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www.thewestgeorgian.com \ ohmic 54 lwiic I " UWG selects wolves as new mascot By Kristal Dixon News Editor shunta\2l @ hotmail.com It’s official: beginning in Fall 2006, the University of West Georgia will be officially known as the West Georgia Wolves. The decision brings the eight month process to an end with UWG President Dr. Beheruz Sethna accepting the recommendation of the President’s Advisory Council. “The alliteration sounds great and it’s a name that has legs to it,” said Tara Singer, vice president of University Advancement and head of the Athletic Marketing Identity Task Force. Singer went on to say that the choice of wolves as UWG’s mascot fits perfectly, considering that the red wolves are indigenous to the area. Athletic Director Ed Murphy emphasized that the process was open and fair and that the West Georgia family was involved in the selection process. “We surveyed everyone, considered every suggestion, and we thank those who sent their opinions on the mascot issue.” Murphy also stated that the choice of FYRST offers programs to encourage leadership By Kelly Williams Staff Writer kellyuwga@bellsouth.net Being involved on campus is never a hard task. There are several ways to be involved and take leadership roles. The First Year Residents Succeeding Together program headed up by the Department of Residence Life is offering its students two new opportunities. First of two new activities coming up is the FYRST Council. According to Cathy Roberts, coordinator of FYRST, “It’s a brand new student organization being formed for current FYRST students.” The group would be similar to the hall council organization in residence halls but different in some ways. “Most organizations have an executive board, but this group will be set up with committees so that students can have more opportunities to "I he Student l nice at the I niversily oj West (ieorgiu \inee I.VJ4" the Wolves was the most popular among the current student athletes. “West Georgia athletics is going into a different era. Our goal is go move into Division I, but this is a start.” Murphy and Singer also pointed out that the transition to being the Wolves will be phased in slowly and the monetary factor will be small. Only four universities in the country have the wolves as a mascot, but they are not in the Southeastern region of the country. Now that the new mascot is set in stone, the task force will still have to come up with a permanent design and logo for the mascot. Rickabaugh Graphics, who worked with the task force in the selection of the mascot, will continue to work with the task force. Rickabaugh Graphics has designed graphics and logos for many sports teams ranging from the National Basketball Association to the National Football League. It has also worked with corporations such as Coca- Cola and Dave & Buster’s. The task force is made up of 12 members, which included members from the student government, student athletes, faculty, lead,” Roberts said. Roberts also hopes that in the years to come former students of FYRST will be able to take part in the council as well. For now it is only open to currently enrolled freshmen in FYRST. Interest meetings are Jan. 17 at 5 p.m. in Strozier classroom, and Jan. 18 at 5 p.m. in Row Lobby. The second upcoming activity for FYRST students is the Emerging Leader Series. This is a seven week program geared toward freshmen. Roberts has also coordinated the Emerging Leader Series and hopes students will find it useful for resume building and gaining the skills they may need to acquire internships. Also, it will help students in other organizations to learn skills they need to run their student organizations. “Most leadership programs are geared towards upperclassmen or those already in a staff, athletic boosters, and alumni. The selection process tested factors such as alliteration, design, compatibility with traditional school colors and uniqueness with the potential mascot choices. Methods such as online polls, questionnaires, focus groups, and open forums were held to get feedback from the student body, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members. UWG begin to look into the mascot issue to determine if the nickname “Braves” should be changed. Those who argued for change pointed to several factors, including the derogatory nature of the mascot and the disadvantage of having a major league baseball team close to the UWG community with the same mascot. Along with the name change of the UWG mascot, the university is also looking to continue to expand with future athletics projects. The university is seeking to raise $lO million to build a 9,000- seat football stadium, along with a multi-sport athletics complex. Another future project is the continuing leadership position,” Roberts said. Guest speakers on campus will be present during the seven weeks and allow for students to make connections with staff and faculty on campus. The deadline to apply for the program is Jan 20. Preference will be given to those in FYRST. While the focus of the FYRST program is on freshmen, there are roles for upperclassmen as well. They can be involved by becoming Resident Assistants in FYRST buildings or by being Student Academic Mentors in the FYRST program. Student Academic Mentors play a big role in helping freshmen with their transitions from high school to college. More information on any of the programs can be obtained by contacting Cathy Roberts through email croberts@westga. edu or phone (678) 839- 6426. , till .* *.%;/■ wmmmgm jw \ ? . -• f 1 Bps llijj .j# 1 ~ ■%, Photo by Mariam Abuhaideri Dr. Beheruz Sethna, president of UWG, enjoys a moment of celebration during the new mascot announcment. The president accepted the recommendation from the President’s Advisory Council and chose the wolves as West Georgia’s new mascot. look into the university possibly moving into NCAA Division I. This process, however, will take seven to ten years and will be substantially determined by future enrollment at the university. UWG currently competes in the Gulf South Conference of Division 11. Many students are pleased with the choice of the mascot. Blake Lord, president of the Student Government Association, Students, Sethna celebrate the legacy &9 2 JL UNJVERS/' 1 >st Gf ’ Photo By George Hawkins Lauren Daigle, left, Jordan Campbell, center, and Adrian Myers, right, hold the Univer sity of West Georgia’s banner while leading UWG President Dr. Beheruz Sethna and the rest of the UWG participants march in the Unity March. The march is one of four events that are scheduled to be held this week celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Wednesday, Jan nary IS, 2006 said that the choice of the wolves was a good decision and was thankful of the chance to help in the process. “It’sagreatopportunity to have had an opportunity to participate in a body to make a decision.” Paul Kamau, a sophomore, was also satisfied. “It’s a great decision. I’ll be happy howling at the football games.” Drum major Matthew Bass said, “I’m very excited and I’ll be very happy charging the field as the West Georgia Wolves.” Dr. Sethna, president of UWG, expressed his feelings on the decision of the mascot. “It was the top choice of the students and that is what attracted me to the name,” Sethna said. “I have a vision of a whole football stadium filled with 10,000 students and fans howling when we win a game. It’s a powerful and unbeatable image.”