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SEPT. 29 - OCT. 6, 2015 VOL. 83 | NO. 6 Arts & Living 9 News 3 DAILY NEWS AT WWW.GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM A few thoughts on Georgia State’s policies regarding undocumented students and higher education. Opinion| Page 7 Education for All Inside Inside tweet us! twitter.com/gsusignal facebook.com/gsusignal like us! Panthers on pedals News | Page 4 Georgia State and city initiatives push for more bike lanes in Downtown Atlanta. Sweater Weather is here A&L | pages 12 The Signal is guiding all students through the summer to fall transition. Grab your Starbucks and cardigans, and get reading! Opinion 7 Sophomore Ivie Drake begins Panther softball after a record-breaking freshman campaign. Sports | page 15 Drake the great Sports 15 PHOTO BY JASON LUONG | THE SIGNAL Searching A Georgia Sate student living with blindness discusses her experiences and how the university can make it easier maneuvering around a city full of lights. News | Page 3 Instagram.com/gsusignal Follow us! IN THE DARK

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SEPT. 29 - OCT. 6, 2015 VOL. 83 | NO. 6

Arts & Living 9News 3DAILY NEWS AT WWW.GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM

A few thoughts on Georgia State’s policies regarding undocumented students and higher education.

Opinion| Page 7

Education for All

InsideInside

tweet us!twitter.com/gsusignalfacebook.com/gsusignal

like us!

Panthers on pedals

News | Page 4

Georgia State and city initiatives push for more bike lanes in Downtown Atlanta.

Sweater Weather is here

A&L | pages 12

The Signal is guiding all students through the summer to fall transition. Grab your Starbucks and cardigans, and get reading!

Opinion 7

Sophomore Ivie Drake begins Panther softball after a record-breaking freshman campaign.

Sports | page 15

Drake the great

Sports 15

PHOTO BY JASON LUONG | THE SIGNAL

Searching

A Georgia Sate student living with blindness discusses her

experiences and how the university can make it easier

maneuvering around a city full of lights.

News | Page 3

Instagram.com/gsusignal

Follow us!

IN THE DARK

Editorial DepartmentEDITOR-IN-CHIEF Troi [email protected] EDITOR Open [email protected] DESIGNER Tammy Huynh [email protected] DESIGNER [email protected] EDITOR Lauren [email protected] & LIVING EDITOR Inga Masic [email protected] EDITOR Rashad [email protected] EDITOR Jade [email protected] EDITOR Open [email protected]

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR Sean Keenan [email protected] ASSISTANT ARTS & Living EDITOr Sydney Cunningham & Nichole Place [email protected] ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR OpenASSISTANT Online Editor Open

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MISSION STATEMENTThe Signal shall provide, in a fair and accurate manner, news of interest and significance to the Georgia State University community and serve as a forum for the expression of ideas of members of that community. Furthermore, The Signal shall provide an opportunity for students to pursue experience within a professional newspaper environment. The Signal shall also provide truthful and ethical advertising of interest to the Georgia State University community.

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DISCLAIMEROpinions and Letters to the Editor expressed in The Signal are the opinions of the writers and readers. It does not reflect the opinions of The Signal.

The first copy of The Signal is free. Additional copies can be purchased from our office for $1.00 each.

THE SIGNAL STAFF

blotterSept. 21Between a rock and a hard placeMuse’s Building

A Georgia State student threatened to commit suicide in Muse’s Building at 8:29 p.m.. The case has been cleared.

Sept. 22Cheating the systemUniversity BookstoreA Georgia State staff member reported to the Georgia State Police

Department (GSUPD) that a person committed fraud in the Georgia State Bookstore in Student Center West. The case has been cleared.

Sept. 22Follow the leaderGreek HousingA Georgia State student reported to GSUPD that stalking was occurring for an hour between 5:00 p.m.

to 6:00 p.m. in Greek Housing. The case is still active.

Sept. 22Driving up with a bluntAndrew Young

A non-Georgia State affiliated person was arrested for not obeying a traffic control device and possessing marijuana. The arrest happened on Andrew Young International at 2: 51 p.m.

Sept. 24Being unwantedLibrary Plaza A non-Georgia State

affiliated person was issued a trespass warning in Library Plaza at 7:45 p.m. The case has been cleared.

Sept. 24Keeping up with your stuffClassroom South A Georgia State student lost

their possessions in Classroom South. The case is active and the student said they lost their belongings from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

2.

1. 4.

Obstruction

Fire

Disturbance

Tresspassing

3.

PHOTO OF THE WEEKBrandon Stanton, creator of Humans of New York (HONY), sits down with The Signal for an exclusive interview discuss-ing how people feel when he asks those personal and intimate questions.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 20152 NEWS

5.

6.

PHOTO BY BRITTANY GUERIN | THE SIGNAL

1.

4.

2.

3.

5.6.

www.georgiastatesignal.com/newsNEWS

When Shikha Desar turned 17, she lost her vision. She is one of Georgia State’s

nine reported students living with blindness, according to Saretha Pyant, Disabilities Services assistive technol-ogy coordinator.

“I could always see the board and papers,” Desar said. “And then all of a sudden in school I couldn’t see. So, each year it was going down a little bit. But when I was 17, it was really dras-tic.”

Even though she has retinitis pig-mentosa, which is the disease that robbed her of her sight, she still listens to music with friends, sits through her women’s studies lectures and enjoys the sounds and smells of the city like many Georgia State students.

“I do normal things. I just take a little bit longer. I use my cane and usu-ally I know the way, but if I don’t then I ask for directions,” she said. “And I’ll tell them to don’t grab onto my hand or anything, because I don’t like that.”

Desar said the university accom-modates her through the Office of Disabilities, but there is still room for improvement.

This academic year, Desar moved from her parent’s house to the Univer-sity Lofts to gain independence and to meet new people. Since then, her mo-bility coach, provided by the univer-sity, has shown her to her dorm and bus stops.

“There’s braille on my door, and there’s braille on the elevator too. But it doesn’t talk. So, I just get out a little bit, and I just feel the sign on the side to see what floor I am getting off,” she said.

Desar’s accessibility improvement suggestions1. To make daily activities easier, Desar said braille should be added to bus stops.

“I ask people when I get on the bus to go to Aderhold if it is the right bus,” she said. “Any signs should have braille. Anybody can produce braille for any sign.”2. In the Center for the Visually Im-paired, she said there is a vending machine she can access, unlike the ones on campus.

“There is a big sheet of what’s in the vending machine and the food. In

the same row as A1, it will say what food is in that row,” she said. “And the buttons on the vending machines can be braille too.”3. Desar said the chirping in inter-sections makes her feel comfortable when crossing Atlanta’s intersections, but she usually relies on the sound of parallel traffic to guide her.

“Whichever way I am crossing, I hear the traffic moving,” she said. “If I am walking straight, I just wait for the traffic around me to go.”

A professor’s recommendations to add accommodations for to the blind1. Judith Emerson, Georgia State pro-fessor and advisor for ABLE, a stu-dent organization for disability advo-cacy, said more chirping crosswalks, like the ones at Gilmer and Central intersection and Gilmer and Court-land intersection, should be added throughout campus as well.

“If you ever notice that when you travel those intersections and you hear that chirping noise, that is at the ben-efit of people who have visual impair-ment,” she said.2. She said the cracked and disinte-grating sidewalks on campus should be maintained, because it can be dan-gerous for pedestrians with or with-out visual impairments.“The sidewalks crumble...I try to make sure that the students who do have mobility issues make us aware,” she said. “If the route that they use has a problem with where they are travelling, then they need to advocate for themselves through the Offices of Disabilities. They can contact me. They can contact ABLE.”3. Emerson said elevators should have an added voice feature.

“It would be nice to upgrade our elevators to have that voice alert so that our students who are blind know when they are on the floor,” she said. “But that costs money.”

The university offers Desar said she utilizes the Office of

Disabilities’ talking computers, voice memo on her phone and braille note taker.

Additional resources are offered to students with blindness, which in-clude converting textbooks and docu-ments into braille, electronic text or audio files, according to Pyant.

“A student has the option to hire a note taker whom will be compensated

through the office of disability servic-es,” she said.

The Office of Disability Servic-es also offers screen-reader software, double-time on tests and priority seat-ing.

“However, academic accommoda-tions are determined on a case by case basis,” she said.

Pyant said students who are blind should prepare before attending Geor-gia State by registering with the Office of Disability to form an accommoda-tion plan, and she recommends for them to use priority registration to re-serve alternative media in advance.

Connecting without sightDesar said she wants people to

know that individuals who are blind are “living our own lives.”

“We can ask for help, I guess. We don’t usually need help,” she said. “If something is coming in front of us, our cane will get it...some people actu-ally grab my arm pull me right or left. It’s not right.”

She said she chose Georgia State to step outside of her comfort zone.

“I’ve been around a lot of blind people in the blind community, but I have never been around this many sighted people and big crowds,” she said. “I wanted to learn that and get better at walking in the city.”

