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VOLUME 46 NUMBER 15
Reaching Out to Join Hands...
By KIM CROWE
Several contests were held during
the past week to promote Home
coming. The winners of these contests
were announced at the Homecoming
game Saturday night.
Frances Boemer of the English
Department received the honor of
Faculty Appreciation.
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The five members of the 1981 homecoming court are from left to right, Biliques
Sharif, Sndy McCormack, Deirdre Creecy (1981 Homecoming Queen), Tracy,
Hammonds, and Chinita Macon. (Photo by David Edwards)
Alarm System Improved
By MARK McCLOUD
In the first step towards cutting
down on the number of false fire
alarms, school officials are implement
ing anew buzzer system which would
tie into Public Safety and would
immediately alert them when an alarm
was pulled.
Under the present system, when a
buzzer sounds, students are required
to evacuate the building while an RA
calls Public Safety. The new method
would alert Public Safety officials the
moment it was pulled. “If it means
just a few minutes in saving
time, that might be real important in
a real fire,” said Ken Batchelor,
vice-president and director of Fiscal
Affairs “Our main concern, is the
hours when students are sleeping,”
Batchelor said
The new system will cost between
$2500 and S2BOO and will be installed
in all dorms on campus
Supreme Court Could Decide Fate of WLBB
Station's Demise Could Eventually Boost WWGC's Listenership
By JEFF STYLES
What would happen to the West
Georgia radio audience if one of the
major stations went off the air? We
may very well find out when the
Supreme Court hears the final appeal
by WLBB. The popular country station
is trying to save its license and put to
rest the legal disputes that have
plagued it for over 13 years now
Should a ruling by the court prohibit
WLBB from broadcasting, the decision
could conceivably prohibit broadcast
ing by any of the stations in that
chain. WWGC, the campus radio
station, may gain listeners if WLBB’s
companion station, WBTR leaves the
airways. This possibility, coupled with
a planned power increase for the
college station, has raised speculation
that WWGC could become the leading
24-hour FM station in the West
Georgia area catering to its particular
audience.
WLBB, owned by the Faulkner
chain, began having difficulties in
1967 when another AM station began
construction in the other end of town.
WPPL a 500-watt adult-contemporary
station, had applied and gotten for a
building license with the Federal
Communications Commission under
the guidance of two Carrollton
attorneys, Bill and Hollis Johnson.
This in itself posed no major threat
to the already well-established WLBB.
The real trouble started when the
manager of WLBB Bob Thorbum, sent
a letter to the FCC stating that
Carrollton did not need another AM
station and suggesting furthermore
that the Johnson’s character and past
reputation might not meet the PCC’s
WEST GEORGIAH
Kappa Sigma Fraternity won a
plaque for the best banner The
banner was a version of their flag,
consisting of their Greek letters; their
colors red, white and green; and the
saying '' Reaching with open hand, the
Kappa Sigma FYatemity welcomes
home the Braves of WGC.” Keith
Towler, a member of the fraternity,
Officials are still studying a
separate project in which the present
network of alarms would be replaced
with a system much more difficult to
tamper with. Much support has been
voiced for a glass-enclosed alarm
system, however, no decision has
been made “We are hoping to get
something done by spring quarter, but
if not, by fall for sure,” said Tom
Martin, director of Residence Life
According to Martin, the new system
would be put only in the most
troubled areas.
An alternative offered by the
Student Government Association
which would reward persons providing
information leading to the apprehen
sion and conviction of violator, has
“not totally been discarded yet,” said
Martin
Meanwhile, the number of false fire
alarms continues to increase. A report
from Public Safety indicates that four
false alarms were pulled Sunday - all
of which occurred in the afternoon
hours. Public safety has no leads in
required standards This action was
condemned by the FCC as being a
“strike petition” which is viewed as
an attempt to deter the issuance of a
broadcasting license because of the
fear of competition in the area.
Thombum was also chastised for
the alleged “personal stacks” on the
proposed owners of the station.
Thorbum contends that the FCC
simply refused to examine the records
that he held as proof of the Johnson’s
alleged improprieties. Thom bum also
indicated that there had been no such
thing as a strike petition until the
WLBB controversy.
Nonetheless, Thombum’s applica
tion for license renewal for WLBB was
denied.
The case has been heard twice in
the Court of Appeals. Both times the
court upheld decision of the FCC.
Anew angle of criticism was aimed
at WLBB and its staff when the
Broadcast Bureau asked the commis
sion to reopen and enlarge the case
against Faulkner Radio to include the
charges of improper ex-parte commu
nications between President Carter
and certain members of his staff.
It seems that under the advice of
Connie Plunkett, a Carter campaign
adviser, Thombum Wrote then
candidate Jimmy Carter a letter that
informed him of the "time-consuming
and resource-depleting processes to
which the FCC subjects broadcasters
under the guise of protecting the
public.” There were also several
letters written by Thombum, Carroll
ton Attorney Robert Tisinger and
Alabama Congressman Jack Edwards
that were sent to members of Carter’s
staff.
