January 26, 2024 • Volume 109 • Issue 17 • nique.

net Design by Christine Lee Student Publications

2 • January 26, 2024 • technique HOUSING GUIDE

Public accommodations and inclusion at tech

access to the restaurant, and Les-
PARKER AVERY ter Maddox chased them with a
STAFF WRITER pistol, and his son brandished
an axe handle. On one occasion,
Any institution that has Maddox banged on the roof of
lasted as long as Tech has been one of the Black activist’s cars,”
through enormous change and Michney said.
seen some monumental occur- Michney emphasized that the
rences on its campus. The path- three Black men were students
ways and walkways around Tech at the International Theologi-
are the same that Jimmy Carter cal Center in Atlanta, who felt
and many other prominent fig- it reasonable for them to have a
ures used, but due to the con- cheap lunch at the Pickrick res-
stantly evolving nature of the taurant. Although they did not
campus, many landmarks have use violence, they were there to
been altered or moved over time. confront Maddox about his re-
What was there 20 years fusal to serve Black women and
ago may no longer be now. The men, and Maddox responded by
change in scenery can impact using weapons to force the men
more than just the landscape of off of his property.
campus. This article shares the Janet Murray, Distinguished
story of one plot of land that Professor for the Institute’s
represents change — not just on School of Literature, Media and
campus or in Atlanta but on a Communication (LMC), leads a Photo courtesy of Atlanta Time Machine
national level. In the 1940s and long-standing project to convey Lester Maddox, staunch segregationst and owner of the Pickrick refused to integrate the restaurant
1950s, Lester Maddox was an the event and its significance (above) after the passing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The space now serves as the EcoCommons.
Atlanta area restaurateur who into an augmented reality ex-
owned and operated a restau- perience. Murray told the Tech- several more altercations be- work will make the history more The memorial consists of a
rant called the Pickrick at 891 nique about the importance of tween the men, and Maddox accessible to the general pub- low wall with three gaps. A tall
Hemphill Avenue. Todd Mich- this event and the involvement used several tactics to evade en- lic. Murray’s augmented reality stone slab stands away from
ney, Associate Professor for the of the National
​​ Association for forcement of the court ruling. At project allows users to interact each gap as if the slabs had been
Institute’s School of History and the Advancement of Colored one point, he changed the name with the site and see the events pushed a couple of feet out of the
Sociology, told the Technique People (NAACP). of the restaurant in an attempt unfold as if they were there. wall to their new resting spot.
about the restaurant’s history. “This is all choreographed by to prevent enforcement, accord- “It is very exciting to be on “The wall represents the bar-
“The Pickrick was very popu- Constance Baker Motley of the ing to Murray. Finally, instead the site where history happened, rier the three individuals had to
lar with the surrounding work- NAACP Legal Defense Fund of integrating, Maddox sold the then being able to see the past get past, and these three verti-
ing-class neighborhood and emerge. It’s as if you were experi- cal concrete plinths represent
Tech students because of the low encing time travel,” Murray said. them pushing the barrier away.
prices,” Michney said. Murray said part of trans- There are also three large seating
During the time, Atlanta porting the user back into histo- benches, as well as three longleaf
enforced Jim Crow segregation- ry is making the viewer feel the pines, which are all representa-
ist laws that had been in place impact of what was happening tive of the three individuals that
since the first decade of the that day. She and her team are were willing to stand up to Mad-
20th century, and Maddox was experimenting with ways to give dox,” Gregory said.
a staunch supporter of segrega- the user a sense of how it felt to Gregory further explained
tion. The Pickrick was happy confront Maddox. that the three pine trees are the
to serve its customers as long as “We found that being in the only pine trees in this area of
they were white. car is a very powerful experience the EcoCommons, and as they
After years of civil rights chal- for people. There’s this moment grow, they will become very
lenges to Jim Crow laws in the where Maddox and his son are prominent in the landscape.
South, Congress changed the physically assaulting the vehicle The memorial also includes a
status quo by passing the Civil and are menacing people within steel barrier that outlines where
Rights Act of 1964. The day the car, and if we put the visitor the restaurant once sat. In his
after the federal law went into in the backseat of the car with role as the Institute’s Land-
place, three Black men, George Photo by Alex Dubé -Student Publications the three ministers who were scape Architect, Gregory said
Willis Jr., Woodrow Lewis and A plaque erected by the EcoCommons reminds passerbys of its trying to gain access to the res- that he sees a design trend that
Albert Dunn, attempted to enter history. The area received remodeling following its purchase. taurant, it’s a very visceral expe- looks back at historical events
the Pickrick to receive service, rience,” Murray said. and ensures that we are remem-
according to Michney. —the hero of civil rights legis- Pickrick to his employees, and In the future, Murray hopes bered in the modern landscape
“[The students] came lation of the 1950s and 1960s. the restaurant ceased operations. to release the augmented real- and architecture.
here to … She’s running the NAACP Tech agreed to buy the property ity experience as a tablet appli- “It is eye-opening to see that
try to Legal Defense Fund, and she’s after the restaurant shut down, cation for anyone to download not just this place but other
gain working with the ministers … which ended the public relations and use at the site. Authorities places like this are becoming
to bring suit against the Pickrick nightmare outside their campus, have erected memorials and sig- more important and that people
the day after [the Civil Rights Michney told the Technique. nage recently to educate visitors are remembering and trying to
Act] was passed to enforce the After Tech acquired the res- about the events there. The signs call attention to these landscapes
law,” Murray said. taurant, they converted the tell the story of the site, starting or locations that may be com-
Motley successfully argued building into a placement center from the opening of the Pickrick pletely different than they once
the case and had court or- known as the Ajax Building and and culminating at the court de- were,” Gregory said.
ders handed out for later a police storage building. cision that reaffirmed the Civil It took years for the me-
the restaurant Tech used the building for nearly Rights Act and Tech’s purchase morials and recognition to be
to desegregate, 40 years before demolishing it in of the restaurant. implemented as institutional
but Maddox 2008, according to Tech Com- Jason Gregory, the Institute’s priorities and funding changed.
refused. munications. The Institute razed Landscape Architect, spoke Now, Michney sees the site as
There the building to make way for an about the design of the memo- a representation of repair and
were expansion to the EcoCommons, rials and signage and how his sustainability by combining the
which opened in 2021. department worked to preserve EcoCommons with the story
Murray and Michney told the site’s history while expand- and message of what happened
the Technique that there was ing the EcoCommons. at this plot of land 60 years ago.
very little signage detail- “When we were designing “I think this memorial has
ing the site’s history for the space, and we realized the the potential to revisit history
a while, but they significance of this specific lo- thoughtfully; in the larger con-
hope their cation from a cultural stand- text of ecological sustainability
point … it became an oppor- and ecological repair, we could
tunity to create something a also think of repairing relations
little more contemplative,” between Black and white people
Gregory said. in this country,” Michney said.

Design by Christine Lee Student Publications

 HOUSING GUIDE technique • January 26, 2024 • 3

The debate continues: East vs. West campus

Hall and apartments and Brit- night snack, Tech Square is maintains its many offerings
tain Dining Hall. the perfect pit stop for students while also providing tranquility
It is a prime location for many on East Campus. and a break from the hustle and
freshmen. Friends in other resi- A piece of the Institute’s his- bustle of life on East Campus.
dence halls and delicious food at tory, Tech Tower, overlooks East Ripodas explained her love
two of Tech’s three dining halls Campus. Students pass the tow- for the peacefulness that West
are only a walking distance from er on their daily walks to class Campus has to offer.
the freshman dorms. and end their journey at Tech “West Campus is always
Ria Padidham, second- by taking graduation pictures in very quiet and disconnected
year BA currently liv- front of the landmark. from classes. It is very peaceful
ing in Hopkins While East Campus has and provides a nice break from
residence many benefits, West Campus is the busy everyday campus life,”
hall, em- a world of its own. Nested right Ripodas said.
phasized in the middle of many residence A convincing factor for many
the benefit halls is West Village Dining students is West Campus’ prox-
of conve- Hall. The modern three-story imity to the Campus Recre-
nience provid- dining hall is complete with ation Center (CRC) and Stamps
ed by East Campus. countless self-serve dining op- Field. Many athletes and gym
“My favorite part tions and a coffee shop. buffs find that the commute to
about living on East Leire Ripodas, third-year the gym from West Campus
Campus is the proximity BMED, lived in Folk her fresh- is quite convenient.
of everything. You’re closer to man year. She spoke about One of the hidden treasures
wit h the main campus and most din- the endless options at her is the hammocks right next to
each other as they walk to the ing halls. East Campus also has favorite dining hall. Burger Bowl Field. Students can
ANOUSHKA dining halls together, hard at many events and is near main “Willage (West Village) almost always be seen socializ-
MEHROTRA work in a hidden nook at Price attractions,” Padidham said. is definitely my favorite din- ing, relaxing and enjoying the
CONTRIBUTING WRITER Gilbert Library or making the An East Campus rite of pas- ing hall. It is very well orga- beautiful Atlanta weather on
trek from their residence hall sage is traversing Freshman nized by sections, has lots of the West Campus hammocks.
Students have yet to settle the to one of the many restaurants Hill. Students going from their variety and a lot of healthy op- When in the mood for a bite to
long-reigning debate that has di- in Tech Square. dorms to the library for a late- tions. Their bakery and coffee eat, patrons can stop by eateries
vided them for years. If you are one to stay in the night study session must endure are also great, and I love their such as Cluck -N- Mooh, Panda
With solid arguments on know and want to be involved in the calf-burning, never-ending omelets,” Ripodas said. Express and Taco Mac, all of
both sides, it is hard to decide a all that this campus has to offer, walk up the hill. The residence halls, includ- which are conveniently located
clear winner. Which is superior: East Campus is your place to be. Tech Square, one of East ing Fitten, Caldwell, Folk, Zbar, in the heart of West Campus.
East or West Campus? East Campus is home to campus’ newer additions, seems Nelson-Shell, Hefner and Mon- While the list may go on, the
Both sides of campus provide freshman dorms Glenn, Tow- to be a favorite among students tag, are known for their large debate boils down to personal
various advantages that entice ers, Smith, Brown, Hopkins, of all ages. With restaurants floor plans and are located near choice. East or West, both are
students to choose one side over Hanson, Cloudman, Field, Har- including Tin Drum, Sub- many academic buildings. excellent representations of what
the other. Whether it is the con- rison and Matheson, the infa- way, Moe’s, Gyro Bros, Buf- Typically a much quieter and the Institute has to offer. Re-
venience of your commute or mous Bobby Dodd Stadium (a falo Wild Wings and Waffle more peaceful environment, gardless of which side you end
the killer dining halls, each side mere few feet from the dorms), House, there are options for West Campus is the perfect up on, the Institute’s campus
of campus has its perks. many of the Greek houses, Tech everyone to choose from. hideaway for the introverts on offers beautiful landscapes, an
East Campus is always lively Square, the Scheller College of Whether it is a quick meal campus. Tucked away in its own abundance of study space and
and bustling. Students converse Business, North Avenue Dining between classes or a mid- little pocket, this side of campus amazing eateries.

How to protect your peace with roommates

CLARE CHUNG comfortable around the very come with schoolwork, living in people tend to be non-confron- Be mindful of communal
ASSISTANT LIFE EDITOR people one has to live with. a new place and finding the ideal tational, especially if the room- spaces in order to not burden
Having an amicable relation- social outlet. mate relationship is not as close. your other roommates with ad-
For many, the transition from ship with roommates is a key It can never hurt to ask ques- One might think something ditional chores; establishing a
high school to college is a major factor in your energy, time tions. Making assumptions or someone will change with schedule or routine early on may
milestone in life. A large part of and many other important about someone or something time without having to address be helpful. If confronted with
what makes this era so devel- aspects of college life. may lead to misunderstandings the problem directly. As resent- a complaint or disagreement
opmental is moving away from Take the time to find people and issues later. Having a shared ment and frustrations build about chores, decide on a com-
the familiarity of your home who have similar expectations space may take time to get ac- up, the initially little issues can promise and equitable solution.
and family and living with new and lifestyles. This may not al- customed to, so be mindful and become more significant. After all, a clean and safe living
people for the first time. ways be your closest friend. respectful of the other person’s Communicating in a direct space serves as a benefit to ev-
This abrupt change can not Keep an open mind, and take routine and expectations to en- but polite way as soon as possi- eryone. This is the time to learn
only be physically difficult to ad- advantage of the new college en- sure an optimal living space ble is the ideal way to avoid these more about responsibilities that
just to, but also emotionally and vironment where one can meet for all. Establish your bound- types of arguments. Most people will help you throughout the rest
mentally overwhelming. Learn- people with diverse interests and aries early on, and clarify if will be more than happy to find of your life as well.
ing a new set of social rules and backgrounds. Talk to people in you have concerns. common ground, and this opens Roommate relationships vary
boundaries, adapting to an un- your extracurriculars or classes up the opportunity for them to greatly from dorm to dorm and
familiar person and their habits who share common interests. COMMUNICATION also discuss their thoughts open- person to person, but it shouldn’t
and having the courage to open- There are many opportunities As it goes with any relation- ly and without the fear of judg- hinder your college experience.
ly communicate your thoughts to meet people online or over so- ship, communication really is ment or reproach. That is why it is crucial to es-
is a process often overlooked cial media as well. Tech provides key. Problems with roommates tablish yourself early on and be
when discussing the typical a roommate finder on the hous- often arise from issues and ACCOUNTABILITY open and aware; after all, every-
challenges of college. ing portal for first-year students, frustrations that each person Think of the basics. As you one is going through this experi-
Here is a compiled list of im- so you can easily reach out and has held in for a long time, start to live away from the au- ence for the first time.
portant considerations for hav- connect to people who you feel which suddenly blow out of thority of your parents for At the end of the day, coming
ing roommates for the first time. fit your lifestyle and habits. proportion. To avoid larger the first time, it is important back from campus to your new
arguments, address problems to take the initiative and re- home where you feel comfort-
COMPATABILITY ESTABLISH BOUNDARIES directly as they happen. This sponsibility for chores in and able and respected is the most
The last thing anyone wants It is equally important to keep can be difficult because many around the living area. important thing.
is to return to the dorm or apart- in mind that people have vari- Doing your own dishes, tak-
ment after a long day of ous lifestyles and habits, which ing out the trash and cleaning
classes and home- may differ from your own. Give up after yourself are the basic
w o r k people the appropriate time and etiquette rules you should com-
and be space that they might need, plete on your own time.
un- especially with the difficul-
ties that

