Issue 9 | Volume 101

Nashville shooting leaves 6 dead

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

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

The former president was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records.

Police respond to a shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee

NASHVILLE

Continued from page 1

President Joe Biden commented on the events in Nashville on March 28 while visiting Durham, North Carolina. He called for Congress to take action and pass a ban on assault weapons.

“As a nation, we owe these families more than our prayers,” Biden said. “We owe them action. You know, we have to do more to stop this gun violence ripping communities apart and ripping apart the soul of this nation. We have to protect our children so they learn how to read and write instead of duck and cover in a classroom. You know, we need to act. These are weapons of war.”

Access to certain weapons by Americans is

already heavily restricted in the United States. For example, citizens can not, generally, own flamethrowers, machine guns and other fully automatic weapons. Adding assault weapons to this list has been pushed by many Americans.

LiliAnn Pittman, a senior biology major, plans to study law herself one day. She supports an American’s right to own a gun but sees some assault weapons as going too far.

“I think it is extremely too easy to access an assault rifle in the United States,” Pittman said. “I’m not saying ban all guns and take away people’s right to bear arms. I’m saying take the military-grade weapons off the shelf. Keep them in a log or something. The average human being should not be able to own a rifle like that.”

However, Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene tweeted a different sentiment on the shooting. Greene sees a solution through the arming of individuals in schools to protect the students.

“My prayers are with the victims and families at the Covenant School in Nashville,” Greene said. “Another absolutely horrific needless tragedy. Children and school staff should always be protected the same way politicians, money, precious stones, and gold are protected, but even more so, by good guys with guns.”

There is a divide among Washington politicians. No one in Congress supports the needless murder of children in schools across America. Even though Biden and Greene have very different ideas on

how to fix this issue, neither politician wishes to see any more students lose their lives in school shootings. The inability of Congress to come together and make a decision has caused a political stalemate on gun control. While America waits, children are still dying in their schools.

In addition, this event has spurred transphobia on social media. Hale was transgender and is generally referred to in media using “she/ her” pronouns. However, there has been no official designation of how Hale should be labeled. Some social media reports that Hale preferred the pronouns “he/him,” and another account stated that Hale preferred to go by Aiden rather than Audrey.

Another tweet by Greene has been at the

U.S. Dollar on the downturn

Lily Pruitt

Asst. News Editor

In recent years, trade between Russia and China has increased, adding appeal to the yuan. One of Russia’s biggest buyers of oil is now China, creating a bigger dependency on common currency. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in the last month to confirm these economic decisions, along with many other agreements in economic and business areas.

The U.S. dollar remains a constant currency in most countries regarding global transactions. However, this trade deal will increase the local currency, the yuan.

The dollar in foreign-exchange re-

serves in global banks has slipped in recent years, but not enough to be a significant threat to the U.S. currency.

Although this trade agreement will cut out the U.S. dollar, the dollar seems to remain secure with most other transactions in other countries.

In the last two weeks, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva met with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The two announced that they have reached a deal to trade with each other using their own currencies. The deal will cut out the U.S. dollar as an intermediary, and they will now exchange yuan directly for reais.

Brazil’s biggest trading partner is China, with record numbers last year, and has had China as their big-

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..................

gest trading partner for over a decade now.

“The expectation is that this will reduce costs, promote even greater bilateral trade and facilitate investment,” the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency said.

These are just a few major countries to make the decision to cut out the U.S. dollar as an intermediary during trade deals. Several smaller countries have made these kinds of deals in the last several years.

Many GC students believe that these new deals will negatively affect how the U.S. dollar will be used in other countries.

“I feel, if they have a good reason for doing that, but if it affects the dollar, the dollar is already losing value in America, so I cannot imagine how much hard-

er it is going to be to have the U.S. dollar in other countries,” said senior art major Anna Matthews.

Many students turn to think about tourism and how they will have to use other kinds of currency when traveling.

“I feel like it will affect tourism, which a lot of places rely on,” Matthews said.

On the other hand, many students think that these trade deals between other countries to cut out the U.S. dollar is a bad idea.

“It is probably going to negatively affect us because it is going to depreciate the U.S. dollar, and we will not be able to use it at a certain point,” said freshman biology major Younger Burton. “I do not think this was a good decision.”

Students have heard

forefront of this anti-transgender sentiment. It places the guilt on the hormones of the shooter rather than the gun itself.

“How much hormones like testosterone and medications for mental illness was the transgender Nashville school shooter taking?” Greene said. “Everyone can stop blaming guns now.”

In addition, on March 2, Republican Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed a bill into law that would restrict public drag show performances. Tennessee is the first state this year to pass such legislation. This action received lots of attention on social media, both in support and in outrage at this new law.

Pittman sees these actions, in combination with the recent Nashville shooting, as the

rumors in recent months about the economy crashing, with no one knowing for sure what will happen. Some students have thoughts that this could be the potential reason for other countries cutting out the U.S. dollar when trading.

“I wonder if it has something to do with

U.S. government showing its ineptitude and inability to focus on more important topics.

