February 9, 2018•Volume 103, Issue 20•nique.
net
technique
News 2
RYE SPEAKS ON BLACK HISTORY p10
LIFE
Top L: Photo courtesy of Colgate; Top R: Photo by Katherine Shambaugh Student Publications; Above: Photo by Samta Brahmbhatt Student Publications
Amazon Alexa pilot begins in Towers dorm
POLLY OUELLETTE
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
On the evening of Feb. 7, all
residents of Towers Residence
Hall were invited to pick up their
very own Amazon Dot, a voice-
controlled personal assistant
that they would install in their
dorm room.
The Dots, which can be paired
with a bluetooth speaker, will re-
spond to verbal commands that
tell the device to play music, get
the weather and listen to the news.
Additionally, students will be able
OPINIONS
. .
Obnoxious ads
Opinions 6
to perform several Tech-specific
operations.
Residents will be able to in-
stall a Georgia Tech module, or
“skill,” that allows them to ask
the assistant questions specific
to their Buzzcards accounts with
the keywords “Alexa, ask Buzz...”.
Some of the questions include
“Alexa, ask Buzz to play Ramb-
lin’ Wreck,” “Alexa, ask Buzz how
many dining points I have” or “Al-
exa, ask Buzz how many swipes I
have on my Buzzcard.”
“Alexa” is the keyword to
wake up any Amazon voice-
recognition device.
p8 Tech & the NFL
Life 10
NEWS
The program, being piloted in
Towers, was spearheaded by Paul
Strouts, vice president of cam-
pus services. Once approved, the
Information Technology Group
(ITG) within the Campus Ser-
vices Department was responsible
for using the Alexa Voice Services
and Skills Kit to develop the Tech
“skill,” which is the module with
Tech-related commands that
can be installed on an Alexa-
based device.
“Paul gave my team a chal-
lenge to leverage Alexa to build
a suite of services for residence,”
See ALEXA, page 3
SPORTS
p23
Entertainment 14 Sports 24
ENTERTAINMENT
“Insult”
explores
prejudice
MOHAR KALRA
STAFF WRITER
As American viewers, it is quite
easy to be desensitized to discussions
of prejudice. In most classroom dis-
cussions and in the media, there are
clear aggressors and clear victims. To
an extent, this trend is only natural
considering the United States’ spotted
history with regards to race relations;
much consideration is put to amending
historical wrongdoings.
At the same time, it oversimplifies
prejudice to an unequivocally horrible
sin, committed only by the most evil
of people. One’s prejudices cannot just
be turned on and off by the “power of
empathy,” as is so often depicted in
movies. Prejudice has complex roots
that can burrow their way into the “av-
erage” person — the outwardly prin-
cipled, upstanding individual.
Set in a far less morally and racially
black and white landscape than the
United States, “The Insult” by Leba-
nese director Ziad Doueiri (“West
Beirut”) explores events unfolding in
Beirut after an interaction between
Palestinian engineer and refugee Yasser
Salameh (Kamel El Basha, “Solomon’s
Stone”), and Lebanese Christian Tony
Hanna (Adel Karam, “Where Do We
Go Now?”).
Salameh insults Hanna for destroy-
ing a new drainage pipe Salameh had
fitted on Hanna’s balcony as per mu-
nicipal orders. Hanna, absolutely irate
at the insult to his honor, threatens
Salameh’s supervisor, demanding an
apology from Salameh. Upon his su-
pervisor’s insistence, the equally proud
Salameh begrudgingly visits Hanna’s
See INSULT, page 17
Photo by Polly Ouellette Student Publications
An Amazon Alexa Dot that is going into Towers dorm. The Dots
have specific Tech related functionality that students can use.
News
NEWS EDITOR:
Data Visualization Lab technique
Casey Miles
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR:
Polly Ouellette
The first floor of the Tech library is the place
to go for all of your virtual reality and Friday,
2
abstract data representation needs. 45 February 9, 2018
news@nique.net

POLLY OUELLETTE
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
OUT LATE
At 12:02 a.m. on Monday, Jan.
29, one officer informed another
that there were two black male ju-
veniles walking on Fourth Street
at Techwood Drive.
Two officers approached the
males and confirmed that they
were in fact juveniles. A search re-
turned no wants or warrants and
no prior history.
When inquired about their
activities, the males stated that
they were coming from a cousin’s
house on Techwood Drive and
were headed to Krystal to grab
food. However, they were unable
to provide an address for their
cousin and a phone number could
not be located.
The males, after consent-
ing, were checked for weapons
and placed in the rear seat of the
police car due to the fact that it
was raining.
The Atlanta Police Department
was requested to appear on scene.
The officers contacted both of the
individuals’ mothers, who arrived
on the scene to take custody of
the juveniles.
The two, since they were ju-
veniles, were guilty of a curfew
violation. In Atlanta, curfew is en-
forced between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.
on Sunday through Thursday.
FLEEING THE FUZZ
On the evening of Jan. 29, an
officer was dispatched to Hanson
Residence hall in regards to a peer
leader on duty who was advising
of an unknown number of indi-
viduals smoking marijuana. The
officer arrived on the scene and
spoke with the peer leader behind
the residence hall. The officer not-
ed that after getting out his car he
turned on his body camera.
The peer leader and officer saw
several individuals running west
from the top of the landscaping
and retaining wall area through
the courtyard of the Fourth Street
Apartments courtyard.
The officer gave chase. He
commanded that the four young
men stop running. Two obeyed
and stopped. The officer advised
dispatch on the appearance of the
two young men that continued
running: one wore khaki pants
and a multicolored sweater while
the other was wearing a black
jacket. One of the men that kept
running dropped an orange or
yellow container.
The officer detained the two
who had stopped, and searched
them with their consent. They did
not have any contraband or weap-
ons and admitted that they were
on the back lawn of the residences
because they wanted to partake in
the smoking of marijuana. One
of the young men turned over the
remainder of his marijuana. The
orange container also contained a
small amount of marijuana.
When questioned about their
companions, who were last seen
running in opposite directions,
they were able to identify one by
first and last name. The other,
they had just met, they said, and
could only identify him by his
first name.
The two young men were re-
leased from detention and issued
student code of conduct violations
for possession of marijuana and
obstruction of an officer.
The room number of the third
individual who had been identi-
fied by his friends was obtained
from housing and two officers re-
ported to his room. A housing em-
ployee knocked on the door, and
the sounds of shuffling were heard
before the young man opened
the door.
The employee informed him
that GTPD would like to speak
with him. Through the open door,
the officer noticed that the young
man was wearing khaki pants and
had a sweater in the room that
matched the one that he had seen
earlier while culprits were running
away from him.
The officer, having positively
identified the young man, stated
that the individual was being is-
sued student code of conduct vio-
lations for possession of marijuana
and obstruction of an officer.
The student argued that he did
not know what the officer was
talking about and was not at the
location.
Not to be fooled, the officer
told the student that the incident
was recorded on camera and that
he had been positively identified
via vision as well as the accounts
of the others that were smoking
marijuana with him.

E
ach week , this sec tion of OPEN FORUM YESPLUS? NO, MINUS who wanted to participate would
News will include coverage For open forum, Alex Gutier- YesPlus, a campus organiza- still have to pay an additional fee
of different aspects of bills rez of Parking and Transportation tion focused on student wellness to attend.
and resolutions that have passed Services (PTS) came to talk at the on campus, approached SGA with After this, some reps pointed
through Student Government. This
open forum about communica- a bill asking for money for two out that it appeared that the org
tion with the community. workshops to be run for 100 stu- had come prepared with a pretty
will include the Undergraduate
Gutierrez, a marketing special- dents total. clear document outlining where
House of Representatives, Graduate ist within PTS, talked about how The workshops proposed pres- each dollar would be going. In re-
Student Senate and the Executive PTS is trying to dispel a lot of ent yoga, breathing, meditation buttal, other reps pointed out that
Branch of both government bodies. uncertainties that exist from stu- and life skills. According to the the services offered by this work-
dents and others within the Tech reps, they are also scientifically shop can be found on campus
CASEY MILES community. proven to improve wellbeing for free.
NEWS EDITOR He launched an official PTS — a point that was continually Reps were then curious as
Reddit account in early January brought up by the org rep. to how these workshops cost so
BILL SUMMARY and wants more students to en- Initial questions by the UHR much, so they asked the reps just
gage PTS and ask them questions. reps were generally par for the how these workshops are struc-
BILL AMOUNT GSS UHR After his brief speech he took a course of a bill of this type: tured. According to the org reps,
couple of questions from the rep- where funds specifically go, how the workshop is 20 hours long
Pre-Dental Society $250 23-0-1 32-0-0 resentatives. One of the questions many students do these work- and made up of a few 4-6 hour
Gymnastics Gym Rental Fee $610 23-0-1 32-0-0 regarded what to do when a park- shops affect and what the fee is sessions in which students partici-
ing lot someone has a pass for is specifically for. pate in yoga, meditation and vari-
GT Sailing Regattas $699.60 23-0-1 32-0-0 full. The correct course of action, More contention came during ous workshop activities.
which Gutierrez knew many peo- discussion when it was discussed After discussing ways to pos-
FIMRC Service Trip $750 23-0-1 32-0-0 ple did not know, is to call PTS that the Joint Allocation Com- sibly make the bill more appeal-
Budget Re-encumbering n/a 18-1-0 33-0-0 and give them your info. They will mittee (JAC) had failed the bill ing, such as essentially halving the
then direct you to a parking lot due to a lack of clarity in where money value by only giving the
YesPlus Workshop Fees $7,042.88 6-15-2 13-17-2 you can temporarily park in while the money would be going. Ad- money for one workshop, but it
Thank-a-Teacher day $115 n/a 33-0-0 the lot is full. Gutierrez finished ditionally, even though UHR was all for nought. The bill ended
by thanking the reps and encour- would be paying a large amount of up failing with a vote of 13-17-2,
aging people to keep in touch. money for the events, the students to the chagrin of some reps.

