November 1, 2019•Volume 105, Issue 13•nique.

net
13•nique.net

Design by Brendan Oshida Student Publications Vol. 107 – Issue 16 – 21 January 2022 // Nique.net
News
NEWS EDITOR: Dr. Benjamin Holton AMA technique
Andy Borst
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR:
Julia Balot
Senior director of Stamps Health Services
recently held a COVID-19 “ask me anything”
Friday,
2
event on the r/gatech subreddit. 44
news@nique.net January 21, 2022

Tech starts drive-in testing to combat Omicron

Tech decided to push forward the increased spread of the Omi- those in need and are available the test, allowing for quicker,
MORGAN WHITTEMORE with in-person instruction but has cron variant, as well as various throughout the week. safer distribution of testing for
STAFF WRITER seen outbreaks since the start of ways students, staff and faculty He also urged community all parties involved.
classes in both residential dorms can work to reduce transmission members to stay home when sick Although students are en-
When students left Tech for and classroom settings. rates on campus. and prioritize their health over couraged to make an appoint-
winter break, the COVID-19 As of Jan. 18, there have been These included wearing masks work- or school-related functions. ment for diagnostic testing at
Omicron variant was certainly 983 new positive cases on campus, in indoor and group settings, re- Although these precautions have Stamps Health Services, this
prominent but had just started to more than the number of cases suming weekly testing soon after helped to limit COVID-19 spread additional testing site will be
infect people in the United States. reported during the entirety of return to campus, getting vacci- in past semesters, Tech realized available to them if they cannot
Now, as students have returned the Fall 2021 semester. Tech also nated and receiving a booster shot the Omicron variant may need secure an appointment and have
for the spring semester, COV- reached a record number of posi- whenever able. additional measures to control. COVID-19 symptoms.
ID-19 cases have been skyrocket- tive cases in one day this month, Despite these advised precau- Shortly after the President’s Asymptomatic surveillance
ing at Tech and around the coun- with 167 individuals testing posi- tionary measures, President Ca- email, the Institute Coronavirus testing is still available on cam-
try, leading to a large peak in cases tive on Jan. 6 through surveil- brera made sure to emphasize the Task Force sent out information pus at various locations, and CO-
not seen since the very beginning lance or emergency testing. importance of remaining social on Jan. 10 about additional symp- VID-19 vaccinations and boost-
of the pandemic. Due to the staggering rise in where possible to prevent poor tomatic testing to be available on ers are still being administered at
The Omicron variant emerged cases, Tech has implemented more mental health, and included ways campus later in the week. Starting Stamps with an appointment.
in southern Africa in late Novem- services to control the spread of to safely enjoy the company of on Jan. 12 at Parking Deck W23, With cases on the rise
ber, with the first U.S. case being COVID-19 in an attempt to ease friends and classmates, such as any Tech faculty or staff with CO- throughout the U.S., the Insti-
confirmed on Dec. 1, according to the resurging threat and maintain by trying to socialize outdoors VID-19 symptoms could partici- tute hopes its COVID-19 mea-
the CDC. a level of safety to ensure in person when possible. pate in drive-through diagnostic sures can help keep it ahead of
While still possessing many activities can continue forward as For those who are struggling testing. the curb, stand up to this most
similar traits to other past vari- in last semester. with mental health, President The process is similar to as- recent variant and ultimately pre-
ants, the Omicron virus does On Jan. 6, President Án- Cabrera made sure to mention ymptomatic surveillance test- vent the Spring 2022 in-person
present the unfortunate threat gel Cabrera sent an email to the that the Institute CARE staff are ing, but the individuals must spring semester from being stifled
of being able to evade immunity Tech community emphasizing always able and willing to help remain in their cars to take by Omicron.
from vaccination and previous
infection that many members of
the U.S. population have acquired
at some point or another over the
course of the pandemic.
Within one month it became
the dominant variant in the U.S.,
thanks in large part to these traits
and has been marked with in-
creased transmission, even among
those who are fully vaccinated.
While its capacity to cause se-
vere illness has not been fully de-
scribed, the Omicron variant has
continued to set record numbers
of positive cases per day.
Some scientists claim that we
may be approaching a peak while
many others are not as positive,
leaving the campus with no clear
end in sight to the newest chapter
of the pandemic.
With COVID-19 infections
spiking across the country, many
colleges faced the decision to ei-
ther move instruction back online
for the beginning of the spring
semester or attempt to remain in Photo by Taylor Gray Student Publications
person and gauge the situation as A picture of the W23 parking deck by the EBB building in the Bioquad. The Institute has recently
the semester goes. refitted this location to act as a drive-through testing location for COVID-19 exposed individuals.

