Newspaper Page Text
Thursday, June ai. 2007 | Thk Hep a Black
4
Matthew Crayton | Editor in Chikf
editor(a riauth.com
Phillip Kitubika | Managing Editor
meiunnulh.com
BUI Richard* | Opinions Editor
op in ions (urn mlh.com
Their Take
.•1 look at 1 rhat 's hapiienlng on other college campuses
Editor’s Note:
The following editorials were tak en from other college
newspapers around the countrg. The eiews expressed do
not necessarilg reflect the opinions of The Red and Black.
Ticket troubles
Football ticket supply fails to meet
student demand , policy must change
Without a doubt, the situation numerous
students encountered when the money they
paid for Auburn football game tickets was
refunded upset a lot of students.
The situation was caused by the high
demand for the 1,200 tickets given to students
from the University’s 10,000 ticket allotment to
the away game. The 92-hour cutoff left a lot of
seniors without tickets to an important game.
This should change.
The CW editorial board would like to see
these tickets sold to any eligible senior through
a lottery system instead. They should work the
same way student ticket orders do. You should
n’t be able to charge tickets to your credit card
and then find out later that your tickets have
been refunded because of the high demand.
When the tickets are gone, they should be
gone. We would rather see a pop-up saying,
"These tickets are no longer available. The
allotted amount has sold out" instead of think
ing that we’d have been able to purchase them
just to find out we hadn’t later on.
To the SGA: Get involved in this. Students
are upset, and you’ve proven in the past that
you can make our voices heard when football
tickets are concerned.
Let’s get this policy changed, revised, clari
fied and improved.
But the only way to do that will be if those
who are unhappy and upset with what hap
pened this year make their complaints heard.
—Originally published June 14 in The
Crimson White, the student newspaper
of the University of Alabama.
Summer of surge
82nd Airborne serves as useful
metaphor for Busies failed Iraq policy
Since its formation in 1902, the 82nd
Airborne Division has been one of our military’s
strongest assets. However, for only the second
time since the end of World War 11, all of the
division’s combat infantry brigades will be at
War.
Given the 82nd’s invaluable contributions in
past operations, along with the fact that both
our wars in the Middle East are lasting longer
than our involvement in either of the World
Wars, it was only a matter of time before the
whole of one of the nation’s most esteemed mil
itary outfits would be sent packing for duty.
This year, the 82nd has already lost 52 sol
diers in both Iraq and Afghanistan, easily top
ping any other year since war efforts in the lat
ter country began in 2001.
Despite security crackdowns associated with
the troop surge, the death toll in Iraq rose 15
percent for the month of March more than
4,500 Iraqi civilians were killed or wounded in
March, compared to around 4,300 in February,
while 44 Iraqi soldiers died compared to 29 in
February.
Though no one knows the true solution to
the mess in Iraq, it’s obvious that Bush’s new
strategy isn’t getting better results than his
first. And as disputes between Shiite and Sunni
militias continue to raise talks of impending
war with Iran, not even the 82nd is going to
save us.
—Originally published June 14 in The Daily
Tarheel, the student newspaper of the
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
NEWS: 706-433-3002
Nm tttor C<Mfcr
Sports UM* MmNS Own
Variety Bdtor Mindf Rodpirt
Nirtopipiij MW JoSi Wsms
EJMorttfAdvtoar Editors*
Rscrußinsrß Editor PisiMf P*tsr
DstJpri Eddor: Ootr Cwtop
Odn# Editor Fauifett*
CMrf Copy CdNor Lndtoy Psscoc*
Cartoonist: Bi fktmtk
Nsws Wrttors: Qsrs MB*
•port* wipare Jaaoa a* bmo
Mlim Tamm*•.NrCM OaHaaQAPm.
Jam* jaeaaon Ana KrtHmau T*w Rhoto CM*
Cdaata Sen* Stan* mm Tap*
PMopmmn m>|Dipr MafaMr. Ty*r ijalnti Ran*
LauMtHapar
AapaOwpam AAtcaia* LartPl** Saw Kata
Sanaa*
Nana (pagan Aaw* Sana. LtP* Mn*am Aiar Knaamgai
opm awmaaal ai Ha Rap t Mwa Otar Pan Mgnal amonaaa an (a opaaoaa of t* Man ol agnail coAaio* and n nac.
aaaartyfttao of Tha Rad an* Bank Putaaaig Company Inc AI ippaa laaanaa RapwWßypamaaaaaeaPaadtoa
EdkM bond naiXiaitKPrt* Mama* Onyaon man **o*a. nafktw* aaM Tuscan. Joan Waaa Paul Rod*
Reaching Us
Phone (706) 433-3002 | Fhx (706) 433-303:1
opinionsi& randh.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 ISO words. All letters are
subject to editing for length, style and libelous material.
