Newspaper Page Text
THE RED AND BLACK
An independent student newspoper serving the University of Georgia community
Athens, Go. Vol. 91, No. 6
Friday, Sept. 30, 1983
News 543-1809 Advertising 543-1791
J-school profs
agree: it’s better
to be accredited
By STACY LAM
KH and Math stall Writer
While journalism educators around
the nation are questioning the value of
accreditation. Uqjversity journalism
faculty say it is important
Accreditation provides a kind of
consumer protection" for prospective
journalism students, according to
Warren /.gee. professor of journalism,
who has served on approximately 30
accrediting teams
"Accreditation provides a certain
guarantee on the strength of the
program," he said “Consumer
protection is what it is."
The process also is valuable because
an outside group comes into the
program to assess its academic quality,
Agee said
Accrediting teams are made up of
half journalism educators and half
professionals in the field. Agee said
The University's School of Journalism
and Mass Communication was last
accredited in 1982
The Accrediting Council on
Education in Journalism and Mass
Communications, which evaluates the
journalism programs, requires that
undergraduate journalism majors take
75 percent of their courses in the liberal
arts and 25 percent in journalism
The council allows students to earn no
more than 10 percent of their credits
through internships Journalism
programs are required to have at least
half of their students enrolled in ac
credited sequences in order for the
entire progra m to be accredited
Programs are accredited every six
years
Journalism educators at Boston
University contend that the council is
too concerned with the numerical
formulas However, Bruce Swain, a
University journalism professor, said
journalism students need a broad
liberal arts background.
"A lot of programs start under the 75
percent rule, because once you get
through the journalism core curiculum
you don't have much left for many
journalism electives," he said But
journalists have got to have a broad
background in order to function in more
than technical expertise '
Beyond insuring certain academic
standards, accreditation is important
in helping journalism programs
strengthen and grow, said Scott Cutlip,
professor of journalism and former
dean of the University's journalism
school
"The accreditation report can
strengthen the journalism program's
administrative hand in getting support
of the University administration.”
Cutlip said
When the University's program was
evaluated in 1976, the accrediting
report showed the need for new
equipment and was helpful in getting
the University administration to
provide that equipment, he said
In spite of the value journalism
educators say accreditation has, only 81
of approximately 300 journalism
programs are accredited. Agee said
"A lot of good schools just haven’t
asked for accreditation," hr said
Admissions won’t
raise standards
By BRIAN BKASWEI.I.
Rnl .ml Black Hl.ff Writer
University officials have no plans to
change admissions requirements in the
face of poor standardized test score
performance by Georgia high school
students
Responding to reports released
earlier this month which show Georgia
among the lowest scoring states on
standardized tests, Anthony White, the
University's assistant admissions
director, said there were no immediate
plans to alter admissions requirements
“We operate on pretty much the
same requirements year after year,”
White said. "I guess if it got to the point
that we needed students, then we would
change something."
White said the test scores were
partially a result of the state's societal
and economic background
“Most of Georgia is rural,” White
said, “and a lot of the rural systems are
not that good.”
Figures released earlier this month
indicated that Georgia high school
students who took the SAT had average
scores of 390 on the verbal portion of the
test, and 428 on the math portion. The
national average for the math portion
was 468, while |jie national average for
the verbal portion was 425. The highest
possible score on either portion of the
test is80u
Louise McBee, vice president for
Academic Affairs, said the University's
admissions criteria would not change in
light of the score results.
"We don't change requirements on
the basis of yearly test results," McBee
said. "There is some flexibility to admit
students from different educational
backgrounds, but basically our stan
dards don't change that much.''
While students across the state
scored low on the tests, Clarke County
students scored above the national
average on the tests
Carol Purvis, Clarke County school
superintendent, released figures
Thursday which indicate that Clarke
County students averaged 424 on the
verbal test, and 473 on the math test,
“I am encouraged that the 1970's
trend of declining SAT scores seems to
be fully reversed in our schools, while
we continue to test a large percentage
of our graduates," Purvis said.
This year’s scores mark the third
year in a row that Clarke County
students have scored above the national
average on the SAT.
Baby face
CurtU Co«/Thr Rrd and Black
Will il be ready when I get there?
Freshmen seem to get younger every year, but this won't be a concern of young
Morgan Baggelt-Clark, for many years to come. Morgan and family spent a day at
the Student Activities Fair outside the entrance to the almost-completed Tale Stu
dent Center. Impressed hy the progress of the construction. Morgan says he'll he
back in — oh, about 15 years, to play video games inside w ith some gorgeous coeds.
