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Erin McClain Managing Editor
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Kricten Wyatt | Opinions Editor
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Opinions
Red&BIack
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Our Take
Majority opinions of The tin! Jt Black's editorial board
The packet racket
Leant to j/rotect yourself from
paying too much for class packets
Shelling out hundreds of dollars for textbooks
and course materials has been a student complaint
for ages Now it looks like we have a legitimate beef
with publishing companies that charge too much.
Some professors and the
editor of The Georgia Review
say we shouldn’t have to pay
copyright fees for material
copied out of textbooks.
That's because of the fair
use doctrine — the idea
that intellectual property
should be free to copy for
educational purposes.
The doctrine doesn’t
mean that you can dis
tribute whole works — or
that the writers don’t
deserve compensation for
their work. But professors shouldn’t
be discouraged from distributing the best, most
current work in their classes because they're wor
ried about violating a copyright.
What can we do about publishing companies
charging fees for material covered under the fair
use doctrine? Not much. When a professor requires
an expensive course packet, we groan and com
plain and pay it anyway.
We’d like professors and the University to help us
out when possible student scams surface. We’re
new at this game, and we have no idea about intel
lectual property laws. They tell us to pay, and we
do.
Copyright scams could cost students as much as
scholarship or credit-card scams. But there’s little
we can do about excess copyright fees. It’s up to
bookstores, copy centers and faculty to do their
homework and make sure they’re not charging us,
the customers, too much for course packets.
We need more education about when it’s OK to
copy and distribute material. Right now, students
are getting the short end of the stick. And publish
ing companies are making the profit.
Outspoken women
University doing a great job
bringing female leaders to campus
In the past week, three of the moft influential
women In America came here to speak.
The lawyer who represented "Jane Roe” in the
Roe v. Wade case, Sarah Paddington, spoke
Wednesday. Camille Paglia, an influential writer and
critic of feminism, spoke to students Thursday. And
Monday, National Public Radio reporter and
University legendCharlayne Hunter-Gault spoke.
We applaud the School of Law, University Union
and the Office for Public Service and Outreach for
bringing nationally known women to campus. It’s
fitting that Georgia’s flagship university should set
the standard in highlighting female leadership.
We’re proud to support the effort.
Our
NEWS: 543-1809
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Staff
ADVERTISING: 543-1791
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Reaching Us
Phone (706) 543-1809 | Fhx (706) 548-7261
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123 N. Jackson St., Athens, Ga„ 30605
Letters should include name, year In school, hometown, phone
number, major or Job title or other appropriate identification.
Letters should be no more than 150 words. AU letters are subject to
editing for length, style and libelous material.
Correction
Because of a reporting error, an article in Monday's edition of
The Red A Black misstated University policy
Violations of University rules can result in student Judiciary
punishment no matter how far firm campus they're committed
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I’m not Dawson, just up a creek
M y life has a theme song, and
it’s sung by Paula Cole.
Though I haven't regularly
watched “Dawson's Creek” (real
ly, I haven't!), the show has
nonetheless invaded my life with
a furious, zlt-free vengeance.
It all started a few months ago
when a friend told me that I'm
the real-life Dawson. My first
reaction leaned toward violence,
but then I realized I hadn't
watched many of the episodes
(really, I hadn’t!). So before I
opened up a can, I wanted her to
explain what made her say that.
"Well, you both want to make
movies as a career,” she said.
Since I was 10, I've been mak
ing home movies, much like
Dawson. But, come on, there are
thousands of people who want to
make movies. She was going to
have to do better.
“You have Steven Spielberg
posters on your wall like he
does."
OK, that's true. I have a "Close
Encounters of the Third Kind"
poster above my computer
(damn, that sounds nerdy).
Two for two.
"And one of your female
friends harbored a secret crush
on you," she continued.
That's true, as well. In high
school, there was — no, that’s
too long a story.
“And you have, like, a huge
vocabulary, and it's really annoy
ing."
The proceedings were com
mencing to be downright obtuse.
This incessant censure of my ani
mate existence was amplifying, to
the Juncture I was growing indig
nant. What a bitch.
"Plus, Katie Holmes wants to
have sex with you,” she added.
Well, obviously. Duh.
