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4 | Tuesday, January 8, 20021 The Red & Black
Samira Jafari | Editor in Chief
editor@randb.com
Kathleen Baydala | Managing Editor
me@randb.com
Jaime Sarrio | Opinions Editor
opinions@randb.com
Opinions
■ESTABLISHED 1893, INDEPENDENT 1980
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Majority opinions of The Red <£• Black’s editorial board
Minority motivation
University's minority enrollment
program should rise to challenge
Enrollment statistics show minority enroll
ment at the University ranks low compared
with other colleges in the state.
Black student enrollment at the University
was less than 6 percent, while other universi
ties in Atlanta like Georgia State and Georgia
Tech reported black enrollment at 27 percent
and 8 percent, respectively.
Georgia Southern University located in
Valdosta reported black enrollment at 25 per
cent.
The University’s low ranking should not dis
courage recruitment efforts rather, it should
motivate University officials to continue what
appears to be an effective diversity plan.
In so many arenas this university is the best
in the state.
Our football program is top-notch because
we invested great efforts to make it that way.
Our SAT scores and academic programs are
some of the best in the country because we
have concentrated on improving them.
If we, students, faculty and staff, decide that
we want to have competitive minority num
bers, we can achieve that goal.
All accounts show us moving in the right
direction. Our strong academic and athletics
programs will help us in our recruitment
efforts.
We have more to offer students of any race
than any other university in the state.
If we make minority recruitment a priority, if
we go to high schools and seek out these
bright young minds, we can conquer this
important task and move on to the next.
Other universities have issued the challenge,
now it is up to us to accept.
Last call for license
Moratorium on liquor licenses will
?wt eliminate retail stores'problems
County commissioners may have to vote on
a moratorium which could prevent new bars
moving into the downtown area from obtain
ing a liquor license.
Retailers claim that the increasing number
of bars — and the garbage and stench that
they produce — are hampering retail business
es.
Many bars open every year, and while some
of them close due to poor business, the
demand for bars and an active nightlife scene
support many new and established businesses.
Undoubtedly, the unique retail shops located
downtown play an important role in the overall
ambiance. The bars support their existence by
exposing dozens of people to their location.
Just as it would be unfair to deny prospec
tive retailers a location downtown, it would be
unfair to prevent bar owners from creating
new establishments if they have the capital.
A moratorium is not the answer to down
town waste problems. Even if new bars are not
allowed to open, old ones will still be allowed
to conduct business as usual and waste prob
lem will persist.
The commission needs to get to the root of
the problem by enforcing stricter environmen
tal regulations on bars.
We could all benefit from a cleaner Athens.
OurStaff
_. 'V'kO
MACK ^
Our generation needs challenges
W e’re not doing enough.
It’s four months later
and as I start the last
semester of my college career
faced with one of the biggest
tragedies in American histo
ry, I can’t shake this feeling
that not enough is being
done to help this cause.
I stop and look around
evepr now and then wherever
I might be, and it almost
seems like not that much has
changed.
I almost think that some
people still consider the
Sept. 11 attacks as some
thing that happened else
where, all the way up there in
the North.
It seems like it would take
an attack in the South to
hammer home the magni
tude of what really happened
that day.
Well, we can’t let this kind
of attitude permeate our
town and, on a grander scale,
our generation.
It’s come to the point
where we need to do more.
I mean, what have we
really been asked to do these
last four months? Fly?
Travel? Go out? Spend
money? Is this all that our
leaders expect from us?
Surely, we can handle
more profound orders than
these.
I can’t help but think that
the people in positions of
power and leadership are
greatly underestimating our
generation when we’re more
committed, passionate and
angry than we’ve ever been
in our entire lives.
Our leaders finally have us
right where they want us and
Patrick Saunders
they’re squandering a giant
opportunity to use us to our
fullest potential.
I often wonder what can
be done. I’ve read about how
our reliance on oil from the
Middle East is one of the
main reasons we get caught
up in so much of the turmoil
associated with that area.
What if we didn’t have to
rely on them as much?
