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8 | Tuesday, December 5, 2006 | The Red & Black
David Pittman | Editor in Chief
editor@randb.com
Lyndsay Hoban | Managing Editor
me@randb.com
Lauren Morgan | Opinions Editor
opinions@ramlb.com
An independent student newspaper serving the University of Georgia community
ESTABLISHED 1 893, INDEPENDENT 1980
Mama Lillie helps Athens homeless
Majority opinions of The Red & Black’s editorial hoard
Full speed ahead
National survey says 2006-2007 grads
will have easier time in job quest
Graduation is more than dressing up in a cap
and gown and soliciting money from your par
ents’ friends.
It’s the time of the year when seniors say
good bye to campus and hello to the “real
world.”
But the latter doesn’t have to be intimidat
ing, according to a new study by The National
Association of Colleges and Employers. The
report says employers are expected to hire 17.4
percent more new college graduates in fall 2006
and spring 2007 than they did in fall 2005 and
spring 2006.
That gives soon-to-be University graduates
more reasons to take advantage of all the
career services offered on campus.
Because there are few feelings worse on grad
uation day than someone asking you “What you
are doing now that you have your degree?”
start preparing now and you can say you have a
job already lined up when you turn your tassel.
Time may be running out for December
grads, but the next batch of graduates in May
can jump on the job hunt band wagon early.
The University Career Center is on the sec
ond floor of Clark Howell Hall. Stop by for a
visit.
Get someone to read over your resume,
whether it’s your career counselor, adviser,
roommate or even your parents.
Several colleges such as the Terry College of
Business and the Grady College of Journalism
and Mass Communication have their own
career services for students.
Even if your college doesn’t, ask a professor
you are close with what you can do to ensure
you have a job when your graduation date
nears. He or she may even be willing to write
you a reference.
N ot all children are
young and carefree.
Below a bridge over
U.S. Highway 78, some “chil
dren” have grown old with
out really growing up.
I never see them when I
travel that highway. But
they are there — just
beneath the traffic, behind
the trees, huddled and look
ing alone.
But they are not without
family.
These children — most of
them 30-something, some
abusers of both alcohol and
spouses, others sober but
down on their luck — claim
Ms. Lillie Porter as mom.
You can call her Mama
Lillie.
Everyone else does.
The lights came on in
Mama’s tidy, pink house,
just off the highway, behind
those trees, as the sun set
one day recently. A handful
of middle-aged men and one
woman, quietly approached
on the gravel road from
their camp in the woods.
Passing a retired school
bus and a cemetery of old
dumpsters, they shuffled
like a pack of children called
away from their backyard
games for dinnertime.
No need to announce
themselves, the woman and
one of the men walked into
the house to set the table.
The others waited in the
pink carport for Mama to
finish work and for dinner to
be served. All this flowed
from Mama’s generosity
alone — some help from
local churches, but no state
aid, no county welfare office.
I had not seen Mama yet.
But, for some shameful rea
son, I had expected her to
be less than competent,
Phillip Blume
despite her children's glow
ing accolades:
“Mama adopted me,” a
35-year-old man told me as
we looked at his clubhouse
like camp, complete with
radio, horseshoes and a
dartboard mounted to one
tree. He straightened up
proudly and smiled as the
words passed through his
lips.
“I love my mama,” said
the woman from the blue
tent, three zippered doors
down. “She takes real good
care of us. And she gives the
best hugs.”
I imagined Mama as
blind, sitting alone in a
shack picked clean by des
perate houseguests.
Instead, I found her
bright-eyed, standing on 75-
year-old legs — still nimble
— in her beauty shop behind
the pink house.
Her fingers weaved braids
and braided weaves for a
steady stream of customers,
all friends or family, who
laughed with her or shook
their heads as she recounted
her history.
“I been doin’ hair since I
was a little thing. Used to
practice on grass. But my
mom was my best customer.
She loved me to play in her
hair while she sleep.”
