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4 Wednesday, November a, aoxo 1 The Red * Black DmW linMtt | Editor in Chief edltoroirandbcom Cam O'fWl | Managing Editor me@mndb.eotn Cawtouy Hotbraok | Opinions Editor opinionß@randb.eom Our Take Majority opinions of The Red & Black’s editorial board It’s not over yet This election season has been a wild ride so far, but we're not quite done. It’s down to two. Athens’ mayoral race is headed for a runoff between Nancy Denson and Owen O’Looney. The editorial board encourages everyone eligi ble to vote in the mayoral runoff to keep paying attention. Denson and O’Looney may not know all your names, but your votes could make the differ ence in deciding who will take over from Heidi Davison as Athens’ next mayor. As students about to enter the real world, it’s essential to pay attention to our elected offi cials and keep them accountable. To all newly elected politicians around the state we hope you’ll think of this University and its educational needs from day one when you enter the doors of the Capitol. To all student voters good job. You exer cised your Constitutional right. No matter the personal meaning of the election, or your own political disagreements, every University stu dent has a civic duty to punch in his or her electronic opinion. Now you have the right to complain about any possible missteps these politicians take during the next few years. To all those who didn’t vote make up for it on Nov. 30. We still need a mayor. Courtney Holbrook for the editorial board Rally gave crowd a sense of resolve I decided to make a last minute trip to Washington, D.C., to attend Jon Btewart and Stephen Colbert’s “Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Pear.” I won't go into details about the lineup of the event itself. Instead, I would like to discuss the purpose and message of the event. I’ve been a member of large crowds in D.C. before, the largest of which being the 2001 inau guration of President Bush. I’ve been to stand ing room-only concerts, endured jam-packed sub way cars and driven on 1-285 in Atlanta during five o’clock rush hour. You know what I mean those situations that bring out the worst in peo ple. So, I went into this rally expecting the usual shov ing and dirty looks, litter ing and general lack of respect found in large crowds. And I’m proud to say I was completely wrong. The point of the rally was to restore sanity in the media to make all sides of the political argu ment accountable for what they say and how they present their facts. The message of mutual responsibility and accountability permeated the entire event. I watched as complete strangers took the time to talk to each other. One of my friends became ill, and immediately people start ed pulling water out of their bags, making their offerings without hesita tion. In the 45-minute wait for the bathrooms, people let those with special needs cut to the front of the line. At the end, tour ists picked up trash that wasn’t even theirs in an effort to leave the National Mall cleaner than when we got there. “We hear every damned day about how fragile our country is, on the brink of catastrophe, tom by polar izing hate, and how it’s a shame that we can’t work together to get things done. The truth is, we do! We work together to get Opnora tg/MMi r TANARUS? Ml 6ta* an t oenonteri tw ownanjnol rwcmaa, fiowori n Rad and Ste* . PuWwgCoiiguHnc Way raaatvad Rgmi by pamaaaMi dt tSkn NEWS: 706-433-3002 fjLu *-■ r i--. hwti C'Wy AaaocMa Non Edtor Ray Bum •porta Editor Zacb MM Vartariy Idßor Joa Mn fIMPMr Pntgnar rwna.. OMfgn Edßan Uuran Brtamy, KtoayTamplt Copy Edßm ;EWw Kakfc Baft PM*. JaaPci Robwtt Onina Editor Wlßrowt CMtoa Copy Edßora Laaan Cronon. Tiyrior Mom LJU flkau n- f. . J -Ww cw*wy • rwwip vWi Oidm, Bi Rkbards Holly A Jordan things done every damned day! The only place we don’t is here [in Washington] or on cable TV,” Stewart said. I believe this is true. And in fact, many of the people I talked to agreed “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report” were the only cable news shows they watched. It makes sense. We’re sick of the hate and ignorance being pushed by so much of cable media. I— like many in my 20-something generation have grown up in the 24-hour media world. As an undergraduate, I was a political science major, and following the news was required. I got to the point where I would only read print media. I quickly became sick of the hate and downright nastiness of cable news. News is supposed to inform, not simply enter tain. And frankly, I do not find people yelling at each other entertaining. I really don’t know if D.C. or cable news will take anything from Stewart’s powerful words. But I plan to continue act ing in the spirit of goodwill I experienced at the rally. So now, we all come home from this rally or come away from watching it —with two options. We can continue to complain about cable media and hide behind “The Daily Show.” Or we can stand up to our local news outlets and demand a higher standard in their quality. Clearly, Pox