“Kids are dying,” Pittman said. “People are starving and going homeless. And yeah, the unemployment rate is at an all-time low, but that’s because people are working to barely survive in what’s supposed to be the greatest country in the world. But let’s talk about how drag shows are ruining lives. Last I checked, I’ve never been assaulted at a drag show.”

Each year, more children in America die because they are not safe in their schools. Whether one blames the guns, the people, the government or society, America agrees that something has to change to keep the next generation safe.

the fact of people thinking that the economy is going to crash soon,” Matthews said.

The U.S. dollar may be depreciating a little each year, but the U.S. dollar losing its status as the world’s currency is a long time away.

Claire O’Neill | Art Director

FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP FACES 34 CHARGES OF FALSIFYING BUSINESS RECORDS

Lily Pruitt Asst. News Editor

In recent months, former President Donald Trump was the center of attention weeks at a time.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has pursued criminal charges against Trump. Bragg has been said to have been investigating Trump on several fronts for several years now. In 2020, a case in the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the district attorney’s office could enforce a subpoena for Trump’s financial records. Bragg then shifted gears to focus on Trump’s involvement with adult film actress Stormy Daniels.

Bragg has alleged that Trump falsified a series of business records to hide criminal conduct from voters during the 2016 presidential election.

Trump surrendered to the Manhattan Dis-

trict Attorney’s Office and was arraigned in court after being indicted by a grand jury last week. Trump was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. He pleaded not guilty.

The next hearing is on December 4, in the same court. The prosecution wants a trial in January 2024, and Trump’s defense will delay that as long as possible, as this is the height of the GOP presidential primary season, and Trump is the leading Republican candidate.

Following the charges, Trump flew back to his Mar-a-Lago home, where he expressed his frustrations with the country. He defiantly defended his reputation.

“I have never thought anything like this could happen in America, never thought it could happen,” Trump said. “The only crime I have committed

is to fearlessly defend our nation from those who seek to destroy it.”

Many students at GC have varying opinions on the whole dilemma.

Several GC students do not think that much will happen to Trump with the charges.

“This will definitely be a negative impact on his campaign,” said senior special education major Taylor Casey. “I think it will affect his campaign, but I do not think it will change what people think it will change. Democrats think that this will drop his ratings because he will go to prison and Republicans think that he will get rid of the charges.”

Other students at GC seem to be hoping that Trump will go to prison.

“I talk to my friends about it, and we are like, ‘Oh, are we that surprised?’ and it is just like, ‘No, not really,’” said sophomore nursing ma-

TikTok goes to court

TikTok has recently faced controversy in the United States due to potential security threats.

The app, owned by Chinese internet-technology company ByteDance, has come under fire after worries from the FBI and the Federal Communications Commission that the parent company will share users’ data with the Chinese government.

In 2017, the Chinese government passed the Cybersecurity Law of the People’s Republic of China, a law that requires companies to submit data relevant to the nation’s security, which many worry could threaten the United States’s security.

Many are concerned about the data that TikTok can collect, which includes an individual’s device, location, IP address, search history, messages, viewership as well as inferable demographic details such as age and gender.

More controversially, the app updated its privacy policy in 2021 to include its ability to collect biometric data, like face and voiceprints.

TikTok raised concerns when ByteDance admitted that it fired four employees who accessed data on journalists from Buzzfeed News and The Financial Times that broke stories about the alleged suspicious behavior.

As of January 2023, 28 states have chosen to ban the app on government-issued devices.

Most recently, Con-

gress members have introduced two forms of federal legislation to alter the impact of TikTok: the DATA Act and the RESTRICT Act.

The Deterring America’s Technological Adversaries Act, or DATA Act, if passed, will give the Biden administration the ability to evaluate and regulate apps and services that could pose a risk to the data security of the nation.

The far more popular legislation, the Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology Act, or RESTRICT Act, would grant the administration the ability to investigate any technology used by more than 1 million people in the nation, and would apply to the nations of China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia and Venezuela.

The bill gives the government the ability to ban any application that could threaten national security and has received support from 18 senators, nine Democrats and nine Republicans.

Critics of the bill question the power and wonder how the legislation could affect other foreign interactions, such as the use of VPNs, or Virtual Private Networks, and Bitcoin, which many have argued limits the freedom of speech.

Since the app’s introduction in 2016 after its merger with Musical.ly, TikTok has held an influence unlike any previous social media site.

With over 150 million monthly users in the United States, the accelerated cycle has created

jor Stella Evans. “I do not think that anybody with any sort of criminal record should be able to run or anything.”

“I think, because he is so old, he should not even be running again,” Casey said. “Personally, if he is being indicted, he should not even be running again. It is just too much for one

person to deal with.”

Many believe that it would be impossible to separate these 34 charges against Trump from his political campaign, even though they have nothing to do with his campaign.

“I think when it comes to being president, or that high of a political figure, your personal life becomes your political

life, and that is just how it works now,” Casey said.

“I think that, to an extent, you could separate the charges from his campaign, because he is still a person,” said Evans.

It is expected that Trump will continue campaigning for the 2024 election despite the charges he currently faces.

a new wave of marketing, influencers, trends and even interrupted the format of the music industry.

Due to its impact, Generation Z, out of all age groups, is most opposed to the bill, likely due to their usage of the app in comparison to older generations.

