Out with the old and in with the new.

Look out next week for the all new Technique!

New Year, New Nique

New athletic director is announced

GM opens IT center, creates jobs

Photo courtesy of Georgia Tech Communications & Marketing

Mike Bobinski was con rmed to be the new athletic director by o cials on Wednesday.
By Sam Somani News Editor
Photo courtesy of Georgia Tech Communications & Marketing

On Wednesday, Institute President G.P. Bud Peterson announced the appointment of Mike Bobinski, Associate Vice President of Development and Director of Athletics at Xavier University, as the new Athletic Director (AD) at Tech. Bobinski will be starting his duties April 1, replacing the interim athletic director spot held since November 2012 by Paul Gri n. We are very pleased to welcome Mike Bobinski to Georgia Tech as our new director of athletics, said Peterson. Mikes proven record of success and his diverse background in sports, nance and development, as well as his unwavering commitment to student-athletes, make him the ideal person to lead our athletic program. A national, three month search was conducted after Dan Radakovich, the former Tech AD, left abruptly in November 2012 for Clemson University. e search committee was chaired by Stephen P. Zelnak Jr., Roderick Roddy Jones and Steven Swant. I want to thank Stephen and the search committee for their outstanding work in evaluating and recommending candidates, Peterson said. I am also personally grateful for the leadership of Paul Gri n, who has overseen our athletics program during this interim period, a period that included the grand opening of McCamish Pavilion, our Sun Bowl victory in El Paso and the dedication of our newest facility, the Ken Byers Tennis Complex. I know that he will continue to be a valuable asset to the program during this transition. Bobinski has had a variety of experiences as athletic director at multiple universities, including twelve years at Xavier University and four years at Akron University. As well as this, Bobinksi is the current chair of the NCAA Division I Mens Basketball Committee, in which he is tasked the responsibility of setting up the entire NCAA tournament. Before landing an AD spot at a university, Bobinski was the associate director of athletics at U.S. Naval Academy for ve years, as well as the associate and assistant business manager at Notre Dame, his alma mater, for ve years. In addition, Bobinski has achieved multiple awards. In June, he was awarded the Under Armour Division I Northeast Athletic Director of the Year by the National Association of Collegiate Director of Athletics. Under this tenure, 40 individual or team spots were claimed by Xavier Universitys athletic teams in the championship competitions, including mens basketball, which reached the Sweet 16 playo round of the NCAA Tournament in four out of the last ve seasons.

Governor Deal, above, speaks at the press conference held on Jan. 10 welcoming General Motors (GM) recent development in the Atlanta area. GM is set to open a new Information Technology Innovation Center that will create about 1,000 jobs.
By Sam Somani News Editor

In a press conference early last week in the Carbon Neutral Energy Solutions

Laboratory, General Motors (GM) announced the upcoming opening of a new Information Technology (IT) Innovation Center in Roswell, Ga. Recently, GM selected GT as one of

only ve strategic university partners for the global company, said GM University Relations Team Coordinator for Georgia
See GM, page 5

Sting of armed robberies on East Campus

By Joshua Garrick Assistant News Editor

On Jan. 15, at approximately 1:30 a.m., two students were victims of two armed robberies, resulting in the rst distribution of the Georgia Tech Police Departments (GTPD) Clery alerts this semester. A statement released by GTPD after the incident showed concern and indicated an increase in campus police patrols around the area of the crime. ere were no injuries in last nights incident; however, we are concerned when any type of crime a ects our students. e Georgia Tech Police Department has increased patrols in the area as they continue their investigation. A safety alert was sent to the campus community reminding students of the resources available to them, especially when traveling at night. Georgia Tech Police ask anyone with information about this incident or who observe suspicious activity around campus, to immediately call them at 404-894-2500. According to the Clery Act Safety Alert, the rst incident involved a male student walking south on Brittain Drive towards Bobby Dodd Way when he noticed a man walking closely behind him. e suspect approached the victim, and displayed a handgun while demanding the victims belongings. e suspect who was described as a black male wearing an orange and black hooded sweatshirt was last seen headed west on Bobby Dodd Way, NW in a silver Dodge Stratus. Regarding the second incident, a female student was walking east on Bobby Dodd Way towards Fowler Street when she observed a silver vehicle driving towards her. A male exited the rear of the vehicle and displayed a silver handgun, and proceeded to demand her property. e vehicle was described as a silver sedan while Photo by Tim Nowack / Student Publications the suspect was described as a black male, 20-25 President Peterson walks with students on East Campus. On Monday, two years old and six feet tall with short hair and students were reported to be victims to armed robberies near Bobby Dodd. wearing jeans.

2 January 18, 2013 Technique

NEWS

T echnique Campus Crime

The Souths Liveliest College Newspaper

From the les of the GTPD...

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Kamna Bohra M ANAGING EDITOR: Ian Bailie NEWS EDITOR: Sam Somani OPINIONS EDITOR: Gaines Halstead FOCUS EDITOR: Madison Lee ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR: Joe Murphy SPORTS EDITOR: Newt Clark
FOLLOW US ONLINE: http://nique.net http://fb.com/thenique Founded in 1911, the Technique is the student newspaper of the Georgia Institute of Technology, and is an o cial publication of the Georgia Tech Board of Student Publications. e Technique publishes on Fridays weekly in the fall and spring and biweekly in the summer. A DVERTISING: Information can be found online at nique.net/ads. e deadline for reserving ad space is Friday at 5 p.m. one week before publication. To place a reservation, for billing information, or for any other questions please e-mail us at ads@ nique.net. You may reach us at (404) 8942830, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

By Kenneth Marino Assistant News Editor Stealing the Tau

Spam E-mails Continue to Annoy Students

By Kenneth Marino Sta Writer

On Jan. 4, at 11:30 p.m., a Georgia Tech Police Department (GTPD) o cer responded to a call at Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity. According to the Tech employee who made the call, several individuals were attempting to steal the T from the fraternity sign. Five individuals were found in front of the residence. ey stated to the o cers at the scene that they were attempting to steal Ts from Institute buildings. Hanging from one of suspects rear view mirror was a golden T. e owner of the vehicle admitted that they had

stolen the T one month earlier from Bobby Dodd Stadium. e owner gave permission for the T to be removed and taken into evidence. e fraternity declined to press charges as the sign su ered no visible damage. e individuals were given Criminal Trespass warnings. A GTPD o cer responded to a call on Friday, Jan. 11, at approximately 11 a.m. at Eighth Street Apartments on a report of property damage. e RA on duty informed the o cer that the occupants of one
Big Things Poppin

of the rooms were sitting in their apartment when a water balloon hit their double paned window, broke and shattered it. e glass was found shattered all over the room. e o cer left only to return about 30 minutes later on information that the suspects had returned. On the scene, the o cer met with four suspects who admitted to shooting the water balloon. ey were found in possession of numerous water balloons and a slingshot-like device. One of the suspects advised that they did not see that the room was occupied and that they did not speci cally aim for the window. All four students were issued Code of Conduct violations. At around 4 p.m. on Jan. 8, a GTPD o cer responded to a call at the Georgia Tech BookCredit Where Credit is Due

store in reference to a criminal trespass. e dispatch informed the o cer that the manager had recognized an individual from a criminal trespass recently reported there. e o cer made contact with the suspect who gave his name to the o cer. He was identi ed as the individual given a criminal trespass warning two days earlier by dispatch. e o cer who gave the original warning arrived and positively identi ed the suspect. He was arrested and placed in the back of a patrol car. On a routine check of the suspects person, ve Visa debit cards were found, none of which belonged to the suspect. e suspect was transported to Fulton County Jail for processing. e cards that could not be immediately identi ed as ones reported stolen were placed in an evidence bin for storage.

COVERAGE R EQUESTS: Requests for coverage and tips should be submitted to the Editor-in-Chief and/or the relevant section editor. Copyright 2012, Kamna Bohra, Editor-in-Chief, and by the Georgia Tech Board of Student Publications. No part of this paper may be reproduced in any manner without written permission from the Editor-in-Chief or from the Board of Student Publications. e ideas expressed herein are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Board of Student Publications, the students, sta , or faculty of the Georgia Institute of Technology or the University System of Georgia. First copy freefor additional copies call (404) 894-2830

Photos courtesy of CollegeBudget

Above is an e-mail capture of one of the various types of junk emails sent to students this semester from many spammers.

As they transition back to classes this semester, students open up their e-mail inboxes to check T-Square updates, emails from friends and the unexpected spew of emails from b_gjfzbjr3garw28r3gjrb28kxtjvx2a5n@ us.edirect1.com. ese spammers have little trouble nding Tech e-mails to send to as all university e-mails are publicly available. e open directory makes it easy for legitimate outside sources to contact students and faculty, but unfortunately gives spammers an easy target to send spam and use the name of the university to give their e-mails false legitimacy. Our directory is open to the world, said Jason Belford, O ce

of Information Technology (OIT) Principal Information Security Engineer. We dont control that. Although students have been back for only a few weeks, they are continuing to see a series of spam e-mails with deceptive names, containing subject headers such as Rent Georgia Tech Textbooks and save 75%, Student Scholarship and Student Grants. Most of these are harmless vendors looking to sell things to students by e-mailing them en masse, but a few are phishing scams designed to steal passwords, e-mail accounts and other valuable information. e best course of action, according to Belford, is to mark the message as spam. All messages marked as spam in the My GaTSee Spam, page 4

Visit nique.net/ads for information

Advertise with us!

www.nique.net

sliver

Want your voice to be heard?

Apply to be a Technique Opinions columnist.
Submit 2 writing samples of between 300 and 500 words in which you demonstrate a well formed opinion about 2 dierent topics relevant to the Georgia Tech student body.

Email your samples, name and year to [email protected] by Wednesday, January 23, to be considered.

oh my dear god you people need to actually sliver check out the ad on the left and become a columnist! yo yo sup this is bpp mc clap yo hands CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP you know das right red bull tropical passion fruit awesomeness cake Corgis: the uno cial Technique mascot what are we gonna do with all these cakes i made? i am stuck in them can a brotha get on lot a?! but you know who i like just as much as liam neesons? who? BRUCE WILLY NIT SHIZ MY IS NEESONS LIAM kids KIIIIDS you can lyyyy you can literally lyyyyy i looked up the de nition of literally i was not wrong, but...it was not what i thought it meant im itchin for some chicken 65 instantostrich.com eddy does the little light in the refrigerator turn o when you close the refrigerator door i say the cheese is always twice the fence post is sitting naked in a wagon cool THE GOAT ATE MY SISTER An intruder, eating all the food out of my refrigerator - in bare feet - so unsanitary!

NEWS

Technique January 18, 2013 3

Bubble
the

Breaking

MSFAC reviews current, new fees

lot of things went on outside the bubble of Tech in the past week. Here are a few important events taking place throughout the nation and the world.