sliver // your thoughts

i love sliver <3
andy you are so cool
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LIFE EDITOR
why is there no fried rice for breakfast at willage Hope Williams
I’m excited for this year and to see what’s coming up! Founded in 1911, the Technique is the student newspaper of the ENTERTAINMENT
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the store ideas expressed herein are those of the individual authors and do Avni Shridhar
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Im just thinkin boi for additional copies call 404-894-2830.
Tennis is doing so well y’all go
// NEWS
Tech mourns the loss of second-year CS Major
ANDY BORST
NEWS EDITOR
On Thursday, Jan. 13 a vigil
was held in Harrison Square to
remember the life of Jakob “Jake”
Riley Martin. Martin or “Mart,”
as his friends knew him, was a
second-year CS major from Dac-
ula, Ga. who passed away dur-
ing a tragic car accident on New
Year’s Eve near his hometown.
On campus, Jakob was in-
volved with the Georgia Tech
Student Foundation Investments
Committee and was a brother of
the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity
here on campus.
The vigil, organized by the
undergraduate SGA, welcomed
members of the Tech community
to honor Martin’s life by shar-
ing stories and lighting lanterns
in remembrance.
Martin’s family, girlfriend
and fraternity brothers were
all in attendance to remember
his impact, both on the lives of
those he knew, and on the Tech
community at large.
The vigil began with a message
from undergraduate SGA presi-
dent Samuel Ellis, who spoke to
the great sadness felt by not just
Biden,
JULIA BALOT
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
President Joe Biden and Vice
President Kamala Harris trav-
eled to Atlanta on Jan. 11 to
speak at the Atlanta University
Center Consortium.
The AUCC houses Morehouse
College, Spelman College, Clark
Atlanta University and More-
house’s School of Medicine, all of
which are Historically Black Col-
leges and Universities (HBCU).
The President and Vice Presi-
dent spoke about rectifying the
infringement of voting rights
across the nation, especially fol-
lowing the 2020 election.
Many Republican-dominated
state legislatures sought to imple-
ment new voting laws in their
states after theories about election
fraud in the 2020 presidential
election spread nationwide.
Georgia was one of the states
who successfully went through
with modifying its election law.
Many limitations to voter and
poll worker activity were imple-
mented, such as requiring voter
identification for absentee bal-
lots, using provisional ballots for
out-of-precinct voting, the use of
mobile voting buses and giving
food and water to those standing
in long lines at the polls.
The Georgia state legislature
was also given more control over
county election boards, which
are the administrative bodies that
certify elections. Voting rights ac-
tivists are concerned that the leg-
islature could intervene with the
board’s certification of results that
may not be desirable to them.
The new law also codifies the
requirement of dropboxes. While
dropboxes were a temporary
emergency measure during the
last election, the new law calls
for at least one dropbox to be in
every county.
technique • January 21, 2022• 3
Jakob’s friends and family, but such a magnetic person to those many, both those closest to him loved, and his impact will always
the entire Institute. Ellis also took around him. and those who were lucky enough be positively felt on his loved
time to note that a CARE clini- Many of those who spoke em- to have met him at some point ones and on the broader Georgia
cian and a chaplain was on site to phasized that those in attendance throughout his life. Tech community.”
support students in need. The vig- should never take anything for After everyone who wished to Jakob is survived by his par-
il then proceeded with those close granted and to cherish the time speak had finished, President El- ents, friends, fraternity brothers
to Jake speaking about the impact they have with those around them. lis closed out the vigil by reading and those fortunate enough to
he had on their personal lives. It seemed that even after his SGA’s resolution of condolence have met him in his time here at
Members of the Alpha Tau passing, Jakob had continued to for Jakob, notably concluding the Institute, and he will continue
Omega fraternity told of how touch and influence the hearts of that Jakob “was and still is be- to be remembered.
magnetic his personality was and
how sure they were of his genu-
ine personality from the first day
they met him.
Jakob’s girlfriend and step-
father spoke to how much he
cared for his friends, family and
fraternity brothers. Stories were
shared about how his passion
and loyalty shined through
in everything he did, includ-
ing during his time working at
Chick-fil-A in Hamilton Mill,
where he worked throughout
high school and during breaks
from Tech.
Other friends and acquain-
tances of Martin told of the vari-
ous ways he had impacted their
lives from childhood, all the way
to weeks before his passing. His
love of video games, dancing and
hanging out with those closest Photo by Taylor Gray Student Publications
to him were some of his great- Friends and family of Jakob Riley Martin hold candles at his vigil. Jakob
est traits and what made him was a beloved member of the Tech before his passing on New Year’s Eve.
Harris deliver speech in Atlanta
The maximum number of Martin Luther King Jr. and Sena- Airport created traffic in down- and Harris returned to Harts-
dropboxes allowed is determined tors Jon Ossoff, Raphael Warnock town Atlanta. field-Jackson for their departure
by either one dropbox in every and Amy Klobuchar. When they arrived at Harts- at 6:15 p.m.
early voting location or one drop- Mayor Andre Dickens and for- field-Jackson at 12:45 p.m., state While the closures created
box for every 100,000 active vot- mer Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms troopers began a rolling roadblock traffic, the process itself is con-
ers, but the lower of the two num- were also in attendance. on Interstate 85 north between sistently efficient and fast-mov-
bers is allowed. The President and Vice Presi- the airport and downtown. ing, as Atlanta has had to enact
The United States Election As- dent’s arrival and departure from The same blocks and ramp the closures for presidents many
sistance Commission, a govern- Hartsfield-Jackson International closures were put in as Biden times before.
ment agency that upholds election
standards, security and acces-
sibility, recommends that drop-
boxes be placed for between every
15,000 and 20,000 voters.
The dropboxes must also be
placed within in-person early vot-
ing facilities under constant sur-
veillance.
There are many areas in Geor-
gia with a low amount of early
voting locations, and they are typ-
ically in minority- and disability-
dominated neighborhoods.
The dropbox restrictions have
raised concerns about accessibility
to voting for these populations.
The law also requires that those
who request an absentee ballot
have a driver’s license number, a
state identification number or an
electronic scan of an ID.
Many activists are concerned
with how the requirements and
limitations will disproportionate-
ly affect people of color and other
marginalized groups in Georgia.
Georgia’s state legislature has
also rewritten many minority-
dominated district lines in the
last year, a measure that many
believe are another form of voter
suppression.
In his speech to the AUCC,
Biden spoke out against limita-
tions like these and legislators like
those who are allowing the voting
restrictions.
As the Senate GOP contin-
ues to block federal voting rights
legislation from being passed, the
topic of the speech was potent for
both Georgia and federal officials. Photo by Taylor Gray Student Publications
Some of those in attendance Traffic on North Avenue is known to be backed up when a president
of the speech included family of comes to town. Biden’s visit created traffic jams in the area.
4 • January 21, 2022• technique
Head Stamps physician holds AMA session
ANDY BORST
NEWS EDITOR
On Jan. 18, the senior direc-
tor of Stamps Health Services,
Dr. Benjamin Holton, was avail-
able online at the Tech subred-
dit to answer questions students
had about the COVID-19 pan-
demic or any other COVID-19
related problems.
The event, put on by the of-
fice of Student Engagement and
Well Being, was designed to of-
fer students the opportunity to
ask questions in a more informal
manner than is typically afforded
to students. Dr. Holton explained,
TEHREEM HUSSEIN
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
MLK SERVICE DAY POSTPONED
As the birthplace of one of the
most influential pioneers of the
civil rights movement, Atlanta
and its inhabitants revere the his-
tory that encapsulates their city.
The nonviolent struggle for de-
segregation and equal rights was
spearheaded by Dr. Martin Lu-
ther King Jr. in the early 1950s
through a series of peaceful pro-
tests, sit-ins and well-organized
boycotts. In order to commemo-
“The goal of this event was to give
students an opportunity to ask
questions related to COVID in a
setting that was a little more in-
formal, in a setting that would al-
low for them to ask questions that
they may not have otherwise been
comfortable asking otherwise.”
The Institute has recently
been dealing with a large in-
crease in COVID-19 infections
as a result of the newly emerged
Omicron variant.
While some believe that the
new variant has peaked, there is
still evidence to suggest that the
Omicron variant will continue to
challenge the U.S. and its popula-
tion for a few more months. Many
rate Dr. King’s legacy of service
and impact on catalyzing the
civil rights movement, the Insti-
tute hosts an annual MLK Day of
Service for the Tech community.
The service day’s primary motto
is, “A day on, not a day off,” and
encourages students to immerse
themselves in community service
projects at local Atlanta organi-
zations in the spirit of further
establishing Dr. King’s vision
of building better and more just
communities. Scheduled activi-
ties for the day were a breakfast
and welcome event and a three
hour service project block with a
multitude of local service organi-
zations. Unfortunately, however,
due to inclement weather and the
uncertainty of safe driving condi-
tions, the MLK Day of Service
intended to take place on Jan. 17,
was postponed to the spring.
TECH ALUM ELECTED MAYOR
At the precipice of dysfunc-
tional partisan politics threaten-
ing national infrastructure gains
and the pandemic’s looming
of the questions centered around
trying to gain an increased under-
standing of the Omicron variant
and felt quite a bit more personal
than any questions asked at other
COVID-19 townhall sessions.
While this event only lasted
for an hour and has since come
to close, Dr. Holton elaborated
that there are still plenty of re-
sources accessible for students
who may have questions about
COVID-19. He explained, “Stu-
dents are always free to reach
out to me. At the end of the
AMA, there were also resources
provided for those interested,
and can be found on the red-
dit page.” These resources can
continuity into the new year, At-
lanta elected its new mayor. Andre
Dickens became the second Jacket
after Ivan Allen Jr. to be appoint-
ed mayor of Atlanta. With a B.S.
in chemical engineering, Dickens
served the Institute from 2010 to
2016 as assistant director of out-
reach initiatives for OMED: Edu-
cational Services.
In his capacity as assistant
director, Dickens led initiatives
like the Challenge living learning
community, the African Ameri-
can Male initiative, and the Focus
program catered towards graduate
students.
True to his passion for public
service, Dickens was also a mem-
ber of the Atlanta City Council
since 2013 and was appointed as
the chief development officer for
TechBridge in order to oversee af-
fordable technology delivery and
business expertise consultation to
local nonprofits.
On Jan. 3, Dickens officially
became the 61st mayor of Atlanta
and the oath-taking ceremony was
held at the Institute. Associating
be found on Tech’s department
of Student Engagement and
Wellbeing website.
When asked how students can
combat feelings of burnout and
loneliness in the face of the new-
est phase of the pandemic, Dr.
Holton had this advice: “It’s not
just students, everyone, I think, is
struggling with these feelings, and
they’re completely normal.
We are all ready for this to
go away, but the reality is that
COVID-19 still poses some risk;
it requires that we adapt to the
risk COVID-19 poses, while still
maintaining a healthy level of so-
cial connection to help our mental
health. I would recommend try-
with the progressive democratic
agenda, Mayor Dickens plans to
focus on public safety, expanding
transportation, job growth, af-
fordable housing, education fund-
ing, and clean energy initiatives.
In his inaugural address, May-
or Dickens emphasized, “Our op-
ponents are poverty, fear, inequal-
ity, violence, hopelessness and
homelessness. Each mayor had
their burden — mine is to bring
us together in a safe, clean, thriv-
ing city and to restore our sense of
community.”
NSF RELEASES NEW RANKINGS
The annual rollout of rankings
by the National Science Founda-
tion (NSF) regarding healthcare
innovations, computing, and sus-
tainability research have placed
Tech as a top 20 institute for
higher education research and de-
velopment spending.
The exponential growth of
the Tech research enterprise and
Georgia Tech Research Institute
(GTRI) expenditures have en-
abled the Institute to rank among
// NEWS
ing to engage with your friends in
person outside, such as in a park,
and when you meet inside, just
being careful and ensuring that
you’re staying safe and using the
resources we know we have avail-
able to us.”
While there are no current
plans to hold another reddit AMA
for members of the r/gatech
subreddit, the past AMA can be
found on the subreddit and is cur-
rently bookmarked to the top.
More information about Omi-
cron and the pandemic can be
found on the Tech reddit under
Dr. Holton’s AMA, as well as at
Stamps healthcare center’s web-
site: health.gatech.edu.
well-established and prestigious
institutions like Harvard and
Johns Hopkins. An accolade of
this type is a rarity for technologi-
cal schools; on average, medical
schools require almost a quarter
of research expenditures of higher
education institutions.
Staying true to it’s message
of progress and service, Tech’s
research spending is a fiscal con-
tributor to Georgia’s economy.
The University System of Georgia
reported that for the same fiscal
year, the Institute made a $4 bil-
lion economic impact just in the
state of Georgia.
For 2021, the Institute contin-
ued to set precedents for research
funding with $1.2 billion in new
grants and $1.1 billion in research
expenditures, ensuring that Tech
would be at the forefront of cut-
ting-edge research aimed towards
solving local and national issues.
With $1,049 million in expen-
ditures in the 2020 fiscal year, the
Institute made remarkable ad-
vances in the study of agricultural
and industry innovations.
Life
Student-led Bird Safe Campus Project
working to reduce bird hazards at Tech windows, and you’ll see that there
HOPE WILLIAMS
LIFE EDITOR
As new buildings around cam-
pus are unveiled, many feature
large glass windows. While the
aesthetics appeal to humans, a
new initiative is bringing aware-
ness to ways buildings such as
these — and plenty of other hu-
man behaviors and design choices
— are causing bird injuries and
deaths.
The Bird Safe Campus initia-
tive, which is run through Tech’s
Students Organizing for Sustain-
ability (SOS), was launched in
Oct. 2021 and aims to reduce bird
deaths and injuries using an on-
line data collection system found
at dbird.org. The initiative’s
leads, Kaitlyn Tran, third-year
IE, and Shivani Potdar, first-year
CHBE, realized the need to ad-
dress bird safety after seeing dead
birds near campus buildings.
“Shivani and I have also talked
with other Georgia Tech students
and found that many others have
come across dead birds on cam-
pus, so this confirmed it was a
widespread phenomenon and not
just one incidence,” Tran said. “It
really got me thinking if there are
ways to prevent such injuries.”
There are solutions to prevent
these injuries, and some methods
have already been implemented
around campus.
“The Kendeda Building was
designed to be bird-friendly,”
Tran said. “Look closely at the
New Year’s resolutions: purposeful or pointless?
ABIGAIL SARA MATHEWS
STAFF WRITER
January is the season of New
Year’s resolutions — greeting the
new year and a new phase of life
with a goal, aspiring for change
and self-improvement that either
ends in success or disappointment.
To some, New Year’s resolutions
seem outdated and unnecessary.
For others, resolutions offer a path
for healing, self-care and generally
bettering one’s self.
This year, students across cam-
pus offered a number of motiva-
tions for creating resolutions or
avoiding the tradition all together.
Among the students who opted
to create New Year’s resolutions,
mental and physical well-being
were a top priority, motivated by
a genuine desire for an improved
quality of life.
“This year I hope to
be more on top of my
self-growth through many
different activities. I want
to start to journal my
feelings and also be able to con-
nect more with myself. I also
have started working out regularly
to help relieve stress,” said Ashley
Jais, third-year BME.
“I decided to make resolutions,
so I can improve on myself and
get rid of old habits. I also wanted
LIFE EDITOR:
Hope Williams
ASSISTANT LIFE EDITOR:
Natalie Boutwell
life@nique.net
is a dot pattern etched into the
glass; this pattern allows birds to
recognize that the glass is a physi-
cal barrier[,] so they will not fly
into the windows.”
Tran explains that often-
times, birds will see the reflec-
tions of trees and open sky in
the glass and are attracted to
it. Thus, they fly into the glass
and may get injured or die. The
glass technology seen with the
Kendeda Building is one solution
to address the issue.
Birds are seen all around
face. A new initative around
to be happier with the person
I am and be able to grow as a per-
son.”
To achieve these healthy life-
styles, some students took a more
unorthodox approach.
“So far for New Year’s reso-
lutions, I want to eat more veg-
gies and drink a cup of water
a day. I chose my resolutions
because I realized I was getting
weaker, like I felt weaker and
more sluggish, and Tik Tok has
been suggesting more vegetables
and water. So I thought why not
eat some,” said Sneha Roy, sec-
ond-year CS.
“I ate some and realized cheese
and veggies are a great combina-
tion, plus cheese makes me thirsty
so more water. Therefore this is
all a big ploy to eat more cheese
throughout the new year.”
Many students believe that
while well intentioned, New Year’s
resolutions can be unnecessary,
and sometimes, holding oneself
accountable can be difficult.
“I only really have one [resolu-
tion]. That’s just to be more active.
I normally don’t do them. Because
you can do anything at any time
of the year. Just because it’s the
new year doesn’t mean you have to
do anything,” said Molly Jaszcak,
first-year CHBE.
Other students agreed that
New Year’s resolutions can be
Freeman Hrabowski Lecture
President of University of Maryland, Baltimore County
speaks on past progress and needed improvements at the
annual Martin Luther King Jr. lecture.49
However, there is still lots of
work to be done, both locally in
Atlanta and nationwide.
“In the past three years, Metro
Atlanta ranked in the top ten U.S.
cities for bird collisions in the
spring and fall,” Tran said. “Each
year, an estimated several hun-
dred million birds (nationwide)
are killed as a result of collisions
with windows.”
Bird Safe Campus Project uses
the website dbird.org, where us-
ers can report the location, time of
discovery and other details such
Tech’s campus, but not everyone
campus uses an online data collection
overwhelming and difficult to fol-
low through.
“I guess setting big goals
for the year seems kind
of useless to me because
I’ll probably just end up forgetting
about it,” said Sara Delawalla,
third-year EAS.
“I prefer to set smaller goals
over shorter periods of time and
kind of steadily get better at the
things I want to get better at.”
For some, even keeping track
of small goals presented a chal-
lenge.
“I wanted to floss more, but
I haven’t found my floss since I
came back, so it hasn’t been hap-
pening,” said Nicole Allen, first-
year BME.
Simi Bala, first-year CS, has
had similar struggles.
“Mine was to eat healthy, and I
also haven’t done that,” Bala said.
Not all New Year’s resolutions
end in disaster, though.
“Mine was to get a better work-
life balance. Last week, I did that,
but we’ll see if that continues,”
said Madeline Lombard, first-year
CHBE.
There was a clear consensus
among students – do not take
New Year’s resolutions too seri-
ously. While it is a great mecha-
nism for self-improvement, set-
ting expectations too high or
punishing yourself for a lack of
technique
8
Friday,
January 21, 2022
as the bird’s species and causes of “We are asking the GT com-
death or injury, if they know it. munity to report whenever
The dBird project was launched they find dead or injured birds
by the New York City Audubon on campus to dbird.org,” Tran
Society in 2014 as a platform said. “The reason for this is, a
where anyone could report bird lot of the data we have on cam-
deaths and injuries. The data has pus bird strikes is outdated.
been valuable to learning more There has been a lot of construc-
about bird mortality. The project tion on campus in the past few
has been expanded to cities across years — many new buildings have
the country, and by working with gone up, and others have been al-
the Georgia Audubon Society, tered. We’d like to know which
Tran and her team are able to buildings are the most dangerous
access the data generated by the for birds so that we can retrofit
website for locations on campus. See BIRDS PAGE 10
Photo courtesy of shutterstock.com
is aware of the hazards they
tool to track these dangers.
accountability is more harmful Life changes can occur every
than helpful. day, without waiting for the next
Taking care of yourself and calendar year. Taking it slow and
having fun should be prioritized offering yourself grace when set-
over strict regimens. If you strug- ting new goals is the best strategy
gle to keep to your resolution, you for creating positive life changes.
are not alone. “It’s not to say that we won’t
“People who make resolutions reach them. It’s early, it’s still Jan-
don’t always follow them. I’m not uary. I can’t assess my success in
trying to make goals and not fol- that amount of time,” Bala said.
low them. That seems disappoint- Allen agreed.
ing. That seems like a bad time for “We have so much time,”
me,” Jaszcak said. Allen said.
Photo by Taylor Gray Student Publications
Working out and living a healthier lifestyle is a
common New Year’s resolution among students.
// LIFE
MLK lecture reflects on past and future progress
NATALIE BOUTWELL
ASSISTANT LIFE EDITOR
On Jan. 12, Tech hosted
the 11th annual Martin Luther
King Jr. Lecture, featuring Dr.
Freeman Hrabowski, President
of the University of Maryland,
Baltimore County (UMBC).
The event was sponsored
through a partnership of three
groups: the MLK Planning
Committee, Institute Diversity,
Equity, and Inclusion (IDEI)
and the Division of Student
Engagement and Well-Being.
Approximately 300 indi-
viduals from around campus
watched the online lecture.
The presentation began with a
brief introduction by Dr. Archie
Ervin, vice president of IDEI.
Afterwards, Tech President
Ángel Cabrera offered remarks and
greetings of welcome to Hrabows-
ki on behalf of the Institute.
Cabrera first described Hrabowski
as his “personal role model” and
“dear friend” while explaining
their shared uncommon back-
grounds that lead to their cur-
rent roles as university presidents.
Cabrera then discussed Tech’s
progress over the years in diver-
sifying its affiliated population.
“Georgia Tech has never been
as diverse. Georgia Tech has never
been as inclusive as it is today, and
Georgia Tech has never been as suc-
cessful as it is today,” Cabrera said.
Despite this advancement,
Cabrera stated that there is more
work to be done in making Tech
an inclusive campus for everyone.
“We are not even halfway
on that journey. It is up to each
one of us. We have the respon-
sibility to make sure we keep
the doors wide open for tal-
ent of all kinds,” Cabrera said.
Speaking after Cabrera, un-
dergraduate Student Govern-
ment Association (SGA) Presi-
dent Samuel Ellis, fourth-year
INTA, echoed similar sentiments.
“Over time, we’ve made
strides towards justice and
equality, but there remains
work to be done,” Ellis said.
“We have to create a commu-
nity where all people — no matter
who they are — can see themselves
at Georgia Tech. We must show
everyone that they are valued …
With the skills we gain at Georgia
Tech, we have a unique opportu-
nity to combine the powers of love
with the capabilities of scientific
development to combat injustice.”
Following Ellis’ remarks and a
brief introduction on Hrabowski’s
background by Rebecca Ham-
mond, GMC graduate student,
Hrabowski began his presentation.
“The MLK celebration … is a
time when we think about who
we have been and who we’re be-
coming,” Hrabowski said, first
commending Tech for its progress
throughout the years and then stat-
ing there is always more to be done.
Hrabowski initially fo-
cused on the cyclical na-
ture of human existence.
University of Maryland,
is seen here on
“‘Everyone is a genius when
looking backwards. But true ge-
nius is to anticipate what’s before
you and to learn what was behind
you,’” Hrabowski said, quoting
his friend Rod Atkins, who has
ties to both Tech and UMBC,
to frame the conversation.
Hrabowski discussed some of
his difficult experiences as a child-
leader growing up in the Civil
Rights Era in Birmingham, Ala. to
demonstrate the progress that soci-
ety has made since his childhood.
He then discussed some more
recent events such as George
Floyd’s death and the violence at
the Capitol last year to demon-
strate that progress is never linear.
To get past these difficult times,
Hrabowski said, “People pull to-
gether in different ways to say that
we are better than this … It is up to
each of us to make that difference
which will become so important.”
Baltimore County President
Jan. 12 during the
Hrabowski then shifted to
discuss the need for both STEM
and humanities experts and
the need for more minori-
ties in both of these areas to
meet society’s needs today.
“The idea that STEM is critical
in our society has never been more
important. But I would also argue
the concept of the humanities, the
social sciences, the arts … is more
critical now also,” Hrabowski
said. “It is not one or the other. We
need more people from all back-
grounds who are in both areas.”
Hrabowski conclud-
ed his presentation with a
challenge to the Tech community.
“In terms of producing
Blacks who go on to get PhDs
in the natural sciences and en-
gineering right now, [Tech] is
number 18,” Hrabowski said.
“You are so good, Georgia Tech.
You should be at the top of that list.”
Photo by Natalie Boutwell via BlueJeans Events
Freeman Hrabowski
annual MLK lecture.
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technique • January 21, 2022• 9
Currently, UMBC ranks high-
est in the country in graduat-
ing Black students who pursue
science and engineering PhDs.
However, Hrabowski said,
“I think [Georgia Tech has]
the opportunity … given the
leadership you have there, giv-
en the talent you have there,
to be the leader in the space.”
The event then moved on
to a question-and-answer ses-
sion moderated by Hammond.
Prompted by questions,
Hrabowski discussed his child-
hood experiences growing up
with Martin Luther King.
“He taught me one impor-
tant lesson: tomorrow can be
better than today, and it’s up to
me,” Hrabowski said, explain-
ing how Dr. King was a strong
personal role model and in-
spired him to go to college early.
Hrabowski also discussed
some more difficult questions
such as initiating challenging
conversations about race or class,
defending against the notion
that increased diversity leads to
lowered standards and experi-
encing pushback from tradition-
ally advantaged groups in society.
“What we are fighting for is
the rights of all people … I do
think it takes one person at a
time. It’s my talking to a friend
who is a different race, having the
tough conversation … and trying
to understand each other’s point
of view,” Hrabowski said. “We’re
not trying to just take this little
pie and take it from anyone else.
We want to make the pie bigger,
so we can all have what we need.”
Ervin concluded the event
with a final remark comment-
ing on the power of reflec-
tion in promoting progress.
“I want to close by sharing
with you … sanoka. It is an Af-
rican word … and it says that
it is not a taboo to fetch what is
at risk of being left behind,” Er-
vin said. “We must be willing
to go back and reclaim our past
in order to move forward th-
at will allow us to under-
stand why and how we came
to be who we are today.””
10 • January 21, 2022• technique // LIFE

