The Colonnade, April 19, 2022

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The Official Student Newspaper of Georgia College April 19, 2022

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Baldwin man found not guilty of professor’s murder Jennifer Crider

Contributing Writer On April 8, a jury in Baldwin County found the man charged with murdering a renowned UGA entomology professor not guilty on all charges.

Marianne Shockley was found dead in a hot tub on May 11, 2019.

Shockley’s boyfriend of a

year, Marcus Lillard, was arrested for this murder.

Around 7 P.M., Shockley and Lillard visited their friend, Dr. Clark Heindel, at Heindel’s Baldwin County residence. At approximately 11 P.M. Shockley was strangled to death.

“We know it wasn’t an intentional murder.

They were on marijuana and ecstasy in a hot tub.

It was a sexual encounter that went wrong,” said Adam Lamparello, assistant professor of criminal justice.

When the police arrived, Heindel gave them a brief statement. Then, he returned inside and took his own life with a handgun. Heindel left a note that stated he did

They were on marijuana and ecstacy in a hot tub. it was a sexual encounter that went wrong.

-Adam Lamparello

See TRIAL | Page 3

Marcus Lillard

Marianne Shockley

Tugging in the right direction

Courtesy of Jennifer Flory

The Musical Theatre Scenes class performing a tune from “Six.”

Zeal of “Women on Fire” Marissa Marcolina | Digital Media Editor

Pike celebrates their tug of war win against Kappa Sig on Friday, April 8.

Phi Mu and Pi Kappa Alpha win in Greek Week’s most intense event after three-year hiatus Kate Verity Staff

L

riter

ast weekend, Greek Week kicked off and brought back one of its most popular events from the past: the tug of war competition. Tug has not happened since 2019, when the current seniors were freshmen. The two-year hiatus was largely due to COVID-19 precautions.

Th s competition is no lighthearted tug of war game. GC’s eight sororities and seven fraternities pick out their teams months in advance and create rigorous schedules that include workouts, conditioning and frequent practices.

The competition takes place sitting in a row of ruts that were dug out in the disc golf course at West Campus. Ten members of each team

sit down in these ruts and wear cleats to have the best stability in the mud. Each team has their brothers or sisters walking along the line, calling out when to pull, hold or lay back on the rope. The sides then try to work their way backward in the ruts in order to pull the rope far enough in their direction without slipping or losing their footing.

In 2019, the winners of tug were the men of the Kappa Alpha Order and the ladies of Phi Mu. For the 2022 Greek Week tug, Phi Mu won fi st place once again.

Jessie Deyo is senior Phi Mu who competed as a freshman in 2019.

To compete one more time and win again before graduation meant so much to her that she was holding back tears.

“We won four years See TUG | Page 4

NEWS | PG. 3

DECLINING USG ENROLLMENT A few years after the largest freshman class in University history, GC has begun to experience declining enrollment, a trend that’s struck universities across the state.

Marissa Marcolina | Digital Media Editor

Students participate in the tug of war competition on Friday, April 8.

Rebecca Meghani Asst. Arts & Life Editor The GC Department of Theatre and Dance is everchanging with the diversity of students that enter the program every year. With the constant movement in the department, there comes a different pool of talent for the department to tap into with each performance that they put on. A fraction of the talent that comes from this department is the Musical Theatre Scenes class. They perform an annual concert based off musical theatre. Th s year, the theme was “Women on Fire.” Students performed scenes from the musicals “The Spitfi e Grill,” “Little Women,” “Mean Girls” and “Six.” The concert focused on the women presented in these musicals to tell their stories from a different perspective from the foreground of the main storyline.

“When you think about most musical theatre, women are there for the purpose of falling in love and I

wanted to think outside the box,” said Dana Gorzelany-Mostak, director of the concert. “‘Six’ is essentially a reimagining of the life of Henry the Eighth. The point of the musical is that people tell Henry’s story and the women are the window decoration to his story but they are really talented, passionate, interesting women in their own right. The musical explores, ‘what if Henry wasn’t in the center, what if women were at the center? ’” The ideas showcased in these performances come from how women are viewed within the storylines of the musicals. The class took individual characters out from their purpose in the plot to showcase their desires and accomplishments that they have made as women.

“We took the concept of ‘women on fi e’ that are dealing with passion and love but also their own path,” said Megan Ostrat, senior music education major. “Like in ‘Little Women,’ we have Jo trying to fi d her way out

SPORTS | PG. 4

ARTS & LIFE | PG. 7

BASEBALL SWEEPS CLAFLIN

MUSIC MID-DAY

The GC men’s baseball team swept Claflin Friday April 15 and Saturday April 16 with a 3-0 home series victory over a conference opponent.

