It has been over two and a half weeks since Donald Trump turned himself in at the Fulton County Jail.
Trump and 18 others were indicted in relation to alleged RICO violations in Fulton County due to their efforts to reverse the 2020 election results in Georgia.
This is not Trump’s first surrender to the authorities either. He has turned himself into both local and federal authorities three other times this year in light of various criminal charges brought against him.
According to CNN, in April, Trump was booked in New York on state charges related to a violation of a non-dis-
closure agreement with Stormy Daniels. Two months later, he turned himself into a federal courthouse in Miami, Florida, concerning his supposed mishandling of classified documents seized from his residence in nearby Mar-a-Lago. Earlier this month, he was placed under arrest in the nation’s capital on charges related to his
efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.
GC political science professor Benjamin Clark feels that the various charges against the former President fall on a continuum of varying levels of legitimacy, yielding different conviction likelihoods.. “I think that the New York charges concerning falsifying business records
Hot girl summer? More like Barbie girl summer.as the film’s production progressed. Still, “Barbie” surpassed this budget by accumulating over $500 million worldwide, according to Warner Bros. Studios. The film’s success has impacted not only the success of Mattel’s toy manufacturing but also the conversation on feminism and feminism in film.
Greta Gerwig, best known for taking part in directing films such as 2017’s “Lady Bird” and 2019’s “Little Wom-
en” has added yet another film defining the struggles of women and the perceptions of the world around them.
With the combination of the two themes, portraying women as suppliers within the real world, capable of doing anything – but also meeting the creative works of a renowned female director — the film aims to acknowledge and challenge societal norms. Viewers questioned just how seriously
Dear freshmen,
Paige Blakemore A&L Editor
Margot Robbie as Barbie
the film is to be taken. Of course, those with any understanding of the feminist movement would be adept in extracting themes from the film, applying them to real-life examples of politics and situations of social injustice. However, when asked about the film, children within the age range of six to 12 only happened to capture the vibrant pinks, lights and sounds of the film.
Until now, my family had been my guiding compass down every winding road. Every spare moment and weekend plan revolved around my spontaneous mom and placid older
VOLLY-
brother. The days that followed were met by endless tears and countless phone calls. After each call, I was simultaneously better but also worse than before. I was overjoyed at the sound of my family’s voice from 200 miles away but utterly despondent to the fact that I was not with them.
One year later, I can look back at my freshman self, and I now understand why the transition affected me so deeply. I have come to appreciate the growth within me that it fostered. However, if it were not for the many triumphs and failures as a newly-independent college student, this growth could not have occurred.
GC soccer preseason ranking
Drew Bogumill
Carolina Aiken and Albany State University.
Head coach Jack Marchant is returning for his second season with the Bobcats. He and the team hope to see improvement from last season.
“Jack did a great job recruiting new talented players,” said sophomore forward Sarah Mason.
See BARBIE | Page 8 See FRESHMEN | Page 11 See
The Bobcats finished the 2022 season with an overall record
him into signing a conservatorship.
of 5-8-3. Their record for the Peach Belt Conference was 4-4-2.
GC SOCCER|
federal prosecutors in this case were left with little choice but to proceed with charging him.” OPINION & MISC. | PG. 12 What is the worst off campus student apartment complex in Milledgeville?
Carly
Henderson Staff Writer
GC welcomed one of its largest first-year classes this year, at around 1,800 students. Adding the class of 2027’s large population to GC’s student body has required the university to make accommodations for first and non-first-year students.
Upperclassmen have noticed changes around campus, with the most
notable being the number of students around during school hours.
“I’ve seen more people on campus this semester than I have in the past three years,” said senior Nikki Rogers, a business management major. “It’s obvious that there are more students this year than there have been.”
GC had to make changes to student housing to accommodate the class of 2027. Dorms
and West Campus apartments designated for first-year students did not have the capacity to house the entirety of this freshman class.
The Sorority Leadership Community, more commonly known as the SLC, was a set of apartments on West Campus where sophomore students in sororities were required to live with their sisters; it now houses first-year students.
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He went on to say that the charges in the other two cases fell more in the middle of these two.
Trump is hardly the first to raise questions about the legitimacy of an election that did not play out in his favor. Democrats were quite skeptical of the 2000 election in which Al Gore lost, Hilary Clinton referred to Trump as an “illegitimate” president and Stacey Abrams claimed Brian Kemp was unfairly elected in the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial election, as she claimed that voters were suppressed
in some parts of the state.
“Donald Trump makes these claims of fraud in the 2020 election, and actively drove the narrative around election meddling in the absence of any specific evidence that the 2020 election was fraudulent,” Clark said.
The prevalence and continued advancement of claims that the results of the 2020 election were fraudulent by Trump and his supporters have raised visceral questions about the integrity of our elections. Without faith in our elections, many Americans fall into voting nihilism, where they feel that their vote does not matter,
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which leads to an eroding desire and commitment to democracy and democratic elections.
GC rhetoric professor and Director of Forensics Nathan Bedsole is extremely concerned about the impacts of this cynical view on the 2020 election on voters’ minds concerning their ability to concentrate on the real problems with voting in the American system, especially given that the claims of fraud have not been validated with any objective evidence thus far.
“The impact this conversation about the ‘stolen election’ in Georgia has is that it taps into a very real feeling many
In past years, students going through sorority recruitment had to sign a document stating they would live in the SLC their sophomore year after joining a sorority. This requirement was not enforced for the class of 2026.Upperclassmen who have lived in the SLC think this change could negatively affect younger members of sororities and their relationships.
“I don’t know if the younger girls are going to be as close as the ones who lived at the SLC together are,” said senior Cammi Breitbart, a mass communications major, and member of Phi Mu. “When I lived there, we had everyone all around us all the time, and they won’t get to have that. I met some of my best friends living at
people have in this country: that their vote does not matter,” Bedsole said. “Trump’s ability to tap into this feeling at a national level is effective but distracts Americans from the real issue: that many voters need to be re-enfranchised to counteract the pervasive gerrymandering that has taken the power of their vote away so that they may actually impact elections they participate in.”
Convicting Trump and his codefendants under the RICO statutes, typically used to prosecute people accused of being members of an organized-crime ring, will require proof beyond a reasonable
the SLC and got so much closer with my pledge class because of it.”
Even students that did not enjoy living at the SLC agree that their time living there was important to their relationships with their sisters.
“I thought that the living conditions at the SLC weren’t ideal by any means,” said senior Kelsie Hunt, a public health major, and a Delta Zeta.
“But I do think that it was a great experience I got to have with my pledge class and friends in other sororities that I wouldn’t have been able to have otherwise.”
Some students at GC have had concerns about whether the university will continue to admit large freshman classes to the school.
Struggles with class reg-
doubt that he committed at least two felonies specified in the act.
An anonymous GC professor believes the charges brought against the former President in Fulton County are politically motivated, baseless and difficult to prove under the RICO statutes. He is skeptical of the political ideology of the prosecutor, who is openly liberal, and that Fulton County was selected as the location due to the jury likely being overwhelmingly liberal due to the county’s generally overwhelming left lean.
“Politically motivated charges, such as these, damage the value we should all hold dear,
istration and limited parking on campus are factors that cause worry.
“I think it’s awesome that so many people want to go here and got the chance to do that this year,” said junior Sarah Trask, a chemistry major.
“I just worry about being able to get into the classes I need when it comes time for registration. And where are we all supposed to park? I already had to leave 30 minutes early to get a parking spot last year, and this year it’s been worse.”
The large freshman class has required adjustments from faculty and students alike on campus. More changes made due to the size of the class of 2027 may be seen as the semester progresses.
which is that the rule of law should be impartially administrated and ethically implemented,” said an anonymous GC professor. “The use of the law for political means subverts the principle of objectivity and impartiality that should exist in the law.”
Trump is expected to stand trial for three of the cases early next year, and a few of his codefendants will begin to be prosecuted in October. If convicted before the election, he will be ineligible to serve as president if he were to win the 2024 election.
GC is further investing in students’ mental health by partnering with Christie Campus Health Services to offer a free, 24/7, 365-day-ayear support line for all GC students. By calling 833-855-0085, any student enrolled at GC will be connected and able to talk with a counselor regardless of where they are.