BIRDS FROM PAGE 8

bird-safe film on these specific

buildings.”
One project they are hop-
ing to implement is add-
ing bird-safe film on the
bridge connecting Crosland Tow-
er and Price Gilbert Library. There
are other dangers across campus,
though.
“Past data from dBird has
shown that the Molecular Sci-
ences and Engineering Build-
ing in the Bioquad is one of the
most frequently hit buildings on
campus. The multi-story glass
windows, coupled with the small
forest behind the building, makes
the area a common place to find
injured birds,” Tran said.
Besides glass, another threat to
birds is light pollution.
“At night, migrating birds
are often attracted to the bright
lights coming from buildings,”
Tran said. “They will then be
disoriented by the lights, lead-
ing to collisions with buildings.
So, we are working with GT
admin to see if it is possi-
ble to turn off lights in these
specific campus buildings in the
late hours. This not only will re-
duce bird collisions but also help
conserve energy.”
For members of the Tech com-
munity, one of the best ways to
help the cause is by reporting any
injured or dead birds found to
dbird.org. Additionally, students
can join the initiative.
“We would love to have more
students join the cause. No prior
knowledge or skills required,
just a passion for helping campus
wildlife,” Tran said.
To get involved with the proj- Photo courtesy of GT SOS – Bird Safe Campus Project
ect, students can email birdsaf- The map of campus above shows reports of bird collisions with buildings, as reported on dbird.org.
ecampusgt@gmail.com. The buildings with the most collisions are MoSE, the ISyE Complex and the Library.