Design by Christine Lee Student Publications

4 • January 27, 2023 • technique HOUSING GUIDE

sustainability and waste management at tech

at the Stu- Curnow explained how Wei-
dent Center, land’s routine trip to a dump-
where you ster turned into a semesterly
have the plas- tradition for him.
tics and paper, “He went to Nave’s [North
so that is not Avenue Apartments’] dumpster
single stream, and it was a 20-foot-high moun-
but Housing is tain of trash, but a lot of it was
mostly single really good reusable stuff.”
stream. We do have folks Instead of everything being
SABRINA FARLEY-ALLEN separate out glass because dumped at a landfill, the Green
CONTRIBUTING WRITER when that gets mixed with Goodbyes program diverts reus-
other recyclables it can mess up able items away from the landfill
Over 8,000 residents live in the other recycles so separat- and into the hands of students
on-campus housing each semes- ing that out is really helpful,”
ter, each one of them producing Curnow said Photo courtesy of Tyler Parker Student Publications
waste every day. Kate Curnow, Once a recycling bin has been Glenn Residence Hall, like many dorms, uses single stream re-
the Programs and Operations filled, the waste continues along cycling. The system allows for a safe and streamlined process.
Manager in the Housing De- the path of the single stream.
partment at Tech, explained Curnow explained that, “for all ting stuff for a minute. There’s
why waste management and the halls, there is a cluster of a fear of doing it wrong, not
sustainability programs are so bins and dumpsters associated fully partaking in it, the hesi-
important when dealing with an with each set of halls. There it tation of am I doing it right,”
operation of this scale. is still a single stream with the Curnow said.
“The scale of us, of Housing, glass separated.” Curnow also pointed out that
it’s so, so much. If we aren’t be- For those wondering why “rinsing out recyclables feels
ing thoughtful about wholesale the waste is handled in a single like a big hurdle for folks, but
diversion of our stuff, our waste, stream, Curnow explained that that’s part of what you should
that is not very Georgia Tech. it is “simply our scale, with do with it,” and the struggle of
Tech cares about sustainability 8,000 people and sometimes al- “getting students to access re-
and progress and to us that goes most 9,000, it makes sense for us cycling resources and lock in
hand in hand,” Curnow said. to have single streams and pipe- to that information and absorb
The current system utilized lines to take care of our waste it even though y’all want to and Curnow who will give it
by all on-campus residences because it is just a lot.” be good about it.” encouraged stu- another life.
has been around for as long as Despite the streamlined Curnow suggested that stu- dents to participate and educate Pivoting to sus-
Curnow has been at Tech. It is a process in place, recycling re- dents can confront these chal- themselves on what the eco- reps tainable efforts to
“single stream system, meaning mains a challenge in residence lenges by using the ECGO are working on. come, Curnow spoke o n
everything goes into the same halls across campus, on both app, which gives users real-time The innovative projects in- the intentional design of future
bin,” Curnow explained East and West. guidance on how to recycle. cluded the Green Goodbyes, residence halls.
She continued, elaborating Curnow believes this is due Curnow explained that the app which takes place at the end of “Sustainability is very much
on the single stream process to a gap in on-hand information allows users to upload photos of each semester and allows resi- a part of that conversation,”
— its function, implications and awareness. their recyclables and from there dents to donate their items in- Curnow explained. With addi-
and advantages. “For most folks it’s still just provides instructions on where stead of throwing them away. tions like more bins in common
“Back in the day, you had to an information barrier. They feel the item goes and the nearest re- According to Curnow, the spaces and accessible compost-
sort your recycling and even the a barrier about what goes where, cycling location. program was originally started ing, there is hope that the new
plastics by number, but these and compost is potentially new There are also eco-reps who by Malte Weiland, Senior Sus- building can act as a model
days we all put it in the same for some people and it feels work on sustainability program- tainability Project Manager, in towards a more sustainable
bin. There are some places, like weird to keep potentially rot- ming within each residence hall, his first year working at Tech. Tech as a whole.

How to combat winter weather in the dorms

entertained and use dorm space Dorm heaters are also great like a waste of time to make your to go to the bathroom in the
PARKER AVERY best during this snowy season. for heating other things besides bed every day, but making your middle of the night.
STAFF WRITER your room. If you want to give bed in the right way is a great Wearing fuzzy socks to sleep
TURN UP THE HEAT your clothes a fresh-out-of-the- strategy to keep you warm at can prevent your feet from get-
Winter is in full swing, and The first thing you can do if drier feel or a little extra heat- night. Tucking in your sheets on ting too cold in the middle of the
Tech’s campus has been bom- it gets cold in your dorm room ing boost, you can leave your the sides and end of your bed pre- night, especially if you sleep with
barded by freezing temperatures is turn up that heat. The dorm underlayers or pajamas by the vents heat from escaping out the your legs extended away from the
and pouring rain. The weather heaters can be surprisingly effec- heater before you use them sides as you sleep. rest of your body.
causes many students to retreat tive at warming up your room. If so they are toasty before you Consider moving any blankets
to the safety of their dorm rooms you can increase the thermostat are even in them. you layer on top of your comforter ROOM DECOR
to stay warm and dry. Here are temperature, don’t be afraid to between your sheets and the com- There are also a lot of things
some tips to keep warm, stay crank it until you are cozy. HOT DRINKS AND SNACKS forter. The blanket may look nice you can do to your room to keep
Even if you are in your room layered on top of your comforter, it feeling warmer and cozy.
most of the time, staying warm but it does not do much to keep If your windows are drafty and
may be challenging, and the you warm. Moving the blankets let in a lot of air, consider hang-
dining hall may feel miles to the middle layer gets that insu- ing up curtains to cover the whole
away. Knock out two birds lation closer to your body, where window and keep heat from leav-
with one stone by keeping it can be most effective. Plus, this ing through the window.
warm snacks and drinks in lets you add a layer to the bed by Additionally, if you find the
your dorm room. placing even more blankets above floor too cold, add a comfy rug to
Coffee, tea and hot the comforter if you need it in the keep your feet warm.
chocolate are great tools middle of the night. If you are short on storage
to warm and keep you space, adding a hook or hanger to
awake while studying in GETTING TO SLEEP your door can also be helpful to
your room. If you cannot If your room is particularly hang coats or jackets.
access a kettle, stove or chilly, staying warm can be hard Hanging your coats and jack-
coffee machine, you can when trying to go to sleep. ets has the added benefit of giving
always microwave your A warm comforter on top of them a chance to dry if returning
water to warm it up. your sheets can be a good idea from a wet winter day.
Additionally, snacks to keep your body heat from es- If you find your room too
like popcorn, ramen caping. A heavy blanket or sev- gloomy while the days are shorter
and soup keep you eral lighter ones can also keep and the skies are overcast, con-
warm and hold you heat from escaping to other sider purchasing some warm
over until your next meal. parts of your room. string lights to hang around the
Wearing cozy pajamas can room. Bright lighting is a great
MAKE YOUR BED also help you stay warm when way to cheer up the atmosphere
If you are busy with sleeping or lounging. of the room as a whole.
coursework, clubs and If you live in a traditional-style Even though they may not
other extracurricular dorm, ensure you have a pair of actually add any heat, they will
activities, it may seem slippers by the door if you need make it feel cozier.
Design by Christine Lee Student Publications
 January 26, 2024 • Volume 109, Issue 17 • nique.net

NEWS OPINIONS

. .
technique RA firings p3 Loving campus wildlife p6
News 2 Opinions 4 Entertainment 8 Sports 14
SPORTS

JACKETS SPLIT BIG ACC MATCHUPS p14 Jackets stun

SPORTS
Clemson,
fall to UVA
ROHAN RAMAN
SPORTS EDITOR

Reeling from a disappointing loss to

the Duke Blue Devils, the Jackets need-
ed to rebound quickly before their road
trip to Littlejohn Coliseum in Clem-
son, S.C., to face the Clemson Tigers.
They rebounded with what can only be
described as the Naithan George game.
Last season, the Tigers finished
fourth in the Atlantic Coast Con-
ference (ACC). Although they end-
ed the 2022-23 season in a slump,
their 13-5 record is belied by a
solid 7-2 record at home that indi-
cates their home court advantage.
The first half showed the Jack-
ets came ready. They attempted 20
threes in the first half — the same
amount as they did in the entirety of
the Duke game — and hit a respect-
able seven of their attempts. After
freshman forward Baye Ndongo got
the Jackets on the board with a free
throw, Clemson went on a 7-0 run be-
fore junior guard Kowacie Reeves hit a
three-pointer to make it 7-4, Clemson.
From then on, the Jackets con-
tinued to stymie Clemson’s runs
but struggled to penetrate the paint
for most of the half. Although Tech
shot poorly from the field, going 11-
31 for a combined 36% as a team,
they played great perimeter defense,
and Clemson shot an awful 22%
from three-point range in the half.
Unfortunately, the Tigers also
had a 41% percentage from the field,
buoyed by a stellar 13-point, nine-re-
bound half from Clemson senior cen-
ter PJ Hall. Freshman guard Naithan
George led the Jackets in scoring with
See SPORTS, page 14
Top L: Photo by Tyler Parker Student Publications; Top R: Photo by Tyler Parker Student Publications; Above: Photo by Tyler Parker Student Publications

ENTERTAINMENT

Mickey Darling takes stage at Terminal West

JENNA GUIHER Austin Medrano is the band’s strobe lights made their music posed a question to the audience: phone flashlights to sway to the
CONTRIBUTING WRITER other half, and he supplies the in- overstimulating but exhilarating. “Does anyone like the Cure?” He beat of the song.
strumentals while also recording Lead singer Jordan Mitchell took was met with enthusiastic screams Wagen took back over, and, to
On Jan. 19, indie pop duo Mickey Darling’s songs. a break in between songs to deliv- as he covered “Friday I’m in Love.” the audience’s delight, he launched
Mickey Darling performed at All of their music is indepen- er a heartfelt message about Atlan- A few songs later, Wagen intro- into a cover of the Neighbour-
Terminal West to a devoted and dently released, and the duo in- ta, the band’s hometown. He said duced his guitarist, Ben Ironside, hood’s “Sweater Weather.” Wa-
energetic audience that seemed tends to keep it that way to re- that, as a kid, he came to Termi- who releases his own music un- gen ended the set with his upbeat
dead-set on losing their voices. tain the band’s authenticity and nal West to see some of his favor- der the name Benten. He played song, “I Want Your Love.”
The band is famous for its authen- autonomy. On their website, Mo- ite bands, and he felt honored to his song “second placing,” and Two hours into the concert,
tic bedroom pop mixed with both lina and Medrano jokingly call finally play at the venue. The band the crowd was immediately in- Mickey Darling finally took to the
bold and unserious lyrics, mak- the band, “Our DIY dream so we finished by playing “Trauma,” an fatuated. Wagen followed with stage, and instantly, the crowd’s
ing for addicting sing-along songs don’t have to sell our souls to cor- obvious crowd favorite. a few more songs, but the audi- energy exploded as the opening
that are easy to resonate with. porate America.” Soon after, the second opener, ence’s chant of “Ben! Ben! Ben!” voicemail to the song “Feed My
Mickey Darling consists of The concert kicked off with an Nick Wagen, began his set with became too much to ignore, so Ego” rang through the venue.
Skyler Molina, the “creative” of opening set by indie-alternative his new single “my bad,” hooking Benten took to the mic again. Every single person in the audi-
the band who contributes the band Yin. Their pop-based sound the crowd with his simple yet al- The audience was extremely ence was jumping up and down as
vocals and lyrics for their songs. combined with blinding overhead luring stage presence. Wagen then supportive, bringing out their See DARLING, page 9
News
NEWS EDITOR: technique
First presidential primary
2
Alec Grosswald
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR: With the conclusion of the Iowa caucus and
Morgan Whittemore the New Hampshire primary, the Republican Friday,
[email protected] candidate pool has diminished 44 January 26, 2024

Institute builds new dorms for incoming students

We are excited about being able ing in the dorms and that she got the development of our campus the construction on West Cam-
KESHAV PRANSUKHKA to further accommodate our first- close with her roommate. over the next decade. pus, the focus will shift to East
CONTRIBUTING WRITER year students and paving the way She spent her first two years at “The creation of the [CCP] Campus housing, where Smith
for important improvements on Towers and North Avenue apart- will guide campus development and Howell will be the first to go
In line with its increasing our aging residential inventory, ments, respectively, and deemed it and capital investments on and offline for renovations.
global prominence, Tech wel- while maintaining affordabil- “a rite passage of sorts into your around the Atlanta campus for The CCP also suggests opti-
comed 4,890 new students in ity and offering a compelling and other years [at Tech].” the future,” said Maria Cimilluca, mizing dining hall operations and
Summer and Fall 2023, rais- supportive residential experience.” However, she also added Vice President of Infrastructure bringing more third-party food
ing the total undergraduate en- The construction also oc- that her apartment had wa- and Sustainability at the Insti- vendors, building additional re-
rollment to over 19,000 — a curs in tandem with Tech’s 10 ter leaks, bug infestations and tute. “This is significant because search and learning facilities and
previously unachieved feat. Year Strategic Plan as the Insti- outdated electrical connec- it will also strengthen Georgia student recreation centers.
Furthermore, the number of tute plans to raise its enrollment tions, so she decided to live in Tech as an anchor institution for The new dorm brings hope
students, faculty and staff on cam- in the coming years. Midtown for the next year. the neighboring communities and that the Tech Housing’s wait-
pus is projected to grow by 26% “We know that research shows, She hopes the new dorm is Atlanta as a whole.” lists may move faster and more
over the next decade, according to particularly for undergraduate constructed with modern ameni- The last plan in 2004 inspired incoming students will enjoy the
the most recent Comprehensive students, that being able to live ties and is better maintained. buildings and improvements such “freshman experience,” and up-
Campus Plan (CCP). on-campus is correlated with The construction is also in- as the EcoCommons, the John perclassmen will be able to explore
More Jackets could mean the number of positive outcomes spired by Tech’s 2023 CCP, Lewis Student Center and the de- more options for housing — both
fewer study spots in the library, people experience — such as feel- which is a “living framework” for velopment of Tech Square. After on-and-off-campus.
longer lines at Blue Donkey and ings of belonging, academic suc-
fewer on-campus housing spaces; cess and high retention rates,”
however, Tech has taken steps to said Luoluo Hong, Vice Presi-
amend the latter. dent for Student Engagement and
In Feb. 2023, the Georgia Well-Being. “[The new housing
Board of Regents approved the will] help Georgia Tech make
construction of a new housing positive advances in increasing
dorm on West Campus. access, enhancing the quality of
They expect to start construc- the co-curricular experience and
tion in the summer of this year cultivating well-being.”
and complete it by Fall 2026. Bharat Goyal, first-year
The Board of Regents intends MS CS, lived on West Cam-
to build the new 191,000-square- pus throughout his four years
foot residence between Eighth of undergraduate studies, and
St. and Ninth St. at an estimated he spoke to the advantages of
cost of $117 million. on-campus housing from a
It will house 862 beds, collab- student perspective.
orative learning spaces, commu- “I only chose to [live on cam-
nity lounges and group kitchens. pus] because it’s located pretty
The dorm will also include close to campus, and the rents are
indoor and outdoor bike park- not bad compared to off-campus
ing, a fitness recreational space housing,” he said. “I didn’t want
and a gaming room. to be concerned with finding
Speaking on the updates, summer sublease, which is a major
Kasey Helton, Associate Vice headache when you go off-cam-
President for Campus Servic- pus. Also, when you live in college
es, said that good progress has housing, you’re kind of within the
been made so far. university system which gives you
“We are done with 80% of the a sense of security, and when you
design and right on schedule,” she stay on campus, you can also walk
said. “This will be Tech’s first new around freely at night because the
construction since 2005, when campus is much safer.”
10th and Home opened to ac- Speaking about her experience, Photo courtesy of Kasey Helton Georgia Tech Campus Services
commodate our growing graduate Hope Dobbelaere, second-year The new residential building, whose tentative model is pictured above, will be located between
and family student populations. MATH, said that she enjoyed liv- Eighth and Ninth St. on West Campus and will hold shared spaces and an estimated 862 beds.