Christie Campus Health is a program designed specifically for “supporting the mental health and wellbeing of college and university students(Christie Campus Health).” They work to remove potential barriers halting students from receiving the health they need.
However, GC is not stopping at bringing in
outside resources but investing in the talented staff already working in Counseling Services at West Campus.
“Over the summer, the therapists at Counseling Services have been preparing by taking relevant Continuing Education courses and discussing our staffing needs to make sure we are ready to meet the increased demand,” said Pamela Jones, Counseling Service therapist.
The support line will connect students with licensed therapists and give them access to a conversation in the moment and the ability to schedule an appointment at GC Counseling Services or an appointment with a third-party therapist.
“I encourage students to keep the number handy even if they reg-
ularly see a counselor at Counseling Services for additional support during the week and especially during the evenings and weekends when Counseling Services is closed,” Jones said.
The University System of Georgia schools has had an active hotline since January 2021, but this line with Christie Campus Health is GC-specific and will offer counseling options specifically to GC students.
Elisabeth Reickert, Director of Counseling at Montserrat College of Art, explains that Christie Campus Health will “augment” the services they offer to “increase the value” of what they can offer in a college-specific setting.
This adaptability certainly aided in GC`s decision to partner with
Christie Campus Health and will allow for the support line to be even more beneficial to students. The hotline is not the only addition to GC’s mental health initiative, with other aids being added, such as Therapy Assistance Online and a 24/7 online tool for both students and faculty of GC to utilize.
These newer services will be useful additions to the already-established Counseling Services at the Wellness Center and its connections with other on-campus entities, such as the Culture Center, Student Disability Resource Center, GIVE Center and the various LGBTQ+ programs.
Jones also spoke about the extra training Counseling Services therapists at GC participate in to better the
students’ experience.
“We are also connecting with the Office of Inclusive Excellence to take part in the Inclusive Leadership certification program that they are offering for continued professional development around the issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion to meet the mental health needs of the larg-
est and most diverse class of freshmen in school history, in addition to the needs of returning students,” Jones said.
Counseling Service workers and GC office employees have done a lot of extra work in preparation for this school year and beyond, and they are ready to see you.
Gun-related violence has become regular headlining news in the United States.
On Monday, Aug. 28, there was a shooting on the campus of UNC at Chapel Hill.
One person, Zijie Yan, was killed in the incident. Many people were relieved that the gunman, identified as graduate student Tailei Qi, was stopped before any other people were injured or killed.
The past two years have seen school shootings with high fatalities in instances like the infamous Nashville and Uvalde attacks. “Education Week” is a K-12 education-related news reporting organization that keeps a record each year of school shooting-related injuries and deaths.
According to their records, 2023 has seen 28 school shootings
involving injuries or deaths, with 29 people injured and 15 people losing their lives.
Olivia DeRosa is a junior mass communications major and former political science major, and she sees something wrong with living in a world where this level of violence is something people accept.
“The other issue is that, somehow, amongst the amount of shootings and children that are dead, lawmakers have yet to pass stricter gun laws restricting access to guns,” DeRosa said. “The last gun law we passed was in 2022, and before that, the Second Amendment hadn’t been touched since 1994.”
DeRosa knows that a campus shooting is a real possibility and that it is something she must be prepared for.
“We have a new school shooting what
feels like every month, and because we have them so frequently, it has become a part of life,” DeRosa said. “As a student, I have an exit plan, and it’s something I have to think about.”
Many people experience some degree of desensitization towards these acts of violence. With mass shootings becoming something more commonplace in the U.S., to many individuals, hearing about them on the news is no longer as shocking or as heartbreaking as it might have once been. But, according to Associate Professor of Psychology Dr. Whitney Heppner, this is not due to a lack of empathy among people. It is a psychological adaptive response.
“It’s a normal process for humans to adapt to situations that they’re in,” Heppner said. “And so it would actually be much more detrimen-
tal if I’m hearing about a school shooting on the news and I’m having a major emotional reaction every single time. It’s actually less adaptive than if I eventually blunt my emotional response to that a little bit.”
Heppner is concerned for students growing up in an environment with intruder drills and potential firsthand exposure to gun violence. However, she said that she also carries an amount of concern for the educators who must protect and shield their
students from these assaults. Teachers bear the responsibility to keep their students safe while at school, and the role of boarding up your classroom and protecting thirty or so adolescents from a gunman takes a definite toll on one’s mental health.
Mason Heard is a junior majoring in middle-grade education. He knows that, one day, the responsibility to protect a roomful of children may fall to him.
“It is really scary, ‘cause it’s like, why
should such an easy job – you know, teaching students – why should it be so dangerous?” Heard said.
“Even though it hasn’t happened close to home for me, it still makes me very nervous as a teacher.”
The number of shootings in the U.S. each year is on the rise, as it has been for many years now. The weight of living in a world prepared for violent crime takes its toll on everyone in the classroom, regardless of age or role.
Kate Verity News
There have been more mass shootings than days in 2023
As GC students wave goodbye to the summer of 2023 and return to campus to prepare for another academic year, it seems appropriate to recap the significant events that occurred during the break. This summer unraveled a diverse array of events that turned many heads. From wildfires to Supreme Court rulings, here is a brief look into the most notable events of this past summer.
On June 30, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected President Biden’s suggestion of gifting up to $20,000 in relief to millions of citizens struggling with student loan debt. Republican-majority states claim the program is an unlawful endeavor to expunge around $430 billion in federal student loan debt, using the COVID-19 pandemic as a distraction. The program, if enacted, would have helped borrowers who make less than $125,000 a year. However, the court’s ruling means citizens targeted by Biden’s program will not receive benefits.
Hawaiian Wildfires:
August’s COVID-19 Surge:
Many are worrying about rising COVID cases and hospitalizations across the U.S. A Kentucky school district canceled in-person classes after many of its students contracted COVID less than two weeks into the school year, and cases in New York have been slowly rising since July. First Lady Jill Biden contracted COVID within the past week, experiencing mild symptoms. The CDC recorded 12,613 hospitalizations the week of Aug. 12, when only 10,370 were hospitalized the previous week. The Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, hopes to approve a new booster vaccine as soon as possible to keep citizens healthy. Experts blame the newest variant of COVID, EG.5, for the spike this summer. However, they are urging citizens not to panic and sharing how to protect themselves and others from contracting it.
Titanic Submersible: A Shocking Tragedy:
On June 18, an OceanGate submersible attempting to explore the infamous Titanic shipwreck unexpectedly imploded. The vessel went missing around an hour and 45 minutes after its descent, which began at 8 a.m. the day of the incident. Before the implosion, the pressure surrounding the submersible increased rapidly, causing it to plummet towards the bottom of the ocean. Five people were on board when the carrier lost its signal and was unable to communicate with its supporting ship, unfortunately resulting in no survivors. After the submersible had been missing for four days, underwater search vehicles found remaining debris from the vessel. This chilling and unforeseen incident not only shocked the world but also highlighted the possible dangers explorers and scientists may face when dealing with the deep sea. It is still unclear what exactly happened, how it lost contact, or where the submersible was before the implosion in relation to the Titanic.
The Wagner Group Rebellion and the Death of Yevgeny Prigozhin:
The leader behind the Wagner Group – a private military company with alleged ties to the Russian government – was presumed dead after a mysterious plane crash near Moscow that occurred on Aug. 23. Russian President Vladmir Putin allied with the Wagner Group and leader Yevgeny Prigozhin during his invasion of Ukraine. However, Prigozhin led a revolt against Russia soon after for reasons of “injustice.” With 10 people on board the plane and no survivors, the crash raised suspicions, given persistent speculation regarding the whereabouts of the Wagner Group’s founder, who had been at the center of a mutiny. This event sparked theories worldwide regarding the cause of the plane crash and potential consequences for their hidden operations.