technique
Join the

Technique
Flags Bldg 137 Writers, •Designers, Photographers

nique.net /thenique @the_nique

// LIFE
Inside the
TAYLOR GRAY
MANAGING EDITOR
For students looking to get
involved and find a community,
there are over 600 registered stu-
dent organizations (RSO) on
Tech’s campus to choose from.
One of Tech’s most tight knit
communities is the Society of
Furries at Tech, also known as
SOFT.
After becoming an official
club in 2018, SOFT has served
as a visible point of contact and
gateway into the greater furry
community at Tech. People who
identify as furries are members of
a subculture that revolves around
a common interest in animals
that have human personalities
and characteristics. A large part
of the greater furry community
is hosted online, with many fur-
ries connecting with each other
through Discord and other online
communication platforms. SOFT
runs in a similar, casual fashion,
with their members primarily cre-
ating community through their
club group chat. Without regu-
lar meetings, members of SOFT
will instead often organize social
events such as bowling, movie
nights and parties.
According to their constitu-
tion, the group is made up of
dozens of students who are in-
terested in “anthropomorphic
animals, media involving them,
and/or the idea of anthropomor-
phism in general.” While that
definition of interests may seem
broad, it highlights a unique as-
pect of the furry community. As
Lab — a fourth-year CM major
utilizing their fursona name for
the article — explained, the furry
fandom comes together over a di-
verse range of interests that stem
from a lack of a central source of
fascination.
“Where it differentiates from
other communities is fandoms
typically have a source and fur-
ries are not tied to one designated
Alex Nguyen and their partner pose on top of the Eco-Commons slides while
wearing fursuits representing their Sammy (left) and Robin (right) fursonas.
Society
source. You know, Star Wars fans
have Star Wars, Marvel fans have
the MCU or the comics or what-
ever. But the total sheer quantity
of animals with human character-
istics and behaviors is so vast it’s
like there’s not really one source,”
said Lab.
Because of this, the journey
towards identifying as a furry is
different for everyone. Certain
books, shows and movies, such as
the “Warriors” novels or the 2016
film “Zootopia,” that heavily fea-
ture anthropomorphic characters,
are cited as piquing the interest of
many in the community, includ-
ing Minori, an AE alumna also
using their fursona name, and for-
mer president of SOFT.
“I guess it’s sort of been like
a thing that I’ve drifted into for
basically my entire life. When
I was a little kid, it wasn’t really
something that I thought much
of just because, you know when
you watch television shows and all
the characters are animals and it
is just normal kid stuff,” said Mi-
nori. “When I was in elementary
school I was a ‘Warrior’ cats kid
and that was kind of my first ex-
posure to I guess something sort
of furry adjacent.”
Others within the furry fan-
dom, such as Alex Nguyen, a first
year ME major, explored their
interest through art. “I got in-
volved with the furry fandom in
my freshman year of high school
because I liked drawing animals,
and a high school friend intro-
duced me to the furry fandom
through its artwork,” said Nguy-
en. “The furry fandom is very ap-
preciative of artwork because it
allows us to express ourselves and
our creativity through our animal
personas.”
The creativity of the fandom is
heavily displayed throughout the
music, art and development of in-
dividual fursonas that are created
by members of the community.
The membership of SOFT hosts
an abundance of artistry, with
some members using their engi-
of
neering skills to create elaborate
fursuit features and Nguyen using
their talents to create a successful
art business selling furry-related
merchandise out of their etsy shop
(etsy.com/shop/SammyTheTa-
nuki).
Perhaps the most prominent
part of furry culture are the fur-
sonas created and portrayed by
members of the community.
While some take it one step fur-
ther by creating full-fledged
fursuits, which are mascot-like
costumes commonly made by
sewing faux fur over a foam cast
base, not every furry has a fursuit.
Even though fursuits have become
largely associated with furry cul-
ture in the public eye, Nguyen ex-
plained that outsiders’ perception
of fursuits is not always accurate.
“Not all furries have fursuits!
This is a huge misconception that
we all like to dress up in animal
costumes. The majority of furries
don’t have fursuits, and those who
do have fursuits don’t wear them
all the time,” said Nguyen.
The creation of a full body fur-
suit is not only a large financial
investment, with some fursuits
costing upwards of three thou-
sand dollars but also requires a
labor of love between designing,
gluing and sewing life into their
fursonas. Lab, who has gone
through the process of making
their own fursuit head, explained
the general attitude of SOFT
members regarding fursuits and
the upwards trend in prices from
fursuit makers. “The fursuit mak-
ing process from Georgia Tech
furries has ranged from ‘I’ll do it
completely on my own’ to, ‘I’ll do
it with some friends’ to, ‘I’m just
going to get a job in the STEM
industry and pay someone else to
do one for me,’” said Lab.
“I don’t know if anybody’s told
you, but fursuits are not cheap.
The price, by and large, has tripled
in the past four years. I think in
part because of the pandemic and
in part because it’s like hey, there
are more and more people who do
Photo courtesy of Alex Nguyen
Furries
this full time for a living and like
they deserve to have nice things.
So it’s reasonable that they should
up their prices.”
Full fursuit or not, the process
of making a fursona can be an
incredibly vulnerable and self-re-
flective process. Minori explained
what makes the development of a
fursona so personal. “Being able to
create your own character with its
own kind of personality really al-
lows you to kind of compartmen-
talize and explore different parts
of yourself at different times,” said
Minori.
“Being part of the furry com-
munity is a very intimate experi-
ence, I would say, just based on
the fact that you are creating a
character that is supposed to kind
of reflect either who you want to
be or some part of who you are.”
SOFT and the greater furry
community have tradition-
ally been considered a safe queer
space. For many furries, including
Nguyen, Lab and Minori, creating
their fursonas have helped them
experiment with their gender ex-
pression. The members of SOFT
have a casual screening process
to help maintain their close-knit
space. “We have a process for new
members and it’s not particularly
strict … but there’s a degree of pri-
vacy that needs to be maintained,”
explained Lab.
“There’s a lot of young queer
people who, you know, we are in
Georgia. So there’s a lot of people
who can’t talk about it. They don’t
want to talk about being part of
such a queer friendly space to their
parents.”
Another reason many furries
are not public about their hobby
is the negative connotations sur-
rounding the community and sex.
“There is also a huge misconcep-
tion that we are all neckbeards or
sex deviants. The furry fandom is
more open to sexual expression,
and yes, there is a NSFW side of
the fandom, but most of us are
simply normal people,” explained
Nguyen. “Society of Furries.”
Minori poses in a fursuit next to a snowman. Mi-
nori created the fursuit with the help of her sister.
technique • January 21, 2022• 11
at Tech
Despite being connected to a
school organization, Tech’s furry
community has not been safe
from the fetish associations ei-
ther. Lab explained how SOFT
has been discussed in public fo-
rums in the Tech community. “I
remember, it was either freshman
or sophomore year on the [gat-
ech] subreddit, somebody said,
‘If there’s a furry club at Tech, are
we going to be allowed to start a
BDSM club?’ It’s like, okay, that
seems a little like overreaching…
I think part of that is just sort of
the demonization of queer people
in general as being sexually devi-
ant and that has bled over to the
furry community.”
In the face of struggles sur-
rounding the public image of fur-
ries, SOFT’s members maintain
a welcoming community of stu-
dents excited to share their inter-
ests with each other. For Minori,
SOFT has given her a sense of
belonging.
“It’s almost like a sense of soli-
darity. I think generally speaking,
growing up kind of knowing that
I am definitely a furry but not re-
ally engaging with the commu-
nity was very alienating in some
ways. You feel like this is a very
niche and very weird interest that
you have and like, at the time, it
was of course, much more stigma-
tized, I think than it is now,” said
Minori.
“So being a part of the furry
community very much kind of
makes you feel like you prob-
ably grew up thinking you’re very
alone, but you’re not alone. Find-
ing that there were other furries
at Tech that was really like, wow,
that’s so cool that I have friends
here at school who live within five
minutes of me and I can just re-
ally express a part of myself that
I’ve been very self conscious about
for my entire childhood.”
Students interested in learning
more about SOFT can visit their
page by visiting gatech.campus-
labs.com/engage and searching
Photo courtesy of Minori
12 • January 21, 2022• technique
Working part time as a full-time student
MAYA TORRES
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
Whether the intent is to earn
some extra spending money or to
save up for the next tuition dead-
line, many students find them-
selves working a part time job
at some point during their time
at Tech.
Although working as a full-
time student is often a positive
learning experience, it requires a
great deal of extra time and ener-
gy that not every person can give.
However, setting some goals
and guidelines into place goes a
long way when there simply aren’t
enough hours in the day.
K N OW YO U R PR I O R ITI E S
With exception to your men-
tal health and wellbeing, school
should be a top priority.
College is an expensive in-
stitution, and you should not be
paying thousands to only give
partial effort. Money and expe-
rience are both major benefits
// LIFE
from a job, but they should not Planning and organization are Although it can be difficult to pealing as it is, is not always the
distract you from your long-term also effective in managing your turn something down, it is often best alternative.
education goals. schedule. Mapping out your day necessary for working students. If your job is not willing to
ahead of time will not only cut You cannot attend every party or respect your boundaries, and
C O M M U N I C AT E L I M I TATI O N S down on the time spent wonder- join every club. communication with your boss
As a working student, you are ing what to work on next, but it If a person in your life, whether is ineffective, it is not the end of
simply not able to give your em- will also help you visualize how it be your employer or best friend, the world to find different work.
ployer the same amount of hours much time you have to spend on is not honoring your time, you With a wide variety of businesses
as a full-time worker. If you are each task. should be willing to put your around Tech’s campus, the search
up front about this throughout foot down. for a new job is less daunting than
the hiring process, your manager L E A R N W H E N T O S AY N O The word “no” is difficult for it seems. It is simply not worth it
is more likely to be understanding At the end of the day, some- many to say or hear, but its effect to work for a company that does
with your full schedule. times there simply isn’t time is apparent when used clearly and not appreciate the time you are
Figure out how many hours for everything. seriously. “Maybe later,” as ap- willing to give.
per week you’d feel comfortable
taking on, and be sure to clearly
communicate this with your boss.
A reasonable employer will respect
the time you are willing to give.
On the academic side, pay at-
tention to when major exams and
deadlines are. Although some
Tech professors will move dates
for working students, expect most
to be rigid with their scheduling.
This means telling your man-
ager in advance when you are
unable to work.
M A N AG E TI M E W I S E LY
When there is a fully packed
week ahead of you, there is no
time for procrastination or dis-
traction. Turning away from so-
cial media to get to work is easier
said than done, but it often comes
down to the simple step of power-
ing off your phone and setting it
aside. Five minutes of TikTok here
and there may seem harmless, but
over time, those minutes add up.
If you are not addicted to your
phone, find whatever else seems to Photo by Janat Batra Student Publications
suck up your time, and take the Balancing school and work can be difficult, but by following these tips and tricks,
steps to cut down on that activity. you can succeed both academically and professionally for a fulfilling semester.
Opinions
Tech’s New Year’s Resolutions
What the Institute should focus on in the new year
With every new year comes new prom-
ises. We make promises to ourselves, to
others, and for others. These promises, or
resolutions, are often about bettering our
health, pursuing our passions and general
well-being. We at the Technique call for
the Institute to uphold their own resolu-
tions — to make efforts in the upcoming
year to better our health, mental and physi-
cal, academic experience and the overall
Tech experience.
Three years into this pandemic, campus
has evolved in ways no one expected, but
a lot of change is yet to come. As we enter
this new year while riding the wave of a new
variant — Omicron — it feels like the stu-
dent body is being left to fend for themselves
with rising cases on campus. According to
Tech’s COVID-19 dashboard, there was a
peak of 46 incidents of COVID-19-positive
individuals on campus in January of 2021.
In comparison, there has been a peak of
167 incidents of COVID-positive individu-
als this January so far, and the month is not
even over.
Students have long since returned to
classrooms and in-person extracurriculars,
yet the accessibility to many classes and
campus activities remains limited for those
who have to quarantine or isolate.
Other universities opted for a remote
start to the semester as Omicron cases
continue to rise while Tech students were
thrust back into confined indoor spaces and
encouraged to gather in classrooms on an
almost-daily basis.
It is highly unlikely that the Institute
will return to fully-remote learning un-
less USG requires it of their institutions,
but we believe that the Institute can offer
more to ensure the safe return of students
to campus.
We acknowledge and appreciate the val-
ue of an in-person education, but having a
remote option for all courses, not just some,
would provide a sense of security that stu-
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
Janat Batra EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Taylor Gray MANAGING EDITOR
Andy Borst NEWS EDITOR
Will Fuss SPORTS EDITOR
Hope Williams LIFE EDITOR
Maya Torres ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
Kristin Hsu ONLINE EDITOR
“ We must accept finite
”
disappointment, but never lose
infinite hope.
dents will not be punished for their inability
to be physically present in a classroom.
Despite being half-way through this
academic year, there is still no uniform in-
stitute policy requiring professors to offer
remote alternatives to in-person classes
in the case of a COVID-19 exposure or
positive test result.
Some professors offer an option to
call into class if you cannot attend in per-
son while others do not, leaving students’
grades and the possibility of falling behind
up to one professor. While many professors
have been understanding of student’s situ-
ations and flexible with their assignment
deadlines and attendance, there is no guar-
antee that the same grace will be given to
other students whose instructors are not
as forgiving.
Part of this ties back to the campus and
student services offered and the way they
are communicated to us when we first arrive
as freshmen. Departments like the Office of
the Dean of Students are meant to help fa-
cilitate these interactions with faculty and
ensure that students are getting the support
we need, but by the time a situation that
requires their involvement arises, students
have often already been pushed to the brink
of mental and physical exhaustion.
Sometimes it feels as if we should only
reach out for help when facing the extreme,
such as when people recommend visiting
the Counseling Center after you have al-
ready experienced a personal crisis, rather
than before. These services seem to exist
to resolve issues once they have already oc-
curred but not prevent them from happen-
ing in the first place. Once again, the burden
falls on students to reach out for help.
Sometimes being a student at Tech feels
a bit like going through years of constant
damage control with no preventative care.
In 2022, we ask for the Institute to ensure
they are looking out for us every day, not
just in our lowest moments.
Avni Shridhar HEAD COPY EDITOR
Rahul Deshpande TECHNOLOGY EDITOR
Brendan Oshida DESIGN EDITOR
Dani Sisson PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
— Martin Luther King Jr.
The beauty of breakfast
ANDY BORST
NEWS EDITOR
For many of us, the fact
that breakfast is the most im-
portant meal of the day has
been instilled in our very being
since the day we were born. No
breakfast better exemplifies the
ideal American breakfast than a
big plate of pancakes and syrup.
The perfect breakfast for many
of us — myself included — is a
heaping plate of pancakes shared
with my family first thing in the
morning on a weekend.
And yet, for almost every
other conceivable situation, this
breakfast is not at all appealing,
at least to me.
It’s far too dense and sweet
for a regular day of the week
where you intend on accom-
plishing things, with the sugar
bogging you down on an other-
wise regular workday.
Which brings me to the prob-
lem that I have with many clas-
sic American breakfasts, from
cinnamon rolls to French toast
and all the classic cereals in be-
tween: they’re simply too sweet.
Perhaps I’m in the minority, but
I personally prefer a sweet treat
at the very end of the day, as a
sort of reward for surviving to
the end of the day.
The idea of a huge, disgust-
ingly sweet meal to start off
the day is, while delicious and
filling, completely abhorrent to
me. I would never dream of pre-
paring for a test or getting ready
for a workout with a belly full of
French Toast; I’d pass out half-
way through the day in need of
a two-hour nap as a pick me up.
Yet despite this unfulfill-
ing meal as a start to the day,
our other options are generally
quite limited.
Apart from eggs, bacon and
sausage, all other meal choices
leave us with either an unneces-
sarily large amount of sugar, or a
meal so bland and tasteless that
I wouldn’t feed it to my dog.
Every other meal has an
endless list of healthier — or
even semi-healthier — alterna-
tives that are enough to keep
things varied and interesting for
months before a repeat occurs.
This is really only a problem
that Americans face. Every one
of my other roommates isn’t
American, and their idea of
breakfast is quite different from
our own.
Whether that’s a bowl of
noodles, a stew, or a plate of
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We also welcome your letters in re-
sponse 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,
January 21, 2022
curry, their options are typi-
cally — just like lunch and din-
ner for us — limitless! I think
that this problem should be
addressed immediately, thus al-
leviating millions of Americans
from a lifetime of monotonous
breakfast dishes.
We’ve put dozens of people
on the moon and still can’t
figure out a better breakfast
to recommend than pancakes
and syrup. The solution, for me
at least, has been in trying my
roommates’ breakfasts, and try-
ing to incorporate them into my
own cooking.
Sometimes I’ll have fried
rice from the night before, and
simply add some eggs and milk
on the side to give it that break-
fast feel I’m so accustomed to.
Or perhaps I’ll go with a cur-
ry and some rice to really fill
me up. Once, my roommates
and I even got together and
tried to make a full English
breakfast instead.
After experimenting with
a bunch of other foods, I’ve
reached two epiphanies.
One: other types of food
are delicious!
There is an entire world of
savory breakfast dishes that I’ve
never experienced, and I’m lov-
ing every minute of it.
Most times I feel more re-
freshed going into the day, and
have found I have more energy
when not relying entirely on
oatmeal or French toast as my
most important meal of the day.
And secondly, perhaps most im-
portantly, I’ve found that I en-
joy those sweet breakfasts that
I’m so accustomed to even more
than I did before.
It’s much more of a differ-
ence going from noodles to
pancakes, and it makes it even
more enjoyable than before.
Even my regular dish of
oatmeal has become less bor-
ing, simply because I don’t find
myself eating it anywhere near
as often as before I started this
radical new breakfast journey.
The diversity of food has
brought a whole new wave of ex-
citement into my classic meals,
and I’m finding more and more
that I look forward to breakfast
not as the worst, most monoto-
nous meal of the day, but as the
best meal of the day.
I’ve found pleasure in enjoy-
ing whatever I find interesting
for breakfast, and I implore
you to make the same discovery
for yourself.
are responses to or commentaries on
content found within the pages of the
Technique. Along with these letters, we
are open to receiving letters that focus
on relevant issues that currently affect
Georgia Tech as a university, including
its campus and student body.
When submitting letters we ask that
you include your full name, year (1st,
2nd, etc.) and major. We ask that let-
ters be thought provoking, well written
and in good taste. We reserve the right
to both reject or edit letters for length
and style.
For questions, comments or con-
cern, contact the Opinions Editor at
opinions@nique.net.
6 • January 21, 2022• technique // OPINIONS