or MSNBC aren’t going to decide tomorrow to change their tone. The only way change will occur is from the bot tom up, with the kinds of people who stood for more than seven hours at the rally in Washington. Holly Jordan is an adjunct instructor of religion A E/l -- CO PBtXWW cokdiw Auwini nn jmp uwvi ftofnrtimnl CcWof Hot CNftuif Senior lliportor Mm Duncwi AyU - l| i—— Qijmi 3WJ wrwWw 30r§on A4, JBBon ajmhtoq My%n nw,* Mfch Btoiwl AacM S. Bonn. Katoay Bird. Aim Comugdon. Adam Cartm, JUto Carpark*, Mrtaaa Cohan. Katy Cortiat. Daraal Curran, cmtopha O'Artalo. Jacob Dwnmft cm DaStnfta, Sarah Jain Doa* F Tytor Elrod, MchaP RtqMblok, Brin Qardarnan. Sarah Umrmmm CfTWy vafVK, MOnmi rWWM, UToW nOOW, I. Piirtcfc Hoop*, KWvyn InQsfl. Jvn ingtoi, Shewn Jentd, Edwwd Wm, HnVw Kinney, aim Dvcy lent, rOhna M?KW)VA jurm MCUOrTwyi l/twl MreJK! UwVtl Opinions /Aeor stains?) (icj stains)^ Non-profit helps Athenians in need At 1 p.m. on July 1, 2020, every child in Athens will be on track to graduate from a post-secondary education. This promise was made to our community by one of its newest non-profits Whatever It Takes as a declaration of the organiza tion’s commitment to eliminating Athens’ high levels of poverty through education. I do not believe, as some do, that University students are indif ferent to the economic disparities between our world and parts of this town. But most of us do not con sider Athens our permanent home. Consequentially, we pass through college without educating ourselves on the local problems we are sur rounded by. As I transitioned from under graduate life to pursue a master’s degree here, I took a step away from philanthropies geared toward students by involving myself in a local nonprofit serving Athenians in need. I began to view this town dif ferently, discovering a world that drew me in with its needs and charm. It seems as though the more we learn about an issue, the more pas sionately we feel about it. As I began to put faces to the statistics I had always heard, it became impossible to not feel strongly about Whatever It Takes' commit ment to Athens. The graduation rate in Athens- Clarke County is approximately 70 percent, a statistic that has been slowly rising due to the commend able efforts of community mem bers. Whatever It Takes is striving to raise this to 100 percent to begin breaking the cycle of poverty envel oping so many of our neighbors. Athens has taken great strides in recent years to reduce the preg nancy rate among our teenagers, provide mentors to at-risk youth, assist with college preparation for high school students and much more. However, data shows that Change of mind after Georgia-Florida game Let me start off by saying I'm a Florida Gator have been since 1973 and always will be. I bleed orange and blue, and I have a deep hatred for anything and everything red and black. You have to take Into account I attended the University of Florida In the ’7o’s, when UGA was getting the better of us... which Is putting it mildly. In fact, I was the first per son to have a brick on the Gator Walk leading to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium engraved with "Beat Georgia." That being said, I never thought I’d be writing anything like this... Until today. My wife (also a Gator) and I attended [last] weekend’s UF-UGA game arguably the most exciting one ever played. Once the game went into over time, we both agreed that regard less of the outcome, both teams could be proud of how they played. Our Staff Aj —t 1. ft- J 1 .i, - - A— -■ r\ . , wtcnw, <iiw[Ainie wooow, uwy fwciwion, *hx rinw, UdiHt Procharta. Agw Bm, Akkra Sotomon. Natan Soramn, TMony Slavanc, Zook Taylor, Anrbar Thornaa KaltVPartlna, Pago Vamat Eva Vaaqiaz. Mary Waftar. pj__ in-u. h* .oil I 111 ■ m-'- cini nWO, MHWRi vTWW Chtori Phoriographar Woo BiarAanahip Wobogropboro Oraria*Ryan Boibor. Mktom Coup, Uni Doogon. gmOy Korol. Moogon Katoy, Nobonko Lucian. rw, AJ rwyrxwS. jmtwre upcftfcn, JOnoa WOtar. Okra Zorior Paga Oaatgnara RachaiO Boawa. Amanda Jonaa. Ana KatMkcwi. CbMcpbor MPar Robbia OMay. Chart* Rumt Adam Wynn a _ Graff interventions are necessary much sooner than adolescence if perma nent change is the desired out come. Indicators such as a child’s read ing level during the third grade can predict the degree to which he or she will succeed throughout prima ry and secondary schooL Preschool attendance is an even faster indicator of a child’s success, proving that when a student has completed an early education pro gram his or her likelihood of high school graduation increases about 14 percent. Because of this research, Whatever It Takes is implementing an innovative plan modeled after the Harlem Children’s Zone, a non profit with a track record of leading New York’s inner-city youth to suc cess after high school. The strategy, according to www.witathens.org, lies in “emphasizing early interven tion, focusing existing services in a limited geographic area, creating a culture of success, and using data to direct policy.” The organization’s 10-year plan will target Athens neighborhoods