Supreme Court Ends Affirmative Action:
On June 29, the United States Supreme Court decided to end affirmative action within college admissions in a vote of 6-3. Beginning in 1961, this policy intended to promote college opportunities for minority groups within a society to give equal access to everyone. The ruling sent shockwaves through communities, causing people to debate over the policy and its effect on giving equal chances for education. By declaring that race cannot be a deciding factor in college admissions, admissions offices are forced to develop new systems of admitting students that disregard this factor. Statistics show that 74 percent of Americans think race should not be a deciding factor when it comes to public schools admitting students, with most responding that it was unfair to give minority groups “special preferences.” On the opposite hand, some believe that affirmative action not only benefits minority groups, but all races, by enhancing their educational experiences. President Joe Biden stated he strongly disagreed with the court’s ruling and preferred that colleges choose other options leading to diversity instead.
Towards the beginning of the summer, on May 27, President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy decided to increase the debt ceiling, better understood as the nation’s borrowing limit. A few weeks later, the U.S. once again met its debt limit, which was, at the time, capped at $31.4 trillion. Lawmakers made the choice on June 3 to suspend the debt ceiling until Jan. 1, 2025, to avoid a debt limit breach, which could result in unemployment and a decrease in the economy’s real GDP. Many citizens are concerned about the results of not dealing with the debt limit until it’s too late; however, politicians hope that this suspension will prevent issues during the 2024 presidential election.
On Aug. 8, Hawaii experienced the start of a tragic wildfire that spread rapidly across the island, destroying homes and wildlife. Four fires in total broke out, wrecking over 10.4 square miles of land. Three of the four fires were still causing destruction as of Aug. 27. The cause is still undetermined. However, experts suggest high winds knocked down power lines. A handful of survivors have sued Hawaiian Electric, accusing the company of not using proper equipment that could remain stable during high winds. The wildfires have left at least 96 dead and resulted in over $5.6 billion in damages, becoming the deadliest fire in the U.S. in over a century.
Twitter Becomes X:
Twitter owner Elon Musk has rebranded the memorable bird logo as X, shortly after buying the platform in October 2022. On July 24, he announced his plans to rebrand the app, and soon after, users began updating their apps and noticing the changed name and logo. This change sparked many conversations on the platform, with some users unhappy with the loss of the blue bird logo. Musk stated in a tweet that the ‘X’ represents “imperfections” that make each person unique. Twitter’s blue bird has been globally recognized for over a decade and even had a name: Larry. Some suggest the rebranding could be a cause of the app being on the edge of bankruptcy because of loss in ad revenue in an attempt to draw new users to the app.
Military Veterans Claim Presence of Non-Human ‘Biologics’ from Spacecraft:
In July, three military veterans testified during a Congress hearing claiming that the U.S. government operates a confidential reverse-engineering program with non-human “biologics” from alleged impact areas. A major topic of discussion during the hearing was how the government can improve on reporting UFOs. Despite those who testified, the Pentagon’s inquiries found no evidence of programs related to the reverse-engineering of extraterrestrial objects from the past or present. This highly anticipated hearing had citizens waiting many hours to secure a viewing seat.
Writers Guild of America Strike:
On May 2, the Writers Guild of America, or WGA went on strike as a result of disagreements with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, or AMPTP, Hollywood’s largest film and television studio representative. The WGA urged the AMPTP to reconstruct the unfair labor contracts, and if an agreement could not be met by May 1, they threatened to enact a strike. The strike began a day later after the AMPTP was non-responsive, consisting of over 11,000 screenwriters storming the streets of Hollywood to protest. The strike threatens new seasons of popular shows watched all over, such as “Euphoria,” “Saturday Night Live,” “Stranger Things” and “Cobra Kai,” due to the lack of screenwriters.
U.S. Women’s FIFA World Cup 2023:
The U.S. Women’s FIFA World Cup kicked off on July 20 of this summer, ending exactly a month later, on Aug. 20. The United States Women’s National Team was hoping for a third consecutive world title win at the FIFA Women’s World Cup this year. However, they were unsuccessful against their final opponent, Portugal. Julie Ertz, US women’s soccer star and two-time World Cup winner, announced her retirement after this year’s tournament. Spain’s team was declared the final winner of the tournament after beating England 1-0. In the midst of their on-field celebration, Jorge Vilda, coach of the Spanish team since 2015, was spotted kissing a player without her consent. He was later fired from his position as head coach, controversially stating he thought the decision was “unfair.” In addition, 15 players stepped off the team around a year ago, demanding that Vilda respect their mental health and maintain a more professional environment for all. Only three of the 15 returned to the team for the World Cup.
Hunter Biden Pleads Guilty on Tax Evasion Charges:
Hunter Biden, President Biden’s son, pled guilty to two charges of misdemeanor tax evasion on June 20. Allegedly, Biden secretly avoided paying over $100,000 in federal income taxes from 2017 to 2018 while also possessing a gun and using illegal substances. Biden entered a diversion agreement on a firearm possession charge in addition to pleading guilty to tax evasion. This means Biden could complete a set program to possibly avoid the U.S. criminal justice system regarding his firearm and illegal drug use. His attorney, Chris Clark, states Biden is looking forward to continuing his recovery and moving on from his mistakes.
The rush season is a well-celebrated and much-awaited time of year for all college students. Rush was no different for a transgender student (Artemis Langford) at the University of Wyoming when she was inducted into the sorority Kappa Kappa Gamma.
However, her sorority dreams were dashed when six sorority members filed a lawsuit in March against her and the Kappa Kappa Gamma organization after she was already voted in, claiming there is limited membership for “only women.” The girls claimed that Artemis had “been voyeuristically peeping on them while they were in intimate situations, and, in at least one occasion, had a visible erection while doing so.”
United States district court Judge Alan Johnson dismissed the case on Friday, aug. 29, stat-
ing that the court would not define a “woman” and that the sorority does not explicitly define a woman in its bylaws. He also noted that the school did not violate any policies by having Artemis join.
“It does not say this is the new standard or new rule” said Nicholas Creel, an assistant professor of business law at GC. “The question brought to the judge was whether this person was eligible to join the organization. Furthermore, the judge looked at their bylaws and said, “Hey, you guys do not define a woman, and because you do not, I cannot just bring one in and impose one on you. You guys are a private organization; you guys write your own.”
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 was created to stop discrimination regarding sex, sexual orientation and gender in any education program
or activity receiving federal financial aid.
Under Title IX, fraternities and sororities have the final decision regarding who is admitted. Bylaws of each sorority and fraternity must have some language precisely defining a “man” or “woman” for a case like this to have some kind of validity.
“If they had something there, the judge could start there, but he can’t just create something and impose it,” Creel said. “You guys have to do that yourselves, and there was nothing for him to do as a judge at that point because of the First Amendment freedom-of-association powers.”
Freedom of association is the right to join or leave groups as you please and allows those groups to admit or deny membership based on specific criteria. If the bylaws did define a, “woman” it would be harder for a judge to dismiss the case, and
he or she would have to examine the definition and determine if it applies closely.
“It would be the government imposing on a private organization, who can and can’t get in when they have no definite policy related to, in this case, sexual identity,” Creel said. Gender as a whole is a topic that brings about many debates worldwide. The idea of a “woman” has been questioned for years, but it has not had a definite definition. In the Kappa Kappa Gamma bylaws, there was no definition of a “woman,” and many have had the debate of what constitutes a “woman.”
“Honestly, the idea of women, women’s spaces and the defi-
nition of a woman goes back to the debate that we’ve had in the social sciences for years: nature vs. nurture,” said Dr. Eryn G. Viscarra, Ph.D. a senior lecturer of sociology at GC. “Our definition of what a woman is or isn’t is based on whether we see sex and gender as purely biological or social constructions.
I think the judge, in this case, didn’t want to have to be the one to go on the record and define what it means to be a woman. It would set a legal precedent for other cases, and it’s an incredibly complex topic with a lot of passion on both sides.”
There are varying opinions about how to define a “woman” and if cases like these will affect how
women are viewed. Some women have been mislabeled as transgender or unsupportive because they feel their experiences are not being validated.
“I think that if we define women’s spaces with a more biological, nature view of gender, then traditional women’s spaces are being threatened,” Viscarra said. “If we see gender as more of a social construction, then women’s spaces are expanding. I think that trans students who would like to be a part of Greek life should find a fraternity or sorority that is welcoming to them.”
Judge Johnson’s dismissing the case does not mean that the six young women cannot refile the case.
