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4A | Wednesday, August 16, 2006 | The Red & Black
David Pittman | Editor in Chief
editor (cvrandb.com
Lyndsay Hoban | Managing Editor
me@randb.com
Lauren Morgan | Opinions Editor
opinions@randb.com
An independent student newspaper serving the University of Georgia community
ESTABLISHED 1 893, INDEPENDENT 1980
Majority opinions of The Red & Black’s editorial board
No frat man’s land
ACC Commission veto gives Greeks
little time to find new homes
Although it has been nearly a year since five
fraternities heard the news they must move
from their current houses, the Greek men of
Lumpkin Street are starting to feel the pres
sure.
On Aug. 3, the Athens-Clarke County
Commission vetoed unanimously to make new
off-campus fraternity and sorority houses sub
ject to “special use” procedures which require
each new building be approved by the ACC
mayor and commission.
If the five fraternities — Chi Phi, Kappa
Alpha, Pi Kappa Alpha, Phi Delta Theta and
Tau Epsilon Phi — want to own another house
after the big move away from Lumpkin Street,
their only option is a University site on River
Road. The fraternities must decide by Oct. 3
whether or not to accept the University’s offer.
Ultimately, the University could spend more
than $23 million having to relocate a few hun
dred men. To spend that much money on a rel
atively small percentage of the student body
could be considered imprudent and extrava
gant.
Why does the University feel the need to
move the fraternities off Lumpkin Street?
University officials said repeatedly the land on
Lumpkin Street will be for “academic build
ings” but are yet to define what purpose the
free land actually will serve.
President Michael Adams has admitted the
University was wrong in acting slowly and
being late to develop a plan for moving the fra
ternities. However the problem, and price, of
finding alternative housing still remains.
Any student, regardless of extracurricular
affiliation, has the right to know why his
University wants to render them homeless.
Increase in what?
Incoming freshmen class shows some
improvement in diversity recruitment
The Office of Undergraduate Admissions has
reported about 20 percent of the incoming 5,000
freshmen are non-Caucasian, up from 16 percent
in 2005. Roughly 1,000 new ethnically diverse
students will be calling Athens home for the
next four years.
Organizations such as Georgia Daze and
Black Educational Support Team can definitely
share in the pat on the back for increasing diver
sity on campus. However, the ratios in minority
percentages are shifting. Hispanic student
enrollment is up by nearly 40 percent, while the
ratios for African American and Asian American
are much less significant.
While increasing diversity is undoubtedly a
positive idea, the Class of 2010 is still predomi
nantly composed of white students from Metro
Atlanta.
The University claims this is the most diverse
and academically talented incoming class in the
school’s history but will the new first-years be
able to back up such esteemed claims by sub
mitting to the harsh mistress known as academ
ic rigor? We’ll see how the more intimidating
underage drinking policy and plus-minus grad
ing system impact the supposedly most presti
gious class in University history.