See FIRE | Page 7

Student Life has launched “Music Mid-day” a musical open mic on the patio next to the campus Chick-Fil-A open to all faculty and staff Wednesdays at noon.

2

KATIE FUTCH, NEWS EDITOR JAYLON BROOKS, ASST. NEWS EDITOR

04.19.22

NEWS

New bill looks to make insulin cheaper nationwide Andrew Oldham Staff

riter

A bill named the Affordable Insulin Now Act recently passed through the House of Representatives with little resistance at the end of March. Th s bill, which awaits passage through

of the 37 million Americans living with diabetes.

The Affordable Insulin Now Act benefits insured diabetics, saving them hundreds or even thousands a year on out-ofpocket medical expenses.

Despite its effortless path through the House of Representatives, the

Courtesy of David Moruzzi

the Senate, would limit the out-of-pocket cost of insulin to only $35 a month for those who are insured through Medicare or private insurance companies.

Th s bill, which was originally proposed by President Biden in his State of the Union address, would benefit a signifi ant proportion

bill is likely to encounter heavy resistance in an evenly split Senate, as support for the bill falls along party lines. GC Professor of Economics and Finance Cullen Wallace believes that it is unlikely the bill will pass in its original form as proposed by Senator Warnock (D-Ga.). It will require bipartisan col-

laboration to develop a version of the bill both parties would agree on.

“Th s bill is very unlikely to pass in its house form as proposed by Senator Warnock (R-Ga.).

However bipartisan efforts are currently being made by Senator Collins (R-Me.) and Senator Shaheen (D-N.H.) to work on a bill that will address the insulin prices. It will be very interesting to see what they can come up with.” says Wallace.

Due to the current filibuster in the Senate, 60 votes will be needed to pass the Affordable Insulin Now Act. Th s hurts the bill’s chances of getting passed, unless major revisions are made, and Senator Collins can swing Republican support toward the bill.

Th s bill is strongly opposed, not only by Republicans, but insurance companies as well.

Th s is largely due to the fact that the bill does not address the cost of insulin itself; it only reduces the cost of insulin to the patient. Th s will

shift the expenses that were previously covered by individuals to health insurance companies.

Wallace speculates that insurance companies will address the new expenses placed on them by raising customer premiums, so they can maintain a similar level of profi ability. He says “The actual price of insulin has not been touched. Th s bill will essentially force insurance companies to pay more for insulin…as a result it is expected that insurance companies will raise premiums.”

Despite the intense opposition to the bill from Republicans and the risk of its passing raising premiums for insured Americans nationwide. It appears that this bill will greatly benefit insulin dependent diabetics in a variety of ways.

According to current statistics from the Kaiser Family Foundation, the consumer price cap enacted by the bill would result in a median savings of $20 per month for

the 25% of diabetics who currently pay more than $35 monthly for insulin.

Currently 25% of insulin users skip or ration insulin doses, due to the cost, which can mitigate the effectiveness of the insulin’s ability to keep a person’s blood sugar near normal levels. Reducing the cost of insulin may curb this unsafe practice.

Th s bill appears to have gained support from GC students who live with diabetes. “I pay $1400 each month for insulin with my insurance,” said GC junior biology major Addison Clark, who has a positive opinion of the bill “Type 1 Diabetes is one of the most expensive diseases someone can have and often forces some people to have to make a decision to either pay bills and not go hungry or to be able to buy supplies to be able to function and live a healthy life. I hope that this bill passes; it has so much potential to save lives!”

“As a Type 1 Diabetic, I defin tely believe

Explained: Elon Musk offers to buy Twitter Katie Futch News Editor Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced late last week that he wants to buy Twitter. He has claimed that he wants to restore the social media platform’s commitment to “free speech.”

Musk has insisted that he is not interested in making money from Twitter. Rather he said his motivation is to have a “public platform that is maximally trusted and broadly inclusive.” He continued, saying that it is “extremely important to the future of civilization.”

Twitter has a long history of suspending accounts for violating the terms and conditions.

These standards prohibit violence, hate speech and harmful misinformation.

Musk has repeatedly said he wants to unlock Twitter’s “extraordinary potential.” However, others are skeptical. Many are accusing Musk of purchasing Twitter for a publicity stunt or are questioning how he can come up with nearly $42 billion for this deal.

Despite Musk being the world’s wealthiest man according to Forbes, much of his wealth is in Tesla stock.

He owns approximately

17% of Tesla, according to FactSet. That is valued at more than $1 trillion. He also owns his privately held space company, SpaceX. So, it is unclear what Musk’s true monetary value is.