sliver // your thoughts

hello
nique.net

Monnkeys Obtain Ranch Grapes And Nanners

technique
The South’s Liveliest College Newspaper
Slive sliver sliver of my heart NEWS EDITOR
yes [i am a cheater], and? Alec Grosswald
i think i like this little life (glistening eyes emoji) Yashvini Deva EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Tehreem Hussain MANAGING EDITOR OPINIONS EDITOR
misty af outside bruh Nithya Jameshenry
she workin at the pyramids at night LIFE EDITOR
Me leaving my 9-5 and coming to the Technique with fresh new Founded in 1911, the Technique is the student newspaper of the Georgia Jessamyn M. Lockett
ideas and a ready to work mindset every day!!! Institute of Technology, and is an official publication of the Georgia ENTERTAINMENT
You cant graduate unless you saw the white squirrel Tech Board of Student Publications. The Technique publishes on EDITOR
IM COLD HEP IM SO COLD THE BOX HAS NO HEAT Fridays, weekly in the fall and spring and monthly in the summer. Cole Murphy
Yams Amirite? Silos Had Vinyls In No Iceboxes SPORTS EDITOR
do you guys ever notice the hidden names or is this all for naught ADVERTISING: Information can be found online at nique.net/ads. Rohan Raman
write a letter to the editor with your favorite food!! The deadline for reserving ad space is Friday at 5 p.m. one week before PHOTO EDITOR
his name is lola but i guess we’ll just never know or smthing publication. To place a reservation, for billing information or for any Alex Dubé
0 ___ 0 other questions please e-mail us at [email protected].
DESIGN EDITOR
sometimes, i really hate justifying essays like just trust me bro Copyright © 2024, Yashvini Deva, Editor-in-Chief, and the Georgia Christine Lee
its like a reward Tech Board of Student Publications. No part of this paper may be re- ONLINE EDITOR
Time Eleven Horrors Rough Eieio Eieio Minecraft produced in any manner without written permission from the Editor- Sydney Gordon
I have a question for the culture in-Chief or from the Board of Student Publications. The ideas expressed TECHNOLOGY
do i sound sarcastic when i use italics? herein are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily repre- EDITOR
What a disappointing attitude sent the views of the Board of Student Publications, the students, staff or Rish Desai
EV or EVEEE I CHOOSE YOU faculty of the Georgia Institute of Technology or the University System
of Georgia.
HEAD COPY EDITOR
bye that was so corny Emily Russell
Oh to be the tire on the car that ran over Zayn Malik’s foot
I’ve never heard of oovoo javer
do y’all think the groundhog will say hi this year
k bye
// NEWS technique • January 26, 2024 • 3

“Achieving those ‘firsts’ meant

he was shunned, ostracized and
threatened, but he still showed
great social courage and leader-
ship, even when the risks were
high,” Cabrera continued.

BIDEN’S ABORTION MEASURES

On the 51st anniversary of the
landmark abortion case, Roe v.
Wade, the Biden administration
launched a campaign to support
abortion access across the country.
Starting on Monday, Jan. 22,
ALEC GROSSWALD & SANIKA Vice President Kamala Harris
TANK plans to tour across the country
NEWS EDITOR & STAFF WRITER in several states to host events to
boost awareness of abortion re-
IVAN ALLEN JR. PRIZE strictions to mobilize voters. The
Tech will reward retired Jus- campaign hopes to target those
tice Robert Benham with the Ivan in swing states, independents
Allen Jr. Prize for Social Cour- and voters in states that have
age on Thursday, Feb. 8. The largely restricted abortion.
Institute created the esteemed The first stop of the campaign
honor to “shine a light on those was to Waukesha County in Wis-
around the world who bravely act consin, where abortion has been
to improve the human condition, at the forefront of political topics
often in the face of seemingly due to a total abortion ban that
insurmountable challenges,” as banned all legal abortions be-
mentioned on the Ivan Allen Jr. tween June 2022 and Sept. 2023.
Prize for Social Courage’s website, The campaign largely places
ivanallenprize.gatech.edu. the blame for the loss of abor-
Announced on Jan. 5, 2024, tion rights on former President
Justice Robert Benham will re- Donald Trump, citing his ef-
ceive an award named after for- forts to ban abortions completely,
mer Atlanta Mayor Ivan Allen most notably through his ap-
Jr., who is a graduate of the In- pointments of three conserva-
stitute. Allen is recognized for tive justices to the U.S. Supreme
having stood before Congress Court. Trump called the over- Photo courtesy of Eric Gay AP Photo
and testifying in support of the turning of Roe a “miracle’” at a A girl is lifted over the razor wire in Eagle Pass, Texas on Sept. 23, 2023, heading to U.S. Customs
Civil Rights Act of 1964, the only campaign earlier this month. and Border Protection. Now, the border town shows no sign of removing it despite the decision.
white elected official to do so, “I will continue to fight for
especially from the south. our fundamental freedoms while and continue to call on Con- it impedes “CBP (Customs and Institute, a co-op on campus with
In 1989, Justice Benham be- bringing together those through- gress to restore the protec- Border Protection) agents from GTRI or other GT Department,
came the first African American out America who agree that ev- tions of Roe in federal law once doing their jobs of apprehending, applying to graduate at the end of
justice appointed to the Georgia ery woman should have the right and for all,” Biden said. inspecting and processing mi- the fall semester, etc.”
Supreme Court and served as to make decisions about her own grants who have illegally crossed Despite this, many past RAs
Chief Justice for six years during body — not the government,” SCOTUS BORDER CHANGES the border pursuant to the fed- have tried to work around this sys-
his 31-year-long career. Justice Harris said in a statement. On Monday, the Supreme eral Immigration and Nationality tem and continue their position
Benham graduated from Tuske- President Joe Biden, who has Court ruled that federal immigra- Act,” according to the the Nation- after graduating in the fall term,
gee University in 1967, obtained a discussed his personal issues with tion officers could remove razor al Conference of State Legislature or at least maintain it until their
J.D. from the University of Geor- abortion due to his religious be- wire put in place by Texas state report on the situation. graduation.
gia’s Lumpkin School of Law and liefs, rarely speaks publicly about officials to discourage migrants The U.S. head of Customs “Others have stayed after
a Master of Laws degree from the abortion but is an advocate for from crossing the US-Mexico and Border Protection stated graduating in the past, but they
University of Virginia in 1989. He providing legal abortion access. border illegally. that there is no timeline yet for have been enrolled in a mas-
also served in the U.S. Army Re- On the anniversary of Roe v. Chief Justice John Roberts the razor wire’s removal. Accord- ter’s or PhD program at Tech.
serve and as a trial attorney for the Wade, Biden spoke about the an- and Justice Amy Coney Barrett ing to CBS News, Texas border People have gotten fired before
Atlanta Legal Aid Society. niversary in a statement pledging joined liberal Justices Elena Ka- patrol is still putting up razor because of electing to graduate
“He was a key figure in the in- his administration’s continuing gan, Sonia Sotomayor and Ket- wire in some locations. early in the fall,” Bush said.
tegration of his hometown and a efforts towards legal abortion. anji Brown Jackson in the ma- When Housing became aware
breaker of barriers,” said Ángel “We stand with the vast ma- jority vote for the removal of the FALL RA FIRINGS of the issue this year, they fired all
Cabrera, president of Tech, to jority of Americans who sup- wire. Justices Clarence Thomas, According to a residential ad- RAs graduating in the fall with-
the Georgia Tech News Center. port a woman’s right to choose, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and visor (RA) for one of Tech’s on out notice on Nov. 1. They were
Brett Kavanaugh voted to allow campus housing facilities, all RAs forced to vacate the residential
the practice to continue. that graduated this past Decem- buildings and find a new home
The vote took place at the re- ber were fired as of Nov. 1, 2023, for the remainder of the semester.
quest of the White House on be- regardless of their desire to con- Bush was one of these students,
half of President Joe Biden. tinue their employment through but he narrowly escaped the fir-
“Texas’ political stunts, like the spring semester. ing by claiming to intend to be
placing razor wire near the border, The RA positions operate on enrolled in a masters or PhD pro-
simply make it harder and more full academic year terms, and gram at the Institute.
dangerous for frontline personnel any student who wishes to be- “I was able to stay employed
to do their jobs. Ultimately, we come an RA must agree to the up until graduation. I lied to
need adequate resources and pol- housing department’s 2023-2024 my boss and said I was enroll-
icy changes to address our broken Conditions of Employment. ing in the master’s program and
immigration system,” a spokes- “All RA contracts are for one that I had missed the deadline
person said. year long (fall and spring),” said and was working with an ad-
The use of razor wire was im- Bennett Bush, EE ‘23 and pre- visor to sign up. This allowed
plemented by Texas Gov. Greg vious RA. “It is not possible to me to delay being fired, allow-
Abbott’s administration in hopes initially get hired for just one ing me to stay in my room until
of cracking down on illegal im- fall or one spring semester. How- graduation,” Bush said.
migration, with Texas standing ever, RAs hired for the sum- The Technique is unaware of
at the forefront of US immi- mer semester are only hired the amount of RAs that were af-
gration policy, a topic that will for that semester only.” fected by this firing. No response
likely be center stage into the Since they are employed for was received from East Campus
2024 election season. both the fall and spring semes- Housing upon contacting them.
“The absence of razor wire ters, RAs must be enrolled as Given the scarcity and prices
and other deterrence strategies students and be living on cam- of on and off-campus housing, the
encourages migrants to make pus during their work term, amenities of being an RA seem
unsafe and illegal crossings be- which cannot be adjusted. hard to pass up. It is likely that
tween ports of entry, while mak- The conditions state that “RAs the sudden firing of RAs before
ing the job of Texas National may be terminated immediately if the end of the semester put some
Guard soldiers and [Department they accept an opportunity that students in a difficult situation for
of Public Safety] troopers more prevents them from completing the remainder of their time at the
dangerous and difficult,” a a full academic year of employ- Institute. However, every student
spokesperson for Abbott said. ment. This includes, but is not that wishes to become one must
Photo courtesy of the Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Social Courage A key point against the use limited to, study abroad during meet standards that are non-nego-
Justice Robert Benham will receive Tech’s Ivan Allen Junior of razor wire by the Department the fall or spring terms, a co-op tiable due to the liability that their
Prize for Social Courage for his outstanding achievements. of Homeland Security was that further than 25 miles from the sudden absence could pose.
4 • January 26, 2024 • technique // NEWS