Oi
ir Stan
NEWS: 433-3002
News Editor: Brian McDearmon
Assistant News Editor: Audrey Goodson
Sports Editor: Jamie Cwalinski
Variety Editor: Shanna Ward
First & Goal Editor: Peter Steinbauer
Out & About Editor: Matthew Grayson
Photography Editor: Andy McFee
Chief Photographer: Scott Childs
Chief Copy Editor: Jessica McClean
Design Editor: Andrea Askew
Editorial Advisor: Ed Morales
Online Editor: Thomas Houston
Recruitment Editor: Lindsay Peacock
News Staff Writers: Nita Cousins, Deshaun Harris, Brian
Hughes, Sara Pauff, Aubrey Smith
Sports Staff Writers: Phillip Kisubika, Megan Harrison, Alex
Byington, Sam Steinberg, Matthew Borenstein, Tyler Estep
Variety Staff Writers: Krista Derbecker, PT Umphress, Rachel
Webster, Emily Samuels, Miles Moffit, Sejal Bhima
Photographers: Heather Finley, Caroline Kilgore, Tom
O’Connor, Colin Smith
Design Desk: Lauren Albrecht, Rachel Boyd, Marie Busch, Nick
Ciarochi, Katy De Luca, Nate Evick, Rachel Forbes, Charlie
Gasner, Melanie McNeely, Tara Nelson, Diane Park, Rebecca
Rudolph
Stringers: Joe Mason, Cristen Conger, Brittany Carter, Gregg
Liddick, Audrey Lewis, Marshall Duncan, Sarah King, Allie Petit,
Katie Griffith, Nick Womack, Phillip Blume, Amy Farley, Mandy
Rodgers, Kelly Proctor, Brittany Kraft, Sonja Sharan, Taylor Rhodes,
Ashley Beebe, Elisabeth Parrish, Ann Cantrell, Shaina Mangino,
Sarah Wagner, Matt Quinn, Kelly Skinner, Alexandra Walker, Alec
Wooden, Christopher Homer, Katie Golden, Elizabeth Humma,
Jessica Luton, Heather Meaders, Abby Peck, Danielle Hutlas, Abbi
Libers, Whitney Kessler, Joel Penn
Copy Desk: Brooks Becker, Alicia Choi, Colin Dunlop, Kim
McCollum, Shannon Otto, Elisabeth Parrish, Chelsea Piper
Daniel Wenger, Amy Winnett
ADVERTISING: 433-3001
Student Advertising Manager: Natalie Lawrence
Account Executives: Anne Marie Aycock, Daniel Beer,
Jacob Berton, Irena Chermova, Laura-Leigh Gillis, Char-Lynn
Griego, Rachel Hickson, Meredith McKinney, Lindsay
Nichols, Amanda Ryan
Advertising Assistant: Jennifer Mendel
Student Classified Manager: Liz Cunningham, Candace
Miller
Advertising Director: Rick Chapman
Production Staff: Julie Leung, Eric Lothspeich, Brett Turner,
Rebekah Twiss
Production Manager: Sam Pittard
Office Manager: Mary Straub
Assistant Office Manager: Mary Cranford
Receptionist: Talley Andrews
Publisher: Harry Montevideo
The Red & Black is published Monday through Friday fall and
spring semesters and each Thursday summer semester, except
holidays and exam periods, by The Red & Black Publishing
Company Inc., a non-profit campus newspaper not affiliated with
the University of Georgia. Postal address: 540 Baxter St. Athens
GA, 30605. Fax 433-3033. Subscription rate: $195 per year.
Opinions expressed in The Red & Black other than unsigned editorials are the opinions of the writers of signed columns and not nec
essarily those of The Red and Black Publishing Company Inc. All rights reserved. Reprints by permission of the editors.
Editorial board members include David Pittman, Lyndsay Hoban and Lauren Morgan.
Reaching Us
Phone (706) 483-3002 | Fax (706) 433-3033
opinions@randb.com | www.redandblack.com
540 Baxter 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. All letters are
subject to editing for length, style and libelous material.
Great things in store from the R&B
I t’s fitting The Red &
Black’s office building
sits at one of the highest
points in Athens.
From the summit of
Baxter Street hill, we can
see the tops of the taller
North Campus buildings,
and we have a good view of
the Student Learning
Center and Sanford
Stadium.
The Red & Black symbol
ically watches over the
University. That’s fitting
because we also literally
watch over campus.
The Red & Black wants
to be the definitive source of
news and information about
the University and student
life.
That’s why we are here,
to make a product five days
a week that’s both enjoyable
and enlightening to pick up.
The Red & Black is dedicat
ed to being the best student
newspaper it can for its
readers.
That being said, we are
constantly trying to improve
our coverage and change
things for the better.
Too often stories in this
newspaper go under report
ed. While we may do a good
job covering the daily news,
there could be a great deal
more enterprise in our
reporting.