Fatal shots heard across college campuses

On Tuesday, the day before President Obama signed his 23 executive orders regarding his gun control and anti-gun violence plan, two colleges were stunned by shootings that occurred on campus. According to The Lexington Herald-Leader, two people were killed and one teen was critically injured in a shooting in the parking lot of Hazard Community and Technical College, in Kentucky. Hazard Police said that the motive for the shooting may have been related to a domestic-type situation and not related to the actual school. The other set of shootings in Kentucky came hours after another at the Stevens Institute of Business & Art in Missouri. According to the St. Louis PostDispatch, a man reported to be a part-time student shot the college s nancial aid director and then himself, though police did not identify a motive. Both shooter, and victim were taken to the hospital and both are expected to survive.
Photos by Will Folsom and John Nakano/ Student Publications

Dr. Gregory Moore, left, and SGA Undergraduate President Eran Mordel, right, are members of the MSFAC. This committee is composed of twelve members that help discuss changes in student fees.
By Anu Sekar Contributing Writer

e Mandatory Student Fee Activity Committee (MSFAC) is currently undergoing proposals for possible raises in student fees, mainly for health and athletics, for the next academic school year. MSFAC is a committee made up of eight student representatives from SGA and four faculty members from various administrative departments across Tech, as well as a support to committee member. e group meets to discuss creating, increasing or changing the fees that students pay for certain services. Fee areas include student activity, athletic, technology, transportation and health fees. e decisions are made upon assessments of the next scal year, and are still

ongoing but not yet nalized for the 2013-2014 year. Since the start of this academic year, we have seen a 17 percent increase in patient visits at Stamps. Since we are running at capacity, we have had student complaints regarding the availability of appointments, said Dr. Gregory Moore, the Senior Director of Health Services. Stamps Health Services, who was denied a $6 increase last summer, is an auxiliary service at Tech, meaning that the clinic is entirely self funded and relies on the student health fees to cover its expenses. erefore, when costs for everything from electricity to medical instruments to salaries go up, we have to nd the money to pay for it in our budget funded primarily through the student health

fee, Moore said. A proposal is currently going through MSFAC for an increase in the health fee. According to Moore, the campus auxiliary units try to clearly measure the costs and bene ts of fee raises, keeping in mind the stress added costs can have on students as well. To be considered for fee changes, departments of the respective fee areas prepare their programs and expected budgets, which are then sent to the MSFAC for recommendations. It was much more di cult for the department to point directly at one pressure point on their books, but increased ticket prices, decreased student bene ts (such as courtside seating) or increasing the fee will be necessary to stay very competitive to our peer institutions programs, said un-

dergraduate SGA president Eran Mordel. Surveys and meetings are then held to get the opinion of the student body. is is usually done through social media like Twitter and Facebook, news articles and reaching out to SGA representatives, all of which provide a varied level of student involvement in the process. e students, including us, use their best judgment to come to a consensus about where the student body feels about fees -- we talk among our executive board, solicit feedback from other student leaders, and get a gauge of student opinions in the interim between our Fall and Spring meetings, said Eran Mordel, Undergraduate Student Body President. According to Mordel, the main di erence between seeing the issue from a students perspective, versus that of an SGA members, was the added responsibility of having to reach out to the student body about the issues. Once the committee and then Institute President G.P. Bud Peterson approve the fees changes, it must go through policies set by the Board of Regents. As an institution, Tech also has to provide detailed information to back up the reasons for needing the change and demonstration that the student body was represented and engaged in the process, which serves as a positive factor for the Board to accept the fees. Detailed descriptions of each fee can be found on the website for the MSFAC.

www.nique.net

4 January 18, 2013 Technique

NEWS

NEWS BRIEFS
GSU, UGA students turn to sugar daddies

Spam from page 2

ech e-mail browser are automatically reported to OIT. Once we get this, if its malicious, we put in an emergency rule and work with our vendors, Belford said. If it is not malicious, we pass the message to our vendor so they can increase the e ectiveness of their future rule sets. Like most e-mail providers, OIT provides spam lters to lter out the billions of spam e-mails sent out every day. e lters take characteristics of the e-mail such as the e-mail address, the origin of the message, the subject line and of course the actual contents of the message and decide whether or not the e-mail is likely to be spam. My GaTech has a spam-scan rule that says if the scanner detects a score of 50 percent spam probability or more, it is likely spam and it gets put in the junk folder, said Pamela Bu ngton, IT Support Professional Senior Manager for OIT. e system has to nd a balance between correctly agging e-mails as junk and ensuring that legitimate e-mails are not agged. is trade-o invariably means that some e-mails will slip through the cracks. When it comes to avoiding phishing and other malicious emails, OITs advice is simple. Dont click on links that are in these spam e-mails, warned Bu ngton. Hover over a URL before you use it. By following basic internet safety and reporting spam to OIT, the annoyances that come with email may not always be avoided, but they may at least be kept at a minimum.

Student Center plans expansions

In a message released from seekingarrangements.com, a website that matches nancially adept sugar daddies with sugar babies needing money for college tuition, two universities in the University System of Georgia, Georgia State University and the University of Georgia, were ranked rst and eigth, respectively, in the list of Top 20 Fastest Growing Sugar Baby Schools. Georgia State prides itself on fostering an enterprising and entrepreneurial spirit among its students, said Don Hale, GSU Vice President for Public Relations and Marketing Communications. We are surely surprised to see it manifested in this way by these women. Stamps Health Services has begun o ering u shots for students and faculty members earlier this week. e next u clinic will be held in the Health Services building on Jan. 31. With these shots, Health Services hopes to prevent additional student sickness from the u this year. Georgia Tech had more pneumonia cases than usual this fall semester...Now, with u season in full swing, we are reminding people to do the same types of things as well as to get a u shot, said Director of Communications of Campus Services Melissa Moore. ey dont have time to get sick.

Photo by Morgan Nelson / Student Publications

The outside of the Student Center Commons which opened in 2004. With continued and increasing high volumes of tra c through the Student Center, plans for expansion are in the early phases.
By Joshua Garrick Assistant News Editor

Flu frenzy

Conversations have started between students and the administration to begin to begin planning and determine the feasibility of expanding the Student Center, although there are no major plans being made yet. Right now, theres a lot of excitement and just discussion about the potential of a new Student Center. ere are no plans, just conversations. Ill tell you that students have really started and initiated this momentum, which is where anything like this should form, and from our perspective we understand it, said Kim Har-

rington, the Director of the Student Center. e idea was brought up at the Student Leader Retreat, with support from many. Sangita Sharma, the 2012 president of the Student Center Programs Council, is heading these e orts through forming the Student Center Governing Board made up of interested undergraduates, graduates, alumni and administration. Im hoping to get a lot accomplished this semester. We put together a small student committee to determine if there really is a student need. We want to work to gure that out, and so were hoping to nd out what students want in their Student Center and

what they would be willing to do for it, Sharma said. We want to build student support and relay all of that to the administration on all levels. e need for this future expansion stems from increased enrollment numbers and the volume of tra c coming through the Student Center everyday. ere were a lot of student organizations forming, as well as a lot of larger student organizations and our ability to meet those needs was diminishing, Harrington said. I dont use the student center that much per se, but dependSee Expansion, page 5

Free pizza rations on Tuesdays.

The economy sucks.

7 p.m., Flag 137, Technique

NEWS

Technique January 18, 2013 5

Johnson becomes director of Tennenbaum Institute

By Lindsay Purcell Contributing Writer

GM from page 1
Tech Chris Boehle. e newest IT center announcement was hosted at Georgia Tech to further demonstrate GMs partnership with the university and ongoing high tech job recruiting. According to Boehle, this will provide new job opportunities for students across various majors. Many of GMs 1,000 new hires in Georgia will be recruited from Georgia Techs highly ranked ECE and CoC programs, Boehle said. Students interested in applying can post through Career Buzz, posting 54212 [or] visit the CoC Career Fair January 30th. Locating this center in Atlanta makes good business sense, said GM Chief Information O cer Randy Mott in a press release by GM. We can draw from a deep pool of high tech expertise through the surrounding colleges, universities and talent residing in the area. For more than half a century, Georgia Tech and GM have partnered in everything from research projects to student innovation competitions, said Institute President G.P. Bud Peterson. We look forward to even greater collaborations, as well as exciting career opportunities for University System graduates at GMs newest innovation center here in metro Atlanta. However, according to the Director of GM Communications, other schools are also being targeted for potential employees at this center. We will be looking for talented contributors who have been trained at top computer science schools...[including] Georgia

Starting in 2013, retired General Ronald Johnson will serve as both Managing Director of Techs Tennenbaum Institute and as Professor of the Practice for Industrial Systems and Engineering (ISyE). As the Tennenbaum Institutes Managing Director, Johnson will supervise work in large scale enterprise transformation, process changes for manufacturing and information technology. He also hopes to bring more business and revenue into the Tennenbaum Institute. [Tech] has all of the talent in the world, but the Tennenbaum Institute has to be worth their while, Johnson said. Eventually, he hopes that companies from all over the world will question and consult the Institute rst before making a major manufacturing or processing changes. e former NBAs Senior Vice President of Referee Operations will also serve as Professor of the Practice of Techs ISyE program. He will oversee and manage ISyEs Senior Design teams by helping them work on potential team dynamic issues that may arise during the semester. Johnson hopes to teach his students about leadership, teamwork and most importantly ethics, stating that engineering without ethics is a pretty dangerous thing. Johnson, who served in the Army for 32 years, is most looking forward to working with Tech students in his new position.

He has taught before at both West Point, his alma mater, and the University of New York, and expects to be especially impressed by Tech students. He is looking forward to the energy in a university environment like Tech with so many opportunities. In addition to his positions, Johnson, who received a Masters degree in ISyE from Tech, also plans to earn his Ph.D from Tech, although he wants to prioritize his work as Managing Director of the Tennenbaum Institute. Johnson has already had a signi cant impact on the Tech community. He has served on the Presidents Advisory and is currently a Trustee in the Georgia Tech Foundation. Johnson has three scholarships in his name, two of which are endowed. As well as this, Room 242 of the Student Center is named after him. Johnson wants to give back to Tech, but he is unsure whether he can ever repay for what Tech has given [him].

Photo by Tiara Winata / Student Publications

Ron Johnson is the director of the Tennenbaum Institute.

Institute of Technology, UNC Chapel Hill, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Clemson, Duke, Florida State...Georgia State University..., University of Georgia... and University of South Florida, HustonRough said. According to the press release by GM, the $26 million facility will house professional workers who will be responsible for performing IT related projects for GM that normally gets outsourced to other contractors. e deal to open this center was also driven by the various state incentive funds, including $17.5 million in employment-based tax credits, as reported by the Atlanta Journal Constitution. is is an IT Innovation Center, in which well be developing productivity tools and new capabilities for our business customers in product development, manufacturing, sales, service and supply chain, among many others, Huston-Rough said. e center is close to being operational right now. We will start interviewing and hiring immediately for GM IT jobs in Roswell. Interested candidates can visit: careers [at] gm.com/itjobs. Gov. Nathan Deal, also at the press conference, acknowledged the economic bene t for Georgia with this business endeavor. I think Georgia is perfectly positioned to take advantage of the rebound and thats what weve been trying to do, is to lay the foundation so that when the economy recovers as it appears it may now be doing that we are a place that people will look to for new job opportunities and for expanding existing businesses that are already here, Deal said, according to an interview by CBS Atlanta.

Expansion from page 4

ing on what the expansion was I might use it more and I could see how for people who use it more it could be more convenient, said Kyle Dought, a rst-year MSE major. e current facility is 150,000 square feet, with 13 meeting spaces, eight tabling kiosks, one multi purpose Ballroom, one performance stage and one theater with 196 seats. According to Auxiliary Services, in scal year 2012, there were 15,380 reservation requests with 9,800 con rmations and 394 Ballroom events, in addition to the 26,636 in person information desk inquiries and 3.5 million visits to the Student Center. Ultimately, this raise comes from the increase in enrollment numbers, which have gone up from 16,841 in 2004 to 21,557 in 2012. In turn, the student life space per student has also gone down from about 8.9 sq. ft. per student since the Student Center Commons opened in 2004 to about 6.95 sq. ft. per student in 2012. e Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education recommends 10 sq. ft. per student. As the conversations about this possible expansion to the Student Center are in the very beginning stages currently, it is uncertain exactly where this expansion will be, how big the expansion will be, how much it will be cost or how it will be funded. Where are we in this process, we are at the very beginning stages and really assessing is this something we could do, should do, and is there student interest. Based on what weve heard and seen, there is. Harrington said.

CLASSIFIEDS technique
classi eds.nique.net
SEL
L !! S L! ! ELL!! SEL

place your

Opinions
OUR VIEWS | CONSENSUS OPINION

Opinions Editor: Gaines Halstead

Theres always money in the banana stand.

George Bluth

Technique
Friday, January 18, 2013

YOUR VIEWS | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Student Center Redux

Over the past few years, Tech has seen a dramatic increase in construction projects on campus. From the tennis center to the Clough Commons (CULC), the focal point of these new facilities has been primarily academics and athletics. No new construction has speci cally addressed creating additional recreational space for students on campus. As it stands, the Student Center is a place that many students see as merely a place to grab a quick meal and not much else. Despite this, the Student Center houses a number of important assets to student life. Tech Rec, the Craft Center and dozens of organizations are housed there, yet, due to their placement, go largely under utilized. Whether it be through an expansion or a renovation, the Student Center could be optimized in a manner that better bene ts the students. e design and layout of the CULC, for example, create a comfortable space for academic life. A similarly designed

Optimized space bene ts student life

Student Center that focused on promoting an epicenter of student involvement on campus could produce similar results. A space potentially designed for friends to socialize on campus outside of academic areas, a space for a more visual and open area for campus organization headquarters to promote their institutions, and a space for students to branch out for any other reason that may come to mind. While the cost of this improvement may be steep, there are ways of rasing revenue through the introduction of a Student Center fee, a fee not uncommon to many other universities with successful student centers, and alumni donations. In the end, the university and students may have a to bear some of the cost, but the reality is that academic performance goes hand in hand with student satisfaction. If the focus on construction remains solely on academics and athletics, then the cost of ignoring student life will quickly add up.