“And Josh, you stand on a
boat In the middle of lakes a lot.”
She was stretching. I've never
done anything like that. In fact.
JOSH MASSEY?
▲
nobody that’s not brooding on
camera to a Third Eye Blind song
does that.
“And you’re a virgin,” she
added.
Um, well, OK. There are some
things I don’t want to get into
right now — Wait, I mean, she’s
such a liar! Oeez, what a lying
tramp! I get some all the time!
Actually, I'm getting some right
now! Really! And I don’t watch
“Dawson’s Creek”!
(Please allow a short pause to
get my life back in order. Thank
you.)
I’m better now. Anyway, I
thought I wouldn't have to hear
anything else about “Josh’s
Creek.”
She had made her point about
the comparisons, and I had
moved on. But the show just
won’t leave me alone.
Last week, I was minding my
own business when a friend
handed me a magazine. It was
the Sept. 11 issue of
“Entertainment Weekly,” and it
had the four “Dawson’s Creek”
kids on the cover.
“Recognize anybody?" he said.
I looked. There was Michelle
Williams, James Van Der Beek,
Katie Holmes and — oh my God!
(Actually, the “oh my God" stems
from the fact I knew all of their
names).
There, on the left side of the
cover, was Joshua Jackson, who
plays Pacey on the show. And, by
the power of Greyskull, he looks
exactly like me.
In the past, people have told
me I look like Matthew Perry (not
even close), Fred Savage (far
from close) and the kid on that
show “Small Wonder" (unfortu
nately, close). But with Joshua
Jackson, it was like looking into a
mirror.
We even have the same name!
I thought it was bad when I
got that “doo-doo-doo-doo-doo"
theme song stuck in my head for
three days, but this is worse It’s
one thing to not watch a show
(really, I don’t!). It’s quite anoth
er for a show to seemingly watch
you.
They base a character on me.
They hire an actor that looks like
me. And they hire an actress who
wants to have sex with me. It’s
scary.
So what do I do now? Sue the
WB? Change my name to Felicity
and go into hiding? Pose for Tiger
Beat?
Maybe I’ll just head up to
Wilmington, N.C., where they film
the show. I’ll stand up to the
“Dawson’s” people head on, and
demand some changes. Or at
least some money. Or maybe just
the sex.
Whatever happens, “Dawson"
isn't gonna swim in my creek any
more. I don’t want to wait for my
life to be over. I want to know
right now what will it be. So open
up your morning light, and say a
little prayer for I.
I’m taking my life back. Doo-
doo-doo-doo-doo.
— Josh Massey covers movies
for The Red & Black. His column
appears on Tuesdays.
Mailbox
E-mail, letters and faxes from our readers
Fewer student arrests? Big deal!
This letter Is In response to the
Red & Black's stance on the so-
called University police problem.
I don’t know why y’all call it a
problem. I thought this country
was based upon being Innocent
before being guilty.
Anyway, you guys make It
sound Uke the cops aren’t doing
their Jobs, when In actuality they
are. 1 was downtown last night,
and there wasn’t a comer that I
didn’t see two, even three cops!
It makes no reasonable sense
to base all your data on statistics
that are only fractionally reale-
vant. Last September there were
about 60 arrests, right?
There was probably a good bit
of alcohol-related arrests, but
who's to say how many arrests
should be made In one month? Is
there some sort of quota?
If there Is, my rights and every
one else's rights on this campus
are violated. I mean, who wants
to walk down the street and a cop
comes up, smells your breath and
takes you In 'cause you're his
ninth arrest of the night?
I respected this paper until
now. I thought The Red & Black
was on our side, but I guess y'all
crossed lines! I mean, It the cops
don’t want to make arrests, hor-
rraaaay!!! More power to them
and the better off the students
are going to be. We still respect
them, we still honor them Just
don’t tell me that the month of
September has to have 60 arrests
In It! That would be ridiculous.
We are no different than last year,
but at least we’re happier. I’d
E-MAILING US
Questions or comments? Here's
where lo point end dick:
Letters I opinionsSrandb.com
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rather have the cops on our side
instead of y'all.
BILLY THANNER
Sophomore, Sneilvllle
International business
Minorities soon will be
majorities in America
I would like to address what I
feel Is the greatest problem facing
our country today.
