Technique
Rockin’ Techies
Friday, November 11, 2011• Volume 97, Issue 16 • nique.net
Read about top Tech bands to recently hit the local Atlanta music scene.411
The South’s Liveliest College Newspaper
France-Atlanta Regents to consolidate campuses partnership grows By Emily Cardin News Editor
By Jordan Lockwood Contributing Writer
This past weekend, the College of Architecture, the Center for European and Transatlantic Studies and the Office of International Education at Tech hosted a conference examining the suburbs of Paris and Atlanta. Titled “Outer City/Inner Suburb: The Physical, Social and Cultural Fabric Beyond the Center,” the conference was a part of the larger France-Atlanta 2011 Conference. The event, intended to explore and compare the banlieues (meaning ‘suburbs’ in French) of Paris and other major cities in France with the inner suburbs of Atlanta, focused on the historical and cultural perspectives significant to the Franco-American relationship. Through the lens of suburban communities, the conference examined the broader social and cultural variations in the two countries and how these are related. Presentations covered topics such as urbanization, demographic change, innovative architecture, immigration and evolving social and cultural landscapes. Participants included academics, architects, artists and policy-makers from both the United States and France. “I enjoyed a presentation given by a French architect about the work he’s currently doing in Toulouse with regard to the renovation of many high-occupancy apartment buildings in the suburbs. Even though I’m not an architecture major, the situation of the lives of immigrants in the suburbs in Toulouse parallels on-going issues concerning the changing demographics in the suburbs of Atlanta, and I found his presentation to be very interesting,” said Kristin Meagher, a fourth-year IAML major. Many of the presentations touched upon the importance of maintaining an open dialogue between the two countries, for reasons much larger than the political relationship between the French and American governments. “Living in a large country like the United States, it is often easy to become solely focused on one’s own country, culture, and way of life,” said Benjamin Bennett, a fourth-year IAML major. “The cultural dialogue fostered by events such as this one is simply invaluable.” Pierre Cohen, Mayor of Toulouse, France, one of Atlanta’s sister cities, was a guest speaker at the conference. He visited to reinforce the See France, page 4
The University System of Georgia (USG) is conducting a study to determine if the 35-campus system should reduce the number of institutions it runs to help cut administrative costs. After a meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 8, the Board of Regents (BoR) released the criteria that would be used to consider campus consolidation. Though no specific campuses have been announced as potential sites of consolidation, Chancellor Henry “Hank” Huckaby told campuses not to panic. The consolidation study
is one of the first initiatives Huckaby introduced after he was named head of the university system this past May. A longtime university administrator and former state lawmaker, Huckaby is responsible for repairing the notoriously tense relationship between the BoR and state legislature. “I know this will be somewhat controversial to many,” Huckaby said during the meeting on Tuesday. “But if we’re going to do what has to be done we must be willing to take on tough issues. I didn’t agree to become chancellor to maintain the status quo.” Executive Vice Chancellor for Administration Steve
Wrigley said that this internal look was needed to ensure the System has a 21st century structure with the right network of institutions offering the proper range of degrees. “The overall purpose of this is to make the system stronger and make us more effective,” Wrigley said. With numerous campuses in the state and rising education costs, the purpose of the study is to cut spending in light of the fact that students are paying an average nine percent higher in tuition and fees the state over. Huckaby originally announced the study and its potential implications regarding campus consolidation in
Sept., emphasizing the fact that a number of inputs and factors would be used in the analysis of campuses. The six different criteria that will be used to analyze institutions for the potential for consolidation include the increase of opportunities to raise education attainment levels; the improvement of accessibility, regional identity and compatibility; the avoidance of the duplication of academic programs while optimizing access to instruction; the creation of significant potential for economies of scale and scope, the enhancement of regional economic developSee Regents, page 6
Walk highlights safety concerns
Photo by Sho Kitamura / Student Publications
Students, faculty and members of GTPD walked through and around campus for the biannual Campus Safety Walk. Problem areas around campus, including the location of areas where crime has occurred in recent weeks were explored. By Madison Lee Contributing Writer
Students, faculty and administrative leaders came together to participate in the biannual Campus Safety Walk on the evening of Tuesday, Nov. 8. The event allowed
members of the Tech community to review the effectiveness of current security measures and identify immediate issues that could create dangerous conditions for students. The participants assembled at Crecine Residence Hall
plaza and proceeded to make their way from West to East Campus, following a route frequently taken by students. The event served as a forum for discussion as students and administrators were encouraged to voice any safety risks they observed and make sug-
gestions for improvements. “I’d say that this was the most successful walk we’ve had in recent semesters…we had a great turnout, and this positive collaboration is really important because there’s always a fine line when dealSee Walk, page 7
Women’s Leadership Conference draws largest ever crowd By Elizabeth Perreault Contributing Writer
Photo by Jasmine Burton / Student Publications
Women from around campus and the greater community gathered last weekend to celebrate and explore empowerment.
Last weekend, students, faculty members, staff, alumni and community partners gathered in the Student Center Ballroom for the for the 13th annual Women’s Leadership Conference. This year’s theme “Radiate from Within, Shine on the World” was explored through a series of workshops, networking opportunities and guest speakers that focused on empowering women and encouraging leadership roles in school, the workplace and community. The conference began on Friday evening with a network-
ing session followed by a dinner and keynote speaker. This year’s speaker was Dr. Annie Anton, a Tech alumna from the College of Computing who is currently a computer science professor at North Carolina State University. After dinner, the Woman of Distinction Award was presented to its recipients in the undergraduate, graduate, alumna, staff and faculty categories. The distinguished women who were honored with this award in these categories were Lisa Thornsberry, Erin Spinner, Susan Davis, Rosalind R. Meyers and Dr. Gilda Barbabino, respectively. The conference continued into Saturday morning, where Gail
Evans, a distinguished lawyer and author and currently an associate professor in the College of Management, gave the breakfast speech. After breakfast, participants attended three workshops of their choice. Workshops covered topics dealing with issues ranging from body image to personal finance to making the most of oneself and finding one’s own passions. “My favorite part of this year’s conference was the Saturday morning keynote speaker. She gave concrete and practical steps that women can use in helping achieve equality between the sexes See Women, page 4
NEWS
2 • November 11, 2011 • Technique
Technique
The South’s Liveliest College Newspaper
Founded in 1911, the Technique is the student newspaper of the Georgia Institute of Technology, and is an official publication of the Georgia Tech Board of Student Publications. The Technique publishes on Fridays weekly during the fall and spring and biweekly during the summer. A dvertising: Information and rate cards can be found online at nique.net/ads. The deadline for reserving ad space is Friday at 5 p.m. one week before publication. To place a reservation, for billing information, or for any other questions please e-mail us at ads@nique.net. You may reach us by telephone at (404) 894-2830, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Coverage R equests: Requests for coverage and tips should be submitted to the Editor-in-Chief and/or the relevant section editor. Office: 353 Ferst Dr., Room 137 Atlanta, GA 30332-0290 Telephone: (404) 894-2830 Fax: (404) 894-1650
Editor-in-Chief: Vijai Narayanan editor@nique.net Telephone: (404) 894-2831
News Editor: Emily Cardin / news@nique.net Opinions Editor: Chris Russell / opinions@nique.net Focus Editor: Siddharth Gurnani / focus@nique.net Entertainment Editor: Hank Whitson / entertainment@nique.net Sports Editor: Alex Sohani / sports@nique.net
Follow us online: http://nique.net Twitter: @the_nique Copyright © 2011, Vijai Narayanan, Editor-in-Chief, and by the Georgia Tech Board of Student Publications. No part of this paper may be reproduced in any manner without written permission from the Editor-in-Chief or from the Board of Student Publications. The ideas expressed herein are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Board of Student Publications, the students, staff, or faculty of the Georgia Institute of Technology or the University System of Georgia. First copy free—for additional copies call (404) 894-2830
Breaking
Bubble the
A
lot of things went on outside the bubble of Tech in the past week. Here are a few important events taking place throughout the nation and the world.
Penn. State president, football coach fired in wake of scandal Following 15 years of alleged child sexual abuse by former Pennsylvania State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, both Penn. State President Graham Spanier and head football coach Joe Paterno were removed by the university’s board of trustees on Wednesday, Nov. 9, due to lack of administrative action against the criminal offense. In 2002, Paterno allegedly reported to Athletic Director Tim Curley of a sexual abuse incident involving Sandusky and a child in a Penn. State locker room. Because no communication with police was initiated, no action was taken; however, Sandusky has been charged with 40 counts of the sexual crimes against boys, according to ESPN. Sandusky has
maintained his innocence of the charges. The case opened earlier in 2011 when Penn. State officials were called to testify in front of a grand jury after a 2009 allegation made by a 15 year-old boy of four years of inappropriate conduct by Sandusky. Due to the recent administrative removals, Rodney Erickson will serve as interim president and current football defensive coordinator Tom Bradley will act as interim football coach.
Ga. voters approve Sunday liquor sales The Sunday liquor sales ban will be lifted in 110 of the 127 Ga. cities (including Atlanta) that voted on a referendum related to the ban. This referendum may become effective any time between Nov. 20 and Feb., as decided by each city. Prior to this approval, Ga. was the only southern state and one of three states in the nation that prohibited the sale of alcohol on Sundays. The Ga. Sunday liquor sales ban, which dates back to the 1800s, has largely been a religious issue—some citizens have found a liquor sales ban on a churchgoing day pertinent, while others have viewed the ban as a violation of separation of church and state. Because 2011 is an off-year
for voting, the voter turnout was in the teens. The Sunday liquor sales issue will likely arise again in the 2012 elections when almost 500 other jurisdictions will be able to vote on the referendum, according to Matt Carothers, spokesman for the Georgia Secretary of State.
Earthquake devastates Turkey A 5.7 magnitude earthquake struck Turkey last Wednesday night, just south of the city of Van in the eastern region of the country. At least five casualties have been reported, with more that one hundred people buried under rubble, according to Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay. The deaths occurred when two hotel buildings collapsed on their occupants. A total of twenty-five buildings collapsed, although twenty-two of these buildings had been vacant since a 7.1 magnitude quake hit the same region three weeks ago in late Oct.
NEWS
Council Clippings
This week in Student Government
E
By Jordan Lockwood and Sam Somani Contributing Writers
ach week, this section includes coverage of different aspects of Student Government, including the Undergraduate House of Representatives, Graduate Student Senate and the Executive Branch of both governments.
Bill Summary Bill
Amount
GSS
UHR
Waterskiing Club Cycling Club TOMS Campus Club Ramblin’ Reck Club Cricket Club Water Polo Club Woodruff Night
$12,037.11 $12,700 -$3,680 $1,400 $2,190 $562.50
25-0-0 26-0-0 0-24-3 25-2-0 26-0-1 22-1-4 --
43-2-1 45-0-0 8-33-4 44-0-2 44-1-2 47-0-0 35-7-0
Prior year: $454,328.05
Capital Outlay: $827,224.34
Water Ski and Cycling Clubs
Night at the Woodruff
The Joint Finance Committee (JFC) denied multiple requests for competition funding by both the Water Ski and Cycling clubs. The limit of requests for competition funding is six per budgetary bill, and therefore the remaining requests were removed as violations of bylaws, according to JFC chair Charley Crosson. However, the clubs were encouraged to return to SGA next semester to ask for funding for additional competitions in a new bill.
Representatives of Woodruff Night requested funding from SGA for buses to transport Tech students from campus to the Woodruff Arts Center. SGA bylaws specifically dictate that transportation less than 250 miles cannot be funded by the student activity fund. However, because Woodruff Night is an SGA event and has received high student turnout in the past, most representatives and senators felt that JFC policy should be waived.
“Cutting transportation funding would jeopardize this unique cultural opportunity that reaches many hundreds of students each year,” said Justin Keating, SGA community relations chair and a third-year BA major. Others expressed discontent at SGA’s internal funding leeway. “It’s hypocritical to fund our own transportation when we don’t do it for others. We should do it across the board instead of just for our events,” said Greg Jones, undergraduate member-at-large and third-year ME major. TOMS Campus Club
TOMS Campus Club requested funding for their Style Your Sole Party to buy decorating supplies. JFC amended the total receivable amount to $0, after which both branches of SGA failed to pass the bill, despite petitions by Ali Kimm, club president and a fourth-year BA major, that the event would serve to inspire students to social change. There was virtually no discussion in UHR regarding why representatives did not approve the bill. JFC Chair Charley Crosson and Speaker of the House Brooke McDaniel advised the body at large to avoid rejecting a bill without voicing their opinions as to why they opposed the bill, especially when the organization’s representative was present in the room. GSS did express multiple
Technique • November 11, 2011 • 3
objections to the bill as the basis of their rejection. Katherine Schnure, PSYCH senator, articulated concerns about the corporate relationship that the TOMS Campus Club maintains with the shoe company. Because TOMS is a for-profit company and the event would significantly promote it, SGA policy prohibits the allocation of funding to the event. Plane Refurbishment
The Yellow Jacket Flying Club (YJFC) secured funding to refurbish a training aircraft. One of four planes owned by the YJFC, the trainer aircraft had not been refurbished in over thirty years. Avionics failures were a primary safety concern, as well as corrosion from worn paint. “[This refurbishment] will substantially decrease the transition time of student pilots from one airplane to the other, not to mention standardize our fleet,” said Dustin Kilgore, president of the YJFC and a fourth-year AE major. “These safety improvements are crucial for the YJFC to continue to operate two trainer aircraft and allow sufficient access for anyone in the Tech community to pilot training.” Water Polo Club
The Water Polo Club came to the SGA for financial assistance in paying for janitorial costs associated with hosting annual Men’s National Club Championship at the CRC. JFC rejected the costs,
saying it was against policy to cover for costs for hosting a tournament. However, because the student body at large felt that the Water Polo Club had been slighted earlier in the year since they were not given any input in picking the host university this year and were at the receiving end of serious costs, UHR waived JFC recommendation and passed the bill, reasoning that this competition would showcase the GT facilities to the rest of the nation and add value to the name of the institution. The GSS reasoned that the club was in fact saving money by hosting the event on Tech’s campus instead of at an off-campus location, given the high expense associated with transporting the club to another university.
THWUGA to be published Nov. 22 The Technique will not print a regular issue on Nov. 18. Writers, photographers and editors will be preparing the annual To Hell With Georgia Issue, a satirical issue that pokes fun at our friends in Athens. Breaking news and updates, as well as exclusive online content, will be published at www.nique. net and on our Facebook and Twitter pages.
NEWS
4 • November 11, 2011 • Technique
P&T implements new email survey tool By Sam Somani Contributing Writer
The Office of Parking and Transportation (P&T) is set to unveil its newest update for the Stingerette system: a post-ride customer survey email. “One change we are currently implementing is a customer service evaluation email that will go out to Stingerette users upon completion of their ride,” said Emily Gooding, SGA Parking and Transportation Committee Chair and a third-year PTFE major. As of now, this recently-proposed idea is still a work in progress. P&T is still working on trying to develop it as a part of the current ride reservation system. “Our hope is to consider each customer’s opinion,” said Torise Battle, Parking and Transportation Communications Officer. The impetus for creating this new system comes from the negative feedback that the Stingerette is receiving from customers. “It’s like a football kicker,” said Eran Mordel, Vice President of Campus Affairs and a third-year IE major. “If they do well, no one says anything. But if they mess up, they get all this negativity. It’s the same way for the Stingerette.” Mordel continued to say that the more positive criticism from students has little to no venue for reaching the Stingerette sys-
tem, and this post-ride customer service email will be an inlet for allowing students to voice their opinion. Some students have expressed their approval of such an innovation’s integration into the Stingerette system. “I’m thrilled about having this survey after my ride in the Stingerette,” said Luke Buffardi, a firstyear CHBE major. “I have many concerns, both good and bad, to say regarding the Stingerette that I feel cannot be received in an appropriate manner at this time.” Other students, however, dissented from the view. “I love the Stingerette, it’s a fantastic service,” said Wesley Roberts, a third-year CHBE major. “There really is no point [to the Stingerette doing this], however, because most people aren’t going to take [the survey] seriously and give honest answers.” Currently, Parking and Transportation is also planning on adding Friday and Saturday nights to the Midnight Rambler’s route to reduce the load on the Stingerette service allow faster pickups for students. In addition, Parking and Transportation will make changes to the Stingerette system in the spring, using the data collected from these surveys to institute news technologies and interfaces to better service students.
