October 6, 2023 • Volume 108, Issue 10 • nique.
net
technique
News 2 Opinions 5 Life 8 Entertainment 12 Sports 20
BUZZY BONDFIRE UNITES ALL p8
LIFE
Top L: Photo by Tyler Parker Student Publications; Top R: Photo courtesy of GTAA; Above: Photo by Alexey Tatarinov Student Publications
Fulton County Jail living conditions deteriorating
ALEC GROSSWALD
NEWS EDITOR
Located on 901 Rice St. NW,
just three miles away from Tech’s
campus, the Fulton County Jail
houses around 3,600 inmates,
which is almost double their op-
erational capacity. Despite grow-
ing public scrutiny, the jail’s
facilities continue to deteriorate.
Since Sept. 2022, the Rice
St. facility has had 17 in-custody
deaths. They made headlines
last year when inmate LaShawn
Thompson was found unrespon-
sive in his cell, covered in sores
ENTERTAINMENT
. .
‘Ni Do To’ exhibit
and bedbug bites. He passed
away days later due to “severe
neglect,” according to an au-
topsy report. The situation there
has worsened to such a degree
that the U.S. Department of
Justice (DOJ) launched an in-
vestigation into the jail and its
conditions in July of this year.
“The Department has found
significant justification to open
this investigation,” reads the DOJ
press release, “including credible
allegations that an incarcerated
person died covered in insects and
filth, that the Fulton County Jail
is structurally unsafe, that preva-
p13 Basketball schedules p20
NEWS
lent violence has resulted in seri-
ous injuries and homicides and
that officers are being prosecuted
for using excessive force.”
Devin Franklin is the South-
ern Center for Human Rights’
(SCHR) Movement Policy Coun-
sel, an organization that works to
reduce mass incarceration through
criminal justice reform. He spoke
with the Technique about his ex-
periences from the perspective of
his current role and as a former
public defender in the county.
“They have a leak from the
roof that is constantly dripping,”
See JAIL, page 4
SPORTS
LIFE
CLARE CHUNG
STAFF WRITER
On Sept. 29, the fire pits be-
hind West Village were aglow,
surrounded by groups of students
roasting marshmallows and mak-
ing s’mores. Live singing, guitar
playing and poetry readings by
student musicians and artists on
the open mic stage filled the back-
ground air and set a relaxing and
comforting atmosphere.
“Buzzy Bondfire” was hosted
by the Student Center Programs
Council (SCPC) this year as a
night event to promote com-
munity through music, laugh-
ter and, as the event description
on the SCPC website describes
it, the “simple joy of savoring
s’mores by the firelight.”
Shreya Jayaswal, fourth-year,
CS, is the Ramblin Nights Com-
mittee Chair in SCPC. She de-
scribed the planning process
behind this event saying, “for
Buzzy Bonfire, for example, we
started planning it at least one to
two months before just figuring
out exactly what we want at the
event, how many people we can
accommodate, things like that
logistically, and then also trying
to look for a student volunteers
to perform at the event.”
While some SCPC events are
long-standing traditions on Tech’s
campus, they also have the op-
portunity to create and host new
ones or expand on previous ones
to present original and refreshing
events every semester.
“This particularly isn’t one of
those traditional recurring events
but we have done a bonfire type
event in the past. It’s basically up
to the SCPC committees for the
semester; they get to plan which
events they want to do again. So
See BONDFIRE, page 8
Photo by Alex Dubé Student Publications
The Fulton County Jail’s main facility is located just a ten minute
drive from Tech. All people facing charges are processed here.
News
NEWS EDITOR: technique
Alec Grosswald Second Republican debate
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR:
Havisha Murukuntla
The second Republic debate occurred last
Friday,
2
week, but Trump, who continues to lead in
news@nique.net the polls, was notably absent . 43 October 6, 2023

New space for BSOs opens in the Flag Building

HAVISHA MURUKUNTLA
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
On Sept. 15, the Smithgall
Student Services Building cele-
brated the opening of a new space
initiated by the Black Culture,
Innovation and Technology de-
partment. Notable Alumni who
were previous leaders of their re-
spective Black Student Organiza-
tions (BSOs) as well as current
leaders were present to witness the
ribbon-cutting ceremony. Tech
has prioritized the increased ac-
cess and success for students from
historically underserved commu-
nities, with a particular emphasis
on students who identify as Black
or African-American, but in 2021,
the Institute only had around
5% of Black students enrolled in
An office for GT Black Culture, Innovation and Technology is now open in the Smithgall Student
Services building. Students and faculty from SEWB and various BSOs attended the ribbon cutting.
the college. Recently, however, serves as an administration hub board, and it can serve as a lounge
with every incoming class, the for the various BSOs and in- for those of us who serve within
proportion of Black students has cludes office spaces, a lounge those organizations so that our
been rising steadily. There are and a kitchen. Each organization impact is greater and we are also
many Black Student Organiza- has desk storage, and bulletins able to directly tap into the stu-
tions (BSOs) on campus such as to put up their events and the dent life here,” said Cyphers.
the African American Student future director of the initiative An important aspect of the
Union (AASU), Society of Black will have a main office there. space was the ability to provide
Engineers (SBE) and the African The Technique had the op- resources for current students to
Student Association (ASA). Addi- portunity to interview Azalia thrive, whether it be financially,
tionally, the recent establishment Cyphers, fourth-year BME, who academically or emotionally.
of the Black Culture, Innovation serves as the current president of “The importance of this
and Technology department is a the AASU and was present at the space is to connect and com-
new milestone for Tech as well. ribbon-cutting ceremony. She ad- municate us to those resources
In 2021, the Black Alumni vocated strongly for the creation because they exist but we [the
Organization (GTBAO) and the of a safe space for Black students, general student body] don’t
Department of Student Life pro- and she emphasized the impor- know that,” Cyphers said.
posed a specific initiative that the tance of maintaining a strong While it is meant to be an ad-
Black Culture, Innovation and Black community on campus. ministrative place, all students are
Technology department could “The intent behind it is for us welcome and encouraged to visit.
pursue: the creation of a new to ultimately organize our organi- “The idea is that a Black stu-
space for Black students. Now, zations there. We can plan events, dent walks in and sees all these
two years later, the new space we can bring in our executive organizations that they can be
a part of that they didn’t know
about. One of the newest projects
is the creation of a huge calendar
and bulletin board to be put up
in the space. The idea is to have
every event and opportunity listed
out so that any student can walk
into the space and see exactly
what Georgia Tech has to offer
them. Students are welcome to
tap in if they want to see the work
we’ve been doing or if they want
to join the executive board, that’s
the place to go,” Cyphers said.
The opening of the new space
is just the first in line for all
the goals the Black Culture In-
novation and Technology de-
partment has in mind. Dr. Lu-
oluo Hong, the VP of Student
Engagement and Wellbeing
(SEWB), outlined several achieve-
ments that the opening of the
new space would bring forward.
“The new office will enhance
recruitment and yield in the en-
rollment management process,
increasing our competitive edge
with top-tier peer institutions,
Photo courtesy of Student Engagement and Well-being Marketing and Communications support academic learning and
success at the undergraduate,
master, and doctoral levels with
the goal of increasing retention
and graduation rates, facilitate
student belonging and mattering,
as well as community and connec-
tions with fellow students, as well
as with alumni, faculty, staff and
public and private sectors, by le-
veraging culture, history, arts, sci-
ences and other fields of inquiry as
the catalysts and foster synergies
between Georgia Tech and the
broader community to support
innovation and entrepreneurship
in technology and related fields,”
Hong said.
Cyphers talked about how the
benefit of providing spaces for
organizations that didn’t have
much of a voice before could
cause a snowballing effect.
“When you have a tangible
space like this now that is prog-
ress, and when the organizations
that benefit from access to such
spaces go out and do the work,
do outreach and community ser-
vice such as scholarship funds and
MLK day service, that is the em-
bodiment of service, and I can’t
wait to see how Georgia Tech’s
motto of progress and service can
be amplified and exemplified by
Black Culture, Innovation and
Technology,” Cyphers said.
Tech students should expect
to see new events and opportu-
nities come up in the upcom-
ing months such as the Annual
National Pan-Hellenic Council
Step Show, the Taste of Africa
and a Thanksgiving dinner.
Cyphers encouraged stu-
dents, especially freshmen, to
go to the BSO lounge in the
John Lewis Student Center. This
gives them the opportunity to
meet other students and to im-
merse themselves in the culture
that is active on campus. She
also encouraged students to go
to the space in the Smithgall
Student Services Building to
take an active role in develop-
ing and enriching these various
organizations and initiatives.

sliver // your thoughts

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Itssssss first down Georgia Tech!!!
Some advice from a senior- it just gets worse.
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when’s the last time you ate a plum? The South’s Liveliest College Newspaper
keep calm and carry on. remember those memes haha
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Yellow Apple Soup Has Van In Nights Inked Founded in 1911, the Technique is the student newspaper of the
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the quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog from the Editor-in-Chief or from the Board of Student Publica-
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“I like to see everything in neon” Rish Desai
menty b counter off the charts this week thors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Board of
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mustache man :{
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// NEWS technique • October 6, 2023 • 3

ARPA-H launches a health network program

TEHREEM HUSSAIN
MANAGING EDITOR
On Sept. 26, 2023, the Ad-
vanced Research Projects Agency
for Health (ARPA-H) provided
notification for the creation of
the Advanced Research Projects
Agency Network for Health (AR-
PANET-H), a nationwide health
innovation network. ARPA-H is
a special agency delineated under
the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS)
and ARPANET-H will operate
in tandem with the presence of
three ARPA-H regional hubs.
According to the press release,
the establishment of the regional
hubs is an effort by ARPA-H to
account for the “diversity of peo-
ple, settings and capabilities that
encompass the American health
ecosystem.” The primary focus of
the new network will be coupling
scientific discoveries with medi-
cal practices that are centered
around bettering health outcomes
for diverse patient populations.
Dr. Renee Wegrzyn is cur-
rently serving as the director for
ARPA-H and assumed the role in
2022 following her appointment
by President Joe Biden. Prior to
this position, Wegrzyn was em-
ployed as the vice president of
business development at Gingko
Bioworks. According to her pro-
file, “Wegrzyn comes to ARPA-H
with experience working for two
of the institutions that inspired
the creation of the agency —
the Defense Advanced Research
Projects Agency (DARPA) and
Intelligence Advanced Research
Projects Activity (IARPA).”
Wegrezyn’s educational
background can be traced back
to the Institute. She received
both her bachelor’s and doc-
toral degrees in applied biol-
ogy from Tech and is one of the
Institute’s notable alumni.
Wegrezyn provided the Tech-
nique with a statement highlight-
ing the importance of ARPA-H
and said, “Modeled after the
unique and ambitious business
practices of DARPA, ARPA-H
serves a unique role in the health
ecosystem that allows us to pursue
high risk projects that have the
potential to deliver asymmetrical
advances in health, including [p]-
residential priorities like the Biden
Cancer Moonshot Initiative.”
ARPA-H was developed as a
means to bolster the growth of
biomedical research that directly
develops sustainable and equitable
health solutions. The operational
model of ARPA-H utilizes pro-
gram managers who lead teams of
performers that focus on specific Photo Courtesy of U.S. HHS
health-related issues. The program Dr. Rene Wegrzyn, Tech alum, got sworn in as the first director of ARPA-H by HHS Secre-
is unique in that measurement and tary Xavier Becerra in 2022. Now, she is spearheading a new network under the department.
evaluation are core tenets of each
research focus, setting it apart Degradome Atlas (CODA) proj- NET-H, the ability to tap into the was estimated to be at 30% by the
from commercial research activity. ect, led by the Georgia Institute best resources whether it’s in your International Diabetes Federation
The new network is an effort that of Technology, which focuses on backyard or across the country.” (IDF). The consolidation of the
aligns with President Biden’s Uni- mapping cancer cell biomarkers With the network’s aim to network under ARPA-H will cre-
ty Agenda, a four-part program to help improve cancer detection span across all 50 U.S. states, the ate a centralized system to address
focused on cancer research, obli- rates at the very earliest stages of project’s reach will be important such challenges through medical
gations to veterans, the national the disease,” Wegrezyn said. in ensuring that states with under- research and scientific discovery.
mental health crisis and opioid Wegrezyn then described resourced healthcare systems are Finally, reminiscing on her
and overdose epidemic. The Insti- how ARPANET-H will incor- included in the dialogue for health roots, Wegrezyn spoke of the rel-
tute is a large stakeholder in these porate the national goals of equity and advancement. Accord- evance of Tech’s ideals in inform-
new initiatives championed by the ARPA-H into their practices. ing to St. George’s University, ing the mission of ARPA-H.
ARPA-H and the ARPANET-H. “We envision many ARPA-H the functions and mechanisms “As a former Yellow Jacket, the
“We recently announced a few programs and projects to work behind the current healthcare sys- principles of ‘progress and ser-
new efforts that demonstrate the with the ARPANET-H hubs — tem in the U.S. are resulting in 83 vice’ of the Georgia Tech motto
kinds of revolutionary concepts depending on the needs of the million people occupying regions come alive every day through our
we are here to pursue that are programs, projects and the hub’s regarded as Health Professional work at ARPA-H. It has been an
too high risk for other public or capabilities. That might be work- Shortage Areas (HPSAs). Addi- eventful first year leading this
private funding to pursue, but if ing with a hub in the same re- tionally, according to the Ameri- new agency, and I’m so proud of
successful, have the potential to gion as an OpenBAA awardee or can Cancer Society, there were 1.9 the incredible team and culture
change the trajectory of a given with a hub or spoke in another million new cancer cases in the we are building at ARPA-H and
field or health care challenge. This geographic area. It’s one of the U.S. in 2022 alone, and chronic and am excited that Georgia Tech
includes the Cancer and Organ strengths of the evolving ARPA- metabolic condition prevalence is a part of it,” Wegrezyn said.