Abby Helgesen, a freshman history major, described her thoughts on banning TikTok during a period of many complicated topics.

“I feel like it’s just kinda ridiculous to be focusing on that,” Helgesen said. “There’s a lot more important issues.”

In a hearing last week, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified before Congress to ease the fears of lawmakers.

Representatives argued that the app uses addictive technology to increase profits and puts security at risk.

The Biden administration is now giving the owners of ByteDance an ultimatum: sell their stake in the app or risk a ban in the U.S.

The ban of TikTok also includes the political algorithm of the app, which may swing Americans from different standpoints.

Many argue that the lack of moderation creates a hostile political environment that fosters extremism in certain communities.

In 2019, outlets found that TikTok was directly censoring and limiting videos displaying different topics viewed as damaging to the Chinese Communist Party.

TikTok has blocked videos related to human rights issues, such

as Hong Kong protests, Tibetan independence and Xinjiang internment camps.

Despite the many reasons lawmakers have crafted to justify the bill and seeming ban, is the banning of TikTok an event we will see in the future?

In the past, the Trump administration attempted to ban the app with a similar ultimatum, but the endeavor was unsuccessful.

In 2021, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg faced Congress regarding statements made by whistleblower Frances Haugen, who called for regulation of the social media app due to their disregard for user security.

Facebook did not face questions of bans despite the concerns of users and political figures.

TikTok COO Vanessa Pappas expressed her feelings about the difference in response toward TikTok and apps like Facebook.

“We’re committed to providing a safe, secure platform that fosters an inclusive place for our amazing, diverse communities to call home,” Pappas said. “It’s a shame today’s conversation felt rooted in xenophobia.”

Aaliyah Turman, a sophomore management information systems major, talked about the likeliness of the bill passing.

“I don’t think it will go through,” Turman said. “That would set a precedent with apps, but I think they’re just trying to scare them a bit.”

This is not the first circumstance involving the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States, or CFIUS, tar-

geting apps from China. Grindr, a popular location-based LGBTQ dating app, was previously owned by Kunlun, one of China’s largest mobile gaming companies.

Due to security concerns, the CFIUS required the app to be sold, and Grindr is now owned by San Vicente Acquisition.

Numerous countries have banned TikTok from government devices, including France, Belgium and Canada.

Although uncommon, other nations have permanently banned the app from downloads, including Afghanistan and India, for issues with values and security concerns.

The fate of TikTok is unknown, but users do not seem to be ready to accept the possibility of a permanent ban.

Former president Donald Trump during his arraignment at the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse in New York

Grace Robertson Staff Writer

Continued from page 1

The Aztecs only scored 12 field goals and had four assists through the first 30 minutes of the game.

“I knew the game was over in the first half,” said sophomore business major Payne Wilson. “UConn came out dominant, just like every other game, and you could just

tell that San Diego State needed a miracle if they wanted to win the game.”

The Huskies maintained a double-digit lead through the first ten minutes of the second half. UConn had a 49-36 lead with just under 12 minutes left in the game.

San Diego State still trailed by double digits until the Aztecs cut the lead down to six with a 9-0 run

with eight minutes left.

Keshad Johnson had 14 points for San Diego State, who shot only 33% and made their first appearance in the national championship game.

The Aztecs were down by only five when Jordan Hawkins, who finished with 16 points, hit a three-pointer at the top of the key three minutes later, and the Huskies put the game out of reach

with their own 9-0 run to put the lead back to 14.

“I had Alabama winning it all, but once they were eliminated, I started cheering for FAU to win it all,” said sophomore philosophy major Alex Paparo. “It was really exciting to see a nine seed make it so far, and it’s a shame that they lost in the Final Four to a buzzer beater.”

As for people’s brack-

ets, nearly everyone had theirs broken by the Sweet Sixteen round. According to the NCAA, only 1.18% of brackets had SDSU in the Final Four, and only 2.08% of brackets chose the Huskies to take the championship home.

“I had Houston beating Alabama in the championship, so my bracket was done after the Elite Eight round,” said junior

accounting major Tucker Sutton. “It was really sad being out of the race that early. It made the rest of the games not as fun to watch.”

This year’s tournament was full of excitement and big upsets, which is the perfect storm for a March Madness tournament. This year showed that anything is possible, no matter what seed your team is.

GC sofball splits series versus Anderson (S.C)

Emily Henderson

Staff Writer

GC softball hosted the Anderson University Trojans Tuesday, April 4, for their Strike Out Cancer and Tailgate Tour game of the season, bringing a big crowd to the stands.

Game one started off strong for the Bobcats, getting an early 3-0 lead in the second inning after a double by freshman Stephanie Condland followed by a throwing error by the Trojans. The bats for the Bobcats got quiet while the Trojans started to get fired up.

The Trojans tied up the game in the fifth before dealing damage to the Bobcats in the sixth after multiple errors that GC failed to recover from.

Both teams started out slow in game two. The starting pitcher for the Bobcats, junior Shelby Jones, got out of the first inning after the first two runners reached on singles with the help of a double play and flyout to center field.

The Bobcats had a spark in the lineup in the fourth, starting with a single by sophomore Kam Caldwell.

