Issue 9 | Volume 100

ELON MUSK: TWITTER’S FREE SPEECH PROPONENT

Drew Oldham Contributing Writer

The issue of an in dividual’s right to free speech on social media platforms has resurfaced in the public discourse lately. The re-emergence of this topic, which has been fiercely debat ed since social media

emerged as a prominent medium of public dis course, comes as a result of eccentric billionaire Elon Musk’s decision to purchase Twitter.

The deal, which was finalized late last month, allowed Musk to acquire control of the large social media platform for $44 billion dollars. The pow

erful and ambitious CEO plans to make significant changes to the platform, including implementing paid verification, allow ing creators to monetize content easily and turn ing it into a “super-app”.

Musk’s acquisition of Twitter has created a sur plus of controversy both within the company,

and among users of this wildly popular platform. Upon the finalization of his purchase of the company, Musk liquidat

GC student directs mainstage play

Katherine Futch Editor in Chief

GC senior theatre ma jor Frankie Mastras just wrapped up his main stage directing debut this weekend. The Leg end of Georgia McBride had five performances, all of which sold out. This was a monumen tal occasion for Mastras, the actors and the stage crew. This was the first time one of the shows he has been a part of has sold out for all performances.

Zach Kingsley, se nior theatre major, had a similar sentiment to Mastras. He played Ca sey, the protagonist of the show. Out of the 71page play, Kingsley was on stage for 68 of them.

“It was definitely a physically exhausting performance,” Kingsley said. “I had to be onstage for pretty much the whole show and that takes a lot out of you because you have to be in char acter the whole time.”

Mastras’s directing

role served as his senior capstone. Although re hearsals did not begin until October, he began preparations in March of 2022. Eric Griffis, Interim Chair of The atre and Dance at GC, showed the play to Mas tras and encouraged him to consider producing it in the Fall semester. He fell in love with the script almost immedi ately due to the morals and message of the show.

See PLAY | Page 8

ed many people in im portant administrative roles at Twitter whom he has publicly criticized. Among those fired in

cluded the former CEO, general counsel and pol icy chief of the company.

Rachel Machovec wins PBC player of the week

Emily Henderson Contributing Writer

GC volleyball end ed their regular season on Saturday, Novem ber 5. As the season was coming to an end, multiple players had op portunities to show off

the hard work that they put in this season. One player is graduate stu dent Rachel Machovec.

Machovec displayed all her skills the week end of October 28, play ing Lander University

on Friday and Flagler College on Saturday and Sunday. While Macho vec was effective in all three matches, Saturday’s match against Flagler was her most impres sive performance yet.

Uninformed Voters

Abigayle Allen Opinion Editor

A study done by Hopelab and Well Being Trust has found that 93% of young people between the ages of 1322 use some form of social media dai ly. While this is the way of our world at this point, how does this use of so cial media affect our voting habits?

NEWS | PG. 3

VAN GOGH PAINTING

ATTACKED

Seeing how tomato soup has the abil ity to help the enviroment by creating a space for discussion.

During Covid year 2020, many of us turned to social media to find some sense of normalcy and come together as a society while being on lockdown. Because of this, many activists and cre ators had a platform to tell their stories and raise awareness for societal needs in a way that has never been done before.

SPORTS | PG. 5

TENNEESSEE TAKES ON GEORGIA

No. 1 Tennessee took on No. 3 Geo egia and lost by a landslide despite being predicted to win.

Machovec recorded 20 kills and 21 digs in this match alone. This made her the second player in GC volleyball history to have a 20/20 match. In this match she also recorded her

1,000-career dig. This performance against her former team helped the Bobcats win this close conference match 3-2.

Over the weekend, Machovec averaged 3.31 kills per set, 3.13 digs per

As election day came and passed, I was shocked at the number of creators that shared their personal political views online to their booming platforms.

In a democracy, we are privy to the use of propaganda over the years. It is no secret whether you are a right ist or leftist that your representatives,

ARTS & LIFE | PG. 7

CELEBRITY COSTUME CONTROVERSIES

Celebrities are often known for their extravagant costumes on Halloween. But when do they take it too far?

set, and tallied 66 total points for the Bobcats. After this weekend Ma chovec’s PBC rankings are sixth in kills per set, seventh in digs per set, and fourth in aces per set.

our government, uses propaganda to sway voters one way or another. How ever, the use of propaganda is seen as an easy way to spread misinformation and cloud our young voters’ judg ment. This is seen explicitly on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

OPINION & MISC. | PG. 9

THE VILLIFICATION OF SHARPAY EVANS

High School Musical antagonist, Sharpay Evans, may have not been the true villain of the story.

Since buying the platforms, he has made sig nificant and controversial changes

Marissa Marcolina | Digital Media Editor

MUSK

Musk, a self-pro claimed free speech abso lutist, has entertained the idea of bringing several controversial political and social figures back into the twitter-sphere. This notion comes much to the chagrin of many activists and activist or ganizations who have successfully managed to de-platform people like Donald Trump, Mike Lindell and Marjorie Tay lor Greene from the app.

In statements made to the Washington Post, Musk has indicated that he plans to create rules around de-platform ing users that align with the laws pertaining to free speech in the re spective country that Twitter is operating in. Meaning that unless an individual’s input into the application violates the law in their home country, their account will not be taken down.

Musk’s plan for the future of censorship on Twitter has generated ample concern from those who remain op posed and critical of the tech billionaire. Cit ing that this approach is overly simplistic and will propagate increased misuse of the site, the presence of mob and

hate violence, and an enhanced ability of op pressive governments abroad to control and eliminate the presence of dissenting political speech on the platform.

Pratik Sinha, the founder of Alt News, an Indian nonprofit fact-checking website, fears that Musk’s policy would allow the right leaning government in India to keep valid points of political conten tion from the left in the country, off of the app.

“Billionaires like Musk and [Facebook’s Mark] Zuckerberg, who live in an extremely priv ileged bubble, clearly do not understand how governments work in countries that are not First World,” Sinha said.

Support for Musk’s planned changes to cen sorship regulations on Twitter comes largely from those who believe that de-platforming important figures on Twitter have been used for political gain, in or der to shift the narra tive of public discourse away from the con servatives in America.

Musk himself believes this, tweeting “I’m wor ried about de facto bias in ‘the Twitter algorithm’ having a major effect on public discourse,”.

The evolution of social media into the primary place of public discourse contemporarily adds multiple layers of com plexity to the decision and permission of those within these companies to decide whom to ban and not ban. People have many different ideas about regulating the con versation on these appli cations as well as what

strictions or guidelines beyond those outlined in the legal proceedings concerning free speech in the US, largely as a re sult of their frequent col laboration with the US government that makes them an extension of it.

“In my view, social media is the new public forum for 1st amend ment purposes,” Lam parello said. “Contempo

The use of Twitter is indis tinguishably linked to free speech as it is a necessary tool used by people in the modern age.

institution gets to decide to de-platform users.