France
from page 1
partnerships that link the two cities, including Atlanta’s Office of Cultural Affairs and Department of Planning & Community Development and representatives from Emory University, the Metro Atlanta Chamber, the High Museum of Art and the Atlanta BeltLine. “I think that France-Atlanta and the variety of conferences and presentations offered [lectures on business-related issues to cultural events and movie/documentary screenings] highlights the deep interdependency and the great potential for cooperation between our two countries,” Meagher said. The France-Atlanta 2011 Conference was officially opened by François Delattre, Ambassador
of France to the United States, on Wednesday, Oct. 26, less than a month ago. It was organized jointly by Pascal Le Deunff, Consul General of France in Atlanta, and Institute President Dr. G.P. “Bud” Peterson, and fostered scientific, business, cultural and humanitarian cooperation between France and Atlanta. “I think people in the community are really getting behind [France-Atlanta] especially for economic reasons,” said Carmen Lanford, a fourth-year INTA major. “Hopefully we can continue to emphasize the other aspects such as technology, humanitarian concerns and cultural exchange.” France-Atlanta 2011 will conclude with the BronzeLens Film Festival this weekend in Midtown.
Photo by Sho Kitamura / Student Publications
Students, faculty, community leaders and international delegates met this weekend to discuss the Franco-American relationship.
Women
from page 1 in the workforce, which is still a far off goal to be sure,” said Allison Braden, a second-year IAML major. The lunch speaker was Laura Finney, CEO of We Can Do That and Laura Finney Enterprises, which provide administrative coaching and consulting to Fortune 500 Companies. Participants were encouraged to reflect upon their current leadership roles and goals, as well as what can be done do to ensure that opportunities are always explored thoroughly and exhaustively by people of all types. WLC Conference Chair Aarthi Murugappan and her committee were responsible for organizing and running the conference, including the fundraising for the event. The committee pursues funding from corporate sponsors and relies on volunteers to operate some of the smaller portions of the conference. “The Women’s Leadership Conference has been one of the most consistently rewarding experiences to be a part of here on campus. Historically, women on campus and in the workforce have faced a number of challenges and the WLC is a leadership conference that aims to help women navigate the many roadblocks that still exist. I recommend the WLC to anyone interested in finding personal success or in affecting change for women in our society. It is a worthwhile endeavor, no matter your gender or background,” Braden said.
NEWS
So You Think Tech Can Dance Dance teams across Tech’s campus and cultures competed in the So You Think Tech Can Dance show, hosted by the Student Center Programs Council, on Tuesday, Nov. 8 in the Ferst Center for the Arts. There were 10 different performances.
Photo by Basheer Tome / Student Publications
OIT’s improvements to MyGatech features many new capabilities, including the ability to manage multiple calendar events at once.
Technique • November 11, 2011 • 5
6 • November 11, 2011 • Technique
NEWS
Suicide puts focus on student mental health By Aakash Arun Contributing Writer
The suicide of an AE PhD candidate, Nimrod Rooz, on Oct. 17 has prompted the question of student mental health and wellbeing on campus. This is the third year in a row that Tech has had a graduate student commit suicide. The circumstances surrounding the suicide remain unknown. The Graduate Student Senate (GSS) unanimously passed a resolution on Tuesday, Oct. 25, to express condolences. “I think mental health for students in general is something to be concerned about…given the past incidence of these [suicides], we’re all very concerned…I think the best way to respond to this is by public awareness,” said James Black, Graduate Student Body President. Dr. Perez, Director of the Counseling Center at Tech, gave a presentation last week at the GSS meeting regarding mental health. He provided information about the Georgia Tech Mental Health Task Force (MHTF), which was commissioned by the Vice President for Student Affairs and the Associate Vice President for Auxiliary Services in 2007 in response to the tragedy at Virginia Tech. They came up with a set of recommendations for students who have issues related to suicide and other mental health related concerns. “Suicide isn’t something that people can talk about...but we need to talk about it so that students can be informed and aware of resources that are available and they know what the warning signs are,” Black said. According to Black, it is necessary to reevaluate current practices in terms of types of services offered to students and this is be-
ing implemented currently. Data is being collected to research the presence of any trends that should be of concern. “People are very aware of the situation and are responding appropriately but it’s just that the nature of the situation is such that it is not widely advertised…I think that we’re moving in the right direction with respect to developing an effective response to the issue,” Black said. The issue of students in distress is dealt with through a variety of ways. The Residence Life staff is trained in recognizing students who may be dealing with high levels of stress or who are expressing suicidal thoughts or feelings. The Dean of Students Office has a referral tab that allows faculty, students, staff, parents and friends to
mention a student in need of help. “Last year faculty referred over 200 students to my office. We follow up and check-in with the student and referrals are made to the Counseling Center or Psychiatry when it is appropriate… Finally, we count on students to let us know when they are concerned about a roommate, friend, boyfriend, girlfriend or significant other,” said John Stein, Dean of Students. Mental Health is an important topic discussed during new student and new faculty orientations. Students are provided 24/7 support through the “dean on call” and the Counseling Center. These services can be accessed by students by calling the GTPD. “It should never be about the fear of getting someone in trouble
but rather getting someone help,” Stein said. He emphasized the need for students to be aware of the counseling resources available to them. According to Stein, the Dean of Students partners with faculty, students and other administrative areas on campus to promote and deliver a wide array of programs, services and initiatives that offer students options to get involved, to maintain their health and wellbeing and to deal with the stress that is known to exist for Tech students at certain times during the semester. “We encourage students to get involved and to invite others who may struggle a bit in making connections to join them in the many opportunities that exist on this campus,” Stein said.
Photo by Austin Foote / Student Publications
The Stamps Health Department houses the psychiatry department. Students have a variety of options to pursue when dealing with mental health issues, including talking to a professional.
Regents
from page 1
ment and the streamlining of administrative services while maintaining or improving service level and quality. A USG spokesman said after the meeting that the Board will make recommendations for mergers early next year. Past suggestions to consolidate have included both Armstrong Atlantic and Savannah State in Savannah, and Darton College and Albany State in Albany. Three years ago, the idea was raised within the state legislature that the system should merge these campuses to save money. Ultimately shot down, the suggestion was met by resistance from both alumni and local politicians. Also on Tuesday, the BoR approved the 2013 fiscal year budget request of $1.85 billion, plus an additional $298.3 million for construction, repairs, renovations and other facility needs. With more than 3,100 buildings worth more than $10.5 billion, the system is ultimately seeking to lower costs across the board. Consolidation of campuses is only one of many policies that the BoR is pursuing. A plan titled “Complete College Georgia” was also released, hoping to address the fact that 60 percent of current jobs in the state of Georgia require college degrees, but only 42 percent of young Georgians qualify. The proposal outlines the fact that the state has committed to the goal that by 2020, 60 percent of young adults will hold a college certificate or degree. The plan aims to increase mobility between the USG and the Technical School system. This plan comes on the heels of Gov. Nathan Deal’s announcement that Georgia qualifies for funding through Complete College America, a national organization focused on increasing the nation’s college completion rate.
NEWS
Walk
from page 1
ing with jurisdiction for safety measures in different areas of campus,” said Eran Mordel, Vice President of Campus Affairs. Officers from the Georgia Tech Police Department (GTPD) were in attendance, ready to answer questions and address strategies for improving crime prevention on campus. During the introduction, GTPD Deputy Chief of Police Robert Connolly discussed two new resource systems known as Smart911 and Rave Guardian. These mobile safety applications are expected to become available to Tech students later this year, providing campus police with information that will enable faster response to emergency situations. Exterior lighting was a major topic of interest during the walk. With over 2,000 pole lights under the responsibility of Facilities Operations and Maintenance according to the 2006-2010 Utilities & Energy (U&E) Electrical Items Report, the walk keeps Facilities abreast of the need to install more lighting and trim trees that may be obstructing light posts around campus. “These walk-arounds are very beneficial because many of the changes we’ve made in the past are a result of the problems we see out here,” said Warren Page, Director of Facilities Operations and Maintenance. A significant change that was made as a result of the Campus Safety Walk was undertaken by U&E to install identification tags with phone numbers on light poles across campus. Calls reporting any inoperative lights will reach the U&E maintenance shop directly, who will respond to make the repairs. A computer system was also created in addition to monthly routine inspections, both which evaluate the timing, sensors and activation of exterior lighting.
Emergency blue light telephones were another improvement put in place for the protection of students. The area surrounding the Skiles Building was designated one of the most improved areas of campus in the past year, with greater visibility, lighting and the presence of these blue light emergency telephones. However, it was noted during the walk that signage may be needed to alert students to the location of emergency telephones at each dormitory on Techwood Dr. “It’s important for students and administrators to be aware of places where safety is a concern, because administrators are the people making sure that our campus is safe and students are the ones who really experience it,” said Kevin Hopkins, a committee member for SGA Planning and Development and a third-year IE major. SGA members, GTPD and the administration are emphasizing a culture change on campus, encouraging students to be mindful of the safety of other students and their property. This includes urging students to call the police if they witness a crime, to intervene if appropriate and communicate their concerns with other students. Each Clery Safety Act includes a warning for students, encouraging them to avoid traveling alone and encouraging them to report any suspicious activity that is seen in or around campus. Students should travel in groups, and avoid dark areas without sufficient lighting. “Students can improve overall safety on campus simply by talking to other students …it’s important they understand that they are also personally responsible for their safety and be prepared and aware of the risks,” said Kenneth Hughes, Committee Chair for SGA Planning and Development and fourth-year BC major.
sliver
www.nique.net
must.....not.... take....the M-train!!! november 1st is the best thing about halloween candypocalypse 99% of the candy is controlled by the grown-ups. if i can’t make an appointment online, why do they have an online appointment option. come ON, stamps. do we have a diabetes club? i don’t know what we’d do there,but i was just wondering... how i met your mother is funnier than i thought... this week is gonna be LEGEN --wait for it-We should re-name the Tech trolley to the “M-train” Shutter Island is an anagram for “Truths and Lies” Noone will EVER know I’m a P.S. hehehe 99% of the student population doesn’t sliver. I am the 1%. #occupytechnique Hey Sliver guy, you’re kind of really cute. are you lol? are hashtags suitable in the technique? #doievencare? Great job getting course critique fixed, SGA! Course critique is fixed, you entitlist pricks. Was reading the Technique in the laundry room and my friend said I looked smart! my roommates are pretending to be cats in the living room. kill me now. please. How am I supposed to pick up an AJC if no one ever fills the boxes? hot rotc aerospace girl in uniform: you’ve made my fantasy come true :) Fun Fact: Bud Peterson is the Batman Fun Fact: Long computer login times have been proven to raise cancer risk. Floyd Mayweather will NEVER fight Pac MAN can i be first to sign up for the shuffling options class? 666 in last week’s Sudoku? no one makes me bleed my own blood. #studentcenterli fe Anyone catch Rick Perry’s stand-up in New Hampshire?
Technique • November 11, 2011 • 7
Tech to release new safety system By Emily Cardin News Editor
Plans are in place to institute a new, technology-based campus security system in Spring 2012. The Institute has purchased the new Rave Guardian, a cellular device-based safety system from AT&T. The mobile safety application, intended to supplement existing campus safety measures, is compatible with any cell phone and any network in the U.S. The program is opt-in, and students are able to input personal information into student profiles, so that if the system is triggered, dispatch is provided with information such as name, physical description, health concerns, emer-
gency contacts and best available location data to respond more effectively to distress calls. If the mobile device in use is capable, the system can provide GPS location data as well. The system can be used in either active or passive modes. The web-based console runs on exiting dispatch monitors, meaning that the system requires no installations or increases in staff. According to the website, training for staff lasts no longer than an hour. Students can use either the panic button, which is intended to cut down on the amount of time necessary to contact police, or the precautionary alarm, which allows student to set an alarm and disable it when arriving safely to the destination. If not disabled,
the alarm will contact the police. “I think I would try anything that could help keep our campus community more safe, especially with all of the recent Clery Safety Act notices,” said Ryan McDonnell, a second-year AE major. “My friends and I have actually been discussing the possibility of an emergency app, and it seems that this option has potential.” The system is being used on campuses across the continental U.S., including University of Pennsylvania, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and American University. The annual licensing fee for usage of the system for Tech is averaged at $50,000, based upon the number of students that are fully enrolled in the institution.
In Memoriam: Naren Raghuraman and Daniel Hickman In the early morning of Friday, Nov. 4, three Tech students were involved in a single-car accident that has resulted in two fatalities. Naren Raghuraman, a fifth-year INTA major, passed away at the scene of the accident. “[Raghuraman] was extremely intelligent and had a lot of potential; he wanted to change the world. He will surely never be forgotten as he touched each and every one of us in his own special way,” said Nina Chheda, a fourth-year BME major. Daniel Hickman, a third-year AE major, passed away on Monday, Nov. 7, as a result of injuries sustained from the accident. “I remember meeting [him]...on the cricket field, always so full of energy motivating us, keeping us happy and wanting everyone else to be happy, I am happy you are in a better place. Thank you Daniel for all you gave,” said Anant Agarwal, a fourth-year CS major. A memorial service was held on the evening of Wednesday, Nov. 9, at the Campanile, by friends of the two students. A moment of silence was held during the football game on Thursday, Nov. 10, to honor the students as well. In addition, the Catholic Center will hold a memorial service and funeral for Hickman on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. The third student Ratheesvar Mohan, a third-year AE major, remains hospitalized. “On behalf of the Georgia Tech community, our condolences are with Daniel’s and Naren’s families and others who knew them,” said Dean of Students John Stein.
In Memoriam: Skip Beebe
An alumnus of the Class of 1966 and Professor of the Practice of Real Estate Development in the College of Management, Professor Skip Beebe passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, Nov. 7. With a degree in Industrial Engineering, Beebe spent 35 years in the real estate industry before joining the faculty of the College of Management in 2009. “We are so grateful for everything he has contributed. I know he will continue to live on in the hearts and minds of his colleagues and students,” said Dean of the College of Management Steve Salbu.