After a stolen base by Caldwell, a liner to the third baseman followed by a throwing error al-

lowed her to advance to third. Condland then drove in Caldwell on an RBI-single to right field.

After a hit-by-pitch and another single, sophomore Divina Checo came up to the plate with bases loaded. A perfectly placed hit between the shortstop and third baseman allowed another runner to score, leaving the bases loaded.

Another hit-by-pitch brought home another runner to score for the Bobcats, making the score 3-0 before the inning was ended by a groundout to the shortstop.

The Trojans tried to start a late sixth-inning rally, starting the inning with an error at shortstop and a tricky hit off of the third base bag putting a runner on second and third for the Trojans. A close play at the plate after a fly ball to right went in favor of the Trojans, scoring their first run of the game.

Shortly after, a bobbled ball at short allowed the runner on third to score. A hardhit ball was caught right at the left field wall by Haydn Bendall, ending the inning and allowing the Bobcats to maintain their lead, 3-2.

After the Bobcats went scoreless in the bottom of the sixth, there was no

room for error in the top of the seventh. Shelby Jones dealt a clean onetwo-three inning, ending the game with her fourth strikeout of the game and helping her team split the double header.

“I think, right now, we are just grinding,” said head coach Jamie Grodecki. “We just need to keep pushing, like we did in game two, be steady and just pull some more games out, like today.”

GC was scheduled to have seven games the week of April 3. With the postponement of the weekend series to April

24 and 25, the Bobcats have time to regroup and focus on the last few weeks of play before the playoffs begin.

“We just need to practice hard and make sure that we are getting everything right,” Jones said. “We need to make sure all of the pitchers are hitting their spots, and the hitters are working on what they need to work on, and the same with defense.”

Tough, important conference games are coming up for the Bobcats, which will determine where they will

be placed in the tournament. This season for GC softball has been a big improvement from previous seasons.

“We have had new kids step up,” Grodecki said. “We had many transfers come in and take a lead there. Overall, this team just really gets along well. We have had some adversity with some injuries. We have had different people step up and get it done, and that, to me, is a sign of a team that is going to have success.”

No matter the outcome of the season, there is a lot this team should

be proud of. The team is currently No. 5 in the Peach Belt Conference while having an overall record of 23-16 and a conference record of 9-9, compared to the previous season of 1232 overall and a conference record of 4-20.

“We just want to have fun,” Checo said. “As long as we have each other’s back all the time and just play for each other, at the end of the day, we will play GC ball and end up having a good rest of the season.”

March Madness championship trophy held up by the champions.

Marissa Marcolina | Digital Media Editor

Freshman middle infielder Emily Hobbs beats out the throw running to first base versus Anderson on Tuesday, April 4.

UCONN

MLB begins highly anticipated new season

Owen McDaniel Contributing Writer

If the 2023-2024 MLB season is anything like its predecessor, fans are in for a wild ride. The 2022 season had a plethora of captivating storylines, including but not limited to Aaron Judge’s record-breaking power supply, the Atlanta Braves overcoming a 10.5 game deficit to snatch the National League East division out of the New York Mets’ hands and the Philadelphia Phillies’ Cinderella run from last Wild Card team to National League champions.

If you are planning on following the MLB this year, here are some equally exciting storylines that you should keep an eye on.

The Baltimore Orioles have one of the highest ceilings of any team in the MLB this season. They are powered by an exciting, young core made up of guys like rising star Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson, the betting favorite to win American League Rookie of the Year. That young core is balanced out by some seasoned veterans, such as second baseman Adam Frazier and starting pitcher Kyle Gibson, who is in his 12th year of MLB service. The O’s narrowly missed their first postseason berth

since 2017 last season, so do not be surprised if that is the fuel they need to not only make the playoffs but even give some much higher payroll teams a little trouble.

Shohei Ohtani, one of baseball’s most entertaining players, will become a free agent after the 2023-2024 season concludes. If the Angels are unable to make the playoffs for the eighth straight year, despite arguably having the two best players on Earth in Ohtani and co-star Mike Trout, it is highly probable that “Sho-Time” will become “Sho-Tired” of the Angels and seek employment elsewhere. The ensuing courtship of the 2023 World Baseball Classic winner will be nothing short of a “The Bachelor” finale, likely culminating in a record-breakingly lucrative contract for Ohtani, who is the favorite to win his second career MVP award this season.

On March 6, 2022, the MLB and MLB Players Association agreed on multiple rule changes, resulting in one of the most controversial transformations of the game to date. The most notable of those changes are the implementation of a 15-second pitch clock, which increases to 20 seconds with runners on base.

The pitch clock implementation, in particular,

is aimed at shortening games, which reached an all-time high in average length in 2021, at 3 hours and 11 minutes. However, as GC baseball senior third baseman Ben Tuten argues, that change was profoundly unnecessary.

“I can’t express in words how much I hate it,” Tuten said. “If you complain about baseball games being too long, you don’t like baseball games anyway.”

Tuten, along with many other MLB fans, believes that the pitch clock rules take away from the mental aspect of baseball and add to the already high levels of stress on the hitters.

On the other hand, fans like freshman business major Travis Shields and freshman exercise science major Ryan Kloss can see the pros of the pitch clock but also believe it has drawbacks.

