Talk:Georgia Institute of Technology/Archive 1

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Contents

The Whistle

The Whistle was replaced in 2004, as I recall, with a differnt ultra-modern one or something like that. Check the Technique (www.nique.net) for details.

This is true. A contractor replaced it by a whistle designed to sound the same as the old one, because it was getting old. It might deserve brief mention. (thinking of moving some of that stuff to a later point in the article) Deco 23:31, 12 Mar 2005 (UTC)
The new one is damn annoying, it sounds nothing like the old one.

Regarding the North Avenue Trade School nickname

I was under the impression that the reason the nickname is so persistent was because students felt that the teaching styles of some of the faculty was more in keeping with a trade school than a university. If there are other Tech alumni who share this sense, perhaps we should integrate it into the article. User:Exia

I hadn't ever heard the nickname, honestly, but I agree with your impression. I like to say that the undergraduate "computer science" degree is more of a programmer training course. Also, I think this portion of the article should probably be moved or put into a new section or something — it's somewhat overemphasized. Deco 03:12, 7 Nov 2004 (UTC)
I was under the impression that the NATS nickname was a derogatory phrase invented by those affiliated with the University of Georgia. I believe that I know of a source for this, but let me check. Bizob 23:00, 28 Nov 2004 (UTC)
The Georgia Tech bookstore (Barnes & Noble, now) sells "North Avenue Trade School" t-shirts alongside the offically-licensed GT memorabilia. (Ask the staff, they're there. They're pretty comfy, too.) However it got started, it's now an affectionate nickname. User:Exia 01/07/05
To some it may be affectionate, to others it may not be. Connotation may vary. I.E. Graduation from GT is often called "Getting Out" - it's become a cliche, but there is a reason it became popular in the first place; there's a reason the traditions of calling the school a "Trade School," calling the education "the Shaft," or calling graduation "Getting Out" won't go away. They're still fairly honest surrogate markers of what academic life is like at GT. 11:59 PM 2 Feb 2005
I'd say all the comments above are correct, to some extent. Once GA decided to have a technical school, a committee was formed to study other engineering schools. Some concentrated on theory, while others focused on practical skills. A concious decision was made to provide both. So, early students learned things like blacksmithing (the team was once called "The Blacksmiths" by some). As late as the 50s, all Freshmen learned drafting and surveying, along with calculus. Likewise, students often felt they were fighting "Ma Tech" right up until they received their diplomas, after which they loved it. The struggle was a very valuable preparation for life in the real world. Industry has always considered GT grads some of the best to "hit the ground running" in their jobs. While opponent fans use the NATS nickname as a derision, GT students enjoy it. User:Goldtimer

I was under the impression that the "North Avenue" portion of the nickname stemmed from the fact that during the start of Georgia Tech, both buildings were on North Ave., not because North Ave. is the southern border of the modern day campus. User:Bobthemilkman

Regarding the T

I added a link to the stolen T picture, the image wont stay there long as most accoutns are deleted after graduation. Anyone can put the image ( http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~gte165i/images/StolenT.jpg ) somewhere more secure and re-link it?

If we can get permission from the person who first took the picture, we can store it on Wikipedia (see Upload file in the left sidebar). Ideally we'd want a statement from them releasing it either into the public domain or under the GFDL — then we could redistribute it with the encyclopedia content. Deco 19:06, 13 Nov 2004 (UTC)
I contacted the student hosting the image, and he doesn't recall its source. I'm afraid we can't upload it without identifying its original source. It looks professional, so I suspect the Technique. Deco 23:20, 19 Nov 2004 (UTC)

Does anyone here have any first hand knowledge of the security stuff on the T? I suspect it's rumor, or at least exaggerated. --pfunk42 05:02, 14 August 2005 (UTC)

