Newspaper Page Text
4
Thursday, June 14, 2007 | The Hep a Black
Matthew Crayton | Editor in Chirr
nil tom l mndb.com
PNMp Kisubika | Managing Editor
me<iiiiratuib.eom
Bid Richards I Opinions Editor
op in ions (a m ndb.com
Our Take
Majority opinions of The Red (<• Black’s editorial board
Six hours? No tix
New distribution process takes“super
seniors” out of football ticket equation
This fall, most football fans at the University
will have a better chance of getting tickets.
Having fielded complaints from dissatisfied
students for years, the Athletic Association
finally decided a change in ticket distribution
policy was necessary. The new scheme changes
both the time students receive their ticket
packages and the qualifications needed to be
eligible to get one.
The biggest change involves who is eligible
for tickets. Students must be taking at least 12
hours, the minimum number necessary to be
considered full-time, in order to sign up for
tickets.
The new policy benefits students in three
ways. First, it takes the burden off of freshmen
and sophomores, who would have otherwise
probably been left high and dry while their
older, more beer-gutted peers enjoyed baking in
the student section.
Second, it takes out of the equation fifth
and-sixth-year seniors who stick around for the
sole purpose of abusing the old seniority-based
system to get cheap tickets. Seniors who cheat
underclassmen out of a chance to root for the
Dawgs will no longer be able to use their per
petual senior standing to grab the tickets of
younger fans, cheating them out of a one-of-a
kind University experience in the process.
Last, it provides an incentive for students
who otherwise might have other priorities to
challenge themselves in academics. Twelve
hours isn’t much to ask in exchange for what
many consider to be the greatest Saturdays of
their young lives.
The message is clear: have fun rooting for the
Dawgs from the student section, but don’t
expect to screw over younger students in the
process.
Football foibles
F(X)tballplayer arrests help teach an
important lesson:Don't (jet caught
If a third-string quarterback gets suspended
and nobody cares, is he really suspended?
Last Sunday morning backup quarterback
Blake Barnes and tight end Tripp Chandler
were arrested for violating open container laws
on South Lumpkin Street. Each player will like
ly receive a two-game suspension and sit out
the first two games of the 2007 season.
In the case of Blake Barnes, we don’t ques
tion his lack of judgment as an upperclassman.
But with him out, who is going to hold the clip
board?
Chandler, on the other hand, was slated to be
the starting tight end, and his loss will surely
be felt.
But the bigger problem is the off-the-field
issues athletes at the University have run into
recently.
Their arrests make national news and stain
the good reputation Adams and friends have
worked so hard to present.
While we don’t condone lawbreaking, we do
wish the athletes would use the same tech
niques that many of their fellow students use.
Don’t get caught. It seems simple enough,
but obviously Chandler and Barnes don’t get it
because walking down the street late at night
with beer bottles in hand is anything but wise.
Maybe the coaches should use football analo
gies to explain it to the players. For example:
walking down the street with open containers
is like throwing a pass into triple coverage.
But then again, Barnes would actually have
to play for the analogy to ever make sense.
NEWS: 706-433-3002
IM Edßor: Knalan Coular
Sports Edßor Marptpl Crimean
Kariaty Edßor Uandy Rodgari
photography Edßor Ann Afarw
EdßorM Advlaar Ed Morpaa
Rocndtmant Edßor Paarmon Parkar
Oaalgn Edßor: Com Dunlop
OnOna Ednor Paid RuddM
Cklaf Copy Edßor: Lnopay Paaccca
Cartoortat: B* Ramarda
Rom Wißari: Carolyn CAM Omt MPa>
lt MIRn: Jaaon But Tyiar Enap
yartary WAMra Tamara Baal Ann Carpal Chart*
GrWn, Jarmdar Jackson Anna K/akovakt Taylor Hhodaa
Oarka Samoa. Son* Sharan Manana Tapia
Photographan Lanky Duggar Jama Findan. Tykar
Gokati
Rasa PiPgatraAda Lamp Laaka Mnt SamStartrarg
KaaaSkaaan
'.IHTIIH ||[ IIII' - "- T ‘ *—*■ —— ] — 1 —-T -■ ■ - ——q —' ——
MMrtrfßMOf THt<Man)BK>PlMnnyC<npan|rK FMpnrti By furmwr * f *Hm
EdUMbovl •>•* KM* IMM Qreyaon UanWDvn Jo Mum PtU RuM>
Reaching Us
Phone (706) 433-3002 | b\x (706) 433-3033
opinions@randb.com I 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.