one at a time, linking residents to the services necessary for them and their children to succeed in school and in the workforce. The Alps Elementary School attendance zone includes the Jack R. Wells neighborhood on Pauldoe Street, one of the roads featured in The Red Si Black’s series on crime ridden areas, and is where Whatever It Takes has begun its work. Whatever It Takes’ founding members have begun to engage families of this community, with a primary goal of developing a cul ture where children are expected to achieve and are given the resources Mailbox E-mail and letters from our readers (For me to say that about Georgia must mean I’m mellowing in my old age.) After the game was over we started walking down the switch back ramps amongst a sea of orange and blue. I noticed three young men obviously UGA students wearing black UGA shirts and baseball hats slowly walking in front of my wife and me. They looked as if they were carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. As the crowd was moving slowly down the ramps, one of the young men walked over to the rail and looked at the crowd below on the next level. Perhaps he was looking for a UF fan to "start something” or perhaps he was simply staring into space. Regardless, there was a 4- or 5-year-old girl in cm orange and blue dress on the shoulders of hpr deliriously happy Gator father who saw the young man looking down at her. She lifted her head, made eye contact with the young man, lifted EdbnM tood UMiriiM ftdudt Mk Bwk Robort Conn, CArtky mty,wk. Ckiy OUb, Migitn DlM—._ no i-- -i|ftfti rwiwi magan i nonnon ano joa vvwamt ADVERTISING: 706-433-3001 Aduertlelnti Dlficlof* NaMaMcCkm Student Ad HiMQir Lmw John Territory Monegers Sarah Carßon, Anna LawarthaJ Account Executtvoe Katy Ptsroa. Andrew Leva, Sarah Ovaratratt Salas Aaaoetolaa: Ryan Bsnson, Carolyn Evers, Msecs Tonne I -Ai.itl.lini * ‘ - - I t-M a r- —i-. i.n. aawuwng RMiiiumß i. au p> notna. r ~ury joons Cteeefflode Representative Jenna Vines Circulation Managar BWuMofim CmMw AwMant: OMo 3c*ibo(ou(Bi Phone (706) 4351-3002 | Fkx (706) 433-3033 oplnk>ns@randb.eoni | www.redandblack.com 540 Baxter Street, Athens, Qa. 30605 they need to do so. The compelling plans and pas sion of Whatever It Takes’ found ers, mainly graduates of the University, gained vast support from Athens-area businesses, gov ernment agencies and non-profits. In addition to local support, Whatever It Takes was selected last month out of 339 applicants to receive a one-year, $500,000 plan ning grant from the Federal Department of Education’s “Promise Neighborhoods” program. Now, I am calling on University students to get involved. Many have used this space in the past to express the opinion that college students are self-cen tered and unmotivated lam of the opposite opinion. Asa past leader of a student-run philanthro py on campus, I have been repeat edly amazed at what our age group is capable of. Students are dedicated, passion ate and naive enough to want to save the world just the type Whatever It Takes could use to help carry out its plans. Georgia Students for Public Administration is the first student group to get on board, and we want to encourage other students to do the same. Children need more than just food, clothing and shelter to suc ceed, and as college students we know that in today's society a high school diploma is not always enough. A post-secondary education can include vocational training, military service, technical school, junior col lege or a four-year university, and the options a child has should not be dictated by his or her financial circumstances. Whatever It Takes will work tb remove the barriers . standing between all Athens’ chil dren and these institutions. Christina Graff is a graduate student from Marietta majoring in public administration and non-profit management her hand and slowly waved as if to say “don’t be sad.” A smile came across the young man’s face and he waved back as if to say “you’re absolutely right; there are some things much more important than football.” I only wished I had my camera out to take a photo, as that moment said everything there is to say about the game of college foot ball. In closing. 1 want to end with two words that I will say in a non sarcastic and non-taunting way for the first time in my life: Go Dawgs. SCOTT LUDWIG reaemree tny English LETTERS POLICY Letters must include name, year in school, hometown, phone number, major or job title or other appropriate identification Letters are edited for spelling, grammar, length, style and libelous material. rTocwcoon mmwyef .tosnua i ryy oarnon Production AuManta Ntcoftntit Chfldß, Jcrmi Chiu, Priacßi Kt. Elan* Kafcb ft- 11 UftnoftA/ Cam, fVu,.-/ rrooucuw wanny own rawa nJHWIW nmi f Munwvioeo \JnK9 CrWt wUiay AmMM OBIm Managw Mtgan Yu* ClMnlng hgofi Mvy Jonsi Tbb m i m* b prfMwd UonSy tough FAkr M ml gang mrmM and MCb tHnter aummr NRMlir. mgl hofekyi and (urn ptnod* b|> Th* Red I Bhek PutkMng Cangany ks, I noftfwS csnpui nawgMpw not SMSmI kh l Urtm*r and (tocagia. Subacbplon m MS pat yaar