sliver // your thoughts

technique
nique.net NEWS EDITOR
we’re too sensitive as a society Casey Miles
pizza is yummy Never were truer words spoken. OPINIONS EDITOR
The South’s Liveliest College Newspaper Zahra Khan
do you have enough slivers yet
Trump is the Best President Ever!!!! Brighton Kamen EDITOR-IN-CHIEF LIFE EDITOR
Student Activity fees are theft. Samira Bandaru
Student Activity fees are theft David Raji MANAGING EDITOR
ENTERTAINMENT
student activity fees are theft We hear you already. EDITOR
People who take down others’ posters are horrible Founded in 1911, the Technique is the student newspaper of the Monica Jamison
student activity fees are theft! The top 1% of SGA members con- Georgia Institute of Technology, and is an official publication of SPORTS EDITOR
trol 99% of our student activity fees #OccupyStudentCenter the Georgia Tech Board of Student Publications. The Technique Harsha Sridhar
I am writing these slivers in the hopes of starting my journalism publishes on Fridays, weekly in the fall and spring and biweekly in
career the summer.
PHOTO EDITOR
Potato Relatable. Casey Gomez
student activity fees are theft ADVERTISING: Information can be found online at nique.net/
DESIGN EDITOR
You made some really good points there. I checked on the inter- ads. The deadline for reserving ad space is Friday at 5 p.m. one
Megan Eberle
net for additional information about the issue and found most week before publication. To place a reservation, for billing infor-
people will go along with your views on this site. daeafbagdg- mation or for any other questions please e-mail us at ads@nique. LAYOUT EDITOR
gbkgkg net. You may reach us at 404-894-2830, Monday through Friday Beatrice Domingo
from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
636
Inciting a riot, jumping on a cop car, and kicking in the window Copyright © 2017, Brighton Kamen, Editor-in-Chief, and the ONLINE EDITOR
is a feat worthy of expulsion. No exceptions. Georgia Tech Board of Student Publications. No part of this Zoie Konneker
john is a soyboy paper may be reproduced without written permission from the WEB DEVELOPER
I will not hear any discourse against my lord and savior kanye Editor-in-Chief or from the Board of Student Publications. The Tristen Allen
west Sounds like authoritarianism. ideas expressed herein are those of the individual authors and
HEAD COPY EDITOR
Dick Cheney made money off the Iraq War do not necessarily represent the views of the Board of Student Elizabeth Sit
Publications, the students, staff or faculty of the Georgia Institute
I’m red/green color blind, so the argument about the red exit of Technology or the University System of Georgia. First copy
signs make me laugh. EDITOR EMERITUS
free — for additional copies call 404-894-2830.
This isn’t lesbian style. This is Hispanics in Houston. Vidya Iyer
// NEWS
ALEXA FROM PAGE 1
said James Pete, the deputy chief
information officer for campus
services. “When you think about
voice recognition and the person-
al systems that are out there, we
thought that there would be an
opportunity to build these servic-
es, which would help set us apart.
At the same time, this would put
us on the leading edge of testing
and piloting voice recognition.”
The process of developing the
Tech-specific skill was extensive
and required many iterations of
design. ITG had to consider all
the possible phrasing for the ques-
tions that students might ask, and
Amazon also conducted thorough
testing on the interface. ITG also
completed some user interface
testing with students before it
was finalized.
“We’ve had a partnership with
Amazon for some time, so we see
this as an extension of that,” said
Pete. “They’re trying to figure
out, too, where Alexa fits into the
higher education marketplace.”
Towers was chosen as the pilot
location to receive Dots because of
its proximity to another residence
hall of the same size, which will
allow campus services to compare
the populations. Pre-distribution
surveys have already been done,
and surveys will be done in the
coming weeks in order to measure
student satisfaction.
After an initial period of time
to see how students are interact-
ing with the Dots, the ITG will
continue to develop programs that
allow students to ask Alexa to file
a maintenance request or find out
what is for dinner at the local din-
ing hall.
On Feb. 7, students headed
over to the Glenn-Towers Con-
nector to pick up the Dots, learn
how to use the device and how
to install the Tech skill. Each
device was branded with Tech-
themed designs.
The ITG is not the only group
that can create programs to be
tested on the Dots. The presence
of the devices will allow anyone
interested in voice recognition or
intelligent technology to test their
own code.
Researchers and other depart-
ments on campus are interested in
utilizing the collection of Dots.
With any new technology,
concerns about privacy and secu-
rity are sure to arise. Pete and the
other members of ITG said that
they had taken these concerns
into account.
For one, the device can be trig-
gered to “wake up” with four dif-
ferent words, which means that
even if there are four students
living in a room, there will not be
confusion between devices. It is
also possible that as the technol-
ogy develops, the device will do
a better job at differentiating be-
tween voices.
According to Pete, the infor-
mation that the Dots can cur-
rently provide, like meal swipe
balance, is not especially sensi-
tive. However, as the interface
develops, more capabilities will be
added. Students might be able to
shut off certain capabilities when
they leave the room, or speak a
PIN number in order to confirm
their identity.
Town hall on research EVP
JONATHAN JEFFERY
STAFF WRITER
On Tuesday, Feb. 6, President
J.P. “Bud” Peterson and Provost
and Executive Vice President of
Academic Affairs Rafael Bras
hosted a town hall session to up-
date on the progress of the search
for a new Executive Vice President
(EVP) of research.
The EVP of research directs re-
search organizations across cam-
pus, including the Georgia Tech
Research Institute, and guides the
Institute’s hunt for the next large
interdisciplinary research oppor-
tunities — a position that requires
working at the intersection of
funding, policy and innovation.
“I want to make very, very
clear, this [search] is completely
open,” Bras emphasized. “We’re
going to be as inclusive and as
broad as possible.”
The EVP of research, the EVP
of academics and the EVP of fi-
nance and administration all di-
rectly report to President Peterson.
Together, the four form the Ex-
ecutive Leadership Team (ELT),
who make critical decisions that
steer the Institute’s future.
While there were “some long
discussions” about whether or
not the reporting hierarchy of the
ELT would change, “we’re main-
taining that same structure,” Pe-
terson said.
The new EVP will face the
challenge of expanding Tech’s re-
search in the face of stagnant fed-
eral funding resources from the
new administration.
“I think the past several years,
we’ve seen a flight to quality, and
that is united by 12 or 15 institu-
tions whose ... federal research
portfolio has grown substantially,”
Peterson said. “Fortunately, Geor-
gia Tech is among those. [There’s]
a whole of bunch of institutions
where that has gone down.”
Outside of support from the
Defense Department, federal
funding for research is not expect-
ed to continue to grow. In order
to combat that, Peterson said, an
increased effort will be made in
order to find industry-funded re-
search opportunities.
The role of the EVP of research
is more than just pursuing fund-
ing — it is about searching for
these opportunities.
“We need a person that thinks
big,” Bras said. “We need a person
that thinks strategically. I am cer-
tainly not interested in somebody
that just goes into details, because
there’s too many details for one
person to worry about.”
Predicting what technologies
will be best suited to spending
resources for research on is not
simple. One of the successes that
Peterson and Bras cited was how
Steve Cross, the current EVP of
research, helped to lead the facul-
ty recruitment and research devel-
opment that lead to the upcoming
Marcus Center for Therapeutic
Cell Characterization and Manu-
technique • February 9, 2018• 3
facturing, which will comprise
a large, multi-disciplinary group
housed in the Marcus Nanotech-
nology Building.
Instead of hiring a search firm,
the search committee decided to
conduct the search for a new EVP
of research directly, because the
candidates that rise to the fore will
most likely already be connected
to the academic world.
“This is a position that has a lot
of visibility among the academic
community,” Peterson said. “We
felt like we could move faster, and
that there will be a lot of attention
given the fact that this search is
underway.”
The committee is drawing
from experience gained in last
year’s search process for the dean
of engineering, where the Tech
faculty and staff were often found
to be a helpful source for deter-
mining promising candidates.
The EVP of research search com-
mittee is compiling a local list of
suggestions from the Tech com-
munity, and encourages people to
submit names.
“Chances are ... that the in-
dividual that will be selected is
somebody somebody here knows
well,” Bras said. “I urge every sin-
gle one of you to think deeply and
carefully, and go out and look in-
side and outside of Georgia Tech,
and come up and suggest things.”
The EVP of research is expect-
ed to be selected this summer, and
will begin their post starting in
the fall semester.
4 • February 9, 2018• technique
Lt. Gov. Cagle speaks to Tech students Cagle spent the first 20 min-
MADDIE BRUNING
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
During their weekly meeting
on Monday, Feb. 5, the Georgia
Tech chapter of College Republi-
cans hosted Republican guberna-
torial candidate Casey Cagle.
Having served as Lieutenant
Governor for 12 years, Casey
Cagle is seen as the frontrunner
in the Republican primary, which
will include Hunter Hill, Brian
Kemp, Clay Tippins and Michael
Williams.
Gubernatorial candidate and current Lt. Governor Casey Cagle smiles for the camera. Cagle,
a self-identified traditional republican, spoke to the College Republicans club Monday.
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH JOURNAL
Showcase, Present, and Inspire
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH @ GT
gttower.org
utes of his visit briefly explain-
ing his primary policy beliefs.
He touts a traditional Republican
platform, with cutting taxes and
wasteful spending, reducing regu-
lations and growing the economy
at the top of the list. He is also
“unwaveringly” pro-life and a
steadfast protector of the right to
bear arms. Yet Cagle spoke most
extensively on an issue facing At-
lanta now: infrastructure.
Cagle promised to work on a
10-year strategic plan to solve At-
lanta’s traffic problem. He offered
three potential fixes that seek to
expand the capacity of existing
structures. The first is to imple-
ment reversible lanes with move-
able barriers. A policy like this —
which has been applied in other
major cities like San Francisco
— would “use our given assets to
their greatest utility.”
His other idea is to construct a
tunnel to alleviate traffic from the
downtown connector, an idea that
received attention from the other
side of the aisle as well when dem-
ocrat Mary Norwood suggested
it last year during her campaign
Photo by Kirsten Reynolds Student Publications
for Atlanta mayor. Cagle admitted
that the tunneling would be ex-
traordinarily expensive — about
ten billion dollars — but said that
it is worth exploring. To solve
this issue, “we need to think in-
novatively, and as governor, I’ll do
that,” he said.
A final component of his in-
frastructure reform would be
MARTA. A number of commut-
ers are unable to fully rely on the
service due to the limited number
of locations with stops. Cagle em-
phasizes this point with respect
to business. Transit availability,
according to Cagle, is the single
most important prerequisite for
companies choosing a site, and
for industry giants like Ama-
zon to consider Atlanta, expan-
sion of MARTA would have to
be addressed.
For the rest of his visit, Cagle
received questions from the au-
dience, which included not just
Tech but also Georgia State and
Morehouse College republicans.
One subject was Cagle’s plan for
educational reform. His belief
is that the one-size-fits-all sys-
tem is ineffective, and he instead
promotes the charter system as
a solution. He also wants to em-
phasize that technical degrees are
as important as four-year degrees
and above.
“I believe there is dignity in
work — all work,” Cagle said.
He indicated that his reform
will aim to give students the op-
portunities to explore those av-
enues as well.
More controversial topics were
discussed in other questions. One
student asked for Cagle’s opinion
on expanding current campus
carry legislation, through which
licensed gun-owners are permit-
ted to bring firearms on college
campuses while concealed. Cagle,
though a staunch believer in the
// NEWS
second amendment, recognized
that “the university system is ada-
mantly opposed” to any further
legislation on the matter.
Another student asked for his
views on environmental regula-
tory policy. Cagle said that, as
governor, the decision would be
out of his hands, emphasizing
that the federal Environmental
Protection Agency and the state
Environmental Protection Divi-
sion work hand-in-hand on set-
ting that policy.
Though refraining from any
mention of climate change, he did
note his passion for land conser-
vation. “In every area, industry
has to exist, but we also have to
protect the environment,” he said.
“We have to find the balance —
that’s the tricky part.”
The only question to mention
any of his gubernatorial com-
petitors was aimed at the debate
surrounding Confederate monu-
ments. When asked how he felt
about democratic candidate Sta-
cey Abrams’ desire to remove the
Confederate memorial from the
face of Stone Mountain, Cagle
said, “We have a law that does
not allow local jurisdictions to
take away our history.” He then
pivoted to say that the dialogue
should focus more on “the future
and looking forward, not things
we have no control over.”
In closing, Cagle focused on
his idealistic roots. “A lot of peo-
ple might ask me who’s running
against me,” he said. “I want to tell
you all, I’m not running against
anyone for governor of Georgia.
I’m not running for a job or for
a title ... I’m running to make a
difference.”
The Georgia Tech College
Republicans meet every Monday
evening at 7 p.m. For more infor-
mation about their meeting times,
visit their Facebook page.
// NEWS
Data visualization lab sees increased use
MALLORY ROSTEN
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
After a soft opening in Novem-
ber, the data visualization lab is up
and running.
Located on the first floor of the
library, the lab consists of 10 data
visualization work stations and
two virtual reality stations, one of
which comes with an Oculus Rift.
The data work stations have mul-
tiple programs installed, the vast
majority of which are only acces-
sible in the lab.
So, what is data visualization?
Ximin Mi, the data visualization
librarian, explains it as a way “to
show abstract information, either
text or numbers, in a more visu-
ally understandable way in charts,
graphs or other graphics.”
The point is to help people
understand information better or
compress a lot of information in
a relatively small space for visual
learning,” Mi continues.
Students may be familiar with
all of the construction work and
“Pardon our Progress” signs sur-
rounding the library. The work
is only one part of Library Next,
which began in 2015. Paired with
the renovation of buildings is
the renovation of services offered
by it. The idea is that services
will fill the spaces once occupied
by books.
At the start of the project, the
library conducted a campus-wide
survey to find out what services
Sushi Happ y Hou r
HALF PRICE SUSHI ROLL MENU
Monday+ Wednesday
5 P. M . - 7 P. M .
1085 HOWELL MILL RD
ATLANTA,GA 30318
4 0 4 . 5 0 0 . 2 3 8 3
O-KUSUSHIATL.COM
technique • February 9, 2018• 5
students would like to have. Data where students are able to com- What Mi and the library have library event calendar page. From
visualization was at the top of plete projects as well as individual created will serve as more than 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., an instructor is
the list. research. The class is only in its solely a space for working on as- available in the lab in order to of-
Mi has seen a great deal of second semester currently, but al- signments and projects, however. fer assistance, and students may
need on campus in the short time ready a number of possibilities for The lab will additionally provide also schedule one-on-one research
the lab has been open. the future of the space are being a space for teaching to take place. consultations.
“There’s really a lot of need considered. This semester, the library is The data visualization lab is a
for an engineering-heavy cam- “My goal is to bring more en- hosting 15 workshop sessions reservation-only space. For more
pus,” Mi said. “A lot of peo- ergy here, to build a community teaching multiple data visualiza- information or to reserve a work-
ple want me to come talk to where they can work here and tion programs, which Tech stu- station, visit libguides.gatech.
a class or help with a research learn from each other,” Mi said. dents are able to register for on the edu/dataviz.
project.”
Yet the service is not exclusive
to engineering students. Some of
the tools, like Tableau, are also us-
able for students in social science
or humanities who may not have
a strong tech background. It is a
simple drag and drop. Others, like
D3, require coding knowledge,
making it more ideal to create
unique and specific graphics.
The space also includes gaming
tools. Unity, a free game design
engine, is provided. There is also a
hand control tool that can be used
for many interactive games avail-
able in the lab.
Mi hopes that the games will
lead students to something more.
“We want to expose students
to all the new technologies and
possibilities,” Mi said. “They don’t
have to be here for an assignment
but I hope that by the time they
leave they get something more
than just playing a game. Maybe
[playing games here] will make
them want to take some game de-
sign or VR development classes.” Photo by Casey Gomez Student Publications
To attain that goal, the lab cur- A student explores virtual reality in the data visualization lab in the library. The lab
rently hosts a VR research section, opened in November and has seen increasing use by students throughout campus.
Opinions
OPINIONS EDITOR: Zahra Khan technique

“
”
I been this way since Arthur was
anteater. — Chance The Rapper
February 9, 2018
6
Friday,

