Throughout April, VOICE and other campus partners are observing Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), a time where survivors of sexual violence (SV) are honored and uplifted. Between Institute-specific initiatives and global observances, SAAM seeks to raise awareness of issues related to SV in college and foster a community that not only supports survivors, but actively works to prevent future incidents and increase campus safety.

According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), college-age adults are at higher risk of experiencing SV than those in other age groups. Among undergraduate students, 26.4% of females and 6.8% of males have experienced sexual assault or rape nationwide, and Tech is not exempt from these statistics. In the Annual Report for Equity and Compliance Programs (ECP) for the 2022-2023 school year, the Institute recorded 149 incidents of sexual misconduct. Both RAINN and the report note that formal complaints to law enforcement or other authorities are made at a much lower rate, with only 17 of the 149 incidents resulting in a formal complaint during the previous year at the Institute. 

No matter the pathway chosen for reporting, those impacted by incidents of sexual misconduct receive support and resources from the Office of ECP and VOICE. 

“What we do help with really depends on the student and what their needs are,” said Sara Cherry, VOICE Advocate at the Institute. VOICE is a service within the Wellness Empowerment Center that encourages SV prevention, education and survivor support on campus, which Cherry says can take a variety of roles as “every situation is different, everybody’s needs are different.” As a VOICE Advocate, her functions can include accompanying students to receive forensic medical examinations after sexual assault, explaining options for reporting to Title IX or law enforcement and exploring resources for counseling, among other support strategies. 

Other initiatives within the Wellness Empowerment Center focus directly on SV prevention and education, which can take form through presentations to campus groups about topics addressing SV, organizing events to raise awareness of SV and performing outreach to educate students about resources for SV survivors. 

Altogether, Brittany Close, SV Prevention Health Educator, said these programs aim “to create a safer and more supportive campus environment where all members feel respected, valued and empowered to take action against sexual violence.” 

SAAM is one such observance to accomplish these goals, and many events during the month of April allow the student body to learn more about SV prevention and uplift survivors on campus. The first event took place on April 9 and was a breakfast meet and greet with ECP. This was followed by a rock painting event on April 11 by SMILE at Tech to provide messages of support to SV survivors across campus. 

Also occurring on April 11 is Teal Ribbon Day, where students are encouraged to wear a teal ribbon in support of survivors of SV and join a campus-wide photo in front of the Campanile. The following week will host the Take Back the Night event, which can be one of the most impactful of the month. 

“Take Back the Night is an event that we do every year here and that is done internationally to highlight the voices and the experiences of survivors themselves,” Cherry said. “It’s a really unique event in that it’s not just spreading awareness about the issue, it is lifting up the experiences of the people who’ve actually gone through it in order to do a larger call to action to end sexual violence on campus.”

This event has been observed at the Institute for 30 years, and this year’s event will also include a march as a call to action to end SV. Take Back the Night also includes performances from groups at Tech, chants, the reading of survivors’ stories and a candlelight vigil. While Cherry noted this can be an especially heavy program, it allows the Tech community to “[center] survivors themselves and their experiences so that we can not only raise awareness, but that we can honor what they’ve been through.” This year’s event will take place from 7-9 p.m. on April 15 at Harrison Square, or in the Clary Theater of the Bill Moore Student Success Center if it rains. 

The remaining events of SAAM revolve around Denim Day on April 24, where students are encouraged to wear jeans or other denim clothing in support of SV survivors. A craft circle on April 18 organized by the Women’s Resource Center will precede Denim Day itself and allow students to prepare clothing and signs for the event. 

Although these topics may be sensitive for some, Cherry encourages raising awareness about them to ensure community participation in the prevention of SV to make Tech safer for all. For those needing assistance relating to SV, support can be accessed through VOICE 24 hours a day. Find more information at wellnesscenter.gatech.edu or get support directly at 404-894-9000.

The post Amplifying VOICE and voices on campus appeared first on Technique.

After many tours and a series of singles, Faye Webster finally settled down to release her fifth studio album: “Underdressed at the Symphony.” Fans of Webster’s music likely suspected the same repetitive crooned choruses driving her lovelorn songs for her new album, and the singer-songwriter delivers on these expectations. Yet “Underdressed at the Symphony” also redefines her style as each track balances Webster’s familiar structures with a saddened, more reserved viewpoint. 

Starting in June 2023 with the release of her single, “But Not Kiss,” Webster began to prime fans for the mix of messages on the coming album. She followed this conflicting track with “Lifetime,” a slow-paced, reflective song where Webster seems more sure of her desire to be forever linked to someone
throughout her life. 