If Morgan slays as cute as hr is now, we predict no problems finding a partner for
Ms. Par Man. or any other type of game Morgan decides to play.
Housing, unemployment problems
make ghetto life hard for residents
By HOYT COFFEE
SerrUI loThe KH snd RI.rk
Sophie Worthy has had a "hard life.”
Raised in nearby Lexington. Ga ,
Worthy worked the fields on
McWhirter's farm until an accident left
her disabled Now she tends a tiny
garden al her home in the Brookland
Creek community in Athens
But. like many people living in
Athen s lower income areas, her life
hasn't gotten much easier
Worthy still cooks, cleans and keeps
house During the day. she cares for her
infant grandchildren so her son can
work Meanwhile, she feeds, clothes
and houses herself on a small Social
Secunty check and a SIO weekly food
stamp allow ance
Still, Worthy is better off than many
her neighbors She has her home and
her family, and she recently had her
home restored through federal grant
funds Worthy "gets by."
Jerry Williamson, who owns the
Neighborhod Grocery in the Rockspr
ings community, says Worthy is the ex
ception rather than the rule
"Business gets bad toward the end of
the month." says Williamson People
just stop eating when the money runs
out "
So it goes from month to month in one
half of Athens, a half that University
students and most area natives know
little about
According to Jerry Myers, Athens
Community Development Program
Director, 50 percent of the city's ap
proximately 50.000 residents live in
what is classified as low / moderate in
come areas; that is. areas where the
average income is less than 80 percent
of the regional median
These areas also account for half of
the city's geographical area, including
all the city east of the North Oconee
River and all that north of Broad Street
The area also extends to the south of
Broad Street in some parts Combined,
they form an expansive network of
small, often deteriorating com
munities
The more common view of such low
income areas is that they suffer from
significant social and economic pro
blems However, such is not the case in
the opinion of area residents and some
city officials.
When Williamson bought his store in
Rockspnngs two and a half years ago,
he was apprehensive over frightening
rumors he had heard of crime in the
area
"I was worried at first," he says,
"but 1 haven’t had a single problem
These people aren't bad at all - they're
really okay."
Crime and violence in these par
ticular neighborhoods is no more pro
nounced than in other parts of the city.
CpI. Mel Hegwood of the Athens Police
Dept says there has never been a need
for the APD to take any extra measures
in low income communities
Mayor Coilc further dissuades the
stereotypical image of low income
areas, saying that crime and racism
are "problems out of the past "
There are some problems despite the
positive "general feeling" described by
Coile There are three police officers
assigned to Athens public housing units
on a regular basis However, Hegwood
says the city maintains no special
patrols on areas other than those with
specific current problems
There is clear evidence of problems
in housing During the past two years,
the city has spent about *2 million in
these areas, according to Coile Com
munity Development officials further
explain that half of that money was
spent on housing
Worthy's house is surrounded on
three sides by decaying structures
Twenty feet from her back yards stands
an abandoned house which occasionally
occupied by derelicts
"I'm scared," says Worthy, "'cause
somebody stays there sometimes ”
Worthy's son Willy said he has tried
repeatedly to have the house removed,
but red tape and mix-ups prevent any
action ”1 would like to clear it myself,
but no one knows where the owner is
and the city won’t let me do anything."
he says.
The single biggest problem in Athens'
lower income communities is one
familiar to most of the nation:
unemployment and underemployment
However, there is some disagreement
between community leaders and local
government
Michael Thurmond, an Athens at
torney and member of the Private In
dustry Council, says taht "most of the
problems encountered can be traced
back to unemployment and the lack of
income " He also states that there has
been “no concentrated effort in the past
to combat it.”
Coile, however, says, "Athens does
net have an unemployment problem "
He says the city has “never had the pro
blems, not economic, not racial, not
unemployment ”
He does admit, however, that the city
has found sufficient need in the areas to
justify the expenditure of large sums on
social services such as jobs programs
Please See GHKTTOES, Page 3
Women key influence
in election, prof says
By ANDY SMITH
Hprrlil to Ihr Hrd ami Hlark
For the first time in the history of
American politics, women will have
an influence on a presidential elec
tion, a University professor said
Thursday.
Loch Johnson, a political science
professor, said "women will be a key
factor in the '84 election. They are
more mobilized than ever before.”