Republican debate unfolds with Trump absent

COLE MURPHY
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The leading GOP candidates
met last Wednesday at the Ronald
Reagan Presidential Library for an
impassioned and, at times, chaotic
second Republican debate. Nota-
bly absent, however, was former
President Donald Trump, who is
currently ahead in the primary
polls by over 40 points.
Only seven contenders took
the debate stage compared to
the first debate’s eight, with Asa
Hutchinson announcing last week
that his campaign failed to meet
the Republican National Conven-
tion (RNC) polling requirements.
Candidates sparred over a
wide variety of issues, including
unions, healthcare, energy, immi-
gration and the economy, with a
significant focus on the perceived
failures of President Joe Biden’s
administration and its heavily
touted “Bidenomics” policy.
“Bidenomics has failed,” said
former Vice President Mike
Pence. “Wages are not keeping up
with inflation. Auto workers and
all American workers are feeling
it. Families are struggling in this
economy. … Joe Biden doesn’t be-
long on the picket line — he be-
longs in an unemployment line.”
Trump was also not present
at the first Republican debate
and received some criticisms
from his colleagues for it. Dur-
ing this debate, however, par-
ticipants fired shots at the former
president with a greater intensity.
“Donald, I know you’re watch-
ing. You can’t help yourself,” said
former Governor Chris Christie,
addressing the camera directly.
“And you’re not here tonight
not because of polls and not be-
cause of your indictments. You’re
not here tonight because you’re
afraid of being on this stage and
defending your record. You’re
ducking these things. And let
me tell you what’s going to hap-
pen, you keep doing that, no one
up here is going to call you Don-
ald Trump anymore, we’re gonna
call you ‘Donald Duck.’”
Gov. Ron DeSantis levied a
similar criticism, albeit in a more
muted tone than Christie.
“Donald Trump is missing in
action. He should be on this stage
tonight,” said DeSantis.
The debate quickly shifted
into candidates attacking each
other directly. Several arguments
devolved into unintelligibil-
ity, with the Fox Business and
Univision moderators straining
to regain control of the room.
Former Governor Nikki
Haley found herself at the cen-
ter of many of these arguments,
including a memorable one with
Vivek Ramaswamy regarding the
FOX Business Network and Univision hosted the debate last week. From left to right are former
U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Gov. Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy and Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C.
safety of TikTok, in which she
remarked, “Every time I hear you
I feel a little bit dumber.”
She also had a tense exchange
with Tim Scott, in which he ac-
cused her of spending federal
funds to buy curtains for her of-
ficial United Nations residence,
seemingly referencing a 2018 New
York Times story that the outlet
later retracted. “You’ve got bad
information,” Haley said.
Overall, there were fewer pol-
icy discussions than in the previ-
ous debate, with the moderators
forgoing closing statements in
favor of asking the candidates
who they thought should drop
out of the GOP race. “It’s now
obvious that if you all stay in the
race, former President Donald
Trump wins the nomination,”
said moderator Dana Perino. “So
Photo courtesy of Mark J. Terrill Associated Press
which one of you on stage tonight
should be voted off the island?”
Whiteboards were provided
for the candidates to write their
answer, but all refused. DeSantis
called it “disrespectful to [his]
fellow competitors.” Chris Chris-
tie took the opportunity to write
“Donald Trump” on his white-
board, but he declined to write
the name of someone on the stage.
And with that, the debate end-
ed. It looks as though the night
will do little to upset the estab-
lished order, as a 538/Washing-
ton Post/Ipsos poll conducted in
the days after the debate found
Trump’s support only declining
0.1% with 63.8% of likely Repub-
lican primary voters considering
voting for him. Each of the other
candidates’ support remained
steady as well, with Haley receiv-
ing a slight boost from the debate
but still finding herself in third
place behind DeSantis.
Haley’s campaign states that
Trump sees them as more of a
threat than before. Coinciden-
tally, picture was released on
Sunday of a birdcage and bird-
seed left outside of her door with
a note that said “From: Trump
campaign,” seemingly referencing
Trump’s pejorative nickname for
Haley, “Birdbrain.” The Trump
campaign has not confirmed or
denied responsibility.
The state primary elections
for the 2024 season will begin
this January in Iowa, and only
time will tell whether anyone will
dislodge Trump’s lead. Tech stu-
dents who are Georgia residents
can register to vote before the
primaries at mvp.sos.ga.gov/s/.
4 • October 6, 2023 • technique
JAIL FROM FRONT
says Franklin, “and instead of re-
pairing it, they just keep putting
empty trashcans under it to catch
the water. This leak was there years
ago when I was a public defender,
and it is still there to my knowl-
edge. If that was visible to the
public, then you can only imagine
what the rest of the jail is like.”
Just over a month ago, former
president Donald Trump was
booked and processed at the Ful-
ton County Jail due to his Georgia
indictment charges. Shortly after,
he publicly detested the condi-
tions of the facility in a fundrais-
ing email to his supporters.
“It’s worse than you could
even imagine,” said Trump. “It’s
violent. The building is fall-
ing apart. Inmates have dug
their fingers into the crumbling
walls and ripped out chunks
to fashion over 1,000 shanks.”
BBC estimates that Trump
was in the jail for around 20
minutes, accompanied by a full
security team. Other persons in
custody are not so lucky. The Ful-
ton County Jail is meant to be a
temporary facility that detains
individuals awaiting trial or sen-
tencing or individuals serving
small sentences, but many end
up there for months or even years
without being convicted. This is
the root of the jail’s overcrowd-
ing issue, which only exacerbates
its deplorable conditions.
“Everyone who’s held in Ful-
ton County Jail is being held pre-
trial,” says Franklin. “They should
be able to expeditiously get to
court and resolve their case… or
be able bond out of the jail. We
informed [the jail] that there are
a lot of inmates in custody for a
variety of reasons such as not
having a trial date or not hav-
ing bond placed, and these are
factors that affect overcrowding.”
Coupled with overcrowding,
the severity of the conditions
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// NEWS
at the Rice St. facility pose se-
vere mental and physical health
risks for its inmates. Dr. Amy
D’Unger is the Interim Direc-
tor and Associate Director of the
GT Honors Program and a soci-
ologist with an expertise in social
policy and crime. She discusses
the ramifications of this issue for
inmates and the local community.
“The great paradox of the
criminal justice system is that,
while the vast majority of people
who suffer from mental illness
— including substance addiction
— do not get involved in crime,
many of the people who are in-
carcerated are experiencing men-
tal illness,” says D’Unger. “This
is especially true in jails, which
are the holding pen for people
after arrest and before trial. …
Jails tend to have more transient
populations and fewer resources
than prisons and often become
“overflow housing” for the men-
tally ill, substance addicted, and/
or homeless. … The conditions Photo by Alex Dubé Student Publications
in an overcrowded jail — loud According to the SCHR, the Fulton County Jail is currently operating at almost double its
noises, violence, inadequate food, capacity. With increasing scrutiny, responsibility for a solution lie with Sheriff Patrick “Pat” Labat.
overcrowded conditions — can be As the issue grows more severe by diverting those with mental dress the human rights violations
particularly triggering from those each day, Fulton County Sher- health issues, substance abuse is- occurring at the jail, but it is likely
suffering from mental illness.” iff Patrick Labat, who maintains sues and a lack of housing/shelter that the results of the DOJ’s inves-
She adds that the jail’s lack of jurisdiction over the jail, grows into community-based treatment tigation will affect their efforts in
adequate medical resources and desperate to find a solution. He is a more viable long- term solu- the coming months.
facilities is a root of the health is- stated last month that his current tion. … Most people in Fulton “Jails are ill-suited to provide
sues that occur within the facility. plan is to farm around a thousand County Jail are poor — their rehabilitation. To the extent that
“At Fulton County Jail, a pri- inmates to other facilities as far families may not have the means rehabilitation as opposed to pun-
vate health care company, Naph- away as south Georgia or Mis- to travel to see them in a jail that’s ishment is part of the US crimi-
Care, Inc., provides services, but sissippi. However, there has been farther away. … Moving prison- nal justice system, it’s much more
the company is seeking to either no news of the plan’s enaction ers to other facilities is a short likely to happen in prison than in
terminate its contract or get a since the Sheriff’s statement. term bandage for a very gaping jail. … I don’t think any rehabili-
significant increase in pay be- Both D’Unger and Franklin wound,” D’Unger says. tation is happening in local jails
cause of the level of violence in agree that this is a temporary solu- “Potentially moving [persons like Fulton County. I think ware-
the facility, including targeted at tion that could end up causing more in custody] has implications un- housing of the poor and mentally
health care practitioners, [whose] harm to the inmates than good. der the Sixth amendment right to ill is happening,” D’Unger says.
contract was recently renewed “I don’t know the specifics of counsel. Clients need to be able The Futon County Jail retains
over the summer. NaphCare it- this plan, but the Fulton County to meet often to review discov- jurisdiction over a large portion
self has been the target of several Jail is incredibly overcrowded. ery with their counsel. … This of Atlanta’s metropolitan area. If
lawsuits for negligence, including Moving some inmates to other frustrates the ability to develop any Tech student is arrested in
in the recent death of LaShawn jails could temporarily improve relationships between client and Fulton County, they will most
Thomas, a schizophrenic inmate the conditions, but it’s not a attorney,” Franklin says. likely be processed through Rice
who died of severe neglect in long-term solution. Reducing Fulton County has yet to offer St. and could be detained there
September 2022,” says D’Unger. the number of people in the jail a more permanent solution to ad- for an extended period of time.
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Opinions
OUR VIEWS | Consensus Opinion
Political satire
How has the role of satire shifted over time?
With the recent New Yorker exposé of po-
litical satirist and comedian Hasan Minhaj,
there has been increased discussion on the role
political satire holds in American politics and
news dissemination. Through the Trump Ad-
ministration and during the transition into the
Biden Administration, the role of such satire
has shifted. We at the Technique wish to dis-
cuss the circumstances surrounding this shift,
as well as what niche political satire has settled
into of recent. Additionally, we would like to
assess the standard to which we, as a society,
hold satirists and comedians to, in terms of
honesty and embellishment of the truth.
The purpose political satire holds has indubi-
tably shifted. However, the reason for this shift
is not due to changes within political satire. The
genre, the nature of its comedy and its jokes have
stayed stagnant over the years. The real change
has been within the political climate itself.
Modern politicians have come into the habit
of utilizing extremes and ruthlessness in order
to garner attention. Former President Donald
Trump is a notable example of this phenom-
enon. He originally came into power through
propagation of large and radical ideas. He con-
tinues to maximize attention, which works in
his favor. On the Republican presidential ticket,
he is still polling the highest of the candidates,
despite being indicted multiple times and
refusing to show up to debates.
Political satire fails to reflect and accom-
modate such extremes. They require creative
ways to be funny because a lot of their work is
being done for them. With politicians mak-
ing more and more egregious comments,
like Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene
blaming a “Jewish Space Laser” for the 2018
California wildfires, it is difficult to satirize
figures who bring shock and comedic factors.
In the past, embarrassment was an important
component of political satire. Politicians were
once held to a standard where they had to be-
have diplomatically. This is no longer the case.
Embarrassment is no longer an effective means
of criticism because politicians have become
unembarrassable. Representative George San-
tos has lied to Congress, lied to his donors, lied
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
Yashvini Deva EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Tehreem Hussain MANAGING EDITOR
Nithya Jameshenry OPINIONS EDITOR
Emily Russell HEAD COPY EDITOR
Matthew Kistner SPORTS EDITOR
Jessamyn M. Lockett LIFE EDITOR
Aanya Sawhney ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
OPINIONS EDITOR: Nithya Jameshenry
I’d rather float over other people’s
“
minds as something strictly fluid
and non-perceivable.
— Franz Kafka
about where he went to high school and college,
lied about working on Wall Street, lied about
founding a charity and lied about many of his
other accolades that awarded him his position.
However, rather than acknowledge his wrong-
doings or feel embarrassed about his lies being
exposed, he displays no remorse. He simply
states that he was embellishing the truth.
Most lies are simply embellishments of the
truth. However, at what point do we need to
hold public figures accountable for their seem-
ingly unharmful digressions from honesty?
Hasan Minhaj has long capitalized on dramatics
and using the shock value of his stories to make
people connect. However, in lying about certain
stories, such as those surrounding police brutal-
ity, he takes away from people for whom those
are true, lived experiences. In doing this, he is
no longer focusing on the larger social problem,
but rather putting the focus on him. Black and
brown communities have consistently faced
such issues and it is inappropriate for him to
capitalize on their struggles. As a figure who
has worked on “The Daily Show” and hosted his
own political satire show, “Patriot Act,” Minhaj
must uphold his honesty levels, even in his com-
edy, in order to maintain his authority and effi-
cacy at disseminating news. His admissions of
dishonesty have taken away from that.
It is imperative to recognize the value of po-
litical satire. While it has an informative ele-
ment, it also functions as a way to spread heavy
and important news in a palatable manner.
In the future, satirists can include a call
to action as part of their shows. A good ex-
ample of this is “Last Week Tonight” with
John Oliver, who offers actionable options for
contributing to alleviating social issues. How-
ever, viewers should not develop their views
from comedy shows, because it is still some-
one’s opinion and commentary. This informa-
tion has already been digested, and while it
might introduce an idea, it should not be the
end of one’s research on a topic.
Political satire has a dual purpose: to inform
and to entertain. Just as we have been forced to
take the word of politicians with a grain of salt,
we must treat political satirists in the same way.
Rish Desai TECHNOLOGY EDITOR
Alec Grosswald NEWS EDITOR
Clara Templin DESIGN EDITOR
Alex Dubé PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Sydney Gordon ONLINE EDITOR
Free lunch for all
CAROLINE BETZ
STAFF WRITER
In the wake of a government
shutdown threat that nearly put
a halt to free and reduced lunch
programs in public schools across
America, impacting up to 31 mil-
lion children, the question of who
should be paying for school lunch-
es is more pertinent than ever.
If students are required to be
in a public school building until
the age of at least 16, then it is en-
tirely reasonable to require public
schools to provide children with a
free and nutritious lunch.
Food insecurity has continued
to rise in American households as
many struggle to recover from the
economic toll they have suffered
due to the long reaching impacts
of the COVID pandemic. Over
51% of students rely on free or re-
duced lunch to be able to eat.
These children deserve a
guaranteed meal, regardless of
whether or not Congress can
choose to agree with each other
to prevent a government shut-
down or whether local lawmakers
are feeling extra generous.
Infamously, some school dis-
tricts have a policy that instructs
cafeteria workers to throw out a
student’s lunch if they are unable
to pay for it at the cash register at
the end of the lunch line.
Not only does this cause ex-
treme embarrassment for the
child whose lunch debt is now
being advertised to the entire
school cafeteria, this adds to the
massive food waste issue that
plagues American schools.
Nearly 530,000 tons of food
are thrown out in school caf-
eterias every single year — a
figure that is certainly inflated
by policies such as the one above.
Almost 40% of Americans
are a single paycheck away from
dropping below the poverty line,
leaving many children at risk of
no longer having reliable access to
filling and substantial meals.
The current policies in place sur-
rounding the application process
for free or reduced school lunches
Write to us:
opinions@nique.net
Got something to say? Then let
your voice be heard with the Tech-
nique. Sliver at Nique.net, tweet us
@the_nique or check us out on Face-
book at facebook.com/thenique. We
want to hear your opinion and want
to make it known to all of campus.
We also welcome your letters in
response to Technique content as well
as topics relevant to campus. We will
print letters on a timely and space-
available basis.
Each week we look for letters that
technique
5
Friday,
October 6, 2023
increase this potential burden.
Some school districts only accept
applications at the beginning of
the school year while others accept
applications at any time.
However, most project at
least a 10 business day waiting
period for families to hear back.
In the event a family is suffer-
ing from a financial emergency,
this leaves them and their chil-
dren in an unnecessary struggle
while they wait to hear back.
Implementing a universally-
provided school lunch policy
would remove this enormous
burden from families toeing the
poverty line by providing a much-
needed safety net program.
By providing school lunches
for all children, a major class
marker is removed from schools,
and many students are protected
from potential bullying that could
stem from a students’ family eco-
nomic status being on display dur-
ing lunchtime every day.
Whether a student has al-
ways been on free lunch, starts
at the beginning of a school year
or suddenly is on the free lunch
program in the middle of the
school year, it undeniably puts
that student on display if their
classmates notice this change.
Children deserve a school
lunchroom free from bullying
based on circumstances entirely
out of their control.
By giving all students free
lunch, a student’s financial situ-
ation, or sudden change in fi-
nancial situation, is no longer
on display for their classmates
to nitpick during lunch.
In a political climate where
bipartisan issues are few and far
between, providing free school
lunch for all public school stu-
dents is an issue that unifies
the majority of Americans.
After witnessing the feasi-
bility of universally provided
school lunches during the pan-
demic, 60% of Americans sup-
port free lunch and 57% sup-
port free breakfast provided
to all students in public schools.
Whether a student is in kinder-
garten or their senior year of high
school, they deserve access to a
free meal while they are attending
school. Students deserve to avoid
being embarrassed by cafeteria
staff advertising their lunch debt
to the entirety of the cafeteria.
They deserve to not have
their lunch signal their family’s
finances. Most of all, students
deserve access to free lunches
in American public schools.
are responses to or commentaries on
content found within the pages of the
Technique. Along with these letters,
we are open to receiving letters that
focus on relevant issues that currently
affect Tech as an institute, including
its campus and student body.
When submitting letters we ask
that you include your full name, year
(first-year, second-year, etc.) and ma-
jor. We ask that letters be thought
provoking, well written and in good
taste. We reserve the right to both re-
ject or edit letters for length and style.
For questions, comments or con-
cern, contact the Opinions Editor at
opinions@nique.net.
6 • October 6, 2023 • technique
Personality tests: pro-growth or anti-identity?
KATIE STRICKLAND
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The concept of self-discovery
has undergone critical changes
and shifts along with the rise of
the internet. As media consum-
ers eagerly attempt to fit in with
trends and change themselves for
public approval, personality tests
have been a determinant in the
spread of superficial identities.
As individuals rush to learn
about themselves, from their
16Personalities type to what
kind of pasta they are, no-
body is immune to curiosity
regarding self-discovery.
The most popular person-
ality test is the classic Myers-
Briggs test, more well-recognized
as the 16Personalities test. In-
dividuals take a 93-question
survey answering questions
about themselves and receive a
four-letter determinant.
The test’s creators, Katharine
Cook Briggs and Isabel Briggs
Myers, were especially interested
Reading between the lines of book bans
DHANYA MUPPALLA
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
I am forever grateful for the
idea of free speech, or I would
have to be writing this article
from the dark depths of a pris-