Longer lectures mean less learning

HOPE WILLIAMS
LIFE EDITOR
Last semester, I made the
mistake of signing up for four
75 minute long classes. The joy
of having no classes on Fridays
was quickly replaced by the
dread of sitting in lectures for
an agonizingly long amount of
time. Twice a week, from 3:30
p.m. until 6:15 p.m., I suffered
through two 75 minute lectures,
finally stumbling out of a win-
dowless classroom in Van Leer
feeling hungry, tired and, an-
able to remember anything I was
just taught.
The mental battle of making
it through a 75 minute lecture is
so much more challenging than
sitting through a 50 minute lec-
ture, although only 25 minutes
longer. I would much rather go
to lecture three times a week
for 50 minutes than only twice
a week for 75 minutes. It might Fifty minute classes, though, dratic formula in the second half the longer a lecture goes on. As
seem like it should make no dif- spread the material out over the of lecture. That might not be the my concentration fades and I get
ference, but I assure you, they entire week. I waste less time in most accurate analogy, but the more tired, the time I’m spend-
are drastically different experi- lectures being confused, because point remains: my brain has dif- ing in class is no longer valuable.
ences. we cover less material each day, ficulty making such big leaps in I know the administration
My biggest issue with 75 and it’s spaced out, giving me one sitting. isn’t going to change their 75
minute classes is that it packs so time to process things slower I would also like to make the minute lectures anytime soon.
much material into two days of and in smaller sections. distinction that I am specifically There is probably a complex pro-
the week, typically with only one Also, it provides a well-paced discussing lectures, not labs or cedure to schedule courses.
day in between (such as Mon- structure and forces me to do recitations. Labs and recitations However, I do know there
day/Wednesday or Tuesday/ a little bit of work for the class are typically more engaging, de- is flexibility in how courses are
Thursday), leaving us with little throughout the entire week. It’s spite often being much longer offered. For instance, ENGL
time to process what we learned the perfect example of slow and than 75 minutes. It’s long lec- 1101 this semester is offered
in the previous lecture. This then steady wins the race. Most of the tures that bother me the most. both twice a week for 75 min-
leaves four days int roduc tor y I can only speak from my ex- utes on TR/MW, or for 50
without any in- courses students periences and I know there are minutes three times a week on
struction. By the take their fresh- plenty of reasons why professors MWF. This accommodates stu-
time the start of “As my concentration man year, like and students prefer longer lec- dents who prefer knocking out
the week rolls
around again, fades and I get more linear algebra
and physics, are
tures. Meeting two times a week
means you can stack classes back
lectures twice a week and those
like me who prefer it spread out.
I feel discon- tired, the time I’m 50 minute lec- to back easier and keep more I wish this flexibility extended
nected from the
course and don’t spending in class is no tures with addi-
tional labs and
days of the week free. For people
commuting to campus, this can
beyond core classes into major-
specific classes.
remember any- longer valuable. ” studios for extra save them time and even money. Every college freshman is told
thing from the practice. While It also means professors can things like “don’t take 8 a.m.
previous week. I can only speak cover more material in one sit- classes” — but here’s my most
There have been so many for my major, almost all of the ting, perhaps providing the en- important advice: don’t take 75
times I have not understood major classes I’ve taken have tire picture and being able to minute classes back to back.
something early on in a lecture been offered in 75 minute lec- work out examples that could This semester, I don’t dread
or missed an important step, like tures twice a week, which forces help with understanding. Hav- my days with 50 minute classes
where a formula comes from, me to understand increasingly ing to start and stop class takes back to back, and don’t even
and proceeded to spend the rest difficult topics on the spot and up time, and doing that three mind having classes on Fridays.
of the lengthy lecture confused build upon them almost imme- times a week as opposed to twice Sitting in lecture no longer feels
and accepting the fact I’ll have diately. eats up valuable time. brutal and I’m actually able to
to figure it out outside of class. It’s like learning how to add But I know I’m not alone in focus, knowing that in a little
Truthfully, sometimes I just give and subtract numbers in the first my dislike for such long lectures, under an hour, I’ll be able to take
up in lecture, accepting the fact half of a lecture, and then sud- and from talking to my peers a break, process what I learned,
that my brain can’t concentrate denly being expected to use that and observing in classes, I know and come back in two days ready
for over an hour straight. new knowledge to solve the qua- how easy it is to be distracted to learn again.

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// OPINIONS
A call
MAYA TORRES
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
There are many steps in my
morning routine. I shower,
I brush my teeth, I pick an
outfit to wear. If I’m feeling
especially motivated, I’ll wear
some jewelry. Maybe a pair of
statement earrings or a cute
little ring. Maybe I’ll wear my
Star of David.
This is where things get
complicated. How am I
getting to class? If I’m taking
MARTA that day, it’s an
instant no, unless my collar is
high enough to cover it. What
classes do I have today?
Do I know my peers in
those classes well enough to
trust them? A lot of thought
goes into the necklace. It’s
easier to just not wear it.
So what? It’s just a silly
necklace. But it’s not just the
necklace, it’s every Jewish
emblem I own and every Jew-
ish space I choose to occupy.
technique • January 21, 2022• 7
for support
Every little thing can and will tivated by anti-semitism, and
identify me as a Jew. while there were other factors
As a white-passing person, at play, breaking into a specif-
it feels silly to fret over these ic religion’s place of worship
things. I don’t wear my identi- and holding a Rabbi hostage
ties on my skin, and this pro- is blatantly intentional; choos-
tects me in many scenarios. ing to blame this occurrence
However, whle being able to on other reasons is ignorant.
blend in may be a privilege, Right now, among the fear
having to do so is not. and anger and sadness, the Flake-y Weather justbuyahouse.gov
As some may know, this worst feeling of all is the one This past Sunday, Tech Earlier this week, Joe Biden
weekend an armed gunman of abandonment. The silence students got what they had announced 400 million at-
entered a synagogue in Col- from my non-Jewish acquain- been anticipating with bated home COVID-19 tests and
leyville, Texas and held four tances is deafening. breath for the past week. Snow! N95 masks. In particular, each
Jews inside hostage. When a community is in Icy rain turned into snow, and household would be limited to
They remained there for 11 danger, we as the human race people gathered on Tech Green four free at-home tests, which is
hours until they were safely have the duty to look out for to marvel at the image of the presenting problems for residents
freed. They survived, but how each other. campus covered in a dusting of apartment complexes, who
many haven’t? We must stand of white. Eager students made all technically be the same
This was up for the Black ice sculptures and snowmen. address according to the order
not an isolated community, the Hopefully, this snow will not be website. It is also detrimental for
incident. “Right now, among AAPI commu- the season’s last! unhoused people.
There have the fear and anger nity, the Muslim
been so many community and
stories that and sadness, the so many more
haven’t been worst feeling of who are also fac-
publicized. ing hate in these
During the all is the one of times.
eight days of abandonment. The ishButcommunity the Jew- Dear Maria, Count Me In The Giving Tree
Chanukah Live Nation has announced the The 103 year-old white oak tree,
alone, there silence from my non- is among those When We Were Young Festival, which stood in front of Tech
were at least Jewish acquaintances in danger right an emo-revival music festival Tower, has been removed. The
16 reported now, and the to be held on Oct. 22 in Las tree was suffering from decay
acts of violence is deafening.” mass overlook of Vegas. The one-day event is set and root rot, and it was posing
against the our peril causes to feature over 60 artists, many the dangerous possibility of
Jewish people, the situation to of whom have not performed or falling. As part of the Campus
from the vandalization of our worsen every day. in years. Big name performers Tree Cycling Program, its wood
homes and places of worship For my peers, I call for soli- include Paramore, My Chemical will be used in future building
to physical violence against darity. For my institution, I Romance, Avril Lavigne and We projects at Tech. The oak’s
our people. call for action. The Kings to name a few. Punk history will be honored in a
Some argue that this inci- Please do not let me be- rock fans, rejoice! seminar next semester.
dent and others weren’t mo- come the next headline.
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH JOURNAL
Showcase, Present, and Inspire
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH @ GT