And local members of the Athens
chapter of the National Organization
of Women are joining the ranks by
traveling to Washington, DC., this
weekend to attend a national con
ference that focuses on possible can
didates for the 1984 presidential race
NOW leaders will scrutinze the
policies of several prominent can
didates at the conference. Although
members say they are not near a deci
sion, "the chances of our candidate
being Ronald Reagan are not likely,”
said local NOW President Sharon
Hannon
Hannon said Reagan's policies had
adversely affected more women and
children than any other group She
said Reagan's cutbacks on
foodslamps and the school lunch pro
gram were especially damaging
"Ketchup is not a vegetable." Han
non said, in reference to a White
House press release which said ket
chup could be used a as a vegetable in
school lunches
Hannon said Reagan was insen
sitive to women's concerns and his at
titude was one of '^benign bewilder
ment,"
Johnson said Reagan's policies
towards women were "appalling" and
that Reagan was "belatedly playing
catch-up" in an effort to appease
women's groups.
"When we ask ourselves if we arc
better of now than we were lour years
ago, the answers will not be flatter
ing,” Johnson said.
Hannon acknowledge women have
benefited from such Reagan pro
grams as the economic recovery tax,
which reduced income tax and in
creased taxes for child care She said
these bills were only supported by
Reagan because they appealed to
everyone
"These policies are better than
nothing, but they aren’t enough." she
said.
I .oca I NOW President Mary Sue
Hilliard, along with members Bar
bara Kiker and Hannon, will attend
the three-day Washington conference
"There has been discussion of sup
porting a female vice-presidential
candidate," Hannon said "A national
poll has shown that a woman on the
ticket would substantially increase
party support "
Johnson said a woman had a 50 per
cent chance of being nominated, and
he said it would be a wise move for
NOW to nominate a woman
"Women on the whole are better
educated and for the first time they
are making their own decisions,”
Johnson said
African students contribute
broadcasts to homeland
Housing is a problem for low income areas
Sea WaHaa/rV had Rbci
By BARRY L PASCHAL
Spccl.1 u> IS* Red >i>4 RI.rk
Several University students will soon be sending messages
about America to their African homeland, with help from the
radio waves of the Voice of America
Bill Whitson, special officer in the African division of the
VOA, interviewed interested students Thursday for a
program that will broadcast over the government-funded
shortwave network
The recorded interviews, conducted in the agricultural
communications office in Conner Hall, will be aired as part of
informational and educational programs for the countries of
the African continent, Whitson said
The broadcasts will also inform the African students'
countrymen as to why they are studying here and will show
the people of Africa how America contributes to their con
tinent.
The VOA broadcasts to Africa in five languages — in
cluding English. The African students were interviewed
because a majority of them are studying agriculture, the
mainstay of moat non-oil producing African countries,
Whitson said
"UGA is very unique in that it is one of those institutions
that has a program in international development, which
contributes to the training of foreign students," he said
One of the African students, Wilfred Omolo of Kenya, said
his country could benefit from the "advanced, coat-efficient
ways” Americans operate their farms
The 30-year-old graduate student in dairy science said the
advantage of the educational programs aired over the VOA is
that the listener doesn't have to pay to get the information
Omolo said his country also could take lessons from the
American democratic system Kenya currently subscribes to
the British Parliamentary style of government, but has only
one party, he said
“We admire the democratic system here,” he said.
Whitson, whose interest in Africa began when he attended
college with two Tanzanians, said the United States also
benefits from the African students studying here.
These people live among Americans and can see "first
hand how we live and work together," Whitson said. The
United States also benefits from the eventual self-sufficiency
of the African countries, many of whom rely on aid from the
United States, he added
In the interviews, which Whitson also conducted this week
at the University of Florida, the students were "unanimous
in their opinion that we have more to offer” than either their
home country or another country.
The students were asked what kinds of problems they are
having in America. One of the problems suffered by the
foreign students is discrimination. Whitson said, because
many Americans "do not have the opportunity to deal with
foreigners."
To help with this, the students advise others who plan to
study here to “come to the U S. with a tolerant mind ”
Whitson said
Alan Fletcher, head of the Department of Agricultural
Communication, answered possible critics of the foreign
students at the University by noting that the students pay to
go to school like any other student, and most of them pay
higher non-resident fees Their governments or the U S
government may pick up the tab. but that still brings money
into the University,
When the students go back home, Whitson said, most have
become "adopted ambassadors of the American system.”
Whitson pointed out that the Soviet Union recognized the
value of educating foreign students in its universities, and
now has about 1.4 million foreign students annually com
pared to 400.000 in the United States
Although the VOA has to use equipment that is outdated
and has only half the power of the 500-kilowatt Radio
Moscow, Whitson optimistically said they were "trying to
compete "