My paternal grandfather’s forefathers came from Amritsar. His law degree from Lincoln’s Inn in England hangs in my father’s office in Sandy Springs and mentions his address being a house on Mohni Road — an area of the old walled city of Lahore from a time bygone. 

My maternal grandmother’s ancestors were merchants in Delhi, far before the time political borders forced a separation between what was then Hindustan and what is now broadly considered the Indian Subcontinent. 

A few generations later, my parents, who spent their formative years in a house on Lahore’s Mall Road, left the comforts of family and community and sought wider horizons in the United States. In Pakistan, stories like mine are speckled across every family’s recent heritage. We are a diasporic people. We take with us language, stories, narratives. 

But there is a constant hum of respectability politics surrounding diasporic existence. 

And within that hum, manifests the reality of impermanence and the recognition that perhaps in the vast expanse of the cosmos, our diasporic cultures and communities will cease to exist. 

Coincidentally enough, my first article for the Technique consisted of a news piece highlighting the diverse refugee community in Clarkston, Ga. and was published the summer before my sophomore year at Tech. 

I cannot pinpoint when I heard about the Technique, or what really drew me to it. 

At the time, what I brought to the Technique was my love for writing. Growing up immersed in the rich Urdu poetry of Faiz Ahmed Faiz in the backdrop of the Punjabi-filled streets of Lahore, I’ve always loved writing as a form of expression and language as a tool to masterfully craft different narratives. 

The articles I wrote often felt inconsequential. I felt like they enacted change within the pages of the newspaper and perhaps nowhere else. I don’t think I’ve ever been so wrong. My time at the Technique took me from contributing writer to a position on the editorial board as the news editor and finally landed me a position I never expected to have — managing editor. 

During these years, I have found my community at Tech and simultaneously found ways to advocate for that community. From investigative pieces concerning contract limits for student broadcasting through WREK radio to interviewing correspondents from “The Daily Show” regarding the 2022 Georgia midterm elections, the impermanence of my identity has been counteracted by the permanence bound to the pages of this newspaper. 

There is something so incredibly generative about putting together 20 pages worth of ideas and stories and thoughts into a cohesive newspaper each week. There is something so pervasive about the permanence of words printed in black ink on paper littered across our campus. 

If I had to sum up my Technique experience and the reverence I hold for this newspaper in one article, I would point to an article that I didn’t even write. After the events of Oct. 7, 2023, the editorial board was tasked with the impossible responsibility of accurately reporting on Israel and Palestine. 

In 2004, Palestinian resistance poet and writer, Mahmoud Darwish received the Prince Claus Fund of Principal Prize in Amsterdam and said in his acceptance speech, “A person can only be born in one place. However, he may die several times elsewhere: in the exiles and prisons, and in a homeland transformed by the occupation and oppression into a nightmare.” 

Darwish’s speech touched on themes of displacement and diaspora, of the structural violence that precedes Palestinian existence. 

And in those early fall days of 2023, the respectability politics of diasporic existence was looming over the Technique. 

We spent days agonizing over how to report on the events without alienating the communities impacted. 

We debated how to shed light on the violence, without reducing the magnitude of human suffering down to mere numbers and statistics. 

Meanwhile, students across the country were getting doxxed over their support for Palestine liberation and both Jewish and Muslim communities were grappling with the rise in antisemitic and Islamophobic hate crimes. It was a really unique and frankly, scary landscape to navigate. As student journalists, we were more than aware of our responsibility to create room for the narratives of the Jewish, Israeli, Palestinian, Muslim and Arab students on our campus. On Oct. 20, 2023, the Technique published a 2,559 word article summing up the historical events that led to the siege on Gaza and how tensions were manifesting on campus. 

What an onlooker might not know are the countless hours many of us on the editorial board spent scrutinizing commas and statistics to produce an article that we felt would best serve our student body. 

The Technique was also the first publication to highlight the assault of a Palestinian student by a third-party security guard on campus. 

After the piece was published, I remember sitting in my room and feeling a huge surge of relief. 

The humanity showcased by each editorial board member who helped with the article left me humbled by how much the Technique’s staff cares not just for the paper, but also for the practice of honest journalism. 

As I leave the newspaper and hand over my role to a new managing editor, I feel a genuine loss of creative outlet and permanence in my life. 

And as I search for a new chapter, I hope that the Technique continues enacting change not just within its pages but outside them as well.

The post The power of a paper and my place within it appeared first on Technique.

Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022, dialogue surrounding states’ rights, abortion access and reproductive freedoms have reached national notoriety. With the looming 2024 general election, conversations about potential abortion bans are a high priority on the ballot. Most recently, Florida’s Supreme Court ruled that abortion rights are not protected by the Florida constitution, and this ruling will result in a strict abortion ban in the state taking effect on May 1. 

Specifically, the Florida ruling altered the existing ban on abortions past 15 weeks and decreased it to 6 weeks. While the new ban will go into effect in the next 30 days, an additional ruling mandates that in November, the abortion ban will be presented to Florida voters as Amendment 4 on the ballot. In order for both of the bans to be approved, 60% of voter approval is required for constitutional amendments. 

Furthermore, a recent case brought before the Supreme Court of the United States seeks to limit the use of mifepristone, a “drug that blocks a hormone called progesterone that is needed for a pregnancy to continue. Mifepristone, when used together with another medicine called misoprostol, is used to end a pregnancy through 10 weeks gestation,” according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This current regimen for medical termination of pregnancy using mifepristone is approved by the FDA and deemed safe when utilized as direction in adherence with the Mifepristone Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (MREMS) Program. 

The plaintiff in the case is the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, and the organization’s lawyer, Erin Hawley, argued before the Supreme Court that mifepristone is dangerous. Hawley, the spouse of Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, specifically cited that when mifepristone administration results in medical complications, doctors who do not agree with abortion are often put in a situation where they must decide between treating the expectant mother versus going against their morality. Additionally, Hawley argued that the abortion pill’s federal approval did not meet rigorous enough standards for considering side effects and health risks associated with mifepristone. 

While it is unlikely that the Supreme Court will restrict access to mifepristone, the plaintiff’s opposition to FDA authority creates a unique environment for the justices to re-evaluate ruling changes set forth in 2016 and 2021 that expanded mifepristone access through mail, allowing it to be prescribed by medical personnel other than just physicians. 

