September 16, 2016Volume 102, Issue 7nique.

net

ENTERTAINMENT

technique
News 2

SPORTS

Black life in Atlanta

Opinions 6

p17 Eleven-under at CCI

Life 10

Entertainment 14

p21

Sports 24

TECH RANKS ON US NEWS AND WORLD, OTHER LISTS

NEWS

BAYLEE FRIEDMAN

CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The Princeton Review released the
25th Annual Best Colleges Guidebook earlier this month, ranking the
381 Best Schools in several categories,
ranging from Best Dining Halls to
Best Pay Back.
Tech tops several of the lists in the
201617 guidebook.
Students from the 381 best colleges
across the nation were asked to rank
their schools on multiple topics, and
Tech students placed the Institute on
seven of the lists.
Apart from being one of the Best
381 Colleges, Tech was among schools
selected for Best Southeastern Colleges and Colleges That Pay You Back.
Continuing the trend, Tech made
the list of green colleges. Tech even
came in at number 23 out of the top
50. The Green Colleges category is
determined by students opinions of environmentally responsible policies and
quality of life on campus.
In addition to high praise for the environmentalism of the Institute, Tech
received recognition on two other noteworthy lists, ranking 20th for Best
Career Placement and 25th for Colleges that Pay You Back Without Aid.
Of particular note is Techs absence
from the Reviews Least Happy Students list. Montana Tech of the University of Montana topped the list, with
the New Jersey Institute of Technology
placing second.
U.S. News & World Report also
released their annual Best Colleges
Rankings of 2016 this month, with
Tech upholding its status as the seventh best public university in America.
The U.S. News ranking system is
based on a formula that factors in both the
quantitative measures that educational
See RANKINGS, page 4

Top L: Photo courtesy of FX; Top R: Photo by Danny Karnik; Above: Photo by Ashleigh Bunch Student Publications

LIFE

Spillin the Beans on SCPCs Coffee Tasting Class

HANNA WARLICK
STAFF WRITER

Blue Donkey has always focused on coffee, and theyve found

a home here at Tech.
The company has been a major
draw to Techs Farmers Markets
for the past three or so years. Last
spring, Blue Donkey found a permanent home in the Student Center in the area previously reserved
for Pizza Hut.
However, the coffee shop exists
in other locations around Atlanta.
Currently set up Piedmont Park,

Blue Donkey is quickly growing,

making appearances in markets
near Emory, Peachtree City and
Johns Creek, and is looking to
spread to other locations.
This semester, Blue Donkey is
partnering with SCPC to put on a
four-week coffee tasting class. The
written objective is to give participants an overview of the coffee
supply chain and an appreciation
for coffee sensory attributes.
However, the majority of students are most excited about the
tasting.
Sayak Chatterjee, a secondyear EE major, got the last of

twenty available spots to take this

class. He is coming in with an
open mind not that he knows
nothing, but rather he has no preconceived notions about coffee
tasting or brewing.
Sitting next to Chatterjee
is Jill Andriotty, a second-year
CMPE student. She found out
about the class because she saw
a poster on campus. Students
had to sign up quickly all
spots were gone within two days.
Andriotty, like most Tech
students, had her own coffee tasting the previous night.
See SCPC, page 12

Photo courtesy of Hannah Lee

Blue Donkeys coffee tasting class, presented by SCPC, taught

students how to appreciate every aspect of a cup of coffee.

2 September 16, 2016 technique

// NEWS

technique

ach week, this section of News

will include the coverage of
dierent aspects of bills that
passed through Student Government
This will include the Undergraduate
House of Representatives, Graduate
Student Senate and the Executive
Branch of both government bodies.

The Souths Liveliest College Newspaper

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF:
Vidya Iyer
MANAGING EDITOR:
Nick Johnson
NEWS EDITOR:
Maura Currie
OPINIONS EDITOR:
David Raji
LIFE EDITOR:
Jonathan Long
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR:
Kara Pendley
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
EDITOR EMERITUS:
Brenda Lin
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

MAURA CURRIE
NEWS EDITOR

BILL SUMMARY
AMOUNT
$17,456.50
$3,313.74
$2,000.00
$1,670.00
$2,457.68
$3,435.72

BILL
Tech Crew Regattas and Fees
Joint Allocation to GT Airsoft
Ice Hockey Club Team Jerseys
Joint Allocation to Barbell Club
Joint Allocation to TEAM Buzz
SGA Retreat

GOOD VIBES
The Institutes all-male a cappella club, Sympathetic Vibrations, or SympVibes, requested
funding for eight new wireless
microphones and for registra-

GSS

UHR

20-1-0
21-0-2
15-1-0
15-0-0
15-0-0
N/A

26-3-3
19-2-0
32-0-0
32-0-0
33-0-0
31-0-0

tion to compete in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA). The

eight new microphones are completing a set of 16, the first eight
of which were funded by SGA
restees person, but is registered
under the name of a 26-year-old
male apparently unrelated to the
woman who was arrested.

MAURA CURRIE
NEWS EDITOR

INN A LOT OF TROUBLE

A GTPD officer pulled over
a Jeep Grand Cherokee as it
stopped at the intersection of
Spring Street and Linden Avenue after the owner of the
vehicles registration returned
as being wanted in another
jurisdiction.
The owner, a 30-year-old
woman whose address registered
as a Microtel Inn and Suites
in Cherokee County, was arrested on the scene on account
of the warrant and for Theft of
Services. A black Visa credit
card was recovered from the ar-

TINY GRASS IS SLEEPING

A landscaping employee
contacted GTPD at 7:30 in the
morning on a Friday to report a
what appeared to be a homeless
man sleeping on Techs property. The officer was dispatched
to a ticket booth at McCamish
Pavillon, at which location he
did indeed find a 23-year-old
male at rest.
The man was removed from
his site of slumber and subsequently arrested on a single
count of Criminal Trespass.
SWEET ESC-EIGHTH STREET
An officer was patrolling
the area of Curran and Ninth
Streets intersection at approximately 6:45 p.m. on a weeknight when he spotted a suspicious male walking on campus,
appearing to be heading around
the back of the Eighth Street
Apartments.
The male, who was identified
by the officer as possibly being

in Spring 2015. The decision to

fund the purchase through two
separate bills came after SGA
funded a set of microphones for
SympVibes that did not have
compatible technology and
were ultimately unusable. The
separation of the bills allowed
SympVibes to confirm that the
microphones worked correctly
and return to complete the set.
I LIKE TO RIDE MY BIKE
Georgia Tech Cycling requested funding to send a student to the Track National Collegiate Championship to compete
in the Sprint, Time Trial, Individual Pursuit, Scratch Race and
the Points Race events. Joint Finance Committee (JFC) policy
states that SGA will only fund
up to six competitions per organization unless the organization
has achieved multidisciplinary
status, in which case SGA will
fund six competitions per discipline. The bill failed as the requested funding for the competition exceeded the competition
limit, and Track cycling did not
qualify as a separate discipline.
homeless, was arrested on one
count of Criminal Trespass.
HOME PARK AFTER DARK
A Clery Act alert was issued
to students last week in response
to an armed robbery which occurred off campus. On Sep. 9
two male victims, who identified themselves as Tech students,
were standing outside their
home on Ethel Street when a vehicle pulled up alongside them
and a passenger exited.
The passenger displayed a
weapon which the victims
identified later as possibly being
a plastic fake and demanded
the victims property.
No physical altercation
took place, however, and
the suspect left the scene
without taking custody of
any belongings which were
not his own.
The Atlanta Police Department describes the mans vehicle
as dark with tinted windows,
and describes the as yet-unidentified perpetrator as wearing a
purple t-shirt, having ear-length
dreadlocks and possibly owning
a legitimate firearm.

JONATHAN JEFFREY
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

On Sep. 10, the International

Committee of the Red Cross announced that it received 13 children soldiers that were released
from the guerrilla rebel group
named the Revolutionary Armed
Forces of Colombia Peoples
Army (FARC-EP) as the first steps
of the recent peace deal intended
to end 52 years of fighting between the Colombian government
and the FARC-EP.
The long-standing conflict
began in 1964, after the Colombian military attacked the town of
Marquetalia. The 1964 Marquetalia attack had the unintended effect of provoking the formation of
the FARC-EP and other guerrilla
groups (such as the National Liberation Army, or ELN) who have
been retaliating against Colombian military and affiliated paramilitary groups ever since with
many civilians often being killed
in the crossfire.
In 2012, Colombias National
Center for Historical Memory
estimated that between 1958 and
2012, over 218,000 people were
killed in the conflict, with civilians comprising 81 percent of the
deaths. Since then, the death toll
has climbed to over 220,000.
For most of the civil wars history, Colombian policy was to
fight guerrilla fire directly with
government fire, perpetuating
rather than ending the conflict.
Former attempted peace negotiations with the FARC-EP all
failed; after the most recent peace
talks under former President
Andrs Pastrana failed in 2002,
lvaro Uribe was elected on a
platform to ramp up the war to
bring the FARC-EP and the ELN
to their knees. The military campaign against the FARC-EP durSee BREAKING, page 5

sliver

nique.net
I wish people would stop playing the same four songs on the public piano
The CRC should be a place of swoleacceptance
Last weeks pogo article was the bitterest thing Ive read in a long
time. Its clear that the author dislikes childish things like fun
and hanging with friends in addition to the popular game
Nick Johnson is a Snoot
David likes other males.
The Technique is like the Clinton email scandal, it shouldnt exist but it does and puts America in a weird and uncomfortable
situation.
#FreeTheNip
aer lignus for your air fingus
Well sliver box, I didnt have a quiz today, but I really appreciate
your asking. Its nice to have someone who cares!
Why is everyone always blabbering about this jamaican dude
called pokey?
south park returns #BringChefBack
waow i rly hate that nicolas johanneson kid
pretty sure nobody reads these
how many of these do you think are just the same person
nicolai johnston is my favorite editorial wirter
im so tired why is life so hard all the time ugh
im honestly not convinced that Bud and Val arent aliens sent
from some planet of perfect grandparent facsimiles
i like it a lot when the technique is thoughtful enough to put slivers about crickets in the sliver box
much inclusivity

Georgia Techs Journal of the Arts and Literature

art, n. - The expression or application of creative skill and
imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting, drawing, or
sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their
beauty or emotional power.
It is art that makes life, makes interest,
makes importance and I know of no substitute whatever for the force and beauty of
its process.
Max Eastman

technique September 16, 2016 3

// NEWS

Peach State Tour brings Tech to Georgians

LINDSEY PLOUSSARD
STAFF WRITER

The Peach State Tour came

to a close at North Atlanta High
School on Sep. 8, having begun in
August at Wheeler High School.
For the past 11 years, admissions representatives from Tech
and the University of Georgia
(UGA) have been touring the
state of Georgia once a year to educate students and parents about
the college admissions process.
Typically, representatives from
Georgia State University (GSU)
only joined Tech and the UGA
for a few stops on the tour; this
time, GSU joined the tour for all
twenty-three stops.
Part of the reason GSU became
a bigger part of the Peach State
Tour this year is due to its recent
merger with Georgia Perimeter
College. The consolidation made
Georgia State one of the largest
schools in the country, with an enrollment of over 53,000 students.
Now, more Georgia high school
students have the opportunity to
attend a state research university.
In the past, the Peach State
Tour consisted of only about a
dozen stops. However, this year, it
has expanded to cover more parts
of the state, including schools in
Marietta, Augusta, Macon, Carrollton, Bainbridge, Fayetteville,
Valdosta, Louisville, Lawrenceville, Vidalia, Albany, Athens, Columbus, Tifton, Clayton, Gainesville, Savannah, Brunswick, Blue
Ridge, Waycross, Dalton, Cartersville and Atlanta.
Our goal is to be within 50
miles of every Georgian, says
Rick Clark, director of undergraduate admissions.
The goal of the Peach State
Tour was to make Georgias larg-

est universities both visible and

accessible to all students so that
admissions could better serve the
Georgia students.
Additionally, the tour not only
encourages the best and brightest Georgia students to attend the
three top public universities but
also helps talented students from
more rural parts of Georgia who
may feel hesitant about attending
a large university or moving far
away from home to a big city.
Our part of that is making
sure that were there and meeting
them on their own turf to start
the conversation and then hope

that draws them to apply or come

visit, Clark said.
The Peach State Tour went differently than it has in previous
years thanks to new changes in
college admissions standardized
testing and financial aid.
There is a lot of change going
on within the college admissions
process, Clark said.
With the Free Application for
Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
switching to using the prior years
tax return and the redesign of
the SAT, admissions had a lot of
ground to cover with counselors,
parents and students.

