Issue 8 | Volume 101

GOV. KEMP VISITS MILLEDGEVILLE TO DISCUSS STORM RELIEF IN RESPONSE TO EF-1 TORNADO

Lily Pruitt Asst. News Editor

On March 26, an EF-1 tornado hit the surrounding areas of Milledgeville and Baldwin County. The winds on an EF-1 tornado can get up to 100 mph.

In response to the storm, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp spoke in Baldwin County just two days later.

Kemp began with thanking local law enforcement and federal law enforcement for jumping in to help with the storm damage and working so diligently during this time.

Kemp mentioned his tour of the Atrium Health

Navicent Baldwin hospital in the hours prior.

“They are managing very well under the circumstances,” Kemp said. “They obviously had roof and water damage.”

Kemp continued on to mention the community as a whole and what was being done to help restore order.

“Around 10 businesses and around 20 homes were hit in the local community, and we will continue to work with our federal partners on response and potential aid, depending on qualifications, as we continue to do the assessment,” Kemp said.

The governor highlighted his depart-

ment’s main goals within the restoration of counties in Georgia.

“Our main goal right now is making sure that we are keeping everybody safe, and we are helping our private sector partners in the local government to restore normal operations,” Kemp said.

Kemp introduced Georgia Emergency Management Chief of Staff Mike Smith. Smith began with thanking local law enforcement and federal law enforcement, who have been brought in to help. He also thanked Kemp for his time and aid to the Baldwin County community.

“We were extremely fortunate that here, in

this area, there were no fatalities,” Smith said.

At the end of the speech, Kemp opened it up to questions. He was asked what the general reaction was to all the storm damage.

“Well, it is unbelievable,” Kemp said. “You do not really think about what size of the storm it is. There is a lot of damage here, and as Mike mentioned, we are very lucky there was no loss of life.”

Many residents in Baldwin County have been receiving help from the community in order to help them fix roofs on their homes and stay financially stable.

See KEMP | Page 3

News

Editor Rebecca Meghani and A&L Editor Jennifer

COIN Q&A BRAVES SEASON OVERVIEW

sat with COIN before their perfarmance at GC’s first Spring concert

Rebecca Meghani News Editor

Q: Uncanny Valley is one of your most experimental records to date and explores what it means to be human. What was your inspiration behind this, and how did it help create this album?

A: Chase Lawrence: We all watched this documentary around the time we started making it called “AlphaGo,” and it’s about this robot that plays this game called Go which is like chess but times a thousand like there are a million permutations you can play.

See COIN | Page 8

The 2023 MLB season is officially underway after opening day took place last Thursday, March 30.

The Braves had a tremendous year a season ago. They recorded their first 100win season since 2003 and won their fifth straight division title.

Despite their 100win season, many Braves fans felt the team did not play to their best potential after their World Series victory in 2021. A couple of injuries to some key players came back to haunt the Braves in the playoffs.

“A lot of players un-

derperformed last season and we were still able to win 101 games, so I’d expect the Braves to pass this mark this season,” said senior marketing major Jacob Revell. “As long as the team can stay healthy, the Braves look poised to make a run at the World Series.”

Coming into the season, the Braves had the second-best odds, at +800, to win the 2023 World Series behind the Houston Astros.

The Braves had one of the best offenses in all of baseball a year ago. They were second in the league in homeruns, and they were third in total runs scored.

See BRAVES | Page 5

SOCIETY AND EMPATHY

Abigayle Allen Opinion Editor

Growing up in a progressive society introduces changes that people must adjust to.

Due to the skyrocketing success of many social media platforms, many people have the ability to address issues or other people they may be in contact with anonymously, or

EXECUTIVE ORDER

TARGETS

from the comforts of their own homes. Due to these changes, many people have forgotten their humanity and, in turn, forgotten how to be empathetic. As college students, we are very in tune with what may be “trending” or “popular” on social media. treated poorly, and that up to 6500 of the workers have died in the process.

See EMPATHY | Page 10

Lily Pruitt | Asst. News Editor

Kemp addresses the crowd at the old Baldwin County Health Department for a media briefing

Anna Leavitt | Campus Photographer

COIN performs for GC Students in the Centennial Center

President Joe Biden’s executive order aims to expand background checks and secure gun storage.

BILL DICTATES SEX, GENDER

This is the first year in Premier League history to observe Ramadan.

PREMIER LEAGUE OBSERVES RAMADAN

In-depth citizenship tests are a rite of passage for immigrants. But can natural-born citizens even pass these tests?

Hayden Flinn Sports Editor

Biden’s recent gun ownership executive order

Grace Robertson Staff Writer

In early March, President Joe Biden issued an executive order which aimed to increase the number of background checks to buy guns and promote secure firearms storage.

Biden elaborated on the goal of the executive order.

“My executive order directs my attorney general to take every lawful action possible to move us as close as we can to universal background checks without new legislation,” Biden said.

The order directs federal agencies to improve public awareness and promote the use of “redflag” laws, and instructs the attorney general to release more information about federally licensed firearms deal-

ers who violate the law.

Red-flag laws are gun-violence-prevention acts that permits state courts to remove firearms from individuals who may be dangerous to themselves or others but have not committed a crime and do not show signs of need for mental health hold.

The executive order mandates that the president’s cabinet works on a plan to better structure the government to support communities suffering from gun violence.

The plan also calls on Attorney General Merrick Garland to shore up the rules for federally licensed gun dealers so that they know they are required to do background checks as part of the license.

Matheson Sanchez, an assistant professor of criminal justice

at GC, discussed how the executive order will impact Americans.

“I think that what this executive order does is that it actually expands the circumstances around which those laws can actually be enacted and have the confiscation of firearms executed more freely, and that won’t bode well with conservative voters, and it won’t bode well with Republican and conservative legislators either,” Sanchez said.

The concepts of gun control have led to controversies across the political spectrum, and this new order is no different.

“Gun control is something that representatives of conservative constituencies are not going to want to get on board with, because that’s political suicide for them,” Sanchez said.

“On the other hand, you know, I think that the majority of the more sort of liberal or progressive representatives and voters, those folks, the majority are probably going to be behind it.”

Despite the polarizing sides, recent polls show that many Americans are in favor of stricter policies.

According to a February Gallup poll, 63% of Americans are not satisfied with the country’s gun laws.

Sanchez explained why an executive order may be easier than legislation, in terms of gun ownership.

“It’s a multi-billion-dollar industry, and we have too much money wrapped up in the manufacturing sale of firearms in this country for it to be something that Congress is liable to get

on board with, despite the fact the majority of their constituents might want it,” Sanchez said.

Rebecca Jones, a junior mathematics major, spoke about gun control and the causes for its interest.

“I think it needs to be stricter,” Jones said. “Obviously, with school shootings, that’s something that we could definitely improve on as a country. It’s really not even a debate.”

The executive or-

der questions the future of gun ownership in the nation.

“It’s hard to say what future legislation will look like,” Sanchez said. “I can only say that it seems like the issues that we’re trying to address here — with mass shootings, specifically school shootings — aren’t getting any better, and I think that, in terms of gun laws, America tends to be a little antiquated, and we tend to hold on to tradition.”

Drug shortages create limited resources for treatment

Lilyana Kovacheva Senior Writer

In the last year, new drug shortages have increased by nearly 30%.

Michigan Senator and Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Gary Peters has spoken up about the recent shortages.

“These shortages, which peaked at 295 individual drugs in shortage at the end of 2022, have left healthcare professionals grappling with limited resources to treat patients in need,” Peters said. “These underlying causes not only present serious concerns about providing adequate care to patients, but they also represent serious

national security risks.”

The recent committee report highlights that neither the federal government nor the pharmaceutical industry can assess the full supply chain. From the starting materials to the finished dosage and to purchasers and providers, there is more than officials are able to fully assess and amend.

Many students are not directly affected by it.

“I’m not directly personally affected by it, at least not to my knowledge,” said sophomore marketing major Dylan Anderson.

Despite not being directly affected by it, many students know those who are and are aware of the reality behind not being able to get medicine.

Editorial Board

Katherine Futch..............

