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4 • Th« Red and Black W—And « Friday, October 23, 1992
OPINIONS
The Red & Black
Established in 1893 - Incorporated 1990
An independent student newspaper not affiliated with the University of Georgia
Mike McLeod/Editor-in-Chief
Johnathan Bums/Managing Editor
Melody Willis/Opinions Editor
■ EDITORIALS
Comparing campaigns
Just send us the Heisman Trophy now. No need to
keep Marshall Faulk’s hopes up when we all know
WonderBack Garrison Hearst has the competition
wrapped up.
Don’t think so? Have you been paying attention to
the masterful campaign being waged by the University’s
Sports Information department? These pros have made
Hearst look like the greatest athlete to ever recreate.
They have orchestrated a Heisman campaign that can’t
lose. Hell, they deserve the Heisman.
Faxing updates and promotional pieces on Hearst is
just the warm-up for their trump card: Herschel. No one
can ignore the Sports Info master deed: comparing
Herschel Walker’s stats with Hearst’s numbers. Hearst
is beating Walker in head-to-head competition. And yes,
he’s left Faulk in the dust. If Walker got the Heisman
with lesser numbers, who can deny Hearst his dug? It’s
brilliant.
If only A1 Gore had had such handlers. The debacle
passing for Thursday’s Tate Center rally was beyond pa
thetic. Unprofessional and chaotic, Gore’s appearance
made a car wreck look organized. Buses were rerouted to
Never Never Land so Gore could make his grand appear
ance. Sanford Drive was clogged with people as Secret
Service agents tried to manage the crowd. Some manage
ment. It was more like man-handling as these slick jerks
jostled students around and tried to herd them into some
crazy maze, complete with sawhorses and nylon roping.
What a stunning sucess.
The Gore people had enough time to prepare for the
rally. But, they obviously didn’t use it wisely. No, Gore
could have benefited from a little help from our Sports
Info guys. If they had organized the rally, the media
event would have run like clock-work. No problems, no
complaints. Maybe Bush should have Sports Info run his
campaign. Only then would he have a shot at winning.
Music to our ears
Students often get no respect in Athens.
The University does as it pleases with us, the
Athens-Clarke County Commission kicks us out of our
homes — but take heart, a few folks in the radio business
have listened to us. There is one vote that students cast
in Athens that is listened to: how we spend cur money,
and radio stations have gotten the message.
If your radio has a good antenna, you can listen to an
incredible occurrence at 10 nearly every night. Four ra
dio stations now have altemative/college music formats
for us to enjoy.
Of course, there is our local student-run WUOG 90.5
FM, which is celebrating two decades of rocking the lo
cal airwaves with a 20th Anniversary Reunion this
weekend. In addition, Georgia State University’s 88.5
FM serves up an alternative pallet for its listeners
around the clock.
More recently, WPUP 103.7 FM began catering to the
students’ pop music/altemative music needs nearly two
years ago. Although occasionally rough and amateurish
sounding, the station has filled a gap in Athens radio
and has been a musical success. At 10 every night, their
alternative program, “The Leading Edge,” gives students
the college music they crave.
Now even WAPW 99.9 in Atlanta has jumped on the
bandwagon. A new show, “On the Edge,” has debuted
and offers listeners an alternative format from 9 to mid
night every weeknight.
It makes us happy to be Athenians. Four stations for
us to choose from, all pumping us the music we’ve asked
for. Someone has been listening to us.
Finally, some respect. Perk up your ears and enjoy it.
STAFF
ADVERTISING: 543-1791
NEWS: 543-1809
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Inc. • nonprofit
the Unfvcrwty of Georgia, 123
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QUOTABLE
"Well, Tennessee of course."
- Tennessee Senator and vice presidential candidate Al
Gore on his pick to win the SEC this year.
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Your guide to becoming the ultimate frat clone
Please note: This column is the work of one,
and only one, author. The Red and Black staff,
in their infinite wisdom, has allotted me this
space to write whatever I want! They’re not
even going to check for typos, racial slurs or
anything. Ha! They will be sorry that they
trusted me...
“All right pledge-scum- sit down and shut
up. Now, each of you has expressed an interest
in becoming a Kappa Kappa Kappa man. The
advantages are obvious, so I can see why you
would. I can also see from looking around the
room that most of you have a long way to go.
“To help you along in your quest, I, and only
I, have prepared these pamphlets. They contain
a list of dos and don’ts that will mold you into
the type of person that we feel safe around. You
will be expected to memorize it and recite it on
command as part of your brainwa—,..er..., ORI
ENTATION into our little clan.
“Before I pass them out, I’d like to go through
it and hit some of the high points...
“Clothing:
“DO— You have been provided a standard-
issue white baseball cap. This cap shall be worn
with the bill to the front. You will wear it to
class, in your car and on dates during which you
plan to spend less than $100.
