Newspaper Page Text
Despite
cost, D.C.
program
persists
By RAISA HABERSHAM
The Red & Black
Though several
University programs are
threatened with severe
cuts, one University pro
gram has seen slight
growth.
The Washington
Semester Program, which
offers students an intern
ship in addition to classes
in the nation’s capital, was
conceived in 2007 after a
proposal was approved
from Griff Doyle, director
of federal relations in the
Department of Government
Relations, and Judy Shaw,
former associate provost
for international affairs.
Since its start in the
spring of 2008, not long
before the beginning of the
recession, the program has
been able to stick to its
core values offering stu
dents diverse experiences
in Washington, D.C.
“The origin of the idea
came from the notion that
to best prepare students
for careers in government
and other areas in D.C., we
give them something trans
parent,” said Don DeMaria,
program director.
But the experiences
come with a hefty price
tag.
All participants pay in
state tuition for the pro
gram, but a $5,250 fee is
attached to pay for hous
ing. Food and transporta
tion expenses are not
included in the fee.
However, DeMaria said he
has had to defer projects,
such as creating new fea
tures on the program’s Web
site, to keep the program
fee from increasing.
“We have been maintain
ing the program fee through
cost-cutting,” DeMaria
said. “We are also recogniz
ing that more and more
students are in a financial
position they weren’t in
years ago. We don’t want to
price students out.”
With help from the
Georgia Foundation, all
participants receive a SSOO
scholarship to decrease
costs, DeMaria said. The
program also works with
the Office of Student
Financial Aid to fund need
based scholarships.
DeMaria said opportu
nities provided by the pro
gram have not been cut.
For instance, students
visited Langley, Va., to see
the CIA Building, and
though there is no cost to
enter, there is a cost for
transportation.
The costs to attend such
trips are funded through
the program fee.
Despite the down econ
omy, enrollment numbers
for the program have
increased.
Enrollment for the 2008
to 2009 school year was 26
students; the following year
the number increased to
36.
The amount of students
allowed to be enrolled is
capped at 40, which is split
in half to have 20 partici
pants each semester.
Spring terms usually fill
quickly, but the numbers in
the fall tend to be consid
erably lower, which could
be due to the football sea
son, DeMaria said.
“In the fall, we set a goal
of 15 students, and we
reach our target for the
fall,” he said.
Though participants in
the program are generally
political science or interna
tional affairs majors, the
program has accepted stu
dents from six of the 16
schools and colleges on
campus.
“We are open to stu
dents In all colleges and
schools,” DeMaria said.
“Every undergraduate is
eligible, but I’m looking for
the best representatives for
the program, not specific
majors.”
DeMaria said he hopes
the program continues at
the rate it has been despite
economic circumstances.
“I see us continuing with
what we’re doing right
now,” he said. “I honestly
don’t want to grow the
enrollment because the
class sizes work for the
structure of the classes,
which are seminar-based.”
DeMaria said he also
hopes to partner with UOA
at Oxford and make the
summer portion of the pro
gram more academically
focused.
J6n “J6nsi" Birgisson, the long
time lead vocalist and guitarist of
Icelandic post-rock group Slgur
R6s, has started to step out from
the shadow of his main band in
recent years.
First there was 2009's “Riceboy
Sleeps,” a narcotic, extremely
ambient collaboration with boy
friend Alex Somers. Now, less
than a year later, Birgisson has
put Sigur Ros on official hiatus
and unveiled his debut solo
album, “Go,” which further
explores a poppier, less “ambient”
territory Sigur R6s hinted at on
its most recent album, 2008’s
“Med sud i eyrum vid spilum
endalaust.”
For the most part, Sigur R6s’
slow, thunderous drums, droning
guitar and keyboards, and very
gradual climaxes have been sup
planted with a more immediate
approach to songwriting. The
mood is also vastly removed from
Birgisson’s main band, favoring
sunny, radiant melodies over
cloudy, somber textures.
True, Birgisson still uses his
voice very much like an instru
ment, often fusing his songs with
ghostly vocal fragments that swirl
like a scattering flock of birds
FOOTBALL Victims
await ‘resolution’
► From Page 1
Borgemister told The Red & Black of his conver
sations with police. “They gave me a lineup of eight
people. They asked me to take a good long look at
it. I picked him out immediately. He has a very dis
tinct face. We knew it was him. He was the main
antagonist and the name the cab driver knew.”