Cale Strickland................

Claire O’Neill...................

Rebecca Meghani..........

Lily Pruitt............................

Hayden Flinn....................

Brennan Schmitz...........

Jennifer Crider.................

William Van de Planque..............................

Abigayle Allen..................

Hannah Adams...............

Anjali Shenoy................

Marissa Marcolina.........

Connor Patronis.............

Robert Trotter...................

William Burke..................

“I haven’t been affected by the shortage in the sense that I’m still getting my medication, and I’m still getting it on-time, but that can’t be said for everyone,” An-

It is reported that many drug manufacturers have moved overseas over the last several decades because foreign governments have offered tax and logisti-

information systems major, says that she has not been personally affected by the shortage, but she has noticed it among her friends.

“I’ve heard my friends complain about not getting their prescriptions on-time, and some even have to wait as long as a few weeks without their meds,” Farmer said. “It’s insane that someone who is medically prescribed has to wait more than a few days to receive those necessary pills.”

Adderall that’s affected,” said nursing student Aimee McMullen. “There are patients in hospitals right now who are suffering from this shortage.”

A total of 295 different types of drugs, from sedatives to Adderall to children’s flu medicine, were in short supply during the year 2022, and the numbers are expected to worsen this year.

The drug shortage is affecting everyone, from children to seniors, and it may only get worse.

derson said. “My mom is a diabetic, and as far as I know, she’s getting her medication on-time, but it’s scary to think about what would happen if she wasn’t getting it.”

cal incentives as well as fewer regulations. This recent shortage will push an increase in manufacturers moving overseas.

Maddison Farmer, a junior management

In a recent poll of GC students, 68% of students polled are currently on prescribed medication. Of the students on medication, 40% are currently affected by the national shortage.

“It’s not just students that are on Vyvanse or

“It’s a harsh reality to be on both sides of this,” McCullen said. “I see it in person, how it affects others, and I’ve felt it myself as a person, not just a student, that relies on my prescription,” said McMullen.

Biden delivers remarks on the administration’s strategy to prevent gun crime

Continued from page 1

Interim Vice President of Student Life Dr. Daniel Nadler informed the GC community of a GoFundMe and a supply drive. Monica Jones’s mother, Trina Hartry, lost everything in the storm, so she set up a GoFundMe in order to help her mother regain some of her belongings.

“One home belonged to one of our own GCSU employees, Ms. Monica Jones,” Nadler said.

The GC community organized a supply drive in order to help those in need, such as Hartry and Jones.

“I am reaching out to you today to consider participating in a supply drive tomorrow [Friday March 31] to help those community members that have been affected,” Nadler said.

The supply drive was set up during a Bobcats Speak Out town hall meeting so that students could easily drop off any donations. Donations included fruits, vegetables, boxed items, canned items, bottled water, Gatorade and personal care items.

The Milledgeville community and Baldwin County area are continuing to recover from the storm and are consistently aiding one another, bringing the community closer than ever.

Research Day at GC

Lily Pruitt Asst. News Editor

Wednesday, March 29, was GC Research Day. Research Day is a campus event where students present their own research and support their peers who are presenting. Several clubs and organizations around campus also got involved to provide fun activities for students.

Mentored Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors, or MURACE, ran this year’s Research Day and added “Inclusive Excellence Keynotes,” which gave students the opportunity to hear different speakers.

Tuesday, March 28, was filled by a women’s and gender studies symposium in the Pat Peterson Museum Education Room.

Visiting engineering and public safety professor Dr. Destenie Nock gave a keynote address afterwards.

The following morning, President Cox gave a warm welcome to everyone who was

presenting and introduced the Student Research Poster Session in the Magnolia Ballroom. President Cox’s welcome speech spurred a whole day of fantastic presenters, who educated thousands of students and faculty throughout the day.

At noon, Student Life co-hosted a Picnic with the Wellness Center. Several booths were present, allowing students to make keychains reflecting how familiar they are with culture, make paper fortune tellers and get flyers on health and wellness promoting ways to improve physical and mental health. This event also included a buffet for students and faculty to enjoy.

“We are out here to provide a wellness resource opportunity for all of campus, but we wanted to touch on all eight pillars of wellness, so we are representing physical activity and trying to promote just taking baby steps — several things that people can incorporate in their day and build off of to even-

tually have some really meaningful and beneficial lifelong habits,” said Amy Whatley, Associate Director of the Wellness and Recreation Center.

Throughout the day, there were many 50-minute sessions where students had the opportunity to present their work. From posters and PowerPoints to speeches and recordings of songs and instruments, the GC community was well-informed.

Haley James, a junior English major, and Ashley Beaty, a freshman data science major, worked the booth outside the Arts and

Tennessee criminalizes public drag

Paige Blakemore

Staff Writer

At the beginning of March, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed into law legislation that will criminalize public drag in Tennessee. Tennessee is the first state in the country to initiate restrictions on drag performances, with Senate Bill 3. While not explicitly mentioning “drag,” the bill targets “male and female impersonators.”

The state’s Senate passed the bill along party lines to limit “adult cabaret performances” on public property so as to shield them from “grooming” children, threatening first-time violators with a misdemeanor and repeat offenders with a felony.

Under the bill, these performances are not to be held within 1,000 feet of public parks, schools and places of worship.

Tennessee has also passed House and Senate Bill 1, which bans gender-affirming care for transgender youth. Ten other states have proposed similar laws.

“Because drag is con-

sidered an industry, it really is infringing on that laissez-faire, capitalistic economy that we have,” said Sam Paton, a political science major. “In the future, I don’t really know what the effects of this bill could be. The idea behind the bill was a little flawed, and I don’t think it’s the government’s responsibility to tell the public what they can and can not show their children. I think the overall intention was to protect minors, and the trans community just got wrapped up in it.”

Tennessee’s legislation has led many within the theater community to be upset. Under the restriction, well-known musicals, such as “Hairspray” and “Chicago,” can no longer be performed publicly within the state.

“It is not just a performance, but a performance for the intention of expression,” said Alma Kent, a theater major. “It gets its push a lot from theatrical work. There’s a big risk that villainizing drag could seep into villainizing other shows.”

Kent continued on to discuss the nega-

tive effects that the ban could have on creative expression.

“Once we start making things up to be wrong, anything can be wrong,” Kent said. “We lose any ability to tell important stories. Something is being lost continuously. It’s aligned with censorship of books, and it’s all the same thing in the bigger picture.”

On March 21, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed Senate Bill 140

Sciences Auditorium.

“We are working for MURACE, giving people their name badges and certificates for Research Day,” James said.

“They offered this opportunity for honors students, and I took it because it is service hours,” Beaty said.

One particularly popular research presentation was the women’s and gender studies symposium. Shelby Carpenter presented “Feminism and the Happy Housewife” in the Pat Peterson Museum Education Room at 3 p.m. Carpenter’s speech was very enlightening

for many in the room and opened the floor up to several questions.

“For me, I always found this very interesting and promoting, and I think a lot of people think of housewives that cannot have both, so I think it was interesting to explore that,” Carpenter said.

Overall, GC’s Research Day had a great turnout that informed many students and faculty about all kinds of information they may have never known.

“Next year, present at Research Day if you did not do it this year,” James said.

Courtesy of NPR

into law, which bans minors from obtaining gender-affirming surgeries and certain hormones.

“As Georgians, parents and elected leaders, it is our highest responsibility to safeguard the bright promising future of our kids, and SB 140 takes an important step in fulfilling that mission,” Kemp said.

Minors who have already started hormone therapy before the initiation will be

allowed to continue their treatments.

Many claim that without treatment, transgender people are more susceptible to depression, anxiety and suicide.

Similar bills have been signed by governors in South Dakota, Mississippi and Utah.

Colin Hall, a political science major, showed support for Senate Bill 140.

“I definitely don’t think that decision

should be in the hands of young children, who are so influenceable, considering the age of social media,” Hall said. “As a Christian, I don’t support drag performances.

It goes against my basic Christian beliefs and values. However, I believe in American freedom. People should have the right to express themselves.”

Tennessee’s Senate bills and Georgia’s Senate Bill 140 will go into effect on July 1.