“DON’T— Wear your cap too high on your
head, or with the bill backwards or to the side.
Caps that prominently display the 24th letter of
the alphabet are strictly prohibited.
“DO— At football games, you will be re
quired to wear the official colors of the
University of Georgia. These colors are, of
course, khaki, white and pale yellow with polka
dots.
“DONT— Wear anything else. Anyone fail
ing to wear the proper colors will be forced to
watch a six-hour “James Jackson—Georgia
Quarterback" video.
“Voting.
“DO— We will allow some freedom of choice
here because we don’t feel that any of the pres
idential candidates represent a threat to our ac
customed way of life. We are, however, leaning
toward an official endorsement of Ross Perot.
We admire the way that he cloisters himself
with advisors when the going gets tough.
“DONT— Again, no strict rules this year.
Actually, the only presidential candidate that
we have ever prohibited a Kappa Kappa Kappa
member from voting for was Jesse Jackson- for
his deplorable reference to Jewish people as
‘hymies.’
“Television.
“DO— Watch “Civil Wars," the network se
ries. Observe and take notes on the techniques
used by the photographer to get Mariel
Hemingway out of her pants. You will be test
ed.
“DONT— Watch “The Civil War," the PBS
documentary. We at Kappa Kappa Kappa don’t
like to be reminded of the passing of the good
old days.
“Sports.
“DONT— Play basketball. This once-fine
game has degenerated into a slam dunk contest.
Since none of you can jump, don’t make fools of
yourselves. A Kappa Kappa Kappa man should
NEVER look foolish.
“DO— Join the swim team. We at Kappa
Kappa Kappa believe that buoyancy is the only
true measure of athleticism.
“DO— Ploy golf. Golf is the most expensive
game to master and is, therefore, only played by
the elite class to which we belong. Be warned,
though, that Kappa Kappa Kappa only endors
es the latest in golf fashions. So please, no
knickers.
“Now, I know what you’re thinking. These •
sound like the guidelines to any fraternity.
Maybe, but what sets Kappa Kappa Kappa
apart from and above the others is the tech
nique that you will use to memorize the mate
rial. You see, all Kappa Kappa Kappa men have
the unique ability to memorize something with
out ever actually reading it. Now, get to work!"
Sam Base is a graduate student in journalism
who thinks satire will never go out of style but
wishes bell bottoms would
Men are likely targets for
crimes, violence on campus
■ FORUM
■ The Red and Black welcomes letters to the editor and prints them In the Forum
column as space permits. All letters are subject to editing for length, style and IF
bekxis material. Letters should be typed and double-spaced, and they must In
clude the name, address and daytime telephone number of the writer. Please also
include student classification, major and other appropriate Identification. Names
may be omitted with a valid reason upon request Send letters by U.S. mail or
bring them in person to The Red and Black's offices at 123 North Jackson Street
Athens, Georgia 30601.
The past year has seen a rise in
violent crime against University
students. The rape and murder of
Jennifer Stone last spring comes to
mind. Don’t be deceived into think
ing, however, that only women
need to be concerned. The fact is
men are nine times more likely to
be the victim of violence.
The recent attacks on
University men bring this fact
home. On Oct. 10, a heavy object
was thrown through the window of
car at the comer of Rocksprings
and Baxter streets, ir\juring a UGA
sophomore. Two men robbed a stu
dent at knifepoint on Sanford
Bridge around midnight on Oct. 9.
This followed the Wednesday, Oct.
8 mugging of a University fresh
man as he walked alone between
Caldwell Hall and the Law School
just before midnight.
In both the incidents on Oct. 8
and 10, the perpetrators were de
scribed as a group of young black
men. These are only the most re
cent in series of attacks by “gangs"
in Athens. They usually attack
white males. The victims believe
that the attacks were “racially mo
tivated."
However, I’m not here to talk
about racism and the problems
that accompany racial tension. I
am here to issue a wake up call to
the men of this campus. You are
vulnerable to violent crime.
Common sense and your own in
stinct for survival demand that you
take some precautions.
You can learn a lot from the
women. When it comes to safety,
the so-called “weaker sex" is by far
and away the “smarter sex/ It’s
not uncommon to see Mace, pepper
•pray and body alarms attached to
the keychains of women all around
campus. They’re paranoid, and you
should be too.
Criminals look for easy victims,
often going after people who are
alone. And although most attacks
occur after dusk, criminals are get
ting bolder. During summer break,
a group of youths attacked a
University student in his room at a
Lumpkin Street fraternity house at
five in the afternoon.
