They came on slowly and then all at once. There were signs alluding to their oncoming invasion. They popped up at the school in Athens before they came for us. On a typical Friday night, one might see them resting around campus waiting to be called upon. Seemingly unassuming vehicles, simple black vans purposely nondescript to not draw attention to themselves. The only clue to their true purpose is the thin lettering of the logo on the door, Fetii. 

For those unfamiliar, Fetiis are party vans. Shuttles of depravity and debauchery carting students from campus to their chosen destination, often the infamous road of Buckhead bars. These vehicles were made for one purpose, made evident by the strobing lights and blasting music. When someone climbs in through the sliding door, they enter another dimension. Contained within the walls of the van is a world where nothing matters, and stress is left behind, away from the daily toil of classwork and midterms. 

Fetii has become somewhat of a cultural phenomenon on college campuses across America. Joining the likes of Uber with many students adopting it dually  as a verb. You now hear Jackets say, “We’ll just Fetti over,” solidifying its presence and impact. 

Fetii has taken over campuses nationwide. Just a quick look at their Instagram or TikTok reveals features from universities like Texas A&M, Purdue, Rutgers and, of course, University of Alabama. Interestingly, the videos Fetii makes have little or more commonly nothing to do with their product. They feature OOTDs from sorority girls on game days, house tours of massive Greek mansions and “pledgetok” videos. Their social media could leave viewers asking, what’s the point? What does asking less than sober people on college game day have to do with a party van? Nothing, objectively. But, they encourage engagement and interest in the brand. The videos are fun and eye-catching, using trends and formats that are already popular amongst Generation Z.  

The videos also emphasize Fetii’s view of their target demographic. Fetii has created a cool kids club. You’re either in or you’re out. If you find yourself asking “what side am I on?” you are probably on the outs. Their videos often have an air of exclusivity. They show an ideal college life, a life most people can not afford. Those outfits featured in the OOTDs sport price tags of hundreds if not thousands of dollars. The Greek houses they show are objectively beautiful but certainly take a pretty penny to maintain.

Fetii makes this exclusivity very clear in the business plan, offering a specialty “GOD Mode” to Greek houses, which allows members to forgo the costs of using their transportation services, often for a full semester or an academic year upon its reception. Their strategy is not a bad one, with Greek Life providing a solid customer base at most schools. By giving their ideal customer base their product for free, Fetii has adopted the business model of many companies. Give your customers the product for free, get them hooked, get them to not be able to go back to living without it and then start making them pay. 

Fetii is more involved on college campuses than just providing transportation and filming silly videos. They also sponsor parties to be featured on their social media pages. These videos show their intentions plain and clear — Fetii wants to be cool. They want to be a part of the college experience.  They want to be as synonymous with college as frat parties, game days and horrible dining hall food. Fetii has a mission: to dominate the transportation market and to be the go-to for transportation for students on a night out. 

All that being said, one might think my view of Fetii is a negative one. I have not been too kind to their image or business so far. However, honestly, I love them. I love Fetii. I love the image they have created. In a time when everything seems so serious and every decision we make has so many consequences, a company promoting unabashed aloofness is refreshing. Generation Z has been criticized as not being fun enough, for never going out, for never partying but Fetii disputes those rumours. It shows my generation having pure unashamed fun. 

I love seeing “frat” guys who act just like they came out of Animal House or Neighbors clad in khaki shorts and a polo, speaking with the most perfect “fratccent,” showing off their houses filled with safety hazards. I love seeing girls with perfect tans and a fresh balayage show off their stacks of enewton bracelets. To put it simply, I love seeing people having fun, and I think we need more Fetii energy on this campus. 

The post Fetii appeared first on Technique.

Late risers on Saturday, March 29, might have noticed our campus looking a little different — maybe greener, a bit cleaner, and all around shinier. The best way to describe it would be simply more beautiful. The campus makeover was the doing of the participants in Tech Beautification Day, a day dedicated to the bettering of the Institute’s campus.

The Technique sat down with Kriss Ascencio-Parvy, fourth-year ME and the SGA Joint Sustainability Committee Chair, to discuss the event.

“Tech beautification day is just a day where students and any member of the Georgia Tech community gets to give back to our beautiful campus and be a part of what makes it such a beautiful campus,” Ascencio-Parvy said.

