@GCSUnade
@TheColonnade
The Official Student Newspaper of Georgia College April 11, 2023
Single Copies Free
bobcatmultimedia.com
Nashville shooting leaves 6 dead
Police respond to a shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee
Kate Verity Contributing Writer Monday, March 27, was a dark day in Nashville, Tennessee. At 10:10 a.m., 28-yearold Audrey Hale forcefully entered The Covenant School by shooting through the glass doors of a locked side entrance. Hale entered the school carrying two assault weapons and a pistol, intent on wreaking havoc. By 10:13 in the morning, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department received a call that there were shots fired at
The Covenant School, a private Christian elementary school. By 10:24, officers Rex Engelbert and Michael Collazo had taken down the assailant. Police have been unable to identify if Hale was targeting any specific people in the attack. So far, it appears to have been a generalized attack on the whole school. Six people were killed in this tragic event. Three of the victims were nineyear-old students Evelyn Dieckhaus, William Kinney and Hallie Scruggs. The other three individuals who lost their lives have been identified as
61-year-old custodian Mike Hill, 61-year-old substitute teacher Cynthia Peak and the 60-yearold head of the school, Katherine Koonce. Brinkley Bolton, a sophomore chemistry major, hopes to work in forensics one day. Hearing about the events in Nashville saddened her, but she prefers to focus on the heroic response of the officers who responded so quickly. “It made me sad, but I’m also very happy that the cops took her [Hale] down in 14 minutes,” Bolton said. “People think 14 minutes is a long
time, but the 14 minutes is from when someone dialed 911, got Nashville Metro P.D. They got in there, did not stop, and they shot her down. And that was all in 14 minutes, whereas compared to Uvalde — that took a lot more time.” The New York Times published an article on April 5 titled “U.S. Mass Shootings in 2023: A Partial List.” This article said that, as of late March, a nonprofit research group called The Gun Violence Archive has counted 130 mass shootings in the United States in 2023. “There is no consen-
GC’s response to EF-1 tornado Paige Blakemore Staff Writer
On the morning of March 26, an EF-1 tornado touched down in Milledgeville and the Baldwin County area, followed by a flash-flood warning. The National Weather Service reported the tornado’s winds reached up to 100 mph while on the ground for 15 to 20 minutes. The storm left many without power, damaged the city’s hospital and destroyed homes, including the home of GC employee Monica Jones. Severe weather statements and flash flood warnings continued into Monday, leaving many GC students and faculty to wonder why school had not been canceled or why a cautionary email had not been sent out. Education majors were forced to still drive to their placement teachings during the peak
of the storms. Some of these placements were as far as an hour away. “I had to wake up really early Monday morning just so I could navigate through the road closures,” said Cyndi Plemons, senior middle grades education major. “It started off fine, and then it was downpour. For the majority of my drive, I could not see the road. It was very scary.”
Plemons, who lives close to where the tornado touched down and did not receive power until late Sunday evening, made sure to apologize to her students for her anxious state. Numerous professors canceled classes on their own accord for the safety of themselves and their students. Some students did not attend class out of concern for their safety.
“I wish [GC] would have sent out more precautions and updates,” Plemons said. “We didn’t get an update until 9:00 AM that morning after the storm had already passed.” Freshman residence halls were flooded, as were many students’ homes. See TORNADO| Page 6
Marissa Marcolina | Digital Media Editor
Damage from the EF-1 tornado in Milledgeville
sus on what constitutes a mass shooting; different groups define it differently, depending on circumstances including the number of victims, whether the victims are killed or wounded, and whether the shooting occurs in a public place,” the article said. “The Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit research group that tracks gun violence using police reports, news coverage and other public sources, defines a mass shooting as one in which at least four people were killed or injured.” Gun control is a topic of great controversy in
American politics. The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution protects an American citizen’s right to bear and own arms from government interference. However, guns today are incredibly different than they were in 1791, when the Second Amendment was ratified. They have increased in efficiency and violence, and many feel that the average U.S. citizen should not have access to assault weapons. See NASHVILLE | Page 2
UCONN WINS MARCH MADNESS Drew Bogumill Staff Writer The 2023 March Madness tournament is officially over, with UConn cutting down the net in the end. The Final Four consisted of UConn, Miami, FAU, and San Diego State. No. 9 FAU took on No. 5 San Diego State in what was an absolute thriller. San Diego State beat FAU 72-71 on a last-second buzzer beater from guard Lamont Butler. Going into the Final Four, UConn beat four teams by at least 13 points: No. 13 Iona (87-63), No. 5 Saint Mary’s (70-55), No. 8 Arkansas (88-65) and No. 3 Gonzaga (82-54). UConn faced off against Miami in their Final Four matchup. UConn kept up their domination, beating
Miami 72-59, beating their fifth team by double digit points. No. 4 UConn then faced No. 5 San Diego State in the national championship game.The Huskies beat the Aztecs 76-59, securing the program’s fifth national title. UConn guard Tristen Newton had 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Adama Sanogo, who was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player, added 17 points and 10 rebounds. The Aztecs dug themselves into a hole in the first half, shooting 29% and trailing by 12 at halftime. San Diego State continued to build its own house of bricks, unable to find the rim on the outside, and they struggled to handle UConn’s length inside. See UCONN | Page 4
NEWS | PG. 3
SPORTS | PG. 5
ARTS & LIFE | PG. 7
OPINION & MISC. | PG. 8
The former president was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records. What’s next?
Baseball is back — and with a fresh set of rules. Who are GC students picking to win it all?
Tourists flock to the city for its lax druguse and prostitution laws — but all of that is about to change.
Socia media is the center of the online universe, but how should governments regulate it?
DONALD TRUMP’S ARREST
MLB RETURNS
AMSTERDAM’S “STAY AWAY” CAMPAIGN
SOCIAL MEDIA REGULATIONS