Davis Camuso Staff Writer College football is finally here, and this season is already shaping out to be a good one. Some drama took place week one, with two teams ranked in the top 10 already being handed their first losses of the year.
LSU and Clemson not only have their mascot and stadium named the same, but both of their records to start out the season are 0-1 as well.
The Tigers of LSU started out the first half strong and went into the half on top against No. 8-ranked Florida State.
Jordan Travis and the Seminoles came out firing in the second half, as the potential future first round draft pick threw for 342 yards
and four touchdowns.
Florida State would go on to dominate the second half and win the game with a score of 45-24.
The Tigers of Clemson played on Labor
son suffered a horrific loss to unranked Duke, with a score of 28-7.
The No.1-ranked Georgia Bulldogs started their season off against UT Martin this past
have not changed a bit and continued to be its dominant self, as usual. After getting into a groove, Georgia was able to easily defeat UT Martin by a score of 48-7.
be the big talk of college football from this past week is Colorado defeating TCU in an upset thriller this past Saturday with a score of 45-42. Shedeur Sanders threw for
loes’ head coach. Colorado is a team that was impacted heavily by the transfer portal, as 46 players entered the portal this off-season.
Coach Sanders brought in several players from his old team, Jackson State, including potential Heisman candidate Travis Hunter.
Day, and looked like a Clemson team that fans have not ever seen under the Dabo Swinney era. With three turnovers, and two of them coming in the red zone, Clem-
Saturday, as new starting quarterback, Carson Beck, tries to fill in the shoes of Stetson Bennett.
Getting the game off to a slow start offensively, the defense looked to
Teams like Alabama, Oklahoma, Oregon and Tennessee were all able to take care of their opponents easily, as they all also moved to 1-0.
From what seems to
GC hired Abigail King as the new head volleyball coach this summer after former coach Gretchen Krumdieck resigned from the position last spring.
Originally from Michigan, King made her way down to the PBC during her collegiate career to play for Columbus State University. After playing two years with the Cougars, CSU’s volleyball program was disbanded causing King to transfer. King finished her college career at Mars Hill University in North Carolina.
After graduating, King became the assistant coach at LeesMcRae College in North Carolina. King was the assistant coach for
one season before she was promoted to head coach, where she was for the past two seasons.
With three seasons of coaching under her belt, King is excited to be back in the PBC as the head coach for the Bobcats.
“The feeling and the environment here is amazing,” King said . “Everything just feels like a community here. Everybody is here to support you and will be behind you and stand behind you no matter what. I have felt nothing but love since I have been here these past four weeks. It has just been a complete game changer for me and wouldn’t change it.”
GC volleyball has been consistent for the past few seasons. With the PBC having such a
small volleyball program, competition is tough. While the team has had good seasons in the past, they still continued to struggle in the conference year after year.
“I really want to get the program to where it should be,” King said. “This team should be a top competing team in the conference from year to year, with all the talent we have. I want to be top two or three so we can stay in the race.”
With King only being the second volleyball coach in GC history, the program has not seen much diversity or different ideology in the sense of coaching and perspective. A new perspective is sometimes needed to help push the team in the right direction.
an astounding 510 yards and four touchdowns.
Colorado is coached by the legendary Deion “Primetime” Sanders, as he led Colorado to its first win as the Buffa-
The transfer portal continues to be a big problem in the college football world, as 8,699 NCAA football players entered their name in the portal. Aside from Colorado, teams like Ole Miss, Arizona State and Texas A&M all were heavily affected by the portal this off-season.
College football fans look forward to seeing what the rest of this unprecedented season has in store.
“Coach King has brought a lot of energy and excitement to the team,” said freshman right side hitter Rosa Fisher. “Since she is new here, she doesn’t know a lot about the past. Everyone now just has a new outlook and knows not to look back on the past. We are playing one game at a time and giving it our all every single game.”
While Coach King has only been coaching the girls for around a month, many of the players have seen tremendous improvements, both individually and as a team.
“She has helped us gain a lot of confidence as a team and individually, which has helped us grow as a team,” said sophomore setter Reese Johnson. “Personally,
she has broken down my individual setting and technique. She has helped critique little parts of how we play so we can grow closer together as a team also.”
As many new coaches expect to have a full season as a rebuild to grow the team into their own, Coach King has big expectations for the team and herself this season.
“My goals are huge, same as the girls,” King said. “Our goals are to go out there and earn what’s rightfully ours, and I
think that we have the talent to do that. So our goals at the end of the day are to go out there and win the conference and get that ring, and I think that we have the group that will work hard and make that a possibility for themselves.”
Coach King and GC volleyball have already started out strong this season, winning their first eight games of the season, with hopes of keeping their winning streak going.
Continued from page 1
Freshman defender Mia Palumbo has high hopes for the upcoming season.
“I definitely think the team can improve this season from the last,” Palumbo said. “We have so many great players on this team, and it is very exciting to play with such talented girls every day.”
Palumbo has a certain game on the Bobcats’ schedule circled.
“I am definitely
looking forward to the game against Flagler the most,” Palumbo said.
Mason also has high expectations for this year.
“We looked great in preseason, just harping on topics from the spring. Our team has really come together, and it is starting to show,” Mason said. “We can always improve from last season.”
She also thinks the Bobcats have some things they can improve on in order to have more success on the field.
“Starting off stron-
ger from the beginning has been something we have lacked on quite a bit,” Mason said. “We can also improve in the final third of the game, finishing any opportunities that we do get.”
With these adjustments, Mason believes the team could make a real run at it in the PBC Tournament.
Mason’s counterpart up top is Martin. The two have great chemistry when it comes to putting the ball in the back of the net.
Like Palumbo, Martin is also looking forward to the Flagler game.
“Last season we lost to them at home, and after the game, they stole our water jug and dumped it on their coaches in celebration,” Martin said. “I
The Atlanta Braves are on top of the baseball world, as they hold the best record in all the MLB and are favorites to take home the World Series trophy thus far. It is no question that the Atlanta Braves are doing all the right things, being the lone team with 90 wins so far, with three more weeks of play left.
General Manager Alex Anthopoulos has created a monster of a franchise, with farm system players shining, team-friendly contracts and great clubhouse guys that make every baseball fan wish they were an Atlanta Braves fan.
It is hard to believe a team has had so much success with so many impactful injuries that have occurred throughout the season. Max Fried struggling multiple times this season with injury was one of the biggest things the Braves had to overcome this season.
The southpaw ace for the Braves has had an amazing career up to this point, and his season was looking to be as advertised until he was placed on the 60-day in-
jured list for a left-forearm strain in early May.
Max had missed nearly three months of the season due to this injury. After the All-Star Break he completed his rehab assignment and rejoined the team against the Chicago Cubs.
The 29-year-old lefthander went six scoreless innings in his first start back, with eight punch outs, and did not allow a single walk. Going three months without a guy like Fried, it is hard to make up that production.
“Max Fried is a huge part of our pitching staff and currently holds a 6-1 record since his return,” said senior accounting major, Tucker Sutton. “I am surprised the Braves did as well as they did throughout the year without him.”
Pitchers who have stepped up in place of Fried have been AJ Smith-Shawver, Yonny Chirinos, Bryce Elder, Darius Vines, Allan Winans and Jared Shuster. Elder has solidified a spot in the Braves rotation after his many great outings this season.
According to the MLB in 2023 Elder has pitched in 27 games, posting a
3.42 ERA, a 1.22 WHIP and a record of 11-4. Keep in mind Elder was not on the Opening Day roster for the Braves. He might not have the strikeouts or the speed of Spencer Strider, but he makes the star-studded defense work with his pitch-to-contact style.
Braves top prospect Smith-Shawver had a very respectable stint with the Braves in the month of June. According to the MLB, his stat line was a 4.57 ERA, a 1.25 WHIP and 18 strikeouts in only five games pitched.
The stats are not the flashiest for the average MLB pitcher, but he was drafted in 2021 and is 20 years old. Most of the pitchers his age have not even made their debuts in AAA yet. SmithShawver was able to step up and do his job for the time being, as did the other pitchers named.
While pitching has been a toss-up due to injuries, one thing has remained true with the Braves, and that is their explosive offense. To put in perspective how explosive they are, they are the MLB leaders in runs, batting average, home
am very excited to get on their field this year and get even with them.”
