Vol. 81 No. 26 | April 2 - April 7, 2014

THE

SIGNAL PRESENTS PANTHERS

OF THE

YEAR One student, one professor and one athlete who have given their all to make Georgia State great. Read about their dreams and successes inside.

Pages 10-13

PHOTO BY CANDRA UMUNNA | THE SIGNAL John Powell, The Signal’s 2014 Person of the Year, is president of the University Lofts and is also involved with multiple campus organizations.

Other Panthers of the Year: Robert Simmons and Abigail TereApisah

Inside

APRIL 2 - APRIL 8, 2014

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Campaign complaints

Free College

Candidates issue complaints against their opponents

Why students may have the chance to help others go to college for free

News | Page 4

opinions| Page 7

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News 3

VOL. 81 | NO. 26

fostering potential Pro Day Foster the People’s “Supermodels” shows real maturity in the band’s sound

Scouts watched as Panther football players vied for a shot to play in the NFL

A&L | Page 14

Sports | Page 17

Opinions 6

Arts & Living 9

Sports 17

2

NEWS

last week...

Local

Methodist church goes to court over land dispute

Gwinnett County residents are taking the North Georgia United Methodist Church to court over a land dispute involving 228 acres of land, according to 11 Alive News. Ludie Simpson, of the Simpson Retreat Property sold the land for one dollar to the church in 1973. The property is now worth millions.

National

Feds to recognize Michigan same-sex marriages performed

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced on Friday that the federal government will still recognize the same sex marriages that were performed last weekend in Michigan, according to US News. More than 300

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gay and lesbian couples married after U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman struck down the ban on gay marriage, however The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit issued a stay on Friedman’s decision. The state government said that it will not recognize these marriages until the appeals are exhausted.

Global

$1 billion for Pakistan’s education

Unity Plaza

March 27

Barbra Asher Square

Georgia State officers observed a non-GSU affiliate rolling what looked like marijuana. After further investigation, the police arrested, processed and transported the individual to Atlanta Pretrial for possession of marijuana.

Piedmont North

Gordon Brown, former British Prime Minister said that international donors are pledging to provide Pakistan with a billion dollars for the next three years to provide education for out-of-school-children, according to ABC News. Brown says that the goal of the donors is to provide education to more than 55 million illiterate Pakistanis who are over the age of ten.

ABC also reported that Pakistan has recently doubled its education budget.

A Georgia State student reported that money was stolen from her purse. A report was filed for theft, and investigations is handling the case.

Langdale Hall

A Georgia State student left his backpack alone and found it gone when he returned. A report was filed for theft, and investigations is handling the case.

is being handled by investigations.

Georgia State police approached a woman who was loitering in a building. A report was filed for a Criminal Trespass Warning, a CTW was issued, and officers escorted her off the property.

Library North

A Georgia State student left her cell phone alone and found it gone when he returned. A report was filed for theft, and investigations is handling the case.

March 26

College of Business Administration

Georgia State police responded to a domestic dispute. The aggressor left the property and the victim agreed to pursue charges. A report was filed for simple battery and the case

Information Desk

A Georgia State student complained of receiving harassing text messages from an ex-boyfriend. A report was filed for harassing phone calls and the case is being handled by investigations.

Aderhold Learning Center

A Georgia State student left his wallet alone and found it gone when he returned. A report was filed for theft, and investigations is handling the case.

Piedmont North

A Georgia State student left her jeans in a dryer and returned to discover they had been stolen. A report was filed for theft, and investigations is handling the case.

STAFF

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 2014

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NEWS

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Tensions stirred at this year's SGA debate Time constraints and heat between candidates leads to bitterness

PHOTO BY: RAVEN SCHLEY | THE SIGNAL ZOYA HASNAIN News Editor

A

lack of time to effectively ask and answer questions led to disappointment amongst candidates and students with the structure of this year’s Student Government Association (SGA) election debate.

Candidates were given up to 90 seconds to answer questions from the moderator, audience and media. The audience and media were also limited in how long questions could be.

“I pay my tuition just like everybody else,” student Grant MacNeil said to the moderators when told there may not be enough time for everyone to ask their questions.

Candidates felt there wasn’t enough time to answer questions either. When the candidates for vice president of Student Services took the stage, candidate Teara Mayfield was stopped mid sentence by a moderator. After the crowd bellowed in “ooh’s” and made their distaste known, the moderator apologized. Mayfield requested that the moderators give them warnings for when their time to answer a question was ending.

“I’ll be brutally honest. I don’t like that they didn’t have enough time to speak. [The candidates] should have had at least five minutes,” Senator Justin Brightharp from the College of Arts and Sciences said.

Brightharp said he didn’t hear enough from the candidates to make an informed decision on who to vote for.

Vice President (VP) of Student

Services candidate Drake Greer also said that time was an issue.

“We could have answered questions better,” he said when asked if more time would have helped.

Tensions on Stage

When the vice presidential and executive candidates took the stage to debate, they were permitted to ask their opponents one question at the end.

During the presidential and executive vice presidential debate, Presidential candidate Lanier Henson asked his opponent Victoria Davis if she knew what committees she would be serving as co-chair for if she won the presidency. He also asked whether or not she knew what bill 19 was, which led to a mixture of cheers and roars from the crowd.

Davis stated that she was new to SGA and therefore did not know, which led to the crowd getting even louder.

Candidate for VP of Public Relations Olivia Hightower said SGA had spent 9,000 dollars on public relations and only 10 percent was used on students under incumbent Camryn Bradley’s vice presidency.

She then told him her ticket, Team Ethics, could do a better job than him.

Mayfield’s opponent, Drake Greer, asked Mayfield why accountability was not important to her party, Team Impact. She responded by saying what is real does not need to be explained.

Senate candidate Kyael Moss from the Andrew Young school of Policy Studies said the two parties, Team Impact and Students First, brought on too much anxiety during the debate.

“There was so much hostility… I thought it was distasteful,”

he said.

Students respond

Marketing major Olivia Thompson said she felt the debate got out of hand.

“Some of the audience members didn’t do research [before they asked their questions], but overall the candidates handled the questions well,” she said.

However, some students felt that the debate went well despite the tension.

“The debate overall was good but the disrespect of the candidates and audience members did not represent GSU or SGA,” sophomore Avien Gober said.

Candidates respond

Senate candidate from the Team Ethics ticket, Joash Thomas, said the problems during the debate such as lack of time to answer questions and overall disrespect could be something to keep in mind moving forward and issues should be resolved so there won’t be as many angry people next year.

Moving forward, Greer said he wants to set a good example.

“We are here to be tough on the problem and soft on the people,” Greer said.

he wants to ensure the people succeeding him make up a better senate.

“I wish we did better as a senate. Some of us did but are unfortunately not running for reelection,” Brightharp said.

He also said he hopes those coming into the senate know what they are getting into.

“It’s not a walk in the park,” he said.

Tacking the issues

Candidate Henson said that the much demanded 24-hour library would be in place by the fall of 2015. He said when the new law library opens, the old one will become a 24-hour study space for students. He said even though there won’t be any physical books, there will be computers and printers for students to use.

When Vice Presidential candidate Matthew Altman said that they would push for the library to remain open until 2 a.m. for the fall of 2014, Henson said this has already been done and that he will push for the library to remain

open longer, first until 3 a.m. and then until 4 a.m.

Candidate Hightower said in order to address transparency issues, she would be pushing for more social media outreach so students can directly contact SGA with their issues. She said she would also hold a weekly coffee house in addition to town hall meetings so students can come to her and have an informal in person discussion on issues they are facing.

Candidate Greer said in order to increase awareness of student services on campus, he would push for more transparency of SGA surveys online for students to fill out. His opponent, candidate Mayfield, said she would be putting out a pamphlet that outlines student services offered by the University.

*Reporter Jasmin Fields contributed to this report.

Current Senator responds

Senator Brightharp said the election commission could have done better this year. He also said there should have been more than a week for candidates to campaign. He said the bylaws that disallow this need to revised and restrictions need to be taken off since Georgia State is a large university and candidates need more time to go out and talk to people.

He also said that because he is leaving SGA after this school year,

PHOTO BY: RAVEN SCHLEY | THE SIGNAL At the end of the debate students lined up to ask the candidates questions.

NEWS

4 SGA

Executive VP eligibilty questioned ZOYA HASNAIN News Editor

I

n a formal allegation written by Presidential Candidate Lanier Henson and his Vice Presidential running mate Osato Uzamere, Executive Vice President candidate Matthew Altman is stated to not be eligible to run for an SGA position.

The allegation states that because Altman failed to attend two senate meetings resulting in two unexcused absences, he was suspended and put on probation. Henson and Uzamere stated that they spoke to former Vice President Ashley Epperson who said Altman never submitted a formal appeal to his probation resulting in his removal from the position.

Since the bylaws state that any officer suspended from and subsequently removed from office will be ineligible for the next election cycle, he was determined as ineligible to run for executive vice president by Henson and Uzamere.

According to SGA adviser Darryl Holloman, the election commission met two hours after the written allegation was submitted to them on March 27. Matthew Altman was determined eligible to remain on the election ballot.

“The Election Commission

could verify that Matt Altman was placed on probation for having two unexcused absences from Senate meetings, which does not make him ineligible to run for office. Beyond that there was no official documentation which indicated that Matt Altman was suspended or dismissed from the Student Government Association,” Holloman said.

Matthew Altman said he resigned so he could focus his attention on being president of his fraternity, Alpha Epsilon Pi. “The allegations against me were false and unprofessional,” he said.

Henson said he was extremely surprised when he found out the the election commission’s decision. “...I still believe my (interpretation) of the bylaws is correct. The decision has been made however, so I plan on continuing the campaign like previously planned. The election commission is selected to handle issues like this one, so when they make a decision I believe it is important to respect that,” he said.

Uzamere said her opinion has not really changed.

“The Election Commission determined he was still eligible to run when all documents conclude otherwise. There is nothing much to say, they made their decision and I respect it,” she said.

Georgia lawmakers approve drug testing for food stamp recipients CHRIS JOINER Staff Reporter

L

ast week, in the final hours before the legislative session was going to end, Georgia lawmakers approved House Bill 772, which authorizes drug testing of food stamp recipients. The bill now awaits Governor Deal’s signature of approval.

House Bill (HB) 772 authorizes state workers to conduct drug tests on recipients of TANF (Temporary Assistance of Needy Families) before they receive food stamp benefits.

If this bill is passed, a social worker who has any reasonable suspicion of drug use would be authorized to conduct a drug test on an individual. The tested individual would have to pay for the drug test out of their own pocket, according to WABE. The initial bill, which would have tested all recipients of food stamps, was rewritten after Florida had a similar bill that was struck down by a federal judge.

The Florida law violated the fourth amendment.

Georgia lawmakers rewrote the bill, adding the amendment of “reasonable suspicion” to avoid the same opposition as Florida, according to MSNBC.

Christie Smith, a Georgia State student who receives food stamps, said she doesn’t like the bill. Smith said drug testing is an invasion of one’s privacy.

“When we test for drugs, other things may come up,” Smith said. “You may bring up other stuff that people may have hidden that they don’t want other people to know.”

Smith said the Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) could use other methods to check how people are using their food stamps without drug testing them, saying that it is an invasion of their privacy.

Mariam Dogo, a senior at Georgia State, said she supports the bill because there are homeless people who receive the food stamps who then turn around and sell them to buy drugs.