OUR VIEWS | Consensus Opinion YOUR VIEWS | Online Comments

Recreational cannabis bill introduced NCAA’s principles

Legalization could prove beneficial for all
I agree completely. The NCAA is a national disgrace and
Georgia state senator Curt Thompson, ately minorities and the law is often used embarrassment and has been for decades. Glad to see you
a Democrat from Tucker, recently intro- to discriminate against them. pointing out the tremendous hypocrisy in the UNC case.
duced a bill in the State Capitol for the But with legalization also comes the
legalization of recreational marijuana. It need for infrastructure to regulate the North Carolina essentially got away with the equivalent of fraud
is undoubtedly an unpopular viewpoint industry that will be created. Many banks on a massive scale, affecting both athletes and traditional
in the Capitol, considering that Georgia is do not offer their services to cannabis busi- students. And if they don’t do something with Michigan State,
largely a “red” state and traditionally the nesses, citing federal law that claims the even with the horses being out of the barn, why are they even
conservative stance is to oppose drug le- drug is on par with cocaine and heroin. in existence??
galization. Although some banks in states where it has
However, marijuana legalization could been legalized are open to dealing with the
potentially bring a lot of positive change industry, cannabis legalization — or at Bob Clyburn
to Georgia and Atlanta. In the most recent the very least decriminalization — needs
mayoral election for the state’s capital, to happen on a national scale rather than TOP SLIVERS
candidates frequently talked about crime, state-by-state in order for the market
safety and the state of the law in Atlanta. to transition swiftly and be taxed. Tax
Legalizing the drug could lead to a reduc- revenues from sales could then go to edu- Didn’t have one but thesis work is not moving forward. Does the
tion in crime, as it gets rid of the black mar- cation and transportation spending in Technique ever care about graduate students?
ket surrounding the sale of marijuana, and Georgia.
allows cities to divert their law enforce- The decriminalization of cannabis
ment resources towards other, greater on a federal level may still be far off, and Mason you’re in a coma, wake up
threats to society and safety of citizens. Georgia is likely to reject a bill that legalizes
Those who are caught for the use and recreational use but such actions are nev-
sale of marijuana are also disproportion- ertheless indicative of a positive trend.
The more robberies in home park, the better my chance of rent
The Consensus Opinion reflects the majority opinion of the Editorial Board of the not going up.
Technique, but not necessarily the opinions of individual editors.

technique editorial board dude just tried to roll a joint using a dryer sheet; like bro your
Brighton Kamen EDITOR-IN-CHIEF breath gonna smell fresh
David Raji MANAGING EDITOR
Lauren Douglas DESIGN EDITOR
Casey Miles NEWS EDITOR Zahra Khan OPINIONS EDITOR
Money is theoretical, especially the fiat currency of the United
Samira Bandaru LIFE EDITOR Monica Jamison ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
Harsha Srishar SPORTS EDITOR Casey Gomez PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR States, which is backed by lies.
Tristen Allen WEB DEVELOPER Zoie Konneker ONLINE EDITOR
Elizabeth Sit HEAD COPY EDITOR Beatrice Domingo LAYOUT EDITOR
Think about it. If we listened to reader feedback, we wouldn’t
THE NEW DAILY DIGEST BY TONY WU have a sports section.