While the $42 billion offer is more than Twitter’s current valuation of approximately $34.4 billion, a transaction like this will require more than just a high bid. It will require careful analysis of investor feedback about the company’s future if this purchase is accepted.

“I’m not sure I’ll actually be able to acquire it (Twitter),” Musk admitted on Thursday afternoon about the deal.

VOLUME 99 | NO. 9

Th s is not a way to make money.

-Elon Musk Others have accused Musk of purchasing Twitter to make money. He repeatedly denied this statement.

“Th s is not a way to make money,” Musk said on Thursday at a live TED Talk. “My strong intuitive sense is that having a public platform that is maximally trusted and broadly inclusive is

extremely important to the future of civilization.”

As for Twitter, its next steps are uncertain. They need to hire bankers and lawyers to review Musk’s deal.

Scott Kesler, a Thi d Bridge technology, media and telecom analyst, said that this deal might arouse other possible buyers.

“It seems that if would-be buyers and/or fi ancial buyers are interested in Twitter, they should probably engage now,” Kesler said in an interview with Time.com.

Musk has called this his “best and fi al offer.”

He has also vowed to reconsider his 9% stake in

@GCSUnade

this bill will help people,” said GC senior education major Rosalyn Bosarge, who supports the bill, but also believes that it has limitations “The proposed bill caps insulin only for people with insurance, and a lot of the issue with insulin rationing is with people who are uninsured and are paying thousands of dollars for one vial of insulin. So, I think it’s great, but it defin tely should extend to those without insurance as well.”

Bosarge brings up an important limitation of the Affordable Insulin Now Act. The bill does nothing to address the inflated costs of insulin for the 20% of diabetics who are uninsured.

These people can still expect to pay between $330 to $1000 for monthly doses of insulin even if this legislation passes.

Th s bill is expected to reach the Senate agenda in the near future and will play a critical role in shaping inter party relations and cooperation in the coming months.

the company if his bid is rejected. But several analysts are having a hard time believing he won’t budge. Musk recently rejected a seat on Twitter’s board of directors and then tweeted a string of insults about the company to his 81 million followers. He may need to reconsider his goal of sole ownership of the company. Instead, he says that he will structure the deal around a consortium of shareholders.

“We’ll try to bring along as many shareholders as we’re allowed to,” Musk said.

@TheColonnade

Editorial Board Eric Boyd............................Editor-in-Chief Wendy Cravey..................Managing Editor Katie Dean.........................Art Director Katie Futch........................News Editor Jaylon Brooks...................Asst. News Editor Ben Grunert......................Sports Editor Hayden Flinn....................Asst. Sports Editor Lilyana Kovacheva........ Arts & Life Editor Rebecca Meghani..........Asst. Arts & Life Editor Marissa Marcolina.........Digital Media Editor Carrie Grace Irwin......... PR Manager Rob Trotter.........................Ad Sales Manager William Burke...................Faculty Adviser

*All Opinion columns are the opinion of the columnist, not of The Colonnade.

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Contact thegcsucolonnade@gmail.com for more.

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3

KATIE FUTCH, NEWS EDITOR JAYLON BROOKS, ASST. NEWS EDITOR

04.19.22

NEWS

Enrollment in USG schools declines Schools across the country are experiencing declining applications and enrollments. Are USG schools experiencing the same thing?

Hannah Adams Staff

riter

M

Marissa Marcolina |Digital Media Editor

Mayfair Hall, located on the corner of W. Hancock Street, is home to GC’s office f admissions.

any smaller Georgia colleges have struggled with declining enrollment. GA educators believe this to be a repercussion of decreasing birthrates and fewer students receiving high school diplomas. These outlying factors have begun impacting universities as those who do not get their diplomas cannot attend college.

Out of six USG schools, East Georgia State has experienced declines in enrollment greater than 20% within the past five years.

Th s problem has not escaped GC, as the admissions department announced via Instagram that the admissions deadline has been extended for this year.

It was only a few years ago that GC saw its largest freshman class in university history. Now, this statement has been released, and it is possible that GC is experiencing some major declines in enrollment. GC admissions offic employee Jillian Bolak shed light about the GC recruitment process as well as how the drops in enrollment have impacted GC. “During the past two years of COVID related disruptions, prospective students have had limited access to the SAT and ACT; the University

System of Georgia announced they were lifting standardized test requirements from system institutions with the exception of the top three most selective univer-

sities,” Bolak said. “As a selective institution, GC employs a holistic admissions review process to identify prospective students who demonstrate a high likelihood that they will be successful in meeting their goals and aspirations here at GC. In order to provide students more time to submit standardized test scores and to allow them to submit the April 2 ACT results, we extended the application deadline.”

ors are assigned by county, this approach allows us to build relationships with students, parents and counselors in our recruitment territories,” Bolak said. “We travel to high schools, attend college fairs and host events in our designated areas. Currently, total freshman applications for fall of 2022 are on record pace, with more than 5,600 applicants.”