WEST GEORGIA COLLEGE, CARROLLTON, GA. 30118
drew it.
The winner of the best theme for a
yard display, was the Tri-Delta
Sorority. Their display was three large
pieces of plywood painted with cartoon
characters joining hands, with the
words “Let’s get together for the
Braves.”
The most creative yard display was
won by the Wesley Fbundation. Their
display consisted of a drawing of a
brave dunking a basketball, and with
the other hand, picking up a pirate.
Their display was worded “Lending a
hand.”
The Phi Mu Sorority won the honor
of Best All-Around.
There was a carnival held Saturday
from 10 a m. to 4 p.m. in the Student
Center There were eight booths
participating, consisting of information
booths and profit booths. A bake sale,
a cake walk, a dunk tank, and even a
face painting were some of the profit
booths
WWGC did a remote from the
carnival, going from booth to booth,
talking with the participants.
Mike Mead, Carnival Chairman,
said that a lack of awareness, lack of
participation of campus organizations,
and the inclimate weather were some
of the contributing factors causing the
carnival to be less successful than last
year’s.
the cases yet. So far winter quarter
there have been 12 false alarms and
numerous other violations involving
fire equipment in residence halls.
Tougher Standards Cause 296 to Flunk Out
BY DEBBIE GODBEE
Following fall quarter, 296 students
were dismissed for academic reasons,
and this figure is expected to continue
to increase in upcoming quarters as
West Georgia continues to upgrade its
academic standards.
The upgrading process has been
underway for three years and should be
complete in another two to three, accor
ding to Vice-President John Lewis.
Under the new standards, present and
future students will have to maintain a
higher grade point average than
students in the past in order to continue
at West Georgia.
“In the past, more than 600 students
flunked out of college. 'The number of
students on the Dean’s. List every
quarter has been cut in half. Fewer ‘A’s
and B’s and more ‘D’s and ‘F’s have
The Broadcast Bureau claims that
these letters asked for direct
intervention in the appellate court.
F'aulkner responded that no letters
had been sent to decision-making
personnel at the commission and that
the letters were merely complaints
filed against the prejudiced attitude of
the Broadcast Bureau. As Faulkner’s
attorney said, “Thombum, as does
every citizen, has the right to inform
his elected officials and their
assistance of any perceived grievance
with the government.”
WPPL in the meantime, has faded
out of the courtroom scene and has
built up quite a listener audience of its
own. When the station manager of
WPPL Keith Ellison, was asked if
the situation at their rival station was
affecting, their business, he replied,
“It’s hard to say about the effect. This
is a first in this area.” If the station
went off the air we would catch
whatever benefits there are of being
the only AM station in this region.
Diehard country fans would find
another station and WBTR would
absorb a lot of the slack. Put it this
way: we certainly don’t expect to lose
any listeners if they go off the air.”
The other two prominent AM
stations in the area, WWGC in
Bremen and WKNG in Tallapoosa,
would probably enjoy an increase in
their listener population if WLBB
died.
David Chapman, Chief Engineer at
WWGC, said that the college station
would not be immediately affected
since it caters to a different audience
on a different band. Yet, if the FCC
does win its court case against
Faulkner radio, thought would be
Deirdre Creecy
Elected Queen
Thirteen percent of the student
body elected West Georgia's 1981
Homecoming Queen, Deirdre Creecy,
a 20-year-old marketing major from
Atlanta. Creecy and runners-up for
the crown were announced during
halftime festivities of the Homecoming
game Saturday night.
Runners-up were: Tracy Ham
monds, first; Sandy McCormack,
second; Bilques Sharif, third; and
Chinita Macon, fourth.
“It felt good to be chosen as West
Georgia’s Homecoming Queen. It was
a night I'll always remember and
cherish,” said Creecy. Aware of the
low voting percentage, she said she
wished more students would get out
and vote, because those who don’t
vote can’t really complain about who
wins.
“I wish everyone would realize that
I’m representing the whole student
body - not just the blacks, and I
intend to fulfill my duties to the best
of my capabilities ”
She was nominated by Kappa Alpha
Psi FYatemity. She is a sweetheart for
the fraternity and is a member of the
United Voices Gospel Singing Group.
Wanda Stegall, 1980 Queen,
crowned Creecy. The new queen
received a crown, trophy, roses, and
engraved charm, and a crystal jewelry
case. The four runners-up were
presented with plaques, roses and
engraved charms.
West Georgia’s enrollment is 5,000
an estimated 800 votes were cast in
last Thursday’s election.
been given by teachers,” according to a
January article in the progress edition
of the Carroll County Times Georgian.
West Georgia’s academic standards,
according to the 1980-81 under graduate
catalogue, are as follows:
“A full-time student failing to pass at
least five hours in a given quarter will
be dismissed.
“A freshman student failing to earn a
cumulative grade point average of at
least 1.6 after attempting 45 hours (or
three quarters) will be dismissed.
“A student failing to earn the
cumulative grade point average re
quired for the total number of hours at
tempted as indicated below will be
dismissed.
given to investigating the other
stations in the Faulkner chain,
including WLBB’s sister station
WBTR “This is when WWGC and
other FM stations would feel the
effects of the situation,” Chapman
said. “If WBTR went off the air then
we would most probably be the only
nighttime station in the area.”