Late risers may have also noticed groups of students clad in old T-shirts and shorts, clutching water bottles and bearing sunglasses, ready to get to work on campus. Students worked on different hands-on projects around campus suggested by different departments. This year’s projects came from the Landscaping Team, Georgia Tech Police Department, GT Athletics, and the Office of Solid Waste Management and Recycling, to name a few.

“Making sure that the department allowed us to communicate to the students the meaningfulness of their project and that the specific projects were hands-on and had an impact that was visible to the volunteers participating in it was important,” Ascencio-Parvy said.

Ascencio-Parvy wanted students to feel the impact they were having on -campus immediately to encourage future participation in Tech Beautification Day. Getting students to this project location on their day off took work.

“It took a lot of coordination just making sure that each department kind of was aware of the format of the event and knew what their role was,” Ascencio-Parvy said. “It was definitely a lot of work, dismissing the teams one by one, and then just making sure we have a giant map projtected on the screen so people know where to go”.

Tech Beautification Day has quite a history at the Institute. Founded over 25 years ago by Tony Augusti, the event started as being run by a small organization of students passionate about sustainability on campus. As the years went on, the event grew with Augusti seeing his small event grow to 250 participants last year when he came for Tech Beautification Day 2024. Augusti also attended this year’s Beautification Day and saw his small idea have a lasting impact on campus. After COVID-19, Tech Beautification Day was put in the hands of SGA to ensure it could continue year after year.

This year’s event started with President Cabrera providing opening remarks telling students about how the space they were standing on, the Kendeda Building and Eco-Commons, was a largely unused parking lot just a couple years ago. His speech emphasized the importance of green spaces on campus and how they make the Institute unique. The SGA Joint Sustainability Committee does so much more for campus than just Tech Beautification Day. As part of the executive branch of SGA, the committee focuses on connecting students, administration and campus organizations to promote efficiency and sustainability on campus. This year, they capitalized on the event’s coincidence with Greek Week to involve the Collegiate Panhellenic Council (CPC) with their philanthropies.

“We bridged communication between CPC and Campus Kitchens Project, so during the dinners that happen during the week, all the food that is left over gets packaged by the chefs of the house, and it is able to be picked up and donated,” Ascencio-Parvy said.

Tech Beautification Day dedicates a few hours  to improving the campus, but Ascencio-Parvy emphasized the importance of students doing their part to keep campus beautiful all year round.

“What’s important is to stay informed about what Georgia Tech does in the sustainability scene. For example[it is important to know] how to dispose of your waste, whether you’re in your residence hall, or if you’re at the Student Center, or if you’re at a dining hall,” Ascencio-Parvy said.

Ascencio-Parvy wants to extend sustainability outreach beyond current students. She dreams of introducing sustainability to incoming freshmen before they even register for their first classes.

“We’re really trying to include sustainability efforts specifically into FASET, so that when freshmen arrive on campus for the first time and are exposed to the Georgia Tech community in the most general sense that they are already informed on what sustainability looks like at Georgia Tech,” Ascensio-Parvy said. “We want sustainability to start at day one and then stick with people throughout their journey at Tech.”

The post Tech Beautification Day appeared first on Technique.

Part of the Wellness Empowerment Center, VOICE seeks to promote a safe campus culture and to help survivors of sexual violence heal. The Technique sat down with Ariel Jester, a VOICE advocate, to discuss VOICE and its role on campus.

“As an advocate, the role of VOICE and our role is to support students, any student, any gender and any race that have experienced victimization due to any form of sexual or relationship harm,” Jester said.

All people, regardless of demographics, are at a higher risk of facing sexual violence on a college campus, with about 50 percent of those assaults occurring within the first four months of the school year. After a crime takes place, victims often do not know where to go or what to do. Many want help but do not know where to find it. VOICE is here for those victims.

VOICE provides emotional support services and can connect students with mental health services most expect for victims of sexual crime to need, but services expand far beyond mental health. VOICE provides students numerous services, many of which could be unsuspected to some but greatly important to victims.

“We can support a student, whether that’s financially, through the VOICE emergency fund that we have. If a student has experienced any sexual victimization and they come to us and they need financial assistance,” Jester said.

Advocates can accompany students to medical appointments and police station visits, which helps students through the complicated emotions and often scary aftermath of victimization.

“Even if a student wants to meet with their professors … just so they can talk about what is going on and why they have fallen behind in class. They still need that emotional support, and that’s where we come in with the academic side,” Jester said.

While both can handle victimizations, VOICE operates separately from the Title IX office which focuses more on sex-based discrimination in education programs.