This year, each visit had two

parts: one program for counselors
and a separate program for parents and students.
At each school, admissions representatives met with school counselors in the mornings, a portion
they called common ground,
and presented to students and parents in the evenings.
The program tries to put any
admissions changes in context
and inform prospective students
about how to adjust. Ideally, the
Peach State Tour will ease any
anxiety that parents or students
may encounter when applying.

Each program typically lasted

about an hour and half, and each
school received roughly 15 minutes to present.
The order of the presentation
varied by location and vicinity to
each respective university. When
in and around Atlanta, Tech and
GSU presented second and third,
respectively. In Athens, Tech went
first, and the University of Georgia went last.
Early Action applications for
next years incoming freshmen
will be due Oct. 15, and Regular
Decision applications will be due
Jan. 1 of next year.

Photo courtesy of GT Communications

Rick Clark, director of undergraduate admissions, speaks with someone during a Peach State Tour session. Clark was Techs representative on the tour, which also featured counselors from Georgia State and UGA, as it visited high schools across Georgia.

COLLEGE NIGHTS
.............................
every rst and third tuesday
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
August23
September 6
September 20
October 4
October 18
November 1
November 15
November 29

Chick-fil-A West Midtown invites you to join us for College Night!

Bring your Student ID for awesome treats, live music, and more!

4 September 16, 2016 technique

RANKINGS FROM PAGE 1

experts have determined are clear
indicators of collegiate academic
prestige.
Tech made several strides in
this years rankings, moving up
from 36th to 34th Best University Overall, tying with Brandeis
University, a private school in
Waltham, Mass. Additionally,
Tech moved up from 13th to 7th
in Most Innovative School and
from 30th to 21st out of Best
Colleges for Veterans. The Scheller College of Business was named
32nd on the list of the Best Undergraduate Business Programs.
The College of Engineering
was once again highly praised
in the 2016 rankings, with all of
the engineering programs being
ranked in the Top 10 nationally
and in the Top 5 for public universities.
The school also moved up from
fifth to fourth in Undergraduate Engineering. The Industrial
Engineering Department maintained the top spot for the 27th
year in a row, and the Biomedical
Engineering Department received
a new honor in being named the
No. 1 program in the country for
the first time, up two spots from
last year.
The Civil Engineering Department rose from third to
second in the nation, while the
Environmental Engineering program climbed to fourth best
program in the country.
On the increase in rankings,
President G.P. Bud Peterson
said, Georgia Tech consistently
strives for excellence in all areas,
and we are delighted to see so
many of our programs move up
in U.S. News and World Report
rankings this year. Our Coulter
Department of Biomedical Engineering is a stellar example of the
power of collaboration, innovation and private and public support helping to create the No. 1
program in the nation.

// NEWS

Solar Decathlon team nears build of solar house

REEMA PATEL

CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Techs Solar Decathlon team
has continued to design its solarpowered home, a project that
started in August 2015. The Solar
Decathlon is a challenge set by the
U.S. Department of Energy that
requires teams to design and build
a full-sized, solar-powered home.
Tech is one of the 14 colleges selected to compete.
The team began with Alexandre Poux, third-year ME, and a
few of his friends. William Courrges-Clercq, third-year BA and
business team lead, was one of the
first to join in on the project.
[We] began this project ...
because we thought to ourselves
that were going to be in Atlanta
for around five years, CourrgesClercq said. Were going to have
so many opportunities given to us
by being in Atlanta. So how do
we do something that gives back
to Atlanta? We thought building
a solar home ... that encompasses
the spirit of Atlanta was the appropriate way to do that.
Now the team has grown to
about 50 students, encompassing
a variety of majors from Tech.
The home is called Resurgens,
Latin for resurgent or resurrecting. Courrges-Clercq said
this name was chosen after the
Atlanta city motto, which roughly
translates to rising again. The
design of the solar home was created with the idea that it needed
to be able to thrive in adversity. It
needs to be a sustainable design
that minimizes energy consumption, maximizes production and
helps solve the problem of uneven
and unplanned urban growth.
The house is going to be zero
energy, said Francesca Gencarella, fourth-year ME and mechani-

cal team lead. Were taking in

what were consuming using solar
energy.
Aside from energy, a main focus for the team is utilizing Atlantas water supply efficiently.
Were looking into a few different things: rainwater harvesting, purifying [the water], giving
it potable uses, Gencarella said.
We are also looking into netzero water. We want to store all
the rainwater and then have zero
waste. So basically, we are recycling all the water we have.
Another design feature being
considered is implementing an
Internet of Things approach of
interconnectivity, which will allow the house to interact with the
user of the home.

We are trying to have a water

consumption wall, Gencarella
said. The main idea of this is ...
for the user to see how much water
theyre consuming as the day goes
on. The water wall is designed to
remind you why the house was
built. Its about water security.
Having the [wall] constantly present in the house will let you see
your water consumption right in
front of you. Its designed to encourage responsibility.
We can build a sustainable
house ... but if there arent people
in the house who are practicing
sustainable habits, it goes by the
wayside, Courrges-Clercq said.
We want to guide [users] into
more sustainable habits, Gencarella said.

The team also hopes to have

even farther reaching impacts.
We see this project not just
as one house being built. Were
thinking about how we can we
fold what weve learned into the
curriculum of Tech.
How can we use this to create
projects for the next five years for
developing a sustainability edge
and revitalizing Westside communities. What can we learn from
this home and how can we use
it to improve the lives of people
around Atlanta? Gencarella said.
The competition is set to be
held in 2017. Those interested can
visit Techs Solar Home website
for more information, or attend
a team meeting at 9:30 a.m. on
Tuesdays in Klaus 1440.

Photo courtesy of GT Communications

A preliminary artistic rendering of the Solar House depicts a fluid and modern design.
The House will be constructed as part of a U.S. Department of Energy competition in 2017.

technique September 16, 2016 5

// NEWS

Students reminded of changes to

Code of Conduct
MAURA CURRIE
NEWS EDITOR

An email sent to all students

served to remind of the changes
Techs student Code of Conduct
underwent this past summer.
The revisions went into effect Jul. 1 and were primarily in
response to a series of guidelines
passed by the Board of Regents
(BOR) in April, mostly dealing
with the concept of due process in
sexual misconduct cases.
As such, Techs sexual misconduct policy underwent a complete
overhaul, particularly in respect to
the hearing process.
Should a victim of sexual misconduct elect to identify a respondent and pursue an Institute-run
investigation, said investigation
is now completely detached from
the Office of Student Integrity
and is instead conducted by the
Title IX Coordinator.
The Non-Academic Misconduct policies also underwent minor revisions to ensure compliance with the new BOR policies,
reinforcing the separation of sexual misconduct from the Office of
Student Integrity.
All University System of Georgia schools revised their policies to
comply with the BOR prior to the
July deadline.

TRISTEN ALLEN,
WILLIAM LIM

STAFF WRITER,
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
FAIR LABOR STANDARDS
The Tech executive team recently announced its plan to implement the changes of the new
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
Final Rule Set. The school will
implement the updates to the
FLSA as a part of a healthy worklife initiative for all employees.
The changes to the FLSA were
announced by the U.S. Department of Labor in May, with a
compliance deadline of Dec. 1.
The most significant change in
the final ruling was the increase
in the minimum wage required
to be exempt from overtime, from
$23,660 annually to $47,476 annually, which is the 40th percentile of earnings of full time
workers in the South census region. The update also establishes
an upper salary level of overtime
exemption to the 90th percentile
of earnings of full time workers,
$134,004 annually.
Eventually, 949 Tech employees will be shifted from salaried

to hourly pay, in adherence of the

federal ruling and the University
System of Georgia policies and
guidelines. Some employees will
experience increases in salaries in
order to meet the new federal salary threshold.
Tech employees can learn more
how the ruling affects them on the
Human Resources website, and
anyone else interested can find
the specifics of the FLSA final ruling on the U.S. Department of
Labors website.
NEW HIRES IN STUDENT LIFE
Multiple personnel changes
have taken place in the Division
of Student Life as the fall semester
has begun.
The Office of Greek Affairs has
hired Jamison Keller as its assistant dean and director and Amanda Fishman as its new coordinator. Keller spent the past 17 years
overseeing the Greek community
at California State University,
Northridge, and Fishman recently
earned her Masters in higher education from Auburn University.
Bonnie Weston has officially
been named the associate dean
and director of the Office of Student Integrity after being named
interim director last spring following the departure of Peter Paquette.
The Office of Student Integrity
has also hired a new coordinator, Dallas Flint, who previously
served in a similar position at
Wheaton College.
The Office of Disability Services, which was formerly known
as ADAPTS Disability Services,
hired a new director and assis-

tant director in Taffey Cunnien

and Rashad Morgan, respectively.
Cunnien was formerly the director of Counseling and Student
Services at the Savannah College
of Arts and Design in Atlanta.
Morgan previously worked with
the Florida Division of Blind
Services.
Two other departments have
also changed their names to more
accurately reflect their work:
the Office of Leadership and
Civic Engagement has formally
changed its name to Student Engagement, and the division of Parent Programs is now Parent and
Family Programs.
LIKE AN OPEN BOOK
Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT) announced
the publication of a research paper
detailing a prototype for a device
which can read letters through
stacks of pages.
The system is currently capable
of reading letters through nine
sheets of paper; the prototype was
tested with nine sheets stack on
top of one another, each with one
letter printed on the page. The system successfully interpreted all of
the letters.
The prototype is capable of
reading through the sheets of paper due to a combination of two
types of algorithms: one type
developed by MIT researchers which reads the individual
images through the paper and
another developed by Tech researchers which unscrambles or
extrapolates the correct letter from
the often garbled information
presented by the device.

BREAKING FROM PAGE 2

ing Uribes presidency has allowed
Uribes successor, current President Juan Miguel Santos, to bring
FARC-EP leaders to the table and
discuss de-escalation.
On Aug. 24, 2016, the final
peace deal was announced, and
now all that is left is for the Colombian people to vote to ratify
it. This is not necessarily a trivial
vote, as a general sense of cynicism
and dissatisfaction has built up
over years of unceasing conflict,
and former President Uribe, who
used to lead the war against the
FARC-EP, now leads the opposition to the peace deal.
As part of the deal, the FARCEP has plans to free all remaining
minors of whom there could
be nearly 200 who will not be
charged for their crimes but instead will enter a process for reintegration into general Colombian
society; the release of 13 minors
on Sunday begins this process.
However, for the adults of the
FARC-EP, the story is different:
after a process of concentrating
themselves into zones and laying aside their weapons, FARCEP members will be detained and
face a special tribunal to prosecute
them for their war crimes.
All of the previous actions are
contingent on whether the peace
accord passes; however, if the majority of Colombians votes No
to the deal on Oct. 2, then four
years of negotiations will have
yielded nothing concrete.
A Yes vote would mean that
Colombia can potentially end this
long, bloody chapter in its history.

Opinions
OUR VIEWS | Consensus Opinion

I intend to live forever, or die trying.

- Groucho Marx

Failure of Career Fairs new app

Not making adequate use of selected technology

With a very large concentration of students attending the Career Fair, organization is paramount. Everyone who arrives
should ideally know which companies
they want to speak with before they walk
into the building to ensure they dont end
up ambling around aimlessly.
Yet, what should have been a simple step
in preparation was rendered difficult. This
was due to the fact the necessary information was only easily available on the new
Career Fair mobile application, Careers
by Symplicity.
This app, which integrated Symplicitys
CareerBuzz website to some degree, would
ostensibly make finding information about
the various companies at the fair easier.
However, it proved frustrating for some
and impossible to use for others.
First, it required that anyone who
wished to see information log into their
CareerBuzz account. CareerBuzz remains
one of the sole Tech-associated services

that necessitates a separate login from the

normally ubiquitous GT username and
password. Some students were not even
able to get past this step, being presented
with error messages even when entering
the correct information.
Even if the login wasnt any trouble, it is
worth noting that the transfer of information between the CareerBuzz website and
the app proved to be dubious. For example, if one had favorited five companies
on the CareerBuzz website, not all of them
would show up during use of the app.
One of the great advantages of having
a dedicated Career Fair app is the ability
to update everyone about any changes to
the agenda or planned companies in attendance. Yet, this potential advantage was
disregarded; some students skipped class
and walked all the way across campus only
to find out a company did not show up.
In future years, this poor app should be
removed or revamped.

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

technique

OPINIONS EDITOR: David Raji

Friday,
September 16, 2016

YOUR VIEWS | Online Comments

Van Leer prepares for update

Of course it had to happen after I graduate...

Mahdir Ishmam
And bathrooms for girls?

