June 24, 2016Volume 102, Issue 2nique.

net

LIFE

technique
News 2

SPORTS

Networking with Knowd p7 Baseball falters at end p14

Opinions 4

Life 7

Entertainment 9

Sports 16

TECH COMMUNITY RESPONDS TO ORLANDO ATTACKS

NEWS

EVAN GILLON
NEWS EDITOR

On Sunday, June 12, Pulse, a gay

nightclub, in Orlando, Fla. suffered
a mass shooting that killed 49 and
wounded more than 53, marking it has
the deadliest shooting in United States
history. The attack shocked communities all across the world, and Tech was
not exempt.
Tech hosted a reflection in the Flag
Building on the following Tuesday,
hosted by the LGBTQIA Resource
Center, the Office of Student Diversity
Programs, and the Counseling Center,
where students and staff were able to
share their feelings about the attack.
Dr. Aby Parsons, the director of
the LGBTQIA Center expressed her
thoughts on the impact of the event.
We wanted to provide the space for
all members of the Tech community
students and employees alike to
come together to draw strength from
one another, share reflections and be
in community and solidarity, Parsons
said. In times of tragedy and trauma,
sharing in the collective strength and
support of a community can be a valuable means of processing grief, anger
and confusion. The purpose of the
event was to assist our Tech family in
that healing process.
Over 100 students and faculty attended the reflection, although students also attended events in Atlanta.
Amanda Bernardy, a second-year
CHBE student, attended a candlelight
vigil at Ten Atlanta on the day of the
attack with a group of friends.
I know [the shooting] brought a
lot of people together, Bernardy said.
I think the community is really good
about showing love towards each other
and other people, even in the face of a
tragedy like this.
See ORLANDO, page 3

Top L: Photo courtesy of Pexels; Top R: Photo by John Nakano Student Publications; Above: Photo by Evan Gillon Student Publications

ENTERTAINMENT

Red Hot Chili Peppers Getaway to good music

JAMIE RULE

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
MUSIC

The Getaway
Red Hot Chili Peppers
LABEL: Warner Bros.
GENRE: Alternative Rock and
Funk Rock

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

Josh Klinghoffer is guitarist for Red Hot Chili Peppers. The

band has two new members alongside its two original members.

TRACK PICKS: Dark

Necessities, Sick Love and
Dreams of a Samurai

OUR TAKE:

First announced in November

of 2014, the Red Hot Chili Peppers finally released their 11th
studio album, The Getaway last
Friday, June 17. Each of the thirteen tracks were co-written by the
four band members and occasionally a guest writer, with one song,
Sick Love, being written in part
by Elton John.
While officially classified as
funk rock and alternative rock,
some of the tracks, especially the
title song The Getaway bear
distinct trance influences. For the
most part, though, the newly released album does not branch far

from the distinctive sound audiences have come to expect from

the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
The band would be hard
pressed to gain any new supporters
with The Getaway album since
each song sounds much like those
of the first ten albums the band
has released over the past several
decades. Those who disliked the
band before will probably still do
so and fans will probably continue
to appreciate the songs of Red Hot
Chili Peppers. Despite the lack of
innovation, this album is worth
investigating.
See GETAWAY, page 11

2 June 24, 2016 technique

// NEWS

technique
The Souths Liveliest College Newspaper

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF:
Vidya Iyer
MANAGING EDITOR:
Nick Johnson
NEWS EDITOR:
Evan Gillon
OPINIONS EDITOR:
David Raji
LIFE EDITOR:
Jonathan Long
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR:
Jamie Rule
SPORTS EDITOR:
Harsha Sridhar
DESIGN EDITOR:
Brighton Kamen
PHOTO EDITOR:
Sara Schmitt
ONLINE EDITOR:
Kripa Chandran
WEB DEVELOPER:
Ross Lindsay
HEAD COPY EDITOR:
Alexis Brazier
Founded in 1911, the Technique is the
student newspaper of the Georgia Institute of Technology, and is an official
publication of the Georgia Tech Board
of Student Publications. The Technique
publishes on Fridays weekly in the fall
and spring and biweekly in the summer.
ADVERTISING: Information can be
found online at nique.net/ads. The deadline for reserving ad space is Friday at
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Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

COVERAGE REQUESTS : Requests for

coverage and tips should be submitted to
the Editor-in-Chief and/or the relevant
section editor.

Copyright 2016, Vidya Iyer, Editorin-Chief, and the Georgia Tech Board
of Student Publications. No part of this
paper may be reproduced in any manner without written permission from the
Editor-in-Chief or from the Board of
Student Publications. The ideas expressed
herein are those of the individual authors
and do not necessarily represent the views
of the Board of Student Publications, the
students, staff or faculty of the Georgia
Institute of Technology or the University
System of Georgia. First copy free for
additional copies call (404) 894-2830

sliver

EVAN GILLON
NEWS EDITOR

WHOS ON FERST?
Construction began on Ferst
Drive on Tuesday, June 14 to
make improvements in traffic,
sidewalks and lights along the
street. It is expected to continue
until October 30, assuming no
delays in construction. The project is broken into two parts, the
first focusing on the section from
5th Street Bridge to Atlantic
Drive, where the road is being remilled for general maintenance
and safety.
The second part of the project addresses pedestrian mobil-

ity and safety through helpful

improvements in landscaping
and sidewalks between the sections of State Street and Hemphill Avenue.
These improvements include
a new bus stop, better visibility
from installation of LED lighting, and a wider, safer sidewalk.
Traffic is expected to shift periodically as construction moves
into different phases, although
the Klaus parking deck will still
be accessible. Ferst Drive will be
closed until Friday, July 1, but
will remain open for the duration of the construction.
SCHOOL SPIRIT
Every year, Georgia awards a
state institution the Governors
Cup, which is awarded based
on the highest average contribution per employee to the State
Charitable Contributions Program (SCCP).
This year marks the ninth
consecutive year that Tech received the award, with a total
contribution of over $350,000
from 1,135 individual contributions to 390 charities.
Opponents to the measure
argue that the increase in taxes
will drive citizens out of the cities and into areas where sales
taxes are lower. For this reason,
parts of Fulton County and
DeKalb County are omitted
from the referendum and will
get a chance to vote on a tax increase at a later date.

EVAN GILLON
NEWS EDITOR

MARTA MAYHEM
The city of Atlanta will be
taking a referendum vote on
a half-penny tax increase that
would fund a large expansion of
the Metro Atlanta rapid Transit
Authority (MARTA).
The half-penny increase on
sales tax would generate $2.5 billion in revenue that would allow
for the organization to expand
existing railways and possibly
include light rail installations
along the Beltline. The resulting
revenue is expected to last until
2057, and is considered a major
victory for MARTA supporters.

nique.net
Im sitting al by my lonesome coming up with these slivers
if only peope would sliver like it was yik yak except without all
the cliched posts about relationship issues, Tech being difficult,
and weed. Like theres more to life, you guys.
Did you know Yik Yak generates no money yet
How have they survived for this long???
Sometimes before I go to bed I tell my sister G Night G Money
Except I pronounce money like moh-nayyyy
Why do we start sentences with a capital letter
we should do this instead
hI. hOW ARE YOU DOING TODAY? i GUESS PEOPLE
DONT TYPE LIKE THIS BECAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE
YOURE YELLING.
Have you ever thought about how words are weird. Theyre not
really what they are. Like the word grass isnt grass.
Grass is grass. We just associate the word grass with the actual
thing that is grass. Thinking about it strange.
The paper is more important than your driving, Nick :P
sideways faces look odd in Times New Roman
TNR is not a very pretty font
why dont we use helvetica
would that be too stylish
When Colbie Caillat sings When you kiss my nose...
it sounds like mucus my nose. grosssssss.
When you get into an argument with a man 10 years older than
you who argues like a child.
Thats when you know he has his shit together
This is like a stream of conciousness diary. v personal.

THE GREAT COMPROMISE

Following the attacks in Orlando, House Democrats staged
a vocal protest against Speaker
Paul Ryan, R-Wis., when he
refused to consider any amendments curtailing the sale of
guns.
In the following days, Senate Democrats filibustered the
floor for 15 hours until the opposition agreed on hearing
legislation proposals. Democrats introduced four different
amendments, all of which were
voted down.
Senator Cory Booker, DN.J., responded in an address to
Congress by saying, We live in
a country where someone on a
visa waiver, say, like those who
carried out the attacks in Belgium, can get on a plane, and

The SCCP is an organization through which employees

can donate to a charity of their
choice from a list of over 1,000
organizations. Techs top donation recipients were the American Cancer Society, Atlanta
Community Food Bank, Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta
Foundation, St. Jude Childrens
Research Hospital and United
Way of Greater Atlanta.
Joe Hughes, a professor in the
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, praised Tech
for its participation.
Because the Georgia Tech
community cares, there are
many children, adults and
families throughout Georgia
who are being helped to live
healthier, safer and better lives,
Hughes said.
The 2016 campaign is expected to begin this fall.
PETERSONS PILGRIMAGE
On Monday, June 20, President G.P. Bud Peterson and
First Lady Val Peterson headed
to Macon, GA for his annual
four-day summer tour.
instead of doing their attack in
Belgium, they can come to the
United States [as] foreign nationals, walk into a gun show,
buy a trunk-load full of weapons
and carry out the attacks that
we saw overseas right here in
America.
On Wednesday, June 22,
a bipartisan group of senators
headed by Republican Senator
Susan Collins proposed a compromise to mitigate the risks
posed by unchecked gun ownership, according to CBS news.
Collinss proposal would
disallow citizens on the no-fly
list to purchase a firearm, while
also establishing an appeal process for United States citizens
and green card holders who feel
they have been wrongfully declined. Should the prosecutor
win in this situation, they would
additionally be awarded any incurred attorney fees.
The measure has yet to be
voted on, but is the first bipartisan gun control proposal in the
wake of the Orlando shooting.
Whether or not the bill comes
to a vote is at the discretion of
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

Peterson uses the tour as an opportunity to gain an understanding of how Tech is impacting its
surrounding communities and the
state as a whole, from Atlanta to
rural Georgia.
Petersons 2016 tour will take
him 570 miles, through 15 cities
and 21 counties, as he makes stops
in areas such as McDonough and
Stone Mountain, to Lawrenceville
and East Cobb.
The summer tour provides us
with a great opportunity to see
firsthand the many ways the people and programs of Georgia Tech
are making a positive impact here
in Georgia, Peterson said.
Tech produces an annual impact of $3 billion to the Georgia state economy, according
to the Georgia Tech Research
Institute.
Its always good to be with
state leaders, alumni, current and
prospective students, parents and
people whose businesses have been
affected in a positive manner by
Georgia Tech, Peterson said.
President Peterson returns
back to Tech from Douglasville
on Thursday.