Our Staff
Sportaftrtngan Biadßomuca
mart pmngan fHatwn Mart Coiar HdAmonn a™
Paaal MHarPaiaon
nnoaognpny swngan 9*r* AMc*
Copy Daafc Oandia mwaa Ada Noman Jamdar Tayiw
ADVERTISING: 706-433-3001
til r— ** -—-i- —r~ UandaPiHOOmay
Aeobaad EaacuPnaa. jaort ftaton. Rprtai Cauaai ama
Clara*. OartynnOnago Lmd**y Me** Amanda Ryan
OaaaWad Managor Fim BaaaMy
MaPrtMng OPoctar Ran Oapman
Prodocaon Managar Cam Paard
011c* Managaa Wary SPaub
AaoapPaaM: Em BaaaMy
Pppaaßar: Harry Momawdao
TP* Rad A Mac* a pubAanad Monday Today W and
pm
day* Mourn panada ky T* Rad 1 Baca Panmanp Company
lac., a mvyaa carpaa i npm m* Maan a* I*
iJnaaHPy of Gaorg* Poaaal addnaa M 0 Bad* #. Afar* QA,
30*06 Fa <3330X1 MacnpUDn raaa $196 pa yaai
Opinions
1 ' =3 “ ffiufe&SgSd
l!rV& ti T\® ” _
Hard news important for info diet
Finished the crossword?
Take these two pop
quizzes:
Quiz A:
1. Name Georgia’s sena
tors.
2. Who is Ban Ki Moon?
3. Name four countries
that surround Iraq.
Quiz B:
1. Name Angelina and
Brad’s children.
2. Name four celebrity
couples that broke up this
year.
3. Who recently has been
romanticaUy linked with
Justin Timberlake?
If you didn’t have to think
twice on the first set of
questions, weU, you can stop
here. If you answered both
quizzes correctly, welcome
to my world.
But if you aced Quiz B
and were stumped by Quiz
A, put down your Us Weekly
for a second and humor me.
All too often I hear adults
say that young people know
nothing about news and
current events, and I want
to defend my generation. I
truly do. But from what I
can tell, the adults are pret
ty much right.
The young’uns’ prob
lem is rooted in our insa
tiable need for sensational
journalism and celebrity
“news.”
On some levels, I want to
blame the media for force
feeding us this kind of sug
ary celebrity gossip in sup
posedly legitimate news
broadcasts, newspapers and
magazines.
But, I also know that the
editors respond to increas
ing demand for this informa-
Mailbox
E-mail, letters and faxes from our readers
Seniors shafted by new ticket system
You caught onto my
nefarious plot. Red & Black
editors!
At some point during last
semester, probably shortly
after kicking a puppy, I
decided 1 would stay on
with the University for one
more semester and take
only six hours.
What was my motivation
for this? Surely, it was not
because the two classes I
needed to finish my second
degree were only offered in
the fall.
No, I wanted to be here
an additional semester
because the thought of tears
streaming down underclass
men’s cheeks brought me
insurmountable joy.
I would take away their
football tickets, namely all
4,800 of the freshmen all by
myself —and then probably
shortly thereafter I would
tie a helpless damsel onto
some railroad tracks.
But I suppose I should
not fear. Maybe I’ll still get
£1
Anna Dean
tion, and that’s what is driv
ing out the news we need to
know.
It seems to me that
knowledge of celebrity news
actually is inversely related
to knowledge of hard news.
Take my Friend A. She is
the girl whose main priority
on Thursdays is to get the
new Us Weekly. She plans
each evening around E!
News Live. Friend A knows
absolutely nothing, I mean
nothing, about politics,
world news or even Athens
news. “Now, who is Nancy
Pelosi?" is an actual ques
tion she recently asked me.
Take my Friend B. She
watches the news every
morning and reads a news
paper (other than The Red
& Black) when she has a
break on campus, and she is
completely clueless about
celebrity gossip. She recent
ly asked me which celebrity
named a child Shiloh, which
to her is more of a dog’s
name.
In no way do I exclude
myself from the fascination
with celebrity. I have been
caught perusing People.com
too. I also love ice cream
but I certainly haven't
tossed out the whole food
pyramid to eat ice cream at
every meal.
I recently read that enter
tainment news is like vita-
E-MAIUNG US
Questions, comments,
complaints? Here's where
to send them:
Letters I opinkxis@randb.com
News Tips I news@randb.com
to taste these salty fresh
man tears yet!
Even though you report
ed that the new system
would eliminate those sixth
year seniors from getting
tickets, from my under
standing of the policy there
is no such barrier.