Michael Sobrepera
So many good memories, some even academic!
Thanks for posting the photo :)

Pat Bahr
Can I go back now?

Chace Crowell
TOP SLIVERS

The Technique is like the Clinton email scandal, it

shouldnt exist but it does and puts America in a weird
and uncomfortable situation.
Last weeks pogo article was the bitterest thing Ive
read in a long time. Its clear that the author dislikes
childish things like fun and hanging with friends
in addition to the popular game

Vidya Iyer EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Nick Johnson MANAGING EDITOR
Maura Currie NEWS EDITOR
Harsha Sridhar SPORTS EDITOR
Jon Long LIFE EDITOR
Sara Schmitt PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Ross Lindsay WEB DEVELOPER

David Raji OPINIONS EDITOR

Kara Pendley ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
Brighton Kamen DESIGN EDITOR
Brenda Lin EDITOR EMERITUS
Alexis Brazier HEAD COPY EDITOR

TIME TO UPGRADE? BY LANAH MARIE JOSE

This is 8.

NO speakers.
NO microphone.
NO home button.

Elegant.

BRAVE.

The CRC should be a place of swoleacceptance

Well sliver box, I didnt have a quiz today, but I really

appreciate your asking. Its nice to have someone who
cares!
Why is everyone always blabbering about this
jamaican dude called pokey?
im honestly not convinced that Bud and Val arent
aliens sent from some planet of perfect grandparent
facsimiles

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your voice be heard with the Technique. Sliver at Nique.net, tweet us
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want to hear your opinion and want
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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

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content found within the pages of the
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we are open to receiving letters that
focus on relevant issues that currently
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When submitting letters we ask
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For questions, comments or concern, contact the Opinions Editor at
opinions@nique.net.

technique September 16, 2016 7

// OPINIONS

ROUNDTABLE

Is the race of an actor

relevant to their roles?

Weighing the value added and lost when

ethnicities and races are disregarded
STAFF WRITER

Colorblind casting is the

term used for considering all potential actors for a role, regardless of their ethnicity. With the
passage of time, it is becoming
more common to see non-white
actors depicting characters that
have been traditionally played by
white actors.
Although this means more
opportunities for actors who
have been at a disadvantage, it
is important to understand why
colorblind casting may not always be the best idea and how it
may ignore the bigger problem
with the depiction of minorities
in film and theatre.
Disregarding an actors ethnicity completely when casting
for any role means misunderstanding critical race relations in
the country. Historically, nonwhite roles have often been given
to white actors. However, even
now, roles meant for minorities
are often depicted by actors of
European descent. Some of the
most recent examples are the cast
of Ridley Scotts Exodus, a film
set in Egypt with Egyptian characters, and The Lone Ranger,
in which Johnny Depp plays the
role of a Native American. These
casting choices are not necessarily examples of colorblind casting, but rather an attempt by
film executives to attract a bigger

THE

audience, as they believe nonwhite actors pull smaller crowds.

This whitewashing is not the
inverse of Noma Dumezweni
portraying Hermione in the latest Harry Potter play, or Michael B. Jordan playing The Human Torch in Fantastic Four.
Rather, they are cases of institutionalized racism and should be
recognized as such. To think of
the two cases being equal to each
other is to display ignorance over
deep-seated racial tension and
prejudices within the industry.
Although in recent times, we
are seeing a gradual shift towards
colorblind casting, especially in
theatre, it cannot be denied that
most major roles are still reserved
for actors of European descent.
We might see minorities now
playing roles in performances of
Shakespeares works, and while
that does signify that we are
moving towards more diversity,
it also highlights one of the biggest problems within the industry itself: there are not enough
minority characters.
Non-white actors being cast
for traditionally white characters does not change the fact
that there are some stories that
are simply not being told. So
even if we are willing to have a
non-white actor play a role usually played by a white actor, we
need to realize that the history of
minorities in this country is still
grossly underrepresented in the
stories of our time.

WILL FINCH

CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Whitewashing: just as bland
in home decor as in Hollywood.
In an era still struggling with
racial issues, the film industry
has done little in terms of diversifying, even in spite of the chastisement received throughout
the Oscars earlier this year. The
cry of #OscarsSoWhite was
taken up by millions, because
for the second year in a row,
all 20 actors nominated in the
lead and supporting categories
were white. When the awards
ceremony is about as diverse as
a package of marshmallows, a
problem is definitely present.
But the problem goes deeper.
Consider this: a 2016 study by
USC analyzed more than 400
films and TV shows released
from September 2014 through
August 2015 and found that
only 7 percent of films and 19
percent of television programs
had a balance of race and ethnicity that reflected the countrys diversity. In reality, minority groups make up 40 percent
of the U.S. population. There is
plenty of room for improvement
at television and movie studios,
but the bar they claim to be
striving for seems to be set at the
bottom of Satans wine cellar.
What the film industry needs
to understand is that the 40 percent composition of minority

North
Avenue
Review

groups in America is why more

diverse casting decisions should
be made. Not just for the sake of
making something diverse, but
because diversity is normal.
It is glaringly obvious when
a movie or TV shows diversity
is meaningful and when it is
just tokenism the practice of
making a superficial effort towards a particular goal. A characters appearance can contribute to a certain aspect of their
representation, but it doesnt
have to make up their entire
identity. Otherwise, entertainment runs the risk of nothing
but reinforcing stereotypes.
Look at the television show
Jane the Virgin, whose leading
females Hispanic background
only complements a very American life and personality infused
with comedic commentary on a
Hispanic-upbringing and telenovela storytelling. In the show,
the protagonists identity does
not revolve around the fact that
she is Mexican, it is just context
used to enhance her characterization, which is exactly what
the appearance of a character
should do.
Aesthetics are important to
character portrayal, but they are
only necessary to an extent that
doesnt deny heritage, context
and details linked to what gives
characters humanity. Appearance is not a crutch to lean on,
it is a tool meant to channel authentic stories and themes.

GE GAO

FOURTH-YEAR AE

Try to reset my password

and get more security. Or
just hack them back.

ANDREW GARCIA
FIRST-YEAR IE

Id call my cousin, hes a

genius in that kind of stuff.
See BAC, page 8

OJRVFOFU

READ.
THINK.
SPEAK.
northavereview.com

ZAHRA KHAN

What would you do if

you got hacked?

JOZPVSQPDLFU

8 September 16, 2016 technique

BAC

FROM PAGE 7

CHRISTY DODSON
GRADUATE CP

I would go to OIT because

they know everything.

REED HERNER

SECOND-YEAR NRE

I would contact my banking support. To be honest,

there arent a lot of avenues
to help with that.

MEAGAN BANKS

SECOND-YEAR BCHM

Id call my dad, but I dont

really care that much.

PRIYANKA AMBEKAR
FOURTH-YEAR IE

I would go to OIT.

Photos by Maria Furukawa Student Publications

// OPINIONS

You cant be green without the green

If
renewable
resources,
sustainable design and earthfriendly technology were truly
profitable enough, we would
have turned away from the alternative decades ago. Since the
Industrial Revolution, mass production has led to flourishing
economies and innovation at the
price of polluted air, water and
soil. Despite widespread use of
terms like green and sustainability, modern business practices will never be completely
environmentally friendly, not
until sustainability is tied to the
ultimate incentive: profit.
Starting in the latter half of
the 20th century, the idea of a
green movement began in the
wake of toxic environmental disasters such as the Love Canal
and the activist work done by
environmentalists such as Rachel Carson. Since the 1970s,
consumers have made a conscious effort towards buying sustainable products, conserving
resources and in general adopting more earth-friendly habits.
Green has become a buzzword, the subject of marketing
campaigns for everything from
electric cars to U2 concerts.

... few companies will make

sustainability their first
priority unless they have
the profitable incentive
to do so

BRIGHTON KAMEN
DESIGN EDITOR

However, there is a difference between marketable and

profitable. Companies gravitate
towards producing things that
will be bought en masse and using the cheapest materials and
production techniques, which
while efficient and inexpensive,
prioritize profit margins over environmental impact. Meanwhile
though, the idea of earth-friendly products made of recyclable
material is alluring and popular, the majority of consumers
still will often prioritize a lower
price, especially if they do not
have the economic means to afford the more expensive but sustainable options.
In short, you cannot go
green without the green.

Why switching to liberal

arts was right for me
I was so sure that I wanted has the time to personally invest
to major in STEM, that I was a in me.
science person. After all, I had
On the whole, I truly care
decided to attend Georgia Tech, about what I am learning about,
and most people either dont which is a refreshing change
know that our liberal arts pro- from my attitude towards DNA
gram exists or
replication
laugh at it. Med
and functional
schools
want
... if you put in the groups.
biology majors
Despite what
anyway, right?
effort, you get the everyone says
A year and a
liberal arts
grade. about
half into my debeing easy, I will
gree, the subject
that they
MONICA JAMISON argue
I had adored in
are hard, but in
high school was ASSISTANT ENTERTAINMENT a different way.
EDITOR I readily admit
now the subject
of my intense hathat your phystred. Thoughts
ics
homework
of spending three more years might as well be in a different
poring over the details of micro- language to me, but I would also
scopically small processes and like to see you write a ten-page
stumbling through four-hour policy paper.
chemistry labs made college
Besides the dramatic increase
seem impossible. I decided to re- in the quantity of reading and
evaluate everything I had been writing, the biggest difference
so sure about.
for me was that if you put in the
As I went back to the draw- effort, you get the grade. In the
ing board, I considered which past, I could spend days porclasses I had enjoyed the most ing over my organic chemistry
at college thus far. To my sur- textbook and working problems
prise, they had all been liberal to still end up failing the test.
arts classes: freshman English, Now, if I engage with the matean international affairs elective rial and think about it critically,
and an American history course. I will succeed.
Concurrently, I learned
Another reason I love liberal
about options for working in arts is that there is not just one
the health field besides being a right answer. Unlike the cermedical doctor. My newfound tainty of most STEM classes,
passion for public health paired there is room for discussion and
up with my long-standing inter- debate. Learning the viewpoints
national interest, and I decided of my professors and classmates
to take the leap and change my and forming my own arguments
major to International Affairs.
is invaluable.
Though I still get jokes or
If I do decide to change my
confused glances when I tell plans again, I feel like I can take
new people what I major in at my liberal arts degree in more
Tech, I have never regretted my directions. With the skills I am
decision. Liberal arts is the envi- developing, I am not boxed into
ronment I didnt know I needed. either research or professional
Being in a smaller major school. Most importantly, I fileads to a better community, nally feel like I am following my
from having friendly faces in my dream, not someone elses. And
classes to feeling like my advisor yes, Ill still get a job.

As consumers, we do have
some control over the directions production will take by
voting with our wallets. We can
encourage producers to invest
more research into sustainable
products by mainly purchasing
sustainable products ourselves,
creating a market where the environmentally friendly is favored
over the cheap. While national
governments can pass regulations and laws to control the environmental impacts of production, few companies will make
sustainability their first priority
unless they have the profitable
incentive to do so, which comes
from the consumer. Though it
is nearly impossible to research
and purchase every product that

only uses environmentally-safe

manufacturing processes and
is completely environmentally
friendly, we can make little
changes such as buying things
made of recyclable material or
things that can be recycled and
reused themselves. If we wish to
continue using natural resources
and existing on this planet, we
will have to make some concessions within our own behavior.
The shift from the smogheavy days of the Industrial
Revolution to the environmental movements and focus on sustainable products proves that we
have come a long way in terms
of environmental awareness, but
we still have a long way to go in
terms of keeping consumption
from outpacing responsible production. It is hypocritical and,
on a larger scale, dangerous to
turn this green movement into
a passing trend. The only way to
bring about a permanent shift
where environmentally-friendly
products are seen as the norm,
not the alternative, would be if
consumers shifted away from
cheaper, less environmentallyfriendly products, and producers caught on and followed suit.