With abortion rights being a hot-button topic for the upcoming election, young voters are concerned about the potential limitations on abortion access, specifically through the restriction of an FDA approved pill like mifepristone. 

James Nurhonen, fourth-year AE and PHYS, said  “the overturning of Roe v. Wade opened the doors for many states to ban or severely limit access to abortion. In many cases, these were on the basis of beliefs on what is a life or religion. Everyone is entitled to their own beliefs on whether all life is precious, and if their religion says abortion is an evil, then they can believe it. However, not everyone in these states share the same belief; therefore, the government cannot make laws that force them to comply with someone else’s beliefs. They are protected by the First Amendment. The Supreme Court heard arguments over a pill that can be used for the abortion of early pregnancies. This pill was certified by the FDA and was allowed to be mailed. The plaintiffs are a bunch of doctors who don’t believe in abortion. This is probably the weakest argument possible and the result they are looking for is a nationwide ban. As a doctor, they can choose to not treat a patient and pass them along to another doctor. They are not being forced to treat these women. There is no challenge here.” 

Nurhonen expressed his concern that while the Supreme Court will likely not restrict mifepristone access, there is the possibility of enforcing the Comstock Act of 1873, which would make mailing the abortion pill illegal.  

“If the Supreme Court issues a ruling that blocks the mailing of this abortion pill, citing the Comstock Act, they would solidify the argument that the current court system is a failure and support for court stacking would rise. Court stacking is not a good idea. The Comstock Act is from a bygone era, an era when women couldn’t even vote. It banned the mailing of several ‘lewd’ items including contraceptives. But Congress amended the Comstock Act in 1971 that removed the restrictions on contraceptives. Therefore, the Comstock Act should have no relevance in this case. The conservative members of the Supreme Court are fishing for anything that could codify their beliefs — something the Constitution is vehemently against,” Nurhonen said.

For young voters like Nurhonen, the implications of a Supreme Court ruling supporting the restriction of mailing the abortion pill would result in a safe form of abortion being taken away from women, even in states where abortion is protected. 

“The court is supposed to be impartial, making rulings regardless of faith or political affiliation, but this ruling could show the Supreme Court taking a more active role in policy shaping. This is something the constitution is supposed to be designed to avoid. The pill being scrutinized should stay legal. It is one of the few ways that is legal and relatively safe according to the FDA,” Nurhonen said.

He expressed fears common among young voters related to the proliferation of abortion bans and how it would affect them. 

“If this pill is taken out of circulation, a lot more unsafe abortions will take place, and many of these doctors that think they are being forced to participate in an abortion, might actually be more consistently than if the pill was allowed to remain in circulation. The blocking of this medication would be a great injustice,” Nurhonen said.

The post Supreme Court hears abortion pill ban case appeared first on Technique.

At the Institute, certain majors are more popular than others when it comes to student acceptances and enrollment. According to the 2023 incoming class profile published by Tech, the top intended majors for students consisted of AE, BMED, BA, CS and ME, indicating a strong preference shown by students towards majors listed in the College of Computing and College of Engineering. However, there are plenty of other majors at the Institute who receive less visibility, especially when it comes to Institute’s College of Design. 

The College of Design (formerly known as the School of Architecture) at the Institute was originally formed after World War II, and other program offerings such as Industrial Design and Building Construction were added in 1940 and 1958, respectively. Currently, the College of Design houses five individual schools: the School of Architecture, the School of Building Construction, the School of City & Regional Planning, the School of Industrial Design and the School of Music.  

One organization at Tech that has focused on shedding more light on issues facing the College of Design, specifically for students in the ARCH major belonging to minority backgrounds, is Tech’s chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architecture Students (NOMAS). 

Shaina Lofton, fourth-year ARCH and president  of Tech’s chapter of NOMAS, spoke about the club’s role on campus and the importance of providing guidance and mentorship for minority students who have been historically underrepresented in the field. 

“We focus on creating a safe space for minority architecture students on campus, and allowing them to network with different professionals around the Atlanta area. Given that architecture is already a small field, for minority representation, architecture is even smaller. It’s really important to give students these opportunities to, you know, network with different architecture firms, and get to know these necessary skills that they would need to succeed in the industry. We also do portfolio reviews and resume reviews, and these are things that students need to know in order to succeed when they’re applying for jobs and when they’re finishing out their studios,” Lofton  said. 

Lofton also mentioned how NOMAS hosts different collaborations with other architecture student organizations at Tech such as Equity in Architecture and the American Institute of Architecture Students. These collaborations are seen as a means to build community and other events like mixers give students a break from the studio. 

In terms of general student sentiment about resources provided for ARCH majors, Lofton broke down the mounting expenses that students must pay out of pocket.  

“My largest complaint would be like the lack of funding given to students. I’ve had semesters where I’ve spent up to $500. And that’s just for one semester on building materials alone. Not to mention to use the Rhino software, we have to buy it ourselves. I pay $30 a month for Adobe Creative Suite. Still. And then there’s also our rendering software, which is like another $150, I think, and having to buy model materials, which could be hundreds of dollars a semester. And then on top of that, for our final review boards, we have to plot them and so that’s another expense, where I’ve spent up to $90 on that in a semester,” Lofton said. 

Lofton also mentioned access to technology as a common difficulty for ARCH students. Specifically, she spoke about how ARCH majors at Tech have a virtual lab that they can log into free for charge, but the downside is that the program is very slow, which makes it not feasible for the types of projects that they have to work on. Lofton spoke about how only two 3D printers belong to the School of Architecture, and while the School of Industrial Design has their own set of 3D printers, ARCH majors cannot use them despite both schools being housed under the College of Design. 

“Laser cutters are another big issue. Around the same time every semester, all architecture students, both undergraduate and graduate, have final review. So we all need the 3D printers and laser cutting, so you literally have to sign up for a slot sometimes. And that time slot could be in the middle of the night. It just
depends,” Lofton said. 

Aside from organizational issues that ARCH majors face, Lofton talked about the importance of including students from the College of Design in the campus community and how long studio hours can sometimes impede on that experience. 