So what can you do? First and
foremost, pay attention to your
surroundings. Look around and
think ahead. You are less likely to
be taken by surprise and should be
able to remain calmer if something
does happen. If you are assaulted,
pay close attention to your attack
er so you can identify them to po
lice. Sex and race are easy to re
member, so concentrate on height,
weight, age, eyes and distinguish
ing marks, scars or tattoos. These
are critical ID characteristics be
cause they can’t be changed easily.
Hair and clothes can be changed.
If you see anyone suspicious,
turn around and eo the other wav.
Duck into a building or walk to
wards other people. You may feel
foolish, but no one else will know
who you are. Don’t let pride come
before safety. Make some noise;
yell for someone to call the police.
If you hear someone asking for
help, please call the police. If
they’re just screwing around, at
least the police will shut them up,
but if the person is in danger, you
could save a life.
Stick with your buddies rather
than go out alone. This is especial
ly true if you’ve been drinking.
Don’t venture alone to stagger from
the bars back to your place. There’s
no easier target than a lonely
drunk.
On campus, learn where the
blue call box phones are (ask UGA
Police for a brochure). Even if
you’re being chased, take it off the
nook and keep running. University
police will send a patrol car any
time a call box is activated. Use the
University Escort Van (542-2000)
to travel parking lots. Not only is it
safer, but it sure beats walking.
And remember, the more mon
ey, credit cards and valuables you
carry with you, the more that can
be stolen.
The derision to fight back rests
solely with the individual. You may
get away or you many end up get
ting hurt or worse. Whether you do
or not, the most important thing
you can do is try to make a positive
identification for police.
Wake up gentlemen. You’ve al
ways been vulnerable to crime, but
now you are a target. Don’t go out
looking for trouble but be aware
and try to avoid it. Let’s be careful
out there.
Dave Blount
Graduate student, Journalism
Director of Athens Chapter of Safe
Campuses Now
Racism isn’t to blame
Jocelyn Walters presented a
well-articulated article “Racism
Alive and Well In Local Police
Actions" in the Oct. 14 issue, yet,
Tm sorry to say that she fails to no
tice the racist tones in her own
voice. Why does everything have to
be a question of race? Why does col
or always play a role? Why can’t
things be discussed on a level oth
er than race-oriented?
As long as we continue to focus
on race as the reason for every
thing bad that happens, we will
never be able to acnieve a level of
equality. We are all people, and we
are all faced with unfair situations
at times throughout our lives.
Unfortunately, some of the situa
tions we have to deal with are
racially motivated. But the answer
to these situations isn’t to become
racist in our own words and ac
tions. The answer isn’t to question
every individual’s actions who is a
different color than we are. That is
racism in and of itself. Sure, it
doesn’t rise to the level of the bigot
who hides under a white sheet, but
it’s still very racist. The answer is
not to blame everything on race.
I feel for Walters’ inability to en-
ioy her party but not because she is
black. I feel for her because she is
a fellow student, and I have been in
the same situation myself. I have
been told by a police officer to leave
a party because decent people had
to get their sleep. I didn’t fully ap-
C nate it, but I don’t think that it
to do with my race. The officer
who told me to leave could have
been of a different race; I don’t re
call. All I know is I wanted to say
at the party and I couldn’t.
The time has come to look be
yond race. The time has come to
treat people as people and not as
colors. Unfortunately, racism does
exist, but it doesn’t have to within
me. We don’t have to make color an
issue in all situations. We can’t
control the actions of others; we
can only control ourselves. Before
we can expect to see the lack of
prejudice in others, we must first
see it in ourselves.
Eric Eberhardt
Third year law student
Police’s actions wrong
As residents of Milledge Place
Condominiums, we feel that an
apology is not necessary from our
neighbors. When we came home
that night of September 24, we
came home to yet another party at
Milledge Place. After being invited
into their party, not five minutes
later the Athens-Clarke County po
lice arrived. Soon after, there were
a total of three squad cars. As my
roommates and I watched, the po
lice quickly and rudely broke up
the party. We all noted the irony of
the actions taken by the police offi
cers compared to earlier parties we
had hosted.
On one occasion, while living
three doors down from these same
guys, we had a visit from the
Athens-Clarke County police. The
officers knocked on the door (bare
ly heard over the music) and po
litely asked us to simply turn it
down. If not, this was our warning,
and if they returned, everyone
would have to leave. While watch
ing the police trying to get every
one out of my neighbor’s apart
ment, we discussed the differences
and racial significance of the offi
cers’ actions. We felt the police’s ac
tions were unjust and not consis
tent with other complaints, at least
within Milledge Place.
Our neighbors deserved at least
a warning and didn’t deserve the
treatment they or their guests re
ceived.
Law enforcement is made to
protect everyone equally, but we
feel that night, equality wasn’t a
consideration.
Kimberly Huffman
Holly Gardner
Sharon Garvey
Kellie Orem
Milledge Place residents