Poorly chosen article sparks conversation

ank you for opening discussion on an important topicthe state of a airs in the Middle East as they relate to Israelin last weeks piece, Payback with a Purpose, published in e Harvard Crimson by Daniel Solomon. However, the method by which this topic was presentedpublishing an outdated, biased article from a distant newspaperis irresponsible, especially in light of the recent events in the Middle East. Why not write about the Syrian war that has claimed around 60,000 lives or the constitutional crisis in Egypt? Or still more topical, as Hamid Karzai is in Washington, the debate over 2014 and the role thereafter in Afghanistan? If Israel remains the topic, why not focus on the many positive developments therein? Israelis recently hosted the largest cardiolog y convention in history, are developing solar technology that allows energy production even in the dark and developed a novel, non-invasive electromagnetic device to help treat Alzheimers disease. Or perhaps discuss the marvel of the American funded Iron Dome defense system successfully saving the lives of hundreds during the recent struggle (and representing one of many remarkable breakthroughs in defensive military technology)? Rather than publishing a postelection article by a Harvard University student in our student newspaper more than a month after its original publication, it would be far more e ective to nd ways to showcase the above advances. Or alternatively, nd a Tech student to describe the annual Israelfest celebration on campus, which was attended by over 600 students last year and focuses on the positive technological, social and cultural advances in Israel. Solomon opens his article condemning a supposed political Netanyahu-Romney relationship. Instead, why not draw attention to the rock-solid U.S.-Israel alliance under President Obama? When discussing Israels refusal to halt settlements and meet for peace negotiations, Solomon neglects to recall that Israel froze all housing for 10 months in an attempt to start negotiations with the Palestinian Authority (PA); the PA refused to negotiate for the rst 9 months, held one set of talks after U.S. pressure and then left the negotiations. Additionally, Solomon calls for more one-sided pressure on Israel, calling for a review of its military aid, but he forgets how counterproductive putting one-sided pressure on Israel has been in the last four years. Contrary to its intended result, pressuring Israel encouraged PA Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas to undertake his unilateral bid at the UN, guessing that there would be no review of the PAs US aid. Solomon also conveniently overlooks the fact that Arabs in Israel receive the rights of full citizenship and even have an ArabIsraeli, Salim Joubran, serving on the Israeli Supreme Court. e fact of the matter is, Arab Israelis enjoy a standard of living far better than most Arabs living in neighboring countries. Politics aside, this is a historical time for change in the Middle East and Israel. I appreciate the Technique sparking discussion, but I hope that the campus culture is better assessed, topics are better chosen and, moving forward, conversation is better focused on the positive developments rather than biased political arguments. Alex Stein First-year ISyE

e Consensus Opinion re ects the majority opinion of the Editorial Board of the Technique, but not necessarily the opinions of individual editors.

Technique Editorial Board

Kamna Bohra, Editor-in-Chief Ian Bailie, Managing Editor Sam Somani, News Editor Tiara Winata, Photography Editor Madison Lee, Focus Editor Newt Clark, Sports Editor Joe Murphy, Entertainment Editor Gaines Halstead, Opinions Editor

THE PLAYOFF BY CASEY TISDEL

[email protected]
We welcome your letters in response to Technique content as well as topics relevant to campus. We will print letters on a timely and spaceavailable basis. Each week we look for letters that are responses to or commentaries on 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 a ect Georgia Tech as a university, including its campus and student body. Every week we will print letters on a timely and space-available basis. Letters should not exceed 400 words

Write to us:

and should be submitted by no later than Wednesday afternoon at 3 p.m. in order to be promptly printed in the following Fridays issue. 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. Letters are approved, but not printed, may be published solely online. ese letters can be found online at nique.net under the Opinions section. Only one submission per person will be printed per week. For questions, comments or concern, contact the Opinions Editor at [email protected].

OPINIONS

Technique January 18, 2013 7

3D should enhance movie experience

Over winter break, I made a di cult life choice. It was one that I had been debating for weeks beforehand: should I watch e Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in its 3D format or to stick with safe, dependable 2D? is may not seem like a soul-wrenching predicament to some, but for fans like me e Hobbit is no laughing matterthis is serious business. In fact, anyone who has ever seen a movie in both 2D and 3D is probably aware that the format can make all the di erence. Ultimately, I decided for myself that it would be better to see the lm on its own merit and cough up the cash for a 3D viewing at a later date, but the dilemma did bring to mind a bigger question that Ive considered many times beforeis 3D viewing really worth the hype and the money we pay for it? Im personally neither completely for nor against the format, because I believe that the quality of the lm itself has more to do with the answer to that question than anything. 3D releases have become increasingly popular over the last few years, peaking with the epic visual e ects in James Camerons Avatar, Martin Scorseses Hugo and most recently Ang Lees Life of Pi. ese lms have all been hailed as masterpieces and were praised by viewers and

Madison Lee
Focus Editor

critics alike for their stylistic productionnot to mention their brilliant screenplays and directionbut they would have been well received even without using excitement of 3D to gain viewership. When used in this way 3D formatting can be a lot like an IKEA accent tableit might be pricey, unnecessary and showy to look at, but in the end it does make a great impression. However, the same has not been said for movies like Avatar: e Last Airbender, which su ered from lackluster direction and was made worse by disappointing performances. Far from salvaging the lm, 3D was essentially tacked on as an afterthought, making this terrible rendering of a popular animated television show a more expensive disaster for the viewers it tried and failed to impress. ats not to say that every movie that makes use of the 3D format must be Academy Award nominated. In fact,

some lms that dont even take themselves seriously can still bene t from an extra dimension. Comedy horror movies like Piranha 3D that seek refuge in audacity have shamelessly exploited the fact that 3D can actually enhance their target audiences viewing experience. Generally speaking, 3D should simply never detract from the original lm itself. Of course, money is and always will be a factor when it comes to 3D releases. Ticket prices are higher, sometimes to compensate for higher production costs or just to make an easy billion. We would all love to believe that Disney and Pixar Studios have been rereleasing old favorites in 3D purely for our renewed enjoyment, but that would be nave. On the other hand, sometimes lmmakers dont really have a choice in the matter when it comes to their bigbudget productions. Director J.J Abrams, who has never been particularly fond of the

3D format, recently admitted that Star Trek: Into Darkness will not only be released in 3D due to nancial pressures, but will also get the post- lming conversion treatment that has had unfortunate results in the past compared to lms that are shot with 3D in mind to begin with. Abrams is con dent that taking their time with the process will ensure that it is a high-end conversion that viewers will appreciate. From this perspective, you could say that it isnt necessarily the type of 3D that matters, but the care and e ort that goes into it overall. Interestingly, Piranha 3D also used a post-production conversion process, was careful to make it look as good as possible and critics responded positively. If killer sh can pro t from it, then why not Spock and Captain Kirk? Lets face facts. 3D can make for a magni cent viewing experience, or it can come o as a gimmick used solely to attract viewers to the theater. For me, all that really matters in the end is that the movie is an otherwise decent ick that has actually been improved in some way by the 3D formatting. And it had better make it worth the cost of admission, especially when you factor in the price of popcorn and soda at the concession stand these days.

What classes did you drop this week and why?

Lauren Margulieux PSYCH grad student

Structural Design Modeling. It wasnt good for my research...

Liberal arts a vital educational resource

Probably one of the happiest moments of my life was realizing that I had to take less than a handful of humanities classes at Tech. Dont get me wrongits not that I dislike English literature or learning more about the socioeconomic impacts of the Louisiana Purchase in France. I would genuinely love to spend the time, in an ideal world where I would have an unlimited amount of it, gorging myself with knowledge about Impressionist ideals, Freudian philosophy and Kafkas existential works. Its just that, with the limited time I do have, I nd the conceptual framework and inherent application from my engineering, physics and chemistry courses far more interesting. Couple that with the trend that the medical school application is becoming more centered around the humanities with the 2015 MCAT changes and medical schools strongly suggesting applicants take these courses, its not exactly surprising that I looked forward to my engineering major classes as a break from these quasi-required courses. Approximately two months ago, however, the Techniques editorial board hashed out our feelings regarding the arts at Tech. Having written for almost a year and a half for this publication by that point, I found myself using my current position as evidence for su -

Harris Awan Fourth-year ID major

ciently being involved in a creative outlet and helping aid in solving Techs problem of an academic culture devoid of the more liberal arts here. However, I realized that I wasnt exactly following the opinion I had contributed to developing. Even though the Technique has served as a fantastic creative outlet for me and a truly wonderful opportunity to meet some of the most unique people I will ever have the pleasure of knowing, I felt like this hobby of mine wasnt enough to promote relief from Techs innate, for a lack of better words, number-centric, by-the-book undergraduate curriculum. In one sense, this was exactly what I signed up for, considering how much I disliked having to read an enormous volume of pages every night in high school. But in another sense, I realized that I was limiting my scope of knowledge to equations of thermodynamic states and the like instead of becoming what an academic should bea connoisseur of knowledge.

subsequent analysis was necessary lest you wanted to appear, simply put, like an idiot. Another very interesting part of this class was the variety of mental exercise I was o ered. Rather than trying to Sam Somani nd a singular solution to a problem, I was given the creNews Editor ativity and freedom to explore projects, guided by a few rules. is sort of approach has had a So I did what any normal carryover to my other classes, person under Techs stress- where, I try to not just solve ful curriculum would do: the problem as is to get the move on. But then registra- points, but to nd more pertion came and the issue was sonal or unique ways of underresurrected once again in my standing them. mind. Against what I thought e number one takeaway was then my better judgment from this was, however, simibased on my engineering lar to Tom Sawyer and his heavy course load at the time, ability to get his friends to do I decided to enroll in an intro- his chores for him. If this class duction to visual design class was a requirement, theres a o ered by the Computational 99% chance I would see it in Media department. I had little a much more di erent light. idea that this class, recom- However, having taken it on mended to me by a close friend my accord and both realizing of mine, could become prob- and seeing its bene t in my ably one of the best decisions I daily life has let me apprecimade for this semester. ate the value this class brings. Even though it has only As Tech students, given the been two weeks of class, Ive constant bombardment of already reaped a myriad ben- mathematical and scienti c e ts. e rst and probably conversations were under in most important realization Ive class, it may be hard to have an seen is the mental break from intelligent conversation about the engineering courses. Every something other than an equatime I walk into class, I feel tion. It truly falls upon us as myself able to express freely students of academia to purmy thoughts without any feel- sue a holistic education that ing of restriction that comes in will foster an overall scholastic some of my other traditional personality instead of a limclasses where a background of ited, albeit specialized, mental the subject matter before any frame.

Psychology - Child Development. It was so dumb and stupid.

Reed Bakich First-year ISyE major

Sociology. 17 hours a semester is too much.

Alborz Kashani ISyE grad student

Dropping classes is overrated.

Photos by Sho Kitamura / Student Publications

8 January 18, 2013 Technique

OPINIONS

HOT or NOT
While this years u season has been predicted to be a rather rough one, there is some hope. e Stamps Health Center o ered free u shots this week for eligible Tech students. Faculty were not left out in the cold and were able to buy highly discounted shots throughout the day. Its beginning to look like Stamps is doing all they can to make sure you make that inevitable calc exam.