Adam Lamparello, a criminal justice pro fessor, believes that the companies that design and maintain these on line platforms such as Twitter, should have free speech laws around discourse on their app that are aligned with the protections and re strictions on free speech in America that exist in the 1st amendment of the Constitution.

Lamparello feels that these companies should not be allowed to im plement additional re

rary political discourse is no longer happening on main street or in a public park. Given that, and social media com panies effectively being government actors as a result of their collabo ration with the govern ment on multiple occa sions, especially in their restriction of dialogue pertaining to certain as pects of the COVID-19 crisis. They should only be allowed to restrict and control free speech to the extent that the gov ernment is allowed to.”

Lamparello believes that by doing this, a ro

bust and eclectic public dialogue could be re stored that would effec tively foster the opera tion of a more effective democracy with a more well-informed citizenry. He feels this would allow the expression of alterna tive points of view that could potentially enrich citizens’ understand ing of complex politi cal and social problems our country is facing.

“I am disappointed with the current state of discourse in this coun try,” Lamparello said. “I feel that Musk’s pol icy will ensure we tru ly have a public forum that is welcome to all views. His management of the platform is much more in line with what the framers intended for the public sphere to look like and is aligned with the creation of a more informed citizenry that is crucial to democracy.”

Anonymous soph omore and MIS major concurs with Lamparel lo on the issue of speech restriction, believing it to be only warranted when someone is advocating something that is illegal.

“Whether we like it or not, these social media platforms are a massive part of modern political and social discourse, and the restriction of a per

son’s ability to use them has the potential to be used to silence dissent ing opinions,” Anony mous said. “If it were up to me, the only bans would target those who use social media sites to facilitate real-world action that is both ille gal and almost univer sally seen as immoral.”

Sam Dober, a senior political science major, also believes that the 1st amendment and speech on social media plat forms are importantly connected, and must be protected similarly.

“The use of Twit ter is indistinguishably linked to free speech as it is a necessary tool used by people in the modern internet age,” Dober said. “Therefore it is linked to our 1st amendment right and hence bans should only occur to individuals that threaten harm on others through their language.”

Musk’s acquisition of Twitter has brought on controversy and dis agreement from many different people. The public remains to see how his shifting policy concerning discourse will impact the utility and functionality of the platform as we get fur ther into his stint as CEO.

If you’re interested in writing for The Colonnade, email thegcsucolonnade@gmail.com.

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Contact Us Office: Terrell 301 thegcsucolonnade@gmail. com bobcatmultimedia.com

- Sam Dober

Trump subpoena sanctioned by Senate committee

Lily Pruitt Asst. News Editor

President Donald Trump was subpoe naed for the January 6th hearings, the attack on the U.S Capitol build ing. A subpoena is a lawful order to produce documents or to testify. Liz Cheney and Bennie Thompson formally ad dressed the subpoena by saying that Trump or chestrated the overturn of the 2020 presidential election and oversaw it.

Trump was given the date of November 4th to provide documents to the committee and No vember 14th to appear for a deposition. There are two ways this could affect the past presi dent. The committee could refer the case to the Justice Department for prosecution or they could proceed in court.

The committee re ceived word from Trump’s lawyers and ex tended his deadline to provide the committee documents by another

week. Trump is expect ed to run out the clock. If he does so, and be cause the recent election shows a republican ma jority of the House, the committee’s work will most likely abruptly end.

tee and will end up in jail. Others believe that he will be off the hook.

Many GC students tend to feel different ways about what the outcome of Trump’s subpoena will be. Many

Other students be lieve that this ordeal is a waste of time.

“Trump’s subpoena is not completely unprec edented, but I believe it is a lost effort,” said senior criminal justice

more. It’s over. Trump did not incite violence under the first amend ment. There is no pos sible way his behavior could be construed as such,” said Lamparello.

There have been many

gotten off the hook with each so-called offense.

“I think it’s just going to turn into another thing that Trump was accused of that is brushed off due to lack of evidence. It’s probably just going to be another waste of taxpay er money,” said Cortez.

Many people have the opinion that the Janu ary 6th committee that subpoenaed Trump for his “acts” of violence, is a sham. They believe that trump did not in cite violence and to call out Trump as so, fur ther divides our country.

“The blame on Trump for this is based on complete misunder standing of the law and really has been used for political purpos es,” said Lamparello.

According to Adam Lamparello, GC law pro fessor, if someone does not comply with a sub poena, they could be in violation of federal law. There is chatter that Trump will not com ply with the commit

choose to believe that with his record, he will be punished lightly.

“I think Trump will only get a slap on the wrist because of his mon ey and connections,” said senior criminal justice major Rhianna Vidrine.

Stop throwing soup

Shadimon Smith Contributing Writer

In London on Octo ber 14th, two members of the Just Stop Oil activ ist group covered a Van Gogh painting in toma to soup. Covering The SunFlowers was a form of nonviolent activism to raise awareness for the issue of climate change.

“Climate change has been an issue for many years now,” said GC gallery director, Megan McNaught.

The Just Stop Oil ac tivist group has been

silently protesting for many years now but has now taken new measures to raise awareness. The British government an nounced that they were now allowing new oil and gas licenses after com mitting to fight against climate change in hopes of improving domestic production. This pushed the activist group to take a new form of protesting.

Some people do be lieve that this act of protesting was an ap propriate way, espe cially in today’s world.

“I totally understand

the protestors targeting a piece of iconic art like that because they want to get in front of people,” said McNaught. “I think the message they want to send out requires some thing like this. I don’t think it was too far and I think things have to be more dramatic and brash and riskier than ever to get attention.”

“It’s not the only way to get attention, but it is one way,” said GC art professor, Bill Fisher.

Fisher found the ac tivism to be well-or ganized and deeply

major Sarah Cortez. “There is no surefire way to prove everything he is being accused of.”

Some people have a bolder opin ion on this ordeal.

“I don’t know why anybody cares any

instances where Trump has been in “hot water” with American citizens.

From impeachment to election fraud, to now perjury, Trump has not been completely popu lar among half the vot ers but has seemingly

Fortunately, not ev eryone believes the same way, and many do believe that Trump incited vio lence and should com ply with the committee.

Either way, American citizens will find out in the next few weeks what decisions are to be made.

considered actions in response to a desperate state of affairs regarding the health of our planet.

Some students find this act to be funny, but not at all beneficial.

“I thought it was in teresting in almost a silly way,” said soph omore biology major Rehema Karanja. “We know they are making a statement by doing this, but how is this help ing the environment?”

Some GC stu dents believe that the act did nothing.

“I just don’t think vi olating historical arti facts is the appropriate way to raise awareness,” said sophomore English major Claire Kosobud

Others believe that although the act was not beneficial, it still brings awareness.