Desar is active on campus through being in the social work club and cho-rus. But she has never heard about ABLE and wants to join to meet other students living with disabilities.

“I don’t know what other disabili-ties are out there,” she said. “It would be helpful.”

Emerson said there are currently no registered students with visual im-pairment in ABLE, but anyone is wel-come to join.

“Our organization is not only for students who have disabilities, but stu-dents that are interested in getting to know [and] being more aware of ac-cessibility,” she said. “Not all of mem-bers actually have a disability them-selves.”

Emerson, who teaches for Geor-gia State’s College of Education & Hu-man Development, said she hopes the student body is accepting and under-standing to those with disabilities.

“Often times people don’t know that a person is blind on the street. They might want to help that person, but that person might be independent enough to not need anyone’s help,” she said.

LAUREN BOOKERNews Editor 262,400

reported individuals living blind

in georgia

878,600 (24.0%)

1,171,600 (31.9%)

1,113,800 (30.4%)

503,300 (13.7%)

Less than high school graduation:

High school diploma or a GED:

Some college education/ associates degree:

Bachelor’s degree

or higher:

according to the National Federation of the Blind 2013 report.

ABLEstands for advocacy, benevolence,

leadership and empowerment

ABLE has 17 members and does not require members to pay dues, according to the organi-zation's OrgSync. Meeting times and days vary, but they happen in the Student Center.

Accessibility and inclusivity at Georgia StateStudent living with blindness shares what it’s like to attend a university in the center of Atlanta

PHOTO BY JASON LUONG | THE SIGNALDue to the lack of voice operations in the elevators at The University Lofts, students with blindness must extend her hand out to touch the Braille so she knows what floor she’s getting off.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 20154 NEWS

Panthershopeful for bike paths

Georgia State cyclists are hop-pin’ curbs and cruisin’ side-walks. But [for the most part]

they’re not doing it to piss you off. They just need more bike lanes.

Georgia State senior Jeff McKeon approached The Signal in June with concerns about his school commute. He said his ride to campus from the Old Fourth Ward is no great burden, but on his way home, he dodges mo-torists, swinging car doors and Atlan-ta’s new 48-ton transit mammoth, the Atlanta Streetcar.

“Downtown Atlanta may be walk-able, but there’s so many different neighborhoods surrounding it,” he said. “If you live in one of those out-side [of Downtown] neighborhoods, you need a bike… If there were bike lanes everywhere, you can go any-where [in Atlanta].”

Atlanta today is peppered with cy-clist co-ops, repair shops and advoca-cy groups, such as the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition (ABC) and Panther Bikes. But some initiative leaders worry the existing lanes aren’t available in some high-traffic areas.

Katie Woei-A-Sack, president of Panther Bikes, a Georgia State organi-zation advocating for active lifestyles and decreased automobile pollution, said the number of riders on campus is increasing, but they’re stuck sharing the same lanes with engine propelled travelers.

ABC has lobbied on behalf of cy-clists to rouse city council attention to their call. But Atlanta Downtown Neighborhood Association President

Kyle Kessler said city hall has yet to adequately address connectivity issues and [possible] restriping proposals which would put in bike paths.

“More and more people are choos-ing to ride bikes as transportation rather than recreation,” he said. “[But] there are disconnects in the system re-lated to the streetcar and similar proj-ects.”

He cited Edgewood Avenue’s clo-sure for construction near Woodruff Park as an example of the sense of ur-gency [or lack thereof].

“Although you can physically get around, there have not been thought-out plans to [detour] those cyclists,” Kessler said.

And Kessler said he thinks the nation’s metrics for bicycle use are skewed, because in a typical survey study, questions ask if people use bikes to commute. But he said it can be diffi-cult to discern what constitutes a com-mute.

“Some just commute to work, but not other places,” he said. “And some ride everywhere except work.”

But Kessler said the Atlanta Bike Coalition was recently able to secure funds in May to create a new ‘bicyclist liaison’ position for the city.

“They were able to find some fund-ing for a chief bicycle officer for the city of Atlanta,” he said. “I think this will give somebody a position at city hall whose focus is on bicycle trans-portation rather than any other means of travel…make sure bicyclists don’t get the short end of the stick.”

This creation of this role is expect-ed to oversee the installation of “40 miles of facilities in the project devel-opment pipeline,” according to a city press release.

And various parts of metro Atlan-

ta have fostered an interest in “road diet” plans. A Buckhead Neighbor-hood Planning Unit (NPU) has been in talks of whether the debated restriping methods of cutting mo-torists lanes out to make room for bike lanes will be a viable possibility.

Georgia Department of Trans-portation (GDOT) Engineer An-drew Heath pitched a plan to the NPU to restripe a long drag of Peachtree Road in Buckhead.

Heath proposed two-way left turn lanes, striping with and with-out bike access and a hybrid of the options which would change at the Peachtree Way intersection for board consideration.

And the city is also taking into account the results of Ponce de Le-on’s 2013 road diet. The restriping offered some new bike access and introduced a shared, center left turn lane.

Heath also said at the NPU meeting that introducing bike lanes to a road decreases the crosswalk distance for pedestrians. And since Ponce’s diet, the area’s rate of vehicle collision has gone down each year.

McKeon said he thinks plenty of other major metropolises have suc-cessfully integrated bike travel with automobile traffic. So why not Atlan-ta?

“In more developed cities, they have bike lanes, don’t they?” he said. “That’s the next step in our city being developed. They have to have trans-portation for bikers because it’s just not feasible for everybody in a city to all commute in cars.”

And several city officials accompa-nied ABC members in Chicago earli-er this month for a study tour of Chi-cago’s bustling infrastructure, which

boasts a more functional, intercon-nected bike lane network than Atlan-ta’s.

Kessler said the council members and coalition affiliates took the trip to get an empirical vision of how a flow-ing bike path system operates in an-other fast-paced city.

“Chicago was further along with [bike path projects],” he said. “City folks [were] asked to participate … to fully grasp a better understanding of how it all works together... to get a real world vision of how it all plays out when the initiatives are in place.”

However, Kessler said it’s curious that bicyclists have to fight to regain a place on Atlanta’s roadways.

“What’s interesting historically,” he

said; “The reason we have paved roads is because the bicyclists were petition-ing [the city] because horse and car-riage riders didn’t care about a bumpy ride. Atlanta had cobbled streets or dirt streets or brick roads and cy-clists were pushing for the good roads. Peachtree and Pryor were the first as-phalt paved streets in Atlanta.”

So when he heard chatter from a Buckhead CID meeting that Atlan-ta must choose; bikes or cars, Kessler said the need to pick is outlandish.

“It’s a little crazy to say we have to choose between the two,” he said. “The car was the parasite that latched on to the infrastructure that bicyclists called for.”

SEAN KEENANAssociate News Editor

Georgia State and city initiatives are driving the fight for more Downtown bike lanes

“Downtown Atlanta may be walkable, but there’s so many different neighborhoods surrounding it. If you live in one of those outside [of Downtown] neighborhoods, you need a bike… If there were bike lanes everywhere, you can go anywhere [in Atlanta].”

-Jeff McKeon, Georgia State student

STAFF | THE SIGNAL The amount of students choosing to ride their bikes to campus is increasing, but with the lack of bike lanes, bikers have no choice but to share lanes with cars.

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 20156 NEWS

Forced coursesBiology majors can’t receive chemistry minor, despite required hour fulfillment

JOSEPH DOYAGUEStaff Reporter

OPEN: WRITERS

DESIGNERSPHOTOGRAPHERS

Georgia State senior biology student Joey Wright must take 19 hours of chemistry courses

before graduating, and those credits won’t earn him a minor degree.

Biology students at Georgia State are required to complete enough cred-it hours to minor in chemistry, but they cannot receive the accreditation on their diploma due to class area re-strictions.

“They should either limit the chem-istry that we have to take and just leave it as an option or give us the minor,” he said.

Students minoring in chemistry are required to take a minimum of 15 hours in the subject, with at least nine hours at the 3000-level or above, ac-cording to the Georgia State Depart-ment of Chemistry.

However, the area designated for a minor maxes at 13 hours for biology students, according to the undergrad-uate catalog provided by the College of Arts and Sciences.

Wright will complete his biology credits by the end of this semester, leaving a string of chemistry courses behind. Since he commutes from Su-wannee, he said he hasn’t found the time to complete those chemistry classes.

“I have to plan my schedule around rush hour,” he said. “It just never worked out.”

Georgia State’s Undergraduate Di-rector of Biology Jessica Parilla said the minor constraint wasn’t always so.

“In the past, the amount of chem-istry required by a biology student would fulfill the requirements for a chemistry minor,” she said. “Some-where along the line something changed.”

Despite the fact biology majors are not able to minor in chemistry, Paril-la said the chemistry courses provide

a deeper understanding of biology, an intended goal of the department.

“For a person to understand biolo-gy, they also need to understand some chemistry,” she said.