The women in the shop
told how Mama trained
them up to do hair and,
more importantly, to live
well. One assists Mama in
her beauty shop now.
Another is a social worker.
They bragged on Mama
for her 55 years of fine hair
styling and other accom
plishments, including an
organization she founded to
promote adoption.
Amid her more shiny jew
elry, she wore a blue rubber
bracelet promoting the
organization.
She continued to work,
her white, toothy smiles
revealing how she enjoyed
the flattery. Finally, she
interrupted, pointing with a
brush to a small portrait
taped above the mirror.
“That’s my son,” she said
soberly. “He was an alco
holic. He stayed back in that
tent city. I found him dead
back there, on the ground.
It’s been two years ago.”
It got quieter in the shop.
Only two customers were
left waiting. The front door
squeaked open, and the
woman from the blue tent
walked in hesitantly.
She sat down without lift
ing her head. Then a tear-
filled whisper: “Mama,” her
voice cracked.
Like every good mother,
Mama Lillie sensed what
was wrong without another
word.
“What’d he do, baby? Do
I need to take a switch to
that ol’ boy?” Mama said.
The woman nodded, and
more tears filled her eyes.
Mama wrapped her arms
around the woman.
She really does give the
best hugs.
— Phillip Blume is a stringer
for The Red. & Black.
Student government is ineffective
Marathon man
Professor runs marathon inATL over
Thanksgiving and wins first place
University political science professor Maurits
van der Veen considers 12 miles around Spec
Towns Track a “normal easy run.”
The 39-year-old Netherlands native won the
Atlanta Marathon on Thanksgiving Day, cover
ing more than 26 miles in less than 2 hours and
34 minutes.
While winning the daunting competitions
isn’t bad, he said his true motivation is staying
healthy.
Van der Veen started training seriously dur
ing graduate school at Harvard and has been
running for more than 15 years.
He estimates he runs about 100 miles a week
and is as proud of his athletic accomplishments
as he is of his political research.
For a man who shows such dedication to
long-distance running, it’s no surprise van der
Veen fits marathons into his scholastic sched
ule. Although he could probably outrun most of
his students, the professor finds inspiration to
stay in shape from University athletes, saying
he would like to be fit enough to run with the
cross-country team.
But five-kilometer races are not his style, say
ing marathons are mentally easier on him.
A 26.2 mile run easy? Now that’s the logic of
a professor.
NEWS: 433-3002
News Editor: Brian McDearmon
Associate 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
Online Editor: Thomas Houston
Recruitment Editor: Lindsey Peacock
Graphic Artist: Randy Glance
Editorial Assistant: Katherine Tippins
Editorial Adviser: Ed Morales
News Staff Writers: Nita Cousins, Brian Hughes, Joe Mason,
Sara Pauff, Kelly Proctor, Aubrey Smith
Sports Staff Writers: Matthew Borenstein, Alex Byington, Tyler
Estep, Megan Harrison, Phillip Kisubika, Sam Steinberg
Variety Staff Writers: Sejal Bhima, Krista Derbecker, Michelle
Floyd, Miles Moffit, Emily Samuels, Kelly Skinner, PT Umphress,
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Stringers: Rusty Bailey, Ashley Beebe, Phillip Blume, Ann
Cantrell, Lawrence Conneff, Chelsea Cook, Carolyn Crist,
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Kojima, Whitney Kessler, Sarah King, Elyse Koenig, Lauren
Leighton, Jessica Levine, Abbi Libers, Adam Lipper, Jessica
Luton, Shaina Mangino,Pearman Parker, Abby Peck, Joel Penn,
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Williams, Alec Wooden, Emily Yocco
Copy Desk: Brooks Becker, Alicia Choi, Colin Dunlop, Tiago
Moura, Shannon Otto, Elisabeth Parrish, Chelsea Piper, Amy
Winnett
ADVERTISING: 433-3001
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Account Executives: Anne Marie Aycock, Jacob Berton, Tyler
English, Irena Chernova, Laura-Leigh Gillis,
Char-Lynn Griego, Rachel Hickson, Meredith McKinney, Lindsay
Nichols, Amanda Ryan
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Production Staff: Gary Bardizbanian, Natalie Boyd, Julie
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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.