For many currently enrolled GC students,

management major Ian Frager said he wanted to stay in the state while attending college. That was a major factor that contributed to him attending GC. “I chose GC because I wasn’t going to go out of state, and of the schools in Georgia I got into, GC seemed like it had enough going on to keep me interested while also keeping me on task,” Frager said.

Frager also gave his opinion about the possi-

er said. “Also, with how expensive it’s getting to attend college, affordability might be a larger contributing factor.

I’d say working towards a more affordable education and reassuring students the value of a college degree would benefit schools seeing a decline in enrollment.”

Frager is not the only GC student to appreciate the balance of social and school life in Milledgeville, as GC junior and

Trial

in the hot tub. He claims that during those two hours he was taking a walk to clear his head.

“Even if he wasn’t doing the strangulation, he didn’t call the police for 90 minutes.

Even if you aren’t the person who did the killing, you can still legally be charged with that crime,” Lamparello said.

The police interviewed six of Lillard’s previous sexual partners, and most of them said that he enjoyed consensually choking them during sexual intercourse. Heindel’s sex-

ual partners were also interviewed, and they all confi med that Heindel had never choked them.

“We know from half of Lillard’s ex-girlfriends that he was into choking his sexual partners.

However, there were other ex-girlfriends that said he never did this,” Lamparello said. “When you combine these confli ting testimonies with a witness who is dead, it leads to uncertainty, and this is a recipe for unreasonable doubt.”

Lillard’s defense team used this unreasonable doubt to their ad-

vantage. They claimed that Heindel drugged the couple, and Lillard was taking a walk in the woods while Heindel strangled Shockley.

“You have a second person that was at the scene that committed suicide. To the jury, it looks like an act of consciousness of guilt,” Liles said. “We will never know if he had a guilty conscience or not, but a good attorney will use that as evidence.”

Because the victim was in a body of water, there was not a lot of physical evidence to

convict Lillard with.

The jury of 12 took approximately 35 minutes to decide that Lillard was not guilty of felony murder, aggravated assault or reckless conduct.

“It wasn’t an intentional murder, and it likely happened during a sexual encounter,” Lamparello said. “There is one person dead and one person alive, so everything the jury knows is based on Lillard’s story.”

Although Lillard was acquitted, he still remains in custody. Lillard was on probation for a previous drug charge.

Continued from page 1 the guilt of being there at the time of her death.

“The fi st thing a police office should do when they’re called to a crime scene is secure the scene,” said Alesa Liles, assistant professor of criminal justice. “You defin tely don’t let someone go back to the scene.

That was a major mistake by Baldwin County.”

Lillard called the police to report the incident two hours after she was found unconscious

Bolak described the recruitment process for the admissions offic employees and what the number typically looks like from year to year.

“Admissions counsel-

it is the atmosphere and smaller dynamic of the school that interests them and plays a considerable influence in them choosing GC. GC senior and business

ble enrollment decrease, and how some of these issues could be amended.

“More people are starting to think that a college degree isn’t all that necessary,” Frag-

Marissa Marcolina | Digital Media Editor

business management major Bobby Norman experienced a similar fascination with Milledgeville and the university.

“I had opportunities to visit my sister who went here, and she and the rest of GC showed how nice the campus is and how there’s a perfect balance between social life and school life,” Norman said. “You can have fun and party, but when you need to get stuff done you have the time and not as many temptations to go out or be somewhere else when you need to study.”

The GC admissions offic also played a factor in Norman’s choice to attend GC in the fall of 2019.

“They said at the beginning of our freshman year only a certain number of freshmen are selected to come to GC,” Norman said. “The effect of it being accepted by a certain number of people made it feel like even more of an accomplishment.”

Despite the rumors of a drastic drop in enrollment at GC, the numbers remain stable and consistent. Perhaps this is a result of the campus environment and the good reputation that GC continues to uphold. It seems that GC has been able to recover from the limitations of this decline and enrollment numbers are back to a consistent level.

Judge Alison T. Burelson, the judge in this case, felt as if Lillard had violated his probation at the time of the murder.

“So, I do fi d by the ponderance of the evidence that you violated probation in the manner alleged in the petition, and I’m going to revoke your probation for the balance of this sentence, which

runs

through

Oct.15, 2030,” Burelson said in an article in the Morgan County Citizen.