“I used to be so compassionate about homeless people walking up to me asking me to give them money so they could buy something to eat,” Dogo said. “I would watch them take the money I gave them to buy drugs and get high with the money.”

Dogo said the bill is a good way to make people who use

CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 2014

VP of Academic Affairs violates campaign rules ZOYA HASNAIN News Editor

C

andidate for vice president of Academic Affairs Breeana Minton violated campaign rules on March 23 by posting a flyer on Facebook before candidates were permitted to begin their campaigns, according to her opponent Sebastian Parra, incumbent candidate for vice president of Academic Affairs.

Parra sent an email to the election commission the same night the picture was posted with a screenshot picture showing that the flyer had been shared on Facebook by Quyen Chau at 11:20 p.m. on Sunday. Candidates were not permitted to begin campaigning until 12:01 a.m. on Monday.

“Please let me know if there’s anything else that I need to do in order to submit this official complaint.

I understand that each candidates gets three strikes; however, I believe that this is a huge violation of our rules because clearly this candidate has approached other people to support her campaign. That is an unfair advantage because I have not campaigned yet. I hope that you will consider major sanctions,” Parra stated in the email.

In an email to The Signal, Parra stated that he spoke to a member of the electoral commission board on March 25 and was told they would

SUBMITTED PHOTO Screenshot photo displaying candidate Breeana Minton’s flyer being shared on facebook before 12:01 am. look into the complaint.

“I think the issue is that the electoral commission must be so busy with hosting the events this week, getting the candidates blog running, organizing for the debate and responding to all of our emails. It might just have slipped unnoticed but I am confident they will attend to

this matter soon,” Parra said.

However, as of March 28, Parra told The Signal that his complaint had still not been looked into.

Since the current officers of SGA are not permitted to handle election complaints, the election commission is responsible for handling them.

No official complaint was filed.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 2014

NEWS

5

SGa

SGA candidates allegedly involved in fraternity altercation CIARA FRISBIE Associate Editor

A

t least two candidates running for student government were involved in an altercation between members of fraternities Alpha Pi Alpha and Phi Beta Sigma at a probate after-party last Friday, according to multiple sources that witnessed the event.

Last week tension was building on campus between members of the two fraternities.

“It was the buzz around campus.

Everybody knew that there would be an incident either at the Sigma probate or the after party. Also, this year’s Alphas crossed on the anniversary of last year’s Sigma line so there was heat on that page,” one source said.

A probate is an official initiation of new members into a fraternity. An after-party typically takes place after the initiation. A stroll takes place when brothers of a fraternity line up to perform a traditional dance. The stroll master leads the stroll and blows a whistle.

Witnesses say that Jovan Paige, the stroll master for Alpha Pi Alpha and a candidate running unopposed for the position of vice president of Student Life in this year’s Student Government elections, initiated the fight by leading other members of his fraternity in a stroll past the Sigmas.

The source said Paige was seen pur-

posely going towards the Sigmas blowing his whistle while intoxicated during the party.

The source also said Paige’s brothers, along with non-Alphas Johnny Self and Landon Moss, who’s currently running for a position in the SGA senate, were also trying to fight.

The altercation allegedly took place after midnight at 750 Glenwood Avenue, according to sources. A flyer for the official probate after-party confirms the same location, which seems to be a church warehouse.

Multiple sources also said that the fight ended after a gun was pulled and students fled at 1:30 a.m. Paige was allegedly seen inside the venue pushing and confronting the Sigmas who were telling him to leave.

During the week prior to the incident, tension built between members of the two fraternities online – leading to more than a few provacative outbursts.

For example, on March 27, Alpha member George Avery tweeted Sigma member Josh DaVinci the following:”Son at the end of the day you’re a Sigma. No one is listening to your cry for attention. Peasants don’t address us.”

Another source said he saw the fight occur.

“When I was leaving, that’s when I saw Landon Moss, Jovan Paige, and Brian E. all outside trying to fight with some members of the Sigmas,” he said.

He also said that if Paige had never strolled at the party, the fight wouldn’t

VIA TWITTER Tweets before the Phi Beta Sigma probate and after-party show considerable tension between members of the fraternity and Alpha Pi Alpha have occurred.

“Once they finally decided to leave, they waited down the street for (other) Sigmas that may try to come towards them. After this, I saw him get into a car, along with Landon Moss and leave,” the first source said.

In a March 31 statement from the Pi Alpha chapter of Phi Beta Sigma, the fraternity acknowledged that they were invited to the off-campus event to celebrate their new members’ initiation.

However, they denied sponsoring it.

“The organizers of this event, ‘M&B

Cartel,’ have no connection with our chapter. Our chapter was invited to this event to celebrate the new members who had just moments before, joined our organization. None of the proceeds or advertisement are connected to our chapter,” their statement reads.

Jovan Paige, Landon Moss, Timothy Smith and Alpha Pi Alpha could not be reached for comment as of press time despite multiple attempts.

Voting for the SGA election began Monday, March 31, and closes Friday, April 4.

University

Georgia State Debate Team competes in National Debate Tournament LATAVIA UPTON Staff Reporter

T

he Georgia State Debate Team competed in the National Debate Tournament Championship at Indiana University March 2831.

Teams from all over the country compete in the National Debate Tournament. Last year’s winners were Emporia State University’s Elijah Smith and John Walsh. This year, Georgia State’s varsity team Luke Floyd and John Finch will represented Georgia State.

Rivals

“Emory is always an important school for us to measure ourselves against, since their program is so big and has such a long history of success.

They came close to keeping us from qualifying for the National Debate Tournament this year, so it would be nice to beat them in the last tournament. The odds are against us even having a chance to debate them, however,” Dr. Joe Bellon, director of the Debate Team, said.

Georgia State has a rival with other schools in the southeast like the University of Georgia and Wake Forest University. All three schools will be attending the National Debate Tournament.

Setback

The debate team faced a setback this year when the top two teams switched partners midway through the year.

“The top two teams at Georgia State switched partners midway through the year, which would have really affected our success negatively,” Bellon said. “However, everyone on the squad pulled together in a positive way, and we came closer than we ever have in the history of the program to qualifying two teams for the National Debate Tournament.”

Another setback the Georgia State Debate Team faced was the fall of the other varsity team, Jacob Nails and Clay Stewart, to qualify for the national tournament.

“Both debated well and worked hard and just barely missed receiving an invitation to the national championship tournament,” said Nick J. Sciullo, assistant coach for the Georgia State Debate Team and third-year Ph.D. Rhetoric and Politics track in the Department of Communication.

Making History at Cross Examination Debate Association

The Southeast CEDA Regional Championship Tournament is a tournament where teams such as University of Georgia, Emory University and the University of Florida compete. Debate is also divided into regional districts.

Korey Johnson and Ameena Ruffin

made history as the first time two black women have won the CEDA tournament. They were also undefeated in the preliminary debates.

“Korey and Ameena’s victory should be celebrated on its own merits, but those of us who have been part of the move to make debate more accessible also see it as a sign of hope. GSU is a school that is intimately familiar with the issues and benefits of diversity, and our debate team has been involved in the move toward greater access for many years,” Bellon said.

Sciullo said that the two debaters, Johnson and Ruffin, worked hard to make provocative arguments and to challenge debate traditions.

“No black woman has ever won CEDA. It’s a tremendously significant event in this respect. These two debaters have worked tremendously hard making provocative arguments and radically challenging traditional notions of debate by bringing to the activity a significant contribution to revolutionary consciousness,” Sciullo said.

Luke Floyd and John Finch were ranked in the top 80 teams in the country. Floyd and Finch have a record of 22-14 in preliminary rounds and 5-2 in elimination rounds.

“Winning the Southeast CEDA Regional Championship Tournament means that, by some metrics, Georgia State’s Floyd and Finch is the best team in the region,” Sciullo said.

Judgement of Debates

Debate rounds are judged by debate coaches and former debaters. Judges can range from college professors with Ph.D.s to students who just graduated from college.

Preliminary rounds are judged by one judge, and the elimination rounds are judged by three-judge-panels. However, at the National Debate Tournament, all preliminary rounds are judged by a three-person panel, and elimination debates are judged by at least five people.

“Debates are judged on strength of argument. Persuasion, logic, and public speaking are all factor into these decisions,” Sciulio said.

History of the Georgia State Debate Team

The Georgia State Debate Team developed in the 1970s. The modern program was built by Dr. Rich Edwards, who first took the debate team to the National Debate Tournament in 1984.

After Dr. Edwards’ departure in the late 1980s, the team failed from competitive triumph. Dr. Joe Bellon took over Director of Debate in 2000 and has led the Georgia State Debate Team to the National Debate Tournament nine times since, according to Bellon.

The Georgia State Debate Team is open to all students interested in debating. Those interested can contact Dr. Bellon for more information.

Drug testing (cont. from page 4) drugs get their act together.

She said this will help those people have to be accountable for cleaning up their drug use if they want to keep the assistance.

“If you clean up your act before you’re tested then you don’t have to worry about losing your benefits,” Dogo said.

Student Sabrina Hill said she’s in the middle as far as if she likes the bill or not. Hill said the DFCS shouldn’t be investing in criminal matters and they should only deal with the services they provide needy families.

“I see what they’re trying to do, but it’s not right for people not to be able to eat,” Hill said.

“Don’t penalize them by taking all of their food stamps away.”

State Representative Greg Morris (R-Vidalia), author of the bill, was asked during crossover day by democrats how reasonable suspicion would be determined, according to WABE. “If I’m at a Quickie Store and its 11:30 at night and a 30-year-old TransAm pulls up with missing hubcaps and the driver gets out with sunglasses on and he goes to buy three frozen burritos, I’m reasonably suspecting he’s high,” Morris said on WABE. Ryan Carter, a junior at Georgia State, said he doesn’t agree with the bill because food is needed as a matter of survival. Ryan also said they (food stamp recipients) need help with this addiction from someone who is trained to handle their addiction.

“I don’t think they should lose their food stamp benefits,” Carter said. “It would be really nice if they introduced them to a family consultant that could help them with their drug addiction.”

Roger Caskey, a U.S. Department of Agriculture official who administers the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), sent an email to Georgia Officials on March 7 warning them against passing this bill, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.

“No state agency shall impose any other standards of eligibility beyond those specified by the Food and Nutrition Act,” Caskey’s email stated in the Ledger-Enquirer. “The addition of a drug testing provision of any type is prohibited in the SNAP program.”

Florida has decided it isn’t worth it for them to continue their program due to the expense the state would incur. If Governor Deal signs the bill, Georgia would be the only state who would be testing for food stamps.

OPINIONS

www.georgiastatesignal.com/opinions

THE PROBLEM WITH DRUG TESTING FOOD STAMP RECIPIENTS

S AMI DUDLEY Opinions Editor

Ami is a senior English major and published flash fiction writer.

“I’ve constructed my premier works on coffee napkins.”

Follow her @amidudley

oon, Georgia residents may have to be drug tested in order to receive (SNAP) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps.

The controversial measure, proposed by State Representative and Republican Greg Morris, has quickly made its way up the rungs—having been signed by other GOP state lawmakers—and now awaits the final signature of Governor Nathan Deal.

Requiring caseworkers to have “reasonable suspicion” before drug testing recipients, it aims to “reduce public money that supports illegal drug habits.” If passed, however, this measure could prove problematic in more than one way.