White people will become a
minority in the United States In
about 50 years. The main rea
sons for this are Immigration and
differential birthrates between
races.
In 1996 alone, more than
900,000 (mostly non-white) peo
ple entered the country through
legal Immigration. European
Americans have less than
replacement level fertility. If
white people do nothing, then we
will disappear.
Will we celebrate diversity all
the way to our graves?
JONATHAN WILKINS
Don’t degrade my
Atlanta high school
I attended D M. TherreU High j
School in Atlanta. There were i
days when I was concerned about ;
my safety, but I did receive a ;
decent education there.
Some classes were more chal- j
lenglng than others. That lnflu- j
enced my choice of a major. For j
anyone to degrade my diploma i
because of my school's ranking is ;
the ultimate of insults.
I agree with the statement
about how SAT scores are affect
ed by poverty rates. Being sur
rounded by uncaring, ungrateful, ;
apathetic students cannot evoke
a competitive spirit which would :
result In higher test scores. I sug
gest that universities offer pro
grams to help prepare the less
fortunate.
To the Georgia Public Policy !
Foundation, which ranks state j
high schools, you can compare
my SAT scores You can take note !
of the poverty of some school sys- j
terns. You can hypothesize that
this poverty and these low test j
scores are Interrelated. You can j
even rank schools according to
these averages. However, don't i
ever degrade or belittle the one j
piece of paper that acknowledges :
my only major accomplishment :
thus fkr.
AMANDA ROBERSON
Sophomore, Atlanta
Biology
ANTHONY RAY
▲
Ramsey and
police not
doing the job
W hen the Ramsey Center
first opened in 1995,1
worked there as a secu
rity officer
One of my duties was to
check and make sure that all
exterior doors were locked,
with the exception of the
front doors.
One main component of
this job was checking the
external doors to the boiler
room, which are located at
the rear of the building
behind the pool.
Someone could get inside
through those doors.
And they could walk right
into the pool area or down
stairs basketball courts with
out any difficulty.
However, due to in-fight
ing. the security detail was
canceled.
This brings us into the pre
sent. At times, I have noticed
that quite a few of the people
using the facility are neither
students nor faculty. They
don't belong there.
My question has always
been: How do they get In? I
think that I may have
answered that question on
Thursday.
My roommate and I had
just left Ramsey and were
driving around the traffic cir
cle when I noticed that the
doors to the boiler room were
wide open.
It was 6:30 in the evening,
and the physical plant work
ers all were gone.
There was no reason for
those doors to be open, but
they were.
Concerned, I pulled Into
the parking lot at the rear of
Ramsey.
A sign on the door read
that there was an alarm, and
if the doors were found open
to call the University police at
once, which I did.
This Is where It got Inter
esting.
The person who answered
the phone kept insisting that
’’It’s supposed to be open
until 11 p.m."
She also didn't seem to
understand where the rear of
the building was.
We argued back and forth
for a few minutes before she
asked (with a huge sigh) If I
would like to meet with an
officer.
Of course I said yes, since
it appeared that nothing
would get done any other way.
I couldn’t exactly set the
alarm myself.
After about 10 minutes,
two University police officers
pulled up In a patrol car.
One of them, a corporal,
rolled his eyes at me as he got
out of the car. ,
When he asked what the
problem was, I explained
about the door being open.
Then the officer looked at
his partner, shrugged as If to
say "what a dumb civilian,”
and sauntered over to the
doors.
After he disappeared Into
the building, his partner came
around.
He asked me for my Social
Security number and wanted
to know my date of birth. He
also asked about the signifi
cance of the doors.
Once again, I went through
the entire thing about the
boiler, the entrance to the
pool and so on and so forth.
The entire time, the officer
was looking at me with a
blank, stupefied expression.
Finally, after a few minute*,
the officers told me that I
could leave.
They said they would get to
touch with me If necessary.
Both appeared bored, as If
this was a routine they went
through often.
No move was made to
check the building for people
who did not belong there.
In fact, I’m not sure if the
doors were ever locked that
day or whether the alarm was
set.
Folks, this la our money,
and our facility.
This facility Is one of the
finest to the world. Doe* any
one care?
— Anthony Ray is a
Junior in psychology.