Courtesy of Anna Leavit | Campus Photographer

Overview of President Cox at Research Day in Magnolia Ballroom

A public protest against SB3 in front of the Tennessee State Capitol.

Malirz takes Bobcat Athlete of the Week

Christian Castillo Staff Writer

Sophomore Karol Malirz had an outstanding week on the court in matches at Spring Hill College and the University of West Alabama. His play found him landing both the GC Bobcat Athlete of the Week and the PBC Player of the Week awards.

The award sweep was well-earned through extremely solid performances in tough matches. Malirz saw his way to both awards by posting an undefeated record of 3-0 over the two-match span.

At Spring Hill, Malirz played alongside Enzo Sergi in a doubles match for the Bobcats. Malirz and Sergi would take the match with a dominant performance, earning a shutout victory.

In the match at West Alabama, Malirz played and came out on top of both a doubles and singles match for the Bobcats. Once again paired with Sergi, the two secured a doubles victory. Malirz would also win in singles against Nuuti Jokinen, 6-0, 6-7, 6-3.

“I’ll try to keep up the hard work me and my teammates put into every practice we have on the

court and in the weight room,” Marlirz said.

During a tough stretch of games for the Bobcats, Malirz showed how this hard work can result in success on the court.

The recognition of these awards helps his confidence going forward.

“They are kind of like a reward for the last couple matches,” Marlirz said. “So, in a sense, they can be a little confidence boost.”

His hard work and success on the court have earned the respect of his teammates and put him in a leadership position.

“He has had an amaz-

ing impact this season,” said senior Jack Sorel. “He matured a lot from last season, and it’s resulted in wins for us. His work ethic in practice makes him a great teammate, and it’s great to have him

Premier League observes Ramadan

Rebecca Meghani News Editor

There are many Muslim athletes across the world and as we are in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Those athletes are actively participating in Ramadan during their sports season. In 2023, the Muslim holy month of Ramadan is observed between March 22 and April 21.

This month, the Ummah (Muslim community) will wake up before dawn for Suhoor (the meal eaten in the early hours) to prepare for a full day of fasting before ending their fast after the sunset, known as Iftar.

“The month of Ramadan is the one which the Quran was revealed as guidance for mankind, and as clear signs that show the right way and distinguish between right and wrong” (Quran 2:185).

Fasting is an act of worship and is one of the five pillars of Islam, in addition to declaration of faith, prayer, charity and Hajj (pilgrimage). This is a time for Muslims to strengthen their relationship with God through practicing self-discipline, self-reflection and spiritual reflection.

As we tend to lose sight of our purpose and why we belong in this world throughout the year, Ramadan is a way for Muslims to leave the month with a stronger connection with their mental, physical and spiritual being.

Fasting is not just a month of restriction but is meant for breaking unhealthy habits and replacing them with patience and understanding towards others. If

Muslims are able to give up food which has been designed to benefit us, they are shown that they have the ability to leave harmful habits that have a negative impact on their souls.

The importance of Ramadan this year has been emphasized by England’s professional refereeing body, the PGMOL, who has issued a guidance for game match officials to find a natural pause in the game so that players can observe Iftar during the evening matches.

This jump started last year during a match between Burnley and

sea Foundation who is working with the Ramadan Tent Project, a UK charity dedicated to bringing communities together and expanding the knowledge of the holy month.

This is the first ever occurrence for the club and a Premier League stadium. Last year, Blackburn Rovers Football Club became the first British club to host an Edit Jamaat in their stadium, Ewood Park.

“Sometimes playing football has been hard because Ramadan has been in the summer and during pre-season,” said

The Premier League has worked to provide drinking liquids, energy gels or supplements to their players for energy diminished by a full day of fasting before the game.

While the response to the introduction of fasting breaks in the Premier League has received positive attention among fans and players, other football organizations have responded negatively to this idea.

On March 23, French sports daily L’Equipe said that the France staff allegedly recommended for their Muslim players to postpone their fasting

as one of our leaders. He set a great example for the new guys this year.”

Malirz and the Bobcats will continue their season on April 1 against Lander University, a tough conference op-

holders to enforce it.”

This has only further pushed criticism and controversy globally towards France’s negative attitude and treatment against Muslims that has existed prior. The Federal Commision of Referees (CFA) sent an email to referees further emphasizing the ban.

“These interruptions do not respect the provisions of the statutes of the FFF,” the email said. “Disciplinary and/or criminal proceedings will be subjected to anyone violating the provisions.”

Members of the CFA and coaches have crit-

Courtesy of GC Athletics

ponent. After starting 0-2 in PBC play, a victory against No. 11 Lander would be massive. The Bobcats will be grateful to have Karol Malirz on their side.

there are a limited number of matches where the pause in the game would be implemented.

Still, the Premier League has continued efforts for their Muslim athletes.

“We are a big community with lots of supporters from different backgrounds and we want to honor, respect and share the joy of every single fan,” said Dowshan Humzah, advisory board member of the Ramadan Tent Project. “This is about saying yes to love, inclusion, community and yes to everyone who wants to be a Chelsea fan. It is very special to be the first Premier League club to host an Open Iftar and something we are extremely proud about.”

The event was also a part of Chelsea and the foundation’s “No To Hate” campaign against racism and discrimination.

Southampton where they paused during the first half to allow players to break their fast. In 2021, during a game between Leicester and Crystal Palace, the game was paused to allow them to break their fasts after sunset. This was the first occurrence of pausing the game for Muslim players for the Premier League.

Premier League clubs have been putting forth an effort for their Muslims players like London club Chelsea FC. The club hosted an “Open Iftar” at the side of the pitch at Stamford Bridge, organized by the Chel-

Abdoulaye Doucoure, a central midfielder for Premier League club Everton. “But I have always been lucky to practice Ramadan and there have never been problems with my physical condition – I am grateful for that. My religion is the most important thing in my life – I put my religion first, then comes my work. You can do both together and I am happy with that.”

Doucoure praised the Premier League in their efforts to let their Muslim athletes enjoy Ramadan and has not worked against the Muslim faith.

so that their performance would not be negatively affected during the EURO 2024 qualifiers.

Additionally, according to a leaked email, the French Football Federation has allegedly sent a warning email to referees to prevent them from pausing the match for Muslim players to break their fast.

“Football takes no account of the political, religious, ideological or trade union of its actors,” the FFF email said. “This principle is binding on everyone: authorities, clubs, licensees, referees. It is up to all stake-

icized the idea of allowing pauses during matches, stating that there is no room for religion in sports.

“Nobody cares that they don’t do it, because we are not in a Muslim country,” said Didier Digard, the head coach for Olympique Gymnaste Club Nice Côte d’Azur.

“You have to accept the country you live in.”

Breaking a fast does not take a substantial amount of time but French officials insist that it disrupts the integrity of the matches.

As sunset tends to fall after 8 pm in Europe,

Ramadan is being observed by Muslims all over the world and Premier League’s actions have been praised. There has been a global encouragement for other sports to follow suit for the benefit of their Muslim players as the season continues.

Muslim players, especially, have made it known about the importance that these pauses in the matches mean to them.

“Just wanted to thank the Premier League, as well as Crystal Palace Football Club for allowing me to break my fast tonight in the middle of the game,” said Wesley Fofana, a defender for Chelsea F.C. “That’s what makes football wonderful.”

BRAVES

Continued from page 1

The team returns eight of their nine hitters from that lineup a season ago. The only departures include shortstop Dansby Swanson, who held the third-highest batting average for the Braves, and catcher William Contreras, who rotated in with Travis d’Arnaud every other game.

“I think the biggest struggle for the Braves this year is figuring out who’s going to be their long-term solution at shortstop,” said senior management major Mitch Ledford. “We extended Orlando Arcia for three years, but I think he will just end up being a role player. I think Braeden Shewmake or Vaughn Grissom will end up being the answer for the future.”

The Braves have already played their first series of the season against the Washington Nationals. They took the series two games to

one, winning on Thursday, 7-2, and winning on Saturday, 7-1. They came up short in game three of the series, 4-1.

is to come this season.”