The obvious counter argument to this is: “If you’re clean, then why worry about being tested?” You’re right.

If a welfare recipient is clean, then this measure would be null and void to them. But the problem isn’t in passing the test. The problem lies in both the threat of the test and the failure of the test.

Intentionally or not, Morris and other supporters of this measure have painted a fallacious picture of the welfare recipient in their threat of a drug test. This can be found in the measure’s proposal. In an interview with Georgia Health News, Morris claimed that the measure aims to stop funding drug habits. Morris seems to cast a mist of morality around the measure, telling GHN, “We have to do what we believe is right.” The problem here is that this goal of “severing the hand of enablement” only perpetuates the ongoing assumption that drug use is concentrated among welfare recipients.

The welfare recipient is easily painted as being a pothead, a crackhead or an alcoholic. Drug and substance abuse is being made synonymous with being poor. And while illegal drug use plays its part in communities below the poverty line, there are no facts to support the claim

that its presence is bigger in these communities than that of more affluent ones. In fact, other states including Utah and Florida have already begun to drug test recipients. The percentage of failed test were marginally small, if not insignificant.

There are also ongoing assumptions about the face of the welfare recipient. The welfare recipient has been historically typecast as African-American, feeding several stereotypes about the African-American community. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, while 39.8 percent of welfare recipients in 2013 were black, 38.8 percent were white.

The fact that a measure has been created off of perpetuated stereotypes is baffling. The last time someone found “reasonable suspicion” off of someone’s purchased goods from a mini mart and their attire, he caught a lot of hell from the public.

Some welfare recipients have illegal drug habits. However, it’s not because they’re welfare recipients; it’s because they’re people who have illegal drug habits. Some of us have illegal drug habits. It would be naive to not acknowledge that smoking weed is a favorite past time of many students. And yet, we will never be drug tested for going to school on tax payer’s money.

What if a recipient fails? According to this measure, they’ll be denied food stamps. Denying a person food because they have an illegal drug habit is barbaric. Forcibly starving someone into submission is inhumane. The measure also doesn’t consider recipients with children who need nourishment. So, their children should starve because of their parent’s “disobedience?” If our country were governed by this way of thought, people from all walks of life would be starving right now. Even if they’re using the food stamps to barter and purchase drugs, simply turning them away will not solve anything. These people need help.

In fact, they need to be given more than food stamps.

If they’re going to go forth with this, the state should use this as a tool for not only locating drug users but directing them to drug and substance abuse services and programs. But doing so would not save tax payers money and contrary to Morris’ “mist of morality,” money is the goal here.

Besides the moral flaws of this measure, it is simply unconstitutional. Robert Caskey of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s OFFICIALPSDS.COM SNAP program in Atlanta informed Georgia in a letter that the measure is illegal under federal law. The federal government could and probably will sue Georgia if the measure is passed, which leads to millions being spent in court to fight a downhill battle. But Morris is no stranger to all things unconstitutional. He’s got a proposal on the back burner right now for the construction of a monument of the Ten Commandments at the capital, even though, as a religious statement, it’s clearly unconstitutional.

Again, this measure is largely based on fallacies—fallacies fed by perpetuated stereotypes. Holding someone’s plate hostage (literally) in the name of these fallacies should remain unconstitutional.

Editorial

SGA endorsements for the 2014 election season

E

ach year, it is the practice of this newspaper to make recommendations to the student body to help guide their vote in the upcoming Student Government Association elections.

Because we believe that voters should make informed decision on who they vote for – as opposed to just voting for their friends or the most popular name they recognize – these recommendations are designed to be objective and not beholden to a single party or ticket.

Therefore, our endorsements of candidates or even a group of similar candidates should not be conveyed to indicate a certain bias towards one party or another.

Neither should it be interpreted as a tacit acceptance of everything they advocate or have campaigned for.

With that said, for this year’s elections, The Signal hereby recommends Lanier Henson and Ashley Uzamere for the positions of President and Executive Vice President, respectively.

Due to Lanier Henson’s experience as Vice President of Student Services, we believe he is the most experienced candidate for the job. Henson was successful in his work to get the library open until 2 am for the fall

of 2014 and has promised a 24 hour library for the fall of 2015. He has also been heavily involved in working with Organizations United to make a central space for organizations on campus to communicate and work together.

Ashley Uzamere was sworn in as Executive Vice President when the previous vice president, Ashley Epperson, resigned at the end of the fall 2013 semester.

Since she has a semester of experience as vice president, we believe she is the best candidate. In addition, her opponent, Matthew Altman, was placed on probation for missing two senate meetings during his previous position last year. We believe he needs more time in SGA to build trust with students.

For Vice President of Academic Affairs, The Signal recommends incumbent Sebastian Parra for his experience, as well as because his opponent Breeana Minton appears to have broken campaign rules by publicizing a flyer online before candidates were permitted to begin their campaigns. Parra was successful in creating the Student Government Association Scholarship Fund, which will begin in the fall of 2014 with a $2,000 dollar budget. He also created a bill template to establish a

standard way for senators to draft a bill, increasing the efficiency of SGA. He is a part of the student library advisory council, which looks to expand the hours of operation for the library. He is also heavily involved in expanding research opportunities for undergraduate students.

For Vice President of Public Relations, The Signal endorses Olivia Hightower. We believe her plan to host weekly coffee houses where students can informally voice their concerns will be beneficial to students who are apprehensive about standing up to speak during town hall meetings. In addition, students have voiced their discontent with the current lack of transparency of SGA despite $9,000 getting spent on public relations under incumbent Camryn Bradley’s vice presidency.

Drake Greer is the stronger candidate for Vice President of Student Services. He is more headstrong about addressing issues such as parking issues at Turner Field and establishing a 24-hour library. He has served on several committees during his time as a senator from the College of Arts and Sciences. Overall, he appears to have the most experience and could play a more active role as the VP of Student Services.

Dollars and sense with Mitch

Letter to the Editor

Free college? Sign me up!

A

MITCHELL OLIVER Columnist Mitch is a junior finance major and student financial advisor.

“My goal is to have more college students financially literate.”

Leave your questions for him online at georgiastatesignal.com

Follow him @madmoneyATL

7

OPINIONS

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 2014

recent bill titled “Pay It Forward” has sprung back. Students who are fortunate enough to have sucup in Michigan and is making waves in uni- cess in the workforce and pay off their balance before versity systems around the country. The idea the set time have to continue paying until the set time behind the bill is simple: Make college more affordable is up. So, success after college seems to work against by offering it free of charge. the student. This logic is ridiculous, though.

However, there is no such thing as a free lunch.

Take someone making $50,000 and someone makThe rules are simple: If you cannot afford tuition, ing $250,000 per year. The first person, after 20 years of you can go to school for free and simply pay four per- repayment at four percent (assuming no raises) would cent of your have paid $40,000 future earnings for their degree. to the school The second person after graduahave paid The rules are simple: If you cannot would tion. The time$200,000. This may line is based on afford tuition, you can go to school seem like a lot, but how long you in mind that free and simply pay four percent of keep attend college: second person will Five years of your future earnings to the school have made over five repayment for million dollars over after graduation.” each year atthat 20-year period. tended. Thus, I think $10,000 the average per year would not student would be paying four percent of their income break their bank anytime soon. for 20 years after attending a four-year university. The The best part for the high earners and low earners bill also states that the rate is only two percent for stu- alike is that it’s as fair as it can possibly get. The high dents attending community college. earners won’t feel cheated out of money since the rates Another “catch” is that only students with a house- are the same. Further, the schools win because they hold income of $250,000 or below are eligible to par- will be receiving payments directly from alumni each ticipate. Although, this may be altered. year to help fund the college.

I want to hug whoever came up with this idea. As It will be a great day on campuses everywhere a fan of incentives, there is no better incentive than when students are no longer slaves to the student loan a free education. What’s better is you aren’t penalized companies. Rather, they will be debt free and have a if you can’t find that dream job right out of college. great opportunity to find a job that pays well.

Whether you plan on flipping burgers or performing This Pay It Forward bill is an amazing step in the brain surgery after you graduate, you still receive a free right direction, and we as college students should get education and still only pay back four percent of your behind it and support it. Before long, this option may income regardless of your circumstances. pop up in other states, even Georgia. While it won’t Some detractors are crying foul over this new bill. be here before most of us graduate, we can still look They say it does not incentivize students to reach for forward to a bright future for other students, and even the big paying jobs since they will have to pay more our own kids one day.

“

My experience: The importance of healthcare As a senior sociology student at Georgia State, I have finally come to a point where I understand my purpose in life and am currently discovering what avenues to take in order to fulfill that purpose. Becoming a fellow/intern with ‘Get Covered America,’ a non-profit, non-partisan organization whose sole mission is to maximize enrollment in the new Health Insurance Marketplace by arming the uninsured with the facts, is one of the best decisions I have ever made. My passion for the healthcare field and community-building led me right to this fellowship and is allowing me to understand other avenues of outreach and service. With this experience I have been able to interact with individuals from all walks of life, with one goal in mind: providing information and outreach. Healthcare is something that everyone needs, regardless of background or social class. With ‘Get Covered America,’ I am learning how to lead people to the resources they need to enhance their lives. From phone banks to face-to-face interaction, just knowing that I am able to assist even one person is an accomplishment to me. Facilitating knowledge is what I thrive on; one phone call made can lead to a network of other people who may need information about the Healthcare Marketplace. Everything happens for a reason and this opportunity to be a fellow proves to me, every day, that the reason I am here is to help others.

Mari (Maryam) Emory Senior Sociology Major

Core classes can be a problem for college students

A CHRISTIAN WILKINS Columnist

tower of Red Bull cans stretches above a cluttered desk of papers, pencils and books.

A journalist paces around the floor; racking his mind to find the topic for his next column (which is already several hours past deadline), struggling to form coherent ideas for an English 1101 paper due the next day, and praying that the Calculus knowhow will arrive in his mind, magically, before the afternoon’s midterm; all simultaneously at 4 a.m. Then a question occurred to him through the caffeinebolstered stupor: Why did he have to endure all of these classes? Too many of the core classes are just repeats of those from high school.

College’s core requirements often mirror the basic skills and abilities, which are at least intended to be obtained in high school. Why teach them twice?

One reason is our flawed secondary school system in the United States. If high school served its purpose well for everyone, that is, to provide students with enough information to function as adults, there would be no need for core classes in college.

A high school education supposedly includes a graduate with a rounded unspecialized knowledge of basic subjects. Whether these subjects are useful to the job or not does not always matter. However, there are nuggets of gold, life tactics to be found there, and that is why it is a requirement for many occupations. But the four-year requirement of this training is not efficient.

A high school junior who cannot grasp even a trivial topic such as chemistry is in danger of spending more time in the over-structured vague mess

that is secondary education. By that point, it is time to learn a trade. Unfortunately, college keeps with it a similar danger in addition to an added price.

Tuition is obviously very high and students struggling with a sequence science or foreign language should not have to pay, study and stress for two years of schooling that may have nothing to do with their career field.

English’s 1101 and 1102 are taught so students are able to communicate through writing, and mathematics are taught for the purpose of critical thinking. But when an adult is required to spend thousands of dollars to relearn them before advancing to a specialized field of study, there is a flaw. Yes, many who enter college may still not possess these basic abilities, but college is no place to catch up.