Parilla said the requirements to at-tain a biology degree are set up by Banner, an online administrative sys-tem used at Georgia State to manage students, grades, classes, instruction, faculty workload and registration from the administrative side.

The system has set up different ar-eas that each need fulfillment to com-plete a major. Area H contains classes that go towards attaining a minor, Pa-rilla said. For biology students, area H is filled with chemistry requirements.

“The ideal situation would be for bi-ology majors to receive enough credits for a chemistry minor,” Parilla said.

The only classes offered in Area H by the Department of Biology, com-bining to a total of 13 hours, are Or-ganic Chemistry I, Organic Chemistry II, and Biochemistry, accounting for nine hours at or above the 3000-level,

according to the university catalog. Parilla said the system set by Ban-

ner is “very restrictive.”Additionally, biology students are

required to take lower level principles of Chemistry I and II, each a four hour credit. However, these two classes are attributed to Area F and not towards the minor.

And since most medical schools re-quire Organic Chemistry Lab I and Organic Chemistry Lab II, pre-med students aiming to attend medical school after graduation are recom-mended to take both two hour cred-its. These 3000-level chemistry credits are applied to Area I instead of going towards their minor, according to a course planner provided by the De-partment of Biology.

Scott Lewis, a senior biology stu-dent at Georgia State, admits while he is not a “chemistry person,” he can see the benefits of taking extensive chem-istry when understanding science on a grand scale.

“It’s all like a jigsaw puzzle. You

have to have this piece to understand this piece, and part of that is chemis-try,” he said.

Wright said he believes regardless of Banner restrictions, the amount of chemistry required for biology stu-dents should garner a minor.

“If you’re going to take an equiva-lent of a minor, you should receive a minor,” he said. “I feel like we deserve it.”

Since the chemistry course require-ment has created a misunderstanding among faculty hired before and after the biological science degree require-ments were set, the Department of Bi-ology is discussing the chemistry mi-nor issue and aim to resolve it, Parilla said.

“We are working very hard to figure out a way to give the biology students an option of declaring a chemistry mi-nor,” she said. “We are not working on a plan to make this a requirement.”

OPINIONwww.georgiastatesignal.com/opinions

A screed on immigration

As we all should know, illegal immigrants have had a real-ly hard time in this country.

Displaced by necessity, forced to inte-grate into a country that has been less than forgiving, their lives have been constant uphill struggles.

Of course, I’m referring to immi-gration in recent years. We all contain the image of European immigrants pulling in on tugboats to the Upper Bay in New York/New Jersey, gazing up at the Statue of Liberty in awe as they prepare to make new lives in the so-called free world.

And though those immigrants have had a struggle all their own, im-migration has changed since then. Having gone through many changes, the Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965, Immigration Reform Act of 1986, 1990 Immigration Act, The U.S. legal stance on immigration has become a bit more restrictive, for var-ious reasons.

The Department of Homeland Se-curity now has restrictions on lawful immigration, requiring immigrants to either temporary or permanent ad-mission. The latter requires applica-tion for a green card for eventual citi-zenship, which can take years.

But the reason people immigrate in the first place is usually more press-ing than simply the desire for citizen-ship. Sometimes it’s to escape vio-lence, sometimes it’s for work, and other times its because family mem-bers have already immigrated, and this can render the naturalization process far too slow.

Many people view illegal immi-grants as criminals, which the major-ity are only technically. Otherwise, many are law-abiding, and certainly

wouldn’t want to blow their cover by getting incarcerated. So why is this the perception?

It must have to do with a sense of US national solidarity, which has its corollary in nationalism, which has its own corollary in xenophobia. But that’s a topic for another article.

Most recently in the public dis-course about immigration we have the the anthropomorphic potato known as the primary Republican presiden-tial candidate calling for the deporta-tion of 11 million illegal immigrants.

While this is clearly insane, the comment was not seen unilateral-ly as pure nonsense but was instead met with polarized reactions from the American public, as if the ravings of an idiot could be in the least bit po-lemical.

The DREAM ActBut not all is mentally deficient on

the state level, as there is a proposed legislation called the DREAM Act. DREAM is, of course, an acronym (Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors), calculated to spell out the word supposedly evocative of that old concept “The American Dream.”

The White House fact sheet on the act describes it as a “common-sense legislation drafted by both Republi-cans and Democrats that would give students who grew up in the United States a chance to contribute to our country’s well-being by serving in the U.S. armed forces or pursuing a high-er education.”

The verbs in the fact sheet are modal because the act has not yet been passed. If and when it is passed, the act will, essentially, allow the chil-dren of illegal immigrants to begin a process of naturalization.

But one of its defining character-istics is that it will help those same children apply for financial aid for

college as a component of their naturalization process.

Financial aid for illegal immigrant students

Currently, potential (undocu-mented) students aren’t eligible for federal financial aid, but they might be able to apply for help for whichever university they’re thinking of attend-ing, according to Studentaid.ed.gov.

And according to USA Today, some students have been able to fill out financial aid documents at their universities without putting in their social security numbers, and those universities were willing to help out.

In Georgia State’s case, students must provide residency documents, so undocumented students can’t at-tend, even if the applicants are DA-CA-status.

DACA is the Deferred Action for Childhood arrivals allows for a two-year work permit and an opportunity to gain citizenship for illegal immi-grants who entered the US younger than 16.

But Georgia State doesn’t allow for students with even that. And a few of the other University System of Geor-gia schools don’t allow for it, either, as per Georgia’s Board of Regents’ policies.

On the bright side, DACA stu-dents are able to attend many other universities in Georgia, but they un-fortunately might not be able to apply for their first pick.

And if and when the DREAM Act is effected, the policies will be more or less the same as DACA’s.

Potential students will still have to have immigrated before their sweet 16, and in fact will have to attend col-lege or serve in the military for 2 years as a rite of passage for their natural-ization. Then, after 6 years of living in the US, if they haven’t committed any crimes, they get to pay some fees to fi-nally be naturalized.

This is quite a lot of red tape for a simple education and naturalization, but I suppose neither of those pro-cesses is really simple, and it’s a step forward, since illegal immigrants of all ages have been deported without question in the past.

Hopefully, as a good step forward, it can be developed into better, more insightful policies that anticipate need within immigrant populations so that both their needs as individuals and our need as a nation can be met through the same calculated steps and not through ham-fisted, tyrannical promises from the festering holes of talking potatoes.

Higher education for all

The DREAM Act, DACA, and financial aid for immigrant students

“But one of its defining characteristics is that it will help those same children apply for financial aid for college as a component of their naturalization process.”

JOHN MILLERColumnist

ILLUSTRATION BY JOHN MILLER | THE SIGNAL

LocalUGA under investigation for unethical use of live animals

The U.S. Department of Ag-riculture will investigate medical training procedures at the Uni-versity of Georgia (UGA) after complaints by People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) organization, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. After reports surfaced that the university was using live dogs, goats and pigs for teaching pur-poses, PETA raised questions of UGA’s compliance with federal regulations. The university re-sponded with claims that it has been following guidelines of the Animal Welfare Act.

NationalMan shoots girlfriend, infant son and pastor in-side Alabama church

James Minter, 26, fired a handgun in an Alabama church injuring his girlfriend, his in-fant son and the pastor, accord-ing NBC News. Pastor Early Car-swell tried to subdue the man and the witnesses was able to dis-arm Minter before he fled. Police caught up to Carter a few miles away and arrested him on charg-es of attempted murder.

GlobalRussia’s military build-up in Syria

Russian surveillance aircrafts have been spotted over Syria, ac-cording to CNN. Adding to their existing military equipment and personnel, Russians have added unmanned aircrafts over the war zone between Syrian govern-ment and rebels. Concern from the United States rises as Russia continues to aid the Syrian presi-dent, despite American opposi-tion. This will affect ISIS’ growth of power, according to U.S. State Department spokesperson John Kirby.

lastweek

CHANTE FOSTERStaff Reporter

Fall with funnel

SUBMITTED PHOTO

ARTS & LIVINGwww.georgiastatesignal.com/artsandliving

The fresh smell of candy apples, cotton candy and carnie food, is enough to cause excitement.

This year, the Georgia State Fair will feature 54 rides and roller coasters, new attractions, food venders and endless activities.

The HistoryThe Georgia State fair was founded

in 1857, and since 2011 it is being managed by Universal Fairs.

Mark Lovell, president of Uni-versal Fairs, owns the management company that brings excitement to fairs across the country. Universal Fairs was founded in 2004. Today, it’s a successful family business that runs five fairs.

“The official Georgia State Fair, it’s one of the oldest running fairs in the country,” said Lovell. “ It’s a time [to] come together and spend time with your family [while] having fun, being entertained [and] riding rides.”

From necessity to business, the new company was designed to pro-mote fairs. A bad experience is what inspired Lovell to create Universal Fairs, and with the help of his family the business became successful.