Borgemister also said investigators had matched
clothing descriptions of the individuals, pulled sur
veillance tapes and interviewed both victims as well
as the cab driver.
This entire incident began as the victims and
Borgemister rode home in an A&A Taxi, according
to the Athens-Clarke County police report. As the
victims rode in the taxi, it reportedly stopped to
pick up four additional individuals at 2.04 a m.
After the individuals entered the taxi, they
reportedly threatened and struck the male victim in
the back of the head.
After one of the individuals struck the victim
again, his wife reportedly turned around and told
them to stop. One of the passengers then slapped
the wife.
During the ride home, the individuals also began
making crude remarks to the victims.
“Anyone that slaps a flve-foot-nine girl in the
back of the head is a prick and deserves what’s
coming,” Borgemister said.
He also said his friends are carrying on and look
forward to the resolution of the case.
“Their lives haven't stopped because they were
the victims of a hate crime,” he said. “As far as all
the attention, it sucks. They just want it resolved.”
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NEWS & VARIETY
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specifically “Sinking Friendships”
lead single “Go Do.” But the
emphasis here centers on
Birgisson as a singer, incorporat
ing distinct lyrical phrasing,
accessible pop melodies and an
augmented presence of vocals in
general.
In addition, Birgisson largely
avoids guitars in favor of mostly
piano and orchestral arrange
ments —a sign of his work with
composer Nico Muhly as well as
his ongoing collaboration with
Somers. Plus, the drums are more
prominent in the mix, not to
mention much brighter and busi
er than the usual Sigur R6s fare.
The upbeat "Around Us,”
“Animal Arithmetic” and “Boy
Lilikoi” probably best represent
this exploration of orchestral pop
songcraft, each song featuring a
driving, bubbly undercurrent and
blindingly bright string, piano
and flute accompaniments.
Of course, some nods to
Birgisson’s atmospheric work
with Sigur R6s crop up.
“Kolnidur” recalls Sigur R6s’ sig
nature expansive, bowed-guitar
soundscapes in a formal fashion,
as always topped by Birgisson’s
delicate falsetto. “Grow Till Tall"
Jonsi “Go”
is the collection’s ambient repre
sentative, while closing song
“Hengilas” is arguably the most
minimal cut, with Birgisson’s
voice backed solely by a small
string section.
VERDICT: Don’t go in expect
ing an exact retread (side note:
Research subjects earn big bucks
By NATHAN SORENSEN
The Red & Buck
For those who enjoy
gambling, there may be a
way to make some extra
money on campus, even
without rolling the dice.
A psychology depart
ment study directed by
Adam Goodie, associate
professor of psychology,
focuses on gambling behav
iors and pays participants
S3O for three hours of their
time. The s(udy is just one
of several research endeav
ors being conducted at the
University calling for com
munity involvement.
“Some of the studies
don’t pay, but some of them
do,” Goodie said. “They’re
going on all the time.”
Participants could be
paid anywhere from a few
dollars to thousands of dol
lars, though the studies
that pay high amounts are
rare and often rigorous,
Goodie said.
“Any study that pays a
lot of money, you are really
earning it,” he said.
He gave an example of a
study in kinesiology that
paid athletes significant
amounts of money to
The Red a Buck | Wednesday, April 7, 2010
undergo extreme physical
activity for months on end.
University researchers
typically conduct their
studies using grant money
to pay participants.
One participant, Sarah
Bourke, a junior from
Chapel Hill, N.C., volun
teered for several paid
studies which were con
ducted her freshman year.
“I thought it was a good
way for students to make
some extra money,” Bourke
said.
But researchers have a
lot to consider when it
comes to paying volunteers
for their research.
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this is not supposed to say
‘retreat’) of Sigur Ros’ estab
lished style, and “Go” reveals
itself to be a worthwhile, refresh
ingly immediate and consistently
beautiful album.
John Barrett
“There are federal laws
we are complying with that
are consistent with U.N.
resolutions and interna
tional law,” Goodie said.
For example, he said
paying participants too
much money for involve
ment may be considered
coercive.
Another aspect of paid
studies researchers are
looking out for is the verac
ity of a participant’s intent.
“There is absolutely
nothing to keep partici
pants from lying,” Goodie
said. “But usually people
are conscientious and want
to help the research.”
3