braves, who made five World Series appearances, had seven losing seasons before they began their historic run with a 1991 World Series appearance. The “Baby Braves,” as many call them, had a similar breakout year in 2018.

If they perform similarly during the 2019 season, which begins for them on Thursday at Philadelphia, it’ll be expected.

The lowly predictions for the 2018 squad were made because the Braves had just suffered three straight seasons with 90+ losses before 2018. During those years, the Braves went through a tough rebuild for fans, accumulating top prospects and veterans that would get them to the playoffs.

However, energized by Ozzie Albies, NL Rookie of the Year Ronald Acuna Jr. and their veteran leader in Freddie Freeman, the Braves come into the 2019 season with 16:1 odds to win the World Series. Vegas Insider gives atlanta the the ninth best odds to win the World Series.

With all the hype going into the season, it has many fans wondering if the organization, today, can match the success the ‘90s teams reached.

While the anticipation is high, Phil Hudson, radio broadcaster of the Braves on 680 The Fan, believes fans should moderate their expectations going into the 2019 season.

“The pitching is young and unproven to this point ... Playoff contenders? Yes,” Hudson said. “World Series? Not yet.”

Hudson thinks this team has a ways to go before even being in the same breath with the Braves team of the ‘90s. The reason why the ‘90s Braves were so memorable was due to their stellar pitching rotation. From the likes of John Smoltz, Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, each of those starters are both Cy Young winners and Hall of Fame inductees.

“It goes back to pitching ... Most of the Braves’ pitching staff is young and unproven,” Hudson said. “Unless they add another pitcher, like Keuchel or Kimbrel, it will remain that way.”

The lack of quality starting pitching is where the present Braves

and the ones of the last century are greatly contrasting. The current Braves lack a true number one starter (aka “the man”) and while their pitchers such as Mike Foltynewicz, Sean Newcomb and Julio Teheran have shown flashes of being that number one starter, each has struggled to consistently show that they can be the No. 1 option.

Braves player development coach Eddie Perez, while excited with the progress of the team, also believes fans should be patient with the temas growth.

“I don’t think it would be fair to compare this young team to others in the past, and this team has years to grow,” Perez said.

The Braves have a young core. Rookie of the Year Ronald Acuna Jr. is 21 years old, infielder Ozzie Albies is 22 and shortstop Dansby Swanson is 25.

“Last season, they weren’t expected to be there to begin with,” Hudson said of the surprising 2018 season. “Plus their payroll was eclipsed by the Dodgers, and they hit earlier than anyone expected even though most of the players on the team had little to no playoff experience.”

When comparing the beginning of the ‘90s Braves dynasty to the Braves today, what can’t be argued is the bright future that awaits this team. With veterans like Gold Glove winning first baseman Freddie Freeman and young players ready to learn, the Braves’ potential is endless if the team, especially the pitching unit, develops soon.

TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 2019

SPORTS

17

Georgia State travels to South Carolina

Panthers begin four-game road trip against ranked Gamecocks ANFERNEE PATTERSON Staff Reporter

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fter completing a home series against the Appalachian State Mountaineers, Georgia State (5-26, 3-26) will travel to Columbia to face No. 16 South Carolina Gamecocks on Wednesday.

So far, the Panthers have four Sun Belt wins and are 4-9 at home and 5-26 overall.

If they plan to get another win, everything begins with their best hitter Caitlin Ray. Ray’s batting average is .318, and she leads the team with 28 hits.

Ray will also need help from teammates such as Remington Hasty, who is second in batting average. Hasty is tied with Jess Neadow for most home runs on the team with two.

It will be a big challenge for the Panthers though as they are facing a Gamecocks team that already has more than 20 wins and less than 10 losses. But the Gamecocks are off to a slow start in SEC play.

The Panthers’ pitchers will need to contain Jana Johns who was batting .407 before South Carolina played on Monday night.

South Carolina’s offense begins and ends with Johns.

But much of the Gamecocks’ success can be attributed to pitcher Dixie Raley, who leads the team in strikeouts with 55.