The slippery slope of

being too polite

I was raised to be a very po- in too many extracurriculars,

lite child. If a guest needed a and I wisely made the decision
glass of water, I would run and to quit some.
go get it. If anyone in my immeTo my chagrin, I was still
diate vicinity sneezed, I would somehow just as busy, and just
bless him or her. That is pretty as unhappy. At that point I
standard as far as
started reflecting
I know though,
on the decisions
but I will say that
I was a pushover for I was making
this politeness
and if I actually
ingrained in my most of my life and was wanted to be inearly childhood
completely unaware volved with all
definitely
led
the things that I
of it. was. Did I really
into my turning
into a complete
want to go get
KRIPA CHANDRAN fro-yo that day?
pushover in later
stages of my life.
ONLINE EDITOR Or did I just feel
I was a pushguilty because
over for most
this
fro-yoof my life and was completely friend and I had not seen each
unaware of it. Somehow, I had other in about a week?
slipped down a slippery slope of
At that point, I started saying
politeness, quietness and a wor- no to things, slowly, but surely.
rying habit of micromanaging. I wouldnt outright say no to
If people needed something, certain roles, but I would make
they knew that asking me was a decisions on what I would and
surefire way to get it.
wouldnt do. For example, if in
If people wanted me to do an organization, a certain activsomething with them, they ity wasnt my responsibility and
knew that when I said maybe, someone else asked me to do
I was really saying Im either it, I would refuse unless it was
going to cancel on you or the a matter of extreme urgency. I
other plans I made, and you started avoiding more people I
wont know until I let you know didnt want to interact with and
at the last minute. When I took being with more people whose
leadership positions, I never del- company I actively enjoyed.
egated a thing. I told myself it
At some point along the way,
was because I didnt trust any- the idea came to me that maybe
one else to do the job. However, I was being a little too harsh and
that was only partly true; I just judgmental, but I shut that idea
didnt want to inconvenience down. I was happier with my
anyone else. It was starting to decisions, and no ones feelings
have a harmful effect on my day were getting hurt. I still do overto day life, especially when I commit to plans and responstarted attending college.
sibilities, but I say no when its
I was actively involved in simply not feasible for me or if
three or four clubs, taking a full it just isnt something exciting
course load and cramming in to me.
time to meet up with friends,
So try it yourself if you feel
all of which added up to me not like you have been too much of
getting any work done and per- a pushover lately. Go from being
forming poorly in school. Fresh- the doormat to closing the door
man-year-me decided that this in peoples faces. I promise you
was because of my involvement will love the results.

technique September 16, 2016 9

// OPINIONS

The real reason Hillarys

health should matter
NCAAs Relocations

Techs Logo Woes

The National Collegiate

Athletic
Association
announced Monday it would
be relocating all of the seven
championship events it had
previously given to the state
of North Carolina. The move
comes as the latest backlash
against the states civil rights
laws that have already stirred
up a lot of controversy this
year. Tech President G.P.
Bud Peterson is Chair of the
NCAA Board of Governors.

Anyone who was using

Facebook to keep track of last
weeks football game between
Tech and Mercer would have
been outraged to see the uGA
logo next to Techs name. The
mistake appeared to be solely
on the part of Facebook, but it
is unknown whether the logo
was sourced from a different
location and simply auto-populated into the field. Regardless, the screw-up caused many
a Tech fan much anguish.

Electric Fabric

Medical Record Hack

Tech researchers have managed to create a fabric that integrates two different methods
of electricity generation. This
development comes after a lot
of time spent working on textiles that produce electricity
through physical movement.
The new material utilizes that
method while also being able
to generate electricity through
harvesting the power of the
sun. The research was published online Monday.

In yet another hack, it appears that the medical records

of four U.S. Olympic athletes,
Simone Biles, Serena and
Venus Williams and Elena
Delle Dorne, were released to
the public. The World AntiDoping Agency confirmed the
cyber attack did occur but, at
the time of writing, has not yet
commented on the authenticity of the records, which the
hackers claim show that the
athletes used illicit substances.

[Secretary Clinton] can begin

to repair the image of opacity
that has frustrated voters who
dislike Trump but cannot put
faith in her.

HARSHA SRIDHAR
SPORTS EDITOR

Lets quit playing games. Its

time that Hillary Clinton was
forthcoming about her health.
Im not a conspiracy theorist,
nor a jaded conservative who believes that voting for the Clintons
is tantamount to electing Frank
Underwood as my representative.
I am a left-leaning millennial, one
who will likely cast his ballot for
former Secretary Clinton.
But I also think we have the
right to know who were electing,
and if that person, should he or
she be elected, is physically able
the fulfill the duties of our nations highest office.
Rumors about Clintons health
have dogged her for a while now.
But for the most part, they have
appeared to be more the invention of angry Republicans than legitimate questions of her fitness to
serve. But her sudden, stumbling
exit from a 9/11 memorial service
and the hours that followed provided legs to those concerns.
Her reaction was, unfortunately, emblematic of the way she has
handled many of the controversies she has faced along the campaign path. Her entourage drove
her to her daughters apartment,
where she spent a few hours and
made a brief public appearance

afterwards. Soon, the Clinton

campaign was admitting that the
former secretary of state had been
diagnosed with pneumonia a few
days before.
Im not particularly concerned
that Clinton has pneumonia; its
hardly life-threatening, especially
when treated by the world-class
doctors that come with the territory of being a major presidential
candidate. But the fact that she refused to disclose this ailment, all
the while attending a major ceremony and coming into contact
with dozens of people, is jarring.
So Im asking Hillary Clinton
to be honest with the American
electorate about the health conditions she has, whatever they may
be. At this point, some Clinton
supporters might exclaim, Well,
Trump hasnt even given us specific test results or, frankly, a legitimate-looking doctors letter.
Why should we expect Clinton do
offer anything more than she has
already done?
If thats your viewpoint, I cannot blame you for it. But these
whataboutisms, insistence that
Trump abide by Clintons standards or vice versa, help no one.
They just provide justification to
deprive us of information about

both candidates. My hope is that

before November rolls around, we
get a better understanding of how
healthy Mr. Trump is. Seeing that
he is yet to release his tax returns,
a promise he made in the heat of
the fabricated Obama birther controversy, Im not optimistic.
However, Secretary Clinton
has an opportunity to break her
silence by explaining what befell
her at the memorial service, the
coughing fits that preceded it and
perhaps even answer some questions from the media. Not only
that, she can begin to repair the
image of opacity that has frustrated voters who dislike Trump but
cannot put faith her.
The experience that introduced
me to American politics in earnest was Aaron Sorkins epic The
West Wing. President Josiah
Jed Bartlet, the shows fiery protagonist, secretly labors under the
strains of multiple sclerosis until
its symptoms are too obvious to
conceal. The result is a national
scandal, threats of impeachment
and embarrassment to the office.
If Clinton carries hidden ailments
into office, the subsequent repercussions will make Bartlets tribulations look enviable.
Just as Donald Trump has no
constitutional obligation to release his tax returns, Hillary Clinton has none to explain her medical state. But both can change
the narratives surrounding their
campaigns should they do so, particularly Clinton; an unscripted
media appearance would help her
campaign go a long way towards
putting this latest scandal in the
past and returning to critiques
of Mr. Trumps nebulous policies
and dubious personal details.

CAREERS at the NATIONAL

SECURITY AGENCY

NSA IS COMING TO
YOUR CAMPUS
Remarkable career opportunities.
Recruiters ready to chat.
Mark your calendar now!
Georgia Tech
Fall All Majors Career Fair and Interviews
Monday, September 12 Tuesday, September 13

WHERE INTELLIGENCE GOES TO WORK

Search NSA to Download

IntelligenceCareers.gov/NSA

U.S. citizenship is required for all applicants. NSA is an Equal Opportunity Employer and abides by applicable
employment laws and regulations. All applicants for employment are considered without regard to age, color, disability,
genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, or status as a parent.

Life

LIFE EDITOR:

Jonathan Long
ASSISTANT LIFE EDITOR:

Samira Bandaru

life@nique.net

technique

A Major Dilemma

The Technique weighs in on the omnipresent struggle of

choosing an appropriate major at Tech. 413

10

Friday,
September 16, 2016

Under the Couch gives Atlanta music a home

JON LONG

LIFE EDITOR
Tucked away in a corner of
the second floor of the Student
Center sits an unassuming music
venue called Under the Couch. If
students find themselves drawn in
by the red glow of the rooms neon
open sign, they may find themselves in a place unlike anywhere
else on campus.
During the day, the cushioned seating lining the walls surrounds tables and chairs, creating
a hectic yet unique study space
for students that dont mind dim
lighting. At night, however, once
the Blue-Donkey-drinking traffic of the Student Center has died
down for the day, the venue takes
on new life as it begins to serve its
main function: a home for Techs
student musicians.
A stage at the far end of the
room is home to a variety of instruments owned by the Musicians Network, a campus group
that runs Under the Couch and
organizes its events. These instruments turn the area into anything
but a study space, with the pounding of drums creating a beat that
can be heard all throughout the
Student Center.
The Musicians Network tries to
have weekly shows in their space,
both from Tech bands and otherwise, across a variety of genres.
We know the Tech community likes all genres of music, so
we try to put on shows that reflect their tastes, said Jed Paz, a
fourth-year CS student and member of the Musicians Network.
Though one would think that a
campus group would focus solely

on bands from Tech, their inclusion of outside bands in their lineups is an intentional play.
The space was once located
underneath Techs Couch building, hence the name Under the
Couch. In those days, according to Paz and fellow fourth-year
ME Nick Hernandez, the group
was a veritable gateway to the Atlanta music scene. Once the space
found a new home in the Student
Center, many believed that part of
the punk atmosphere, as Paz put
it, was lost.
These days, the group has put
a heavy focus on rebuilding their
connection with the exploding and eclectic Atlanta music
scene. Their current slate of officers, a group comprised mostly of
younger students, has been hard
at work bringing fresh ideas to the
table and make this happen.
We currently have a lot of
ties to the Atlanta music community, since a lot of our officers
are in bands themselves, Paz said.
They meet other bands at shows
around Atlanta and kinda get
them involved.
The benefits of bringing outside acts to campus are twofold.
Firstly, students are introduced to
local bands that they would otherwise never have seen.
One issue we try to tackle is
this: nobody wants to pay $10 to
drive across town and see a band
theyve never heard of, Paz said.
We want to give students the
opportunity to be introduced to
these bands for free.
The second benefit comes
in the form of fans. These local
groups have established fanbases
outside of Tech, and bringing
them to Under the Couch brings

JON LONG

LIFE EDITOR
A hole in your heart has opened up. An app shaped
hole. A Tinder shaped hole. Before, you were locked
into talking to one person; now, you can talk to as
many people as you can trick into swiping right on
you. Between Tinder and Uber, you have no excuse
not to go on infinity dates.
You will find that there are people who are equally
desperate to eat pizza with a stranger, and though you
may be stalked, its all part of the experience. Perfect your mirror selfie game, come up with a bio that
makes you not seem like a serial killer and get to swiping. It isnt shallow, it is the future.
If youre lucky youll find your soulmate, and if
youre luckier they wont end up catfishing you. Imagine the joy youll feel telling your grandchildren that
you met your spouse while sitting on the toilet. Plenty
of trips to the chapel have been borne of Tinders miracles and even more trips to Stamps.
Stop thinking of it as if you no longer have a romantic partner. You now have millions of romantic
partners. Thats not a breakup, thats a buildup. So
dont whine about your breakup as if its some sort of
plague on your life. The secret to happiness is just a
download away. Not true happiness, but a temporary
bastardization of what fulfilled people feel. Trust me.
Its a good substitute.

Photo by Brian Casey Student Publications

Under the Couch provides a venue for student musicians to practice, play and host shows.
They also hold weekly open mic nights for aspiring musicians looking to find an audience.

both money and legitimacy to

their whole operations.
These efforts have paid off,
with both bands and audiences
from around Atlanta coming
to the Student Center venue in
spades. A highlight of Under the
Couchs yearly calendar, Couchella, will take place on Sep. 24 this
year and will feature some of this
outside talent as well as highlight
some of the best musicians that
Tech has to offer.
Still, with so much going
on, the Musicians Network has
trouble spreading the word and
getting students engaged with

LIFE
ADVICE
What do I
do after a
breakup?

their events. Paz, who works in

the groups marketing team, fears
that most students simply see
the venue as nothing more than
a gathering space for their group
and nothing else. Through their
efforts, however, the Musicians
Network is well on their way to
meeting their goals.
While it may seem that these
goals serve to benefit outside
bands more than the Tech students, everything eventually
comes back to help the Tech community. The space itself offers two
practice areas for Tech students
as well as services ranging from

recording and editing to hosting

presentations. The equipment is
maintained by the group, often
out of their own pockets.
These services all contribute to
the main goal of the Musicians
Network: getting Tech students
involved with the growing world
of Atlanta music. Whether it is
through teaching, hosting, recording or booking, the group is
constantly finding ways to bring
music to a campus not known for
its creative endeavors. Information about getting involved and
a schedule of events can be found
on their website, gtmn.org.