Iowa caucus results lead to campaign suspensions

TEHREEM HUSSAIN anonymously for their preferred nal Revenue Service through the become the Republican nominee. “I mean, it is natural for presi-
MANAGING EDITOR candidate. The primary elections force of executive order to reinstall Haley’s campaign has focused on dents to run for re-election but
in Iowa are known as the Iowa Trump’s “America First” ideology attacking Trump’s actions in rela- the sentiment among my friends
The reality of the impend- caucuses — voters gather in per- back into the executive branch of tion to the Jan. 6 insurrection and and peers is that we wish we
ing election became much more son for dialogue regarding the the federal government. has repeatedly claimed that Biden could vote for candidates that
salient with the start of the new various presidential candidates. During his announcement won the 2020 election, which has were a bit younger,” said Noor
year. With the general election Due to this requirement, caucuses regarding the suspension of his resulted in criticism from both Jaleel, fourth-year PUBP. “We
merely months away, Democrats require high voter commitment presidential campaign and per- Republican extremists and Trump do not feel connected with the
and Republicans alike are build- and result in lower voter turnout formance in the Iowa caucuses, supporters. As for the traditional current candidates because they
ing up anticipation for who will and accessibility. These discus- Ramaswamy said, “I will stick areas like economic, social and for- have completely different pri-
become the next president of sions occur at neighborhood hubs to the truth tonight. The first eign policy, Haley has cemented orities and are disconnected
the United States. On Jan. 15, like schools, churches and com- hard truth, and this was hard for herself as a staunch conservative. with America’s youth.”
the Republican Party held its munity centers, and for this year’s me, I gotta admit this, but we’ve On college campuses, younger As per her reaction to the Iowa
primary election for this year’s Republican caucus, there were looked at it every which way. voters are anticipating the general caucus results, Jaleel said, “No
presidential candidates in Iowa. about 1,700 precincts across Iowa. And I think it is true that we did election and its impact with much shock there. Everyone knew Don-
Per the results, former Presi- Despite Iowa only having six not achieve the surprise that we uncertainty. With the Institute ald Trump would win that, seeing
dent Donald Trump took the lead electoral votes, the significance of wanted to deliver tonight.” being in a swing state like Geor- as his followers have been cam-
with 51% of the vote, followed by the Iowa caucuses is traced to the In a similar move, on Jan. 21, gia, it is unclear what role the state paigning since 2020 for this.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis state being the first to have pri- DeSantis dropped out of the elec- will have in the next presidential Despite differences of opin-
and former U.S. Ambassador to mary elections due to procedural tion and endorsed Trump as the election at the end of the year. ions across the parties, both
the United Nations Nikki Haley changes made during the 1968 Republican nominee for presi- For T.J. Middlebrooks, fourth- Jaleel and Middlebrooks agreed
with 21% and 19%, respectively. election. Since then, presidential dent. In his speech, DeSantis said, year BA, the results of the Iowa on the most important issues on
Entrepreneur and political new- candidates have viewed the Iowa “It’s clear to me that a majority of caucuses were not surprising. the ballot this election year —
comer Vivek Ramaswamy se- caucuses as a means to garner vot- Republican primary voters want “President Trump’s convincing inflation and foreign policy.
cured just 8% of the vote despite er support and secure their foot- to give Donald Trump another win was expected, but it was still “As a graduate this May, I am
building some momentum for ing in the general election. chance. I signed a pledge to sup- staggering just how convincingly seeing firsthand the effects of a
his campaign over the last few This year, Ramaswamy port the Republican nominee and he won Iowa. As someone who difficult job market and rising in-
months, and former New Jer- dropped out of the presiden- I will honor that pledge. He has has been casually following each flation. In my early career years, I
sey Governor Chris Christie and tial race immediately following my endorsement because we can’t candidate, it seemed as though would like to avoid economic un-
former Arkansas Governor Asa the Iowa caucuses and endorsed go back to the old Republican DeSantis, Haley and Ramaswamy certainty as much as possible with
Hutchinson both came in last. Trump for president. Part of Ra- guard of yesteryear, a repackaged had more momentum than the fi- a stable and, hopefully, improv-
The Iowa caucus process dif- maswamy’s platform was the form of warmed-over corporatism nal vote tally showed,” conserva- ing national economy. Addition-
fers from a conventional primary elimination of the Department that Nikki Haley represents.” tive-leaning Middlebrooks said. ally, from the Israeli-Palestinian
election, in which, similarly to a of Education, the Federal Bureau With these recent changes, However, Middlebrooks was conflict to immigration to rela-
general election, constituents vote of Investigation and the Inter- Trump and Haley are battling to not shocked by Ramaswamy’s tions with China, our next presi-
endorsement of Trump. dent should be prepared to ad-
“Mr. Ramaswamy suspending dress the many foreign issues and
his campaign to endorse former America’s role within such global
President Trump was rather un- conflicts,” Middlebrooks said.
surprising. While he proposed a Echoing his sentiments, Jaleel
few new policy ideas, his ‘Amer- said, “[The most important issue]
ica First’ campaign predicated for me is inflation. Everything is
on ‘truth’ largely situated him as incredibly expensive from rent
a younger Trump-conservative. to groceries to medicine. People
What was surprising, however, can hardly afford to live with the
was the timing of his dropping wages they get now. Also, for-
out. I was admittedly somewhat eign affairs regarding Ukraine
shocked to see his immediate and Russia, along with Palestine
withdrawal after such a hard- and Israel, will be important
fought campaign, even with his issues on the ballot.”
poor caucus results. With Gover- The New Hampshire prima-
nor DeSantis following suit, it will ries happened on Jan. 23, and
be interesting to see if Nikki Hal- Haley cemented herself as a seri-
ey can really compete with Presi- ous contender for the nomination
dent Trump in a two-candidate by scoring 43.3% of the vote, a
race,” Middlebrooks said. large increase from Iowa, in com-
For left-leaning students parison to Trump maintaining
on campus, the Iowa caucus- the lead with 54.4% of the vote.
es cemented the reality that With many more primary elec-
Trump might be the next Re- tions to go, only time will tell how
Photo courtesy of Charlie Neibergall AP Photo publican nominee for president Haley’s campaign fares in relation
After securing just 8% of the Republican vote in the Iowa caucus, Vivek Ramaswamy officially and will likely run against the to Trump’s in a two-candidate bid
suspended his presidential campaign on Jan. 16, 2024. He now endorses former President Trump. incumbent, President Joe Biden. for the Republican nomination.
Opinions
OPINIONS EDITOR: Nithya Jameshenry technique
5
“
“Youth is happy because it has
the ability to see beauty.” Friday,
-Franz Kafka January 26, 2024

OUR VIEWS | Consensus Opinion

Avoid going home
Housing Option Issues stick around on the weekend and
reach out to new people.
Are on and off-campus housing options exploitative? I dreaded returning to my
freshman dorm so badly that
I fled campus every Friday af-
Every year, the Institute admits more and lease/subletting fees only further to this issue. ter my classes ended and didn’t
more first-years into a school that is not physi- Tech must partner with these apartments to return until late Sunday night,
which consequently ensured
cally growing. Further, Tech is taking increas- subsidize housing prices, but that would cost that my bed at Tech never felt
ing amounts of upperclassmen housing and money, which the Institute is unlikely to give. like it could be my home.
reallocating it to freshmen. In our housing On-campus housing purports some major When faced with the emo-
tional turmoil that arises from
edition of the newspaper, we at the Technique issues as well. East Campus Housing Office major life changes, such as go-
wish to discuss various issues surrounding (ECHO) is slow to respond to terrible safety ing to college for the first time,
CAROLINE BETZ the quickest way to feel better is
student housing, both on and off-campus. hazards, such as mold and other infestations. STAFF WRITER to lean into the discomfort and
The most notable issue plaguing both Issues like this must be resolved immedi- get used to your new normal.
on and off-campus housing, albeit in dif- ately, but are often put off until pressure is For many students, espe- However, this is the opposite
cially in-state first-years, there of what many people’s instinct in
ferent regards, is safety. Both types of put on the office by parents or other figures. can be a strong temptation to new or scary situations is.
housing are broken into and see cars Additionally, residents are hardly ever noti- visit home every weekend instead In particular, the aging resi-
being broken into as well . fied for maintenance work, such as chang- of staying on campus. dence halls, intense academic
Some students may feel that pressures and somewhat strange
With off-campus housing, even minutes ing locks, and are sometimes accosted by their on-campus housing situ- social atmosphere at Tech can
from campus, crime is outside of the Geor- a forced entry by maintenance staff. ation is uncomfortable or has make more introverted or anxious
a hazardous “environmental first-years struggle to successfully
gia Tech Police Department (GTPD)’s ju- There are some positives to both types of growth,” while others may feel lean into the discomfort associ-
risdiction, forcing students to contact the housing, however. Living in off-campus hous- disconnected from the campus ated with starting college.
Atlanta Police Department (APD), who ing serves as a good transition into adulthood. community and want to feel the It can easily start to feel
warmth of a welcoming place. like you are a single, lonely is-
will put petty thefts and harassment on Students have bills and rent to pay, but are also Whatever the reason, there are land in a sea of archipelagos
the bottom of their priority list. not accountable for that of their roommates. even more compelling reasons to when you feel like everyone is
While these safety hazards are the norm of On-campus housing allows for accountabil- push yourself to stay on campus as having fun without you.
much as pos- However, I can
living outside of the safer campus bubble, it ity within roommates, with roommate agree- sible. almost guarantee
is the Institute that is forcing students to exit ments and mediators as a fallback. As a first- that this is never
year, I made “Whatever the reason, actually the case.
on-campus housing and seek other options Generally speaking, Tech is admitting the mistake Every semester,
through issues with the housing application more freshmen than can be accommodated of going home there are even more first-years and
process and incredibly long waitlists. Thus, without sacrificing upperclassmen. While basically every compelling reasons to push u p p e r c l a s s m e n
weekend, and flood social plat-
how is it fair that students facing lapses in safe- the main motive for this is multifaceted, do- it has been my yourself to stay on campus forms like Red-
ty are placed in a limbo between GTPD and ing so while exploiting students is unconscio- biggest regret
as much as possible.” dit to share how
APD, resulting in mediocre safety? nable. However, in order to accommodate from my time they feel alone
at Tech. and wish to make
One solution to this is expanding campus students, there is a need for more space on Instead of new friends. The
transportation systems to popular off-campus campus. We are remiss to encourage expan- building deep, chances that you
meaningful friendships and mak- are ever actually the only
housing locations. While the Gold Bus and sion, because in the heart of Midtown Atlanta, ing memories I will remember for one who feels alone at Tech
CULC/Tech Square Bus both go near those expansion is equivalent to gentrification. One the rest of my life, I went home on weekends is essentially zero.
apartments, none venture down Spring Street solution to gentrification could be divesting and hid from the realities at school Regardless of whether you are
that I was too scared to face. a nervous first-year or an exhaust-
itself, which houses most off-campus apart- money into the same communities impacted I was physically running ed fifth-year, I believe that the ex-
ments on East Campus and most of its dan- by gentrification. Alternatively, Tech could away from campus in an at- periences you could be having on
gers. Similarly, the bus system could extend make the admissions process more equitable, tempt to metaphorically run campus on the weekend are much
away from my problems. better than if you went home sim-
further into Home Park and allow students and rather than increase the number of mi- I was afraid of the intense ply for the sake of it.
access further down State Street or Curran norities through mass admissions, increase feelings of stillness and loneli- Whether it’s reaching out
Street, and not just the Atlantic Station area, the percentage of often overlooked students. ness that I was experiencing, de- to someone you haven’t talked
spite the fact that the only way to for a couple of years, reach-
where fewer undergraduate students live. Moving forward, students ought to keep to combat my intense anxieties ing out to someone else in a club
Rent prices are also on the rise, dispropor- these issues in mind when picking their hous- about the realities of life was to you have joined or even just go-
finally face them head on. ing grocery shopping and plan-
tionate to inflation and exploitative of stu- ing. However, they can only do so much. The I was leaving campus ev- ning to cook your favorite meal,
dents. Rents are hundreds of dollars higher in responsibility lies with both the Institute and ery weekend because I felt like making plans to look forward to
our student housing than in nearby non-stu- off-campus housing management to stop tak- I had no friends to hang out during the weekend instead of
with, but the depressing irony leaving campus could be the first
dent housing. Hidden fees, predatory price- ing advantage of Tech’s students and to pro- was that the best way to make step towards confronting your
gouging, no way to get out of leases and sub- vide them with a safe, reliable place to live. good friends on campus was to fear of loneliness on campus.

The Consensus Opinion reflects the majority opinion of the Editorial Board of the Write to us: are responses to or commentaries on
Technique, but not necessarily the opinions of individual editors. content found within the pages of the
[email protected] Technique. Along with these letters,
we are open to receiving letters that

technique editorial board Got something to say? Then let

your voice be heard with the Tech-
focus on relevant issues that currently
affect Tech as an institute, including
nique. Sliver at Nique.net, tweet us its campus and student body.
Yashvini Deva EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @the_nique or check us out on Face- When submitting letters we ask
Tehreem Hussain MANAGING EDITOR book at facebook.com/thenique. We that you include your full name, year
want to hear your opinion and want (1st, 2nd, etc.) and major. We ask that
Nithya Jameshenry OPINIONS EDITOR Sydney Gordon ONLINE EDITOR to make it known to all of campus. letters be thought provoking, well
Rohan Raman SPORTS EDITOR Alex Dubé PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR We also welcome your letters in written and in good taste. We reserve
response to Technique content as well the right to both reject or edit letters
Alec Grosswald NEWS EDITOR Cole Murphy ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR as topics relevant to campus. We will for length and style.
Jessamyn M. Lockett LIFE EDITOR Emily Russell HEAD COPY EDITOR print letters on a timely and space- For questions, comments or con-
Christine Lee DESIGN EDITOR Rish Desai TECHNOLOGY EDITOR available basis. cern, contact the Opinions Editor at
Each week we look for letters that [email protected].
6 • January 26, 2024 • technique // OPINIONS

Beginning to make amends with campus wildlife

I eat my lunch nearby. Given the offerings to mend squirrel-hu- be in the heart of Atlanta, but the park. If time permits, the At-
circumstances under which hu- man relations, we accepted de- there is plenty of native flora and lanta Botanical Garden is adjacent
mans and squirrels typically inter- feat. The lingering feeling that fauna to appreciate. to the park and is a lovely way to
act, I thought the squirrels would we had somehow betrayed the Taking time slow down and
enjoy some positive attention. squirrels was enough to keep to decompress enjoy nature.
I expected the squirrels to me thinking about how people and interact Even finding
thank us for finally noticing on campus tend to view nature. with the natural “Given the privilege of five minutes to
their highly important job of In fact, upon reflec- world is not nov-
scurrying and leaving parts of tion, the squirrel’s response el, but it is none- a free morning, I highly sit on the grass
at Tech Green
acorns on the ground for peo- was entirely predictable. theless a rarity in recommend getting away or outside of
ple to step on, track onto their The narrative surrounding the busy lives of Tech Tower and
carpet and later ask, “What animals at the Institute is over- many students. for a bit and watching admire the trees
orange crumbs did I step in?” whelmingly negative. In most Making a con- ducks glide across the lake is incredibly
This, however, was not the conversations on the topic, stu- scious effort to relaxing.
MARGARET KHAYAT case. In fact, dents label animals notice animals at a park.” Examine the
CONTRIBUTING WRITER the squir- at Tech “pests.” and plants when ground and the
rels actively From my fresh- walking to class insects moving
Robins chirped and leaves avoided us. “This specific attitude is man dorm room’s is grounding and serves as a re- between blades of grass.
rustled as the four of us sat on a When it
bench outside of East Architec- was time to unfortunate, especially ant infestation to the
alleged possums that
minder that school and work are
just one part of life.
Listen for raindrops falling
from trees onto concrete.
ture. We received an assignment begin the given the endless benefits wandered the perim- Although I have lived in At- There is such underappreciated
of the utmost importance: squir- observation, eter of West Village lanta my whole life, I often over- beauty in the harmony of nature,
rel watching. By “we,” I mean my they ran of spending time in nature, Dining Hall, I, too, look some of the most accessible in hearing birds call to each other
friend in an ecology class plus two from the both physically and am guilty of per- places to interact with nature in and awaiting the next caw.
other friends and myself who had sidewalk petuating the unfa- the city. Piedmont Park, for ex- It is possible that the squirrels
nothing better to do that day. and hid in mentally. ” vorable reputation of ample, is a 30 minute walk from will continue to run from obser-
Before this mission, I was not bushes and campus wildlife. campus and has dogs, geese, vation, and it is certain that they
particularly interested in seeing trees, be- This specific at- lizards and, yes, squirrels. will continue to take whole waffle
fluffy gray rodents. More often hind buildings and under cars. titude is unfortunate, especially Given the privilege of a free fries from trash cans.
than not, I find myself annoyed I was momentarily offended given the endless benefits of morning, I highly recommend However, there is humor to
by squirrels jumping in front of that the squirrels did not want spending time in nature, both getting away for a bit and watch- be found in their scattered move-
my car or drooling in a tree while us to see them, but with no peace physically and mentally. Tech may ing ducks glide across the lake at ments and sneakiness.