Entertainment
Shakespeare Tavern’s ‘Errors’ a relevant delight
THEATRE
Comedy Of Errors
DIRECTOR: O’Neil Delapenha
PLAYWRIGHT: Shakespeare
VENUE: Shakespeare Tavern
DATES: Jan. 8 through Feb. 6
STARRING: Mary Ruth
Ralston, Chris Hecke,
Nicholas Hoop
OUR TAKE: ««««
«««««
« — the theater is no exception.
MAYA TORRES
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
During every curtain speech
in the run of “Comedy of Errors”
at the Shakespeare Tavern Play-
house, the Stage Manager delivers
a shocking surprise: the fictional
actor intended to play one of the
lead roles is unable to attend the
performance. Mary Ruth Ralston,
who is already playing another
leading character, must perform
in their place.
In a bold decision that show-
cases Ralston’s talent and brings
down the fourth wall of the show,
we see her struggle to “learn” her
lines onstage and perform as two
characters in the same scene —
a challenge with potential to go
horribly wrong.
Ten years ago, this might not
have happened on the Tavern
stage. Ten years ago, the the-
atre scene in Atlanta and beyond
looked a bit different.
In August of 2015, Lin Man-
uel Miranda’s Hamilton hit
Broadway and reshaped what
mainstream theatre could be.
Casting almost every member
of the principle cast as people of
color, Miranda showed critics
that nonwhite actors could be
marketable for any role, even
founding fathers.
‘No Way Home’ ambitious crossover falls flat
EMMA RYAN
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
When “Spiderman: No Way
Home” released in December,
casual and avid Marvel fans alike
walked into movie theaters with a
lot of questions.
For one thing, “No Way
Home” is the first big-screen in-
stallment in Phase Four, the cur-
rent stage of the Marvel storyline,
to deal directly with pre-estab-
lished characters in the aftermath
of “Avengers: Endgame.”
Following a slew of medio-
cre television shows on Disney+
and relatively less critical mov-
ies such as “Black Widow” and
“Shang-Chi,” Peter Parker is the
first Avenger to return to the
primary MCU storyline in a
big way.For another, complications
with lead actor Tom Holland’s
(“Cherry”) contract have led fans
to believe that “No Way Home”
will be Holland’s last appearance
as Spiderman in an MCU movie
for the foreseeable future. On top
of that, Holland’s well-beloved
Nearly five years later, many
of these actors, along with mil-
lions of other Americans, took to
the streets to protest the murders
of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor
and countless of other victims of
racial violence.
In the aftermath of the Sum-
mer of 2020, Americans have been
forced to reevaluate the effects of
not only racism, but sexism, ho-
mophobia, and other prejudiced
ideas in every corner of our lives
Last year, Atlanta artist O’Neil
Delapenha became the first per-
son of color to direct a mainstage
show with the Atlanta Shakespeare
Company (ASC), a long over-
due title reflective of the changes
taking place within ASC and
many other theaters throughout
the nation. Delapenha’s take on
Othello streamed virtually.
As the perceived danger of
COVID-19 waxes and wanes
with time, theatres are cautiously
reopening their doors to patrons.
On Jan. 8, Delapenha’s second
mainstage show for the Tavern,
the Comedy of Errors, opened for
a live audience.
Comedy of Errors, an early
play of Shakespeare, is deeply
problematic. The main plot re-
volves around two sets of identical
twins with the same names get-
ting mistaken for each other in
the town of Ephesus. The second
pair of twins, Dromio and Drom-
io, serve as slaves for the first,
Antipholus and Antipholus.
Much of the slapstick comedy
of the show involves punny word-
play from Dromio, who then re-
ceives beatings from Antipholus.
What may have been amus-
ing for an Elizabethan audi-
ence is difficult to watch from a
modern lens.
However, Delapenha remolded
the abusive relationship between
Antipholus(es) and Dromio(s)
character has been left with ques-
tions of his own, with many of
the original Avengers gone and a
path of succession to Tony Stark’s
role clear.
“No Way Home” picks up
right where the second Spider-
man film, Far From Home, left
off: with Peter’s identity being
broadcasted — and disparaged
— to all of New York City. When
Peter’s life and the lives of those
around him begin to unravel in
consequence, he comes up with
an airtight solution: asking Dr.
Strange (Benedict Cumber-
batch, “The Imitation Game”)
to cast a spell that will simply
make everyone forget that Peter
Parker is Spiderman.
Spell-casting and memory
manipulation proceed about
as well as can be expected in a
Marvel movie, and Peter finds
himself with an unstable multi-
verse, a cabal of iconic Spiderman
villains and a couple of familiar
extra-dimensional Spidermen on
his hands.
Does the film deal with the
questions it set out to answer?
(left to right) Nicholas Hoop, Mary Ruth Ralston, and Chris Hecke bring the characters
of Dromio and Antipholus to life in O’Neil Delapenha’s adaptation of ‘Comedy of Errors.’
to be one of lighthearted humor,
tender affection, and loyal part-
nership. For once, the connection
between the two is truly joyful
to watch.
Another surprise to audiences
was the casting choices of the
director. Multiple roles written
for men were played by wom-
en. While gender-swapping is
nothing new for Shakespearean
stages, it was pleasing to see ac-
tresses embracing their femininity
whilst playing male roles.
A particularly empowering
choice of casting was Rivka Levin
as the Courtesan. The Courte-
san, a Renaissance prostitute, is
a beautiful character with sultry
persuasion over the men of the
play. Levin, standing at around
four foot nine is a self-described
chronically ill Jewish woman. In
her Courtesan costume, she is not
only stunning, but living proof
that beauty has no body type.
Yes, if clunkily. It wraps up
Holland’s character, but in a way
that leaves an opening for Spider-
man to return to the Avengers if
the studio heads can work things
out. The film also segues into Ste-
phen Strange’s forthcoming “mul-
tiverse of madness,” which Marvel
has been building towards for
a while.
Peter himself goes through
the angsty character development
that he needs to stand on his own,
apart from Marvel — though
in the context of the MCU and
in light of his arc in “Far From
Home,” another origin-story-level
tragedy seems redundant.
But when one considers the
very high expectations that No
Way Home” shouldered, the film
falls flat.
It tries to do a lot and ends up
missing several crucial elements
along the way.
One cannot help feeling a
little skeptical of the motivations
that set up the key conflict of
the film — it’s a stretch to think
that Peter, fresh off the turmoil
of the Blip and the space-time
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR:
Maya Torres
ASSISTANT ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR:
Isa Cardona
entertainment@nique.net
Despite these choices, cer-
tain parts of the play still bring
down bodies that do not align
with society’s standards. The
character Nell, a kitchen wench
married to one of the Dromios,
becomes the butt of many jokes
within the show. Nell is described
as fat and ugly and smelly, values
that may give us a cheap laugh
at the expense of people who
see themselves as those traits.
Vinnie Mascola brings the
character to life with a delight-
ful, genderbent take on the role.
Seeing a man with a full beard
bring his voice up several
octaves and trot around in high
heeled booties is admit-
tedly hilarious. But what
message is it sending to wom-
en in the audience with more
masculine traits? No one
deserves to leave the theatre
feeling uglier because of what
they saw.
“Spiderman: No Way Home” premiered in theaters
on Dec. 17 after much anticipation from Marvel fans.
manipulation of “Endgame,”
would be so eager to mess with
timelines once again. After
all that he has gone through
and considering his charac-
ter development so far, one ex-
pects a little more maturity
and foresight.
It’s even more of a stretch to
believe that Dr. Strange, Sor-
cerer Supreme and Master of
the Mythic Arts, would agree
and that when Peter starts
to make exceptions, Strange
technique
Friday,
13
January 21, 2022
Photo courtesy of Daniel Parvis
With such an innovative take
on the show that stands up to the
racism and misogyny of Shake-
speare’s time, it is important to
also expect body equality as well.
Nonetheless, “Comedy of Er-
rors” is a breath of fresh air for
Shakespeare fans who are tired
of the same plays. In 400 years
of Shakespeare, it is reasonable to
expect redundancy within perfor-
mances; it is seemingly impossible
to make a unique set of choices for
a play that has been around for
so long.
However, this show is unlike
anything even the most familiar
of fans have witnessed. Whether
this is their first Shakespeare show
or their fortieth, audiences are left
not only tickled with laughter, but
with a new idea of what Shake-
speare can be.
Comedy of Errors is running
through Feb. 6 at the Shakespeare
Tavern Playhouse.
Photo courtesy of IMDb
would rather farcically go along
with it.
And the farces don’t end
there. The inclusion of traditional
Spiderman villains like Green
Goblin and Doc Ock makes
“No Way Home” one of the most
epic conglomerate crossovers in
superhero history.
It’s certainly fun to see Tobey
Maguire (“The Great Gatsby”)
and Andrew Garfield (“Tick-
Tick…Boom!”) reprise their
See SPIDER-MAN, page 14
14 •January 21, 2022• technique // ENTERTAINMENT

Disney’s “Encanto” is a magical good time

FILM
Encanto
GENRE: Family, Musical
STARRING: Stephanie Beatriz
DIRECTED BY: Jared Bush,
Byron Howard
RATING: PG
RELEASE DATE: Nov. 24
OUR TAKE: «««
«««««
««
ISA CARDONA
ASSISTANT ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
Walt Disney Animation Stu-
dios’ “Encanto” is a new musical
and fantasy film set in the moun-
tains of Colombia.
The story focuses on the Mad-
rigals, a family who live together
in a magical house. The house,
also known as an “Encanto,”
blesses and protects this family
with magic. At a certain age, all
the children in the Madrigal fam-
ily are blessed with mystical gifts
that provide them with unique
powers that they use to help the
neighboring town.
One of the members of the
family, Mirabel (Stephanie Bea-
triz, “Brooklyn 99”), received
no powers, and that makes her
feel like an outcast, even though
she is kind-hearted, diligent
and loyal to her loved ones.
Through a series of events,
Mirabel finds out that
her family magic might
Disney+’s animated film, ‘Encanto’ features whimsical animation and original
music from Lin Manuel Miranda, including hit song ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno.’
be in danger, and that sets up the
rest of the plot.
“Encanto” is filled with the
whimsy and the fantastical
elements that Disney is known
for, and it delivers in terms of
storytelling, visuals, great voice
work and music. The cast for
this movie is well picked, and
their voices match the diverse
personalities of their characters.
Since music is a major feature
of the film, it’s not surprising that
the song sequences are enjoyable,
and all of the songs feature great
visuals. Lin Manuel Miranda,
creator of the historical musi-
cal “Hamilton,” also created the
soundtrack for “Encanto.” The
standout song was definitely “We
Don’t Talk About Bruno,” which
has amassed 93 million views on
Disney’s music YouTube channel.
While the plot may not be as
grand as the other epic storylines
of past Disney films, given that
the entire setting takes place
in essentially a relatively small
Photo courtesy of IMDb
mountain valley, it still has a
way of engulfing viewers in the
magical realism that Colombia
scenic beauty is known for. There
is no traditional Disney “villain”
or conflict, which could lead to a
lack of emotional payoff.
The film’s conflict also resolves
itself in the end and the danger
never truly feels looming. On
the other hand, it was refreshing
to see a film that focuses on an
internal conflict rather than an
outside force.
Familial relationships are a
major feature of the film which
is captured beautifully in the
relationship between Maribel and
her Abuela (María Cecilia Botero,
“La Bruja”) and the sibling angst
between her older sister Isabella
(Diane Guerrero, “Orange is the
New Black”).
The concept of large families
living together can be relatable
to many audiences, especially
in many Latin/Hispanic house-
holds. The Madrigals are a very
large family, and the viewer learns
just how large they are in “The
Family Madrigal” song, but de-
spite that, every character gets a
chance to shine.
Other family members who
may not get as much screen
time are not forgotten, which
is something that happens often
in movies and television shows.
The characters in “Encanto,”
are given memorable lines and
action sequences that play to
the plot’s importance at
different times throughout
the film.
Overall, it’s pleasant to see
Disney make a film about a
diverse Colombian family fea-
turing a young woman as a
protagonist. “Encanto” is a film
with various messages from learn-
ing to love oneself to valuing and
reconnecting with family. It’s
a film that brings heart, magic
and great emotions to audiences.
For the 60th animated motion
picture from Walt Disney, this
work of art shows just what the
studio is capable of in the future.