“I went to another fair in 2005, and I didn’t think it was all it should have been, so I decided to start my own fair,” Lovell said. “We hit a niche and just took off, and that’s how I got started.”

Universal Fairs donates a portion of the money raised to organizations that support farming and agriculture. Two of the organizations that benefit from the proceeds are Future Farmers of America and 4H.

“We raise money for the Delta Agriculture Business, it’s a non profit organization that supports FFA and 4H,” Lovell said.

LocationMoving from Macon, Georgia to

Atlanta Motor Speedway, the Geor-gia State Fair was able to expand and grow. One of the advantages of the new location was the massive space and being located closer to the high-way.

“It’s bigger and it gives us a lot more room to grow, and create a big-ger fair,”Lovell said. “It’s a lot easier for us to set up, [there’s] more park-ing, and we’ve got major highways coming in from two sides.”

Workers are getting prepared for the fair a week before it’s opening. The Georgia State Fair is a large at-traction, and being at the Atlanta Mo-tor Speedway provides the flexibility need to set up rides and attractions. The overall process usually takes about a week.

Coronas Hollywood CircusSwinging in from the trapeze, spe-cial performances by the Coronas Hollywood Circus. Everything that makes the circus exciting will be in one place. located at the Georgia State Fair. Observe professional cir-cus acts juggle, hand balance, flying on the trapeze and more.

Puppetone RockersThe Puppetone Rockers is a popular attraction targeted for children. The combination of whimsical skits and non-stop action creates an interactive experience where the audience can get involved with the show.

Banana Derby One of the most popular attrac-tions is the banana derby, where monkeys ride dogs like jockeys. The unusual banana derby gets the most media coverage, and it’s one of the only times that people will see trained monkeys riding dogs.

Petting zoo The smallest and cutest animals can be found at the petting zoo. The Georgia State Fair will have over 100 animals to include; mini goats, calves, baby pigs, buffalos, ponies, small donkeys and more.The inter-active attraction allows children to observe and feed the animals.

Freakshow DeluxeThe bizarre and unusual Freak Show Deluxe is taking the body to the lim-its.The modern carnie sideshow will feature professional performers swal-lowing swords, eating fire, contorting and using dangerous props to perform obscure stunts.

Pig RaceAward winning pigs will be squeal-ing down a track three to four times a day.The smallest racers are popular for their humor. Other at-tractions include- Wade Henry (tallest unicycling performer), he-licopter rides, master chainsaw and the tiger display.

There are 54 rides and roller coasters such as; Wacky worm, Helicopter, The Zipper, Pharaoh’s Fury, Crazy Mouse, Merry Go Round, Flatline and more.

Popular carnival foods are deep fried and dipped in chocolate such as the cheesecake dipped in chocolate, fried oreos and red velvet funnel cakes;

the traditional carnie favorites- cotton candy, corndogs and more.

Wolf Encounters As one of the newest attractions at the Georgia State Fair, guests can observe the wolves, while learning about conserving their natural habitat. “These are endangered wolves that have been hurt, and students take them in and tame them,” Lovell said. The wolves are properly cared for, but guests are not allowed to pet or feed the wolves. Wolf Encounters is an educational attraction, where guests are learn-ing the importance of wolves in the wild.

The Georgia State Fair is here!

Attractions“I went to another fair in 2005, and I didn’t think it was all it should have been, so I decided to start my own fair,”

-Mark Lovell

Fair and Contact Info The Georgia State Fair is located at

1500 Tara Place, Hampton Ga 30228. October 2 through 11 are the dates for the fair.

COSTS:

CHILDREN: FREE(4 AND UNDER)

YOUTH: $5(5 THROUGH 12)

ADULT: $10 (13 AND UNDER)

SENIORS: $5(60 AND UP) *On opening day there will be free

admission for children 12 and under.

With the purchase of a wrist band guests can get unlimited rides on everything. Wristbands are $20

on Sunday through Friday, and on Saturday it’s $25.Tuesdays are $10,

and the price range for bands are the same for all ages.

cakes and fun

The best way to get diverse stories told and shown is to show them yourself. That includes creating the perfect platform for them.

That is what Jim Farmer and many more are doing with Out on Film, Atlanta’s answer for an LGBT film festival.

After this year’s event, Out on Film has been official-ly running for 28 years. Jim Farmer, the Festival Direc-tor, has been championing the event for seven years.

“We are celebrating our 28th anniversary,” Farmer said. “For most of our existence, however, we were pre-sented by the Atlanta Film Festival. The Atlanta Film Festival decided to focus on their own festival year-round in 2008 and decided to give the festival back to the LGBT community. I was one of the community members who stepped up and decided to take over.”

Out on Film lasts for eight days, beginning Oct. 1 and ending on Oct. 8. The occasion is held at Land-mark Midtown Art Cinema. Last year’s festival re-ceived more than 8,000 patrons and this year, they are hoping for around 10,000 attendees.

“We aim to get better at what we do each year, reach more people, have more films and filmmakers

present,” Farmer said.Along with the films, comes networking festivities

for the entire week. Before and after screenings there are opportunities to meet some of the directors, actors and actresses. There are free noontime short films, ex-tra matinees and guests every day of the event.

“We place a huge emphasis on visiting filmmakers and having them do Q and A after their movie and sometimes do panel discussions,” Farmer said. “We are doing a program this year called "Web is the New Black"-looking at the rise of web series.”

While the event is a secure place for the LGBTQ community, in no way is it not encouraged and cel-ebrated by people who don’t fall in that group.

“The films may be tied together by an LGBT theme, but they are all films that are universal and can be enjoyed by all audiences,” Farmer said. “Many people tell us it's their favorite week of the year. It's also great to see films by, for, and about our com-munity with other members of the community together,”

The reasonings for Out On Film and other LGBT film festivals exist are for greater causes than simply being considered a separate category.

“We aim to put on a high-quality film festival and showcase the best in LGBTQ cinema,” Farmer said. “We want to have a festival that is as diverse as the community itself. We also aim to have positive images

representing the entire LGBTQ experience,”Jonathan Shapero is a regular at Out On Film and

keeps on coming back every year.“I return because of the great films I can’t see in

mainstream theatres and the ability to see those films with an LGBT audience,” Shapero said.

The experience of watching the films are powerful enough. However, the camaraderie attending Out on Film remains a reason it can touch many people.

“LGBT people can proudly be together to watch films that are their stories,” Shapero said. “Many come from small towns and areas where the LGBT experi-ence is not as prevalent. Just for the community to be informed and entertained. This film festival is definite-ly a highlight of my life and I can’t imagine going a year without it.”

The FilmsThis year, Out on FIlm is showing close to a 100

projects. The genres span from narrative feature films to documentaries and short films.

Each year the submission process begins in Jan. and films are taken through July. In August, the films are evaluated and a schedule is made.

With a festival dedicated to showcasing the dif-ferent stories of the LGBTQ experience, the com-plexity shows the audience how all-inclusive the community is.

SYDNEY CUNNINGHAMAssociate Arts and Living Editor

OUT on FILM:Atlanta Film Festival

PHOTO BY RALPH HERNANDEZ | THE SIGNALOUT on FILM, the Atlanta based LGBT Film Festival will host all their films at the Landmark Midtown Art Cinema.

Fourth Man OutOpening Night FeatureOct. 1, 7:15 p.m.Directed by: Andrew Nackman

“Fourth Man Out” is the opening film with actor Evan Todd to be in atten-dance and an after party at Mixx Atlanta.

In this twist on man-child comedy, A twenty-something mechanic enjoys stereotypically masculine pastimes and is also gay. “Fourth Man Out” exam-ines small towns and blue-collar dynamics when the mechanic comes out to his friends and they attempt to find him a boyfriend. The cast includes: Chord Overstreet (“Glee”), Kate Flannery (“The Office”), Parker Young, Evan Todd

The Guy With The KnifeOct. 2, 5:45 p.m.Directed by: Alison Armstrong

“The Guy With The Knife” traces the unlikely kinship between a notewor-thy gay rights activist and a convinced gay-bash murderer. The film deals with gay rights, victim’s rights, prisoner’s rights all in the state of Texas.

FreeheldOct. 4, 7:15 p.m.Directed by: Peter Sollett

Based on the 2007 documentary, “Freeheld” tells the story of a New Jer-sey lieutenant and their domestic partner who have to battle for pen-sion benefits when one of them is diagnosed with terminal cancer. The cast includes: Julianne Moore, Ellen Page, Michael Shannon, Steve Carrell.

Kiss Me Kill MeOct. 7, 9:15 p.m.Directed by: Casper Andreas

In the middle of accosting his unfaithful boyfriend, Dusty blacks out. After waking up, the boyfriend has been murdered and the best lead is him. The cast includes: Gale Harold from “Queer as Folk”, Van Hansis, Brianna Brown, Jai Rodriguez.

Special Mention: ProxyOct. 6, 5:20 p.m.Directed by: Brandon Deyette

“Proxy” will be debuted at the festival. “Proxy” is directed and written by Brandon Deyette, who is a Georgia State alum. “Proxy” tells the story of eight people be-coming connected through the choices one man makes.