The Bobcats started the regular season on the road at Auburn University at Montgomery on Sept. 2. After letting up an early goal, GC came back to win the game 2-1.
GC then played Newberry College on Sept. 6, winning 3-1 and improving their record to 2-0-0.
The Bobcats now look to take on Valdosta State University on Sept. 9. The team hopes to secure another win at home to improve to 3-0-0.
runs, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
The Braves have been hitting home runs at an alarming rate this season. Right now, they have 272 home runs. The next closest teams are the Los Angeles Dodgers, with 220 home runs, and the Tampa Bay Rays sit at 205.
A pitcher’s worst nightmare facing a lineup with the depth of the Braves, who are currently chasing milestones at this point. They sit 35 home runs away from tying the 2019 record set by the Minnesota Twins, and it is only the start of September.
There is not a single hole in this Braves offense. They have NL MVP front-runner leading off in Ronald Acuna Jr., All-Star second baseman Ozzie Albies batting second, All-Star third
baseman Austin Riley batting third, MVP candidate and current NL home run leader Matt Olson batting fourth and one of the hottest hitters in baseball in Marcell Ozuna batting fifth.
Undoubtedly, one of the scariest, if not the scariest, one-throughfive hitters in baseball, and that does not even include the rest of the Braves lineup. Not only is the team going for milestones, but they also have individual stats that are worth following.
Acuna Jr. cemented himself in history by having the first ever 30 home runs and 60 stolen bases. Olson has also had an incredible season, as he continues to chase Andruw Jones’ franchise record of 51 home runs. Olson currently sits at 48 home runs and is three
away from the franchise record. He is also batting guys in at a high rate, with 121 runs batted in. Braves fans are going to love having these two guys at the top of the lineup for the future.
The Braves have got it all figured out, and it has been a season filled with fireworks thus far.
“The first week bye will play a big factor if they finish first in the National League,” said sophomore business undecided major, Ryan Collins. “The Braves have many players with years of playoff experience, and I think that will play a factor as well.”
When diving into all the stats and factors that go into the game of baseball, it is, quite literally, the Braves’ World Series to lose this year.
Continued from page And, it has been understood by university professors that “Barbie” is a film that focuses on gender analysis. Allen — a character from the film who does not align with any one category — is more than a side character.
“Gender fluidity wasn’t something recognized by the average G.I. Joe,” said Nancy Beasley, an associate professor of English at GC. “Allen
is an anomaly between these efforts.”
Beasley further stated that as she grew up, Barbie developed with social change, acknowledging the shifting world around the toy’s branding and attempting to cater to the interests of little girls everywhere.
“The toy is a manifestation of character,” Beasley said. “It’s a canvas for girls to roleplay what they want to be.”
With the toy’s branding establishing that women — and children — are capable
of anything, opposition to the film is not quite what most people would expect.
Though the film embraced the “feminine” color scheme and represented women in a spotlight of possibility, many men actually opened up to the themes portrayed within the film.
In a survey conducted by “ResumeBuilder,” which surveyed 300 Americans who have seen the film, they researched how “Barbie” impacted their ideas of gender equality.
“74% of conservative men say Barbie improved their view of women in leadership positions,” Resumebuilder.com said. “Two in three [persons] say the movie made them more aware of the patriarchy in the workplace.”
Regardless of any sense of speculation toward the film, or disposition on what is morally correct, “Barbie” may just have something for everyone who happens to come across its screening. Likewise, if social matters are not
“The Blind Side”, released in 2009, told the story of the Tuohy family, who courageously adopted Micheal Oher so that he could achieve the full potential that the family saw in him, both academically and in football.
However, after years of talks about the blatant white saviorism that this movie praises, the story gets even worse.
At age 37, Oher is suing the Tuohy family for allegedly coercing him into signing a conservatorship that they still have over him today. Oher also claims that while he received nothing from the 2009 movie, the Tuohys profited.
On Aug. 16, the Tuohy’s changed their story. Despite originally refuting the claims that they
had a conservatorship over Oher, lawyer Randall Fishman confirmed to “The Athletic” that the Tuohys have agreed to end the conservatorship.
“Micheal got every dime, every dime that he had coming,” Fishman said.
This leaves a lot of room for speculation of who got to decide how much money Oher “had come.” Fishman also claims that the Tuohys decided at the time that a conservatorship benefited Oher the most and was not done for personal profit.
The Tuohy family’s attorney, Mary Singer, said that Oher’s claims were “hurtful and absurd,” and told multiple news outlets that Oher has “tried to run this play before.”
One can assume from the family attorney himself that Oher
has tried many times before to end the conservatorship for almost two decades. If the conservatorship was, in fact,
Side” book, told the “Washington Post” that no one “made millions” off of the film adaptation.
“Everyone should be
as intriguing to some as they are to others.
The film provides comedic relief, music,
comparison to how the producers, directors and actors benefited.
Lewis also claims that he and the Tuohys made around $350,000 each after taxes and that the family wanted to share the profits with all family members, including Oher, but he started declining the royalty checks.
Kurt Streeter, a sports column writer for “The New York Times”, called the movie a typical Hollywood “dumbed-down trope about race and class in America.”
dance, easter eggs to film and a wonderful perspective on who we are now — but also
reotypes but actually told a completely different story, people some critics are demanding the return of Sandra Bullock’s Oscar for her portrayal as Leigh Anne Tuohy.
This is not a likely occurrence, though, since the problems surrounding the movie had nothing to do with her performance and everything to do with the writers and the actual family that caused the issues.
done for Oher’s benefit, it is strange that those attempts were denied.
Micheal Lewis, a childhood friend of Oher and the family and the author of “The Blind
mad at the Hollywood studio system,” Lewis said.
According to Lewis, when the profits from the movie came in, no one in the original story benefited at all in
Streeter also uses his article to talk about how these types of Hollywood movies always seem to ignore the shady part of the sports industry and focus on the coal- into-diamond storyline.
With all of this controversy coming out about how the movie not only portrayed racial ste-
In 2021, coming out of a disastrous pandemic, the United States had a troubling economic future: unemployment was at an all-time high, businesses all over the nation were either closed or operating at a smaller capacity and the national gross domestic product, GDP, took a plunge.
The COVID-19 pandemic, outside the obvious burden on physical health for those infected, has had punishing economic side effects for many Americans.
As a result of such economic catastrophe, peo-
ple at large have started to transition to their own lifestyle in a way proportional to apparent economic stability, which occurred primarily through means of saving money during the pandemic and spending money after it.
This second half of the transition, when one undergoes severe spending after severe saving, places an impending process of national inflation at large concern. Such processes have been especially apparent through the economic cycle of college students.
Relatedly, wealth, as it remains the fuel for ed-
ucational opportunities, has obviously harmed the student population of GC through these past few years of prominent inflation. Even resulting in some students altering their career aspirations entirely.
“I have to do something that makes a decent living,” said Will Turner, freshman accounting major. “I have thought about taking a Spanish minor due to being prized more for corporations.”
Not all students are willing to give in to rapid change. Some consider financial alternatives a deterioration of the college
experience. Some students admitted they were worried regarding inflation statistics but chose to view the issue at face value.
“My spending habits have not changed,” said Jayden Kypri, freshman chemistry major. “It is important to me that my college experience remains fond, in both present and future contexts.”
There is then a complex response, with such arguments being made at the social level, and, regarding how diametrically opposed these philosophies are, largescale socio-economic diversity in thought.
With many courses of action to take, many are left questioning how the GC administration should respond to these concerns.
One of the most popular solutions to this problem, which is in effect through many professors currently, is a shift toward a more resourceful education.
“Quite a few faculty members at Georgia College, myself included, have resorted to using older keditions of textbooks due to the rising cost of new textbooks,” said Dr. Leng Ling, a finance professor at GC.
Since resourceful ed-
While Bullock has not publicly made a comment about these discussions, her costar, Quinton Aaron, who played Oher, came to her defense, saying that these critics “do not make any sense” and that her “brilliant performance should not be tarnished by something that has nothing to do with her.”
ucation has appeared to be fairly popular among the student masses, it has synthesized a recent uptick in GC students using the varied strategy.