Opinions
Opinions Editor: Chris Russell If more of us valued food and cheer above hoarded gold, it would be a much merrier world. —J.R.R. Tolkien
“ ”
OUR VIEWS Consensus Opinion
Mobile emergency app fails to address campus safety issues
The administration deserves credit for thinking of new ways of addressing crime on and near campus. However, the newly purchased Rave Guardian system does little to address real safety problems on campus. While the system does provide more information to police or emergency services after a crime has occurred, it does nothing to prevent it. A one-touch app is more efficient than dialing 911, but regardless of how fast a student can get in touch with police, an accosted student is still alone until police arrive, providing plenty of time for their attacker to take their belongings. Even then, it is assumed that the student can activate the app before their attacker takes their phone, in which case the app provides no extra protection. At the end of the day, there is very little the administration can do to help a student while they are being accosted, so they should instead focus on preventing the student from being attacked in the
first place. In particular, the focus should be on preventing attacks near the periphery, where the GTPD’s jurisdiction ends. The new Midnight Rambler route has been an excellent addition to campus safety for students living on-campus, and the money going towards the new system could instead pay for a similar service for students living off-campus. In addition, the should be careful with how it handles the powder keg of privacy issues such a system raises. Once a student opts-in to the system, their phone begins collecting data about their movement patterns, which raises the obvious issues that always come with tracking the location of individuals, particularly that such data could be used in instances unrelated to a student’s immediate safety concerns. It is also troubling that a student cannot opt into the program without also opting into the movement tracking feature.
The Consensus Opinion reflects the majority opinion of the Editorial Board of the Technique, but not necessarily the opinions of individual editors.
Technique Editorial Board Vijai Narayanan, Editor-in-Chief Kamna Bohra, Managing Editor Mike Donohue, Business Manager
Emily Cardin, News Editor Vivian Fan, Outreach Editor Siddharth Gurnani, Focus Editor Nishant Prasadh, Development Editor
Chris Russell, Opinions Editor Matt Schrichte, Advertising Manager Alex Sohani, Sports Editor Hank Whitson, Entertainment Editor
EDITORIAL CARTOON By Casey Tisdel
Technique
8
Friday, November 11, 2011
YOUR VIEWS Letters to the Editor
Student behavior appropriate for game To the fellow Tech student who attended the Clemson game with her brother, what did you expect would happen when you brought a fan of the opposing team into the student section? Did you honestly expect our students to be welcoming to a representative of one of our biggest rivals, especially at Homecoming? If you walk into any student section wearing the other team’s colors, you’re making yourself a target and asking for attention. If you don’t want or can’t handle the attention that comes from boldly supporting your team, then wear neutral colors and quietly cheer for your team. Besides the fact that your brother was in the student section when guest tickets were not available for the Clemson game and a valid BuzzCard is required to enter, it’s the Tech student section. We pride ourselves on being the most enthusiastic and spirited section in the stadium. So yeah, if someone detracts from that by rooting for the other team or staining the sea of old gold with an opponent’s colors, they will be subjected to some good heckling. Last year, I went to the game in Blacksburg as I have a couple friends that attend VT, and I sat with them in their student section. As a member of the opposing fan base, I was invading their turf and fully expected to be jeered and yelled at. While tailgating, the trash talk was mostly friendly sparring, but as we entered the stadium and the air intensified, so did the trash talk. It didn’t get too out of hand so I tolerated it. Not a big deal. Trash talking between players, coaches, and fans has always been part of sports. Despite our athletic association’s efforts, it will continue to be seen at football games and other events. Have you not heard the laughter and sarcastic cheer when the Gold Standard message is displayed each game? We respect the game and those who participate, but we will still yell at the refs and deride opposing players. It’s part of the college football experience and tradition. I’m sorry you and your brother had a bad experience during what turned out to be an awesome game. But I can’t imagine what you’d think if you went to a school in the SEC where college football is even bigger and more intense! Kyle Lunsford Fifth-year EE
Treatment of Clemson fan should be expected Last week, Suzanne Clary wrote a Letter to the Editor entitled “Fans’ attitudes reflect badly on all of Tech,” regarding students’ treatment of her and her brother, a Clemson student, during the Clemson game. To a large extent, she was talking about me. I
Write to us:
letters@nique.net We welcome your letters in response to Technique content as well as topics relevant to campus. We will print letters on a timely and space-available basis. Letters should not exceed 400 words and should be submitted by Tuesday at 7 p.m. in order to be printed in the following Friday’s issue. Include your full name, year (1st, 2nd, etc.) and major. We reserve the right to edit for style and length. Only one submission per person will be printed per term.
sat two rows behind her brother and yelled at him throughout the entire game. Additionally, in the celebration following every Tech touchdown, I offered him a highfive, which he surprisingly accepted with a level head. My words were harsh and my interactions with him were very one-sided, but it shouldn’t have been unexpected. While she may have had good intentions, the Swarm section is no place for her to bring her brother if he’s insistent upon wearing his orange and purple Clemson sweatshirt. If Suzanne Clary really wanted to turn the Clemson game into a family event, they could’ve bought general admission tickets. Ramblinwreck.com writes about the Swarm, “This group of dedicated Yellow Jackets is the one you will often see screaming on television in the large group of yellow shirts.” Meanwhile Wikipedia’s entry on Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets says, “The Swarm is a 900-member strong spirit group seated along the north end zone… This is the group that typically features body painting, organized chants and general fanaticism.” Most Tech football fans know that we’ve had a hard time filling Bobby Dodd on game day and were only able to do so against Clemson because such a large number of those seats were filled by Tiger fans. While this is quite embarrassing, it’s nothing in comparison to a television shot of our Swarm section showing even just one student cheering for our rivals. Could you imagine what would’ve happened if the game had gone the other way? In a sea of disappointed Tech fans, the camera would have easily been able to find the one Clemson fan celebrating in our student section. While she does make a valid argument about “the guy sitting next to [her] who verbally harassed and physically pushed [her], a fellow Yellow Jacket,” and the Technique’s Consensus Opinion did also mention unacceptable behavior regarding Clemson band thefts and mistreatment of game staff, I firmly believe that the taunting and jeering of her brother was within the range of See Letters, page 10
OPINIONS
Technique • November 11, 2011 • 9
Paterno bears more blame than deserved There’s a certain cliché— “Words cannot describe how I feel right now”—that people often use to describe moments of extreme happiness and unbridled joy. The same cliché can be used to describe the exact opposite: moments of fury, moments of revulsion, moments where no words can ever truly describe the horror of the situation. There are probably no words that can accurately convey the true horror of what has unfolded at Penn State. No one will ever be able to describe the (likely incomprehensible) inner workings of Jerry Sandusky’s mind or, more importantly, the emotional trials Sandusky’s victims have dealt with and will continue to deal with in the future. There is no way that a story that involves the alleged rape of several young children can have a happy ending, but the thought of the hammer of justice dropping on those responsible offers some cheap measure of satisfaction. We need to know whom to punish for everything that has happened. At the same time, we need as much information as possible before acting. The entire scandal happened because of a lack of transparency within Penn State’s athletic department and upper administration. Now that more and more facts are appearing, it is crucial to avoid making the mistake of
“[I]t is crucial to avoid... jumping to conclusions in the aftermath despite the urge to pin this mess on someone.”
Nishant Prasadh Development Editor
jumping to conclusions in the aftermath despite the urge to pin this mess on someone. Former Penn State coach Joe Paterno’s hands are not clean. It is hard to know exactly what graduate assistant Mike McQueary told him on that day that McQueary saw Sandusky raping a 10-year-old boy, but it seems fair to say Paterno did know something was wrong and did not act. Still, as of the time of press, Paterno has not had a chance to address the media, so it is unclear exactly what information McQueary conveyed while in his distressed state. It just doesn’t feel right to pin this as a complete moral failing by Paterno. It’s easy to point to Paterno’s actions and say he only did the bare minimum. It’s easy to say that when the life of an innocent child was in question, the first instinct of a man as powerful as Paterno should have been to call the police, even if the allegations revolved around a man he had consid-
ered a friend for decades. But shouldn’t Paterno be given the chance to offer his side of the story, especially since he has been the only one who has been willing to talk? Maybe the only reason I can justify that defense of Paterno is that I am not a parent. In a scenario that transcends the bounds of what is rational, what Paterno’s harshest critics are saying may be true: once it became clear that a child’s safety was in question, anyone who did not go out of his way to bring in law enforcement to stop Sandusky is just as complicit and just as guilty. Of course, the list of people who failed in this regard is far longer than just Paterno. Athletic director Tim Curley and Vice President Gary Schultz both face perjury charges for their roles. Spanier, the university president who voiced unconditional support for Curley and Schultz, has been fired. But the biggest reason I can’t bring myself to target Paterno is that at the time of this
writing, the rapist himself is receiving almost no attention in any story about the scandal. On some level, this makes a little sense. There is, after all, universal agreement that if all of the allegations are true, Jerry Sandusky does not deserve the right to be called a human being. But rather than being demonized, Sandusky has simply been marginalized in a media blitz that has been all about Joe Paterno and other figures in positions of power at Penn State. That the true criminal in this scandal has become a seeming afterthought is a colossal failure. What would be an even more colossal failure, however, is if Sandusky’s victims were to be forgotten. Nine have been identified to date, and if anyone in this case deserves unconditional support, it is these young men. Far more important than answering the question of who was at fault in the actual scandal is ensuring that the victims receive as much support and guidance as they need and are able to live as normally as possible under the circumstances. It’s possible Paterno deserves all of the flak he has received in recent days, but not if it distracts from exposing the one true monster here and ensuring his victims receive support—and in many ways, that unfortunately seems to be what is happening.
Perspective on class helps with happiness Last semester I took three senior-level CS courses. In one, I learned about the math behind why computers and algorithms can work. In another, I learned about the fundamental value of information and how machines can use this to spot patterns. And in the last, I learned about the math needed to recreate real-world physics in computer simulations. Oh, and I also took freshman chemistry. Guess which one I got a B in? When I was a freshman, that would’ve had me freaking out. All-night cram sessions in the library, weekly trips to the professors office hours, the works. But, honestly, after six semesters here, I knew I hadn’t put my all into the class, and I was fine with that. Don’t get me wrong, chemistry’s a fascinating subject, but the likelihood of me using any of it in my professional career was about as close to zero as it gets. In other words, I just had a bit more perspective on what was important. I knew what was likely to make a difference in my life and what wasn’t, and prioritized things accordingly. And if something came up, be it a cool project in another class I wanted to spend more time on, or just a midnight run to Waffle House, I let my chemistry work take the hit. Even given all that, though, I was still determined to beat it. I refused to let my one nonsenior class be my one B that
complete hypocrite if I didn’t point out that I’m a tot bookworm. Just don’t let it get in the way of opportunities for random shenanigans when they present themselves. Who knows? It might work Chris Russell out for the best, anyhow. One of the best tech talks I ever Opinions Editor attended I only went to so I could procrastinate from programming for an assignment. I ended up learning more about school finals.” Major life events seem to agile software engineering have a habit of happening practices from that one twowhen I have work I should hour talk than I did from an really be doing. Two of my entire class dedicated to the best friends, for example, got topic. Like I said in my last ediengaged last fall the night before a major midterm in a torial, at the end of the day, class I was struggling in. Ac- employers are looking for cording to my average in the more than just a number on class, I should have spent that your transcript, and you won’t entire night frantically cram- have much more than that if ming formulas and laws into you don’t have the perspective my brain. Instead, I took a few to realize that there are better hours off to frantically hug and things to do than study for celebrate with my friends. Did class. So. Skip a class. Look at my grade reflect that gap in my studying? You bet. I believe a project and go, “Eh, that’ll that was my second-lowest do.” Stop studying for a test test average in four years here, an hour before you normally and that was far and away the would. In the long run, it worst I’d ever performed in a won’t matter one bit whether class. But, did I regret it? Not you get out of here with a 3.4 instead of a 3.45. one bit. Instead, start an organizaAn oft-quoted John Lennon quote is that “Life is what tion. Spend a weekend hackhappens to you when you’re ing together a phone app with busy making other plans.” My your roommates. Listen to a philosophy has been to treat TED talk you don’t really have this as, “Life is what you do time for. Who knows, you when you should be studying.” might actually learn someDon’t get me wrong: study, thing and, at the very least, for crying out loud. I’d be a will have a story to tell.
“Skip a class. Look at a project and go, ‘Eh, that’ll do.’ Stop studying for a test an hour before you normally would.”
semester. The night before the final, I knew what I had to do. I was ready to buckle down, study hard and make my final push through the class. I grabbed my notes, old labs and textbook. I opened my laptop to practice problems online. I had my calculator and practice tests ready to go. I plopped down on the couch and proceeded to ignore them all. Did I mention that was also the night that bin Laden was killed in Pakistan? Rather than studying, like I was “supposed to,” I watched three and a half hours of news coverage on CNN and texted, chatted and talked with friends as we were all watching a historic moment unfold. I didn’t regret a second of it. Sometimes you just have to admit that real life is way cooler than anything in a textbook. A friend of mine at Georgetown summed it up quite nicely when she posted a picture of the crowd celebrating in front of the White House with the caption, “Some things are just more important than law
BUZZ
Around Campus
What is your favorite music venue around Atlanta?
Chad Spalinger First-year ME
“I’m from California, so I haven’t checked out a lot of music here.”
Adel Haque Third-year BCHM
“I love Chastain Park Ampitheater.”
Casey Jordan Third-year BA
“I haven’t been to many, but I like Variety Playhouse.”
Krissy Jeffares First-year BME
“Concerts at Lakewood Ampitheater.” Photos by Chris Russell / Student Publications
OPINIONS
10 • November 11, 2011 • Technique
OUR VIEWS Hot or Not
HOT– or –NOT
Letters
from page 8
acceptable behavior. One does not simply walk into their rival’s student section without expecting some sort of negative treatment. Kevin Bogaert Second-year MSE
Editorial on metal genre misguided, incorrect Gallery space
Jazzman’s blues
The College of Architecture has announced that it will be opening a new campus art gallery in its east wing on Wed. Nov 16. The Stubbins Gallery Space will open with a showing of the work of Harris Dimitropoulos, an artist and associate professor in the College of Architecture. The gallery opening is intended to help kick-start the TechArts initiative that is aiming to bring more of the arts to Tech.
Fans of Jazzman’s Coffee, the 24-hour coffee shop on the first floor of the library, will be sad to hear that, as of Friday, Nov. 4, the coffee shop has officially closed down. Tech students owe much to the shop as it fuelled hundreds—if not thousands—of late nights, group meetings and all-nighters in the library long before the Clough Commons Starbucks opened its doors this year.
Medical software
Hanging on to HOPE
A research initiative led by Santosh Vempala of the College of Computing has led to dramatic improvements in hospital care in hospitals in Sub-Saharan Africa. The initiative replaced paper records in several hospitals with flexible, low-needs software which, in turn, dramatically reduced employee workloads, patient wait times and errors made by hospital staff.
In order to pay for HOPE this year, the state of Georgia will have to dip into reserve funds. Funding from the program is supposed to come from the Georgia Lottery, but lottery profits were approximately $80 million less than the cost of HOPE for the year, and the difference will have to come from reserves which, due to the withdrawal, will fall to $501 million.