“I think the pitch clock is good and bad,” Shields said. “It speeds up the game, but I don’t think you should be able to get called out on strike three because of that.”

“It gets more people watching baseball, but it doesn’t get more people engaged in baseball,” Kloss said.

Given the difference in opinions across the MLB’s fanbase, it will certainly be intriguing to observe how those opinions fluctuate

throughout the season.

The beginning of a new season always brings out a myriad of opinions relating to players that will have breakout seasons, MVP candidates and World Series predictions.

“I think Bobby Witt Jr. from the Royals will have a breakout year,” Tuten said. “I think Jarred Kelenic for the Mariners is going to have a breakout year.”

Tuten also predicts that former MVP and newly relocated center fielder Cody Bellinger will benefit from a fresh start with the Chicago Cubs.

“I think Bellinger bounces back this year,” Tuten said. “Maybe not MVP form, but I think he plays well.”

As far as World Series predictions go, Tuten, Shields and Kloss all agreed on one thing: The Atlanta Braves will be playing on baseball’s biggest stage once

again this October.

Although there may be some hometown team bias involved in those picks, the Braves certainly look like a World Series contender through the first week of games, taking two games out of three from the Washington Nationals and sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals.

Ronald Acuña Jr., who both Tuten and Shields predict to earn the National League MVP award, is fully healthy following a gruesome ACL tear in the 2021 season.

“I felt like I let the fans down, let the city down, just everybody basically,” said third baseman Austin Riley about the Braves’ 2022 postseason exit in an article he wrote for The Players’ Tribune.

However, he puts his focus on moving forward.

“The only thing that matters now is how we work and get better and do everything in our

Lancaster takes PBC Freshman of the Week

Bruce Smith Staff Writer

GC softball freshman

Sydney Lancaster was awarded the Peach Belt Conference Freshman of the Week after a great performance against Lander University.

The Bobcats played a three-game series against the Lander Bearcats winning one of the three games.

Lancaster batted .556 in the series along with going 3-3 at the plate in the second game on Friday, March 24.

“I felt very confident in all my at-bats,” Lancaster said. “My main goal during this game was to make solid contact in every at-bat in order to get a base runner on for our team.”

Game three was the highlight game for the Bobcats against the Bearcats, winning 7-2.

Lancaster went 2-3 at the plate with a pair of singles and a run scored.

The third inning was key for the Bobcats scoring all seven runs, and it was started by Senior Jessica Owens, who pushed the first run in off of a bases-loaded error.

Junior Mackenzie Martin was able to spark the scoring frenzy on a double that pushed two more runs across.

The Bobcats capitalized off of three errors for the Bearcats

and managed to score on seven of their nine hits for the contest.

This was the first time in five meetings against the Bearcats that GC has pulled out the win.

Game two is where Lancaster shinned going 3-3 at the plate with a steal.

The Bobcats tried to rally late behind the freshman’s hitting, but only managed to score two runs off of 10 hits.

The Bobcats would outhit the Bearcats in the game 10-4, but unlike the Bobcats, the Bearcats managed to capitalize, scoring on every hit.

I had heard of it, it was an award I absolutely wanted to receive at some point in my career.”

The freshman’s outstanding plate perfor-

power to go back to the World Series,” Riley said.

Despite the loss of a leader in Dansby Swanson during the offseason, all signs point toward the Braves climbing back up to the highest echelon of baseball.

No matter who is crowned champs, though, there is no doubt that this season will be exhilarating, yet admittedly much swifter. As a result of the new rule changes, paired with the success of the MLB-sanctioned World Baseball Classic, the championship game of which amassed a WBC-record 5.2 million viewers across America, the spotlight will be on the MLB throughout this entire season. The players and coaches know that; the MLB knows that, and that gives them all the incentive they need to deliver another thriller of a season.

to build off this outstanding performance.

“I am going to carry this performance into the rest of the season by working hard on my weaknesses and trusting my teammates to pick me up when I fail,” Lancaster said.

The Bobcats are now 23-16 (9-9 PBC) and are looking to finish out the season strong before the conference tournament.

Lancaster is not the only one who has shined this season.

Senior infielder Jessica Owens is batting .378 on the season along with 32 runs batted in and seven home runs.

Despite the Bobcats losing game two 4-2, Lancaster’s performance in this game helped secure the PBC Freshman of the Week award.

“I was very excited to receive this award,” Lancaster said. “Since

mance in all three games, along with no errors in the field, helped her win this prestigious award.

Even though this award was a great honor, the freshman is not done yet with the season and is looking

With Lancaster and Owens, and along with multiple other Bobcats, the team has their sights set on a postseason run ending in a title.

The Peach Belt Conference tournament will start on Friday, April 28.

Courtesy of GC Athletics

WEATHER

Continued from page 1

“There was one to two inches of water in the laundry room and down the hall,” said Ruth Rodriguez, a freshman business administration and theater double major who lives in Foundation Hall.

Rodriguez said that, due to the flooding, many students were unable to do their laundry for several days. Additionally, freshmen and those within walking distance of GC’s main campus had to walk to classes through the hazardous flooding and lightning.