EVAN GILLON
NEWS EDITOR

SMOOTHIE CRIMINAL
A repeat offender was recently arrested for two counts of
criminal trespass, two counts of
theft by taking and five counts of
felony fraud.
The offender was identified by
video after he stole a credit card
at the Campus Recreation Center
(CRC) and later returned with the
same card to buy a smoothie. He
was arrested at his parole office
soon after being identified.
The GTPD advised all students to lock their belongings
in lockers when at the CRC to
prevent valuables and other personal items from being stolen.

technique June 24, 2016 3

// NEWS

College of Architecture gets new name

LINDSEY PLOUSSARD
STAFF WRITER

As of May 9, the College of Architecture is now called the College of Design. The College of Design is a more encompassing name
for the diverse programs within
the College, as it includes the
Schools of Architecture, Building
Construction, City and Regional
Planning, Industrial Design and
Music. The name change was several years in the making and when
it officially began in 2014, the process was long and thorough.
It took a while to find the
right name and to build support
for the new name among students,
faculty and alumni, said Steven
P. French, dean of the College of
Design.
The College hired Armchair
Media to test 19 different possible
names for the school.
We considered Architecture
and Design and several names
that were combinations of our
individual school names, French
said. But after we studied it, we
realized College of Design was
simple and elegant and was a
name that communicates the core
of what we do in the College.
The Colleges former name,
the College of Architecture, used
to cause confusion. People often
mixed up the College of Architec-

ture with the School of Architecture. The programs in this school

have doubled in the past 10 years,
making a name change a top priority for the School, given that
most degrees awarded by the College are not rooted in architecture.
The College hopes that the
name change will broaden the
definition of the word design,
by creating a connection between
design and everyday life.
It is important to realize that
while we have been teaching architecture for over 100 years at
Georgia Tech, the College does
much more than that, French
said. The College focuses on the
creative process that produces
innovative solutions to complex
problems. Our students design
across a wide range of scales from
consumer and medical products,
to musical instruments, to buildings, to neighborhoods and urban
regions. Our students even design
musical performances and artistic
compositions.
The name change will be accompanied by several stories and
photo essays on the College of Designs website, highlighting how
design impacts the world.
Additionally, the name change
is the first step in the Colleges rebranding initiative.
We hope to raise the profile
of the College within the Insti-

tute and use this name change as

an opportunity to connect with
our colleagues in other colleges
who engage in various forms of
design, said French. We want to
highlight the important connections between design and innovation. For example, the Innovation
and Design Collaborative draws
students from all across the Institute to undertake challenging
problems through the use of design methods.

TRISTEN ALLEN
STAFF WRITER

On June 13, the Georgia Tech

Foundation (GTF) announced its
acquisition of the Biltmore from
the Novare Group for an undisclosed price.
The Biltmore is located along
West Peachtree Street across from
the Scheller College of Business,
at the east end of Tech Square.
The purchase does not include
the Biltmore Residences, but does
include the office space belonging
to several engineering firms, startups and energy companies such
as SouthStar Energy Services,
Pindrop Security and KimleyHorn and Associates. The purchase amounts to approximately
290,000 square feet, including the
ballrooms, offices and retail space.
Al Trujillo, president of the
GTF, is committed to preserving
the historical status of the building, stating [the GTF] will continue the legacy of appropriate
financial and operational steward-

Photo courtesy of Tech Communications

The historic Biltmore Hotel, now utilized as office space is fully

leased and is at full occupancy. It was recently acquired by Tech.

College and the work of our students, faculty, staff and alumni, French said. We intend to
broaden the definition of design
at Georgia Tech through our
academics and research. We will
draw the connection between
design and todays uniquely human experiences, from buildings and cities, to products and
soundscapes.
For more information visit
design.gatech.edu.

Photo courtesy of Tech Communications

Stairwell connecting the first floor to the second floor of the previous College of Architecture, which has now been renamed to the College of Design to better reflect all the majors.

Biltmore purchased by Georgia Tech

ship of this remarkable treasure,
and that the purchase of this
property will not affect the historical status of the building.
GTF Chairman Gary T. Jones
believes that acquiring the building is preserving a core part of
Tech Square.
This
[purchase]
simply
strengthens what is one of the
countrys most energetic technology ecosystems and is a wonderful
example of the connections and
collaborations between startups,
business leaders, Georgia Tech
faculty, students and researchers,
Jones said.
The Atlanta Biltmore opened
in 1921 under the ownership of
William Candler, financed by the
sale of the Coca-Cola company.
In the 1980s, the Biltmore closed
down for conversion into apartments, a project which failed,
leaving the building in a state of
disrepair.
The Novare Group acquired
the Biltmore in 1998 and renovated the building to include loft office space, as well as restoring the

Will this name change move

Tech towards more artistic and
creative majors? Most likely not,
according to French.
I expect that Tech will continue to focus on science and technology, but will also ... engage creativity and the arts, French said
However, French does hope
that the new name symbolizes a
new direction for the college.
This name change will mark
an exciting new chapter for our

historical ballrooms to their former status. Under the ownership

of the Novare Group, the building
reached 100 percent occupancy.
Jim Borders, president of the
Novare Group, cited the full tenancy of the building as a reason
behind the decision to sell the Biltmore, stating that the timing
was right to bring the Biltmore to
market. We had significant interest from several qualified groups,
and we are very pleased that Georgia Tech will carry the flag into
the future.
The news of this acquisition
comes after news of the development of the new Coda building,
which includes 620,000 square
feet of office space, with Tech occupying about half once the project is completed in an effort to
further cultivate Atlantas startup
scene. The building will include
Techs high performance computer center as well as retail space
accessible from the ground floor.
Tech Square currently houses
Centergy One, a mixed-use development building which contains
office space shared by Tech and
the Advanced Technology Development Center, a series businesses
similar to those contained within
the
Biltmore.
The building is adjacent to
Tech Square Labs and the Technology Square Research Building,
which houses multiple research
groups headed by Tech.
The GTF has previously financed projects on behalf of Tech,
including the CRC and Tech
Square in 2004, both of which
are leased to the Board of Regents
on an annual basis until 2031 and
2032 respectively. Details of any
similar agreements for this acquisition are currently unknown.
At this time, the GTF has not
announced any specific plans for
the Biltmore.

ORLANDO FROM PAGE 1

Many students sought out similar resources following the attack.
Some [LGBTQIA community members] have sought our support from the Counseling Center,
from some of our campus ministries, and my office, Parsons said.
Many were saying that, for them,
it just reminded them of how vulnerable LGBTQIA folks still are
in the U.S. and how much danger we all face just by living our
truths every day. For many in
our community who experience
LGBT bars and clubs as places of
community and sanctuary, they
no longer feel safe in those spaces.
[The vigil] was a really good
experience for me, Bernardy said.
My opinions are my opinions
politically, but as far as people
go, and human rights and protecting life, all of that stays the
same.
Matthew Bowling, a secondyear BA and acting chairman of
the Georgia Tech College Republicans, expressed his belief that
such an attack transcends gender
and race.
This attack was undoubtedly an act of violence against
the LGBT community, and Im
sure has caused great grievance
and fear amongst the coalition,
but also people must realize this
was an attack upon the United
States of America and a group of
its citizens, Bowling said. When
an act of violence this heinous occurs, it affects the entire student
body, regardless of race, gender or
sexual preference.
As for a solution to the problem, there is no clear answer.
Parsons has advocated for the Institutes senior leadership, faculty
and student leaders to go through
Safe Space training and Trans 101
programs, both of which are offered by the LGBTQIA Resource
Center in the fall. Parsons also
said that she would like to train

Greek organizations to become

Greek Allies for the LGBTQIA
community.
It is everyones responsibility
to create spaces where LGBTQIA
people feel safe, included and valued, including here at Tech, Parsons said.
Parsons also spoke about the
future of LGBTQIA communities
at Tech, saying that she would like
to see more inclusivity in terms of
housing and affordable health options for LGBTQIA students.
I would love to see us finalize
a gender-inclusive housing policy
for our transgender students, and
to offer health insurance that covers gender confirmation surgeries, Parsons said.
Bowling took a different approach, advocating for the
concealed carry of firearms on
Techs campus.
I am a strong proponent of
the Campus Carry Bill that was in
the state capitol this past spring.
Bowling said. If anything, this
incident is another reminder that
there will always be people in our
community who cause random
acts of terrorism, and I personally
believe that as a student in Atlanta, Georgia, where crime and violence are constant concerns, that
students should be able to protect
themselves in situations such as
these.
Students and faculty were not
the only ones to respond to the
attacks. The Georgia Tech Police
Department lowered the campus
flag to half-mast on the following
Monday.
The LGBTQIA Resource Center, the Office of Student Diversity Programs and the Counseling
Center are open to receive students and address their concerns.
For more information, students
are encouraged to visit lgbtqia.
gatech.edu for access to training
programs and staff members contact information.