SAMIRA BANDARU

ASSISTANT LIFE EDITOR

Youre sitting in your bed with your comforter
pulled up around your shoulders and head, shoveling
flaming hot Cheetos into your mouth in an attempt
to mask the burning sensation of loneliness in a chili
flavored facade that is slowly disintegrating in a pool
of your tears. You just got out of a break up and it
feels like the end of the world. Its okay to wallow in
your sorrows for a little bit, but look at the bright side.
Youre single. Finally. You have freedoms you didnt
have when you were in a relationship. You have time
to yourself.
Take this opportunity to start a new project. It
doesnt have to be academic and it doesnt have to
have anything to do with your career. You can pursue
a hobby or volunteer and give back to the community.
Keep yourself busy paint a picture or start collecting coins. The opportunities are endless.
But do not forget to reflect. When you are done
wallowing, take some serious time to just sit and
come to terms with the conclusion of this chapter of
your life. You are your own person now and youll be
starting your next phase solo.
Remember that your friends are there for you.
Spend time with them. Share your problems with
them. And if you dont have any, you know who to
talk to. life@nique.net.

technique September 16, 2016 11

// LIFE

sipping a latte from the Starbucks

found under its roof.
SCHELLER
Hidden in Tech Square on the
other side of the highway, some
would say that it is one of Techs
best kept secrets. From chairs and
tables, to classrooms, to isolated
study pods, Scheller offers the
complete package of study environments.

Places to Study
on Campus
WAGES CARROLL

CONTRIBUTING WRITER
As the novelty of the new
school year wears off and life here
at the Institute begins to pick
back up, students are beginning
to figure out their routines just in
time for test season to come along
and throw a wrench in things.
We are aware of the chaos that
a couple of test-littered weeks can
add to the life of a student, and
for those Yellow Jackets out there
game-planning for an impending
stretch of tests, we have just what
you need: a list of the top ten places to study on campus.

THE LIBRARY
Neighboring the famed Wayne
G. Clough Undergraduate Study
Commons, the Tech Library is
most popular among those looking for a level of peace and quiet
best described as frightening.
Dont believe me? Check out the
fourth floor of this place during exam week. Currently going
through renovation, this study
spot is not for the faint of heart.

THE LAB COFFEE LOUNGE

Keeping in the theme of great
views, the view found here is also
stunning. Little known by most,
the Lab Coffee Lounge can offer a
peace and quiet that other places
cant. Plus, it too has a readily
available source of coffee. It is located in the Biotech Quad by the
Ford Building.
HIGHLAND BAKERY
Tucked away beneath the faade of the Tech Tower and behind the grandeur of Bobby Dodd
stadium, this little gem may soon
deserve to be ranked a few spots
higher once the renovations in the
surrounding areas are complete.
But dont let the renovations scare
you, this place is awesome for
morning to afternoon study sessions. It doesnt hurt that they
also serve food and some of the
best smoothies in Midtown. Bring

your appetite with your books, or

youll be sorry.
SKILES WALKWAY
Looking for a pleasant spot to
knock out some homework? Look
no further. Located on one of
Techs most trafficked walkways,
this study zone provides Yellow
Jackets with a pretty outdoor
study option. Plus, if your work is
boring you to death, look up for
a moment and pass the time with
some good ole people-watching.
THE STUDENT CENTER
For newcomers, the amount
of people and eateries found here
may pose a problem, but a savvy
student will for the first to tell you
that once you learn to find your
way around, the Student Center
is not a bad place for schoolwork.
Offering both parts of the popular
duo that is study space and food,

the Student Center has more than

enough to make anyone happy.
Filled with plenty of tables on the
first floor as well as some more
on the second floor, the Student
Center is another great spot to get
a bite to eat and then grind out
some school work. But be careful, with a bowling alley, movie
theater, and game room all on the
first floor, the Student Center can
be problematic for some.
THE MRDC
Located off of Ferst Drive and
behind the Love Building, this
building is also home to Techs
Invention Studio. Little known
to those non-manufacturing majors out there, this building is very
rarely crowded, offers multiple
floors of study space, and is open
light. If you havent been there,
check it out; you may just find
your new study spot.

YOUR ROOM
Though considered distracting by some, your room should
be equipped with everything that
YOU need to succeed because,
after all, it is, YOUR room, and
your number one reason for being
at the Institute is for one helluvan
education.
CLOUGH
Googles headquarters in the
critically-acclaimed movie, The
Internship, this building has all
you can ask for. You will find no
better place to tackle a group project or grind on your own while

Photo courtesy of Tiara Winata

The Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons is one of the most common study spaces on campus, and for good reason. Ample tables, breakout rooms, resources, 24-hour access and a Starbucks are major positives of the space.

12 September 16, 2016 technique

SCPC

FROM PAGE 1

Most students taking this class

simply have a passion for coffee or
want to become proficient in describing taste or brewing practices.
SCPC has provided various
Options classes in previous semesters, from wine tasting to learning American Sign Language.
They have partnered with GTPD
to provide a self-defense class
for students. For the past two
semesters, SCPC has been trying to find a company to partner
with to offer a coffee tasting class.
Blue Donkey co-founder Ed
Lane teaches this class, and his
enthusiasm is apparent. Lane was
born in Brazil and studied agronomy, the science of soil management and crop production.
Lanes college roommate came
from a family of farmers and scientists, and though Lane didnt
originally plan to get into the coffee business, together they worked
to create a specialty craft coffee
side business.
The roaster they originally
purchased is still the one they use
today. They found a niche in iced
coffee and perfected the simple
recipe of coffee, milk and sugar.
Lane and Blue Donkey have focused on iced coffee as a consumer
demand. Lane started selling his
iced coffee about eight years ago.
Its because the students love
it, Lane said. The iced coffee
here in the US is somewhat recent. The reason I started that was
just very pragmatic. It was simply because nobody was buying
hot coffee during summer. Then
somebody mentioned, Why dont
you do iced coffee? And I said,
Hmm, thats interesting. Well,
lets check it out.
The coffee tasting class focuses
more on hot coffee, and hot and
iced coffee are brewed differently.
The class was comprised of
twenty students, where each student was provided with three cups
of coffee grounds, a metal spoon

and three plastic cups, one of

which was filled with cool water.
The three types of coffee presented to students were roasted at
the beginning of the week by Blue
Donkey, and each was from a different region: one from Guatemala, one from Ecuador and one
from Sumatra.
Students analyzed each coffee
based on fragrance, flavor, acidity,
body and aftertaste. When moving from cup to cup, students took
careful note to clean off the spoon
to avoid mixing coffee grounds
and flavors.
Each week the class focuses on
a different topic, starting with coffee origin and sourcing. Next, they
will cover coffee planting, harvesting and processing followed
by roasting, grinding, brewing
and current trends. The final class
covers cupping and tasting.
Cupping was also covered in
the second half of the first class.
Professionally, cupping is a practice done in silence, but here
students are encouraged to share
their comments and ratings.
Cupping is a technique where
one takes a bit of coffee and aspirates it to the palate. Lane, who
has mastered the art of cupping,
demonstrated first and sounded
like a vacuum cleaner. Most of the
class reacted with the general attitude of Wait. What? Regardless
of the noise, the coffee can be analyzed deeply in this manner.
The fragrance is a straightforward observation. Hot water
was added to the coffee grounds
and allowed to sit for two to three
minutes. After that, students
broke the crust of coffee grounds
floating on the surface of the cup
while simultaneously inhaling the
smell of the coffee. Then they rated the fragrance of each cup.
The acidity of the coffee is the
bright flavor that wakes drinkers up, the sparkle of the brew
as Lane puts it. Body is typically
inversely related to acidity and
describes mouth feel when a

// LIFE

drinker pushes their tongue to the

top of their palate.
Flavors for these three cups
of coffee ranged from chocolate
cake to caramel and earthy.
Students jotted down their attribute ratings on a sample analysis sheet, many comparing with
whomever was sitting beside
them. Lane stressed that there is
no right or wrong but added his
own comments about the three
cups of coffee. Reviews after the
first class were positive, with the
general consensus being that the
instructor appeared to be very
knowledgeable.
Lane wants students to take
away two main things from his

coffee-tasting course. Number

one is just to experience the diversity of flavors in coffee, Lane said,
and as a consequence of that, to
have a deeper appreciation for coffee.
The second goal, and one close
to Lanes heart as a native of Brazil, is to gain an appreciation for
all of the contributors to coffees
supply chain.
If there is anything that we
can do as were drinking a cup of
coffee, its to have the appreciation
for the farmers, wherever they
may be, that produced that cup of
coffee. We just want to appreciate
that every time that we have a cup
of coffee, ... separating it from just

having a cup of coffee. No, its a

cup of coffee with a history.
And for the handful of students who might have stayed away
from the class because they do not
like coffee, they might want to try
Blue Donkey. Lane has experience
with the less coffee-savvy.
We have had a number of
folks even in our family or friends
that dont like coffee, and thats
it, Lane said, but we have had
a significant amount of folks who
are not coffee drinkers, and we go
Well just try our iced coffee. And
they try it, and they like it .... They
actually do enjoy it.
As for Lane? He takes his coffee black.

Photo courtesy of Hannah Lee

Though Blue Donkey is mostly known for its iced coffee, the Coffee Tasting Class focused
more on hot coffee. The grounds were imported from Guatemala, Ecuador and Sumatra.

technique September 16, 2016 13

// LIFE

Under the Couch gives Atlanta music a home

ATTICUS HUBERTS

CONTRIBUTING WRITER
A college major is one of the
most impactful aspects of a persons life, laying the groundwork
for their education and dictating
their daily life until theyre finally
able to retire.
The truth of the matter is that
choosing the right major, and
consequently the right career, is
an incredibly complex process and
one that is frequently underestimated. Making the correct decision involves deep introspection,
foresight, a consideration of societal and familial influences, monetary factors, an understanding of
market demands and trends and,
most importantly, an understanding of what makes one happy.
George Church, a Harvard
scientist known as a leading pioneer in personal genomics, opined
that success in life is enabled by a
deliberate and personally crafted
strategy. Many of the worlds
most successful people owe their
achievements to identifying a
need or deficit in the market and
creating a solution. The common
thread between them is that they
observed the current state of affairs and reacted to opportunities where they saw they could
make an impact. They understood
themselves and what they wanted
first and then applied that knowledge to the real world.

While in college, the single

most important element of choosing the right major is asking oneself Why am I doing this? That
may sound silly or obvious, but it
is surprising how many students
plow along for four years without
ever addressing it properly.
Major choice generally stems
from an idea of where one wants
to spend the rest of their working life and what they want to
spend it doing. This often changes
throughout the four or five years
of college, but having an idea of
the positions one seeks to fill in
the workforce allows for research
that can paint a more realistic picture of themselves.
College is a highly idealistic environment and often times
learning about a subject such as a
career does not necessarily translate well into doing it. As such, it
is important to seek out as much
information as possible on the
day-to-day routine of a desired job
and consider whether or not the
prospect remains appealing under
greater scrutiny.
Ultimately, the only way to
confirm this is working the job
first hand, but there are a host of
resources that allow one to make
an informed guess. Youtube,
Wikipedia and Google are great
starts and can outline the scope of
a professional position.
Reaching out to professionals and securing internships can
provide deeper insight. Summer

internships are especially lucrative in this sense as they provide

insight and resume boost; they
also offer a low risk opportunity
to test the waters in a new field
that could be of potential interest.
Tunnel vision is an unavoidable byproduct of any lengthy
process, but by recognizing that,
it becomes easier to combat. From
time to time, it is important to

take a step back to consider those

big questions anew: Why am I
doing this? , Where do I want
this to take me?, Do I enjoy doing this? These questions may
reveal new answers about whether
the path ahead is desirable or if
changes need to be made.
Tech is a stressful place, and
being burdened by an ill fitting
major can make it borderline

unbearable. Rather than switch

midway through and waste valuable time and money, students
can avoid future hassle by simply
honing in on what they want and
determining what their realistic
and tangible aspirations are in
the working world. By targeting these, fulfillment in both the
classroom and the workplace is
virtually guaranteed.

Photo courtesy of Diego Bravo

FASET put a focus on major choice and gives incoming freshmen a chance to change their majors before classes started in the fall. The program has leaders from a variety of disciplines.

