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I Monday, October 18, aoio | The Red a Black
OmM Burnett | Editor In Chief editor@randb.com
Carey O’Ned | Managing Editor me@randb.com
Coarbwy Hedireeh | Opinions Editor opinions@randb.com
Our Take
Majority opinions of The Red & Black’s editorial board
A piece of advice
SGA’s smoking ban referendum passed
with about 8 percent of student support
Around 2,500 University students can
breathe a little easier now.
On Friday, the results of the Student
Government Association’s smoking ban refer
endum were released: 2,567 students want to
see some type of smoking ban. The verdict
means SGA will now look into snuffing out
smoking on parts of campus.
SGA President Josh Delaney said Friday the
two-thirds majority is likely not significant
enough to lead to a campus-wide smoking ban,
but was unsure what measures will be taken.
So the smoking policies aren’t led ashtray, here
is what the editorial board believes:
1. Put the numbers in perspective.
The number of students who cared enough
to log onto Oasis and vote against the smoking
ban amounts to less than 8 percent of the total
student population. Let’s not go crazy with the
restrictions.
2. Address the complaints.
Delaney said complaints stem from specific
areas on campus such as around the dorms,
near building doors and along the breezeway of
the MLC. If you kids still want to ban smoking,
do it in those places and those places alone.
Don’t put us on par with Kennesaw State
University’s few “smoking alcoves,” into which
smokers must shove like nicotine-crazed cattle
in order to light up.
3. Don’t put an undue burden on University
Police.
You created this monster, and you’re going to
have to find a way to enforce it. The University
Police have enough to do without students tell
ing them they’re now also on puff-puff patrol.
We know of 2,567 students who may be interest
ed in scouring campus for smokers —and, hey,
have healthy pink lungs to help them run
around giving tickets.
4. Wait, tickets?
Though the details of the ban are yet to be
determined, we can’t help but feel like ticketing
students is still on the table. We didn’t elect a
student government to fine us. We already have
government doing enough of that as it is.
We understand it is the job of SGA to
address student concerns, such as smoking.
Gathering feedback from students was one
thing, but it will be the actions SGA takes from
here on out that will determine if our student
government is really working for all the stu
dents of the University or just 2,567.
Daniel Burnett for the editorial board
Mailbox
E-mail and letters from our readers
Mic Man is not
worthy of title
I would personally like
to thank the Spirit
Program for choosing the
most qualified person for
the ‘Mic Man’ position.
Was it the loud, bold
and enthusiastic cheers he
portrayed to you during
tryouts that won your
hearts over? Did his pas
sion and desire exceed
your expectations and
bring Joy to your soul?
All sarcasm aside, you
can bet your sweet bippy
you dropped the ball on
this one! He is not worthy
of standing between the
hedges on Saturday and
surely not worth the sti
pend, which for the 2009
season was between $550
and SBSO dollars per
semester.
In the three home
games thus far, he has
failed to be anything close
to a leader. 'Mic-Man'
demonstrates poor rhyth
mic skill and from the way
he was looking at his
watch in the middle of the
fourth quarter, he did not
even look like he wanted
to be in attendance. His
pride Is depressing and he
lacks any creativity.
I ask you, Mr. ‘Mic
Man,’ to please step down.
To whoever is superior
or responsible for this fail
ure, go and either find
someone that has a little
dignity and inspiration, or
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scrap the spot from the
squad and save the school
some money.
DRAKE MASON SCOTT
Senior, Dacula
Consumer economics
Articles shouldn’t
emphasize fakes
I just read the article
“After Arrest” (Oct. 14).
The contents of the infor
mation disturbed me as
not only an alumnus but
also as a teacher. I feel the
tone of the article sup
ported the use of fake IDs
and said too much about
how not to get caught
with one.
It seems to me that if
the University wants to
change the reputation it is
quickly building about
being a party school and
winning the FUlmer Cup,
then articles such as this
should have a strong focus
on telling students to not
take such a risk.
Why does it matter how
the police handle the
fakes? Underage students
should not be in posses
sion of the IDs at all, and
this should be supported
by all aspects of the
University especially its
student newspaper.
AMANDA PRICE
Alumna, Statesboro
Child and famdy
development
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Opinions
Tue mPTt iH |
—
Do not ignore prostate cancer risk
I’d like to discuss a very serious
issue with you.
Pink clothes.
Real men don’t wear pink.
Yet during NFL games this
month, football players are doing
just that.
Pink gloves, pink mouth guards,
pink cleats.
No, these tough guys haven’t
gone soft. They’ve gone philan
thropic.
October is Breast Cancer
Awareness Month. Pink is the offi
cial color for breast cancer aware
ness, but you already knew that.
The NFL has banded together
to raise money and awareness for
the cause.
Yet, as far as I know, no NFL
player has ever been diagnosed
with breast cancer.
I don’t deny the worthiness of
the cause. I only seek to stress the
importance of another, which is too
often overlooked.
September was Prostate Cancer
Awareness Month.
Odds are you weren’t aware.
No football players wore light
blue shirts or caps last month
light blue being the official color for
prostate cancer awareness.
Odds are you didn’t know that
either.
That’s because the fight against
prostate cancer is underrepresent
ed. Men aren’t as willing to publicly
profess their struggles because it’s
considered unmanly.
But it can’t be more emasculat
ing than wearing pink.
Women have been exemplary in
their stance against breast cancer.
They openly wear their pink rib-
Poor reporting hurts journalistic integrity
When I was a fresh
man, I had the
opportunity to
take Introduction to
Print Media with profes
sor John Soloski. Soloski,
as The Red & Black cov
ered, was able to get
accusations of sexual
harassment finally
cleared from his record
after years of working
through the court system.