“‘Proxy’ is a film about relation-ships. It’s about how our choices can have that “butterfly effect” on other people’s lives, lives of peo-ple we may never meet,” Deyette said. “It’s a film that looks honest-ly through the characters’ eyes, at some of the issues in our relation-ships that we may not want to al-ways see or discuss.”

The film is inspired by the Dan-ish Dogme 95 movement, choos-ing different elements to strip down the script to its most basic and convey the story in its most complex form, still allowing it to be relatable to the audience.

“So many artists claim their best work is spawned from turmoil, I half believe this as truth and the other half of me feels it’s a crock of shit,” Deyette said. “That being said, this film was written after a very tumultuous breakup: stories inspired by real events in my life that created a great sense of cathar-sis.”

It was Deyette’s time at Georgia State that formulated his method of filmmaking when he was intro-duced to Dogme 95 Films.

“I fell in love with the aesthetic while I was a student at Georgia State,” Deyette said. “That whole genre broke the mold for me, so to speak. I suppose being at GSU challenged me to think outside the box and exposed me to a different world of cinema than what I was used to.”

Deyette’s experience through the program aided him in his day to life more than originally thought. Even for things as simple as a lighting mix-up.

“I remember a few years ago a client of mine asked me to order some lights for a commercial shoot we were doing,” Deyette said. “He sent me his list of lighting and I looked it over and realized there were a few mistakes. So I called him up and said, ‘Hey I think you got this wrong.’ He thanked me and said, ‘Man you know your light-ing huh?’ Everything I’ve learned from this program I use every day of my professional work life and I wouldn’t have changed a thing.”

Making art is hard. Especially when you are amidst your college years and maybe working. How-ever, according to Deyette, consis-tently working is one of the most essential efforts to make as an art-ist.

“Don’t stop doing. It’s really that simple,” Deyette said. “When you have down time: write. When you have access to equipment: use it. Always be challenging yourself. Volunteer at film festivals. Cold call producers. Always be hun-gry. My current film has been re-jected from over 30 film festivals and accepted into 5. Out of those 5 film festivals we’ve won 5 awards. I learn from every situation and I won’t ever give up.”

Addicted to FresnoOct. 2, 7:30 p.m.Directed by: Jamie Babbit

In a dark comedy directed by Jamie Babbit of “But I’m a Cheerleader” fame, two co-dependent sisters work as hotel maids. One is a rather isolated les-bian and one is a recovering sex addict. Things become complicated when a dead body gets involved. The cast includes: Natasha Lyonne (“Orange is the New Black”, “But I’m a Cheerleader”), Judy Greer (“Archer”, “Jurassic World”), Aubrey Plaza (“Parks and Recreation”), Molly Shannon, Ron Livingston, Clea Duvall.

54: The Director’s CutOct. 3, 8 p.m.Directed by: Mark Christopher

“54” was originally released in 1998 and received mixed reviews. Since then, Mark Christopher has taken the original footage, reworked it and re-edited it to a 30 minutes extra different version. “54” included a lot of familiar faces, many before they were famous. Since then, it has been received well. The story tells of the infamous Studio 54. Set in the 1970’s, a young man snags a job as bar-tender and falls into a love triangle, all the while juggling being immersed in the legendary disco. The cast includes: Mike Myers, Ryan Phillippe, Salma Hayek, Neve Campbell.

Check out some of the noteworthy films!

JOIN INIndividual film tickets are

being sold for $11.

All-Access Passes are available for $150, with a

VIP membership for $200.

Autumnal makeup:· The cat eye (liquid lin-

er): Smashbox Limitless, May-belline Line Stiletto, Stila Stay All Day

· Berry lipstick: NARS- Charlotte, NYX- Covet, Top Shop- More Than A Women

· Dark blush: Smashbox- Heartbreak, Tarte- Prim, NYX- Chiffon

· Gold eye shadow (used sparingly): Bobbi Brown- Champagne, Maybelline Color Tattoo- Bad to the Bronze, Urban Decay- Trick

Time to get ready!

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 20156 NEWS TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 201512 ARTS & LIVING

It’s Fall Y’all

Must have for girls: (not the b!tch kind)· Tunics: Although they are great for the summer, the right tunic can be a great fall piece.· Flannel printed clothes: The crème de la crème of fall prints. If this is missing from your wardrobe then what are you doing?· Corduroy pants: Cords add a different texture to your outfits. They keep you warmer than jeans but they make you look cool (Cheesy with a point).· Penny Loafers: These are the perfect shoes for fall if you aren’t a boot person.· Blanket scarves: The scarf, blanket, pillow, cape combo.· Sweaters: The appropriate paja-mas of the colder months.

Most “Instagramable” fall things:· Baked goods· Coffee/tea· Pumpkin patches· Falling leaves· Thanksgiving food

Fall foods (welcome to the season of overeating):. Green apples and caramel. Chocolate covered pretzels. Pumpkin muffins. Caramel corn. Trail mix. Beef Stew. Pumpkin bread. Chi tea. Mulled wine (for those of age). Apple cider

Must have for guys:· Leather jackets: Because nothing says fall like channeling 90s grunge.

· Bomber jackets: It’s the leather jacket for the

man that’s a little softer.· A beanie: The best kind of hat that says “ I don’t care” but it took you 20 minutes to make the hat sit right on your head.

· Denim jacket: Because

Kanye says so.· Oxford shirt:

This shirt is classy. it is the one essential that every guy should have.· Joggers: The only “sweat pants” that are acceptable.· Boots: The “man” boot to have this fall

are Timberlands or Doc Martins. Don’t mess with the classics.

DO· Pumpkin patch: Going to a pumpkin patch is the perfect kick-start to fall. You get the cool fall breeze, possible hayride, and some fall treats. That is fall in a nutshell.· A hike: Now that the tempera-ture is dropping, it is finally nice to go for a hike and enjoy the outdoors without sweating your face off.· Haunted house: Because putting ourselves in situations that scare is “fun”, and fall is the only time being chased by a man with a chainsaw is laughable.· Start holiday shopping: Once summer ends the holidays season be-gin. Logic.

DON’T· Jumping in leaves: It’s overrated, and it hurts.· Apple Picking: Don’t be fooled by the Instagram pictures. It’s boring.· Hanging out at coffee shops: The coffee is overpriced and it’s crowded.· Watch “Nightmare Before Christmas”: It’s a Christmas movie.· Get lost in a corn maze

Fall Activities: Do’s and Don’ts

Fall bark: What you need: A bag of choco-

late chips, pretzels, Kit Kats, candy corn

1. Fill a bowl with chocolate chips and microwaves them until they are melted.

2. Chop up the Kit Kats into bite size pieces.

3. Once the chocolate is melted, pour it into a pan that is covered with parchment paper.

4. Then top the chocolate with the pretzels, candy corn and Kit Kat pieces.5. Put the chocolate in the fridge

to cool. Once it’s cooled, take the bark out and break it into smaller pieces.

(Pumpkin) Spice up your room:· Blankets: The time to pull out

your plaid and knit blankets is now. It may be a little warm outside, but you can turn up your A/C. Give those blankets a purpose.

· Candles: Candles are an awe-some way to make a room feel cozy. Don’t burn the ones that smell like pumpkin frosted cinnamon cup-cakes, it gives visitors false hope that you have desserts to offer, and no one likes being lied to.

· Scented pinecones: If you aren’t able to have candles or are not spending $22 on them, then scented pinecones are a great alternative. It’s a way to get your whole place to smell like the pinecones. You can fill a pot with water, put the pinecones into the water and allow them to simmer on the stove.

· Sticks and stones: Fall is a good time to bring nature into your home. You can take sticks and branches into clear glass vases to give your home that certain fall ambiance.

· Pumpkins: Not real ones, those rot. Plastic pumpkins have a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’.

Pinecone garland DIY:What you need: Pine cones,

spray adhesive, gold glitter and twine.

· Spray your pine cones with your adhesive

· Sprinkle the glitter on where you sprayed the adhesive

· Allow your pine cones to dry· Lastly, tie or glue your pine cones to the twine in garland fashion.

Fall is the best time of the year. So, cozy up and get ready, because it’s here.

We are saying ‘good-bye’ to beaches and finally saying ‘hello’ to tolerable weather. Put away your bath-ing suits and throw on your sweaters, because fall has officially begun. Want to know how to fall into your best “autumn” you? Keep reading.

Writteny by Nichole Place, Arts and Living Associate Editor

review 13TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

now playing at

There’s nothing inherently wrong with “Black Mass,” if this is the first crime/gangster

movie you see. More likely, however, you have seen films like “Goodfel-las,” “The Godfather,” “The Untouch-ables,” “The Usual Suspects” and so on. If you have, it’ll be pretty hard to find anything in “Black Mass” inter-esting. The reason is simple: “Black Mass” relies on the same cops and drug kingpins as its antecedents, but brings nothing new to the table (or the streets, in this case).