Fall

Commencement Fair
Tuesday, September 20, Noon 4 p.m.
Wednesday, September 21, 10 a.m. 2 p.m.
Student Center Ballroom

Commencement Fair Checklist:

o Check on degree status
o RSVP for Commencement
o Purchase my cap and gown,
class ring, and announcements
o Register for giveaways and raffle items
o Film my Commencement Clip
o Join the Alumni Association
o Get my picture taken
with friends and Buzz

www.commencement.gatech.edu/commencementfair

Graduating
Seniors

Be sure to mark these

important dates:
RSVP for Commencement
September 19 to October 11
Purchase Regalia
by November 1
Friday, December 16

10 a.m. Ph.D. Hooding Ceremony

3 p.m. Presidents Graduation Celebration
7 p.m. Ph.D. & Masters Ceremony
Saturday, December 17

9 a.m. Bachelors Ceremony

For more information

www.commencement.gatech.edu

Entertainment

technique

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR:

Kara Pendley

ASSISTANT ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR:

Monica Jamison

entertainment@nique.net

14

Friday,
September 16, 2016

In the

SHOWS

In The Heights
WRITER: Quiara Alegra
Hudes
DIRECTOR: Justin Anderson
PERFORMER: SKYLER
BROWN, JULISSA SABINO,
FELICIA HERNANDEZ
LOCATION: Rialto Center for
the Arts
DATE: Sept. 818

OUR TAKE:
MAURA CURRIE
NEWS EDITOR

To get it out of the way early:

no, In the Heights is not Hamilton, but there are two important caveats, in case that statement causes any disinterest.
First, unlike its newer and
more topical sibling, a non-New
Yorker who would prefer to buy
food for a month can experience
In the Heights with little to no
hardship involved. Second, In
the Heights is just as adept at
convincing viewers to care about
stories they had seldom, if ever,
considered. Similarities abound
in the stories themselves, including their execution.
The story, for its part, manages
to be both universally relatable
and unabashedly about the Hispanic immigrants experience in
New York. This duality is almost
certainly the point, but any
meta-commentary on the theatergoing community comes
second to the
c a pt iv at i n g
group
of
characters.

heights

Usnavi, an orphaned young

man, who runs a corner grocery,
dreams of both the Dominican
Republic of his roots and the
girl who works across the street.
Vanessa, the girl in question, is
trapped in the barrio, working a
menial job but longs to be Downtown and away from her alcoholic mother. The neighborhoods
mother figure, Abuela Claudia,
acts as the resident metaphor for
enjoying simpler pleasures of a
bygone era. Nina, who at the beginning of the show has returned
from her first year at Stanford,
possesses a secret that puts her at
odds with her parents.
Moments of emotional heaviness interplay deftly with comic
relief by characters such as Sonny
and Graffiti Pete who is also an
adept breakdancer and Piragua
Guy, who offers a real shaved ice
to a lucky audience member in the
front row.
The cast all bear uncanny auditory likenesses to their predecessors in the original Broadway cast.
When Diego Klock-Prez begins
the opening number as Usnavi,
muted gasps can be heard scattered throughout the audience,
as though Lin-Manuel himself is
somehow onstage. All of the main
actresses are similarly gifted, though Klock-Prez
is most obviously trying to channel another
actors interpretation.
Since Klock-Prez is
both as
charming as

Miranda and arguably a better

singer, the strategy pays off.
The company obviously benefitted from shifting up to a larger
stage from the Aurora Theatre in
Lawrenceville, which offered an
appropriate intimacy but lacked
enough room for the choreography that makes songs like
96,000 so impressive to watch.
The Rialtos lighting effects are
equally impressive, with smooth
transitions and a smart setup that
occasionally casts the ensembles
shadows off the sides of the stage
and onto the walls. This effect extends the undeniable kinetic energy into the audience. The stage
pieces themselves are remarkably
detailed with clever elements that
fold out to reveal the interiors of
shops and businesses.
Mirandas music shines, as
one seeing the show in a postHamilton world would expect.
In the Heights and 96,000,
songs incorporation of hip-hop
elements will garner comparisons
to the Cabinet Battle songs.
While they are far less technically
impressive, these two songs accomplish an entirely different feat
of switching languages within a
matter of seconds.
The intimate knowledge of
rhyming and rhythmic structures,
which make Hamilton so engaging to listen to, are present in

its earlier cousin, applied to fewer

SAT words and more rhyming
interpolations of languages (and
after maana, mi pana/ya gotta
just keep watchin).
Perhaps as a testimony to the
broader, ensemble-focused nature of Heights, relatively minor characters such as Abuela
Claudia and Ninas parents get
their own songs and chances to
relay different perspectives of the
same events. The showstoppers
are undeniably the songs in which
the entire company is contributing onstage together. However,
individual songs and duets like
When the Sun Goes Down and
Paciencia y Fe best showcased
the imperfect humanity that Miranda is uncannily good at expressing in words.
Instrumentally, there are
prominent influences from boleros and salsa music, often changing in tone and modernity to
adapt to the age and background
of each character Vanessas
songs are fluttery and flirtatious,
while older parent figures are
bound to more slower tempos and
sombre ballroom pieces.
Boleros and salsa music are
prominent influences of the
soundtrack. Oddly enough, the
early-2000s pop and Broadway
hybrid sounds uncannily like
moments from High School
Musical in its best form. The
hydrants are open melody
from Finale is extraordinarily beautiful and reminiscent
of Everyday from High
School Musical 2.
It is the
aud ience
of
High
School
Musical
that ideally
might enjoy

In the Heights the most. The

adult jokes that are present will fly
over childrens heads. If the premise does not deter an adult from
attending, the musical does not
contain anything more radical or
progressive to be offended by.
Millennials, however, will
understand Ninas frantic worries about college in Breathe
all too well, just as they will
identify with Usnavis anxious
word-vomit around Vanessa. In a
relatable way, almost every character desires to get out and be
in a romanticized place where
they belong.
With long overdue representation, Hispanic millennials may
have the most personal experience with In the Heights, but
the overarching theme of joy and
gratitude in the face of hardship
speaks to all audiences.
In the Heights will
be playing at the Rialto
through Sep. 18. Tickets
start at $20. The Rialto
Center for the Arts is
only a short walk or
drive from campus,
across from Woodruff Park.

Design by Brighton Kamen Student Publications

technique September 16, 2016 15

// ENTERTAINMENT

Sully examines modern hero Fall into time travel with

ABC, NBC & FOX

FILM

Sully
GENRE: Drama/Biography

LAKSHMI RAJU

STARRING: Tom Hanks

STAFF WRITER

DIRECTOR: Clint Eastwood

RATING: PG-13
RELEASE DATE: Sep. 9

OUR TAKE:
WILL FINCH

CONTRIBUTING WRITER
How does a hero know that
they made the right call?
This question has been the
theme of recent comic book movies Captain America: Civil War
and Superman v. Batman: Dawn
of Justice, but Sully continues
this years motto in a more nonfiction sense. Directed by Clint
Eastwood (American Sniper),
the film focuses on the pilot behind the Miracle on the Hudson,
Capt. Chesley Sully Sullenberger (Tom Hanks, Captain Phillips), more than the actual event.
The movie begins by immediately and clearly communicating Sullenbergers post-traumatic
stress. By showing the pilot restlessly staring at news reports
about the recent events, Sully
challenges the expectations for
how a hero should feel.
As actual news footage from
the event rolls on the TV screen,
audiences are told exactly what
they need to know: Captain Sullenberger successfully saved the
lives of all 155 passengers on US
Airways Flight 1549 by landing
the damaged plane onto the Hudson River on Jan. 15, 2009.
The film progresses by guiding
moviegoers through a behind-thescenes tour of the U.S. Airways

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Captain Chesley Sully Sullenberger awaits his hearing from

the National Transportation Safety Board after his crash landing.

Flight 1549 incident. Unseen by

the public eye, an investigation
into the landing for insurance
purposes develops. The questioning of the efforts of Sullenberger
by the bureaucratic National
Transportation Safety Board
(NTSB) paints the NTSB in a
negative light.
Tests cited by the board suggest that the pilot had enough
thrust to land at nearby airports.
However, Sullenberger remains
adamant that any option other
than a water landing was impossible and would have been tragic.
What follows is the struggle between the pilots instincts and a
logistical calculation, up until the

truth is finally revealed at the end

of the film.
Although the conflict between
the board and Sullenberger propels the plot, what makes this
movie interesting is the conflict
occurring within the pilot. The
notion that heroes have trouble
sleeping at night is intriguing, especially since the movies subject
is a fairly recent event with an allAmerican tone to it.
The thought of anyone, let
alone the hero himself, discounting actions that resulted in a best
case scenario seems absurd, especially at the beginning of the film.
But as evidence is found, the seed
See SULLY, page 16

As this summers TV seasons

start winding down, it is time to
turn attention to the upcoming
fall roster. With a wide variety of
incoming new shows, viewers can
weed through new pilots while
treasuring premieres of renewed
favorites. An interesting trend for
the approaching months is timetravel. Though it is not a new plot
line in the science-fiction genre,
its resurgence is fascinating.
With cult followings, timeless
classics, such as Doctor Who
and Fringe, have explored time
travel for years. Recent shows that
delve into the time-travel pool
include The Flash, Legends of
Tomorrow and Continuum.
The success of the aforementioned
Flash, Legends and long-running Doctor Who, which has
had multiple surges of interest
over the years, might have contributed to three major networks
developing shows in the timetravel category.
In the fall, audiences can look
forward to new shows from ABC,
NBC and FOX. From executive producer Kevin Williamson
(The Vampire Diaries), Time
after Time is an ABC show that
follows the science fiction author
H.G. Wells (Freddie Stroma,
Pitch Perfect) as he travels to
present-day Manhattan pursuing
Jack the Ripper, an infamous serial killer from the 1800s. The show
is based on Karl Alexanders novel
and will premiere mid-season.
Similar use of a time machine
to change history is the plot of
NBCs new show Timeless,
which will air Oct. 3. Criminal

Garcia Flynn (Goran Visnjic,

Pan-Am) steals a time machine
to rewrite history, such as the
Hindenburg explosion. A scientist (Malcolm Barrett, Better Off
Ted), a history professor (Abigail
Spencer, Cowboys and Aliens),
and a soldier (Matt Lanter,
90210) use a prototype of the
time machine to follow Flynn
back in time. The unlikely team
tries to foil Flynns plan of forever
changing the history of the world.
FOXs take on the time-travelling theme falls into the comedy
genre. From Director Jared Hess
(Napoleon Dynamite), Making History will join Time after
Time as a midseason premiere. A
computer science professor (Adam
Pally, The Mindy Project) travels to the 1700s. He establishes
a better life for himself than his
modern one and dates Paul Reveres daughter (Leighton Meester,
Gossip Girl). Since his actions
are changing history, such as Paul
Reveres famous ride, he enlists his
friend, a history professor (Yassir
Lester, Girls) to go to revolutionary times. The trio navigates
through history and the complications of time travel together.
Hopefully, the three different
premises will set the shows apart,
despite their common theme of
time travel. With heightening interest in science fiction tales, the
popularity of the topic of time
travel has grown but may have
reached its peak. Current technological advances, specifically in
animation, will make it interesting to see the varied portrayal of
time travel and the events of the
past brought to life again, from
the Hindenburg in Timeless to
the revolution bound to occur in
Making History.

Drugs destroy and ruin millions of

lives every year.
What should YOU know about them?
Drugfreeworld.org

16 September 16, 2016 technique

// ENTERTAINMENT

Narcos withdrawal averted

TELEVISION

Narcos
NETWORK: Netflix
WHEN: Sep. 2
STARRING: Wagner Moura

OUR TAKE:
DAVID RAJI

OPINIONS EDITOR
Narcos had a lot to live up to
with its second offering. Though
this seasons fortes are vary widely from those of its predecessor,
it delivers another helping of
gripping crime drama. Wagner
Moura (Elite Squad) once again
steals the show with his stellar
albeit Brazilian portrayal of
Pablo Escobar.
However, the show takes a different attitude towards Escobar as
a human. By portraying the drug
lord physically and mentally on
the run from the authorities for
the majority of the 10 new episodes, the show breaks away from
the ever-present antagonizing attitude of him that was mostly
shown in its first season. By the
last quarter of season two, it is
hard not to feel a twinge of sympathy for the lonely and seemingly
resigned version of Escobar.
If the first season of Narcos
was an illustration of Escobars
rise to power, this one portrays his
rapid descent. In this season, harboring frustration and even anger
towards the authorities singleminded obsession with catching
Escobar is easier.
The depiction of the hunt for
Escobar shows their blindness to
other issues that should have had
priority, such as investigating the
Cali cartel. Both the Colombian
and American authorities working

the techn

Photo courtesy of Netflix

Cesar Trujillo (left), Javier Pea (middle) and Steve Murphy

(right) prepare for a raid. Narcos built on its previous success.