OUR VIEWS | HOT OR NOT

Strengths of Tech provide key to achieving dream of Dr. King

Tech has designated Jan. 10-26 as the period for honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with an interesting array of activities and collaborations. In doing so, we invite bold re ection among our communityand raise the challenge of how and why both the dream and the journey must continue. In calling for the dream to continue, we underscore a longstanding hope for both leaders and followers who hold a vision of possibility for the world that is both human-centered and humane. We acknowledge an equally long-standing reality that engendering such a vision often requires inordinate courage and compassion. We draw attention to the fact that a basic challenge for peopleeven, and perhaps especially, those of good conscience and goodwillis nding the nerve to see, or to learn to see, that its not so much that the world just needs love. Having loving hearts and souls may indeed constitute an important common good these days, but what we may actually need a bit more of than just love is for much larger numbers of people to develop a much deeper capacity to dream of a world: where freedom, peace and justice reign supreme; where it is normal to embrace with deep breaths, rather than shallow onesthe concepts of social responsibility and ethical action; where we applaud in wideeyed wonder the absolute marvel of the potential of all human beings, not just some of us, and where we see clearly the absolute need for all available potential to function to the best of its ability; where human dignity has a secure value in all of our places under

Dean Royster
Dean, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts the sun; and where we have the good sense to preserve our little blue planetas the only place we call homeand have even better sense to proclaim this planet as a place for courtesy and caring, for grace and respectnot just for ourselves but, in the deepest recesses of our compassion and courage, for others as well. During this period of bold and, yes, dramatic re ection, we call for this dream, this hope, this expectation to continuequite frankly because we remain literally haunted by the need in the world for such visionary dreaming in order to address thoroughly and well the truly thorny challenges that surround us. e cautionary tale, of course, is that the one truth that we do not have the privilege of escaping is that we still have a very long way to go before we can call either the dream or the journeywhether we are thinking in local or global termsover. So, at Tech what do we do about the need to continue? An obvious answer is embedded in who we are as a university community. Note, if you will, that at Tech we take considerable pride in being smart, hardworking, entrepreneurial, innovative and incredibly e ective problem-solvers. What we can do, then, is take on this set of problems. e dream that one man dreamed of well over 40 years ago, a dream so many others around the globe shared and continue to share with him, has not been realized just yet, but with all of the strengths those of us at Tech take such pride in, we, too, can dream a better world than the one we live in today. Furthermore, we can take the opportunity of this annual ritual of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday to rededicate ourselves to the task of living up to the potential that we know we have, personally and institutionally. I dare say that in honoring the life and legacy of Dr. King, what we more realistically have the opportunity to honor is not just him and his accomplishments but our own obligations to put ourselves to the test. Do we have enough imagination to dream better worlds? Do we have the courage and compassion to endow our dreams with a human and humane sensibility? Can we bring truth to the power of our best dreams? Most of all, can we dedicate ourselves to the hard work, as Dr. King did, of making our most ambitious dreams for a better world come true? Indeed, I may be a dreamer, but, in keeping with a powerful legacy, I sincerely believe that we can do what we need to do and what we must do.

Flu Shots

While re drills are a great thing that no doubt keep students safe, they always seem to come at the most inconvenient time. ey always seem to know when youre studying for a nal or about to beat the nal level of Contra. is week was no exception when a number of West Campus residents found themselves standing in the pouring rain during a latenight re drill that left them steaming.

Rain Drill

is week marked the lead up to Mondays Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Every year, Tech makes it a point to honor the late reverend, and this year was no di erent. A number of events were planned throughout the week the make sure the legacy of Atlantas own civil rights leader is never forgotten. It was Techs honor to host Dr. Kings eldest son, Martin Luther King III, for his annual MLK Jr. lecture.

MLK Day

For students who rely on the schools bus system to traverse the large expanses of campus in under the 10-minute time gap between classes, this was a rough week. is was largely due to the Nextbus screens going down for most of the week. While this issue is normally a slight inconvenience, the problem was ampli ed with the entire week having a slight and annoying mizzle (a mist and drizzle power combo).

Bus Times

Interested in writing, photography, design or advertising? Join the Technique to get the chance to discover all aspects of campus! Weekly sta meetings Tuesdays at 7 p.m. in Flag Building Rm. 137

www.nique.net

Focus
By Aaron Tumulak Contributing Writer

[email protected]
Focus Editor: Madison Lee Assistant Focus Editor: Arvind Narayan

Tech is honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his messages of service and diversity. This week, Focus highlights these initiatives, along with the events taking place on and o campus and the organizations that promote them.

Technique
Friday, January 18, 2013

Students honor King legacy with celebration

Members of the Tech community met on ursday night in the Student Center Ballroom to celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr. Emceed by Eran Mordel and Jasmine Lawrence, the celebration featured student speakers and performers who contributed to the evenings theme, e Dream & e Journey Continue. e rst performer, Shreya Ahuja, an IE major from New Delhi, gave an interpretive dance featuring a character who, against the advice of her cynical peers, leaves a cave to see the outside world for the rst time. Ahuja compared the wonder of such a sight to the vision that leaders like Gandhi and Dr. King held for the future in a dark past. Henderson Johnson II, a rst- year AE major, spoke about how much remains to be accomplished in Martin Had a Dream, Now We Must Make a Plan, focusing on the importance of exercising civil liberties. He spoke about the current state of freedom and equality in America and how much of it relies on the actions of individuals. I wanted to make people aware of the fact that so many complain about politicians[but many people] arent actively participating in government, Johnson said. In addition to his political point, Johnson also saw many obstacles that remain in the way of equality, such as limited educational opportunities, income disparity and gender inequality. Marnie Williams, a third-year BMED major, drew from her experience as the only white person visiting Antioch Baptist church in Pioneers. Williams agreed that the ght for equality is not over. She noted that divisions between students still exist in the form of self-segregation. e only way we are going to break these barriers is if we become the pioneers who put ourselves in situations where we feel like outcasts, said Williams. Chiamaka Ukachukwu, a fourth-year BCHM major, gave a spoken word performance of one of her original poems, Let the Record Play. Her poem portrays the American civil rights leaders as regular people who brought about fantastic change. I got involved because I loved the idea of celebrating Dr. Kings legacy from the voice of the student body, Ukachukwu said. She has participated in the annual event since it started two years ago. I think its important that our generation realizes that our voices matter, Ukachukwu said. Gillen Heisler, a second-year IAST major, gave his speech, Moving the Dream Forward, on inequalities that remain unresolved today. Heisler acknowledged that racism still exists, and that sexism still manifests itself in unequal pay for women. One particular issue, the treatment of homosexuals by society and the government, lay very close to him. Heisler, who is openly gay, spoke about the realities of homophobia and having gay friends who have committed suicide,

fallen into depression, and were bullied by family members and peers. He recalled being fortunate enough to have a supportive family and friends, but reminded the audience that many others are not as lucky. is speech was certainly a step forward to [encouragSee Celebration, page 11

Breathing in campus diversity

By Arvind Narayan Assistant Focus Editor

TIPS & TRICKS

Its no secret that Tech is an extraordinarily diverse and international campus, home to students from near and far. With the multitude of opportunities to branch out culturally, you could start a conversation in French with a Chinese GT Lorraine student on his way to an India Club meeting. Here are some tips to learn about the di erent cultures on campus and experience the beautiful diversity that Tech has to offer. Tech o ers classes in over 10 di erent languages, including French, Spanish, German, Arabic, Hindi and Japanese. ese classes o er insight into the syntactical nature of each language, but they also provide the invaluable opportunity to learn about a new culture. Students who take foreign language classes can receive degrees in Intercultural Studies, Global Economics and International A airs. Foreign language students are also far better equipped to study abroad. Music is an excellent way to experience culture. Tech is an international campus and students bring their musical backgrounds with them. On-campus groups hold several music shows a year, such as India Clubs popular Holi Show. Another casual way to experience international music is to go to Under the Couch at the Student Center, where groups often perform music from di erent cultures. ere are several student organizations based on experiencing and celebrating di erent cultures. From the African Students Association, dedicated to promoting African culture, to the China Heritage Club, which raises awareness of the Chinese heritage and culture, there are innumerable student organizations which can teach you about diversity. Just go to JacketPages to nd the organization thats right for you. Campus organizations like the O ce of International Education, the Student Government Association and the Global Jackets are continually trying to improve the Tech experience by moving towards a more culturally and socially inclusive campus. Participating in activities such as the SGAs Student Diversity Symposium or the Global Jackets annual Culture Fest can improve your understanding of the diversity on campus and its importance towards creating the Tech community that we know and love.
Check Out Cultural Activities Join a Student Organization Experience through Music Take a Foreign Language Class

Photo by Brenda Lin / Student Publications

Students from a variety of campus organizations gathered to pay tribute to Dr. Kings memory and achievements.

Martin Luther King III revisits lessons of history

By Madison Lee Focus Editor

Martin Luther King III, the eldest son of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, delivered a speech in the Student Center Ballroom Wednesday advocating nonviolent action when contending with the many social, political and economic issues facing the nation. Dr. Archie Ervin, Vice President for Institute Diversity, and Institute President G.P. Bud Peterson provided the opening remarks and o cial welcome for the event respectively. A prominent human rights advocate and community activist,

King engaged in civil disobedience protests in his youth, later leading protests against the digital divide in the eld of technology spearheading nonviolence initiatives across the world, among numerous other achievements. King cites his fathers example as a leader of the Civil Rights Movement when explaining the importance of peaceful mobilization. Martin Luther King Jr., in a short period from 1955 to 1968, helped to transform our nation without ever using a gunbut instead by using his voice and the power of love to mobilizeto endure the su ering that he and team felt they had to endure. It

Photo by Sho Kitamura / Student Publications

Martin Luther King III visited campus on Wednesday, delivering a speech on combating social issues with nonviolent action.

was an incredible movement, King said. ough King emphasized the signi cance of his fathers role in promoting social liberty, he also explained the di erence between idolizing the man and cherishing his beliefs. Its easy to idolize Martin Luther King Jr., but with idols we put them on the shelf, look up to them and when the holidays come around we dust them o . Instead of idolizing him, we should embrace his ideals of freedom and equality for all human-kind, and work to change our society. Our challenge for the 21st century has been to continue to embrace his messages and ful ll his dream, King said. In relation to the theme of this years MLK celebration at Tech, e Dream and the Journey Continue, King made a point of revisiting signi cant historical events of the Civil Rights Movement during his speech as well. He cited Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott as crucial examples in the ght for equality. Furthermore, he emphasized the strides that had been made with regards to social justice over the decades since the Civil Rights Movement, and the importance of remembering the sacri ces of those who came before. It is said that a people that do not remember their history are

doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past. So its important to realize that we are a much better nation than we were then, but we had to go through a lot of obstacles, King said. In addition to the political and historical topics of his speech, King addressed the importance of service as a means of changing the world, as well as a form of collective mobilization for a greater cause. [MLK Day] should never be relegated to one of the traditional holidays, largely because of the ideals that Martin Luther King Jr. shared and disseminated and embraced. He truly believed in serviceand perhaps this weekend as we observe it, we will be engaged as a nation in service and begin to see our society transform, King said. Keeping recent tragic events in mind, King stressed the importance of not giving into hate or acting upon opportunities to take revenge for wrongdoings, expressing his hope that our countrys culture of violence would transition to a culture of nonviolence and acceptance. In terms of freedom, justice and equality, [my father] and his team found a way to extract the good out of people. He taught us how to love and how to forgive, King said.

