Since 2013, Tech students have been featured in Khayaal, a platform for South Asian classical music, which includes Carnatic and Hindustani music.

Carnatic music is a faster-paced genre from southern India while Hindustani is slower and comes from northern India with Persian and Mughal influences.

The first Carnatic and second performance of the night featured violinist Aditya Krishnan, whose skill on the Carnatic violin was impressive. Accompanied by Prahalad Ram on the mridangam, a two-sided drum, Krishnan delivered a flurry of notes, resonating in the audience.

The second featured performer and fifth overall, Anjana Nagaraja, had a pleasant voice. She performed Carnatic vocals in four different songs in her set. Though placed after a refreshing chai intermission, her set lasted a considerable amount of time.

Krishnan, the talented violinist, returned for the sixth overall performance accompanying Carnatic vocalist Vunya Srinivasa. In harmony instead of the lead this time, the violin perfectly tracked the vocalization, adding another dimension to the performance.

On the other hand, the Hindustani performances were slower — by a large margin. The main melody is repeated to form a song with small variations each time. The idea is to explore what is possible by slightly deviating from the melody in each iteration. However, to the untrained or unfamiliar ear, it does sound like the exact same melody each time.

The first Hindustani set, with vocals by Milap Rane, took listeners on an emotional journey. Rane, in addition to seemingly every other musician and vocalist at Khayaal, has trained under the best in the world.

However, the journey did not seem to have a destination. Because the melody repeats continually, it was difficult to tell when a song would actually end. There is no sense of progression to those who have not heard the songs previously, a common trend in the Hindustani sets at the event.

The longest performance of the night was the second Hindustani set, featuring vocalist Usha Joshi Balakrishnan; her three songs lasted 40 minutes. While the songs are traditionally that length, even she seemed to check her watch 30 minutes in. Many in the audience were restless — or resting.

Sitarist Adam Afshar, the third Hindustani act, gave a more lively performance than the previous, a nice reprieve in duration.

Hindustani music is a niche within a niche, and the song length is part of the genre. Although the event ran over by 90 minutes, this deviation was expected. It would be myopic to directly criticize the length as someone unfamiliar with the genre because that is part of the genre itself.

At the same time, however, the length makes the genre a bit foreboding to those not already accustomed to it. Khayaal organizers surely had to balance these aspects when scheduling the performances. A compromise was the final act, RAS, a Hindustani fusion group.

In a departure from the previous Hindustani performances, Anosh Daruwalla played an electric guitar. Along with Rohit Bhat on the tabla (small drums) and Souryadeep Bhattacharyya on the sarod (a 25-string instrument), their two songs were refreshing, Hindustani but with blues and rock influences. It was then ironic that the most widely approachable performance was saved until four hours after the event began.

Overall, Khayaal was pleasantly familiar to the families of the performers, though newcomers may be put off by its long duration despite the excellence in music.

If the goal for future organizers of Khayaal is to engage a larger audience, they will have to balance tradition with the expectations of the Western crowd.

President Trump’s administration announced a revised version of its much-maligned travel ban March 8, prompting responses from Tech as well as the University System of Georgia (USG).

Steve Wrigley, chancellor of the Board of Regents, issued a statement to USG campuses reemphasizing the USG’s support for international students.

“The University System of Georgia greatly values the contributions of our international students, faculty and staff … The new executive order issued today places travel and immigration limits for the following six countries: Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

“However, according to the terms of the Executive Order … it is to be applied to nationals of these six nations who do not hold visas as of the effective date of the order, March 16, 2017. Those who hold current visas, including our students and faculty using visas to study and teach here, are not impacted and their visas remain valid under the new order.”

President G.P. “Bud” Peterson issued a supplemental statement acknowledging the outpouring of concern after the initial ban went into effect.

“As we recognize the valuable contributions our international students, faculty, and staff make to the success of our institution, we also value you as individuals. I have heard from many of you over the last several weeks and recognize that you may have questions and/or concerns. I want to reassure you that [Tech and the USG are] closely monitoring this and related changes in an effort to keep you apprised and answer your questions,” Peterson said.