In the film, which is based on real events and persons, Johnny Depp plays James “Whitey” Bulger, a man who controlled the sale of drugs in Boston in the 1970s. His brother, Billy (Benedict Cumberbatch), is a senator. By having an ally in power, Bulger can to stay free from jail as long as he supplies the police with information about other drug orga-nizations in town.

After reading the synopsis of a movie like this, the “so what?” ques-tion is inevitable. More specifically, what will be the factor that differ-

entiates this film from the canonical crime movies that came before? The answer is disappointing: absolutely nothing.

Throughout the film, I believed I was being fed backgrounds infor-mation before the story could actu-ally begin. We see Bulger’s relation-ship with his son when he teaches him how to be tough: it’s okay to hit someone, he explains to his 7-year-old, as long as nobody is looking. It’s odd to see the director, Scott Cooper, spending time on a speech that we have seen countless fathers deliver in movies. It’s cliché, tiresome and Cooper seems to make a big deal of it.

In the end, that’s what “Black Mass” is: trying to make a big deal of a story that has been told over and over again in the genre. Cooper tries to play with the structure of the nar-rative by telling the story in extended flashbacks, in almost a documentar-ian approach. In the first scene, for instance, Kevin (Jesse Plemons), a security guard at a nightclub, recalls how he met Bulger and got to be a part of his gang.

These flashbacks are nothing new (The Usual Suspects uses the same approach, more successfully), but they work as the shifts in time are done clearly and aren’t overused. Overall, the editing itself is good -

maybe the only thing keeping this film at a C- grade. Scenes are placed well on screen, and the film moves well (differently than most recent blockbusters, which seem to have way more cuts than needed, just as if they were two-hour-trailers).

Depp’s acting, on the other hand, goes with the rest of the story: noth-ing surprising nor spectacular. Depp can be commended for being versa-tile. As an actor, he is able to do dif-ferent genres of comedy, drama and action. However, the role of Bulger never quite fits him. A king of drugs should impose fear and respect not only by killing people, but also the way they behave in public: tough but calm and self-assured. Marlon Brando, for example, did it in The Godfather, creating an unforgettable character. Depp brings forth nothing that makes us fear him, nothing that makes his character here unforget-table in any way.

“Black Mass” is an odd film. It’s one of those movies where the syn-opsis doesn’t give much. It has such a standard plot line that prompts you to ask the question, “so what?” Great films blow our minds answering this exact question. When “Black Mass” ends, however, you still ask the same question and get nothing back, just a meaningless black screen.

RATED: RGRADE: C-VERDICT: Black Mass is a film for only reading the synopsis and passing on. There’s nothing new to find out by watching it.

FILM REVIEW

FERNANDO MATTOSStaff Reviewer

‘Black Mass’: a tiresome repetition of clichés

SYNOPSIS

Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Boaz Yakin, Remember the Titans is a 2000 American sports film. Based on a true story, the movie follows African American coach Herman Boone (Denzel Washinton) as he tries to introduce a racially diverse team at the T. C. Williams High School in Washington, D.C. in 1971. Bill Yoast (Will Patton) portrays an assistant coach making a transition to help out Boone. The real life portrayal of athletes Gerry Bertier and Julius Campbell, played by Ryan Hurst

and Wood Harris, appear within the harmonized storyline; while Kip Pardue and Kate Bosworth also stars.

SHOWTIMES: Wednesday- Friday1p.m., 3:15p.m., 5:40p.m., 7:45p.m.Rated: PG-13Running Time: 115 minutes

SYNOPSIS: While his brother Bill remains a powerful leader in the Massachusetts Senate, Irish hoodlum James “Whitey” Bulger continues to pursue a life of crime in 1970s Boston. Approached by FBI agent John Connolly, the lawman convinces Whitey to help the agency fight the Italian mob. As their unholy alliance spirals out of control, Bulger increases his power and evades capture to become one of the most dangerous gangsters in U.S. history.

SCOTDRAKULASCOTDRAKULA1

ABRAROSE2

3 HOMESHAKEMIDNIGHT SNACK

4 LAND LINESTHE NATURAL WORLD

5 MILD HIGH CLUBTIMELINE

Homecoming Week

Remember The Titans

calendar & games

Homecoming Blood DriveSept. 298 a.m.- 6 p.m.In collaboration with the Ameri-can Red Cross, Georgia State is holding a blood drive. From 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., they will be held in the Sports Arena. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., they will be at the University Commons. To make an appoint-ment, use the sponsor code “geor-giasu” at redcrossblood.org. Walk-ins are also welcome.

Homecoming Block PartySept. 297 p.m. - 11 p.m.Unity PlazaDon’t be the only one missing out on music, food, games and school spirit. Come out and hang with fellow panthers at the homecoming block party. Play games and eat lots of food, build up your strength to cheer on the players at the game.

Homecoming Golf Cart ParadeOct. 112 p.m. - 1 p.m.Georgia State’s annual parade

will be held down Gilmer Street. Applications for the parade are due Sept. 22 and the fee for each organization is $25.

Brazil Study Abroad Meet and GreetOct. 13:30 p.m. - 4 p.m.Conference Room 12 at 25 Park PlaceAre you interesting and fun? Are you interested in South America? If so, come find out about how you can study abroad in Salvador, Brazil. In the meeting you will listen to personal experiences from Carla Romas and find out why you should be part of the program. the jungle is calling.

Georgia State night at WoodruffOct. 25:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.Woodruff Arts CenterFree, free, free. Need we say more? Come out and enjoy a night of fine arts at Woodruff Arts Center. Be treated to free admission to Atlanta’s High Museum of Arts, free Atlanta Symphony Orchestra tickets, free shuttles, and free food.

Laugh Your Paws Off Comedy ShowOct. 38 p.m. - 10 p.m.Student Center BallroomUnload some stress and sanity by attending All Def Comedy Tour’s comedy show. For students, the fee is $5. For non-students, the fee is $10.

Campus & Downtown Events

14 TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

Sudoku

2 7 4

4 1 9 5

9 7 5 2 8

4 1

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7 9 4 6 2

6 2 5 3

9 3 8

Puzzle 1 (Medium, difficulty rating 0.54)

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1 5

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6 4 7

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Puzzle 2 (Medium, difficulty rating 0.47)

6 5 9

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1 3 7

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4 8 9

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Puzzle 3 (Medium, difficulty rating 0.56)

8 3 6

6 2 1

1 3 7 8

7 6 9

1 6 5 2

5 4 1

5 6 3 7

8 9 2

5 3 8

Puzzle 4 (Medium, difficulty rating 0.48)

Generated by http://www.opensky.ca/sudoku on Mon Sep 28 06:37:09 2015 GMT. Enjoy!

2 7 4

4 1 9 5

9 7 5 2 8

4 1

5 1 3

3 6

7 9 4 6 2

6 2 5 3

9 3 8

Puzzle 1 (Medium, difficulty rating 0.54)

2 6 3

9 4 5

8 3 5 2

2 7 9 1

1 5

5 2 1 4

5 8 2 3

6 4 7

6 2 8

Puzzle 2 (Medium, difficulty rating 0.47)

6 5 9

7 3 5 8

1 3 7

8 6 7

2 3 9 1

4 8 9

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6 2 5 3

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Puzzle 3 (Medium, difficulty rating 0.56)

8 3 6

6 2 1

1 3 7 8

7 6 9

1 6 5 2

5 4 1

5 6 3 7

8 9 2

5 3 8

Puzzle 4 (Medium, difficulty rating 0.48)

Generated by http://www.opensky.ca/sudoku on Mon Sep 28 06:37:09 2015 GMT. Enjoy!

2 7 4

4 1 9 5

9 7 5 2 8

4 1

5 1 3

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6 2 5 3

9 3 8

Puzzle 1 (Medium, difficulty rating 0.54)

2 6 3

9 4 5

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1 5

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5 8 2 3

6 4 7

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Puzzle 2 (Medium, difficulty rating 0.47)

6 5 9

7 3 5 8

1 3 7

8 6 7

2 3 9 1

4 8 9

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Puzzle 3 (Medium, difficulty rating 0.56)

8 3 6

6 2 1

1 3 7 8

7 6 9

1 6 5 2

5 4 1

5 6 3 7

8 9 2

5 3 8

Puzzle 4 (Medium, difficulty rating 0.48)

Generated by http://www.opensky.ca/sudoku on Mon Sep 28 06:37:09 2015 GMT. Enjoy!

2 7 4

4 1 9 5

9 7 5 2 8

4 1

5 1 3

3 6

7 9 4 6 2

6 2 5 3

9 3 8

Puzzle 1 (Medium, difficulty rating 0.54)

2 6 3

9 4 5

8 3 5 2

2 7 9 1

1 5

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5 8 2 3

6 4 7

6 2 8

Puzzle 2 (Medium, difficulty rating 0.47)

6 5 9

7 3 5 8

1 3 7

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4 8 9

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Puzzle 3 (Medium, difficulty rating 0.56)

8 3 6

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8 9 2

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Puzzle 4 (Medium, difficulty rating 0.48)

Generated by http://www.opensky.ca/sudoku on Mon Sep 28 06:37:09 2015 GMT. Enjoy!