FOCUS

Technique January 18, 2013 11

Organizations promote campus diversity

By Arvind Narayan Assistant Focus Editor

Celebration

Organizations like the Student Government Association (SGA) and the Global Jackets are excited about the various events that they have organized upcoming semester to make the campus more inclusive. Especially during Martin Luther King Jr. week, it is important to consider the diverse nature of Techs students and faculty. Diversity isnt limited to race or culture, said SGA Vice President Amit Khanduri. You have many di erent kinds of diversity, like diversity of experience, diversity in socioeconomic status or orientation. Tech is home to students from around the world; the number of vibrant cultures and di erent viewpoints represented on campus is staggering. Weve got a lot of races and religions on campus, and were talking about how well Georgia Tech has adapted to that, said Siddarth Sreeram, the Cultural and Diversity A airs Committee Chair at SGA. e SGA is hosting several events this semester in order to make Tech more supportive for those who are discriminated against or underrepresented; the goal of these programs is to create a setting for open discourse and to increase awareness of existing problems. On Tuesday, Jan. 22, SGA will be working with the O ce of Diversity Programs to hold a Diver-

sity Symposium for students. e symposium will feature a speaker, Tech alum Miller Templeton. ere will also be a panel with an open forum for discussion of diversity-based topics. SGA is speci cally pursuing programs to assist the LGBTQ community at Georgia Tech. In Atlanta, theres a really high population of LGBTQ community members. O campus, there are several resources for them, but were sort of lacking on campus Weve got to somehow account for that and help [the LGBTQ community] out, Sreeram said. Another SGA initiative is the Greek Allies Program. e Cultural and Diversity A airs Committee will call one representative from each fraternity and sorority to discuss culture and diversity on campus and give each representative resources to deal with possible problems. e premise of the Greek Allies Program is to have one member of every Greek house who has gone through Safe Space Training, Khanduri said. Safe Space Training is intended to familiarize a person with comfortably discussing issues about diversity, speci cally in relation to problems faced by the LGBTQ community. It is a form of sensitivity training that gives members of the LGBTQ community access to people who they can easily speak with about their situations and for support. e Global Jackets, a 30 year-

old organization working with the O ce of International Education, is also holding events this semester to make campus more ethnically and culturally inclusive. One of the best-known traditions that the Global Jackets hold is the Spring Culture Fest, a weeklong celebration of the cultures represented at Tech. is week includes events such as an International Food Fest, where several di erent students cook food from their cultures and serve the dishes along Skiles Walkway. Culture Fest also includes the ever-popular International Karaoke Night, where students who attend can sing songs in any language. e Global Jackets also hold a Movie Series, during which students can watch foreign lms such as the award-winning German comedy, Goodbye Lenin. We want to celebrate all cultures, making a union of the international and national communities, said Courtney Widjaja, Global Jackets o cer. e upcoming semester holds several opportunities to re ect on the diversity of Tech campus. Even students that are not directly involved in a large student organization can contribute to a more inclusive campus. I think standing up for someone you see being discriminated against is one of the strongest things you can do. It takes a lot of strength to do thatby standing up for someone, you are being a leader, Khanduri said.

from page 9 ing people to] do what we know is rightgranting every citizen equal rights, said Heisler. Jacob Tzegaegbe, a CE grad student, gave his speech e Flame of a Generation, a captivating account following the life and death of Mohamed Bouazizi, which set o events that sparked revolutions in the Middle East. Tzgaegbes performance illustrated the youth in Arab countries nally taking action to change entire governments forever. en, in sharp contrast, he brought up the modern American youth. Looking at what our peers have done through their solidarity and passion in the Arab Spring this shows us what we can accomplish if we come together. It is time for us to stop watching and start moving for what we as a generation believe in, Tzegaegbe

said.

e evening was not without a few surprises. When Taal Tadka, an acapella group, could not attend the ceremony, Stephanie Ray, Director of Diversity Programs at Tech, lled in for them. She gave a powerful performance of Coretta Scott King receiving news that her husband had been assassinated. Near the end of the event, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., of which Dr. King was a former member, gave a step dance performance. e gospel choir G.I.F.T.E.D. (Gods In uence Flowing rough Every Disciple) sang some of Dr. Kings favorite songs, followed by a candle lighting ceremony by representatives from student organizations across campus. e night kicked o a series of events which will celebrate Dr. Kings life over the course of the month.

Photo by Brenda Lin / Student Publications

Students performed and gave testimonials recognizing Dr. Kings in uence towards ending modern civil con icts.

12 January 18, 2013 Technique

FOCUS

What does Martin Luther King Jr. Day mean to you?

By John Rhinehart Contributing Writer

Tech recognizes Day On, Not a Day O

By Madison Lee Focus Editor

With MLK Day fast approaching, Focus challenged the student body to share their feelings on the true meaning of occasion, as well as whether they believe that Martin Luther King Jr.s birthday would be as widely recognized as it is today if it was not observed as a national holiday. After signi cant struggle, the federal holiday was o cially signed into creation in 1983. Eleven years later, Congress further emphasized MLK Day by labeling it a national day of servicea call to help solve todays biggest issues. Students admire Martin Luther King Jr. as a role model. After all, he embodied the potent value of silent courage and revolutionized the concept of civil disobedience. However, some students, such as fourth-year BME James Lee, note that the meaning of the holiday may have faded. Being from a di erent background, Martin Luther King Jr.s actions were courageous and evoke respect from me as he risked his life for change. People today look at it as more of a day o and if it were not a national holiday I believe it would be overshadowed; I probably would not recognize it, Lee said. Lee brought up an interesting point. If the day was not set aside as a national holiday, could it really be ignored in the midst of an ocean of social media and news coverage? Siri Yellamraju, a fourth-year BA major, claims the day would certainly still be signi cant. I think I would still recognize it as I get CNN news updates on my phone, or I would be bound to see it on Reddit or elsewhere, Yellamraju said. Others believe that the symbolic importance of MLK Day would be diminished if it was not

a national holiday. I think the day would be recognized but not as widely celebrated, said fourth-year BA major Mason Elledge. In other words, MLK Days mark as a day of service would be obsolete. Essentially, a day of respect would remain. Respect, however, can take different forms. Respect is not only a solemn acknowledgement, but a commitment for continual progress which we make with respect to Dr. Kings memory. I consider peace and continuous change when the holiday comes. Especially since we have the rst African-American president in o ce, said Kajene Murugathasan, a fourth-year PSYCH major. MLK Day is certainly recognized more in some parts of the country than others. Suyoung Jang, a second-year EE, recognizes this because of his own experiences. I grew up in Birmingham, so there were lots of assemblies and eld trips that revolved around the civil rights movement. Even our school Social Studies curriculum focused heavily around Dr. King and his strive for change, said Jang. Students can honor Martin Luther King Jr. though Techs third annual MLK Day of Service, A Day On, Not a Day O . Students will divide up into teams and participate in service various service projects in the metro Atlanta area. 250 spots were initially available but projects are lling up quickly. Events celebrating Dr. King will continue throughout the week. e Student Government Association will hold a diversity symposium on Tuesday, Jan. 22, where some of todays most pressing issues will be discussed. Celebrate the holiday by helping to perpetuate the values that Dr. King worked so hard to instill.

As part of a national initiative to honor the work and beliefs of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Tech will be hosting its 3rd annual MLK Day of Service on Monday, Jan. 21. Participating students will have an opportunity to help out in the metro-Atlanta community by engaging in a variety of service projects. MLK Day, originally observed in 1983, is often referred to as A Day On, Not a Day O . It is the only federal holiday designated by Congress as a national call to action promoting volunteerisman act that took place in 1994. e Institutes Day of Service is a campus-wide endeavor that encourages students to serve the community in teams as a way to honor

Dr. Kings legacy. My hope is that all of our participants will enjoy their service experiences, but also that theyll re ect on how they can continue to live out Dr. Kings legacy beyond the Day of Service. Our event is one day, but Dr. Kings dream is for diverse communities to be celebrated and for all individuals to be valued every day of the year, said Sarah Perkins, Techs Civic Engagement Coordinator. is year, there are eight service projects and 250 spots available. Students will be volunteering with partner agencies like Jumpstart, an early education development organization, and Caf 458, a social service agency that feeds the homeless in the heart of the Martin Luther King Jr. Historical District.

Photo by Josh Sandler / Student Publications

Student Elizabeth Carpenter participates in a community cleanup project during last years annual MLK Day of Service event.

Elizabeth Carpenter, a secondyear BMED major, participated in last springs Day of Service event with a group of other students in the Presidents Scholarship Program. She was excited for the opportunity to pay her respects to Dr. King through her service project. Dr. King gave up his life for servicefor serving a greater cause. And I think that honoring him by making the sacri ce of waking up early and helping someone else is really great, Carpenter said. Techs Day of Service was organized and put into e ect by a Planning Committee of ve students, each who served as a point person for di erent logistics of the event from project recruitment to re ection activities. e agencies that students will be volunteering with work to address many important social issues such as environmental sustainability, hunger, homelessness, health and social services, literacy, medical assistance and sex trafcking. Some examples of service projects include beauti cation and landscaping, facility maintenance, refurbishing medical supplies and creating literacy packets for preschool children. One of the things that MLK advocated was equality, and I think that a lot of times we can get caught up in ourselveswe forget that other people need our help, and that with all of the opportunities we have been given to serve we really shouldnt hesitate to just get out and do it, Carpenter said. During a week of celebrating Dr. Kings legacy with activities both on and o campus, the Day of Service event gives students a chance to dedicate their time to others. No matter your race or gender, weve all bene ted because of what Dr. King did. Far from this being just a holiday and a day o from work and school, I think the best way to honor his cause is to give up a morning to service and in return get a more peaceful, happy and understanding world to live in, Carpenter said.

making friday lectures more interesting

technique

Submit a Sliver!

Save a tree! Read us online!

nique.net

Your sliver here.

www.nique.net

Wed like to hear from you. Write us a letter.

[email protected]

Entertainment
By Brenda Lin Contributing Writer

[email protected]
Entertainment Editor: Joe Murphy Assistant Entertainment Editor: Keith Frady

Technique

Friday, January 18, 2013

13

Blue Man Group electri es Fox with performance

When one thinks of live avantgarde or performance art, an image of serious looking, eccentrically dressed yuppies comes to mind. While they are in the same genre, no stu ness exists in the Blue Man Group, who brought the Fox eater to life on Jan. 15. Blue Man Group, an act fronted by the three titular cobalt Blue Men, is exactly as advertised. Flashing lights, ground-shaking music, and enough humor to rival a comedy club make the performance one of the most unique to grace the stage. e trio marry conventional visual and auditory art to innovative uses of technology. In their most well-known act, they take mundane household objects like PVC pipes and fashion them into elaborate instruments. What ensues is spectacular. From the get-go, the performance engages and energizes the audience, and by the time the curtain comes up and the neon paints are ying o the drumheads, there is an electric feeling sparking through the air. At the Fox, a high level of audience involvement was present throughout the entire show. e performers often ventured into the crowd, interacting with viewers on a personal level. e show got people out of their seats much of the time, with projectors telling them to get up and dance or ail their arms. is in turn made patrons feel connected to the performance. Unlike most experimental art, Blue Man Group appeals to all ages, contrasting slap stick styled humor with perpetually stoic faces that kept children in the audiences laughing. Many of the acts were akin to those of circus clowns, using such comic tools as Captain Crunch cereal, regurgitated twinkies and Jell-O. And it wasnt just the humor that appealed to the audience; the group seemed to be able to do the impossible, with one of them being able to catch up to twenty marshmallows in his mouth at a time. Although often simple in concept, most of the Blue Man Groups acts have themes that ridicule society, particularly an addiction to technology, information overload and an obsession with commercialism. is idea is extremely clear in the act where three GiPads (Giant iPads) are brought on stage, simultaneously ashing three di erent sets of information consisting of pop culture, facts about the internet and

Photo courtesy of Paul Kolnik

Toilet paper is just one of the many tools employed by members of the Blue Man Group to ensure that the show is as exciting, unexpected and altogether wacky as possible. Visionaries welcome. advertisements. Additionally, the group toys with the idea of alienation, not only with their own bizarre looks and uncomfortable stares, but also by always having a least one member of the group purposely be something di erent or do something wrong. e performance also poked fun at itself, once even mocking the idea of conceptual art. What was truly spectacular about the Blue Man Group was their incredible timing and synchronization. Not only were the performers completely in sync almost the entire show, but the performance itself merged the ideas of performance and visual technology. However, a slightly bothersome aspect of the show was the fact that the audience members who were brought on stage were clearly planted in the crowd beforehand. ese selected people seemed to know their way around both the stage and the act a little too well when they were supposed to be following along with the group. Moreover, each person who was selected was a bit over the top to say the least. ey were unafraid to wave at the camera and extremely con dent in their actions. Additionally, one of the acts, supposedly performed live backstage, was clearly not actually happening, as it was relatively dangerous and would no doubt require the volunteer to sign a waiver of some sort. Although this was all part of the experience and made to look as real as possible, it was a shame for many of the audience members who eagerly waved
See Blue, page 17

Tech grad competes on reality show

Total Frat Move creator discusses new book release

By Nick Flint Contributing Writer

Photo courtesy of Turner Broadcasting System

King of the Nerds promises to pit all manner of geeks and dorks against each other in the ultimate battle to prove who is nerd royalty. At the very least, viewers can expect a new kind of reality show.
By Jillian Broaddus Sta Writer