Mark Emmert is the personification of college athletics. The current president of the NCAA carries a great deal of power over how Tech and other universities handle their athletic departments. On Thursday, March 2nd, Tech leadership honor society Omicron Delta Kappa hosted one of their Talks@Tech events with Mark Emmert as the featured speaker.

Emmert began the event by going through his history, how his career has brought him to Tech and the opportunities he had to work with President Bud Peterson. The former public policy professor has spent time at University of Washington, Syracuse and LSU.

He began his speech by recounting his time as president of LSU. The university has a partnership with several French schools as a way of branching out and establishing international relationships. While giving a tour of campus to the president of Paris-Sorbonne University, Emmert stopped at a football game. He recalled how engrossed the president was in the game and the festivities that went with it.

The story highlighted the difference between American universities and those outside of the country, that difference being the emphasis Americans put on sports. After the double overtime game against Tennessee finished, Emmert turned to the president.

“I went, ‘What do you think?’” said Emmert. “And he finally said, ‘I only want one thing. I want people to shout, ‘Go, Sorbonne, Go!’’

Beyond demonstrating the uniqueness of American collegiate sports culture, Emmert discussed what the NCAA has done during his tenure and what they plan to do in the future. Emmert mentioned overturning outdated restrictions on student-athletes’ access to university-provided food and recent measures to give athletes more free time. Additionally, he described how punishments worked as an example of how the NCAA and universities around the country are in more of a symbiotic relationship than anything.

Another big issue Emert addressed was where the NCAA generates most of its revenue. By far, the most profitable venture for the NCAA is the March Madness basketball tournament; most of the other NCAA tournaments run even or at a loss. The revenue from those tournaments is then turned over to colleges and conferences and distributed from there. This segment of Emmert’s speech was already publicly known information and was simply a setup for the question and answer session with the audience that followed.

After going through his speech, Emmert opened the floor for questions. Emmert and the NCAA can be very polarizing figures due to the power they hold (and various opinions on the validity of the student-athlete model as a method of fairly compensating competitors for their contributions to the university), and the questions he received reflected that. The first question was about the punishment process that the NCAA is currently going through with UNC and Ole Miss and went through in the past with Syracuse.

“It’s a collaborative process with the schools,” Emmert said. “Rather than this being a prosecutor and defendant approach, the member long ago said this ought to be the university with the association national office trying to find what were the real facts here and agree on what the facts are, and then turn it over to the committee on infractions.”

Other questions were based around the ongoing debates on whether college athletes should be paid. Emmert addressed this during his speech but went into greater detail when faced with multiple questions on the issue. The biggest point Emmert made on the issue was that he and the NCAA do not want college athletics to become a lesser version of each professional league, from the NFL to the NBA.

Finally, the questions concluded in a way fitting of the nation’s view of Emmert and the NCAA. The last revolved around a USA Today article written in April 2016 that claimed Emmert still owed former employer University of Washington $49,000 for a scholarship fund. While there have been no updates on whether Emmert has fulfilled the promised amount, he responded, “No as a matter of fact I don’t,” he said, “… I paid $51,000 at the time and I have since paid it off.”

Emmert’s talk to the approximately 50 students and faculty present was very indicative of the current attitude towards the NCAA. The speech and following questions centered on NCAA practices and how they might change in the future. At the same time, there were  critics in the audience who felt that Emmert, the NCAA or both are not prioritizing athletes’ interests when making decisions.

That did not conclude Emmert’s day in Atlanta. He then visited Tech athletes and coaches and his afternoon ended with a conversation in the Athletic Association’s Edge Building. This talk included athletic director Todd Stansbury, university president Bud Peterson and a number of faculty.

If one listened closely Sunday night in Bobby Dodd Stadium, they could hear chants of “Sting Em’!” after every goal kick. No, it was not a football game on The Flats, but rather Atlanta United’s first game. In front of a sellout crowd of over 55,000, Atlanta’s Major League Soccer franchise played the first of eight games that will be held at Tech until Mercedes-Benz Stadium finishes its construction in late July.