Depending on what you heard, it may not be exaggerated at all. It's fairly sophisticated, and you can spot some of the equipment around the T itself if you look carefully. I'd like to get an interview from someone in the know, though. Maybe someone could e-mail the administration and ask who's in charge of "T security"? Deco 05:32, 15 August 2005 (UTC)
They got around the pressure sensors by obtaining schematics and layout for the roof and inferring a 'safe ' route to the T. The members of that team made dozens of trips up there to case the job. Initially they were going to alligator clip the connection, but once they stripped the wires they realized it was fiber optic. So they ended up cutting the T itself with a hacksaw (again, over many nights). The big night they were caught after successfully taking the T down, because secrets like this travel quickly. The perpetrators were given semester suspensions. Afterwards Tech made them reveal the exact route they took in order to retrieve the T, and fixed the security problems accordingly. In case anyone has any great ideas, it is highly unlikely that building schematics are available to us peons, the members involved in this last caper were extremely well connected. Ok... I'm showing my age, let's just move on.
I am one of the "extremely well connected" individuals who last stole the "T", and I'm happy to quickly set the record straight. We did not have any building schematics. Rather, we figured out a safe way up by trial and error, and a little creativity. You are right that we were on top of the building several nights (my recollection is ~15), and that we originally thought the fiber optic line was an electrical circuit that we could by-pass with alligator clips. We also did have to show the administration how we made the ascent, but have since figured out a new way up that might actually work pretty well. The suspension was one semester, but we had to fight pretty hard to escape two semesters. Expulsion was thrown around briefly, but not really an option because we turned ourselves in. But that is a different story...

Regarding student media and organizations

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of student organizations at this school. The ones listed after the first two aren't significant in any way other than that they probably had members who came to the page and thought it would be a good place to get some free advertising.

For this reason I removed the irrelevant entries. If you feel the need to put them back please explain your reasoning here or I will revert to my edit.

I added back the reference to stealing the T & Beta Theta Pi. I know the entire saga behind that if anyone thinks that would be interesting in this article (probably deserves its own page).

Sports

The Yellow Jackets advanced to their first NCAA finals in 2004, losing to UConn. The Jackets have since become a perennial Top 25 team. In 2005, the Jackets lost to the University of Louisville in the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament.

How can the team be "perenially" a Top 25 team after one year? The word "since" implies "after 2004," which means the word "perennial" needs to go. I'd change it but I don't know what to. Mike H 16:30, Apr 14, 2005 (UTC)

Changed to The team has been consistently ranked in the Top 25 since the 2004 season. Autiger 17:52, 15 Apr 2005 (UTC)
Sorry, but I don't think that was the intention of whomever typed that sentence first. I've changed it to "Tech has been a perennial top 25 team since the 1983-84 season." (which is a useful fact) User:Goldtimer

Also, this page claims that Tech's 8-bowl game streak is tied for longest in the nation. This is not true, Tennessee has been to 13 bowl games in a row. Far surpassing GT's eight.

Corrected 7/23/05.User:Goldtimer

Buildings Height

Can someone confirm that Georgia Tech does not allow any building to be built at an altitude higher than Tech Tower? I was told by several faculty/staff but I can not find any literature to confirm it. Apparently Tech Tower was the tallest building in the Southeast back in the day and GT has a tradition of keeping it the tallest building in campus.

Seems like I heard or read that at one time, but I couldn't confirm it. Practically speaking, it's not likely any building taller than the Tower will be built, as the spire is rather high and it's on high ground. Some years ago, some wanted to replace the tower with a new Administration Building, but the traditionalists perservered, and it was renovated instead. 7/23/05 User:Goldtimer
Yea, this is standard trivia for Connect w/ Tech & Faset Leaders to parrot.
Actually, it's not the tallest building anymore (eg. Love Building, CRC, and new COC). There is no rule that prevents buildings from being taller than Tech Tower.—The preceding unsigned comment was added by Excaliburhorn (talk • contribs) .
Instead of "new COC" I like to use "COCK" - College of Computing Klaus. Even though the official name will be the "Klaus Advanced Computing Building" (KACB). Whose idea was it to call it the KACB, anyway? There's no way anyone can pronounce that. --Disavian 14:43, 26 April 2006 (UTC)
I don't have exact heights with me, but you can look outside the current CoC and see that Tech Tower is higher than the Klaus building. I think the point isn't taller from ground level, but taller overall- remember Tech Tower is on a hill (anyone with freshmen housing on east campus remembers that bloody hill). --User:Justinmmitchell 7/17/2006