On stands Every Tuesday! Find us during Plaza!

CORRECTIONS 9.22 ISSUEThe photo credit for “The Many Shades of Grey” was submitted by

Georgia State Athletics instead of Ralph Hernandez.

9/28/15, 4:38 PMWord Search Puzzle

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AUTUMN

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SPORTSwww.georgiastatesignal.com/sports

Georgia State students and sports fans may be familiar with some

of the school’s prominent ath-letes and biggest stars.

There is a young name that is making a name of their own and will soon be mentioned with the names of Georgia State stars like Nick Arbuckle, Deidra Bohannon, J.J. Grey, Kevin Ware, Ashley Nagy, Rashid Alarpe and Ryan Blan-ton.

Sophomore softball player Ivie Drake is that name. Drake is coming off one of the best seasons by a freshman in Pan-thers’ history, in fact, one of the best seasons by any player in Georgia State softball histo-ry, regardless of age.

Drake’s freshman season brought many expectations with it. The thoughts of her be-ing even better than last sea-son and topping last season’s success.

Expectations, complacen-

cy, are dangerous temptations for young athletes that look to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump.

Not Drake, she is handling the new expectations by sim-ply continuing what she did to make her successful in the first place which is working hard.

Drake also has to remind herself, and this is a whole new season and last year means lit-tle now that she is no longer an unknown to the competition.

“I just keep working hard at practice. I have to keep telling myself not to think about last year and to focus on the new season. We had a good year, but our goals are to do even better this season and play in the postseason,” Drake said.

Though in order to achieve success again and improve in 2015-2016 Drake is look-ing forward, but the immense talent that is packed into the sophomore slugger is evident and can’t be ignored.

Softball superstar Ivie Drake continues improvement Ivie Drake spends offseason practicing at home

Written by Jeremy Johnson

CONTINUES ON PAGE 16

STAFF | THE SIGNALReturning from a successful season as a freshman, Ivie Drake prepares to take on a new season with her fellow Panthers.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 201516 SPORTS

Budding SuperstarThe 5 foot 8 inch Carlton Geor-

gia native lit the Georgia State re-cord book a blaze last season as a true freshman.

Drake set Georgia State single-sea-son records for batting average with a .462 average, hits with 85, home runs with 22, run batted in 67, runs scored with 59, slugging percentage with a percentage of .918.

She also set several single-game records for home runs with three on March 14 against Texas State. In the same game, Drake broke the most total bases in a single game record with 12.

In addition to the offensive out-put, Drake brought good defense and broke the Panthers’ record for most runners thrown out in a game with three on April 26 against the Univer-sity of Louisiana-Monroe.

Drake was named the 2015 Sun Belt freshman of the year and was a National freshman of the year fi-nalist. She was named second team All-American and First-Team All-Sun Belt.

If the on-field production wasn’t enough, Drake also was a Dean’s list student for fall 2014 and spring 2015.

Drake’s resume can already stand up to any athlete on Georgia State’s campus, or any campus in North America.

Home CookingDrake has her eyes set on being

better in 2015-2016 and to do so, she looked to a familiar place this offsea-son; Carlton Georgia.

She spent some time at home over the offseason and got some time with her family.

“I’m definitely a home body. I went there and stayed the whole time. Right after we got back from season last year, like the day after I went home and didn’t come back until when I had

to, the last day I could,” Drake said.Drake’s time with her family pro-

vided her with a period of time to cool down and recoup after her highly suc-cessful freshman season.

There is a close bond that is shared within the Drake household that al-lowed for her to let go for a while and have a little fun.

“I like spending time with my fam-ily. We have a good time. We’re all cra-zy, so there’s never a dull moment in the Drake house. I mean I missed At-lanta and I missed all the girls but it was good,” Drake said.

Drake also used her time at home to get some work done and worked on her craft as a softball player. She took the time to run, lift, throw, and hit on her own.

“Sometimes I went to the cages by myself. I just hit off the tee. I really can’t throw to myself obviously, but I just worked a little bit on the tee, which I have fields around my house, so it was kind of easy,” Drake said.

Drake also got to work with her dad in the offsea-son, someone that has been helping her with her skills from the very start.

“He helps me a lot. Whenever he’d get off work we’d throw, we’d do something, I mean I guess that this doesn’t really count as practicing, but we’d go on little walks just to try to stay active and stuff. We threw a lot, and he went to the cages a lot and he threw to me and stuff,” Drake said.

Drake had a few things she thought that she needed to improve on going into the season. The main thing offen-sively was that she wanted to become

more selective at the plate when facing opposing pitching.

This like most other parts of her skillset is also already good as she had the fifth most walks in a season by a Georgia State player with 34 in 2015.

Though, it wasn’t record-breaking pace like every other statistical cate-gory in the Georgia State record book that Drake elegantly rewrote in 2015.

Drake figures she can be better and see better pitches that could elevate her walk numbers hit numbers and who knows what else with her im-mense talent and work ethic.

Drake acknowledges that she does get a little anxious at the plate and thinks that calming herself and be-coming more patient will grow her into an even better player.

“I think I’m going to have to be really

selective. I get really anxious up to bat,” Drake said.

She got

a lot of work in the offsea-

son at home with her fa-ther pitching to her and

learning to be more se-lective at the plate.

“With my dad, he’s not the best pitcher. So if one comes you really have to advantage of that one. Because I don’t know how many more like that are going to come. With him pitching to me, he got me looking at different pitches, and he tries to do all this crazy stuff,” Drake said.

Drake will continue to get stronger and become more patient and become

a household name in the Georgia State sports world. Her time at home has helped her hone recoup after her big first season, and now she is back ready to help the Panthers win big in 2016.

The season kicks off in the spring, but the Panthers have played s i x scr im-m a g e

games in the fall to get back into the swing of things for what appears to be a promising 2016 season.now she is back ready to help the Panthers win big in 2016.

The season kicks off in the spring but the Panthers have played six scrim-mage games in the fall to get back

into the swing of things for what appears to be a promising 2016

season.

“I just keep working hard at practice. I have to keep telling myself not to think about last year and to focus on the new season.” -Ivie Drake

STAFF | THE SIGNAL

DRAKE CONTINUED

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2015 17SPORTS

GPC consolidation may effect Georgia State athleticsNo need to worry if you’re not a student-athlete

If you didn’t know by now, allow me to help-- Georgia State and Geor-gia Perimeter College (GPC) are con-solidating which will now give Geor-gia State roughly 54,000 students alto-gether.

So the real question is what does this mean for Georgia State athletics? To be honest, not much unless you are a student-athlete currently at Geor-gia Perimeter. The procedures and re-cruiting will go along as they have be-fore for the Panthers.

GPC student-athletes who were or currently on an athletic scholarship will be granted the opportunity to re-main if they decide to stay and finish their two-year degree,GPC Interim

President Rob Watts discussed in Jan-uary during Georgia State’s Town Hall meeting. However, if the student ath-letes decide to leave, he or she will re-ceive a release form of the scholarship.

Are there any athletes at GPC good enough to transfer to Georgia State? Well, there have been in the past. For-mer center for the women’s basketball team Brittany Logan was a former Jag-uar and helped lead them to a 31-3 season in 2011-2012. She averaged 13.5 points and 10. 3 rebounds. In 2011-12 season, the Jaguars won the district and divisional championship. Not bad, right?

Or how about women’s tennis play-er Niriatsa Rasolomalala, who played high school in Madagascar, but later transferred to GPC, which led to their highest ranking in 2013. While do-ing so, she won the NJCAA National

Championship. I would say these two worked out well for the Panthers. It’s a shame GPC didn’t have a football pro-gram, Georgia State could use some help in that area.

Now, Georgia State will have an ad-ditional 20,000 students, what could this mean for athletics? More sporting teams. Perhaps men’s beach volleyball or swimming team? Maybe even have the men’s track team resurrect. Speak-ing with Charlie Cobb, Athletics Di-rector he gives a small hint.

“We are currently looking at add-ing an additional women’s sport and then will work from there,” Cobb said. “Our department always will look at what serves the interest of the student body as much as possible.”

The first home football game against Charlotte, Cobb said everyone associ-ated with GPC was invited to attend.

“We invited everyone associated with GPC to the first football game and will continue to welcome them in the future. They are now a part of Georgia State, and we want to wel-come them just as we would anyone else,” Cobb said.

The best thing about the consoli-dation is increasing the attendance at home sporting events for all. This isn’t just a knock on football attendance, but this can help all sporting teams in the program. Home field or court ad-vantage is always vital in competition.