“We don’t work with Title IX, so what goes on in their office is in their office, and what goes on in our office is in our office. We don’t share any data, or if a student fills out the Title Nine form, for example, it doesn’t come to our office,” Jester said.

VOICE operates completely confidentially, and students do not have to reveal anything they are not comfortable with.

“Students don’t really have to disclose anything if they want to talk to somebody,” Jester said.

Students can make an appointment to talk with VOICE advocates online ahead of time or can walk to the Wellness Center for walk-in appointments if available.

Jester repeatedly emphasized VOICE’s mission of providing care and a safe space for all students who have experienced victimization.

“The main thing is for students to know that voice is here to serve all students. Sometimes we get the notion that certain populations don’t think that voice is equipped for them,” Jester said. “Doesn’t matter your gender, your race or anything. We’re here for all students.”

VOICE advocates do not just talk to survivors. People who are the support system of survivors, such as friends, can also talk to advocates.

“A lot of times, a friend may know that this survivor is being abused, but the survivor is not ready to come forward. They just want to know what they can do as a friend to better support the survivor, and so we do work with those students as well,” Jester said.

Jester has spent years working with victims and learned many lessons during her time in her career. Every person is different, and so is the help they need to receive after being victimized.

“We want to do everything. And that can be overwhelming for anybody [who] has gone through a traumatic experience. You try to throw everything at them at one time can be very overwhelming,” Jester said. “So I think sometimes, in the state of wanting to help, being mindful that you know you don’t have to bombard them with everything all at once.

After victimization, it can be hard for someone to open up and trust again, making the empathy and delicacy of the advocates a priority.

“We’re very intentional about building relationships because we want students to be able to trust us, and so I also think that is a big thing that we’re working on,” Jester said.

For students who want to become involved with VOICE, check out the BRAVE peer educators. Educators are students who bring VOICE and sexual violence education and prevention to their peers through educational presentations and outreach events.

If you or someone you know has been victimized, you can set an appointment with a VOICE advocate at wellnesscenter.gatech.edu/voice/get-support. Booking appointments is not the only way to get in contact with VOICE. VOICE has a 24/7 crisis hotline that students can call at any time: 404-894-9000. Students can also email advocates directly using ajester7@gatech.edu or scherry8@gatech.edu.

The post VOICE appeared first on Technique.

Students studying during this busy time of the school year in the CULC on Friday, March 7, may have noticed quite the commotion outside at the SMILE Cultural Carnival, an event bringing together different cultural organizations for students to learn about.

Word about the event made its way around with a significant line of students forming before the event started, each one itching to talk to the organization present. Despite taking up a relatively small part of Tech Green, the event made its presence known. They played music to create a nice backdrop to the laughter and voices coming from the event, and it drew in students to check it out.

Ariadna Michelle Gonzalez-Otero, second-year CE and Devansh Kaushik, third-year BS, planned and hosted the event along with their committee. The Technique sat down with the two before the event to get their thoughts.  

The event was hosted in collaboration with several cultural organizations on campus, allowing members of these communities to tell their own stories in their own words.

“We had a lot of members who were connected to a lot of clubs. They just talked directly to the boards on each one. And if they enjoyed it, and they wanted to share with us what they stand for in their culture, then they’re going to be there,” Gonzalez-Otero said.

Despite close connections, it was far from an easy task for SMILE to get the organizations together and allow clubs and students to get acquainted with one another.

“Keeping continuous communications was a bit harder than expected, especially because we had different people reach out. There were a lot of different people that we had to speak to at the same time,” Gonzalez-Otero said.

 Despite the difficulties, the pair were determined to make this event a success because of the benefit it would bring to both students and organizations.

“We want to create an experience where they just learn about the stuff they didn’t know before, and have fun again. Like everybody’s special, and having a great feeling when you are a part of a community is amazing,” Gonzalez-Otero said.

“It’s also a win-win situation for them. The organizations get some exposure and can recruit people to join them,” Kuashik said.

The event was not all work. The organizations present kept the event light and fun with different crafts and games for students to participate in while learning about other cultures.

Society of Hispanic Engineers, SHPE, was one of the organizations present. Representatives talked to students about Carnaval, an event celebrated in many different Latin cultures, each with their own special twist and flair. SHPE also educated students about Dia de los Muertos, teaching students to make paper flowers used to honor the dead.

The event was just one of many this month from SMILE as part of their annual event March Gladness which brings joy to students of the Institute throughout the entire month.