Albies and Austin Riley all tallied multiple hits throughout the series.

Through the first three games, some players have already shown some improvement from a year ago. In recent history, the Braves have been known to start off slow and heat up in the second half of the season. This was not the case in this first series, as players like Ronald Acuña Jr., Matt Olson, d’Arnaud, Ozzie

“I think the Braves are going to have another solid showing this year,” said senior public health major Jack Beers. “They came out hot with the bats in the first two games, although they dropped the final one to Washington. This may not mean much, as Washington is one of the worst teams in baseball this year, but hopefully it was a sign of what

Last year was a disappointment for superstar Acuña Jr. The former top-five player in baseball returned to the diamond in 2022 after tearing his ACL in the second half of the 2021 championship season. Acuña Jr. severely underperformed at the plate compared to his previous years, when he was in the running for MVP.

In 2022, Acuña Jr. batted .266, hit 15 home runs, drove in 50 runs

and stole 29 bags. The years prior to his injury, through two seasons, Acuña Jr. hit for an average of .286 and averaged 33 home runs per season, 82 RBIs and 26 stolen bases. He also came extremely close to putting up the first 4040 — 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases — season since Alfonso Soriano in 2006. He was only three stolen bases away.

This year, he will be looking to rechannel his superstar poten-

GC softball falls 2-1 in series versus Lander

Drew Bogumill Staff Writer

The GC softball team is in the middle of their season and in the heart of conference play. The team has shown tremendous improvement from a year ago, already recording 10 more wins than last year.

The team was 1910 heading into their three-game series versus Lander. Unfortunately for the Bobcats, Lander took the series 2-1.

The Bobcats scored first in game one, driving in a pair of runs in the first inning. Third baseman Kam Caldwell recorded an RBI-single to drive in the game’s first run, and left fielder Mackenzie Martin drove in the second with a double to center field.

Lander held GC scoreless for the remainder of the game, tying the game in the fourth and taking the lead in the fifth. The Bobcats were held to just

four hits, all but one coming in the first inning.

Junior Jana Shellhorse pitched well in the loss, as only half of the runs were earned, and she struck out six batters.

Game two saw a late rally for GC that ended up falling just short.

It was Lander’s turn to score early, scratching across a single run in the first frame. It was not until the sixth inning that the Bearcats added to their lead with three more runs.

The Bobcats came alive in the bottom of the sixth, loading the bases on a hit by pitch and two singles. The Bobcats had the tying run on the bases in both the sixth and seventh but could not secure a hit to tie things up.

Freshman shortstop

Sydney Lancaster went 3-for-3 in game two with a steal, and senior first baseman Jessica Owens went 2-for-4. The Bobcats rattled off

ten hits in the second contest but couldn’t string much together.

Junior Shelby Jones took the loss, as she went all seven innings with four earned runs and three strikeouts.

Game three was all GC. The Bobcats took down Lander 7-2 to avoid the series sweep.

The story of the afternoon was the seven-run third inning for the Bobcats. Owens reached base on a bas-

es-loaded error to push

petitive in each game and

tial and make a strong case for MVP to help lead the Braves back to the World Series.

The Braves will face a number of challenges throughout the year, especially with the pieces that other NL East teams picked up this offseason.

The New York Mets added former Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander to their already dangerous pitching rotation, and the Philadelphia Phillies added All-Star shortstop Trea Turner to their lineup after coming up just short to the Astros in the 2022 World Series.

The NL East will be one of the most competitive divisions in baseball, but for the Braves, the biggest challenge will be remaining healthy through 162 games.

The Braves are back in action this week, as they take on the St. Louis Cardinals for a threegame road series, and are looking to better their record throughout the course of the season.

the first run around to score. Senior Shea Zweifel picked up her first RBI of the contest, drawing a walk to push the second run of the game.

With this win the Bobcats achieved their first 20-win season since 2019.

“I think the team performed well against Lander this weekend,” Lancaster said. “Throughout the series, there were several different players who stepped up in order to stay com-

come out with a win in game three of the series.”

Infielder Jessica Owens said the threegame series taught her the importance of each of her teammates.

“It’s not the starting lineup that makes the team; it is everyone,” Owens said. “One individual can make or break a season.”

In order for a team to find success, adjustments must be made throughout the season.

“I think there was a major adjustment in our mindset between the first two games and the third game,” said utility player Divina Checo. “We made a lot fewer mistakes, and the team was, overall, just locked into the game in order to secure the win.”

The softball team will now get ready for another three-game series, this time against Augusta.

The Bobcats will hope to come away victorious in the series as the season gets closer to its end.

Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr.

Marissa Marcolina | Digital Media Editor

Junior utility player MacKenzie Hoffman slap hits the incoming pitch versus Lander on Friday, March 24.

GC baseball falls to UNG two games to one

Emily Henderson Staff Writer

GC baseball hosted one of their conference rivals, the University of North Georgia Nighthawks, in a three-game series starting Friday, March 31. After a tough

the Bobcats, as they were unable to put up a scoreless inning defensively.

The first two batters got on base with a single and a walk before an eventual RBI-single drove in a run. Hudgins kept his composure, striking

tried to produce runs but failed. Junior Palmer Sapp launched a ball to deep center field with a runner on base, but with a leaping catch over the center-field wall, UNG prevented the Bobcats from tying the game up.

The Bobcats produced back-to-back home runs by Hunter Baker and Knowles in the bottom of the seventh. This was Knowles first career homer for the Bobcats.

While the Bobcats got cold, the Night-

GC flushed away what happened in the first game and bounced back in the next two games.

The Bobcats won game two of the series after taking the lead early with two singles by freshman Evan Cowan and Sapp.

back, losing the game 5-7.

“Games like the first one show us how we can bounce back as a team,” Knowles said. “You know, we could have let down and lost these next two games, but we pushed back and al-

Things get ‘Stranger’ with stage play prequel

Popular Netflix series gets theatre production spinoff

Shaw Coggin Staff Writer

Streaming giant

Netflix has found wild success with their hit show “Stranger Things” ever since it premiered in 2016. The show is now on its fourth season, and rumors of spin-offs have never been more prevalent.

To the joy of those hoping for more stories from the Upside Down and Hawkins, the show’s creators, the Duffer Brothers, have announced a prequel play that will open its doors in London’s West End later this year.

The play, titled “Stranger Things: The First Shadow,” will be set in the fictionalized town

of Hawkins, Indiana, during the 1950s. Written by “Stranger Things” writer Kate Trefry and directed by three-time Tony Award-winning director Stephen Daldry, the prequel play will cover storylines relating

“I think it’s a bad idea,” said Kylie Noles, a sophomore art major. “I think it’ll lose its magic and will be disappointing because there’s so much great about the show.”

A common thread between “Stranger Things” fans on GC’s campus is the struggle between the shift from a TV series to a stage play.

“It is kind of a gamble ‘cause — usually — when you go between mediums, it tends to be kind of a bit off,” said Collin Nebiker, a junior marketing major. “I do think that it would be neat to see it if it does translate.”

the Netflix series.”

The concept of seeing younger versions of their favorite characters from the Netflix series seems to interest fans the most.

“I think it will add more character development — in a previous sense,” McPher-

son said. “Being able to give context to the past is really important.”

“I think it’ll be nostalgic, in some way, for people who think this is a good idea,” Noles said. “We’ve learned to love these characters and the people who’ve

been casted for the show, and I think these actors just won’t be able to do them justice.”

“Stranger Things: The First Shadow” will open on December 14 before the show’s fifth — and possibly final — season premieres next year.

to the characters of Jim Hopper, Joyce Byers and Bob Newby during their high school days. It has also been announced that the show’s current villain, Henry Creel, will have some kind of involvement in the story.

Though many fans are looking forward to the continuation, many are made hesitant by comments from the Duffer Brothers, who said the play was not originally part of their plans for the series.

Ben McPherson, a freshman management major, has been involved in theater since his sophomore year of high school and has since taken his stage skills to GC, providing him with perspective on the medium of theater in storytelling.