It is important to note a consistent quality of Faye Webster’s songs: she loves to repeat herself. Her most impactful lyrics are terse and emphasized over and over again. For example, “Lifetime” features the phrase “In a lifetime…” 22 times, leaving just eight other unique lines in the entire song. However, this speaks not to a lack of vocabulary but an intentional overreliance on the delivery of her lyrics and instrumentals behind each of her songs. 

As Webster hums out the last syllable of each “lifetime,” she hangs on just long enough that the listener will wonder when her next thought will arrive and what it will be. Similarly, “But Not Kiss” starts with an almost whisper of Webster’s love for her partner, followed by an exclamation of her decision to “not kiss.” Previous albums have seen Webster grow more and more confident in expressing her feelings, but “Underdressed at the Symphony” sees her stepping back to veil her most complicated thoughts and emotions. 

Apart from the singles, “Thinking About You” again showcases how Webster uses repetition to deliver her message: she is thinking about her former partner but is scared to elaborate on more than that. 

The album is full of these moments; Webster will work up the courage to finally admit her struggles with the end of a relationship before retreating.

Additionally, “Underdressed at the Symphony” does not shy from exploring other styles, much like her previous work. “Wanna Quit All the Time” is reminiscent of the tropical themes of “Room Temperature,” the first track of 2019’s “Atlanta Millionaires Club.” Other tracks reflect the title of the album, featuring brief orchestral segments that link to Webster’s “Car Therapy Sessions,” an EP of her previous songs with an orchestra backing the singer. While some of these excursions pay off, others seem to miss the mark for those familiar with her usual sound. 

As Webster contends with the end of her relationship and disclosing its details, other entries on the album see her speaking freely, experimenting with different musical toys and collaborating with her childhood friend. “Lego Ring” featuring Lil Yachty would have been an unexpected track without knowing the two have been longtime friends, and the song exudes the fun they had together, although the mix of the two artists’ styles does not always work. “Feeling Good Today” similarly expands on the positives in Webster’s life, having her literally yap through a vocoder about her plans for the day. 

While many tracks on “Underdressed at the Symphony” are stunted, with Webster losing ground in her emotional vulnerability, a few songs show her still managing to have fun within her social circles and interests. While Webster may struggle to fathom her lost love, which she barely admits to the listener, she finds solace in exploring new spaces as an artist. 

The album concludes with the stuttered “Tttttime,” showing that Webster is getting used to being alone again. Adapting to a new life, she asks, “I don’t know what to do / I’m alone, but what’s new?” Webster is unsure of the future, reflecting the indecisiveness throughout the record, but her recognition that she has time to figure it out keeps her going. 

Although “Underdressed at the Symphony” seems like the most veiled album in Webster’s discography, she is resolute in her attempts to clue the listeners in on her life’s updates. Whether that is the dissolution of her relationship or trivial updates about her neighborhood, Webster balances the album well throughout, holding in tension both restraint and openness, succinctness and expression and new and old. “Underdressed at the Symphony” pleases and depresses the listener with each track, offering a new view of Webster’s life with every song.

The post Emotions in tension on Faye Webster’s album appeared first on Technique.

Many were excited for the beginning of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, opening a new era of space exploration and research by partnering the public and private sectors. However, the inaugural mission has not gone as planned and has complicated the near future of the program.

On Jan. 8 at 2:18 a.m., the Vulcan rocket successfully launched with the Peregrine Mission 1 lunar lander from Cape Canaveral, Fla. The carrier craft is a product of the United Launch Alliance, and its first launch went perfectly, catapulting the Peregrine from aerospace company Astrobotic into space. While the Vulcan had a smooth launch, the lander soon ran into problems after separation from the rocket.

As communications began with the Peregrine and its systems deployed, the company announced via X, formally known as Twitter, that “an anomaly occurred, which prevented Astrobotic from achieving a stable sun-pointing orientation.” After an emergency maneuver to direct the Peregrine’s solar panels toward the sun, the team was able to troubleshoot the issues and consider alternate courses of action for the remainder of the mission. 

Astrobotic followed in a series of tweets that a “failure within the propulsion system is causing a critical loss of propellant,” and that “the goal is to get Peregrine as close to lunar distance as we can before it loses the ability to maintain its sun-pointing position and subsequently loses power.” The company admitted that a soft lunar landing would not be possible for the Peregrine but updated on Jan. 11 that they were able to gather data from many of the lander’s payloads. While the intended mission of landing on the Moon will not happen, this endeavor has enabled multiple groups to perform studies while the Peregrine orbits.

Not only was this supposed to be the first lunar landing mission in decades, but the Peregrine was also the first craft as part of CLPS. 