Reading Alex Kessler’s “Sidelined music as valid as mainstream” a couple issues back left a bad taste in my mouth. Others in Atlanta’s metal scene agree: it paints a picture of the metal genre that seems pretentious and has misplaced priorities. We understand that Kessler is trying to give exposure to his interest, one perceived as “niche.” The problem is that, frankly, he isn’t helping. Some perspective: I am one of several hosts of WREKage, one of WREK Radio’s shows featuring metal programming. I am active in the local metal scene, being familiar with those who help make it all possible, including the band members, the people booking the shows, the diehard fans who attend every sweltering basement show, etc. I think it’s safe to say that I have a certain degree of “expertise” in my favorite genre and that I can speak for many of its local participants. The general attitude presented in Kessler’s article just doesn’t gel with the community. One of my concerns is with his description of the style’s “ingredients.” The article emphasizes technical skill, application of theory, and a foundation in classical and jazz. Sure, there are bands that incorporate these into their sound, but this is a relatively small group, and even fewer bands within this group that do it well. This is largely because while the technical skill of bands like Dream Theater
(Berklee College of Music alumni, mind you, not UC Berkeley; the ‘Nique could stand to employ some fact-checking) cannot be denied, it’s at the cost of complexity. Bands like Haggard may exhibit an interest in the Baroque movement, but the focus is largely on these gimmicky trappings to distract from the uninspired chugging that lies beneath. The song design itself isn’t any more “sophisticated.” The result is less “Bach” and more “Disney.” The comparison to Wagner is a naïve one as well, as it’s nowhere near accurate to suggest that all metal is a single-minded attempt to replicate a feel of “great battles and awe-inspiring victories.” Kessler also seems to advocate the idea that metal is special, or at least worth respect, due to its treatment of “mature” themes, taking care to avoid the reality that these bands tend to tackle their lyrical subjects with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. I don’t think Cannibal Corpse are tortured geniuses. Regardless, it isn’t as if metal fans, or fans of any genre at that, care one way or the other what their favorite bands talk about. It’s largely irrelevant to enjoying the music, especially in a genre such as metal where a good chunk of bands make it a point to be unintelligible. There’s no need to defend metal. It needs no legitimization with the mainstream. It’s in direct contrast with the fundamental attitude of metal, which for the most part doesn’t even want mainstream success. Many metal bands take pride in being as unappealing to the masses as possible. And those that do try to break free of the underground tend to do so at a cost, undermining their credibility and losing the interest of those fans who loved them for what they were. This is different from simply “evolving” their sound. Next, Kessler seems to refer only to a kind of metal that de-
veloped from the sound of bands like Motörhead, making the claim that “fast guitar playing is a staple of any metal band.” This neglects the foundations of the genre in bands like Black Sabbath, who drew their sound largely from blues. Calling metal “percussive” is also misleading. It’s not a valid characterization, especially the remark about “excessive” distortion. It serves a purpose, so what’s “excessive” about it? And what’s not “tonal” about bands like Dio? This isn’t noise or ambient, it’s an offshoot of rock. It hurts more when these comments stand alongside ones like “techniques like sweep picking and tapping facilitate the study of moving arpeggios over shifting tonal centers.” If this doesn’t put people off of metal, I don’t know what will. But I guess you could always just whip up a GUI interface with Visual Basic to teach people about metal. A popular image of metal, one of self-importance and showboating, isn’t helped by weak expositions like Kessler’s. The result is pop culture representations, comedic or otherwise, like Metalocalypse which laugh at the community instead of with it. The further stigmatization of metal and its fans isn’t appreciated, regardless of intent. And many of us believe the best metal bands today aren’t the ones that get fancy music degrees and sell out arenas, but are the ones found in bars and basements where the real emotional impact of the music can be experienced. This isn’t a matter of taste for the most part; it’s a matter of principle. You don’t communicate that to an outsider by trying to explain to them the application of theory involved or what the academic substance of the lyrical content is trying to convey—you just share one of the buds from your mp3 player. Corey Reynolds Third-year BIOL
Focus
focus@nique.net Focus Editor: Siddharth Gurnani
Design Editor: Ian Baille
Assistant Focus Editor: Alex Kessler
MUSIC is the great
Technique
communicator. This week’s Focus section brings you the best in harmonic histories and acoustic articles, local beats and dance.
11
Friday, November 11, 2011
By Lorelyn Kilby Contributing Writer
There is more than meets the eye, or ear rather, when people see and think of Tech. Underneath all the tech-savvy nerdiness there exists a rich passion for music. To highlight and celebrate musicians in our engineering world, the Technique interviewed six different bands, each with current Tech students or graduates. Below is a profile of three very interesting bands that you can catch performing at a venue near you. For the extended articles and profiles of more, visit www.nique.net.
“When we came together it was an interesting collision of worlds, but somehow they intertwined nicely,” said David Krislis, the guitarist and vocalist for his group, Cicada Rhythm, about himself and the other half of the band, Andrea DeMarcus. Despite the immense differences in musical background, Cicada Rhythm possesses a cohesive unity that is rich in timbre and full of character. DeMarcus graduated from Juliard just last year, while Krislis is in his last year as an ME major at Tech. DeMarcus lives in Athens, as a result, the pair play about half their shows in Athens and the other half in Atlanta. Krilis is a self-taught musician and is very involved with music here at Tech. In addition to Cicada Rhythm, he performs with another group, Midnight Revival, participates in a Jazz Ensemble, and works at Under the Couch. They have several shows coming up: on Dec. 1, Cicada Rhythm will be playing with Shovels and Rope in Athens, Ga., at the Caladonia Lounge. They will be playing Friday, Dec. 9, at Under the Couch. You can hear their songs on their website cicada rhy thm. org. In fact, they will be uploading two new songs this week. Photo courtesy of Evan Leavitt
Unlike the name might suggest, this band neither pillages nor plunders the sounds of anything in Atlanta. The quirkiness of these three artists translates directly to their music. “It’s a really goofy pop rock sound,” said Gokul Parasuram, a guitarist/ vocalist currently at Georgia State. But don’t let their light spirit mis- Photo courtesy of Pillage and Plunder lead; the band is very serious about their business in the music industry. Parasuram along with his two band mates, Hsiang-Ming Wen, guitar/vocals, and Noah Kess, percussion, have been together as a band since 2006. Wen, ARCH ‘10, met Parasuram in grade school, and they have been performing together since. “The biggest influence on our band is that really hilarious 70’s prog rock like Queen, Yes and King Crimson,” Parasum said, describing what factors they pull into the music creating process. In the future, the band plans to keep pursuing their careers as artists. “We’ll keep doing it until we don’t have anything else to say,” Parasarum said. They rely on the reception of the audience; as long as it continues to be positive. Their next show will be Nov. 30, at the Drunken Unicorn at 9 p.m. You can check them out on Facebook or their website wearepillageandplunder.com.
“Life’s a circus if you have seven handles of whiskey, one for every day of the week.” said Shawn Spencer, guitar player and MGT ’10 alum, smiling from across the table at Cypress Street Tavern. For The Seven Handle Circus, however, it seems life is becoming a circus whether whiskey is around or not. The “Bad-ass Blue Grass” band has been attracting significant attention in the southern music scene; just recently, they performed at the Fox Theater with Mumford and Sons. Seven Handle Circus was, for lack of better word, “born” in the basement and on the front porch of Sigma Nu Fraternity, where several members were brothers. With six people in a band, the group has diverse individual influences, yet are unified by a shared passion of both 90s rap and, of course, old blue grass classics like Doc Watson, New Grass Revival, Yonder Mountain Stringband and Ricky Skaggs. Georgia Man, a song that highlights the band’s true passions to play music no matter what opposition and challenges they face, has become quite the local hit. The band’s next show will be New Year’s Eve at Peachtree Tavern, and get your jewel cases ready because their newest EP will be released that night. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out The Seven Handle Circus online or on iTunes. These Tech boys are bound for greatness. Photo courtesy of Andrew Thomas Lee
GT Symphony orchestra enthralls audience at Ferst By Aaron Tumulak Contributing Writer
About 500 students, faculty and guests joined the Georgia Tech Symphony Orchestra (GTSO) on the afternoon of Nov. 6, at the Ferst Center for the Arts for their first performance of the season. The event’s program included Beethoven’s Egmont Overture, Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 featuring Jesse Zhao, and Dvorák’s Symphony No. 9. The title of the afternoon’s program comes from “New World Symphony,” the name that Czech composer Antonin Dvorák gave to his ninth and final symphony, which premiered at Carnegie Hall in New York City in 1893. The Sunday performance signified the first time that the GTSO held a concert under its own name. “I thought it was fantastic. I
was really proud of the students .... This has been a big step forward for the orchestra,” said Andrea Brown, conductor of the GTSO and recently acquired professor to the School of Music. The orchestra’s concertmaster was first chair violin Shuo Qian, an IE major. The program opened with the overture from Egmont, part of a score Beethoven composed for a play of the same name. The highlight of the afternoon was guest soloist Jesse Zhao, a first-year MATH major, and his rendition of the Chopin Piano Concerto. His technical skill and showmanship on the piano was a hit with the audience. The piano concerto, written by a 20-year-old Chopin, brought him fame as both a composer and performer early in his career. “It was a really fun performance. It’s always a great experiSee Symphony, page 13
Photo by Thien Huynh / Student Publications
The performance this past Sunday was GT Symphony Orchestra’s first under its own name. GTSO played Beethoven’s Egmont Concerto, Chopin’s Piano Concerto No.1 and Dvorák’s Symphony No.9.
FOCUS
12 • November 11, 2011 • Technique
Company embraces musical conscience Musical By Julia Turner Contributing Writer
“If I had told someone five years ago I wanted to start and work for a company that created artificial intelligence for music-based applications, they would have laughed,” said Parag Chordia, Chief Technical Officer of khu.sh, a company that has changed AI in music to anything but a laughing matter. Chordia is also a Professor at Tech, Director of the Music Intelligence Lab and part of the Center for Music Technology. It was his research with graduate student Xiang Cao that led to the development of LaDiDa, a reverse karaoke application. LaDiDa allows the user to record their singing, choose a musical type, and then play the recording back with an automated melody added. The app also has pitch correction, so it makes you sound good even off-key. “We were thinking about automatic accompaniment. With LaDiDa, the constraints are whether the chords fit the note and whether they make sense in the progression of chords,” Chordia said.
To find the answers to these questions, Chordia and Cao used a generative modeling system based on statistics: a machine that had listened to a lot of popular music and recorded the statistical data from the chord progressions so that it “knows” what sounds good. The end result is an app that takes the chords and the style of music chosen and generates the music in real time. After completing the research, Chordia and Cao realized they had a product with commercial potential, but it was Chordia’s wife Prerna Gupta, now Chief Executive Officer of Khu.sh, who really pushed for the creation of the company. Tech’s Venture Lab and Shotput Ventures, an angel-investing company based in Atlanta, provided the start-up funds for Khu. sh in May 2009 and by September 2009, LaDiDa launched. “For the first five or six months not much happened. Then around Jan. 2010 we added pitch correction, and now it’s one of the top ten music apps,” Chordia said. Being based at Tech has been instrumental (no pun intended) to the company’s success because of
Tech music program offers artistic outlet By Ben Goldberg Contributing Writer
The rigor of classes, meetings, work and all other duties a student must endure may bring stress, but those who are musically inclined may find their niche in Tech’s music program, which offers numerous opportunities for students to thrive in the arts. Students have a multitude of choices to pick from: Marching Band, Wind Ensemble, Concert Band, Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble, Percussion and MIDI Ensemble, as well as the various Chorale options and chamber ensembles. “The music program [at Tech] allows students to escape from the grind of classes and de-stress,” said Andrea Brown, director of Orchestra and assistant director of Marching Band. With approximately 80 to 90 members, the Orchestra immerses
participants to musical masterpieces ranging from the classical to contemporary periods. Preregistration for the class and an audition is required for Orchestra, but more details can be found on the music department’s website. “Another benefit is the social interaction you get by being involved. It’s like the ultimate group project and I believe there is a strong correlation between musical ability and academic success so it also helps boost retention rates,” Brown said. Symphonic Band, consisting of woodwinds, brass and percussion, is an additional outlet for musical performance available to students. Auditions are every semester on the first Tuesday of classes and past experience is necessary as it is for all instrumental bands and ensembles. See Music, page 13
Photo by John Drews/ Student Publications
Most students might only be aware of the Tech marching band but it is only one of many musically inclined clubs for students.
the wealth of resources available. Not only were they able to receive phase one and phase two funding from the Venture lab, but they have also had the benefit of Tech’s
Center for Music Technology, one of the largest music technology programs in the country (second
See Conscience, page 13
talents visit in winter By Julia Wayne Contributing Writer
Alternative Press Tour
The Alternative Press Tour is on its fifth year and showcases the pop punk bands that gloss the covers of the music magazine of the same name. This year, the tour focuses on heavier, more punk oriented bands such as Gallows, Title Fight and Sharks. Four Year Strong and The Swellers balance the sound with more pop influence and less attitude. Tickets are $16 for all five bands at the Masquerade on Nov. 18. Mary J. Blige
Photo by Jonathon Cornwell / Student Publications
According to Parag Chordia, Tech alum and the CTO of Khu.sh, Tech’s wide array of resources were key to the company’s success.
STUDENTS SPEAK Each week, the Focus section seeks student opinion on some of the most important and pertinent questions related to the theme of the week.
Memorable concert experiences By Georgia Wang Contributing Writer
Concerts offer a different perspective and a new, greater appreciation for the music all around us. No matter your age, location or favorite genre of music, there are always concerts and shows to be seen and new bands to be discovered. Whichever performance it may be, concert experiences can be totally unforgettable. What makes a concert memorable can be the artist’s stage performance. “My most memorable concert experience was seeing the Avett Brothers perform at Turner Field last April. I love the energy they bring to their concerts, they don’t need light shows or dancers or anything to make it fun for the audience,” said Lily Ponitz, a second-year EnvE major. “[For my favorite concert experience], I’d say the homecoming Ludaris concert in 2010, since he covered most of his albums and gave his hometown a great show,” said Daniel McElhannon, a thirdyear MGT major. “Since I’ve been here [in Altanta], I got to watch Mike Mangini and John Petrucci play together! Legends,” said Andre Lagoueyte, a fourth-year NRE major. A concert can also be memorable because of the people. “I would say [my most memorable experience] would be the Audiotistic Massive hosted by Insomniac Events this summer in Southern Calif. The people there don’t judge. No hate. Everyone’s friends even if you don’t know them,” said Sterling Deng, a second-year CHBE
major. Sometimes, it is not even about the band or show, it is about the experience with others. “My friend’s dad got us tickets to some famous Asian guy’s concert in Taiwan. None of us knew who he was (turns out he was recently in the Green Hornet movie). But we were competing in Singapore at a gymnastics meet that weekend. Wse all flew on my friend’s plane and went to his concert,” said Blossom Shue, a second-year ECON major. “None of us understood, but it was fun pretending to sing along even though we didn’t know the lyrics and could barely speak the language. It was fun, spending time, just four of us girls,” Shue said. For some, the only thing more fun than attending a concert in performing in one. “The most memorable [concert] I was a part of was a celebration/tribute of Chopin’s 200th ‘birthday.’ I was invited to play with one or two other students and faculty at ASU. I performed Chopin’s Scherzo No. 1 in B minor. It was a really great concert because I felt honored to be invited to play, plus I absolutely love Chopin, so it was great to be able to be a part of a celebration of his music,” said William Sessions, a second-year BME major. Concerts are out there, so get out and splurge on your favorite band or go to a concert by an unknown artist just for the hell of it. Squeeze your way into the front of the pit or be the one on stage everyone is eager to see. Whatever it is, may all your concert experiences be fun, exciting and memorable.
Dubbed the “Queen of HipHop Soul,” Mary J. Blige has been creating music and experimenting with genre boundaries for twenty years. Blige has earned a long list of awards and boasts a smooth voice that evokes emotion even without accompanying music. On Nov. 25, Blige will be performing at the Tabernacle for $65-$125. Mastodon
Mastodon is a progressive band that transverses nearly all genres of metal. The members of Mastodon pride themselves on their complexity, releasing albums that each deal with a specific element of the earth. With clear vocals, heavy guitars and an everchanging sound, Mastodon has become a commercially successful mainstream band and are playing a short walk away at the Masquerade for $30 on Dec. 2. Wale
After a long lead up of releasing only singles at a time and teasing his audience with cover art, Wale’s album Ambition was finally released on November 1st. This album is ripe with innovative beats and catchy rhymes. Wale is a new rapper, but has wasted no time collaborating with popular artists such as Lady Gaga. Wale will be at the Tabernacle on Dec. 12 for $20. Big Sean
As his successful year as a hip hop artist comes to an end, Big Sean follows his VMA Best New Artist nomination with a tour that promises a night of music to make you dance. While promoting the album Finally Famous, Big Sean has also released singles since. On Dec. 11, Big Sean will be at the Masquerade for $20. Zac Brown Band
Returning for yet another show in their home city, Atlanta’s very own Zac Brown Band will be performing on New Year’s Eve. Zac Brown Band has become one of the most prominent country bands in the United States, boasting seven number one singles and an impressive litany of music awards and nominations. On Dec. 31, Zac Brown Band will be playing for $37-$74 at Philips Arena.