WWGC’s proposed power boost due
next year will give it a much larger
range and is expected to increase its
listening audience extensively.
So will WLBB lose its license and
be forced from the airwaves? As
Ellison noted, “Everything has gone
against them so far.”
Thombum, however, seems to think
that WLBB has a trump card in the
Senate. Senatorial bill 1202 contains
three pages of information of the
WLBB case. It seems that in a similar
case involving the Sea Island
Broadcasting Corporation of South
Carolina, the decision was given
utilizing “clear and convincing
evidence” while the WLBB case was
grounded on “preponderance of
evidence.”
In a precedent-setting decision the
Senate Committee declared that all
cases involving the denial of a license
must be based on the same sort of
“dear and convincing evidence” that
was used during the Sea Island trial.
Also, Thombum adds, several of
the witnesses in the case are dead
now.
So after 13 years, $300,000 of
attorney’s fees, and pages of
unwanted publidty, the fate of WLBB
may finally be determined this
summer. The court has not decided
when the case will be heard.
WEDNESDAY.FEBRUARY 11,1981
I
Isfc >.s B
Deirdre Creecy, 1981 Homecoming Queen, receives a bouquet of flowers at
halftime from 1980 Homecoming Queen Wanda Stegall. (Photo by David Edwards)
1-45 hours (freshmen) 1.6
(cumulative GPA)
46-90 hours (sophomores) 1.7
(cumulative GPA)
91-135 hours (juniors) 1.7
(cumulative GPA)
136 + hours (seniors) l.B
(cululativeGPA)
“Students other than freshmen will
be evaluated quarterly on the basis of
cumulative grade point average for the
total number of hours attempted.”
Any student whose cumulative grade
point average falls below 2.0 is notified
on his grade slip that he has been plac
ed on academic warning. This does not
mean that the student has been dismiss
ed from school; it means that the stu
dent should be aware that he is ap
proaching the minimum cumulative
GPA.
Once a student’s GPA total has dip
ped below the minimum GPA require
ment for his classification, the college
sends a letter explaining that the stu
dent will be unable to continue at West
Georgia for either a one-year period or
permanently, depending on the in
dividual student’s academic record.
Lewis said his office examines a com
plete copy of the student’s transcription
and attempts to make an “individual
judgement” for each student’s case.
Asbestos Tests Carry High Price
By MARK McCLOUD
Plant operation officials are
debating on whether to have tests
conducted in campus buildings for the
presence of asbestos after they
received a proposal last week
indicating the tests may cost in excess
of SIO,OOO.
Joe Martin, an engineer from the
Law and Engineering and Testing
Company was expected to visit the
campus later this week to give school
officials a firm quotation on the
estimated costs.
“We must know the exact costs
before we make an agreement to have
the tests conducted,” said Pete
Russell, director of Campus Develop
ment and Engineering.
According to Russell, the tests will
be conducted to determine three
things: 1. if asbestos is present. 2. if
asbestos is present, how much is
present? 3. What course of action to
follow. “Hie amount present will have
a lot to do with it,” Russell said.
Buildings needing attention include
Gunn Hall, FYitchard Hall, Row Hall,
old Strozier Hall, Boykin Hall and the
Student Center.
The figures for the estimated costs
break down as follows: Hourly rates
for an investigative engineer would
cost on the average of SSO per hour.
The figure could be higher or lower
It a student is permanently dismiss
ed, he will be unable to return to West
Georgia until he has received a two
year degree from another institution or
an accredited junior college. The per
manent dismissal is indicated on his
transcript. Seventy-three students last
quarter were permanently dismissed.
A student who has laeen temporarily
dismissed may return to school after 12
months or may be readmitted during a
summer quarter before his dismissal
period is over.
When the temporarily dismissed stu
dent applies for readmission through
the vice-president’s office, he is notified
of the requirements he must meet in
order to come back. He must maintain
a “C” average in 10 hours each quarter
until his GPA reaches retention stan
dards. According to Lewis, the letter
from his office may specify a particular
course(s) the student will have to take
during the first quarter back or the stu
dent may be referred to the Student
Development Center for additional
help. Recommendations are made ac
cording to the particular student’s case,
Lewis said.
The vice president said he did not
think the student who would NOT
MAINTAIN AN AVERAGE ABOVE
RETENTION STANDARDS should
Continued on page 8
depending upon which engineer
conducts the tests.
Costs per samples vary from $157
per sample for a scanning electron
microscope test to $375 per sample for
a transmission (air) electron test.
“It’s a real expensive matter to take
care 0f... We are going to have to look
at the whole situation and then make
a decision to conduct the tests or
not,” Russell said. School officials
declined to indicate the source of the
money for the tests saying, “we’ll
have to wait and see.” Russell said
the funds may involve the Board of
Regents snd special allocations.
Today, Wednesday,
Feb. 11, is the last day
to drop courses
with a W. Failing?
Bail out now.