Karly Heath, another Gamecocks pitcher, leads the team in least earned runs with 11.

They will be coming off of a three-game home stretch against the Ole Miss Rebels before hosting the Panthers.

The Gamecocks are loaded with good hitters and have seven players batting above .300. The Panthers only have one in Ray. South Carolina has three players batting above .350 for the season: Johns, Kennedy Clark and Mackenzie Boesel.

Johns also leads the team in homeruns with six. Boesel and Johns are tied for most hits on South Carolina with 31 apiece.

Georgia State’s defense will need to keep Gamecock batters in the dugout as they have proven to score a lot of runs.

The Panthers likely have to put together one of their best games of the season to have a chance at pulling an upset to ignite their season.

After facing the Gamecocks, the Panthers will go on the road to face Sun Belt Conference opponent Texas State (15-15, 5-4) from March 29 until March 31.

The Bobcats are led by one of the Sun Belt’s best players, Christiana McDowell. McDowell paces Texas State with a .409 batting average 38 hits.

Another player to keep an eye on is infielder ArieAnn Bell. She has the most home runs for the Bobcats with six.

Pitching is not one of the Bobcats’ strengths, but they are led

by Meagan King who has a 3.51 ERA. Dalilah Barrera is Bobcats’ strikeout leader with 67.

Georgia State’s softball and Emily Sole’s warm pitches aren’t enough for Wednesday afternoon’s loss against the Auburn Tigers.

PHOTO BY MATT SICILIANO-SALAZAR | THE SIGNAL

The seniors’ legacy is everlasting

Men’s basketball senior class was historic for Georgia State GREG HOLLIS Staff Reporter

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he Georgia State men’s basketball senior class has left their imprints on the men’s basketball program. They have made two NCAA Tournaments, posted four winning seasons, won multiple Sun Belt Conference championships and had three straight 20-win seasons.

Jeff Thomas, Devin Mitchell, Malik Benlevi and Jordan Tyson are the seniors who have brought banners to the GSU Sports Arena.

What might stand out most is that they did something never done before in Georgia State basketball history -- make two straight NCAA Tournaments.

But this senior-led team did something that no Georgia State team could do in 23 years — beat Georgia Southern in Statesboro.

That win was important for team history, but it also helped

the Panthers break a three-way tie with Georgia Southern and Texas Arlington to lock up the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament and regular season title. The Panthers swept their rivals in the season series.

“That day I was prepared, and as a team we were prepared to play,” senior Jeff Thomas said. “During the game it was a lot of high emotions, but we calmed down and played together as a team,” Thomas said.

The senior class was 6-3 against Georgia Southern.

“It was a great feeling, and I was thankful to be a part of this team,” Tyson said. “It was like breaking a curse.”

The seniors’ legacy is bigger than winning against their rival.

They leave as the winningest senior class in school history, combining for 84 wins in 132 games. That’s good for a .636 winning percentage.

They’ve also never lost more than three games at home in a season and posted a 13-1 home record this season, which is tied for third-best mark in school history.

Last season, Devin Mitchell made 98 3-point field goals and almost broke R.J. Hunter’s single-season made 3-pointers record of 100. Mitchell played two more games than Hunter, but Hunter

took 34 more attempts and played five more minutes per game than Mitchell.

This senior class improved each season by finishing with a better winning percentage than the previous season.

They’ve had personal improvement each season too.

Mitchell was a top-20 player in the country in 3-point shooting percentage heading into the NCAA Tournament.

“This team will continue to push forward the culture of winning, having that family-oriented culture that was set before us and doing it the right way and having fun,” Tyson continued, “Having a winning program in the city will mean a lot to the city.”

Tyson’s words are backed by the dominance the team has had in the state of Georgia. Lately, Georgia residents can only root for Georgia State in the NCAA Tournament because no other team has made the big dance in the past four years.

This senior class has checked all the boxes on and off court.

They have kept Georgia State in the NCAA Tournament conversation, the wins steady and a good culture progressing that was built before them.

They’ve left the program better than they inherited it.