“My current studio as a fourth-year student is from 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Mondays and Fridays, and from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. And because it’s literally the middle of the day, it’s hard for us to eat sometimes and we’re not allowed to eat in the studio. I also feel like we miss a lot of things that are going on on campus because there’s so many times where my friends ask me to come to an event on Tech Green for students, and we’re stuck in the studio. We want to be a part of campus. It’s just very hard. A lot of our projects are really time consuming and it’s just difficult for us to feel part of the campus community sometimes,” Lofton said. 

However, the Institute, along with student leaders, have been working together towards creating more resources for ARCH majors and the larger College of Design community. Working alongside the Student Government Association’s (SGA) Vice President of Academic Affairs, Hunter Richardson, third-year CS, Lofton is working to develop a form of a “technology fee” for the College of Design that will help cover costs for subscriptions to the Adobe Creative Suite. Additionally, Lofton spoke of connecting current ARCH students to SGA in order to get an SGA representative for the School of Architecture as a means for creating a seat at the table for ARCH students to directly advocate for their needs. 

In terms of what the Institute could do better to support students in the College of Design, Lofton said, “I think through my conversations with SGA, more initiatives like the development of a technology fee can help a lot with funding issues. But I think the reason that that situation was even brought up was because an initial conversation was had. So just giving ARCH students a chance to speak up for, you know, the program, it helps the Institute to see us better. I don’t think it’s that the Institute doesn’t care about us. I think it’s just that they don’t know that these problems are occurring, because ARCH majors are very internalized and very tight-knit. I really think it is just a problem of communication between the School of Architecture, students and the Institute and I’m seeing that getting better.” 

The post Architecture majors face uphill battle at the Institute appeared first on Technique.

On Oct. 27, 2023, pop icon Taylor Swift released her re-recorded album, “1989 (Taylor’s Version).” This new album earned 176 million streams on release day, making it the biggest album debut of 2023 and the second biggest of all time, only behind Swift’s other album, “Midnights.” 

“1989 (Taylor’s Version)” contains 21 tracks, 16 from the original deluxe version from Oct. 27, 2014, and five new tracks “From the Vault.” Swift also released a deluxe version of this re-recorded album with an additional song, “Bad Blood (featuring Kendrick Lamar),” a highly requested remake of their original version from 2014. 

Swift is re-recording her original discography due to an incident with her former record label, Big Machine Music Group.  A private equity group called Ithaca Holdings, managed by Scooter Braun, a prominent music manager in the industry, acquired the label.  In 2019, Braun sold the masters of Swift’s studio albums to Shamrock Holdings for $300 million, a move Swift has publicly disapproved of. 

Through re-recording, Swift emphasizes the importance of owning one’s art. Any time a song from the original albums receives streams, Shamrock Holdings makes profit. As a counter move, Swift pledged to re-record all of her original albums, ensuring that she owns her own intellectual property. 

Thus far, Swift has re-recorded her 2008 album “Fearless,” her 2010 album “Speak Now,” her 2012 album “Red” and her 2014 album “1989.” 

The original 1989 era marked a monumental shift in Swift’s career, as she experimented with the synth-pop genre popularized in the 1980s, after making her name in country music during the early 2000s. 

Following is a breakdown of each of the five vault songs featured on “1989 (Taylor’s Version).” 

“‘Slut!’”

Many fans are speculating that Swift’s first vault track on “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” is a perfect complement to the song “Blank Space,” released as part of the initial “1989” album in 2014. Jack Antonoff and Patrik Berger co-wrote “Slut!,” and Swift’s vocals bring it to life as she pays homage to the media’s hyper-obsession with her love life and the conflation of her personal history with her identity of being a “slut.” She acknowledges the double standard with how mass media labels men and women in the industry through lyrics like “I’ll pay the price, you won’t” and “And if they call me a slut / You know it might be worth it for once.” 

The song’s lyrics also offer commentary on the reality that despite Swift’s best intentions, the media will continue to nit-pick her every action, so she might as well allow herself to love freely and openly. On social media, fans have acknowledged that “‘Slut!’” would not have been as well received in 2014’s social climate, and instead, the more upbeat and directly ironic “Blank Space” was a better conduit for relaying similar themes and messages. 

“Say Don’t Go”

Immediately following “‘Slut!’” is a synth-pop-infused love ballad, where Swift pleads with her partner to reciprocate her feelings. The song’s pre-chorus features lyrics such as, “Say, ‘don’t go’ / I would stay / Forever if you say / ‘Don’t go.’” In this song, Swift is holding on to hope for a relationship that her partner is no longer invested in. Featuring the complexities that often accompany young love, this vault song perfectly encapsulates the one-sided heartbreak that couples face when one partner moves on before the other. 

“Now That We Don’t Talk”

The third vault track, titled “Now That We Don’t Talk,” follows the previous song, “Say Don’t Go,” almost chronologically. From a temporal standpoint, “Now That We Don’t Talk” seems to continue Swift’s reconciliation with the aftermath of the break-up she introduces in “Say Don’t Go.” In the first chorus, Swift explains the universal feelings of going no-contact with one’s ex-partner with lyrics like, “Remind myself, the more I gave, / you’d want me less / I cannot be your friend, so I pay / the price of what I lost / And what it cost / Now that we don’t talk.” Through this song, listeners get a glimpse inside Swift’s psyche; she wants to check in and wonders about her ex but also reminds herself that the relationship ended badly, which justifies the existence of the mutual no-contact rule in the first place. 

“Suburban Legends”

The 20th track on “1989 (Taylor’s Version),” titled “Suburban Legends,” explores both the thrill and tragedy of young love. Swift sings about an unexpected romance that arose after high school ended. She fantasizes about surprising “the whole school” by walking into their class reunion together, but the song’s ending line, “I always knew it / that my life would be ruined” reveals the romance’s ultimate demise. Fans were quick to point out that sonically, “Suburban Legends” closely resembles “Mastermind,” a track off of Swift’s “Midnights”
album released in 2022.  

“Is It Over Now?”

The final track on the deluxe version of “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” is titled “Is It Over Now.” Swift expresses her anger over a complicated relationship that was on and off with seemingly no clear conclusion. The lines “Was it over when she laid down on your couch? / Was it over when he unbuttoned my blouse?” suggest that both partners were guilty of cheating on the other. Fans speculate that this track, along with most others from the record, was written about Swift’s fleeting relationship with Harry Styles in 2012. 

