@TheColonnade
@TheColonnade
The Official Student Newspaper of Georgia College January 30, 2024
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Sister Cindy comes to GC I don’t feel bad
SOUTH AFRICA SUES ISRAEL
TikTok evangelist makes a stir on front campus about making Paige Blakemore A&L Editor Cindy Smock, better known as her online persona, Sister Cindy, caused a crowd of hundreds to form as GC students gathered to hear the TikTok star preach on front campus Jan. 18. Sister Cindy, a 65-year old evangelical Christian
campus preacher, has accumulated over 400 thousand TikTok followers and nearly 10 million likes on the platform. She is known for sharing her “H*NOMO Revolution” with her audience and college campuses across the United States. The nationwide revolution encourages audiences to repent to Je-
Courtesy of Sicilia Reed
sus and live a pure life. “I like to say TikTok did not make Sister Cindy,” Sister Cindy said. “The Sister Cindy story started a long time ago at the University of Florida.” When Sister Cindy was a college student, she met Jed Smock, better known as Brother Jed, who pointed her out of the crowd. “Repent of your sins, you wicked woman,” Brother Jed said. The following year, in 1978, when Brother Jed returned to the campus, Sister Cindy repented of her sins and became involved with campus ministry. Brother Jed would later go on to become Sister Cindy’s husband after she had been a Christian for two years, a time frame he requested upon their engagement.
people laugh
-Sister Cindy
The pair would then spend the next several decades traveling across the country together and spreading the word of God on college campuses. Sister Cindy first went viral on TikTok in March 2021. After Brother Jed’s passing in 2022, Sister Cindy carried on their mission and expanded further into the use of social media. Sister Cindy is known for her often fire and brimstone approach to preaching. Like her late husband, she tends to call students out publicly and put them on display. See CINDY | Page 8
Olivia DeRosa
the International Court
Staff Writer
of Justice, or ICJ, says
The United Nations’ highest court is finishing early proceedings on South Africa’s allegations against Israel. South Africa is accusing Israel of genocide of the Palestinian people. On Oct. 7, Israeli forces launched a massive air and ground assault in Gaza after
Hamas
militants
stormed Israeli communities, killing around 1,200 citizens. Over the past three months, nearly 23,000 Palestinians have been killed, mainly women and children. According to The
NFL playoffs: wildcard & divisional update million Health
Christian Castillo Staff Writer The NFL playoffs started earlier this month and are soon to be concluded with the Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 11. The wild-card round began on Saturday, Jan. 13, with two games: the Cleveland Browns vs. the Houston Texans and the Miami Dolphins vs. the Kansas City Chiefs. The Browns met the Texans in Houston to kick off this year’s playoffs. Solid defense and a high-flying offense led the Texans to the
AFC South title, meaning they would host the Browns to start their playoff journey. Kansas City won the AFC West title, meaning the Dolphins traveled to play in frozen conditions at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. The temperature, with wind chill, was cold enough that several fans suffered from frostbite and hypothermia. The Texans won their game 45-14 behind an explosive first half from C.J. Stroud and a dominant defense in the second half, including two interceptions tak-
en back for six. Stroud performed incredibly in his playoff debut, completing 16 of 21 pass attempts for 274 yards and three touchdowns. Houston has what looks like an electric duo in Stroud and his No. 1 target, Nico Collins. Collins finished the game
NEW YEAR, SAME YOU
The mediocrity of remaking yourself each year
with six receptions for 96 yards and a TD. “We picked a bad day to have a bad football day, and our defense didn’t know what hit them,” said Ryan Collins, a sophomore mass communication major and Browns fan. See PLAYOFFS | Page 6
have
Ministry,
2.3
Palestinians
been
displaced
from their homes and are living in makeshift shelters. Even they are not safe, as Israeli forces continually besiege U.N. hospitals and rescue shelters. Disease runs rampant, and without the
necessary
medi-
cine, water and food coming into Gaza, as Israel cuts off all major supply lines into Gaza, Palestinians are dying in the rescue centers. South Africa’s 84NFL football
page
submission
to
as much. With Nelson Mandela’s
long-stand-
ing support of the Palestinian people, South Africa’s government has garnered much support not only from their own citizens but also from figures around the world. Professor David Monyae, the director of the Center for Africa-China Studies at the University
of
Johannesburg,
said that this will show that a small country, like South Africa, can be the one to stand up. “Just a moral voice to say to the world, ‘Here’s what we should be doing,’” Monyae said. “Going forward, it’s [South Africa’s standing up] going to weaken the hand of the Western world to advance human rights.” Israel, on the other hand, has categorically denied accusations of genocide and has sent a full legal team to defend this in the ICJ. Israel is known for its lack of participation in the U.N., claiming bias and hypocrisy. This will be the first time Israel defends itself in this setting and in person. See SOUTH AFRICA | Page 3
into their routine, and the last thing
posed to be positive and uplifting. It
that should be on their minds is how
should give hope for a “better you.”
to get into perfect shape by February.
But why only save it for the new year?
Whether it is to eat healthier, exer-
Why not change habits as they progress? I think that most of the time, it
Delaney Derry
New Year’s Eve sounds like a beau-
cise more or simply put away your laun-
Opinion Editor
tiful time for change with the extrav-
dry right when it gets out of the dryer,
agant decor, sparkling apparel and
everyone has a New Year’s resolution or
dazzling disco lights, but among these
some way in which they want their live-
preppy parties and celebrations of new
lihoods to improve. However, if we are
beginnings is something much more in
being honest, you will probably have to
depth than a simple champagne toast.
continue to hop over that clean laundry
As we ring in the new year, thus be-
pile as it sits wrinkly on the floor until
gins a month of people mapping out
you have worn pieces here and there,
new versions of themselves in 2024.
the whole thing is practically dirty
Going from the chaos of the holi-
again and the vicious cycle continues.
cise science major. “That should be
days to the jumbled weeks of Janu-
The mindset of “New Year, New
something they do all year round.”
ary, people are just trying to get back
You” is generally one that is sup-
See NEW YEAR | Page 13
NEWS | PG. 5
SPORTS | PG. 7
ARTS & LIFE | PG. 8
OPINION & MISC. | PG. 12
The forum featured guest speaker Rachel Galloway, His Majesty’s Consul General in Atlanta.
Redshirt senior guard Myra Strickland scores her 1000th point for GC women’s basketball.
The Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice and Emmy Awards are behind us. As we head toward the Oscars, who is ahead in the major races?
Since being released from prison, Gypsy Rose Blanchard has become a social media sensation. But is her rise to fame a cause for concern?
Julia Jensen | Art Director
USERY FORUM ON LEADERSHIP
MYRA STRICKLAND AWARDS SEASON JOINS 1000-POINT CLUB UPDATE
is because people want change, but we feel we need an excuse to change rather than just going ahead and making the changes on our own. “I think people shouldn’t sit down and think about how to better themselves only once a year,” said Danielle Cliburn, a sophomore exer-
GYPSY ROSE BLANCHARD