Opinions
OUR VIEWS | Consensus Opinion

OPINIONS EDITOR: David Raji

We dont make mistakes,

just happy little accidents.
Bob Ross

A response to the recent WSJ article

Assessing why cheating occurs and how to prevent it

Cheating has always been a problem

in education. Techs own cheating plight
was recently covered in a story in the Wall
Street Journal which highlights the necessity for a change to reduce the pervasiveness of academic dishonesty.
Techs intense culture greatly contributes to cheating. Classes are often rigorous, and students are known to do whatever they can to get ahead. This type of
attitude is often intentionally ignored. A
student who is not provided with adequate
resources to succeed could deem cheating
neccessary in order to avoid a poor grade.
Large class sizes also contribute to the
cheating environment, as professors and
Teaching assistants (TAs) are usually unable to have constant vigilance over every
student.
The large class sizes also prevent students from developing close relations with
the professor. This is vital because one is
less likely to break the trust of someone

they know. While it is impractical to have

smaller lecture sizes, professors and TAs
could take the effort to meet with students
outside the classroom setting to develop
a more personal relationship. Cultivating
a relationship with professors can lead to
lessened readiness to cheat and more willingness to work hard for the grade.
Comprehensively changing test and
assignment questions each year can also
prevent cheating. Many students, mostly
those in the Greek community, find themselves in positions to utilize past tests to
study for a class. Professors can eliminate
this inequality by posting all past tests and
assignments on T-Square. Even if professors are too busy to rewrite exams and assignments, the TAs are there to help the
professor and as such, should be utilized.
Some students will inevitably fall into
the trap of cheating but enforcing harsh
punishments is not the best way to combat
the issue changing the culture is.

technique

Friday,
June 24, 2016

TOP SLIVERS

love life erg life 2k

2016 feels like there was an invitation to the next

world, and all the celebrities are RSVPing.
Im waiting for all the young kids to grow up and
discover that Kristoff from Frozen and King George
from Hamilton are the same person and have their
minds blown.
Could you imagine Donald Trump being your fatherin-law?
I have four names and four faces. I can match them
up eventually.

If you got it, I aint gonna say no

The Consensus Opinion reflects the majority opinion of the Editorial Board of the
Technique, but not necessarily the opinions of individual editors.

technique editorial board

They say a line a day keeps the DEA away

Vidya Iyer EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Evan Gillon NEWS EDITOR
Harsha Sridhar SPORTS EDITOR
Sara Schmitt PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Ross Lindsay WEB DEVELOPER

David Raji OPINIONS EDITOR

Jamie Rule ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
Kripa Chandran ONLINE EDITOR
Alexis Brazier HEAD COPY EDITOR

Maybe hes called DJ Mustard because like the

mustard seed, hes small now but is going grow and be
really big soon

ROAD BLOCKS BY LANAH MARIE JOSE

Why couldnt he have picked any other seed?

Ye a h . . .
Ju s t g e t ti n g a
L I T T L E wo r k
done...

Because DJ Sunflower does not sound dope

Now, Im hungry for a hotdog

Write to us:

letters@nique.net
Got something to say? Then let
your voice be heard with the Technique. Sliver at Nique.net, tweet us
@the_nique or check us out on Facebook at facebook.com/thenique. We
want to hear your opinion and want
to make it known to all of campus.
We also welcome your letters in
response to Technique content as well
as topics relevant to campus. We will
print letters on a timely and spaceavailable basis.
Each week we look for letters that

are responses to or commentaries on

content found within the pages of the
Technique. Along with these letters,
we are open to receiving letters that
focus on relevant issues that currently
affect Georgia Tech as a university, including its campus and student body.
When submitting letters we ask
that you include your full name, year
(1st, 2nd, etc.) and major. We ask that
letters be thought provoking, well
written and in good taste. We reserve
the right to both reject or edit letters
for length and style.
For questions, comments or concern, contact the Opinions Editor at
opinions@nique.net.

technique June 24, 2016 5

// OPINIONS

A Conservative View of Gay Rights

As the 2016 Presidential
Election draws near, voters have
once again been thrust onto the
tightrope of American politics. I
think it is safe to say that everyones views fall somewhere along
the line, but at the end of the
day they must find their way towards one of the two extremes.
There are some views that will
always find themselves on one
particular side of the chasm;
others will tiptoe the wire between conservatives and liberal
until they are seen as universally good by both camps.
LGBT rights have been historically seen as the former. The
left has made it a large part of
their platform in recent years,
while the right has staunchly defended Americas traditional values. When viewed through the
lens of other right wing beliefs,
however, it becomes increasingly unclear as to why the barriers
between conservative ideologies
and gay rights even exist in the
first place.
For conservatives, the U.S.
Constitution is paramount to
any other document or piece of
legislation ever drafted in this
country. Nothing else so per-

Conservatives support a
small government ... Why,
then, should conservatives
support the restriction of
gay rights?

JON LONG
LIFE EDITOR

fectly and succinctly lays out the

principles on which our nation
was founded. For every argument against possessing firearms, the first response is always
to point at the Constitutions
second amendment. Conservatives support a small government; if it oversteps its bounds
on regulation, where will it draw
the line to stop?
Why, then, should conservatives support the restriction of
gay rights? A small and unintrusive government would certainly
keep its nose out of business that
is considered to be personal. If
Congress can barely even find a
way to regulate businesses, they
should have no hand in regulating marriage.

Another argument is that

homosexual relationships go
against Americas traditional
view of the family. But, at the
same time, we are living in a time
when almost three percent of
girls between the ages of 15 and
19 will get pregnant. Roughly
40 to 50 percent of couples married in the United States will get
a divorce. Clearly, the definition
of family is already undergoing
a huge change.
Aside from this, most arguments tend to come from religious perspectives. While I am
a God-fearing man, the idea of
a Christian Sharia law is one
that terrifies me. As Ive mentioned, conservatives are never
too keen on spitting in the face

of the Constitution. As such, it

makes no sense to me that conservatives point to their right to
bear arms while skipping over
the right to escape religious legislation. America was founded
as a refuge for those escaping
oppression. Creating laws based
off of religion goes directly
against our founding principles
and parallels both the Catholic
Britain we rebelled against and
the Sharia law of many Middle
Eastern countries today.
I am a Christian. I own a
gun. I hold a lot of conservative
beliefs. And when compared to
other ideas held by the right, I
think that equality for the gay
community fits the bill perfectly. The sight of two men kissing
still makes me uncomfortable,
and I dont pretend to understand arguments for genders
other than male and female. But
at the end of the day, I believe
that at Americas core it is a land
of freedom. If youre gay, be gay.
If youre straight, be straight.
Once this view takes hold on
both sides of the perilous tightrope, America will be one step
closer to what the Founders intended it to be.

Appreciating the spirit

behind the open letter

Learning to embrace the

mistakes I make

In these last few years, theres another by the exact same aubeen a movement in journal- thor can be them declaring the
ism thats recently been spiral- incredible amount of affection
ing into some rather ridiculous they have for something.
extremes: the open letter. Now
People who dislike the open
Im not insultletter will often
ing open letters,
say that there
there are some
The ideas get a little are hundreds of
pretty well-writthe same letter,
repetitive, but the and thats true.
ten ones, such as
An Open Letter emotion behind these Just search for
To Lil Waynes
an open letter to
letters is genuine. a roommate and
Laugh,
a
thought-provokyoull see several
KRIPA CHANDRAN right there on
ing piece accusing the rapper
ONLINE EDITOR the first page.
of having sold
Sure, some of the
out and turning
ideas get a little
his laugh into a gimmick to sell repetitive, but the emotion bemore records.
hind these letters is genuine.
Apart from gems like that
People can now write these
though are the hundreds of lists or letters to people they care
open letters that now flood my about, and put them somewhere
Facebook feed, with overly spe- the entire world can see them.
cific titles like An Open Letter Yes, it is a bit showy, but it is how
To The Girl I Got Coffee With some people express their affecDuring My Study Abroad that tion or distaste for someone, and
end up being an ode to one per- to each their own. If someone
son the author found a fleeting wants to write a heartfelt piece
connection with.
about deep dish pizza, let them;
Despite the incredible speci- its just as valid as someone writficity of these articles, Im rather ing an open letter to the first
fond of them. The rise of many person they loved.
journalism websites is an incredAt the end of the day, while
ible opportunity for new writers I may not write an open letwho want to flex their writing ter, Ill read the occasional one.
muscle. Add the rise of list jour- Theyre a powerful tool to send a
nalism and other things draw- message, or just a sweet gesture
ing people to these websites like towards someone who means a
fun quizzes, and youve got a great deal, and you know that
whole new way people consume whatever that person wrote
media.
about inspired a lot of passion
In the past, these written in them. And really, as long as
things could only be released someones reading the letter, it
in magazines or small publica- is not just a sad obsessed person
tions, but the Internet is making broadcasting their opinions into
it possible for people to broad- the void.
cast their thoughts on literally
Theyre creating something
any topic. But what I find lovely to show their dedication to
about these open letters, in par- something, and I think in a
ticular, is how varied they can world that seems to esteem apabe. One can be calling someone thy greatly, it is a lovely thing
out in the most incredibly pas- to be so unabashedly passionate
sive aggressive way, while yet about something.