FOCUS
Live music offers fresh tunes By Lauren Townsend Contributing Writer
Atlanta is a melting pot for the musical minds of the century. Many famous artists such as B.o.B, Cee-Lo Green and OutKast are all from the greater Atlanta area. The city of Atlanta also plays host to a myriad of different recording studios such as “So So Def Recordings” and many others. But how does a local Atlanta resident get immersed in this thriving music scene? The answer: small bars and restaurants which promote budding new musicians. The first place a viewer may want to stop is called The Earl (East Atlanta Restaurant and Lounge). Located on Flat Shoals Ave, the Earl hosts talented musicians every day of the week. The target audience of the music venue area (as the restaurant is a separate establishment) is a more mature audience, and you must be 21 or older to enter. “Indie Rock” is the primary type of music played at the Earl, but like any musical venue, the Earl has had its share of diverse musicians. The goal of the establishment is to promote the growth of budding artists. “We all believe in the magic of live music. It’s great to watch a young band blow away a small audience knowing that they’ll soon move on to bigger and better things. I believe a line from The Hold Steady best sums up the awesome communal nature of the live show-going experience: ‘I like the crowds at the really big shows people touching people, they don’t even know,” said Patrick Hill, a manager at the Earl. Another musical venue to visit sits on Piedmont Ave. Smith’s Olde Bar has a very relaxed atmosphere and multiple rooms to suit different enjoyments. The traditional restaurant includes hundreds of pictures of famous musicians that line the walls, and
allows entry to people under 21. If you wish to go to the music room, however, you must be 21 or older. The music room hosts over 300 people, and famous artists such as Train, David Bowie, Edwin McCain and others have preformed here. The business also supports a game room and a separate bar area. The laid back attitude of the owners and managers allows for customers to get their money’s worth out of a good meal and cold beer while enjoying the option of attending a concert. For an audience more geared toward the hard rock and punk scene, the Drunken Unicorn is the perfect establishment. Although the venue is smaller than some of the others, it breeds an atmosphere of party and fun. The slogan of the establishment is “Small and loud, like Gary Coleman (RIP).” Finally, another small, but very popular musical establishment is
Eddie’s Attic. It is located in Decatur, but still inside the metro Atlanta area. Musicians such as John Mayer, Springboard, and Shawn Mullis got their start playing here. The stage of Eddie’s Attic has also seen many nationally acclaimed artists such as Sheryl Crow, Dana Cooper, and Kevin Kenny to name a few. The atmosphere of this venue is directed toward a higher class. It is not just a central station for partying, but the purpose of Eddie’s Attic is to “embrace the diversity that allows independent music to thrive,” said Bob Ephlin, the owner. So if you are looking for a place to go to, sit back and throw down a beer or two or just simply hear a newly discovered band, there are many places to visit around Atlanta. These venues allow audiences to gather from all over the country and enjoy the pleasing melody of a performing artist. You simply have to look for them.
If you ever hear music coming from the second floor of the Student Center, it is probably coming from Under the Couch (UtC), a live music venue run by the Musicians Network (MN). MN is a Tech organization, which supports local artists and promotes music. In addition to staffing Under the Couch, MN also operated a 16-track recording studio for artist use. MN established Under the Couch in 1995. Originally, UtC was located beneath the Couch Building on West Campus, but now relocated to its more central location in the fall of 2010. UtC has benefited from the move; its new location has reportedly resulted in more involvement from Tech students. MN began as more of an underground network of local artists and music lovers who would meet at UtC. However, UtC became better known to students at Tech as the new music spot on West Campus. The venue was most active after hours, leading to noise complaints from students. Despite the complaints, UtC remained popu-
POLL OF THE WEEK
What is your favorite genre of music? 30% 14%
Photo by Jonathon Cornwell / Student Publications
Although Smith’s Olde bar is a great place to hang out, one has to 21 or older to get in to the section with the live performances.
lar with students. Although UtC usually has shows for newer artists, the venue has featured bands such as Jimmy Eat World, Cartel, and Dashboard Confessional. Shows are free for Tech students and only $10 for everyone else. The Musicians Network partners with WREK radio on events. Every Tuesday at 9 p.m., WREK and MN have an hour show called Live at WREK. For this show, bands perform at UtC while at the same time also being hosted by the radio station. Through this partnership, MN has been able to spread local music to many people. In addition to WREK, MN works with Erato by hosting poetry readings at UtC. After moving to it’s new location, UtC has changed its regular hours to 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, during which UtC plays music for anyone who wants to come in and listen. Because of this, the venue has evolved from a live venue to a place where Tech students can go to appreciate music or just relax. “I go to Under the Couch when I have some free time in between classes. It’s a good place to relax and work on homework.” said Brett Carlson, a second-year
ME major. Even though UtC is in a more central location, many Tech students don’t know what UtC is or where it’s located. This might be due to the music being quieter during the day or because the lights are usually dimmed. MN has been attempting to increase their popularity and appeal to Tech students by hosting more casual events. UtC hosts a weekly Open Mic Night, where anyone, even people not in MN, can perform on stage. Open Mic Nights are Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. If you’ve ever wanted to work at a live music venue, going to a MN meeting is good way to get involved. MN meets on Mondays at 7 p.m and anyone is welcome to attend. UtC has a few shows coming up in the next few weeks. Blasted Goats, Jesse Chambers, DJ Double-D are all playing this Saturday at 8 p.m and Cicada Rhythm, a band local to Atlanta, are playing on Dec. 8. UtC hosts shows frequently; the full listing can be found of MN’s website. If you’re a musician who wants to find other people who share your passion or just want to see some great shows for free, you will find what you’re looking for here.
Rock
R&B/Hip Hop
17%
Country
17%
22%
Electronic
Alternative
Based on 69 responses
Symphony
from page 11
ence to play on stage in front of so many people and I got to play in front of so many friends. [It’s] a real once in a lifetime opportunity,” Zhao said. The orchestra itself consists largely of engineering students who are willing to devote time to rehearse twice a week for about ninety minutes during class time. “I really enjoy working with students that are choosing to be part of the ensembles because they want to play music, not because they have to. The students see music as a break, release or creative outlet,” Brown said. The students’ passion for music was evident in the symphony’s second movement. The orchestra’s performance brought the sweeping lyricism of the composition justice, evoking the spirit of Negro spirituals and Native American folk songs in which Dvorák immersed himself. Students in the audience gave a
Music
UtC serves dose of music medicine By Akshat Bhatnagar Contributing Writer
Technique • November 11, 2011 • 13
from page 12
“We just don’t have the time or opportunity to teach beginners. We work quickly, so newbies would end up being overwhelmed,” said Benjamin Diden, director of Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble. Although the audition requirement may discourage some interested participants, Diden encourages students to support the arts regardless. “Students can still be a patron of the arts even if not participating. An audience is essential to any concert or performance. It adds to the experience,” Diden said. The next concert will be held on Dec. 1, in the Ferst Center at 7:30 p.m., featuring almost all the ensembles as well as the choirs. For those who are not instrumentally inclined but want to express themselves in song, Chorale, Chamber Choir, and Glee Club are open to all. That’s right, no au-
Conscience
fom page 12
only to Stanford’s), with several researchers funded by the NSF. Having a top-ten app didn’t stop khu.sh’s creative impetus. Members of khu.sh realized that while LaDiDa lowered a user’s inhibition to sing, they were still feeling some reluctance to singing into the app, and simply talking doesn’t achieve the same effects. This realization led to the development of Songify. In July 2011, the company released a new app in partnership with the Gregory Brothers: Songify. Like the Gregory’s Brothers famous videos of auto-tuning the
favorable review of the orchestra’s performance. “I really enjoyed it. The New World Symphony is a really well known American symphony,” said Daniel White, a fifth-year ME major. It was interesting to note the number of heads that turned on the opening measures of the finale, presumably from realizing that the iconic theme from Jaws was actually borrowed from a Czech composer more than a century ago. More than once, the symphony gave listeners unfamiliar with classical music a chance to finally put a name on familiar melodies. At the concert’s end, the audience gave the GTSO a standing ovation as Zhao walked onstage to give Dr. Brown a congratulatory bouquet of flowers. The performance left quite an impression on the concertgoers; many were whistling themes from the symphony as they exited the Ferst Center. dition is required. “I think [Chorale] is right for students who like music but may have neglected it since coming to Tech. I feel like students get worn down with only left-brain activities so they should get more involved with the arts. Also, the class is an easy A for those who need humanities credit,” said Melaena Roberts, Chorale member and a second-year CS major. Chorale meets twice a week and typically has one concert per semester. Even further still, the Electronic Percussion/MIDI Ensemble presents percussion performance through electronic devices to produce a modern outlet of musical creativity. Along with the combination of visual lighting and effects, students have the ability to paint their musical canvas however they want. Auditions are also required for this ensemble. Visit the School of Music for more information on how to get involved. news, Songify turns speech into music. The difference between Songify and LaDiDa is that the music is generated in real time, so the user is encouraged to sing along. The app was wildly successful, becoming the number one downloaded app in the world for two weeks in July. Recently, khu.sh has released a third app, Talkappella, which is a harmonization app that the four parts of the harmony from just the user’s voice. The company expects to be releasing two more apps soon, one in Dec. and the next early next year. Find more information at http://khu.sh/
Entertainment
entertainment@nique.net Entertainment Editor: Hank Whitson
Technique
15
Friday, November 11, 2011
Uncharted 3 lacks predecessor’s pacing By Hank Whitson Entertainment Editor
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves was not only one of the best games on the Playstation 3, but one of the best video games to date. It featured a fun, sharplywritten script, engaging gameplay, a brilliant soundtrack and the best cinematic pacing ever presented in a videogame. Needless to say, expectations for Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception were extremely high. While Uncharted 3 is a tremendously satisfying game and one of the best releases of 2011, it fails to fully live up to the legacy of its legendary predecessor. It is evident that Naughty Dog was keen to replicate the success of Uncharted 2 rather than pushing new boundaries with Uncharted 3. That is not to say that nothing has changed. The primary new gameplay hook is a highly cinematic mêlée combat system based on Quick Time Events. The player has to grapple, counter and punch at the right moment to overcome foes. Often times, the combat animations will take advantage of the surrounding environment. In the opening sequence, where players start brawling in a bar, Drake will open doors into foes faces, or smash them over the head with
random detritus. It’s a lot of fun to watch, but it comes up short in comparison to the recently released Arkham City’s combat system, which is based on similar design principles. The platforming and over-theshoulder gunplay is still tight and satisfying, in single-player, multiplayer and co-op. Those who have grown bored with more terrestrial first person shooters, like Gears or CoD, may find Uncharted ’s combination of climbing, leaping and shooting refreshing. Naughty dog has also implemented a new system referred to as “Medal Kickback,” which functions similarly to CoD’s kill-streak bonuses, save that the bonuses (like getting an RPG, or two extra grenades or a momentary speed boost) are activated by collecting medals instead of just killing enemies. Players can also now create a custom avatar to play as, though the cosmetic options are rather limited (I hope you like bald characters). Then again, the main appeal of the uncharted series has always been the cinematic storytelling. The game’s premise is that Nathan Drake is trying to find the legendary lost city of Iram, supposedly first discovered by his ancestor, Francis Drake. The main antagonist is a snotty British har-
ridan by the name of Marlowe, who has a history with Drake’s mentor, Sully. The premise alone sets the game apart from a sea of space marines and realistic warstories, but the script simply isn’t as sharp and compelling as the first game. The story also feels less compelling overall. We learn how Nathan Drake meets Sully, but we don’t actually learn how Drake got his start as a thief, or what is driving him to follow in the footsteps of his ancestor, Francis Drake. This is all the more frustrating, because fortune the game teases us with promises of revealing Drake’s darkest fears. Nate’s romance with Elena Fisher is hinted at, but heavily downplayed in the sequel, removing some of the playfulness that made the first narrative such a joy to watch. And as fun as it is to hate on snobby British aristocracy, Marlowe isn’t nearly as menacing as Zoran Lazarvic was in Uncharted 2. The area where Uncharted 3 really stumbles though, is the thing that made Uncharted 2 absolutely magical: the brilliant pacing of play and narrative. Uncharted 2 had a great blend of
platforming, puzzle solving and highly-scripted explosive battles throughout the entire campaign. Most of Uncharted 3’s puzzles come in clumps near the beginning and the middle of the game while the final part of the game is an incredibly long action sequence interrupted by a meditative, but ultimately pointless sojourn through empty desert. That is not to say that the campaign does not have its share of memorable moments. Fighting your way through a ship graveyard and alternating between shooting, swimming and climbing, was a fun section. The following fight that occurs in a storm-tossed ship is even better, with waves throwing cargo containers across the deck, forcing you to scramble after your cover, and when the ship starts to sink, you are treated to some fun platforming in a world turned sideways. All in all, Uncharted 3 offers a fun adventure with a compelling multiplayer component. Those who loved the first game will greatly enjoy Nathan Drake’s latest adventure even if its story and cinematography are not as amazing as Uncharted 2.