on. As Oliver Wendell Holmes
once said, “it is not free thought
for those who agree with us but
freedom for the thought that we
hate.” And yet the First Amend-
ment made to the Constitution,
a hallowed document protecting
the freedom of Americans, finds
itself once again under attack with
the recent surge in the banning of
books. According to NPR news,
in Carl Jung’s research, namely
his book “Psychological Types.”
This initiative led to the identi-
fication of Myers–Briggs Type
Indicator (MBTI) types, which
opened a gate for thousands
of new identity tests.
With the expansion of internet
browsers, these tests are easily ac-
cessible and a form of entertain-
ment or self-discovery for all.
These surveys and questionnaires
have a common determinant; fol-
lowing submission, the test-taker
supposedly fits into a boxed cat-
egory related to the topic.
Although many use these
tests for entertainment, it is
crucial to note that these re-
sults can subconsciously alter
the user’s self-perception.
The creators of personality
tests tend to advertise them in a
way that appeals to those who are
emotionally vulnerable.
Individuals who lack a sense
of self or hope to explore multi-
faceted sides of themselves
may conduct these surveys to
grasp new sides of themselves,
which ultimately becomes inef-
fective when strict labels only
leave less room for development.
These test-takers are likely to
be clueless about the underlying
biases of these surveys, as many
are desperate for some sort of out-
sider analysis about themselves.
Survey-based personality tests
with defined results rather than
open-ended descriptions encour-
school book bans rose about 33%
in the last year, with Florida being
at the forefront of these actions.
Many conservative groups
claim that children are too naive
to possibly understand certain
complex themes such as abuse,
LGBTQ+ identities, and race
or racism, leading to confusion
about what is and is not appro-
priate. After all, certain issues are
hard to read about — no one of
any age is really ever ready to face
them, but by banning these ideas
in schools, students are not only
prevented from having the sup-
port to face these ideas, but these
authors are legally being prevented
from expressing their ideas.
The purpose of an education
is to provide the foundation to
develop, analyze and perpetuate
free ideas. Without this, an edu-
cation just creates identical ma-
chines. Controversial literature
not only builds empathy and the
ability to comprehend the gray
areas of current world issues, but
it is highly effective in provid-
ing a third person point of view.
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH JOURNAL
age examinees to broaden their
horizons and answer questions
about themselves free of bias. The
irony lies within answering the
questions themselves.
Subconsciously, test-takers will
select options they want to under-
stand themselves as, disregarding
their image in the eyes of outsid-
ers. Very few people have enough
self-awareness to confidently agree
with the statements that could
trigger feelings of inadequacy.
Users tend to take tests to re-
ceive the desired results rather
than answering questions with
authenticity. This concept en-
courages individuals to con-
sider whether personality tests
promote growth or hinder
authenticity among test-takers.
Many believe these tests
are solely for entertainment or
self-discovery. Within the past
decade, some employers and
managers have considered per-
sonality tests during job applica-
tions or other important deci-
sions. Many employees fill out
personality questionnaires or
surveys to discover their strengths
and weaknesses in exchange for
unsolicited advice from websites.
All personality tests have au-
tomated responses according to
the personality of the best fit. The
lack of personalization among
these test results can lead to un-
necessary suggestions or com-
ments. Meaningful advice cannot
be offered by these tests without
It helps us think more critically
about the fast-paced world we live
in. The problems characters in
books face can help provide clo-
sure for life-changing events that
many teens face, and by remov-
ing access to these books, schools
are preventing these students
from achieving a conclusion.
At the end of the day, books are
meant to tell a story.
Banning a book destroys the
value and validity of a person’s
stories. Parents may try to ask
that their teacher not teach a
certain book, but how can pub-
lic access be removed for all stu-
dents? The rate that this has been
occurring is unprecedented in
American public schools.
The core purpose of an educa-
tion is to perpetuate the cold, hard
truth to younger generations, so
what are these leaders trying to
say by banning books related to
some of the largest social issues
of today? Are they attempting to
mold students that fit their own
agenda? Are they implying that
these issues do not exist? These
having a personal understanding
of the individual. Putting labels
on individuals without an im-
proved grasp of them contributes
to a broader societal issue. Many
choose to oversimplify certain
human traits, which results in
individuals’ complex personali-
ties being overlooked by a reduced
label. People are often identified
by others with oversimplified
personality traits, which stick to
an individual, thus disregarding
the need for self-discovery.
In this age of insecurity and
longing for personality, most peo-
ple have low autonomy, meaning
they cannot govern themselves.
Those with low autonomy tend to
take others’ thoughts into more
consideration than their own,
which results in an unhealthy
mindset of appealing to outsid-
ers’ expectations. These closed la-
bels on different personalities and
characteristics can hinder human
growth as people conform to their
labels rather than choosing to ex-
plore new sides of themselves.
Wholly, personality tests and
limited labels do more harm than
good — without a personal con-
nection with an individual, as-
signing them different traits and
listing their weaknesses will only
confuse them more, hindering
self-exploration. These tests of-
ten describe one’s shortcomings,
which utilize emotional appeals
to take advantage of the test-taker.
This defect only creates an outlet
attacks are not just an attack on
education, but on democracy
and the freedom of speech and
identity itself. America’s “Free
Speech Problem,” as quoted by
the New York Times, coincides
with America’s long history of
squashing people’s opinions
that continues to haunt today.
Look to the founding of this
country, when the poor were
prevented from having a vote.
Observe the past two hundred
years where the voices of people
of color, women and other mi-
norities have been squashed on
a day-to-day basis for speaking
their minds, for disagreeing and
contradicting the status-quo.
Today, the ideas of cancel-
culture, as well as Republican-
led restrictions imposed in pub-
lic schools, continue to distort
the truth. It’s not a liberal ver-
sus conservative issue; the truth
is that it is difficult to speak
your mind anymore without
fear of cancel culture’s impact.
Dictatorial regimes across
the world have used censorship
// OPINIONS
for inauthenticity as people tin-
ker with their characteristics to
fit into a specific stereotype or la-
bel. Stereotyping prohibits diver-
sity among different personalities,
which results in a uniform mind-
set regarding personality.
One way to combat these la-
bels is through counseling, often
an outlet for self-discovery and
social awareness. Opening up to
a therapist or a trusted individual
for advice opens a window of pos-
sibilities. Complex personalities
can shine through face-to-face
interactions rather than limited
interpretation through broad, bi-
ased questionnaires.
Meaningful advice is offered
specific to an individual’s situa-
tion, counter to the automated
results personality tests provide.
Another outlet for personality
exploration is journaling, which
creates a sense of self-awareness
through personal dialogue and
reflection. Completing this ex-
ercise individually without
other distractions or stereo-
types enhances mindfulness and
prohibits outside judgment.
In a world defined by ste-
reotypical labels, the path to
genuine self-discovery remains a
unique journey. By blocking out
the uniform labels encouraged
by personality tests and practic-
ing self-discovery exercises, each
individual can truly become
free of stereotyping through
mindfulness and self-reflection.
to squash threatening ideas as
the first step followed by more
control in people’s individual
lives. They feared the ideas in
the novels, and the fear got out
of hand. As history has proved
again and again, fear leads to con-
trol. The public school system is,
overall, a government agency.
When a government agency
decides that it has the power to de-
termine what information a per-
son has access to based on one per-
son’s personal beliefs, that is when
the exchange of free ideas is killed.
We must, with a steadfast
will and determination, stand
against all sources of governmen-
tal restrictions of the free flow
of ideas. We must learn to love
criticism, for it is the greatest
guide we have to advancement.
The ban of free literature is
the first step to the death of free,
independent ideas in a democ-
racy, and it is imperative that
we as students stand up to this.
As the founders of this country
urged, we must fight for “freedom
for the thought we hate.”
// OPINIONS
Birthday Time!
Time for a monumental
birthday celebration! Former
President Jimmy Carter
turned 99 years old on Oct.
1st. Born in 1924, Carter
has spent seven months in
hospice. Carter served as the
39th U.S. president, the 76th
governor of Georgia and a
Georgia state senator.
Ticket Terror
Beyoncé’s fanbase, “BeyHive,”
is surely ecstatic to witness
“Renaissance” once again.
However, the ticket prices are
definitely not quite as exciting.
Ranging between 22 and
24 dollars depending on the
theater, “Renaissance: A Film
by Beyoncé,” while pricey, will
be in theaters on Dec. 1st.
Grande Cinnamon Cookie Butter Almond Hair
EMILY RUSSELL
HEAD COPY EDITOR
According to an article pub-
lished by People Magazine this
August, model and social media
influencer Hailey Bieber has de-
cided to “spice up her life” — and
everyone else’s — by debuting
her new “cinnamon cookie but-
ter” hair color just in time for
pumpkin spice season! For those
wondering what in the world
“grande cinnamon cookie but-
Krispy Kraze
Doughnut lovers rejoice! The
Krispy Kreme on Ponce de
Leon Avenue is reopening
soon. Backed by Shaquille
O’Neal, the new location is
honoring the location that
was previously destroyed by
arson in 2021. The shop offers
in-store purchases, drive-thru
and online ordering.
Scooter Surge
This year, Tech’s campus
boasts more scooters than ever!
Anywhere you turn, there is at
least an electric scooter or two
in sight. However, etiquette
surrounding these personal
transportation vehicles has
been on a downward spiral.
Recently, many scooters have
even been found in trees!
ter latte with cream, Splenda and
oat milk in a compostable, clear
cold cup” hair is, don’t worry!
If you just tell your hairstylist
that you’d like to dye your hair a
warm brown color, you’ll receive
the same results as Bieber.
I’d like to intermission to em-
phasize that I have no issues with
Bieber herself — seven-year-old
Emily might be ugly sobbing
on her bedroom floor upon dis-
covering that she would, in fact,
not be marrying Justin Bieber.
However, my 20-year-old self is a
casual follower, even fan, of the
two. I am simply confused, yet
also intrigued, by the creative
genius (or ridiculousness) of her
marketing team. I am choosing
to believe that they are either
messing with all of us or are just
really, really hungry.
Anyways, the “high protein,
organic overnight chocolate oats
with subtle notes of Nutella” hair
Crush the cringe culture crisis
ALEC GROSSWALD
NEWS EDITOR
Everyone who has TikTok is
bound to come across a video
whose audience has deemed it
cringy, whether it be a 13-year-
old dressed in their favorite co-
splay or a micro celebrity embar-
rassing themselves in a public
interview. Anonymous accounts
fill the comments section with
backhanded remarks like “Look
guys, we found the original” or
“cuteness overload,” often gaining
more likes than the actual video.
Although cringe is an innately
human feeling, projecting that
feeling onto others is a form of
cyberbullying that mainly targets
marginalized groups.
Let it be known that I neither
detest cringing, nor do I think
that everyone should stop doing
it. The feeling of secondhand em-
barrassment is universal and is an
important facet of our social na-
ture as human beings.
The Cambridge Dictionary
defines cringe as feeling “very
embarrassed, and often [show-
ing] this by a physical movement
or expression.” These movements
color is not the first offense made
by Bieber’s team. Before “cinna-
mon cookie butter” hair was a
trend, there was “glazed donut”
nails (a sheer white color), “latte”
makeup (literally just brown
eyeshadow), “strawberry girl”
makeup (some pink blush and
freckles), “tomato girl” makeup
(I have no idea how this dif-
fers from the previous example),
“lemon meringue” manicure
(any yellow nail polish at your
local Target) and even “blue-
berry milk” nails (any blue nail
polish at your local Target).
Even worse, the tendencies
of Bieber’s team have infiltrated
the rest of the Internet. As I was
scrolling on TikTok last week, I
encountered something deeply
profane. It was none other than
“cowboy copper” hair. Spoiler
alert: it is just red. If you want
to feel a little more niche, I’ll
call it ginger or auburn, but that
typically manifest in the form of
grimacing, turning one’s head or
wrinkling one’s nose. These are
physical indicators of “vicarious
social pain,” according to a jour-
nal published by Social Cognitive
and Affective Neuroscience.
Despite its negative connota-
tion, the act of cringing dem-
onstrates our empathetic nature
as humans. In fact, the degree
to which we cringe at some-
one depends on how much we
relate to the person directly
receiving the embarrassment.
The more we relate to an in-
dividual, the more we are able to
visualize ourselves in their shoes
and experience their pain or plea-
sure. Therefore, cringing at a
video online establishes an emo-
tional link between the viewer
and the video publisher. This re-
action itself is not problematic;
it is an involuntary reflex result-
ing from our brain interacting
with established social norms.
The problem with cringe
culture lies within its name —
social media users have devel-
oped a culture of shaming oth-
ers for acting in a manner that
does not harm or disturb others.
Though it started in the late
2010s, cringe culture escalated
notably during the pandemic.
With no other outlet for expres-
sion, teens turned to social media
to discuss their special interests
and join communities with other
like-minded individuals. Sudden-
ly, they became victims of intense,
unjustified cyberbullying. A no-
table example of this is the pro-
liferation of cosplay on TikTok.
Cosplaying is the act of represent-
is as far as I’ll go. After all this,
I am left wondering why every-
thing has to sound like a Bath
and Body Works candle scent.
Why are we writing fanfiction
titles to refer to brunette hair?
Why are we using random word
generators for a simple mani-
cure? Should I start listing a Star-
bucks secret menu drink every
time I get my hair done?
Beyond being a silly trend
to laugh at, the “lactose-free,
probiotic vanilla blonde shot
with an almond biscoff on the
side” hair phenomenon exempli-
fies our desire to be a Pinterest
search term or an aesthetic ex-
tension of whatever “blank-core”
is trending at the moment.
Nothing is meant to be at-
tainable anymore. We cycle
through trends so rapidly that
predictors feel the need to reach
or repackage normal ideas into
something incredibly obscure.
technique • October 6, 2023 • 7
ing a fictional character by wear-
ing costumes and emulating the
character’s personality. Cosplay
is considered a performance art,
and portraying a character suc-
cessfully takes time, effort and
talent. However, when cosplay
artists would display the fruits
of their labor on social media,
they mostly received comments
calling them cringy. This may
not be a universal phenom-
enon, but I have observed peo-
ple consistently being shamed
for practicing an art form
that is known for its inclu-
sive community because others
believe it to be cringy.
Cringe culture perpetuates
harmful social norms that do not
have a place in modern society
and others members of margin-
alized groups, particularly the
neurodivergent and LGBTQ+
communities. According to stop-
bullying.gov, “more U.S. high
school students who self-identify
as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB)
report having been … cyberbul-
lied (27%) in the past year than
their straight peers [13%].”
Cyberbullying, even if users
participate in it unknowingly,
has serious ramifications for vul-
nerable youth. Saying something
or someone is cringy is simply an
indirect form of shaming oth-
ers. Social media gives users the
unique opportunity to freely dis-
play their hobbies and interests,
and it is imperative that we pre-
serve this privilege by striving to
create a tolerant and inclusive on-
line community, even if it means
toning down the sarcasm. Cringe
culture needs to end.
When this happens, people are
left scrambling to achieve some
new idea of beauty. Brown hair
can no longer be just brown hair;
instead, we are left with “cin-
namon cookie butter,” “cowboy
copper” or another ridiculous
name the Internet conjures up.
I am curious to know how much
money people have spent buy-
ing these makeup products or
sprinting to their hairdresser.
Regardless, I hope that
Bieber’s marketing team seri-
ously considers going for a nice
lunch break or an Erewhon trip
before coming up with her next
trend. If hunger is not the root
cause of the issue, then I am
glad they have discovered their
talent for creating incredibly
niche names for things.
It is truly a gift. I think Cray-
ola is hiring people to name their
crayons; I might send her team’s
applications their way.
Life
BONDFIRE FROM FRONT
-the bonfire, it kind of has been
done before but we wanted to
bring it back because it’s kind
of like a community vibe,” said
Jayaswal, reflecting on the event.
The larger goals of SCPC
remain dedicated to Tech’s com-
munity, from alumni to student.
“It’s just to first improve stu-
dents’ experiences in college and
also kind of facilitate community
within Georgia Tech. [To] show
everyone like the inclusivity and
welcomeness within our college
and also just to provide enjoy-
able opportunities so students can
take breaks, just like hang out
and chill,” said Jayaswal.
While some of the larger
SCPC events are higher-energy
and more involved, this night was
one for pleasant and cozy memo-
ries. Sitting around a fire, roasting
marshmallows and eating s’mores
brought back a sense of nostalgia
for many students. Sidney Dem-
ings, third-year, BMED shared
her perspective, saying, “I haven’t
been to many [SCPC events] in
the past but I’ve been meaning to
come to this one in the past years.
I’m loving it, it’s very chill and a
good way to end the week.”
Nina Otebele, third-year AE
spoke on the event, saying, “it’s
been kind of fun to see just so
many different ways people are ac-
tually roasting the marshmallows.
I just saw a guy put his stick in it
in the fire and then use that stick
to roast his own marshmallow.
Like it’s just the creativity.”
Students commended the
SCPC on their organization and
the substance of the event, refer-
encing the program’s timely ex-
ecution and seamless transition
from its beginning to end.
LIFE EDITOR:
Jessamyn M. Lockett
technique
Staying fit during the fall
ASSISTANT LIFE EDITOR:
Ashika Srivastava
Read about the Technique's tips and tricks on how to main- 8
Friday,
tain and achieve fitness goals as the seasons transtion.410
October 6, 2023
life@nique.net
“I think it’s very well put to- students and a low-key, calming and off campus throughout the about upcoming SCPC events on
gether. The vibes are good. It’s atmosphere for free and without school year open to students and campus, visit studentcenter.gat-
nice,” said Demings. requiring registration. SCPC will the greater Atlanta community ech.edu/scpc or follow SCPC on
“I think they’ve done well; it’s be hosting more events both on alike. To learn more information Instagram at @gtscpc.
fairly organize. It doesn’t seem
to be too chaotic, so it’s pretty
good,” added Otebele.
The event was a nice way to
close out a busy week for students;
reminding them of the little plea-
sures and slower moments in life.
The open mic portion was another
great opportunity to showcase the
diverse talents of Jackets, provid-
ing both an outlet for creative
expression and a space for cre-
atives to network in the normally
STEM-dominated environment.
As one of the largest orga-
nizations on campus, SCPC
often works in collaboration
with Tech students as well as
higher administration. Their
multitude of events through-
out the year range from smaller Photo by Alexey Tatarinov Student Publications
socials to campus-wide ones. A student toasts a marshmallow by the fireside in order to make a s’more. SCPC’s Buzzy Bondfire provided
“SCPC serves to put on events students with a relaxed, on-campus event to enjoy each other’s company and a sweet treat after the long week.
for campus students, faculty and
staff. They have a bunch of dif-
ferent themed events. Some are
like night time events like ram-
bling nights; we do traditional
events like Homecoming, fall
concert types and stuff like that.
Also the off campus large scale
events like aquarium night, so
we just serve as an enjoyable as-
pect to build the college experi-
ence for students and even other
people who are associated with
Georgia Tech,” Jayaswal said.
As fall continues to roll in at
the Institute and across the city,
students found themselves gath-
ering around the hearth for a fun
filled night of s’mores, laughter
and friendship. Differing from
other events this semester such
as GT Night at Six Flags, the Photo by Alexey Tatarinov Student Publications
Buzzy Bondfire was hosted on A student plays their guitar while another serenades the event attendees. In addition to providing food, the
campus, providing easier access to event served as a platform for musicians, poets and other artists to show off their skills for the commumity.