A college education really entails much the same as a high school one: a broad useless range with the sole exception of the graduate being focused on almost one thing for at least two years.

A trade school, on the other hand, means one thing: certification. Perhaps a country that prides itself how many years its citizens are usually instructed is not the best thing. An education is sometimes overstated in dollars and time when it may best be measured in effectiveness.

In Britain, high school education can cease at age 16 and students have the option of then applying to college in order to concentrate their time and studies as efficiently as possible. By their method, state funds are neither wasted on preparing unwilling students for graduation nor adroit students for

repetition.

With the shortened secondary schooling, these students also may gain or perfect the skills for adulthood, sadly absent from many high schools, on the college level, all before the age of 18, while a similar American student may have to wait until age 20.

A shortening of standards by colleges and universities, many being private institutions, seems to be a faraway goal. The release of the core requirements would mean a decrease in the time and, by extension, the semesters of tuition required to absorb the same essential educational benefits. Students could also save on books, supplies, and housing if college could change its structure instead of high schools.

A major shift of colleges worldwide to specialized two-year rather than four year institutions only does not look likely due to the fact that they work very much like businesses. To contrast, public schools work more like uneven mismatched charities, the best of them not preparing pupils for life but for college entrance.

A certain quality of common sense and promising young minds may be the only remedies to the common core. Their reforms may take years, even decades to make sufficient progress.

Thus, for the time being, students across campus shall continue to share the frantic plight of a journalist, who will likely risk not turning in a paper and probably failing a calculus test for a wink of natural sleep in a bed lined with garbage and notebooks.

Not to mention submitting a very late column to the school’s newspaper the following day.

ARTS & LIVING

www.georgiastatesignal.com/artsandliving

SOUNDS FROM THE UNDERGROUND

PHOTO CREDIT: SOUNDS FROM THE UNDERGROUND FACEBOOK PAGE

BECCA LONG Staff Reporter

PHOTO CREDIT: SOUNDS FROM THE UNDERGROUND FACEBOOK PAGE

S

ounds from the Underground gives jazz musicians a chance to showcase their original music to a live audience.

“It was born out of frustration of a lack of places to play improvisational based music here, in Atlanta,” said Jacob Deaton, creator of Sounds from the Underground.

Deaton was part of a group of musicians who were writing original music, but did not have a place to perform them. He said that performing for an audience is a key part in the creative process and that a lot of Atlanta based musicians were not provided opportunities to put their music out into the world.

“Atlanta’s jazz scene is loaded with talented players, like talent that I would put up against just about anybody anywhere, but there is not a club scene to support it here, as opposed to a city like New York,” Deaton said.

Before Sounds from the Underground a lot of these talented musicians started to perform in restaurants in order to make a living. Deaton added that these are not really performance oriented situations and that not all artists write music that is suitable to restaurants.

Sounds from the Underground is a response to that need as it provides a platform where young, budding improvisational jazz musicians can come together with professional jazz artists to perform their original compositions and make a statement.

“It gives the Atlanta artist the chance to be an artist and not just a jukebox,” Deaton said.

This has allowed for Sounds from the Underground to influence the local jazz scene in Atlanta by giving these musicians a place to play their stuff.

Through providing this new

platform for musicians, it has encouraged artists to write their own music and original ideas as well has encouraging them to perform.

Some artists to have performed at Sounds from the Underground are Akeem Marable, Brian Hogans, Nick Rosen and Julie Dexter.

Mace Hibbard, Georgia State’s jazz saxophone instructor preformed there and some Georgia State student musicians like Mike Walton and Darren English have also been featured.

“Georgia State has a strong presence there,” Deaton said.

What had originally started out aimed at the Atlanta community has grown to attract traveling artists as well over the past two years.

Deaton has watched Sounds from the Underground grow and has been behind the event every step of the way.

“I’m pretty much Sounds from

the Underground, I’m the creator, I’m the curator, the booking agent, I’m the graphic designer, I’m the PR department,” Deaton said.

If you are interested in experiencing Sounds from the Underground the next event will take place April 14 at 9 p.m. It is free to get in, but make sure to bring a couple of dollars to support the artists.

“Our target audience is anyone who loves music and who is willing to listen with an open mind,” Deaton said.

If that sounds like you make sure to stop by the next Sounds from the Underground every second Monday of the month.

Keep up with this event and Jacob Deaton on Twitter. @TheSoundOfJake @SFTU_ATL

PERSON OF THE YEAR JOHN M. POWELL This Panther proves you can be actively involved on campus without jeopardizing your grades, social life or sanity.

Powell participates in several clubs and organizations on campus and is a president of two of them.

J

ohn M. Powell’s “man cave,” his section of his room in the University Lofts, is indicative of his hectic life.

Situated under his bed is a desk with two computer monitors, a jar of peanut butter and multiple stacks of paper, including budgets for various organizations. An American flag hangs on the wall, and just under it on the right-hand side, a gun magazine sits on a storage ottoman. On the other side is a safe where he stores files for the numerous organizations with which he’s involved. Christmas lights frame the work space and a British flag serves as a section divider, sticking to the wooden bed frames by way of two magnets.

WRITTEN BY JEWEL WICKER

Associate Arts & Living Editor

PHOTOS BY CANDRA UMUNNA | THE SIGNAL

Powell said he has fallen asleep many nights at this desk while working since moving into the space his sophomore year during fall 2012.

He said he currently dedicates about 35 hours a week to various organizations, a far cry from his freshman year at Georgia State.

“My freshman year I was not involved with anything. All I did was sit in my dorm room and study. At the end of freshman year I ended with like a 4.06 [GPA],” Powell said.

“At the beginning of my sophomore year I decided, ‘you know what they told me to get involved a long time ago at Incept, like get involved with the community, so I’m going to get involved in EVERYTHING!’ So I did that.

And it was also because I just wanted to do something and helping give back to the community was a great way. And, at the time, I wanted to try

and impress [my] then girlfriend.”

These days it’s hard to miss Powell on campus, literally and figuratively.

Standing tall at 6 feet 7 inches, with a warm smile and a head full of curly hair, he’s often attending or organizing various meetings and events.

Powell’s list of organizations and activities is pretty lengthy: he’s president of the University Lofts; president of the astronomy club; a student justice with the Student Judiciary Board; an undergraduate representative for the Federalist Society out of the Law School; a member of the Honors College; a tutor to fellow political science majors; a volunteer at The Carter Center; an assistant teacher of a fencing class on campus on Tuesdays and a Vacation Bible School participant at Cross of Life Lutheran Church in Roswell, Ga. And that’s all in addition to taking

14-15 credit hours per semester, and dedicating another 35 hours a week to studying. Powell is a political science major and a biology minor.

He ended up at Georgia State after scholarships fell through, crushing his plans to attend school in Chapel Hill, N.C. Powell said despite the fact that Georgia State was not his first choice, he has thoroughly enjoyed his time at the University thus far.

“I love it here. That is the understatement of the year,” he said. “This is the most diverse campus. I can be walking to class and hear several languages and I have no idea what they’re saying, and I have no problem with that. And I enjoy it because the market’s becoming globalized, whether we like it or not, so the more diversity that we’re [opened] up to is great.”

“Also, in political science classes

Powell shows off his “man cave” in his Lofts apartment.

“

AT THE BEGINNING OF MY SOPHOMORE YEAR I DECIDED.. I’M GOING TO GET INVOLVED IN EVERYTHING! AND, AT THE TIME, I WANTED TO TRY AND IMPRESS [MY] THEN GIRLFRIEND.” - JOHN M. POWELL

In his free time, Powell teaches a fencing class each Tuesday. there’s lots of discussions, so having a very wide array of views is very cool and interesting because you get to hear views you’ve never heard of before,” he continued.

Powell said his dream job involves Healthcare Law. “My dream job is really vague, because what I’ve learned is as time progresses, you slowly get to narrow in on what you want to do,” he said.

As a kid, Powell idolized Errol Flynn’s portrayal of Robin Hood, because he made all of his decisions with the motto, “because it’s the right thing to do,” in mind.

Powell wanted to join the military, but then discovered fencing in high school and dreamed of representing the U.S. in The Olympics. He soon gave up on that dream after realizing only one fencer from the United States would be in the Olympics. That’s when he decided to go to college.

Powell said he believes Georgia State’s best kept secret is OrgSync, a website that includes the University’s student organizations.

“A lot of students don’t know what OrgSync is, and when they find OrgSync they’re like “oh my gosh, [there are] all of these clubs.’ And then through that, they can find any club they want.”

Powell said his job as a leader in most of the organizations he’s in-

volved in, especially as President of the University Lofts and astronomy club, is mostly about ensuring that things run smoothly.

“The presidency—this is also for a lot of organizations—is organizing everything. It’s making sure that the officers are where they need to be. That the group has good morale. That everyone is doing what they need to do.

And you give a general direction.”

As President of The Lofts, Powell helps come up with activities for the residents in Hall Council meetings. He said some events––like a recent karaoke night––are a success, but, in general, it’s hard to come up with activities for over 560 students in a building that houses athletes, upperclassman and families.

Powell said a major part of being a leader is learning not to take it personally when your ideas aren’t accepted.

“I will take no personal offense if one of my ideas gets shot down, because it happens. If you start taking things personally, then that leads down a very windy dark path and then feelings get hurt.”

Powell said he once suggested the student judiciary board dress as magistrates from the 1700s, finishing off the look with powdered wigs, and hold a mock trial in the courtyard to help introduce themselves to students. He said his peers immediately shot that

idea down.

Powell said thick skin is important when dealing with people within an organization and students. In one extreme instance, he said a student yelled at him from across the street following a Student Judiciary Board hearing.

While he admits things can get pretty hectic, Powell said the key to managing a busy life is staying organized.

On the kitchen table in his room is the black calendar he keeps all of his activities, tests and assignments. Everything is color-coded. Black pen means he will definitely attend/complete.

Blue pen means it’s a social event that he can attend if time permits. Pencil means tentative. These things will eventually be erased altogether or rewritten in black pen.

Powell said he makes sure to schedule time for himself to relax by surfing YouTube, playing guitar or exercising, too. He says doing yoga, meditating and journaling regularly is also very important to him.

While he admitted his strict schedule means there is little time for messing around, Powell said he is sure to listen to his body and rest when necessary.

“It’s a lot of willpower. There’s nights where I’m just like, ‘I’m burned out, I’m just going to do nothing. I’m just going to work out or practice some guitar or

something.’”

Powell said he got his discipline from his parents. His family moved from northern Washington to Roswell, Ga. when he was nine years old. He said growing up in a less fortunate financial situation with hard-working parents attributed to the person he is today, a financially savvy guy who can cook, sew and knows a thing or two about plumbing and electrical work.

In addition to participating in organizations and maintaining a 3.7 GPA, Powell also volunteers at The Carter Center once a week for about 4-5 hours, helping with finances.

He has met former President Jimmy Carter several times, and one of the most important things he has learned from him is to “lead with what is right.”

As his junior year is coming to an end, Powell is looking ahead. He said he wants to intern, become more politically active and be more social during his senior year.

Additionally, he said he hopes to see more underclassman get involved with various organizations next year.

“For club organizations and everything, I want to see a new upcoming class that will be able to take the reigns of the organizations and be able to lead them effectively and efficiently; that way these organizations will be able to continue to live on throughout the times at Georgia State.”