“[Students] increasingly turn to e-books, which are typically less expensive than paper textbooks,” Ling said.
Regardless of specific solutions, whether it be resourcefulness or stronger work ethics, it is, in a broad sense, empirical that GC students ultimately take the initiative to forge success in the face of obstacles. After all, that is what demonstrates the best of GC students: face danger and triumph.
The country music genre has always been known for its sonically cohesive and often-deep storytelling that resonates with the everyday American; however, it has not always been the most popular genre in America.
After the 9/11 terrorist attack, country music artists and executives began to take on a more pronounced pro-America rhetoric. The country music scene fed into the fear and distrust after the terrorist attack, and as a result, Jingoist anthems were born and paraded on air.
This rural, white narrative of F-150s, drinking beer and praising the stars and stripes did not resonate well with an increasingly racially and ethnically diverse America. Country music was now viewed as being too nationalist and an unfair representation of the United States. This led to less engagement and commercial success compared to other genres.
Today, country music appears to be making a
resurgence and destigmatizing with outlaw country singer/songwriters like Zach Bryan, Tyler Childers, Colter Wall and many others. Known for their catching, painfully heartfelt lyrics and folk-inspired sounds, these artists are redefining the genre that was previously thought of as “too political.”
Bryan’s upcoming 2024 tour sold out in seconds, a feat rarely accomplished by mainstream country artists in the modern day. Childers sparked massive conversations online after releasing a music video for his single “In Your Love” which told the love story of two gay men — some considering this a risky move given his primary audience. Yet, many praised Childers and showcased their support.
Recently, Oliver Anthony became an overnight success with his powerful, blue-collar ballad “Rich Men North of Richmond.” The song quickly caught the attention of working-class Americans and landed at the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
According to entertainment company Luminate, the song sold 150,000 downloads upon its first week of release and has garnered 50 million Spotify streams and nearly 60 million YouTube views.
“Cause your dollar ain’t sh*t and it’s taxed to no end / ‘Cause of rich men north of Richmond,” Anthony said in
themselves to elements of popular culture and seize upon their popularity,” said Eric T. Kasper, a professor at the University of Washington - Eau Claire, in an interview with USA Today. “It can be a way to positively connect with voters, and it may help bring that politician to a voter’s mind the next time the voter hears the song, watches the movie and so on.”
the chorus of the song.
With the profound resonation and virality, politicians were quick to jump on the message. Republicans are now using the song as their anthem, and it even made an appearance at the recent Republican presidential debate.
“By referring to popular songs, movies, television programs, books, etc., politicians can link
The success of “Rich Men” and its outspoken Republican support has been akin to that of summer blockbuster “Sound of Freedom” and Jason Aldean’s controversial chart-topper “Try That in a Small Town,” which both feature conservative overtones.
Many have always viewed media as being synonymous with a re-
flection of progressive deals. Lately, there seems to be a conservative pop culture movement to use media as a battleground, especially with elections nearing. Today, having a presence in pop culture entails political success.
“The fact that conservative culture is making an intentional effort to get involved is a good thing, in terms of thinking about our government as a healthy, democratic structure,” said Katie Cooper, sophomore political science and philosophy major.
“With the rise of pop culture influencing political ideology, it is lessening the amount of people trying to source information for themselves.”
Sam Paton, sophomore political science major, further stressed the importance of voters holding up their civic duty by doing their own research
Summer is over, and school is back in session, but the grooves live on! In the summer of 2023, many music artists released awesome new tunes that rocked everyone’s summer.
From Taylor Swift’s “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” to Arlo Parks’ “My Soft Machine” and TV Girl’s “Grapes Upon a Vine”, we were given a variety of fresh hits to stimulate everyone’s music needs. This summer, many of my favorite artists released music that satisfied my itch for new jams across the board.
My No.1 album of the summer is KAYTRA-
MINE’s first self-titled album, “KAYTRAMINÉ.”
KAYTRAMINÉ is a twoman group starring double Grammy Award-winning electronic hip-hop artist KAYTRANADA and Grammy-nominated rapper Animé. Their different sounds blend perfectly together and show a perfected fusion of electronic and hip-hop that completely blew me away.
The consistent flow of beats produced by KAYTRANADA and the effortless lyricism written by Amine brought us a sonically cohesive and blast-in-the-car-worthy album. KAYTRAMINÉ offers a wide range of sound, with everything from a more lyric-heavy base, as seen in “Master
P,” featuring Big Sean, whereas Animé takes the forefront in “EYE,” featuring Snoop Dogg, while simultaneously highlighting KAYTRANADA’s signature electronic flare. There were many scream-in-theshower moments this album brought to me throughout the summer, and I will continue to listen throughout the year.
Coming in second, Little Dragon’s “Slugs of Love” was a huge hit for me this summer.
Little Dragon is a Swedish four-member group whose sonic focus varies from album to album. They are labeled as an electronic group, but they deliver so much more. I have loved Little Dragon since I was in middle
school, so the lead-up for this album was a painful wait that paid off!
Once “Slugs of Love” finally dropped on July 7, I was at a loss for words. The genuine craftsmanship put into this album created a smooth and funky experience that left me wanting more after each listen. The mix of slow and hyper beats put on top of a faster tempo created a highly stimulating and extremely exciting new encounter with the artist.
Some of my most worthy listens are “Disco Dangerous, Gold and Tumbling Dice” because they provided a great mix in each song of what Little Dragon is all about.
If you have not listened to Little Dragon, I would
across multiple media sources and platforms.
“People are so easily influenced by pop culture,” Paton said. “For example, if Taylor Swift does something or supports a certain movement, that’s millions of people that are probably gonna follow her ignorantly. That’s where media and pop culture can get dangerous.”
As election season progresses and politics become more polarized, it is possible that this conservative pop culture movement is not a phase, and this could result in a further political divide in the country music scene and entertainment sphere.
“We built this country on democracy,” Paton said. “Pop culture can either make or break that. It can promote independent thinking or widen the gap of picking one side.”
highly recommend if you are looking for something new and fun.
Lastly, my favorite single of the summer is Troye Sivan’s gay anthem of the year, “Rush.” Although this is not an album, it hands down deserves its own special shout-out.
I have not been a huge fan of Troye Sivan’s music since the release of “Blue Neighborhood”
in 2015, but something about “Rush” just did it for me. It is energetic and catchy tune totally encapsulates the essence of a party-hard classic-something everyone needs for summertime. Overall, listen to any of these awesome recommendations if you are looking to jam out and reminisce on summer memories.
-Katie Cooper
The fact that conservative culture is making an intentional effort to get involved is a good thing...
Historically, summer has been a safe haven for Hollywood. Although fall is film festival season, studios put out many, if not the majority, of the year’s biggest releases in its hottest months. It is hot outside; kids are out of school. It is the perfect storm for a business built on the idea of cramping people into dark, cold rooms — until the pandemic, that was.
Movie theaters’ place at the center of pop culture was waning before COVID, but the onetwo punch of theaters’ closure and streaming’s rise kneecapped AMC, Regal and the rest of the nation’s multiplex chains.
But this summer was different. “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” outperformed “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” the two most recent installments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or MCU. Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” and Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie,” collectively coined “Barbenheimer” by the Internet, combined for the fifth-highest-grossing opening weekend of all-time at the domestic box office. “Talk to Me” proved low-budget horror is one of the few remaining triedand-true remedies to studios’ budget-versus-box-office worries.
Yet, the filmmaking industry is in complete and utter flux. The Writers Guild of America, or WGA, went on strike in May; the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, or SAG-AFTRA, joined in July. Productions are being halted; strike guidelines prohibit stars from promoting projects. Many of
the back half of the year’s big releases, including “Dune: Part Two,” have been pushed to next year, and fall festivals’ slates are thinner than ever.
Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” notwithstanding, there is not a whole lot on the horizon, making a historic summer feel all the more special.
Here are the five best movies of the summer:
5. “Barbie” (dir. Greta Gerwig)
Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut, “Lady Bird” — one of my all-time favorites — established her as a major voice in an up-and-coming generation of filmmakers and catapulted stars Saoirse Ronan and Timothée Chalamet into the spotlight. Her follow-up, “Little Women,” was bigger, bolder and grander. “Barbie” is capital-A ambitious. It is a major swing, leaps and bounds above her first two projects in scale and scope.