SPORTS

18

GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

In his first season as head coach, Gene Hill led Georgia State to a 17-13 record, its best record since the 2003-2004 season.

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY GEORGIA STATE ATHLETICS

The women’s basketball program’s culture shift Coach Gene Hill turned the program around in just one season CHRISTIAN CRITTENDEN Staff Reporter

L

ast season, the Georgia State women’s basketball team had an abysmal 8-22 record. With a talented roster, that was deemed as unacceptable. Athletic director Charlie Cobb made a change and brought in Gene Hill from North Carolina State.

In just one season, Hill has changed not only the expectations but the culture of the program and the expectations as well.

Hill brought in a new confidence and swagger to a program that knew nothing but losing for the past eight seasons.

He inherited a team that was the 10th seed in the 2018 Sun Belt Conference. In 2019, he turned it into a program with a bye into the quarterfinals round. The Panthers finished 11-7 in the Sun Belt.

During his first interactions with the players last year, Hill introduced his motor, which he calls the “Panther Pact Family by C.H.O.I.C.E.S.” • • • • • •

Competitive: Striving to be your best Hardworking: Paying the price with effort Open: Telling the truth Invested: Caring, committed Encouraging: Giving confidence and support Success: Winning each day!

“One of the things we talked about was just trying to make sure that we win each day [and] that we will eliminate distractions and everything else,” Hill said.

C.H.O.I.C.E.S. is something that Hill has come up with throughout his years of coaching and firmly believes in.

He often heard players talk about being a family, and his response would be, “What does that mean?” So, he decided to break it down and make it about choices.

When players make good choices, they are choosing the family first. When they don’t make family-oriented decisions, they hurt the family.

During the regular season, the Panthers were able to eliminate

some of the issues and distractions that Hill mentioned before the season, ending with a 17-14 record.

Sometimes it is difficult for coaches to come in and get players to buy in, especially in their senior season. K.K. Williams, a senior who hadn’t seen much success during her first three seasons, was ready to commit.

“I can’t sit here and say that I could put a number on the amount of wins that I thought we’d get. But I knew we were better than our record indicated from the previous year. I knew we had more talent than that it was just a matter of if those intangible things could come together and we could show that on the court.”

— GENE HILL women’s basketball head coach

But halfway through the season, she said that this was the most fun that she had as a Georgia State player. The coaching staff came in and gave Williams a reason to believe.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say that they’re different, but they just do things differently,” Williams said. “So things like their system and the way they do things is different from the last staff. They’re encouraging and motivating, which is way different from the last staff, and it works well with this group of girls that we have.”

During conference play, she shot 39 percent on 3-pointers, a career high for her.

“When they came in, they were really open and understanding

for every one of us,” Williams said. “They knew that most of us were seniors and that we had already been used to the old system, so they were really encouraging, and it really helped us a lot.”

The team got out to a 3-0 start on the year, one of the best starts in recent memory, and it was the best start by a new Georgia State women’s basketball coach since the 1980s. Even with the good start, there wasn’t a singular moment where the Panthers felt like everyone began to buy into the process; it was just gradual.

“When we started to pick up good, quality wins and beating really good teams, that was a sign that we were changing the culture,” guard Jada Lewis said. “We were beating teams that we hadn’t before and just having a winning season.”

After winning their first three games, the Panthers dropped four of their next five games. But there was no panic from the team because they knew it would be a process. From that point on forward, Georgia State would never lose more than two games in a row, which was routine during the past decade.

“Even in some of the losses, to see how we competed and how we rebounded the next game was always evidence that they were trying and fighting and wanted to have a lot of success this year,” Hill said.

Although the season ended in a crushing 47-45 buzzerbeating loss to Appalachian State in the conference tournament semifinals, there was serious progress made to changing the culture and the way that the women’s basketball team is viewed.

Before the season, few predicted this quick change would happen. The Sun Belt coaches picked Georgia State to tie for the second worst conference record in the preseason coaches’ poll.

That didn’t stop Hill from believing.