“I would say March gladness is a way for SMILE to express what it stands for, which is to celebrate anybody associated with Georgia Tech,” Kaushik said.

“It’s just a way to express what the smell is all about, and we also use it to kind of hype up people around campus. We know that midterm season is going full-on right now, and a lot of students need that break during the week, especially to just end the week on a good note,” Gonzalez-Otero said.

Once students filled up their passports by educating themselves on the different cultural organizations present, they were able to have their pick of treats provided by GT Parents with Pups. Students enjoyed their cupcakes and juice boxes while unwinding and de-stressing with the puppies present.

If you missed the cultural carnival or wish to participate in more of SMILE’s March Gladness events, SMILE is hosting a birdhouse painting event allowing students to unleash their creative spirit and beautify nature on Friday, March 28. For any SMILE enthusiast, be on the lookout for them during finals season when the group is planning on giving out goodie bags to students during that stressful time.

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When Hudson Higgins, fourth-year ME, walked into his History of the South Before 1864 class, he was expecting to learn history about America, the founding of this country and the Civil War. Higgins certainly did not expect to learn about his own history and the beginning of his life.

Dr. Bob Hirsch, a retired physician, walked into History of the South Before 1864 as a participant in the 62 or Older Program. After a forty-year-long career in obstetrics, Hirsch decided to retire during the COVID-19 pandemic. Though retired, Hirsch is far from bored. To keep busy and to better himself, Hirsch decided to take classes at the Institute, keeping his mind sharp and expanding his knowledge. 

Hirsch knew he would stand out when he walked into the class. However, despite looking more like a professor than a student, he has a history of making friends easily in the classes he chooses to take.

When group work was assigned in the class, Hirsch joined Higgins and his friends. The group began with simple introductions: name, major and hometown.

“I asked each one where they were from, and Hudson said John’s Creek. And, I said, well, who delivered you?” Hirsch said.

The question took Higgins aback as it would many other young people. Higgins did not immediately know the answer, just as many readers would not, so he called his mother. Higgins’s mother was intrigued by the question, not fully understanding her son’s sudden interest in his birth, but entertained it nonetheless.

“She remembered his name, Dr. Hirsch, right off the bat. She had been going to see him since she was back in school,” Higgins said.

With that confirmation, everything came full circle. Dr. Hirsch delivered Higgins in the hospital, and he was the first person to hold him.

“My mother was freaked out. And then I think I told every single person I ran into that day I was in the same class as the doctor who delivered me,” Higgins said.

Hirsch was also surprised. Despite delivering thousands of babies during his career, it is still rare for him to encounter one in public. Despite the rarity, Higgins is not the only Tech student Hirsch believes he delivered in the hospital.

“I’m sure there’s a few students here that I delivered. I have no idea how many,” Hirsch said.

When Hirsch decided to pursue medicine, he never thought he would have such a personal relationship with any patient.

“I didn’t think about it when I saw a patient or through practice at all. I still see some people that I’ve delivered that are now in their teens and 20s and 30s, and occasionally I’ll be in a restaurant or in a grocery store, and somebody will come up to me and say, ‘My mom says, I have to come say hello to you, because you delivered me,’” Hirsch said.

Higgins did not know how to feel when he found out he had such a deep personal connection to his classmate.

“I don’t know, I still just see it as kind of surreal. It’s a wild connection to have. I guess not many people can say that they know the doctor that delivered them on a first name basis,” Higgins said.

Higgins’s feelings are understandable.  Who expects to meet someone so vital to their life in History of the South Before 1864? Without the class, the pair strongly doubts they would have ever met, making the connection even more special.

“I think that’s probably unlikely. I mean, he could be my grandson,” Hirsch said.

In another universe, Higgins and Hirsch never met after his birth. If Higgins had not gone to Tech, if either had not decided to take History of the South, or even if they were placed in different groups, this incredible coincidence would have never happened, and there might be more students on campus for which this is their reality. If you were born in Johns Creek, it might be worth asking your mother the name of the doctor who delivered you. You could be a Hirsch baby too.

The post From birth to Tech: Student finds unexpected connection in class appeared first on Technique.

Love was in the air as Valentine’s Day approached, and while some anticipated the holiday, shopping for gifts and preparing a date with that special someone, others were left alone. Valentine’s Day as a holiday is complicated — a day that brings joy to others makes many single individuals feel left out and lonely.