“When you focus on the classical procedure to develop missions, it takes a lot of time,” said Toshi Hirabayashi, associate AE professor, about the traditional process of NASA’s lunar missions. Hirabayashi explained that CLPS missions allow NASA to meet increased demands from companies and universities to study the moon, but also this means “they’re accepting some high risks, but they’re expecting higher rewards.”

While Hirabayashi was excited about the successful launch of the Vulcan rocket, the Peregrine’s outcome has both positive and negative indications.

“It is not good news, but this is how space treats us,” he said. “Many different tests are done on Earth, but even if spacecrafts pass those tests we don’t know exactly what happens to spacecrafts until they are sent to space.”

The lessons learned from the Peregrine will inform future CLPS missions, and Hirabayashi emphasized that there will be “more opportunities for not only academic or research institutions but also commercial sectors to be able to join space missions.” Others echoed Hirabayashi’s sentiments that this setback can be overcome.

“All maiden space flights are test missions with a chance of failure,” said Thomas Orlando, professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry and principal investigator of the Radiation Effects on Volatiles and Exploration of Asteroids and Lunar Surfaces at Tech, a program sponsored by NASA. For Orlando, the failed mission “slows progress for sure, but will not stop the momentum and interest nationally and globally in going forward to the moon for future long-term, human-based exploration missions.”

Current students are just breaking into aerospace sectors as commercial space programs grow. Some Tech students have even experienced complications with lunar rocket launches through internships or personal projects. 

Shan Selvamurugan is a first-year AE Ph.D. student and was part of the mission operations team for Lunar Flashlight, a small satellite from NASA that was owned and controlled by Tech in 2023. Lunar Flashlight was supposed to search the moon for permanently shaded regions that may contain water or ice — a key factor to extraterrestial life. Two days into the voyage, the team realized the continual tumbling of the spacecraft would not allow its initial goals to be fulfilled.

“There’s only so much quality assurance testing and preparation that you can do to account for any risks, and things can still go wrong,” Selvamurugan said. 

Reflecting on the Peregrine’s mission and its similarities to the Lunar Flashlight’s problems, Selvamurugan affirmed that he is “hopeful that they’ll be able to use lessons that they learn from this mission for the future missions that they have coming up.”

As of Jan. 16, the Peregrine is heading towards Earth and is expected to burn up during reentry to the atmosphere. NASA will continue to launch missions in the coming months, with both its own crafts and more CLPS expeditions in the near future.

The post Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander proves unsuccessful appeared first on Technique.

Although many LGBTQ+ rights have been fought for and won over the years, recent movements in many state legislatures have focused on assailing a more vulnerable group: LGBTQ+ youth. 

A surge in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation began earlier this decade, with the Washington Post noting at least 10 new laws being passed across the country last year that targeted students. These can affect all aspects of students’ educational experiences, from high school sports to sexual education to simple classroom discussions. 

The Movement Advancement Project  (MAP) monitors the status of curriculum laws in different states, which are acts that dictate LGBTQ+ inclusion or exclusion from statewide school curricula. As of May 30, MAP reports that 10 states have laws that censor discussions of LGBTQ+ people or issues in classrooms. 

A notable example of this censorship is in Florida, where its legislature passed House Bill 1557, or the Parental Rights in Education Act. Governor Ron DeSantis signed the bill into law in March 2022, including its infamous clause that  “prohibits classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in certain grade levels.” In May 2023, the Florida Board of Education expanded the original law to prohibit discussions in all grade levels outside of health or reproductive courses.

Other  states have implemented similar legislation to Florida’s. For example, Arkansas enacted Act 237 in March 2023 which  bars classroom instruction on gender identity or sexual orientation for students in fifth grade or below. While stifling discussion on LGBTQ+ issues, the act also bans teaching related to critical race theory in Arkansas schools, launching a multipronged attack on what is taught in the classrooms.

States like South Dakota lack anti-LGBTQ+ curriculum laws but have other legislation like  House Bill 1217, which oversees participation in school sports. This legislation limits participation in women’s sports teams to only those assigned female at birth but poses no restrictions on men’s sports. While school staff are not allowed to report violations of  this law, it empowers private citizens in South Dakota to sue schools where its provisions are not followed. 

In addition to direct anti-LGBTQ+ laws, some states have adopted legislation that requires parents to be notified if LGBTQ+ subjects are being taught in their children’s schools and allows them to opt their child out of instruction. 

MAP also notes states that have had anti-LGBTQ+ curriculum laws in the past but have since repealed them. However, the resurgence in discriminatory laws in public schools has caused renewed efforts in some  to stifle discussion of LGBTQ+ issues. For example, MAP reports that North Carolina repealed an anti-LGBTQ+ law in 2006, but the state senate passed a bill in February that prohibits instruction on gender identity in elementary schools.