Oops! Drat! @#$%! Those are heavy weight on my shoulders

things you probably hear after of how things could have gone
making a mistake. In our daily much better than they did.
lives, we make an uncountable
Recently Ive come to realnumber of mistakes of varying ize how valuable those mistakes
significance. It
really were. By
could be somemaking
misthing as simple Recently Ive come to takes, there is
as turning the
still room to
realize how valuable grow and imwrong way to go
to class or pushthose mistakes really prove. In the
ing the wrong
case of the aswere ... signment menbutton on an
elevator. Altertioned
earlier,
ROSS LINDSAY I was given the
natively, it could
be far worse like
WEB DEVELOPER opportunity to
writing
down
test out some
the wrong due
new skills and
date for an assignment or incor- lead the project with the assisrectly stating a fact that affects tance of my more experienced
an upcoming business decision. coworkers.
Regardless, its only natural to
When the team and I were
make mistakes since, after all, implementing my plan, we bewere human.
gan to realize that it wasnt going
It is easy to get discouraged to go as well as I had thought it
by our mistakes. The feeling of would. While working through
regret after making a poor deci- the issues, my coworkers were
sion or feeling stupid after not giving me suggestions on changremembering something trivial es that could make the process
can be overwhelming.
easier. I learned so much in the
Earlier this summer, I left the few hours working with my
office to go out to a building to team than I did in the entire
prepare for a network upgrade planning stage. Looking back, I
and I got there and realized I could have utilized my coworkhad forgotten things as basic ers more in planning, and is
as pen and paper. I had to trek something Ill do in the future.
back to the office, gather the
You could lament over misthings I should have brought takes like these and just give up
the first time, and start my work when it gets overbearing, but
in the building all over again. I that doesnt help anyone. Dont
easily wasted at least 30 minutes let mistakes define you use
by forgetting those things.
them to grow. Most mistakes
This stuck with me over the arent intentional, and any reanext few days as I couldnt be- sonable human in a similar
lieve Id forget something so position could have made the
essential. Another time I wasnt same ones you did. Look back
completely prepared for an as- on your mistakes, but in a posisignment I was given. I showed tive light. Its an opportunity to
up when it was time to execute learn something new, and share
and my plan that I thought was in our human nature with our
so excellently prepared turned more experienced friends, coout to be great in theory but workers, teammates and others.
quite poor in execution. Those Forgetting sticky notes at the ofmistakes combined to be a fice is not the end of the world.

Whats the biggest

difference between a
summer semester and
normal semester?

SHEHAB ATTIA
THIRD-YEAR BME

Summer semester is a lot

faster and classes just go
really fast.

RYAN SHARAB

FIFTH-YEAR CHME

Its less crowded. The library is never flooded with

people.

OLIVIA LODSIE

FOURTH-YEAR BME

The ability to find study

spaces, its great.

LOGAN WALKER
THIRD-YEAR ME

The classes are more fastpaced but there is also a lot

of down time.
Photos by Sara Schmitt Student Publications

6 June 24, 2016 technique

// OPINIONS

The impracticality of Bernie

HOT or NOT Sanderss idealistic goals
OUR VIEWS | HOT OR NOT

Finding Dory

Microsoft Outlook

Pixars latest masterpiece,

Finding Dory, dove into theatres and claimed the highest
opening weekend for an animated movie. Finding Dory
is the sequel to Pixars wildly
popular Finding Nemo which
came out in 2003, follows
Dory on a heartwarming journey across the ocean to find
her family. This movie and the
animated short accompanying
it are sure to be a hit with the
entire family.

In light of Zimbra being

shut down later this summer, many students have been
forced to migrate their emails
to Office 365. This process has
been a cause of great frustration for students, faculty and
staff. In comparison to Zimbra, Outlook tends to have
slower loading times, and in
order for students to keep their
old emails, they must manually download them from Zimbra. Overall, quite the hassle.

GTPD Online

Gun Laws Shot Down

Our police department has

often done a great job interacting with students and making
sure that we know that they
are there to protect us. They
have once again gone the extra
mile by being very active on
social media platforms such as
Facebook and Reddit. This is a
nice addition to the Instagram
account they made for their
dog, K-9 Koda. So, shoutout,
once again, to our amazing police department.

In light of the recent shooting, it is high time that we

pass stricter gun regulations.
It doesnt make sense to let
people have such unrestricted
access to guns. The second
amendment may let us bear
arms, but we can implement a
stricter process to ensure many
peoples safety. It is frustrating
to see the resistance from the
Senate in passing these new
bills that many believe would
keep people safer.

Sanderss rhetoric
offers moral and political
absolutism. And it is magnetic
towards young adults who
see it as a purity of sorts.

DAVID RAJI

OPINIONS EDITOR
I asked my dad the other day
why he supported Bernie Sanders.
He responded by stating that all
the other candidates were corrupt,
terrible and evil, and that Sanders
was the only one who consistently
maintained an ideology worth
supporting. And while my dad
didnt actually say those things,
the sentiment is one that seems to
emanate from those entrenched
deeply within Sanderss camp.
So, if the other people running
for president are really so corrupt, and evil, why are the majority of Americans in their corners?
Well, Star Wars has shown us that
often, the bad guys have much
cooler outfits. And that may indeed be a factor, what with Sanders usually looking like he rolled
out of bed in the morning right
onto the podium.
But that only provides an incomplete explanation. The truth is
that Sanderss rhetoric offers moral and political absolutism. And it
is magnetic towards young adults
who see it as a purity of sorts.
This purity is infinitely preferable
to any type of normal politician
behavior, because the maneuvering and doublethink that so
often comes with this political behavior is very easy to detest.

Yet what is not immediately apparent is that this ideological purity and unwillingness to change
thinking in the slightest is exactly
what leads to gridlock in government. Idealism is a fun fantasy to
entertain when lacking experience
of reality, but applied in practice,
the result is absolutely nothing
getting accomplished. The reason
is quite easy to see; if our politicians permanently remain resolute and steadfast in their policies
and stances, no compromise will
ever be reached.
Despite the above, there are
still those out there who believe
that Sanders would be the best
option for president. And why is
this the case if it is so glaringly
obvious that his tenure would be
characterized by nothing happening? Well, according to myself
a source to which I often refer there are three main schools
of political thought: pragmatism,
idealism and fear. Of these, one
is based on experience. One is a
remnant of primal reactions and
instincts. And the remaining,
which I hope youve guessed is
idealism, revolves around believing in that for which there is no
evidence. And a large chunk of
young, naive people will always

fall into that category, just by consequence of being young.

One of the few things that can
be said for the Sanders supporters
in this election cycle is that they
actually have genuine reasons
to back their candidate. Most of
them hear the issues and proposals he makes and nod their head
in agreement. For the sake of this
argument, it matters not that
the majority of these proposals
have no chance at becoming any
more than ideas.
Contrast those who back
Sanders with those who support
Trump, a candidate for president
whose rhetoric is comprised primarily of fear-mongering and
grandstanding. These methods
innately appeal to those members
of society who have chosen not
to allocate mental acuity towards
this election.
Pragmatism, or centrism, is
definitely not the sexiest. But
its an approach that gets results.
Where an idealist will ask for the
farm and all of the cows, a pragmatic politician will understand
that hell only be able to get the
farm, and only then if he agrees
to set aside five percent of his crop
yield for the seller. Which isnt
headline-worthy, but it has been
accomplished. Bipartisan alliances and real legislation come from
compromises, which arise through
pragmatic leaders and ideology.
Not unrealistic demands.
What my dad did actually say
was Im a millennial. Cant you
tell? I could not, especially since
my dad normally seems quite a bit
smarter than the average millennial. But perhaps idealism is just
a refreshing treat once in awhile,
before a trip back to reality.

Life

LIFE EDITOR:

Jon Long

life@nique.net

30 Days of Ramadan

technique

The Technique discusses the Muslim holiday of Ramadan

and why it is important to Muslim students.48

Friday, June 24, 2016

Jackets app will improve networking

JON LONG

LIFE EDITOR
Deep in the West Side of Atlanta, there sits the remains of a
19th century textile mill. Now
called the Goat Farm Arts Center, the mill is home to a variety
of small businesses, creatives and
entrepreneurs. Out of this smorgasbord of disciplines grew a barter economy between the various
denizens of the farm. A carpenter
will trade a custom-build chair for
a custom-built website; A financial firm will offer a consultation
in exchange for an hour with a
sign makers laser cutter.
This value in networking is the
driving force behind The Knowd,
a burgeoning web app co-created
by Tech student Eric Rabinowitz.
Rabinowitz, a computer science
major and Goat Farm intern, created the app to connect people on
the farm to friends-of-friends with
needed tools or skills.
Lets say you needed a laser cutter for a project, he said
during an app critique with the
Google Developer Group. Just
type laser cutter in the search
and it will show you everyone in
your network with a laser cutter.
The term network in this case
refers to a list of connections one
has made on the app, as well as
the connections that those people
have made. Everyone in a network
shares at least one mutual connection, allowing for quick and
seamless introductions and a level
of trust between users that Rabinowitz considers paramount.
The idea is to be able to connect different networks together,
but when doing that making sure
its not just a frivolous technical connection, said co-founder
Mark DiNatale. It should be an
actual human connection, with
trust that is made in person.
Connections in The Knowd
must be made in person, requiring
both parties to be in direct contact
with each other. Once the connection is made, everybody that
person has ever interacted with
on The Knowd will be available to
you during searches. There is even
a feature allowing users to join
groups, combining their network
with that of people they havent
necessarily connected with yet.
There is a level of trust that is
hard to quantify, DiNatale said.
Its variable, it changes, its based
in human emotion. Face-to-face
interactions are what build trust
to a large degree, so the way we
build the process made sure you
cant just connect with someone
without being there and talking
to them.
While the app was created with
the Goat Farm in mind, its applications reach far beyond those in
West Atlanta. Imagine this scenario: a student needs an expert
on medieval warfare for a project.
He/she searches The Knowd and
finds that their roommate is connected to a medieval history buff.
From there, it is as simple as an
introduction.
We brought in fashion designers, industrial designers and
data visualization specialists, and

a lot of these are from Georgia

Tech, DiNatale said. We got
together and started developing
prototypes, and out of that came
The Knowd.
Techs Craigslist-esque Facebook group GT Thrift Shop is
constantly inundated with requests for coders, artisans and
experts in a variety of fields. The
Knowd has the potential to expedite the entire process by connecting students directly to who and
what they need without having to
cast a net in GT Thrift Shop and
desperately hope for a response. At
a school with a startup landscape
as thriving as Techs, networking
takes on an even greater level of
importance as well.
A lot of entrepreneurs, one of
their main jobs is going out and
meeting people, DiNatale said.
Its meeting people, its talking
about what you do, its building
networks and supply chains, just
a series of human networks. These
students growing their networks
and gaining access to these secondary networks can be a very
powerful tool, not only while in
school but after.
These secondary connections
are the driving force behind The
Knowd; rather than simply listing the skills of a users friends, it