The advertising ailment: opioids plague advertising

grass with an active and healthy of the century only led to a bigger sive medication, the decrease in dangerous side effects occur, you
family by her side. Deadly side boom in the industry. The prob- non-pharmaceutical treatment could always visit your doctor!
effects are playing in the back- lem with this is that the FDA only options such as lifestyle changes Marketing teams in big phar-
ground, but her life experiences a verifies advertisement information and the increase in the use of maceutical companies have
profound transformation. after the ad has appeared in pub- medication that is not necessary learned the best ways to invoke
These ads all have similar set- lic. This means that thousands of through patient demands of drugs people’s insecurity, undermin-
ups: uplifting voices, bright colors, people could have seen mislead- they have ing physician-pa-
healthy-looking people, serious ing, unregulated claims. seen in the tient relationships
side effect disclaimers and urges The drug advertised to provide media. and perpetuating
to ask a doctor for a prescription. a perfect cure for a terrible syn- Who can “What is the only the environment
A curious foreign bystander drome is often a much more ex- blame Ameri- solution? I say we where patients are
may wonder what this distinctive pensive alternative to what a phy- cans for hav- now consumers,
advertising genre is. After all, it sician would typically prescribe. ing illness ban advertisements, and hospitals give
may surprise Seniors have anxiety when especially in media of out prescriptions
DHANYA MUPPALLA many that the been hit hard by popular ad- to keep their con-
CONTRIBUTING WRITER direct advertis- these unnecessar- vertisements prescription drugs. ” sumers happy and
ing of medical “They may even be ily high costs for such as these returning. What is
My phone buzzes. I eagerly drugs to con- shocked that big seemingly “special- intend to the only solution?
open it to watch the YouTube sumers is dis- ty” medicines. turn us into hypochondriacs eager I say we ban advertisements, es-
video sent to me by my friend. tinctive only pharmaceutical Some claim to take so-called cure-all medi- pecially in media, of prescription
Expecting a minute of laughter, to the United companies can profit these ads help pro- cations (that is, unless we have drugs. Individuals should not
I click on the link to instead find States and vide more general never suffered from liver cirrho- have to entrust their health and
myself first stuck under 15 long New Zealand. from this.” education about sis, asthma, heart disease, lung well-being to the company with
and obnoxious seconds of adver- They may even potential treat- cancer, are not pregnant, are not the best marketing but rather to
tising for a health issue. be shocked ments for ailments about to be pregnant, are not the drug that suits their lifestyle
It starts with a woman in that big pharmaceutical compa- and lead to people visiting their breastfeeding or are not allergic)? and financial interests.
pain with some discomforting nies can profit from this. Drug physicians more often than ever. In reality, medication is of- However, when physicians are
or life-threatening ailment who marketing is a multibillion-dollar While these are all great things, ten much more precise and often also under the influence of these
then takes a certain medica- business, and the Food and Drug the adverse side effects often out- doesn’t even work for everyone. It massive pharma companies, who
tion. Immediately, she is trans- Administration (FDA) relaxing weigh the positives. Advertising is hard to include precise details can we really trust to provide us
ported to a beautiful field of its guidelines on this at the turn has led to the use of more expen- in a short period. However, if any with accurate information?

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH JOURNAL

// OPINIONS technique • January 26, 2024 • 7

How to cure the spring slump

tivities that generally come with later be working as the On-
the exciting fall semester. line Editor. This is your sign to
This New Year’s Eve, one visit the student organization
of the goals I wrote down for fair, attend meetings and find
2024 was to make the most a new community on campus
out of the drab months of the that can add excitement to an
year and start my spring semes- otherwise boring semester.
ter more positively than I have Though boredom and colder
in the past. Without football weather are primary conditions
games and many events to at- of the spring slump, I can’t over-
tend on the weekends, I know look the inevitable academic
I’ll have much more free time. burnout after fall semester. It
You’ve Got Mail! Shoe Speed Bump Here are a few things I plan to seems like finals were just yes-
The United States Postal Service Watch your feet! Popular singer, implement in my best attempt terday, which makes it hard to
is switching to electric vehicles. artist and One Direction alum, SYDNEY GORDON to avoid the spring slump that start a new course load without
The switch was unveiled right Zayn Malik’s foot was run over ONLINE EDITOR you could also use. feeling overwhelmed. In con-
here in Atlanta, at the South by a car in Paris, during one of One of the best ways to pass junction with trying new things
Atlanta Sorting and Delivery his first public appearances in It’s that time of year again. the time and pull back from and finding activities to fill free
Center off James Jackson years. Reports claim that he Like me, you’ve probably spent computer screens is to pick up time when cold weather keeps
Parkway. These electric vans was swarmed by fans following the last two weeks bundled up a book. There’s no better feel- us inside, it is crucial to inten-
are the main part of a 40 billion the Kenzo fashion show inside, making excuses about ing than finding a book genre or tionally step away from home-
dollar “Delivering for America” when a car ran over his foot. how it’s far too cold to leave the series that you love for the first work and give yourself grace
reform plan which matches the Luckily, Malik states that his house and wishing it could be time. If you find yourself in need during the new semester.
department’s goal to reduce its foot is unharmed, accrediting summer already. I hate the feel- of a new hobby to fill some free It may require more effort to
carbon footprint by 40% by the his safety to “incredibly ing of starting a new semester, time this semester, reading is a make the spring just as enjoy-
end of the decade. well made shoes.” already anticipating its end. fun and rewarding option. able as the previous semester, but
Though it is only my second Having a fun plan to look adding a little bit of excitement
year of college, and therefore forward to at the end of the to your schedule and changing
second time returning to cam- week or month makes the long up your routine can make a huge
pus for the spring semester after school days pass by a little difference in avoiding the dread-
a month at home, I’ve realized quicker. This could be a concert, ed spring slump. This is an expe-
that I never feel this way dur- brunch with friends, plans to rience that I could not see myself
ing the fall. When August rolls walk around Piedmont Park or committing to, let alone loving,
around, I am excited for new anything in between. Without even six months before I did it.
Fresh (Falcons) Meat! We Cheated, And? beginnings and reuniting with the many holidays and school During the fall semester, I was
Is Bill Belichick a shoo-in Ariana Grande lost hundreds friends after a long summer breaks to look forward to dur- more outgoing than I had possi-
candidate? As most fans may of thousands of followers on apart. I know that shortly after ing the fall semester, the spring bly ever been prior. I spent more
have heard, the Atlanta Falcons Instagram after her release of arriving on campus, there will be can become repetitive, but mak- time with my friends, made
are looking for a new head song, “yes, and?” It caused football games to attend, Home- ing frequent plans can help new ones and finally found an
coach! After leaving the New an uproar due to its supposed coming week and holidays right break it up and add something outlet to pursue my enjoyment
England Patriots, Belichick reference to her romance around the corner, keeping my exciting to your schedule. of writing. While none of these
has quickly become a favorite with “Wicked” co-star Ethan schedule filled and giving me a Especially for freshmen who experiences directly parallel the
candidate for the new head Slater which began under sense of fulfillment. may not have joined any clubs “college experience” of going
coach. However, no matter suspicious circumstances, with Maybe what makes it so hard or organizations during their wild at parties every weekend,
who is chosen to be the new the couple going public very to come back to school in Janu- first semester, the spring is a they very much parallel the ex-
head coach, fans are ecstatic for shortly after Slater separated ary with that same excitement great time to try something new! perience of trying new things
a change of pace. Maybe next from his wife and Grande from is knowing that I will spend Last spring semester, I went and learning about who you are,
year, the Falcons have a chance! her now ex-husband. more of my time on home- to my first Technique meeting which is what I think the college
work and less on the fun ac- and had no idea that I would experience is really about.

NIL on college football: a call for more regulation

financial considerations over- among players can create tensions balance, preventing exploitation amateur status of college athletes.
shadow the traditional values of and a sense of inequality, affecting of hardworking student-athletes. While NIL opportunities should
collegiate sports today. team cohesion and morale. They should also ensure that be available, they should not de-
One of the most notable While some star athletes the focus remains on athletic tract from the primary purpose
glaring issues is the emergence land high-value deals, oth- and academic development. of college athletics — education
of a “pay-for-play” culture, ers, particularly those in less Firstly, a standardized set of and personal development within
veering dangerously close to glamorous positions, may feel rules across all the context of
professionalizing college athletes. undervalued or overlooked. states and in- team sports.
High school recruits and col- This dynamic can erode the stitutions is es- “This includes placing Policies should
lege players are increasingly in- camaraderie and teamwork sential to level be in place to
fluenced by the earning potential essential to college sports. the playing caps on the types of deals ensure that ath-
of NIL deals, leading to deci- Furthermore, the focus on in- field. and the amount earned, letes maintain
sions driven by financial incen- dividual branding and earnings This in- academic eligibil-
tives rather than educational can detract from the broader edu- cludes placing ensuring that all programs ity and remain
JACOB HAYES or athletic considerations. cational mission of universities. numeric caps have a fair chance to committed to
STAFF WRITER Moreover, the lack of uni- Commercial interests risk over- on the types their educational
form regulations across states shadowing the traditional role of of deals and compete for talent.” pursuits.
In recent years, the landscape and institutions has led to an college football as an integral part the amount The intro-
of college football has undergone uneven playing field. of the college experience, foster- earned, en- duction of the
a seismic shift with the introduc- Schools in states with more ing school spirit and community. suring that all programs have NIL policy in college football
tion of the Name, Image and lenient NIL laws The emphasis a completely fair chance to was a groundbreaking change,
Likeness (NIL) policy. or affluent alumni on financial compete for talent. acknowledging the rights and
This policy, designed to networks can offer “Smaller programs and gains could Additionally, these regulations contributions of student-athletes.
give college athletes the right more lucrative op- those in states with compromise should include provisions for However, its implementation
to monetize their personal portunities to their the academic transparency and disclosure, al- has revealed significant chal-
brands, has sparked a plethora of athletes. stricter NIL policies find commitment lowing for monitoring and ensur- lenges that threaten the very
changes, not all of which have This dispar- themselves at a significant of student- ing that NIL deals do not serve as essence of college football.
been positive for the sport. ity threatens the athletes, un- covert means for improper induce- To preserve the integrity,
While the intent behind NIL competitive bal- disadvantage, struggling to d e r m i n i n g ments or pay-for-play schemes. competitiveness and educational
was to empower student athletes, ance fundamen- attract top talent.” the student Secondly, there should focus of the sport, a balanced
its implementation has led to sig- tal to the spirit aspect of be educational programs for and fair regulatory framework
nificant challenges that necessitate of college sports. the student student-athletes on financial is extremely imperative.
a structured system of regulation Smaller programs and those -athlete mathematical equation. management, contractual ob- Such regulation would not
to preserve the integrity and com- in states with stricter NIL poli- There is a pressing need for ligations and the long-term only serve to protect the
petitiveness of college football. cies find themselves at a signifi- a comprehensive and uniform implications of NIL deals. interests of student-athletes.
The NIL era in college foot- cant disadvantage, struggling regulatory framework for NIL This education can help It would also ensure the
ball, initially celebrated as a to attract the top talent. activities in college football to athletes make informed deci- enduring spirit and tradi-
progressive step towards athlete The NIL policy has also al- address these challenges. Such a sions and protect them from tion of college football for
empowerment, has inadvertently tered the dynamics within teams. framework should aim to main- potential third-party exploitation. generations to come in a time of
fostered an environment where The disparity in earning potential tain fairness and competitive Lastly, it is crucial to reaffirm the great transition for the sport.
 technique

Entertainment
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR:

8
Cole Murphy
ASSISTANT ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR:
Emily Piper Friday,
[email protected] January 26, 2024

“The Zone of Interest” impresses

COLE MURPHY
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

“The Zone of Inter-

est” is a difficult movie
to pin down. It has no
overarching plot, no
conflict and no char-
acter development. It is
shot like a hidden cam-
era movie, showing the
daily life of a German A WREK and Technique collaboration
family without obvious
camera movements or
even close-up shots. MOVE IN MOVE OUT
Except, this is not a
normal German fam-
ily — this is Nazi Ru- Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)
dolph Höss (Christian Billy Joel
Friedel, ”Babylon Ber- Time to Pretend
lin”) and his wife Hed- MGMT
wig (Sandra Hüller, Mumble
“Anatomy of a Fall”). Whirr
Rudolph has been ap- There there.
pointed commandant Radiohead
of Auschwitz, and they Why are Sundays so Depressing
are building an idyl- Photo courtesy of A24 The Strokes
lic life right on the Christian Friedel plays Rudolph Höss in “The Zone of Interest,” which is directed by Hardest Button to Button
other side of the Jonathan Glazer. Glazer also directed the critically acclaimed film “Under the Skin.” The White Stripes
camp’s barbed wire. Busted and Blue
What is so fascinat- gunshots coming from What is so brilliant leaves. The whole film much to leave, that Gorillaz
ing about the film is inside the concentra- about these visual al- feels like a trial as pros- he was contemplating Tea for Two
that, as director Jona- tion camp. The sound lusions is that they ecuted by Jonathan killing everyone below Albert Hammond Jr.
than Glazer has stated of a train bringing new concretely condemn Glazer, systematically his balcony, a difficult Do Ya Wanna Taste It
in interviews, there are victims into the camp the family’s role in the proving Rudolph and task given the room’s Wig Wam
two separate movies lingers behind benign Holocaust. The Hösses Hedwig’s unequivocal “high ceilings.” Those Closet
in “The Zone of In- conversation. With- are not “willfully ig- guilt. They have no ex- are the last words we Fleshwater
terest.” The first is the out needing to see any norant;” they are com- cuse — even Hedwig’s hear from Rudolph. Flea Market
humdrum, uneventful of the death camp’s plicit. It is a marvel to mother cannot stom- He walks down- Tierra Whack
movie you see: Hed- atrocities, the hid- see this complete cas- ach the violence. stairs, vomits and stares South
wig gardening, kids eous irony is sickening tigation accomplished Later, after Ru- down a dark hallway. Hippo Campus
playing and friends from the moment the through such subtle dolph is transferred to He sees his legacy. The River
drinking tea. movie starts. Glazer’s directorial choices, Germany, Glazer lets film flashes forward to Joni Mitchell
The other subtly technique pays off like one servant wash- Rudolph’s surface hu- present day Auschwitz, Old Man
horrifying movie is magnificently. ing Rudolph’s shoes, manity recede and his slowly moving down Neil Young
the one you hear. It The viewer still sees turning the water red monstrosity come fully the halls of its Holo- Turtleneck Boy
is the intertwining hints of Auschwitz’s with blood. In another into view. He and oth- caust memorial, linger- Split Milk Society
of these two sepa- horror, though. A understated touch, er Nazi officers discuss ing on stacks of shoes Saturday Sun
rate films that makes plume of smoke Glazer refuses to do the most effective ways and crutches from Ho- Vance Joy
Glazer’s film one of the from burning bod- any closeups on either to murder hundreds locaust victims. Back Poker Face
best of the year. ies covers the house Rudolph or Hedwig, of thousands of Jew- in the present moment, Lady Gaga
The narrative heft of while Rudolph and quashing any chance ish people with such Rudolph slowly turns To Build a Home
“The Zone of Interest,” Hedwig discuss the for audience empathy. dispassionate calm it away, descending the The Cinematic Orchestra
despite its fantastic logistics of a job trans- Even the camera is seems like a corporate stairs into darkness. If Out of Time
performances, comes fer. In one scene, revolted by the couple. budgeting meeting. the movie is a trial, the The Rolling Stones
straight from Glazer’s Rudolph finds a hu- Midway through It is in the film’s darkness is Rudolph’s Out of Touch
directing. There is man jawbone in the the film, Hedwig’s ending that Glazer eternal sentence. Daryl Hall & John Oates
nothing that particu- river by his house mother comes to visit. presents his damning Jonathan Glazer Teach Me To Fight
larly “happens” in the while playing with his Slowly, the dissonance verdict to the Höss’. implicates the Hösses, YONAKA
movie, but the direct- kids. Evil surrounds between her daugh- Before leaving a Nazi but he implicates the Illegal Smile
ing sets up a juxtaposi- this family, and they ter’s idyllic life and the officer party, Rudolph viewer, too. He asks John Prine
tion that is almost too ignore it, scarcely no- Holocaust just over stares over a balcony what atrocities the Gimme Danger
disgusting to take in. ticing even the barbed the fence becomes too at his compatriots. He world — and each in- The Stooges
While the family wire that separates much to bear. Her later tells his wife, who dividual — chooses Burnout
goes about their day themselves from the horror is the one time stayed at Auschwitz not to see. And over Green Day
on-screen, the viewer most horrifying geno- Glazer lets us see real because she loves their the unseeing, he firmly
hears screams and cide of modern history. human feeling, and she “perfect” home too pronounces guilt. nique.net + wrek.org
// ENTERTAINMENT technique • January 26, 2024 • 9

