Newspaper Page Text
2
THE WEST GEORGIAN, WEDNESDAY JANUARY 20,1982
Opinion
Being Prepared
The snow was great fun. It gave a
lot of us a long overdue chance to
catch the college crazies and act like
irresponsible kids for a few days. But
you have to admit, it did cause some
problems. And a lot of those problems
could have been easily avoided by a
quick thinking, confident acting ad
ministration. Unfortunately, the deci
sion makers of West Georgia seemed
to have been caught by surprise.
Subsequently, confusion reigned on
the campus, and a lot of people never
really understood whether or not they
should be at class, work or on their
way home
The storm did not sneak up on us. It
blew through Alabama, paralyzing
every city that it hit, and headed inex
orably toward our sleepy little cam
pus There was a rumor that classes
were going to be closed after 3 p.m., a
rumor that was denied by many col
An Admirable Effort
Everyone expects a college campus
to be carefree, happy, fun and alive
with young minds preparing for life
long careers and happiness. Death
has no place there; nor is it expected.
Regretfully that envisioned ideal was
shattered with the recent death of Ken
Wandersee, student and track trainer.
Wandersee succumbed to a life-long
acute asthma condition Friday, Jan. 8
in his Row Hall room. His death left
his friends and fellow students sad
and shocked.
Although Wandersee possibly was
already dead when he was discovered
by his roommate, his fellow students
FIGHT FOR
YOUR RIGHTS...
According to Georgia law, if you are under 19 and not in the
military service, you cannot purchase, or possess alcoholic
beverages. Soon that age may be changed to 21, effectively
cutting off most college students from their right to drink.
The justification given is, “Pre-teenage drunks.”
The Georgia Legislature will be voting on this proposed
change very shortly. You still have time to let the legislators
know how you feel on the matter. Clip and sign the coupon
below if you are interested in keeping your right to drink.
Mail all correspondence to: Rep. Charles Thomas, State
Capitol, Atlanta, Georgia, 30303. Do it now before, it’s too
late.
■ ■■■■■■ mm wm mm mm mibim mi ■■ ■■■■■■ tm mm tm mm
I am opposed to the proposed legislation that would raise
the legal drinking age in the state of Georgia to 21 years of
age. Check one: ( )I am over 19. ( )I am 18.
Name
Address
lam registered to vote. Yes ( ). No ( )
A Little Head-
By Ed Lorenz
Once raspily crooned by one and iin
nunently electrified by his brother, a
man called out that "Sometimes 1 feel
like l been tied to the whippin’ post.”
Memorable words and tune...and
brothers.. and times.
I caught the Allman Brothers act at
Piedmont Park a few times back in
the late ’6os when they still put on free
shows for appreciative hippies on
spring ami summer gigs weekends
in the park I-ots of other neat' old
bands trafficked through the gazebo
stage near the tennis courts: Hydra,
Rusha, Zacchurr, and nameless loud
rockers of legion.
Yes, it was definitely a memorable
tune of my life. It was easy to em
pathize with the rivetting strains of
Duane’s slide guitar, but somehow,
having never been given the oppor
tunity to be tied to a whippin’ post, the
wont never really hit home. Scaling
the modes down a bit, I guess we’ve
all been caught, "’tween the rock an’
th’ hard place", afore, heh ’
Now is one of those tunes.
I’ve had a real good time with the
snow and ice and slush anti rain anti
wind and cold and all the other neat
stuff. 1 am ready to get back to cutting
classes on my own. I do very well,
thank you.
Thus, round-aboutly, we arrive at
the crux the classes missed must be
made up
Originally, I had planned on
heading this column. “What I Did
With My Spring Break". A cute little
bit reflecting my belief that the
classes would be madeup resulting in
a shorter spring break. At least it had
its merits worth regarding in the sub
tle but incisive humor category’.
No, not only does this Fiat come
lege officials until Public Safety came
to lock the doors of the building they
were in. Even though it was quite ob
vious that we were experiencing a
storm of unusually high intensity, the
administration insisted on keeping the
question of the next day’s classes
unanswered until the very last
minute For two days in a row
students had to wait until a mere hour
or so before class times to get the of
ficial word on the canceling of classes
If any of the steps or walkways were
scraped or salted, it was a well kept
secret.