ATHLETE OF THE YEAR ABIGAIL TERE-APISAH Abigail Tere-Apisah is 96-24 all-time in singles at Georgia State, making her the winningest women’s tennis player in the program’s history.

Tere-Apisah is from Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

WRITTEN BY ALEC MCQUADE

Sports Editor

PHOTOS BY GEORGIA STATE ATHLETICS

P

ush pins of all colors are carefully scattered across a large map of the world. The map, displayed on the office wall of the women’s tennis interim Head Coach Robin Stephenson, contains pins that represents a specific player on the Panthers’ roster and her hometown in respect to the world.

Abigail Tere-Apisah looked over the map, pointing out which pin represents each of her teammates. Near the bottom right corner of the map, two pins are pushed as close together as they possibly can: Both in the city of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

One is purple. One is pink. TereApisah wasn’t sure which represented her and which one represented her sister, Marcia, but she said it did not matter. And she’s right.

What matters is what has taken place on the other side of the map over the span of four years in Atlanta. Tere-Apisah has grown to be a dominant force on the Panthers’ women’s tennis roster, arguably the program’s alltime best. She has left her mark, not only at Georgia State, but in women’s tennis making her The Signal’s Athlete of the Year.

Tere-Apisah has undoubtedly been the most dominant figure in Georgia State Sports this year, a year filled with several athletes that have seen success across an array of Georgia State’s sports.

Tere-Apisah has grown over the course of four years to become the No. 13 women’s tennis player in college tennis, according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA).

Her winning ways have also made her the winningest women’s tennis player in Georgia State history.

“I just never sit to think and be like, ‘Wow,’” Tere-Apisah said looking back on her accomplishments. “I don’t do that: sit down and think of all my accomplishments.”

Tere-Apisah has built quite the resume at Georgia State. She currently holds a 12-game winning streak, not losing a singles match in the current spring season, even against teams such as No. 12 Alabama or No. 19 Texas Tech.

But this is nothing new. She holds a 96-24 singles record in her four years at Georgia State, most of which have been at the No. 1 spot on the lineup, and has been successful in doubles matches, as well.

Tere-Apisah began racking up awards after her first season in the program, winning the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Rookie of the Year. Since, she was awarded the 2012 CAA Player of the Year, 2013 Sun Belt Championship

“

I’M THANKFUL THAT I’M ON THIS TEAM. FOR BEING MY LAST SEMESTER, I COULDN’T HAVE ASKED FOR ANY OTHER TEAM.”

All-Tournament Team and 2013 Georgia State Student-Athlete of the Year. But this list does not even make a dent into her long list of accomplishments.

This year she is likely a top candidate for the Sun Belt’s Female Athlete and Athlete of the Year awards.

Tere-Apisah has defeated several of the county’s top women’s collegiate tennis players in her four-year tenure at Georgia State, including Zsofi Susanyi from California University, who was ranked No. 4 at the time. Tere-Apisah said defeating Susanyi was not only one of the best memories in her collegiate career, but a turning point in it. “[That] match, I went in with a different mindset: I just gotta go; there’s nothing to lose; there’s no pressure on me. So, that match was one where I thought where I played really well,” Tere-Aspisah said, explaining that it changed her mindset going into matches from that day forward.

Tere-Apisah is one of the most humble athletes one could ever meet. Tere-Apisah is not one to talk about her accomplishments, and she reiterated—with her quiet complexion—it’s not something she really likes to think about until pesky interviewers or coaches remind her.

The health and physical education major would much rather talk about her hometown. It takes endless hours and a couple layovers for Tere-Apisah to make it Port Moresby, a trip she said she only makes about once every two years, to see her family and, for once, go home.

“Tennis is not a huge sport at all. Tennis in the islands is just for fun,” she said. “It’s like a social thing.”

Tere-Apisah described her country as “laid-back,” and said tennis courts are not ubiquitous there like in America, where one cannot drive into a residential neighborhood without seeing several.

“We just have one national tennis club [in my hometown],” she

- ABIGAIL TERE-APISAH said. “That’s where I practiced and trained, and it was a pretty decent one.”

Tere-Apisah said other courts in the country are made of synthetic grass because the weather is too unbearably hot to play on hard surfaces.

Tere-Apisah’s parents were her original coaches, taking her to the tennis club and teaching her the sport until she left home around age 10 to further her education.

Tere-Apisah would come across other coaches from time to time who would make her the competitor she is today.

When coming to Georgia State for the first time, no sooner had she met her new coach, former Head Coach Miha Lisac, than he took her grocery shopping—an atypical first drill with a new coach.

“I didn’t know I had to get all room stuff,” Tere-Apisah said, reminiscing on her first days in the city and how turned around she would get just trying to get from class to class surrounded by overwhelmingly tall buildings.

Yet, four years have flown by, and Tere-Apisah has a little less than a month remaining in her final season in women’s collegiate tennis. Then, she will try to get in the professional circuit touring the world and continue to play the game that has carried her across the world and through life.

Tere-Apisah said she is proud of this season’s team that has faced many tough nationally ranked teams and is proud of her teammates improvement. The team currently manages an 8-7 record.

“I’m thankful that I’m on this team. For being my last semester, I couldn’t have asked for any other team,” she said.

There will be a void left at Georgia State when Tere-Apisah moves on to bigger and better things.

In time, one of the pins over Papau New Guinea will be removed from the world map in Stephenson’s office. But, the mark Tere-Apisah left halfway across the world will never be forgotten, as she will be a remembered name in Georgia State history.

FACULTY OF THE YEAR

C

elebrating 30 years of teaching at Georgia State, biology professor Robert Simmons could not imagine himself anywhere else.

But that was not always the case.

Growing up in Atlanta, Simmons always imagined himself moving away from Georgia.

He did for a while, studying in Northern Ireland for seven years.

But, as fate would have it, Simmons came back to Atlanta and has stayed ever since.

“Georgia State has been a good home for me. I was very fortunate that when I came back, I could find a position and really grow,” Simmons said.

The combination of photography and biology meet in his imaging lab; from a virus to an eagle, Simmons photographs everything.

The biology imaging lab where Simmons currently works was a small operation when he started.

Today, it is a large-scale operation and he could not be happier.

“We are doing advance research support, that’s really what our operation is about,” he said.

When it comes to his students, research and critical thinking skills are at the top of his list.

“Once you get out of school, problem solving is what it is all about. Once you understand the design of an experiment, you’re going to do better in your professional life,” Simmons said.

Being involved with his students is an important aspect in Simmons’ teaching skills. He believes that communicating with his students is key.

Having several different classes getting to his Ph.D., Simmons has had his fair share of professors who just did not care.

“Teaching is a performance art. You have to know your subject inside and out to be a good teacher. But you also have to know how to communicate to people that don’t know how to

DR. ROBERT SIMMONS Robert Simmons is a scientist, photographer, former bartender and current Georgia State professor.

Robert Simmons works on a glass blowing project. communicate.”

He believes that his life experiences have helped him to be the best teacher that he could possibly be. When he went to Northern Ireland in the 1970s, it was not the best of neighborhoods and because of that Simmons learned when to take life seriously and when not to take life seriously.

The same goes for when he was a bartender. There, he learned about social skills. He also gives credit to being a folk musician because getting up in front of a lot of people helped him with stage fright.

Simmons has used different pieces of his experiences and has applied them to his classrooms and teachings.

It is a feeling that he cannot describe when a student just gets it in the classroom.

“There are some students that are going to fall asleep, but there are always those few students that will answer your question.

It’s hard to describe, It’s kind of an adrenaline rush,” Simmons said.

When Simmons is not in the classroom, or in his lab doing research, he is at home spending time with his wife, Camillia.

Together, they have a shed

in their backyard where the two of them craft. On one side is his wife’s jewelry work, and on the other side is Simmons torch where he makes beads.

“A lot of weekends when we have free time we’ll go out to the shed together and we’ll just talk and spend time together,” Simmons said.

This year, the couple will be celebrating their 22nd anniversary.

Simmons is also in collaboration with the arts and science department at Georgia State with Pam Longobardi. Together they are dealing with plastic in the ocean, but it is just getting started. This is one of the few projects Simmons is working on.

“I see myself as an artist and a scientist. It’s a creative thought process that’s required for both.

I’m really excited about collaborating with Pam Longobardi,” he said.

Simmons gives Georgia State credit to letting him do things that he would not have done otherwise.

“It’s given me the opportunity to do a wide variety of things. If I have to do the same thing all day everyday, I’ll go nuts,” Simmons said. “This is home.”

Simmons holds a glass model he made to represent a type of fungi called curvularia geniculata.

“

GEORGIA STATE HAS BEEN A GOOD HOME FOR ME. I WAS VERY FORTUNATE THAT WHEN I CAME BACK, I COULD FIND A POSITION AND REALLY GROW.” - DR. ROBERT SIMMONS

WRITTEN BY KAYLYN HINZ

Associate Arts & Living Editor

TOP PHOTO: SUBMITTED BOTTOM PHOTO: MIKE EDEN | THE SIGNAL

reviews

14

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 2014

ALBUM REVIEW

Foster the People: “Supermodel” Release Date: Mar. 14, 2014 Grade: B Verdict: An album more mature then I think anyone thought Foster The People were capable of.

MAHAD MOUSSE Staff Reviewer

L

et’s go back in time to that innocent era circa-summer 2011, when a catchy song about school shootings COULD be played damn near everywhere and be the highest-charting song in America; penned by a band that seemingly came out of nowhere, because they actually DID come out of nowhere (as opposed to .fun, who’d been toiling in obscurity for years, and the Black Keys, who’d been toiling even longer before kicking of the top 40 charts obsession with “alternative” music).

Foster The People proved that you could start out as the guy whose job was to pen melodies for shoe company jingles and work you way up to music elite, successfully putting out a catchy, electric twee, indie pop album along the way.

“Torches” crushed on the charts, but left everyone asking, “what’s next?” After riding into the mainstream almost overnight

on the strength of a handful of pop hooks, what does a band with no discernible identity do?

The answer is the same one cooked up by many a burned-out postgraduate: Travel abroad in an attempt to find yourself.

Okay, okay, I’m being unnecessarily harsh. I can’t bust Foster The People’s traveling expenses too much, as “Supermodel” turned out to be everything no one could have expected it to be: sonically challenging, unconventional, and sounding like a genuine step forward.

Not bad for a band that got noticed because of a few Abercrombie & Fitch ads.

However, that’s not to say Foster The People left behind all of that pop writing magic that fueled “Torches.” But they cer-

tainly take more chances this time around, creating a much more deeper, variedsounding album.

The album opener “Are You Want You Want to Be?” kicks things off with a bizarre blend of jangly pop guitars, and a frantic 6/8 afro-drum beat on the pre-chorus that somehow just works.

But the trio doesn’t settle for merely being a slightly-more interesting Vampire Weekend on their sophomore outing (BURN!). Foster The People keep those trademark pop hooks coming, weaveing them through a variety of soundscapes: from the hazy, psychedelic, “Pseudologia Fantastica,” to electro-disco romp “Best Friend,” to Ok Computer-Radiohead homage “Nevermind.”

And you can’t discuss the vast improvements on “Supermodel” without talking about Mark Foster’s vocals, which really come into his own, embracing a surprisingly effective falsetto on soaring single “Coming Of Age.” There isn’t another ready-made “Pumped Up Kicks” to be found on this album. But what it does offer is an album more mature then I think anyone thought Foster The People were capable of.