Does Green Day’s album “Saviors” save punk?

list, starting with “The American
SLOAN SALINAS Dream is Killing Me.”
STAFF WRITER Immediately, the album leans
away from the poppier sound
On Jan. 19, punk rock band of “Father of All…” with heavy
Green Day released their 14th power chords and a gritty, angry
studio album, “Saviors.” The sound to the vocals that fits com-
Grammy-Award-winning group fortably alongside the band’s ear-
released the album’s first single, lier work with “American Idiot”
“The American Dream is Kill- and “Holiday,” — both songs
ing Me,” in October 2023, notorious for their criticism of the
aptly setting the tone of their Bush administration, the war in
first full-length album since Iraq, bias and rising extremism
2020’s “Father Of All…” in the United States.
The single was the last of the Tracks like “Look Ma, No
tracks from “Saviors” to be record- Brains!” “One Eyed Bastard,”
ed but the first to be released to “Coma City” and “Living in the
the public. Emphasizing the harm 20s” feature criticism of modern
that the traditional “American topics, including billionaire space
Dream” is doing to people through travel, mass shootings and mass
lyrics about gentrification, home- media consumption.
lessness and unemployment, the Interspersed with the rag-
song seemingly promised a return ing punk songs are tracks that
to the politically charged themes evoke early 2000s nostalgia,
synonymous with Green Day and such as “1981” and “Suzie Chap-
that many fans felt were missing stick,” through references to
from “Father of All…” MTV and feelings of longing
The album’s release coinciden- for lost connections.
tally followed online controversy Other songs simply have a teen-
regarding the band’s substitution age, carefree feeling, such as “Cor-
of “MAGA” for “redneck” in the vette Summer,” which includes an
line “I’m not a part of the redneck allusion to the Beach Boys and
agenda” during “American Idi- “Bobby Sox,” a song notable for
ot,” one of the band’s most well- using “girlfriend” and “boyfriend”
known songs from their 2005 al- interchangeably as a reference to
bum of the same name. Armstrong’s bisexuality.
Though the band’s discogra- Lastly, the band made sure to
phy has always included scathing include a few power ballads in
commentary on controversial is- “Goodnight Adeline” and “Father Photo courtesy of Pitchfork
sues, and on-stage political state- to a Son” to round off the versa- Pop-punk band Green Day has released their 14th studio album, “Saviors.” The controversial band
ments are nothing new for Green tile yet still wholly punk-rock al- is well-known for their hit albums “Dookie” and “American Idiot,” iconic albums in pop-punk.
Day, many people — including bum. “Saviors” finishes with the
Tesla CEO Elon Musk — took more relaxed and distinctly final- The album itself was produced album sounds similar to these happy to hear Armstrong’s vo-
to the internet to complain about sounding “Fancy Sauce,” during by Rob Cavallo, who has worked two hit albums, too. cals still holding up after the
“wokeness” and bands needing to which Armstrong makes one fi- with Green Day before on several Each song on the album has band’s career of over 30 years.
“stay out of politics.” Almost iron- nal reference, this time to the late albums like “Dookie” and “Amer- a distinct sound, instrumentally If “Saviors” shows anything,
ically, “Saviors” dropped three Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, ican Idiot,” both award-winning and harmonically, while still fit- it is that these Rock and Roll
weeks later with a politics and with the words “Everybody’s fa- albums that played significant ting together as a cohesive final Hall of Famers are not slowing
social commentary-filled track- mous, stupid and contagious.” roles in the band’s success. The product. Long-time fans will be down anytime soon.

DARLING FROM FRONT

Molina begged them, “Feed my
ego / Keep telling me all the ways
that you think I’m great.”
Molina prefaced the next track
with, “We wrote this song about
another band,” as he launched
into “Wallows Song.”
As soon as the chorus
hit, he jumped into the au-
dience and pranced his way
through the crowd, drawing
even more energy from each
person as he passed by.
Mickey Darling’s uniquely in-
timate connection with the audi-
ence was evident as they stopped
between songs to accept small
gifts from concert-goers through-
out the show, including bracelets
and stickers. At one point, a girl
shouted, “I have something for
you!” and she pushed to the front
to give Molina a ring pop. They
exchanged a few words and a hug
before the next song “SAY THAT
YOU MISS ME.”
During “Mom Jeans,” Mo-
lina flung himself into the crowd
again while Medrano continued
playing the guitar onstage. Mo- Photo courtesy of Jenna Guiher Student Publications
lina skipped through the audi- Indie-pop duo Mickey Darling’s Skyler Molina forms a heart with his fingers in response to a fan shouting, “I love you!”
ence, often finding particularly Guitarist Austin Medrano plays his Fender Stratocaster next to Molina as an energetic crowd watches on, adoringly.
enthusiastic fans and singing
directly to them. having a great time with each “Vroom vroom, I’m in me mum’s girl”. Someone threw a sparkly, a final bow together as a band
Later that night, the band an- other. Mickey Darling then dis- car,” referencing an old meme pink cowboy hat onto the stage, and exited the stage.
nounced that they were going to closed that the song would drop from Vine recognizable to every and Medrano donned the hat as Mickey Darling’s genuine and
sing an unreleased song called on Feb. 9 and playfully encour- Gen Z audience member. the duo gave in and played their personal stage presence made for
“Blah Blah Blah,” and they in- aged everyone to put the date into When Mickey Darling an- most popular song. The energy an unforgettable show, and the
vited Nick Wagen and Benten up their phone calendars. nounced that they only had in the room reached its peak as band proved to be a beautiful tes-
on stage to perform with them. Mickey Darling carried on one more song, the excitement everyone jumped in time to the tament to the idea that success is
The four of them jumped and with “VROOM VROOM,” a hi- in the venue escalated as the cowbell beat. The song faded attainable for independent artists
frolicked on stage, undeniably larious fan-favorite. Molina sang, crowd shouted “Reverse Cow- out, and Mickey Darling gave without a big-name record label.
10 • January 26, 2024 • technique // ENTERTAINMENT

“Poor Things” is a stylish, shallow Oscar favorite

FILM Duncan shames her for it, but
Bella seems to enjoy her work
Poor Things well enough, overcoming yet
GENRE: Drama, Comedy another societal norm coming be-
tween her and liberation.
STARRING: Emma Stone, She goes on more adven-
Willem Dafoe tures and discovers more social
DIRECTOR: Yorgos mores she finds absurd, taking
Lanthimos the audience on a bizarre romp
through admittedly stunning
RATING: R set design and cinematography.
RELEASE DATE: Jan. 19 Visually, “Poor Things” is an
achievement, and Lanthimos is
OUR TAKE: ««
«««««
««« excellent here, as always.
Thematically, the film never
rises above the conceit that Bella
COLE MURPHY finds society’s rules stifling, leav-
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR ing the audience to watch her
move from one encounter to the
It is not surprising that “Poor next, tossing aside whatever social
Things” has been making waves convention is keeping her from
at awards shows in the months her short-term desires. There is no
before the Oscars. The movie has alternative perspective, no deeper
an all-star cast, a beloved direc- meaning and no nuance. There
tor, edgy themes, art-house sensi- have been films that have tackled
bilities and social commentary to these themes of sensuality in a
boot. Even more, it might be the thought-provoking way — think
most beautiful movie of the year, “Call Me By Your Name”—
and it is pretty funny, too. If only but Lanthimos seems to have
it was all enough to mask the va- learned nothing from them.
pidity of the movie’s message. For all its bravura and for all
“Poor Things” does a good the bombastic performances,
impression of a profound work the film boils down to a fish-
of art without actually being Photo courtesy of IMDb out-of-water comedy about a so-
one at all, leaving viewers only Emma Stone as Bella Baxter in “Poor Things,” standing in front of Mark Ruffalo, who plays cietal outsider tossing aside the
with juvenile talking points. At her admirer, Duncan. Both have been nominated for Oscars for their roles in the film. world’s rules to have more fun
least it is pretty to look at. than everyone else. The movie
The movie begins with Bel- teaching Bella how to be human. can only wants to sleep with Sex momentarily bores Bella, posits that Bella learns what life
la (Emma Stone, “Superbad”) She learns quickly, and Godwin Bella, who, lest you forget, still however, and she encounters sev- is really all about, but really, she
jumping off a bridge before her becomes increasingly attached to has the mind of a child, and the eral different high-class charac- just discovers life’s sensual plea-
body is recovered by a deformed, her, forbidding her from leaving two do quite a bit of what Bella ters while on the ship, casually sures, without its love, heart-
Frankenstein-like mad scientist the house. However, after meet- calls “furious jumping.” trampling on their, as Bella sees ache or pain. “Barbie” captured
named Godwin Baxter (Willem ing a man named Duncan, played As an aside, Bella’s ambigu- it, purposeless social conventions. those deeper feelings better in
Dafoe, “Platoon”). by Mark Ruffalo (“Spotlight”) in ous mental age is problematic At dinner, Bella spits out her food its last five minutes than “Poor
He takes her to his home a surprisingly hilarious turn, the in a way the film never really ad- announcing, “Why keep it in my Things” did in 140 minutes. It
where he reanimates her corpse two travel across an alternate ver- dresses. It feels like quite a big mouth if it is revolting?” “Why is not that the themes of “Poor
by switching her brain with that sion of Europe, showing Bella, thematic oversight from a direc- should she?” Lanthimos seems to Things” are wrong, per se, only
of her unborn child, raising Bella who has no notion of societal tor as prolific and thoughtful as be gleefully asking. This becomes superficial. Life is more than the
back to life but with the mind of norms, what the real world is like. Lanthimos, and it would have the basic structure of the film. five senses, and it is disappointing
an infant. Godwin — whom Bella According to director Yor- gone a long way to explore the Bella later leaves the ship and, to see as talented a filmmaker as
calls “God” in one of the first signs gos Lanthimos, the real world uncomfortable implications of after giving away all her money Yorgos Lanthimos settle for
the movie is not committed to sub- seems to be mostly just sex. It Bella’s sexual naivete rather than in a fruitless attempt to help telling such a trite story, no
tlety — takes on a father-like role, quickly becomes clear that Dun- playing it for laughs. the poor, becomes a sex worker. matter how beautifully.
// ENTERTAINMENT technique • January 26, 2024 • 11