“I think it brings attention, but it isn’t bringing change,” said sophomore early child hood education major Mariah Hamlin. “It’s not making an active state

ment on how we can do things any better”

“If I were more in vested, I would defi nitely use the subjective view of art to portray the dangers of climate change,” said Kosobud.

GC students also believe that the act is not as big of a deal as it is made out to be.

“The painting is just an object and no one was harmed,” said Karan ja. “Throwing soup isn’t raising money and what they need is mon ey to fix the problem.”

“As someone who re ally appreciates historical art, I would not partic ipate in that sense, but

I’m all for people stand ing up for what they be lieve in,” said Kosobud. Some are hopeful that this form of activ ism which was covered in the news worldwide, will bring more aware ness to climate change, and will spur some form of beneficial actions.

“It could spur ma jor cultural institutions to do their most for the cause of environmen tal awareness, and that would be great,” said Fisher. “Will it lead to real positive change, or at least add to the pub lic discourse in ways that benefit our future generations? I hope so.”

Two people from the activist group, Just Stop Oil, threw soup at a Van Gogh painting

-Mariah Hamlin

I think it brings attention, but it isn’t bringing change.

Watch out; your spam emails could really be hackers

Lily Pruitt Asst. News Editor

In the past months, there have been sever al emails that have been sent out to the students of GC about phishing. Most students tend to ignore these emails; however, most have be gun to recognize the dangers of these phish ers due to the most re

cent emails sent out.

“Awareness is the biggest thing,” said Su san Kerr, GC Chief Information Officer.

In September, a stu dent had her GC email account hacked and the hacker sent approxi mately 10,000 phishing emails to other students. Several students did click on the links provided in these emails, and some provided their infor

mation. As a result, GC Information Security had to force a password reset on all accounts that may have provid ed any information to the hackers or those who received the email.

At the beginning of October, another email account was compro mised and was used to send phishing emails that held links and in structions to copy and

paste links. GC Infor mation Security sent out yet another email regarding students need ing to do a password change immediately.

Kerr said that the most common way for someone to fall victim is a message that has “urgent” in the subject line or within the email.

Statistics show that younger people are more susceptible to hackers because many have not learned how to recog nize those phishing at tempts. Most of the 1 in 3 people that are vic timized are younger.

GC’s information se curity receives reports of phishing emails and sus picious activity on a daily basis. It is reported that there is a hacker attack every 39 seconds world wide, which means it is very common, especial ly on college campuses.

Many students have claimed that they of ten do not see emails from the school.

“It’s common for me

to miss emails from my GC account,” said junior Terrence Phil lip. “It’s because of Duo 2-Factor authentication.”

“I never received any harmful phishing emails that I know of, but I did receive the warn ings about them,” said sophomore marketing major, Tucker Sutton.

This is unfortunate since 2-factor authen tication is a great way to avoid being hacked.

Susan Kerr said that many apps or platforms that offer 2-factor au thentication, should be taken advantage of for safety purposes.

A good number of students have expressed that any emails they re ceive that do not directly pertain to classes, they view as spam and de lete them. This turned out to be beneficial for those students because they didn’t have to wor ry about being hacked.

“If you have a ques tion about something, before you act on it,

contact our help desk. Let us help,” said Kerr. The key to avoid ing being a victim of hackers, is to check the direct company or per son’s email address and/ or phone number. A good way to validate the potential phishing ac tivity is to go directly to the source, such as call ing a company’s online number, or a person.

Many students seem to be aware of the issues that GC addresses, even if they are not directly involved. Most students feel relieved that GC takes such actions in protecting their students.

“I am glad that GC is knowledgeable and forthright about our data when it is potential ly at risk,” said Phillip.

The best way to avoid being a victim of hack ers and phishing emails is to be aware, ask ques tions, have security, and upgrade all soft ware when it is needed.

“Be suspi cious,” said Kerr.

The Republican party’s split vote in U.S. elections

Rebecca Meghani News Editor

During the midterm election cycle, voters have been targeted with candidates’ ads that pro mote their campaigns. This has resulted in mul tiple smear campaigns, specifically against Her schel Walker, GA’s Re publican candidate, by Raphael Warnock, GA’s Democratic candidate. Walker has been accused of pressuring women to get an abortion with the second women re vealing her claims right before the election day.

During a press confer ence on Oct. 26, an anon ymous woman accused Walker of pressuring her to have an abortion in 1993. Walker has ex pressed support for a fed eral abortion ban, one of the strictest with no ex ceptions for rape, incest, or the life of the mother.

“Herschel Walker is a hypocrite and he is not fit to be a U.S. senator,” Jane Doe said. “We don’t need people in the U.S. Senate who profess one thing and do another.

Jane Doe brought forth evidence of her relationship with Walk er and he has contin uously denied claims that he paid for an abor tion, including at an event in northeast GA.

“You know, guys, I’m done with this foolishness,” Walk er said. “I’ve already told people this is a lie.”

There have been sus picions that releasing this information in the manner it was done is a strategy by the Demo cratic party to hurt Walk er’s numbers in the mid terms. Jane Doe stated

she decided to come for ward with this informa tion after she heard that Walker denied previous allegations from anoth er woman who stated he paid for her abortion.

According to The As sociated Press, Warnock received 49.4% of the vote while Walker received 48.5% resulting in a De cember runoff election.

Due to this continuation of the election, the vot ers will continue to face the onslaught of political ads throughout the next month. Warnock and other democratic groups have spent millions on ads to derail Walker’s campaign. According to OpenSecrets, a non profit that tracks money in politics, both War nock, Walker and out side groups have spent a total of $262 million.

Walker has faced much controversy during his campaign cycle which seemingly may have affected his numbers.

“Going into the senate race, we have a candidate that is propped up by the national Republican par ty, specifically Donald Trump, and I think the voters can tell the differ ence between a candi date like Kemp who can stand on their own and a candidate like Walker who really can’t and does what he is told which made the difference for me,” said Connor Hilly, a junior political science and economics major.

“I voted for Brian Kemp and in the senate race, I voted third party because I didn’t like either candi date and I don’t know what I was hoping for but I knew that I couldn’t in good conscience vote for either of them.”

Even throughout

the Republican party, there have been doubts about Walker among some due to his past.

“His history clearly shows he doesn’t give a damn about abortion,” Hilly said. “For me, I’m a pro-choice voter so it’s hard for me to distinguish if that matters to pro-life voters. I will say, for most of my pro-life friends, they voted for him any ways but it definitely mattered to me and the results show it matters to other people as well.”

Though the senate election went into a runoff, the republican candidate for governor, Brian Kemp, won his election by 7.5%, ac cording to The Associ ated Press. Within the Republican party, there have been differences between Trump backed candidates, like Walker, and non-Trump backed candidates, like Kemp.