There’s plenty of accessible material here and Foster The People remain the safe choice for “indie-starer band.” But beneath their unassuming appearance and polished pop-tunes, “Supermodel” proves they’ve got plenty of potential in their Doc Martens.

1 2 3

WHEN 5AM HYSE EP FENSTER The Pink Caves TRUST Joyland

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FACES ON FILM Elite Lines

6 7 8

TEMPLES Sun Structures WARPAINT Warpaint

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MAJESTICO When Kingdom Come

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THE COATHANGERS Suck My Shirt

HOMEBOY SANDMAN White Sands EP

BLACK MILK Glitches In The Break EP

NOW PLAYING AT

MOVIE REVIEW

Cinefest

Divergent Rating: PG-13 Running time: 111 mins.

Grade: BVerdict: This is no “Hunger Games” remake...

PEDRO ALVARADO Staff Reviewer

I

n a post-apocalyptic world, society has been divided into five factions and each has a unique and singular life purpose. Every citizen of the society is divided into one of the five factions based on their character traits. Those who do not fit nicely into one particular mold are classified as divergent and are considered a serious threat to the safety and security of the society in which they live. But are they?

Adapted from the novel by Veronica Roth, “Divergent” shows how a seemingly perfect society is destroyed when a few power-hungry people conspire to get rid of a minority group who have the audacity to be different, just so they can seize control of the government and run the society the way that most benefits them.

“Divergent” uses an attention-grabbing plot to make a subtle, yet powerful social commentary.

Star Shailene Woodley gives an adequate performance as Tris. She does an excellent

job of showing the vulnerability and fear that goes along with transferring from her faction of origin to her new faction.

But where she could use a little boost is in showing the transformation from the softspoken, timid girl to the strong and potent young woman she never fully becomes.

Part of the responsibility of helping to manage this transformation falls to director, Neil Burger, who appears to try desperately to make sure that nothing about Tris can be confused with that other kick-ass teen shero, Katniss Everdeen. Regrettably, in trying to keep Tris as unique as possible, a lot of her strength is never fully realized.

On the flip-side, however, Theo James, who plays Four, displays a duality of character that makes you wonder whether he’s the good guy or bad guy, and then has you trying to figure out what his real motivation is for the relationship that develops with Tris.

With one look, James is able to make you

doubt and believe at the same time. With another, he can make you pity him and fear him at the same time. Suffice to say that this talented young actor has a long and interesting career ahead of him.

With a film of this scope, there is a huge ensemble behind the two stars: way too many to mention individually. Nevertheless, it was pleasantly surprising to see several big screen veterans in some good supporting roles.

Ashely Judd plays Natalie, Tris’ mother, and she is one bad mama. Tony Goldwyn of “Scandal” fame plays Tris’ father Andrew.

Mekhi Phifer plays Max, a faction leader and one of the co-conspirators. And Kate Winslet plays Jeanine, a leader in a different faction and also a co-conspirator. Each of these major stars brings a strong quality to each of the minor characters they play.

Regardless of what faction you may be best suited for, keep your eyes open for the divergent. They can be anyone, anywhere.

Synopsis: Theodore is a lonely man in the final stages of his divorce. When he’s not working as a letter writer, his down time is spent playing video games and occasionally hanging out with friends.

He decides to purchase the new OS1, which is advertised as the world’s first artificially intelligent operating system, “It’s not just an operating system, it’s a consciousness,” the ad states. Theodore quickly finds himself drawn in with Samantha, the voice behind his OS1.

Showtimes: Weekdays: 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m., 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Weekend: 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Rated: R Running Time: 126 minutes

Study abroad column

International racial violence: The conversation must continue

Music column

The obituary of Oderus Urungus

F

PAUL DEMERRITT Columnist

CALEB ROBERTSON Columnist

Caleb Robertson is an English major at Georgia State. His golf cart’s name is Roxanne. Caleb spends his free time rock climbing and playing video games and is a strong supporter of Batman’s war on crime. He is currently studying abroad at Mainz University in Mainz, Germany.

I

Paul DeMerritt is a freelance journalist and musician with extensive experience reporting on the music and culture of Atlanta and the globe.

Follow him @PaulDeMerritt

Follow him @CJRobertson10

t was 5 p.m. on March 10 at the Mainz central train station when an older white man stabbed and severely injured a younger black man. According to the report handed to me by a protestor, witnesses said that the older man provoked the altercation by hurling racial slurs at the younger man.

I found out about this attack after I stepped off the train in Mainz from the Frankfurt airport. A large group of people held a large banner demanding the end of racism in Germany.

My first reaction was to make a joke about Florida.

“That’s nothing,” I said. “In Florida, old white guys shoot young black guys all the time.”

Not the most tasteful joke, I give you, but it actually got me thinking about how we think of racial violence in America. In America, people are attacked for racial reasons, and thanks to permissive gun laws, these attacks often have fatal consequences.

The event really brought the idea of racial violence, something I didn’t expect to see in Germany, back into my mind as an international problem that must be addressed somehow. It’s even more important now than to address the problem as often as possible.

I returned to the same spot just a week later, only to see the same protesters holding the same banner. A young guy wearing dirty jeans and an old baseball cap handed me a one-page pamphlet outlining their grievances.

Beginning with the description of the attack, the paper then moved on to describe how police said they cannot assign a motive to the attack.

The pamphlet then made a call to action, by not letting structural racism become invisible. They pledged to hold a discussion and vigil every Monday evening at the central train station.

So, in Germany, a young black man is stabbed by a racist and survives, and the people react by organizing group demonstrations in an attempt to highlight racial violence.

In America, young black kids are shot and killed by racists for listening to music a little too loud or knocking on the door in search of help. Racial violence is a real issue, and we shouldn’t stop talking about it or let it become invisible.

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columns

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 2014

orty-three billion years after being assem- crowds with his vomit, but finds it even better to bled on his home planet of Scumdogia, the use his sword ‘Lick’ to hack his victims to pieces.” master of debauchery, the prince of nihilism On first glance, it might appear that this colmost fondly known as Oderus Urungus--frontman umn is wasted on someone who pushes gruesome of shock rock demigods GWAR--has passed on. gimmicks to their limits, but somehow among the When he wasn’t adorned in his trademark blood spewing, the fake vomit and the hellish codmeaty, hellish and utterly profane costume, Urun- pieces, GWAR managed to create a community. gus was known by the decidedly less brutal moniTheir symbols may be wholly repulsive, but ker of Dave Brockie. On Sunday, March 23, Brockie people found unity out of reveling in the obscene was found dead at 50 in and having a way to his apartment by a felphysically identify with low bandmember. challenging the status The cause of death quo. Their concerts ...it might appear that has yet to be deterwould thrive off of mined, but at the time shock value, bombardthis column is wasted of this writing, foul ing the audience with on someone who pushes such an array of clearly play, drugs and suicide have been ruled out. taboo acts that they gruesome gimmicks to In an age where any seemed too ridiculous their limits, but somenumber of mind-scarto attack. how among the blood ringly offensive mateGWAR has mainrial is only a few keytained their cult folspewing, the fake vomit, strokes away, it’s easy to lowing not just because and the hellish codpiecforget a time when sotheir concerts are shock ciety was not so coarsfests, but because they es, GWAR managed to ened to the unruly, anprovide brief entry into create a community. archic counterculture an alternate social dithat was truly on the mension where norms fringes of society. are subverted and getting vomited on seems fairly Brockie first envisioned GWAR in the Reagan normal. age where rigid family values and conservatism There is an active GWAR website, numerous were at their peak in Cold War America.

GWAR fanclubs across the Internet, and even comOriginally, Brockie teamed up with produc- mon GWAR language. Fans meticulously track tion company Slave Pit to create costumes for his down the band’s legacy with the accuracy of a seathrash-metal band Death Piggy. His first costume soned historian. consisted of a spiky, paper-mâché helmet, an inBrockie, more than anyone else, kept the gory, credibly modest outfit compared to his later incar- beating heart of GWAR alive for 30 years. He built nations. a following out of every ideology designed to creHis only formal definition was laid out in ate dischord, but long before the Internet made “Rumble In Antarctica,” GWAR’s official board the profane sacred, Brockie was slogging in the game: “His flesh is visibly rotting, ravaged by flesh trenches, decapitating fake world leaders, spewing eating pestilence that he freely spreads to all those red-colored water and opening up another world who come into contact with him... He loves to spray no one ever though people wanted.

“

Sex column

Why can’t we be friends?

T

RACHEL KINGSLEY Columnist

Rachel believes even though society has become more open about sex, it’s still a highly taboo subject.

To become more open and accepting, she believes we need to start with education. Rachel shares her experiences.

Follow her @rachelkingsley

here’s an age-old question that everyone asks at least one point in his or her life— can you have a successful friendship with your ex? Once a relationship has ended there are mountains of emotions—sometimes good, sometimes bad—but does that mean that there are too many emotions for a friendship? Is there a pointof-no-return with an ex?

I think this is a tricky, slippery slope that you need to take with caution and a levelheaded mindset. If the relationship wasn’t the best, and there was a lot of hurt, I don’t think there can be a friendship.

I dated a guy for three years only to find out he had cheated on me. We had a nasty, dirty, salty breakup. The hurt was too intense to have a friendship. I cut him off completely. To me, if there wasn’t respect in the relationship, then it wasn’t worth it to keep the friendship going.

But if your relationship ended on a positive note, such as a mutual understanding that it just wasn’t going to work out, then I think that you absolutely can have a friendship.

Your ex has seen you in a light that your platonic friends haven’t and never will see; they’ve gotten to know you on an intimate level.

I’m friends with most of my exes. I’ve even gone on vacations with a couple of them post-breakup.

Now, I’m not saying this is the easiest feat, but when you get to that point of friendship where you’ve had a past, but are able to look beyond it, it’s unlike any other friendship you’ll ever have.

I went through a breakup at the beginning of the year. We were together for a few years, but we just weren’t happy anymore.

But that didn’t mean that I didn’t still value him as a friend. We’ve recently started hanging out again. We’re trying to figure out how we can stay friends, even when sometimes, we want to hate each other (and sometimes we just want to have sex with each other).

It’s not the easiest position to be in, but he knows me more intimately than anyone else in my life.

Once you break up with your significant other, take some time to yourself for a month or so—to get over the breakup, to heal the hurt and to focus on yourself. It’s hard to move on if you constantly have them in your life.

Once you’ve done this, think about your ex and decide if you still want them in your life platonically. If you do, sit down with them and have a conversation about what you want. Start your friendship fresh and you’ll realize it’ll be completely worth it.

calendar&games

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April 3 3- 4:30 p.m.

Student Center Ballroom Listen to an award-winning journalist as she talks about her experiences with being the first African-American female host of National Public Radio. She also worked for ABC News, won an Emmy and has written a book.

Come out and see what she has to say.

Phillip Morgan Delivers Dale Somers Memorial Lecture: Caribbean Slavery

March 4 Troy Moore Library, Langdale Hall Puzzle 2 (Medium, difficulty rating 0.57) 2-4 p.m.

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An author of numerous books, Phillip Morgan will be speaking on the importance of Caribbean slavery. If you have any questions about the lecture contact jselwood@gsu.edu

PantherPalooza

April 5 Georgia State Sports Arena 7 p.m.