allows them to actively seek out

members of their community and
expand their network.
We are all about making the
implicit information about your
human network explicit without
it becoming a directory of sorts,
DiNatale said. We believe in the
power of weak ties. Its not the
people you know that bring you
the most value, its the people that
they know. How you grow is by
meeting those secondary connections, which is a lot of people.
The Knowd displays both a
users primary and secondary connections, but the names of secondary connections are left out.
This leaves it up to the primary
connection to introduce the two
and build that level of trust.
The power of introductions is
universally understood, DiNatale said. Somewhere between 60
and 80 percent of jobs are gotten
through personal recommendations. Our world works through
people and introductions.
Rabinowitz and DiNatale have
already discussed the applications
of The Knowd on campuses.
Eric was at a startup incubator in Tech Square called the
Sandbox, DiNatale said. They
have like 150 people in it, and
when you enter, you fill out a

profile to put into a directory. Its

their name, what they do, their
contact info, and its not usable.
Its just a directory, totally dead to
an extent. So Eric thought about
bringing in The Knowd.
Essentially what The Knowd
would allow incubators like the
Sandbox and Tech Square Labs to
share their secondary connections
and allow the startups to bring in
people from other disciplines that
they can trust.
Outside of entrepreneurs, DiNatale believes that the Knowd
can affect clubs and Greek life.
Fraternities and sororities
could definitely use it, he said. If
one person needs something, they
wont need to go asking everyone
or send a mass email. The Knowd
is a path right to the person you
need to talk to. In universities
there is equipment that gets borrowed and tossed around, and it
would be invaluable to know who
has that just by updating their
info on The Knowd.
The Knowd is still in a testing and development phase at
the Goat Farm, but Rabinowitz
and DiNatale plan on increasing
the number of testers by the end
of the summer and are hoping
to launch a barebones version of
their software in late fall.

Surviving a
Slow Summer
JON LONG

LIFE EDITOR
Summer at Tech can be wonderful. Between the weather, fewer classes and less responsibility,
it becomes almost a challenge to
not have fun. But with the season
halfway over, boredom is setting
in and making people wish for
something other than hours of
free time. Fortunately, there are
myriad options for assuaging even
the most idle of hands.
GO ON A TRIP
The term Tech Bubble was
coined for a reason. Too often we
find ourselves thinking only in
terms of Techs campus. Being in
Atlanta, and even the Southeast
for that matter, provides ample
opportunities for adventure.
That isnt to say that you
should shell out a $1000 to spend
a weekend at the beach. Even a
short drive to the bowling alley
or a trip to Stone Mountain has
the potential to turn a whole week
from flat to fire.
VISIT YOUR FAMILY
Though classes and work do
require you to be in Atlanta, most
in-state students are able to make
time for their close family on the
occasional weekend.
It may seem even more boring than staying on campus, but
laundry and a free meal can be a
Godsend for those who are lazy,
strapped for cash or both. Plus,
your family gave you 18 years of
childhood and all of your good
looks. Its the least you can do.

Photo courtesy of Eric Rabinowitz

Eric Rabinowitz is one of the co-founders of the app The Knowd. It is an app that aims to connect
networks together and was developed at The Goat Farm which served as a test bed for The Knowd.

EXPLORE GREEK LIFE

Summer is prime time for fraternity recruitment, which presents a great opportunity for both
summer freshmen and anyone
unaffiliated with Greek life on
campus. The months of June and
July are littered with parties and
other rush events that are open to
anyone toying with the notion of
fraternities and sororities.
For men, fraternities are more
than eager to take you in and let
you see what theyre about. At the
very least youll meet new people
and who knows, you may even decide you want to join.
For women, these events provide valuable opportunities to
meet current members of sororities before formal recruitment
begins. While rush for females
is a much more nuanced affair,
summer fraternity rush events allow for both a casual experience
See TIPS, page 8

8 June 24, 2016 technique

TIPS

FROM PAGE 7

and a deeper relationship with the

various sororities come rush week.
LEARN SOMETHING
Just because youre taking eight
hours of courses doesnt mean
your education should be limited
to the classroom. The internet is
teeming with resources that can
teach you anything from computer programming to finances.
Every Tech student has access to a Lynda.com account, a
means through which they can
watch course videos on virtually
any topic imaginable. Learn how
to draw, and then learn how to
digitize those drawings with Photoshop and Illustrator. Learn how
to make games and apps and then
learn how to market them. There
is no excuse not to spend your
free time being productive. But, if
these things sound too much like
work ...
FIND A HOBBY
... then spend your time doing something less productive but
equally as rewarding. Learn how
to carve things out of wood. 3D
print a Hodor doorstop. Start collecting memorabilia of your favorite sports team. There is no better
time to get started with a hobby
than now, with over a month of
ahead of you before Tech shifts
into high gear in the fall.
At a school that tries to bury
its students in work, there is something to be said for finding a passion. Do you want to grow up to
be an uninteresting cubicle monkey, or do you want to be someone
who works in an office and also
makes gnarly bread sculptures on
the weekends?
GET IN SHAPE
As long as youre currently enrolled as a Tech student, you have
access to one of the best recreation centers in America. Fewer
summer students means less of a
crowd in the CRC, and there are
few things better for both your
body and your mind than physical activity.
So grab a group of friends and
go get in shape.

// LIFE

Students observe month of Ramadan

Beginning June 4 at sunrise
and lasting until sunset on July
5, Muslims will be observing the
holy month of Ramadan.
Like the name for the first
month of the year in the Gregorian calendar, which follows the
Earths rotation around the sun,
is January, Ramadan is the name
of the ninth month of the year on
the lunar calendar, which follows
the cycle of the lunar phases. The
lunar calendar is also sometimes
referred to as the Islamic calendar
due to this.
Both Shiites and Sunnis across
the world take the time of this
month to commemorate the angel Gabriels first revelation of the
Koran in 610 C.E. to Muhammad
in a cave called Hira near modern
day Mecca. The beauty of the interaction between Gabriel and
Muhammad was that Muhammad was illiterate; however, upon
his interaction with Gabriel, suddenly, he was able to read a verse
from the Koran.
Observing Ramadan is one
of the Five Pillars of the religion
(Sawm), which also include: declaration of faith to God and Muhammad as his messenger (Shahada), prayer five times a day (Salat),
charity as wealth accumulates
(Zakat), and pilgrimage to Mecca
in Saudi Arabia (Hajj).
The fasting component of Ramadan lasts from dawn to sunset,
and individuals participating are
unable to consume food or liquid during this time. Likewise,
Muslims are asked to refrain from
behavior that may be deemed
as inappropriate, such as lying,
swearing, insulting and sexual
interactions. However, those who
are pregnant, menstruating, diabetic, breastfeeding or facing any
severe health complications are
excused from fasting.
There are two important nights
over the course of the 29 to 30 days
that Ramadan is observed. Layla
al-Qadr, also known as the night
of power, is the holiest night of the

Photo by Anthony Schwartz Student Publications

The Al-Farooq Masjid Mosque, located on Atlantas 14th Street NW, prepares for a Ramadan
service as the sun sets. This year, the Muslim holiday lasts from June 5 to Tuesday, July 5.

month because it is believed to be

the night that the first revelation
of the Koran was given to Muhammad. Typically, the night of
Laylat al-Qadr is declared during
the last 10 days of the month. The
second important night is known
as Eid al-Fitr and is marked by a
crescent new moon. Many families celebrate with a prayer and a
celebration, often times congratulating one another in person or
over the phone.
So now that this history and
theology lesson is over, why is Ramadan so important?
Like the Christian observation
of Lent and Jewish celebrations
during the month of Tishrei, when
Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah and
Sukkot all take place, Ramadan
serves as a time of reflection and
reevaluation of ones faith. The

month culminates in a final holiday known as Eid Al-Fitr, which

is celebrated at the conclusion of
Ramadans final day.
Similarly, there is an increased
amount of volunteering in ones
community as well as larger
amounts of charitable donations
given across the globe. Likewise, the frequency of individuals choosing to make the Hajj to
Mecca increases significantly
more during this month, as many
would like to be closer to the holy
site of the religion. For instance,
in 2015 during the month of Ramadan alone, over 14 million
Muslims traveled to Mecca during this sacred time. Many Shiites
also take the time to invite nonMuslims to join them in Iftar. Iftar is Arabic for breaking fast at
sundown.

While Shiites and Sunnis may

differ in some of the political beliefs of how the religion was meant
to have been handed down after
Muhammads death, both major
sects of the faith take the time to
celebrate the beautiful monotheistic religion handed down to them
about 1400 years ago.
It is no secret that Techs student body boasts an incredible
amount of diversity. As such, Ramadan plays a role in the lives of
a nontrivial amount of Tech students. Every day they go empty of
food yet full of self-reflection, and
every night they sit to break fast
at sundown. And while the month
of Ramadan may not affect every
Tech student, it is still important
to recognize the cultures of those
around you and in the world as a
whole.