Our Staff
Vanity Smngara EkzaOaft Man) f*na Paw Jarmdar
Paw
Photography Strtngara Sarah vraaam
Copy Daak. Danala Huiaa Jtda Norman janndar Taylor
ADVERTISING: 706433-3001
Bludant AdvarPaMg Managar Martdati McKmnoy
Account Eaocuevoaßathai Camay kanaChamovi
Char Lynn anngo Lmdaay NKhotl Amanda Ryan
CtanaMad Uanagar Em Baa Pay
Aovaroatng Director fttk Chapman
ProducOon Uanagar Sam Paard
OMca Uanagar Mary Straub
Racapdontat Em Baaalay
PiMahar: Marry Montavtdao
tka Ran BMca a pd*mad Monday fmupi Friday R< and
pmg ranman mo aacti TruMay arnmn ramaanr asapUot
doyi and aaam panuk ky Tha Rad I BRtk Putaanmg Company
K a nonprcrr oampua 'maapapar not Utßarad mo *
UmanayolOaagß Poakdaddraaa sao Barßr SI Ahana GA
joaw fa,mam Mupaonma tiatparyaar
Opinions
' TttE PRICE OF FteDoM
Summer means research for profs
How’s your summer
going so far?
If you’re reading this,
you're probably taking a
class or two and working to
pay the bills. Some stress,
but not the high-stakes
pressure of finals week
You might assume that
it’s the same for faculty.
Wrong!
As I’ve said before in this
space, research university
faculty do a lot more than
just teach. Today, faculty
members are not only
expected to publish
research papers but also
compete for and win
research grants.
In my experience, teach
ing and research are both
all-consuming jobs As the
Bible says, you can’t serve
two masters equally.
So during the fall and
spring semesters the
demands of teaching often
take precedence over
research, gobbling up all
available time Research
projects languish or move
ahead slowly.
This makes summertime
catch-up time for research,
since fewer faculty teach in
the summer. Research
papers get dusted off, fin
ished and submitted to pro
fessional journals. Grant
proposals are completed
and rushed to the Office for
Sponsored Programs hours
before they are due in
Washington.
New data are gathered
from remote sites at the
ends of the Earth, some
thing that can't be done
during normal working
hours in Athens. And new
research ideas pop up eure
ka-style and are pursued,
neither of which is likely to
happen when a professor is
hurrying to class or grading
tests.
Back to "research
papers.” That phrase may
copjure up a high-school
flashback of a brief term
Panhandlers’ art deserves respect
A punch to the sternum
gets your point across,
or so I believed when
the panhandler whipped
around as I wished him well.
He acted deaf, and I
thought it a keen trick to
double-check after donating
my front pocket.
It wasn’t my move to
hand him the change, but
after three years, I can still
empathize, if nothing else,
because Athens-Clarke
County maintains the fifth
highest poverty rate out of
counties with populations of
more than 100,000, and a liv
ing wage remains elusive.
Yet, I mind the tenuous line
between asking out of
empathy and preying on it.
But technique among
panhandlers, this was my
interest if only because I
held no job at the time and
made an unworthy compari
son. Disability is only one
example In the generalized
arsenal of the panhandler
whether by trauma, heredi
ty, or the shameful streaks
of bad luck that a select few
are accustomed to. Playing
deaf, using dark shades,
waving and pointing all
fair game.
Some stick to a sense of
community. Take double
teams: one person begging
for money while a second
stands by. You pass by them,
refusing, and the second
man Interrupts with, “Come
John Knox
▲
paper thrown together the
week (or the night) before
it's due. Ha!
A scientific research
paper is an excruciatingly
composed, often lengthy
piece of technical prose con
taining a significant original
result. When I taught a
research seminar last sum
mer, I told my students,
"The paper isn’t finished
until it's gone through ten
drafts ”
Exactly one year after
that seminar began, our first
paper has been accepted
and is in press at a journal,
and a second paper is nearly
ready for submission , after
we spend half of this sum
mer polishing it.
Furthermore, one or two
published papers isn't
enough anymore Depending
on the university and the
department, three or more
papers per year may be
expected for tenure. The bar
keeps getting set higher A
research colleague friend of
mine published or submit
ted 24 papers in 2006. His
one-year output used to
take half a lifetime in my
field!
Even so, the “publish or
perish” pressure is nothing
compared to the research
grants rat race. The accept
ance rate for publications at
the journals I routinely deal
with is probably about 60%.
Those are fantastic odds
compared to the world of
grants, where too many sci
entists fight for too little
money. At the National
Science Foundation, the
funding rate for proposals is
g
Colter McWhorter
▲
...after three years, 1
can still empathize,
if nothing else,
because Athens-
Clarke County
maintains the fifth
highest poverty rate.
on, man. Give the guy some
change.” Peer pressure. You
pass the change and end the
transaction.
On Washington Street, I
saw two men nail three kids
in a row before shuffling
their craft to another bench.
They couldn’t hang for long
until the police stepped in,
which would have been
almost laughable if they
could afford the panhan
dling fines.
Others stick to the
basics: work solo, accost, loi
ter, and Joke. One clever
man shoved a few coins into
Rrti&Black
An iHtrprnArni atudrat anvayappr wrviajt Urn I lalvrraily id llmypa roaaualty
KHTABMBHK!) I N9S, INI)K I’ KN I)KN T IMHO
about 20% and dropping.
