Newspaper Page Text
Page 2
Wednesday, October 19,2005
File photo
The Marathon committee raised more than $34,000 last year, and hopes to meet or Im
prove on last year’s amount.
Marathon group preparing
for spring charity events
By Crystal Farrer
Staff Writer
cfarrerl @my.westga.edu
It’s time again to sign
up for UWG’s sth annual
Marathon event benefiting
the Children’s Miracle
Network.
The Marathon is a
carnival type event where
participants pledge to stay
on their feet for 12 hours.
The time spent represents
the struggles that children
with illnesses face in their
everyday lives.
Participants will be
able to meet children and
their families who have
been helped by CMN.
Some will tell their stories
at the event.
This year’s event
will be held on March 10,
2006. The theme is “The
Best One Night Stand,”
signifying that this year’s
event will last all night
long from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.
This is the first year that
the Marathon will last over
night and the committee
members are excited about
the change.
Currently, the
Marathon Executive
BMWI group goes to
'Millions More' march
By Kristal Dixon
Staff Writer
Shuntay2l@hotmail.com
Recognizing the
importance of the
“Million Man March”
held in 1995, UWG
political science
professor Dr. Said
Sewell took members
of UWG’s Black Men
With Initiative to the
“Millions More” march,
held over the weekend
in Washington, D.C.
All the students, who
are too young to recall
the historic gathering 10
years ago, see this as an
opportunity to witness
history in the making.
Justin Batson, a
BMWI member, believes
the march is something
that can help black men
“become better men.”
“It’s a culmination
of great minds coming
together,” Batson said of
the march. “It’s paying
homage to something that
happened 10 years ago
which gave birth to our
group on campus.”
Robert Kelly, another
member, expressed
excitement at the idea
of being in a crowd of a
million people. “I’ve never
been around a million
committee is looking for
people to join committees
to help with fundraising
and planning of the event.
Also, they are
looking for participants.
Applications for both are
located in the Department
of Student Activities,
Room 200 in the UCC.
Each participant is
required to raise $ 120 or be
sponsored for $lO an hour
the day of the event. Last
year the Marathon raised a
record-breaking $34,000.
This year’s goal is to meet
or break that record.
The Marathon
committee realizes that 12
hours on one’s feet all night
long can get tiresome. That
is why this year each hour
will have a theme. There
will be games, bands, food
and dancing to keep the
participants pumped.
“As Executive
Committee members and
members of the Morale
team, our job is to make
that 12 hours as painless
as possible. We are there
to inspire, encourage
and energize all of the
participants,” Melissa
Shaw, Assistant Director of
people before, so I really
can’t wait to go,” he said.
Asked why this
march is important,
many of the members
uniformly believed that
there are issues that
have gone unresolved
by society. “Just because
racism is not out in the
open does not mean that
it doesn’t exist,” Jerrod
McAllister said.
Courtney Johns,
another member of
BMWI, said he believes
the march is happening at
the right time. “There are
many black families that
do not have a father figure
to guide them. We need
more black men as leaders,
which is something that’s
necessary to make a
change,” said Johns.
Johns also said that the
march will open people’s
eyes to the different types
of black men in the United
States. “I think this march
can help break down
the negative stereotypes
people have of black men
in general.”
Kelly believes that
the march will break down
some of the misconceptions
about blacks in general.
“When they come and see
a million black men, who
are all different, those
Student Activities, said.
The Children’s
Miracle Network is a group
of hospitals that will treat
sick children regardless of
their financial situations.
The money raised will
help children at Children’s
Healthcare of Atlanta.
Fromnowuntil March,
the Marathon will host
several fundraising events
to add to participants’
money. Upcoming events
include a Spaghetti
luncheon Nov. 18 and a
basketball tournament
Dec. 7. The Spaghetti
luncheon will cost $5 and
tickets can be purchased
in the Student Activities
Office or outside of the
UCC during the next few
weeks. Faculty and staff
members can choose
to have their lunches
delivered to their offices.
Other events include a.
Pancake Breakfast, Silent
Auction, Garage Sale, Toll
Roads and much more.
Students with
questions, or those
who would like more
information should
contact Shaw at (678)
839-6526.
misconceptions will be
broken down. They will
see that there are positive
black people out there.”
The idea for the
“Million Man March”
originated in 1995, with
minister Louis Farrakhan.
The march involved
one million black men,
marching on Washington
as a call to take control of
their fate.
Since then, there have
been other marches urging
people to take control of
their lives, including the
“Million Woman March,”
the “Million Mom March”
and the “Million Worker
March.” Many of the
men in BMWI expressed
optimism that they would
benefit from attending
the march.