Famous Alumni

I'd like to see the famous alumni categorized by type. Right now, the list is dominated by sports types. I'm all for having really famous sports alum listed, but feel their sheer number are making those famous in other fields not stand out. What do you think? Is this a good idea, and is it acceptable to Wikipedia? 16:05 Z Sun 24 Jul 05. User:Goldtimer


Fight Song Details

The details around the GT Fight Song seem out of place in the middle of the sports section, does it merit a new section? -- User:Ronincyberpunk

Zip Code

Could someone confirm (and add to the article) GT owns the entire zipcode 30332 ?

It's quite possible but not really notable. Most universities and many other agencies, even private companies, do as well. See Zip Code by Type. Autiger 06:29, 5 August 2005 (UTC)
30332 is the zip code for the Georgia Tech Post Office and all student affiliated postal boxes. Nullchain86 11:05, 27 January 2006 (EST)
I don't know if GT owns the entire ZIP code. You can buy maps with ZIP code boundaries as well as streets to check this, or you could try lining up this map with a road map somehow. Deco 04:47, 28 January 2006 (UTC)

Every post office has a zip code. Tech has a post office. Ergo, tech has a zip code.

Yes, GT owns all of 30332. I have no way of proving this, but I know it. Disavian 01:08, 11 February 2006 (UTC)

Section on achievements

I do believe we need a section that will highlight the strengths and achievements of GT. (e.g.). After all, it is a nationally respected school.--Nightryder84 20:14, 6 August 2005 (UTC)

This is sorely needed, especially now that I've added an academics section to the article. MaxVeers 05:47, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

I belive this info might be helpful on the article:

Source: Prof. Colin Potts (http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~potts/) (Info given in class, not listed on his page but you may email him for confirmation)

A Myers-Briggs Survey performed at Georgia Tech revealed:

                 Introversion --  Extraversion
American Public:    30%              70%
Georgia Tech:       68%              32&
                 Intuition    --  Sensing
American Public:    30%              70%
Georgia Tech:       68%              32&
                 Thinking     --  Feeling
American Public:    30%              70%
Georgia Tech:       68%              32&
                 Perceiving   --  Judging
American Public:    30%              70%
Georgia Tech:       68%              32&

This could be integrated in the article as it pertains to the 'antisocial' aspect of campus--wide personality

—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 199.77.208.154 (talk • contribs) 12:41, 3 November 2005.

However, are these results typical of all American colleges or just Tech? -SCEhardt 19:47, 3 November 2005 (UTC)
I've had potts, he gives this to CS MAJORS, which are at the far end of the spectrum as far as these things go, and totally useless for the population at large.
—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 208.177.178.85 (talk • contribs) 03:46, 25 December 2005 (UTC).

The data in that table are questionable on their face; the percentages are the same for each spectrum. Assuming one did get the 'accurate' results from professor, if unpublished, is the data not in conflict with WP:NOR?

SCEhardt, I would expect GT's (or any other technically-oriented university) results to differ from those of the entire set of American university students which should pretty closely track those of the American Public, being a much broader sample. Autiger 22:26, 3 November 2005 (UTC)

You're probably correct. The point I bring up is that these statistics should only be mentioned if they are fairly unique to Tech. I also agree the statistics look very suspicious in general and would need to be verified. -SCEhardt 00:09, 4 November 2005 (UTC)

That data is obviously wrong. A 30/68 breakdown for every dimension at Tech, and a 70/32 in every dimension in the general public?? Not to mention, the former adds up to only 98%, while the latter adds up to 102%.

It is curious that the data for every dimension is a 68/32 breakout at Tech and 30/70 in the general public. However, the math course you transferred from UGA is showing. :) The rows for Tech and the general population each sum to 100%. C.Fred 23:46, 4 February 2006 (UTC)

Facts

Does anyone have anything to backup the "Virgin Graduate" entry? I've been unable to find anything related to it online, but in general it may be a standard college legend?