This feeling of loneliness and isolation is exactly the reason Austin Rowland, CE ‘24, and Jared Abrahamian, first-year M.S. ARCH, co-founded Spread Love, an organization whose annual cookie giveaway spreads Valentine’s festivities to all students on campus regardless of relationship status.

“Three years ago, we were both single for the first time on Valentine’s Day in a long time, and felt the need to do something positive for the community,” Abrahamian said.

Unlike some casual conversations with friends where ambitious plans often do not pan out, Rowland and Abrahamian followed through.

“I said to Austin, ‘Hey, would it be crazy if we baked a bunch of cookies and gave them out on campus for Valentine’s Day to spread love and positivity?’ And he turned back to me and said, ‘Yes, that sounds crazy, but let’s do it,’” Abrahamian said.

That first year in 2023, Rowland and Abrahamian worked alone, baking all of the cookies themselves.

“The first year we did it, and we pretty much didn’t sleep for three days as we were doing it, we thought it was a lot of work,” Rowland said.

While the experience brought them closer together, Rowland and Arbrahamain acknowledge how stressful it was to bake so many cookies in their tiny apartment oven.  The pair reached out to friends for help the second time around, wanting to make more cookies and have more fun doing it.

“We tried a little bit to organize a team around it, as we doubled the number of cookies we were doing from 500 to 1000, and we had, like, two friends that were able to help out with some of the cookie baking and stuff,” Rowland said.

The duo was surprised by the support they received from friends, family and even strangers. This year, every cookie came with an affirmation, a positive sentence, to encourage people and make them feel warm and fuzzy inside.

“We had people submit handwritten notes from around the world as well. And it was cool. They submitted their location, and we had people away from Saudi Arabia and Europe submitting,” Abrahamian said.

Since the first cookie giveaway, Spread Love has garnered an incredibly positive reaction from those receiving the cookies and those baking them.

“We had 15 students handing out cookies, all this crowd there enjoying the event, and we were just looking back on it ourselves …  in disbelief that we had created this thing that could run on its own now and become a real thing in Georgia Tech,” Abrahamian said.

This year, the event took place on Wednesday, Feb 16. under a constant downpour. Students may have noticed quite the hustle and bustle near the Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons. Rowland, Abrahamian and their fellow Spread Love members did not let the rain get them down. The whole group had more energy than ever, ushering students to take a treat with them on the way to their next class.

Spread Love baked a total of 2548 cookies this year, showing how much this small idea between friends has grown, even involving other student organizations like SMILE and the Ramblin’ Reck Club, who brought the Ramblin’ Reck with them for students to admire at the event.

“We leveraged our connections on campus to different organizations. We reached out to everybody that we knew, and we were like, ‘Hey, we really want to make this happen.’ The Ramblin’ Reck Club got super, super excited about it,” Abrahamian said.

While the cookie giveaway is their biggest event on the one day dedicated to love, Abrahamian and Rowland emphasized the importance of spreading love year-round.

“I think one of the awesome things to do is just focus on your circle of influence. Me and Jared were fortunate enough to know a lot of people at school. But even if you know five people at school, do what you can to make a difference on those people, focus on giving them a little extra love,” Rowland said.

“Just taking the moment to recognize the people in front of you every day that make Georgia Tech as great of a place as it actually is. And that goes for recognizing the incredible staff that we have,” Rowland said. “Letting people know that you appreciate them and recognize them really makes a difference.”

The post Students give out 2000 cookies for Valentine’s Day appeared first on Technique.

In a room full of her fellow students donning caps and gowns, Deanna Yancey crossed the stage to receive her Master of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering. For every student at the graduation, their crossing of the stage represented a grand accomplishment. It is the culmination of years of hard work, hours spent in Crosland or Price Gilbert, gallons of caffeinated beverages and long nights spent researching. However, for Deanna Yancey, it meant so much more. 

Instead of receiving her diploma from the Dean of Students, Yancey was handed her diploma by her grandfather, Ronald Yancey. Ronald Yancey is an Institute alum unlike any other — the first Black graduate from the Institute. The Technique sat down with Deanna Yancey to discuss her family legacy and what it means to her.

“My family’s and grandfather’s connection to the school is being a trailblazer there at Georgia Tech, kind of opening the doors for not only himself but other Black students, and making it possible to show like, yes, like we can also graduate from a prestigious university and actually getting hard fields,” Yancey said.

Ronald Yancey graduated from the Institute in 1965, starting a legacy for Black students at the Institute. Deanna decided to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps for her graduate education.