Generative Futures symposium at the Institute

MADISON WINSTON
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has
recently come to the forefront
of the cultural and societal con-
sciousness. As such, any signifi-
cant change or shift in technology
is bound to make an even bigger
impact on the Institute.
To address this change, on
Sept. 28, the Center for 21st Cen-
tury Universities (C21U) hosted
Generative Futures: Revolution-
izing Learning with Artificial In-
telligence, a symposium focused
on AI and its implications on
education and the arts.
C21U hosts the Generative
Futures symposium every year
with topics focused on changes
in education. C21U’s goal is to be
“the catalyst for transformation in
higher education,” said Stephen
Harmon, Director for educational
innovation of C21U.
AI has existed long before the
introduction of ChatGPT, with
examples including search recom-
mendations, autocorrect, and nav-
igation systems. While these tech-
nologies also made great changes
to the way people work and live,
they seem to have caused less
panic than ChatGPT and similar
systems, some may wonder, what
makes ChatGPT so different?
“It feels more human,” said Dr.
David Joyner, Executive Director
of Online Education within the
College of Computing, the key-
note speaker of the symposium.
As keynote speaker, Dr.
Joyner focused on the changes
AI can have in education, start-
ing his presentation by discussing
how previous technologies have
caused similar outbursts. For ex-
ample, he pointed to calculators
and autocorrect as technologies
that are used by students every-
where and drew criticism from
educators in the past who be-
lieved the inventions would make
education lose its meaning.
The second part of the sym-
posium focused on the impli-
cations of generative AI on the
arts, another controversial topic
brought to the forefront re-
cently by the strike of the Writ-
ers Guild of America (WGA).
One of the major demands of
the guild was protection from
the use of generative AI, such as
ChatGPT, to write scripts.
Issues with generative AI have
also merged in the visual art space
with work produced with AI win-
ning the Colorado State Fair art
competition, sparking the con-
versation about the morality and
use of artificial intelligence. When
asked about these situations,
Harmon invoked the title of an
article by Karim Lakhani, a pro-
fessor at Harvard School of Busi-
ness, saying, “AI will not replace
humans, but humans with AI
will replace those without it.”
Harmon cited productivity or
the lack thereof as being central
to the conversation and that AI
could be the answer.
“There are certain sectors of
society that don’t enjoy the same
increase of productivity that oth-
ers do. It takes a string quartet the
same amount of time to learn a
piece of music as when it was writ-
ten hundreds of years ago. AI can
help,” said Harmon.
Both students and profession-
als attended the symposium.
“I’m here to support my pro- Photo courtesy of Georgia Tech
fessor, Dr. Lisa Yaszek, and hear Speaker David Joyner is an Executive Director at the College of Comput-
her speak as part of a panel,” said ing. Joyner spoke on historical pros and cons of developing technology.
Amanda Lang, fifth-year AE.
Harmons hopes for more stu- the future of AI, hoping it has a tutoring is the most effective. The
dents at the Institute to continue smooth integration into higher- future of AI could be building in-
to invest time and energy into AI education across the country. dividual tutors for students.”
“Georgia Tech students and “There is a more positive out- Only time will tell how AI af-
faculty are very innovative. We look on how it will change the fects education in the long run,
will not only think of new ways way we work and how can we maybe it will become as central to
to use AI, but we will also become teach students to use it the most learning as calculators. The Insti-
the creators of it,” says Harmon. effectively,” said Harmon, he con- tute has the students and faculty
He adopted an optimistic look at tinued, “studies show one-on-one prepared for an innovative future.
// LIFE
Liran Razinsky speaks ethics and AI over coffee
PARKER AVERY
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The modern world is becoming
ever more dependent on artificial
intelligence (AI), but there are
potential philosophical issues that
come with the increasing use of
AI. On Sept. 28, the GT Ethics,
Technology and Human Interac-
tion Center (ETHICx) hosted a
gathering focused on just that.
According to the ETHICx
website, the center was founded
in collaboration with the Ivan Al-
len College of Liberal Arts and the
College of Computing and works
to provide a space to connect dis-
cussions of the ethics of technol-
ogy across campus. At the event,
guest speaker Liran Razinsky,
senior lecturer at Bar Ilan Univer-
sity in Israel, presented his views
on the popular notion that AI
algorithms know humans better
than they know themselves.
During the event, Razinsky
took the position that AI will
never be able to understand the
intricacies and complexities of hu-
mans, arguing that algorithms do
not have the full depth and com-
plexity of humans’ knowledge.
“Algorithmic knowledge is
that of a distinctly different kind
to human knowledge. We can’t
compare algorithmic knowledge
to self-knowledge,” Razinsky said.
The complexity of human
interpretations of the world, ac-
cording to Razinsky, is a result of
humans using all of their past ex-
periences to interpret new stimuli.
Razinsky explained that, un-
like an AI system, two humans
could have the same experience
and walk away with a different ex-
planation of the event; he chalks
this up to the human condition.
Additionally, Razinsky spoke
about how humans take time for
reflection and interpretation af-
ter receiving a question, unlike
AI, which returns its responses
almost instantly after receiving
data. Razinsky said that due to
these factors, “AI fails to sense
an inner perspective that we have
of ourselves,” and therefore, does
not surpass the bar of knowing
humans better than they know
themselves. He also believes that
AI will never expand to this lev-
el of knowledge partly because
of the human inability to fully
understand ourselves.
In Razinsky’s view, every hu-
man lacks complete self-knowl-
edge, making humans distinct
from AI. For example, humans
often do not know the source of
their emotions and fail to recog-
nize their own omissions of in-
formation in their thoughts. In a
way, the failure to completely un-
derstand ourselves is a part of who
we are, according to Razinsky.
“The absence of full self-
awareness characterizes each hu-
man. Our individual uniqueness
is rooted in our own blindspots,”
said Razinsky, on humanity. He
concluded his presentation by say-
ing, “algorithms will never know
us completely, even if we barely
know ourselves at all.”
The Technique spoke to Mi-
chael Hoffmann, Professor of
Philosophy and Co-Director of
ETHICx, about this event and
what ETHICx is doing to pro-
mote ethics across campus.
“Ethics is an issue many people
have to deal with and are happy
to deal with, but what’s missing is
some forum for communication
and exchange,” Hoffmann said.
Hoffmann and others associ-
ated with ETHICx are also in-
technique • October 6, 2023 • 9
volved in several different AI proj-
ects across campus, including the
National AI Institute for Adult
Learning and Online Education
(AI-ALOE), the National AI Insti-
tute for Advances in Optimization
(AI4OPT) and The AI Institute
for Collaborative Assistance and
Responsive Interaction for Net-
worked Groups (AI-CARING).
“We have three AI institutes
headquartered here at Georgia
Tech, which means the discussion
within ETHICx developed into
artificial intelligence,” Hoffmann
said on the projects’ roles.
ETHICx addresses many chal-
lenges directed at promoting di-
versity and inclusion in AI. Ad-
ditionally, there are privacy and
security issues when AI systems
collect large amounts of data.
Beyond these more well-
known issues that designers need
to consider when implementing
AI technology, Hoffmann and the
other ETHICx members want to
address more niche topics.
“Not only do we have an in-
ternal ethical analysis, but we are
also organizing stakeholder en-
gagement meetings to learn what
the impacts of the technology are
on wellbeing: positive or nega-
tive,” Hoffmann said.
Hoffmann noted that imple-
menting ethical policies in AI
technology does not stifle inno- Photo by courtesy of the Buber Institute
vation rather they compliment Event speaker Liran Razinsky is a lecturer at Bar Ilan University in
each other, as he explained, “I Isreal. His studies center around hermeneutics and cultural studies.
think it’s not slowing innova-
tion because technology teams to be monitored and regulated by and staff a place to discuss ethics
are interested in what we’re do- humans for the forseeable future. issues as campus becomes increas-
ing. The technology teams are get- “I think it’s just a great tool, but ingly involved in the development
ting feedback that was very hard it is important to observe what’s go- of AI technologies.
to get. It’s a synergy.” ing on and ensure that nothing bad Anyone looking to learn more
Looking to the future, Hoff- happens,” Hoffmann said. about ETHICx and future events
mann expressed his belief in the ETHICx hopes to host more can find additional information
good AI can do when used as a events in a similar manner to con- on their operations at www.eth-
tool, but that it should continue tinue providing students, faculty icxcenter.gatech.edu.
10 • October 6, 2023 • technique
Tips and Tricks: Staying fit during the fall season
ASHIKA SRIVASTAVA
ASSISTANT LIFE EDITOR
As the academic year kicks
into gear with the summer season
quickly turning to fall, many stu-
dents are on the quest for main-
taining a healthy lifestyle amidst
the frenzy of classes, clubs and
social activities.
College life comes with its own
set of challenges, from late-night
study sessions to an abundance
of assignments, projects and mid-
terms to maintaining your health
in the upcoming cold and flu sea-
son. As the leaves change color
and the academic calendar fills
up, the Technique provides a few
of its tips and tricks to help stu-
dents stay fit this fall.
ENJOY THE OUTDOORS
With cooling temperatures
and the sight of bright fall colors,
now is the ideal time to take your
workouts outdoors as being in na-
ture can offer a captivating back-
drop for your fitness journey. Take
a walk, run around campus, em-
bark on a long bike ride along the
scenic routes of West campus or
practice yoga amidst the tranquil-
ity of Couch Park. You may find
that the beauty of outdoor work-
outs lies not only in the health
benefits but also in the connection
you make with nature. With cam-
pus’ walkability, you will not have
to go far to find your route.
USE A FITNESS APP
Similar to language-learning
apps, fitness apps can be invalu-
able tools to help you stay on
track with your health and well-
ness goals. Apps like MyFitness-
Pal, Strava, Caliber and All-
Trails offer guidance, tracking
capabilities and daily motivation
right at your fingertips. They help
you to monitor your progress, set
fitness goals, maintain consisten-
cy and even connect with other
like-minded individuals.
MAINTAIN A BALANCED DIET
Your fall fitness journey is not
complete without the proper nu-
trition. During the fall season,
you can incorporate nutrient-rich,
seasonal foods into your meals
like apples, sweet potatoes, kale
Jogging can be a good source of exercise, especially when done as a group. Working out together can be use-
ful for staying motivated and accountable. Jackets can utilize the CRC or E Roe Stamps IV Field to stay active.
and pumpkin — all of which are
packed with essential vitamins
and minerals to support your
overall well-being. Furthermore,
do not underestimate the impor-
tance of adequate hydration, even
as the temperatures drop. Staying
well-hydrated not only supports
strong performance and recovery
but also helps to maintain your
energy levels during your work-
outs and many busy days.
STAY DETERMINED
Remember that progress in fit-
ness requires patience and persis-
tence. Therefore, it is necessary to
set achievable fitness goals tailored
to your abilities and preferences,
allowing you to advance toward
your desired level of fitness. Cel-
ebrate each milestone along the
way, whether it is running your
first 5K, achieving a personal best
at the gym or simply remember-
ing to exercise for the day. Recog-
nizing your accomplishments not
only keeps you motivated but also
reinforces positive habits.
TEAM UP
When deciding to embark on
your fall fitness journey, it can
be difficult to stay accountable to
yourself — especially when col-
lege life becomes hectic. Having
a workout buddy can make fitness
more enjoyable and help you stay
committed even when schedules
get busy. Consider teaming up
with a friend, roommate or class-
mate for workouts or outdoor ac-
tivities. Sharing your fitness goals
and achievements with someone
Photo courtesy of Novant Health
// LIFE
creates a support system that pro-
motes motivation and account-
ability, making it easier to priori-
tize your health and fitness amidst
the demands of academic life at
while in school and beyond.
PRACTICE SELF CARE
Amidst the hustle and bustle of
college life, it can be easy to over-
look the importance of rest and
self-care. As you embrace your
fall fitness journey, remember that
adequate rest and recovery are es-
sential. Incorporate rest days into
your fitness routine to allow your
body to heal and regenerate. Use
this time to participate in self-care
practices such as reading, social-
izing with friends or any activity
that helps you relax.
A well-rested and rejuvenated
body is better equipped to tackle
the challenges of both academics
and your personal wellness.
TRACK YOUR PROGRESS
Monitoring your fitness prog-
ress not only provides motiva-
tion but helps you identify areas
for improvement. Try keeping a
fitness journal where you record
your workout plan, diet and how
you feel physically and mentally
after each session. You can also
use fitness trackers and apps to
monitor your steps, heart rate
and overall progress.
Sharing your goals and
achievements with friends or a
support group can provide an
additional layer of accountabil-
ity, encouraging you to stay on
course and make strides towards
your fitness aspirations.
Beyond the traditional gym
workouts, the fall season offers
a variety of unique fitness op-
portunities. Take advantage of
these opportunities by engaging
in activities that not only keep
you moving but also allow you
to savor the beauty of fall!
// LIFE
GTC hosts a photography workshop in Skiles
KESHAV PRANSUKHKA
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Grainy videos, baggy clothes
and new music. The newest
“cool kid” on the block, Georgia
Tech Creatives (GTC) hosted a
photography workshop on dou-
ble exposure and motion blur
techniques on Friday, Sept. 29
in the Skiles building.
The workshop required no ex-
perience and was open to the en-
tire Tech community. While the
first half of the event went over the
basics of double exposure and mo-
tion blur, photographers had the
opportunity to put this knowl-
edge into action by practicing on
the in-house models on a white
canvas during the second half.
For novice photographers who
usually use their phones as their
cameras, professional digital sin-
gle-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras
and strobe lighting was provided.
GTC also went through a Power-
Point presentation that explained
the exposure triangle and other
basics of photography.
A group of photographers
also ventured beyond Skiles and
stepped out to capture the campus
during the golden hour. Photogra-
phers experimented with different
angles as the models tried differ-
ent poses to experiment with their
individual artistic styles.
When asked about the inspira-
tion behind this workshop, Cal-
vin Jaguna, third-year BMED
who led the workshop, reported
that GTC had received positive
feedback on their last photogra-
phy workshop held in fall 2022.
“This time, we wanted to be
a little bit more niche and teach
some more stylistic aspects of
photography,” Jaguna said of the
recent event’s goals.
technique • October 6, 2023 • 11
Akbar Khan, fourth-year
ARCH and GTC co-founder ex-
plained that “we wanted to pay
more attention and go one-on-one
with everyone” in reference to the
workshop’s structure and purpose.
However, the workshop was
not conducted in a typical sit-
down setting with lectures and
notes, going beyond the act of
clicking a shutter button.
Proving a social element, the
event saw photographers ex-
change socials, share projects and
gain more appreciation for their
work, all while the latest music
played in the background.
Although the Institute’s gen-
eral focus is towards technology,
the event went beyond the typi-
cal STEM topics, which students
like Joe Gaffigan, fourth-year
IAML, reported enjoying.
“Not only are they inclusive
to all levels of skill and knowl-
edge, but they are a great way to
network and meet other photog-
raphers in Atlanta,” Gaffigan said.
GTC is one of the campus
outlets that helps its members dis-
cover and indulge in their creative Photo by Alexey Tatarinov Student Publications
passions. With no required expe- Students practice their newfound camera skills with one another during the workshop. In alignment with GTC’s
rience, dues or applications, their goal of inclusivity, the event was open to all regardless of their level of experience and welcomed beginners.
events attract Jackets, dressed in
their best to groove to new music, ator’s Collective, will be hosted on out,” said Khan when asked about 2022 and have gone on to col-
enjoy exhilarating performances Oct. 20, and those interested can the formation of GTC. lect 2,100 followers since. Speak-
or hone their creative skills. find more information on their “There is nothing that [has] ing about the future, Gowda and
Their past events have featured Instagram at @gtcreatives. brought us together besides [our Khan are determined to make
Atlanta-based rappers, artists and GTC president, Lekha Gowda creative passion] ... that wasn’t be- GTC an Atlanta name. “The goal
designers and have hosted art pop- 4th-year CS, and Khan met at a ing fulfilled on campus,” Gowda is to just get bigger and bigger and
ups. Last year, they sold the work photoshoot. They started talking added to the conversation. bigger,” Gowda said.
of over 18 of their creatives at the about their creative passions, and GTC has a knack for connect- Through GTC, the Institute
Atlanta Streetwear Market. Col- the lack of a community and op- ing like-minded individuals with now has another community that
laborating with GT Arts, they also portunities for creative-minded similar goals — musicians have prioritizes creativity, artistic ex-
hosted Beyonce’s choreographer, individuals at the Institute. met producers, and photographers pression and a good time.
Joe Brown, for a dance workshop “You would think that it have forged relationships with Students looking to get in-
outside of Ferst Art Center in [would be] hard because [Tech is] models through the organization. volved can attend their weekly
May. Their fall 2023 kickoff saw so STEM-focused … but since a “We wish to promote such col- General Body Meetings every
approximately 230 people turn creative community on campus laborations via our organization,” Tuesday at 6:30 in room L1255 of
up, filling the theater to capacity. was really lacking, people jumped said Gowda. They started their the Ford Environmental Science
Their next event, called the Cre- on our idea when we got our name Instagram account in February & Technology building.