SPIDER-MAN FROM PAGE
roles, bringing the three
generations of Spidermen together
for the first time.
But the fun and games can
only carry the movie so far,
and about five minutes into
Maguire and Garfield’s first en-
trance, it becomes obvious that
they’re there more for fan service
than anything else.
Tom Holland, among other surprise actors, wowed
figure. Longtime Spiderman enthusiasts enjoyed the
“No Way Home” suffers
from the same problems that
have plagued all of Marvel’s
offerings since “Endgame:”
that they don’t seem to know
how to dial things down from
the existential threats of
Phase Three.
The latest Marvel movies
and shows have been doing a
lot of heavy lifting to open
up the multiverse and introduce
audiences
fresh
new characters. They have done cessors, its shiny action sequences,
so in such broad strokes and on high stakes and cross-franchise
such a massive scale that they’ve gimmicks seek to compensate for
left behind the attention to a lackluster plot and characteriza-
detail that sets Marvel superhero tion that does not make sense.
films apart. But none of this makes “No
There seems to be an abun- Way Home” an unenjoyable mov-
dance of villains with world- ie by any means.
ending power and nebulous I n
motives who can be disposed fact, the film, which is chock-full
of easily enough. “No Way Home” of references and classic Spi-
is no exception — like its prede- derman humor, is wildly en-
Photo courtesy of IMDb
with new approaches to a beloved
take on classic jokes and characters.
tertaining, largely due to Hol-
land’s performance as its
leading character.
Holland has carried Pe-
ter from his first appearance
in “Captain America: Civil War”
to the present with dexterity,
creating a character of tremen-
dous heart who is more believ-
able and relatable than any of
his predecessors.
Holland is one of the
most compelling actors of his
generation.
As he stitches together the
film’s lighter moments with
Peter’s emotional reckoning,
one can’t help but wonder if
he’s outgrown the character.
Opposite him, Zendaya
(“The Greatest Showman”),
Jacob Batalon (“Blood Fest”), and
Marisa Tomei (“The Wrestler”)
all reprise their roles, and
contribute to a depth and matu-
rity that the film might lack in less
skilled hands.
Zoomed out, “No Way
Home” is just a really fun ride,
and required viewing for
even the casual Marvel fan.
Zoom in, and its underlying is-
sues become apparent.
However, they are franchise-
wide issues that Marvel is going
to have to resolve at some point
if it wants to create movies of
the same caliber as those of
the past.
With “Dr. Strange in the
Multiverse of Madness” on
the horizon and a brand new
group of Avengers in the works,
Marvel still has not made clear
how its new characters and con-
texts are going to come together.\
Hopefully, they can accom-
plish bringing the MCU forward
with the alchemy that makes its
earlier movies so special.
// ENTERTAINMENT
The Weeknd’s ‘Dawn’ of a new age
MUSIC
Dawn FM
The Weeknd
LABEL: XO / Republic
Records
GENRE: Synth-pop
TRACK PICKS: “Less Than
Zero,” “Out of Time”
OUR TAKE: «««
«««««
««
ANUSH SINGHAL
ENTERTAINMENT STAFF WRITER
The Weeknd’s fifth studio al-
bum, “Dawn FM,” sees Abel Tes-
faye further open up on debauch-
erous lifestyle and shows signs
of fear atop the euphoric 1980’s
R&B sound he introduced on
“After Hours.”
With another number 1 debut
on the Billboard charts, this is
the Canadian R&B artist’s fourth
consecutive album to achieve
this feat.
The Weeknd was discovered
in the Canadian underground,
making dark songs centered
around a debaucherous lifestyle.
As he has risen in fame, the
antihero seemed to trade his
authenticity for the mainstream
success seen in “Starboy” and
“After Hours.”
With “Dawn FM”, Tesfaye
reflects on his past for what seems
to be one last time before he
goes towards the light.
T h i s
further adds to the narrative
that “Dawn FM” is the second
album in another trilogy.
technique • January 21, 2022• 15
Initially hinting at the album
May 2021 in an interview with
Variety, he mentioned, “If the
last record is the after-hours of
the night, then the dawn
is coming.”
In an interview with Billboard,
The Weeknd provides insight
into the album’s theme.
“They’re [the listener] stuck
in this purgatory state, which
I always imagined would be
like being stuck in traffic waiting
to reach the light at the end of
the tunnel,” he said. “And while
you’re stuck in traffic, they got
a radio station playing in the
car, with a radio host guiding
you to the light and helping you
transition to the other side. So it
could feel celebratory, could feel
bleak, however, you want to make
it feel, but that’s what the dawn
is for me.”
Narrated by Jim Carrey, who
serves as a guide, between-worlds
radio announcer, “Dawn FM”
introduces dark heavy tones
additional to the tracks that
ground the listener.
This heavy environment puts
the sound of the album into Photo courtesy of XO / Republic Records
focus. Tesfaye worked towards Canadian singer-songwriter Abel Tesfaye, also known as the Weeknd,
keeping the album upbeat released his latest album, Dawn FM, on Jan. 7. It was met with raving reviews.
retro-funk vibe alive. He started
writing during the pandemic, Lopatin. They found a nice bal- cess with “After Hours.” “After “Dawn FM,” the album is a
and urged to create something ance with Martin’s more polished Hours” received record-breaking much more pleasant, cohesive
that sounded like the opposite and pleasing effects complement- fanfare but more importantly listen with wonderful storytell-
of being stuck inside, telling ing Lopatin’s erratic tenden- resonated with listeners and in- ing and a more polished sound
Billboard, “I wanted to make cies. With additional production spired several successful pop songs. that was introduced in
music I thought sounded like from Calvin Harris, Swedish Comparing the power of any “After Hours.”
going outside — I was obsessed House Mafia and Oscar Holter, individual song from “Dawn FM” Ultimately “Dawn FM”
with that feeling.” this XO artist had a sonically to “Blinding Lights,” “Save feels like the first steps on
He executive produced the tight, star-studded production. Your Tears” and “In Your Eyes” a journey for The Weeknd
album alongside pop powerhouse It is difficult to talk about is difficult. to find peace with himself
Max Martin and experimen- “Dawn FM,” without mention- Although there are no par- and his past; perhaps we will
tal electronic musician Daniel ing Tesfaye’s unprecedented suc- ticular stand-out tracks from see the light of day soon.
16 •January 21, 2022• technique // COMICS

Sarah’s Scribbles by Sarah Ander- Lio by Mark Tatulli

SMBC by Zach Weinersmith

In the Bleachers by Steve Moore

// COMICS technique • January 21, 2022• 17

Aw Rats by Sarah
LunarBaboon Miller
by Christopher Grady

Pearls before Swine by Stephen Pas-

SUDOKU PUZZLE

XKCD by Randall Munroe

18 • January 21, 2022 • technique // SPORTS

Men’s, women’s tennis open spring play Dong, Keshav Chopra and Mar-
JULIA BALOT cus McDaniel winning their re-
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR spective matches on the first day.
Chopra won against his opponent,
Hugo Hashimoto, who is ranked
MEN’S TENNIS No. 87 nationally.
The Tech men’s tennis team Tech saw a doubles win and
began the 2022 spring season on four singles wins on the second
MLK weekend, hosting the MLK day of the invitational. Schelcher
Invitational at the Ken Byers Ten- and Chopra were Tech’s doubles
nis Complex. Tech competed each winners of the day, defeating their
afternoon of the three-day invita- Illinois opponents 6-2.
tional, competing against Colum- Chopra earned a victory over
bia, Illinois and North Carolina. a ranked player once again, win-
Tech’s Marcus McDaniel and ning against Kweisi Kenyatte of
Andres Martin, ranked the No. Illinois, who is ranked No. 116
3 doubles pairing in the nation, nationally. Andres Martin, who
won their match 6-3 against Co- is the highest ranked singles
lumbia’s Alex Kotzen and Hugo player in the ACC and the No. 9
Hashimoto. Tech’s Keshav Cho- ranked singles player nationally,
pra and Pablo Schelcher also won won against Illinois’s Alex Brown,
their doubles match against Alex ranked No. 113.
Finkelstein and Max Westphal of Dong defeated Hunter Heck,
Columbia. and McDaniel defeated Gabri-
Tech had three singles wins elius Guzauskas, giving each of
against Columbia, with Chen them their second singles win for
the weekend.
Tech ended the invitational on
a high note, winning all of their
matches on Monday. Chopra won
his singles match against Ben
Gollin of North Carolina, giv-
ing him the singles title. Andres
Martin also won his singles match
against Jayden Templeman of Co-
lumbia.
In doubles action, Martin and
Dong won against Mac Kiger and
Peter Murphy of North Carolina
6-3. Chopra and Schelcher won
their third doubles match of the
weekend 6-3 against Ben Gollin
and Hugo Hashimoto of Colum-
bia, giving them the doubles title.
The ACC named Chopra the
ACC Men’s Tennis Player of the
week following his undefeated
performance at the invitational.
Tech men’s tennis will host
Georgia State at the Ken Byers Photo courtesy of GTAA
Tennis Complex on Jan. 21. Keshav Chopra and Pablo Schelcher celebrate together
See TENNIS, page 19 after Chopra completes an undefeated weekend of play.

