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E 9 Volume 54 lssue 50 “Tin Student Vom nt tin l nirersih of 'West ( *eorf*ia since 1^54 % Wednesday,. April 26, 2006 Ceremony honors students, faculty, groups By Mariam Abuhaideri Staff Writer mabuhaideri@yahoo.com The Campus Activities Awards Program has been held annually for the past nineteen years to honor special contributions of faculty, staff and students to the University of West Georgia. This year was no different. Several awards in various categories were presented to deserving individuals at the Nineteenth Annual Campus Activities Awards Program and Reception on Tuesday April 18. The awards are highly competitive, and in order to be chosen for the awards, individuals have to first be nominated. The nominations are then sent to individual departments or organizations to which the award belongs. Once sent, the departments/ organizations have their own criteria for selecting the winners. The Campus Awards, however, are presented by the Department of Student Activities. According to Chris Geiger, the Associate Director of Student Activities,“Ourdepartment mainly coordinates the program and the selection process. We leave the rest to the presenting organization or department.” He also adds that the winners represent the diversity of campus life, BSU offers stress relief f <! >r v " % <-f V 8k i A § i . _ M] - - ... > --^i(iiß^E Photo by Matt Hagler Last Tuesday, the Baptist Student Union offered the chance for students to relieve stress that tends to come with the end of the semester drawing near. UWG student Bowen Bhenna takes a whack at the car. One dollar equaled two hits and all proceeds go towards benefiting missionaries. and are well deserving. “It is important to recognize people who go above and beyond doing so much for the campus,” he says. The Intramural, Student Government Association, Student Activities Counci, Greek Life, Black Student Alliance, University Ambassadors and Omicron Delta Kappa were the departments/organizations that commended dedicated service. SGA presented four awards while the BSA thanked three deserving beneficiaries. Among the awards presented by SGA, Dr. David Goff, chair of the Mass Communications Program, won the SGA Faculty Member of the year, and SGA senator of the Year award was presented to Angel Bums and Adrian Myers. The Department of Student Activities presented campus awards in categories of Community Service to Chi Omega, Advisor of the Year to Karen Boettler of the Department of Residence Life, Outstanding Student Organization to the Student Peace Action Network, Mass Communication Society, and to BSA for Distinguished Service for the Roberts Hall hurricane relief effort group, and the Dr. Bruce Lyon Distinguished Student Leader to Blake Lord and Clint Cannon. ■ "" ■ " ■■ ■ ■■ " ■■ 11 "4 1 . 1 jm Mb, M ■ 4 •• * JHk 5 1 ' jB Photo by Mariam Abuhaideri Dr. Brad Yates, left and Dr. David Goff, right, pose with Sheree Garrison, president of the Mass Communications Society. The organization won a Campus Activities Award for new student organization of the year. Dr. Goff won the SGA Faculty Member of the Year award. Dr. Yates is the faculty advisor to the Mass Communications Society. The Outstanding Student Organization awards were presented in three sub categories. The Mass Communication Society received the award in the new organization category, SPAN in the award in the small organization category, and BSA in the large organization category. This year West Georgia helped graciously Senior tells of escape from native country By Van Jenkins Guest Writer vaneric@hotmail.com Phouthone Nguyen, a graduating senior here at the University of West Georgia, drew strength from her almost unspeakable misfortunes. Instead of using the past as a handicap, she viewed it as her destiny. In her native country Laos, the government killed some of her family, while she barely escaped with her life, and was forced to survive in the jungle with little to no provisions. Afterward she lived through deplorable conditions, had to learn a new culture and language, working 30 to 40 hours a week to help support the rest of her family, all before graduating high school. Having the odds against her, she is in sponsoring housing to several families displaced by hurricane Katrina. The Distinguished Service award was presented to the individuals that helped during those difficult proving that regardless of circumstances, always reach for your goals. Nguyen is majoring in Biology, and she is on track to accomplish her life long goal of becoming a doctor. About 25 years ago, Nguyen, and a few family members, barely escaped with their lives trying to escape an oppressive Communist regime in Laos, while witnessing horrible acts of violence that only most of us hear about through the media. Yet she has accomplished much in academics and in her community with dreams of doing much more. Before Laos was under communist control, Nguyen and her family were sympathetic to the United States and its idea of democracy. Unfortunately, Laos fell to the communists times. “The Awards ceremony has become a university tradition and we are glad that the response has been so great,” said Geiger. and on February 15, 1980, Nguyen and her sister fled the country in fear of their lives. “We grappled with the difficult choice between imminent and daily terror of the Communist regime or the equally dangerous escape to freedom,” Nguyen said. As they fled, she recalls bodies floating down the Mekong River that were left intentionally by the government to be seen to those trying to escape Laos. The scare tactic did work for some, but not for Nguyen and her sibling. Nguyen said, “Once you decided to go you’re going to go, rather dead or alive.” Often without food they had to rely on wild fruit, and sometimes their own urine to survive. See STHKNT. page 2