Against the highly-touted New York Red Bulls, Atlanta jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead courtesy of a beautiful goal by 23-year-old Argentine national Yamil Asad. He was able to finish a great ball sent into the box by Tyrone Mears and beat Red Bulls goalkeeper Luis Robles. Atlanta United’s manager, Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino, formerly of FC Barcelona, is known for fielding teams that attack aggressively. With three talented designated players leading the attack in Miguel Almiron, Josef Martinez and Hector Villalba, Atlanta United put an immense bout of pressure on Robles. If not for a great save at the end of the first half on a shot by Martinez, it could have been 2-0 going into halftime.

After the two sides made adjustments at halftime, it became more obvious that this was Atlanta United’s first competitive match. Passing at times was disjointed, and they showed signs of being a largely young team. The Red Bulls looked a great deal more energized, and they were able to orchestrate goal scoring opportunities. The Atlanta United defense collapsed en route to conceding two goals in a span of six minutes, and in a moment of frustration, midfielder Carlos Carmona drew a red card and will miss the
next match.

The atmosphere in general at and around Bobby Dodd Stadium was outstanding. Beginning over five hours before kickoff, a fan village was set up with a live DJ and many corporate tailgates. By 7 p.m., Callaway Plaza was completely packed and there was barely any room on Freshman Hill. Anyone in the vicinity of East Campus on Sunday would have certainly noticed the scene. Enthusiastic fans, many of whom were accustomed to following teams located thousands of miles away, shouted jubilant chants as they waited to enter the gates.

As for Bobby Dodd Stadium, it was legitimately a full house. Atlanta United has already sold over 30,000 season tickets, which is the most for an expansion team in the MLS. Empty seats were few and far between, and fans were standing for virtually the entire match. The rowdiest fans resided in the north end of the stadium in the area where the student section can be found during football games. The chants were lively, and fans provided an atmosphere that is usually only found in European soccer stadiums. Tech students were out in full force among the Atlanta United supporters. Along with the “Sting Em’!” chants, a Tech flag was flown high alongside the Atlanta United flag in the northern end of the stadium.

As Grant Field hosted professional soccer for the first time, the conditions were pristine. Arguably the only complaint was that the field was too narrow. There was only two yards of space between the pitch and the stands. Football fields are narrower than soccer pitches, so this was expected going into the match. Players were able to work around this issue simply by running along the goal lines. The commissioner of Major League Soccer, Don Garber, was in attendance, and he views Bobby Dodd Stadium as a perfectly capable host for MLS games.

Atlanta United will play its next match this Sunday against another expansion team, Minnesota United. They will return on March 18th for a contest against Chicago Fire. Atlanta United will also play D.C. United, Houston Dynamo, New York City FC, Columbus Crew, Colorado Rapids and San Jose Earthquakes in Bobby Dodd Stadium over the next four months.

As Atlanta United players continue to improve as a collective and fan support continues to match the intensity shown in the first match, this expansion team may quickly overcome its learning curve and rise as a contender.

All too often, Atlanta fans have been reluctant to demonstrate a show of support barring incredible runs. The loud chants, exciting atmosphere and electricity on Sunday may be a wind of change. Add patient ownership, a promising roster and an experienced coach, and the result is optimism.

These past few weeks have been busy for Tech sports, and to an extent, this section reflects that. The eminent (Emmert-nent?) figure in collegiate athletics paid a visit to campus, Josh Pastner got the recognition he deserves for taking an uninspired basketball program and, well, offering inspiration, and Atlanta United sold out its first game at Bobby Dodd.

But as much as we can cover these stories, there will always be a few that slip between the cracks. So let us take a look at some of the narratives you might have missed in lieu of these headline-grabbing (and quite rightfully so) moments in just the past week, one observation at a time. Let us start with my experience attending the first ever match of a brand new professional sports franchise.

Section 216, Row 40

Elsewhere in this section (namely, right above), Nishant Reddy describes Atlanta United’s opening match from the perspective of a professional covering the game. And with good reason: he attended as credentialed media and stood by the goal.

Opting for what I decided was the ‘authentic’ fan experience, a friend and I booked tickets in the Student Alumni Association’s discounted block. The process could not have been smoother, but thanks to our lateness in deciding to attend, we were saddled with seats in row 40 of section 216.