TBS has nally launched a reality show relatable to Tech students. Starting ursday, Jan. 17, the executive producers of e Biggest Loser are bringing King of the Nerds to TV. In this unscripted competition series hosted by Robert Carradine (Django Unchained) and Curtis Armstrong (Risky Business), 11 contenders from across the nation will compete in numerous contests testing their intelligence, creativity and pop-culture expertise. Challenges range from a giant game of chess to a nerd-wide dance-o , with the ultimate goal being the title King of the Nerds and master of Nerdvana, not to mention a $100,000 grand prize. One of the contestants this year graduated from the geek-breeding grounds of our own Tech. Jon, a self-proclaimed lover of math,

theoretical physics, Taco Bell and gangsta rap, answered some questions for the Technique. First o , could you tell us a little about your background while you were at Tech? At Tech, I was pretty scatterbrained in focus. I started o as a Computational Media major, switched to Nuclear Engineering and then to Physics. A couple years later I added Applied Math as a second major, and then I graduated in December 2011. I studied abroad in China and spent a couple of summers doing research in mathematical physics at the University of Bielefeld and Caltech. I am also an alumnus of the Psi Upsilon fraternity, and have been involved in the local Burning Man community for a few years. Now Im in a pure math Ph.D. program at UCLA. Do you think the atmosphere at Tech is comparable

at all to living in Nerdvana on the show? Socially, I would say it was similar, but with a little more diversity of interests. ere were several engineering types on the cast, including a woman with a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering. But there were also members of the cast who are professional gamers or role-playing game designers, for instance. I could imagine running into a similar group of people at a Tech house party. What do you think sets you individually apart from the other nerds on the reality series? I think that I was the most prepared to handle little sleep and endless stress, which I attribute entirely to Tech. at makes it sound miserable, but it was actually a lot of fun too! Did you nd it at all o enSee Nerds, page 17

It is a well-known fact that fraternity men live by di erent standards than other independent students on campus. Until recently, the unique brand of humor that fraternity life provides came to the public from the classic movie Animal House. TFM is its successor. A comic favorite among college students, the website TotalFratMove.com reveals by way of anonymous blurbs and stories the ridiculous choices made by many fraternity men across the country. Ross Bolen, sta writer and content editor for TotalFratMove. com, has taken it a step further with his new book Total Frat Move, which describes fraternity life through the eyes of a ctional student on his way up the fraternity ladder. ough the book is ctional, the events described take place in various real-life fraternities every semester. Overall, the book is hilarious. ose who did not know about the absurdities of the supposed day-to-day life of fraternity men certainly will now. Readers will get a good laugh from the loutish, descriptive and captivating style. e Technique had a chance to interview Bolen to get his side of the story and get an idea of what drives TFM. Why was the TFM website started? Is it meant to make fun of fraternities or just provide entertainment? e website was founded with

the purpose of exposing the incredibly unique and hilarious brand of humor that was previously hidden within the nationwide Greek community. Obviously at times that humor is self-deprecating, but thats what makes it so great and enjoyable for everyone. As fraternity and sorority members, we know how ridiculous we can be, and we are shameless. Its hilarious, its awesome and at Total Frat Move we share that comedy with the world. What prompted you to write the TFM book? And who is your targeted audience of readers? A few weeks after I started working on the site, Byrd Leavell reached out to us. Byrd is a literary agent who has represented bestselling humor authors such as Tucker Max (I Hope ey Serve Beer in Hell) and Justin Halpern ([Stu ] My Dad Says), so obviously this was a big deal. He was actually in a fraternity himself, so he totally understood our brand of comedy and saw an opportunity for an incredible book to be crafted around it. With Byrds guidance, I quickly began working on the book proposal, which we eventually sold to Ben Greenberg, Executive Editor at Grand Central Publishing. After that I spent about a year writing the book. Our target audience is anySee Frat, page 15

14 January 18, 2013 Technique

ENTERTAINMENT

Guster discusses group dynamics, unique performance style

By Ally Stone Contributing Writer

is month, Atlanta received a blast of acoustic vibes with the arrival of Guster, an alternative rock band originating in Boston. Most notably known for their hit single Satellite in 2006, the band has taken a diverse and dynamic angle at music throughout their career. Band members include Ryan Miller (vocals and guitar), Adam Gardner (vocals and guitar), Luke Reynolds (vocals and guitar) and Brian Rosenworcel (percussion). Founding members Miller, Gardner and Rosenworcel started the group in the early 1990s. Guster is known for its instrumental variety, ranging from ukulele to bongos, strong harmonies and a grassroots fan base that praises their quirky on-stage humor. e Technique was able to talk with Adam Gardner about the completely acoustic show, based o last years tour and their new album Live Acoustic, featured at the Variety Playhouse this past ursday and Friday, Jan. 11-12. Your new album Live Acoustic was just released this Tuesday, January 8th. What was the inspiration behind it? Last year we decided to do a tour looking at the band for the rst time in 20 years in a new light. We traveled with comedian Je Garlin while performing an acoustic set. It turned out to be new and fresh for us; fans enjoyed

it too. So many songs turned out great, there was no intention to put them on a CD, but looking back at the recordings from the tour we thought we had good material, and thought we could make a CD out of it. e acoustic format began at the rst show at the Metropolitan Museum in NYC, and was not appropriate to do a rock show. We decided on a sit-down acoustic set. It was a special and di erent way of looking at our band, and now we are continuing that. As a group playing an acoustic set together live, do you feel the process is more spontaneous? Its all about putting on a good show. e format sitting next to each other is a lot looser, more fun. We purposely build in the middle of the set an interaction with the audience, an open Q&A. Its random and loose, way more intimate and interactive for us and the audience. With the acoustic set it allows us to hear each other and hear songs stand on their own, at their core. Do you think the Guster String Players have contributed a unique depth to the arrangement? Absolutely, huge, it allows for way more depth, way more emphasis on the songs. Its really cool because they are women; we have never had women on tour. Its funny as we are getting ready for the show they are putting on

Photo by Ally Stone / Student Publications

Original members of Guster perform with the Guster String Players, a duo composed of a female cellist and a female violinist. The bands varied approach to performance truly makes them unique. makeup. We love the female energy on tour. You guys started playing together in college. Do you have any advice for aspiring musicians sitting in their dorm rooms right now? Finish your degree! First of all get your degree, actually Im joking. I think its important to make sure whatever you put out there is good and you are proud of it and that you are playing with people,. Its about quality of music, not the industry. You dont need that anymore with Internet and all outlets available online. When we started there wasnt social media or email really. What are some challenges that the group has faced as you have gotten older? Now its a balancing act. We are all fathers, balancing parenthood with being in a rock band. Its hard to tour the way we used to when we were in our 20s. We want to make sure we are still out there and that people still care about us; [its] a balancing act between how much touring we need to do for our fans and how much we can do. As you previously mentioned, the style changes from Parachute to Easy Wonderful and now to Live Acoustic. What should fans expect from future new material? We are working on new material now; its too early to say. Im not sure what to expect myself. We just get together, and stu we dont like we throw away, stu we like we keep. We are going to put out only improvements that are better than what we put out in the past.

ENTERTAINMENT

Technique January 18, 2013 15

Gangster lm lacks direction, succeeds visually

Gangster Squad
GENRE: Drama STARRING: Ryan Gosling, Sean Penn DIRECTOR: Ruben Fleischer RATING: R RELEASE DATE: Jan. 11, 2013

Frat

from page 13

OUR TAKE:
By Zain Sharif Contributing Writer

Gangster Squad, released on Jan. 11, is a polished gun that shines but often misses its mark. is is another brawn-over-brains Hollywood production, but it leaves viewers recalling striking scenes and cinematic sequences well after leaving the theater. Director Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland) deserves credit, if any, in his recreation of 1940s Los Angeles. e locations, buildings, out ts, weapons and cars contribute to a beautiful lm noir depiction of the crime- lled city. at being said, remarkable detail in a period lm never makes up for a poor script. And that is exactly why Gangster Squad fails where other ultraviolent lm productions have succeeded. It su ers from hackneyed dialogue and narration that underestimates the I.Q. of the average moviegoer. Every plot development is dictated by characters minutes before the scene unfolds on the screen. And although the scene does unfold in cinematic

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Studios

Two-time Academy Award-winner Sean Penn brings an intense vitality to his portrayal of villainous mobster Mickey Cohen, a performance that proves to be one of the high points of the lm. brilliance, the buildup leaves the audience wishing the writing were more implicit. In addition to the lackluster script, the plot is mindless. Do not expect a gripping tale of twists and turns this one extends one simple premise. e greatest disappointment comes from the lack of character development. It seems as if each character was simply assigned a di erent accent and look instead of separate identities and traits. e on-screen romance between two of the major characters has no spark, and the lm leaves you void of any emotional connection to the people on screen. As a result, viewers rely on gunshots and st ghts to make up for lost entertainment value. On a more positive note, the content of the lm is action greased in action, with a topping of action. e combat scenes are truly remarkable, and they are consistent throughout. e shootouts are equally impressivechaotic, suspenseful and frenzied. e period recreation and state-ofthe-art action creates pure magic, but Gangster Squad is not for the faint of heart. is lm has multiple scenes that are realistically gory, so moviegoers should expect to cringe in their seats. e lms main characters are Hollywood heavy hitters. If any single actor stands out it is Sean Penn (Milk) as notorious mobster Mickey Cohen. He alone is worth the price of a ticket. Penn makes his character terrifying, despicable and ruthless, and he leaves the audience begging for more. Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men) as Sergeant O Mara plays a comfortable, safe role. Emma Stone ( e Help) as Grace, Mickey Cohens girlfriend, is wasted talent. Her character has no depth, and the rising star is too sweet to carry the promiscuous role. Ryan Gosling (Drive) as Jerry is in typical formcharming, smooth and con dent. Unfortunately, he also su ers from inadequate character development. All in all, Gangster Squad is a stylized lm that su ers from poor direction and writing but nds redemption in its cinematography, blood and Sean Penn.

one with a sense of humor that likes to party. Who does the posting on TFM? Is there any sort of content selection process? Also, it seems like eventually people will run out of ideas, or posts would all eventually overlap and be repetitive, right? e process for submissions being published has actually changed several times since the website began. We have interns that screen a lot of the content, because we de nitely cant post everything that is submitted. In terms of people running out of ideas, you would be surprised. Ive watched the brand and its humor evolve more and more so that there are constantly new angles surfacing to keep things fresh. Will there be more TFM books in the future? Im de nitely down to do another book. Id be shocked if you dont see more from us in the humor section of your local bookstore. What is your plan for the future in regards to the TFM website? Many people have created YouTube channels, videos, etc. that play o of TFM ideas. Will you incorporate these sources? Were constantly working to make things bigger and better on TFM. Recently, weve begun searching for more freelance writers to contribute to both our columns and TFM News sections. Were always on the lookout for creative video talent, and currently have some really interesting things in the works in Hollywood as well. 2013 is going to be insane. Were not going anywhere, so get used to it.

nique.net/ads

ENTERTAINMENT

Technique January 18, 2013 17

Nerds

from page 13

North Korea: Romcom pioneers lm as art form

By Siddarth Sreeram Contributing Writer

is weeks Global Vibes section takes us to the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, more commonly known as North Korea. Cinema in this country has so far been a relatively small industry, and only began in the 1950s. Films in general have been frowned upon, much like other art forms in North Korea. O Youth!, a lm made in 1994, was the rst attempt at romantic comedy by any North Korean director. e movie is about a Korean family with six children, ve of whom are young sportswomen, and the eldest a thirty-year-old studious man named Ki Ho who is uninterested in getting married at an early age. His parents, however, are eager to nd him an adequate spouse, and the main source of humor in the movie arises from the mother, who will stop at nothing to nd her son a respectable and beautiful wife. Her primary condition is that the girl cannot be a sportswoman, as they apparently do not serve the nation in a satisfactory manner. is is one of the rst major instances of patriotism evident the lm. Ki Hos father and sisters, on the other hand, want him to ignore his mothers wishes and marry a sportswoman. e humor is situational, arising primarily from the confusion created by the

Photo courtesy of Koryo Tours

Films like O Youth! allow the outside world to catch a rare, if slightly biased, glimpse at the North Korean capital city of Pyongyang. disagreement between the mother and the rest of the family. Ki Hos disinterest also adds on to this dilemma. e story then introduces a new character, Un Gyong, a female Taekwondo instructor who eventually meets Ki Ho. Coincidentally, part of Ki Hos research includes the study and history of Taekwondo, and the pair instantly make a connection, eventually leading to a proposal of marriage. However, Un Gyong does not reveal her true profession to Ki Ho, as sportswomen are often discredited and reproached, and when she realizes that Ki Hos mother has no interest in having a sportswoman for a daughter-in-law, she tearfully rejects the proposal. But when it becomes evident that the two belong together, Ki Hos mother agrees to the marriage on the condition that Un Gyong wins a gold medal for North Korea. When this happens, the mother is convinced that female athletes can make a di erence to the DPRK and the greatness of the Socialist System is adopted. e lm was made at the inception of the rule of Kim Jong II in 1994. us, the humor and story is greatly related to the rule of the dictator and tries to show the

importance of sports to the country, as well as the power of women. At one point, the lm talks about how North Korea is not great for inventing Taekwondo, but for having a great leader who rekindled the sport and guided the people well. In this manner, many aspects of the lm could be seen as propagandist in favor of the North Korean government, at least from the viewpoint of western civilization. Due to the dictatorship of Kim Jong Il, however, it is possible that Korean lm directors at the time were pressured into incorporating praise and support towards their leader in their movies, an idea that is clearly witnessed in O Youth!. As far as overall comedic standards go, most of the comedy in this lm consists of a more witty style rather than a laughout-loud one, and may have run more smoothly with the previous generation than with that of today. Nevertheless, the lm is well made and has a rm structure. Its exciting introduction evolves into a well-developed story line that moviegoers will appreciate. e ending is quite touching and patriotic, bringing forth the power of the North Korean ag among its people. Despite North Koreas curiously solitary existence, O Youth! is de nitely a must-see for all lmlovers.

sive to be considered one of the top 11 nerds in the nation to be chosen for this show, or do you embrace your nerd-dom? I consider it an honor, but as a mathematician I have to reject the notion that the set of nerds has a naturally-induced well-ordering, so I consider any sort of ranking of nerds to be dubious in nature. e shows website portrays all participants as characters on trading cards. If you could have one superpower, what would it be and why? Beer summoning. No explanation needed. For all the Techies out there, do you think that nerds truly rule the world? No. According to David Icke, we are ruled by Reptoids. Tune in to TBS at 10 p.m. on Jan. 17 to satisfy the inner Tech geek-dom and watch Jon compete to become the one and onlyKing of the Nerds.