While there is variability in the provisions and enforcement of anti-LGBTQ+ laws in public schools, their effects are largely harmful to the students they target. As noted by the Washington Post, “these bills will only harm students who already are vulnerable to discrimination and a lack of institutional and familial support,” and the laws’ effects are still yet to be fully realized in many states. 

Just before the surge of new bills, the organization GLSEN released its 2021 National School Climate Survey report, which provides data on the experiences of LGBTQ+ youth in schools. The organization found that 58.9% of LGBTQ+ students experienced discriminatory policies or practices in school, with the majority discriminating against students’ gender. These practices can contribute to LGBTQ+ students feeling unsafe and missing school  to avoid uncomfortable environments.

Most of these new anti-LGBTQ+ laws have not been in effect for long, but there are already instances of their enforcement affecting students and teachers. In early May, Florida teacher Jenna Barbee showed her fifth-grade class the animated movie “Strange World,” which features a gay character. Despite no sexual content being shown in the movie, a parent reported Barbee to the school board for violating the Parental Rights in Education Act, launching an investigation that could lead to her suspension or the revocation of   her teaching license. Barbee preemptively resigned from her position to avoid  repercussions from the incident.

While the number of anti-LGBTQ+ laws has been on the rise, public outcry against them  has also been bubbling to protect LGBTQ+ children inside and outside of the classroom. Although some states are taking steps backward regarding  to LGBTQ+ education, MAP reported that seven states require LGBTQ+ inclusion in state curricula to help validate and support the youth in those school systems. 

GLSEN also noted in its 2021 report that having supportive faculty, staff and student organizations is  critical to improving the experiences of LGBTQ+ students, and eliminating discriminatory policies is a pivotal  first step in creating these supportive environments and ensuring the safety of LGBTQ+ youth in their educational experiences. 

Our Take: 4/5 Stars

Last November saw the release of Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet, the mainline games of the ninth generation of the Pokemon franchise. With their hyped release came criticism for their performance and graphics, but the drawbacks hardly taint the fun and innovativeness that these new games bring to the tried-and-true series.

Pokemon Violet built off of the innovations from a previous 2022 release, Pokemon Legends: Arceus. This game introduced an open-world environment and new options for traversing the terrain. While Legends: Arceus felt like an awkward step between more traditional Pokemon games, Violet was able to neatly fold its predecessor’s highlights into the expected Pokemon formula.

Starting Violet quickly immerses the player into the generation’s Paldea region although it has some stumbles. The game is bright and cheery — not as beautiful as many players hoped — but a step up from the disappointing graphics of the previous generation. Soon the player may notice the various performance issues that marred the game’s launch as the frame rate seems to fluctuate between every area and graphical glitches begin to appear.

Looking past these hurdles, the player soon meets their rival and other supporting characters, which are notably more developed and less annoying than in previous installments. They also meet the starter Pokemon, which hint at the excellent designs of the new generation. Each Pokemon feels unique, not only with their physical designs, but almost all of the Paldean Pokemon have a special move, ability or other mechanic to set them apart.

While the game is somewhat slow in the first hour or two, the player can begin exploring the open world on their own and must do so to thoroughly enjoy the game. Exploration is rewarded at every corner; whether that reward is with items or a rarer Pokemon spawn, traveling off the beaten path is essential for Pokemon Violet. 

This exploration is aided by one of the innovations from Pokemon Legends: Arceus: riding on a Pokemon to increase your mobility. All travel functions are condensed into the legendary Pokemon, Miraidon, in Violet, which serves as your metal dog-horse-monster for getting around Paldea. Having Miraidon available from the start of the game makes the open world a much more traversable space, allowing you to explore to your heart’s content.

After rejoining the game’s plot, the player is introduced to the three simultaneous storylines which can be completed in any order. This process differs from previous generations that had strict, linear and often boring stories; the newfound freedom complements the open-world environment well. However, this sometimes backfires as the player stumbles onto locations either under- or over-leveled, implying that some guidance would improve the experience and prevent some embarrassing losses. Whatever path the player takes, the three stories show impressive depth for a Pokemon game. 

While one path includes the familiar gym battles, defeating Team Star introduces some interesting (although mostly underwhelming) mechanics and conquering the game’s Titan Pokemon can conjure more emotions than anyone would expect in a Pokemon game.

After the player finishes the separate storylines, allies from each one will join the player for a final push towards Area Zero, a large and mysterious crater alluded to during the mainline game. Wrapping up the majority of the game’s storytelling elements, this ending serves as a nice cap on the surprisingly good plots from a Pokemon game. 

Even after the completion of the main game, Violet still contains much to do and reflect on. The gimmick for this installment, the Terastal phenomenon, seems like the most balanced and widely accepted addition from the past four generations, adding some depth to the battling experience while simultaneously benefiting all Pokemon. The associated Tera Raid Battles host many of the game’s noticeable bugs, but overall are an improvement from the previous generation’s raid dens.