Marvel’s “Echo” lands on Disney+ and Hulu

EMILY PIPER
ASSISTANT EDITOR

The world of Marvel contin-

ues to expand. Thanks to Dis-
ney+ and Hulu, the newest su-
perhero to grace your screen is
Echo. While first appearing in
“Hawkeye,” Maya Lopez (Alaqua
Cox, “Hawkeye”) returns for her
solo debut in “Echo.” The series
was released in its entirety on
Jan. 9 with five episodes.
The show follows Maya Lopez
as she escapes from New York City
back to her hometown of Tamaha,
Okla. after killing crime lord and
infamous super villain King-
pin (Vincent D’Onofrio, “The
Cell”). The first episode, “Cha-
fa,” acts as the backstory sum-
marizing Maya’s life growing up
to join Kingpin’s world.
Born deaf, Maya lost both her
leg and her mother in a child-
hood car crash caused by some-
one retaliating against her father’s
criminal jobs. She then moved to Photo courtesy of IMDb
New York City with her father un- Maya Lopez, or Echo, played by Alaqua Cox, and Kingpin, played by Vincent D’Onofrio, in the new Marvel series, “Echo”
til his murder, after which she was converse seriously. Marvel’s new TV show takes on a darker subject than other Marvel shows have taken on in the past.
adopted into Kingpin’s empire as
his honorary daughter. emotionless killer. Even though tween Maya and Bonnie (Dev- ships to this culture, from Maya how Maya experienced the action.
Through training and many her powers only come into the ery Jacobs, “Rhymes for Young rediscovering her connection to This was especially profound in
years as a part of his crew, show in the last episode, she Ghouls”), her cousin. A major it, while contrasting her extremely fight sequences, as audiences are
Maya grows into a skilled killer was still able to dominate her plot point from the first and devout grandmother, Chula (Tan- used to loud chaos, giving viewers
who rises against Kingpin af- enemies in entertaining and second episode was how Maya too Cardinal, “Loyalties”). a look into Maya’s world.
ter learning he was responsible imaginative fight scenes. had cut off Bonnie despite their The costumes throughout This juxtaposition focused
for her father’s death. The other key character, inseparability as children. the show, especially within the both on the visual actions as
The first episode’s storyline Kingpin, also known as Wilson Although they meet again Choctaw festival in the last epi- well as sharing in the power-
felt overworked. While back- Fisk, was less successful. While and since Maya wants to pro- sode “Maya,” reflect the tribe’s ful experiences of the deaf com-
story is important, stuffing over D’Onofrio visually matched the tect her from her life, they don’t real clothing in modern-day munity. Every character, aside
twenty years of character arcs character from the comics and rekindle their closeness. Bon- rather than stereotypical outfits to from the less significant hench-
into one 44-minute episode took on the persona with few nie’s character had greater poten- commercialize the culture. men, uses sign language fre-
while detailing each moment felt flaws, the actual characterization tial than what audiences saw, so The series even poked fun at quently, adding a new, refresh-
rushed. Rather than five, the se- felt disconnected from Kingpin’s hopefully Marvel develops her the ignorance of most Ameri- ing dynamic to the conversation
ries could have twice the number traditional reputation. arc in future shows, as a second cans by including a white couple throughout the show.
of episodes to cover everything He acts as Maya’s adoptive fa- season is unknown. fascinated by the ‘exoticness’ The inclusion of sign language
Marvel wanted to portray. ther, which means his relationship “Echo” is special in its re- of the Choctaw culture, want- also helped create depth for both
Once the show found its with her would be more sentimen- spectful navigation of indigenous ing to buy a Navajo rug with- Maya’s character and for the series
rhythm, though, its unraveling tal; however, “Echo” depicts him representation. The show leans out respect or care towards itself, something noticeably lack-
was well-paced. The depth of each as an overly-emotional and men- into the history of the Choctaw the tribe aside from wanting a ing in some of the other Disney+
character was magnificent. Maya, tally distraught man rather than tribe both through exploration of meaningless decoration. TV shows and movies.
while guarded, quickly makes her an intimidating crime boss. the origin of Maya’s powers and Another major contribution to Even with only five epi-
way into the audience’s hearts. One relationship audiences within everyday life in Tamaha. the show’s uniqueness is the vari- sodes, Marvel’s “Echo” is a
Cox does a phenomenal job in wished the series would elabo- Marvel creates a wide range of ance in sound. “Echo” utilized si- beautifully twisted series that
showing humanity through an rate on was the friendship be- characters with different relation- lence in many scenes to replicate deserves a second season.
12 • January 26, 2024 • technique // COMICS

Peebles Lab by Andrew Stella and David Sarah Scribbles by Sarah Andersen

SMBC by Zach Weinersmith

Pearls before Swine by Stephen Pastis

// COMICS technique • January 26, 2024 • 13

XKCD by Randall Munroe Channelate by Ryan Hudson

SUDOKU PUZZLE

In the Bleachers by Steve Moore

14 • January 26, 2024 • technique // SPORTS

BASKETBALL FROM FRONT actually shot a fantastic 41.67%

from three-point range and
led the Jackets in scoring with got 11 points from their bench.
eight points and two assists. His They built a 22-11 lead on a
play and poor interior defense George jumper, but Virginia cut
from Clemson late in the half al- the deficit to three after some
lowed the Jackets to take a 30-32 poor defense from Tech. Cava-
deficit into halftime. liers sophomore guard Isaac
If the beginning of the first McKneely hit the tying three to
half was a positive sign for Tech, make it 29 apiece before UVA
the start of the second half was hit their next two jumpers to
more worrying. After junior guard take a four-point lead into half-
Miles Kelly hit a jumper to even time. Although they did not
the score at 32, the Clemson duo end the half well, this was still a
of Hall and senior guard Chase winnable game for the Jackets.
Hunter gave the Tigers a 44-36 Simply put, the team faltered
lead with fifteen minutes left. Al- in the second half. Virginia out-
though the Jackets did not quit classed Tech in points off turn-
and even took the lead on a few overs, points in the paint and
occasions, they seemed bothered second-chance points. All of those
by the Tigers’ size. They struggled indicate the Jackets’ play became
on the boards, finishing the game sloppy and undisciplined.
with 33 rebounds to Clemson’s The Cavaliers expanded the
45. With the game winding down lead to 38-29 and maintained a
to a 68-59 Clemson lead at the commanding lead for the rest of
1:43 mark, it seemed like a sure the game. Tech made it interest-
loss for the Jackets. ing with a late pair of George
However, senior guard Kyle free throws and a Ndongo
Sturdivant hit all three of his free jumper to cut the lead to six, but
throws to cut the lead to six. Af- Photo courtesy of Tyler Parker Student Publication the Jackets’ defense could not
ter a Tech timeout, George drew Junior guard Miles Kelly drives to the basket against Cavaliers sophomore guard Ryan Dunn. keep up with the Virginia of-
the defender to the corner before Kelly was critical in the win against Clemson as his drives to the rim forced the defense to foul. fense. The Cavs shot a blistering
dishing the ball out to Reeves for 43% from three in the second
a massive three-pointer. Down and senior forward Tyzhaun from the field and three of four to seal the Tech victory. George’s half and 50% from the field to
three with only 52 seconds left, Claude made all their free throws from the charity stripe. Miles career night— 20 pts, six assists close the Jackets out, 75-66.
Clemson hit two free throws to down the stretch. Otherwise, Kelly started the quarter ag- — was highlighted by 19 pts from While the loss to Virginia was
make it a five-point game. the Jackets’ offense was listless gressively, converting his layups Sturdivant, an efficient 15 from disappointing, the team deserves
Now with 22 seconds left, Nai- in the first OT period — they and getting rewarded with free Reeves and a Baye Ndongo dou- major credit for battling through
than George stepped up and de- missed all three attempts from throws. Kelly put the Jackets ble-double with 11 pts and 10 re- a Clemson game they easily could
livered. The true freshman guard deep and hit only four of their up 87-86 before George came bounds. In short, it was one of the have dropped.
swished a three in his defender’s ten attempts from the field. alive in the clutch once again. team’s best wins of the year. The Jackets are still a young
face before resetting the ball on Clemson tied it up at 82- With under 90 seconds to go, Returning home to Mc- team, and games like Clemson
the next possession, hesitating and all with 23 seconds left in the George buried the fadeaway jump- Camish Pavilion after the big will play a critical role in building
nailing the three-pointer to send period, so the game would er to extend the lead to three. He win, the Jackets needed to con- team culture.
the game to overtime. be decided in a second over- then nailed the three-pointer over tinue their performance against The Jackets play the Panthers
Tech survived the first over- time period. Tech needed to his defender to put Tech up 92-88. a strong University of Virginia at McCamish on Tuesday, Jan.
time period by hitting their free step it up in the final frame. Sturdivant scored on a free throw Cavaliers team. The Cavaliers 23, before heading to Blacksburg
throws and doing just enough Fortunately, they did ex- to make it 93-90 before Clemson’s have the second-best scoring to play the Virginia Tech Hokies
to hang with Clemson. Ndongo actly that by going four of five PJ Hall missed the game-winner defense in the nation, but Tech on Saturday, Jan. 27.

Key chasing better defense in 2024, hires new DC

coach, that responsibility begins
MATTHEW KISTNER with me — I do feel that a new
CONTRIBUTING WRITER voice and perspective from the
coordinator role is necessary for
Tech’s defense is coming off a us to improve,” Key stated in the
tough statistical year. The Jack- initial stages of his search for a de-
ets were the worst defense in fensive coordinator.
the ACC and ranked 120th in He found his guy in Duke’s
the FBS in total defense, allow- Tyler Santucci. Santucci brings
ing just over 400 yards per game quite the resume from the Blue
and 6.29 yards per play. At the Devils, having the 41st-best to-
beginning of the season, many tal defense in the FBS this past
expected the defense to be the year, allowing just 19.8 points
strong suit for the team as defen- per game, ranked 19th nationally.
sive coordinator Andrew Thacker Santucci was also a nomi-
returned for his fifth season along nee for the 2023 Broyles Award,
with many veteran players; how- which is given annually to the
ever, the team’s performance on nation’s top assistant coach.
the field revealed the defense He is a young defensive mind
to be a liability at times. who also comes with experi-
They were particularly sus- ence at other Power 5 programs
ceptible to opposing rush- in Texas A&M and Wake Forest.
ing attacks as the team ranked Along with Santucci come two
third worst in the entire FBS more assistants: Kyle Pope and Jess
at stopping the run, allowing Simpson. After leading Memphis
221.3 rush yards per game. to four straight bowl berths and
Head coach Brent Key ad- directing a unit ranked top 25 in
dressed the issue abruptly in the third and fourth down conver-
season, demoting Thacker fol- sions, Pope will take over as the
lowing a 38-27 embarrassing outside linebackers/edge coach. Photo courtesy of Duke Athletics
loss to Bowling Green at home Simpson will coach the defensive New Jackets defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci runs off-season drills during his time as the
that saw Bowling Green run all line and comes in from Duke. Duke defensive coordinator. Santucci is head coach Brent Key’s first defensive coordinator hire.
over the Jackets’ defense. Key Simpson and Santucci have
promoted Kevin Sherrer to the chemistry from working together or graduated. Defensive lineman Bradford, defensive lineman Uche year and with the support of
role. Sherrer finished the sea- at Duke this past year and look Kyle Kennard and linebacker Paul Iloh, and linebacker Jordan Boyd. a strong defense, the Jackets
son as the defensive coordinator to carry their strong relation- Moala led the team in tackles for A lot of optimism comes with could make real noise in the ACC.
but did not earn the full-time ship over to their time at Tech. loss, both with 11, and will not be the incoming year as there is no- In his first season, Brent Key
role going forward. Santucci, Pope and Simpson returning this coming year. where to go but up defensively. made major improvements to the
“Our performance on defense are big additions for Key, but However, there are still players With a tough schedule on the ho- offense by hiring offensive coor-
this season hasn’t met the stan- the challenge of keeping and ac- coming in from the transfer por- rizon, the Jackets need to field a dinator Buster Faulkner and re-
dard that we expect at Georgia quiring on-field defensive talent tal. Former Furman defensive end strong defense in hopes of return- imagining Tech’s passing game.
Tech. While the responsibility will be an early test for them. Jack Barton is joining the team ing to a bowl game again. Fans are hoping that Santucci will
for that does not fall on any one A lot of the notable names from along with signed talented fresh- Tech is retaining a major- have a similar effect on a defense
individual — in fact, as the head last season have entered the portal men like edge rusher Amontrae ity of its offensive talent this badly in need of a new direction.
// SPORTS technique • January 26, 2024• 15

Divisonal round of NFL playoffs exceeds the hype

RISH DESAI making the AFC Championship punt from Detroit, but Mayfield
TECHNOLOGY EDITOR Game for the first time since their threw a crushing interception to
2013 Super Bowl run. end the game. With the win, the
Anticipation swirled around all The second game of the week- Lions clinched a trip to meet San
four games of the NFL Divisional end brought the seventh-seeded Francisco in the NFC Champi-
Round as each game came with Packers to Santa Clara, Calif. onship while a surprisingly fun
its own exciting headlines. How to take on the 49ers. Although Buccaneers team headed home.
will the Houston Texans’ rookie Green Bay got on the board The matchup between the
duo of head coach DeMeco Ryans with a field goal, San Francisco Chiefs and the Bills was a thrill-
and quarterback C.J. Stroud fare woke up the home crowd with a ing conclusion to the weekend.
against a Super Bowl frontrunner long, 12-play touchdown drive in There was concern about Ma-
in the Baltimore Ravens? Could the second quarter to put them homes playing his first playoff
Green Bay Packers head coach ahead, 7-3. Green Bay cut into game away from Kansas City
Matt LaFleur and quarterback San Francisco’s lead with another in a raucous Buffalo stadium,
Jordan Love shock the dominant field goal to make it a 7-6 game but both teams looked evenly
San Francisco 49ers? After years heading into halftime. matched in the first half.
of underwhelming teams, can the After his defense forced a three- Neither team recorded any
Detroit Lions make a historic run and-out on the opening drive of turnovers, and there was only one
to the NFC Championship game? the second half, Love confidently punt. Mahomes and Allen both
Last but certainly not least, will led a Packers touchdown drive surpassed 100 passing yards on
the AFC’s marquee quarterback to take back the lead and make it impressive completion percent-
rivalry between Patrick Mahomes a 13-7 game. San Francisco run- ages. Allen gave the Bills life
of the Kansas City Chiefs and ning back Christian McCaffrey, Photo courtesy of Carlos Osorio AP Photo with his two rushing touchdowns
Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills end an MVP contender, immediately Lions quarterback Jared Goff throws a pass downfield with while Mahomes found tight end
in another Mahomes victory? responded with a 39-yard rush- Buccaneers defensive lineman Vita Vea in hot pursuit. Travis Kelce in the end zone. The
In the first game of the week- ing touchdown to put the Niners Bills headed into halftime with a
end between Houston and Bal- up 14-13. Love did not panic — through a Packers defender, put- dart from Buccaneers quarterback 17-13 lead and momentum.
timore, the Ravens capped their the first-year starter looked like a ting San Francisco up 24-21 to Baker Mayfield to tight end Cade Both offenses came out hot in
opening drive off with a field goal veteran as he marched the team make it a 24-21 game with just Otton. Both teams stayed neck the second half and scored touch-
to take a 3-0 lead. A couple drives down the field and scored another over one minute left. and neck, trading touchdowns to downs on the first three drives.
later, Stroud led a Texans scoring touchdown. Green Bay also added The Niners later clinched the enter the fourth quarter at 17-17. With the Bills trailing 27-24,
drive to tie the game, 3-3. The a two-point conversion, giving game on Love’s second intercep- In the fourth quarter, former they opted for a fake punt and fell
Ravens opened the second quarter them a 21-14 lead. tion of the night, a dangerous Tech running back Jahmyr Gibbs short. The Chiefs brought the ball
with a long, balanced drive end- However, San Francisco re- cross-body throw straight to line- broke the game open when he inside the five-yard line but fum-
ing with a touchdown before the ceived a momentum boost after backer Dre Greenlaw that sealed took a 31-yard run into the end bled the ball into the endzone,
Texans responded with a punt re- a wayward pass from Love was the Packers’ fate. Still, the perfor- zone to make it a 24-17 game with leading to a touchback.
turn touchdown to tie the game at picked off. The Packers’ defense mance of Green Bay’s extremely 13:13 left. After the Lions defense In the game’s final minutes,
10-all before the half. mitigated some of Love’s errors by young roster gave their fans opti- forced a three-and-out, their of- Allen led the offense deep into
The Ravens came out of half- forcing the 49ers to settle for the mism despite the 49ers advancing fense went on an 89-yard drive Chiefs territory but missed his
time dominantly. Baltimore’s field goal attempt, which rookie to their third consecutive NFC spanning just under six minutes receivers on the last drive. Bills
defensive coordinator Mike kicker Jake Moody converted to Championship game. and capped it off with a touch- kicker Tyler Bass attempted a
MacDonald — who led the top- make it a 21-17 game. Green Bay The third game of the season down to make it a 31-17 game field goal to tie the game, but
ranked defense in football — was not as fortunate. between the Lions and the Bucca- with under six minutes left. the wind pushed his kick wide
used a variety of coverages to sty- With just over six minutes to neers started in another 3-3 strug- Tampa Bay’s offense mounted right to leave Buffalo short and
mie the Texans offense. Ravens go, the Packers missed a 41-yard gle, but Detroit gained some mo- a quick drive as receiver Mike send Mahomes and the Chiefs
quarterback and MVP favorite field goal, leaving it a four -point mentum on a touchdown throw Evans hauled in the touchdown to their sixth consecutive AFC
Lamar Jackson shined through- game. San Francisco’s quarter- from Lions quarterback Jared but failed to convert on the subse- Championship game.
out the second half, leading to back and MVP contender Brock Goff to receiver Josh Reynolds. quent two-point conversion. Still, The conference championships
24 unanswered points. The Ra- Purdy led a methodical drive Detroit held a 10-3 advantage the game was within one posses- are set. Super Bowl berths are on
vens went on to win 34-10 by that McCaffrey finished with before Tampa fought back and sion with under five minutes re- the line in what promises to be an
way of a crushing second half, a game-sealing touchdown run tied the game at 10 apiece on a maining. Tampa’s defense forced a exciting weekend.