“How far could that be?” I reasoned. When my watch told me I had reached my daily fitness goal after I surmounted the final flight of stairs, I understood just how far from the action those seats were. I was in the topmost row of the north end zone. My biggest gripe: leaving my seat for concessions (a venture, by the way, that lasted me from the 45th to the 75th minute) was a chore.

Nevertheless, the energy was unlike anything I have ever experienced at Bobby Dodd, and the closest I have seen to the unadulterated excitement of the Green Bay Packers’ Lambeau Field. Keep that up, and United will be in fantastic shape moving forward.

Happy Centennial!

Wednesday marked Todd Stansbury’s 100th day as Tech’s athletic director, and while the Athletic Association certainly noticed, it is unlikely that most fans will. After all, save for a scandal, athletic directors fly under the radar. No news is good news, so the saying goes. Indeed, few Tech students could put a face to his name.

Yet there is a lot to like about Stansbury’s vision, and NCAA President Mark Emmert said the same in his visit last week. His plan includes highlighting the innovations made by Tech in the field of athletics (after all, there is significant research being done in developing the playing surfaces and helmets of the future). That is likely the best step forward in a nation becoming more acutely aware of the risks that come with being an athlete.

Tech Goes International

Understanding the women’s basketball team roster might require a course in geography. Or two. Senior forward Katarina Vuckovic hails from Smederevo, Serbia, junior center Simina Avram calls Brasov, Romania home and the team boasts additions from Nigeria (Elo Edeferioka) and Senegal (Anne Francoise Diouf). Francesca Pan and Antonia Peresson, Italians, seem almost domestic by comparison. In a political climate that is marked with such tension, it is nice to know that a group of young women from all the world can play on a team together and put up a good fight, even if that team’s ACC Tournament ended with a disheartening loss to Miami.

Gold-Out Done Right

Tech’s 2017 football gold-out will be against FCS opponent Jacksonville State. Jacksonville State’s primary color is … not gold. Thank you, GTAA, for (presumably) hearing my plea for mercy and responding accordingly.

Tech women’s tennis has 14 matches under their belt so far this season, and 12 of those 14 have been victories. It is the second year in a row that the Jackets have quickly moved up through the ranks of the ACC, and it seems like this year they have accelerated upwards even faster. So a bystander might ask, what has Tech been doing differently that has prompted such great successes this early in the season?

Some may argue that a change in lineup has forced the team to work even harder to prove themselves on the court, but it could be just the opposite. Returning for her second year as a team captain, senior Alexa Anton-Ohlmeyer has helped hold the team together over the last three years. Beyond her prowess on the court, her infectiously positive attitude is another way the California native has contributed to the team.

Though she’s been forced to take some time off for health issues, and she’s uncertain that the professional circuit is what she wants to do after Tech, Anton-Ohlmeyer continues to make Tech tennis one of her biggest priorities. As a captain, she has lofty goals for her senior season.

Step one seems to be getting back in playing condition. She explained, “Now that I’m
healthy again, which was my number one goal, my next goal is to continue to lead the team as best as I possibly can.

“My third goal, which is a bit more quantitative, is to obviously win as many matches as we can, make sure that we are well over .500 for the record, top three ACC, hopefully win the ACC championship and continue on.”

Moving up or even maintaining a top spot in the ACC standings will be quite a challenge. The matches will only get tougher and the opponents more fierce. Notre Dame and North Carolina, first and second in the ACC right now, stand in the Jackets’ way.

There is reason to be optimistic about the former matchup. Tech has not lost a match against Notre Dame since 2013, and the team has no intentions of losing to the Fighting Irish now. They are equally focused on topping the Tar Heels, who have bested the Jackets in six out of seven matchups over the last five years and consistently end seasons at the top of ACC standings.

When asked about Tech’s toughest competition, Anton-Ohlmeyer said, “UNC for sure. We already topped Georgia, and that’s usually our biggest rival. They’ve always been really good and we were able to just beat them. UNC has a very, very strong lineup, but there’s no doubt in my mind that we can really go toe to toe.”

Anton-Ohlmeyer’s description is spot-on: the Jackets have demonstrated their strength early in the conference campaign, but North Carolina has done the same. Brian Kalbas, head coach of 13 years, leads a team headlined by Hayley Carter (seeded first in singles and doubles at the 2016 NCAA Championships) and impressive talent across the board. The Jackets will need to win on the basis of experience, and Anton-Ohlmeyer can do just that.