Join the

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Entertainment

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR:

Jamie Rule

entertainment@nique.net

technique

Friday,
June 24, 2016

Hamilton musical dominates at Tony Awards

JAMIE RULE

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
The Tony Awards, or more
accurately, the Antoinette Perry
Award for Excellence in Theatre,
were decided, for the 70th time,
last week on June 12. Named after the founder of the American
Theatre Wing, these awards recognize various achievements and
talents in the realm of live Broadway theatre. While the debate of
if the Tony Awards are the Oscars
of Theatre or merely a promotional vehicle still rages, the fact
remains that those who won the
awards still deserve recognition
for their talent.
There were 36 Broadway plays
and musicals eligible for Tony
Awards this year, about half of
which were musicals. These plays
included Allegiance, Amazing Grace, An Act of God,
China Doll, and Our Mothers
Brief Affair, none of which received nominations for any of the
24 awards.
Of the rest of the plays, only
eight won awards with Hamilton: an American Musical
bringing in 11 single-handedly.
The musical, which was about
US founding father Alexander
Hamilton, debuted on Broadway
in August of last year to immediate success. Hamilton is an interesting yet informative form of
biography. Songs convey the lesser
known points of the American
Revolution and aftermath as they
pertain to the rather important
lead character.
The Tony Awards confirmed
the musicals worth with 16 nominations, a new record. Some of
its earned awards include ones for
orchestration, choreography and
lighting design.
Hamilton also earned awards
for individual actors. The most interesting of these categories was
Best Performance by a Featured
Actor in a Musical, where three
supporting actors in Hamilton
were nominated for the same
award. Beating out actors from
Shuffle Along and Waitress,

Daveed Diggs won for his role as

Thomas Jefferson.
Phillipa Soo, who played
Hamiltons wife, herself an influential woman, was nominated for
the fourth and final category for
performers in musicals (Best Performance by a Leading Actress).
Instead, however, that honor went
to Cynthia Erivo for her role as
Celie Harris Johnson in The Color Purple. In its original run, this
musical also won for best actress
when Rhonda LeChanze Sapp
was playing the same role.
Based on a book of the same
name by Alice Walker, the revival
of The Color Purple musical
also won the category for Best Revival of a Musical.
The second most popular play
at the Tony Awards was The Humans, a new play about family,
illness and relationships. It won
in the coveted category of Best
Play (with Hamilton, of course,
winning the similar category of
Best Musical) as well as for the
category of Best Scenic Design.
The other two awards received by
The Humans were for the respective performances of two of
its featured actors, Reed Birney as
Erik Blake and Jayne Houdyshell
as Deirdre Blake.
The revival of Long Days
Journey into Night, garnered
seven nominations and won for
Best Lighting Design in a Play
and for Jessica Langes leading
role as Mary Tyrone. This was not
the plays first Tony Award, as it
received the Tony Award for Best
Play in 1957.
A View from the Bridge won
for Best Revival of a Play and Best
Direction of a Play. Ivo van Hove
directed this convoluted love story
that was originally written and
later revised by Arthur Miller.
This marks the second time that
A View from the Bridge won the
Tony Award for Best Revival of
a Play, having previously earned
this honor in 1998.
The remainder of the eligible
Broadway plays and musicals won
in a more modest number of categories, even though many were
nominated for multiple awards.

Photos courtesy of Hamilton: An American Musical, Eclipsed and Roundabout Theatre Company

Long Days Journey into Night (top), Hamilton: an American Musical (top middle), The Humans (bottom middle), Eclipsed (bottom) and She Loves
Me (right) received Tony Awards at last weeks ceremony. While the awards were rather one sided the performances at the awards ceremony were entertaining.

10 June 24, 2016 technique

// ENTERTAINMENT

Venetian merchants ships and spotlight in peril

SHOWS

Merchant of Venice
WRITER: William
Shakespeare
DIRECTOR: Laura Cole
PERFORMERS: Amee Vyas,
Matt Nitchie, and Chris
Rushing
LOCATION: Shakespeare
Tavern
DATE: June 2-19

OUR TAKE:
JAMIE RULE

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
The Shakespeare Tavern is an
Atlanta playhouse located just
down the street from the Fabulous Fox Theatre. While both are
known for their performances, the
tavern, as its name would suggest,
tends to focus on performances of
Shakespearean plays, the most recent of which was The Merchant
of Venice.
With many of the cast members from the May 2015 rendition
reappearing in this months Merchant of Venice, the actors manage to convey their characters predicaments with all the clarity one
can reasonably expect of Shakespeares work. Luckily, the rather
confusing start to the play sets up
the characters and plot no farther
than can easily be recapped in later scenes, and the audience soon
overcomes the initial confusion to
enjoy the later parts of the story.
William Shakespeares The
Merchant of Venice is named
after Antonio (Matt Nitchie), a
well-off merchant whose entire
wealth is currently invested in
foreign trade ships. Wishing to
lend money to his friend Bassanio
(Chris Rushing), the merchant

Photo courtesy of Shakespeare Tavern

From left to right, Chris Rushing, Amee Vyas, Kirstin Calvert and Doug Graham performed as Bassiano, Portia, Nerissa and Gratiano respectively. The plays three couples stole the spotlight from the eponymous Merchant of Venice, Antonio.

agrees to borrow from Shylock

(Doug Kaye), whom he has always
despised both for being a moneylender and for being Jewish. Since
this feeling is mutual, Shylock
asks for a pound of flesh from
Antonio should he not repay his
loan within three months.
Thus ends the initial confusion
as well as the set up of the play.
The remainder of The Merchant
of Venice shows how Bassanio
spent Antonios money in pursuit
of a woman (Portia, Amee Vyas)
and finally, how a ruined merchant could resolve his debt.
Though officially classified as a
comedy, the dual tales of the lovers and the merchant do not in

themselves present much in the

way of humor. There are throwaway lines and a few dialogues
to make the audience laugh, but
these spots of humor do not overshadow the rest of the story, leading one to question why this is
still considered a comedy. On the
other hand, the hallmark of tragedy (everyone dying in the end)
is decidedly absent, as only Antonios life is in danger, so the sprinkling of jokes throughout tip the
scales in favor of comedy despite
the serious storyline.
This Shakespearean comedy
will never be remembered for
its political correctness or for its
characters stellar judgment and

forethought. The story presents

more than enough anti-Semitism
and other forms of bigotry with
the actors showing that this was
acceptable at the time when the
play was written and takes place.
It does, however, show that women are far more intelligent than
given credit for as Portia, pretending to be a lawyer, seems to know
the letter of the law better than all
present in the court. This slight
admission is not acknowledged by
anyone, though and as soon as the
cross-dressing ends, the women
are treated just as they were before
the display of intellect.
In addition to this aspect of a
play from centuries in the past,

whenever a character must make

a pivotal decision, they either
choose something foolish or are
persuaded against their own judgment to do so. This leads to otherwise seemingly intelligent characters to make huge errors that
advance the plot. Such lapses in
judgment might be seen as typical
human error when seen individually, but it is far easier, in this instance, to see them for what they
are: plot devices.
Much like Romeo and Juliet,
this Shakespearean play would
have been extraordinarily short
and devoid of a climactic ending
had anyone thought about their
ventures for even a minute longer.

Have you ever wanted to be

an on-air DJ?
Are you interested in:
music
engineering
business
live sound
free concerts?
Come join the countrys only college HD
station broadcasting at 100,000 Watts!
located on the second floor of the student
center, above subway.
| twitter.com/wrek | facebook.com/wrekatlanta
wrek.org|

technique June 24, 2016 11

// ENTERTAINMENT

Depot. The types of crafts present

at this festival include wire sculptures, jewelry, woodcarvings and
various paper crafts. There is sure
to be something to interest everyone present.

JAMIE RULE

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
With Tech being located in the
heart of Georgias capitol, students
should have no trouble finding enjoyable events to attend. Atlanta
has much to offer if one merely
has the time and the will to look.
ATLANTA BIKE EXPO
The Atlanta Bike Expo charges
$10 admission, but it is the largest
bicycle show held in Georgia. This
exposition is currently planned
for Saturday, July 16, and will be
held at the Georgia International
Convention Center. Not only will
this event showcase bicycles of all
types, but there will be vendors
and competitions as well as a bike
fashion show.
OLD FOURTH WARD ARTS

FANTASTIC FOURTH
At 9:30 p.m. on July 4th, Stone
Mountain Park will be hosting a
more extravagant laser show with
fireworks to celebrate Independence Day. This same show will
also be performed the three days
leading up to Independence Day,
so for those with other celebration
plans, the show can be seen July
13. Though admission is technically free, it is $15 for a parking
pass.
FOX THEATRE
Within walking distance of
campus, the Fox Theatre will be
finishing its showing of the musical The Wizard of Oz this
weekend. For the rest of June and
most of July, the theater will be
hosting several touring shows in-

cluding Bring It! Live on June

29, The Naked Magic Show on
July 8 and 9, and a performance
by Shawn Mendes on July 17.
ICE CREAM FESTIVAL
On July 23, Piedmont park
will host the sixth annual Atlanta
Ice Cream Festival. In addition to
ice cream, the event will, counterintuitively, provide, as the official
website describes a variety of
health and wellness engagement
activities, fitness routines and
other entertainment. The event
is from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. and
admission is free.
BUD-N-BURGERS
The second annual Budweiser
and Burgers festival will be held
at Brookhaven Park from 12:30
p.m. until 7 p.m. on Saturday,
June 25.
This expo will feature the food
of between 20 and 25 local burger
restaurants. Admission is free,
and its attendees will be invited to
vote on which restaurant in atten-

dance offers the best hamburger,

so be sure to try all of them.
COBB ENERGY CENTER
A bit farther from Tech, located near Interstate 285, the Cobb
Energy Performing Arts Center
is the venue of choice for a wide
variety of performances. This Saturday, Sinbad will be presenting
stand up comedy. For the second
weekend of July, the musical Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat will be gracing the Performing Arts Centers stage.
HIGH MUSEUM
Although the High Museum
is always displaying an exhibition,
the subject matter changes month
to month. The Rise of Sneaker
Culture and Viz Muniz will be
on display until August alongside
several other exhibitions..
The High hosts several events
for the public including weekly Friday HIGHlights Gallery
Talks and a screening of the film
Sneakerheadz on July 22.