At any rate, the administration can
not be blamed too harshly for not
reacting perfectly to such an unusual
situation. The experience should help
us to be more prepared in the future.
A special congratulations goes out to
Public Safety, who performed valiant
ly under duress. Thanks.
and hall residents demonstrated that
they could pull together when needed.
Ken Richardson, Row's assistant hall
director, immediately began CPR on
the student and was joined very soon
after in his efforts by public safety of
ficer Truman Whitfield. The two con
tinued in their efforts, undaunted by
the lack of response in Wandersee, un
til emergency medical attendants ar
rived.
We commend Richardson and Whit
field for their quick responses and ef
forts at reviving Ken Wandersee.
Their efforts were truly admirable.
Never On
A Saturday
down from The Hill' and destroy my
work/recreation schedule, but alas,
dampens the comic fire that burns
within. . .Saturday classes.
Bah-humbug
My father told me a story once or
twice about Saturday morning labs
when he matriculated at the North
Avenue Trade School. He spoke not of
cheery faces and eager minds but he
did mention fiery faces ami eager
anxiety. To hell with the “it was
tougher then" stoicism; nobody was
fired up about Saturday classes, even
in the "good old days."
I too was threatened with the dread
Saturday morning chemistry lab,
while dealing at the Flats. That policy
of tenuous, if any virtue, was finis
with the following quarter. Now, 10
years later. I am fa mi with the same,
if only passing chance, to abhor this
policy again.
I feel the same way. Totally at a
loss. 1 hate it, but I realize the princi
ple of attending class as meritorious
and self edify ing. I could joke about
spring break being shortened, but not
this.
' After the initial derisive chortling
within me had subsided, I came to the
realization that I will simply work out
something rational with my in
dividual teachers. If not. so be it.
Mark me in abstensia. No show.
Gone. Dead. Anything.
I ain’t going. Vive le revolucion.
w ?.
c
i A
For once, Guy Sharpe was right.
The poor man's been predicting the
recent snowfall since 1945. Then last
week, it finally happened. Damn.
Guy’s Early Flurry Worry System
(EFWS) right on target. Imagine
that.
Begin of northern origin, I’ve been
thinking snow for a long time. Of
course, the “blizzard” we just had
would have been more welcomed had
it occurred a month ago. It would
have lent some artistic scenery to
Georgia’s rather boring, green
Christmases. I often wondered how
you (y’all) got into the Christmas
spirit. Whatever the case, I believe
mast of us will agree to take it any
way we can get it.
Despite its cold, snow has a way of
affecting people in a warm kind of
way. It bonds them together. It makes
us laugh. Never have I seen so many
smiling faces on campus on a Tuesday
afternoon.
And, while there was much smiling
and fun on campus elsewhere, the
snow produced some un we loomed
side effects. Folks made a mammoth
"dodge-em" car ride out of 1-85 and
eventually turned the roads and in
El
Student have many names for them
pigs, fuzz. Barney Fifes, just to
name a few and these are not terms
of endearment
But, last week when you were stuck
in the snow and ice or your car
wouldn’t start, who did you call? like
me, you probably called public safety.
In fact, some of the same people
who reportedly concealed rocks in
snowballs and pelted public safety
vehicles were probably among those
who called public safety to jump off
their cars. During one hour Friday,
the station received 30 calls for cars
needing jump-offs, according to Assis
tant Chief Jeff May.
After finishing work on The West
Georgian last Sunday night (the night
Ml
I have grave and disturbing news
for my readers today. As much as I
hate to be the bearer of ill tidings, I
feel it is my patriotic duty to relay the
information that I have recently
received from my top sources in
Washington. We are in the midst of a
new and completely different type of
cold war with the Soviet Union.
Before 1 go any further, you must
realize that ther teminology I’m using
is not to be taken in the traditional
sense. When I say cold war. I don’t
mean a military stand-off like the one
that caused so much panic in the late
'sos and early ’6os. No. I’m talking
about an honest-to-God, real life war.
One involving a weapon so awesome,
so potentially devastating, that it
seems to come right out of a science
fiction movie. The Soviet Union has
finally developed and perfected the
ultimate device for international ter
rorism. Are you ready? Those damn
cold-hearted Russians have unveiled
the world's first weather controlling
machine.
My God. it’s almost inconceiveable.