While casual players can stop there, Violet has continued the trend of making the more niche parts of the game accessible to everyone. From improvements for shiny hunting to easier competitive building, the ninth-generation games invite all players to get involved with these communities with less time commitment than before.

In the months since its release, Violet has delivered on advancing the franchise in new directions, although its technical issues still impede it. It can be expected that the DLC for this game will be released in the future, as the vast amount of content in Violet does not fully eclipse the sense of a larger game waiting beyond the map’s borders. 

Future updates fixing the game’s performance issues would also be appreciated, and together these additions would make Violet feel more complete and polished.

At the beginning of last year, I was feeling unsatisfied with the way I lived my days. After spending all of winter break watching TikToks and laying around, I entered the new year wanting to intentionally put more meaning into my life.

I decided to put a lot of emphasis on being reflective, which was the pretentious word I chose for just making note of what I did each day and appreciating it. One of the ways I implemented this change was by deciding to journal, every single day.

I found an untouched journal I had gotten as a present a few years back, and sat down on Jan. 9, 2022 to write my first entry.

“I woke up today,” I declared. This opened nearly all my entries,  and I continued to set the tone for the rest of this year-long experiment. 

I decided every night I would write down what I did that day and everywhere I went, in what turned out to be relatively objective writing.

I knew it would feel weird getting comfortable with the process and decided to ease into it over time. I started to develop my own conventions for recounting my days, shortening class names and using umbrella terms for insignificant and repetitive activities. Each night I would sit down and record what I did each day, and I looked forward to every entry. 

But, as the newness wore off, I also realized that my journal was not the highlight reel I expected it to be.

Between a breakup and my worst class schedule yet, my writings turned bleaker and more canned and I still was unsure of how to utilize my journal to help process everything that was happening. I have never been someone who is super in touch with their emotions and knew that my journal was a way to improve on this, but I found it hard to even admit how I was feeling to a blank, impassive page in my book.

Stumbling through the rest of the semester and the relationship of my journal, I did become more comfortable with how to recount each day. Journaling didn’t feel new anymore, but it was a constant end to each night.

Serving its original purpose, I reflected on the past few months by leafing through its pages and decided to spend the summer focusing on how to spend my time more purposefully. 

From focusing on my mental and physical health to embracing new experiences, my reflections gradually lost their blue tinge as well.

While the summer still felt shaky as I established new habits and found old ones again, my journal started to feel more like the highlight reel I originally wanted. 

I would look through those entries and remember the days fondly, almost like a dreamy time to focus on growth and restoring the enjoyable consistency I wanted in life. 

As I entered the fall semester, things finally started to fit into place. Each day felt different as I logged them at night, even if they were fundamentally the same. 

Some entries read the same as ones from the spring, but I could look back and surmise the differences in my moods when writing them.

I started to realize that even though I wasn’t open with my emotions to this journal, I had succeeded in preserving the events of each day, and with them, how I felt at the time. 

Even if I didn’t explicitly write “this day sucked” or “I had so much fun today,” I could often recall the time period and what was on my mind then.

As I approached the end of the year I realized I would soon be free from my nightly ritual, and my feelings were mixed. I was getting tired of having to stay up and write, but I valued having an account of what I did.

I would look through my previous entries some nights and reminisce on a fun concert or a regular day going to classes, but I knew that the journal was only a temporary measure. 

I have become more reflective and appreciative of what I do each day, even without having to intentionally write it all down. Having a constant log of what I do is neat, but now I have to work to remember each day and what makes it special on my own.

For this year, I decided to take a step back from my incessant journaling and try to get more in touch with my emotions, writing only when I feel like I need to. 

Even though writing one entry per day was a small change, I was able to learn so much from it and know that to move on, I need to echo my final words for each night and let that part of me rest by “getting ready for bed.”

This year, Tech has celebrated the 50th anniversary of the passage of Title IX, a 1972 amendment to the Higher Education Act that prohibited discrimination based on sex in federally-funded colleges and universities. Its 37 words promise equitable treatment to women in college sports, but differences in recognition and resources between men’s and women’s sports can still persist. 

According to the Athletics Association Title IX Coordinator, Joeleen Akin, “Athletics departments are assessed regarding the overall women’s program and the overall men’s program and not on a sport-by-sport comparison.” 

Differences between the popularity of individual sports can have a large impact on their presence on campus, but Title IX demands that gender does not contribute directly to any discrepancies. 