cause of death: sriracha inhalation

if our reality tv star president can’t figure it out, our military

probably shouldn’t have it

email managing.editor@nique.net with potential dog names

Write to us: are responses to or commentaries on

opinions@nique.net
Got something to say? Then let
your voice be heard with the Tech-
nique. Sliver at Nique.net, tweet us
@the_nique or check us out on Face-
book at facebook.com/thenique. We
want to hear your opinion and want
to make it known to all of campus.
We also 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.
Each week we look for letters that
content found within the pages of the
Technique. Along with these letters,
we are open to receiving letters that
focus on relevant issues that currently
affect Georgia Tech as a university, in-
cluding its campus and student body.
When submitting letters we ask
that you include your full name, year
(1st, 2nd, etc.) and major. We ask that
letters be thought provoking, well
written and in good taste. We reserve
the right to both reject or edit letters
for length and style.
For questions, comments or con-
cern, contact the Opinions Editor at
opinions@nique.net.
// OPINIONS
WILL FINCH
STAFF WRITER
Washington D.C. is em-
anating in irony as the gov-
ernment crawls toward the
possibility of yet another
shutdown; the commander-
in-chief is welcoming the
signal of political gridlock
if there is no immigration
deal barely a week after his
call for cooperation in Con-
gress. But this method of
negotiating by ultimatum is
not unique to the president.
On the contrary, this lat-
est development epitomizes
the type of partisan politics
that have and will continue
to plague our nation and its
representatives. Democracy
depends on compromise
resulting from vigorous
debate, but with parties
becoming increasingly po-
larized, cooperation is be-
coming increasingly less
possible.
This reflects just how
much society has embraced
ideological polarization. In
2014, the overall share of
Americans who expressed
consistently conservative or
consistently liberal opinions
doubled over the previous
two decades from 10 to
21 percent. That number
continues to rise as social
media contributes more to
the consumption of news.
This is because the internet
allows conservative and lib-
technique
Technique
eral bubbles to form around
their respective commu-
nities and reinforce view-
points that promote one
perspective better than the
other. There are few abso-
lutes in public policy, but
neither side will back down
from a pointless ideological
competition.
Policies meant to be im-
proved and passed through
debate have seen none of it
— neither side considers the
“It takes two to do the
bipartisanship tango,
but the incentive isn’t
present in such a toxic
atmosphere.”
other legitimate. Labels of
“fake news” or conspiracy
as an attempt to smear the
opposing side only contin-
ues to rattle the cage and
widen the divide between
democrats and republicans.
This is evident in the recent
memo battle on capitol hill
and has the potential of
undermining the virtue of
government.
The only fledgling of
hope rests in how the Re-
publican Party reacts to
their leader’s increasingly
bold tactics in office. If
republicans wise up and
Flags Bldg 137 Writers, •Designers, Photographers
“Has the modern-day two-party
system of government failed?”
Two polar parties make it easier for voters to
choose, but it may lead to ideological divisions
distance themselves from
Trump’s falling approval
ratings, then the new party
could cooperate with the
other side of the aisle. But
because party dominance
has become one of the main
facets of political platforms,
once achieved, there is little
to no incentive to listen to
the minority party.
Democrats did this at
the beginning of Obama’s
first term, and Republicans
are doing it now. It takes
two to do the bipartisan-
ship tango, but the incen-
tive is not present in such a
toxic ecosystem.
Our voting system is
complex — democracy is
most successful when we
are striving toward putting
the state of the country
before differences. Further-
more, George Washington
warned that political fac-
tions would lead to the “ru-
ins of liberty.” A quarter of
a millennium later, party
advantage or superiority is
worth more than represent-
ing constituents. Acts such
as gerrymandering and the
delegitimization of facts
are damnable evidence of
democracy at its worse —
a condition not specific to
Trump’s Washington, but
to a relatively new age of
government. Bipartisanship
is nearly extinct in mod-
ern political discourse, and
nothing short of disaster
will change that.
Join the
SAIF KABARITI
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Throughout history, the
people chose to select their
best to act as their represen-
tatives. Selecting a person
that they think represents
their views and ethics,
their culture and heritage,
their needs and wants in
the best possible light to a
republic. They called these
representatives their lead-
ers, because they not only
represented them, but they
also governed and guided
them towards the temporal
promised lands.
Unfortunately, these
days, the people have been
struggling to find and elect
such a person — a repre-
sentative that represents all
their diverse views, some-
one that gets all their voices
heard. They feel trapped in
a two party system which
constricts their plethora
of ideas into a very narrow
outlook, as if they are abid-
ing sheep silenced by the
two big black wolves.
Due to the dominance
of these two great influenc-
ing powers, a fight between
them for the throne began,
creating a sort of an inter-
nal war between democrats
and republicans where the
causalities are the people’s
voices. As a citizen chooses
to commit to one party, this
means he or she is align-
technique • February 9, 2018• 7
ing all his or her views and
opinions with that of the
party’s. Which in one way
or another can be a tragedy,
because this means that 50
or more percent of opinions
are being lost. Not to forget,
it requires great compro-
mise on the citizen’s part, to
which in the long run can
lead him or her being com-
pletely unrepresented.
And as for the citizens
who choose to completely
“ ... with the current
system in place, the
majority hold absolute
control over everything
and the minorities are
being pushed to the
side to spectate.”
align their views with that
of their party’s, they begin
to despise the other side,
creating a distorted world-
view where everything
seems to have only two ap-
proaches, only two answers,
a sort of a yin and a yang,
good versus evil, liberal
versus conservative. And
within this binary outlook,
we have seen time and again
that the fine line separating
moderation and extremism
gradually fades away.
Thus, is the solution to
diversify the party’s con-
stituents’ views? Or is it to
diversify the number of rep-
resentative parties? In my
opinion, it should be the
latter. Why? Simply because
with a greater number of
parties a more diverse set of
non-dominating ideologies
are existent within a politi-
cal arena, and the influence
of each party is reduced.
This creates a representa-
tive government. No more
majority rule and minority
rights, but rather everyone
rules with equal rights. Vot-
ers may no longer be forced
to choose the lesser evil, but
rather vote for a party that
represents their stance in
the political spectrum.
Some could say that
the majority should rule
because they represent the
greatest percentage of a
population, which is true,
but unfortunately, with the
current system in place, the
majority hold absolute con-
trol over everything and the
minorities are being pushed
to the side to spectate. Con-
gress is perpetually at a
standstill and parties often
only exist to block each oth-
er’s bills rather than repre-
sent the views of those who
voted them in.
So, in conclusion, the
need for more parties is
a given, but the pressing
question is: how can we es-
tablish a party that is strong
enough to make a place for
itself between these two gi-
ants?
8 • February 9, 2018• technique
Emotion-filled advertisements: Gendered language’s
ineffective and vapid bias against females
I remember being taught
about the three modes of persua-
sion in my high school English
class. Essentially, there are ethos,
logos and pathos, where ethos
is an ethical appeal, logos is a
logical appeal and pathos is an
emotional appeal.
We were taught that logos is
the best way to persuade someone
because it is based on reason. You
establish yourself as credible and
your argument stands up better.
Advertising can be seen as a meth-
od of persuasion. There is a com-
pany behind the ad that is trying
to persuade you to buy their prod-
uct, be it food, cars, insurance or
an app.
I like to think I am pretty im-
mune to advertising at this stage in
my life. I have AdBlocker for my
browser and annoying pop-ups
are a thing of the past. Streaming
services, like Hulu, play with lim-
ited commercials and I can usu-
ally tune them out until the show
returns. If I am playing a game on
my phone and an ad comes up, I
watch the corner for the little ‘X’
to pop up rather than watching
the ad itself. I think in general
people do not like ads, which is
why we have got all these methods
to get around them.
Then, something like the Super
Bowl comes around, and people
enjoy watching these ads. It has
become sort of a pop-culture
phenomenon to watch the com-
mercials in the Super Bowl. Since
there are so many viewers, the ad-
vertising slots are more expensive,
and companies put more effort
and money into their commer-
cials. In turn, the commercials get
hyped up and can often be heard
the next day in conversation right
next to the football game itself.
COLLEGE DAY
thursdays | 2 pm- 10 pm
Join us every Thursday at Chick-fil-A West Midtown and
receive a FREE Medium Waffle Fry with your College ID.
Offer valid only at Chick-fil-A West Midtown rom 8/24/17-5/3/18 from 2:00pm-10:00pm. One offer per customer. Not valid with any other offer. Offer valid while sup-
plies last. Closed Sundays. Ask Restaurant for details. Chick-fil-A®,Chick-fil-AStylized®,andTheChick-fil-ACows® are registered trademarks of CFA Properties,Inc.
commercial and not even
know what it is for until
they flash the company
The trend with these hyped up
commercials seems to be that they
make emotional appeals to the
audience. Whether it is a phone
company ad full of babies or a
commercial about families that is
actually about a car brand, the fo-
cus is on the emotion. Sometimes
this focus leads to funny com-
mercials or heart-wrenching ones,
but these are the commercials
that often catch our eyes and hold
our attention.
The problem is that these at-
tention-grabbing stories offer little
to tell us why we should buy the
item. You can watch a full com-
mercial and not even know what it
is for until they flash the company
name next to their product in the
last five seconds. As a consumer,
this makes me less interested in
the product. Why would I want a
specific car brand if a commercial
tells me nothing about it?
Part of the problem is that logi-
cal appeals are often boring. I do
not care how many awards your
car has and I am not interested
in the statistics. This is especially
true of viewers who are skeptical,
which many of us naturally are.
I do not know the basis of the
award or how you got your statis-
tics, so I cannot trust them. You
are going to make the studies and
surveys say whatever you want to,
Chick-fil-A West Midtown
(404) 249-2491 • 1100 Northside Dr.
www.facebook.com/cfawestmidtown
“You can watch a full
name ... ”
HANNA WARLICK
ASSISTANT LIFE EDITOR
and I am sure that nine out of ten
dentists recommend it.
The other part of the problem
is that logos appeals do not work
particularly well when the prod-
ucts are all essentially the same.
Cars, toothpastes and phones all
do the same job. While there are
differences between the products,
there is usually not enough of a
difference to get across in a 30
second ad spot.
So what is the solution? There
is not one really. Advertisers will
keep churning out ads because
they work. They will keep de-
veloping ways to get people to
pay attention to them. Just look
at social media platforms like
Facebook and Instagram that
show you “suggested posts” dis-
guised to at first look like some-
thing your friend shared (but
often are based on your previous
internet searches).
Advertising is not inherently
bad. We live in a consumer-based
society and ads open our eyes to
what is out there. But at the same
time, ads could be more effective
by appealing less to emotion and
more to logic in order to create a
solid customer base. With techno-
logical advancements, who knows
— maybe we will be seeing ads for
products before we even think we
need them.
// OPINIONS
The first Monday back from be more like men. This happens
winter break I attended a na- so often that it is almost unnotice-
tional championship party at a able, and women learn to ignore
friend’s apartment. I knew the and accept their circumstances.
game was going to be intense, Even the way our culture in-
the snacks would be top-notch sults men versus women rein-
and I was going to be the only forces an inherently sexist hierar-
woman at a party of thirty people. chy. Insults attributed to women
Being completely surrounded directly attack their personality
by men is a fairly normal occur- and actions, while insults attrib-
rence for me, and I have learned uted to men attack their moth-
to become comfortable in similar ers or their mother’s actions.
situations. I have always been the When someone calls me
type of girl who “dude” or “bro,” I
had a lot of guy
friends, which
“Even the way our am left awkwardly
trying to decide
turns out to be an culture insults men whether I should
asset as a woman
at Tech. Because versus women say something to
call out my friends
I enjoy watching reinforces an inherently or just accept their
football and hang-
ing out with the sexist hierarchy.” misguided words.
I never want to
guys, I often have come across as
interactions with LAUREN DOUGLAS rude or uncaring
my male friends DESIGN EDITOR towards someone
where they at- whose intentions
tempt to compliment me by say- are true, and if I corrected every
ing, “You are such a bro, Lauren,” person who elevated me based on
typically followed by a fist bump. my more masculine personality
It means a lot to me that traits, I would become a preachy,
my male friends feel comfort- angry woman. However, I think
able around me and want me it is infinitely more important to
to feel included, but there is a cultivate an environment where
huge problem with this particu- women are valued for who they
lar phrase: I am not actually a are instead of for their confor-