Because of the extensive damage left by the storms across multiple counties, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp spoke in Milledgeville on March 29 to discuss relief.

“Our main goal right now is making sure that we are keeping everybody safe, and we are keeping our private sector part-

tornado watch when a series of strong storms went across Middle Georgia.

GC did not cancel school and waited for

“I was in my lab, and then, all of a sudden, we were moving to the basement,” said Sofia Anderson, sophomore

but we were down there for 10 to 20 minutes.”

Following the storm and the last-minute communication, stu-

ments on GC’s weather policies, GC provided a statement on their handling of the most recent tornado watch.

ners in the local government to restore normal operations,” said Kemp.

Back in January, Baldwin County was under a

an official warning with sirens going off. Some students ran out of class. Others took cover in their classrooms.

early childhood education major. “None of us knew what was happening outside since there were no windows,

dents were left questioning whether GC’s biggest concern was students’ safety or their education.

With many disagree-

“On Sunday, March 26, some areas in Milledgeville were affected by severe weather,” said Omar Odeh, GC Associate Vice President for Strategic Communications. “In the aftermath, Facilities Management staff began assessing any potential damage to our campus and Public Safety continued to closely monitor weather conditions. By Monday morning, conditions improved and there was no damage to the campus that would prevent normal operations. Georgia College & State University will always place the highest priority on the safety and well-being of our students, faculty and staff.”.

Bop or flop?: “CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST: The Estate Sale”

Cale Strickland Managing Editor

Opinion

Tyler Okonma, known professionally as Tyler, the Creator, is on top of the hiphop world right now.

At this point in his career, Tyler has done it all. He founded Odd Future, a left-of-center rap collective featuring Frank Ocean and Earl Sweatshirt. Teenagers and twentysomethings across the country are proud patrons of his pair of brands, GOLF WANG and GOLF le FLEUR. His last two records, “IGOR” and “CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST,” debuted at No. 1 on Billboard, topped critics’ year-end

lists and landed him back-to-back Grammys.

Since the release of his first studio album, “GOBLIN,” back in 2011, Tyler has been dropping a project every other year. And while he has not announced the follow-up to 2021’s “CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST,” another album is imminent. In the meantime, he has given us “The Estate Sale,” a deluxe version of his last record featuring seven never-before-seen tracks.

Tyler opens “The Estate Sale” with “EVERYTHING MUST GO,” a 30-second interlude, on which he takes a short moment to reflect on the success of “CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST” before thanking

his fans for all of their support over the years.

The first of the seven new songs, “STUNTMAN,” features Vince Staples. Brimming with the bravado and exuberance synonymous with “CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST,” the track picks up right where the original version of the album left off. Aside from his hit single “Big Fish,” I am unfamiliar with Staples’s work, but his flow here fits perfectly with Tyler’s beat and DJ Drama’s narration. It is a perfect track to put listeners back into the flex-fueled headspace they found themselves in when listening to songs like “CORSO,” “LUMBERJACK” and “SAFARI” two years ago.

With “WHAT A

DAY,” Tyler finds himself reflecting on the world’s post-success expectations of him: what he buys, what he wears, what he drives, and what he takes pride in.

“White boy said I brag too much; the Black kid said it’s inspiring,” Tyler said. “Duality is tiring.”

He follows up the line by referencing a laundry list of high-dollar items he has never owned — Hellcats, Maseratis, Richard Mille watches. At first glance, it may seem contradictory to the lush, luxurious atmosphere of “CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST.” But the song is less of Tyler questioning the value of material goods as a whole and more of him trying to pin down what the world wants from him. If he buys a new car or a new watch, he is “just another rapper”; if he does not, he is “just trying to be different.” By no means is he using the track to denounce materialism; he just wants to navigate fame and success — and financial success — on his own terms. You might not see him driving around L.A. in a brand-new Bentley, but he might buy a Rolls Royce — just to put giant wheels on it and use it as a prop and quasi-stage in one of his music videos.

“WHARF TALK”

features A$AP Rocky, a close friend and frequent

collaborator of Tyler’s. If you are a fan of either rapper, you have probably heard either “Who Dat Boy” or “Potato Salad,” the pair’s collaborations from Tyler’s “Flower Boy” era. I am a massive fan of Rocky’s solo work, and it is always a treat whenever he jumps on a track with Tyler. “WHARF TALK” is no exception. It is breezy, light on its feet and a perfect springtime song.

Tyler dropped “DOGTOOTH” as a single and a teaser track for “The Estate Sale.” Needless to say, it has been stuck in my head ever since. It is the catchiest song I have heard all year. And in a chronically online world stained by Andrew Tate, his disciples and his wannabes, the track’s lyrics, which reference respecting women’s time and staying out of their business, may be exactly what the young men of the internet need right now.

“HEAVEN TO ME” serves as a sister song to “WHAT A DAY.” Here, in between the track’s hypnotic refrain of “heaven only knows,” Tyler reflects on just how far he has come — emotionally, sonically, financially — before laying bare his ideas of an idyllic future: being in good health, being a husband and being a father.