We’re dedicated to chang
ing that this semester. If
things go how we’d like it,
we will give reporters the
time and space they need to
fully report on story and
issue.
The Red & Black also
wants to add elements to its
Web site that make it more
useful for its readers.
More young people today
David Pittman
“With all the impor
tant stories and issues
we deal with, it’s very
important that our
reporting he complete
and accurate. But we
are not always so...”
get much of their news from
the internet. But while most
visitors to redandblack.com
are not current students, it
behooves us to learn how to
serve readers through the
internet by providing a qual
ity product that doesn’t just
have the same stories from
our print product.
While I’m sure most of
you will pick up the print
version of our newspaper,
there will be several unique
features on our Web site you
might want to check out.
We have already launched
a blog dedicated solely to
Georgia football ran by our
football writers. They also
will post audio recordings of
interviews with players and
press conferences with Mark
Richt throughout the year.
Soon we will start to post
MP3s of songs from bands
we profile in the paper.
The internet also allows
us to give information we
couldn’t print in our paper.
For instance, in today’s
paper we have the schemat
ics of what the exterior will
look like for the proposed
River Road fraternity hous
es.
We are confined a great
deal by how much we can
print in a daily newspaper.
While we trust you will still
read the print version of The
Red & Black all around
campus, RedandBlack.com
will be greatly enhanced
over the course of the
semester.
But our Web site aside,
we are still committed to
traditional journalism val
ues.
The Red & Black wants
to be the watchdog over the
University and the commu
nity.
We want to be the place
that everybody can turn to
for information and news
about what’s happening on
campus.
With all the important
stories and issues we deal
with, it’s very important
that our reporting be be
complete and accurate.
But that doesn’t mean we
are not committed to being
the final source of informa
tion for you, our readers.
If you have a story you’d
like us to cover, email it to
us. If you see a error in the
paper, call someone here.
All the important num
bers and emails are listed to
the right of this page.
— David Pittman is the
editor in chief of The Red &
Black. He can be reached at
editor@randb.com
Opinions section needs columns, please
Y ou. Yes, you. You read
ing this opinion col
umn. Not the kid also
reading The Red & Black
adjacent to you, but you.
The fact that you chose to
read this section could mean
multiple things.
First, you already finished
the crossword puzzle and
sudoku and need something
else to do in a class for the
next 30 minutes while your
professor finishes going over
the syllabus.
Second, you hate my writ
ing. You still remember me
as that one hag who had the
audacity to insult the
almighty West Virginia foot
ball fans.
Or maybe you’re think
ing, “Lauren Morgan. She
wrote that sex column.”
Whatever. Ideally this will
be my last column for a
while but that depends
entirely on you.
Third, and final, option
for why I hope you’re read
ing this editorial — you actu
ally like to read the opinions
page.
It’s more entertaining
than the puzzles, cell phone
texts or (gasp) paying atten
tion in class. You actually
like to see what other people
have to say about a different
topic five days a week.
You have an opinion. We
all do. The fact you have an
opinion is why you decide to
read this section.
We may not all be as zeal
ous as Howard Dean, A1
Sharpton or even Ann
Coulter, but our opinions
still exist and they need to
be heard.
We may not be as enter
taining as Carlos Mencia,
who is performing Thursday
L
Lauren Morgan
night on Legion Field, but
we all have a funny bone
somewhere in our bodies.
We may not be as com
passionate or altruistic as
Mother Teresa, but we still
care about what goes on in
the world around us.
We may be too enthralled
with the everyday freedom
we enjoy at college.
However, we still appreciate
the fact that we have a
whole year of playing hard
but working harder ahead.
It’s because of these rea
sons we have a student
newspaper. The one thing
this editor is lacking at the
moment is enough columns
to sustain the opinions page
everyday.
The Red & Black won
second place in a national
contest for its editorials and
can only continue its tradi
tion of excellence with the
glorious input from
University students.
The opinionated colle-
giates of the University are
a very powerful yet mostly
untapped resource.