“It opens up a lot of opportunities for a new audience,” McPherson said. “They are going to have the ability, if they do it right, to capture some really sincere moments in a way they can’t through

Online diet culture: what to expect and what to avoid

Kody McClary Contributing

OPINION

The modern-day influencer’s lifestyle choices gain more and more psychological real estate in the minds of impressionable consumers as social media becomes increasingly sophisticated.

Short-form content

deny posts’ validity. So, how exactly is online fitness and diet culture influencing us, and what can we do to combat it?

Earlier this month, actress Gwyenth Paltrow went on the “The Art of Being Well” podcast, where she talked about her personal eating habits with the host, Dr. Will Cole. According to Paltrow, she waits until noon to have coffee

lack of substance. The backlash garnered a response from Paltrow about a week later, in which she claims that her nutritionist, Cole, the host of the podcast, recommended this bone broth diet to combat her “long COVID” because it is anti-inflammatory and has “all kinds of protein.”

In Paltrow’s defense, she did claim she does not eat like this every

to sell you the same diet information that Paltrow talked about in the podcast, giving context as to why she went to clarify her diet claims not long after the backlash.

What is even more interesting is that Cole is not even an MD. He is a doctor of “natural medicine” and a “functional medical practitioner,” meaning that most of his work is holistic and is not backed by decades of medical research like most conventional medicine normally is.

This means that he is just about as qualified as your local chiropractor rather than a fully licensed MD. Cole’s titles allow him to pose himself as being more qualified than he is to those who are unknowing of what his qualifications accurately entail about his expertise.

pills, and the list goes on.

Knowing that this business model exists, any health advice provided by an influencer should be taken with a grain of salt because most of these influencers’ bottom line is to make money off of your engagement, especially if there is a product behind their claims. For them, they have no incentive to push you towards your wellness goals. In fact, the opposite happens.

cal self image, specifically within young women.

The content we consume predicates how online fitness and diet culture affects the individual. Albeit avoiding appearance-focused social media is easier said than done because most social media is inherently appearance-focused, regardless of whether you are consuming fitness or diet-related content or not.

incentivizes creators to churn out as many clips as possible, allowing for misguided fluff to seep through the cracks at a rate faster than what our brains can effectively process. We are constantly consuming personal anecdotes about lifestyle and wellness choices, and most of us are not wellread on these subjects or even have the time to accurately confirm or

and the optional bone broth soup to not spike her blood sugar levels.

This “lunch” is a part of her intermittent fasting regimen, where she only eats one large meal, “lots of vegetables,” a day.

The podcast clip of her discussing her eating habits made its rounds in the wellness zeitgeist and faced the criticism of many qualified nutritionists for the diet’s

day, but that was only clarified until after the backlash and not during the podcast where she made the initial claims.

What is interesting about Cole and Paltrow’s relationship is that they seem to act more as business partners and less like a doctor-client relationship, considering both of them are selling a book called “Intuitive Fasting.” This book aims

This relationship represents the business model that has misguided the online health industry for years now. Plaster the face of a conventionally attractive influencer or celebrity that fits a certain body image and market their influence towards a product or book that claims to fast-track you to achieving some health or fitness goal. We see it all the time in products like Sugarbear Hair, Prime, Chris Hemsworth’s fitness app, NLE Choppa’s BBL pills, weight loss

A meta-analysis of 63 studies from the Department of Psychology at Ryerson University regarding social-media-borne body image issues suggests that simply using social media is not what is altering one’s body image. In fact, it is how people use social media and what behaviors they tend to engage in — such as “appearance-focused social media use” — that has a negative impact on their body image. Due to social media still being relatively new, most of the research is not developed enough to statistically confirm any causation of social-media-borne body image issues, but considering the frequency and popularity of the influencer-backed health regimen products, beauty filters and face-tuning apps, it is safe to say that there is clearly a large market for people who struggle with their physi-

So what are your options in avoiding the negative ramifications of online fitness and diet culture? Number one: Know when you are being sold to. If someone is giving you health advice online, dig deeper and figure out if they are attempting to sell you something along with it. If they are, then question its validity. Number two: Only consider what qualified nutritionists and doctors, and their studies, have to say about health-related facts and diets. They have the resources and experience to make these claims, not some random celebrity. Number three: Limit your media usage. If you notice your timeline is cornering you into lifestyle choices through the content it recommends, then block those accounts, ask the app to not recommend those videos, log off and recalibrate.

Writer

Gwenyth Paltrow

The actress has received backlash from the wellness community for her eating habits.

Courtesy of Netflix

-Ben McPherson

They are going to have the ability, if they do it right, to capture some really sincere moments in a way they can’t through the Netflix series

COIN

Continued from page 1

A lot of the best Go players just say the best moves. Sometimes, it just feels right. They don’t even know why they make it, because it’s paralyzing to think about what you can do. It just feels like the right move.

So, I like this idea that

they created technology to emulate human intuition, and we reverse-engineered that and made a whole album about what it means to be human.

Q: Will you continue to build on that theme in the music you’re creating currently?

A: Joe Memmel: TBD?

Matt Martin: We’re soul searching.

Ryan Winnen: It’s unavoidable.

We’re all just figuring it out, you know?

bum that makes it different from previous albums, specifically with the connection of learning and loving?

Joe Memmel: It’s all tied together.

Chase Lawrence:

Q: What do you hope your listeners got from this al-

A: Chase Lawrence: We’re not the ones to talk about human meaning. We’re all just trying to figure this out, but I think that we all came to this conclusion that the point of this whole

Sentencing a teenage killer: the murder of Tristyn Bailey

Kate Verity

Contributing Writer

Sunday, May 9, 2021, was a tragic Mother’s Day for Florida mother Stacy Bailey. She awoke to find that only four of her five children had made it home safe the night before. Bailey spent what should have been a joyful holiday scouring the county with law enforcement, desperately searching for any sign of her youngest child. At 6:06 p.m., her daughter’s body was found, lying lifeless, near a retention pond. Tristyn Bailey, a 13-year-old girl, had been brutally stabbed 114 times.

Tristyn Bailey’s killer was one of her classmates, 14-year-old Aiden Fucci. Two years have passed since the crime was committed. In February, Fucci chose to plead guilty. This past week, he received his sentence: life in prison with a review in 25 years.

Fucci, now 16, was tried as an adult. Nevertheless, the judge had

to take Fucci’s age into consideration when delivering the sentence. This is because there are many laws in place to protect children that are being tried in adult criminal court. One notable difference is that children can not receive the death penalty.

Dr. Alesa Liles is an associate professor of criminal justice at GC. She explained how this protective measure came to exist. Specifically, major court cases throughout the last two decades have led to these restrictions in sentencing and have forced judges to take a child’s age and lack of development into consideration.

“In 2005, the Supreme Court decided that juveniles were ineligible for the death penalty [Roper v. Simmons] ,” Liles said.

“So, if a kid committed a death-eligible offense, in most states, that meant they would receive an automatic life-without-parole sentence because that is how the laws

are written. That was the case up until 2012. In 2012, the Supreme Court said kids cannot receive mandatory life without parole. They must be given a ‘meaningful opportunity for release’ [Miller v. Alabama].”

Based on the nature of

ed States judiciary chose that death row should not be an option for minors.

“The Supreme Court has said, in two different cases, that we are ethically required to consider how juveniles are different from adults,” Cook said. “The Supreme Court in

Some believe the practice is a suitable punishment for individuals who have committed dark and heinous crimes. Others see it as a practice that strips people of their right to life and ought to be abolished.

life is to become better than you were yesterday, slightly more clarified today than you were the day before, and I think you just do that until you die. I think that’s the closest we’ll ever get to an answer to what this life is. Just getting better every day. That’s the goal.

Joe Memmel: Learning and loving.

Fucci’s crime, he was set to be tried in adult court rather than as a juvenile.

In 25 years, a judge will review his sentence, thus fulfilling the obligation to provide “meaningful opportunity for release.”

Dr. Carrie Cook, GC professor of criminal justice, also referenced Roper v. Simmons and Miller v. Alabama when explaining why the Unit-

Roper said states aren’t really doing this [juvenile death penalties] anyway. They’re not sending people to death row who were juveniles when they committed their crime. So, they’re recognizing that as a practice that our society isn’t really comfortable with.”