YG joins Tyler for “BOYFRIEND, GIRL-

FRIEND,” which is my least favorite of the seven songs. And that is not to say it is a bad song; it is simply a testament to how strong the other six tracks are. YG, like Vince Staples, is another artist whose work I am not all that familiar with — although I became well-acquainted with “FDT,” the unofficial anthem of Joe Biden’s most recent presidential campaign, while watching hours upon hours of election coverage in 2020. Although I love the beat of “BOYFRIEND, GIRLFRIEND,” and Tyler’s delivery is downright terrific, I found YG’s fleeting feature a bit underwhelming, even after a few listens. Maybe it will grow on me, though.

“SORRY NOT SORRY” caps off “The Estate Sale” and is the perfect encapsulation of everything Tyler is after on the record. Drama’s opening narration is downright hilarious. Just as with “WHAT A DAY,” Tyler explores what the world wants from him, if — and why — he should care.

The album’s final verse is an absolute barrage. Tyler, deservedly cocky, delivers a fast-paced fury, sonically flipping off his haters as he takes one last victory lap before beginning a new chapter in his discography.

“A new era is upon us,” Drama said.

Marissa Marcolina | Digital Editor

Tyler, The Creator at the Grammy Awards

Europe’s “party capital” is partied out

Kylie Rowe

Contributing Writer

Amsterdam has recently launched a “stay away” campaign, discouraging tourists that visit purely to abuse the lenient laws of the city. They are specifically targeting British men aged 18 to 35 looking to party.

The obscene amount of tourists has caused a “nuisance” for the residents of Amsterdam, and the overuse of drugs and alcohol has made the city rowdy year-round.

According to Fox News, visitors who search for nightlife in Amsterdam will be shown warning advertisements that feature men getting arrested as well as other

“risks and consequences” of over-partying.

Amsterdam is not the first European city to buckle down on rowdy tourism. Spain took action a few years ago to end binge drinking in two of their most popular cities, Magaluf and Ibiza. The country banned free bars, party boats and booze vending machines in areas where “drinking tourism” seemed to be the worst.

GC has multiple study abroad programs that take place in Europe. With new restrictions discouraging nightlife, as well as some European cities’ outlooks on tourists in general, students may not feel as enticed to study abroad.

Chloe Hooper, sophomore psychology major, studied abroad in Paris, France, in the summer of 2022.

“The only time I remember feeling unwelcome as a tourist was because of the language barrier,” Hooper said.

Hooper said that being a tourist in Paris felt normal for the most part and that she never noticed any discouragement like the kind that has been taking place in Amsterdam. However, in 2019, Paris banned big tourist buses from the heart of the city.

The deputy mayor at the time, Emmanuel Gregoire, told Le Parisien, a French newspaper, that they took this

action to discourage the over-tourism that the capital of France had been experiencing. Many European countries have taken similar courses to cut down on the side of tourism that is not beneficial for their living communities.

Much like Paris, Amsterdam also took action in 2019 and stopped bus tours in their Red Light District. However, the inner city continues to become more “unlivable.”

Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema told Dutch News she believes this is because of the rowdy party tourism unaffected by the 2019 changes.

GC offers multiple study abroad programs in Amsterdam,

Hippo drama at the Cincinnati Zoo

which many students have taken and enjoyed.

“I think going to Amsterdam now would scare me since I know how much effort they are putting into discouraging tourists,” Hooper said.

Even as a student, Hooper said that she would feel uncomfortable traveling in Amsterdam as she did in Paris because there seem to be so many more regulations in place to make sure that tourists only see Amsterdam a certain way.

Though the Netherlands still wants tourism so that it can continue to boost its economy, there is a certain level of discomfort that travelers, especially students, could feel when

Six years since Haramabe and the Cincinnati Zoo is still making headlines

Shaw Coggin Staff Writer

Controversy has struck the Cincinnati Zoo again. Many might know the Cincinnati Zoo for being the former home of beloved gorilla and internet meme Harambe. In fact, it was the famed gorilla’s home until his controversial death in 2016.

With the Harambe drama, many questioned the idea of zoos and the safety of their animals. The National Library of Medicine researched the idea back in 2019 and concluded that these zoos are, in fact, harming the animals — no matter how well taken care of they are.

“While the physical needs of animals are met in captivity, the conditions of confinement can result in physiolog-

ical stress,” said Clare Parker Fischer and L. Michael Romero who conducted the study.

Sophomore environmental science major Sloan Freeman believes in the accuracy of this test.

“I’m sure there’s a huge stress factor of it as well as an entire human dependence,” Freeman said. “They’re entirely dependent on us for food. We can’t communicate with them. We don’t entirely know what needs they have or what needs they want. We’re just assuming and giving it to them as we see fit.”

The topic has recently come back into the minds of the public with the new controversy that the Cincinnati Zoo is facing. Back in 2017, the zoo announced the pregnancy of a hippo named Bibi. They welcomed the calf, Fiona,

later that year. Not long after this, Fiona’s dad, Henry, passed away and was replaced by 19-yearold Tucker. Tucker, too, was welcomed in quickly, being the new “boyfriend” of Bibi.

In April of 2022, it was announced that Bibi was having another child, this time, though, she was on birth control, and it was Tucker’s was the father. The calf, Fritz, was welcomed into the world on Aug. 3, 2022. Fritz’ birth was announced via video of him meeting his half-sister, Fiona.