With the lineup split down the middle (four freshmen coming in and four returning athletes), Anton-Ohlmeyer has had her work cut out for her. For incoming freshmen that are used to competing for themselves on the junior circuit, collegiate tennis can be a bit of a difficult fit.

However, if the results so far prove anything, it is that Anton-Ohlmeyer and the Jackets have been doing something right. Team success in tennis does not come all down to a single person, but there is no doubt that the constant support of a strong team captain and high expectations to live up to can be the definitive factor in a team’s successful performance.

“I just pray that everyone competes to their absolute and best capability. That everyone gives it their all and lays all their cards down on the table,” she said.

Anton-Ohlmeyer then added, “When’s that’s the case, we’re like 12 and two right now, so it’s definitely showing, because more and more as we go along, everyone is laying their cards on the table and that’s what you have to do to be successful. That’s all I ask is everyone’s best.”

The team’s success so far is a good reflection on Anton-Ohlmeyer’s strategy as team captain. Currently ranked fifth in the nation by ITA Rankings and third in the ACC Standings, the Jackets are carrying a six-game winning streak and show every sign of continuing to impress on the court.  It seems like Anton-Ohlmeyer’s high expectations and unwavering support for her teammates has made the road to winning an ACC Championship a little smoother. Next week, Tech welcomes Louisville and Miami to the Ken Byers Tennis Complex. The Cardinals and Hurricanes are excellent teams in their own right, and both worthy opponents.

But they are exactly the sorts of teams Tech has made its living beating over the past couple of weeks, and Alexa Anton-Ohlmeyer is as strong a reason as any. Her record and statistics belie the real achievement she has accomplished over the course of this season: she and fellow senior Rasheeda McAdoo have guided the Jackets through a gauntlet.

The past week was one of mixed emotions for Tech basketball. The team’s conference season  ended with a 61-59 loss at the ACC Tournament to the same Pittsburgh Panthers they beat in the home finale.

Neither team lit up New York’s Barclays Center with torrid scoring; in fact, both shot at a clip below 40 percent. The difference was a physical move by Pitt forward Michael Young against Ben Lammers with 58 seconds left to play. The basket, made by the player Tech fans heckled incessantly at McCamish Pavilion only a week before, pushed the Panthers’ lead to two possessions.

Despite last-second errors by both teams (most comically, both attempting to intentionally miss free throws and failing), the Panthers held on and set up a date with sixth-seeded Virginia the next day. The Jackets set up a return flight to Atlanta.

Even eternally optimistic head coach Josh Pastner admitted after the game that the team’s hopes of making the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010 were a “long shot,” according to ramblinwreck.com. Although Pastner argued that winning eight conference games in the ACC merits an invitation, it is unlikely that the selection committee will view the Jackets’ resume quite that way. A fatigued Tech team looked thoroughly outclassed against Syracuse on Saturday and still appeared to lack vigor on Tuesday evening. The high-energy style of play that kept Pastner’s Jackets in games against top-shelf opponents all season seems to have finally taken its toll.

But while Tech anxiously awaits its National Invitational Tournament (NIT) seeding or perhaps even a surprise invite to the so-called “Big Dance,” there are plenty of individual accolades to tide the team over.

Freshman guard Josh Okogie was named to the conference’s all-freshman team. Okogie joins Louisville’s Dennis Smith, Florida State’s Jonathan Isaac, Duke’s Jayson Tatum and Boston College’s Ky Bowman.

Even more praise went to center Ben Lammers. The voting panel tabbed Lammers as the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, and the voting was not close. Of 53 voters, 37 gave the nod to the soft-spoken Texan. Lammers also earned 15 of 53 votes for Most Improved Player, finishing second to Wake Forest’s John Collins. And he joined the aforementioned Smith on the All-ACC Second Team.

Conference recognition was not limited to the starting lineup. Head coach Josh Pastner earned ACC Coach of the Year honors. Unlike the Jackets’ success this season, the award is wholly unsurprising. Pastner was told to keep his expectations low and prepare for a rebuilding season.