On Saturday, June 25 from

10 a.m. until 6 p.m. and Sunday
from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m., the
Historic Fourth Ward Park will
be hosting an art festival. Admission is free, and the artists booths
will be interspersed with live entertainment.
Since emphasis is placed on
promoting art and not commerce,
festival goers will be able to enjoy
themselves regardless of whether
or not they would like a souvenir.
ICE
Another festival to be held in
Atlanta this weekend is the Indie
Craft Experience (ICE), which
will be held at the Georgia Freight

THE

(L) Photo courtesy of Josh Hallert ;(R) Photo by Sho Kitamura Student Publications

Above are two popular spots in Atlanta. The High Museum (Left) displays new galleries every few month and the Fox Theatre (Right) puts on popular shows for the family.

North
Avenue
Review

GETAWAY

FROM PAGE 1

The second track was released

as this albums first single earlier
this year. Like most songs of this
album, Dark Necessities tells a
story instead of endlessly repeating a sentence or two. Even with
the general good sound presented
in the song, paying attention to
the lyrics is a must to fully appreciate Dark Necessities.
The Getaways sixth track,
Sick Love, sounds strikingly
similar to the bands 1999 song
Scar Tissue. Though the lyrics of the two songs have nothing in common, the intonation of
the words and the backing music
make an unquestionable connection between the two.
Perhaps the most interesting
song of Red Hot Chili Peppers
newest album is the thirteenth
and final track, Dreams of a
Samurai. This song is perplexing. While its music is similar in
style to the rest of the album, the
lyrics make no sense at all and
seem to be daring the listener to
figure them out. Much like Becks
Loser, Dreams of a Samurai is
a conglomeration of proper English words strung together to paint
surreal and nonsensical pictures.
One such stanza contains the
lines You got a little lord fish and
I dont know why I got a metamorphosis samurai. At least the
songs title offers some consolation, as dreams tend not to make
sense, so perhaps listeners are intended to sit back and enjoy the
sound without worrying about
listening too closely.
As with any album, The Getaway has its share of mediocre
music with the better additions to
Red Hot Chili Peppers repertoire.
Fortunately, the band has seen fit
to space out such songs, so when
listening to the album in its intended order, listeners will receive
breaks between the not so good
ones and be able to end their listening on a good, though bizarre,
note with Dreams of a Samurai.

READ.
THINK.
SPEAK.

northavereview.com

12 June 24, 2016 technique

XKCD BY RANDALL MUNROE

// COMICS

ZIGGY BY TOM WILSON & TOM II

CLASSIC
FOXTROT BY BILL AMEND

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

ACROSS
1. Unexplored, like a house with no water pipes?
(9)
6. Little woman involved in racket in French city
(5)
9. Theres profiting possibly made from ballet
(3,4,2,6)
10. Some require a system thats simple (4)
11. Growths rejected as fodder (5)
12. Money is posted we hear (4)
15. Foul-mouthed professional meets supporter at
end of game (7)
16. Count who was fond of claret (7)
17. Punished again and purified? (7)
19. Son advances slowly and writes badly (7)
20. Business is steady (4)
21. Shes first to laugh at garment (5)
22. Im backing set of books to make money (4)
26. Fifty million more can rebuild Washington
monument (7,8)
27. Trevor endlessly misbehaves in public (5)
28. Elderly theatre director? Hes an experienced
performer (3,6)

SMBC BY ZACH WEINERSMITH

LAST ISSUES SOLUTION

DOWN
1. 3 Down possibly accepts one for free (5)
2. Squash served with pear for media event (5,10)
3. One piece of equipment (4)
4. Inspire gutless brute to take heart perhaps (7)
5. First to declare Freud a terrible cheat (7)
6. Hoax victim is awaited outside front of palace
(4)
7. Script in which characters are not seen individually (6-2,7)
8. Late drinks for the birds? (9)
13. Jack takes family member on trip (5)
14. Arabs fighting in Iraq (5)
15. Responsibility of minister or of pilot possibly
(9)
18. One thats spotted entertaining grand opera
singer (7)
19. Take the place of another and prosper (7)
23. Workman needs hat, right? (5)
24. Show of disapproval hurt ultimately, but you
put your foot in it! (4)
25. Fit for boxing match (4)
BY ALBERICHCROSSWORDS.COM

technique June 24, 2016 13

// COMICS

DILBERT BY SCOTT ADAMS

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE BY STEPHEN PASTIS

CLASSIC
CUL DE SAC BY RICHARD THOMPSON

LIO BY MARK TATULLI

CLASSIC
CALVIN & HOBBES BY BILL WATTERSON

SUDOKU PUZZLE

BY JAMIE RULE, ASSISTANT ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

14 June 24, 2016 technique

APR FROM PAGE 16

Only 3 percent of Power 5 squads
face ineligibility for NCAA-sanctioned championships, while the
same holds true for 6 percent of
conferences without autonomous
governance.
While national average APR
has more or less held steady, 13
of 15 Tech teams improved their
scores this year, every program
except for the mens and womens
basketball teams.
Although perfect scores of
1000 for volleyball, mens swimming and diving and golf are incredible feats, perhaps most impressive on the national spectrum
is the lofty 987 posted by Paul
Johnsons Jackets football team.
Although Tech suffered through
injuries, misfortune and the growing pains of inexperience on Saturdays, their score places them in
the 90th percentile nationally and
second-best in the conference,
courtesy of ramblinwreck.com.
Tech footballs retention and
eligibility prowess stands out at a
time when the sport lags behind
others in preparing its participants
for life outside of the sport.
Football accounts for 5 of the 16
mens teams that lost postseason
access after the 2014-15 season
thanks to low APR scores.
These accolades are no stranger
to the Jackets. The mens golf
team, for example, has sustained
a decade of success under head
coach Bruce Heppler, wining the
APR Public Recognition award
each year.
Whether Techs teams will
improve on a mostly tepid showing across the board last season
remains an open question,. In
the blink of an eye, a season that
seems destined to end in a conference championship or bowl game
can slip out of control.
Regardless of how many
trophies Tech athletes bring to
campus, though, they will no
doubt continue a tradition of
academic excellence.

// SPORTS

Tourney struggles end strong baseball season

CASEY MILES
STAFF WRITER

The Jackets baseball team

capped off what initially seemed
to be a promising season with a
very disappointing postseason
run. Going into the ACC tournament the team was ranked 25th
in the nation and put into a playin game against the Boston College Eagles with the winner moving on to participate in pool play.
The Jackets won that game
6-0 off of the back of both solid
hitting and pitching; however, as
they advanced to pool play, the
performance on both sides was
lacking. They could afford few
missteps against elite competition.
The Jackets pool consisted
of two of the countrys top five
teams: No. 2 Miami and No. 4
Florida State, not to mention No.
13 North Carolina State. During
the season, Tech had a poor 2-7
record against these teams, only
picking up wins against NC State
and Miami.
The first matchup, the Jackets
against the Miami Hurricanes, resulted in a disappointing 4-0 loss
for Tech, with three runs coming
in the first inning.
The following day, Tech faced
a team that would go on to the
conference finals: Florida State.
Another poor start sealed the
Jackets fate in a 6-1 loss, and allowing four runs in the first three
innings saddled the team with an
insurmountable deficit.
Finally, the team faced off
against the opponent they were
closest to in the rankings, NC
State. While both teams knew
that the ACC title was out of
reach, there was still the hope that
a good performance could result
in better seeding in the upcoming
NCAA Tournament.
The Jackets again started poorly, giving up three runs in the sec-

ond inning, but they rallied back

with five tallies in an explosive
fourth.
With third-year Matthew
Gorst dealing on the mound,
it seemed that Tech had all but
locked up the game heading into
the ninth inning. With two outs
and two runners on base in the
last inning, Gorst forced Shane
Shepherd into hitting a routine
pop fly to center field; however,
third-year Ryan Peurifoy was unable to come down with the catch
and both runners scored. Tech
would not recover.
A common theme throughout
the year for the Jackets was solid
hitting with pitching that was
good enough to pass; however,

the hitting for Tech was extremely

lackluster in all three pool play
games. Runs were only scored in
two out of 30 innings played.
The Jackets were given the
second seed in the Gainesville regional, being paired with No. 1
overall Florida, the third-seeded
University of Connecticut, and
fourth seed Bethune-Cookman.
A rigorous draw for the team
meant that they would have to put
up extremely stellar performances
across multiple games in hopes of
advancing to a super-regional.
Two wins and two losses in the
regional, including a suffocating
10-1 loss to Florida, was enough
to eliminate the Jackets from regional competition.

With an unfortunate end to

a season that started off so well,
the Jackets continued to falter in
key games. In the Danny Hall
era, the Jackets are 55-45 in the
postseason and have reached the
super-regionals five times with no
appearances since 2006.
As next season rolls around, it
will be curious to see the changes
Coach Hall makes, to the lineup
and playing style alike. As the
game trends more and more towards a pitcher-centric style it
seems that the Yellow Jackets
intent focus on offense is hurting their chances to compete for a
College World Series. The talent is
present in Atlanta; forming it into
a title contender is the next step.

Photo by John Nakano Student Publications

Outfielder Kel Johnson discusses strategy with assistant coach Bryan Prince. Johnson and
his teammates put on an fiery offensive display at times, but faltered in the postseason.

technique June 24, 2016 15

// SPORTS

Tech softball team takes small step forward

CASEY MILES
STAFF WRITER

Photo by John Nakano Student Publications

Infielder Jessica Kowalewicz stands ready in an at-bat. Kowalewicz, a rising senior, will provide veteran savvy and poise to a young, potentially exciting Tech softball team in 2017.

all too often, the offense could not

deliver in tight spots.
The team batting average was
.228 with only senior Courtney
Ziese batting above .300. Going
into next season, Head Coach
Shelly Hoerner will have her work
cut out for her.
Despite the somewhat depressing tone the losing record shows,
the team has improved over the
past few years with Hoerner as
head coach. In her third season,
Hoerner has improved the Jackets
total number of wins, increased
the amount of hits, and decreased
the teams ERA.
In terms of honors for players,
Courtney Ziese earned a spot on
the All-ACC Second team and six

players were named NFCA AllAmerica Scholar-Atheletes.