Entertainment
‘Passing Strange’ lets you make your own reality
AANYA SAWHNEY
STAFF WRITER
The lights dimmed; drums,
bass and guitar took stage left
– another sleek guitar and a key-
board took stage right. A wall of
retro stereos cleaved the stage,
creating the perfect backdrop
for Theatrical Outfit’s rendition
of “Passing Strange,” a comedy-
drama rock musical about a
young African American, called
only “Youth,” on his journey of
self-discovery through artistry.
The show opened to the public
last Friday, Sept. 29.
Opening weekend welcomed
October into the intimate venue
– though it was hardly chilly. The
Balzer Theater’s charming atmo-
sphere warmed an already pleas-
ant weekend, and as the Narrator
(Brad Raymond, “Legacies”) took
the stage with a sunny smile and
shimmering purple silk shirt, the
venue grew warmer still.
Raymond began by asking
the audience to listen carefully,
drawing them into the show even
before its start. “This is not just a
play, this is a concert,” Raymond
said, opening up the performance
with a welcoming invitation to
dance, sing along and move to the
beat during the show to come.
With that, Raymond disap-
peared off-stage, the backdrop
wall of stereos opening up to re-
veal him once again in the cen-
ter with a guitar, opening up the
show with its first song “Prologue
(We Might Play All Night).”
Through the opening, Ray-
mond sets the scene: the Youth
and his Mother live in South
Central Los Angeles in 1976.
The lead guitarist (Joel Saidi)
trills the strings softly as the scene
unfolds. The Youth (Christian
Magby, “The Flash”) sleeps as his
Mother (Latrice Pace, “Shakin’
the Rafters”) struggles to wake
him for church.
It is a familiar scene close
to many hearts — the si-
The youth choir and the Mother circle around the Youth while the Narrator backs up the band
from the background. The Youth realizes that religion is actually just rock and roll to him
lent rebellion of sleeping
in on a Sunday.
The Youth reluctantly obliges
and heads to church, where he
faces the judgment of “church
moms” who nag him to join the
youth choir. At this moment, he
has an unprecedented revelation;
he sees “The Real.” However, this
revelation is hardly religious, to
the dismay of his Mother and the
rest of the church moms, who sigh
in disappointment as the Youth
exclaims, “[Feeling the spirit at]
church ain’t nothing but rock and
roll… I can’t hear the difference.”
While the Youth temporar-
ily submits to joining the church
youth choir to soothe his Mother
and get the attention of his crush,
Edwina Williams (India Tyree,
“Incredible Book Eating Boy”),
his initiation into the prayer circle
involves him smoking a joint of
marijuana. The leader of the youth
choir, Franklin (Trevor Rayshay
Perry, “Head Over Heels”), is
the minister’s son and the gold-
en boy of the church. However,
Franklin has other dreams.
“We’re all freaks just look-
ing for a home in this philistine
of a fishbowl,” Franklin tells the
Youth over a joint.
Franklin tells the Youth about
the freedom of Europe and his
dream of finally being himself.
Unfortunately, Franklin’s dream
remains unrealized: “Cowards
don’t have options… only conse-
quences,” he tells the Youth. The
tables turn for the Youth; he is not
like the others. He wants to play
rock and roll. He casts aside his
friends and family to travel to Eu-
rope in search of The Real.
But what is The Real? Ironi-
cally, The Real is a construct —
a whisper of a secret truth we all
search for. For some, The Real is
religion; for others, academia. For
the Youth, it is his rock music. Ev-
eryone is drunk on something.
The central conflict of the play
is the idea of “passing.” Franklin
says to the Youth, “We’re pass-
ing for Black folk.” In America,
The Youth is in Berlin flanked by members of Nowhaus during a performance of “The Black One.”
The song refers to his tokenization of his identity as he is trying to fit in with revolutionaries.
Franklin and the Youth tried
and failed to put themselves in
the box of others’ design. Their
Blackness — the very identity
the Youth left America to escape
— became a tool of tokenization
in his journey abroad.
As the Youth builds his “found
family” abroad in Amsterdam, he
becomes “bored of paradise.” For
the purpose of composing music
borne of pain and sorrow — the
only muses the Youth has ever
known — the paradise of Am-
sterdam’s freedom wears thin.
Next he travels to Berlin, creating
another family for himself and
falling in love with Desi (Arian-
na Hardaway, “Zombie Prom”),
a Marxist from West Berlin and
the leader of Nowhaus, a collec-
tive of revolutionaries. The Youth
has finally found his new fam-
ily — but again, he must become
someone he is not.
Photo by Casey G Ford Photography
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR:
Aanya Sawhney
ASSISTANT ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR:
Emily Piper
entertainment@nique.net
In Berlin, the Youth tokenizes
the Black identity he once cast
aside in order to appeal to his rev-
olutionary friends. He adopts sto-
ries of oppression that he person-
ally had not experienced, though
people in his community had. The
play took a humorous approach
to this situation by juxtaposing
his tales of violence and entrap-
ment that he told the Nowhaus
members against the truth
of his childhood.
In his personal reality, his
Mother was his warden — his
identity, the shackles. When Desi
calls him out for trying to “pass”
once again, the Youth runs away
from his crisis — just as he ran
away from Amsterdam.
The crisis culminates in a
phone call between the Youth and
his Mother. She confronts him for
fleeing his home in Los Angeles,
crying out, “Why don’t you want
to be around your own people?”
With the confrontation from
both Desi and his Mother, the
Youth crumbles. The stories of
oppression he had told his friends
— though not truly his stories —
reflected the pain within him. The
turmoil within him is something
much less concrete.
It is the struggle of identity —
of losing yourself in the journey
to find yourself.
His pain is the reason he has
chased The Real so far away from
home, so how can he let it take
shape? To let his pain out is to
let it go, and if he mends himself,
how can he make art?
The phone conversation
the Youth has with the Moth-
er is heartbreaking. As stu-
dents, we can almost feel the
conversation ourselves.
At this stage in our lives, we
have all left our home in some
way. The Youth is yelling — cry-
ing — into the phone, but Mother
no longer answers. Her last words
were “I don’t want to be [your]
song, I want to be loved.”
Magby and Pace gave a moving
performance. Magby especially
technique
Friday,
12
October 6, 2023
Photo by Casey G Ford Photography
shows his versatility in this scene,
showing the audience his belting
and ballad capabilities.
The Youth responds, “It’s not
love if somebody has to change.”
Something trembles within the
audience. We are the Youth. We
are the Mother. The Youth’s very
character — nameless — lends it-
self to this embodiment.
We were all no more children
chasing The Real, but at some
point, we have also been those
lonely souls cast aside in someone
else’s journey. During this mo-
ment, the poignant emotion and
viscerality of it all reveal the alle-
gorical Youth and Mother.
During the phone call, the
Youth is aloof and defensive,
but the Narrator’s facial expres-
sions during the scene show the
audience the Youth’s true feel-
ings. Raymond gives a spec-
tacular and meta performance
as the narrator, reflecting the
inner condition of the Youth
through his distraught gaze.
The ability of Raymond to
put himself in the shoes of both
Magby and the Youth’s char-
acter as a whole solidify Ray-
mond’s ability to bridge the
performance and audience.
The final scenes of the show
transcend the stage, speak-
ing directly to the audience:
“Your life becomes evidence
of the need to feel.”
The actors delivered the core
message of “Passing Strange” flaw-
lessly. Theatrical Outfit’s showing
of Passing Strange is not to be
missed, and the show’s unique, in-
timate atmosphere and masterful
performance create an unforget-
table experience.
The show will have you asking
whose Real you are living in and
who you are passing as. Theatrical
Outfit’s performance grabs you by
the shoulders, imploring, “Who
are you, really?”
“Passing Strange” is showing
from Sept. 27 — Oct. 22. More
information can be found at the-
atricaloutfit.org.
// ENTERTAINMENT
TikTok’s Tube Girl starts an international viral trend
YASHVINI DEVA
OPINIONS EDITOR
A choppy video of a lipsync in
a full car in the London Under-
ground, also known as the Tube,
shot with 0.5 perspective, does not
sound like it has the makings of
a viral video, yet it has made Sa-
brina Bahsoon, known to most as
“Tube Girl,” an internet celebrity.
Bahsoon, a 22-year-old stu-
dent in the UK, originally started
posting videos of her lip-syncing
and dancing to upbeat songs on a
Tube filled with passengers.
She explained in an inter-
view that she spends a significant
amount of time on the Tube, es-
pecially when visiting friends, and
that listening to music and taking
these videos has allowed her to
enjoy the trip more and feel safer.
Many of the comments on her
original post, which now has 9.6
million views, praise her for her
bravery with users like @alyssak
saying “tbh…this is actually re-
ally healing to parts of my social
‘Ni Do To’ tell powerful story through interactive art
SLOAN SALINAS
STAFF WRITER
Beyond the front doors, the
atrium of Ferst Center for the Arts
transforms into an interactive ex-
hibit that takes viewers through
the experiences of people with
Japanese ancestry in the United
States after the attack on Pearl
Harbor during World War II.
Called “Ni Do To,” which trans-
lates to “Never Again,” the exhibi-
tion is another segment of dancer,
choreographer and artistic direc-
tor Yayoi Kambara’s “Sankei,” a
three-part multimedia project
that began with the perfor-
mance of “IKKAI Means Once”
at the Ferst Center for the Arts
in early September.
“Ni Do To” is a self-described
“XR pilgrimage,” XR being short
for extended reality. The different
areas within the entire installa-
tion utilize various storytelling
methods, spanning from digital
to physical formats.
In one area, singular chairs
and desks form a circle around
an abstract sculpture made to
look like an invisible force is
throwing clothing and assorted
belongings into a suitcase.
Here, visitors can participate
in an activity on iPads where they
receive mere minutes to decide
what things they would find most
important to bring if they had to
leave their homes. The exercise in-
tends to simulate how hard it is to
determine which parts of your life
matter more than others.
Japanese Americans faced
the same decisions following the
signing of Executive Order 9066
in 1942, which forcefully re-
moved them from their homes,
businesses and land.
Several feet away, a recreation
of a vintage “Zoltar” fortune-
telling machine stands against
the wall. However, instead of
a vaguely culturally insensitive
animatronic inside, “Ni Do To’s”
machine is made in memoriam
of Janice Mirikitani and contains
an old-school animatronic with
anxiety. I like tube girl,” admiring
Tube Girl’s unbothered attitude.
However, not all responses to her
videos have been positive.
Users have also claimed that
the trend has been cringy or that
Bahsoon’s actions are annoying.
Comments like these speak to a
larger backlash that women who
outwardly portray confidence,
whether it be in their looks or
their ideas, seem to constantly
face on the internet. Women’s em-
powerment has been around since
the first wave of feminism in the
19th and early 20th centuries. It
focuses on promoting women’s
self-worth and allowing them to
feel empowered in their choices;
something that self-esteem and
confidence play an integral part
in. This idea of empowering wom-
en to make their own choices has
become more and more ingrained
into popular culture; however, the
way the information is conveyed
to the general public often com-
municates a rather different idea.
Romance novels and pop songs
remind us that women are beauti-
her likeness. Mirikitani was a re-
nowned Japanese American poet
and activist in San Francisco until
her passing in 2021. A year after
she was born, she and her family
were forcefully moved to the Ro-
hwer War Relocation Center, an
internment camp in Arkansas. In-
stead of dispensing fortunes, the
“Ni Do To” machine dispenses
Mirikitani’s poetry on textured
paper, speaking aloud in what is
[presumably, her voice.
In yet another exhibition area,
behind black-out fabric walls, is
the “Spirit of Obon Hologram.”
A video of musician and activist
Nobuko Miyamoto invites visitors
inside a small open space where
they can learn a folk dance called
“Kangie” (pronounced “KAHN-
Gee-Eh”) from dancers on a
small television screen. Alongside
the visitors is a colorful holo-
gram of a dancer projected onto a
special kind of gauze.
Integral to the success of the
holographic exhibit is Noah Pos-
ner, a Tech researcher and lab
manager at the School of Indus-
trial Design’s Interactive Prod-
uct Design Lab (IPDL). Posner
offered the IPDL’s resources
for the high-tech parts of the
show, namely the high-bright-
ness projector that displayed the
dancer onto the gauze.
Regarding the use of Tech
equipment within the exhibit,
Posner believes that the produc-
tion will show students not only
what kind of resources they have
access to but also that the blend
of technology and arts is reflective
of the idea that “the creativity in-
volved with arts-type thinking is
really somewhat similar to a lot of
the [creativity] required for prob-
lem-solving…if [they think] more
like artists, [they’d] come up with
better engineering solutions.”
The possibilities that come
from collaboration between art
and technology are often over-
looked, but the different parts of
“Ni Do To” show the powerful ef-
fects that interactive art can have.
Someone who shares that sen-
timent is professor Ida Yoshinaga,
ful, but it is only attractive when
they don’t know it. Movies con-
stantly convey the idea that beau-
tiful women do not know they are
beautiful, and those who do know
they are beautiful must be dan-
gerous (turning them into femme-
fatales) or are reduced to just their
appearances (playing into stereo-
types such as the dumb blonde).
While all of this may seem
distantly removed from com-
ments on one girl’s post of a dance
on a subway, they are in fact
intrinsically connected. Why was
a woman, showing confidence and
having fun, so groundbreaking?
Why were so many other women
in the comments treating a silly
moment as an unachievable ideal?
Why did such a small moment of
a woman’s happiness spark out-
rage? Women are allowed to be
confident but only in ways that
preserve the status quo. With
trends constantly pushing women
into the spotlight and then damn-
ing them from wanting to be on
the stage, women’s empowerment
may not be as far along as initially
Viewers take photos of a fortune-telling machine that houses a likeness of Janice Mirikitani,
a Japanese American poet. The machine dispenses Mirikitani’s poems on textured paper.
who worked with the students in
her “Oral Traditions to Screen-
play” class to create origami for-
tune tellers filled with pictures,
quotes and stories of Japanese
American incarcerees.
Yoshinaga challenged her stu-
dents to strengthen the bond be-
tween “low tech” and “high tech”
mediums by asking “how do you
bring culture into technology, or
how can you use technology to
reproduce culture and communi-
cate the good stuff about culture
and community?”
While talking about the im-
portance of “Ni Do To,” Yoshina-
ga explained that lessons learned
from the unjust incarceration of
Japanese Americans in the 1940s
extend to the marginalized people
of today’s day and age.
“When we have vulnerability
and people who don’t have full ac-
cess to political power, economic
power and cultural presence, then
it’s easy to beat up on them, to tar-
Sabrina Bahsoon poses for a photo on her Instagram. She
has become viral for her videos of her dancing on the Tube.
believed. Social media trends like
“Tube Girl” that center women
being confident in the small day-
to-day moments are the necessary
push to seeing that same represen-
get them and make them the is-
sue, as opposed to the deeper, real
issues and the structural issues.”
On the same tables as the
fortune tellers are paper luggage
tags and pens, on which visi-
tors are encouraged to reflect on
what they saw and how to pre-
vent it from happening again.
These tags get hung up in another
art installation.
Also included in the over-
all experience of the exhibi-
tion is the dance film titled
“Out of the Dust.”
The short movie combines mu-
sic, poetry and elements of the
Japanese American folk dance “Ei
Ja Nai Ka” to conjure the ghosts
of those incarcerated at Manzanar
Detention Camp in California
during World War II to tell their
stories through purposeful, emo-
tional expression.
By September 1942, less than
one year after President FDR
authorized the removal of any-
technique • October 6, 2023 • 13
Photo courtesy of @ sabrinabahsoon
tation in the media. A choppy vid-
eo of a lipsync in a train car may
seem like a small moment, but it
may be exactly what the women’s
empowerment movement needs.
Photo by Tyler Parker Student Publications
one with Japanese ancestry from
their homes to “relocation cen-
ters,” Manzanar held over 10,000
men, women and children of
Japanese descent; over half were
U.S. citizens by birth.
“Out of the Dust” poses the
question, “[a]fter the closing of
the camps, who and what memo-
ries were left behind in the windy
dust-laden desert of Manzanar?”
As a whole, the “Ni Do To” ex-
hibit and the “Out of the Dust”
film conjure memories and lega-
cies of the thousands of people
incarcerated during World War II
because of prejudice and fear.
The interactive nature of
each element creates an immer-
sive cultural experience for visi-
tors to participate in rather than
just observing, resulting in a
powerful experience.
“Ni Do To” and “Out of
the Dust” are open Tuesday to
Saturday at the Ferst Center
until October 27.
14 • October 6, 2023 • technique
Stephen King’s ‘The Shining’ adapted for the opera
ELLA ROWSEY
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Stephen King’s “The Shining”
is a horror novel on the bestseller
list. Director Stanley Kubrick
picked this novel to portray the
imaginative, creepy world of Jack
Torrence and the Overlook Hotel,
as the story holds all the elements
of a haunting as well as the realis-
tic struggles of a fatherhood. The
narrative follows Jack Torrance as
he takes a job as a winter caretaker
of the Overlook Hotel. Unde-
nounced to him, the hotel holds
secrets of death, murder and even
the hidden secret that the previ-
ous caretaker went insane and
murdered his family. The strange
mystery and quiet isolation of the
hotel take hold on Jack and drive
him to thoughts of murdering his
wife, Wendy, and son, Danny.
When it was announced the op-
era would be performing this hor-
ror classic, fans ran to the ticket
booth in hopes of securing a seat.
As the rows filled up and the
sold-out-show began, all the ex-
citement flipped to disappoint-
ment. The themes of King’s novel
are extensive in thought and plot;
however, the Alliance Theater Op-
era chose to focus on only one: the
family and the roles and respon-
sibilities of the father. The lack of
depth in the showing left the au-
dience feeling let down.
Everyone was prepared to be on
the edge of their seat to experience
the awe of transforming horror
into song. The opera producers
took a complex story, one studied
among academics, and stripped it
to one perspective, removing any
// ENTERTAINMENT
mystery to interpret and making it discovering Jack’s rough draft infamous “redrum” mystery but drive the story. Without it, the
feel like a childish narrative. that read “all work and no play never resolved it. The audience opera felt like it was lacking any
The dialogue only added to makes Jack a dull boy” repeatedly. never got to experience the fear sort of fear. The idea of a horror
this immature feeling. The overly Instead, the opera skipped Wendy felt when she realized the novel adapted into an opera with
exaggerated bliss between the the plot point and went straight phrase her son was muttering for beautifully ominous notes and
characters during the opening to locking him in the pantry. the last few weeks actually spelled eerie depth sounds like a great
came off as frivolous for the topic The other half of the storyline “murder” backwards. idea, but wishful thinking is all it
of the story. They sprinkled in hu- about Danny and his gift was These key moments in the was. The opera version of King’s
mor which landed poorly among also underdeveloped and confus- book and the movie established novel “The Shining” undoubtedly
the audience, in part because the ing. They briefly mentioned the the fear and horror needed to missed the mark.
expectations were for a suspense-
ful thriller — not an awkward
genre-mash of comedic horror.
The transition from unencum-
bered “bliss” to cruel insanity was
a hard sell. One moment Jack and
Wendy alluded to sex jokes in
front of their child, and the next,
Jack was trying to kill everyone.
The opera rushed the storyline in
an attempt to maintain the audi-
ence’s attention; however, in doing
this, they drained the story of its
most valuable asset: suspense.
Much of the mystery and in-
trigue not only relies on Jack’s slow
decline into insanity but also on
Danny’s strange psychic power. If
there is going to be an adaptation
of a story that relies heavily on a
young boy, the actor needs to pos-
sess the prowess required for the
story. Danny, while vital to the
movie and the book, is deemed
unimportant in the opera.
His moments on stage were
brief and undeveloped. He hardly
spoke and barely gave any indica-
tion about his gift and the weight
it carried. His performance left
the audience confused and apa-
thetic, feeling like onlookers to a
poorly-written comedy show.
Even worse, the most famous
parts in the book were not even Photo by Ken Howard Minnesota Opera
mentioned in the opera. The most Classic moments from Stephen King’s “The Shining,” such as the twins staring at the audience,
notable was the lack of Wendy are recreated on an operatic stage in this retelling. The show left many fans dissapointed,
// ENTERTAINMENT technique • October 6, 2023 • 15

Doja Cat’s new album, ‘Scarlet’ offers a fresh take

ALBUM
Scarlet
ARTIST: Doja Cat
GENRE: Pop, Hip-hop/Rap
RELEASE DATE: Sept. 22
OUR TAKE: «««
«««««
««