Death row alone is a point of controversy among many Americans.

Chad Helton is a junior at GC double majoring in criminal justice and political science. He is against capital punishment in general, so he is certainly against any notion of putting minors on death row. Helton explained that he, ethically, finds Fucci’s life sentence to be appropriate, considering the crime. But he also raises concerns about over-sentencing minors as adults.

“I mean, he [Fucci] premeditatively killed this girl, so in this case specifically, I think it was a very fair sentencing to do life with a 25-year examination,” Helton said. “If it was something minor, like drug possession or something like that, I don’t think we should be doing life

without parole or life with parole. The sooner you insert a child into the prison system rather than the juvenile delinquent system, it’s going to further impair them from developing any kind of behavior fixing or behavior corrections.”

Furthermore, according to Cook, Florida is the leading state in the nation in terms of trying minors as adults.

“It’s an interesting case because Florida leads the nation with waivers to adult court,” Cook said. “It’s, like, almost double or more than double the second-leading state.”

The potential for reform in the United States prison system has long been a topic of political debate. However, in the past 20 years, Americans have seen two major cases go through the Supreme Court that have been making an effort to protect children from being treated with overt harshness or scrutiny by the legal system.

Tristyn Bailey

The point of this whole life is to become better than you were yesterday.

-Chase Lawrence

Florida bill limits discussion of female anatomy in school

What age should students be taught sexual education?

Hannah Adams Asst. Opinion Editor

In March 2023, the Florida House of Representatives and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis extended the limitations on conversations regarding sexual orientation and gender identity to the eighth grade.

The bill will take extra measures to restrict the rights of transgender people within Florida, as well as limit school curriculum concerning sex and female anatomy.

For example, the bill explains that menstrual cycles can only be discussed between students above the age of 12. The parameters of this bill have also created more accessibility for parents to challenge the curriculum being taught in

their children’s classrooms and the guidelines of discussions between teachers and students.

The bill was passed by a vote of 77-35 in the primarily Republican house and distinguishes that the use of any pronouns that differ from the biological sex of the individual is false.

The DeSantis administration made many moves against the transgender community after a series of policies that were initiated last fall. This included two state medical approved board rules that banned transgender minors from receiving hormone therapies and some surgeries.

In an article from NBC, a woman referred to as Jane Doe expressed her concerns in a news release for her daughter now that this

bill has been enacted.

“Our daughter is a happy, confident child but denying her access to the medical care recommended by her doctors would completely disrupt her life,” Doe said. “I’m devastated by what this will mean for her physical and mental health.”

Along with the other restrictions enacted by this bill, it is also disclosed that schools cannot educate students on menstruation until they are above the age of 12. In general, young women get their periods sometime around the age of 10. The initiation of this bill will force teachers to refrain from teaching on the topic to their students, regardless of whether or not menstruation has started for them.

GC junior psycholo-

Lana Del Rey album review

Collin Zabroske

Contributing Writer

Renowned singer songwriter Lana Del Rey released her ninth studio album, “Did You Know

That There’s A Tunnel

Under Ocean Blvd,” on March 24, 2023. Since the release, the album has had the largest streaming numbers on opening week in the United States since Del Rey’s release of “Honeymoon” in 2015.

This most recent album has risen to the top 10 of Billboard 200 and celebrates 28,000 SEA units, which translates to 36.14 million on-demand streams. This makes “Did You Know

That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd” Del Rey’s biggest streaming week to date, surpassing all prior albums.

The public also gets to taste a large variety of featured artists, like Father John Misty, Bleachers, SYML, Jon Batiste, Riopy and Tommy Genesis. This wide range of featured artists brings new, inventive sonic cohesion that has never been seen by Del Rey until “Ocean Blvd.” Everything from an old gospel sound in her family homage piece, “The Grants,” which emphasizes John Denver’s mystical wonderment to “Peppers” featuring Tommy Genesis, which introduces a contrasting mix of slow and hyper beats, is displayed beautifully throughout the album.

The listener also gets an insight to vulnerable and unseen emotions that Del Rey has yet to display in her work. Motifs of childhood sorrow, experience with sexual

violence and yearning for her own family are revealed as Lana’s natural lyricism thickens throughout the album.

In the song “Fingertips,” Del Rey pours her heart into the intense writing that portrays each of these harsh elements. Although the lyrics are heartbreaking, Del Rey finds a way to turn her sorrow into magic. This metamorphosis of emotion is considerably recognizable in other songs on “Ocean Blvd,” like “Sweet,” “Fishtail” and “Candy Necklace.”

The unique ability to translate sadness into serenity is something I have always admired about Del Rey. Having been a fan since I was only 12 years old, my expectations for this album were completely blown away when I got to listen to “Ocean Blvd” in one sitting. This is solely based on the rawness of her lyrics and how much of her soul is woven into this album.

However, in terms of stylistic choices for sound and beat cohesion, it is not my favorite. After the release of “Norman F***ing Rockwell” in 2019, it is hard for me to fully accept

gy major Christy Garlock felt that these parameters were unjust.

“I think that the law shouldn’t even be a discussion,” Garlock said. “Girls should be learning about this stuff as early as necessary so it doesn’t come as a surprise later. Also, I can’t stand when a man is the one creating laws surrounding the anatomy of a woman.”

The enacting of this Florida bill will further open the door for parents having more extensive input on their children’s curriculum. Teachers will now have to filter out any discussions pertaining to topics of sexual orientation, gender identity, certain female anatomical functions and sex. In an article regarding these administrative actions, Human Rights Campaign

writer Delphine Luneau elaborated further on what these limitations will mean for the future.

“The Stop WOKE Act limits protected speech in workplaces and classrooms by censoring honest dialogue about systemic racism, gender, and race discrimination,” Luneau said. “The legislation also changes Florida’s employment discrimination statutes to give employees the ability to file discrimination claims against an employer engaging

in trainings or discussions about Black history, LGBTQ+ issues, and other concepts of injustice and discrimination.”

Florida is now one of eight states to restrict healthcare pertaining to transitional procedures and the transgender community. This bill has been paired with an identical rule passed by the Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine. The standards of this bill will be upheld via HB 1223, which states that sex is inextricable from biology.

Dear, Hollywood. No more remakes.

Cale Strickland Managing Editor

If you have taken a film class, chances are you are familiar with Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo.”

Many film critics and historians consider the hypnotic, Technicolor noir one of the greatest films of all-time.

Lana Del Rey

the new wave of music Del Rey is producing.

Although we see similarity when comparing “Cinnamon Girl” from “Norman F***ing Rockwell,” and “Sad Girl” from “Ultraviolence” to “Fishtail” on this album, there is something so different in the way songs on “Ocean Blvd” read to the listener than her previous albums before “Norman F***ing Rockwell.”

As each new album progresses, Lana continuously focusses more and more on her writing than the production value of her music. Del Rey has always emphasized the fact that she identifies more as a writer than a musician, which is something I truly admire about her.

That being said, I can not help but miss the days in 2014 when “Ultraviolence,” my favorite album of all-time, was in its prime. Although I often let my nostalgia dictate my opinion on Del Rey’s new work, “Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd” is truly a remarkable album that explores her life in a way no other album she has released has.

It has received the same treatment as Orson Welles’s “Citizen Kane,” another classic synonymous with all the bells and whistles of a film deemed worthy of scholarly analysis: countless essays, books upon books, anniversary screenings at stuffy repertory theaters across New York and Los Angeles.

So, when I sat down to write about “Vertigo” for a film noir class I took last spring, I was pulling teeth to say something original. My paper was nothing more than an exercise in paraphrasing scholars of decades past; my “voice” was nowhere to be found among the sea of citations which littered its pages.

But if there is one thing Hollywood loves more than movies, it is Hollywood itself — the mythology of making movies. Filmmakers love filmmakers. Just look at a handful of the

Academy’s recent Oscar nominees, for example: Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans,” Kenneth Branagh’s “Belfast,” and David Fincher’s “Mank.” In back-to-back-to-back years, films about film have been present at the biggest, self-congratulatory, party in Hollywood, and by no mistake.