“This is a sign that Republican messaging right now is not working, that the MAGA wing of the party is not effective to people,” Hilly said. “There’s a lot of issues voters are concerned about and we were prophesying a red wave, you hear it across social media and cable news channels but it didn’t happen. I think it didn’t happen because Repub licans are going too close to the sun, too far to the right with the MAGA wing of the party. If you look across the coun try, most of the Trump backed candidates when non-Trump backed candidates did better.”

MAGA, Make Amer ica Great Again, has become a popular slo gan within the Republi can Party since Donald

Trump, former President of the United States and currently running for president for 2024, used it during his past presi dential campaign. This movement has been viewed as more radical in comparison to the mod erate side of the Republi can party that has quickly become popular among Republican voters.

“MAGA has driven a wedge between voters within the Republican party,” Hilly said. “This is an omen for Repub licans and we need to change the message. Tuesday’s results showed that we flew too close to the sun. The MAGA movement has created a radical wing of the par ty that has always been there, I mean both par ties have their radical parties, but Trump has added fuel to that fire and there’s a battle in the Republican party.”

As Walker is a Trump

backed candidate and has also been accused with allegations that damage his reputation, there is the question of morali ty versus policy when it comes down to voting. This seems to have made a difference in GA’s mid terms as Kemp outper formed the Democratic governor candidate, Sta cey Abrams, but Walk er was unable to do the same against Warnock.

“A lot of people thought he was moral ly neutral by just doing what is he told but there is a difference between that and someone who is not morally great and made a lot of mistakes,” Hilly said. “Who you are as a person matters but for other people, it’s plain down the line of policy and we can see that in people who just vote red or blue. Enough people do that to where moral ity doesn’t make a swing.”

Election day’s result in

the senate race can prove this clear difference be tween MAGA Republi cans and more moderate Republicans by the race going into a runoff. GA has been known as a red state that arguably has shifted slightly in recent years with a higher per centage of voters voting for the Democratic party.

“I think GA is a pur ple state, I will go as far to say that I think we are a swing state,” Hilly said.

“If Republicans came back down to Earth, we wouldn’t really be a swing state. If we continue to promote these MAGA candidates, I think you’re going to lose more mod erates and GA is going to become more purple.”

While morality is an issue for some vot ers, having Republican control over the sen ate may be more im portant which is what we may see reflected in GA’s runoff election.

Claire O’Neill | Art Director

This performance from Machovec won her PBC Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of October 31. She is the first GC volleyball play er to win this title this year, the last being Ally Hall who won this ti tle November 9 of 2021.

Machovec finished the regular season lead ing the team in kills with 246 and has the sec ond most digs with 322.

“Definitely since last season, I have im proved on my hitting,” Machovec said. “The coaching staff has really helped me fix technical issues with my swing that will help me hit harder and improve the health of my shoulder.”

This is Machovec’s first season here at GC. She previously played for conference rival Flagler

until she graduated. This new change of environ ment has helped Macho vec herself and the team.

“Rachel has made such an impact not only with being a great ath lete, but she is also an amazing teammate,” said junior Callie Miller. “She is a very talented ath lete that we can look to when we need a point in a tough game. She can always be counted on in those moments.”

Machovec has been playing volleyball since she started college. This experience gives her fa miliarity, knowledge and a phenomenal un derstanding of the game.

“Rachel has a very good volleyball IQ,” said senior Emily Long. “She knows when to make smart plays and studies her op ponents thoroughly.”

The GC volley

ball team is for the most part a younger team, with one senior, Long, and one gradu ate student, Machovec.

“I think experience is something we real ly needed,” Miller said. “Most of our team is new and we have a lot of freshmen playing, so having an older team mate that is already a good leader is a good model for our young er teammates to see as they play. Her experi ence is a new perspec tive that we didn’t have.”

Machovec attributes much of her success to her teammates and coaches. Having a good group of people that supports you allows you to grow in many ways, which Machovec has found here at GC.

“At this point in the season, I’m proud of myself because I have

found my confidence and comfortability in the sport again with this group of girls I play with,” Machovec said.

“I could not be where

Oct. 25.

I am at now mentally or physically if I didn’t have them by my side.”

Machovec has one more season to show off her skills and abilities

No. 1 Tennessee takes on No. 3 Georgia

Skyla Morris Contributing Writer

After Week 10 in col lege football, there is no question who the num ber one team in college football is. The Georgia Bulldogs proved they deserve that spot by starting the month with a dominating 27-13 win over the formerly No. 1 Tennessee Volunteers. This incredible perfor mance by the Dawgs and the downfall of “Rocky Top” brings great hope to fans across the state for how the remainder of this season will unfold. The reigning nation al champs have faced many hurdles through out this season. With perhaps the biggest win in Sanford Stadium his tory, the Bulldogs proved many ideas wrong, in cluding those of the fans, media, and some of our own GC Bobcats.

Several of GC’s stu dents are proud to call themselves members

of “Dawg Nation” and were lucky enough to witness this electric, loud, and rainy atmo sphere for themselves.

“It was crazy. It was very electric,” said Mat Meyer, a senior econom ics major. “I think we were a little underestimated, and the impact that the fans could bring in San ford. I think it’s a big part of the reason why Geor gia won how they did.”

Meyer has been a fan since his junior year of high school. This was one of the two games he’s attended in Ath ens. Like many fans, he was surprised by how the game unfolded for both the teams involved.

“I thought it would be a lot closer, originally,” Meyer said. He recalls his favorite part of the game in the fourth quar ter, where the stadium was filled with the roars of Dawg Nation chant ing “OVERRATED.”

For Georgia fans,

this performance will be easy to remember.

Freshman chemis try major Raylee Dean has been a proud fan since she was born. She considers Saturdays in Athens to be a tradi tion. “I’ve been going to games since I was a

was great.” Dean said. This unforgettable night in Athens drew an incredible audience. Ac cording to Yahoo Sports, the CBS-broadcasted game drew more than 13 million viewers, making it the most-watched Col lege Football game of the

been a proud Georgia fan since 2014. He did not doubt that the Dawgs could conquer the Vol unteers, but was still taken by surprise regard ing the game’s outcome.

Like many Geor gia fans, he loved what he saw in UGA head

here at GC. With the Bobcats losing in the first round of playoffs, it will not be until next year that Machovec and the rest of the team will be in action.

the opportunity to at tend a game at Sanford Stadium but hopes to do so in the near future.

According to Onlin eAthens, Tennessee held incredible offensive stats compared to the rest of the SEC. The Volunteers’

kid because my mom’s a huge fan, she graduated from UGA,” Dean said.

She couldn’t pick one play that was her favorite.

“Every time we scored a touchdown, everybody cheered and went crazy, so that

year. It attracted a larger audience than Game 6 of the 2022 World Series be tween the Astros and the Phillies, which consist ed of over 12.5 viewers.

