Newspaper Page Text
Wednesday
August 24,
2005
Take responsibility for your actions, shower
MAD
with Jesse Bishop
Well, I’m sure some
readers here at UWG are
wishing that I had moved
on—to pester new people,
but alas I have not. I’m
back and madder than
ever—no disappointed
really. I’m sick of people at
this “university” not taking
responsibility.
I have beef (tofu, for the
vegan readers) with those
who lack the responsibility
that we (as fellow UWGians
and humans) expect and
deserve. I’ll begin at the top
and work my way down.
Administrators and
people who work in
student services seem to
have the most notable lack
of responsibility. Not all
of them, mind you, just a
bunch of them.
For example, several
days ago I went to Student
Financial Services to try
to resolve a problem with
You are the media! Yes, you!
■ .... *• -
(Editor’s desk...
By Daniel Bell, Editor-in-Chief
To hear some people
tell it you would think
“the media” was some
dirty, twisted group of
underground trolls with
their hands inserted in
the rumps of hack-jobs
like Nancy Grace, Tucker
Carlson and the like.
“The media” is often
portrayed as an evil and
untouchable force which
makes life destroying (or
creating) decisions with
just the flick of a crooked,
ink-stain Anger.
Sometimes even the
media talks about “the
media” as if it were some
powerful juggernaut
keeping an unwanted,
watchful eye of everyone
whose decisions could
affect anyone.
I have even received
letters to this publication
that might imply that “the
media” which composes
this newspaper is a select
group of smelly, angry
students who hide in some
dark closet somewhere
on campus pounding out
our own agendas with
no thought of the student
body as a whole, or as
individuals.
®lje meat (Georgian
The University of West Georgia
University Community Center, Room 111
Carrollton, GA, 30118-0070
Editorial Line: (678) 839-6527
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Opinion
my schedule and fees. I
politely asked the woman
at the window for help.
Now, let me interject
here and say that 1 worked
in a financial aid office as
a student worker a lifetime
ago; so, I know how
stressful this type of job
can be.
Back to the story; 1
asked the lady for help and
her reply was, “It’s not our
problem.” These are her
words. No embellishment.
Here, I thought I had
gone to Student Financial
Services, where a student
with a problem in finances
or financial services
would go.
But keep in mind this
heifer, yes I said “cow,”
didn’t tell me to talk to
another department, or
even that she couldn’t
help me. She said “not
our problem,” as in she
That, I can say with
conviction, is not true.
You are “the media.”
Every student and citizen
is a member of the media.
Every person who has
something to say has every
right to call, or write, or visit
their local news source and
tell them what’s running
laps in their brains.
The students who
work for this paper are no
different than any other
student on campus. We
take classes that we hate,
we dread getting up in the
morning, we often drink
more than we should (for
legal reasons, those of us
who are 21 years of age,
that is), we eat more pizza
than any one person should,
and we look forward to
three-day weekends.
When I tell you “you
are the media,” I don’t
mean that in some “we
are the world” sort of way.
I mean, as a student of
UWG, I welcome you, nay,
I beg you, to be a part of
this newspaper.
It does not matter
what your major is, or
what you want to do with
your life. It doesn’t matter
wouldn’t help me.
Last time I checked
this was a university (or
so they tell me) and not
a private company. She
is paid to do a service in
that office, which includes
being (at the very least)
professional if not cordial
to students.
But there seems to be
a lapse in responsibility
for her actions. Either
she or her immediate
supervisor has failed to
see the consequences of
her actions.
Assume for a moment
that I am not simply a lowly
graduate student (though
some don’t even consider
me that, but that’s for
another story), but rather
I am the nephew of say.
President Sethna (which
by the way I am not, or at
least not yet...).
Hi, Uncle Sethna!
I missed you at the last
family reunion. Call me
sometime.
Moving on—Suppose
I was his nephew and this
woman was incredibly
rude to me. Would she
continue to work at
what other organizations
you’re involved with, or
what you like to do in your
own time.
We want everyone
to be involved. There are
many organizations on this
campus that never received
one bit of coverage last
year, because we can’t
always know what is going
on everywhere at every
single second.
But there was at least
one West Georgia student
(one potential member of
the media) at every single
event that involved this
campus, or its students,
last year.