This year’s Pantherpalooza will feature artists Panic! at the Disco and B.o.B. Student tickets are $15, but to get closer to the stage, the tickets are $20. For non-students, both tickets go up $10. Enjoy an evening of music and fun.

Battle of the DJ’s

4

campus DJ. The winner will receive Beats by Dre Headphones and a chance to DJ at Panther X Change. Enjoy the music and beach festivities!

Spring Fashion Show: R.E.M. April 12 Sports Arena 7-10 p.m.

Watch this year’s fashion show as a dream world becomes a reality. Presented by the Spotlight Programs Board, the tickets will be $5 per student and $10 per guest. For more details, contact spotlightgsu@ gmail.com

April 9 Hurt Park 5-9 p.m.

Come out and see Georgia State’s four best DJ’s as they compete for the title of best

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2 9 7 Callaway Gardens Through April 20 9 7 2

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Callaway Gardens is celebrating the 7 1 3 arrival of spring over the course 1 will 2 of6five4weekends. The events highlight the resort’s vast variety of flowers, including over 20,000 azaleas.

Atlantic Station April 2 5 9 4

The 5th annual The Beer Carnival 5 8 4 9 will take place this Saturday at 9 The outdoor event 1 Atlantic Station. will take place from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

8 2 4 5 and will feature over 100 beers for 3 5 1 4 participants to sample.

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Festival on Ponce

Atlanta Fair

This free event will feature over 125 displays of arts and crafts, food and drinks and a kid’s section.

The festival will take place on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, visit festivalonponce.com.

The Atlanta Fair will be at Turner Field for one more week! Come out and enjoy fair food, rides and activities. The fair opens on weekdays at 5 p.m., at noon on Saturday and at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Visit atlantafair.com for more details, including pricing information.

Olmsted Park April 5 - 6

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Distinguished Speakers Series: Michele Norris

6 3 Celebrate Spring!

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 2014

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Turner Field (Grey Lot) Through April 6

Atlanta Film Festival Plaza Theater Through April 6

The 38th annual Atlanta Film Festival has already begun, but there is still time to attend and view films that could be nominated at the Academy Awards next year! Visit atlantafilmfestival.com to RSVP for seats and to view screening times.

Turning Point: The American Civil War

Atlanta History Center Through May 3 Come enjoy this Civil War exhibition and view over 1,500 Union and Confederate artifacts!

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www.georgiastatesignal.com/sports

NCAA violations prompt firing of men’s tennis coaches ALEC MCQUADE Sports Editor

C

oaching changes in men’s tennis have been made after Georgia State Athletics did an internal review that uncovered university, athletic department and NCAA violations.

The violations are reported as minor, according to Monday’s press release from Georgia State Athletics, however it does not specify what the violations were.

It appears that the program has had to fire all the men’s tennis coaches, including head coach Joerg Barthel, as the press release states each position will be temporarily filled despite claiming the violations are minor.

“Head women’s tennis Coach Robin Stephenson will serve as interim director of tennis and oversee the men’s and women’s tennis programs for the remainder of the season,” the press release said.

It also said women’s tennis Assistant Coach Kurt Clemmons will take over the day-to-day activities in men’s tennis and an additional men’s assistant coach will be hired for the remainder of the season.

Athletics described the violation to The Signal as a “personnel issue,” and said they would have no further comment. They would not spec-

PHOTO CREDIT: GEORGIA STATE ATHLETICS Former Head Coach Joerg Barthel (left) and Assistant Coach Cesar Vargas (right) ify the violation or what level of violation it was under the NCAA Violation Structure.

The list of men’s tennis coaches has already been taken off Georgia State Athletics’ website for the current season and last season. It does not have a list of coaches until the listing the former coaches for the 2011-12 season and prior.

The Signal reached out to Barthel for comment via email, but he has not replied as of Tuesday.

Follow georgiastatesignal.com for further updates throughout the week on this developing story.

Nic Wilson’s award-filled spring break AKIEM BAILUM Staff Reporter

S

enior first baseman Nic Wilson has emerged as a central figure for the Panthers’ proficient offense. His performance at the plate the week prior to Spring Break earned him multiple awards.

The week began with Wilson compiling three awards on March 17. He became the first Georgia State player to be awarded the Louisville Sluggwer National Player of the Week since Chad Smith won it in February of 2000.

The award is selected by the Collegiate Baseball newspaper. The same day, he was named Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week as well as the Georgia State StudentAthlete of the Week.

Remarkably, the following day, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association honored Wilson as National Hitter of the Week.

“To tell you the truth, I didn’t even know about most of the awards that I had won,” said Wilson. “All of those are great, but I’ve always tried to maintain my focus on the team instead of any individual accolades.”

Wilson is currently batting .419, which is tied for 25th in the NCAA. He is also one of only two players in the nation with at least 10 home runs.

Head Coach Greg Frady attributed

Wilson’s recent hot streak to consistency, hard work and family. “[Wilson] has been the most consistent hitter for our team,” Frady said. “He is an extremely hard worker, and he comes from a family who knows a lot about athletics since his dad used to be a head coach for Georgia State basketball in the nineties.”

Carter Wilson was the men’s head basketball coach at Georgia State from 1994 to 1997.

Over the course of that week, Wilson hit five home runs and drove in 15 in five games. He hit .579 with a 1.421 slugging percentage, and had an on-base percentage of .625.

The Panthers swept their two-game series against the Siena Saints with Wilson going 5-for-7, with three homers and nine RBIs. The Panthers then faced Western Kentucky in a three-game weekend series to begin its Sun Belt schedule. The team defeated the Hilltoppers in the opener before being swept in a doubleheader.

In the series, Wilson batted .500, hit two home runs and drove in six of the Panthers’ 14 runs.

Since, the team suffered through a sixgame losing streak, including being swept on the road at Louisiana-Lafayette.

“We struggled in our first few conference games, said Wilson. “The ball has not been bouncing our way, but nobody’s panicking. We know that there

is still plenty of baseball left to be played, so we’re confident that we can turn things around and start winning some games.”

Even though the team has experienced adversity in the form of its recent slump, the team still maintains one of the most productive offenses in collegiate baseball.

The team has six players that are hitting at least .270 and has 10 players that are either seniors or redshirt seniors.

“Not only is our team full of guys that can hit the ball very well, but we have a lot of seniors on our team,” said Wilson. “And, even though Coach Frady has the final say on most things, leadership is defined by what you do when you’re on the diamond.

Our seniors assume leadership roles to an extent.”

Frady still believes that the team will return to its winning ways because of a mindset that they believe they can win any game.

“Even in a good portion of the games we have lost, we still played well in,” said Frady. “We have a good team and we’re confident that those things that didn’t go our way will and that we can win some.”

Wilson echoed the sentiments of his coach.

“Every time we go out onto that field, we have a mindset that we feel we can win,” Wilson said. “So, again, even though we’ve struggled a bit lately, we still have that mindset that we are going to win.”

Levick reveals next steps of Master Plan ALEC MCQUADE Sports Editor

G

eorgia State Athletic Director Cheryl Levick revealed the next steps of the Athletics Master Plan to The Signal Wednesday, citing three focused projects.

The next three focuses of the plan are the football strength and conditioning facility to be attached to the football practice facility, an auxiliary basketball and volleyball practice facility and a new academic research facility for the student athletes, according to Levick.

Levick said the approach to the Master Plan is that of pulling and pushing the puzzle pieces.

“That [plan] book was designed so we can pull out parts when we have the money or we have the priority,” Levick said. Levick said the football strength and conditioning facility currently looks like the first of the three projects to be completed as the funding for the $2 million cost of the facility is halfway complete.

Levick did acknowledge the football facility was not originally in the plan, but it became a necessity.

“We thought this weight room would be sufficient that we built here, but it’s not,” Levick said referencing the weight room in the Sports Arena. “It’s fine, and it’s safe. It’s just small. So, we need to get a bigger one just for football over there so it’s close to practice facility.”

Levick said the auxiliary basketball and volleyball practice facility would be located next to the Sports Arena in the building that used to be the aquatics center. Levick said they are still in the design and funding phase of the project.

“We’ll finally have an auxiliary gym that can handle men’s basketball and volleyball together,” Levick said.

The reconfigured academic research center is also in those phases, Levick said.

Levick did not specify how quickly donations were coming in for the projects, but that donors have specific areas where they want their donations to go, such as the football weight room or academic research facility, and Athletics respects their wishes.

“We just don’t have enough donors that are huge $10 million dollar donors,” Levick said, “so we’re being smart and building as we can fundraise.”

“The faster we can get it in the better, but it really is fundraising driven,” Levick said on a timeline of these projects. Levick said architects are working on all three projects.

When asked about Panthersville, the home of several of Georgia State’s sports, Levick said Athletics has looked at land but has not found anything sufficient for getting the complex closer to the Downtown campus.

“We’ve looked at more chunks of land then you can imagine,” Levick said. “They’re just deemed too small or too dirty in terms of the oil and things that have been in the soil…we’ve yet to find the right match where we can get at least 10 acres and get everything moved here,” Levick said.

Levick said she supports the frustrations students have with Panthersville being far from campus and the struggle to get there at times like rush hour, when several games are scheduled.

“The minute we can find any land or money to move it down here, I would do it in a heartbeat,” Levick said.

Parts of the Master Plan that have been completed include the Georgia State Sand Volleyball Complex and the men’s and women’s basketball locker rooms.

Levick said since the locker rooms have been completed, they won’t be touched as other renovations to the Sports Arena take place.

The Master Plan was announced to the public May 31, 2012.

See more at: http://georgiastatesignal.com/levick-reveals-nextsteps-master-plan/#sthash.LjWpcglW.dpuf

SPORTS

18

BY THE NUMBERS PRO DAY

ALEC MCQUADE

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 2014

A Big Audition

Sports Editor

PARTICIPATING PLAYERS Taylor EVANS Running back

15

theo agnew

Football players participated in Georgia State’s Pro Day.

Defensive lineman

Kelton Hill Wide receiver

23

Ulrick john

NFL scouts watched as players make their case to be drafted.

Offensive tackle

Arrington jordan

37.5

Safety

Inches Albert Wilson jumped in his vertical jump.

Grant King

Offensive tackle

5.01

Parris Lee

Seconds Ulrick John took to run the 40yard dash.

Running back

Demarius Matthews

10’ 4”

Corner back

The best broad jump of the day from Demarius Matthews.

Brent Mcclendon

23

Corner back

Reps on the bench press of 225 pounds

by Theo Agnew, which led the team.

Scott Mcqueen Long snapper

PHOTO BY MIKE EDEN | THE SIGNAL

Scouts kept a close eye on running back Taylor Evams who was one of 15 players to participate in Georgia State’s Pro Day

JEREMY JOHNSON Staff Reporter

N

FL scouts watched as 15 football players made their case to be drafted at Georgia State’s Pro Day More than half the NFL teams and one CFL team were represented at Georgia State football’s Pro Day as 15 seniors worked out at the football practice fields Friday.

The athletes went through the paces hoping to grab the attention of scouts who were looking to find new additions to bolster their rosters.

Players went through drills that included the vertical jump, broad jump, bench press, 40-yard dash, multiple measurements, three cone and a few positional drills.

Mother nature could not keep the former Panthers from showcasing their athletic skills to NFL scouts Friday despite a light drizzle, a chilling wind and ominous grey skies. However, some of the drills were held inside the practice facility.