Phone (706) 433-3002 | 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.
I f absolute power cor
rupts absolutely,
University students will
never have to worry about a
corrupt student govern
ment. The Student
Government Association’s
relationship with President
Adams is a clear benchmark
of how much power SGA
actually has.
On Monday, Jamie Peper
and Matt Suber, SGA presi
dent and vice president,
confirmed they’ve only had
only one sit-down meeting
with the University’s
President in a column. The
two insisted that it is not
necessary to meet with the
president face-to-face.
I’ve also talked to Adams
in person once this year, and
my freshman year I took a
seminar with him. But I’m
not an elected representa
tive of the student body.
So why is it so important
to have these meetings with
the president?
Discourse.
The personal connection
of sit down meetings can
not be matched by letters,
e-mails or phone calls — no
matter what. By not speak
ing on a regular basis to
Adams in person, our stu
dent government has been
unable to gain support from
the most influential person
at the University.
Imagine the outcome of
Josh Weiss
some recent major adminis
trative decisions had our
leaders actually been able to
debate with Adams.
Peper and Suber say their
major successes came from
working with administrators
below Adams, so let’s take a
look.
Remember the Key?
That useful tool that was
cancelled by Associate
Provost Bob Boehmer?
The contents of the Key
are open records and any
student group could have
taken up the task.
If we should thank any
one, it should be Black Tie
Party member Noah Mink
and SGA Web master Cory
Watson who is paid for his
work. Or what about the
shortening of drop/add? The
shorter period ended before
the first Tuesday of classes.
SGA should credit its few
victories over the adminis
tration to the student body.
Students are once again
talking of disbanding SGA
and the administration has
noticed. Does it not seem
strange that administrators
who just last year ignored
the pleas of students and
SGA would suddenly try to
make some concessions?
It is not in the University
administration’s interest for
there to be a powerful stu
dent government, just as it
is not in their interest to
have none at all.
How does it reflect on
their ability to successfully
run a university when stu
dents would rather have no
representation than its cur
rent system? What we seem
to have is a last-minute
effort to give SGA some
credibility. We shouldn’t fall
for it though. Yes, the
library’s hours were extend
ed this semester, but what
happens after elections?
SGA will once again get a
case of laryngitis that will
last up until the next refer
endum vote. It is really quite
a shame that SGA only
becomes relevant to
University administrators
once every four years.
If SGA isn’t abolished in
January, let’s hope the next
SGA president and vice
president understand the
importance of going face-to-
face with Mikey.
— Josh Weiss is a stringer
for The Red & Black.
iviaiiDox
E-mail, letters and faxes from our readers
Teach For America rep speaks to campus
As recruitment director
for Teach For America at
the University, I am glad
that seniors are considering
careers in the service sector.
Therefore, I offer some clari
fications. One, Teach For
America corps members are
not volunteers. They are
paid directly by the school
districts for which they
work, and generally receive
the same salaries ($25,000 to
$44,000 a year) and health
benefits as other beginning
teachers. Two, Teach For
America recruits students
from all majors because we
are growing the force of
future leaders who will work
for systemic change from
every sector, including busi
ness. We currently have
partnerships with Google
and JP Morgan Chase,
where applicants accepted
to Teach For America, who
also have job offers from
these companies, can defer
their employment for two
years. Finally, I could not
agree more with Jim
Richardson. As more than
70 corps members from the
University know, Teach For
America is all about taking
responsibility — to work
hard in some of the nation’s
poorest communities in
order to close the educa
tional achievement gap.
