TALON Magazine | KSU | SPKSU Merger

SPKSU MERGER
Posted on November 10, 2014 by admin

HEARTS & MINDS BOTH EAGER AND UPSET

Written by Dasha
Jackson
Photos by Christian
Garcia
For four students,
the consolidation
between
Kennesaw State
University and
Southern
Polytechnic State
University affects
both academic and
personal life
before the merger is
finalized.
Some students
embrace the
changes made,
while other struggle
to adjust. SPSU
seniors Jessie
Davis, 21, and
Rodney
Scroll to
Underwood, 24,
say they feel liketop
they have no

http://www.ksutalon.com/spksu-merger/[5/17/2015 5:32:50 PM]

TALON Magazine | KSU | SPKSU Merger

voice when it
comes to the
merge. However,
KSU seniors Missy
Grasque, 21, and Jett Hattaway, 22, remain optimistic.
Davis, a member of a Greek fraternity, will soon have his chapter forcefully merged with KSUs, and Underwood isnt
thrilled about not having his school listed on his engineering degree upon graduation.
On the flip side, Grasque, a member of a Greek sorority is happy to accept sisters from SPSU into her chapter, and
accounting major Hattaway is excited about upcoming projects between KSUs business majors and SPSUs
engineering majors.
When two worlds collide there can be endless possibilities; some things are lost while some are gained. In Daviss case,
he is losing his chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Incorporated at SPSU. The Pi Iota chapter member, as well as
all other active members, will have to merge with KSUs Omicron Iota chapter. Davis has been with the organization for
one year and says he feels being a new initiate, you take great pride in your chapter and its achievements.
It was a forceful retirement of my chapter, Davis said.
An early retirement wasnt a thought for Davis since it was only chartered in 2007, but in such a short time span theyve

http://www.ksutalon.com/spksu-merger/[5/17/2015 5:32:50 PM]

TALON Magazine | KSU | SPKSU Merger

been recognized for many awards.

Weve achieved a lot, he said. Four Chapter of the Year awards for the Southeastern Province of Kappa Alpha Psi; for
the years 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2014.
Davis made a name for himself as an exceptional member by being elected as the Undergraduate Representative for
the state of Georgia in the Southeastern Province of his fraternity. But, despite all the history Pi Iota has created, Davis
is saddened by the fact that they will no longer bring in new members under his chapters name.
Were working on projects to preserve the legacy we made for our chapter, Davis says.

Unlike Davis, KSUs Grasque will be bringing in members of Gamma Phi Beta international Sorority from SPSU into her
chapter. The Delta Omicron chapter at SPSU will have to merge with the Zeta Omega members at KSU.
Weve already been working with their chapter on community service projects to help them transition easier, she said,
adding shes excited about the merge, and has a lot of respect for the Delta Omicron chapter since they helped charter
KSUs in 2008.
They have the same morals and ideals as us, so it should be a good fit, Grasque said. Being around women with the
same values as she, led Grasques choosing Gamma Phi Beta. They were so down-to-earth, she said, and they live by
inspiring the highest type of womanhood.
As a whole, the sororitys philanthropic focus is to build confidence in young girls, and both chapters have been working
together to help programs implement this.
Were excited to gain new sisters and incorporate some of their ideas and projects into our chapter, said Grasque.
KSUs Jett Hattaway says he feels optimistic about the merge because he, along with other business majors, have been
working on projects with SPSU engineering majors through the student-run organization, Entrepreneurs in Action,
which is known as Enactus.
The projects weve been working on felt like the first real collaboration between the two schools. We needed that
diversity, Hattaway said.
The organizations projects focus on informing businesses, including Kennesaw State University, about the benefits of
LED and solar lighting. Hattaway said he believes the engineering students bring a creative aspect to the design
projects and make the organization more innovative. Every year Enactus members from different schools present their
projects to a board of fortune 500 company execs in order to win, and compete internationally. Hattaway would love to
win this year, but his primary focus is to make this organization a success, he says, with the help of SPSUs inventive
students.
Student life has already started to be affected by the merge, but personal life shouldnt be forgotten as a factor.
Mechanical engineering major Rodney Underwood said he enrolled at SPSU because its nationally known as an
engineering school, and he believes that SPSUs name holds more weight than the Georgia Institute of Technology.
My school is known for engineering; KSU isnt, he said.
Having KSUs name on his degree upon graduation is not something he looks forward to, and he said he believes it
decreases his chances of finding an engineering job outside of Georgia.

I will have to work harder to prove myself worthy of a job with a Kennesaw State University degree, Underwood said.
SPSU has a partnership with Lockheed Martin, a multibillion-dollar global security and aerospace company that brings

http://www.ksutalon.com/spksu-merger/[5/17/2015 5:32:50 PM]

TALON Magazine | KSU | SPKSU Merger

on many SPSU interns, Underwood said, noting his aeronautical concentration and SPSUs connection with Lockheed
Martin seemed like a win-win for his career, but the consolidation shifted his future plans, he said.
I would have liked to work in Florida, but now it will be harder for me to be taken seriously, Underwood said. ###
Likes

(2)

Dislikes

(0)

Like this:

Like
Be the first to like this.

Posted in Campus, Features | Tagged christian garcia, consolidation, dasha jackson, KSU, merger, spsu |

PREVIOUS

LATEST ARTICLES
Farewell Talon, hello Sting
Living with Aspergers
The Local Musicians: Balancing Act

PAGES
ARCHIVES
CONTACT
HISTORY
SUBMIT
STAFF
ABOUT

Quote of the Day

http://www.ksutalon.com/spksu-merger/[5/17/2015 5:32:50 PM]

NEXT

TALON Magazine | KSU | SPKSU Merger

more Famous Quotes

OUR OTHER MEDIA

The Sentinel Newspaper
Share Art & Lit Magazine
Owl Radio
Student Media Home
Advertising

GET TALON UPDATES

Receive notifications of new articles.
Email Address
Subscribe

TALON MAGAZINE | KSU

http://www.ksutalon.com/spksu-merger/[5/17/2015 5:32:50 PM]