SUJANA VANGALA
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

After the incredible success of

her albums “Hot Pink” (2019)
and “Planet Her” (2021), fans
were itching to see what pop icon
Doja Cat would release with her
fourth studio album. Doja Cat,
however, took an entirely different
approach with “Scarlet” (2023),
focusing on a much darker aes-
thetic and announcing to the
world, “No more pop.”
Leading up to the release of the
album, Doja Cat took to X (for-
merly called Twitter) provoking
fans with false rumors and online
trolling, which led her to fame in
the first place with “MOOO!”
Doja Cat rejected her fans’ proc-
lamations of love, claimed her
old music was just a cash grab
and explained (in three different
instances) that her new studio Photo by Pitchfork
album would be hardcore rap, The cover art of Doja Cat’s newest album, “Scarlet,” sees two spiders intertwined on the front. The cover represents a
experimental jazz and 1990s Ger- departure from the artist’s usual aesthetics. With 17 tracks, the album is meant to be a departure from her original pop roots.
man rave music.
The “Scarlet” album cover her soul to the devil or otherwise she had ever released, outside of some of the other tracks. She suc- and surrounding the album with
features two pearlescent spiders succumbed to Satanism. Doja its visual aesthetic, “Scarlet” is a ceeds in songs like “Gun,” which confusion, Doja Cat created a set
— the beginning of the album’s Cat, not one to be out-trolled, lot of the same. As a response to although good, do not break of expectations around “Scarlet”
spooky imagery. In the music embraced this with the release those that called her previous rap the mold that she established in that was not met.
video for her leading track, “Paint of her second single “Demons,” verses “corny,” Doja attempted to “Planet Her.” With 17 tracks, The sharp genre shift would
the Town Red,” Doja Cat donned saying, “how my demons look/ create an album centered around the album meanders, looking for be a learning curve for even the
devil horns, held slabs of raw meat now that you bitches shook” and the genre, as a sort of counterpart something to say but lacking the most experienced of artists, and
and danced with the Grim Reap- “how my demons look/now that to her previous “Planet Her.” direction needed to say it. the growing pains are definitely
er. She continued the aesthetic my pockets full?” Even with (or The album starts strong with Where Doja succeeds is in evident within the album.
outside album rollout — from an maybe because of) the controver- her leading singles “Paint the creating internet phenomena — While Doja Cat’s shift to a
Illuminati themed 27th birthday sies surrounding Doja’s behavior Town Red” and “Demons,” each first with her initial rise to fame darker aesthetic and genre ex-
to a red Swarovski crystal look at on X and potential devilish asso- of which capture Doja’s new aes- and now with “Scarlet.” Except, perimentation with “Scarlet”
Paris Fashion Week. ciations, the singles each received thetic in a catchy way that diverges while it skyrocketed her to star- created a whirlwind of contro-
Doja Cat’s darker aesthetic chart-topping status. from her previous albums. Track dom with “MOOO!”, it acted as a versy and anticipation, the al-
was the target of criticism from However, despite teasing an 3, “Wet Vagina,” has an undeni- detriment with this album. After bum ultimately fell short of the
many that claimed she had sold album different from anything able flow to it that Doja loses in shrouding herself in controversy expectations it generated.
16 • October 6, 2023 • technique // COMICS