bro. In a world dominated by mity to male stereotypes. In order
men, it is easy for people to for- to make strides forward, women
get that I am indeed a woman. need to be more comfortable
I understand that my friends speaking up when we feel deval-
mean well, but when men attri- ued because of our gender. Men
bute male gendered compliments need to begin dialogues with
to women, they are in essence their female friends and begin
saying that women are more valu- to make changes in language to
able because they possess more foster a more inclusive environ-
stereotypically masculine quali- ment. Language shapes the way
ties. It is not intentional, but at we see and process the world, and
its core, this creates a hierarchy using gender-neutral language
where women can be elevated or to compliment others opens up
demoted because they appear to space for everyone to contribute.
// OPINIONS
Where our call-out culture
succeeds and fails
The social justice movement
has worked to bring awareness
and solutions to issues of race,
ethnicity, social class and gender,
among others. One hallmark of
the social justice movement is
call-out culture, where someone
publicly condemns an individual
or group for speaking or acting
out of prejudice.
This behavior includes any-
thing from a Facebook post nam-
ing someone’s abuser, to hashtags
like #MeToo, to calls to boycott a
certain brand for racist advertis-
ing. The overwhelming majority
of call-out interactions take place
over social media, creating both
an international stage for a large-
scale audience and a permanent
record of someone’s wrongdoing
and the reactions it caused.
Call-out culture, when used ef-
fectively, brings attention to prob-
lematic behaviors and holds peo-
ple accountable for their actions.
For example, the actors describing
their horrifying experiences with
producer Harvey Weinstein cast
light on how authority figures can
exploit their influence and how
women face sexual harassment
and assault from those in power.
Weinstein is not first or last
person whose reputation suffers
“Activism should never be
a contest for who is more
educated or enlightened.”
BRIGHTON KAMEN
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
the consequences of unethical and
appalling behavior, and publicly
condemning homophobic, trans-
phobic, sexist and racist actions
forces other people to examine
what they say and why they say it.
However, due to the scale of
reactions it causes, call-out cul-
ture runs the risk of dispropor-
tionate retribution. For example,
using call-out culture to rain fire
on someone who is merely misin-
formed undermines the purpose
of social justice and activism it-
self. Doxxing teenagers who are
just starting to become educated
on social issues creates more prob-
lems than it solves. Dredging up
old posts and quotes from years
ago to decry someone as problem-
atic when they no longer speak or
act that way does nothing to ac-
knowledge that people grow and
change.
This is not to say that victims of
oppression need to play nice with
those who wrong them, nor is it
a marginalized person’s responsi-
bility to inform every person who
missteps.
Every person has a right to be
frustrated and furious with con-
sistent unfair treatment for their
race, gender, sexuality or any
other characteristic — that is why
activists express outrage and fight
for a solution. There is, however,
a detrimental effect in creating a
tense, toxic environment where
those who wish to fight too are
afraid to speak up and ask ques-
tions.
Some activists advise doing
what they term a “call-in,” which
is privately taking someone aside
and explaining what they did
wrong without attracting atten-
tion to the issue itself. Call-ins
are more effective than call-outs
when the person is speaking from
a place of genuine cluelessness or
confusion, not malice, and is will-
ing to improve themselves and
their behavior.
The key is knowing when a
call-out is appropriate and when
pulling someone aside and edu-
cating them is the better approach
— a call-in, for instance, would
not have worked on Harvey Wein-
stein or other public figures. Peo-
ple who are new to social justice
may not have all the facts right
away, and publicly shaming them
erodes trust within the social jus-
tice community. Activism should
never be a contest for who is more
educated or enlightened.
To bring society forward, it
does take passionate, purposeful
activists who fight for what they
believe in, but it also takes those
in the center, who are not as pas-
sionate but will join a cause when
they understand its importance.
It is not fair to assume people are
born woke.
It is not reasonable to expect
people to be perfect every time.
And it is wrong to turn educat-
ing people on serious issues into a
competition for who can call out
the worst in others.
Falcon Heavy rocket
SpaceX managed to land
two of the three boosters used
to test launch their new “Fal-
con Heavy” rocket earlier this
week, a feat appreciated by
many in the aerospace com-
munity. Despite the loss of
the third booster, the success
that SpaceX did see serves to
bolster the believability of re-
usable spaceflight, which is a
major goal of Elon Musk, the
founder, CEO and lead de-
signer of the company.
Eagles win Superbowl
Ever since last year, many
an Atlanta Falcons fan have
been patiently waiting for Tom
Brady, along with the rest of
the Patriots, to get their come-
uppance. And although Atlan-
ta was eventually discharged
from the NFL playoffs by
the Philadelphia Eagles, that
team went on to deliver the
pimp-slap that Brady’s team
so desperately deserved in the
biggest game of them all, the
Super Bowl.
technique • February 9, 2018• 9
Snapchat update
Snapchat, everyone’s fa-
vorite picture messaging app,
has undergone a rather drastic
change to its user interface in
the past week after an update.
Those familiar with swiping
left to get to friends’ stories
will surely be confused by the
new layout. Now, friends are
all organized on the page that
is accessed by swiping to the
right, with a system that in-
volves having to click on small
circles to see snap stories.
North Ave residents
Access has now been
changed to the North Avenue
Apartments complex gymna-
sium. This has come about due
to incidents in which people
not from the Tech community
have been gaining access to the
gym buildings, resulting in re-
ported fights and thefts. The
changes involve the complex
closing between the hours of
midnight and 6:00 a.m., and
are aimed at increasing the
safety for Tech residents.
Life
Series on refugee crisis educates community
BOBBY GUILD
STAFF WRITER
Several recent domestic and
international political events have
led to an influx of refugees in na-
tions around the world. It is easy
to become isolated from this issue,
get caught in daily living and for-
get that life is different and often
difficult for many outside of Tech.
In an effort to bring awareness
to the struggles refugees face to
college communities and build
empathy among students, sib-
lings Matthew and Natalie Tik-
honovsky started the series “Walk
a Campus in My Shoes.”
While many things can be
done to aid refugees, it all starts
with educating and empowering
those who have the ability to help.
With this in mind, the Tik-
honovsky siblings set out to affect
change by doing just that.
“The goal of the movement is
to de-mystify and debunk com-
mon misconceptions surround-
ing the refugee crisis and also to
mobilize college students to get
involved with refugee relief efforts
in their local communities,” said
Matthew Tikhonovsky.
By partnering with the Mus-
lim Student Organization (MSA)
and the College Democrats, two
Tech student-run organizations,
the campaign was able to work to
accomplish its goal.
Through a poster series that
took place on Skiles Walkway
from Jan. 23 to Jan. 25 and
through the MSA bake sale, stu-
dents were able to learn about the
refugee crisis and better under-
stand the vetting process, while
also being given an immediate
way to get involved.
“Through the poster series we
were able to educate hundreds of
Rye speaks at Black History Month lecture
ROSEMARY PITRONE
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
On Wednesday, Feb. 7, mem-
bers of the Tech community and
beyond celebrated Black History
Month by attending the Insti-
tute’s Fifth Annual Black History
Month Lecture featuring speaker
Angela Rye.
The theme of this year’s Black
History Month at Tech is “Giv-
ing Voice to Justice for 50 Years,”
referencing the 50th Anniversary
of the assassination of Martin Lu-
ther King Jr. and the subsequent
founding of the African Ameri-
can Student Union (AASU) at
Tech. The lecture was sponsored
by AASU in partnership with the
Office of Institute Diversity.
The guest speaker, Angela Rye
— who serves as principal and
CEO of IMPACT Strategies and
is both a political commentator
for CNN and political analyst
for NPR — began her lecture by
noting that because Black His-
tory Month takes place during
the shortest month of the year, she
would speak about the #MeToo
LIFE EDITOR: technique
Samira Bandaru Tips and Tricks
ASSISTANT LIFE EDITOR:
Hanna Warlick
With Valentine’s Day around the corner, new love is bud- 10
Friday,
ding. The Technique offers some advice on how to make
life@nique.net that new relationship last.411 February 9, 2018
students about the refugee crisis student activism and witnessing dents that they can contribute to come together to create a solution
and, hopefully, debunk some of firsthand how passionate Tech refugee relief efforts in Clarkston, — steps which were catalyzed
their misconceptions surround- students are about contributing to which, just 15 miles from Tech, through this poster series.
ing the vetting process,” Tik- refugee relief efforts both at home is home to over 40,000 refugees The work of the campaign has
honovsky said. “Also, to give stu- and abroad.” from all over the world,” com- not ended even though the series
dents an immediate way to get While it is difficult to quantify mented Tikhonovsky of the im- at Tech is over.
involved, GT’s MSA ran a refugee the effects of the series on such a pact of the poster series on the Next week, “Walk a Cam-
relief bake sale, which raised over global and widespread issue, the refugee crisis. pus in My Shoes” will head to
$350 to benefit refugees in the campaign certainly did plenty to Engaging in the conversa- Vanderbilt and is scheduled to be
Bay Area.” increase the awareness of students tion and understanding the tools displayed at Yale, Columbia and
In addition to this, the poster and to begin a conversation about which can affect change are the William & Mary in the near fu-
series was able to educate students the refugee crisis. first steps that need to be taken ture where more students will be
about how to get involved lo- “At the end of the day, I believe if the community, on both a given the tools to get involved and
cally in both Atlanta and nearby the poster series showed Tech stu- collegiate and global scale, is to work for change.
Clarkston.
“At Tech, we went one step
further by advertising specific
opportunities in the Atlanta and
Clarkston areas for students to get
involved, including by interning
at World Relief Atlanta or tutor-
ing refugee children through Pa-
per Airplanes,” said Tikhonovsky.
Throughout the course of the
poster series, students interacted
with the volunteers and engaged
in a meaningful conversation
about the crisis. Tikhonovsky be-
lieves the event helped to foster a
better understanding of the issue.
“Many students I talked to
were surprised to learn about the
resettlement and vetting process-
es, including that refugees must
repay their travel loans and that,
on average, the vetting process
takes 18 years,” he said.
Furthermore, he believes that
the event had a positive impact
on campus and was surprised by
the willingness of students to take
time out of their day to educate
themselves and contribute to help-
ing the global community.
“Although I was only on
campus for one day, all of the
student feedback I received was
extremely positive and hundreds
of students expressed interest in Photo courtesy of Matthew Tikhonovsky
getting involved,” he said. “I en- Students table on Skiles Walkway, hosting a bake sale for the poster series “Walk a Campus
joyed experiencing Tech’s vibrant in My Shoes.” The series seeks to de-mystify misconceptions surrounding the refugee crisis.
movement as requested, but re- Fair Housing Act was passed and Another common thread wo- state of the struggle, not just for
minded the audience that her lec- signed into law. Folks were ques- ven through her lecture involved women’s rights, but black wom-
ture would focus more on black tioning the relevance of SCLC Sojourner Truth’s famous “Ain’t en’s rights.”
history, stating, “I think it’s really and Dr. King after all of that.” I a Woman?” speech. Rye read Rye also addressed the current
important that we don’t erase our She turned to this speech as part of Truth’s poem of the same political climate, noting that 53
blackness in the short month that a framework for discussing the name, and concluded by posing percent of white women voted for
we have.” theme of “Giving Voice to Justice the question, “Well, I wonder Donald Trump and explaining
Throughout her lecture, she for 50 Years,”: “We can’t move what Sojourner would say today? I the double standard she has wit-
discussed some of the themes ahead if we don’t understand wonder how she would instruct us nessed in regards to the way that
from Martin Luther King Jr.’s where we’ve been,” Rye said. given our discord and the current See HISTORY, page 12
1967 “Where Do We Go From
Here: Chaos or Community?”
speech.
“One of the most interesting
things to me about this speech
is [Dr. King] takes a moment
to kind of deliver a State of the
Union of SCLC — the Southern
Christian Leadership Confer-
ence,” Rye said. “He’s trying to
talk to the audience about why
SCLC still matters — about why
it’s relevant — after the Montgom-
ery Bus Boycotts, after he wrote
the Letter from the Birmingham
Jail, after the passage of the 1964
Civil Rights act — which would
not have happened without the
pressure from Dr. King and his
allies. This is after 1965 Voting Photo by Samta Brahmbhatt Student Publications
Rights Act was signed into law, Earlier this week, many individuals from the Tech community gathered to attend Tech’s Fifth
and this was right before the 1968 Annual Black History Month Lecture. This year’s event featured guest speaker Angela Rye.
// LIFE
Making major
decisions
KAMIL RAHHALI
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Choosing a major is hard. It is
a big choice that will influence the
course of your life forever — or at
least for a couple years until you