Nothing stops the people
who are taking over four
years to achieve that first
degree from still getting
tickets, so long as they are
hill-time. They can still drop
some classes before mid
point, and then go to a foot
ball game that very
Saturday, like they have
done for the past several
years.
Rftfik&Black
An iaPnsr***l MUHtm prwapppr anrvlaß HalwWt) <* G™*®* *MA**lly
KHTABI.IHHKD IHS. INDKPKNDKNT IMHO
mins you should have
enough to survive on, but
too much surely will kill you.
I think that pretty much
hits the nail on the head.
So, my point isn’t that
you should bum your
library of People, Us Weekly
and star, and TiVo C-Bpan.
Just be aware that this
information is pure enter
tainment —a guilty pleas
ure.
We are about to inherit
the world including its
problems. Our ever-warming
planet is full of violence
and political unrest, and it is
up to us to do something
about it. But if we know
nothing of the world, we are
helpless.
Let’s try to change this
celebrity news obsession
into something more pro
ductive. The next time we
turn on E! News Live, maybe
we should flip to the world
news, or instead of buying
People at the checkout, well,
let's just put it back. I don’t
think there is much of intel
lectual value at the check
out.
Then drive to Border’s
and buy an Economist. And
dare I say it, instead of
going to plnkisthenew
blog.com or some other
source of pure speculation,
let’s talk about the day’s
current events.
I think It’s more impor
tant to know who is in line
to be our next president
than whether John Mayer
and Jessica Simpson are on
or off today.
—Anna Dean is
an alumna from
Birmingham, Ala.,
who majored in
magazines.
It seems the freshmen
will still have to compete
with those upperclassmen
who are here solely on their
daddy’s dime. They will still
have to go behind the stu
dents who have done noth
ing but party for the past six
years and are scraping by
with a C- average.
Sorry Red & Black edi
tors. The people who this
policy excludes are those
that fell victim to odd
scheduling of major classes.
It doesn’t exclude those
people who have no vested
Interest In actually accom
plishing something at the
University.
But even worse, you guys
have made It clear to the
campus which you view to
be the worse of the two
evils, and obviously it Is the
former group of students.
KELLY WEAVER
Ssntor, MaysvMa
ComwtarldMM
[E
Josh D. Weiss
A year later,
SGA Key sits
untouched
When I came for
Orientation during
summer 2004,1
was told of a glorious tool
that was provided to stu
dents.
The Key, as it is known,
is a database of all the
courses offered at the
University.
While not the end-all
be-aU evaluation tool, it
certainly pointed you in
the right direction.
The Key, as it was, pro
vided important informa
tion to students and
increased the accountabil
ity of professors to stu
dents.
If an instructor had
failed over 50 percent of
his students, it made you
wonder if it was student
inability to learn or the
professor’s inability to
teach, especiaUy if it was a
pool of 600 students.
However, for aU inten
sive purposes, The Key is
dead.
After Associate Provost
for Institutional
Effectiveness Bob
Boehmer crippled the
online database of grade
distributions in spring
2006 by removing profes
sors’ names, there was an
outcry by students to
return The Key to its for
mer self.
The Student
Government Association,
under then-President
Jamie Peper, claimed to
have struck a deal with
the administration in
which The Key would be
returned, but under the
control of SGA.
Several months later,
The Key did pop up on
the SGA web site, but has
sat dormant now for the
past year without
updates.
This neglect has ren
dered The Key outdated
and increasingly useless,
since new professors are
not listed and old profes
sors’ data has not been
updated.
I’m curious as to why
not, considering SGA
touted “saving The Key”
as a highlight of its
accomplishments, and
that they pay a student
several hundred dollars
per year to maintain and
update the SGA Web site.
During my three years
at the University, with the
exception of anything
football-related, no issue
rallied students to the
degree that the possible
abolishment of The Key
did. Pacebook groups
were formed, protests at
Tate were threatened and
e-mail boxes were stuffed
with complaints.
After some closed-door
meetings. The Key
appeared to be saved and
the students and the
administration both
claimed victory.
The administration no
longer had to run The Key
and was able to tout its
ideals of academic rigor,
and SGA had finally
accomplished something
meaningful.
Or so we thought.
Because of SGA’s
inability to keep this use
ful tool up to date, the
administration got what it
wanted all along, and stu
dents were left wondering
what had actually hap
pened.
Maybe It’s just a con
spiracy theory, or maybe
that’s why the administra
tion consented to handing
control over to SGA to
begin with.
Should we expect any
thing less, though?
If I've said it once, I’ve
probably said it a million
times in my columns.
When it comes to deliv
ering what students want,
SGA is incapable of pro
viding it.
Josh D. Weiss is the
photography editor oj
the Red <& Black.
He has formed an
exploratory committee
for a potential SOA
presidential run.
He can be reached at
jweiss(wrandb.com.