toward his capture are shown to

have immense flaws in both judgment and methodology.
Another welcome departure
from the first season was the dialing back of the almost incessant
narration by D.E.A. Agent Steve
Murphy (Boyd Holbrook, Gone
Girl). Holbrooks narration
works better as an expository tool
this time, mainly due to its sparing usage.
In addition, the series always
felt at its most authentic when it
narrows the viewpoint to that of
a member of Pablos entourage or
family. This season capitalizes on
that strength by closely following
the plight of Pablos mother, wife
and children, and it manages to
keep their lengthy stay in a hotel
room intriguing.
Unfortunately, the strong
writing found in those scenes is
counterbalanced by some hasty
lines delivered near the beginning
of the season by members of the

FROM PAGE 15

of doubt is planted; an atmosphere

of uncertainty is created and remains for most of the film. Since
events are mostly shown through
the perspective of Sullenberger,
insecurity in his decision only
thickens that atmosphere until the
audience is forced to choose a side.
Part of the reason this choice
is so difficult is because of Tom
Hankss performance. As always,
Hanks plays the shaken all-American, and he only encourages audiences to believe in Sullenberger
and his instincts. Some might
criticize an almost stone-cold approach to the struggle that Hanks
portrays, but the serious faade is
another facet of the disciplined
and experienced pilot. The world
of the film is built around Sully,
and for the most part, it is structurally sound.
While Sully is a modern
take on the American hero style
of film, by no means has it broken any new ground or innovated the medium. It is not perfect. First, the movie is based on
a rather brief timeline of events:
the actual landing took mere
minutes. Therefore, the movies
96-minute runtime relies on postincident developments and reveals

information about the landing in

varying amounts.
About halfway through, the
audience first sees the plane land
on the Hudson, but one of the
last scenes of the movie is a flashback that only differs in providing
slightly more detail. This repetition feels as though it was an effort to pad the movie length.
Additionally, the antagonists
motivation is vague. The audience
is told that the harsh National
Transportation Safety Board is
unforgiving to Sullenberger in the
name of insurance, but the magnitude of the boards callousness
closes in on unbelievably cruel
and almost disrespectful. Drama
between Sullenberger and the
board feels unnecessarily forced.
Sully is a solid movie that
knows what kind of story it has
and how to tell it. By centering
itself around a well-acted character, the movie fulfills its advertised
promise of telling an untold story, but it offers more than a study
of Capt. Sullenberger and the
Miracle on the Hudson. Sully
is an examination of the modern
hero in a context that anyone, especially flight enthusiasts or those
familiar with the incident, would
find enjoyable and intriguing to
watch on the big screen.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Capt. Sullenberger, played by Tom Hanks, works to get the crew

and passengers to safety after crash landing on the Hudson River.

ique

zz?
u
B
e
h
t
s
What

WITH
E
S
I
T
R
E
ADV

American authorities. The corniness found in some dialogue suggests that the show is a broadcast
television feel-good family show,
rather than the crime drama it is.
One of the main consequences
of this seasons arc is that the Cali
cartel, which was clearly set up to
be the next seasons antagonist, is
allowed to consolidate resources
and power for itself. One of the
closing scenes implies that season
three of Narcos may focus on
D.E.A. agent Javier Pea (Pedro
Pascal, Game of Thrones) and
his quest to ensnare Cali cartel
boss Gilberto Rodrguez Orejuela
(Damin Alczar, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian).
If Narcos takes this direction
in the future, director Andrs Baiz
(The Hidden Face) will face the
challenge of making that story
more compelling than what has
already been told through the lens
of Escobars ascension and subsequent fall.

SULLY

OJRVFOFU

US

WE OFFER DISCOUNTS
FOR STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
& CAMPUS DEPARTMENTS

mediakit.nique.net

POBMMPGZPVS
EFWJDFT

technique September 16, 2016 17

// ENTERTAINMENT

Glover explores reality of black life in Atlanta

TELEVISION

Atlanta
NETWORK: FX
WHEN: Tues. 10 p.m.
STARRING: Donald Glover

OUR TAKE:
AVANTI JOGLEKAR

CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Welcome to Atlanta, a new
comedy on FX that is important
for being unlike anything else
on television. Created by Donald
Glover (Community), the show
combines elements the actor-rapper knows well: comedy, hip-hop
(he raps under the name of Childish Gambino), and what it is like
to be black in the city of Atlanta.
The story follows the aptly
named Earnest Earn Marks, a
former Princeton student who left
college for reasons unknown even
to his parents and moved back
home to Atlanta. He dreams of
earning a higher paycheck to support his daughter. Once he realizes that his cousin Alfred Marks
(Brian Tyree Henry, Vice Principals) is rising to fame under the
guise of a rapper, Paper Boi (who
is also, as his song claims, all
about that paper, boi), Earn sets
out to rekindle their relationship
with hopes of being his manager.
Through the course of the pilot, it becomes evident that the

characters are the driving force

behind the show, rather than the
major plot lines.
However, a slow-moving plot
by no means translates into a
boring show. Television viewers have become accustomed to a
constant stream of entertainment,
but somehow this show presents
a climactic event in the pilot that
is pushed aside as matters of the
day-to-day take precedence
and it works. In fact, in the course
of the first three episodes, Atlanta tackles topics such as use of
the n-word, mental illness, homophobia, police brutality, the influence of rap culture on children,
drug-dealing, dating on a budget,
and the desire for something more
than life currently contains.
While other comedies prioritize pushing the audience a to
care about its characters, Atlanta
takes a more relaxed approach.
The less dramatic pace allows its
comedy to naturally unfold, and
its true-to-life feel makes it all the
funnier.
Darius
(Keith
Stanfield,
Straight Outta Compton)
brings his own hilarious breed of
reflective, offbeat philosophy to
the archetypal stoner character.
He delightfully foils the intensity
of shoot-outs in gas stations or
drug-deals gone bad.
When Earn first enters Paper
Bois apartment, Darius is poised
to stab him but instead offers him
a cookie. Later Earn rhetorically
wonders who exactly Darius is,

Photo courtesy of FX

Darius (Keith Stanfield), Earn (Donald Glover) and Alfred (Brian Tyree Henry) hang out on the
streets and sofas of Atlanta. Earn strives to convince Alfred to let him manage Paper Boi.

and he comically alludes to their

initial meeting by identifying
himself as the guy who offered
Earn a cookie.
The show begins with a scene
of Earn in bed describing a dream
to the mother of his child, Van
(Zazie Beets, Applesauce). This
opening is no coincidence: later
scenes leave the audience wondering if what is shown happening is
reality. In one incident on a bus,
a stranger making a Nutella sandwich abruptly tells Earn to bite
this sandwich before disappearing from the bus and walking into
the woods.

Such surreal scenes bring an

unexpected twist and make the
ordinary difficulties of the characters lives seem to be on the more
magical side of realism. Despite
the foray into fantasy, much of the
show ring as true as it gets. Moments from the second episode,
which takes place primarily in jail,
leave the viewer shocked by the violence and despair found behind
bars. The viewer easily concedes
with Earn, who laments I hate
this place.
While Glover is known for his
charisma, which shines through
in his other work, his portrayal

Join the

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of the character Earn is an exercise in the opposite. The aimless

and lonely qualities Earn displays
make him difficult to fully understand, but this aspect somehow
makes him more compelling as a
vehicle for illustrating the minute ordeals normal people face
every day. The show drifts from
hilarious to dreamy to downright
horrific with ease, thanks to the
director, Hiro Murai, who has
worked with Glover on music videos in the past. Despite this dissonance, perhaps even because of
it, Atlanta earns its place as an
important show to witness.

18 September 16, 2016 technique

SMBC BY ZACH WEINERSMITH

SARAHS SCRIBBLES BY SARAH ANDERSON

CLASSIC
FOXTROT BY BILL AMEND

// COMICS

XKCD BY RANDALL MUNROE

IN THE BLEACHERS BY STEVE MOORE

technique September 16, 2016 19

// 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 SUDOKUCOLLECTION.COM

technique September 16, 2016 21

// SPORTS

Schniederjans wins Carpet Capital

CASEY MILES

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

From Sep. 911, the Tech
golf team competed at the Carpet Capital Invitational in Rocky
Face, Ga. For the fourth straight
year, the Jackets were able to
claim the individual title. Freshman Luke Schniederjans won the
tournament with a score of -11
through three rounds.
The Powder Springs, Ga., natives strong performance started
on Saturday when he hit a sixunder 66, launching himself into
a tie for the lead. It ended on
Sunday, his two-under 70 on the
tournaments final day enough for
him to break a tie with Auburn
redshirt senior Ryan Benton.
Schniederjans brother, Ollie,
won the tournament two straight
years in 2013 and 2014, beginning the streak that his younger
brother carries on.
Unfortunately
for
Tech,
Schniederjans success did not
count towards the teams, due to
his classification.
14 teams attended the tournament, with each contributing
five golfers to be counted towards
their teams score. Players not selected towards their colleges delegation could nevertheless compete
at the tournament; however, their
scores wouldnt count towards
their teams rankings.
This was the case for Schniederjans, who outplayed his fellow
Jackets despite not being chosen
to represent Tech. His success
may have been in part due to his
familiarity with the course, as he
later told ramblinwreck.com.
I played a high school tournament two or three times [on
this course], so that helped me,
Schniederjans said after the third
days conclusion.

Photo courtesy of Danny Karnik

Luke Schniederjans follows through on his swing at practice. Schniederjans led all Tech golfers
at the Carpet Capital Invitational, extending the schools individual winning streak to four years.

The five golfers who did compete for the scored Tech team
were junior James Clark, senior
Michael Hines, sophomore Tyler
Joiner, freshman Andy Ogletree
and junior Chris Petefish.
The team as a whole finished
tied for 5th overall with a total
score of -8. The biggest problem
that prevented the Jackets from
grabbing a higher spot was an extremely sluggish start for the first
two days. After the second day,
the Jackets were sitting in 10th
place with a score of +5.
However, behind the strong
performances of Clark and Hines,
the team managed to put up a -13
final round, catapulting themselves up in the rankings. With
two ACC teams beating Tech at
this event in Virginia (1st with a

score of -31) and Clemson (3rd

with a score of -16), the Jackets
will have to look to improve greatly this fall if they want to be competitive in the spring.
Individually, the Jackets that
competed as a team showed
highly variable individual performances. On one hand were Clark
and Hines, both of whom finished
under par and tied for 11th and
18th, respectively. On the other
hand were Ogletree and Petefish,
both finishing above par and far
down the leaderboard.
For a player like Ogletree,
a true freshman, this could be
chalked up to nerves or lack of
experience. But for an athlete like
Petefish, who is a junior who led
the team in many events last year,
this is a disappointing start.

The good news for Techs

team, though, is that Schniederjans came through. Entering this
tournament, his ability to adapt to
the high level of collegiate competition was unknown. He was not
ranked as high nationally as his
teammates and fellow freshmen
Ogletree and Tyler Strafaci. However, given the opportunity to play
in an early-season tournament, he
took full advantage.
Tech will compete in the Maui
Jim Invitational from Sep. 2325.
This event will include different teams and will allow Tech
to test itself against teams that
it wouldnt usually face until the
postseason. It will be interesting
to see how talented freshmen like
Schniederjans mesh with the team
moving forward.

NFL JACKETS
Drafted 63rd overall by the
Denver Broncos, former Tech defensive tackle Adam Gotsis looks
to be vital in the future of a strong
Denver defense. Although Gotsis
is a raw talent, Broncos general
manager John Elway thinks he
can be useful for the Broncos
plans moving forward.
Were really excited about
him, Elway explained, courtesy
of ESPN.com. Hes a guy we
think has a really high ceiling.
Other Tech players have found
their ways onto NFL rosters as of
late. D.J. White, for example, was
drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs,
and wide receiver DeAndre Smelter was a fourth-round pick for the
San Francisco 49ers.
CAROLINA OFF THEIR MINDS
The Atlantic Coast Conference
has moved neutral site championships from the state of North
Carolina in response to the states
controversial HB2 restroom laws.
The sports affected are womens soccer, football, swimming
and diving, womens basketball,
tennis, golf and baseball, courtesy
of USAToday.com.
As of now, it is unclear where
these championships will be
played. But finding locations to
hold highly attended contests,
particularly in football and basketball, will be a challenge for
tournament organizers and potentially a logistical nightmare for
fans looking to buy tickets.