change your major or graduate.
The most popular majors at
Tech are of course within the Col-
lege of Engineering. To get a bet-
ter idea of the persistent popular-
ity of engineering, the Technique
spoke with several first-year engi-
neering students.
“I chose ME because it was
broad and I could apply it to a
variety of careers,” said Clay Mor-
rison, first-year ME. “I was origi-
nally quite indecisive about my
major and was afraid of limiting
my options, so the versatility of
the ME major fit me perfectly ...
I remember listening to a spokes-
person from the ME department
during my COE freshman ori-
entation class talking about how
a lot of ME students at Georgia
Tech end up going to medical
school or law school afterwards,
and that just really convinced me
that anything is possible with an
ME degree and that, by choosing
ME, I would not be limiting my
options at all.”
Phillip Holloway, first-year
ME, had a simpler reason for his
major choice: “Because I like it.”
Sometimes, choosing a major
is as easy as knowing what you
already know you are passion-
ate about. In the case of Uttoreo
Saha, first-year AE, he chose his
major because he loves space.
“When I was really young, I
witnessed a meteor shower and
was both fascinated and mysti-
fied by it. I found myself think-
ing, ‘Woah, what is that,’ and I’ve
been trying to get closer to space
ever since. Learning about space,
I realized the only major that re-
ally connected people to space was
aerospace.
“I am using aerospace as my
point of contact into the space
world and industry, hoping I can
one day make major contributions
to research on outer space, maybe
even falling into my childhood
dream of being an astronaut.”
Saha offered advice for those
who are still undecided.
“Enjoy the freedom you have
now,” he said. “Once you choose
and begin working down a track,
you won’t really be able to explore
other subjects. I wish I still had
that leeway to explore, so make
the most of trying things out
while you still have the chance.”
Often, students come to Tech
not knowing what they want to
major in. Sarah Saltiel, fourth-
year PUBP, shared how she ended
up in her major.
“I was originally actually an
industrial engineer. I switched to
public policy though because I
did not want to consult — that’s
one of the major applications for
an IE major — and I wasn’t re-
ally enjoying the content either,
Saltiel said. “It’s really hard to be
studying something if you’re dis-
interested, and my real interest
had always been in educational
reform, so it just made sense to
choose public policy.”
She added on, “Don’t rush,
[and] don’t feel pressured” into
A student fills out his change of major form. The form requires
signatures from both your former and new major department.
technique • February 9, 2018• 11
choosing a major without enough
thought and conviction.
Isabel Jaffoni, first-year IE,
also gave similar advice when it
comes to choosing a major.
“Pick something you will like
because Tech is already a tough
school and it will only be harder
if you are not enjoying what you
are studying. I would take my first
semester to feel out different types
of courses, just to see how you feel
about doing work in the subject.”
Having recently switched ma-
jors, Jaffoni spoke on what made
her transition to Industrial Engi-
neering from Math.
See MAJOR, page 13
New
relationships
ALEX KLEMENTIEV
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Dating someone new is both
exciting and confusing. “Does
this person like me back?” “Am I
going to be happy?” “Am I doing
it right?” Dating is like trying to
buy a pair of shoes. Sometimes,
going online is what gets the job
done. Others, window shopping
does the trick. Occasionally you
get lucky on a quick trip to the
mall and stumble on the pair that
fits just right.
SET LIMITS
As with any relationship, set-
ting boundaries is necessary. This
includes how often texts are sent,
where both parties feel comfort-
able going and what either person
Photo by Casey Gomez Student Publications feels comfortable doing with their
partner. Both extremes of being
See TIPS, page 12
12 • February 9, 2018• technique
HISTORY FROM PAGE 10
Barack Obama was treated during
his tenure as President. She ad-
dressed the allegations of sexual
assault against Trump, asking, “I
just wonder — speaking of “Me
Too” — how “Me Too” didn’t
get him too?” With this in mind,
she provided several examples of
modern black women experienc-
ing their own “Ain’t I a Woman”
moments.
“[The president] is trying to
put you in a position where your
access to birth control is so lim-
ited,” Rye said. “‘Don’t I have the
right to learn? Don’t I have a right
to decide what is best for my own
black body? It’s 2018, and ain’t I a
woman?’”
She addressed several other
well-known black women and
specific moments of discrimina-
tion and oppression that have
been prominently featured in the
news, such as Kamala Harris be-
ing interrupted by John McCain
during her questioning of the At-
torney General Jeff Sessions.
Rye said of that moment, “Ka-
mala Harris had to be thinking,
‘Ain’t I a lawyer? And ain’t I a
woman?’” Similarly, when Bill
O’Reilly likened Congresswoman
Maxine Waters’ hair to that of
James Brown, Rye stated: “In her
case: ‘Ain’t I fully capable of get-
ting to the bottom of ‘Russiagate’?
And ain’t I a woman?’”
Rye also noted the significant
role of black women in organiz-
ing Women’s Marches across the
country, and the importance of
considering the racism and sex-
ism involved in the 2016 presiden-
tial campaign in regards to black
women.
“As a people — black folks —
we have to reclaim our power,”
Rye said. She referenced her own
role as a political commentator,
and explained how she persists
through the challenging as-
pects of being a black woman in
that role.
“When I consider the many
black women throughout his-
tory who have blazed trails, who
opened doors, who persisted and
resisted — before we knew that
was a thing — I pull from their
strength,” Rye said. “I’m not do-
ing anything new. I get to stand
on their shoulders. We get to
stand on their shoulders. Ain’t I
a woman?”
Towards the end of her lecture,
Rye referenced Dr. King’s 1967
speech, arguing that the oppressed
calling for justice is not effective
without already having power.
She describes how Dr. King spoke
about power in his speech.
“He defines power in the most
compelling way that I’ve ever
seen,” Rye explained. “He defines
power as the ability to achieve
purpose. If you can’t achieve your
purpose, does it matter if you get
dealt with fairly?”
Rye then called for the audience
to consider the difference between
equality versus equity, arguing
equity is necessary to account for
Angela Rye, principal and CEO of IMPACT Strategies and political commentator and political analyst
for NPR, spoke at Tech’s fifth annual Black History Month Lecture in the student center ballroom.
deficiencies created by oppression,
which she defined as “power de-
signed to keep you from achieving
your purpose.”
“We have been asking for jus-
tice and equality when we should
be telling you we need equity and
power,” Rye said.
She further asserted the insuf-
ficiency of discussion alone.
“We don’t have the choice any-
more to talk about our activism
as optional, our political engage-
ment as optional ... all of those
things are required,” she said.
“We really might as well get used
to working to truly change our
circumstances. That is our only
path forward.”
Rye concluded her lecture with
a call and response that honored
black activists and politicians
such as Tarana Burke, creator of
the #MeToo movement, congress-
women Kamala Harris and Max-
ine Waters and finally, Sojourner
Truth.
Rye proclaimed: “Ain’t I Still a
Woman: 2018.”
Photo by Samta Brahmbhatt Student Publications
Following Rye’s impassioned
talk, Tech’s Institute Diversity
Vice President Archie Ervin de-
livered his closing remarks. After
thanking Rye for her passion-
ate words, he announced to the
audience a welcome addition to
Tech’s campus.
“This April the fifth, we will
unveil a sculpture of Ms. Rosa
Parks, to be dedicated on Harri-
son Square,” said Ervin.
He commented on the impact
of the statue.
“Many of us who grew up in
the shadows of the tremendous,
horrific experiences of [Rosa
Parks’] times, it’s a real thing to
us; so, for Georgia Tech to make
this installation on Harrison
Square is a very huge accomplish-
ment,” Ervin said.
This announcement served as a
poignant closing to the powerful
event.
For more information about-
Tech’s AASU Black History
Month events, go to gtaasu.org/
events.
// LIFE
TIPS FROM PAGE 11
too open or completely closed in
a new relationship are inappropri-
ate levels of interaction. As the
relationship develops, more time
can be spent with the other per-
son — limits and boundaries are
organic and capable of adaptation
and change. However, in a new re-
lationship, it is important to con-
sciously think about your personal
limits and boundaries.
DON’T WORRY
The simple question “Will I
marry this person tomorrow?”
can alleviate a lot of unnecessary
worrying. If the answer is “no,”
then worrying or not worrying
will make no difference on the
outcome. It is understandable
that one might be worried if their
partner is not on the same page.
Excessive worrying, however, does
not help at all and may actually
hinder the relationship.
HAVE A LIFE
Sometimes things get hectic
and stressful. Sometimes the sun
is shining and everything is going
great. No matter what, at the end
of the day, you have got yourself.
In a new relationship it is im-
portant to remain independent
and not get swept away with feel-
ings of infatuation. Working out,
grabbing lunch with friends, go-
ing to work and even watching
favorite shows are all activities
you can still do alone. Under no
circumstance should a new rela-
tionship make you feel the need
to sacrifice your independence. A
new relationship should enhance
your life, not hold you back.
New relationships can bring
happiness in the form of feelings
of security and love. The key to
starting out is not about taking
it slow or fast. It is about find-
ing balance through boundaries,
establishing feelings of security
by not worrying and most impor-
tantly, simply going with the flow.
// LIFE
MAJORS FROM PAGE 11
“I chose my major because I
was interested in it and I like to
follow my interests like anyone
else would,” she said. “Industrial
Engineering sounded interesting
and practical. It sounded like it
involved a lot of the type of math
I like too, so it was making itself a
pretty appealing choice.”
The general theme is that your
major should be based on previ-
ous background and interests.
Tyler Cochran, first-year MT, was
no exception.
“I have a strong background
in music,” he said. “It’s my main
interest that I’ve put a lot of time
into, so it was natural to make it
my major.”
When it comes to recommen-
dations for undecided students
who are unsure of what major to
choose, Cochran said, “You have
FASET leaders gather with their respective signs to teach incoming freshman about the dif-
ferent majors. Undecided students can seek advice from leaders and other upperclassmen.
four years. Don’t be rash. Ask for
help and advice from other people
like professors and students.”
Caleb Rice, third-year BME,
also has advice for undecided
freshmen. “Make sure you talk
to your upperclassmen, the ones
from majors you’re interested in,”
he said. “They’re the ones who
bore the workload, survived the
classes and know the professors.
When you want to know which
classes to take and which to avoid,
upperclassmen are your go-to, so it
would be the same for choosing a
major. Ask around and see which
majors have classes and workloads
that interest and work for you.
You might find out a major you
thought was boring has some dif-
ficult but exciting labs with great
professors. Even after choosing
your major, getting to know and
being able to ask upperclassmen
questions is really important.”
Rice also had an interesting
story for why he chose his major.
“I was born into a family of
Women in Engineering hosts
doctors, so I grew up being re-
ally interested in biology,” Rice first coffee talk of semester
explained. “Probably because I
was surrounded by it so much.
So I always knew I wanted to do SAMIRA BANDARU
something biology related. While LIFE EDITOR
I am not a pre-med student, my
parents really wanted me to be. I On Wednesday, Jan. 31, in
was horrified by the idea though, the Clough Commons Lounge,
because the pressure and responsi- Women in Engineering (WIE)
bility that doctors were burdened and the Women’s Resource Cen-
with seemed like way too much ter (WRC) hosted their first Cof-
for me. BME was a way for me to fee Talk of the spring semester.
pursue my interest in biology that The Coffee Talks series is de-
worked best for me.” signed to give women in STEM
Even with personal interests, fields — including students, fac-
it takes time, testing and explora- ulty and alumni — a chance to
tion to discover the right way to informally network and
implement that into your college discuss technical, per-
career. Self reflection is key to sonal and professional
turning passion into life’s work, topics.
or at least a major right for you. Last week’s guest
speaker was Basma
Osman, a Tech
alumnus currently
working as a New
Product Develop-
ment Project Man-
ager at Halyard
Health.
Osman spoke on
her time at Tech,
reflecting on oppor-
tunities that she be-
lieves students
should con-
sider taking
advantage of
for professional
and personal
develop-
ment.
She en-
couraged
students
to study
abroad
because em-
Photo courtesy of James Ni ployers prefer
well-traveled
people who
technique • February 9, 2018• 13
are comfortable moving around.
Osman also advised to take advan-
tage of Tech’s business classes that
make students more profitable to
companies, especially if they have
a background in engineering and
to not only apply for internships
but also co-ops as well, emphasiz-
ing that while the rotation-based
programs are indeed more of a
commitment, they are not prison
sentences.
Following Osman’s half-hour
speech, students had a chance to
interact with her and inter-
act with one another.
Previously, Coffee Talks
topics have included ca-
reer prep, which involved
writing a professional
resume, interviewing
tips and net-
working tips,
STEM women
of color, stories
from female
STEM pro-
fessors and
on College
of Engineer-
ing Gradu-
ate women.
Stay tuned
for the next WIE
Coffee Talk —
dates and locations
will be posted on
w w w.wie.gatech.
edu. No RSVP is
required, so if you
are looking to put
yourself out there
for informal net-
working and profession-
al advice, WIE Coffee
Talks are a good way to
develop yourself profes-
sionally.