4 BEN GRUNERT, SPORTS EDITOR HAYDEN FLINN, ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

04.19.22

SPORTS PHOTOS BY MARISSA MARCOLINA DIGITAL MEDIA EDITOR Left & below: Brothers of Pi Kappa Alpha look on as members of the fraternity compete in tug of war on Friday, April 8.

It’s honestly amazing. Th s is the one event I look forward to every year.

-Grayson True

Above: Delta Zeta gets in the tug of war ruts in hold position as their sisters cheer on Friday, April 8.

Right: Sisters of Kappa Delta cheer on Kappa Sig as they compete in tug of war on Friday, April 8.

TUG

Continued from page 1 ago as well, so I was just a freshman then, and I was on the same winning lineup against Delta Zeta,” Deyo said. “So it’s nice to be able to carry that out four years later, especially when we didn’t have two years in between to kind of work it out.”

Although Kappa Alpha put up a strong effort, they were not able to win it all once more. Among the fraternities, the 2022 winners of tug were the men of Pi Kappa Alpha.

Grayson True is a senior Pi Kappa Alpha and the only one on his team who took part in the 2019 tug competition.

He found this year’s competition “shorter,” and he was happy to be able to compete once more.

“It’s honestly amazing,” True said. “Th s

is the one event I look forward to every year.”

Both Deyo and True agree that Greek Week and events like tug serve as great bonding experiences between them and the other members of their Greek organization.

“Sororities can have a tendency to be super big, so it’s nice to be able to make that connection smaller through a team,” Deyo said.

Showing more stoicism, True agreed completely.

The freshmen on campus got to experience their very fi st Greek Week and witness the revival of tug all at once.

Breeze Boatright is a freshman and a member of Delta Gamma.

Although her sorority did not win tug, she

enjoyed participating.

“I had a lot of fun,” Boatright said. “After doing it, I now know what we can do that’s better and things that we’ll work on, and the same goes for all of the other sports and events.”

Boatright explained that their team had two seniors who competed in 2019, but that the rest of the team was brand new. Inexperience was a recurring theme among the Greek Week participants this year.

Due to COVID-19, current sophomores and juniors have only ever experienced a Greek Week with restrictions in place and without tug.

Next year, the teams will have much more experience and preparation.

Above: Alpha Gamma Delta competes in tug of war on Friday, April 8.

Left: Sisters of Phi Mu celebrate as they win their second consecutive Greek Week tug of war on Friday, April 8.

TH E

final

5

BEN GRUNERT, SPORTS EDITOR HAYDEN FLINN, ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

04.19.22

SPORTS

GC Score Recap

MENS TENNIS

BASEBALL

3

Home Series

0

SOFTBALL

3

7

0

Away

WOMENS WOMENS TENNIS TENNIS

0

5

2

Away

Home Series

Katie Dean | Art Director

GOLF

8th at PBC Championship

GC Baseball sweeps Claflin t home Hayden Flinn

the fourth inning and five

Asst. Sports Editor The GC baseball team swept region foe Claflin University in a threegame home series this past weekend. The Bobcats played two games Friday August 15 and had their Senior Day game Saturday

August

16.

The Bobcats took the fi st two games with ease, winning 7-2 in Game 1 and 10-1 in Game 2 thanks to two high-powered offensive performances.

The

Bobcats

hit a total of three home

runs in the fi h inning.

Redshirt junior Jacob Hester got the ball for Game 3. Hester picked up the win for the Bobcats, going five innings, giving up five hits, no runs, and striking out two. Hester picked up his third win on the year.

Even after two stellar performances from the offense, the Bobcats’ hot bats continued to rake as the team would go on to hit four more home runs in Game 3, two of which

Olivia Wilson | Staff hotographer

GC sophomore John Hale steps up to the plate Friday April 15 during a home win over Claflin

er also leads the team

center from Austin Hol-

scored two runs in the

in hitting with a .367

loway drove in the Bob-

eighth inning and three

batting average. Palmer

cats’ fi h run of the game.

runs in the ninth in-

Sapp also doubled down

In the bottom of the

ning. However, their ef-

the left fi ld line to score

seventh,

Brown’s

fort came just three runs

Cam Hill for the Bobcats’

hot night continued as

short of tying the game.

third run of the game.

he hit his second ho-

Redshirt senior Paul

The Bobcats pushed

mer on the night over

Grazzini put an end to

across a run in back-to-

the right-fi ld fence to

the Panthers’ momen-

Brandon

back innings in the third

put the Bobcats up 6-0.