Despite having a proud connection to engineering, not many people in the Yancey family followed in Ronald’s path. Deanna is one of the only members of her family to continue the family legacy of becoming an engineer.

“It was nice because I was one of the only people who became an engineer after him. So it was like, Oh, we have a lot to talk about, but now even more to talk about when we see each other. So then it kind of grew some bonding, and then going into Georgia Tech, that was icing on the cake,” Yancey said.

Deanna uncovered her interest in STEM at an early age, growing up bonding with her father and grandfather over a love of creation and building.

“I started off by building PCs with my dad because every time he would kind of build his own PC, I would sit there and work with him. And then in high school, I took a few classes that I thought would be kind of more interesting in the computer realm,” Yancey said.

Students know that getting a degree at the Institute can have its highs and lows. College is incredibly difficult, and it can be easy to get discouraged. Deanna Yancey had times like those during her graduate education, but when things got tough, she thought about how it must have been for her grandfather.

“Imagine it being harder also dealing with discrimination at the same time and worrying about your safety. We don’t face that as much now. I mean, not to say it’s completely gone, but it’s, it’s a different realm. So I think it’s kind of like motivation for a lot of us because if he can do it literally against all odds, then I should be able to do it too,” Yancey said.

During her long nights in the CULC, she was able to visit her grandfather — or at least a statue of him. “The First Graduate, a statue depicting Ronald Yancey in his earlier years, sits on the CULC’s steps. Installed in 2019, the statue sits on the stairs next to students getting in some last-minute studying for their midterms and students conversing answers after midterms.

“It’s a little weird because I used to see statues of other people. Obviously, you know there’s history there, but then it’s just like, ‘Oh.’ You don’t actually know that person. But then to walk by, you’re like, ‘No, I actually know this person.’ That’s weird,” Yancey said.

While it can be easy for students to not give the statue much attention, it is simply impossible for Deanna to walk right by it without taking notice.

“It’s funny because it’s just like, oh, kind of this is how people see him. I get to see him also in a different light of also being my grandfather, not just only this trailblazer. So it’s pretty cool. I love it. I love going by there. You see pictures all the time,” Yancey said.

Yancey is boldly proud of her family’s legacy and how her grandfather has inspired not only students at the Institute but at colleges across the country. Yancey wants her grandfather’s legacy to be remembered and believes that his impact is more important now than ever.

“I know, especially with the times we’re going through now, just making sure that you stick through it. Knowledge is honestly power, and no one can take that education away from you,” Yancey said.

The post First Black graduate’s family legacy continues appeared first on Technique.

The loss of TikTok took an entire generation by storm. For twelve hours on MLK weekend, members of Generation Z went quiet. Many mourned, remembering their beloved app. But just twelve hours later, it was as though the app’s demise had never happened.

 On Jan. 18 at approximately 10 p.m. EST, TikTok users were greeted with a message:

“Sorry TikTok is not available right now. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now,” proclaimed a banner in the app.

TikTok had been officially banned in the United States after a long and tempestuous relationship with the United States government.

TikTok is the social media app of choice for many members of Gen Z. Formally known Musical.ly, the app truly gained traction during the pandemic, with young people flocking to its infinite supply of short-form videos as a way to connect during a time of forced separation. The quick videos offered something different from the traditional photos on Instagram or long videos on YouTube. 

For many members of Gen Z, the ban seemed like an impossibility. Congress passed a law forcing the app’s sale from its Chinese-owned parent company ByteDance in April 2024 for national security reasons, but Tiktok operated as normal. 

“I totally didn’t think it was going to happen. There was no way for it to be actually real,” said Zoe Taratas, first-year INTA.

But, in January, the Supreme Court upheld the ban, and no amount of outrage or anger was going to change the new policy. For TikTok lovers, the majority of whom are younger than 30, it felt like old vs. young and government vs. the people.

Before the ban, the popularity of TikTok’s short-form content led other companies like Instagram and YouTube to copy the business model on their own apps. However, these apps couldn’t overtake TikTok’s enormous market share. That is, until the government shut the app down. TikTok stars and users flocked to competitors — specifically Instagram Reels — in an effort to recapture the magic of what had been their social media home for years.

“I switched to Instagram Reels during the hours it was banned. I even swapped the locations of the apps on my phone,” Taratsas said.

Instagram Reels’ time in the sun was quite short-lived. TikTok came back online for American users just hours after it was banned when President Donald Trump announced that he would sign an executive order delaying the law. 