XKCD by Randall Munroe

Bunny by Huw Davies

// COMICS technique • October 6, 2023 • 17

Lio by Mark Tatulli

Sarah’s Scribbles by Sarah Andersen

Pearls before Swine by Stephen Pastis

18 • October 6, 2023 • technique
Football collapses, loses to Bowling Green 38-27
ROHAN RAMAN
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
Coming off an ACC road win
against the Wake Forest Demon
Deacons, Tech returned back to
Bobby Dodd to take on the Bowl-
ing Green Falcons. Since Tech
entered the game as 21 point fa-
vorites, this was expected to be a
clean, simple win for the Jackets
in their pursuit of a bowl game.
Instead, it was the exact opposite.
The Jackets won the coin
toss and took the ball, setting
up redshirt sophomore quarter-
back Haynes King to continue
his performance from last week.
He took about 17 seconds to get
comfortable, finding true fresh-
man receiver Eric Singleton Jr. on
an explosive 53-yard throw for the
early touchdown. With the score,
Singleton extended his games
with a touchdown streak to five
games, which also happened to be
the first five games of his career.
The Jackets’ defense also im-
pressed early. Sophomore defen-
sive tackle Eddie Kelly, junior
defensive tackle Zeek Biggers and
junior defensive tackle Makius
Scott burst into the backfield to
take down Bowling Green quar-
terback Connor Bazelak, forcing a
long third down that the Falcons
could not convert. In their second
appearance, King and the offense
kept rolling. Redshirt sophomore
receiver Malik Rutherford took
a screen pass for an additional
19 yards while redshirt sopho-
more running back Jamal Haynes
tacked on the same amount af-
ter surging through the Bowl-
ing Green defense. King capped
off the excellent five-play drive
by hitting junior receiver Chris-
tian Leary in the end zone to go
up 14-0 in only two minutes of
offense. From their first two of-
fensive drives, the Tech offense
looked organized, sharp and en-
tirely overwhelming for the weak-
er Falcons defense to handle.
Unfortunately, the Falcons of-
fense found life. Even though the
Tech defense played off-coverage
to prevent bigplays, they strug-
gled with tackling and allowed
backup Bowling Green quarter-
VOLLEYBALL FROM PAGE 20
hit at a dominating .345 rate. Not
only did the hitting improve con-
tinuously throughout the match,
so did the defense under the lead-
ership of Boezi, who had a career
high of eight blocks on the game.
While both replacements
played stellar, Bertolino was the
player of the match, leading the
team with 22 kills, five of which
came sporadically throughout the
third set. In what proved to be a
smart decision, Head Coach Mi-
chelle Collier decided to utilize ju-
nior outside hitter/right side Leia
Harper during the third set. A
Harper kill gave the team a 22-19
lead and then a Pimentel service
ace provided the momentum for
the Jackets to capture a third set
victory 25-22. Neither side was
ready to back down in the match.
The highly competitive sets did
not cease as the Jackets entered
the fourth set up 2-1, needing a
win to secure the match. In the
fourth set, the Demon Deacons
jumped out of the gates, growing
a quick five point lead at 13-8. The
Senior tight end Dylan Leonard steps past a would-be Bowling Green tackler. Leonard and
the Jackets finished with 417 total yards of offense in the game, but only mustered 27 points.
back Camden Orth to score on a
one-yard touchdown run. A poor
defensive drive coincided with
the first three-and-out for the
Jackets offense and put the de-
fense right back on the field. The
tackling issues persisted as Bowl-
ing Green running back Terion
Stewart broke a Tech tackle for
an explosive 11-yard run. Thank-
fully, Tech’s secondary held firm;
redshirt junior cornerback Kenan
Johnson had an excellent pass
breakup on third down.
However, the offense, once
again, stumbled on the ensuing
drive. On first down, Haynes was
quickly brought down for a one-
yard loss and the Falcons were
able to tee off on the pass. They
forced two straight incompletions
from King, and the Jackets punt-
ed from their own 19-yard line.
Sensing an opportunity, Bowl-
ing Green mounted a methodical
11-play, 42-yard drive that ended
in a field goal to make the score
14-10. Junior defensive lineman
Kevin Harris got to Bazelak for a
lead was sustained until the Jack-
ets started to make a run. Senior
setter/defensive specialist Liz Pat-
terson led the way with a pair of
aces, and the set began to tighten
up. But every time the Jackets
would try to pull off a comeback,
the Deacons did not back down
and would respond with a run of
their own. Eventually, Wake For-
est would go on to win 25-21 in
the fourth set to extend the match
to a final, all-deciding fifth set.
The Jackets could not have
asked for a better start to the fifth
set. With the score at 2-1, Bertoli-
no came up to serve and rattled off
three aces in a five-point run. But
that was not going to deter the
Deacons. Even with a six-point
deficit, the Deacons fought back
all the way to 11-8, but ultimately,
their slow play to begin the set was
too much to overcome. Kills from
Bertolino and Mendes clinched
the highly contested match 15-12
in favor of the Jackets.
Once again, Bertolino was the
story of the match with 22 kills,
four aces and 14 digs, proving
to the Jacket faithful why she is
sack, but the Jackets defense start-
ed to soften up.
The offense did them no fa-
vors — after a King overthrow to
Rutherford, a botched snap was
fumbled and recovered by Bowl-
ing Green. The Falcons capital-
ized on the short field after Baz-
elak connected on a 14-yard strike
to receiver Finn Hogan, making
the score 17-14 in favor of Bowl-
ing Green. King then led the of-
fense back onto the field in an ef-
fort to get points before halftime.
The Jackets were able to drive to
the 21-yard line, but King took a
sack on first down and got flagged
for intentional grounding. The
penalties pushed the Jackets out
of field goal range and they were
forced to punt. Throughout the
half, the Jackets showed an in-
ability to recover from their mis-
takes. They found themselves in
a 17-14 hole against an opponent
they clearly underestimated. Still,
a three-point deficit is hardly in-
surmountable for a Tech offense
that was moving at will earlier on.
so vital. The Jackets now boast a
13-1 record, their third best start
in program history, with only
the 2003 and 1996 teams having
better starts. Tech will hope to
Sophomore middle blocker Liv Mogridge and freshman outside hitter Larissa Mendes go up
for a block in the Jackets’ victory over the Virginia Tech Hokies in Blacksburg, Virginia.
Photo by Nick Andrews Student Publications
However, the second half
started with more of the same
defensive issues. Bazelak carved
through the GT secondary with
a 50-yard throw to Hogan. The
Falcons had little trouble moving
the ball and converted two big
third downs before Bazelak scored
on a run play, making the score
24-14. Tech actually responded
fairly well - King was able to find
redshirt junior receiver Dominick
Blaylock for two consecutive 15-
yard passes and extended the drive
with a timely three-yard scramble.
The offense’s execution in the red
zone could have used some of that
sharpness. King got stuffed on
the quarterback keeper, and Head
Coach Brent Key made the deci-
sion to go for it. He put the ball in
King’s hands once again on fourth
down and the Bowling Green de-
fense sniffed it out. They stopped
him at the line of scrimmage, and
the Jackets turned the ball over to
Bowling Green on downs.
From there, the Tech defense
collapsed. In their most disorga-
continue this record setting start
against the highly ranked Uni-
versity of Pittsburgh Panthers in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the
Fitzgerald Field House next Fri-
// SPORTS
nized showing of the game, they
could not get off the field on third
down. On third-and-16, the Jack-
ets could not stop Bazelak from
using his legs to pick up the first
down. Redshirt senior cornerback
Jaylon King later broke up a slant
over the middle to force third-
and-12, but a defensive holding
call gave Bowling Green an au-
tomatic first down. Falcons wide
receiver Odieu Hillaire picked up
28 easy yards on a Jackets cov-
erage bust, and Bowling Green
quickly scored from the six-yard
line on a stretch run that no Jack-
ets defender had a chance at.
Down 31-14, the Jackets badly
needed to generate an explosive
play to get back into the game. At
first, they looked to be on track af-
ter King fired a 19-yard deep shot
to Blaylock, who had a solid game
despite the offensive struggles.
That same aggressiveness did not
pay off for him on the next play —
his pass was intercepted for a frus-
trating pick-six that put Bowling
Green up by four scores: 38-14.
In spite of the score, Tech’s de-
fense rallied and forced a Falcons
punt. King then kept driving the
offense, finding Blaylock on sub-
sequent long gains through the
air. The Jackets were able to get
to the Bowling Green five-yard
line, but then turned the ball over
again on a crushing interception.
Even though the defense held
on fourth down against the Fal-
cons offense and King subse-
quently hit redshirt junior wide
receiver Abdul Janneh for a 16-
yard touchdown, the Jackets need-
ed a miracle onside kick recovery
to have any chance of winning
this game. Down 38-27, the ball
did not bounce their way and the
Jackets fell to 2-3 on the season.
It is difficult not to draw com-
parisons between this game and
the loss to Northern Illinois two
seasons ago. In both scenarios,
the Jackets compensated their op-
ponent with a million-dollar fee,
expecting to win, and came out
flat. It is a worrying trend for the
program to play down to compe-
tition. The Jackets will now head
to Miami, Florida, to take on the
No. 17 Miami Hurricanes on Sat-
urday, Oct. 7 at 8 p.m.
day, Oct. 6. The Jackets will then
travel to take on the Virginia Cav-
aliers before returning to O’Keefe
Gymnasium for matches against
Florida State and Miami.
Photo courtesy of GTAA
// SPORTS
Hockey back, now offering bus to games
MATTHEW KISTNER
SPORTS EDITOR
Tech’s most popular club
sport, based on Instagram fol-
lowing, has officially begun their
2023-24 campaign. Founded in
1973, the club hockey team is cel-
ebrating their 50th season, mak-
ing them the longest continuously
organized hockey program in the
southeast. The Jackets compete in
the College Hockey South Con-
ference (CHS) within the Divi-
sion 2 tier of the Amateur Athletic
Union and will take on notable
teams from around the southeast.
The team is under new leader-
ship this year as fourth year for-
ward Zachary Jacobson will be
the captain with fourth year for-
ward Declan Clougherty, fourth
year defender Alexander Dubé
and third year Keegan Goodell
serving as assistant captains. In
an interview with the Technique,
Clougherty, who also serves as the
club’s president, shared some opti-
mism for the season, stating “[the
team’s] biggest strength this year is
depth. We have three competitive
forward lines and three goalies
that we feel great about perform-
ing at the top of our expectations.”
Clougherty also said “We have a
good defensive core, even though
they’re inexperienced. I really like
the growth I’ve seen out of them.”
Looking to spark some energy,
Clougherty highlighted two new
players to the team, exclaiming
that “[first year forward] Cullen
Dorcas had a sensational game
against Ole Miss while [graduate
goalie] Brendan Germano is step-
ping into his role really well.” The
team is riding a two year streak of
qualifying for the national tour-
nament and hope to boost the
count to three this season.
The art of the NBA rebuild shifting after new CBA
ROHAN RAMAN
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
The NBA off-season prior to
the upcoming 2023-23 season
was defined by two names: James
Harden and Damian Lillard.
Lillard, the stalwart point
guard of the Portland Trail Blaz-
ers, was traded to the Milwaukee
Bucks on Sept. 27. It is one of the
biggest superstar moves of the past
few years, considering the 33-year
old Lillard averaged a career high
32.2 points and 7.3 assists on an
efficient 46% shooting from the
field and 37% shooting from the
three-point line in 2022-23.
James Harden, the starting
shooting guard for the Phila-
delphia 76ers, is no stranger to
trade requests. Back in 2021, he
requested to leave the Houston
Rockets, after leading the NBA
in scoring the season prior, and
joined the Brooklyn Nets to team
up with the superstar duo of for-
ward Kevin Durant and guard
Kyrie Irving. When the situation
in Brooklyn became unsatisfac-
tory, he demanded out of Brook-
lyn and joined the Sixers. Now,
his desire for a new contract and
Philly’s refusal to give him one
prompted his third trade request
in as many years and fueled talk
about his new destination.
Perhaps the team’s biggest an-
nouncement and most anticipated
part of the season comes with the
arrival of an easier way for stu-
dents to get to the team’s home
games. The Jackets’ home games
take place at the Atlanta Ice Fo-
rum in Duluth, Georgia, which
is 25 miles away from campus,
or what is typically around a 30
minute drive. Regardless, the
Jackets have long had a noisy,
high energy student section cheer-
ing them on for every game and
want to keep the energy up going
into this season. To do this, club
hockey announced on July 31 that
they would be offering bus tickets
for every home game in order to
transport as many students as pos-
sible to the rink. The bus tickets
are round trip, include a ticket into
the game with a valid Buzzcard,
come at $15 per game and can be
found on the club hockey Insta-
gram account: @gthockey.
Tech’s official return to the
ice came on Sept. 15 at the Mid-
South Ice House in Olive Branch,
Mississippi, for a pair of matchups
against the Ole Miss Hockey Club.
The team lost their initial match
up 5-1; however, Tech bounced
back the following game on Sept.
17. The Jackets went faceoff for fa-
ceoff and found the goal five times
throughout the match, emerging
victorious 5-3. Since that, Tech
has played three matches. The
home opener came on Sept. 22
in a rivalry matchup against the
Georgia Club Hockey team where
the Jackets were unable to prevail
in a tightly contested game. Tech
took to the road on Sept. 29 for
two matchups with Vanderbilt;
however, the Jackets were unable
to find a rhythm offensively and
fell in both games. Clougherty ex-
pressed his thoughts on the season
so far, saying “It’s been an up and
The NBA and the NBA Play-
er’s Association recently agreed to
a new collective bargaining agree-
ment (CBA) that has important
consequences for player finances.
This agreement sets the hefty rules
for labour pay in the NBA and