In fact, expectations were equally low for Pastner, who had worn out his welcome in Memphis after showing himself unable to replicate the success of John Calipari (who now routinely molds high schoolers into NBA prospects at Kentucky.) But both parties more than held up their ends of the bargain, and Pastner’s upbeat style of coaching (and apparent willingness to respond to any feedback, even that from fan voicemails) certainly helped.

While Tadric Jackson’s name was often lost in the shuffle whenever fans and the media gushed over Pastner and Okogie, the junior guard and former four-star recruit finished second in the running in Sixth Man of the Year voting. Lacking multiple consistent go-to threats, the Jackets often depended on Jackson for a shot in the arm during close, low-scoring contests. He delivered in many of those occasions, including during the game against Pittsburgh.

Selection Sunday is not far, and with it will come news of the path ahead for Pastner’s Jackets. Recent news suggests that they are well-prepared for whatever they might face next.

Last week, the Ferst Center for the Arts hosted EarFilms’s first work, “To Sleep To Dream.” The decidedly innovative production spurned any normal performance standards and opted instead to blindfold its audience and envelop them in the sounds of its story.

The 3D sound system was intended to evoke the imaginations of the listeners; the hope of its creators was to ensure a unique experience for everyone. To this end, the audience was assured that there is no wrong answer before the performance even began.

The audience was then instructed to place the provided blindfolds over their eyes and spend the next 90 minutes immersed in the story of Jack Richards (Alistair Parker). Listeners were guided through his post-apocalyptic world of nigh-endless ocean and a single city only by the live narration of Daniel Marcus Clark and a pre-recorded slew of meticulously crafted sound effects and dialogue.

According to EarFilm’s own synopsis, “To Sleep To Dream” is “set in a society where the act of dreaming is outlawed,” but far more thought-provoking is the fact that all communication with others and all creativity of any kind are also against the city’s strictly enforced laws. The future is far bleaker than the synopsis so cheerily indicates.

In this particular dystopia, the audience was introduced to a number, a man whose entire description amounts to male, living and unofficially named Jack. The rest was supplied by the audience’s independent imaginations.

His story began by exploring his everyday life, where he was constantly instructed exactly how to act by an all-seeing female voice (who may or may not have been disembodied but was certainly robotic in nature).

When he leaves his apartment, he was led to the elevator by her cheery “Step. Step. Step.” and later, upon arriving at work, she commended him with “You have enjoyed your tram ride. [Robotic pause] Good job.”

Once the audience had become accustomed to creating the story based solely on sound, the action began. Jack started to dream. Of course, this being the future, he was instantly woken by a clarion call and a cheery “Please return to sleep” from the ever-present voice.

His journey thus begun, the rest of “To Sleep To Dream” followed Jack as he meets other dreamers who have found another world, the Realms, which is only reachable through dreaming. Clearly having nothing better to do in his dystopian life, Jack joined the others in their quest to explore the Realms and to bring vibrancy back to this world and share it with his fellow humans.

At the end of Jack’s story, the audience hesitantly lifted their blindfolds and slowly returned to the dimly lit DramaTech theatre, each having experienced the production in a different manner. Some had visualized exactly what had occurred while others simply listened and felt the story. One person even likened the time spent as akin to a drug-fueled psychedelic journey.

Even with its unoriginal beginning of “flood destroys the world, people carry on,” “To Sleep To Dream” shared a decidedly interesting narrative that easily kept the audience excited and eager for more. Its plot even had the bonus of being easily paralleled with the production itself: the audience and Jack were both experiencing acts of imagination quite out of the norm in their respective societies (granted, no one in the audience feared being arrested for their involvement).

The last in-state production of “To Sleep To Dream” was Mar. 4, and their next performance will be at the Mesa Arts Center in Arizona on Mar. 15. EarFilms is currently having “To Sleep To Dream” translated into French and has already shown it in Mandarin Chinese. In the future, they hope to create more films using their immersive sound system and are currently working on shorts for personal headphones listening.

“Making History,” a new comedy show airing on Fox, made its television debut on Mar. 5, 2017. The show’s executive producers are the successful movie-making duo of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who together have directed, written or produced many successful comedies.