Now, Paramount, the studio behind “Vertigo,” is looking to one-up itself, as a remake of the film has been announced.

Robert Downey Jr. will star, presumably as James Ferguson, the peculiar private eye originally played by the late, great James Stewart. Stephen Knight, who is best known for his work on the Netflix series “Peaky Blinders,” will write the film’s screenplay.

At the time of writing, it is unclear who will direct the film, or who will play Madeleine Elster, the famed femme fatale originally played by Kim Novak.

Of course, I can not judge the film until I have had a chance to see it. God, it seems cynical, though. When the golden age of Hollywood is being mined for golden-coated intellectual property, or “IP,” you begin to wonder what — if anything — is off-limits from being remade or spun off. Hell, with Welles long gone, Warner Bros. Dis-

covery just might set its sights on “Citizen Kane.”

And while remaking “Vertigo” may not be as money-hungry of a move as studios pumping out mindless, unjustified sequels, it is still lazy, unoriginal storytelling.

I am sure the idea of working on a remake of “Vertigo,” or any other historically significant film, as the director, as an actor, is attractive. Maybe Downey, who just ended his years-long journey as Iron Man in Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe, thinks a serious drama is just what he needs to regain the respect of the industry’s toughest critics. It must be thrilling, and terrifying, to attempt to emulate Hollywood’s legends — but you are also, undoubtedly, setting yourself up for failure. Because no matter how great Downey Jr.’s performance is, no matter how well-made the film is, the “Vertigo” we end up getting in 2024 or 2025 can not — and will not — stand toe-to-toe with Hitchcock’s original. Sure, audiences may enjoy it, which certainly matters. But critics and scholars will never hold Downey Jr. in the same regard as Stewart, or the director in the same regard as Hitchcock, and why should they? Pretension comes at a price.

Gov. Ron DeSantis

Robert Downey Jr.

EMPATHY

Continued from page 1

As for myself, while I may have time settings stationed on my most used apps, I find myself scrolling aimlessly on social media providers to keep up with my friends or content creators that may entertain me. In doing so, I get a front-row view to the lives that other individuals live, including the opinions of other people and of society in general. Due to the convenience of social media, creators are able to post their beliefs and opinions with the tap of a finger and little regard to how this could negatively affect or offend another person.

This poses the question: What is the impact of social media on empathy?

Social media has been shown to impede empathy in several ways. First, the constant exposure

to tragic incidents and negative news on social media leads to “compassion fatigue,” which can desensitize people to the suffering of others. Additionally, social media often promotes confirmation bias, where people seek out information and opinions that confirm their own beliefs and demonize those who do not. This can lead to arguments and a lack of empathy towards others. Social media also contributes to a culture of comparison and perfectionism, which can negatively impact self-esteem and create an atmosphere of judgment towards others. Cyberbullying is another way social media can impede empathy, as people can hide behind screens to pass judgment onto others without thought.

What is empathy, and how can we combat the loss of it within society?

There is an empathy deficit in America, which is exacerbated by the current situation with the pandemic, racial injustice, economic insecurity, political polarization and misinformation. Empathy is a fundamental human need that is essential for individuals to feel understood and cared for by others. However, empathy is a complex concept that means different things to different people, and it is not always easy to understand or measure. To address this empathy deficit, individuals can take several steps. First, it is important to ask others how they are feeling and to listen actively to their responses. This involves putting oneself in their shoes and trying to understand their perspective. Second, it is essential to remember that many people are struggling with their own

problems and may not have the energy to think about others’ issues. Finally, individuals should recognize that empathy means different things to different people, and it is

important to understand what it means for those around us. By taking these steps, individuals can begin to bridge the empathy deficit and create a more compassion-

ate and caring society. It is important to recognize that empathy is not just a concept but a powerful force that is essential for humans’ well-being.

THE U.S. CITIZENSHIP TEST IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO PASS. THAT NEEDS TO END. NOW.

Hannah Adams Asst. Opinion Editor

Within the past few months, I have been required to take the Georgia and U.S. legislative tests that are required by state law to be completed by students pursuing higher education. Students must pass the test with a 60 or above to gain credit. If they fail in passing this test score after three attempts, they are required to take a course to compensate. After my first take of the Georgia legislative, I was shocked to find out how difficult and oddly specific the exam was.

When the U.S. legislative test ended up being the same level of difficulty, I was frustrated. There really is no purpose in people needing to know obscure and random facts about a Georgia marsh to get their college diploma in a degree that is completely unrelated to history. When expressing these concerns to a friend, we began to wonder if these are the types of questions asked on citizenship tests. It also prompted me to think whether these tests should be necessary at all.

To some degree, it will always be important to understand the history

of the entire world — to know where we came from and the history of our ancestors’ shapes, who we are and the changes we need to make as a new generation. Despite this, there is no justification for forcing people to learn hyper-obscure and random facts that they will not retain in the long run just for the sake of doing it. According to the New York Times article, “New US Citizenship Test is Longer and More Difficult,” by Simon Romero and Miriam Jordan, the new citizenship test is more difficult for those that do not speak English as their

first language. The test is also longer and more challenging than before.

“The new citizenship test that went into effect on Tuesday is longer than before, with applicants now required to answer 12 out of 20 questions correctly instead of six out of 10. It is also more complex, eliminating simple geography and adding dozens of possible questions, some nuanced and involving complex phrasing, that could trip up applicants who do not consider them carefully,” Romero and Jordan said.

The addition of questions that are meant to

confuse those that are learning or do not speak English is a tragic and awful attempt at working against immigrants. The majority of U.S. citizens do not have a clue about in-depth historical facts. There is no justification for expecting those trying to gain citizenship to know them either.

The New York Times article further explained the motive behind this new test according to Eric Cohen, executive director of the Immigrant Legal Resource Center in San Francisco.

“There is no legal reason, no regulatory reason to do this,” Cohen said.

He noted that the citizenship test had remained unchanged since 2008.

“They decided on their own that they have to change it for political reasons,” Cohen said.

It is sad that this country can not seem to escape the superiority complex of singling out those trying to gain citizenship and putting them through a test that asks them unnecessary and silly questions. It is also a sad fact that many U.S. citizens are unaware of facts such as these until they are prompted to seek them out themselves.

Courtesy of Art Director | Claire O’Neill

The Trump Indictment

Adam Lamparello, J.D. Asst. Professor of Criminal Justice

Donald Trump has been indicted. Although this is not a surprising development, it is not a good day for the rule of law or for public confidence in our institutions.

To begin with, a grand jury indictment is not nearly as significant as some in the media would have you believe. As the saying goes, grand juries would indict a “ham sandwich” because the threshold for securing an indictment is not high, and the defense’s ability to test the prosecution’s case is limited. Furthermore, the investigation occurred in New York City, where liberals substantially outnumber conservatives, and where Trump is, to put it mildly, not admired. When you combine these factors with a district attorney – Alvin Bragg – who seems hellbent on indicting Trump (as evidenced by his public statements and legal theory) you have the perfect storm for an indictment that appears more political than principled.

Indeed, Bragg appears to care more about convicting Trump than addressing the approximately 22% increase in various crimes in New York City. As Harvard Law Professor Dershowitz, who did not vote for Trump, explains:

When a district attorney who ran as a Democrat and promised to “get” Donald Trump indicts the candidate running for president against the incumbent head of his party, he had better have a slam dunk case. Although we don’t know exactly what the Manhattan grand jury indicted Trump for, it seems likely, based on what we know, that this is a very weak case which would never have been brought against anyone else.

Put simply, the case against Trump is not strong. In fact, if media reports are correct about the charge Trump is facing, it is incredibly weak. As George Washington law professor Jonathan Turley states, Bragg “is attempting to bootstrap [a] federal crime into a state case,” and “if that is the basis for the indictment … it’s illegally pathetic.” Likewise, former Whitewater deputy counsel Sol Wisenberg characterized the legal case against Trump as “preposterous.” Even some liberal commentators agree that the case against Trump is not strong. For example, Elie Mystal asserts that “the odds that the path to real justice, let alone prison time, runs through the Manhattan DA’s office still seem very, very long.”