GAMES
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception CONSOLE: PS3 GENRE: Adventure, Shooting DEVELOPER: Naughtydog RATING: Teen RELEASED: Nov. 1
OUR TAKE: «««««
Photo courtesy of Sony Computer Entertainment America
Mamma delights audiences SHOWS
Mamma Mia! PERFORMER: Mamma Mia American Tour cast LOCATION: Fox Theatre DATE: Nov. 2 - Nov. 6
OUR TAKE: ««««« Amanda Florentine Contributing Writer
Mamma Mia! graced the Fox Theatre from Nov. 2 to Nov. 6, delivering an upbeat, feel-good musical about “A mother. A daughter. Three possible dads. And a trip down the aisle you’ll never forget!” The slogan perfectly sums up the plot of the play which depicts a girl who is desperately searching for her father, but is faced with three possible options. As if looking for her dad does not create enough difficulties, she is also in the middle of preparing for her own wedding. The plot twists and turns, leading to an unsolved mystery regarding the identity of the father, a surprise wedding and plenty of humorous moments throughout. The play concludes with the original couple who were supposed to get married instead embarking on a journey, leaving the newly-married couple in charge of the beautiful Greek island where the play is set—a perfectly happy ending. The story centers around the characters Sophie, the girl in search of her father and Donna, her mother. Both delivered fantastic performances through singing, dancing, and acting. Sophie was cute and appropriately dramatic with a sweet, strong voice perfect for songs. Donna also had an incredible voice and energy that truly added to the entire performance. The two female leads were wonderful assets to the show and did not disappoint. The entire cast was filled with talent, but Donna and the Dynamos, Donna’s girl-power band, clearly stole the show. Rosie and Tanya, her two best friends and the dynamos of the group, really made Mamma Mia! fantastic. Rosie’s awkward attitude and blunt sense See Mamma, page 16
16 • November 11, 2011 • Technique
ENTERTAINMENT
Crazy offers thoughtful romance FILM
Like Crazy GENRE: Romance, Drama STARRING: Felicity Jones, Anton Yelchin DIRECTOR: Drake Doremus RATING: PG-13 RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28
OUR TAKE: ««««« By Brent Hornilla Contributing Writer
In Like Crazy, a 2011 film directed by Drake Doremus, two lovers are torn apart by distance. Anna, a writer, is a British exchange student, who falls in love with Jacob, an American furniture designer. She leaves her number and a hand-written confession on his windshield, to which he promptly responds with a phone call for coffee. Their first date is full of pauses and embarrassing interruptions during conversation. This isn’t something out of fairy tales. It’s awkward and genuine, and we want nothing more than for things to work out between them—so when Anna violates her student visa to spend her summer with Jacob, our hearts are already breaking at the thought of
Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures
the inevitable consequences. Anna eventually returns to London, but when she next flies out to L.A. she is detained at customs, where it is explained that her visa violation prevents her from being allowed back into the country. From here, we are taken on an emotional roller coaster as the two main characters struggle to cope with the difficulties of a relationship made more painful by the distance between them. The story is a universal one, making it only natural to project some of ourselves onto the char-
acters. Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones co-star and deliver truly compelling performances, Jones especially. I find myself sympathetic for Anna at every turn; her motivations are pure, simple and easy to understand. Jacob, on the other hand, is quiet but sincere. During the hiatus, the two have separate affairs—Jacob with his co-worker Sam and Anna with her neighbor Simon. These relationships provide a unique insight to each of our main characters and See Crazy, page 20
We’d like to hear from you. Write us a letter. letters@nique.net
Mamma
from page 15
of humor had the crowd wincing and laughing along. Tanya’s overbearing demeanor and obsession with men and beauty offered plenty of laughs and adult humor. Both women provided not only the comedy factor, but powerful vocal performances as well. Tanya’s performance of “Does Your Mother Know” was definitely one of the best numbers of the show, complete with great acting and hilarious dance moves. Overall, these women were perfectly suited for their roles and were standouts of the show. Since the cast was extremely strong in each of their individual performances, the group numbers were fantastic and full of energy. They all worked brilliantly together through song, dance and acting. The best group song-anddance numbers would certainly have to be “Dancing Queen” and “Mamma Mia,” both of which provided a great, fun energy that effectively permeated throughout the crowd. The dancing throughout the performance was a strong element of Mamma Mia! as well. The various numbers showcased the cast’s unique dance styles, which included an entertaining number with flippers. The dancing also added to the group numbers, making them even more fun and enjoyable. The dancing component of the show really energized
the crowd and provided another terrific aspect to the overall performance. Many of the elements incorporated in the show were done so effectively such as the music, costumes and set. The music was upbeat and catchy with the songs effectively adding to the positive atmosphere of the play. The band played very well and provided creative mixes of the popularized songs throughout the scene changes and prior to the show. The costumes were fun, colorful and well suited for the characters, while the set was simple but appropriate. The characters made great use of the music, stage and their outfits, one of the many positive aspects of the show. One of the minimal flaws of Mamma Mia! was the performance from Sam Carmichael, one of Donna’s lovers and a potential father to Sophie. He was a good actor and fit the role well, but his singing was horrendous. The performers closed the show with something that resembled an encore from a concert. Donna and the Dynamos led the cast in renditions of the worldwide hits “Dancing Queen” and “Mamma Mia” once again. The entire cast successfully ended the show with a bang, getting the crowd off their feet, singing and dancing along to the classics and providing an overall feel-good mood that perfectly coincided with Mamma Mia!
ENTERTAINMENT
Technique • November 11, 2011 • 17
Murphy steals show in Heist Bones bludgeons fans
with excessive drama
FILM
Tower Heist GENRE: Comedy
TELEVISION
Bones
STARRING: Eddie Murphy, Ben Stiller
NETWORK: FOX
DIRECTOR: Brett Ratner
WHEN: Thursday, 9 p.m.
RATING: PG-13
STARRING: Emily Deschanel, David Boreanaz
RELEASE DATE: Nov. 4
OUR TAKE: «««««
OUR TAKE: «««««
By Joe Murphy Contributing Writer
Photo courtesy of Universal Films
It is safe to say that over the past century, Hollywood has been cornering the market on “heist movies.” We all know the story: A group of protagonists, each with their own special talents, are in need of money and are willing to steal and con to get it. It is a mastered formula that miraculously never seems to get old and has thrilled audiences for decades. And Brett Ratner’s new comedy Tower Heist, which opened on Nov. 4, certainly looks like a classic bank robbery blockbuster on the outside. Sadly, however, for those viewers who are expecting another Ocean’s 11, Heist falls short in the areas of both plot and character depth. The movie focuses on a group of working-class men and women who have been unlawfully swindled out of their life savings by their enormously wealthy boss, and who then vow to steal millions of dollars back from the man who conned them. As premises go, so far so good. Ben Stiller, fresh off the line from his latest comedy Little Fockers, plays the leader, the Robin Hood, of this ragtag group of misfits; however, Stiller’s normally quirky and energetic acting method comes across
as rather dull and half-hearted, and as a result his scenes do not nearly live up to their potential for overall hilarity. Joining Stiller are Casey Affleck (Ocean’s 11), Michael Pena (Shooter) and where-have-you-been-for-so-long Matthew Broderick (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off ). One would think that with Affleck’s experience in the Ocean’s trilogy, he would have a reasonably firm grasp of what constitutes a nice, solid bankjob movie. However, his performance in Tower Heist suggests a slightly amateur effort. Pena’s performance is easily forgettable due to the fact that he literally could have been replaced with a machine that spouted one-liners, and it would not have affected the story in the slightest. As for Broderick, his character’s bumbling yet desperate personality is not the worst; however, like his fellow actors mentioned above, the performance simply fails to produce much more than a soft chuckle. But in addition to these weak performances, Tower Heist does possess a few redeeming qualities. And one of them comes in the form of comedy legend Eddie Murphy, who plays the one role that every heist movie truly needs: a real criminal. Fresh from prison
sentence for theft, Murphy’s wisecracking character joins the gang with the hope of nabbing some easy cash, and then proceeds to save both the day and possibly the movie with his knowledge of safe-cracking and, thankfully, of entertaining an audience. Other notably solid performances include those of both of the movie’s leading ladies. Tea Leoni (Fun with Dick and Jane) breathes life into the role of the federal agent who is hot on the heels of the group of vigilantes; even though her screen time is cramped by a shoddy script, Leoni still manages to pull off a decent and convincing performance. Equal praise goes to Gabourey Sidibe, breakout star of the 2009 film Precious, who dives head-on into the role of the strong and street-smart maid in cahoots with the group of amateur criminals. All in all, though, there is not much to be said about Tower Heist. Neither its jokes nor its storyline are in any way memorable, and what redeeming attributes it may possess are buried beneath the massive amount of lifeless performances given by most of the cast. The all-star cast will undoubtedly attract audiences for a single viewing, but that is all it warrants.
By Patricia Uceda Staff Writer
Bones is a crime drama television series that airs on Fox Network. Its premise is based on the unlikely pairing of FBI Special Agent Booth, played by David Boreanaz, with forensic anthropologist Dr. Brennan, played by Emily Deschanel. Each episode involves an investigation of a set of human remains. The show is known for its mixture of science and humor as well as the evolving relationship of the show’s two main characters, Booth and Bones, and the Season 7 Premiere “The Memories in the Shallow Grave” is no exception. Season 7 premiered with “The Memories in the Shallow Grave” this past Thursday to very high ratings. The episode revolved around the investigation of the
death of a woman with a history of amnesia. Her corpse was found buried in a paintball course, half decomposed. While the investigation focuses on this discovery, the bulk of the episode focuses on relationship drama between Booth and Dr. Brennan, or Bones. Bones is pregnant with their child, but has some reservations about moving in together or making their relationship official. While it was certainly understandable that someone would have reservations about moving in or taking a relationship to that next level, it definitely felt a little ham-fisted because of how many times she voices her hesitation throughout the episode. Each emotional conflict was driven home relentlessly, and was frankly a little insulting to the intelligence of the viewers. Additionally, this show’s concept of science only works if you have little idea how science actually works. Their scientific investigations consist of waiting for a computer screen to magically display the answer, and we all know our real life criminal investigators are working a lot harder than that. In this episode, the workplace See Bones, page 19
Photo courtesy of FOX
sliver
www.nique.net
Congrats on being the first to call Coldplay ‘innovative’. You think you’re better than me? dear stinger driver who stopped in the middle of the street to let me on in the rain. Thank you! If I get a sliver posted, I’ll frame it...Seriously Nothing sucks more than when you realize you’re wrong in an argument Why do I need physics?...I’m IE clemson is a redneck school... offensive...or truth? WHY IS ONLY AT TECH DEAD? raise your hand if you are still nursing injuries from the Clemson game.... wow, that’s a lot of hands! getting retweeted by a celeb is hard, but i’ll always have slivers I’m slivering about slivering. How existential There are too many slivers about sliver-guy. Crap here’s another I’ve shaved more during no-shave-novembe r than in any other month No shave November! Yay for being scruffy! 11/11/11 11:11:11... eleven? Browser tabs make procrastinating too easy Trying to use my Buzzcard to pay while in the airport = fail I bet sliver guy looks up a lot of random references When did mainstream music get so terrible? I want Jazzman’s back. Starbucks sucks. Jazzman’s was cheaper, more convenient, overall just better. Jazzman’s > Starbucks Dear Asian girl using a library computer to play Farmville, I hate you. Oh hey there sliver submission, it’ been a while Why the hell was I charged $5 more dollars for GT Transportation fees when now, I usually have to wait longer for a bus. Ridiculous!!!! Central PoS techrejects.com FTW! I wish the slivers were printed in silver and not black.
Save a tree! Read us online!
nique.net
Color
ENTERTAINMENT
Bones
from page 17
seemed more like a necessary setting to further the personal relationships of the show’s main characters, mainly Booth and Bones. Even the supporting cast is more of a means to that end, with coworkers constantly asking for status updates on their relationship in order to move the plot along. Booth’s co-worker is conveniently very interested in his love life, constantly asking him what is new; it definitely felt overdone. That’s not to mention the fact that the conclusion to their investigation was very anti-climatic. They relied on one trivial piece of evidence to hold their whole conclusion together, and the accused does not offer a satisfying reaction to the fact that he is being arrested, hardly batting an eye. The only commendable part of this show could be their makeup and special effects department. The rotting corpse looked extremely believable, down to the gross beetle-infested brain and peeling skin. These gruesome decaying bodies are certainly a huge ratings draw for this show. Overall, this show offers some decent entertainment if you are willing to turn your brain off for an hour. The special effects are interesting and realistic, and there are certainly a few humorous moments. While the science was overly simplified and the personal conflicts strained, fans of the show who are invested in these characters will enjoy watching them develop.
Technique • November 11, 2011 • 19
Harold & Kumar return to their roots FILM
A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas GENRE: Comedy STARRING: John Cho, Kal Pen, Neil Patrick Harris DIRECTOR: Todd Straussschulson RATING: R RELEASE DATE: Nov. 4
OUR TAKE: ««««« By Chris Ernst Contributing Writer
A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas continues the low-brow trend from the previous two installments of the stoner-comedy franchise, returning to the original’s mundane ridiculousness and eschewing the sequel’s jet-setting sensibilities. The leads are as likable as ever an even more relatable to the target (post-)college audience. The humor is mostly, well, entirely, geared towards the men of the audience. The 3D aspect of the movie is exploited and made fun of extensively by the filmmakers, knowing it is a gimmick and poking fun of it while using it cleverly. Harold & Kumar aims low and keeps focused, which makes it perfect for those who don’t mind 3D genitals. The movie’s plot is very simple; it takes place in one night as Har-
old and Kumar try to procure a Christmas tree on Christmas Eve. The simple premise lets the film focus on the situations and characters rather than on a complex story or societal change. The first sequel, Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, tries half-heatedly to make hazy statements about some serious issues like racial profiling, the Patriot Act and the Geneva Conventions. A stoner/buddy comedy is not the place for such grandstanding, a lesson well learned as this latest installment focuses strictly on what makes the original hilarious: jokes about bodily functions and the joys and perils of drug use. And of course, Neil Patrick Harris reprises his character: Neil Patrick Harris. Harold and Kumar have grown up a little by the movie’s start — well, Harold has, and this has caused a schism between the two. Harold is trying to please his wife’s father and Kumar is... finding himself. Both of these situations are very similar to what the original’s college-age audience seven years ago may be currently experiencing. Both characters are instantly relatable to most of the audience as they are trying to grow up. Paired with the lead actors (John Cho and Kal Penn) surprisingly subtle and endearing portrayal of the recognizable characters leads to an engrossing experience for the audience. This movie has the very clear
Photo courtesy of Warner Bros and New Line Cinema
goal of making the audience laugh without too much thought. It wastes no time in getting to the publicly taboo subjects like racial stereotypes, giving drugs to children and telling grandmothers about various parts of human anatomy. The comedy is definitely low-brow. The filmmakers know it and exploit it to its fullest. This can be great for those in the audience who are not easily offended by such talk, but for many people not in school, the consistently repetitive toilet humor can quickly become tiresome. This sequel’s sequel exactly delivers on its promise to offend. A lot of people are tired of the 3D gimmick and this film plays to it, contriving situations specifically to exploit its affordances to ridiculous results. While not constant, the occasional winks to the 3D make the potentially nauseat-
ing experience worth it A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas is indeed a very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas. It is exactly what it promises: a silly, raunchy, feel-good time. The 3D is not really necessary, but the filmmaker know it and exploit it. This facetious tone is what makes it fun to watch and fun to laugh at, if not always with. With no political overtones or lofty aspirations, the movie focuses on flushable humor. This buddy comedy is surprisingly endearing as the characters are not flat, stock stoners, but are revealed to be familiar and engaging. All the scenes with Neil Patrick Harris as Neil Patrick Harris are divinely transcendent in their comedic genius. For the co-eds who know what they’re getting into, this movie supremely fills the void of 3D toddlers dancing in cloud of cocaine.