The real drama arose though when the zoo made a statement regarding Tucker and Fiona which brought to light the fact that the two were mating. Many are obviously upset with the situation, as Tucker fathered Fiona’s stepbrother. The zoo

mentioned this in their statement, when they said that the relationship was a “bloat,” as Fiona was on birth control.

Many have also brought up the fact that the last hippo that Tucker got pregnant, Bibi, was on birth control too. This led to the zoo releasing an official statement regarding the situation, in which they said that “nature found a way and ignored our calendar.”

The third and final crazy story to strike the Cincinnati Zoo came in only a couple weeks ago, when it was announced that the zoo opened its doors to recover a wild cat with cocaine in its system.

The situation goes back to January but was only made public recently due to legal reasons. The wild cat was kept as a pet and escaped its owner during a police

visiting Amsterdam.

Amsterdam is known for its lenient laws concerning prostitution, alcohol and drugs, and these loose laws are what draw many tourists to the city in the first place. Now, Amsterdam is contemplating imposing hours on brothels and clubs to discourage the rowdy tourism that makes the city less appealing to its residents.

Leaders in the Netherlands, as well as other European cities, are now waiting to see how the changes in Amsterdam affect the citizens. If it is positive, there is a strong possibility that other countries will follow suit.

stop. From there, it was wandering the streets of Cincinnati with cocaine that it ingested somewhere along the way.

With these new controversies coming to light, it is understandable that the conversation of how morally right these zoos are would come back into popularity.

Much like her fellow student, Freeman, Morgan Gosdin, freshman psychology major, also believes in the

accuracy of Fischer and Romero’s study.

“The relationship that the animals have with one another is going to be different than how it is in the wild because there’s going to be external factors,” Gosdin said.

“With humans incorporated into the equation, they’ll do whatever they feel like since they don’t have much references for how they do act, because they aren’t in a big group of animals.”

Government intervention in social media

Hannah Adams Asst. Opinion Editor

Society is in an age that circulates largely around social media, making it unsurprising that the government is attempting methods at regulating accessibility and usage for the population. It is difficult to decipher the motives of government intervention most of the time, and the issue of social media is no different.

Identity theft is on the rise, and the protection of people’s privacy and safety is important. At the same time, government presence could also mean the mandating of content and expression on an individual’s platforms. Given that there are minors with a social media presence, their protection and safety online has prompted the introduction of a new legislation that claims to have the purpose of keeping big-name tech companies accountable.

The government made many moves last year in trying to create mandates regarding privacy online and protecting youths. Identity theft is not a joke, and it has been happening more often as new platforms are introduced and hacking technology becomes more advanced. When signing up for a social media account, users are often asked to fill in a variety of personal information. This ranges from birthdays to phone numbers and even the city that the user lives in. In the CNBC article “More social media

regulation is coming in 2023, members of Congress say,” by Ashley Capoot, the concept of governmental intervention with social media platforms is discussed.

“Congress failed to pass many of the most aggressive bills targeting tech in 2022, including antitrust legislation that would require app stores developed by Apple and Google to give developers more payment options, and a measure mandating new guardrails to protect kids online,” Capoot said. “Congress made more headway this year than in the past toward a compromise bill on national privacy standards, but there remains only a patchwork of state laws determining how consumer data is protected. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said bipartisan support exists for many of these bills, and many have made it onto the Senate floor. But she said the tech lobby is so powerful that bills with ‘strong, bipartisan support’ can fall apart ‘within 24 hours.’”

Just like most other things, the government’s insertion of social media regulation should be done in moderation and with consideration to the desires of the people as well. As much as it is the duty of this country’s government to protect their people, it is also the duty of a democracy to listen to the people’s desires and expression.

Moderation is important, as there are behaviors online that are threatening, discriminatory, violent or harmful to another person. There is no real reason to defend these behaviors or fight for them to be allowed to continue. At the same time, a person’s

right to speak on issues they have an opinion on or to express themselves freely — so long as it is not imminently harmful to others — should not be breached by any government mandate.

In a Brookings article, “Transparency is essential for effective social media regulation,” by Mac MacCarty, the author elaborates the importance of transparency from government to people in these scenarios.

“Transparency is not a single policy tool,” MacCarty said. “It has different dimensions. Roughly, they are providing disclosures to users, public reporting, and access to data for

researchers. Disclosure to users includes revealing information about the content moderation standards a social media company has in place, its enforcement processes, and explanations of takedowns and other content moderation actions, descriptions of complaint procedures, among other things. Each of these outputs provide users with opportunities to complain about problematic content and to receive due process when social media companies take action against them.”

Congress passing the bipartisan bill that has banned TikTok from all government devices is the furthest advancement

of government intervention in social media so far. This has prompted discussions pushing for more transparency from other social media platforms as well, including Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, which all operate using similar algorithms.

These new bills have been receiving mixed reviews, both politically and in general, from the American people. Some feel that the government is creating unnecessary limitations as a power play, while others feel that it is the right decision to create these limitations for the sake of protection. At the end of the day, it seems safe to say that it may be both.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulates all social media in the U.S.