Blue

from page 13

their arms to be chosen, but to no avail. Nevertheless, the Blue Man Group was a real spectacle, and is worth seeing at least once. Potential viewers should especially consider attending from Friday, Jan. 18, to Sunday, Jan. 20, as the exclusive orchestra pit Beanbag Seats is being o ered at the Fox to a limited amount of people who purchase tickets on the day of the show (check the website for further details). While making weekend plans be sure to break out the Captain Crunch, Twinkies, and Jell-O. Its time to see the show.

www.nique.net

sliver

sdf the PSYC computer lab is tons better than the AE one. this is depressing. new clickers are a scheme. outdated rmware my $%@ poor linux support is poor, do better plz to hell with WaMa tried out for jeopardy... def not expecting a call back... silver silver silver silver silver yea and by that, I mean your sickness and germs dear everyone: if you sneeze or cough, please COVER YOUR MOUTH! Nobody wants that! rush phi sigma pi! moosen rule! senioritis insomnia = bored procrastination omg, idk who is making all that racket, but id like to sleep why are slivers dying I wish I could upvote slivers israel e more I get involved, the more Im convinced the administration here is anti-student. First sliver as an alum....OOh, fancy to the girl who sat next to me in Econ 2106, you smell amazing... If I give up my guns, can I wear brass knuckles? Too close for missiles, Im switching to knives. Im Rick James! Sparta cat will rise again!!! Klaus 2443 smells overwhelmingly of B.O. I guess some people never learned how to use deodorant/take a shower! Spelling correction: Hefner Amy and Erik are such a precious couple! real college student of atl i luuv u gurl #hellhole We dont need a Wallyworld on camps, we dont need to model arkansas. BTW BP is on North AVE not 10th. BUZZ OFF!! To the elusive marta angel that I met this week, I should have asked you for your phone number. Im at Chick-Fil-A every Friday at 11. Can already tell... Chem E senior trifecta is gonna be rough. UO can S my D... in a very non-PC way! e new Hefer PL is gorgeous! F*ck Georgia Tech, F*ck Georgia Tech, F*ck Georgia Tech! When you say Budweiser, youve said it all! nd me some gs

18 January 18, 2013 Technique

COMICS

PILED HIGHER & DEEPER BY JORGE CHAM

SMBC BY ZACH WEINERSMITH

SUDOKU PUZZLE

BY SUDOKUCOLLECTION.COM

www.nique.net

COMICS

Technique January 18, 2013 19

DILBERT BY SCOTT ADAMS

SMBC BY ZACH WEINERSMITH

XKCD BY RANDALL MUNROE

SPORTS

Technique January 18, 2013 21

Mens tennis shows promise at the Illini Open

By Daniel Caro Contributing Writer

e Jackets mens tennis team traveled down to Fort Myers, Fla. this past weekend to compete in the Illini Open. e Open is an individual round-robin tournament, which featured Tech, Florida, N.C. State, and the host team, Illinois. On Friday, Day 1 of competition, Tech faced N.C. State in doubles competition and Illinois in singles play. Tech began doubles competition in stellar form, sweeping N.C. State with victories in all four doubles matches. e Jackets were led by the nations third-ranked doubles team, senior Juan Spir and sophomore Vikram Hundal, who overwhelmed Dave omson and Sean Webber of N.C. State, 8-3. Tech continued the doubles sweep with a solid victory by freshman Nathan Rakitt and senior Juan Melian, who won their match, 8-5. Sophomore Eduardo Segura and freshman Garrett Gordon prevailed in a close victory, 8-6, and ttingly, freshman Anish Sharma and sophomore Colin Edwards shut-out N.C. States Trey Carter & Rafael Paez, 8-0, to complete the Jackets shutout of N.C. State in doubles play. In Fridays singles competition, Tech picked up two victories against Illinois, as Juan Melian out-fought Stephen Hoh, 6-2, 5-7, 6-3, and Juan Spir charged back from behind early, to overcome Tim Kopinski 5-7, 6-4, 6-4. Techs Eduardo Segura lost after a late comeback by Jared

Hiltzik in three sets, 6-2, 6-7, 4-6, and Vikram Hundal fell in a close contest to Illinois Bruno Abdelnour, 5-7, 6-3, 3-6. Freshmen Nathan Rakitt and Garrett Gordon both fought hard, but each ultimately fell in straight sets. On Saturday, Tech battled NC State in singles competition, and Florida in doubles play. e Jackets won exactly half of the days matches, splitting with two highquality opponents. In singles, Juan Spir fought back from behind for the second-straight day, to win 6-7, 6-4, 6-3. e Jackets were also led by solid straight-set victories from Juan Melian, Eduardo Segura, and Anish Sharma. Tech freshmen from Marietta, Ga., Nathan Rakitt and Garrett Gordon, both lost close matches, and Gordon took N.C. States Simon Norenius to three sets, after a brilliant second set comeback from 4-0 down. Sophomores Vikram Hundal and Colin Edwards also fell against the Wolfpack in singles play. e teams of Techs Vikram Hundal and Juan Spir, and Anish Sharma and Colin Edwards, won close matches and picked up two solid doubles victories against Florida. Techs other doubles teams of Eduardo Segura and Garrett Gordon, and Juan Melian and Nathan Rakitt, succumbed to outstanding play by two Florida doubles squads. On the nal day of play, the Jackets challenged Florida in singles, and host Illinois in doubles. Overall, Tech pulled out ve strong wins as a unit, including three out of four victories in dou-

Photo by Josh Sandler/Student Publications

Senior Juan Spir prepares to strike a forehand. Spir and doubles partner Vikram Hundal are ranked third in the nation. Spir was named ACC player of the week after his performance at the Illini Open. bles matches. Juan Spir and Vikram Hundal nished an impressive weekend with a victory against Alex Jesse and Ferris Gosea of Illinois, 8-4. Techs top duo improved to a near perfect 11-1 on the season. Also in doubles play, Eduardo Segura and Garrett Gordon cruised to a victory, and Anish Sharma and Colin Edwards fought o Illinois to bring Techs doubles wins to three on the day. Juan Melian and Nathan Rakitt dropped a hotly-contested match, in Techs only doubles loss. In singles, Anish Sharma and Juan Melian each shined by earning impressive victories against the 12th ranked Gators. Melian defeated No. 51 Bob van Overbeek in straight sets, while Sharma won a third-set tiebreak to overcome Floridas Luke Johnson. In the other singles matches, Tech struggled to nd victories, but showed poise against top-tier opponents. e Jackets are back in Atlanta, preparing for Old Dominion and Lipscomb in Fridays doubleheader, beginning at 1 p.m. Friday marks the start of the spring dual match season, as well as the inaugural mens matches at the brandnew Ken Byers Tennis Complex.

www.nique.net

sliver

happy birthday ian derp derp derp herp herp derp synjyn days and a puppy my boots are all sticky i believe dis is your sandwich o das okay austin beacham fan club o das mine is mayonnaise an instrument? i miss mah momma did you say redesign? say whaaaaa ese Tech students in the rain with regular clothes, sandals, no umbrella and a BACKPACK COVER. #thisisnotnormalpeople manti teo wth what is suits who is kanye west how did i meet your mother faaaaccceeebooooook the reason that we dont have more sliver boxes is that YOU DONT SUBMIT ENOUGH SLIVERS nique ed board: kicking ass and taking names rainbow is my favorite avor word on the street is that amit has some killer dance moves munni badnam hui it ends with a swivel chair eda is a cat #niquelife #chicken when was the last time YOU sat on an asian? #hashtag allison brackin = Brizzly Bear wheeeeeee this weather is awful slivering in class my professor is bald stingerette sucks sasspants gahhhhhhhh slivering about slivers = meta couch to 5k becomes couch to more couch run run run run run sleep sleep sleep sleep eat eat eat eat

22 January 18, 2013 Technique

SPORTS

with Alex Sohani

Alex Sohani is an IE major in his fth year at Tech. He has watched sports all his life, and takes a critical view towards many of the trending topics in the sporting world. To contact Alex with your opinions about Time Out, email him at [email protected].
With the 2012 college football season o cially nished after Alabamas romping of Notre Dame in the BCS Championship game, college football fans will have an eight-month o season to hype themselves up for next season. But in the wake of the seemingly endless 35-game bowl season, an interesting point was brought to my attention in the most unexpected forma radio show. ESPNs Bob Valvano, a weekend radio host for ESPN Radio went on a long winded rant attacking fellow colleagues in the media after the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 2. After Louisville completely dismantled the Florida Gators en route to a 33-23 victory, an interesting but common thing happened. Nobody talked about how the Louisville Cardinals were a solid team capable of beating the Gators, or how they came in with a superior game plan. No, almost everyone sitting on ESPNs set began explaining why the Gators lost, as opposed to giving the Cardinals credit for their impressive victory. ey couldnt even give Louisville credit for one day, let alone ve minutes. In arguably the Cardinals biggest football win in school history, the focus was on Florida and how they blew it or didnt want to be there Sure, for schools like Florida, its a common occurrence to be a ranked team on one of the biggest stages in the sport, but if you cant get pumped up for a Sugar Bowl appearance one year removed from a 7-6 season, there are some team dynamic issues to be worried about. ats a particularly lame excuse by analysts to explain the game going a certain way. Valvano went on to give more speci c reasons as to why the notion laid out by his colleagues was even more ridiculous, including pointing out that Floridas defenders continuously displayed high e ort throughout the game by knocking Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater o his feet on

Conference releases 2013 football opponents

By Newt Clark Sports Editor

multiple occasions. In general Valvanos point holds true with major market teams such as those within the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Tech saw an evident example of this when they went out and faced USC in the Sun Bowl on New Years Eve. ere is plenty of validity to the argument that the Trojans were playing with their backup quarterback or that the super windy conditions in El Paso favored the Jackets running attack as opposed to USCs passing o ense. But in typical fashion, the game ended, and talk immediately began by sports analysts everywhere about how USC didnt want to be in the bowl game and how their disinterest was the sole reason Tech won the ball game. Its about time some of these analysts got a reality check and really listened to what they were saying. It appears that these guys are incapable of giving any smaller teams praise. Anytime a team from the SEC is mentioned on TV, you immediately hear the obnoxious speech about how its the most dominant conference in all of college football. Yeah, that has held true for several years, but in the minds of these reporters who are supposed to be objective, it just seems preposterous that a team or two from a smaller conference can actually keep up with these big boys. You can even see this media bias in the AP poll with SEC teams continuing to hold high rankings (including Florida being ranked higher than Louisville after the loss, despite both teams having an 11-2 record). Its refreshing to hear a voice