“When TikTok came back, I started using it again. I still use Instagram Reels, though,” Taratsas said. 

Reels may have a similar content form to TikToks, but users say the subject matter and feel of the platforms are not the same.

“I use both because they are very different. Reels are funnier, but TikTok is more specific to me,” Taratsas said.

This is not to say that TikTok came out of the ban unscathed. Users’ perceptions of the app and its competitors changed, and Apple and Google have still not added it back to their respective app stores.

“It made me realize that I rely on the app a little too much. I would press it out of muscle memory, which isn’t great,” Taratsas said.

Going into the ban, many users of TikTok expressed feelings online that the ban might improve their lives by removing an addictive pull from their devices. The Technique asked Taratsas if she would make any changes to her life from the ban.

“I’m trying to use it less. I want to be less reliant on it. It distracts me a lot from my life with things like academics and friends,” Taratsas said. “I could delete it off my phone, but with the ban, I might never get it back, which makes me want to keep it.”

With TikTok back online, it seems some people’s wish to become more productive might have been granted. People who have deleted the app before the ban are unable to re-download it, forcibly unplugging them from their self-proclaimed addiction.

While the TikTok ban only lasted for a few hours, its effects on some of its users will not be. While some students continued like it never happened — back to the endless scrolling and perfect algorithms — others have been forced to learn to live a life TikTokless.

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Homecoming brings the Institute alive. With students full of energy and excitement for the many activities throughout the week and hundreds of alumni returning, it is one of the most eventful times on campus. This year, the Institute had a successful Homecoming week with the Student Center Programs Council (SCPC), bringing back many of the beloved traditions that are integral to the Institute, but many students felt something was missing from the event lineup: the annual Homecoming Concert. 

The annual concert traditionally happens the week before Homecoming, building up student excitement and energy for the upcoming Homecoming events. However, this year, SCPC took a different approach, placing the concert after homecoming and waiting until later to announce the concert date and attending artists publicly. 

The lack of noise from SCPC led many students to ask what was happening with the concert, but it went ahead on Nov. 19, headlined by bbno$, a rap artist people may know from his songs that have gone viral on TikTok, like ‘Lockjaw’ and ‘Lalala.’’ 

Like most concerts, SCPC had opening acts DJ HUY and Tiny Music Man, two current students at the Institute, to warm the crowd. 

The whole event was planned by Riddhi Bhattacharya, fourth-year CHEME, the concert chair of SCPC.

“I think it was just feasibility and what worked best with our team, the artist team, the venue, all of that put together,” Bhattacharya said. “I think over the last three years, we’re kind of drifting away from the Homecoming concert concept that we’ve kind of stuck to the years before that.” 

Instead of a Homecoming concert, SCPC rebranded the event as the Fall Concert and plans on keeping the new name in future years.

“Now we’re approaching it with a more open mindset than any time in the fall, irrespective of Homecoming,” Bhattacharya said. “I think that we’re just trying to keep our calendars open, trying to see what works best for the artist we want most, and then figuring it out, rather than picking a date and then seeing which artist works best with that date.”

The selection of the student openers was a long process. “Students can submit an audition file to the SCPC’s student open audition that happens around early fall every summer, every year. And then from there on, they kind of get chosen based upon energy song choices, the songs that they perform, the overall talent,” Bhattacharya said.

Whether the new time frame and artist selection were effective or not is an open question. There was a significant decline in attendance at this event than in previous years. 

Despite SCPC offering free tickets to all students, McCamish Pavilion was mostly empty. The exclusivity of the VIP Floor Tickets, offered to the first 250 students to arrive, lost all meaning after security asked all students in attendance to come down the pit. The floor was not even 75 percent filled, giving attendees ample room to move around and dance.  

Part of the lack of attendance may be attributed to the headlining artist, bbno$. Bbno$ sports an impressive 9 million monthly listeners on Spotify; however, this is ten million less than NLE Choppa, last year’s headliner who packed out the basketball arena.   

Additionally, SCPC did not promote the concert as much as they did in years past. SCPC announced the concert via Instagram just one day before it took place. Hype and publicity for the event were limited to social media, with no time for word-of-mouth communication. For last year’s performance by NLE Choppa, SCPC first made a post about the event four days before it took place, giving students time to talk with friends and build up excitement around the concert.  

The quality of the actual concert SCPC put on cannot be denied. Though attendance was slim, the students who did attend had a unique concert experience. Due to the small crowd, all the performers could have a real connection with the crowd, and the venue was filled with intimacy and togetherness. 