About 34,000 students
attend the University of
Georgia but how many write
for the Red & Black? A very
small percentage of that
34,000 see his, or her, name
in ink every semester.
How cool would it be if
every student on campus
was published at least once
during his or her tenure at
the University?
This page will be seeing
some changes through the
course of the semester. We’ll
be having a “Man on the
Street” thing once a week
where The Red & Black will
be randomly polling stu
dents at the Student
Learning Center and Tate
Plaza about different issues.
We’ll also be starting up
an opposing viewpoints col
umn once a week to have a
printed debate concerning a
hot topic.
Sex in the Classic City
will also be back in full force
with some new columnists.
Here is my promise to
you. If you want to share
your opinion with The Red
& Black, I will try my hard
est to make sure it sees the
inside of the red newspaper
boxes dotted across campus.
Whether it’s a column, a
letter to the editor or a
political cartoon, it will be
nice to see some fresh opin
ions on a daily basis.
I need your opinions
folks. If I don’t get them, I’m
out of a job. I could try to
sugar coat this fact but the
bottom line is without any
content to fill this section
you’ll only see more rants
from me and the other folks
up here at The Red & Black
for the rest of the semester.
Please don’t make me do
that.
— Lauren Morgan is the
opinions editor for The Red
& Black. She can be reached
at opinions@randb.com
Lindsey Peacock
▲
One club not
to fear is the
newspaper
W hen I first came to
the University, I
wanted to join
every club that even mild
ly interested me and get
involved in any way possi
ble.
Little did I know that
college was nothing like I
expected.
Coming from a small
town where I have known
most of my peers since
kindergarten to a school
of 30-something thousand
strangers was intimidating
to say the least.
I felt so awkward when
I was attempting to get
involved in various organi
zations that I gave up —
until I stumbled upon The
Red & Black.
I’m not saying that the
looming brick building on
Baxter Street isn’t intimi
dating because I was defi
nitely terrified during my
first visit.
But just like college, it
wasn’t what I expected.
There were no cowering
reporters begging for
assignments from their
grouchy editors.
Instead, everyone was
friendly and eager to get
to know me. I visited with
the recruitment editor
because I had an idea for
a story.
She loved my idea, took
me under her wing, and I
quickly became a proud,
published writer.
Ever since then, I’ve
been like a junkie on
crack. I can’t get enough
of seeing my byline print
ed in the paper.
Not to mention the
other students who work
with me are now much
more than co-workers.
They are my friends and
mentors.
Though I was bursting
with enthusiasm about
writing for the paper, I
began to dread the times
when my editor’s name
flashed on my cell phone
after the first few late
afternoon calls begging
me to come write a story
that needed to be pub
lished the following day.
I would drive home
mentally exhausted and
wondering if I should
rethink my career deci
sion.
Yet, I acclimated. I
began to anticipate the
calls, predict the stories
and deeply regret the
instances where I honestly
couldn’t come work on the
late-breaking stories.
I was definitely hooked.
In addition to my time
spent in a comfortable
environment meeting
great new people, I am
gaining valuable skills as a
writer and a better com
municator.
Most people despise
perusing the classifieds for
potential jobs and intern
ships just to see the per
petually annoying phrase
‘Previous experience is
required’.
Luckily for me The Red
& Black is giving me
the clippings and experi
ence.
No matter what your
major is, all occupations I
can think of require basic
writing skills and funda
mental communication
skills, and working at The
Red & Black gives you
necessary skills.
No matter your interest
or experience you can find
a niche at our paper.
We don’t ask for all your
time, or even a significant
commitment.
Editors work around
your schedule because
they realize you are a
student first and fore
most.
If any students think a
position at The Red &
Black sounds appealing,
come to the first new
writer’s meeting on
Wednesday Aug. 23 at 6
p.m. at our big brick office
on Baxter Street.
— Lindsey Peacock is
the recruitment editor for
The Red & Black. She can
be reached at recruit
ment @r andb.com