Taylor Swift has had one of the most successful years of her career, not only releasing two re-recorded albums but going on the second-highest-grossing tour in history: The Eras Tour. Swift has been selling out stadiums across the United States and Mexico since the first show in Glendale, AZ on March 17. The tour will continue into 2024, with 78 international dates across five continents, beginning on Nov. 11 in Buenos Aires. 

The Eras Tour allows fans to experience each of Swift’s 10 albums and their greatest hits over the course of about three hours. Swifties took it upon themselves to start several trends during this tour, such as dressing as their favorite “era” (associated with Swift’s albums) and making friendship bracelets to trade with others. The lines, “So make the friendship bracelets / Take the moment and taste it” from the “Midnights” track “You’re on Your Own Kid” inspired fans to make friendship bracelets. ” 

The Eras Tour film also made its way into theaters on Oct. 13, giving fans a chance to relive the tour or experience it for the first time (if they lost the great war against Ticketmaster last fall). Mimicking the actual tour, fans have been encouraged by Swift to show up dressed in their best costumes and with friendship
bracelets in hand.

“1989 (Taylor’s Version)” is an addition to an already iconic year for Swift, proving that even Swifties never know what she has planned next. 

The post 1989 (Taylor’s Version) stuns fans worldwide appeared first on Technique.

On Sept. 26, 2023, the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) provided notification for the creation of the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network for Health (ARPANET-H), a nationwide health innovation network. ARPA-H is a special agency delineated under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and ARPANET-H will operate in tandem with the presence of three ARPA-H regional hubs. 

According to the press release, the establishment of the regional hubs is an effort by ARPA-H to account for the “diversity of people, settings and capabilities that encompass the American health ecosystem.” The primary focus of the new network will be coupling scientific discoveries with medical practices that are centered around bettering health outcomes for diverse patient populations. 

Dr. Renee Wegrzyn is currently serving as the director for ARPA-H and assumed the role in 2022 following her appointment by President Joe Biden. Prior to this position, Wegrzyn was employed as the vice president of business development at Gingko Bioworks. According to her profile, “Wegrzyn comes to ARPA-H with experience working for two of the institutions that inspired the creation of the agency — the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA).” 

Wegrezyn’s educational background can be traced back to the Institute. She received both her bachelor’s and doctoral degrees in applied biology from Tech and is one of the Institute’s notable alumni. 

Wegrezyn provided the Technique with a statement highlighting the importance of ARPA-H and said, “Modeled after the unique and ambitious business practices of DARPA, ARPA-H serves a unique role in the health ecosystem that allows us to pursue high risk projects that have the potential to deliver asymmetrical advances in health, including [p]-residential priorities like the Biden Cancer Moonshot Initiative.” 

ARPA-H was developed as a means to bolster the growth of biomedical research that directly develops sustainable and equitable health solutions. The operational model of ARPA-H utilizes program managers who lead teams of performers that focus on specific health-related issues. The program is unique in that measurement and evaluation are core tenets of each research focus, setting it apart from commercial research activity. The new network is an effort that aligns with President Biden’s Unity Agenda, a four-part program focused on cancer research, obligations to veterans, the national mental health crisis and opioid and overdose epidemic. The Institute is a large stakeholder in these new initiatives championed by the ARPA-H and the ARPANET-H. 

“We recently announced a few new efforts that demonstrate the kinds of revolutionary concepts we are here to pursue that are too high risk for other public or private funding to pursue, but if successful, have the potential to change the trajectory of a given field or health care challenge. This includes the Cancer and Organ Degradome Atlas (CODA) project, led by the Georgia Institute of Technology, which focuses on mapping cancer cell biomarkers to help improve cancer detection rates at the very earliest stages of the disease,” Wegrezyn said. 

Wegrezyn then described how ARPANET-H will incorporate the national goals of ARPA-H into their practices. 

“We envision many ARPA-H programs and projects to work with the ARPANET-H hubs —depending on the needs of the programs, projects and the hub’s capabilities. That might be working with a hub in the same region as an OpenBAA awardee or with a hub or spoke in another geographic area. It’s one of the strengths of the evolving ARPANET-H, the ability to tap into the best resources whether it’s in your backyard or across the country.” 

With the network’s aim to span across all 50 U.S. states, the project’s reach will be important in ensuring that states with under-resourced healthcare systems are included in the dialogue for health equity and advancement. According to St. George’s University, the functions and mechanisms behind the current healthcare system in the U.S. are resulting in 83 million people occupying regions regarded as Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). Additionally, according to the American Cancer Society, there were 1.9 million new cancer cases in the U.S. in 2022 alone, and chronic metabolic condition prevalence was estimated to be at 30% by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). The consolidation of the network under ARPA-H will create a centralized system to address such challenges through medical research and scientific discovery. 

Finally, reminiscing on her roots, Wegrezyn spoke of the relevance of Tech’s ideals in informing the mission of ARPA-H. 

“As a former Yellow Jacket, the principles of ‘progress and service’ of the Georgia Tech motto come alive every day through our work at ARPA-H. It has been an eventful first year leading this new agency, and I’m so proud of the incredible team and culture we are building at ARPA-H and and am excited that Georgia Tech is a part of it,” Wegrezyn said. 

The post ARPA-H launches a health network program appeared first on Technique.

A release from Aug. 31, 2023, put out by the United States Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of Public Affairs, informed the public about the Institute’s recent agreement with the DOJ. The $500,000 settlement surrounds Tech’s agreement to rectify assertions of discriminatory practices and policies of the Institute’s recruiting platform in relation to immigration. 

The DOJ’s inquiry into Tech’s practices revealed that the Institute had breached the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) due to its utilization of a recruiting platform for jobs relating to career fairs. 

Third-party employers leveraged this platform by paying to advertise opportunities, and some of the advertisements posted on the platform left out some non-U.S. citizens in the recruitment process. 

The INA, established in 1952, includes the most relevant provisions relating to immigration law. Section 11.2 of the INA outlines the types of employment discrimination  prohibited under the act, including a subsection on citizenship status discrimination. 

The subsection states that, “Citizenship or immigration status discrimination occurs when an employer treats someone differently when hiring, firing or recruiting because of the person’s real or perceived citizenship or immigration status. The INA prohibits this type of discrimination if the employer has four or more employees. Asylees, refugees, recent lawful permanent residents, U.S. citizens and U.S. nationals are protected from
this type of discrimination.”

