Newspaper Page Text
Page 4
Wednesday, February 8,2006
Students react to "Not Yet Program" column
Dear Editor,
The University of
West Geoigia has done it
once again. Not only have
they permitted an impartial
student judiciary to wrongly
accuse an African American
male of cheating during
the 2004-2005 Student
Government Association
Presidential election, but
now they are allowing
the student newspaper to
ostracize and misdirect
issues of societal inequality.
I am the first person
to be in support of an
individual’s freedom of
speech but the student new
paper should be aware
of blatant ignorance and
cultural misunderstanding.
As I read the article
by Ryan Rowley entitled
“Not Yet Program makes
GA students dumber” I find
it difficult to fathom that
someone would be allowed
to single out a minority
group in such a distasteful
manner. The audacity of
this young man to quote the
private conversation of two
of our fellow students is
appalling.
Is it that students who
are allowed in express their
opinion in the news paper
no longer have to actively
engage in accurate research
of information before it is
disseminated to the general
public?
First, how is it that Ryan
can qualify the intensity
of the exam that these two
young men just finished
taking? Doesn’t journalism
require that there is a proper
interview and collection of
the appropriate data before
something is published?
Secondly, getting in
to college is about more
the academics. There have
been and will continue to
be countless numbers of
people that come to school
just because.
There are numerous
Universities that admit
students just because they
posses an athletic skill.
Either that person is good at
football, basketball, soccer
or some other sport that
could put the University in
the limelight.
Third, asking “how
did you make it through
high school? Apparently,
someone slipped through
the cracks of the Not Yet
Program of Geoigia.”
Believe it or not, we don ’ t live
in a world where everything
is black and white. There are
some grey areas and each
student is not provided an
equal education.
In an article by Patrisia
Macias Rojas and Rebecca
Gordon titled “Just Facts:
Racial Resegregration and
Inequality in The Public
Schools” they argue that
there is an unfair distribution
of funding between urban
schools, which tend to be
predominantly black, and
suburban schools, which are
predominantly white.
They argue that:
“White suburban schools
have vastly more money
than inner-city schools,
whose students are often 90
to 100 percent children of
color. That’s because almost
half of school funding
comes from local property
taxes. In New York state, the
richest school district spent
$38,572 per student in 1992.
That’s seven times what
the poorest district spent—
ss,423. In Illinois, the ratio
was 8 to 1. In Texas, per
student spending ranged
from $3,098 to more than 10
times as much—s42,ooo.”
We can never assume
that we understand the
factors that contributed to
someone graduating from
high school. Remember we
can’t judge a book by its
cover, as the old cliche goes.
Economics plays a very
important role in the type
of education that a student
receives.
Fourth, how smart
you are has nothing to do
with meeting the basic
requirements to graduate
from high school. I will
agree that college may not
be for everyone but those
of us who desire to attend
a college or university have
that right.
No one has the right
to belittle little Jimmy
and sentence him to a life
working at Burger King.
The purpose of a teacher is
to guide the development
of a child to maximize
their potential. Now, if that
potential does not include
pursing post-secondary
education then that’s fine,
but encourage our youth.
Don’t deny them a future
as a productive member of
society.
Fifth, there is not a
direct correlation, or at least
it is not presented in this
article, the link between
telling a student they are
dumb and they should work
at Burger King and saying
“That is why the U.S. only
has a 19% graduation rate
among college students.”
The writer does not make
any attempt to quantify his
claim with facts or qualify
his notions of inaptitude.
Sixth, it is just flat out
wrong and border line, if
not, racist to generalize a
whole culture of people. This
article does not present any
research that would suggest
that if an Asian student fails
the entrance exam then they
will be shipped off to make
“designer shoes and shirts.”
Additionally, FUBU
is not manufactured in
Africa. In fact, FUBU is
manufactured in Sri Lanka
which is located in Southeast
Asia, island in the Indian
Ocean, south of India.
Finally, I have a
concern with the use of
“us/them.” The author says
“your wasting perfectly
good HOPE funding that the
rest of us direly need.”
Now it is my
understanding that if
someone gets the HOPE
scholarship then they have
completed high school
with at least a 3.0 grade
point average (GPA). Thus
exceeding the minimum
GPA qualifications for
entrance into the University
of West Geoigia.
I understand that
everyone is entitled to their
opinion, but allowing such
blatantly false information
to circulate this campus is
unacceptable.