Oliver Sanchez is a ju nior music therapy ma jor here at GC and has

“I thought it was go ing to be a lot more of a shootout than it was,” Sanchez said “Overall that’s the best the de fense has played all year.”

Sanchez has not had

offense averaged 49.4 points per game, 353.4 offensive passing per game, and 553 yards of total offense per game. The Dawgs held this pro lific offense to 13 points, 195 passing yards, and 289 yards of total offense.

Courtesy of GC Athletics Rachel Machovec serves ball versus Augusta on Tuesday,

coach Kirby Smart’s defense that night.

Courtesy of Skyla Morris | Contributing Writer

Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia on Saturday Nov. 4 versus No. 1 Tennessee

Brady and Rodgers face early-season struggles

Autumn Arnette Staff Writer

Tom Brady and Aar on Rodgers have caught the attention of NFL fans this season due to their uncharacteristic perfor mances. On and off the field, Brady and Rodg ers have reacted poorly in their recent losses.

Many would consid er these players to be among the greatest of all time, but because of what their season has looked like, these lead ers of offenses seem to be going nowhere.

Tom Brady, 45, has struggled noticeably for the Tampa Bay Bucca neers this season. Out

side of being a successful QB, Brady has endured more within his personal life in the last few months.

Even at the age that Brady is, fans expected his typical top-tier per formance once he decid ed to return from retire ment. After Brady took time away from the team during training camp, missed walk-throughs and tended to his person al life, the QB isn’t per forming like he used to.

The Buccaneers’ re cent losses cannot all be pinned on the lack of Brady’s performance. Some of his most sig nificant issues re volve around the lack of offensive weapons.

Brady said, “The team’s effort on gameday is the most embarrass ing part of our team.”

On multiple occa sions, Brady has an swered questions regarding potential re tirement in the middle of the season. To him self, he has zero regrets about playing again, and retirement is the last thing on his mind.

“Brady has been an outstanding player for too long,” said Carson Cale, a junior market ing major. “I do believe that his age is catch ing up to him. There are much more valu able QBs younger than him with capabilities

to be better than him.”

For Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Pack ers, their season has also fallen short of being suc cessful. The Packers have a losing record seven games into a season for the first time since Rod gers became the starter.

To fans, Rodgers has exacerbated their sit uation with bad body language and an un interested mentality.

Spear Celaya, a soph omore business major, said, “His attitude has taken over the season for him. He truly plays like he is still practicing.”

According to the Packers’ statistics, Rod gers is completing just 26.7 percent of his pass

Hayden’s Hot Takes: Week 11

Hayden Flinn Sports Editor

Nothing changes in my top four teams in college football. The best win of the weekend came from the fourthranked TCU Horned Frogs who defeated No. 18 Texas on the road in a tough atmosphere 17-10.

The Horned Frogs proved their worth in the top four this week with this resume win.

The Horned Frogs con trol their own destiny and will earn a spot in the College Football Playoff if they win out and win the BIG-12 title.

My number one team in the nation remains the same after another solid win from the Geor gia Bulldogs. The Dawgs traveled to Starkville, Mississippi to take on the other Bulldogs of Missis

sippi State. It was a closer first half than expect ed as UGA led 17-12.

Georgia dominat ed the second half from the start as the offense exploded for 28 points in the sec ond half. Georgia took the victory 45-19 and clinched an SEC Cham pionship birth against the top ten LSU Tigers.

Ohio State remains in the second spot of my rankings. After strug gling on the road last week against Northwest ern, the Buckeyes showed out in Week 11, blow ing out Indiana 56-14.

The offense rediscov ered their identity as Heisman Trophy candi date CJ Stroud complet ed 17 of 28 passes for 297 yards and 5 touch downs. The Buckeyes had concerns about their rushing attack, but there

were no concerns against Indiana, as they had two running back eclipse 100 yards rushing.

The Michigan Wol verines stayed strong in Week 11 as they dom inated the Nebraska Cornhuskers 34-3. The

Wolverine defense put on a stellar performance, holding Nebraska to just 146 total yards of offense. Star running back Blake Corum had another im pressive performance as he carried the ball 28 times for 162 yards

es of 20 yards, and the team is averaging 17.8 points per game, the lowest scoring six-game stretch of Rodgers career.

Like Brady, Aar on Rodgers frequent ly missed off-season practices which inev itably affected how he plays with the team.

In recent inter views, Rodgers has ex pressed concerns for the team by saying, “Guys who are mak ing too many mistakes shouldn’t be playing.”

“The minute that Rod gers gave coaching ad vice is the minute I knew he should retire,” said sophomore management information systems ma jor, Sam Hutto. “Playing

is not in his best interest.”

like Tom Brady and Aaron Rodg ers are not the first QB’s to make it this long in the league. At the age that they are now, ego and ability are two of their biggest contenders.

Matthew Leo, a senior business major, said, “Their recent time on the field has shown that their career will end soon.”

As the NFL approach es the second half of the season, Brady and Rodgers still have time to turn their seasons around, and fans all across the league are cu rious to see how these seasoned veterans will do in the final stretch.

and one touchdown.

The biggest upset of the week came at the fall of the sixth-ranked Or egon Ducks, who came up short 37-34 against the Washington Huskies. The Ducks were hoping to scratch their way back

into the College Foot ball Playoff if they had won out and won the Pac-12. With this loss, and their blowout loss against Georgia in Week 1, the Ducks’ hopes of making it to the postsea son seem out of reach.

Claire O’Neill | Art Director

Hayden’s top four teams in college football after Week 11.

Players

Aaron Rodgers

Aaron Rodgers

GC Forensics speech and debate team return

Cale Strickland Staff Writer

After a years-long hiatus, GC’s speech and debate team, GC Forensics, is back.

In his first semester at GC, Dr. Nathan Bed sole, an assistant rhetoric professor, is the direc

study and practice the enchanted art of or atory,” Bedsole said.

As the team’s direc tor, he plans on expand ing the group’s com petitive and communal aspects to transform it into one of GC’s integral student organizations.

to celebrate and culti vate the student voice at Georgia College.”

Anna Lippy, a senior environmental science major, was on her high school’s debate team, but she did not have the best experience. Her time as a member of GC’s team has

said. “In speech and de bate, we learn strategies to break down prompts, how to form a strong argument, and how to articulate our thoughts.”

She believes speech and debate have al lowed her to harness language’s full potential.

“It’s empowering to be a part of this club because I’m learning how to make my words as powerful as they can be,” Lippy said.

Sairsha Connor, a freshman mass commu nication major, is new to speech and debate. At first, the idea of being on the team intimidated her.

fortable speaking to oth ers or even speaking in front of large groups of people,” Connor said. “I

terested in debate,” Her rin said. “Right now, the ‘debate-side’ of the club only has a few mem bers compared to the ‘speech-side.’ Anyone in terested in debate should get involved. You don’t need any experience to be a valuable member.”

feel that communication is a major skill necessary for any aspect of life, and I feel that I can achieve better interpersonal skills as a member of the team.”