Entertainment
‘This Is Us’ Super Bowl special disappoints
TELEVISION
This is Us
NETWORK: NBC
WHEN: Feb. 4
STARRING: Milo Ventimiglia,
Mandy Moore
OUR TAKE: «««««
MONICA JAMISON
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
After weeks of promotion, the
“Super Bowl Sunday” episode of
family drama “This Is Us” aired
after the actual Superbowl LII.
The episode was highly anticipat-
ed as the reveal of how patriarch
Jack Pearson (Milo Ventimiglia,
“Gilmore Girls”) died.
The only problem was that
viewers basically already knew all
the important details of his death:
the cause of the fire, the general
timing of his death and its deep
effects on the lives of his wife and
three children.
After waiting a season and a
half for the big reveal, series cre-
ator and writer Dan Fogleman
(“Tangled”) failed to justify the
prolonged air of mystery around
Jack’s death. With so many de-
tails already dropped over the past
episodes, the emotional payoff of
knowing the exact, specific cause
of death was simply not powerful.
The breakout series “This Is Us,”
which filled the “Parenthood”-
shaped hole in many viewers’
hearts, is known for tugging at
heart strings and requiring a box
of tissues. Sometimes, its saccha-
rine nature is redeemed by explor-
Newcomer JPEGMAFIA champions noise rap
Baltimore-based rapper JPEGMAFIA poses for a promotional
photo in support of his new album ‘Veteran,’ his third of 2018.
ing complex family dynamics, like
interracial adoption.
The series succeeds the most
when it makes its characters re-
latable, not one-dimensional ve-
hicles for emotional porn. How-
ever, dramatic irony establishes a
distance between characters and
viewers in this episode that even
Mandy Moore’s stellar acting as
Rebecca Pearson cannot save.
When the supposed twist of
Jack not actually dying in the fire
occurs, his emergence from the
smoky door does not give audi-
ences a deep sense of relief as it
does to Rebecca, teenage Randall
(Niles Fitch, “Mistresses”) and
teenage Kate (Hannah Zeile, “An-
ger Management”).
Whether Jack had died in the
fire or from smoke complications
in the hospital, his death would
still be sudden and partially
caused by his stupidly self-sacri-
ficing decision to go back into the
house for the dog and mementos.
Ultimately, the psychological ef-
fects on his family would have
been the same.
The effects of Jack’s death, con-
tributing heavily to Kate’s char-
acterization especially, are much
more interesting than the exact
cause of his death. Therefore, the
current timeline in the episode
contains the most potentially ca-
thartic scenes.
Twenty years after Jack’s death,
each family member is processing
in his or her typical way: “Kate
wallows, Kevin avoids, Randall
celebrates.” Rebecca cooks Jack’s
favorite lasagna and watches the
Super Bowl. As an introduction
for new viewers who stuck around
after the Super Bowl ended, each
Photo courtesy of Deathbomb Arc
of the “Big Three” displays some
of their most typical traits and
personal challenges.
Surprisingly, Kevin’s (Justin
Hartley, “The Young and the
Restless”) attempt to deal with his
grief seems the most potent, as his
monologue to Jack’s tree — or at
least a tree in the vicinity — marks
a greater development in his char-
acter than Kate’s slightly Oedipal
profession of her love to her fiance
Toby (Chris Sullivan, “Guardians
Eris Baker stars as young Tess and Sterling K. Brown stars as Randall in the NBC family drama
‘This Is Us.’ Brown has won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his performance in the show.
MUSIC
Here Come the Runts
JPEGMAFIA
LABEL: Deathbomb Arc
GENRE: Rap
TRACK PICKS: “Baby I’m
Bleeding,” “Williamsburg”
OUR TAKE: «««««
VES GRANTCHAROV
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
It has become conventional
wisdom that the rock star men-
tality has infiltrated hip hop. The
two genres have always had simi-
larities in their philosophies but
almost never had a big sharing
of fan bases. In the late ‘90s and
early ‘00s, there were many at-
tempts at merging the two in the
form of the mostly horrible rap-
rock genre.
But 15 odd years later, rap-
pers have learned how to sing
about being rock stars without
being cringe-worthy. While Post
Malone has become this genera-
tion’s Keith Richards, where is Sid
Vicious? Where are the punks?
Sure, moshing at a rap show is
commonplace now, and Lil Uzi
Vert screaming about the deaths
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR:
Monica Jamison
ASSISTANT ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR:
Joshua Trebuchon
entertainment@nique.net
of the Galaxy, Vol. 2”) or Ran-
dall’s (Sterling K. Brown, “Ameri-
can Crime Story”) thinly veiled
speech about a recently departed
pet gecko.
Without Jack’s death hanging
over the show, Fogleman seems to
be ready to take “Us” in a new di-
rection, or rather, to a new time:
the future. In a welcome twist, the
foster child who was assumed to
be joining Randall’s family is ac-
tually being helped by future Tess
of his friends became the biggest
hook of the summer in 2017, but
the fact is, the mainstream re-
mains refined as ever. Though a
far smaller niche, the punk ethos
lives on in the new rap under-
ground, where rawness and anar-
chism are virtues and industrial
production thrives.
In this space, JPEGMAFIA
has recently come into his own.
With his most recent project “Vet-
eran,” the rapper has set a high
standard for the rest of 2018.
The album is consistent with
many of the qualities common in
similar “noise rap” projects from
the metallic production through-
out to the yelled verses. Fantas-
tic idiosyncrasies prove to be the
main component in making this
as good a project as it is.
Perhaps the most sonically no-
ticeable of these elements is the
glitchiness of the album, staying
true to the “jpeg” part of JPEG-
MAFIA’s name. Much of the
noise in the album consists of
tightly looped samples, reminis-
cent of a YouTube video that has
gotten stuck playing a tiny snippet
on repeat.
At other points, bit-crushed
percussions are heard in the back-
ground, sounding like an explo-
sion sound effect coming out of a
Game Boy.
technique
Friday,
14
February 9, 2018
(Iantha Richardson, “Benny Got
Shot”), who is visited at work by a
wizened Randall.
While managing yet another
timeline may prove difficult, the
opportunity to see another gen-
eration or decade of Pearsons
could certainly bring fresh life to
the show that has been treading
creative water recently. With the
obsession over the details of Jack’s
death finally over, the show can
refocus on character development.
Photo courtesy of NBC
Another undeniable aspect of
the album is the humor of it all.
Peggy’s harsh sound belies how
trivial he makes everything seem.
A repeated vocal spoken by an
unknown woman plays in almost
every song saying “You think you
know me,” as if to remind Peggy’s
listeners to not extrapolate on
his words.
He bashes misogyny and cri-
tiques feminism, antagonizes the
alt-right and then makes fun of
liberals in “Libtard Anthem,” a
song that features the comedic
gem “Word on the street, you’re
Bill Maher. Word on the street,
you f***** Tomi Lahren.”
Although highly experimental
and often containing beats that
are nearly impossible to bob one’s
head to, there are some cuts that
have more mainstream appeal.
The best example is the single
“Baby I’m Bleeding,” a mosh an-
them that features Peggy’s hardest
hitting verse. The single is also one
of the only times that it is discern-
ible whether a drum is a kick, a
hat, or a snare.
Another track, “Williams-
burg,” sounds like he took pieces
from a Yeezus sound pack and
made it sound even colder while
also sampling the massively popu-
lar “Butterfly Effect” by Travis
See MAFIA, page 16
// ENTERTAINMENT
Awolnation sails away from previous style
MUSIC
Here Come the Runts
Awolnation
LABEL: Red Bull Records
GENRE: Alternative Rock
TRACK PICKS: “Passion” and
“Seven Sticks of Dynamite”
OUR TAKE: «««««
JOSH TREBUCHON
ASSISTANT ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
On Feb. 2, Awolnation re-
leased its newest studio album
titled “Here Come the Runts.”
Prior to the release of the record,
the band’s frontman and lead-
ing songwriter Aaron Bruno ex-
pressed a desire to reinvent the
group’s sound, which has largely
been defined by electronic power
pop songs like “Sail,” their most
successful release to date.
The new album undeniably
achieves Bruno’s goal of deviat-
ing from the group’s traditional
style. The songs on “Here Come
the Runts” range from powerful
guitar-driven rock songs to elec-
tronic dance tunes to downright
strange tracks that could best be
described as spoken word poetry
set to alternative music.
Included in the eclectic mix are
a few traditional alternative radio-
friendly songs. Still, these songs
are sparse enough for the album
to feel fresh overall. In some cases,
these songs are even a relieving
break from the complexity of the
rest of the album.
“Handyman,” for instance, is a
simple pop rock track that bears
a lot of similarity to Awolnation’s
older music (and to pretty much
all of the music on alternative ra-
dio right now). An easy listen, the
song contrasts sharply with the
technique • February 9, 2018• 15
less conventional tracks that sur- is just a downright fun song to is not quite safe enough to be the is never quite sure what is coming
round it, like “Sound Witness Sys- listen to. leading single, listeners can tell next. The experience of listening
tem,” which features several tem- The album wastes no time get- that this song is the one that the to the album is much like opening
po shifts and sections of plainly ting to its star song, “Passion,” band is the most proud of. presents. What is inside the wrap-
spoken lyrics. which comes as the second offer- It is possible that this album ping paper is often less important
Immediately after “Handy- ing on the record. The song mixes will not be as popular amongst than the sensation of not knowing
man” comes “Jealous Buffoon,” a traditional Awolnation sounds Awolnation fans as the repetitive what is in store.
less plastic but still commercially with a greater reliance on tradi- rock-pop songs which made the It is safe to say that no song on
viable song that is driven by a sub- tional instruments, most notably a band famous, but Bruno accom- the album will achieve anything
tle but powerful guitar riff. The killer electric guitar riff and quick plishes his goal of diversifying the close to the commercial success
riff, paired with fluid vocals and drum beats. group’s sound. “Here Come the the band experienced with “Sail”
interesting background instru- Featuring almost whispered Runts” features a tremendous di- in 2011. However, Awolnation is,
mentation, leads to a fresh, enter- lyrics, the song is unique, emo- versity of musical styles: while lis- without a doubt, vastly superior to
taining song. tional and entertaining. While it tening to it for the first time, one the band it was seven years ago.
Following “Jealous Buffoon”
is “Seven Sticks of Dynamite,”
which is defined by a slow, stac-
cato acoustic guitar riff that sets
a dark, raw tone. Later, the song
speeds up and the slow acoustic
guitar is replaced with heavy elec-
tric guitar, giving the song an al-
most metal-esque finish.
“Table for One” and “My
Molasses” are both rather boring
radio-friendly tracks, contribut-
ing little to the artistic renais-
sance Bruno and his bandmates
were looking to achieve with
the album.
However, the album ends on
a high note with “Cannonball,”
“Tall, Tall Tale,” “The Buffoon”
and “Stop That Train” offering
the full diverse range of sounds
that characterizes the album as a
whole. The last of these is a long,
ambitious song driven by a heavy
guitar riff and filled with tempo
and tone shifts, making for an
epic and satisfying ending to
the album.
The best songs on the album
come at the beginning. The open-
ing and titular track serves as
an aesthetic thesis for the entire
album. Fast, almost funky elec-
tronic beats are juxtaposed with
powerful ‘70s style guitar and des-
perately shouted lyrics. This range Photo courtesy of Red Bull Records
of sounds prepares the listener for Members of Awolnation pose for a promotional photo while working on their newest studio
the album to come. Plus, the track album, ‘Here Come the Runts.’ The group explores new musical styles on the record.
16 • February 9, 2018• technique
NBC comedy ‘A .P. Bio’ fails debut
TELEVISION
AP Bio
NETWORK: NBC
WHEN: Thurs. at 9:30 pm.
STARRING: Glenn Howerton,
Lyric Lewis
OUR TAKE: «««««
JON LONG
STAFF WRITER
Imagine an episode of the
wildly popular “It’s Always Sun-
ny in Philadelphia” in which the
crass and womanizing Dennis
Reynolds becomes an A.P. Biol-
ogy teacher. The concept has a lot
of potential; the vulgar and im-
patient Dennis would clash with
the youthful innocence of his
high school charges, laughs would
be had and then the show would
move on to a new subject the fol-
lowing week.
Now imagine expanding this
concept into an entire series, one
that uses the same actor (Glenn
Howerton) in the same role but
eschews the edgier FX network
for the more mainstream NBC.
Throw in the hilarious and lovable
Patton Oswalt (“The Goldbergs”)
to play the awkward pushover in
charge of the school.
With some adjustment, the
concept has the potential to be
both a critical success and a rat-
ings behemoth. Without adjust-
ment, however, the concept could
end up stale, crude and completely
ill-fitted for NBC’s audience.
“A.P. Bio,” the manifestation of
this premise, appears to fall into
the latter category based on the
three episodes currently airing.
From the beginning, the show
seems set on exclusively high-
lighting the depravity of its pro-
tagonist, a recently-unemployed
philosophy professor named Jack
Griffin (Howerton).
The pilot begins with Griffin,
clad unprofessionally in sweat-
pants and a cardigan, angrily
storming into his new classroom
to declare his task of “mentally
breaking [his] nemesis with the ul-
timate goal of taking his job as the
head of Stanford philosophy and
having sex with as many women
as [he] possibly can throughout
the entire state of California.”
Griffin’s first goal serves as
his character’s core motivation
throughout the series. Rather
than teach biology, the venge-
ful and fundamentally unlikable
protagonist enlists his students to
“catfish” his enemy Miles (Tom
Bennett) by sending him sexually
explicit messages online.
The students also apply for jobs
at a bookstore in order to destroy
copies of Miles’s bestselling book.
The way his personality clashes
with that of his class is almost dis-
turbing, lacking the good-natured
and heartwarming foundation
that made films such as “School of
Rock” successful.
His second goal, to sleep with
as many women as he can, plays
a smaller role in the show but
proves equally unsavory. This is
a man with little, if any, redeem-
ing qualities. The character that
fits wonderfully in a show like
“Always Sunny” translates quite
poorly into a high school comedy,
especially one that will be foisted
upon a more family-oriented
NBC demographic.
This is not to say that the act-
ing is bad, or even that the writ-
ing is not funny. Howerton has
perfected the role of depraved
sociopath, and Oswalt’s signature
goofy charm appears in spades.
There were moments in the show
that were genuinely funny, high-
lighting the comedic prowess of
SNL writer Mike O’Brien.
Fundamentally, however, the
show’s issue lies in the very con-
cept it is built around. Watching
Griffin be an ass simply for the
sake of being an ass becomes a
tired exercise about ten minutes
into the pilot, and by the third
episode, it becomes a chore.
In the first three episodes, the
various plot threads that arise,
which one would expect to have
some resolution or closure, give
Glenn Howerton stars in ‘AP Bio.’ The ‘It’s Always Sunny’ actor
plays a philosopher who is forced to teach in a high school.
viewers even less incentive to en-
gage with the show. It is hard to
tell exactly what the plot’s focus is,
aside from a teacher at rock bot-
tom engaging in poorly fleshed-
out plots against his nemesis, a
character that has a bafflingly
minimal impact on the show giv-
en how much he is talked about.
With refinement, the series
could shine, but as it currently ex-
ists “A.P. Bio” should have been
killed before it ever saw the light
of day.
Photo courtesy of NBC
nufonia must fall
by Kid Koala
It’s a robot romance just in time for Valentine’s Day! Kid Koala’s
graphic novel Nufonia Must Fall
comes to life at the Ferst Center
with an amazing mix of puppetry,
video, and live and electronic
music. 50 puppets, 17 miniature
stages, four cameras, Kid Koala,
and the Afiara Quartet live!
GT STUDENT TICKETS ONLY $10
Get tickets now at Ferst Center Box Office
arts.gatech.edu
// ENTERTAINMENT
MAFIA FROM PAGE 14
Scott. The track builds up to what
sounds like standing outside a
warehouse rave.
However, Peggy does not hit
every mark with absolute perfec-
tion. While most of the songs
are quite short — five tracks
on the project are less than two
minutes long — and leave lis-
teners wanting more, the longer
tracks on the album feel boring
in comparison.
“Rainbow Six,” the longest
track on the album, seems as
though it drones on for just about
forever. These tracks do indeed
cast some doubt on JPEGMA-
FIA’s ability to hold the audi-
ence’s attention. But as an artist
who is in rapid development, he
may have already fixed this con-
cerning flaw by the next time he
releases music.
Peggy will undoubtedly draw
comparisons from some to Death
Grips, the noise rap darling group
that rose to popularity early this
decade. But another more apt
contemporary may be Danny
Brown. Beyond the fact that both
rappers are abrasive and love the
idea of making nervous socialites
clutch their pearls, their influ-
ences and lineages point in similar
directions.
Danny Brown has mentioned
how he could never reach Ol’
Dirty Bastard’s level because he
could never sing like him. Peggy’s
workaround was to sample the de-
ceased rapper’s wild singing and
channel his energy.
JPEGMAIFA’s approach is
uniquely fresh. The space he in-
habits in the music world is filled
with some of the most creative
and lyrical MCs of this decade.
And yet, he himself has managed
to bring something completely
unexpected to the table. Peggy’s
surefire climbing in popularity is
certainly something to keep eyes
on over the course of the rest of
this year.
professional artists series
Two Performances!
FEB FEB
12 13
MON TUES
7:30 PM 7:30 PM
404-894-9600
// ENTERTAINMENT
INSULT FROM PAGE 1
car repair shop to apologize, only
to witness Hanna listening eagerly
to the anti-Palestinian rhetoric of
Bachir Gemayel on his TV.
In this tense scene, close cam-
era shots capture Salameh’s every
grimace and twitch as he is forced
to digest these hateful words. The
entire soundtrack consists only of
Gemayel’s voice, and viewers are
soon as anxious as Salameh is.
Obviously on edge as Tony
asks for his apology, Salameh
hesitates. Tony spits out that he
wished Ariel Sharon had wiped all
the Palestinians out, and Salameh
impulsively punches Tony, break-
ing two of his ribs.
The rest of the film follows the
two as Hanna prosecutes Salameh
in court for moral and physical in-
juries, all to finally get the apology
his honor demands. In the court-
room, both men are sidelined to
their respective benches as their
lawyers take center stage.
Tense back-and-forth exchang-
es ensue between Hanna’s veteran
lawyer, Wajdi Wehbe (Camille
Salameh), and Salameh’s law-
yer, Nadine Wehbe (Diamand
Bou Abboud), who is also We-
hbe’s daughter.
Before long, Salameh and
Hanna see their case spiralling
out of control as their lawyers
mount Hanna and Salameh as
figureheads for the Lebanese
Christian and Palestinian causes
respectively.
The men’s codes of honor are
slowly infringed upon as the case
attacks the privacy and dignity of
the opponents. Each man, once
headstrong, finds himself losing
control of his own life as riots be-
gin to break out around Lebanon.
As several characters remark in
technique • February 9, 2018• 17
the film, all this happens over a ing each man in tracking shots, Hanna and Salameh’s lawyers are adequate answers to the many
mere insult. replicating the control they wish related. Hanna is suing for dam- questions his film provokes. Per-
While Doueiri certainly is to exert on their worlds. Further, ages because the stress of his in- haps “The Insult” would be more
making a sharp commentary as the movie progresses, viewers jury supposedly led his pregnant powerful if Doueiri had offered
on the state of cultural relations see the two frames in parallel, wife to miscarriage. no answers at all.
in the Middle East today, most as the characters find themselves In the final minutes of the film, While the cheese and drama
American viewers unfamiliar with stuck together. Doueiri attempts to tie up all the often undercuts the nuances of the
the Middle East’s recent history Despite all the subtlety Douei- loose ends with each lawyer wax- themes, most viewers should be at
will still find that Doueiri’s film ri exhibits and all the questions ing poetic about how nobody has no loss of ideas to wrestle with af-
provides enough to chew on. he poses, he follows these strong a monopoly on suffering. Admi- ter watching “The Insult,” which
“The Insult” is at once incred- traits with clumsy plot contriv- rable though his effort may be, was nominated for a Foreign Lan-
ibly subtle and unfortunately ances or empty moral platitudes. Doueiri tries and fails to provide guage Film Academy Award.
heavy-handed in its discussion
of prejudice. In an environment
where history has yet to proclaim
a clear victim and a clear aggressor
between the Palestinians and the
Lebanese, Doueiri paints a com-
plex portrait of the ways prejudice
and suffering take root between
two coexisting societies. He is able
to raise many complex questions
that are not as common in West-
ern cinema.
At its core, the film confronts
the dichotomy between man’s
human decency and his biases,
asking where one ends and the
other begins. When two men hold
biases against each other, both
stemming from instances of past
victimization, whose suffering is
weighed more? Can suffering be
weighed, and is that even a ques-
tion worth asking?
Doueiri is unforgiving in the
moral ambiguity he imposes on
viewers. As causes and political
movements spring forth out of
the courtroom, viewers are con-
stantly drawn back to Salameh
and Hanna, both men suffering
as they know that their inherent
biases are not worth the strife they
have caused.
They each acted impulsively
out of fear, and now their impuls-
es have defined them. Doueiri’s Photo courtesy of Rogue International
camera work reflects their char- Kamel El Basha stars as Yasser Salameh, and Diamand Bou Abboud plays his lawyer,
acterization masterfully, follow- Nadine Wehbe, in the Lebanese drama ‘The Insult,’ which was first released in fall 2017.
椀渀搀椀攀
樀愀稀稀
愀琀洀漀猀瀀栀攀爀椀挀猀
挀氀愀猀猀椀挀猀
瀀甀渀欀 䴀唀匀䤀䌀
攀砀瀀攀爀椀洀攀渀琀愀氀 夀伀唀
栀椀
栀椀瀀-栀漀瀀
渀漀椀猀攀 䐀伀一ᤠ吀
愀瘀愀渀琀-最愀爀搀攀 䠀䔀䄀刀
戀氀甀攀猀 伀一 吀䠀䔀
爀攀最最愀攀
昀漀氀欀 刀䄀䐀䤀伀
攀氀攀挀琀爀漀渀椀挀
洀攀琀愀氀
椀渀琀攀爀攀猀琀攀搀
猀栀漀攀最愀稀攀 椀渀 挀漀氀氀攀最攀
爀漀挀欀
椀渀搀甀猀琀爀椀愀氀
爀愀搀椀漀㼀
眀漀爀氀搀 樀漀椀渀 圀刀䔀䬀
瀀甀戀氀椀挀 愀昀昀愀椀爀猀
猀瀀漀爀琀猀
㤀㄀⸀㄀䘀䴀
sign up for a dummy op shift by emailing operations.manager@wrek.org
18 • February 9, 2018• technique // COMICS