JARED OLIVERStaff Reporter

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“Our department always will look at what serves the interest of the student body as much as possible.” -Charlie Cobb

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 201518 SPORTS

The young and the restless: Men’s tennisTeam eager to reach Sun Belt Conference Tournament

The 2015-16 Georgia State Men’s tennis team is a group fueled with motivation to make it to

the Sun Belt Conference tournament this year. This team has minor chang-es to the roster, which is good because all the players are familiar with each other and have grown a strong bond compared to last year.

The team has two freshmen, two sophomores, five juniors, and two se-niors. An all-around roster that fits perfectly with the second year coach-ing staff and head coach Brett Ross.

The entire team said their goal for the season was getting to the Sun Belt Conference tournament and winning the conference title. Having a com-mon goal amongst a team is a great recipe for success. You don’t want players always thinking of personal goals, as opposed to thinking of the team as having one goal and becom-ing a unit to achieve that goal. Having that unity and the same goal will get the team far this year and hopefully a

spot in the conference tournament.Sophomore Andrei Andrukhov ex-

plained how important offseason con-ditioning is to him.

“Practicing with coach help[ed] me a lot [at] the beginning of the season. If I wouldn’t do it, it would have been tough for me to start off so well,” An-drukhov said.

The Belarus native began his 2015 fall season appearing in the round of 16 for doubles with Sebastian Acuna at the University of Georgia. He is one of the young players that only played a semester last season and getting that practice this offseason with the coach and team should help him develop into the new system and become even better.

Junior and the team’s no. 1 singles player Jannis Koeke knows the team has to step up collectively to make up for the loss of graduate Sofiane Che-vallier.

“There is no big difference between this year and last year’s team. We only lost one person, Sofiane, who was definitely the leader of our team, and so now others have to step up. Our coaching team goes in their second

season, and so we got one year expe-rience already together and [we] are ready to move on,” Koeke said.

Koeke has taken the responsibility of trying to be a good leader for the team, especially the younger guys.

“As I am one of the older player(s) and one of the most experienced played, I hope I can help them on and off the court.,” he said.

Miami native and second-year player Sebastian Acuna believes the team has improved this season as well.

“We had a few injured players that were in the starting lineup last year that made the situation difficult. But this year we all returned healthy and stronger than ever adding two new players. We also built good chemistry with the coaches, and it will help us understand our training styles on the court,” Acuna said.

This year’s tennis team is a young team, and they come into the season with unity and lots of promise.

With a healthy squad, a cohesive goal of getting to the Sun Belt Con-ference tournament and winning it, along faith in each other will bring about the best in this team.

STAFF

Get to know Kitan AjanakuVolleyball Law student strives for perfection

If you see her off the court, then she is probably hanging out with friends, singing, or reading, and

she probably wouldn’t hurt a fly. How-ever, if you see her on the court, you better run, because she’s a fierce 5-feet-11-inch volleyball player with 110 kills and 40 blocks in just 12 games this year. Her name is Kitan Ajanaku.

Kitan Ajanaku, born Nov. 16, 1992, has one brother, Kunle, and one sister, Inky, who plays volleyball for Stanford. Kitan sets high standards for herself.

“[I’m] a perfectionist who has learned that sometimes failure is the best route to success,” Ajanaku said.

She lives by the quote and doesn’t fear failure because she knows in the end it’ll lead to her success.

This would explain why she’s so suc-cessful on and off the court. Ajanaku is a first year law student who made the President’s List in fall 2013, spring 2014 and 2015. She also made the Dean’s List in fall 2014. On the court she’s an all-around player, by that meaning she’s not just good at one thing, rather she’s good at several things. Last season she was third on the team in kills with 194, second on the team in blocks with 54, and third on the team in points with 226.5.

Ajanaku has been playing volleyball since she was just 10 years old in the fifth grade.

“All my friends were playing, and I’ve always been very social,” Ajanaku said.

She’s grown a lot in the sport since fifth grade, in fact, she was part of the All-Tournament team in the GSU In-vite All-Tournament this year.

“My teammates give me opportu-nities to be successful from [a] great pass, to an awesome set, without them I would never have numbers on the

board,” Ajanaku said. That’s what makes her so well-

rounded in the sport because she’s a team player and those are rare to find these days.

Ajanaku’s favorite memory of play-ing volleyball at Georgia State came in the season finale of 2014.

“Winning in the fifth set against Troy my Redshirt-Senior year was my favorite memory,” Ajanku said.

In that match, Ajanaku and her teammate Deidra Bohannon hit back-to-back kills to pull the team within two at 12-14 in that fifth set. The team then rallied and won the set 15-14. The victory punched Georgia State’s ticket into its first conference tourna-ment since 2011.

This is Ajanaku’s last season playing the sport she has come to know and love.

“I am going to miss the fight, pas-sion, and desire the sport requires and being able to bring all those qualities out alongside my teammates and best friends,” Ajanaku said.

Ajanaku is all about the passion and sharing memories with her teammates and giving it her all in every second of every set she is in. That’s what makes her special, a passion and drive that is needed in any sport today and in life if you want to be suc-cessful.

Ajanaku plans’ for the future are clear to her now.

“Practice law for a while and then open my own non-profit volleyball club for those who cannot afford to play the sport after college,” Ajanaku said.

Ajanaku is the epitome of what it means to be a humble, passionate per-son. Make sure you pay a visit to her final games here at Georgia State she’ll love the support.

STAFF

PHOTO BY BRITTANY GUERIN | THE SIGNALFreshman, Jack Macfarlane, competes against University of Mississippi at the Georgia Tech Fall Invitational for Men’s Tennis.

Sister plays for Stanford University

Once nicknamed ‘Smarty Pants’ by the team.

Kitan Ajanaku: The woman and the

Athlete

Transfered from Long Beach State

Hit a career high 14 kills Nov. 1 against Georgia Southern.

A Second Team All-American in High School.

GEORGIA STATE ATHLETICS

STAFF | THE SIGNAL

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2015 19SPORTS

GEORGIA STATE ATHLETICS

PANTHER OF THE WEEK

Eddie WildingSoccer

WOMEN’S SOCCERFriday, Oct. 2Arkansas State * at Jonesboro, Ark5 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 4Little Rock * at Little Rock, Ark2 p.m.

MEN’S SOCCERTuesday, Sept. 29UABGSU Soccer Complex6:00 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 3 Appalachian State *GSU Soccer Complex7:00 p.m.

VOLLEYBALLFriday, Oct. 2Troy* at Troy, Ala.7 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 3South Alabama* at Mobile, Ala.7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 24Texas State*GSU Sports Arena6 p.m.

WOMEN’S TENNISFriday, Oct. 2 - Oct. 4Georgia Southern Fall

Invitational at Statesboro, Ga.TBA

Sunday, Oct. 4 - Oct. 8USTA Pro Circuit Event at Hilton Head, S.C.TBA

FOOTBALLSaturday, Oct. 3Liberty (Homecoming) at Georgia Dome3:30 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 10Appalachian State * at Georgia DomeTBA

SPORTS CALENDAR

Eddie Wilding had a week to remember from Sept. 18 to Sept. 22. The Men of the Georgia State Soccer program shocked the 21/28 ranked Brown Bears 3-2 thanks to Wild-ing’s two goals. The next game against Presbyterian, Wilding followed his Brown performance with another goal and two assists en route to a 5-1 win. The psycholo-gy major and English native was a member of the 2014 Sun Belt All-Tournament Team and the 2014 College Sports Madness All-Sun Belt Second Team.

*CONFERENCE GAMECross Country

Sept. 25 at Mercer University, the Panthers finished second overall as former Signal cover star Stepha-nie Berger finished first among all runners. Berger ran her first 5k of the season in 18:43.04, just missing her personal best of 18:24. The next event for Georgia State is the JSU Foothills Invitational in Oxford, Al-abama on Saturday, Oct. 3.

Women’s SoccerContinues to have the best re-

cord in the school at 8-1-2 overall and a 2-0 conference record.

FootballSenior quarterback and history

major Nick Arbuckle was among 135 semifinalist the 2015 William V. Campbell Trophy, which recognizes the best absolute football scholar-athlete in the nation. 15 Finalist will be awarded $18,000 and the win-ner will get $25,000 in scholarships. Former Campbell Trophy winners include Peyton and Eli Manning.

VolleyballFell to 4-9 overall and 0-3 in

conference play when they lost to Texas State 0-3 Sept. 24 at the Sports Arena. Seniors Eliza Zachary and Brianna Jones are still sidelined with injuries. The team will take a week-end trip to Alabama to face Troy and South Alabama on Friday and Saturday night, respectfully.

THE FINAL SCORE

PANTHER OF THE WEEK

SPORTS EDITOR’SPREDICTIONS

Georgia State vs. Liberty

Stanford vs. Arizona

UGA vs.

Bama

Clemson vs. Notre Dame

Louisiana Tech vs. ULL

Troy vs. South

Alabama

Georgia State

Stanford

UGA

Clemson

Louisiana

Troy

RASHAD MILLIGAN | THE SIGNAL

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