Ditto at the National
Institutes of Health, where
(according to the May 28,
2007 Washington Post) fund
ing rates for young scientists
are in the single digits.
Translation: scientists
have to write five, ten or
even fifteen brilliant propos
als just to squeeze a single
solitary dime out of the
grants process. Like
research papers, each pro
posal takes months to craft
and fine-tune.
When does this get done?
All year long, but with a vig
orous push during the sum
mer.
Worse yet, that’s only half
of the pressure inherent in
“grantsmanship." If the
grant proposals don’t get
ftmded, then research scien
tists, post-docs and gradu
ate students lose their fund
ing and in some cases their
jobs.
Imagine how pressured
you’d feel if the proposal you
were typing at 3 a m. would
determine the employment
and affect the lives of your
fellow workers and students
and their dependents!
If you do hit the jackpot
and win a grant, your
reward is funding—AND the
requirement to write lots
more research papers. The
treadmill never stops.
So the next time you
encounter a faculty member
this summer, consider this
possibility Instead of enjoy
ing the lazy “dog days” of
summer, he or she may be
dog-tired from doing
research—the part of the job
that undergraduates rarely
see.
John Knox is an
associate research
scientist in the Faculty
of Engineering and an
instructor I adviser in the
Department of
Geography. He can be
reached at
jknoxf" engr.uga.edu.
a fedora hat and shook it in
even pulses, keeping his
scrappy dog on the hat for
attention.
Now, this man operated
in a flooded market against
dedicated competition and
where the single cost to
entry is wearing pants. Is he
clever for more than the
benefits? Is this professional
work? Is he...lnnovating?
Many harbor a genuine
need, so private and public
sources step in: Job TREC,
AIDS Athens and “Shelter +
Care," Athens Area
Homeless Shelter, the work
of Ms. Lillie Porter (“Mama
Lilly”), Leadership UOA,
PPA, and donation meters
lining College Avenue,
among others.
I wonder, though: as tech
niques evolve and as some
adjust to this “career,”
adapting to local free servic
es and such, how do the stu
dents and officials move to
help those in actual need
and hinder those who
aren’t? Would you want to
move out of your Job after so
much investment?
Panhandling, and how it
is performed, commands
attention among us. Not
unlike a punch.
Colter McWhorter
is a senior from
Cumming majoring
in pre-medicine and
international affairs.
Paul Rehm
▲
Advice for
freshmen:
Please leave
There are two types
of people who read
The Red & Black in
the summertime. There
are those with thru ses
sion classes and those
who are incoming fresh
men attending orienta
tion.
If you are a part of the
latter group, I have a little
piece of advice for you
that I feel very strongly
about.
In short: go away.
Transfer or something.
It’s not too late.
I’m sure Auburn would
love to have you. You
could go to USC and get a
4.0. You could probably go
to Georgia Southern and
get a 5.0.
The University is a
great place. There’s a lot
to do in Athens. The class
es are challenging but fun.
The people are occasional
ly tolerable and it’s a gen
erally nice place to be.
It might sound like all
of these things are reasons
that one SHOULD attend
the University but, in fact,
it’s quite the opposite.
These things are ours. You
can’t have them. Go away.
Perhaps you read this
and think, “surely he’s jok
ing. I'm not the type of
person he would want to
see leave Athens. I don't
suck."
Well, you might be
right, but that’s not a
chance I’m willing to take.
In Athens, the fewer the
better. The rest of us
already live here, so go
away. If you’re not a
freshman, you probably
already know this.
Perhaps this is your
first whirl at summer
classes. Look around.
Besides having to hear
about your friends relax
ing on the beach, is there
any conceivable downside
to spending the summer
in Athens? I submit that
there is not.
It's not BAD when it’s
crowded, of course, but it
sure is better when it’s
not.
The adults and locals
always say how much they
love the summers here.
Their businesses aren't
making any money, there
aren’t as many mention
able music acts outside of
AthFest and besides the
weather, there’s no mgjor
difference.
Well, the students are
gone. Hmm.
Imagine this year
round. Wouldn't it be
great? Imagine trying to
get football tickets. It cer
tainly would become easi
er. Several things would
become easier, actually.
Perhaps not everyone is
as passionate about this
issue as I am. But person
ally, I’d rather let Michael
Vick borrow my dogs for a
few hours than have to
share the University with
another 8,000 people.
Others, however,
believe in letting progress
take its course as the
University grows and
admits smarter up-and
comers than it did 10
years ago and all of that
other BS.
Whatever. They can go
away too.
You decided to come to
college to make some
money, and maybe make
the world a better place.
Well, if you go somewhere
else to achieve that first
part, the second part’s
already done.
It’s your duty to
humanity to go away.
Godspeed.
Paul Rehm is a
columnist for the
Red & Black.
Don’t worry. He
won’t be around
in the fall.
E MAILING US
QumHoM' comment* f
complaint*?
uilkAaM
nm wnm
to Mnd thorn:
Letters I opinions@randb.com
News Tips I news@randb.com