Just think about the implications. One
country controlling the weather of the
entire Earth. If used correctly they
could make deserts flourish, turn
frozen waste land into an agricultural
paradise, but noooo. Not Russia. They
are determined to make everything
hard on everybody. Especially the
United States.
Now I know this all seems hard to
believe, but just think about it. When
‘The Difference is Worth Knowinq'-
By Mark McCloud, Editor
Advice From A Yankee
terstates into the world's largest
parking lot. Fuming and fussing over
the inconvenience they refused to en
dure, many insisted on maintaining
the 55 MPH speed limit at any cost.
A few people from cold weather
states regarded the southern snow
with stem disdain and lost all pa
tience with the, "dolts who can’t func
tion in a little snow.” One radio an
nouncer was heard Wednesday morn
ing proclaiming, “Atlanta is closed.”
So for once, I can say I was glad to be
stuck in Carrollton. I was also glad the
Man upstairs saw fit to send more of
the white stuff on Thursday morning
so the trees could collect a cover of
white After the freezing rain left only
the ground white, it looked like a half
ass job.
Now since the excitement has worn
off and we must once again try and
begin Winter Quarter, I have devised
“McCloud’s Tips on Surviving Snow in
Dixie” for all you Southerners who
looked ridiculous out there, should it
ever snow like this again. It’s only
January you know Clip and save:
1. Anyone contemplating an ego
stroking attempt at proving
themselves a super-hero on ice, forget
it fella. Sledding is more fun.
2 Snuggling by the fireplace is even
You Asked For lt -
By Debbie Godbee
Through Snow and Ice
the temperature dipped to a single
digit), I went out to find my car
deader than the proverbial doornail
Another staffer found herself in the
same chilly predicament. It was cold,
but a public safety vehicle arrived at
the station shortly to take us to cars
and jump them off.
Now, I feel lucky to say that, prior
to that night, I had never seen the in
side of a police car. So, I found the
handleless doors and the metal screen
separating the front and back seats
new and slightly intimidating. At one
point when the officers were jumping
off other staff member’s car I was left
alone in the warm car and began to
feel a little claustrophobic.
Her car was much more
In Style -
By Jeff Styles
The New Cold War
was the last time you saw such
weather conditions in Georgia. And, I
have solid evidence to prove what I’m
saying. Recent photographs taken by
high altitude surveillance aircraft
clearly show what appear to be gigan
tic nuclear powered fans located at
the northern border of Yakutsk. These
fans, each one approximately 20
stories high and capable of causing
hurricane force wuids, are blowing
frigid air from the Siberian tundra up
over the Arctic Sea, down through
Canada, and into the tender inside
regions of our own great country.
Their primary targets seems to be the
grain belts of the midwest and the
Florida citrus crop, thereby forcing
us to look to the Soviet Union for
wheat and vitamin C injections.
Of course you must realize that this
first wave of artificial winter (the
press has dubbed it "The Siberian Ex
press”) was merely a test. By the
time you read this, it may be sunny
and warm outside. But do not be fool
ed.* The real attack will come
somewhere in the first few weeks of
spring when everybody has taken the
plastic off their windows and the
farmers have sown most of their
crops.
As soon as I learned of this
despicable plot, I immediately phoned
my good friend Dr. I.C. Snow, director
of the International Meteorological
Society, to see what sort erf informa
tion he could give me concerning this
devious move by the communist war
more fun. Particularly if you’re snug
gling with someone who snuggles
back and is not a book. Since there are
no fireplaces in dorms, build one.
3. Drink yourself into oblivion. A lit
tle anti-freeze is important in snowy
weather. Just make sure the anti
freeze isn’t Prestone
4. Don’t drive. If you must drive,
stay away from cars bearing Georgia
license plates
5. In case of dire emergency, find a
car bearing northern plates and hitch
a ride.
6. Relax and enjoy the damn stuff
Fighting it only makes it harder on
you.
7 Find a friend from Michigan and
borrow his gloves, scarf, or long
johns.
8. Do not wear street shoes in ice or
snow, unless of course you want to be
sitting.
9. Do not eat yellow snow
10. Wear a hat. 75 percent of your
body heat is lost from that point.