Furthermore, in terms of talent
coming in next year, the Jackets
are bringing in the No. 24 recruiting class in the nation. This recruiting class includes the No. 48
and 58 recruits in the country. In
this recruiting class, Hoerner will
be bringing in a pitcher, a catcher
and four fielders, courtesy of
ramblinwreck.com.
Going into next season the
Jackets have a lot to look forward
to. There are plenty of reasons for
fans to think this year will mark
a significant improvement over
years past.
After all, the team is only losing three players, though Zieses

bat will be missed, they have one

of the top 25 recruiting classes in
the country, and many of the returning players have showed improvement over their time at Tech
Perhaps most importantly, the
team has consistency at the helm
with Coach Hart. Steady improvement, frustrating as it may
seem, is the trajectory the team
has taken over the past two seasons, and with an influx of youth,
there is no reason to believe that
trend will not continue.
Tech softball has taken a backseat to sports such as mens basketball and football in recent years.
Its postseason drought, though,
could soon be little more than a
relic of the past.

smaller slot receivers.

While no other Jackets heard
their names called in Chicago during the draft, multiple have found
opportunities via undrafted free
agents. Safety Demond Smith and
running back Broderick Snoddy
signed pacts with the Green Bay
Packers. Smith joins former Tech
standout Morgan Burnett in the
Packers defensive backfield.
Meanwhile, safety and special teams maven Jamal Golden
earned a free agent tryout from
the Atlanta Falcons.
Despite its typical inability to
recruit elite high school talent and
its unconventional style of play,
Tech has seen a number of stars on
the Flats turn into excellent competitors at the NFL level.
Wide receivers such as
Calvin Johnson and Demaryius
Thomas, defensive ends like
Michael Johnson and Derrick
Morgan, and the aforementioned
Burnett have played key roles
on their respective teams, while
young players such as Jeremiah
Attaochu are beginning to assume
significant roles themselves.
Nonetheless, the jump from
college football to the National
Football League is rarely an easy
one. Offensive linemen are bigger
and more athletic, defenders
apply honed technique along with
raw talent, and both offensive
and defensive schemes become
significantly more complicated.
This rapid escalation has its casualties. For example, former Tech
wide receiver Stephen Hill has
toiled in relative obscurity despite
his positions pedigree at Tech.
There is no guarantee that even
the brightest of college stars will
achieve any success in the NFL.
Whether the Jackets latest
batch of NFL players will make it
big or succumb to the NFLs high
pressure environment will be a
small subplot in one of professional sports most fervently followed
theaters.

northavereview.com

THE

READ.
THINK.
SPEAK.

North
Avenue
Review

The Jackets softball team ended their season on May 8th with
a doubleheader loss to the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill. However, the team showed
a great deal of improvement compared to the beginning of the year.
They finished with an overall record of 22-33 and a conference
record of 7-16.
In their final 15 games of the
season, the Jackets had a record
of 6-9, with three of those losses
coming in their final series against
UNC. In addition, the team posted a 4-3 record on the road down
the stretch, a marked improvement for a team that struggled so
much away from home this year.
Unfortunately for the Jackets,
their conference record landed
them just short of making the
ACC softball tournament.
While Tech was unable to post
enough victories to extend their
season, the young team showed
improvement and still has even
more room to grow. The roster this
season had consisted of eight underclassmen with key performers
such as freshman catcher Kaylee
Ellebracht, sophomore shortstop
Kelsey Chisholm, and freshman
first baseman Katie Krzus.
Moving forward, the Jackets
will have to continue to make
improvements in both hitting
and pitching. Two of the primary
pitchers used this year were underclassmen, and sophomore Emily
Anderson dropped her earned run
average by three points from this
year compared to last year.
In the hitting department,
the Jackets will definitely have to
improve going into next year if
they want to move up in the ACC
standings. Their pitching was sufficient to keep them in games, but

DRAFT FROM PAGE 16

Sports

SPORTS EDITOR:

Harsha Sridhar

sports@nique.net

All about The U

technique

Despite a tumultuous season, there is

reason to be optimistic about Jackets
softball.415

16

Friday,
June 24, 2016

NCAA grants stellar report card for Tech athletics

HARSHA SRIDHAR
SPORTS EDITOR

With academic controversies

rocking institutions from Florida
State to UNC-Chapel Hill, the
term student athlete seems to
have moved away from the former
word and towards the latter.
Questions of compensation
and the legitimacy of NCAA rules
against certain player activity have
arisen, forcing all participants in
the system, from athletes to fans
to administrators, to confront
that college athletics has morphed
from a character-building pastime
to a highly lucrative business.
When University of Kentucky
mens basketball coach, John
Calipari, announced that all of
his players, from top-five material
to walk-ons, would declare for the
NBA draft in an effort to exploit
a procedural loophole; it said less
about the shrewd Wildcats helmsman than it did about a system
in which the college experience
is little more than a development
league for the truly gifted.
Leaving school after a season
is not a sign of disloyalty; its a
calculated risk, a business decision.
One college injury can derail the
career of a previously surefire pro
prospect, costing him millions in
a matter of seconds. Choosing to
leave is understandable.
In the face of the increasingly
quasi-professional climate of

college athletics, Techs teams

have fared as well or better in
the classroom than they have on
the field of play. The NCAAs
Annual Progress Report (APR)
recognized a number of Jackets
teams for their strong academic
track record.
Implemented in 2003, APR
was implemented in an effort
to better quantify the success of
Division I athletic programs in
maintaining their participants on
the path to graduation. Devising a
metric for this performance would
also allow the NCAA to punish
failing schools and reward those
that took the education of their
student athletes seriously.
In calculating APR, each
student-athlete in a program is
evaluated out of a possible two
points. One point is awarded for
staying in school over the course
of that year, and another is earned
if that student maintains academic
eligibility, as determined by GPA,
throughout the year.
Once points are tallied up,
they are divided by the number
of athletes in the program and
multiplied by 1,000 to provide a
final score. Teams failing to maintain an average score of 930 over
a four-year period are disqualified
from competing in NCAA championships the following season,
courtesy of NCAA.com.
Sixteen percent of teams nationally had a perfect score over a
four-year period ending in 2015,

Photo by Tyler Meuter Student Publications

Students study at Price Gilbert Library. Techs athletes have demonstrated the same work ethic in the
classroom as they have brought to their respective sports, scoring well on the NCAAs annual review.

and nearly 95 percent would face

no sanctions. The best-performing
student athletes were ice hockey
players, with a four-year APR average of 987, while Football Bowl
Subdivision (FBS) and Football

Championship Subdivision (FCS)

competitors brought up the rear
of the field, with average scores of
964 and 954 each.
Despite having stronger standing as athletic powerhouses, the

so-called Power 5 conferences

the Big 10, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC
and ACC, all of which are granted
the ability to legislate certain internal regulations outscored
their less heralded counterparts.

See APR, page 14

Star Tech defenders selected at 2016 NFL Draft

HARSHA SRIDHAR
SPORTS EDITOR

Outsiders to Tech football

often think first of its
unconventional attack, a jumble
of bruising running backs, quick
edge players, field-stretching
receivers and a quarterback
mobile enough to perhaps form a
coherent offense. Left out of the
discussion is the defense.
While hardly reminiscent of
the 1985 Chicago Bears fearsome
unit, Ted Roofs players have provided timely stops in big games,
from an end-zone interception
against previously unblemished
Florida State passer Everett Golson to a clutch sack to prevent a
Bulldogs score before halftime
in the latest rendition of Good,
Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate.
The success of the Jackets defense, particularly its individual
performances, was not lost on
general managers at the 2016
NFL Draft, where two Tech players were selected: defensive end,
Adam Gotsis, and cornerback,
D.J. White.
Selected by the defending Super Bowl champion, the Denver
Broncos, Gotsis will have an early
opportunity to join one of pro
footballs finest defenses in recent
memory. An Australia native, the
6-foot-4-inch team captain made
an impact that reached beyond his
relatively modest statistical contributions.

Photo by John Nakano Student Publications

Defensive end Adam Gotsis keeps his eyes downfield against Syracuse. Gotsis was
one of two Tech players to hear his name called during the three-day NFL Draft.

Gotsis occupied double teams,

freeing up linebackers to make
plays against the run and pass.
His absence for much of the UNC
game following a controversial
ejection began the Jackets
unraveling against Marquise
Williams and the Tar Heels

offense, and a season-ending

knee injury against the Cavaliers
stripped Tech of its premier player
in its defensive front seven.
Broncos fans can expect Gotsis
to occupy a similar role at the next
level. While he has gotten after
the passer on occasion and shown

flashes of disruption, scouts question his ability to stay on the field

in third-down situations, courtesy of NFL.com. His forte will
likely remain his capacity to free
up elite edge rushers like Von
Miller and DeMarcus Ware, a
strong enough value that Denver

general manager John Elway saw

fit to draft Gotsis.
On Gotsis, Elway said that the
former Jacket was a guy that we
targeted and we didnt want to
take any chances to let him slide,
courtesy of ESPN.com. The Hall
of Fame quarterback turned team
executive was reportedly enamored the defensive ends physical
stature upon meeting him, although he admitted that the team
drafted Gotsis earlier than most
projections would have led outsiders to expect.
Other NFL pick, cornerback
D.J. White, will forever be remembered in Tech lore for sealing the 2015 contest against UGA
with an overtime interception. He
will look to make his mark on a
similarly rich football tradition in
Kansas City, joining the Chiefs
and occupying the same division
as former teammate Gotsis.
While Gotsis found himself
drafted on day two, White waited
until the sixth round to hear his
name called. This was not a drastic surprise the cornerback
class was a particularly strong one
in a rather deep draft but will
no doubt provide the Atlanta native with a chip on his shoulder.
CBS Sports Rob Rang wrote
before the draft that while White
lacks the long frame that pro
scouts increasingly covet in corners and safeties, he has the athleticism and skillset to succeed
in the nickel package, guarding
See DRAFT, page 15