Articles that can be
interpreted as an attack
against a certain racial
group can not be tolerated.
The editor of the Opinion
section must be critically
question and we must all
ask ourselves why would
anyone allow something so
unfound and unwarranted to
be published?
Thanks,
Brandon Scott
Dear Editor,
As I was reading
Rowley’s article, I became
deeply offended.
In fact, I developed that
“icky” feeling inside, the
one which helps me to know
if what I am reading/hearing
is a heartfelt question about
problems or merely a
narrow-minded attempt to
spread pain, humiliation and
miseducation.
Allow me toexpress that
I am offended by the article
not because 1 was personally
attacked-I graduated high
school with honors, from
the Honors Program and I
currently have a 3.27 GPA
overall, with a 4.0 GPA in
my Major coursework.
Please also allow me
to step aside in order to
address the Free Speech
rights to which we cling so
desperately in this country.
1 absolutely tremble at the
thought of losing our right
to speak freely.
But what we must not
do is to become confused as
to the true intention of these
rights, nor to allow the selfish
and harmful exploitations
of these rights. Freedom
of Speech was intended
to protect individuals and
groups who might be weaker
or less popular than the
governing and controlling
bodies, to allow educated
minds to question the status
quo and possibly refute the
beliefs of others.
The rights were
intended to protect our
other rights to live as free
citizens, people who have
the privilege to live as they
choose and the right to argue
against and even overthrow
organizations who deny
such rights. The Freedom
of Speech rights were
NEVER intended to provide
individuals with the means
to belittle, demean, insult
and harm others.
Essentially, the rights
were intended to protect, not
harm. Sadly, when articles
filled with words of such
hatred and ignorance run
in our newspaper, we all
suffer. The West Georgian
is a symbol of our school-of
all of us.
Absolutely, it should
reflect the mixture of
thoughts and beliefs among
students. It is our differences
which make the world-and
our college-so interesting.
I, for one, would see no
problem with running an
article about the need for an
increase in student interest
toward academics.
And I definitely agree
with the author’s belief that
unchallenged, unambitious
and uncooperative students
do not belong here,
especially when they take
financial aid from students
who would appreciate the
help.
But was that really
the author’s message? I
am unsure, becasue I was
distracted by the poor
sentence formations, the
lack of references to support
“multicultural comparisons”
and “high school
advancement programs”,
and the simply rude and
hurtful misprepresentations
of students in various
situations.
When the author chose
to present the article in such
a way, the message was
muddied. And the right to
Free Speech was abused. I
pray we never allow those
in power to quiet the voices
who cry out with educated,
compelling, documented
problems-and praises-no
matter to whom the voice
belongs.
I do not have to agree
with an author to believe in
their right to say something.
Nor do I have to believe
in an author’s right to say
something I may agree with
if the presentation is wrong.
It is a sad day to me when
West Georgia allows narrow
minded, unresearched, and
hateful speakers to represent
our school.
Thanks,
Bridget Moore
Dear Editor,
First of all, articles like
yours (Rowley) do nothing
to ease the racial tension on
this backwards campus.
I'm stunned that you
would write something like
this after some of us just
celebrated the legacy of the
revered Rev. Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr. An article
such as yours does nothing
but separate an already
divided campus.
Second, the particular
student you referred to
and quoted, verbatim, has
some intelligence or else
the student would not be
enrolled at the University of
West Georgia.
I’m sure he was just
speaking the everyday
vernacular that some
people choose to converse
with. 1 guarantee you that
this student does not write
essays the way he speaks,
and I know very few people
who speak “proper” English
all of the time.
However, intelligent
students should realize that
there are people who do
speak that way and therefore
should not take offense to it
because it is true.
Third, if a student
has the HOPE scholarship
how is he or she wasting
funding? The student
obviously has a 3.0 GPA
or better which is more
than most college students
can say for themselves and
here you are telling them
to drop out of school.
Maybe the U.S. has
a 19% college graduation
rate because of ignorant
comments made by people
like you who crush the
dreams of students by telling
them to go make a career out
of flipping buigers
Lastly, American
companies are perpetuating
the condition of the “little
Asian kids” by outsourcing
the manufacturing of their
clothing and products to
Asian countries, and I’m
99.9% sure that if you
conducted a little research
you would find that
children in Africa do not
make FUBU clothing.