LUNARBABOON PEARLS BEFORE SWINE BY STEPHEN PASTIS

LIO BY MARK TATULLI

CUL DE SAC BY RICHARD THOMPSON

CHANNELATE BY RYAN HUDSON

SUDOKU PUZZLE
// COMICS technique • February 9, 2018• 19

INFINITELY NO SOLUTIONS BY MILES HSU

“SIX MORE WEEKS OF AWKWARD CONVERSATIONS”

TECHNOBABBLE BY MOHAR K ALRA

“WALKING PAST BOBBY DODD”
// SPORTS
Men’s lacrosse continues storied legacy at Tech
HARSHA SRIDHAR
SPORTS EDITOR
It is a brisk January evening.
No trace of sunset remains; the
field is illuminated by harsh
floodlights. A pair of joggers make
their way around the track in
slow, steady rounds. They encircle
an ultimate frisbee practice on one
end and a pickup soccer match on
the other. The grounds of the Roe
Stamps fields are immaculately
kept but also decidedly humble (as
indicated by the well-worn water
fountain in the corner).
That tradition of austere ex-
cellence aptly fits the young men
who file onto the field as the clock
strikes half past eight: the Tech
men’s lacrosse team. In the pub-
lic eye, lacrosse is as much a status
symbol as it is a game. Playing it is
a mark of prestige. Just look at the
NCAA’s DI rankings, where elite,
traditional institutions like Duke
(No. 1), Yale (No. 5) and Notre
Dame (No. 6) occupy rarified air.
Yet Tech’s team, not sanctioned
by the NCAA and not whispered
about in the boardrooms of For-
tune 500 companies, has earned
success in its own right on a dif-
ferent path altogether.
Their leader is head coach Ken
Lovic, a Maryland native who
grew up immersed in the sport.
He arrived in Atlanta in 1995 for
graduate school and began coach-
ing the team two years later.
“Back in ‘97 and ‘98, it was a
club team in a traditional sense,”
Lovic says. “It wasn’t really orga-
nized. It was sort of ragtag.” He
quickly went to work to change
that. The team signed sponsorship
deals, furnished scholarships and
even raised funding to construct
a set of stands overlooking the
field. “We’ve come a long way in
20 years,” he adds, “and it’s be-
cause of the kids. Tech kids are
competitive.”
Finding those new additions
for his program is where Lovic
and the men’s lacrosse team set
themselves apart. For most clubs
on campus, FASET is the first
chance for these organizations to
begin evaluating incoming fresh-
men, passing out applications and
offering them new information.
The vibrancy of the activities fair,
replete with flyers, trinkets and
colorful posters (not to mention
strategic positioning of previous-
ly-won trophies) is indeed difficult
to forget. For lacrosse, that search
starts earlier. Lovic and his staff
are in contact with promising high
Junior defender Brian Duffy looks downfield during a match. Duffy is one of the key leaders for
a storied, competitive Tech team that is introducing a number of freshmen into the program.
school players across the country, Once those students decide to
extolling the virtues of a Tech attend Tech, they face the same
education and allowing them to reality most every incoming fresh-
envision themselves playing the man does: occasional sleep depri-
sport there. “We don’t even have vation, a more rigorous courseload
to look on campus,” he says. “We than they tackled in high school
know who’s coming here.” and the predictable struggles
Lovic has always taken the of living independently for the
sport seriously. Until 2015, he first time. Add in a demanding
was also the Campus Recreation practice schedule (two hours on
Center’s Sports Clubs Coordi- Monday, Tuesday and Thursday
nator, overseeing the operation evenings, plus another two-hour
of 44 club sports of campus. He Saturday midday practice) and it
stepped down in 2015 amid al- is clear that peer support is abso-
legations that he had misrepre- lutely essential to guide these ath-
sented finances (including mak- letes through their first year.
ing a charge that was not included That is where the team’s veter-
in an organization’s SGA budget) an leaders come in, players from a
but remained as head coach. variety of backgrounds. For some,
Photo courtesy of Georgia Tech Men’s Lacrosse
technique • February 9, 2018• 21
like fourth-years CJ Norrell and
Quinten Ziegler, the game was a
natural second option after their
fit with baseball eroded (Nor-
rell gave up the bat and glove in
his freshman year of high school;
Ziegler turned away from the pas-
time in middle school). Juniors
Tim Peterson and Brian Duffy
have also assumed significant
roles on the team. With 19 fresh-
men on the team, their expertise is
needed, both in the field and com-
petition and in learning the ropes
away from the practice field.
“It’s important for [the fresh-
men] to get a lot of reps on the
field and with the older guys,”
Duffy said. “We’ve been here
awhile, and we have a little more
knowledge of what our coach
wants to do with our offense and
defense, so we kind of impart that
wisdom on them.”
That wisdom will be all the
more necessary down the stretch.
Although there are three games
to play beforehand, the team can-
not help but look forward to their
Feb. 23 home date with Chap-
man University, the California-
based program that has knocked
the Jackets out of the playoffs two
years running. It will be an oppor-
tunity for vengeance.
And yet, in the more than
twenty year lore of men’s lacrosse
under the guidance of Lovic, the
outcome, positive or negative,
will just be another small mark
on a rapidly unfurling tapestry.
Like every sports organization on
campus, varsity or otherwise, the
team turns over entirely every four
years. Baby-faced freshmen grow
into mature leaders, and then
head off into a world not bordered
in by Ferst Drive, Techwood
Drive and North Avenue. Under
the tutelage of Coach Lovic, the
underlying drive for excellence is
unlikely to change.
22 • February 9, 2018• technique
Watching the tape: Tech’s 2018 football recruits
ROHAN KANSARA
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
National Signing Day 2018
wrapped up late Wednesday, as
the most elite high school re-
cruits in the country committed
to their respective college pro-
grams. Tech’s signing class was
ranked No. 55 in the country and
second in Georgia, courtesy of
247Sports.com. NSD 2018 gives
a perfect opportunity to examine
Tech’s recruited class through
the lens of game film: while their
highlights do not necessarily show
every aspect of their play, they
provide an enticing first impres-
sion of what they might bring to
Tech’s offense and defense.
JAYLON KING
Upon watching King’s tape,
the first takeaway is his unique
versatility and overall athleticism.
During his senior year alone, King
made game changing plays lining
up as a quarterback, wide receiver,
cornerback, safety and kick/punt
returner. King is a well-rounded
player, and the Tech coaches will
have to decide which of these roles
suits him best within the dynamic
of the team. Some of King’s most
standout traits were his ball skills
— making many one-handed
grabs for interceptions and break-
ing up well-thrown passes — and
his hard-hitting ability, which he
demonstrated by often knocking
the ball out of receivers’ hands.
With these in mind, the ideal
role for King in the Tech second-
ary is as an Earl Thomas or Keanu
Neal-type player who always plays
for the ball, forcing turnovers
through hard hits and ball track-
ing. His measurables fit the bill
for a successful safety as well: at
6’1’’, King should be able to cover
big wide receivers and tight ends
// SPORTS
with whom smaller defensive
backs struggle. He could also be
useful on special teams as a re-
turner given his prior experience
and success in the role from high
school, racking up three return
touchdowns in his senior year.
JAMES GRAHAM
Graham is a truly electric play-
er — if he gets in the open field,
he is off like a shot. In most of his
breakout plays on film, he looks to
be the fastest player on the field,
and on top of that, he is excellent
at breaking tackles and making
jukes. As a dual threat quarter-
back, he is reminiscent of Michael
Vick (minus the incredible arm
strength) due to his agility and
overall ability in the open field.
While he may not start at
quarterback his freshman year, he
should at least earn early touches
as a running back or receiver as
someone who has the potential
for a big play anytime he touches
the ball. Similar to Terrelle Pryor,
there is even the possibility of him
playing a new position like wide Photo by Samuel Stewart Student Publications
receiver for the long-term given his The Ramblin’ Reck drives onto the field before a Tech football game. This year, the Reck will bring out
skill set, although he has said one a class of freshmen who have the potential to define the program’s identity in the years to come.
of his primary reasons for coming
to Tech was to play quarterback in to stop big gains. He is very suc- talented, exciting high school season, that reality will remain;
a system he would thrive in, so his cessful at stopping quarterbacks players falling flat at the next level they will have to outplay bigger,
willingness to make that switch from scrambling and stuffing the for any one of many reasons. faster and stronger counterparts.
is questionable. Either way, hav- run before a back breaks into the At least on paper, Tech has an That is not to say that there is
ing an offensive playmaker like open field. He also tackles with uphill climb ahead of it in the no hope. Tech has made changes
Graham on the field could be the intent, often reaching for the ball conference. Fellow ACC Coastal of its own this offseason, with
push the Tech offense needs to before making a hit. As a result, member Clemson brings in the Tech announcing Wednesday
compete at the level of other top he is effective in forcing fumbles No. 6 rated class in the country by that the athletic department has
offenses in the country. not necessarily through force, but those same 247Sports rankings, already received $315,000 in
though precision. Dingle is very with five 5-star recruits, good for alumni donations towards its new
JUSTICE DINGLE athletic and shows promise to de- No. 2 in the country. No. 1? Rival recruiting efforts. The talented
Justice Dingle profiles as an velop further under the guidance UGA, whom the Jackets will play athletes Tech is reeling in now are
outside linebacker. Dingle’s tape of our coaches. in Sanford Stadium this season. theoretically just scratching the
presents him as a very balanced With these talented players Both teams showed that the best surface of Tech’s potential in the
linebacker with pass rush and coming in, among many more, way to stop Tech’s scheme-heavy long run. For now, a defensive-
coverage abilities. His most im- comes the huge responsibility on option offense is by pitting it focused recruiting class coached
pressive trait is his closing speed, the Tech coaching staff to devel- against elite, well-coached, NFL- up by new defensive coordinator
that is, his ability to catch up to op them fully to their potentials. caliber athletes. No matter who Nate Woody promises very solid
a runner and make critical tackles There are countless examples of lines up for Tech’s offense next early returns.
// SPORTS
Understanding Tech’s zero Combine invites
JOSH FORBES
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Coming into the 2017 sea-
son, the Tech football roster was
primarily comprised of relatively
young players a few years away
from considering the NFL leap
and veterans who knew that the
last game of the season would
mark the end of their football ca-
reers. Three players were noted as
potential professional level talents
— Lawrence Austin, Lance Aus-
tin and Ricky Jeune — but not
one of the three made the 336-
man roster of players invited to
the 2018 combine.
The Jackets are not exact-
ly known for being a modern
hotspot for NFL talent under the
triple option offense, with less
than two dozen Jackets drafted in
the decade since Paul Johnson ar-
rived, eight making it in the top
three rounds. Still, with programs
like West Georgia and Georgia
State both getting a player into
Lucas Oil Stadium for a closer
look from scouts, one begins to
wonder what it is that held Tech
seniors back from getting a nod to
this prestigious event.
On the offensive side of the
ball, the vast majority of the plays
were executed by the first year
starting tandem of junior TaQuon
Marshall and sophomore KirVon-
te Benson. Marshall’s QB runs
netted over a third of Tech’s of-
fensive plays on the year and Ben-
Wide receiver Ricky Jeune celebrates after scoring a touchdown. Despite his consistent production at
Tech, Jeune did not receive an invite to the NFL Combine, the premier talent evaluation event each spring.
son’s rushing attempts only trailed
Marshall’s by less than 50; senior
J.J. Green only got a paltry 24 to-
tal touches on the year, good for
sixth most on the team. Despite
hauling in four TDs with two
on the ground and two in the air,
when the 380 all-purpose yards
accumulated in two years at Tech
is over 100 yards less than what he
put up his freshman year alone at
UGA, even a practice squad bid
would be very fortunate.
On the off chance that Mar-
shall decided to pass, his favorite
target by a long shot was Ricky
Jeune with 39 percent more re-
ceptions and 2 more receiving
TDs than the rest of the team
combined. Jeune’s reliability
makes him an interesting pros-
pect; he has snagged 25 catches
in 11 games every year at Tech.
While his season yardage took a
slight dip in 2016 due to the in-
creased production from juniors
Photo by Mitchell Williams Student Publications
Brad Stewart and Clinton Lynch,
their yardage came crashing back
down in 2017 and Jeune had re-
mained the model of consistency,
good for over 400 yards year after
year. Jeune may not have gotten
an invite to the combine this year,
but Paul Johnson told the Atlanta
Journal-Constitution last Novem-
ber that he believed Jeune would
get a training camp invite from
someone, a chance to prove him-
self at the professional level. Food
technique • February 9, 2018• 23
for thought: the last Tech receiver
to lead the team in touchdowns
for 3 straight seasons? All-time
great Calvin Johnson.
In terms of defensive playmak-
ers, senior defensive edge Keshaun
Freeman was relegated from 2016
starter to 2017 rotational reserve,
and with only 22 tackles and 10
solo on the year, the production
numbers just simply are not there
to merit a combine visit, especial-
ly on a defense rocked by pretty
much every in-conference op-
ponent with a .500 or better win
percentage for the entire year. The
same goes for fellow lineman An-
tonio Simmons, who also made
an appearance in every game on
the season but did not rack up the
counting stats that would make
him a standout.
The secondary featured three
notable seniors that will be leav-
ing without a combine bid: the
Austin twins and cornerback Step
Durham. The three players only
combined for three turnovers on
the season with two interceptions
and a fumble, but more impor-
tantly, not one of them had more
than five passes defended.
Tech’s porous defense was cer-
tainly more susceptible to the run
than to the pass, but thanks to
Ted Roof’s ultimately fatal strat-
egy of giving opposing slot WRs
five yards of cushion to operate,
there were far too many short
routes that carved up Tech’s de-
fense to highlight any preventa-
tive athleticism in the secondary.
Sports
SPORTS EDITOR: Sticking it Out technique
Harsha Sridhar
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR:
John Edwards
Tech men’s lacrosse is a club sport un-
like any other. The Technique steps in
24
Friday,
between the lines to learn why.421 February 9, 2018
sports@nique.net

2018 Baseball Preview

how the jackets shape up, position by position
By John Edwards

Nothing wrong with some family

On paper, it looks like sophomore
Chase Maury still has a way to go
with his bat — his .656 OPS was the
worst among Tech regular start-
ers, albeit with a broken bone in his
hand. A healthy Maury might pose
as scary of a threat at the plate as
he does to opposing base runners:
Maury recorded four outfield assists
in left field last year.
bonding time! Carter Hall, after post-
ing an .976 OPS in limited action in
2017, might be taking center stage in
his father’s depth charts by taking over
at center field. Hall’s powerful bat could
be quite the threat as long as he can
stay healthy — Hall missed at least a
month due to injury as both a freshman
and a sophomore.
No, it is not double vision — Tech might
be fielding a pair of identical twins for the
2018 season. Sophomore Nick Wilhite,
twin brother of SS Austin Wilhite, looks to
take over in right field with a powerful arm
after seeing limited action last season in
the outfield and on the mound last year.

The defense was there to begin

It is unusual for a freshman to jump
in and contribute immediately, but
evidently no one told Austin Wil-
hite. Wilhite was a doubles-machine
last year, with 16 extra-base hits and
batting .338/.410/.434. Wilhite looks
to improve off his freshman season,
no longer last in the order.
with — Wade Bailey was one of
the best players at turning dou-
ble plays in the country, with the
Jackets turning 126 double plays
up the middle with him manning
second. Bailey’s .958 OPS in 2017,
one of the best in ACC and tops
of all Tech players, solidifed his
status as an elite player.

The magic crystal ball turns murky when
trying to predict who will be the Jackets’
regular 3B, for good reason – after Trevor
Crapport left Tech for the MLB in 2017, it is
seemingly anyone’s game as to who could
take over at the hot corner. Three freshman
candidates have already emerged — Mi-
chael Guldberg, Luke Waddell, and Os-
car Serratos each stand to see some play
time on the diamond, at least until one of
them makes a case for the full-time job.
Going into the season, se-
nior Kel Johnson looks to be
the starter for the Jackets at
first base. Johnson is the only
active Tech player on the ros-
ter who recorded 10 or more
The Jackets’ Achilles heel was home runs in each of his first
their pitching last year. Tech fin- three seasons in the lineup, and
ished an abysmal No. 193 in ERA he looks like excellent protec-
in the country last season, pitching tion for Joey Bart in the lineup.
to a 5.36 ERA. Junior Jared Datoc
looks like the only proven starter on
the team, but head coach Danny
Hall will look to Sophomore Xzavi-
on Curry to make improvements off
of an inconsistent and disappoint-
ing 2017 campaign.

“Joey Bart” is the name on everyone’s lips this season at the

Rusty C. The Junior catcher’s slugging percentage jumped to .575
to lead the Jackets en route to clobbering 13 HR in 2017. Bart’s
strong season landed him on the preseason National Collegiate
Baseball Writers Association All-American First Team, and Bart is
considered one of the best college catchers in the country. Look
for him to lead the Jackets on and off the field; Bart was recently
named co-captain of the Jackets along with Wade Bailey.

Graphic by Lauren Douglas Student Publications