Specifically (and again, if media reports are correct), the charge against Trump is falsifying business records, which requires, among other things, an intent to defraud. The legal theory, apparently, is that Trump falsified business records (characterizing them as legal expenses) when reimbursing Michael Cohen for paying Stormy Daniels $130,000 to conceal Daniels’ affair with Trump (to be clear, paying “hush money” to another is not, in itself, a crime). In New York, this is a misdemeanor, and it only becomes a felony “if it was in service of another crime,” which Bragg allegedly “posits is a [federal] campaign finance violation.”

Importantly, the Southern District of New York, which investigated this matter, declined to prosecute the case. Also, former Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance, did not pursue an indictment.] And for good reason. Why would a prosecutor try to convict a former president for a misdemeanor, particularly where the Southern District of New York declined to prosecute, the case is so weak, and where doing so would appear politically motivated?

None of these factors seem to matter to Bragg, a Democrat who in his campaign for Manhattan District Attorney promised to focus on investigating Trump, stating that it “merits the attention of the DA personally.” Apparently, Bragg is attempting to connect Trump’s alleged misdemeanor-level misconduct to a federal campaign finance violation, which is a felony, by alleging that the payments to Cohen constituted an illegal contribution to the Trump campaign.

Such a creative and novel legal approach suggests that Bragg is searching for some way, however untenable, to bring a felony charge against Trump. But it is unlikely to succeed. As Mark Pomerantz, a former district attorney, stated, Bragg will “have to argue that the intent to commit or conceal a federal crime had converted the falsification of the records into a felony. No appellate court in New York had ever upheld (or rejected) this interpretation

of the law.” In other words, the “intent to defraud” must include “an intent to commit another crime or to aid or conceal the commission thereof.” That alone will be difficult to prove, as Trump may argue that the payments were intended to prevent his wife Melania from discovering the affair, not to cover up another crime (an illegal campaign contribution).

Furthermore, if reports from the media are accurate, the primary witness for the prosecution will be Michael Cohen, a disbarred lawyer who pled guilty to, among other things, tax fraud, who served time in prison, and who has lied countless times, including before Congress. If you doubt this, listen to the statements by Robert Costello, who testified recently before the grand jury. Also, one must wonder how Trump can be prosecuted for a federal campaign violation in New York state court, why such a prosecution should be pursued when the Southern District of New York declined to do so, and where the optics of such a prosecution suggest a political motive.

Such creative lawyering (tying a state law misdemeanor to a federal felony), rather than being a legitimate purpose of the criminal justice system, suggests that the Bragg wants to weaponize the legal system to “get” Trump. As Dershowitz explains:

This is a case of targeting an individual and then rummaging through the statute books in search of a crime. Prosecutors seem to have come up with nothing under established law, then made up a misdemeanor and then piggybacked it on another alleged crime to create a felony. But one plus one does not equal 11, and zero plus zero

Supreme Court litigator. The commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (and free speech) obviously exists only in the abstract at these schools.

The consequences that Trump’s prosecution will have to our institutions – and the rule of law – will be substantial. The legitimacy of our institutions depends in substantial part on the perception that our elected officials apply the law equally, fairly, and even-handedly, without regard to political affiliation or personal animus. If the rule of law is perceived as a political weapon (see, e.g., North Korea, Russia), the law itself will be reduced to nothing more than a tool for politicians to use against those who threaten their power. And there is no bigger threat to liberty and equality than a rule of law that is administered based on politics rather than principle, and opportunism rather than objectivity. The rule of law – and the American people – demand much more and should accept no less.

Put differently, people need to believe that you will never be prosecuted or targeted based on what you believe, what your political affiliation is, or who you are. It should be based on what you did, and whether those actions would result in a prosecution for most, if not all, individuals, regardless of status, who engaged in similar conduct. That is simply not the case here. If the defendant were Joe Biden rather than Donald Trump, there would be no prosecution.

It’s no wonder why the American people have lost faith in our institutions, academics, and elected leaders. Years ago, individuals such as Walter Cronkite, Robert C. Maynard, and Peter Jennings exemplified the standards to which journalism – and our institutions – should aspire.

Now, the American people are treated to the folks at CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC, few of whom can even remotely compare to the journalistic integrity that the former individuals embodied. Even a few seconds of listening to Bryan Stelter or Joy Reid, or Glenn Beck underscores this point.

Indeed, Bragg’s conduct – and the conduct of many political leaders, prosecutors, and pundits – leads to one ineluctable conclusion.

equals zero. That is what we seem to have here.

Simply put, this is a weak case that appears as politically motivated as it gets. Indeed, it is quite concerning that, as Bragg has reduced 52% of felony charges in New York to misdemeanors, he now seeks to raise Trump’s alleged crime from a misdemeanor to a felony. Perhaps Bragg’s personal attention should be devoted elsewhere, particularly given the 22% rise in certain crimes in New York City.

Ultimately, no matter what you think of Trump, everyone should, hopefully, believe that the law should be applied in an equal and even-handed fashion. Think about it: if the defendant were anyone other than Donald Trump, would Bragg be pursuing this? Of course not.

Well, maybe if it were Richard Nixon.

In essence, Bragg is going after the person (Trump), not the crime. That, in a nutshell, is the point – and the problem.

After all, let’s be honest about what is happening here.

Bragg probably despises Trump. Furthermore, when (and before) Donald Trump was elected in 2016 as an anti-establishment candidate, the mainstream media hated him. Indeed, the mainstream media, which has as much, if not less, credibility than Michael Cohen, did nearly everything in its power to discredit and, quite frankly, destroy Trump, as evidenced by, among other things, the now-debunked allegations of Russian collusion.

Additionally, the establishment, including individuals such as James Comey and Peter Strzok, hated him. Furthermore, universities, which are overwhelmingly liberal and who employ professors who believe that diversity of thought is more deleterious than the coronavirus, have almost uniformly condemned Trump and unapologetically rejected a free marketplace of ideas. If you doubt this, look at what happened to Fifth Circuit Judge Stuart Kyle Duncan at Stanford Law School, where students and Tirian Steinbach, the Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, shouted down Duncan for views that they did not share. Or observe the circus-like shenanigans of students at Yale Law School, where they ridiculed Kristen Waggoner, an attorney and

They are political actors. Their goal is to advance a political agenda. And they don’t even hide it anymore. As Professor Dershowitz stated, “[w]hat matters greatly is that DA Alvin Bragg has weaponized the justice system to target a political opponent based on a nonexistent or, at best, an extremely weak crime.”

Unfortunately, this nonsense is not without precedent. In 1998, the Republicans spent millions of taxpayer dollars to impeach Bill Clinton (in the House of Representatives) over a consensual affair (and alleged perjury and obstruction of justice) that, while not, to put it nicely, the best exercise of judgment, could not reasonably have been construed as a high crime and misdemeanor. And Ken Starr did everything in his power to degrade and humiliate Clinton with a report laden with salacious details that no sensible person would have included. Well, here we are again: a criminal indictment against a former president and leading candidate for the Republican Party’s nomination based on an affair with a porn star. Not to mention, the United States Supreme Court manufactured out of thin air a right to abortion in Roe v. Wade, and approximately fifty years later, overturned Roe for no other reason than that the political persuasions of the Court had changed.

What’s more, it is nearly impossible to have a civil conversation with those with whom you disagree or to debate issues with others in an atmosphere of civility and respect. Alvin Bragg’s decision makes this situation worse, not better and makes the country more divided, not united. Put simply, Trump’s indictment is an unsurprising, quite unoriginal, and obviously predictable continuation of this unfortunate chapter in American history.

Ultimately, almost anyone can respect the rule of law, promote diversity of thought, and remain committed to fairness when they are surrounded by people who agree with them. But true leaders – and people with character and integrity – have the courage to be fair to every citizen, particularly the ones that they despise, just like the First Amendment depends on tolerating speech that you find offensive.

That is what the rule of law – and a society dedicated to liberty, fairness, and equality – demands, and what every citizen deserves.

That includes Donald Trump.