Women’s tennis takes on familiar opponent in UCF

Leslie and Biolay clawed their in the second round and finished
BENJAMIN GORNEAU way back by winning the next the season with an impressive
CONTRIBUTING WRITER six games and ending the match overall record of 16-10.
4-6. With a 1-2 performance Returning Jackets this sea-
Tech’s women’s tennis team in doubles action, Tech lost the son include Bilchev, Cruz, Jain,
opened the dual season against crucial doubles point to UCF. Lee, Sharabura and senior Ruth
the University of Central Florida Tech needed to win four of six Marsh. Tech adds four freshmen
Golden Knights this past Sat- singles matches to take a win back in Ginger Foster, Meera Jesuda-
urday, Jan. 20. The two teams to Atlanta. Fortunately, Tech’s son, Nicholson and Roach.
have history. Last spring, Tech ranked No. 107 Lee and No. 123 The Jackets will lean on their
took a 4-3 match in Atlanta and Bilchev held the advantage over veterans in singles play, particular-
eliminated the Knights from the their unranked Knights Lincer ly the No. 1 and 2 positions held
NCAA Tournament in the first and Biolay, respectively. by Lee and Bilchev, who went 17-7
round, ending UCF’s season. The The Knights rode strongly into and 20-4 in dual singles action
Jackets took the courts Saturday singles action, as Cruz fell first on last season, respectively. Roach
morning at the USTA National court three following consecu- was the only new Jacket to com-
Campus in Orlando, Florida. tive 0-6 dropped sets to UCF’s pete in singles. Last dual season,
Tech’s upperclassman duo Tilbuerger while senior Mahak Lee peaked at No. 7 for her singles
of Carol Lee and junior Kate Jain could not pull out a win on play and remained within the top
Sharabura struck first against the the fourth court. She conceded 16 throughout the entire season.
Knights pair of sophomore Noel two 3-6 sets to Saidenova despite Photo courtesy of GTAA Bilchev spent the season in the top
Saidenova and redshirt sopho- starting the second set 2-0. Stuck Freshman Given Roach returns the ball in a strong doubles 50 and ranked No. 23 in April.
more Anique Kattenberg. These in a 0-3 rut, Tech had to win the match against UCF’s duo of Sophia Biolay and Jalessa Leslie. As for doubles play, Tech brings
Jackets jumped out to a 4-0 start, rest of the singles matches to keep back their pairing of Bilchev and
closing the match 6-2 to give Tech pace as the Knights could claim after falling 2-6 in the second set. win for UCF, giving the Knights a Cruz, reaching a zenith of be-
a decisive doubles advantage. the match with a single win. Despite their hard-fought show- 1-0 record in the dual season. ing ranked No. 69 last year and
The Knights got revenge in Lee battled at a 5-5 second ings, Lee, Bilchev and Sharabura Last season, Tech posted a suc- adds an exciting freshman duo
the next match, as junior Kylie set on the first court after drop- did not finish their singles match- cessful 13-8 dual season record, in Nicholson and Roach. This
Bilchev and sophomore Alejan- ping the first set 2-6 to Lincer. es as the match was suspended fol- ending the season ranked No. 20. pairing will be worth watching
dra Cruz dropped their doubles Bilchev bounced back from a 0-6 lowing UCF claiming their fourth The Jackets then beat Syracuse as the season progresses.
match 2-6 against UCF’s Jantje sweep in the first set against her point on the fifth court. and the No. 6 ranked Duke in the The Jackets will be looking for
Tilbuerger and Olivia Lincer on second court opponent Biolay to Jackets’ freshman Roach ACC Championship tournaments their first win at the ITA Kickoff
the second court. The freshman take an impressive 6-1 second played against Knight Leslie in a before falling against the No. 5 Weekend in Charlottesville, Va.,
duo Scarlett Nichols and Given set and held the third set close close competition, as she dropped ranked NC State Wolfpack in the against the No. 25 ranked Wis-
Roach continued their strong play at 2-3. At the sixth court, Shara- the first set 4-6 and held a 3-2 lead semi-final round. Tech eliminat- consin Badgers on Friday, Jan. 26,
from the Michigan Invitational bura won an incredible first set in the second set. Unfortunately, ed UCF in the first round of the and either unranked Texas Tech
with a 4-0 open against Knights 7-5 against UCF’s Kattenberg Leslie finished strong to win six NCAA Tournament but lost to or the No. 12 ranked Virginia
Sophia Biolay and Jaleesa Leslie. yet trailed 0-1 in the third set consecutive games and clinch the the No. 16 ranked Florida Gators Cavaliers on Saturday, Jan. 27.
Sports
SPORTS EDITOR: technique
Rohan Raman Defensive difference
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR:
Joe Henderson
Tech’s new defensive coordinator
comes to the Flats alongside a re-
16
Friday
[email protected] made defensive staff .414 January 26, 2024

Men’s tennis notches dominant home victories

sounding 5-0 lead for the Jackets.
JACOB HAYES The final results reflected Tech’s
STAFF WRITER sheer dominance, as each player
displayed skill and determination
The Jackets’ men’s tennis team in securing their wins.
showcased its prowess on the The Jackets returned to ac-
courts of the Ken Byers Tennis tion on Sunday for a double-
Complex, cruising to dominat- header, facing off against
ing victories over Presbyterian Samford and Wofford. They
College on Jan. 19 and Samford replicated Friday’s success with
and Wofford on Jan. 21. The two more 7-0 victories.
Jackets’ performance was a Against Samford, the team
masterclass in both singles and once again laid a strong founda-
doubles play, underscoring their tion in doubles play. McDaniel/
depth and skill as they continue Chopra and Martin/Arora breezed
their unbeaten run this season. through their matches with 6-1
The Jackets set the tone early wins, while Brancatelli/Biagiotti
with a commanding performance notched a 6-3 victory. McDan-
against Presbyterian College on iel overpowered his opponent in
Friday. They swept the doubles singles play, which was followed
point with impressive victories by consecutive wins from Shokry,
from all three pairs. The duos of Brancatelli, Chopra and Martin. Photo by Caitlyn Aycock Student Publications
junior Gabriele Brancatelli/fresh- Arora’s match featured a thrilling Senior Marcus McDaniel prepares to return the ball over the net. McDaniel had an excellent
man Richard Biagiotti and senior first-set tiebreak, which he won performance in doubles for the Jackets throughout the weekend against all three opponents.
Andres Martin/freshman Krish 8-6, followed by a solid 6-2 win in
Arora dominated their opponents the second set. Biagiotti, Arora and junior Rohan tin’s consistent excellence in both players like McDaniel, Chopra
with identical 6-1 scores, while The match against Wofford Sachdev all registering wins, un- singles and doubles was a key fac- and Brancatelli leading the way
senior Marcus McDaniel/senior mirrored this dominance. Mar- derscoring the of the Tech squad. tor in the team’s success. Chopra and promising talents like Arora
Keshav Chopra secured a 6-2 win. tin and freshman Owen DeMuth After a weekend of dominant and McDaniel’s formidable part- and Shokry making their mark,
In singles play, Tech continued led in doubles with a 6-1 victory, performances, Tech’s men’s tennis nership in doubles proved equally the team looks well-equipped to
its dominance. Martin led the while McDaniel and Chopra team is poised for their next chal- crucial. Brancatelli validated his face the challenge of maintaining
charge, clinching the first singles clinched their match 6-4. In sin- lenge. The team will travel to Pep- #27 ranking with convincing their stellar form in their games.
point in a flawless 6-0, 6-0 vic- gles, each Tech player contributed perdine for a match on Sunday, wins in both of his matches. As they gear up for their first
tory. This win set the stage for a to a comprehensive victory. Jan. 28th at 12 p.m. This upcom- The key takeaway from these road trip of the year, the Jackets
series of straight-set triumphs. Sophomore Robert Bauer ing encounter will test the Jackets’ matches is the team’s balance. The will look to build on their early-
Brancatelli and Chopra fol- made a notable return to the mettle as they aim to continue ability to dominate both in dou- season success. Their trip to Pep-
lowed suit, winning their matches court, earning a hard-fought 7-5, their impressive run of form. bles and singles is a testament to perdine will be followed by a
on courts three and two respec- 6-2 victory over senior Alex Horn The standout performances the training and strategic acumen match against the UCSB Gauchos
tively. Sophomore Elias Shokry’s of Wofford. The singles lineup was were numerous, but certain play- of the coaching staff. The Jackets’ before returning home to battle
victory on court six sealed a re- relentless, with Martin, Chopra, ers deserve special mention. Mar- depth is a significant asset. With the Georgia State Panthers.

Jackets soar against Eagles, fall to Tar Heels

the field and 42.9% from behind
JOE HENDERSON the arc. The Jackets’ strong sec-
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR ond quarter was led by freshman
center Ariadna Termis and sopho-
This past Thursday, the No. more guard Tonie Morgan, who
23 ranked University of North both scored a team high six points
Carolina Tar Heels traveled to in the quarter. Termis and Mor-
McCamish Pavilion to take on gan led the first half, both scoring
Tech in a highly anticipated ACC eight points at the half. With the
(Atlantic Coastal Conference) Jackets down two points head-
matchup. Tech entered the game ing into the third quarter, Coach
off a loss to ACC rival Duke. Tech Fortner looked to continue their
fought hard throughout the game momentum from the second
against the Tar Heels but came up quarter into the second half.
short in a dispiriting 78-63 loss. The Jackets started the third
Welcoming the Boston Col- quarter slowly, with the Tar Heels
lege Eagles to McCamish four extending their lead to eight. The
days later provided Tech with score only stayed close thanks to
a chance for Tech to reverse sophomore guard Kara Dunn,
their fortune. The Jackets im- scoring nine points in just 10
mediately bounced back from minutes. Tech erased some Photo by Tyler Parker Student Publications
their loss to the Tar Heels with of the lead during the fourth Sophomore guard Tonie Morgan drives to the hoop against Tar Heels guard Alyssa Utsby
a 69-54 victory over the Eagles. quarter, narrowing it down to for the layup. Morgan finished the game with a team-leading 15 points and nine assists.
The Jackets started off the week three points with 7:06 left to
with a tough matchup against the play, but the comeback attempt to start the game. The rest of the for five shear scored 10 points on a all scored over nine points. Once
Tar Heels. Tech began the game fell short. The Jackets would quarter was more of the same. perfect five for five from the field. again, Morgan’s 10 assists and
slowly, falling to an early 23-13 fall to the Tar Heels 73-68. The Jackets got out to an early 24- Tech started the third quar- seven rebounds both led the team.
deficit with 7:16 left until half- In spite of the result against 10 lead over a lifeless Eagles team. ter strong, extending the lead to The defense was strong through-
time. Coach Nell Fortner then North Carolina, Tech had many The Eagles narrowed the lead to 17 points with 7:34 remaining out the game — the Eagles shot
called a timeout to give the Jack- strong individual performances. eight during the second quarter as in the quarter. In a complete ef- a paltry 37.9% from the field and
ets time to reset. Tech came out of Dunn, Termis, Morgan and fresh- Tech’s scoring dipped. The Jackets fort, the Jackets kept the Eagles 11.8% from the three-point line.
the timeout extremely strong, go- man guard Rusne Augustinaite would bounce back and extend from getting back into the game. The Jackets look to con-
ing on a 10-0 run to tie the game all scored double digit points. the lead to 10, entering half with The final score of 69-54 told tinue their momentum from
up. North Carolina regained the Morgan also led the team in as- momentum and a score of 32-22. the whole story — this was a the Boston College game
lead heading into halftime thanks sists with nine and tied Dunn by Thanks to a strong first quar- bounce-back game for the Jackets into their future matchups.
to a score of 30-28. getting a team-high six rebounds . ter, the Jackets held a command- in every sense of the term. They travel to Blacksburg, Va.
Despite the Jackets starting Coming off a tough loss ing 10-point lead at the half. In Their win was made possible to take on Virginia Tech on
the game slowly, shooting 36.4% against North Carolina, the Jack- the first quarter, Tech shot an due to some impressive per- Jan. 25. Tech will then return
from the floor and not connecting ets looked to regain their form impressive 71% from the field formances from players up and home to McCamish for the next
on any three-point attempts, Tech versusa streaky Boston College and 50% from behind the arc. down the roster. Morgan, Black- two games, taking on Florida
bounced back with a strong sec- team. Tech started the game off Junior forward Kayla Blackshear shear, Dunn, Augustinaite and State and Notre Dame on Jan.
ond quarter, shooting 46.7% from extremely hot, going on a 7-0 run scored 10 points on a perfect five sophomore guard Inés Noguero 28 and Feb. 1, respectively.