ENTERTAINMENT
20 • November 11, 2011 • Technique
1Q84’s dystopian past tackles complex issues BOOKS
1Q84 Haruki Murakami GENRE: Dystopian Novel PUBLISHER: Knopf RELEASE DATE: Oct. 25
OUR TAKE: ««««« By Jonathan Peak Contributing Writer
Though Murakami may not exactly be a household name for middle-America, within literary circles he has been one of the most discussed authors for many years. In his native Japan he first broke through with the coming of age story Norwegian Wood and his later The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle brought him overseas. His latest offering continues this trend of success – when released in Japan, 1Q84 sold out on its first day. Two years later, after a push for a quick translation, 1Q84 became easily accessible to English speakers as perhaps the most-hyped book in recent history not involving wizards or vampires. 1Q84 as a title is a play on Orwell’s 1984 (in Japanese 9 is pronounced “kyuu”), which is featured to some extent in the plot. However, 1Q84 is distinctly Murakami, featuring the trademarks he has become known for: isolated male protagonist, ethereal teenage girl, dream-like narrative and, of
Photo courtesy of Knopf
course, cats. At over 900 pages 1Q84 is divided into three books —which were released separately in Japan and as a pair (Books 1 and 2 were released as one) in the UK. Tengo, the male protagonist, is Murakami’s typical anti-hero – self-contained and content to passively allow whatever may come his way. He is offset by the strongwilled Aomame, a female assassin who narrates the other half of Murakami’s epic. They are two people living distinct lives in 1984 Tokyo who become drawn to each other by destiny. 1Q84 begins with Aomame on her way to a job—when something out of the ordinary occurs. This alters reality and takes her into the world of 1Q84. This world is basically the same as the present only police have different
uniforms, news in the past has changed and there are two moons in the sky. Meanwhile this world draws Tengo in by means of a writing job that quickly pulls him into the dangers of cults. In 1Q84 Murakami creates a dystopian past in contrast to Orwell’s dystopian future of 1984. Murakami seemingly creates a polar opposite of Orwell’s world—a world where humanity is undermined by the working of the “Little People” rather than overseen by the omniscient “Big Brother”. Through this surreal world Tengo and Aomame slowly navigate towards each other, trying desperately to comprehend the rules of their new reality. Murakami’s novels each deeply reflect an aspect of Japan’s history – seemingly trying to reconcile or explain both the good and the bad. 1Q84 most directly addresses social issues of religion, rape, domestic abuse, and suicide. Most interesting though is Murakami’s take on Japan’s national fear of cults. Through the fictional cults he presents in the novel, Murakami addresses the physical and psychological dangers and abuses most feared—often pointing to the thin line between religion and a cult. In his alternate past, Murakami tackles these issues for the present and in 1Q84 creates a novel more ambitious than his previous ones, connecting Japan’s history from the aftermath of World War
II to the height of the economic bubble in the 80s. However, 1Q84 is less about Japan and as the story progresses it becomes a manifesto of the reasons why we as humans choose to live. Love, revenge, loyalty, vocation, spite, hope and divine purpose each slowly reveal themselves as Murakami’s characters discover for themselves their own rationalizations to keep or to stop living. Though the novel has been translated into English, many nuances of the book may still confuse an American reader unfamiliar with Japanese culture. However, this is part of the joy and frustration of reading foreign literature. In a huge effort, two translators worked separately on different sections of the novel in order to release such a large work as soon as possible. This does lead to some slight inconsistencies in style and verbiage as the reader enters the final third of the novel. 1Q84 is not a perfect novel. Murakami frustratingly sticks to using Western references, seeming to name drop obscure musicians and books that most Americans would never know, much less Japanese. The pace also significantly slows in the third book as both main characters reach a stopping point in their journeys and are forced to wait. Despite this 1Q84 is a more than worthwhile read, offering an interesting look into another culture and validating Murakami as a literary genius.
Crazy
from page 16
how their personalities play out with different people, with Sam emphasizing Jacob’s reserved nature and Simon highlighting Anna’s emotional dependence. Ultimately, they both serve as painful reminders of who Anna and Jacob wish they were actually with. The film’s tone falls somewhere between 500 Days of Summer and Blue Valentine, but still retains its own identity. Some might complain about the number of montages, but I found them to be subtle reminders of relativity: How months can fly by in moments, while high-strung tension seemed to stretch moments indefinitely. Scenes were improvised from an outline written by Doremus, resulting in the raw and genuine moments between characters. While I find that this betters the movie overall, it leads to problems in the plot’s bigger picture. While Anna is unable to return to the US, Jacob visits Anna several times in the UK. This, of course, presents the question: why not move there permanently? Since this issue is never addressed, I can only assume that Anna wanted to move to the U.S. in the first place for the sake of the plot’s credibility. Still, Like Crazy is an exceptional film that I strongly recommend seeing. It has its share of shortcomings and clichés, but the former are overshadowed by the movie’s strengths, and the latter is used in good taste. It’s a fresh take on modern romance and one we can easily relate to.
ENTERTAINMENT
Technique • November 11, 2011 • 21
Theme Crossword: Brain Children By James Barrick United Features Syndicate ACROSS
1. Ottava -5. Port city in Israel 10. Epicarp 14. Compartment 18. On the summit of 19. Handle of a kind 20. Arm bones 21. Song 22. Bread roll topping: 2 wds. 24. Causing astonishment: hyph. 26. Turncoat’s crime 27. Hardly ever 29. Sounds 30. Magritte or Russo 31. Presently 32. Wen 33. Autocrat 36. Not very bad, not very good: hyph. 38. Defoe’s Crusoe, e.g. 42. “It’s -- -- to Tell a Lie” DOWN
1. Engrossed 2. Believe -- -- not! 3. Brood 4. Manifest 5. Argonaut’s leader 6. Coeur d’-7. Old cry of disapproval 8. Manias 9. Valuator 10. Silky fabric 11. Same as above 12. Pinch 13. God also called Bacchus
43. River horse 47. Hasten 48. Mil. rank 49. Willow tree 50. Sacraments 51. -- Katherine Sorvino 52. Conscious mind 53. Green Mountain Boys leader 54. Tower site 55. Check-in areas 56. Relied 58. Judge 59. Occasional confessor 60. Storms 61. Brought about 62. Swimmer’s problem 63. Relief pitcher in baseball 65. Divide 66. A mixer: 2 wds. 69. Unit of volume 70. Bookplate 71. Means of restraint 72. -- se 73. Fratricide’s victim
74. Cerise or cerulean, e.g. 75. Barrel part 76. Small 77. -- Lanka 78. Internet clutter solution: 2 wds. 80. Speed 81. Not barefoot 83. Yearn 84. Pumped up 85. Means’ justifier 86. Recipe word 88. Sing like Ella 90. Type of whale 93. Staircase shape 95. Art supplies 99. Furious 101. Fear of a certain place 103. Woe -- --! 104. Shoe part 105. Summon 106. Mining yields 107. Nonsense writer 108. Father 109. Ceremonial dinner 110. Eat a little
14. Per -15. Discord personified 16. Wrinkle 17. Falls behind 20. Change the decor 23. River in France 25. Mails 28. Air show maneuver 32. Cud-chewing creature 33. Tore 34. Concern of a linguist 35. A biomolecule 36. Caught sight of
37. Exposed 38. Trace anagram 39. Abele: 2 wds. 40. Buenos -41. Brewing need 43. One with ownership 44. Skerries 45. Persuasive speaker 46. Famous Buddhist country 51. Cripples 53. Tee off 54. Something donutshaped
55. Up for -57. Atelier item 58. Echo chamber effect 59. Edge tool 61. Form of jazz 62. Bit of garlic 63. Reunion group 64. Sign of the zodiac 65. Toledo toast 66. A rail 67. Make frost-free
68. One- -- bandit 70. Runs 71. Urge 74. Gelidity 75. Teacher of Plato 76. Cuspidor 78. Solar-cell array 79. Hideout 82. Farther down 84. Household chore 86. Quill 87. Metronome sound
88. Support for a felly 89. Gambol 90. Curved handle 91. Church section 92. -- Linda 93. Get top billing 94. “-- Actually” 96. River in Spain 97. Misinformation 98. Cummerbund 100. Letter after phi 102. Seedcase
22 • November 11, 2011 • Technique
COMICS
Piled Higher & Deeper by Jorge Cham
Non Sequitur by Wiley
Ad Nauseam by Lauren Payne
SUDOKU PUZZLE by sudokucollection.com
Lauren Payne is a first-year psychology major who enjoys making silly drawings to combat collegiate ennui and to make people laugh.
Crossword Solution from page 21
COMICS
Non Sequitur by Wiley
DILBERT ® by Scott Adams
Technique • November 11, 2011 • 23
24 • November 11, 2011 • Technique
SPORTS
Beginning a New Era
2011-12 Men’s Basketball Preview
The first year of new Head Coach Brian Gregory’s tenure could be a rocky one for the Jackets, who will enter the 2011-12 campaign without a true home arena or two of the top three scorers from last season’s squad. Still, there is reason for hope for the Jackets to rebound from a 13-18 season that saw them go 5-11 in conference play. No. 1 UNC and No. 6 Duke are as loaded as ever, but the ACC features no other surefire contenders. While the Jackets will surely experience some struggles as they transition to life under Gregory and rebuild the roster, Tech will still field an athletic squad that is very capable of succeeding in a weakened ACC.
jason morris Position: Guard Year: Sophomore
Photo by Will Folsom / Student Publications
>> Started final five games of the season >> Averaged 18.3 minutes per game >> Averaged six points per game >> Led team with .400 three-point percentage
glen rice jr.
Position: Guard Year: Junior
Gregory comes to Tech after eight relatively successful years as head coach at Dayton. He won 24 games in the 2003-04 campaign, his first with the team, and won 22 or more games in each of his final four seasons there. His teams in 2003-04 and 2008-09 had berths into the NCAA tournament, and his 2009-10 squad beat UNC in the NIT tournament finals to capture the NIT crown. Gregory also has a reputation of academic success, graduating all 23 seniors he had at Dayton. Gregory was a disciple of Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, under whom he served as an assistant in the late 1990’s, and Gregory’s teams at Dayton have historically mirrored Izzo’s MSU teams with their strong defensive play. Billy Schmidt, Gregory’s top assistant throughout his eight-year Dayton tenure, has followed Gregory to Tech and will be one of Tech’s three assistant coaches this season. Along with Schmidt, Gregory has hired Josh Postorino, a Dayton graduate who has been an assistant at Dayton, Marshall and Clemson since 2000, and Chad Dollar, who has been an assistant coach at several schools and most recently was on the staff at Wichita State last season.
roster changes
>> Started 23 games as a sophomore >> Tech’s second leading scorer with 12.4 ppg >> Led team in three-point shots made >> Posted three double-doubles Photo by John Nakano / Student Publications
daniel miller Position: Center Year: Redshirt Sophomore
Photo by John Nakano / Student Publications
coaching staff
>> Started all 31 games as a freshman >> Averaged 4.4 points per game >> Hit 49.6 percent of his shots from the field >> Averaged five rebounds per game
The Jackets enter the season losing two of their top three starters from the 2010-11 season. Point guard Iman Shumpert entered the NBA Draft and was a first-round pick of the New York Knicks, and swingman Brian Oliver transferred to Seton Hall. In his final season as a Jacket, Shumpert earned second-team AllACC honors along with ACC All-Defensive Team honors. Shumpert was the seventh player in ACC history to lead his team in scoring, rebounding and assists, and the fourth to lead in steals as well. The team will look to replace his production by committee with a stable of young and quick guards. Oliver was Tech’s third-leading scorer during the 2010-11 season, averaging 10 points per game. He started the first 11 games of the season after a productive freshman season shooting three-pointers before going into a bench role. Eventually, Oliver missed the last eight games of the season with a broken thumb and decided to transfer. Combined with the graduations of guards Moe Miller and Lance Storrs, the Jackets will be one of the least experienced teams in the ACC this season.
sliver
www.nique.net
“Dude, golden retrievers are attractive!” ~my weird roommate getting paid to sliver this, cause i’m in office hours dang, this girls is hot, why is she my student?! #taProblems you get sexier everyday, that is not a line that is for real dear sliver guy, where do babies come from? why isn’t pop music one of the poll choices??? J.Beibs FTW Sad that Jazzman’s is closing. They had the BEST blueberry green tea! cute asian girl in library talking to yourself, would you like somebody to talk to? Dubstep sounds like transformers having sex. Dinner at 11:30 = too reminiscant of Spain STOP with the sweatpants and Uggs. Just STOP. Derrick found it easy to register for classes Alex Mitchell knows less about football than even Heather Dinich everytime someone mentions skyrim, i forget what it is, then remember, then don’t care GEORGIA TECH - Y U NO EASY Join the white girl enthusiast association January Jones. I want to go to GT without classes. That would be ideal. No, no, no. Thank YOU for slivering. im already way too excited for christmas! The party in Under the Couch the other night was amazing. Gotta love GT Football :D To the people that live above me, stop bouncing the ball. You are not basketball players. I’m slivering about slivering... A METASLIVER After learning about flux and about capacitors, I’m upset we’re not learning about time travel My weekends are way too unproductive Tenure is the only thing keeping him here All I want is for people to acknowledge how ridiculously good I look every once in a while. Is that so much to ask?
Technique • November 11, 2011 • 25
SPORTS
By Nishant Prasadh / Development Editor and Alex Sohani / Sports Editor
frontcourt From a defensive standpoint, the frontcourt is an area of strength for the Jackets, thanks largely to the presence of redshirt sophomore center Daniel Miller. As a redshirt freshman in 2010-11, the 6-foot-11 Miller started all 31 games, playing more than 25 minutes per contest and averaging over two blocks per game. Redshirt freshman Kammeon Holsey and true freshman Nate Hicks were Tech’s only other frontcourt players; neither saw truly extensive action, but Holsey played well in spurts and Hicks showed promise in limited action, recording 0.7 blocks per game despite playing just 9.4 minutes per contest.
On the opposite end of the floor, Tech will need to receive much more production from its big men in order to succeed. Last season, Miller, Holsey and Hicks—all freshmen at the time—combined for just 9.6 points per game as Tech relied heavily on outside shooting on offense. Miller and Holsey both had offensive ratings below 90, implying that both were fairly inefficient scorers; Hicks’ rating was above 100 and he had the best effective field goal percentage of any player in the regular rotation, but his limited playing time meant those numbers may have been skewed. All three were guilty of one recurring is-
sue throughout Tech’s roster, though, as they all shot below 50 percent on free throw attempts. At both ends, Tech’s ability to rebound will have to improve. Shumpert and Rice, both guards, were the team’s leading rebounders last year. Miller averaged just five rebounds per contest while Holsey and Hicks were both below three. This can be traced to both their inexperience and the fact that Tech very rarely had more than one forward/center on the floor at any time last season, making things more difficult for the one player tasked with defending and rebounding in the low post. With no players lost from last season—aside from perhaps Oliver, who occasionally
filled in as an undersized but able post player for Tech—this very young unit should see improvement across the board in the upcoming season. The addition of freshman forward Julian Royal, who starred on both ends of the floor at Milton High School in Alpharetta, Ga., will give Tech more firepower on offense and more flexibility at both ends. At 6-foot-7, Royal may not have the size to play center and handle the post on his own, but he does add more depth to the frontcourt rotation and is athletic enough to play along the perimeter in a one-in, fourout setup when needed, which should better enable Gregory to keep two frontcourt players on the floor as often as possible.
backcourt
Photo by John Nakano / Student Publications
Gregory’s strategy relies on the team’s ability to push the ball up the floor and score in transition, so the ability of Tech’s guards to meet these demands will determine how far the team can go. With four key contributors gone, the role of leading the backcourt will fall to sophomore Jason Morris and junior Glen Rice Jr., whose fortunes went in opposite directions late last season. Morris became increasingly involved in the rotation over time as a freshman, earning some starts late in the season; although he only averaged six points per game for the season, he was Tech’s most accurate three-point shooter and
CLASSIFIEDS Real Estate Six Bedroom Townhouse Perfect for four, five, or six friends! Lease available starting end of Fall Semester. 6BR/ 5 full bath, W/ D, private parking. Large rooms, wet bar, safe neighborhood, close to campus, and very nice! Two miles from GaTech. Near Howell Mill Kroger. Email gthousing@yahoo.com or call 404355-9381
Employment/Jobs !!!Bartending!!! $250/Day Potential. No Experience Necessary. Age 18+ OK Training Available. CALL 800-965-6520 EXT 216 Work Part-Time Earn financial security for college and beyond!!! Go to www. designyourlife102.com
Interested in photography? Come to the Technique’s weekly photo staff meetings. Thursdays at 6 p.m. Flag building, room 137 photo@nique.net
even demonstrated an ability to score on the low post. Rice was productive for much of the season and ultimately finished second on the team with 12.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, but he often demonstrated a propensity to take bad shots (as evidenced by his 30.2 percent rate on three-point attempts) and fell out of favor with then-coach Paul Hewitt late in the season, even losing his starting job. The Jackets will also need junior Mfon Udofia to step up as the team’s new point guard. Despite being put in position to lock down a starting job in each of the past two seasons, Udofia has failed to produce as a scorer
or distributor, averaging just 6.7 points and 1.2 assists per game last season. However, he often had to shift into a shooting guard role over the past two seasons while Shumpert ran the point; with Shumpert gone, Udofia should be more comfortable in his new role as the full-time point guard. One player who could quietly emerge as a top scorer is redshirt sophomore Brandon Reed, who transferred in from Arkansas State after scoring 15.5 points per game as a freshman there. After sitting out last season under NCAA transfer rules, Reed has earned Gregory’s praise in the preseason, and he has a legitimate chance to emerge as the top scoring option on a team that has no clear offensive leader going into the season.