Maya Zhang, Ph.D. BME came to the concert just for bbno$. 

“My friends in college introduced me to him. My friends saw him live, and I wanted to see him live. He’s supposed to have a concert in February, and I was gonna buy tickets, but I found out about this, and this is free, so it’s even better,” Zhang said. 

Zhang, similar to many attendees, found out about the concert at the very last minute. “I found out this morning on Instagram. I was scrolling in bed,” Zhang said. 

The lack of attendance was unfortunate. SCPC organized spectacular student and outside artist performances, but there was no massive crowd to match the energy.

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On the crisp and cool fall morning of Friday, Oct. 4, a group gathered under the Kendeda building’s awning, each donning a pair of binoculars. These people were gathered for a morning of connecting with nature through a bird walk through the EcoCommons. The Campus Bird Walk is an example of birding, the hobby of observing and identifying birds and their natural habitat.  

The group, composed of students and faculty, had varying levels of experience with birding, but one thing they all had in common was their passion and curiosity for the birds present on the Institute’s campus and in the greater Atlanta area. Joe Shedleski, Ph.D. ME, explained his love for birding.

“I started birding with my parents because they are old and into it. I thought it could be a fun thing to do in the morning and I realized it’s actually kind of cool,” Shedleski said. 

People are drawn to birding for many different reasons and keep up with the hobby for just as many reasons. The group present at the event represented this diversity of beliefs. 

“I love getting new birds to identify; I’m big into collecting things like trading cards and such, and birding kind of fits that,” Shedleski said. 

Kamilah Roberts, Program and Operations Manager of the Office of Sustainability, who is a birder, planned the event. Roberts invited Rose Guerra, Education Program Coordinator for Birds Georgia, to lead the walk through the Kendeda gardens. 

“Planning the event has been straightforward and simple, thanks to Birds Georgia, who have been such great partners,” said Roberts. 

Birds Georgia has a long history in the city of Atlanta, with the organization being founded a century ago as the Atlanta Bird Club. Birds Georgia has many educational and community-based programs throughout Atlanta and all of Georgia, and with their long history, they are experienced in bird planning and bird watching events. 

“Unknowns are primarily natural elements, including finding the perfect day without rain. We also work with Birds Georgia to determine the best time of day where birds are most active and the best time of year,” Roberts said. 

The Bird Walk has been hosted at the Institute before, but there were some changes this time around.

“This year, we held the event during migration season, which allowed participants to see a variety of birds, including some not native to Georgia,” Roberts said.   

Rose guided the group through a walk around the Kendeda EcoCommons, showing off a comprehensive knowledge of birds by pointing out the different species of birds present in the area, giving a couple of fun facts about each and answering questions from the group. 

The group even saw birds not commonly seen in cities, showing the natural habitat of the Kendeda EcoCommons. 

“Our relationship with Birds Georgia started in 2020 with the Wildlife Sanctuary Certification of the Kendeda Building’s landscape and neighboring EcoCommons. The landscapes were rehabilitated to include Georgia native plants to encourage the return of native birds and wildlife on site,” Roberts said.

The rehabilitation was a large accomplishment for the Office of Sustainability, and it did not stop with the EcoCommons. They continued working on making campus safer for wildlife around Atlanta. 

“Since receiving the certification from Birds Georgia in 2020, we have continued to work with them over the years on projects such as installing bird-safe glass film to reduce bird strikes and hosting annual bird walks,” Roberts said. 

The bird walks started to get people more involved with the EcoCommons and connect them with nature around the Institute. 

“The bird walks have been a great way to get people out into nature and develop a great appreciation for birds and the protection of their habitats,” Roberts said.  

The bird walks are one of many ways for students and faculty to get more involved with the EcoCommons and sustainability on campus. Those specifically interested in birding should definitely consider joining the Institute’s Birdwatchers Club. For those interested in sustainability in general, there are several upcoming events they can attend, including a Student Waste Audit on Oct. 24 about composting, recycling and Surviving at Kendeda, a Resilience Workshop on Oct. 25, which is a Halloween-themed tour of Kendeda, green cleaning and sewing workshops. 

These events, along with the bird walk, help promote sustainability on campus by encouraging students to participate in and appreciate the Institute’s campus and green spaces. 

“We hope that people take away an appreciation for nature, birds and all living things. We share an ecosystem, and it is important to bring our attention back to the bigger picture,” Roberts said.

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