Bedsole encourages interested students to at tend the group’s events. The team holds meetings on Mondays at 5 p.m. in Terrell Hall Room 108.

tor of the team. So far, he loves Milledgeville.

“Our small class size, motivated students, and community focus make Georgia College a wonderful place to

“I intend the team, moving forward, to en gage in state-level, lo cal, and campus-level controversies with pub lic debates,” Bedsole said. “At the end of the day, our raison d’être is

been the exact opposite.

“I was on my high school debate team for one year and didn’t like it, because we didn’t fo cus on learning how to debate, but rather how to talk quickly,” Lippy

“I didn’t get involved in the team until later in the semester, around mid-September,” Con nor said. “I had heard about the team pri or, but I was honest ly intimidated by it.”

Now, she wishes she joined sooner. Through her involvement with the team, she hopes to become a better speaker.

“I want to feel com

Celebrity costume controversies

Can Halloween costumes be offensive?

Cara Radosevich Staff Writer

Megan Fox and Ma chine Gun Kelly dressed up as Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee for Hal loween, and this was crit icized online. Because there was a lot of domes tic violence that occurred in Anderson and Lee’s re lationship, this costume was criticized online for being in poor taste.

“That relationship was definitely toxic and abu sive. It just feels disre

spectful because that vio lence actually happened,” said Natalia Acosta, freshman art major.

Lily Panter, junior marketing major, also feels similarly about this costume choice.

“Regarding the nega tivity surrounding who they dressed up as, this is just like people dressing up as Jeffrey Dahmer,” said Lily Painter, ju nior marketing major.

“People glorify trage dies all the time, so this

doesn’t shock or bother me as much as the oth er costume they wore.”

Machine Gun Kel ly also dressed up as a sexy priest and Me gan Fox dressed up as a sexy nun for Halloween, which garnered criti cism online due to the sexualization of religion.

Acosta said that it is not her place to say whether someone can wear a costume that sexualizes religion. However, she said that the couple’s costume was the “opposite” of a religious costume.

“I can’t really say whether they are allowed to do that or not. But fundamentally, just the concept of a sexy priest and a sexy nun, I find it kind of disgusting. Those things just do not belong together,” Acosta said.

Some argued that making fun of religion is “out-of-bounds,” just like someone’s appearance.

“Many people fled countries to have re ligious freedom, and people still die today because of their beliefs.

By sexualizing this, it makes it seem like they could not care less about sexualizing people of the Catholic religion, or quite honestly, any other one,” Painter said.

Billie Eilish and her boyfriend Jesse Ruth erford’s costumes were also heavily criticized. The couple has an 11year age difference, and they dressed up as a baby and an old man for Halloween. Eilish post ed the couple’s costume on Instagram which made light of their 11year age gap, and fans

In Lippy’s opinion, the team provides valu able knowledge the classroom does not.

“The skills and tech niques we work on are so valuable,” Lippy said. “They’re not things I’d learn in my classes.”

Samuel Herrin, a senior economics ma jor, aims to compete in the team’s debates. He urges his peers to join the team’s debate wing.

“Personally, I think we need more members in

“These events range from limited prepara tion, impromptu speak ing, prepared rhetorical performances of orig inal research, and pre pared oral interpreta tions of poetry, drama, and prose,” Bedsole said.

Debate and speech is open to students of all dis ciplines and skill levels, not just rhetoric majors.

“The team welcomes those of any and all lev els of expertise — in cluding none — and is great for any level of interest,” Bedsole said.

wrote critical comments.

“I guess that kind of makes me a little un comfortable just because they are a couple,” Acos ta said. “If they were two friends that had a big age gap, and they decid ed to dress up as a little kid and an older per son, it would be funny.”

She also said that the costume choice was “kind of concerning” because it normalizes in appropriate relationships with a large age gap.

Hannah Hollis,

freshman nursing ma jor, also found Eilish and Rutherford’s cos tume inappropriate.

“Granted, he was matching one of his friends who was dressed up as a grandmother, and he was a grandfather, but Billie did not have to be baby by any means. That was awkward. But it’s funny that he’s in The Neighborhood and they have a song called Daddy Issues, though,” said Hollis.

Courtesy of Billie Eilish’s press kit

Courtesy of Megan Fox press kit

Courtesy of Dr. Nathan Bedsole

GC Forensics team members pose for pictures during one of their weekly meetings Monday.

-Anna Lippy

They’re not things I’d learn in my classes.

Student Spotlight: Jada D’Antigac

GC senior releases her own poetry book

Hannah Adams Asst. Opinion Editor

This September, Jada D’Antignac, senior mass communication ma jor, fulfilled her life goal of publishing a poetry

variety of hardships, par ticularly for those in their teens and early twenties. As the book continues, the growth and maturi ty of the author are evi

are going to have your good times along with the bad, and you are going to make mis takes and learn lessons.”

thing. If I have boy prob lems or family issues, or at any time where I feel strong emotions, I just put it on paper.”

Google Doc to make it into an actual book. It took a couple of weeks.”

book, coming soon. The book is available on Am azon and is published under the pseudonym ‘Nooneiswatching’. She uses this collection of poetry to express the emotional experiences of her life while also cre ating a connection with the reader and some of the universal emotions of young people today. Coming soon covers a

dent through the voice of the writer. Her works range from addressing family issues and heart break, to providing hope for the reader that situa tions will get better even in the worst of times.

“The theme was basically to embrace change and the differ ent phases of our lives,” said D’Antignac. “You

After discovering her love of poetry at an early age, D’Antignac decid ed during her teenage years that she wanted to write a book one day. Although writing has always been a personal interest of hers, she felt a special connection with the style of poetry. Her poems became an outlet for her. It allowed her to project her innermost emotions in an artistic way that was therapeutic and productive. Putting her thoughts on paper became a habit and over time, her collection grew into one cohesive piece.

“I don’t want to say all the time, but when things happen,” D’An tignac said. “When I’m happy, when I’m sad, when I go through some

It was during the month of September that D’Antignac organized her works into a unified piece, and her first offi cial novel was created. Coming soon is a collec tion of poetry that takes place during various highs and lows of the au thor’s life, ranging from the years of 2017 to 2022. After deciding to dis tribute her work, D’An tignac began the steps of self-publication, and this proved to be a slight ly challenging process.

“The process was dif ficult because it was my first-time self-publish ing anything, and doing it on my own with no help,” D’Antignac said. “I used an Amazon web site and had to re-for mat everything from my

Coming soon has been popular amongst GC students, and D’An tignac newly announced the upcoming release of her next book. Without revealing the potential ti tle, D’Antignac described this next work is set to be a reflection piece.