I was a student for several years recently and recall no such legend. But maybe a current frat student or something would know better. Deco 02:31, 26 December 2005 (UTC)

Social Life

There seems to have been a minor struggle a few times in edits to cover the internal stigma of Tech as an unhappy place by deleting or "glossing" over parts of the student life section and replacing them with irrelevant or nonspecific (to tech) college facts. I think that it's safe to say that Tech is probably one of the worst major colleges to go to socially and that that is pretty well accepted at the school itself, although it's pretty tricky to portray that without violating NPOV. I know that the School of Psych published a report about high levels of depression a few years (2002, maybe?) ago, and also that the Princeton review published a list of the most hated schools (by their own students) that tech was on. Can anyone find links to either? Also helpful would be any information that could provide a more informed counterpoint to the antisocial side. Leppy 20:04, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

My first two attempts were vandalism, I'll admit it, even though I had planned on changing the site back shortly. However, the link I added is extremely popular, even a few years after it was published. I think it is very relevant to the average Tech student.

It may be a popular site, TechStudent, but the site is an admitted work of fiction. For that reason, it does not belong in the list of external links. C.Fred 05:56, 3 February 2006 (UTC)
I'm not so sure that gtsux doesn't deserve some mention. I was at GaTech when it hit and it was a pretty big deal for the school. The creator of the website was a student, and he was threatened with academic censure if he didn't remove the site. That wasn't upheld , but the school successfully sued him for copyright violation (the site originally had the GaTech logo on it). I'm not sure how to properly include this in the article, except as an example of common editorial for the school. But within in the bounds of GaTech it is definitely noteworthy. And I don't see it said anywhere that it is a work of fiction.Leppy 14:03, 3 February 2006 (UTC)
You know, I'll grant that it does deserve mention in the text of the article. A couple of sentences, possibly near the section on the Shaft, would probably do well to set it up—especially if there's backstory. As for the fictionality, the disclaimer at the top of http://www.geocities.com/gtsux2002/ says "NOTHING ON THIS SITE IS TRUE. IT IS ALL FICTIONAL, SO LEAVE HERE NOW." C.Fred 00:10, 4 February 2006 (UTC)
That was in the same disclaimer (added the same time as the logo change) that says that you are all asexual martians. Leppy 06:55, 5 February 2006 (UTC)
Actually, almost everything on that page is in fact true. Some of it is somewhat exaggerated, but not extremely so. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 128.61.62.13 (talk • contribs) 00:55, 5 June 2006 (UTC).

gtsux

I present the following paragraph for contemplation of inclusion at the bottom of student life. Before posting, I want to get some consensus here and make sure it captures events fairly.

These efforts are not always successful in improving conditions for students. Most notably, an anonymous student launched the GT Sux...Enough Said web site in the spring of 2002. The site proved popular with fellow students visiting the site and also sharing their grievances against the Institute. Within a week of its launch, 4,700 persons had visited the site.

With a reference to this interview with the author of the site. Does anybody have a citeable source, other than gtsux itself, about the author being threatened with expulsion? C.Fred 01:01, 4 February 2006 (UTC)

I thought I remembered an AJC article about it, but can't seem to find it now...Leppy 06:47, 5 February 2006 (UTC)
I went through the 'Nique archive before the interview, back to the launch date, and I couldn't find an article there. C.Fred 18:33, 5 February 2006 (UTC)

Not only is everything on that site true, it was also true 24 years ago. Only differences now: it looks like there are more bricks in the sidewalks and they've built a bunch of new parking garages.

people/alums

The listing was just starting to get out of hand, so I made it its own article. Can we get a good listing of presidents with dates? Leppy 07:48, 10 February 2006 (UTC)

Should the page be limited to alumni, or is it for all Georgia Tech people? I.e. faculty, presidents, current students, George P. Burdell...do they go to the page too? C.Fred 00:47, 11 February 2006 (UTC)
I'd say it should be limited to notable people, not alums. FOr instance, wayne clough (the president) is not an alum. Leppy 04:55, 11 February 2006 (UTC)
Nor is Reggie Ball an alum (yet). If he is deemed notable, he goes on the list also? C.Fred 22:46, 11 February 2006 (UTC)
I think there are more "important people" in the institute than just G-Wayne. What about the VP, and head of GTRI, Steve Cross? Maybe the dean of students? Admittedly, it's hard to know where to draw the line on this subject. Disavian 16:17, 20 March 2006 (UTC)