Photo by Will Folsom / Student Publications
Offense aside, a crucial area of improvement for the backcourt will have to be in threepoint defense. Last season, opponents shot 37.9 percent from beyond the arc against Tech; that figure was 40.9 percent when confined to ACC opponents. The loss of Shumpert, a top-notch defender, to the NBA will be a setback for the Jackets, but Morris and Rice are both capable of replacing his production on defense. Beyond them, senior Nick Foreman should see additional time in the rotation as a defensive substitution. The larger hope is that Gregory’s new high-pressure defensive schemes should generally put the players in position to reduce the number of wideopen looks that opponents receive in any given game.
26 • November 11, 2011 • Technique
SPORTS
As of Nov. 11, the Blue Devils are sitting at a 3-6 record overall with a 1-4 record in the ACC. Under Head Coach David Cutcliffe, Duke is looking to go to their first bowl game, but has to win out for the remainder of the season. However, the Blue Devils had dropped four consecutive ACC matchups before going into a key game against Virginia. Duke had strong outings against Wake Forest and Virginia Tech, but could not execute down the stretch in order to punch in the wins. If the Blue Devils want to beat the Jackets, they will have to execute the following. First, the Blue Devils will have to establish their run game. Duke has struggled running the ball this season, averaging 3.3 yards per carry. Leading rushers Juwan Thompson and Desmond Scott will have to find a way to grind out yardage against the Jackets in order to slow down the pace of the game and control the time of possession battle. If the Duke offensive line can open some holes for the backs, Duke should be able to find success against a Jackets’ defense that has struggled against the run. Second, quarterback Sean Renfree needs to avoid making mistakes in the passing game. Renfree has been an accurate passer at times this season, hitting 66.5 percent of his passes with six touchdowns. However, Renfree struggles to read coverage at times when faced with pressure and has thrown eight interceptions through nine games. Duke’s offensive line has struggled to protect Renfree at times, allowing 15 sacks this season. If Renfree has time in the pocket, he should be able to find his open veteran receivers in the Tech defense. Finally, the Duke defense will have to stay disciplined against Tech’s option offense and play their assignments. The Jackets ran for 320 yards in the two teams’ last meeting, allowing 5.2 yards per carry. If Duke can force the Jackets into punting situations or turnovers, it will keep them in the game and not put as much pressure on the offense.
VS.
JACKETS
Photo by Thien Huynh / Student Publications
By Alex Sohani, Sports Editor
Photo by John Nakano / Student Publications
BLUE DEVILS
GA. TECH AT DUKE - NOV. 19 (TIME TBA)
The Jackets will have a nine-day break between their matchups between the Hokies and the Blue Devils. At the time of press, the Jackets are headed into a pivotal matchup against Virginia Tech that will determine who has the lead in the Coastal Division. Georgia Tech should be heavily favored in the matchup against Duke in Durham, N.C., but cannot overlook the Blue Devils if they want to earn a win on the road. If the Jackets want to continue their successful season and remain among the ranked, they will have to do the following. First, the Jackets will have to establish the B-back run. Sophomore B-back David Sims is averaging 5.5 yards per carry and is the team’s second leading rusher. Former Tech standout Anthony Allen ran for 165 yards on 34 carries in the two teams’ last matchup. If Sims can pick up yardage on the dive play, the perimeter game will open up for the A-backs to have some big plays. Second, the Jackets’ secondary will have to closely cover Duke’s veteran wide receiving corps and force turnovers by the Blue Devils. Duke junior Connor Varnon and senior Donovan Varner are Duke’s leading receivers with 1280 combined receiving yards this season. If junior cornerback Rod Sweeting and sophomore cornerback Louis Young can closely cover these receivers and prevent big plays, it will allow the Jackets’ defense more opportunities to force a Duke mistake. Finally, the Jackets’ defense will have to make the Blue Devils one-dimensional on offense. Duke has struggled running the ball this season, but has countered that with a strong passing attack. Defensive Coordinator Al Groh will be able to call more extravagant coverage schemes if Duke’s Renfree is forced into clear passing situations.
PREDICTION: Tech 42, Duke 21
SPORTS
TIME-OUT with Alex Mitchell
Alex Mitchell is a MGT major in his fourth year at Tech. He has watched sports his entire life and takes a critical view towards many of the trending topics in the sporting world. To contact Alex with your opinions about Time Out, email him at timeout@nique.net. Well, we did it. We survived the football apocalypse relatively unscathed, unless you are an Alabama player or an overzealous drunk LSU fan who got into a fight. I am of course referring to the “game of the century” between No. 1 ranked LSU and No. 2 ranked Alabama that happened last weekend. The game was given its dubious title before either team suited up, and analysts were hyping the contest even before the season started. Unfortunately, the SEC end-of-the-world battle was not the game of the century; it wasn’t even game of the week. On paper, the Bama-LSU game seemed like a surefire classic. Each team had a full week off to study each other and to prepare for the game. The winner would more than likely go to the National Championship, and the loser would reserve a spot in the Sugar Bowl at the very least. The game also featured some of the best defenses of our generation, but there
was too much defense. Don’t get me wrong, I love defense, but what we all saw last Saturday resembled more of a soccer game than it did a football game. It was a performance that the LSU soccer team would be proud of: LSU won the game on three kicks that found the goal, while Alabama only made two of five. Neither offense could find the endzone in over 60 minutes of action. Alabama could not set up one running lane for running back Trent Richardson that could have allowed him to score. LSU’s option running attack and short passes were completely ineffective, and quarterback Jordan Jefferson could not stomp around the edge for one big run. The game’s only big play was a play that I do not believe was called correctly. Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban tried a trick play in the second half and had receiver Marquis Maze throw the ball. His pass was apparently picked off near the endzone even
though replays neither confirmed nor deny the call. The outcome of that play resulted in points taken off the board for Alabama, and could have completely changed the outcome. The one thing that video did confirm was that LSU is the best team in the country. The Tigers went into Tuscaloosa and beat the No. 2 team at its own game. However, the difference between the Tigers and the Tide is only a difference in kicker, and some think that Alabama should still be ranked second. I would have to agree with them, but Alabama should not play for the National Championship. I said all week that the loser of the “game of the century” would still have just as good of a shot as anyone to reach the National Championship game. After seeing that Alabama is still third in the BCS standings, ahead of Stanford and Boise State, I stick to my previous statement. It may seem counter-intuitive to say that the second-best team in the nation should not play for the championship but after watching that game on Saturday, I do not want to see a rematch of LSU-Alabama. Not because the game lacked offense, but because Alabama had its chance to reach the National Championship on Saturday against LSU and failed to capitalize. Plus, if LSU can go into Tuscaloosa and win, how does Bama expect to go into New Orleans and defeat the Tigers in front of thousands of wild fans? Since college football does not have a playoff at the end of
Technique • November 11, 2011 • 27
the season, a lot of fans say that each week of the regular season is a round of the playoffs. It is what makes college football so great because, unlike college basketball, every game matters. If you follow this logic, than there is no way that you should be in favor of putting Alabama in the championship game while Oklahoma St., Stanford and Boise St. are all undefeated. Instead of watching the SEC snooze-fest on Saturday, I should have watched the 52-45 thriller between Oklahoma State and Kansas State. There were 12
more touchdowns in that game than there were at Alabama, and Oklahoma State proved that it is a legitimate team that can win big games. If the Cowboys can win their remaining games, including a win against No. 6 Oklahoma at the end of the season, then they should play for the National Championship instead of a oneloss Alabama team. I don’t actually think that Oklahoma State or any other team could hold their own against LSU, but we have already seen what a game between Alabama and the Tigers would be: boring.
Photo courtesy of LSU Sports Information
Running back Michael Ford runs past a Bama defender. Ford was LSU’s most productive offensive player with 11 carries for 72 yards.
Sports
sports@nique.net Sports Editor: Alex Sohani
Basket Case Check out a preview of the 2011-12 season as the men's basketball team kicks their season this week.424
Technique
28
Friday, November 11, 2011
Jackets kick Jackets win two ACC matchups off swim and dive season
win. The set had back-andforth action, but Tech solidified its victory at the serving line. Junior libero/defensive specialist Susan Carlson was strong at the service line, giving Tech the serving edge 21-18. Carlson’s four straight serves, included an ace, a Boston College error, a block by sophomore middle blocker Quinn Evans and Mead and a kill by Mead contributed to the Jacket victory. In set three, the Jackets’ momentum gave them a 2514 victory. In spite of a quick 4-1 lead by the Eagles, Tech scored five straight points with Carlson’s serving, six points in a row while Evans served and four more consecutive points from Mead’s serving. Mead
had four kills, and sophomore outside hitter Ivona Kolak had three. The fourth set was a close set with the Jackets edging out Boston College 25-21. Junior middle blocker Alexis Woodson and Kolak had three kills, and Mead added seven kills. On the night, Mead posted 22 kills and 12 digs, her tenth double-double of the season. Sophomore setter Kaleigh Colson had a double-double as well, with 41 assists and 17 digs. Tech then traveled to College Park, Md., to take on the Maryland Terrapins on Sunday, Nov. 6. It was a strong offensive match for the Jackets as seven different Jackets posted a kill, winning their 15th game
of the season. The first set went back and forth with eight lead changes and 11 ties. This was ended when serving by Evans removed a two-point Maryland lead and gave Tech a five-point lead. Evans finished the set with three service aces. Colson tallied 14 assists and Mead had ten kills. In set two, the Terrapins quickly reached a three-point lead to ultimately win the set 25-18. Sophomore outside hitter Jennifer Percy, Kolak and Mead tallied three kills each, while Woodson had three blocks in the set. The third set was close with Tech getting a 25-23 victory. Similar to the first set, there were five lead changes and 10 ties through the set. After a Tech timeout with Maryland up 23-22, Tech rallied to win the set after an error by Maryland and an ace by Mead. In set four, the Jackets recovered from a Maryland 4-2 lead by tying the set 9-9. Afterwards, each time the Jackets went to the service line, they slowly amassed a few points. Junior libero/defensive specialist Nicki Meyer solidified the Tech win with five consecutive serves for the Tech 25-15 victory. Percy had four kills of her own, and Woodson added three kills. Against Maryland, Mead tallied 29 kills, and Colson added 51 assists, being her second time this season that she notched more than 50 assists. Sophomore outside hitter Jennifer Percy added eight kills, and Kolak had seven on the day. Woodson added seven kills and four blocks. The Jackets will play their last two road matches of the season versus North Carolina and NC State. Tech will play in Chapel Hill on Friday, Nov. 11, and in Raleigh on Sunday, Nov. 13.
By Joe Sobchuk Contributing Writer
Peachtree City, Ga., won his first match on Thursday 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, against Vasko Mladenov of St. John’s University. On Friday, Nov. 4, he made quick work of Nebraska’s Christopher Aumueller, winning the first two sets 6-3, 6-1 to sweep the 31st-ranked player in the nation. It was his eighth straight victory and improved his record to 14-2 in singles matches on the season. However, it would prove to be his last victory of the fall season as King lost to seventh-ranked Dennis Nevolo of Illinois in the quarterfinals. King won the first set in a tiebreaker, but Nevolo came back with a rally to take the next two sets 6-3, 6-4, and eliminate King from contention. Meanwhile, King and Spir
also competed in the doubles event. Heading into the week they had a career record of 34-11 when playing together. This was their second time competing together in this tournament. King and Spir upset top-seeded Duke and reached the semifinals in the 2010 tournament before their run came to an end. This year they were the No. 1 seed and were treated with a bye in the first round. King and Spir defeated Nathaniel Gery and Winston Lin of Columbia in the second round, 8-4, and advanced to the quarterfinals. There, they squared off against Florida’s Billy Federhofer and Nassim Slilam, and lost a close match 9-7 to end their championship aspirations.
By Adam West Contributing Writer
The Jackets dropped their first meet against Penn State this past Saturday, Nov. 5. The men’s team managed 177-122, while the women’s team lost out 202.5-93.5. While Tech was unable to make much progress in the water, the diving team continued their successful season. Junior divers Brandon Makinson and Chris Khosravi finished first and second, respectively, in both the one meter and three meter events. The Jacket’s women’s diving team also had a successful day, with junior Ashley Hardy finishing first in the one meter competition and second in the three meter dive. The sprint group also had a significant amount of success. The Jackets won the 200free relay, and freshman Andrew Kosic came in first in the 50-free event with a final time of 20.85 seconds. The Jackets also competed against Clemson and Western Kentucky on Friday, Nov. 4. The women’s team split their matches, beating out Clemson, while the men lost to both teams. The Tigers managed to eke out a win in the final relay of the night to win the match. The women beat the Tigers 196-104, while losing 161-139 to Western Kentucky. The men were defeated 164-136 by Western Kentucky and fell 157-141 to Clemson. The diving team had a successful day on Friday as well, with Makinson and Khosravi finishing first and second in the one meter and three meter dives. The women’s duo of Hardy and redshirt junior Helen Alvey accomplished the same feat for the women’s diving corps. Matkinson earned ACC Co-Performer of the Week honors after his performance. It was his second career Performer of the Week honors. Both the men’s and women’s teams won the 200-fly event. Senior Jordan Evans won the event for the women and also won the 100-fly with a time of 55.20 seconds. The Tech swimming team’s next event will be the Georgia Tech Invitational, hosted on from Nov. 18-20. More than ten schools will compete in the three day event.
Photo by John Nakano / Student Publications
Sophomore setter Jen Percy posts a dig in a match against Duke earlier this season. Percy posted a combined 15 kills and six digs in matches against Boston College and Maryland. By Danielle Sharpe Contributing Writer
After splitting two games at home, the Jackets’ volleyball team travelled to Chestnut Hill, Mass. to take on Boston College. Tech lost the first set, but went on to defeat the Eagles 3-1. This was the Jackets’ tenth straight win over Boston College. In the first set, Boston College began the set with a 3-0 advantage. Effective kills by the Eagles boosted their lead to 11-7 and 23-18 later in the set. Despite seven kills notched by junior rightside hitter Monique Mead, Boston College led the set to win 25-19. In the second set, the Jackets bounced back with a 25-18
King, Spir finish fall season at USTA Nationals
Photo by Sho Kitamura / Student Publications
Kevin King and Juan Spir playing in a doubles match at home. King and Spir went into the tournament as the No. 1 seed and fell in the quarterfinals.
Senior tennis player Kevin King and junior Juan Spir concluded their fall season this past weekend in Flushing, NY, at the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships. The event, which is hosted by Columbia University, pits top college tennis players from around the country against each other in both singles and doubles matches over a four day period. King had qualified for the singles event by clinching the USTA/ITA Southeast Regional title in Athens on Oct. 24, while the top ranked doubles tandem of King and Spir also qualified for the doubles portion of the Invitational. King, a local product out of