“This book is a reflec tion book,” D’Antignac said. “I’m still consider ing the title, for the last book I waited until ev erything was done before I came up with the title, so this one I have a title

for, but I can’t say yet. It’s like a reflection book, it’s kind of changes that need to be made or that you have made or cy cles that you’ve noticed in your life or experi ences and emotions that you want to reflect on.”

With the upcoming work to be published, as well as coming soon still being in the new phases of publication, D’Antig nac has had an eventful year. It will be interest ing to see the new styles and topics included in her next work, along with seeing the support of other GC students.

“I had a few different show options that I was thinking of but as I was reading the script for The Legend of Georgia McBride I realized that it had such an overwhelmingly positive message,” Mastras said. “It is just a heart-warming and loving show.”

The play follows Casey, a young Elvis Presley impersonator who barely makes a living. He was broke, had his landlord pestering him for his late

rent and discovered that his wife was pregnant. Af ter he is fired from his gig as an Elvis imperson ator, Casey finds himself desperate. That is when he meets Miss Tracy Mills, an elegant but tough-loving drag queen. She takes Casey under her wing and transforms him into Georgia McBride who quick ly becomes the most exciting queen in Florida.

Mastras experienced some difficulties not only as a director but also as a student.

“It was a really interesting and valuable expe rience for me because the actors and the crew are in my classes and are my friends,” Mastras said. “So I had to learn to differentiate the two and go from being their peer to their director every day.”

Directing this show served as Mastras’s se nior capstone for his theatre major. He said that he was grateful for this experience and learned much about his love for theatre.

Anjali Shenoy | Digital Editor

Anjali Shenoy | Digtal Editor

Anjali Shenoy | Digital Editor

Courtesy of Jada D’Antigac

VOTERS

Continued from page 1

“Facebook and Tik Tok failed to block ad vertisements with “bla tant” misinformation about when and how to vote in the US mid terms, as well as about the integrity of the vot ing process, according to a new report from human rights watchdog Global Witness and the Cybersecurity for De mocracy Team (C4D) at New York University.”

This new study found that major social media platforms are profiting from ads designed to stop people from voting. This recent experiment tried to run ads on Face book, TikTok and You Tube featuring blatant election misinformation about how to cast your ballots and whether the elections were safe. The claims presented in these

ads contained informa tion that election dates had been changed. Face book approved a signif icant number of these ads, but TikTok approved 90% of them. Now in case you were thinking this is because these platforms are incapable of screen ing every ad before they run, YouTube stopped every single one of these ads and suspended the account that tried to run them. YouTube’s per formance proves that these other platforms have no excuse. This is yet another example of corporate greed literally destroying democracy.

On top of fake ads being approved, many influencers and popu lar creators turn to their platforms to spread mis information for views. This is not to speak for every creator, however when spreading aware

ness or information, one must be careful to do ex tensive research on what they are sharing. Many young people, instead of conducting their own research, turn to their favorite influencers and cast their votes based upon knowledge that may or may not be true.

I would never fault someone for having an opinion or an opinion that differs from my own. Sometimes it takes debating and differing opinions for changes to occur. However, it be comes a problem when people stop thinking for themselves. I think social media can be used as an excellent tool to spread information, but it is also important that young people learn to take this information with a grain of salt and even begin fact checking to ensure that this is not just anoth

er form of propaganda.

I will never pretend to be a person that is fully and completely knowl edgeable when it comes to politics. Sharing my political views or debat ing about my opinions is something I like to keep between my family, close friends, or in the privacy of my own home while conducting my research

Can honesty honestly be bad?

Abigayle Allen Opinion Editor

We all remember when rapper-flutist, Liz zo, put out her hit song, “Truth Hurts” back in 2019. This resurgence of the moral dilemma, to tell the truth or to tell a lie, many of us strug gle with struck a line in me. I began question ing myself when telling a story, giving advice or even dealing with my personal opinions about things. Do I tell the truth with the possibility of offending someone with my words, or do I tell a lie to avoid conflict?

Growing up, many of us learn the old saying “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” This line is something I can remember repeating in my head when dealing

with bullies in elementa ry school or mean girls in high school. In trying to suppress feelings of sad ness triggered by hurtful words, I began internal izing valid emotions that had a profound impact on my mental health.

As a creative writing student, I learned the power that words hold on the lives of many peo ple and myself. Words are used when deliver ing powerful speeches, in our favorite songs, in propaganda used in shaping our govern ment and political views, and even just personal conversations between friends. Words are used to express ourselves, written or spoken. It is the way one delivers these words that caus es the greatest impact. I find myself filtering

my words based on my surroundings, avoiding confrontation and doing my best to not share my own opinions or per sonal truths in attempts to spare someone that shared knowledge that the truth, indeed can hurt sometimes. The is sue with the prohibition, “Do not lie”, is that we all lie. If you have ever told a child about Santa Claus or lied that you loved the

ugly sweater your great aunt knitted for you, you lied. Is this lying justified?

These lies were more like white lies. A lie in general is usually told

for the potential next candidates. I am not here to say that this is the best and only way to conduct yourself when rereferring to politics, however it is what works best for me.

With my disclaimer said, I think it is our jobs as journalists, opinion columnists and citizens of the United States to prevent the spread of

misinformation. It is our responsibility to help ed ucate those who may not have the opportunities to gain upper education. It is our responsibility to conduct educated votes that will help make our democracy grow stron ger, in turn strengthening our government to sup port our growing societal and economical needs.

ally made for purpose. Whether this purpose is to create a magical world for our children, or, more often, to be polite and demonstrate social man ners. Being totally honest in certain situations can be offensive and employ ing white lies can show signs of civility. The dif ference here is that real lies, big lies, can be seen as self-serving with more of a negative connotation.

with malicious intent or detrimental con sequences. However, when telling a white lie or slightly bending the truth, the intent usu ally is positive with no grave consequences. White lies are usu

The way I see it, when someone lies out of al truism to protect others feelings or to ease their pain, these lies can be seen as acceptable. Most people lie to be con siderate of others emo tions, to protect their own egos and self-im age or to compensate for our sensitivity to power.

I think the largest is sue comes when you’ve

created a different real ity with your lies. Our brains react to this con tinued dishonesty, and it can almost become a habit or second nature to one to tell a lie. Wheth er it be told in attempts to seem less flawed or maybe even in sparing someone else’s suffering, telling many white lies or large lies can seem enticing. Some innocu ous fibbing can, in turn, get you into trouble.

I think more than anything, sometimes lies are justified. Sometimes lies are needed in our so cial construct in order to avoid hurt feelings and to maintain peace. While I think that making a habit of lying is wrong, there is a time and a place when it can be and is neces sary to bend the truth.