In the words of Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr.
“Nothing in all the world
is more dangerous than
sincere ignorance and
conscientious stupidity”.
Thanks,
Braxton Calloway
Dear Editor,
Apparently, it is only
okay to write for the “West
Georgian” if what you say
does not upset other people.
Ryan Rowley is a little
“far out there”—way out
there—but he and others
should have the opportunity
to make statements, even if
those statements make us
angry.
This country is based
on the freedom of speech
(see: first amendment).
Universities are supposed
to be places where the
free exchange of ideas can
occur.
In this case, one person
expressed his opinion in
the “opinion” section of the
newspaper, which means
the article and its contents
are not supported by the
newspaper or the university
at-large.
You may think that
it was a rather ignorantly
written article; I may even
agree with you. However,
he deserves the right to
speak his mind.
We all know that
prejudice exists here at West
Geoigia, in the world-at
large, and in ourselves (if
we’re honest).
Why should we
continue to pretend these
issues do not exist?
Perhaps we should
thank Ryan for doing us the
favor of bringing something
out into open which rarely
gets talked about today.
So long as hate and
prejudice are hidden away,
they gain power to destroy.
Once they are brought into
the light,though, we can see
them for what they really
are: fear and ignorance.
We have the
opportunity through
the student paper to
speak more openly. In
“Changes,” Tupac said, “it
takes skill to be real, time
to heal each other.” We
have a lot of healing to do
in this country, including
here in our backyard. If
we are serious about that,
then we need to be real.
I am saddened that in a
place of “higher learning”
there is such a conservative,
fear-induced reaction to
one person expressing his
opinions.
So, if you were
bothered—be bothered!
Tell us what is on your
mind. But don’t shut down
the conversation; otherwise,
we run the risk of turning
life into the “Barney” show,
pretending to be a big, happy
family. Instead, let’s all try
to practice being real.
Thanks,
Alex Obed
Dear Editor,
This is basically in
response to all of the racial
jabs African Americans have
been taking in earlier issues
of the UWG newspaper.
Don’t get me wrong.
This response is in no way
justifying the underlying
prejudices and borderline
racisms displayed in the
issues, but I am glad and
appreciate that they were
West Georgian
printed.
It confirms what I have
been thinking for some
time now. We as African
Americans have become
too soft/ It seems like others
don’t respect us, and it’s not
like the disrespect is hidden
or behind close doors. It
is barefaced and out in the
open.
They have even
become bold enough to
draw cartoons characters,
even single out certain
organizations on campus.
What is this? How can
we stop this? Yeah, we have
all heard the rumors about
the physical damage that
needs to be done to some
of the authors of certain
articles, but what would be
the reasoning?
We can hold rallys,
marches or forums but in
today’s world where would
that get us? Nowhere. I’m
calling for action.
Not physical or legal
punishments to othen, but
action within us African
Americans. Let’s beat
them with success. This
is my challenge to African
Americans.
Question yourself. Ask
yourself, what can I do to
help myself as well as my
people today? Will I just
keep complaining and do
nothing different and expect
a change as a fool would do
or should I take action?.
What organizations can
I join or possibly create to
better myself as well as that
organization? Oh and for
those.of you that are apart of
an organization ask yourself
what do you actually do in
that organization.
It’s fun to have the
occasional meeting or
group parties but what true
difference do I make? I’m
calling for all ethnic-based
organizations to come
together. We have worked
separately for far too long.
Now, as time has
proven, we are in a dire need
of unity. All fraternities,
sororities, social and
academic organizations, its
time we work together.
We can call and group
up with each other when it
is time to party or go to the
clubs, but how many phone
calls are made when you
don’t see those same people
in class or when it is test time
and a study group is needed?
It is time that we respected
ourselves as well as each
other. It’s a proven fact that
if you think of yourself in a
higher aspect they will treat
you in such a fashion.
One thing I did agree
with in the last article was
the way some of us converse
with each other. We are
educated, powerful African
Americans lets talk in such
a manner. Leave the street
talk in the streets.
I could sit here
and acknowledge every
problem or situation that
needs to be dealt with
but as I stated before
we are educated African
Americans and the “Unsaid
is not the Unknown”.
Let’s pull each other up,
men and women, club or
organization all on one
accord. It’s been a long
time but it’s in dire need
the change has to come.
Thanks,
Jeffrey Jay Johnson