tum after his two-run

cats scored three runs in

Bellfl wer both hit two

and fourth. In the third,

After Hester depart-

homer in the bottom

the second inning, one

solo homers in the fi st

Ben Tuten hit a sacrifice

ed from the mound, the

of the eighth inning to

in the third, two in the

inning. Both Bellfl wer

fly to left fi ld, scoring

Panthers made one last

seal the victory for GC.

fourth, and one in the

and Brown lead the team

Brandon Bellfl wer from

fi al push for a come-

Grazzini currently leads

fi h. In Game 2, the Bob-

with seven home runs

third base. In the fourth,

back in the fi al two

the team in RBIs with

cats scored three runs in

on the season. Bellfl w-

an RBI single to right

innings. The Panthers

32 on the season and is

runs in Game 1. Brandon Bellfl wer, Palmer Sapp,

came from redshirt-senior infi lder KC Brown.

and Sam Sly all hit hom-

The team broke the

ers during the victory.

game open early. KC

In Game 1, the Bob-

Brown

and

KC

fourth in hitting with a .327 batting average.

With their fi h series sweep of the season, GC improved to 24-15 overall and 17-8 at home. The Bobcats currently sit at 2nd place in the PBC standings, and they will continue their spring campaign Tuesday April 19 when they host West Georgia.

6 LILYANA KOVACHEVA, A&L EDITOR REBECCA MEGHANI, ASST. A&L EDITOR

04.19.22

ARTS & LIFE

Why I think Milledgville should be your next home:

8 Reasons you should live out your college years in Milledgeville Lilyana Kovacheva A&L Editor In many ways going off to college is a blessing and a curse. You get to fi d out who you are and discover new passions and new friends. Yet, before you’re able to do so you’re burdened with the challenge of fi ding the correct place where your path is going to start off.

The fi st time I ever visited Milledgeville was the spring semester of my sophomore year in high school, over six years ago. It didn’t take long for me to fall in love with the beauty of the city.

There weren’t really any students around since it was still early in the year, and they were on break. Despite the city being the opposite of everything I knew from my hometown, Milledgeville stole my heart and I’m glad I chose to stay.

Since my freshman year in 2018, I have continuously been reminded why I chose to study at GCSU and live in Milledgeville.

Here are 10 reasons why I think you should choose Milledgeville as your next home: 1.

Milledgeville

Courtesy of Lezro Aerial Productions

only has a population of about 17,000 and GC has a population of over 6,000.

I can’t speak for everyone but since moving to Milledgeville I’ve sat in less traffi in the past four years than I ever have my entire life living in the Metro-Atlanta area. Fewer people mean less time in lines, and less time spent looking for parking spots (this applies to spots off- ampus).

2. Theamount of time it takes to walk from

one place to another Why waste time fi ding parking when everything is within minutes of each other. In 30 minutes, you could go to class, run to the bookstore to pick up textbooks, hop over to Buffington’s for a quick lunch to-go, and make it back to campus. All while walking!

3. Amount of time it takes to drive!

If you thought walking took up little time, well so will driving! An errand to Walmart and a stop at Starbucks won’t take

up much of your time. sunsets 4.

The in Milledgeville Try beating beautiful sunsets over grassy hills with nothing but the birds and cows in the background. You can’t. That’s exactly what Milledgeville can get you.

Th s scenic spot is located off GA-212 in Milledgeville, after watching one sunset there you’ll never be the same.

5.

The community downtown Home isn’t just a physical location. It’s

also where the people that make you feel at home are. Those people are everywhere in Milledgeville. The bartenders downtown learn your name and make you feel special. Faces become familiar and everyone soon becomes a comforting face that you see around town.

6.

Milledgeville antique shops Want to score a good deal on a Budweiser wall clock? Try the antique shops downtown

Top 5 Netflix shows streaming right now Emily Schulte Staff riter

Netflix is a very large tv and movie platform.

With many shows and movies being added on Netflix weekly, it can be hard to discover all the new and popular shows and movies coming out.

If you are looking for something new to watch, these are the current most popular shows on Netflix as of April 13.

Standing at number one is a new Netflix reality series called “The Ultimatum: Marry or Move on.” Th s new series is a dating show where couples go one and test their love. They split up, meet other couples, and must decide whether they want to stay with their partner and marry them or break up with their current partner and move on with the new person they met on the show. New episodes are released weekly. Th s show is good to watch for those who enjoy reality show drama. It is interesting because they touch on some real couple issues. It is hard to tell if this show is worth watching because although the fi st episode does catch your atten-

tion, it feels like just another reality dating show. Th s show is great for those who enjoy dating shows, reality shows, drama, and relationships.