Claire O’Neill | Art Director

Courtesy of Art Director | Claire O’Neill

The Colonnade DC trip

Hannah Adams Opinion Editor

This past month, I had the opportunity to go on a work trip with my Colonnade co-workers to attend a journalism conference in Washing ton D.C. While on this trip, I was able to create some amazing connec tions with my coworkers and friends, as well as learn more about myself as an individual. Having the opportunity to get away from the usual mo notony of Milledgeville I exited Washington DC feeling more in touch with myself and the po tential pursuits that I may want to take on af ter college. Being able to listen to such remarkable speakers such as the fa mous, Woodward and Bernstein, caused me to feel connected with my dream to have a future career in journalism.

Listening to Wood ward and Bernstein speak truly was a dream come true for any jour nalist. The stories and advice that they pro vided had every single person in the room on the edge of their seat, begging for more. It in spired me to have a de sire to dig deeper as a young journalist and to never be afraid to do difficult reporting. Kelly Feng’s article, “Wood ward and Bernstein of fer lessons of the past” with The Clarion, Feng provided a summary of the two men’s offered advice to the audience within their segment.

“The two said one of the first things they did when starting the story was to start making calls and knocking on doors immediately,” Feng said.

“The ability to show up is a skill they’ve continued to do throughout their career. They mentioned

it is too easy to email or text a source when in terviewing in person offers more insight and information. The two say they believe there are too many cases today of journalists just mailing it in. ‘We need to show up …We are not showing up enough,’ Woodward said. They enlightened the au dience on the importance of gathering information from low-level sourc es. Woodward said he learned from Bernstein the type of people made for the best sources.”

Along with the oppor tunity to see two of my career heroes in person, I was also able to explore Washington DC and ex perience the history that litters the city. Being so immersed in some of this country’s most remark able historical reminders had a way of making me reflect. It influenced me to be thankful for the life I live and the free doms I have. To also be thankful for the amaz ing friends and family that I have around me. The washingtondc.org website published an ar ticle titled, “The Histo ry of Washington DC,” which covers some of the symbolism behind this country’s capital.

“It remains a vibrant and culturally diverse city today. The city is rich

with international cul tures, African American heritage and culture and it’s also one of Ameri ca’s most gay-friendly cities. In fact, DC rec ognized same-sex mar riage in 2010, before the Supreme Court, nearby, ruled that it was a right in 2015. After more than 200 years as the nation’s capital, Washington has developed as a com plex and layered city, with a distinctive char acter: both a town for locals, an international center of power and an amazing place to visit.”

The final takeaway from Washington DC for me was the connection I made with myself and the people I was with. During this trip I was able to do an extensive amount of self-reflec tion that caused me to realize much about my self. While on this trip with such amazing and accepting people, I was able to just be myself and feel free to be expressive. It was a liberating feeling that was a much-needed change for me. Some times, being in such a small town as Milled geville causes you to feel like you must be part of the status quo to fit in and not be singled out by others. Leaving this trip, I felt lighter and happier than I had been before

The vilification of Sharpay Evans

Jennifer Crider Arts & Life Editor

In the “High School Musical” franchise, Shar pay Evans was repeatedly tormented by Troy and Gabriella, yet she was stereotyped as a “mean girl” due to her hyper femininity and passion ate personality. After an alyzing the interactions between these charac ters, it is apparent that Sharpay is the victim.

Sharpay and her brother, Ryan, have act ed in 17 school musicals, and their dedication to musical theater is well known among the stu dents at East High. When Gabriella and Troy no tice the spring musicals audition sign up sheet, they make fun of the play and Sharpay’s eagerness to sign up. However, they both reluctantly decide to audition even though they are both busy with other extracurricular activities, and they have no prior experience in acting, singing or danc ing. They arrive late and unprepared for the au dition, whereas, Sharpay and Ryan’s perform a clearly rehearsed num

ber. Troy and Gabriella are cast as the lead roles, but they express that they feel embarrassed about this. Rather than letting Ryan and Shar pay take the roles that they are ashamed of, the

minished it into a strange social movement. Her passion was ripped away from her, and she was so cially ostracized for the way she reacted to this.

Even though Gabriella is fully aware that Shar

perform a duet with her. Kelsey writes an upbeat jazzy duet for them, and their compatible voices create an absolutely phe nomenal performance. But at the talent show, Gabriella performs a

it began. In the Travel ex article titled, “Why travel is good for your health,” it explains why traveling is so beneficial for the human mind.

“The most obvious and potentially most im portant health benefit of traveling is stress reduc tion. Traveling has the ability to take you out of our daily routine and into new surroundings and experiences and this can reset your body and mind. Even planning a trip can have a fantastic effect on the body – it boosts happiness and feels rewarding. Not only does travel reduce stress but it expands the mind. Meeting new people and adapting to new situa

tions makes one more globally and culturally aware. This keeps the mind sharp, increas es creativity and helps with personal growth.” Sometimes, it takes getting out of one’s nor mal day to day atmo sphere to truly do some inner exploration. To get out of the line of sight from the ones you see every day and just be who you want to be for even just a few days.

Along with this, feeding your inner self by do ing the things you love or that interests you can be extremely aiding in self-discovery. It is during these times that you really discover who your real friends are.

cal 3” is when Sharpay is treated the absolute worst. Since she was a child, she has been dili gently working to attend Julliard after graduation. This year, Sharpay and Troy are the lead roles,

play and publicly humili ates Sharpay which ruins her chances of attending this prestigious school. Sharpay is so close to the dream she has worked so hard to achieve when yet again the real vil lains, Gabriella and Troy, decide their own self ish needs are of a high er priority than Shar pay’s future education.

two use their participa tion in the play to take a stand against the social structure of their school.

Sharpay is justified to feel anger towards two un grateful people who took the role that she was more qualified for. Not only did they infiltrate the hobby Sharpay is dedi cated to, but they also di

pay does not like her, Gabriella decides to get a summer job at the coun try club that Sharpay and Ryan’s family owns. This country club is a safe space where Sharpay is not tormentented for be ing herself. Every year, Sharpay displays her tal ents at the summer talent show, and Troy agrees to

slower rendition of the same song with Troy and the other workers, and they exclude Shar pay from this. Sharpay obviously feels betrayed that Gabriella took her son and the man she has a crush on, and every one collectively makes fun of her reaction.

“High School Musi

and a Julliard recruiter is attending the open ing night to analyze her performance. Instead of following through on his commitments, Troy decides that visiting Ga briella is more import ant, so the inexperienced understudy fills in for Troy. The understudy makes a mockery of the

Sharpay enjoys tradi tionally feminine things such as makeup, hair and the color pink, but she also does what she views as necessary to achieve her goals. Unlike Sharpay, Gabriella does not care about tradi tionally feminine items. They are both intelligent and kindhearted wom an, but Gabriella is por trayed as the nice smart girl. However, Sharpay is considered the villain due to her hyper femi ninity. The way Sharpay was placed into the sex ist stereotype of a “mean girl” which displays how teen movies in the ear ly 2000’s often villain ized beautiful women with a strong work ethic.