Albert Wilson, former wide receiver considered one of Georgia State’s top prospects, had a vertical jump of 37.5 inches and broad jump of 10 feet, 3 inches. Wilson participated in positional drills but did not run the 40-yard dash.

Wilson ran an impressive 4.43 at the combine in Indianapolis last month. Though he did not run the 40-yard dash, Wilson wanted to remain consistent on what he accomplished at the combine.

“I feel like it was just to give the scouts a chance feel how consistent

I was,” Wilson said. “My measurements were exactly the same. I felt like I was consistent, and I came out and ran routes.”

Ulrick John, former left tackle, also raised some eyebrows with 5.01 40-yard dash and a 30-inch vertical jump at 6 foot 6 inches tall and 294 pounds. John also looked impressive in positional drills showing agile footwork and solid change of direction skills.

Danny Williams, the secondleading receiver all-time at Georgia State with 121 receptions, 1,605 receiving yards and nine touchdowns, had a solid day as well as he looked to catch the eye of scouts.

Williams 39.5 vertical jump and a broad jump of 8 feet, 11 inches. Williams impressed in route running drills where he did

not drop a pass.

“When we were throwing the ball, I caught every single ball,” Williams said. “I think I caught eight in a row—that’s my thing, I like to catch everything,” Williams said.

Some of Williams’ results surprised even himself.

“I ran way faster than I thought I would,” Williams said.

Next, many players will have individual workouts for teams, regional combines and meetings with teams. Then, it’s wait and see.

The wait is longer than usual this year. The NFL Draft has been moved back from its usual late April slot to May 8-10. Players may even have to wait after the draft for the phone to ring with an undrafted free agent contract that will allow an invite to camp.

Jamal Ransby Corner back

rashad stewart Safety

danny williams Wide receiver

albert wilson Wide receiver

Terrence Woodard

Defensive tackle

STAFF PREDICTIONS

PANTHER Of The Week

David Andrew Buchanan was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the seventh round of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft out of Georgia State University. He was selected by the New York Mets in the sixth round 2009.

GEORGIA STATE ATHLETICS

KAITLYN MEDLAM SOFTBALL

The Scoreboard Baseball

On Tuesday and Wednesday, Georgia State defeated Alabama A & M 19-3 and 19-6 at home. Infielder Nic Wilson hit a home run in each game putting his season total to 12.

Georgia State also swept conference foe Troy at home winning the first game Friday 8-6. Chase Raffield had three hits and drove in two runs.

Saturday, the Panthers won 6-3.

On picking GSU:

Minor League Pitcher for Philadelphia Phillies

Georgia State defeated Kennesaw State 8-0 in Kennesaw, Ga. Tuesday.

Shortstop Taylor Anderson finished with three RBIs and a home run.

The Panthers lost 16-1 to Auburn on Wednesday at home, and Anderson scored the lone point for Georgia State.

On Saturday, Georgia State played a doubleheader at Troy winning the first game 6-4 as Kensey Caldwell hit her first career home run.

√√√√

BASEBALL April 1 Alabama vs. UL- Monroe

√√√√

April 1 TCU vs. UT Arlington

√√√√

SOFTBALL April 2

STAFF:

Softball

BASEBALL April 1 Louisville (3) √ √ vs.

Kentucky (21) √ √ April 4 (3-game series) LSU (3) vs. Mississippi (15)

Sun Belt

“I’m going with GSU because I know how the program is and how they continue to continue to get better.

We were a great ball club when I was there so I can only imaginewhere they are now!”

David Buchanan

Texas State vs. Texas (31)

National

BIography:

Guest pick of the week

Pitcher Kaitlyn Medlam threw a one hitter in a 8-0 win versus Kennesaw State last Tuesday.

As the Panthers built their lead, Medlam protected it with her superb pitching, accounting for 21 putouts and two strikeouts.

One of her strikeouts was against the Owls’ best hitter, Angie Dascoli, who currently has a .374 batting average and one home run.

In the bottom of the seventh, Medlam forced Kennesaw State to go threeand-out to secure the shutout win.

Medlam improved her record to 8-6 after allowing just one hit in seven innings.

23 19

SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2,10, 2014 TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2013

√

David

√

Jeremy

√

Akiem

√√√√

Georgia State BASEBALL April 2 Georgia Tech vs. √ √ Georgia State √√ April 4 UALR vs. Georgia State

√√√√

SOFTBALL April 2 (2-game series) Georgia State √ √ √ √ vs. Furman April 5 (3-game series) Georgia State vs. √ √ √ UT Arlington √

GUEST: √ David Buchanan

The Panthers dropped the second game 9-6 despite Kensey Caldwill, McQuilla Franklin and Lauren Coleman each hitting a home run. in Troy, Ala

No. 3 spot 21-17, 14-21, 15-9 to get the Panthers only point.

The Panthers won 5-0 against College of Charleston in their second match Saturday.

Sand Volleyball

Track & Field

Georgia State hosted its annual Sand in the City invitational.

The No. 9 Panthers split games losing 4-1 to No. 1 Pepperdine in their first matches with Katelyn Rawls and Sarah Agnew winning at the

√√√√

April 5 (2- game series) UL Lafayette vs. WKU

Georgia State competed in the Yellow Jacket Invitational at Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Ga. Middle distance runner Niamh Kearney finished first out of 47 runners in the 1,500m race.

Sun Belt Standings STANDING

BASEBALL

SOFTBALL

1st

UL Lafayette 7-0 | Overall: 25-3

South Alabama 6-0 | Overall: 28-3

2nd

Texas State 6-2 | Overall: 16-10

UL Lafayette 3-0 | Overall: 22-6-1

3rd

Arkansas State 6-2 | Overall: 15-12

WKU 3-0 | Overall: 20-10-1

4th

WKU 4-4 | Overall: 14-13

Texas State 2-1 | Overall: 18-15

5th

South Alabama 3-4 | Overall: 13-12

UL Monroe 1-4 | Overall: 15-12

6th

Troy 3-4 | Overall: 14-13

Georgia State 0-3 | | Overall: 14-17

7th

Georgia State 3-5 | Overall: 14-14

UT Arlington 0-3 | Overall: 14-18

8th

UT Arlington 3-5 | Overall:11-16

Troy 0-4 | Overall: 14-19-2

9th

UL Monroe 3-5 | Overall: 10-17

---

10th

UALR 1-7 | Overall: 11-12

---

Men’s Golf

Georgia State competed in the Furman Intercollegiate in Greenville, S.C. this weekend.

Friday, the Panthers were tied for second with USC Upstate out of 20 schools. Saturday, they improved to tying for first with Virginia Tech.

What’s

Happening 014 April 2 Monday Tuesday

Supported by Student Activity Fees To request disability accommodations at this event, please contact the University Events Management at 404-413-1377 or events@gsu.edu. Please provide your name, event name, date and sponsor when making your request.

Wednesday

Thursday

2

The Distinguished Speaker Series: Michele Norris

April 1 Courtyard Music Series: Qriocity

31 What’s Up GSU? 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

Unity Plaza

3 p.m.

Student Center Ballroom See details below.

12-1 p.m.

Courtyard Stage Student Center

Courtyard Music Series: Levi Stephens

Campus Events Director Applications Due by 11:59 p.m.

12-1 p.m.

Courtyard Stage Student Center

See details below.

8

Battle of the DJ’s Project X

7-10 p.m.

Student Center Ballroom

9

See details below.

For event details, visit our websites: Campus Events studentevents.gsu.edu

Cinefest Film Theater spotlight.gsu.edu/cinefest

Spotlight Programs Board spotlight.gsu.edu

Student Government Association sga.gsu.edu

Student Media studentmedia.gsu.edu

Student*University Center studentcenter.gsu.edu

GSTV, New South, The Signal and Underground are putting their teams together for 2014-15!

Applications are due in 360 Student Center by 5:15 p.m., Monday, April 7.

For more information, visit studentmedia.gsu.edu or contact the Student Media Advisor at 404-413-1592.

4

DON’T MIS

7 p.m.

(Doors open at 5:30 p.m.)

GSU Sports Arena See details below.

BUY TICK

10

WRASFEST 2014: 7 Bands, 2 Stages, All Ages

7 p.m., The Mammal Gallery, 91 Broad St. SW GSU students: $7 General admission: $10

ETS NOW!

ils below .

5

R.E.M. Spring Fashion Show

Panthers On Front Beach Rd. Panther Prowl

7 p.m.

Sports Arena

7 p.m.-2 a.m.

Student Center Ballroom and Recreation Center

12

11

Cinefest

Her, March 31-April 6

FREE for GSU students, faculty & staff with ID. Guests $3 before 5 p.m. & $5 at 5 p.m. & after.

Last Life in the Universe, April 7-13

Film Theater

PantherPalooza Spring Concert

S

Panther X Change

6-9 p.m.

Unity Plaza

Student Media Leadership Applications Due by 5:15 p.m.

Interested in holding a position in Student Media?

3

See deta

7

Sat-Sun

Friday

M-F: 11 a.m., 1:15 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 6 p.m., 8:30 p.m.

S-S: 1 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 6 p.m. . ' Q N Q N Q N t 4 4 Q N Q N

Goodbye Dragon Inn, April 7-13

. ' B N Q N Q N t 4 4 Q N Q N

MICHELE NORRIS THE

DISTINGUISHED

SPEAKER APRIL 5 PantherPalooza- - - - - - - - - - Sports Arena, 7 p.m.

7

What’s Up GSU?- - - - - - - - - - Unity Plaza, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

9

Battle of the DJ’s- - - - - - - - - Unity Plaza, 6-9 p.m.

10 11 12

Center Ballroom, Panther X Change- - - - - - - - Student 7-10 p.m.

Student Center Ballroom Beach Panther Prowl- - - - - and Recreation Center , 7 p.m.-2 a.m.

R.E.M. Fashion Show- - - - - - Sports Arena, 7 p.m.

GSU NIGHT

SI X FatLAGS F R ID A Y

APRIL 25

6 p.m.-

Midnight

TICKETS

R BUY EARLY FO DISCOUNTS!

FAMILY AND

FR

ME IENDS WELCO

2013-2014

3

SERIES

FREE ThursDAy, April 3

p.m.

Student Center Ballroom

$ZDUG ZLQQLQJ MRXUQDOLVW 0LFKHOH 1RUULV LV WKH ÀUVW African-American female host of National Public Radio and a former correspondent for ABC News from 1993 to 2002. Norris has received numerous awards for her work, including an Emmy Award and a Peabody Award for her contributions to ABC’s coverage of 9/11. She has also reported for the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times. Her best-selling book, The Grace of Silence: A Memoir, was praised as one of the best books of 2010 by The Christian Science Monitor.

Followed by BOOK SIGNING

studentevents.gsu.edu

‡ FDPSXVHYHQWV@gsu.edu Facebook and Twitter: gsucampusevents

GEORGIA STATE SPORTS ARENA GEORGIA STATE STUDENTS WITH I.D. 5*$,&54 0/ 4"-& "5 $".164 5*$,&54 */ 5)& 6/*7&34*5: $&/5&3 Ĺ­ .0/%": '3*%": a.m. a.m.

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Campus Events Director Applications

Applications Posted: March 3 Applications Due: April 7 Interviews: April 17 & 18 Applications and more information available at studentevents.gsu.edu