Tech boasts eight men’s and seven women’s varsity sports with varying sizes in teams and coaching staff. The volleyball program is unique, because it is the only sport at the Institute with just a women’s team. The team is also significant as it has seen the most success out of any fall sport this year, currently ranked No. 13 in the nation. Despite its performance, members of the volleyball program admit that gender plays a role in how they are treated compared to other sports. 

“We’re definitely very behind from where we need to be from an equity standpoint,” said Michelle Collier, head coach of Tech volleyball, regarding all levels of sports in America. “Probably one of the main things is just understanding that as much as we we got to make sure we’re looking at small changes that are happening and appreciating those, and then continue to work on the things that we can control.”

Collier described how the program has been rewarded as it has improved and grown over the years. Volleyball has seen more exposure through television broadcasting and increased support from students and the Athletics Association. She believes that the team has everything they need to succeed but noted that improvements in their facilities and increases in the number of chartered flights would be appreciated.

Collier’s statements on the improvements were also echoed by one of her players.

“The support, at least internally, that you’re seeing given to the male student athletes, the female student athletes are also getting, and I think that’s a testament to our staff,” said Erin Moss, fourth-year CHBE and senior middle blocker on the volleyball team. “It’s taken us a few years to sort of get our feet up underneath us and for us to be worthy of that respect and that attention.”

Moss said the program has grown in their performance and support throughout her time on the team, but she also wishes for upgrades in facilities and more prime television time, something that she thinks other volleyball programs could benefit from across the nation. Moss was also signed to a name, image and likeness (NIL) agreement by Adidas this year in celebration of the anniversary of Title IX and lauded that “it’s really great that [Adidas has] used NIL as a way to promote Title IX and to keep the conversation going about women’s sports.”

As the volleyball team has grown and observed some gaps in gender equality, other sports at Tech have had similar experiences. While not recognized officially by the NCAA, cheerleading is supported by the Tech Athletics Association and is subject to differing views of the sport as a whole.

“I think, historically, we’ve kind of been always at the bottom of the totem pole,” said Emily Thom, fourth-year IE and captain of the Gold Squad of Tech cheerleading. She explained that the team has had to prove their status as a sport, saying that “it’s definitely something that we have to work towards keeping a good reputation and maintaining that reputation because everything that we have is a privilege to us.”

Thom described the balance between fulfilling their duties as entertainers at sporting events and contending with “the typical old school view of cheerleading [that] kind of still exists.” The cheerleading team is co-ed and Thom says it is very equal along gender lines, but understands how traditional views of cheerleading may prioritize the appearances the team makes for other sports teams.

However, cheerleaders train and compete just like other athletes at the Institute. Between their multiple practices and appearances, Thom says the team prepares for their own competitions, which have a larger focus on skills like tumbling and stunting. 

Altogether, Thom says the treatment from the Athletics Association has made the cheerleading squad feel equal to other programs, but she still sees ways that would help affirm their status as a sport at Tech. A potential change would be offering full athletic scholarships for cheerleaders like NCAA-regulated sports receive; currently, members of the cheer team must fundraise to pay their fees and sponsor themselves at competitions each year.

Overall, student athletes and coaches in women’s sports feel supported by the Athletics Association and seem proud of the work Tech has done to uphold Title IX. As Akin noted, “part of [her] job is to ensure that Title IX regulations are followed and that all Title IX inquiries or complaints are reviewed in accordance with Georgia Tech policy and federal law, which we do.”

Tech has shown that its female student athletes feel equal to their male peers, but there can always be room for improvement as Title IX’s sixth decade continues. A shared belief between the women’s sports programs is the pressure to prove themselves to earn recognition, something that fails to intimidate them as they enter the next decades of Title IX.

“I think that women historically have had to prove themselves,” said Collier. “It’s a battle every single day, but I think that we know it’s bigger than us and I think that we know that we can be an example and we can help move the needle.”

From Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, Tech is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM) across campus, hosting various events to uplift and engage the Hispanic and Latinx community at the Institute. 

Coinciding with the national HHM, many organizations and departments at Tech join to “celebrate and recognize the economic, scientific, cultural and social contributions of Hispanics and Latinos in the United States,” according to the Tech HHM website. Over the past decade the number of Hispanic or Latinx students has more than doubled at Tech, and this trend is expected to continue. 

The Office of Hispanic Initiatives (OHI) at Tech is responsible for recruitment, retention and outreach for Hispanic and Latinx students, and is a major driver of HHM events. The month is important to the office as it celebrates its students’ cultures and shares them with the rest of campus.

“One of the goals of celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month on campus is not only for Hispanics and Latinos to celebrate our own cultures and achievements, but also to include all the people from other cultures or other ethnicities to celebrate with us,” said Jorge Breton, director of OHI. 