Their impressive repertoire includes “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs,” “21 Jump Street,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and “How I Met Your Mother.” The pair will also be lending their talents to upcoming productions like “The Lego Movie Sequel” and the presently untitled Han Solo film.

Unfortunately, when it comes to their latest involvement, “Making History,” Lord and Miller have largely failed as producers in recruiting the talent necessary to deliver the same high quality content that they have been able to produce in the past. For any project that a producer undertakes, their role is to cooperate with other creative minds to settle on the central vision for a project, and then compile a team of writers, directors and actors who will be able to work together to achieve that vision.

Naturally, the creative process will yield some visions that are modest and some that are grand. Even if the creative vision for “Making History” was as simple as creating the next passively enjoyable comedy to watch mindlessly on a Sunday evening, the unfunny writing, senseless progression and hackneyed themes do not allow “Making History” to meet this low set of standards.

The show’s biggest issue is that the writing is simply not funny. To an extent, the quality of a television show or movie can be sustained solely by its dialogue: shows that would be otherwise average can succeed as long as the writing is also excellent.

This reliance on dialogue is exhibited by “New Girl,” another Fox comedy and the network’s most successful to date. Its premise of one girl and three guys living in the same Los Angeles loft and navigating the trying times of early adulthood together is not particularly innovative; the characters are just as idiosyncratic as the modern-day sitcom requires.

But the show has excelled thus far because of its writing. Every line from a character serves to further develop that character’s personality to the audience. Because each one has more than their fair share of weird habits and peculiarities, the show’s conflicts and storylines are genuinely funny.

Now, contrast that type of writing with the type found in “Making History.” The show’s premise is that the protagonist, Dan (Adam Pally, “The Mindy Project”), can use a time-traveling machine that he invented to go back in time to different times in history. In the pilot, he travels back in time to the American colonies circa 1775.

His 21st century speaking expressions like “bro” and “bysies” are quite different from the expressions of the colonial people. His American colonist friends are pleasantly surprised by his foreign diction. In these moments, the audience knows that what is happening is supposed to be funny, but the joke rings hollow.

Another major issue is that the writers offer little back story to the characters or plot. The writers’ choice to blatantly gloss over any preface for the show is absurd. An excuse can be made for a show’s bad writing, but combining that weakness with an unwillingness to develop a cohesive plotline is unacceptable.

The underexplained plot is exemplified in the scenes when it is revealed that Dan already has a revolutionary era girlfriend named Deborah (Leighton Meester, “Gossip Girl”), has already met and befriended Samuel Adams and John Hancock, and has lived in the shadow of his father, who actually invented the time-travel technology, for his whole life.

For a pilot, the plot moves much too quickly. By the end of the episode, Chris (Yassir Lester, “The Bet”), Dan’s friend from the 21st century, stays back in 1775 to start the American Revolution while Deborah comes back to the present with Dan.

Perhaps over the course of the first season the show will offer more character and plot background, albeit in a roundabout way. However, if the series continues on its current path, the lack of backstory and the plot’s hasty progression will prevent audiences from gleaning any kind of enjoyment from the show.

The most disappointing aspect of “Making History” is that its overwhelming issues prevent any redeeming qualities from emerging. The premise of friends who travel back and forth in time in order to ensure that history advances the way it should is trite. This concept would probably work better if it were adapted to a children’s educational show.

Furthermore, the incredibly common sitcom television trope of Average White Guy and Overacting Black Friend Going on Adventures has been seen time and time again and in many forms. While it worked on “Psych” for most of its eight seasons, what sitcom television currently needs is innovation, not beating a dead horse.

Hopefully, the writing, storylines and themes of “Making History” will improve as the show continues. Many television shows, like “Parks and Recreation” for instance, experience weak first seasons but improve substantially after characters become more developed and engage in well-contrived story arcs.

As for “Making History”, the only draw for tuning in again on Sunday evening is finding out to which point in time the characters travel. The only direction left for the quality of the show to go is up, or it risks a quick cancellation.

Candidates for undergraduate president and vice president convened at a debate co-hosted by the Technique and the Student Government Association (SGA) on March 7. The debate, which can be found in its entirety online, featured structured questions by moderators, targeted questions for each ticket, and audience input made possible by two Catchboxes. Responses have been summarized for length.