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clark of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division commented on the case.

“Our nation’s higher education institutions must ensure that their job recruiting platforms don’t promote, facilitate or enable unlawful citizenship discrimination. The Justice Department will vigorously enforce the Immigration and Nationality Act’s nondiscrimination mandate to ensure that college students are treated fairly and have an equal opportunity to compete for internships and jobs,” Clark said. 

The investigation commenced following a discrimination complaint filed by a Tech student with the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division. The complaint revolved around the student’s inability to apply to an internship advertised on Tech’s platform that denoted a U.S. citizenship requirement within the application due to their status as a permanent resident. However, the DOJ’s probe into the platform revealed that this instance was not an isolated occurrence; they discovered multiple other employers executing similar discriminatory practices against non-U.S. citizens, and the Institute’s web service was deemed complicit in allowing employers to keep non-U.S. citizens from applying to certain jobs.  

Talking about the case, fourth-year PUBP Adaiba Nwasike spoke about the implications of the DOJ’s inquiry into the Institute’s practices. 

“I think it all ties back down to the rollback of affirmative action and how we ensure accountability within our higher education institutions to ensure that they are valuing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). I just happened to be on the DOJ’s website for a class when I saw the very first case. I’m sure most students don’t even realize what happened. It’s disappointing to see no acknowledgement from Administration because it indicates a lack of transparency and leaves a lot of questions unanswered,” said Nwasike. 

An interview with the Technique regarding the case was denied, but Blair Meeks, Assistant Vice President of External Communications, provided a statement on behalf of the Institute. 

Meeks’ statement read as follows: “Georgia Tech does not intentionally discriminate against students in its career services offerings. In collaboration with community partners, we provide career education, resources and experiential opportunities to our students in a broad spectrum of career directions. Georgia Tech fully cooperated at all times with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation and has already implemented changes to address concerns regarding career fairs and job recruiting platforms utilized by Georgia Tech. We will continue to support our students so that they are positioned to launch and sustain satisfying and successful careers that make a meaningful contribution to society.” 

The DOJ’s investigation has taken over 14 months to complete; 16 employers settled with the department in June of 2022, and four more followed suit last September. In May of 2023, another 10 employers settled with the DOJ. These 30 employers have paid a combined $1.6 million in civil penalties. 

According to data published by the Office of the Provost, in 2015, 12% of the undergraduate student populations in the two largest colleges at the Institute (College of Engineering and College of Computing) were non-U.S. citizens and resident aliens. The data charted between 2006 and 2015 shows a fairly steady increase in student populations specific to this demographic as seen on provost.gatech.edu/education-commission/discovery-reports/future-demographics. For a public institution with a notable population of students falling under the non-U.S. citizen category, Tech’s involvement in this case directly impacts its student body. 

Aside from the large settlement Tech was mandated to pay, the Institute will have to alter its current recruitment policies in accordance with the INA. Furthermore, Tech’s career services personnel will receive training regarding the INA’s anti-discrimination provision for the next three years. 

Students wishing to learn more can read the DOJ release at www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-secures-agreement-georgia-tech-resolve-immigration-related-discrimination and can access the settlement agreement at www.justice.gov/media/1312556/dl?inline.

After an almost three year break, fans of the popular Netflix original series “Stranger Things” eagerly  awaited the show’s return with volume one of its fourth season, which premiered on May 27. Since its first season, the show has become an iconic part of pop culture with its portrayal of 1980’s suburban America threatened by a mysterious evil from
the Upside Down.

 Although “Stranger Things” has settled into a familiar formula that is, at times, predictable by its fourth time
around, it adds plenty of twists and turns for a thrilling
first volume. 

The show jumps from the events of the previous season in summer of 1985 to spring of 1986. Since
the last time viewers saw the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, the cast of characters have been scattered
far and wide. 

Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder, “Heathers”) has relocated with her family, including Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown, “Enola Holmes”), to California after the events of the previous season. They attempt to rebuild a life, involving  long-distance relationships and new friendships. Meanwhile, former chief of police Jim Hopper (David Harbour, “Black Widow”) is held captive in Russia
and fights to survive. 

Back in Hawkins, the rest of the characters navigate high school and memories of the past. Threatening their attempt at normality is a new monster from the Upside Down, this time named “Vecna,” which has been preying upon the town’s youth through their minds.

Elements of horror movies of the time make an appearance throughout the season. Haunted houses, unsolved mysteries and the echo of a grandfather clock, paired with references to Freddy Krueger and Michael Myers, make this season terrifying, but all the more bingeable. The protagonists are growing up from the first season to
face even scarier threats. 

In typical “Stranger Things” fashion, references to 80s pop culture remain a way to connect with the audience and re-popularize it among the younger viewers of
the show. 

From its music to its movie references, seeing the characters enjoy familiar pastimes is a treat. 

New additions to the show include Hawkins High’s leader of the Dungeons & Dragons Hellfire Club, Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn, “Dickensian”). Munson’s performance is excellent, adding comic relief as he reacts to being in the wrong place at the wrong time while
Vecna terrorizes the town. 

Other standout performances include Sadie Sink (“Fear Street”), who returns as Max Mayfield, as she tries to come to terms with the events of the previous season. Harbour’s performance remains stellar, despite being isolated from the rest of the cast in Russia. It is easy to root for Hopper as he battles both the harsh climate and other, more sinister threats. 

Unfortunately, the volume leans on overdone high school narratives that seem out of place to the show, filling the time that would be best spent in other places. Eleven is bullied at her new school by ruthlessly mean classmates, and Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin, “Concrete Cowboy”), who now plays for the basketball team, feels pressured not to associate with his old
“nerdy” friends. 

His teammates remain a nuisance throughout the season and have no character development beyond their letterman jackets and overly zealous readiness to hunt down the suspected killer. 

With so many storylines competing for screen time, each episode becomes over an hour long.

On May 9, 2023, Pakistan’s former Prime Minister (PM), Imran Khan was arrested by paramilitary rangers during his appearance before the Islamabad High Court. The former PM’s arrest represents the culmination of a year of political and economic instability in Pakistan’s republic; in April of last year, Khan was forcibly removed from his position as PM due to a successful no-confidence vote in Pakistan’s National Assembly. 

Khan rejects claims of his involvement in over 100 criminal cases which he believes have been constructed against him in a plot by the current government and military leaders to remove Khan from politics and bar him from participating in the country’s general elections. 