The theme for this year’s HHM is “Unidos: Inclusivity for a Stronger Nation,” and OHI is helping to unite organizations and offices from around campus to host HHM events. Breton also said anyone on campus can plan their own programs to celebrate HHM.

From highlighting Hispanic or Latinx faculty to a laidback trivia night, HHM events are accessible for all members of the Tech community to recognize and learn about Hispanic and Latinx achievements. The Society of Hispanic Engineers (SHPE) at Tech hosts one of the most exciting events of the month: the Mini World Cup.

Starting in the afternoon of Sep. 23, 16 teams faced off in friendly soccer matches as the different teams competing in the World Cup this year. While many members from SHPE participated, anyone on campus could join in on the fun.

“Everyone just really enjoys playing soccer and it’s a stress-free event,” said Paola Montemayor, fourth-year ME and SHPE secretary. “It’s a great way to just go back to your childhood sport, and it’s just really fun because you choose a team with your friends and then you just go for a friendly competition one time a year.”

With support from OHI, around 140 people were able to participate in the event. 

Team Costa Rica won the tournament with Mexico as the runner-up, and both teams received a trophy and medals for their achievements. Montemayor also noted the importance of soccer in Latin American culture and was proud of her organization’s work to put on this annual event for HHM. 

SHPE is also contributing to more events in HHM and plans initiatives throughout the year to support Hispanic and Latinx students at Tech. As one of the largest chapters in the nation, SHPE seeks to honor all of its members and their respective cultures throughout the month.

“The importance of celebrating the Hispanic Heritage Month at Tech is to recognize and celebrate the personalities, work, stories and efforts of Hispanic students on campus,” said Aimée Marie Ogando Melo, third-year CE and external vice president of SHPE. “Celebrating this month on campus provides a unique opportunity to all students on campus to appreciate Hispanic students and to engage in their events and culture through multiple ways.”

In addition to SHPE, there are many other groups on campus that support Hispanic or Latinx students, faculty and staff. 

The Hispanic or Latinos and Allies are an employee resource group at Tech that is spotlighting Hispanic and Latinx employees throughout HHM. The Latino Organization of Graduate Students and the Tech Hispanic Alumni Network are two more organizations that hosted the Hispanic/Latinx Trivia Night on Oct. 6.

While HHM is nearing its end for the year, there are still more events at Tech for interested students.

On Oct. 10 there will be a HHM lecture on “Inspiring Radical Creativity: Empowering Diverse Voices to Tell Their Own Stories” in the John Lewis Student Center, and is part of the Institute Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Intercultural Lecture Series. 

Breton said this was an annual highlight of HHM, and this year’s lecture will feature Gabby Rivera, an accomplished Puerto Rican author who is also the first Latina to write for Marvel Comics. Rivera wrote the series “America” about America Chavez, a Latin-American superhero within the Marvel Universe.

Following on Oct. 12, the last two events of HHM will be the Hispanic Alumni Networking event and the HHM Closing Banquet. 

More information and registration links for the remaining events for HHP can be found on hispanicoffice.gatech.edu/events/hispanic-heritage-month. 

Coming to college is full of challenges: being away from home, taking the hardest classes you have ever faced and trying to find time to relax throughout all of this. Something often lost in this scramble to adapt is maintaining your health as you did before college. No parents to tell you to go to soccer practice or eat your vegetables means you can do whatever you want, and this is where I have found some sense of stability throughout my years at Tech.

Starting at Tech during the height of the pandemic meant I was not afraid of the “freshman 15;” I had just spent months sitting in my house doing nothing, so I was already ahead of the weight-gain game. I felt that my control over my physical health was loose, and a few weeks into school I decided to get up and regain that authority. As someone that never really exercised independently before, I chose the most basic option I could: running around campus.

Each morning I would get up and lap around Tech, and I was amazed at what this ritual did for me. Every week I would see some progress — it would take longer for my legs to tire or I wouldn’t lose my breath as easily — and little by little, I could run farther. These daily journeys around campus also served me well during the pandemic. Getting out to see all parts of Tech was something I would have missed out on without in-person classes or events, so my workouts were the only times I really felt like I was at college.

As a new runner, I eventually gave myself shin splints and had to adapt. Although I would miss out on seeing different parts of campus every day, it was already winter so I wasn’t too disappointed not running in the cold every day. I started doing circuit training in my room and continued this throughout my freshman year, although I didn’t find this as personally gratifying as running.

Still, I felt in control of my health more than ever. Getting up to work out every day meant I was making a difference in my life, one squat at a time. Even when I had to stop exercising in one way I was able to overcome that setback and continue trying to improve myself.

I also noticed more physical results over time. My mom, always one to comment on my appearance, had only positive things to say each time she visited me at school. While I knew these changes were literally superficial, I appreciated knowing I could work to sustainably change how I looked and others could also notice these efforts.