The second most popular series right now is another Netflix original called “Bridgerton,” which just released its second season. It is a show set during the Regency era in England and is about eight very close siblings of the Bridgerton family attempting to fi d love. “Bridgerton” is a great show that is a hit with many. It is based in the Victorian era but also includes modern aspects,

watching if you are looking for a show to binge.

Th s is a show that you need to pay attention to understand the plot.

Sitting at number three on this week’s list is a show called “Queen of the South,” which just recently came out with its fi h and fi al season.

Th s is show is about a woman named Teresa Mendoza, who falls in love with a member of a big drug cartel, hoping love will fill the hopelessness she feels in her life. She is forced to fl e and seek refuge in the USA when her boyfriend is murdered. There, she

organization, becoming highly successful and wealthy in the process.

Th s show has a great representation of a woman being the boss of a cartel, which is usually ran by a man. Th s show is great for those who love action and female empowerment.

“Better Call Saul” is a show that currently has five seasons, with the sixth coming out April 18, 2022. It is both a prequel and a sequel to the popular series “Breaking Bad.” Th s show about a man once named Jimmy McGill, a sincere lawyer and former con art-

criminal defense attorney. This show is okay to watch but there is nothing too outstanding in the first few episodes that make people want to binge-watch it. It is good for those who were into the “Breaking Bad” franchise and those into dark comedy, drama, and tragedy. It can be hard to understand all the characters if you have never seen “Breaking Bad.” Netflix’s number five this week is “The Call,” a movie originally released in 2013. This movie is about Jordan, an operator for an emergency call-center, who one day

in Milledgeville. The owners are kind and gentle, they’re excited about the items they have on sale, and you never know when you might just fi d some gold.

7. We don’t have a Willy’s Cantina Grill, we don’t have Moes, but we do have a Barberitos (and Surcheros) Nothing is as delicious as a burrito from Barberitos late at night after you fin shed up a study session at the library. Quick and easy to order, you’ll never even realize how much you miss the other options.

8. GCSU is a D2 to school with great sports teams Sure, we’re not the Dawgs, but who cares?

We’re the Bobcats! With star athletes on all our teams, our school always rallies up some spirit.

Tent City, our biggest school tailgate, ramps up spirits before we go and cheer on our Bobcat Basketball Players There’s no place like home, but once you’ve spent some time getting to know yourself and your surroundings there’s nothing better than feeling at home in Milledgeville.

charge and turns the girl into a partner, and together the two save her life. Th s movie is great to those who love action and Th illers. It is a great movie that pulls the audience fast. The movie has just enough mystery too that you don’t know what will happen next.

Th s movie is worth watching because it can also teach people about what they can do if they are in a similar situation.

The remaining rankings this week on Netflix include “Elite” at number six, which is a Netflix original series, a well-known children’s show called “Cocomelon” in seventh place, another Netflix original series called “Inventing Anna” in eighth place, a show called “Without a Paddle” in ninth, and at number 10, a new baking competition show called “Is It Cake? ” also a Netflix original series.

With Netflix continuing to add new mov-

such as the inclusivity of different races in highly respected positions. It is great for those who like period pieces, romance and drama. It is worth

teams up with a friend from her past to take down the cartel boss that is after her. Teresa ends up starting her own drug distributing

ist, who develops into a new man and takes on the new name of Saul Goodman. Th oughout this show, Goodman turns into a big selfish

decides to go on the front lines and teach others the ropes of the intense job.

But when one of the calls is a teen girl who has been kidnapped, Jordan takes

ies and shows weekly, the top 10 are always changing. You can check out Netfli ’s website or app for its weekly top 10 shows and movies.

7 LILYANA KOVACHEVA, A&L EDITOR REBECCA MEGHANI, ASST. A&L EDITOR

04.19.22

ARTS & LIFE FIRE

Continued from page 1 are showcased to amplify the voices and messages of the women in them through the students’ performances.

“When you get down to it, we all have a fundamental need to feel that our voices are being heard,” Gorzelany-Mostak said. “Each of these shows have different people going about their lives in different ways but I think that’s the strong undercurrent in my opinion. In the end, they all have a song to sing and they want someone to hear it. You see these women trying to fi d a form where their voices are heard.”

With having a class of mostly dominated by women this year, the director wanted to put the students in women centered musicals where they are able to learn through embodying these roles of women because of the attributes that each of the characters have.

“The character of Jo is trying to fi d who Jo is and portraying that character, I found myself using some of her qualities in my life to go for my dreams and using her confide ce and bravery with what I have going on in my life,” Ogletree said.