11. Build something with the snow
lake a snowman or a fort
12. Make an angel in the snow.
cooperative than mine. Even though
the public safety officers were patient
and diligent in their attempts to crank
my car in the near-zero cold, it soon
became evident that it would not
budge from that parking space until
things warmed up a bit. (If you read
my "car” column last quarter, you
know all about my car’s various
ailments, i
When they received a buzz about an
alarm in Pritchard, I decided to aban
don my car for the night and caught a
ride home with someone else.
A call to public safety assured that
any tickets I might receive while my
car convalesced in a faculty-staff
parking space would be voided.
Public safety will allow a 24-hour
mongers of Moscow.
“Well, I really can’t blame them.”
the doctor exclaimed to my disbelief.
“It’s been cold as hell up there for
as long as anyone can remember, and
I imagine that they’re about tired of
sitting around shivering. I mean,
there’s only so much you can do in
Siberia when it’s 60 degrees below
zero. It kills the hell out of the tourist
business, and it doesn’t do much for
the ladies complexions either. Have
you ever seen a Siberian housewife?
She’s not a very' pleasant thing to
come home to after a hard day at the
saltmines.”
“But . but...,” I exclaimed, lost for
words. "Will their plan actually
work 1 Will they truly be able to deter
mine the weather conditions for other
parts of the world?”
Damn right, they will,” he replied
casually, ignoring my childish out
burst and crazed look in my eye.
"Those fans they’ve got aren't exactly
Sears specials. They’re big as bat
tleships and they could stir up a king
hell snowstorm in a second. They’re
far from perfect though. Every time
they turn the things on they suck up
two or three inches of top soil from the
area located behind them and shock it
about 150 miles northward. Damn dirt
gunks up the motors, and they've got
to be cleaned once or twice a day.”
“Yeah, they don’t know
everything” I said to myself with an
inward smile. I imagined the Soviet
scientists having to climb up on the
(That’s when you lay down in the
snow and move your arms back and
forth. It leaves an imprint of an
angel.)
13. If your dorm runs out of heat, do
not attempt to change your
underwear.
14. Watch out for scientific
discoveries proclaiming that snow
causes cancer.
15. Shovel a path to your mailbox in
stead of praying for it to melt You
won’t break your neck this way.
16. To President Townsend: open a
24 hour drive-through window at the
Infirmary
17. Ditto: Do not attemp to lock
students into their dorms. They will
get bored and try to tear the halls
down. It’s called “cabin fever." By
the way, the Pritchard Zone looked
worse "than New York City during
their recent garbage strike.
And there you have it. Before next
winter arrives, I plan to borrow my
dad’s truck for a trip up north. I’m go
ing to take a couple of hundred of
those $2.99 Kmart poinsettias up there
where they are selling for 10 bucks
and bring back a couple hundred sleds
to rent to you clowns for $25 per hour.
"grace period” for vehicles caught in
certain circumstances such as mine.
The owner''of the vehicle should call
the station as soon as possible to see
his particular situation warrants the
"grace period”. If the permission is
granted, the student should produce
any tickets received during the
designated time frame to be voided by
an official there.
Once things thawed out a little,
another public safety officer was
dispatched to jump-off my car, and I
was soon on my way again.
like many people, public safety of
ficials are taken for granted until
times like last week when people need
them. Why not give them a break in
return?
monstrous machinery with a bucket
of soapy water and a wash rag. "But
what can we do to prevent them from
carrying out their plans? If they are
not stopped soon the U.S. will be in
terrible trouble," I questioned.
“Well, the CIA is looking over
several different plans for destroying
the fans or counteracting their af
fects. Among these are selective
nuclear deployment along ground
zero Siberia, reverse-polarity elec
tronic circuit attacks on the fans cen
tral computer, and building a big wall
across Canada. But for right now I
would advise everyone to invest in
flannel, fur and snow plows,” replied
Snow.
So it looks like we have something to
worry about for the spring, unless the
government can come up with sane
plan that will raider the Russian fans
useless. But right now we have a
much greater calamity about to fall
upon the American home. It seems
that millions of American housewives
are being slowly but surely brain
washed by a clever communist agent
that has somehow infiltrated morning
network television. He is an insane,
yet complex master of disguise and
espionage whose real name is Vlad
mir Karamazohv. But to many con
fused young people who have fallen
under his spell, he is known by his
alias, Richard Simmons. As soon as I
can get more information on him, I’ll
get bade to you.