“I hope to become
a better man, raise my
morals, and look at myself
in a better light,” said
Jerrod McAllister.
“I want to open my
eyes to what’s out there
and help mentor to other
men,” said Justin Batson.
The men of BMWI
also believe that anyone,
black or white, rich or
poor, could benefit from
attending events such
See HIM. page 3
Former NFL'er speaks
on domestic violence
By Elise Dunnigan
Staff Writer
DunniganEN@aol.com
Don McPherson is a
former National Football
League quarterback. He
is also an advocate for
prevention of domestic
violence. He spoke at
the University of West
Georgia last Tuesday to
help raise awareness of
domestic violence and of
“It’s Time to Talk Day.”
“It’s Time to
Talk Day” was
established by Liz
Claiborne Inc.
and Marie Claire
magazine as a day
to encourage greater
public dialogue
about domestic
violence.
McPherson
spent the morning
of Oct. 11 doing
interviews in New
York about his
work with domestic
violence awareness.
He then traveled to
Carrollton, where
he addressed a small
group of students, faculty
and staff in Kathy Cashen
Hall at UWG.
He told the group that,
for years, society has made
sexual violence, physical
violence, family violence
and other crimes committed
against women a women’s
only issue, but he said that
men and masculinity are
highly involved factors in
domestic violence.
Ninety percent of
violence committed
against women is
committed by men and that
four times a day a women
is murdered, a statistic
that has not changed in 11
Campus Calendar
(All sporting events listed are home games.)
Wednesday, Oct. 19
• Blood Drive - 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., UCC 206
• A DAY Victory Celebration - 6:30 p.m., Alumni House
• Volleyball: UWG vs. Montevallo - 7 p.m
Thursday, Oct 20
• A DAY for West Georgia kickoff breakfast - 8:30 a.m., Z-6
• A DAY Victory Celebration - 6:30 p.m., Alumni House
• Volleyball: UWG vs. Montevallo - 7 p.m
Friday, Oct 21
• Women’s Soccer: UWG vs. Montevallo - 4 p.m.
Sunday, Oct 23
• Soccer: UWG vs. Delta State -3 p.m.
Monday, Oct 24
• Intramural soccer begins
Tuesday, Oct 25
• French Film Series: Les Choristes, TLC Rm. 1-301, 7 p.m.
• International Cultural Panel, Bonner Lecture Hall, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct 26
• EXCEL Success Seminar, UCC Rm. 312 4-5:00 p.m.
Events are taken from web-published university calendars
and sports schedules, press releases and from information sent to
The West Georgian by event organizers. Organizers wishing to list
an event may e-mail the details, as far in advance as possible, to
uwgpaper@westga.edu.
years, said McPherson.
He said he is constantly
asked why he cares about
the issue and told the group
that he became interested
after hearing Jackson
Katz, a lecturer and anti
violence educator, speak
about gender issues and
violence against women.
“Men need to start
asking what it means to be
a man,” McPherson said.
He then went on to ask
the men in the room what
“Men are not
violent because
of testosterone,
but of lack of
options. ”
Don McPherson
Former NFL
Quarterback
words are associated with
being a man in society.
The words "strong,”
“smart,” “in charge,”
“independent,” “don’t
cry” and “get some” were
mentioned by the men.
He then asked the
women in the room what
words are associated with
being a woman in society.
The words “nurturer,”
“empathic,” “emotional,”
“supportive,” “passive,”
“weak,” “submissive”
and “sweet” were listed.
McPherson said that
men should strive to be
all of the things that were
characterized as women’s
(Georgian
traits. He also said that
when he gained these
“woman qualities” he was
able to become a whole
man. He said that these
qualities have served
him more in life than the
typical men qualities.
The problem is that
men were taught how to be
men when they were little
boys and society did not
embrace such non typical
characteristics in males,
McPherson said. He feels
that we should not
raise our boys just
to be men and ignore
feminine traits.
If boys are
raised to be men,
then they are
raised to think that
feelings, especially
their own, do not
matter, and that it
is wrong to show
their emotions.
McPherson
explained that boys
who grow up hearing
“you throw like a
girl,” “sissy,” “gay,”
or even “be a man,”
grow up with limited
options and feel that they
are not allowed to be
individuals.
“Men are not violent
because of testosterone,
but of lack of options.”
McPherson said.
He said they alsomake
bad decisions because they
are copstaqtly questioned
about their masculinity.
McPherson feels that
now more than ever is the
time for men to get in touch
with their wholeness.
“We have to find a
way to inspire our boys
to be more whole without
degrading women and gay
people,” he said.