OK, then tell us to
decrease the time we spend
driving in cars.
Tell us to carpool, to walk.
Wouldn’t all of us go along
with this if we knew it would
in some way be helping this
cause?
This is just one idea that
might or might not make any
difference, but at least it’s an
idea to consider when all we
know to do is hang a flag and
buy the soundtrack to a ben
efit telethon.
I’m reminded, as I usually
am, of a quote from a movie
in this case, “The American
President.”
It’s probably the lamest
scene in the movie, but it
works in this context.
The character of Lewis
Rothchild, played by Michael
J. Fox, says to the president,
“People want leadership...
and in the absence of gen
uine leadership, they’ll listen
to anyone who steps up to
the microphone.
“They want leadership.
They’re so thirsty for it they’ll
crawl through the desert
toward a mirage, and when
they discover there’s no
water, they’ll drink the sand.”
Well, let’s just say I’ve
been picking cactus needles
out of my butt and coughing
up sand castles for the past
few months.
This isn’t an indictment of
President Bush in particular
(although it starts with him)
or any other certain leader.
It’s more an expression of
frustration at any and all
elected or non-elected lead
ers for not asking more of us
as a generation that is so
eager to prove itself at a time
when we’re most needed.
We’re entering a spring
semester at a university
unlike any other and we have
to remember why that is so.
Of course we can still
enjoy ourselves — have a
beer after class, walk bare
foot on the North Campus
quads, hit on each other
downtown.
No one’s asking us to stop
doing these things, and they
shouldn’t.
It’s what else they’re not
asking us to do that makes
me more frustrated with
each passing day, week and
month since that dark
Tuesday morning.
— Patrick Saunders is a
senior in telecommunica
tions.
Gator leaves open spot in the swamp
I t was a long week. For
starters I was stuck in
Atlanta after the new year
thanks to the snow that cov
ered Georgia, and couldn’t
return to Savannah before
classes started.
I was surprised that
Georgia got multiple inches
of snow, but not shocked.
Then I returned to my
half-empty apartment.
No, I didn’t get robbed,
but my roommate (and one
of my best friends) decided
that four-and-a-half years of
college was enough so she
graduated and left town.
And yes, I’ll admit that it
was tough and I was sad to
see her go, but I wasn’t
shocked by it either.
Then, I heard the news
from a friend and thought it
was a joke.
I checked the Internet,
then turned on ESPN.
I almost choked, and I
wasn’t even eating anything.
This time truly was shocked.
No one saw this coming,
especially now.
Steve Spurrier had just
resigned from the University
of Florida.
The coach everyone loved
to hate, packed up his visors
and fun-n-gun offense and
decided to turn pro.
Spurrier, who is (or was)
undoubtedly the best college
football coach in the nation,
turned Florida from a talent
ed, yet underachieving pro
gram, to a dynasty of its own.
He revolutionized the
game with a passing offense
that routinely scored more
points than the Hawks did at
some of their games.
He wasn’t well-liked, nor
did he care.
He was the first coach to
score 50 points between the
hedges just because no one
had done it before and he
wanted to be the first.
He was the first Heisman
John Bernstein
trophy winner to coach
another Heisman winner.
He had a winning record
against ALL other SEC
teams (11-1 being his best
record, coming against our
Bulldogs).
And if that’s not enough
the man even won at Duke.
The same Duke that’s vir
tually gone winless this cen
tury.
As much as you might
hate the man, you can’t help
but be in awe of what he’s
accomplished.
More than 100 wins with
one team in such a short
period of time is unheard of.
Sure he’s smug and his
ego is bigger that the Swamp
itself.
Take the resignation
announcement.
Any press aimed towards
Miami quickly shifted north
towards Gainesville. Miami
wins the national champi
onship and now gets shipped
to the second page.
Yes, hate him if you must,
but the man can flat out
coach.
But if he wants a new
challenge, he’s going to get it
in the NFL.
It will be a strange sight to
go down to Jacksonville and
not see the Evil Genius on
the Gator sidelines.
There’s no coach
Bulldogs epjoyed bashing
more, and certainly there’s
no replacement.