Jargon

I noticed that the wiki for New York University has a "Jargon" section. Think something similar with definitions for terms like "sac," "shaft," "coc(k)," "oscar," "buzzcard" etc would be a good addition to this wiki? Disavian 01:33, 16 February 2006 (UTC)

not really. I don't think there is much notable "jargon" there.Leppy 12:49, 16 February 2006 (UTC)
I think Tech has at least as much jargon as NYU. Though I'm pondering how to write up Tech Bitch Syndrome from NPOV. :) --C.Fred 01:49, 17 February 2006 (UTC)
That's very likely. But that isn't the standard for notability or encyclopedic knowledge. I would debate that jargon should be in NYU's article. Leppy 16:54, 17 February 2006 (UTC)
You should go tell them that, then. :p Disavian 17:45, 6 March 2006 (UTC)
TBS is something that should be mentioned in this article, at least as a definiton, but not nessasarily in a special section. Disavian 17:45, 6 March 2006 (UTC)

the MIT of the South

This was removed for NPOV, but I can't see why. Tech is sometimes called the MIT of the south.Leppy 13:29, 6 March 2006 (UTC)

I agree, I think that Tech is "the MIT of the South." Disavian 17:44, 6 March 2006 (UTC)
For the record, I wasn't saying anything about Tech being or not being "the MIT of the South," just that it's often called that. Leppy 20:58, 6 March 2006 (UTC)
Yeah, I know what you're talking about - we're just saying that it shouldn't have been removed for NPOV. Disavian 00:16, 7 March 2006 (UTC)
I guess the problem is, depending on who is calling it that, it could be perceived as biased, so more context is needed. If the phrase "University [sic] of Georgia" were inserted into the UGA article, it would clearly be seen as non-NPOV, at least without context. However, I found a ’Nique editorial where a student editor uses the phrase, so I'm going to restore it to the article cited. (Oh, and by the way...back in the day, I had a t-shirt from the bookstore reading "MIT: The Georgia Tech of the North.") —C.Fred (talk) 02:31, 7 March 2006 (UTC)
That's an awesome shirt. I want one now ^_^ Disavian 16:07, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

Drownproofing

I saw the obviously wrong distance that claimed "swim the length of an Olympic-sized pool and back underwater" which would mean 100 meter, which for most people certainly is not doable. So after some searching the net the only credible source I found was this article and it clearly states 50 yards and that it was a multiple of 30 feet. (5*30 feat = 50 yards.) And that makes 45.7 meter, which is more doable. But it still means many will faint when they put their head over the water and thus get less blood pressure.

And a BIG warning! Do not try this distance if not under professional close up watch by a lifeguard. Some people will faint and drown! This is VERY dangerous to do. My friends and me decided to never again go further then 25 meters (27 yard) after several had fainted. Most can do 25 meters safely. But note: You still should only do it under supervision since if something happens when you have been swimming that far you might not have the strength left to handle the situation. (Typical is that some other swimmer kicks you by accident since they don't see you "sneaking up" underwater.)

--David Göthberg 22:39, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

The question also is, how big were Olympic-sized pools at the time? Were 50-yard pools standard, or were 25-yard pools still in use? —C.Fred (talk) 00:46, 8 March 2006 (UTC)

Buzz Studios

I think Buzz Studios is less "student media" and more a club, and thus shouldn't be mentioned alongside of WREK and The Technique. The latter two are established publications/network(s), they're Tier II for student funding, and I've heard of them before. If there was a section or page on GT clubs/orgs, then I'd think it'd go there. Otherwise, it's not important enough for the main article. If it is important enough, then so are the fifty thousand other GT clubs/orgs. --Disavian 17:12, 27 March 2006 (UTC)