And Gerwig knocked it out of the park. Big-budget and big-idea filmmaking are often at odds. Studios’ profits often supersede filmmakers’ goal: delivering emotional, thought-provoking stories. However, from the costume and set design to the soundtrack to the script — which goes out with an all-timer of a final line — it is clear Gerwig and star-producer Margot Robbie, whose performance should be recognized come awards season, were given nearfull creative control. Simultaneously laugh-outloud funny, genuinely moving and, dare I say, every bit as existential as “Oppenheimer,” “Barbie” is a candy-colored rollercoaster of emotions I never wanted to get off of.
4. “Past Lives” (dir. Celine Song)
“In-Yun” is a Korean word which refers to people’s generations-long connection to one anoth-
er. It is the core principle of “Past Lives,” Celine Song’s first feature. It follows Nora and Arthur, a couple living in New York, as Hae-Sung, Nora’s childhood sweetheart, reconnects with her.
Song is a playwright, but her debut feels anything but staged. Nora, Arthur and Hae-Sung, played Greta Lee, John Magaro and Teo Yoo, are gently, tenderly-written characters. They are painstakingly honest with themselves and with each other. Nora’s story is a story of what is and what could have been, a struggle we can all relate to, in one form or another. Song’s next project, “Materialists,” is a reunion with indie-sensation distributor A24, who picked up “Past Lives” after its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. I will be there on opening night.
3. “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (dir. Joaquim Dos Santos, Justin K. Thompson and Kemp Powers)
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” was a groundbreaking achievement in both animated and superhero filmmaking, but it came and went. At the time, the MCU dominated the box office, the Internet and movie culture at large. Now, Marvel Studios’s decade-long chokehold on entertainment is loosening, and its sequel, a breath of fresh air in a long-oversaturated subgenre, is having the moment it was never afforded.
“Into the Spider-Verse” was Miles Morales’s origin story; its follow-up is a multiverse-sprawling adventure. It packs more characters, more stakes and more animation styles into its two-hour runtime — so much “more” that it ends at the beginning of its third act. I hate cliffhangers, but
I am anxiously awaiting the trilogy’s conclusion, which is currently slated for next year.
2. “Asteroid City”
(dir. Wes Anderson)
Wes Anderson may not be the household name he was once was, but anyone, cinephile or not, can recognize his wholly idiosyncratic style, a style which he has come under fire for in recent years and which has, through the use of artificial intelligence, inspired countless parodies. Anderson’s skeptics have regarded his recent films as emotionally and thematically empty passion projects, excuses for the director to spend millions of more dollars creating pastel-palleted dollhouse dramedies with his friends — beautiful and “twee” but nothing more.
As an Anderson fan, I enjoyed “Isle of Dogs.”
And as a wannabe writer, I loved “The French Dispatch.” But “Asteroid City,” leaps and bounds above both, is anything but “minor Anderson.”
Set in the titular Asteroid City, a middle-of-nowhere western ghost town hosting a children’s astronomy convention, circa 1950, Anderson’s latest is a story within a story within a story. It sounds borderline-incoherent, and may be, but its ideas about the creative process are every bit as intricate as its set and script. It feels as if Anderson is explaining himself, his creative process — and why he makes films the way he does — to his detractors.
If nothing else, “Asteroid City” proves Anderson’s films, regardless of AI’s advancements, are irreplicable, deeply human stories fueled by the eccentric vision of one human: Wes Anderson.
1. “Oppenheimer”
(dir. Christopher Nolan)
It is hard to make biopics entertaining, let
alone box-office hits, but Christopher Nolan — who, after the financial success of “The Dark Knight,” “Inception” and “Interstellar,” may be our generation’s Steven Spielberg — manages to do both. “Oppenheimer” is a behemoth of a movie: a three-hour, mile-a-minute adaption of Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherman’s “American Prometheus,” a dense, no-holds-barred account of J. Robert Oppenheimer’s role in the Manhattan Project. It should not work. We all took U.S. History; we know how Oppenheimer’s story ends. It definitely should not be one of the biggest box-office successes of the past five years, and yet, it is.
I have never considered myself a Nolan fan. He is a master technical filmmaker, no doubt. Nobody is able to merge big-budget and bigidea storytelling into mind-melting set pieces the way he is. But his writing has kept me from loving his work. My favorite of his, “Memento,” contains one of his tightest scripts, if not his tightest; “Oppenheimer” is, by far, his wordiest.
And, if I’m being honest, I have always been put off by Nolan’s inability to create compelling female characters. “Oppenheimer” is no exception. Jean Tatlock, played by Florence Pugh, and Kitty Oppenheimer, played by Emily Blunt, are underserved by Nolan’s script. Blunt is given a big, meaty monologue in the film’s third act, but both characters are sidelined for the majority of its runtime, which, given the fact that it is three hours, could — understandably — be seen as the biggest indictment of Nolan’s trappings yet. But “Oppenheimer” is the product of history, not invention. Throughout the film, government officials criticize the sci-
entist, played by Cillian Murphy, for his attitudes and actions toward women, calling him a womanizer. He was not a hero. He was a genius, but he was a cold, ruthless man dead set on one thing and one thing only: the Manhattan Project, perhaps the biggest moral quagmire our nation has ever been faced with.
Of course, Nolan’s rendering of the Trinity Test, the first test of the atomic bomb, is jaw-dropping. I have never physically felt something on screen as much before. My first viewing of “Oppenheimer” was in Dolby, and the auditorium — the seats, the walls — rattled when the shockwave hit. But I had no doubt in Nolan’s ability to capture the bomb as earth-shattering, world-changing.
It was Nolan’s writing chops — or lack thereof — which worried me, but he put me in my place. “Oppenheimer” may not be Nolan’s best film, but it might be his best script. Half of the film’s scenes take place in courtrooms. Littered with snappy, jargon-filled dialogue, they are every bit as tense as the Trinity Test and allow for some of the film’s strongest acting. Robert Downey’s Jr.’s performance as Lewis Strauss is worthy of every bit of praise it has received and, in a perfect world, a Best Supporting Actor Oscar.
I would not be surprised if “Oppenheimer” runs the table at next year’s Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor. It will win in many, if not all, of the technical categories, and it is possible Emily Blunt is nominated for Best Supporting Actress. And I would not be upset. After years of Nolan skepticism, I am a changed man.
Recently, the democratic power of our nation has been lost in a smokescreen of senility. The great halls of our Capitol building, which has long served as the powerhouse for the persistence of the greatest experimental democracy this world has ever seen, resembles the inside of Green Acres, the old folks’ home in Milledgeville.
In a modern world that is propelled forward every day by new technology that is young, fresh and dynamic, our country and its people continue to be represented by a legislative body that is anything but that. We need to install a maximum age for which one can run for elected office in this country, and that age needs to be 75.
In a demographic analysis of the 118th Congress conducted by NBC, it was found that the average age in the House was 57.5 years, compared to 63.9 years in the Senate, over 1.5 times the median age in the United States, which is approximately 39 years. These findings come as a part of a four-decadelong trend of increasing age in both chambers of Congress that reaches far past the collective aging
Continued from page 1
Simply a similarity
The very first friends I made at college were the result of me putting myself out of my comfort zone, extending a smile and saying, “Hi, I am Paige.”
During one instance, I overheard a girl talking about how hard moving away had been for her too. I immediately jumped into the conversation, feeling connected and understood by the girl. We shared stories about move-in-day tears and bonded over how much we missed our moms. Suddenly, this whole college thing was starting to not feel so lonely.
On my first day of class, I sat next to a girl because I noticed she had stickers on her laptop of music I liked. I struck up a conversation with her. Now, she is one
that American society as a whole has experienced in the same timespan.
People in different age cohorts of society generally carry different visions for what they want to exist in their society that are distinct and often opposed to the desires of those at different age cohorts. Given NBC’s data on our aging government, it is clear that the current members of our government make decisions for an entire society based on the adherence to outdated values that no longer represent Americans’ vested interests in the realms of the economy, technology and politics.