Moderator Question 1: What aspects of your platform do you believe can be realistically implemented within your first 100 days in office?

Lisenby/Brogan: “In the first 100 days of office, we have particular things we hope to tackle. First and foremost, the political advocacy portion of our platform is very unique to us. Within the first few months over the
summer and starting on the first day of school, we hope to bring back the student lobby board, where it can properly train students on how to be politically active, attend committee meetings, speak up at hearings, and really engage in the legislative coming up in the spring, because right now we’re a rather unengaged community.”

Francis/Liu: Emphasized that their platform was based on specific policies and action items that they planned to implement during their administration, explaining that they had included goals and plans they felt could be realistically implemented. In particular, they highlighted their plan to create an inter-organizational networking program for student organizations.

Peramanu/Wang: Suggested that they could evaluate and re-negotiate contracts with Tech’s Parking and Transportation Services (PTS) and Dining departments to improve the quality of service provided by contractors such as Sodexo and Groome Transportation, the primary service providers for Dining and PTS, respectively.

They also suggested that they would unify the outreach programs of various organizations into a single group while simultaneously introducing efforts to more actively engage SGA with the student body.

Moderator Question 2: Assuming HB 51 becomes law, how would you work with sexual assault victims and OSI to ensure appropriate interim disciplinary action would take place in those cases?

Francis/Liu: “We do want to educate a lot of our students on what resources that we currently have that they can use; going to the counselling center, going to Stamps psychiatry if needed, and getting the help that our students need in order for them to have the best Georgia Tech student experience that we have. … If this does happen, we want to look forward into working with our Counselling Center to make sure that they have the resources to support our students when they’re needed. …Working with the legislatures so we can continue to improve our processes and our students can get the best experience, so that if something does happen to them, they’re protected and they’re taken care of. Because ultimately at the end of the day, if our students don’t know what’s going on, we’re not doing our job.”

Lisenby/Brogan: Highlighted her experience working with the Office of Student Integrity (OSI) as a member of the Undergraduate Judiciary Cabinet and argued that her experience would be a valuable asset in working with groups such as OSI in adjusting to the bill’s requirements and
assisting survivors. Both Lisenby and Brogan also suggested that they would work with departments such as the Counseling Center to ensure that victims of sexual assault would be properly protected under the new law.

Peramanu/Wang: Primarily chose to offer objections to HB 51, saying that they would advocate against the passage of the bill and ensure that students were aware of how the bill would impact them if it passed. They indicated that they wanted to ensure Tech had the necessary power to investigate and resolve cases of sexual assault and continue to encourage survivors of assault to come forward, issues which they believe HB 51 will negatively
impact. The two proposed to improve peer health advisory programs in the case that the bill did become law.

Moderator Question 3: What challenges do you anticipate in representing the interests of Tech’s diverse range of races, majors, and levels of campus involvement?

Peramanu/Wang: “I think the big one that Richard and I are trying to work on is trying to bridge the gap between different communities. So we all kind of have our own little bubbles of people that we like to talk to, people that we’re more closely associated with — we want to allow SGA to become the microphone for those organizations. Allow them to shout out to the world that ‘Hey, we have these events going on. Come see a little bit about our
culture, come see a little bit about our organization.’ We think that’s the real role of SGA; we want to build that transparent bond between us and the students.”

Francis/Liu: Expressed a desire to facilitate communication between student organizations and to connect students to organizations on campus that align with their interests. They also suggested that communication with students could be improved by increasing usage of OrgSync as a platform for aggregating information from and about student organizations. Both Leanne and Apollo said that communication between SGA and the student body could be vastly improved, especially by replacing the weekly newsletter with a different form of outreach.

Lisenby/Brogan: Proposed the creation of a new committee specifically for diversity organizations on campus in order to improve communication with and representation of those groups in SGA. Lisenby emphasized her history of working with diversity groups and encouraged voters to look into the background of each candidate in regards to diversity. Lisenby and Brogan also suggested that they would reach out to student groups across campus in order to improve communications between SGA and the campus community.

Elections will take place from March 13–16 on elections.gatech.edu, with results being announced at an SGA event late in the day on the 16th.