See where I’m going
with this? If you think
there is something we
don’t cover well enough
then you can help us
cover it.
“But I don’t know
how to write in newspaper
style,” you cry.
That’s why we have a
staff of well-trained editors
who are prepared to help
teach you to do it.
If you have ever told
another human being about
something you witnessed,
or something you read
about, or something that
you experienced, then you
were being a journalist.
That’s all it takes. Seriously.
No joke.
Daniel Bell, Editor-in-Chief
Jason Thogmartin, Advertising & Business Manager
Dave Word, News Editor
Bobby Moore, Sports Editor
Samantha Bishop-Bell, A&E Editor
Jennifer Robinson, Photo Editor
Samantha P. Bishop, Copy Editor
Jose Santiago, Webmaster
Doug Vinson, Advisor
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establish
ment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;
or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the
right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition
the Government for a redress of grievances."
- First Amendment, United States Constitution
UWG? Probably, but only
because it takes at act of
congress to get someone
fired these days.
The point of all this
in mind this
heifer , yes I
said ‘cow,’
didn’t tell
me to talk
to another
department...
she said ‘not
our problem,’
as in she
wouldnit hglpx
m ,y y
is to say that this woman
needs to take some
responsibility for her job.
Oh, and we will pay
you to be “the media” on
campus. Each story we
publish nets its writer $lO.
Chances are, if you write
something it will make it
in. We would rather expand
the size of the paper than
cut would-be writers off at
the knees.
If you come to
our weekly meetings
(Mondays, at noon), we’ll
feed you lunch too. Our
staff meetings are in the
bottom floor of the UCC.
We have an offlce there
(not a dark closet) and
there are signs pointing the
way to our door.
Plus, many professors
will offer extra credit if
you are getting published.
I don’t think there are too
many other organizations
on campus where you can
get paid to participate, fed
to attend meetings, and
extra credit for getting
your work published.
So, my fellow students
and soon-to-be journalists,
you are the beer that
Alls our keg. Without
your involvement, this
publication would just be
an empty metal drum not
worthy of hand-standing
on while chugging liquid
friendship.
This newspaper will
be whatever you make it.
She could, at least, be
pleasant when cutting a
student off at the knees.
Remember, all serial
killers and murderous
hack-jobs smile while
wielding a bloody hatchet.
Not that she was a serial
killer or murderous —a
hack-job, maybe.
But in this 1 have
neglected to mention my
own lapse in responsibility.
I didn’t get this woman’s
name. My bad, yo. If I
had been a responsible
consumer, I would have
written her name down and
contacted her supervisor.
Instead, I have to
resort to such shady tactics
as publicly calling her
a heifer and demanding
(however unsuccessfully)
that she be fired and locked
in a stockade for public
humiliation.
Now, we know that
this measly column will do
nothing in the world. Yes,
I know it’s tragic, but such
is the way of the peon.
Which leads me on in
this futile attempt to change
my world. Freshmen, be
responsible for yourselves
The West Georgian needs you
. to write for. this publication!
- • 4
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uwgpaper@westga.edu.
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meetings.
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12:15 p.m.
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The West Georgian , copyright 2004, is an official publication of the University of
West Georgia. Opinions expressed herein are those of the newspaper staff or indi
vidual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of university faculty or staff.
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ted by noon the Friday prior to publication. Editors reserve the right to edit for
style, content and length
so that you become
something other than a
peon. Be boisterous. Be
loud. Get cranked (crunk is
not a word) on some juice
or maybe spend some time
in Hunter S. Thompson’s
briefcase (read Fear &
Loathing in Las Vegas for
a better understanding of
that last one).
Do something,
anything to gain attention.
It is your responsibility to
make a difference.
It is also your
responsibility to shower. I
mean seriously. I walked
down the hall of the third
floor Humanities, and
what a smell. I know, I
know, you guys and girls
were at band camp, but
seriously-SHOWER!
That goes for all
freshmen. I know for most
of you this is your first time
away from home without a
parole officer, but you have
a responsibility to your
cohorts and classmates to
be smelly-free, or at least
smelly-good.
Well, I’m off to
change my name and shoot
at typewriters in the snow.