Each of these musicals had women with their own story that was kept in the background of the main plot that the GC director and performers felt needed to be told because of the message that it portrays. With the Music Theatre Scenes class changing yearly and creating each annual production around the people to showcase the talents that they have, there is the opportunity for the performers to keep presenting understated ideas and themes to the audience that highlight different perspectives on individual, musical stories through performances.

as an independent woman, be a great writer but also the heartbreak back at home with her sister dying, things with Laurie and trying to navigate that world. They’re just a bunch of different, little perspectives of women and how different pathways our lives can go.”

With working on these performances, the students also gained a different perspective on the women showcased in these musicals.

“I would listen to the soundtracks and it was a fun thing to listen to,” said Anna Ogletree, a freshman music therapy major. “After performing it, getting to figu e out that woman perspective, seeing the power within it and feeling the power within the music and the lyrics, I think my perspective did change a little bit on what the message is and how powerful that message is. It’s just about how women can have their own lives and their accomplishments and they don’t have to be defi ed by a man in their life.”

In creating the ideas behind the performances, the director and students wanted to portray a message by which songs and characters that they showed to the audience.

“I hope the audience took away that women can do what they want, that they can accomplish whatever they want to and that they don’t have to be held back or defi ed by stereotypes and standards,” Ogletree said.

“Take away that honestly anyone can do what they want if they put their mind and heart to it. It’s trying to fi d your freedom and being yourself.”

Though musicals presented in “Women on Fire” all had differing plots from each other, there remains similar themes throughout that

Courtesy of Jennifer Flory

The Musical Theatre class’ students performing musical numbers from “Six,” “Mean Girls” and “Little Women.”

Showcasing Milledgeville’s talent Paul O’Neill

student

with common interests.

major focusing on voice

idea to start out and

sic department and was

programs, believes this

“If you’re willing to

among other talents such

meet some other mu-

sold when she heard

The lively campus is

is something that just

stop by and listen you

as guitar, piano and even

sicians,” said Williams.

that her friend, Caro-

one of the many reasons

adds to the community.

might take interest in

a little bit of the drums.

She was not sure

that people fall in love

“Student life is work-

the people around and

with GC. With classic

ing on revamping their

it could build friend-

out

architecture and beau-

media and adding dif-

ships,”

Staff

ordinator

riter

tiful greenery, it is not hard to see why. What separates GC from other colleges in Georgia is the tight knit community.

The Student Life Department

has

begun

a weekly event every Wednesday

at

noon

called Music Mid-day that seeks to engage this GC

community

weekly

music

with perfor-

for

said

Rosen.

found

how this was going to

pro-

go as the initial artist

gram through an email

and worried that it may

Williams about

this

this was not the case.

Rosen. “It just adds an-

“There were a lot of

other factor to the already

faculty and staff that

guitar all the time at

welcoming community.”

came out and started

home and in my free

What is unique about

dancing and also some

time and why not do

this program is how

of my friends came,”

this outside with pret-

any member of the GC

said Williams. “I even

ty weather for people

community

per-

got tipped which was

to

form whether they are

a pretty nice surprise.”

students,

can

faculty

Bella Eclavea, a sopho-

or

staff. By doing this, the event brings the GC

GC student Caroline

Courtesy of GC Student Life

more theatre and philos-

the

de-

ophy double major, also

from

music

has a creative medium

These events allow

to perform in this pro-

as a great opportunity.

music minor and is next

members of the com-

gram and was pleasant-

“I mostly have been

up on Music Mid-day.

on the patio next to the

munity

showcase

ly surprised. Williams

gigging

Chick-Fil-A on campus.

their talents by provid-

is in her second year at

ing a place for people

GC as a music therapy

Sophie

performed

Rosen,

co-

events are and decided

is just one of them,” said

partment and saw it

shows

ciated how casual these

be awkward. However,

Williams was the fi st

ute

formed. Eclavea appre-

ferent events and so this

together.

mances that are 30-min-

line Williams, had per-

community

to

to spontaneously sign up.

“I sing and play my

enjoy

when

they

walk by,” said Eclavea.

Music Mid-day is the perfect way for people to showcase their talents in a friendly, casual environment. It is

similarly

open to students from

where I’m from, and

heard about this pro-

all majors along with

this seemed like a good

gram through the mu-

any faculty and staff.

in

Augusta,

Eclavea

Letters to old me from older me Graduating from college is possibly the most terrifying and perhaps the most exciting thing experienced by seniors in this annual season of new beginnings and moving from one stage of life to another. The later months of senior year are also a time of refl ction as these students look back on the vast growth and change they have experienced over their four years of college. Below is a letter from the seniors of Georgia College to their freshman selves formulated from compiled written submissions from graduating seniors.

William Vanderplanque Contributing Writer