Khan’s recent arrest is related to his charitable organization, Al-Qadir Trust, and the alleged corruption charges were sanctioned against him by the National Accountability Bureau, Pakistan’s anti-corruption overseer. Government ministers claim that the Al-Qadir Trust was used as a mirage by Khan to accept corporate bribes. Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan alleges that Khan misused the Al-Qadir Trust under the guise of building a university in a deal with property developer Malik Riaz Hussain and allegedly put a $240 million deficit in Pakistan’s national treasury. These claims and those of terrorism and heresy remain unverified and are seen by Khan’s supporters as fabricated offerings to remove Khan from the country’s political playing field. 

Khan’s political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), was founded by the former PM in 1996 and quickly gained public support. In Pakistan’s last general elections held in 2018, PTI won 116 of the 270 National Assembly seats, the most out of any major political party in Pakistan. Current Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif’s party, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz or PMLN, is a direct opponent of PTI and won 64 out of 270 national seats in 2018. 

PMLN is regarded by the Pakistani masses as a dynastic political party due to the party’s propensity to center familial ties in its governing strategy. Specifically, Nawaz Sharif was first primed by his father, Mian Muhammad Sharif, to succeed Benazir Bhutto as Pakistan’s PM in 1990 and has had two additional stints at the helm since then. Shehbaz Sharif, the brother of Nawaz Sharif, is the current PM of Pakistan, having served as the Chief Minister (CM) of the Punjab province from 2013 to 2018. Nawaz Sharif’s daughter, Maryam Nawaz, is the Senior Vice President of PMLN, and Shehbaz Sharif’s son, Hamza Shehbaz, served as the CM of Punjab for a brief period in 2022 before being ousted by Pakistan’s Supreme Court on grounds of constitutionality. 

Thousands of Pakistani civilians have taken to the streets of every major city in the country since Khan’s arrest. These protestors oppose what is known as “the Establishment” in Pakistan and have targeted state buildings, radio towers, army compounds and the private residences of many government and military officials. The Pakistani establishment is composed of the Pakistan Armed Forces, Pakistani intelligence agencies and government officials who have formed close alliances with the country’s military leadership. Pakistan’s army is also implicated in instances of political engineering; since Pakistan’s inception in 1947, the country has been subject to three different military coups, resulting in four military rulers at the forefront of the country’s leadership in 1958, 1977 and 1999. 

In order to crack down on protests, social media services like Twitter, YouTube and Facebook were shut down in the country, creating an information blackout. Additionally, more than 1,000 of Khan’s supporters have been arrested and at least eight people have died in the clashes. 

According to a poll published in the Express Tribune, more than 86% of Pakistanis support Khan and PTI. Khan’s popularity among the Pakistani working-class spans multiple continents. The far-reaching Pakistani diaspora consisting of over 7.6 million citizens living overseas have continuously shown their support for Khan since his removal from office last year. While protestors were taking to the streets in Pakistan’s major cities, peaceful demonstrations were also taking place in cities around the world. In Copenhagen, London, Washington D.C. and here in Atlanta, Pakistanis voiced their support for Khan and his party in large numbers. 

On the day of Khan’s arrest, Atlanta’s Pakistani-American community gathered in front of the CNN Center, the news outlet’s international headquarters housed in the heart of Downtown Atlanta. The peaceful protest featured chants synonymous with PTI’s primary message of holding the Pakistani establishment accountable, with many demonstrators offering speeches in both Urdu and English. The primary sentiment of this protest revolved around the demands of immediate free and fair elections in Pakistan and the release of Khan from custody on the grounds that his arrest was a state abduction. 

Dr. Hamza Sheikh, an Atlanta based endocrinologist, was one of many Pakistani-American physicians present at the protest. Explaining the motivation behind the protest, Sheikh said, “the Pakistani-American community of Atlanta is gathered at the CNN headquarters to protest Imran Khan’s illegal abduction and raise our voices against the crimes and human rights violations committed by the current corrupt government of Pakistan. It is a good turnout as people from all walks of life and different age groups are present.” 

Tech’s campus also houses a vibrant community of Pakistani students. The Pakistani Student Association (PSA) at the Institute holds programming and organizes events during the academic year to unite the Pakistani community on campus. Hasan Zulfiqar, fourth-year IE, is the current president of the PSA and spoke to the Technique in a representative capacity about the current political situation in Pakistan. 

“The arrest of a democratically elected leader can be seen as an attempt to undermine the legitimacy of the democratic process. It creates an atmosphere of fear and intimidation among the general public, which results in lawlessness. The history of Pakistan shows this could possibly lead to military intervention, which will then result in the curtailment of the basic freedoms and rights of the public,” said Zulfiqar. 

Similarly, the vice president of PSA Rameez Raoof, second-year BME, said, “regardless of the debate of whether this is a targeted political move, the hours following the arrest of Imran Khan have seen a drop in currency value and a spike in riots and attacks on military installations, both of which are already large problems that have a history of threatening the stability of Pakistan.”

Raoof’s concerns regarding the country’s economic situation is echoed by Pakistani citizens facing the brunt of the domestic political instability that has resulted in the fastest rising inflation in Asia, with steeply elevated food and energy costs. Overseas, Pakistanis have threatened to halt remittances sent to the country via official channels that accumulate to billions of dollars annually if their demands of immediate elections are not met. 

Since the Pakistan National Assembly was dissolved by President Arif Alvi in 2022 prior to Khan’s removal from office, the Pakistani Constitution in its Article 224(2) mandates that a general election must be held within 90 days after the dissolution. Over a year has passed since the incident with no general elections taking place, furthering the mistrust between the general public and the country’s military. 

On May 11, 2023, Pakistan’s Supreme Court ordered Khan’s release, deeming the arrest illegal. However, most of PTI’s leaders have also been taken into custody and many are skeptical of the outcomes of the Supreme Court’s ruling due to Pakistan’s judicial system holding little more than symbolic power in the country’s current political state. Moeed Pirzada, a Pakistani-British political commentator, posted on Twitter following the court’s announcement and said, “is this a cosmetic measure to create [the] impression that courts exist? To send crowds back to [their] home[s] and then arrest [Khan] through Islamabad High Court again?” 