The majority of the current legislative body falls into the baby-boomer cohort, which contains all members of the population born between 1946 and 1964. According to the West Midland Family Center Generational Differences Chart, baby boomers in general, are less technologically literate than their younger counterparts and are often quite cynical and distrusting, a quality that has had disastrous impacts on the pervasive dysfunctionality in our current political and societal discourse.
This aging and declining group has a set of rigid and archaic val-
of my roommates and closest friends at college.
Nothing makes you feel more at home than good friends. If it were not for me taking the first steps when I felt so low, I would not have
ues and behaviors that map poorly onto today’s political and economic landscape. Current threats posed by cyberattacks and malevolent AI use require cross-disciplinary cooperation and trust to make coordinated technologic and economic countermeasures.
Many of these politicians find themselves in the stage of life referred to by developmental psychologists as late adulthood. In late adulthood, people begin to experience cognitive decline across a wide range of brain functions, including the ability to think clearly, make sound decisions and comprehend the world around them in a sufficient capacity to operate effectively in it. According to “Neuroscience News” cognitive decline is the “cognitive crossroads” between being a human being capable of still actively working and functioning in society and not being able to do so.
Along with their unchanging and unproductive perspectives, this inevitable cognitive decline further inhibits their efficacy as strong and unifying political leaders. This is becoming evermore clear through embarrassing moments and photos that have circulated on social media.
what your campus has to offer, the sooner you can find your niche.
Eager to find a sense of community and try something new, I attended multiple interest meetings at the start of
This includes Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell’s two separate disappearing acts in reaction to questions he was asked in press conferences. McConnell was left frozen, unable to respond to simple questions and looked completely incapable of holding any job — especially an extremely powerful political position.
Along with being an embarrassing moment that contributes to the continuing trend of today’s American political leaders looking fragile, incapable and tired, moments like these are clear signs of cognitive decline.
Given our understanding that cognitive decline is a normal and unavoidable part of aging, we need to take measures to protect political power in our country from being damaged by it. Just as there is a socially-enforced and supported age minimum of
With each extracurricular I joined or tested out, I met someone new or gained insight about myself. I have acquired and built fundamental skills professionally and personally
25 that determines one’s eligibility to run for political office, we need to add an age maximum of 75 to protect our country from the cognitive decline of members of its government and ensure that it is run by competent and healthy individuals that possess the critical thinking faculties to look out for our country’s best interests.
GC criminal justice
Professor Adam Lamparello concurs with the proposal to institute an age maximum for political positions.
“Many politicians we see in our government today are too old to run for office and have lost cognitive abilities. Also, they are deeply entrenched in their political parties in a way that negatively impacts their ability to represent their constituents’ true desires.
Instituting this age limit of 75 will ensure we have officials that are
ly. I urge every freshman to take advantage of at least one club, society, program or organization offered at GC.
It gets better. Really, it does.
The first few weeks,
capable of doing their jobs in office, which is ultimately to reflect the interest of the population they represent. Getting some fresh blood in politics that is better adapted and more familiar with the workings of the technologically-advanced modern age will only benefit our country’s adaptability in a constantly- changing world.
Much of the change in our world today is brought about by technology that is largely controlled and created by members of the younger generations, and our government should be represented and controlled by those who are most affected and familiar with this technology.
Since it is in the best interest of the survivability and adaptability of our democracy, it is time to get the geezers over 75 off of Capitol Hill and into rightfully-earned retirement.
parison is the thief of joy. It can seem as if everyone around you is adjusting to college life quite well, and all you can think about is your next trip back home.
My best advice?
Give yourself time.
You are presently in some of your most formative years. Make mistakes. Meet new people. Try everything at least once. With time, the homesick pit you feel in your stomach will lessen, and in its place, you will find excitement and satisfaction with your new college experiences. It is unique to you and you only.
Julia Jensen | Art Directormany of the friends I hold closest today.
The importance of involvement
As cliché as it sounds, get involved early in the school year. The sooner you find out more about
my freshman year. Some of the organizations did not work out, but many of them did, and the important thing was that I was able to learn something from each of these experiences.
that I will carry with me throughout my life.
Your college years are unlike any other time in your life. You have a plethora of resources and information at your fingertips instantaneous-
and even months, of college can feel isolating, uncomfortable and chaotic. Many freshmen find themselves questioning their decisions and if they are on the right path.
It is true that com-
You will learn that when you find your people and your passions, everything else falls seamlessly into place. Make the most of it. Have an abundance of grace with yourself. I am rooting for you, Class of 2027.
At this point, it is a canon experience for first-year college students everywhere to live in housing that is suspect at best. No matter where one goes to school, as a freshman in the dorm, you can be rest assured to encounter residential hardships. Students often encounter black mold in their vents, are forced to live in a shoebox with the messiest person they have ever met and watch in shock as a late-night pub crawler does their best Bruce Lee impression on a helpless exit sign. Escape from these difficult conditions encountered in the dorm is offered in the form of off-campus commercial housing that students can choose to live in for the remainder of college after the completion of their first year.
Oftentimes, however, these conditions are not as easily escaped as the flashy websites and upscale marketing of these off-campus residences would lead you to believe. Rather, they serve as a template for the years to come for many students
seeking asylum from the horrors of their first year.
Some students successfully escape these dark days and bask in the luxurious and secluded atmosphere of high-tier and high-price-tag off-campus residencies, like Arcadia and Magnolia. Others find themselves less fortunate and are condemned to a hellscape of drab-colored walls, dated shag carpeting and a genuine fear to walk from their apartment to their car to get an item they forgot.
My hunt to label the single worst off-campus apartment complex in Milledgeville quickly narrowed to two locations, which find themselves neck-and-neck in a tightly-contested race to the bottom. These are the Bellamy at Milledgeville and the Revelry Flats.
Revelry Flats and the Bellamy find themselves in an area of Milledgeville that received an ‘F’ grade for violent crime according to Crime Grade’s interactive city map, meaning that these apartment complexes are both situated in an area that is as bad as it gets for the prevalence of crimes that
involve serious physical harm of the victim. This fact becomes even more concerning in light of the fact that the residential body of Revelry has nearly an even split of local residents and college students, a mix with a poor historical precedent of innate tension and unsuccessful coexistence. The possibilities are both endless and potentially disastrous.
Along with Revelry’s questionable location geographically, residents regularly encounter problems with the infrastructure of the apartments they reside in. Anecdotal accounts detail occurrences like massive water leaks that flood multiple apartments along with ineffective efforts of the housing office to remediate them.
One Google review of the facility by a former resident cites frequent roach infestations, faulty appliances and black mold that was present upon move-in, with no effort from housing to address his concerns.
As one looks further into the matter, this poor review begins to be corroborated by other res-
idents’ similar tidings and an equally-poor review from a local guide who speaks extensively about the unresponsiveness of management to many problems brought to them by residents.
Across the railroad tracks, “Smellamy,” as it is often referred to by its student residents, has a bizarre melting pot of residents in its own respect.
This complex houses many GC students, almost all of the Georgia Military College football players and yes, you guessed it, an ever-present and always-pungent odor of marijuana filling its courtyard, corridors and parking lot.
Although falling into an area with an equally-high presence of violence, unlike Revelry, Bellamy has a privacy
fence and gate, which you need a clicker or guest code to enter. The only problem is that this gate never works and mounts about as effective of a defense of the complexes parameters as the Capitol Hill Police did of defending Congress from the Jan. 6 invaders.
Bellamy is quite drab on the inside, and the three different, but equally-dingy, shades of cream coloring of the bathroom are sure to make almost any resident question their sanity from time to time. The anecdotal accounts of living here document furniture missing upon arrival, unruly and noisy residents and an army of roaches that are omnipresent in one’s living space — not to mention the frequent urgent-situation visits
from the Milledgeville Police Department.
Revelry Flats certainly has the edge on Bellamy in the rent department, as it costs around $550-600 per person per month plus utilities in a three-bedroom apartment. Four- bedroom apartments in Bellamy cost around $620-650 plus utilities, according to their respective websites.
Given the fact that Revelry is less secure and possesses many of the same maintenance problems that Bellamy does, I believe that it takes the cake as the worst off-campus residency in Milledgeville. However, I would do yourself a favor and avoid both of these like the plague of roaches you are sure to encounter should you decide to live in either of them.