“I can’t sit here and say that I could put a number on the amount of wins that I thought we’d get,” Hill said “But I knew we were better than our record indicated from the previous year.

I knew we had more talent than that. It was just a matter of if those intangible things could come together and we could show that on the court.”

The Panthers will lose seven seniors from this year’s team, but they return two all-conference players in Lewis and Allison Johnson. They will also bring in six freshmen, and there is always the possibility of contributing players transferring in.

With Hill at the helm, Georgia State looks be in good hands regardless.

SPORTS

TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 2019

SPORTS BRIEFS Beach Volleyball • • • •

•

•

Stands at 13-8 this season after starting 2-3 Georgia State hosts the Diggin’ Duals Tournament this weekend In their last event, the Panthers went 3-1 in the Bayou Classic, hosted by LSU They weren’t as successful the previous weekend, as they finished 1-3 in the Gamecock Grand Slam The duo of junior Maddie Gordon and freshman Becky Tresham are 17-4 on the season after they were 2-0 on the final day of the Bayou Classic Gordon and Tresham are 11-0 in their past 11 matches

Baseball • • •

• •

•

The Panthers were swept by the Texas Arlington Mavericks at home Georgia State is 7-17 overall and 2-4 in the Sun Belt Conference Georgia state enters its Wednesday evening game at Kennesaw State on a fourgame losing streak The team’s first lost in the streak was a 11-1 defeat at Georgia Georgia State won its first conference series of the season 2-1 at Appalachian State Little Rock host Georgia State for three games this weekend

SPORTS CALENDAR SOFTBALL

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•

•

• • •

Holds a 6-9 record on the season after going 3-2 in its past five matches Georgia State won its past three matches to build its longest winning streak of the season All three of those wins came on the Clarkston campus, including a 5-2 victory over Georgia Southern The Panthers began conference play 0-2, dropping matches to Louisiana and ULM They rebounded after beating Georgia Southern and Arkansas State 4-3 UAB fell 4-2 to Georgia State to end the weekend Texas State visits Georgia State on Saturday and Texas Arlington plays the Panthers on Sunday

MARCH 27 SOUTH CAROLINA

6 P.M.

TEXAS STATE

7 P.M.

San Marcos, Texas

Little Rock, Arkansas

TEXAS STATE

3 P.M.

San Marcos, Texas

Little Rock, Arkansas

TEXAS STATE

1 P.M.

San Marcos, Texas

TRACK AND FIELD MARCH 28 - 30 FLORIDA RELAYS

TBA

Gainesville, Florida

BEACH VOLLEYBALL MARCH 29 NORTH CAROLINA WILMINGTON

GSU Beach Volleyball Complex

2 P.M.

ARIZONA STATE

6 P.M.

GSU Beach Volleyball Complex

MARCH 30 COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON

12 P.M.

GSU Beach Volleyball Complex

MARCH 30 TAMPA

4 P.M.

GSU Beach Volleyball Complex

GOLF MARCH 31 - APRIL 2 women’s tennis ALL DAY

7 P.M.

Little Rock, Arkansas

10 A.M.

men’s tennis SOUTH ALABAMA

Mobile, Alabama

10 A.M.

MARCH 30 3 P.M.

women’s tennis TEXAS STATE

GSU Clarkston Campus

10:30 A.M.

MARCH 30

MARCH 31 LITTLE ROCK

TROY

Troy, Alabama

MARCH 31

MARCH 30 LITTLE ROCK

MARCH 31

men’s tennis 6 P.M.

MARCH 29 LITTLE ROCK

MARCH 30

SCAN HERE TO JOIN US!

KENNESAW STATE

GSU Baseball Complex

MARCH 29

Stockbridge, Georgia

MARCH 30

MARCH 27

Columbia, South Carolina

JOHN KIRK PANTHER INTERCOLLEGIATE

TENNIS

BASEBALL

MARCH 29 Women’s Tennis

19

1 P.M.

women’s tennis TEXAS ARLINGTON

GSU Clarkston Campus

10:30 A.M.

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