mandates several important rules,
but the one most pertinent to re-
building teams is the elimination
of cap space aggregation.
All 30 NBA teams are subject
to a salary cap that sets the spend-
ing parameters for the roster. There
is a salary cap maximum of $136
million, but rebuilding teams
are more worried about the cap
floor of $122 million. Rebuilding
teams often populate their rosters
with young players on rookie-scale
contracts or inexpensive veterans.
This keeps cap space open for two
reasons — paying the talent that
they acquire through the rebuild
and acquiring picks from more
talented teams. Before the new
CBA, rebuilding teams just held
onto their cap space and acquired
salary — if necessary — to reach
$122 million by the end of the
season. Under the new CBA, this
practice will be significantly cur-
tailed because teams are required
to spend up to the cap floor by the
start of the season.
Furthermore, teams will not
be able to enter a rebuild with a
bounty of high picks. That is be-
down season and we’re not cur-
rently where we want to be. Part
of that is from our roster turnover
because we turned over 50% of
last year’s rosters, so team chemis-
try is still coming along.”
However, the Jackets return
for a long home stretch over the
month of October which may
give the team just the momentum
they need. A rowdy home crowd
mixed with a familiar rink could
give Tech just the edge to mount
a solid winning streak. The team
will match up with Clemson first
on Oct. 6 where Clougherty says,
“[he is] looking to see a consoli-
dated effort throughout all three
periods where people don’t let off
the gas against Clemson. If every-
one gives a full effort, we’re gonna
come away with a win.” The team
will then host Auburn for two
games on Oct. 13 and 14. After a
two week break, the Jackets will
Tech club hockey is celebrating their 50th season, making them
the longest continuously organized program in the southeast.
cause of the “second tax apron”
— teams are allowed to spend
over the salary cap maximum, but
spending more than $17.5 million
over it would limit their methods
of player acquisition to re-signing
homegrown players, signing draft
picks and picking up veterans on
minimum deals. Therefore, draft
picks become incredibly valuable
because it is a way to collect high-
level talent while staying below
the second apron statutes.
After getting rid of all their
high-priced veterans from the
Harden era, the Rockets went
through two seasons at the bot-
Damian Lillard poses in a Milwaukee Bucks jersey for the first
time. Lillard’s trade is one of the biggest moves in recent years.
technique • October 6, 2023 • 19
take on Tennessee on Oct. 27 and
28. Following the October home
series, the team has another really
exciting opportunity. In a partner- STUDENT MEDIA POLL
ship with the Atlanta Gladiators, WEEK FIVE
a local minor league hockey team,
the Jackets will face off against
Georgia in an exciting pregame The Student Media Poll is a col-
competition at Gas South Arena laborative poll with student jour-
before the Gladiators take to the nalists. New polls release weekly
ice against the South Carolina at studentmediapoll.com.
Stingrays on Nov. 5.
Club hockey has quite the sea-
son lined up with the combination Rank Team (First) Points
of the new bus deal for students, 1 Georgia (31) 1719
a Gladiators pregame match and 2 Michigan (24) 1706
an enticing home lineup against 3 Texas (12) 1627
the southeast’s best programs. The 4 Ohio State (2) 1556
Jackets hold hopes high for anoth- 5 Florida State (1) 1463
er season that leads to a national 6 Penn State 1435
tournament appearance and look 7 Washington (1) 1390
to mount an amazing run in their 8 USC (1) 1356
historic 50th year. Tech will take 9 Oregon 1292
to the ice next against the Clem- 10 Notre Dame 1105
son Tigers on Oct. 6 at 8:30 p.m. 11 Alabama 1085
12 Oklahoma 960
13 North Carolina 821
14 Washington State 811
15 Oregon State 756
16 Ole Miss 711
17 Miami (FL) 751
18 Utah 496
19 Tennessee 485
20 Duke 378
21 Missouri 352
22 Kentucky 317
23 LSU 315
24 Fresno State 171
25 Louisville 117
Others receiving votes (min 1):
Maryland (107), Kansas State
(74), Clemson (56), Wisconsin
(36), UCLA (35), Texas A&M
(23), Air Force (20), James Madi-
son (19), Kansas (13), Tulane (13),
Iowa (11), Colorado (10), Liberty
Photo by Tyler Parker Student Publications (7), TCU (5), North Carolina
State (5), Florida (2), West Vir-
ginia (1)
tom of the Western Conference give contracts to. If they make
and used high draft picks. As a re- the wrong move, they will not
sult, they had $60 million in 2023 have the luxury of undoing their
cap space and splurged in free move in a salary-dump trade to a
agency. Portland will not be able rebuilding team. Therefore, Port-
to go on a similar spending spree. land will not be able to clear cap
Having that much cap space is go- space like Houston will.
ing to become more rare because However, Portland is poised to
teams need to hit the salary floor take advantage of other rules in
earlier and will accumulate larger the new CBA. For example, teams
salaries even if they are far away can retain young talent after their
from a championship season. rookie deals run out on five-year,
The NBA is essentially forcing non-max contracts when non-max
teams to maintain a competitive contract players were previously
roster while rebuilding. Con- limited to four-year deals. If the
tending teams are going to have Trail Blazers have a young player
to be very careful with who they who does not qualify for a maxi-
mum extension, they can com-
pete with offers from more com-
petitive teams. Portland will also
likely place an emphasis on their
second-round draft picks. Teams
will now be looking to build their
rotation at a discount with good
second-round talent because the
new CBA creates an exception in
the salary cap where second round
picks can be rewarded for their
performance at little cost.
While all the focus is on the
winner of the Larry O’Brien
Championship Trophy, it is
equally important to track how
those teams were built. Teams like
Portland and Houston are enter-
Photo courtesy of Morry Gash AP Photos ing uncharted territory — it will
be fascinating to see if they can
get back to the top of the league.
Sports
2023-24 schedules drop for basketball programs
JOE HENDERSON
STAFF WRITER
Tech’s basketball schedules
have been released for both the
men’s and women’s teams with
over 33 home games for Jacket’s
fans to enjoy. The men’s team will
play 16 games in McCamish Pavil-
ion with 10 of them being against
ACC opponents. The women’s
team has one more home contest
than the men with 17 for the sea-
son with nine being against ACC
opponents. The competitive home
openers for the Jackets are on
Nov. 6, as there is a double header
with the women’s team playing at
11 a.m. against Coastal Carolina
and the men playing at 7:30 p.m.
against Georgia Southern to com-
plete a full opening slate for both
Tech basketball programs.
The men’s team is undergoing
a big change as they are moving
on from former Head Coach Josh
Pastner to former Celtics assistant
and now Head Coach Damon
Stoudamire. The coaching chang-
es have brought a lot of interest
to the Jackets. Alongside Coach
Stoudamire, junior guard Miles
Kelly returns after being last year’s
leading scorer and looks to elevate
his level of play. With all the buzz
around the men’s program, the
games are sure to give Jacket fans
something to keep an eye on.
The men’s program will have
many intriguing match ups
Volleyball tops pair of ACC foes on the road
DANIEL WOOD
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Coming off wins against
Clemson and NC State the previ-
ous weekend, the Jackets traveled
up to Blacksburg, Virginia, Friday
night to face off against the Vir-
ginia Tech Hokies. While Vir-
ginia Tech opened the season on
a hot streak, winning in their first
10 matches, they entered the Tech
game on a three game skid.
The first set was a quick indica-
tion of which team had the con-
fidence entering the match. Tech
opened up to a quick 11-6 lead
thanks to a great service run from
fifth year libero Paola Pimen-
tel that included two aces. While
Virginia Tech tried to battle back
to all square, another long ser-
vice run from senior setter Bella
D’Amico and multiple kills from
emerging superstar freshman out-
side hitter Larissa Mendes gave
the Jackets a commanding lead
that they would not relinquish. A
timely, decisive kill from graduate
middle blocker Afedo Manyang
closed out the convincing opening
set in favor of the Jackets 25-16.
The second set was much the
same as the first set. Tech started
with the serve, and junior outside
hitter Bianca Bertolino roped off
three aces with her powerful top-
spin serve and opened a quick 5-0
lead. Great play from sophomore
middle blocker Liv Mogridge de-
SPORTS EDITOR:
Matthew Kistner
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR:
Rohan Raman
sports@nique.net
Tech men’s and women’s basketball will tip off for the first time on Nov. 6 in an excit-
ing double header. The women will play at 11 a.m. while the men take the court at 7:30 p.m.
throughout the season, but some
of the most exciting come when
Tech tips off against a few of the
nation’s top programs. After the
home opener, Tech will take on
Duke on Dec. 2 which should be
an intriguing game as Duke is pro-
jected to be one of the top teams
in all of college basketball. Tech is
also due to take on Virginia, who
Freshman setter Heloise Soares celebrates after an assist versus Wake Forest. Soares had her
first start in the match and earned the title of ACC Freshman of the Week for her performance.
fined much of the rest of the set.
Not only did Mogridge have three
kills, but she also had a couple of
critical service aces to help lead
the Jackets to a dominant second
set victory by a score of 25-14.
The Hokies were not going to
roll over and go down without a
fight though. Unlike the first two
sets, Virginia Tech came out of the
gates hot, cruising to an early lead.
Tech was able to even it square at
10-10 after a Bertolino kill on an
assist from freshman setter He-
loise Soares. The back and forth
affair continued until the Jackets
The Jackets suffered their third loss
of the season to the Bowling Green
Falcons last Saturday.418
is coming off a first round knock
out in the NCAA Tournament
last year and have long been pe-
rennial powerhouses in the ACC,
on Jan. 20. One more exciting
match up will be the game against
the North Carolina Tar Heels,
who are off the back of missing
the NCAA tournament last year
and are projected to bounce back
went on a run with the help of
kills from Manyang and junior
middle blocker DeAndra Pierce
to take a four point advantage.
At that point, it was too late for
the Hokies to mount a comeback.
Even after a four point run of their
own, the Hokies were down too
much as the Jackets had too large
of a lead and an attack error from
Virginia Tech clinched the match
25-21. Mendes led the team in
kills with 12 while Mogridge fol-
lowed closely with 8. D’Amico
led the team with 21 assists, but
Soares, who many believe to be
Football downed
Photo courtesy of GTAA
and return to being a top 10 team
in the country. The Tar Heels will
come to McCamish Pavilion to
face the Jackets on Jan. 30. Tech’s
match up against Florida State on
March 2 is also sure to be a thriller
as Tech managed to overcome the
Seminoles in the ACC tourna-
ment last year and looks to win
over a familiar ACC rival. After a
Photo courtesy of GTAA
D’Amico’s successor, also had 13
assists of her own. Overall, Tech
fully displayed their talent in a
great team performance to knock
off a struggling Hokies squad.
After a commanding victory in
Blacksburg, the Jackets continued
their road trip in Winston-Salem,
North Carolina, taking on the
Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
The Demon Deacons had ac-
cumulated a ton of momentum
coming into the match, beating
ACC foe Clemson in a three-set
sweep. The Jackets would have
to win without the talents of
technique
20
Friday,
October 6, 2023
disappointing 13-17 record over-
all and 4-14 conference record,
the Jacket women are looking
to bounce back this season. The
Jackets will be boosted by the ad-
dition of two fifth year transfer
guards, Sydney Johnson and Cait-
lyn Wilson, who were prominent
scorers on their previous teams.
There are prominent games
throughout the year for the wom-
en’s team with the most important
coming in conference play. The
first home game of large interest
will be the contest against North
Carolina. The Tar Heels are pro-
jected to be one of the top teams
in the country and will be a good
test for the Jackets on Jan. 18.
In the very next game, Tech will
take on is Boston College who
knocked them out of the ACC
tournament last season, and the
Jackets will look to exact revenge.
Tech taking on Louisville on Feb.
25 will be another important test
for the team, and the game will
be fascinating to see how an un-
proven Louisville squad performs
without last year’s star players.
The upcoming basketball sea-
son will be fascinating to follow
on both the men’s and women’s
side. For the men, the season will
open Coach Stoudamire’s tenure
and show fans the program is
trending upward. For the women,
the team needs to show that last
season was a fluke and that they
are able to bounce back to the
winning ways of previous seasons.
Mogridge and D’Amico, but in-
stead with junior right-side hitter/
middle blocker Anna Boezi and
Soares. In the first set, the Jack-
ets swarmed, opening a quick 6-4
lead with the help of a four-point
service run from Pimentel. Even
with this fast start, the Demon
Deacons were there to compete,
quickly fighting back and retak-
ing the lead 12-10. The Demon
Deacons’ lead grew to as much
as four, but the Jackets swung
again, bouncing back using two
kills from Pierce as momentum.
The back-and-forth affair contin-
ued until the set was tied at 20,
and then a four-point run gave the
Jackets a triple set point. Bertolino
closed the set with a kill to nar-
rowly win the first set 25-22.
The Jackets struggled to back
up their first set performance
throughout the second set. After
hitting at a .256 clip in the first
set, Tech only hit .128 in the sec-
ond on the same amount of total
attempts. These hitting woes gave
the Demon Deacons an opportu-
nity to capture the second set and
they did not miss that opportu-
nity. An attack error from senior
outside hitter Tamara Otene gave
the Deacons the second set 25-22.
Following the hitting woes in
the second set, the Jackets didn’t
change their game plan as they
came out swinging hard again
in the third set. Tech committed
considerably less attack errors and
See VOLLEYBALL, page 18