ing steady progress throughout

MBB FROM PAGE 20
for every opponent. This led to
them finding many quick transi-
tion opportunities and the team
was often able to compensate for
lower offensive outputs. This sea-
son, the team is still looking to
match the same defensive inten-
sity from a year ago. Currently,
the Jackets rank 11th in the ACC
in points per game allowed and
are one of only two teams in the
conference to have a negative
point differential.
The Jackets have played against
some of the nation’s top teams,
including four of the top fifteen
teams in the nation. In the ACC/
Big 10 challenge, the Jackets
played a close contest against Wis-
consin but fell short 70-66.
At State Farm Arena in the
Holiday Hoopsgiving, Tech lost
by 16 to LSU. When the Jackets
traveled Cross Country to take
on USC in the Jerry Colangelo
Classic, they lost by 14 points,
67-53. In Tech’s first road game of
2022, they lost to conference foe
Duke, 69-57.
Despite the losing record for
the Jackets, there is room for opti-
mism as the season enters the sec-
ond half. The team, especially the
new additions, have been show-
the season. This showed in their
recent road matchup with Bos-
ton College on Jan. 12 with four
players scoring in double figures.
Sophomore guard Tristan Max-
well scored a career-high 22 points
helped by seven three-pointers
and freshman guard Deebo Cole-
man added 11 points.
A talented set of new additions
has gotten more opportunities to
adjust to Coach Pastner’s scheme
and jell with the rest of the play-
ers’ styles. This will allow the
team to see improvements on both
the offensive and defensive side
of the ball. The team has already
been seeing more scoring leaders
outside of the star guard, Devoe.
Another reason for optimism
is the experience the team will
be carrying with them from the
early season ranked tests. While
the schedule will not be getting
easier, the team has gotten plenty
of experience playing against the
nation’s top teams in some of the
most hostile environments around
the country.
The team has continued to
grow and will look to use what
they have learned from their first Photo by Josh Kim Student Publications
half of the season and use that Micheal Devoe (0) looks to finish over a defender against Miami (OH). Devoe has
to turn their season around and been the Jackets’ leading scorer on the year, averaging close to 20 points per game.
// SPORTS
Tech track and field off to fast start
WILL FUSS
SPORTS EDITOR
Tech track and field kicked off
2022 at the Orange and Purple
Elite on Jan. 8, competing with
Clemson and South Carolina.
Four Jacket women earned the top
spot in their respective events, and
Tech swept the top five spots in
the 1000m. Freshman Riley Per-
lakowski had the top overall time
at 2:52.47, while freshman Sarah
Copeland, senior Liz Galarza, se-
nior Claire Moritz and freshman
Katherine Byrne took spots two
through five.
Senior Olivia Moore finished
first in the pole vault with a 3.87m
success. Senior Taylor Grimes
paced all attached runners in the
60m hurdles with a time of 8.50
seconds. Sophomore Sheleah Har-
ris came first in the 60m dash on
her 7.60 second time, setting a
personal record in the process.
On the men’s side, sophomore
Cameron O’Neal leaped to a sec-
ond place finish in the long jump
with a 7.39m mark. Junior Jame-
son Miller secured a second place
finish of his own with a 48.90
time in the 400m.
O’Neal and Harris each won
ACC weekly awards for their per-
formances. O’Neal was the ACC
Men’s Co-Field Performer of the
Week while Harris was tabbed the
ACC Women’s Track Performer of
the Week.
Tech then traveled to Nashville
for the Vanderbilt Commodore
Challenge on Jan. 14-15. Day
one saw two Tech women break
the previous school record in the
1000m. Senior Nicole Fegans set
yet another Tech record with her
2:48.51 mark in the event, and
Perlakowski finished at 2:50.08,
which would have been a record
if not for Fegans’ own record-
setting run.
Sophomore Shanty Papakosta
beat out all other attached ath-
Nicole Fegans, pictured here, set yet a this weekend with her blazing 2:48.51 mark in
the indoor 1000m race. Fegans adds to a long list of records that she already holds.
letes in the high jump, clearing
1.80m. Grimes’ 5.89m long jump
earned her a second place finish.
O’Neal jumped 7.33m for the top
men’s long jump spot, and sopho-
more Alex Thomas and freshman
Zack Truitt took the first and
second spots respectively in the
men’s 1000m.
Tech women dominated the
mile, taking four of the top six
spots, highlighted by Fegans and
Copeland’s first and third place
finishes. Jacket women also took
four of the top five spots in the
3000m, with Moritz and Galar-
za’s second and third place fin-
ishes leading the way.
The men’s mile concluded in
similar fashion, with junior Zach
Jaegar, junior Cole Miller and
sophomore Myles Collins finish-
ing first, second and fourth re-
spectively. Tech men swept the
800m event as well, taking the
top five spots including Thomas’
Photo courtesy of GTAA
second first place finish of the
weekend.
Moore and Perlakowski won
the pole vault and 800m events
respectively. Four more Jackets
earned individual podium ap-
pearances, and both the men’s
and women’s 4x400 teams earned
top-three finishes, rounding out a
successful weekend. The next ac-
tion for the Jackets is the Caro-
lina Challenge on Jan. 21 and 22,
hosted by South Carolina.
technique • January 21, 2022• 19
TENNIS FROM PAGE 18
WOMEN’S TENNIS
Tech women’s tennis began
their spring schedule at the Car-
olina Kickoff, hosted by South
Carolina, with Auburn and Wake
Forest attending as well. Going
into this tournament, the ITA
National Ranking Committee re-
leased the Preseason Coaches Poll,
in which Tech’s women’s team
was ranked at No. 12 and Auburn
at No. 25.
The round robin-style tourna-
ment was originally slated to have
one round of singles and doubles
on Jan. 14, two rounds of doubles
and one round of singles on Jan.
15 and a final round of singles
action on Jan. 16. Inclement
weather changed the schedule so
that the tournament would end
on Saturday, Jan. 15, with teams
playing one round of singles and
one round of doubles.
On the first day of the tour-
nament, Tech won five singles
matches. Gia Cohen, Monika
Dedaj, Rosie Garcia Gross, Ma-
hak Jain and Kate Sharabura all
secured wins against South Caro-
lina. In the doubles, Sharabura
and Carol Lee won 6-3 against
Ariana Arsenault and Selin
Ovunc of Auburn.
The tournament concluded on
Saturday with Tech earning five
singles wins and one doubles win.
Carol Lee, ranked No. 85, won
against Anna Campana of Wake
Forest, who is ranked No. 75. Jain,
Cohen, Marsh and Sharabura also
secured singles victories against
Wake Forest. Lee and Sharabura
won their doubles match 6-3
against Anna Brylin and Brooke
Killingsworth of Wake Forest,
who comprise the country’s No. 2
ranked doubles team.
Following the tournament,
Sharabura was named the ACC
Freshman of the Week, winning
four of her five matches at the
tournament. Tech women’s ten-
nis will host Georgia Southern at
the Ken Byers Tennis Complex on
Jan. 22.
Sports
Top-ranked defense fuels women’s hoops
JACK PURDY
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
The 18th-ranked and top scor-
ing defense Jacket women’s bas-
ketball team finished 3-1 in a
stretch of four games in eight days
against conference opponents,
including tight finishes against
Florida State at home and Miami
on the road.
The four game run began at
home against an overmatched
Virginia Cavalier side on Jan. 9,
despite only having seven avail-
able players for head coach Nell
Fortner due to illness with the
team. Tech won 67-31, which
included a 21-0 scoring run. The
Cavaliers were held to single dig-
its in each of the second through
fourth quarters.
“[I’m] really proud of their ef-
fort and how hard they continue
to play and fight and listen to their
coaches. Today I thought our de-
fense was pretty tough,” Fortner
said of the team after the win
over Virginia.
Two days later the Jackets
were facing Pitt in what became
a closer game but secured their
second win of the stretch 63-52
on the road. Tech effectively had
the game in hand by the end of
the third quarter up 56-28 but
allowed 11 straight points to the
Panthers in the final quarter. Tech
only made two baskets in the
entire fourth.
Again two days later the Jack-
ets were back at McCamish to
face Florida State, a game that
showed they had the ability to gut
Devoe, Usher lead Tech men’s basketball As a result, his scoring averages
RISH DESAI
STAFF WRITER
Coming into this season there
were many questions about what
to expect from the Jackets. They
are the defending conference
champions bringing back multiple
key contributors while also bring-
ing in plenty of new talent through
the transfer portal and the recruit-
ing cycle. However, they lost two
of the biggest stars in recent years,
Jose Alvarado and Moses Wright,
and following a more “normal”
offseason will see the return of the
ACC’s blue bloods. So far, the sea-
son has played out to be one filled
with highs and lows.
A major highlight of the early
portion of the season was the ex-
ceptional offensive play of senior
Michael Devoe. He began the
season as one of the nation’s top
scorers, averaging over 20 points
per game. His biggest scoring
game was in this season’s rivalry
win against Georgia on the road.
He shot over 77% from the field
including 80% from three-point
range en route to scoring a ca-
reer high 37 points. During the
early stretch of the season, it
seemed that no matter what de-
fenses were showing they still
could not stop him. However,
as the season progressed more
teams began to figure out ways
to stop him and limit his scoring.
SPORTS EDITOR: Fegans sets record technique
Will Fuss
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR:
Jack Purdy
Nicole Fegans adds to her list of
accomplishments with yet another
20
Friday,
track record.418
sports@nique.net January 21, 2022
out tight, physical wins during
games that are not played at their
best. Fifth-year Lorela Cubaj led
Tech with 24 points in 38 minutes
played on 10-for-18 shooting.
Tech was up at the end of the
third quarter despite Florida State
scoring 22 points, and the Semi-
noles even took the lead late in
the fourth before sophomore Ey-
lia Love put the Jackets up with
a second-chance putback with 48
seconds left. The Seminoles then
were forced to start fouling, effec-
tively securing the win for Tech.
Postgame, Cubaj said, “Florida
State is a really physical basketball
team, so we knew what we were
going into.”
On the fourth quarter, she
said, “It was just get a stop pretty
much. Nothing crazy.”
“I don’t know if we’ve ever
given up 22 in one quarter, so
that was disappointing and it hurt
us bad,” said coach Fortner after
the game. Photo by Caitlin Aycock Student Publications
While Tech did give up those Lotta-Maj Lahtinen (31) looks to spur the offense in Tech’s win against UConn this season. The
22 points in the third that pushed Huskies were ranked third in the country before the Jackets’ stifling defense led the upset.
the physicality of the game, the
win kept Tech at 4-1 in confer- 28.6% of their shots. They played with the shot clock off and two currently second at 48.5 points
ence play with only Miami left in well defensively, forcing 15 turn- timeouts in hand, but Nell let the per game.
the four-game run. overs and 11 steals. This may have clock run and was unable to get a Hermosa, senior Lotta-Maj
The game at the Watsco Center been the one game that was severe- quality shot off to win. Lahtinen, Cubaj, and Love are
in Coral Gables became physical ly impacted by the referees, as on After that loss, Tech sits at a all averaging over 10 points per
just like the Florida State game, multiple occasions both sides had 13-4 record, which includes a 4-2 game. Cubaj is averaging a dou-
but throughout it was clear Tech legitimate reason to expect foul ACC record. As of Jan. 17, Lou- ble-double with 12.0 rebounds
was running more on fumes, hav- calls on drives to the basket,but isville and North Carolina State per game, sixth in the nation and
ing played just three days earlier. regularly received none. possess the only undefeated con- tops in the ACC.
Junior Nerea Hermosa led the Tech held the lead nearly the ference records. The Jackets play at McCamish
team with 12 points on 5-for-12 whole game until the 1:23 mark Tech currently leads the on January 23 against North
shooting and six rebounds. in the fourth, when Miami scored NCAA in scoring defense by over Carolina to kick off a two game
It was a rough shooting game a layup to go up 46-45. The Jack- two points, holding teams to 46.3 home stand following a road trip
for Tech, only connecting on ets had a chance to set up a play points per game. Albany (NY) is to Syracuse.
younger players have been called comes critical late in games. Last plays. With defensive pressure on
have dropped. Alongside Devoe, on to step up and make the big- season, in the final minutes of a Devoe and Usher averaging 47%
fifth-year senior Jordan Usher time plays. While there have been tight game, the team could always from the field this season, the
is the main returning scorer for glimpses of this, it is an aspect look to Alvarado, Wright, Devoe team has lost four games by single
the Jackets. He has been a key that will still be a focus as the or Usher and often found them- digits. Last season, the Jackets’
contributor on offense through- Jackets look to turn their selves on the winning side of the identity was their defense. They
out the season. However with season around and make a close games. In contrast this sea- had a stifling defense led by Al-
more teams finding ways to limit push in the second half of son the team has been relying on varado that could be a nightmare
the production of Devoe, the the season. This especially be- Devoe and Usher to make those See MBB, page 18
Photo by Josh Kim Student Publications
Rodney Howard (center) battles for the opening tip in Tech’s matchup with Miami (OH). The Redhawks beat the
Jackets in a tough opening loss, but Tech rattled off five straight wins following the defeat to start the season 5-1.