Although he succeed
ed, Googling his name
still produces links to sto
ries accusing him of sexu
al harassment.
Once something is
published in print, and
especially posted online,
the story exists forever.
Once The Red Si Black
tweets the link to the
article, it’s archived
through the Library of
Congress as a means of
chronicling our nation’s
history.
The editorial board of
The Red Si Black is cor
rect, a newspaper does
have the obligation to
print stories. But a news
paper also has the obliga
tion to exercise journalis
tic integrity in its publica
tion, because the stories
it publishes have real
implications on the lives
of those covered.
The editorial board
compared its coverage of
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I Jennifer
1 Gilbert
Caleb King's arrest to
that of The Washington
Post covering congressio
nal scandals. That’s abso
lutely ridiculous.
The Washington Post,
and other reputable news
organizations, would not
use a congressman's
dropped charges as sup
porting material for a
story on a recent arrest.
As any journalist knows,
this form of irresponsible
reporting often leads
readers to interpret
dropped charges as
standing charges.
Leading readers to
believe that King is guilty
of charges which were
already dropped, rather
than his current situa
tion, isn’t reporting the
news it’s exaggerating
it.
Exaggerating the news
makes The Red Si Black
less like The Washington
Post and more like The
National Enquirer.
The Red Si Black not
only has an obligation to
report the news. It also
has an obligation to
ensure that their stories
Our Staff
Robert
W Carnes
bons with pride.
We should follow the ladles'
example and learn more about the
disease that is diagnosed in 200,000
men annually. Instead, we deal with
our issues in resolute silence.
But silence only leads to igno
rance.
If men didn’t know to wear blue
in September, they probably won’t
know to get regularly checked for
the disease after the age of 40, as
recommended by physicians.
For college-aged guys like
myself, those days are well in the
future. We’re more interested in
football statistics than cancer triv
ia
Four years ago, I didn’t know
any of those things either.
Then my grandfather was diag
nosed with prostate cancer.
Then my father was diagnosed
with prostate cancer.
Now I know.
Because this cancer is a heredi
tary disease, it is increasingly likely
I will receive the same diagnosis at
sometime in my life.
Prostate cancer is one of the
most common cancers in men. One
in six men will have the disease,
according to the American Cancer
Society. However, it is also one of
the most easily treatable when
caught in the early stages. Because
my dad was screened for cancer
early enough, he underwent sur-
report the truth, especial
ly when the publishing of
those stories significantly
impacts the Uves of their
subjects.
Any first year journal
ism student also leams
that newspapers have
more than Just one obli
gation, and it seems as
though The Red Si Black
has disregarded another
major purpose of a news
paper: to engage its audi
ence.
While it is true that
The Red Si Black has an
obligation to report the
news even if it upsets
readers, they also have an
obUgatlon to encourage
participation from the
student body, and to
admit when they are
wrong.
The Opinions editor,
Courtney Holbrook, has
encouraged students to
write in with their opin
ions. But in recent issues
of the Opinions page, stu
dents are discouraged
from participation.
Comparing outraged
readers demanding jour
nalistic Integrity to
Mussolini? Responding to
a reader who wrote in
asking why The Red Si
Black is attacking fellow
students by insinuating
that The Washington
Post has an obligation to
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Phone (700) 433-3002 | Flax (700) 433-3033
opinlonß@randb.com | www.redandblack.oom
040 Baxter Street, Athens, Ga. 30005
gery and is now in remission.
By the time my grandfather was
tested, the cancer had spread,
making it more difficult to treat.
His chemotherapy treatments have
been fraught with good days and
bad.
No one is a bigger sports fan
than my grandfather. He played
basketball at Mercer University
and coached track and field at the
collegiate and Olympic levels for
over 20 years.
Now simply walking hurts him.
His body is absolutely weakened,
but cancer can do nothing to irxjure
his competitive spirit.
Despite all of the pain, he still
has the will to stay in the ring and
keep fighting.
If it wasn’t for their courageous
example, I wouldn’t know how to
face such a grim subject. They are
the reason for my resolve to get
checked early and often.
Men don't necessarily need the
sponsors or 5K races that have
been effective in spreading breast
cancer awareness. We have a
strength all our own.
We are different from women
and handle everything, from cancer
to car care, differently. For
instance, we understand things
more easily when they are
expressed in sports metaphors.
Ignoring the possible threat of
prostate cancer would be like a
running back ignoring an oncoming
250-pound weak side linebacker.
If you don’t watch out, he’s
going to hurt you.
Robert Carnes is a senior from
Dunwoody majoring in newspapers
attack fellow Americans?
Absurd.
A newspaper never has
an obligation to attack. It
only has an obligation to
report. Asa reader of The
Washington Post, I can’t
think of an occasion out
side of the OpEd section
in which the publication
has “attacked” a con
gressman. Attacking is
reserved for the Rachel
Maddows, Sean Hannitys
and Perez Hiltons of the
world, and indicates emo
tionally, not factually,
based accusations.
It seems as though
The Red Si Black has lost
sight of its purpose, and
is conftised about what it
means to report the
news.
If journalistic integrity
isn’t restored to the stu
dent newspaper, it is like
ly the readership the
students will stop
reading. Without reader
ship, a newspaper ceases
to exist.
With great power
comes great responsibili
ty. It’s time that The Red
and Black starts to take
some.—
Jennifer Gilbert is a
senior frorji Fairfax, Va.
majoring in political
science, computer science
and geography
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