Photo by Josh Sandler / Student Publications

Vad Lee getting pumped after a big run in the ACC Championship. More big time players could bring credibility to smaller schools. from within ESPN calling out his colleagues as it is by far the largest sports related media outlet when it comes to college football. However, until analysts can admit theyre wrong every once in a while (more often than not sometimes), we will continue to see excuses made for poor performances from big names like Texas, Michigan and Florida while scrub teams such as those from the ACC are not given an ounce of credit win or lose.

e 2013 opponents for the Georgia Tech football have been announced by the ACC. e schedule consists of seven home games, and ve away games. e ACC was forced to make changes to original 2013 conference schedules due to the additions of Pittsburgh and Syracuse. Pittsburgh will join Georgia Tech in the Coastal Division, while Syracuse will become a member of the Atlantic Division. Home games for the Jackets include Elon, Alabama A&M, Virginia Tech, UGA and both of the new ACC membersPittsburgh and Syracuse. Before conference realignment, Georgia Tech was scheduled to play Florida State as one of its two cross-divisional

matchups, but the Seminoles were replaced by Pittsburgh. Georgia Tech will play away games at Brigham Young, Duke, Miami, Virginia and for the second year in row at Clemson. Although it appears unfair that Georgia Tech will have to travel to Clemson for the second year in a row, it could end up working out well for Georgia Tech. Since 2006, Georgia Tech has played Clemson, Virginia Tech and UGA at home during the same season; then all three of them on the road the next season. Games against Clemson, Virginia Tech and UGA are considered three of Georgia Techs most appealing annual matchups to the majority of Georgia Tech fans. Games against these three opponents were the three most attended games at Bobby Dodd in

Photo by John Nakano / Student Publications

Georgia Techs defensive line lines up to stop Clemsons o ense during the 2011 season. Along with UGA and Virginia Tech, Clemson draws some of the biggest crowds of fans at Bobby Dodd Stadium. both 2009 and 2011. By playing at Clemson two years in a row, Georgia Tech will now host Clemson during even years, and UGA and Virginia Tech during odd years. is could help balance out the high variation of season ticket sales that Georgia Tech has seen from even to odd years.

Write for us! Interested in photography?

Come to the Techniques weekly photo sta meetings. Thursdays at 6 p.m. Flag building, room 137 [email protected]

No experience necessary! Just show up! Tuesdays @ 7 Flag 137

Know of something (or somebody) interesting on campus?

Tell us at [email protected]

SPORTS

Technique January 18, 2013 23

With loss to UNC womens hoops drops to 8-8

By Joe Sobchuk Contributing Writer

e Jackets womens basketball team dropped a 79-58 contest to the No. 11 UNC Tar Heels in Chapel Hill this past Sunday. e loss puts them at an even 8-8 (1-4 ACC) on the year, while UNC improves to 17-1 (5-0 ACC). e Tar Heels scored 22 unanswered points and held Tech scoreless for nearly nine minutes early in the rst half to take a daunting 22-3 lead. It would prove to be too much to overcome as the Jackets failed to catch up for the remainder of the game. As a team, UNC shot 53 percent from the eld in the rst half, compared to just 24 percent for Tech. ey also had 21 points o the bench in that period com-

Ken Byers Tennis Complex to open for weekend matches

By Newt Clark Sports Editor

pared to the Jackets three, as well as twice as many points o of turnovers. ey were in control going into halftime with a 41-17 lead. e second half showed some promise for the Jackets, but their e orts were too little, too late. ey outscored UNC 41-38 and led the Tar Heels in secondchance points and points o turnovers. ey also out rebounded UNC in the game 43-27. However, the Jackets could only come within fteen points as UNC continued to play defense and milk the clock. Freshman Brittany Jackson led the Jackets with 20 points, followed by junior Tyaunna Marshall with 15. Jackson was four-for-nine from beyond the arc and sunk six of her seven free throw attempts.

Photo by Austin Foote / Student Publications

Junior guard Tyaunna Marshall takes the ball to the basket. Marshall scored 15 points to go along with ve rebounds and three assists in Techs loss to North Carolina. Tech is now 1-4 in the conference. Juniors Dawnn Mayne and Shayla Bivins each put up six rebounds. On the other side, UNC had ve players reach double digits in scoring. e Jackets followed that game with a trip to play the Miami Hurricanes ursday night after the time of press. eir next home game is on Sunday, when they will host the Maryland Terrapins at the McCamish Pavilion.

With the Tech Womens Tennis team hosting Syracuse on Jan. 17, the brand new Ken Byers Tennis Complex has o cially opened. e Mens Tennis team will get their rst match at Ken Byers when they host Old Dominion on Friday, Jan. 18 at 1 p.m., and will play Lipscomb at 7 p.m. Ken Byers Tennis Complex will have a total of sixteen courts: four outdoor practice courts, six outdoor competition courts, and six indoor courts. Prior to the

construction of Ken Byers Tennis Complex, Tech had only three indoor courts. Bill Moore Tennis Center, Techs previous tennis complex, had the indoor tennis facility located between the outdoor courts and the track on Fowler Street. Ken Byers Tennis Complex has the indoor facility on the corner of Fowler and 10th street with the outdoor courts between it and the track. With this new arrangement, Tech will construct outdoor seating that allows spectators to view the outdoor tennis courts and the track.

Illustartion courtesy of Ramblinwreck.com

Ken Byers Tennis Center is ready to open and will replace Bill Moore Tennis Center. The facility has a total of sixteen courts inclosing six indoor courts. It is one of many new athletic facilities at Tech.

www.nique.net

Sports
By Grant He ey Contributing Writer

[email protected]
Sports Editor: Newt Clark

Back to Death Valley

Learn about how playing football at Clemson again could help Techs athletics department. 22

Technique

Friday, January 18, 2013

24

Mens basketball defeated in overtime thriller

e Georgia Tech mens basketball team, after leading by as many as 11 in the second half, failed to hold onto the lead and dropped their third consecutive game, falling to the Virginia Tech Hokies 70-65 in overtime at McCamish Pavilion. e Jackets, led by a 12 point e ort by by freshman forward Robert Carter Jr., appeared to be the better team for a majority of the game. Georgia Tech led 2522 at the half after Carter made a three point basket as time expired. Defensively, Georgia Tech held Virginia Techs senior guard Erick Green to just eight points in the rst half. e All-American candidate Green, who entered the game as the NCAAs leading scorer in Division I, had been averaging an impressive 24.8 points per contest coming into the day. e Jackets defensive e ort was highlighted by junior center Daniel Millers four blocks and 11 rebounds, eight of which came at the defensive end of the court. Millers athleticism combined with his height and basketball instincts got the nearly sold-out crowd to its feet multiple times as he demonstrated why he has seen signi cant playing time since his arrival at Georgia Tech. After halftime, the Jackets continued to build on their lead with the help of Carter, who went ve for six at the free throw line through the rst three minutes of the second half. A lay up by redshirt junior forward Kammeon Holsey at the 13:46 mark gave the Jackets their largest lead of the game at 43-32. However, from that point onwards, Virginia Techs Green took over for the Hokies, scoring 16 of the teams next 23 points on eight of the teams next 18 shots from the eld. Green showed that he is a scoring threat from all over the court, sinking jumpers from both behind and inside the arc as well as driving to the basket. Green would nish with 28 points on the day, including two free throws that knotted the game at 55 points apiece and sent the game into overtime. e Hokies started the overtime period with seven straight points. However, undeterred by Virginia Techs sudden o ensive onslaught, the Jackets fought back with shooting performances by senior guard Mfon Udo a and freshman guard Chris Bolden, who each hit a clutch three pointer to pull the Jackets to within two with a little over a minute and a half left. However, the Jackets could not seal the deal in the end, bowing out 70-65 in favor of the Hokies. Georgia Techs highly touted freshman class continued to impress in Saturdays game despite the loss. Freshmen Bolden, Carter, and guard Marcus Georges-Hunt all scored in double gures and combined to contribute 33 of the teams 65 points, despite GeogesHunt getting in early foul trouble and sitting much of the rst half. Early enrollee, and seventeen year old freshman guard, Solomon Poole, brother of teammate and Kentucky transfer, redshirt sophomore Stacey Poole, Jr., added ve points. Solomon, who graduated high school early in order to join Georgia Techs team ahead of schedule, has shown sparks of potential in limited playing time during his rst few games as a Jacket. e Jackets will head to Chapel Hill to play the University of North Carolina on Jan. 23, before returning to Hank McCamish Pavilion on Saturday, Jan. 26, to take on the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest at 3 p.m.

Photo by John Nakano / Student Publications

Track & eld competes in opener

By Newt Clark Sports Editor

Freshman Marcus Georges-Hunt drives towards the basket. Despite foul trouble, Hunt managed 11 points and 3 rebounds.

e Tech track and eld team traveled to Birmingham, Ala., last weekend to compete in the Crimson Tide Opener. Many high pro le schools competed at the meet including Alabama, Auburn, Louisiana State University, Mississippi State, Texas, Florida and Florida State. ree Jackets had rst place nishes in their event at the meet. Senior Mykhail Chambers won rst place in the high jump, posting a jump of 2.10 meters. Senior Eric Powers claimed rst in the 3000-meter race with a time of 8:24 in the nals. Junior Julienne McKee won rst in the triple jump with a jump of 12.94 meters. Tech had a very solid showing on the day in the high jump. Not only did Chambers win rst in the event, but also sophomore Brandon Mbaba took second place with a jump of 2.05 meters. Tech also had an good day in the mens 3000-meter. Powers placed rst, but just behind him was junior Alec Clifford who placed third with a time of 8:28 and senior Patrick Barron placed fth with a time of 8:34. Senior Aaron Unterberger took fth in the mens pole vault competition with a jump of 5.05 meters and freshman Spencer Allen won third in the mens 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.36 seconds. Sohpomore Nat Estes and Sophomore Wyatt Gouldthorpe both competed in the mens mile. Estes nished in seventh with a time of 4:22, and Gouldthorpe nished ninth running a 4:25 mile. Four Tech women competed in the womens 3000-meter. Senior Katie Vance came in twelfth with a time of 10:15, freshman Kaylee Isaacs came in twentieth posting a time of 10:39, se-

Tech senior A-back Orwin Smith will participate in the 2013 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. Smith rushed for 682 yards and ve touchdowns during his senior season, and had 288 yards and one touchdown receiving. e game will take place Jan. 19 in Los Angeles, Calif. Senior cornerback Rod Sweeting and senior defensive end Izaan Cross will both be participating in the East-West Shrine Game. Sweeting nished his senior season with one interception and six tackles for loss; his lone interception came in Techs 21-7 win in the Sun Bowl over USC. Cross had only 1.5 sacks during is senior season, but was also out for three games. e East-West Shrine Game is on Jan. 19 in St. Petersburg, Fla. and will be televised by the NFL Network.

Seniors to participate in all-star games

Photo by Josh Sandler / Student Publications

Senior high jumper Mykhail Chambers jumps over the bar. Mykhail, junior Julienne Mckee and senior Eric Powers all won at the Crimson Tide Opener. nior Elena Hubbard came in twenty- rst with a time of 10:51 and senior Lauren Young nished twenty-second with a time of 10:58. Freshman Caroline Kissel, sophomore Morgan Jackson, sophomore Rachel Hammond and freshman Maria Bo all competed in the womens mile. Kissell placed thirteenth overall with a time of 5:06 and Jackson nished fourteenth overall with a time of 5:09. Tech sophomore pole vaulter Samantha Becker placed fourth in the Womens pole vault clearing 3.70 meters. e track and eld team will head back to Birmingham this weekend to compete in their third meet of the indoor season, the Auburn Invitational. e indoor season wraps up on March 9, and then the outdoor season begins with the Georgia Relays in Athens on March 15. Techs rst of two meets in Atlanta will be during the Yellow Jacket Invitational on March 29.

Freshman guard Brittany Jackson was named the ACC Rookie of the Week for the second time this season. Although the Jackets lost against Virginia and North Carolina last week, Jackson continued to impress, scoring 20 points in each of the two games making her the leading scorer in both. Over her 40 points, 27 of them came from three pointers, and she was 6-7 from the free throw line. While only averaging 18 minutes per game, Jackson is still putting up averaging 9.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per game this season. She is also shooting an impressive 40 percent from three point range.

Brittany Jackson named ACC Rookie of the Week