With the quickly changing political situation in the country, only time will tell whether Khan’s release will be a point of celebration for PTI supporters and whether the delayed general elections will actually be held in the upcoming weeks.

The Israel-Palestine conflict can be dated back to 1947, with the formal establishment of the State of Israel through the adoption of the Partition Plan outlined in Resolution 181 mandated by the United Nations (UN). Over the years, political and military interventions have led to growing instability within this region in the Middle East, ranging from the 1956 Suez Crisis, the series of 1993 and 1995 Oslo Accords and repeated violence against both Israeli and Palestinian civilians.

As part of their “In the Shadows” lecture series highlighting human rights violations and abuses worldwide, the Muslim Students Association (MSA) recently held an event raising awareness about the current state of Palestine. Last fall, this series focused on ongoing genocides around the world and this semester, the MSA is focusing on crimes against humanity as outlined by the UN. 

The MSA event focused on human rights violations allegedly committed by the State of Israel against Palestinian civilians, especially as Palestinian health officials have said recent violent clashes in the West Bank have resulted in Palestinian homes being raided and civilian casualties at the hands of Israeli authorities. 

MSA highlighted the UN’s fourth Geneva Convention, which enshrines protections of civilians during periods of war into international humanitarian law. The presentation also focused on Article 7 of the Rome Statute that includes murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation, torture and sexual assault in its extensive list of crimes against humanity. 

According to Addameer, a Jerusalem-based human rights association, as of October 2022, 551 Palestinians were serving life sentences with six Palestinian Legislative Council members being detained in Israeli prisons. The mechanism by which Palestinian citizens are imprisoned by the Israeli military without charge or trial for an indefinite period of time is known as “administrative detention.” 

The force of administrative detention has been felt most prodigiously by journalists; between 2012 and 2021, 248 journalists have been subject to imprisonment under this caveat of international criminal law according to a report by the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA). 

The MSA organizers believe that under administrative detention, the State of Israel commits crimes against humanity through practices of food deprivation, severe beating, medical negligence and threats of sexual assault. 

Renee Alnoubani, second-year CE and the MSA’s Philanthropy and Interfaith Chair spoke to the Technique about MSA’s official pro-Palestine stance in the conflict. 

In terms of what the MSA has done in regards to raising awareness about the conflict and supporting those in need, Alnoubani said that “the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF) is actually one of the biggest funds in the world for Palestine and Palestinian children. And so every year we have the PCRF run, and it’s actually a part of the public’s marathon that happens every February. So it’s actually happening in two weeks. And a bunch of MSA students like to sign up for that to run the marathon or half marathon or 5k. Last year, we raised about $13,000.” 

Alnoubani also mentioned the MSA’s plans to help raise funds for building a well in Gaza, one of the primary cities at the center of the conflict during Ramadan in April, a period of time where Muslims around the world observe a month of daily fasting and growing in their faith. 

When asked whether the MSA engages in interfaith dialogue with other religious student organizations on campus regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict, Alnoubani said, “No, not interfaith dialogue. It’s never a religious discussion when it comes to this, at least from the Israeli side. I don’t want to say that from the Jewish side, because there are several Jewish supporters who don’t believe in Zionism.” 

She went on to say that the MSA is open to having discussions with other organizations on campus who may have differing views, but “due to some past instances, MSA doesn’t actively go to other religious organizations for dialogue because of that fear and anticipation of hostility.” 

Alnoubani mentioned her plans of establishing a student-led coalition consisting of several different student organizations to voice their support for overturning the working definition of antisemitism established by International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). 

The working definition of antisemitism as sanctioned by the IHRA is a non-legally binding framework that outlines various manifestations of antisemitism in daily public life. MSA’s primary concern with the definition is the seventh point that equates antisemitism with “denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor,” according to the IHRA’s website. 

Tech adopted the IHRA definition following an occurrence in 2019 where the Institute’s Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) chapter did not allow Lauren Blazofsky, who was the director of Hillel at Tech at the time, to enter their “Teach-In: Palestine 101” event organized as a section of YDSA’s Israel Apartheid Week programming.

In a statement released Jan. 18, 2021 on news.gatech.edu, Tech said that it “recognizes that per the Executive Order on Combatting Anti-Semitism dated December 11, 2019, the U.S. Department of Education considers the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of Anti-Semitism and contemporary examples when evaluating the intent in cases of discriminatory harassment.  Georgia Tech encourages members of our community to learn about the IHRA working definition and contemporary examples.”

Regarding the MSA’s expectations of the Institute in supporting students directly affected by the conflict, Alnoubani said that an action item she would like to see from the Tech administration would be “overturning the IHRA definition because it’s unbelievable and unacceptable for Georgia Tech to have adopted that.”

Students in MSA believe the definition is a “Silencing Campaign” by the IHRA because they find that it distorts and conflates advocacy for Palestinian rights with antisemitism. 

According to a 2021 press release by the Atlanta Jewish Times, the Institute said “Anti-Semitism and any other forms of discrimination are not acceptable. … It is incumbent upon all of us to work together to ensure that unlawful discrimination and harassment are not welcome at Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech is committed to working collaboratively with Hillel and others to provide a campus community that is free from unlawful discrimination.”

The MSA’s event in early February 2023 featured Ilise Cohen, an anthropologist and activist whose academic and advocacy interests tie into repudiating the IHRA’s working definition of antisemitism. 

Cohen is the co-founder and co-leader of the Atlanta chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace, a primary anti-Zionist organization committed to steering U.S. foreign policy in relation to the Israel-Palestine conflict. 

The Technique reached out to Hillel at Tech, but did not receive comments back prior to the time of publication.

The student housing crisis is neither a new narrative, nor is it one unique to the Institute. 

With increasing application and enrollment numbers, specifically for undergraduate students, higher education institutions are finding it difficult to balance high enrollment numbers with adequate housing of a large student population in university-sanctioned housing. 

A simple Google search of “student housing shortages” reveals the depth of this issue, with articles spanning topics regarding affordability, accessibility` and the maintenance of on-campus student housing across institutions in the United States.

In the fall semester of 2021, students at Tech started to be notified of a new on-campus housing policy. 

Every semester, the Institute allocates a certain number of its mostly fixed 8,600 on-campus bed slots between the different cohorts of the student body: new first-year, new transfer, returning second-year, returning upperclassman and new and returning graduate students. 