Near the beginning of my sophomore year, my friend invited me to start going to the CRC with them. Intimidated by going to a real gym, I was nervous for our first workout. I felt out of place on the loud, sweaty floor and this seemed to be correct.

During our first visit, my friend and I stood near a bench rack waiting for its user to finish when a buff man came up to us and told us the bench line was somewhere else. 

“We look like such women at the gym,” I said to my friend at the time. 

Despite having limited knowledge of what we should really do at the CRC we kept returning and learning and eventually, I felt comfortable there.

Lifting weights gave me back the marks of progress I saw when I was running. Slowly climbing up in maxes allowed me to see my growth and turned out to be a huge point of stability during the year. Even when other things weren’t going well, focusing on my physical health allowed me to recognize the control I have over my life and improve it.

Moored on campus during the summer, I began putting more structure into my workouts and diet in a feeble attempt at hot girl summer. I set goals to achieve throughout the season and I was able to realize them all by the end and again affirmed that I can achieve what I set out to do in terms  of my health.

Throughout college, I have tried to stay active and continue to improve my health, and I believe I have been able to accomplish this sustainably throughout the years. Changing my workouts with the changes in other parts of my life has given me peace as I grow older, and with each alteration, I feel more in tune with what I can do to stay healthy.

I try to stay wary of putting too much emphasis on exercising consistently, but maintaining my physical health has been a point of stability throughout my time at Tech. Taking time to work on myself, and seeing that it produces results, reminds me each day that I can improve myself and am worth that effort, and it’s something I intend to continue throughout college.

With the unveiling of the new Institute logo and associated design changes, many aspects of campus aesthetics and infrastructure are also ever-changing. 

Students may have noticed the new look of the Stinger buses at Tech, and the changes to the fleet have been accompanied by a new tracking app and a plan to improve the sustainability of the Institute’s transportation network. 

The recent changes may not be as visually noticeable to students: despite new Stinger bus models, the routes will remain the same as in previous years. 

Aaron Fowler, director of transportation, explained the behind-the-scenes work being done to improve the transportation infrastructure for the near future.

“In July, we launched the first portion of our new bus fleet,” Fowler said. Fowler is referring to the sleeker diesel buses that replaced the previous models. 

With the old Stinger buses nearing the end of their lifetime, Tech needed to find new vehicles and considered what the next years of parking and transportation would look like, especially as the transportation industry adapts to more clean, efficient and sustainable options.

Accompanying this change in buses was the termination of a contract between the Institute and its previous transit vendor, an outside company that operated and maintained the bus system and managed the bus drivers. Tech decided to start a new contract this summer with First Transit, a different organization that now handles the operation of the buses on campus. 

Fowler said there was one additional modification to how Tech provided bus services. 

“What’s new to Georgia Tech is owning the fleet. Historically, Georgia Tech has always done a full turnkey, meaning that same vendor would have owned the buses,” Fowler said. 

This movement has been a long time in the making according to Fowler and is a necessary step to make transportation at Tech more sustainable. 

“Right now, the buses [students have] seen are still the diesel ones that will make up two-thirds of the bus fleet and have about a six-year lifespan. But what we’re waiting on, that should come in November, are the hybrid electric buses. Those are a low floor, heavy duty bus that will last about 12 years,” Fowler said.

These hybrid buses will not require the intense infrastructure overhauls to support fully electric buses, but will significantly increase the full efficiency of Tech’s Stinger bus fleet. Temporary diesel buses are currently occupying the hybrid buses’ spots until November, but Fowler also mentioned how fully electric buses will hopefully replace the current fleet when the time comes. 

Transitioning to hybrid and electric vehicles will reduce Tech’s carbon footprint and will also help with transportation accessibility. Fowler said that future fleets will prioritize low floor buses to make boarding easier for all people of all abilities. 

Along with the new fleet and vendor, students will now use a different app to track buses’ progress around campus. TransLoc is operated by the new transit vendor and includes all routes and Stinger buses at Tech, excluding the temporary buses until they are replaced in November. 

Once students download the app, they can connect to Tech’s campus and view the buses in real time on each route. 

TransLoc also displays the expected arrival time for different lines at each bus stop. Fowler said that Stingerettes will soon be added to the app in an effort to consolidate the different transportation trackers at Tech. 

The new fleet of buses also boast an automated passenger counter that will be displayed in the TransLoc app. 

Future changes to transportation will include reviewing and possibly altering the current bus routes. Fowler says this is in process now and will reflect changes to campus buildings and student needs as time goes on. 

For now, students can download the TransLoc app from the App Store or Google Play Store to stay informed on the Stinger bus routes around campus.