MIKE DAVIS
Recruitment Director for
Teach For America
Monday’s Our Take
lacked research
The Red & Black has spo
ken out against student ath
letes time and time again
this semester, but the “Can’t
Foul Out” in Our Take in
Monday’s paper was very
misleading. NCAA rules
state that if an athlete is
arrested for underage pos
session of alcohol (as Tasha
Humphrey was) he or she is
to be suspended for 10 per
cent of the regular season.
Since the Lady Bulldogs
play 30 games that would be
three games. Coach Andy
Landers chose to bump the
suspension to six games as a
personal decision. He then
allowed her to contribute in
the blowout win against
Memphis (the sixth game),
where she only played 17
minutes (less than half a
game). Keep in mind that
the fifth game of the season
(a game she was not forced
to sit out by the NCAA) was
against No. 11 Stanford
(preseason No. 4), but
Landers sat her out in the
biggest game of the regular
season, by choice. So before
you knock Andy Landers
(who is one of the greatest
coaches our University has
ever had) by saying “coach
es are setting a bad example
for both the team and the
University as a whole,” get
your facts straight.
GREG HOWARD
Freshman, Snellville
Pre-business
Ashley Evans
Look below
the surface
for pollution
A s students here at
the University, we
are fortunate to live
in a clean city such as
Athens, right? At least
that is what I thought
before conducting some
research about the area
surrounding our beautiful
campus.
There are two plants in
Athens emitting haz
ardous chemicals into our
environment. The detri
mental effect on our envi
ronment is nothing com
pared to the fact that the
plants are located directly
beside a pre-school and
daycare facility.
The CertainTeed
Production Plant releases
more than three-fourths
of all of the air emissions
reported in Athens-Clarke
County and is the highest
emitter of certain carcino
gens and irritants in
Georgia. CertainTeed’s
production of fiberglass
insulation releases large
amounts of formaldehyde
into the air that can
potentially lead to irrita
tion or the skin, eyes, nose
and throat and cause res
piratory difficulty, while
long-term exposure to can
lead to several forms of
cancer including lung and
brain as well as leukemia.
Along with the emis
sions of formaldehyde,
Polyvinyl chloride pipe,
better known as PVC pipe,
is one of the major prod
ucts of CertainTeed.
Greenpeace has referred
to PVC pipe as “the single
most environmentally
damaging of all plastics
produced.” Through the
process of producing PVC,
large amounts of harmful
dioxins are released into
the air and water that
could cause those exposed
to suffer health effects
such as liver, kidney and
reproductive damage.
CertainTeed is not the
only dangerous plant in
Athens. In fact, another
plant of similar pollution
capabilities is located less
than a mile away.
Nakanishi Production
Plant is a manufacturing
company that is dumping-
tons of hazardous waste
into the Athens environ
ment. One of which is
called trichloroethylene,
and according to the
Agency of Toxic
Substances and Disease
Registry, it could lead to
liver, kidney or prostate
cancer or could affect the
reproductive or immune
systems. Nakanishi is the
number one admitter of
TCE in Georgia.
While we students do
not feel directly affected
by these plants, the fami
lies of the area do.
How would you like to
be a parent that has to
live everyday knowing
their child is being
exposed to harmful toxins
and resins that could
potentially lead to their
son or daughter’s death?
The funny thing is
CertainTeed and
Nakanishi have been
informed of all these con
cerns and of the safer
alternatives. But instead
of opting for these healthi
er solutions, one company
is even seeking to more
that double their toxic
emissions output.
Because we indulge
ourselves with activities
that are concentrated on
campus area, we tend to
overlook what’s going in
the ACC community as a
whole. But both students
and residents should be
aware of what is occurring
a mile up the road and
decide to help this com
munity by contacting the
manufacturing companies
along with your local gov
ernment officials.
Let them know that
even students care too
much about this Classic
City to watch the area be
harmed by pollution.
— Ashley Evans is a
senior from Sandersville
majoring in speech com
munication. Contributing
Cory Parkinson.