In fall 2021, Tech had reserved a combined 3,570 slots for new first-year and transfer students and 2,400 slots for returning upperclassmen. 

Also in fall 2021, only a few months after the start of the current housing term for current residents, students were notified via email correspondence that cohort allocation for the following year would change.

For Fall 2022, new first-year and transfer students would be allocated 3,900 beds, an increase of 330 beds, or roughly nine percent, and returning undergraduate students would be allocated 2,045 beds, a decrease of 355, or about 15%. Roughly 4% of total on-campus housing shifted from returning upperclassmen to new Tech students to accommodate for a growing class size of first-year students. 

According to Housing and Residence Life (HRL), there are approximately 8,900 total bed spaces on campus for students, with some variation depending on number of staff, disability accommodations and other factors.

Tech has been executing an admissions growth plan, increasing the number of admissions steadily over the last few years. 

Enrollment numbers have also been growing in recent years. In 2020, Tech’s Atlanta campus had 2,087 newly enrolled first-year students. In Fall 2022, 2,326 first-year students were enrolled at the main Atlanta campus. 

The steadily increasing enrollment numbers combined with the greater allocation of on-campus bed spaces to underclassmen created a de-facto housing shortage among Tech’s upperclassmen during the housing allotment period of Spring 2022. 

Based on official numbers from HRL, “While nearly 1,000 students [were] on the housing waitlist for  2022-2023 early in the process, the year ended with less than 100 people still looking for housing in August.” 

While most upperclassmen found housing solutions of some kind, some were not according to the students’ initial plans and budgets. Additionally, the Technique reached out to HRL and Institute Communications regarding this apparent housing shortage in the wake of a growing student body. 

Representatives from HRL commented, “We are acutely aware of how important housing is for students in our community. Housing and Residence Life (HRL) and Institute leadership have been actively engaged in a plan to address the increase in demand for on-campus housing while remaining conscious of Georgia Tech’s relationships with neighboring communities. We try to be clear and thorough in all our communication about our challenges and plans.” 

Specifically, HRL pointed out that in order to address student concerns, the leadership team regularly meets with the Student Government Association (SGA) to relay information in a transparent manner once it is approved by the University System of Georgia (USG). Furthermore, in order to directly address concerns about Institute enrollment growth, “Housing and Residence Life began a carefully planned series of communication actions to share housing allocation initiatives, seek input and answer questions. Residents were informed of the allocation changes as well as the information sessions and resources available to them via email, HRL newsletters, text message and social media.” 

With a timeline dating back to November of 2021, SGA and the Residence Hall Association (RHA) were made aware of the new changes. Information sessions were consequently held to provide knowledge and answers to current residents. This same strategy will be employed by HRL for the upcoming 2023-2024 academic year for students. 

Another initiative spearheaded by HRL has been to partner with  CollegePads, a digital third-party service, in order to help students “conveniently identify off-campus housing options,” and “provide an off-campus housing portal specific to Georgia Tech students.” This resource can be accessed by students via offcampus.housing.gatech.edu, and an in-person Housing Fair will also be held on Tuesday, March 14. 

Meanwhile, speaking to students on campus has revealed a variety of opinions regarding the state of on-campus housing.

Toral Patel (CS ‘22) served as a Resident Assistant (RA) for the 8th Street Apartments for her second, third and fourth undergraduate years. But in Fall 2022, her final semester on campus, Patel moved to off-campus housing near the Scheller College of Business in Tech Square.

According to Patel, “I changed because I had no other options. Being an RA is a full year commitment, and I knew I would be graduating in December, so that role was no longer possible for me.

“I had planned on living in Georgia Tech Housing for that last semester, as it wouldn’t have left me saddled with a year-long lease. However, as an RA I guess I wasn’t on the mailing list of students that got information about when the housing application opened, so when it did — I found out too late,” Patel said.

According to Patel, the Institute has good reasons to accommodate its students in on-campus housing. Many students graduate in December; others leave Atlanta to study abroad or complete internships or co-ops as part of their studies. These students, like Patel, look for the flexibility offered by single-semester housing that is difficult to find in off-campus rental properties options.

The Technique also spoke with Aaron Bartleson, a third-year PHYS major. Bartleson spent his freshman year in Folk Residence Hall and his second-year in Woodruff South; for his third year at the Institute, he moved to Center Street South.

Bartleson said that, “like most people who were upperclassmen living in Woodruff, they were bumped out because of the freshman policy. That building was reserved for newly admitted freshmen students.”

“And also, I was kind of not enjoying the suite apartment setup that much. I would have preferred a greater degree of privacy. So, that’s my reason for moving to a normal apartment.”

Layout, availability, proximity to classes and general convenience were all factors mentioned by Bartleson. As a third year student in Fall 2022, Bartleson had just adopted the rank of upperclassman, which meant that, according to the Institutes newly distributed housing allocation numbers, there were fewer places for him to go if he wanted to stay on campus. 

Bartleson described his awareness of the situation with housing re-allotment as follows. 

“When stay day was [not] an option [after the housing re-allotment], we were told, ‘you can’t stay [at Woodruff South].’ That was pretty much when I heard about it the first time. I don’t really follow the kind of bureaucratic goings-on of Georgia Tech very much,” Bartleson said.

Luckily for Bartleson, the move to Center Street South in Fall 2022 resulted in what, for him, is a much more enjoyable living experience than Woodruff.

It is clear, however, that students on campus, including the upperclassmen, value the experience of on-campus first-year living that the Institute aims for. 

Patel stated, “I do think it is important for freshman and transfer communities to have their first year in campus housing. It is where so many friendships are forged, and Tech communities are found. However, I do think that needs to be a better job done to make sure the groups I mentioned above aren’t overlooked.”

Furthermore, according to Patel, “the Institute is only growing, and I truly think that the school needs to put focus on finding ways of increasing on campus student housing without leaving communities that need the short-term lease or crucial community building periods behind.”

It is clear that the Institute makes efforts to communicate its evolving housing policies as expressed by the HRL representatives. With an ever-expanding student population and potential campus expansion prospects in the future, it is unclear whether the Institute will shoulder the burden of creating more on-campus student housing for its new students in the near future. It is also unclear whether this increase in student enrollment is a trend that will continue and whether or not it will exacerbate housing shortages on campus.