22 September 16, 2016 technique

// SPORTS

Buoyed by crowd, volleyball sweeps weekend

ZACH CONNOLLY

CONTRIBUTING WRITER
After a rough start in Kansas
this preseason, Womens Volleyball opened their 2016 home
season with three impressive wins
over Georgia State, Kennesaw
State and UGA.
The first game against Georgia
State was a clean sweep, with the
Jackets winning the first three sets
on the way to an easy first win at
home. Later that evening, however, Kennesaw State forced a fifth
set, pushing the Jackets to earn
the set and the win.
The big game came on Friday
night, Sep. 9, as the Jackets played
host to the Bulldogs, a team that
was undefeated coming into that
match. OKeefe Gym was packed
full of hundreds of Tech fans eager for a win, and the atmosphere
throughout the entire match was
energetic and electrifying.
The players were grateful for
the atmosphere the crowd and pep
band provided.
The band did a great job as
always; we love the band, said junior outside hitter Gabi Stavnetchei after the game.
Not only was the atmosphere
a factor in the Jackets impressive
showing, playing the Bulldogs
was perfect motivation.
We just want to win so badly
and at home when we have everyone on our side. We knew it was
going to be a tough match; they

were undefeated, and teams always tend to grow against their

rivals.
We were ready for a long game,
but we were able to take care of
our side and win in 3. Sweep[ing]
the until-then-undefeated UGA
at home with a packed gym was
simply awesome.
Despite struggling to close out
sets against KSU the night before,
the Jackets showed much improvement in the final few points
of each, outlasting UGA 29-27 in
the third set to perfect the sweep.
While every player had big moments in the game against UGA,
both Stavnetchei and senior outside hitter Teegan Van Gunst
led the attacking charge for the
Jackets, tallying 10 and 14 kills,
respectively, the two highest totals
for Tech and tying a career high
for the former.
Additionally, freshman middle
blocker Kodie Comby had an outstanding match, registering 8 kills
along with 3 block assists. This
effort led to Comby being named
the Atlantic Coast Conferences
Freshman of the Week, the first
ever Jacket to receive the award.
The Jackets looked aggressive
up front against UGA, something
that seemed to be lacking in the
first two matches. In the middle
of the first set, both outside hitters
served up a spectacular string of
spikes but were unable to convert
those efforts into points.
This effort, though, sat well
with the Jackets, as it sparked

Photo courtesy of Danny Karnik

Junior Gabi Stavnetchei celebrates after a point against Auburn at Auburn Arena. Stavnetchei
played a key role in Techs performance against rivals Georgia State, Kennesaw State and UGA.

much more aggression from the

rest of the team, sometimes too
much for their own good.
We can be really athletic
sometimes and over-jump while
blocking, which can make [it]
really easy for the other team to
score ... We just have to make sure
that ... we can control where the
balls go after hitting our hands
and not our arms.
Early-season miscommunications and follies are inevitable,

particularly with new members

joining the team and young players adjusting to collegiate volleyball. With a long road ahead, head
coach Michelle Collier and her assistants will undoubtedly address
these issues.
The Jackets have one more
tournament this weekend the
Coastal Carolina Tournament
in Conway, S.C., versus North
Florida and Coastal Carolina on
Sep. 1617 before opening up

ACC play against the Pittsburgh

Panthers on Sep. 23.
The team will hope to repeat
the offensive and defensive dominance they showed last Friday
against the Bulldogs.
This weekends games and all
games are broadcast on ACC Network Extra. Tech returns home to
OKeefe Gym on Friday, Sep. 30,
as the Jackets take on the No. 8
North Carolina Tar Heels in their
ACC home opener.

technique September 16, 2016 23

// SPORTS

Record aside, not all signs point up for football

MARK RUSSELL
STAFF WRITER

Tech is off to a 2-0 start, but

the team has a lot to work on going into the Vanderbilt game and
ACC play. The team has struggled
in several categories: running between the tackles, first and third
down defense and pressuring the
quarterback.
Tech has been forced by opponents to try and beat them on the
outside so far this season. Boston
College did an excellent job defending Techs B-back dive play,
and against Mercer, head coach
Paul Johnson primarily ran plays
to the outside.
Teams are loading the box up
in order to stop Johnsons favorite
play call. Techs two top B-backs
are freshman Dedrick Mills and
sophomore Marcus Marshall.
Mills and Marshall had a combined 28 carries for 99 yards versus Boston College. B-backs accounted for 61 percent of carries
in that game.
Against Mercer, Mills was
suspended, and B-backs only accounted for 13 carries for 59 yards.
Tech ran the ball 52 times against
Mercer, and only 25 percent were
B-back carries. That kind of shift
in carries versus an FCS team is
an alarming trend.
Some of it may have to do with
Mills being suspended, but Saturday showed that Coach Johnson
felt the team would have more
success running plays to the outside. Johnson had commented on
the offensive lines struggles after
the Boston College game.
Position battles have opened
back up, and new faces got to play
versus Mercer. Only having 13
carries to the B-back shows that
the holes werent open for them
and that Tech could use their

speed to gain yards on the outside.

A-backs accounted for 159 yards
on 17 carries, so Tech was much
more successful in that aspect of
the running game. Sophomore Aback Qua Searcy led the way with
a career-high 91 yards.
Techs next two opponents
have very good defensive lines.
Last year, Vanderbilt was the best
in the country at stopping the run
on third and short and had the
seventh best stuff rate, which is
the percentage of carries by running backs that are stopped for
zero or negative yards. Clemson,
of course, went 8-0 in ACC play.

Boston College had the number one stuff rate last year and
held Tech to one of their fewest
rushing totals in the Paul Johnson
era. The major question on offense
against Vanderbilt will be whether or not Tech will be able to run
their the ball with consistency.
The lack of production and
number of carries between the
tackles shows that Johnson may
believe this is an issue.
In defense, Tech held Boston
College and Mercer to 14 and 10
points, respectively. Tech is 14th
in scoring defense, but those numbers dont tell the true story.

Yardage numbers and conversion rates show that Tech has been
lucky to give up so few points this
season. On first downs, Techs
defense is giving up 6.67 yards per
play, which is an abysmal number.
The reason this number is
so high is because Tech plays a
very conservative, bend-butdont-break defense. Their defense gives up a lot of yards, with
the hope of eventually having a
few good plays in a row and forcing a turnover or a punt.
On first down, opponent completion percentage is 71.4 percent,
and they are averaging 12 yards

Photo by Sara Schmitt Student Publications

A-back Qua Searcy runs to the edge against Mercer. Searcy has been a bright spot in two games
otherwise marred by errors on both sides of the ball, despite Techs 2-0 record entering Saturday.

per completion. Mercer took advantage of Techs relaxed defense

and had success on short passes to
the outside and on screen plays.
Third-down defense has not
been much better for the Jackets
this season. Techs run defense has
given up eight first downs on 14
third-down plays. Their passing
defense has given up seven first
downs on 18 plays. In total, Tech
has allowed a third-down conversion rate of 50 percent, which
ranks 110th of 128 in the FBS.
Opponents are having success
moving the ball and sustaining
drives because Tech is struggling
to pressure the quarterback. Only
junior defensive end Antonio
Simmons has had success in that
department, leading the team
with two sacks. Tech needs more
players to step up to the plate or,
perhaps instead, the quarterback.
Overall, Techs defense ranks
76th in yards per play at 5.25
yards, which is better than last
years 5.82. However, Tech hasnt
played teams known for their offense so far this season.
Its quite the accomplishment
that Tech is currently 14th in the
country in scoring defense despite allowing so many yards per
play. The bend-but-dont-break
scheme has worked for Tech so
far due to forcing three turnovers,
blocking two kicks and holding
opponents to a red zone success
rate of 40 percent this season.
Techs opponents this season
have not taken advantage of their
opportunities. Given that Tech
held opponents to a red zone success rate of 83 percent last year
and 79 percent in 2014, continuing at this pace is highly unlikely.
Tech will have to show a lot of
improvement rushing the quarterback and limiting first down
yardage to stop the highly potent
offenses in the ACC.

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH JOURNAL

Showcase, Present, and Inspire

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH @ GT

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Sports

Get Out the Broom

SPORTS EDITOR:

Harsha Sridhar
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR:

Casey Miles

sports@nique.net

technique

Conference play is a few weeks away,

but Tech volleyball looked to be in
form last weekend.422

24

Friday,
September 16, 2016

KNOW YOUR ENEMY: THE COMMODORES

Left: Photo courtesy of Blake Dover; Center, Right: Photos courtesy of Ziyi Liu

Offense

Defense

Coaching

Points/Game
76th NCAA

Yards Allowed/Play
83rd NCAA

Record under Derek Mason

0 bowl appearances

28.5

After facing a pair of offensive lightweights in Boston

College and Mercer, things dont appear to get much more
difficult for the Tech defense in Week 3. Vanderbilt has
scored 28.5 points per game in its first two matchups, good
for 76th in the 128-member Football Bowl Subdivision
(FBS), courtesy of sports-reference.com.
Like Tech, the Commodores employ a run-first attack. Junior running back Ralph Webb (pictured above)
shouldered a significant load last season, accumulating 301
touches, and he is on pace to surpass that figure in 2016.
With experience might come efficiency; after starting slow
in 2015, the Gainesville, Fla., native is running at a clip of
6.2 yards per carry this year.
Should the ground game fizzle, Vanderbilt will turn to
sophomore quarterback Kyle Shurmur. Shurmur certainly
looks the part: his 64, 223 lb. frame draws favorable comparisons to that of former Commodores star and Chicago
Bears starter Jay Cutler.
However, the young passer looked rattled in the season
opener against South Carolina, completing 36 percent of
his passes for a mere 73 yards. He rebounded slightly in a
win against Middle Tennessee State, topping 100 yards and
notching an acceptable, if pedestrian, 99.3 passer rating.
Shurmur has the tools to effectively manage a game but
may struggle if asked to do more against the Jackets. Techs
job will be to put him in that uncomfortable position,
whether via a pass rush or turnovers.

5.43

The heart and soul of the Vanderbilt defense is junior

linebacker Zach Cunningham. After a 2015 campaign
that saw him notch 4.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss, he has
largely picked up where he left off.
While the lanky defender has yet to bring down the
quarterback, his 4.5 tackles for loss through two games are
impressive. To put that number in context, repeating that
feat over the remainder of the season would allow Cunningham to trump even the best season of former first overall NFL Draft selection Jadaveon Clowney. Unlikely as it
is, it underscores his prodigious pace.
Junior linebacker/safety Oren Burks led the team with
three interceptions last season, and he has the Commodores only pick of 2016.
Although it is unlikely that Tech head coach Paul Johnson would decide to incorporate a great deal more passing
into his offensive strategy, doing so might allow the Jackets
to prey on a vulnerable Vanderbilt secondary.
The Commodores defensive line, however, is a great
deal more stout. The 3-4 defense is led by three veterans:
redshirt junior Jonathan Wynn, redshirt senior Adam Butler and junior Nifae Lealao.
While a bit undersized at 295 pounds, Butler, a nose
tackle, has shown the strength to man the trenches and the
ability to rush the passer. His teams defensive success is
largely contingent on him holding the point against Techs
center and offensive guards early and often.

8-18

It was not so long ago that Vanderbilt was earning respect as an up-and-comer in the talent-packed SEC. However, coach James Franklin, the man who took a team that
had posted one winning record in the new millennium and
took it to three bowl games in as many three years, is in
Happy Valley coaching Penn State.
In Franklins stead is Derek Mason, under whom
Vanderbilt has seen regression over the past few years. Mason arrived in Nashville after coordinating Stanfords defense, courtesy of vucommodores.com.
It was reasonable to think that Masons skills would
parlay well into a head coaching position with the Commodores. After all, Stanford, like Vanderbilt, is an elite academic school in a competitive athletic conference. The returns have yet to come: a 7-17 record through the previous
two seasons suggests Masons job may not be entirely safe.
On the other hand, expectations for Vanderbilt football
have historically been low. Since 1935, the team has placed
in the Associated Press Top 25 poll in only 13 seasons, two
of which came under Franklin. While not spectacular, Masons steady hand on the program may be enough for now.
Vanderbilt has the young talent requisite to win games
as a spoiler, even with a difficult conference schedule. But
their game against Tech should go a long way towards determining whether their win over Middle Tennessee State
was a fluke or evidence of the Commodores ability to produce a competitive effort across the board.

Matchups to Watch
Keep an eye on KeShun Freeman versus the Vanderbilt offensive line. Freeman struggled last season after a fantastic freshman year; however, despite injury, he is one of Techs best bets to rush the passer. He will be tasked with making life difficult for Vanderbilts QB Kyle Shurmur.
Techs interior offensive line will have its hands full against an opportunistic Vanderbilt front. While hardly the biggest, the Commodores have the
athleticism and length to cause trouble in the trenches and disrupt the running game. Will Bryan, Freddie Burden and Shamire Devine must step up.
If this game comes down to a field goal, both teams have reason to be confident in their respective kickers. Techs Harrison Butker has come through
in key moments (2014 in Athens), while Vanderbilts Carey Spear is a senior with a Second Team All-SEC (2012) and plenty of experience.