Phillip Fulmer? Nope, he
just wears too much orange.
Chan Gailey? Nah, he has
no personality, and we all
know he won’t win anything
significant for the nerds.
Even if a Stoops or
Shanahan caliber coach
comes to Gainesville, it just
won’t be the same.
Spurrier’s resignation will
definitely help the Dawgs
have a chance to get to the
next level in the SEC.
If the Gators can’t land
the big name coach they’re
looking for, Mark Richt
should be able to snag some
of the talent wavering from
Gainesville and he might
finally be able to take the
Dawgs to the Georgia Dome
in December a year or two
from now.
It’s hard to predict what
, impact Coach Superior’s
leaving will have on Florida,
but as a Bulldog fan I can’t
feel sorry for them.
They’ve had their fun for
too long and it’s time for
someone else to have a turn.
And that someone else
isn’t going to be wearing any
shade of orange.
Florida still might be a
dominant program, but they
definitely won’t have the
same program Bulldog fans
have grown to hate.
And that’s all because the
man that made Florida foot
ball has left the swamp for
good.
— Josh Bernstein is a
senior in advertising.
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James Hobson
▲
Bars, greeks
ranked best
in Athens
A t the end of the year, we
are bombarded with
lists from the media
picking best and worst of
the previous year.
So, I thought it appro
priate to compile my own
“Best and Worst of Athens”
list. I figured three years
at the University qualifies
me to be an authority on
the Athens scene.
So, without further ado
(drum roll please)...
The Best:
1. Best bars in America.
Athens is world famous
for its bars. I mean Girls
Gone Wild and Bubba
Sparxxx even came here.
Who’s next, N’Sync?
2. Best looking women.
Georgia Southern wants
our women because they’re
clean. Florida wants our
women because they’re not
thugs. Georgia Tech would
take anyone’s women, but
our University got ‘eih.
Our women are classy,
smart, funny and absolute
ly gorgeous.
Tuition is worth paying
just for the eye candy on
campus.
3. Best school spirit.
Is there a car in Athens
without a Georgia “G” or
Bulldawg sticker?
If there is, they should
be towed just for that.
4. Best people.
Strangers are always
nice to each other in
Athens. I’ve never seen a
person in trouble that did
n’t have a crowd of fellow
Athenians offering help.
5. Best Greek system.
Our Greeks throw kick
ing cookouts and make a
lot of money for charity.
They also give freshman
a lot of much needed social
experience, teaching them
how to handle the drama
of a soap opera (Ugh, can
you believe she joined that
sorority?).
6. Best game day.
Saturdays in the fall
always will be the reason
the University is on the
map, no matter how much
the average SAT for fresh
man increases.
7. Best campus.
Beautiful North Campus
is tranquil and peaceful.
I’ve spent many an
afternoon on the lush
green lawns around New
College, napping my cares
away.
Tom Green apparently
liked it too. Now anytime I
want to reminisce I just
pop in “Road Trip” on DVD
and hit pause.
The Worst:
1. Worst traffic outside
Atlanta.
Get out of my lane or
find the gas pedal! Why
does everyone go to class
at the same time?
2. Worst parking.
We need more parking
maids giving tickets on
campus; paying tuition and
books aren’t enough to
make me naked and home
less.
If I get another ticket, I
will have paid for two foot
ball players’ scholarships.
3. Worst job market.
I have three years of
college, and I still made
more money in high school!
Where are all the jobs
for brilliant, struggling col
lege students with bills up
the wazoo?
I know calculus and
physics for goodness sake.
4. Worst Greek system.
When the first question
people ask at a bar is
“What fratemity/sorority
are you in?” then you know
it’s gone too far.
Why not ask their name
first?
5. Worst spring break.
Second week in March?
Why not just call it what it
is “Winter Break II.”
Do everyone a favor and
either buy us all plane tick
ets to Cancun or change it
to April.
Well, there it is in all its
splendor, the best and
worst of Athens. Hope you
enjoyed!
— James Hobson is a
junior in cognitive science.