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Wednesday
August 16,
2006
Nontraditional students
are still growing , too
By Larry L. Peel
Staff Columnist
Larry@ioncinema.com
The start of the new
school year always brings
excitement to the air here
at UWG, and this year is
no exception.
As I begin my second
full year here I have the
opportunity to look back
with the rest of the student
body at the changes the
University has undergone
as we celebrate its
Centennial anniversary.
The first time I ever
set foot on this campus
was over two decades ago
in 1985. I was like many
of the new freshmen here
today, eager, nervous
and full of hope for the
future.
Back then it was
known as West Georgia
College, and I was just
a high school junior
looking at my options. I
had attended an event with
my high school and was
overwhelmed by the size
and scope of the campus.
You should know that
my graduating class was
only about 160 people
and Interstate 20 ended in
Douglasville, so even a
small college was big city
for me. Life happened, as
it often does and I chose a
path that led me through
many adventures and many
learning experiences before
leading me back to college.
As the years
progressed and life moved
forward, I came to settle
in the West Georgia area
and worked for the local
ambulance service. I
still remember when
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Opinion
Columbia Drive continued
completely through the
center of campus running
across the traffic light
where the TLC building
currently stands.
I have been privileged
to watch as UWG has
grown both in real estate
and student body over the
years.
This year we will
celebrate one hundred
years as an institute of
higher learning and with it
we gain anew look, anew
mascot and anew pride.
We celebrate the opening
of our new Student Center
and the plans for our own
stadium. It is indeed
an exciting time to be a
student here.
Some of you may
remember my first story
for the West Georgian in
which 1 shared the process
that led me to be a 36 year
old freshman here. It is now
18 months later and both I
and the University have
grown and diversified.
Like many freshmen
before me, and more yet to
come, I changed my mind
about what I want to be
“when I grow up” once I
started classes.
My love for science
and for geology in
particular, will forever be
a love and a hobby but
higher math has forced me
to rethink my options and
my career goals. 1 feel,
however, that the change
was certainly for the best,
as I have already begun a
career in both the film and
television industries and
am feeling quite proud and
fulfilled.
The faculties in
both the Geosciences
and English departments
have been wonderful
in their guidance and
understanding. I am certain
the rest of the faculty would
be the same for any student
seeking their options.
Asa non-traditional
student, I am part of a
niche group that is larger
than I had ever imagined.
Though defined as a
“traditional" University,
more and more of us
Gen X’ers seem to be
gravitating toward life at
UWG.
I originally began my
post secondary education
at what was then known as
Kennesaw State College,
and which was strictly a
commuter school catering
to non-traditional students.
We “grown-ups” here at
UWG though have found
ourselves, and from the
ones that I have spent time
with, are adjusting well.
We seem to gravitate
toward each other for
study groups, gripe
sessions about our kids or
schedules or dinner plans
and sometimes just to have
a shoulder to lean on.
Even though I often
feel like just “one of the
kids” here at UWG. it only
takes one senior calling
me “sir" or seeing my best
friend’s daughter crossing
the quad, to remind me
that I am indeed here
completing what I began
20 years ago. Boy am I
glad to be doing it.
Larry has a weekly column
in The West Georgian as
well as a daily column on
www.ioncinema.com.
Bobby Moore, Editor-in-Chief
Stephanie Smith, Advertising & Business Manager
Kristal Dixon, News Editor
Ray Ross, Sports Editor
Jesse Duke, A&E Editor
Josh Grubb, Photo Editor
Rebecca Cheek, Copy Editor
Elizabeth Bounds, Copy Editor
Erik Waters, Webmaster
Doug Vinson, Advisor
Democrats plan "New
Direction" for America
By Skyler Akins
Staff Columnist
sakins l @my. westga.edu
House and Senate
Democrats recently
launched their “New
Direction for America”
platform announcing
several plans for anew
direction for America. The
platform addresses several
issues that are important to
hard working Americans
across the country.
The failures of the
Re publican-con trolled
Congress are evident every
time you pass a gas station,
with average gas prices
in Georgia over $2.70 a
gallon. The United States
consumes 20 million
barrels of oil per day, and
66 percent of it is imported
from the middle east.
The GOP-controlled
Congress accepts millions
per year from the big oil
companies and its CEOs,
which perhaps explains
their lack of action on
reducing America’s high
gas price crisis. They
have, in the course of their
control of congress, sided
with big oil corporations
instead of the American
people, and even went as
far as to cut funding on
alternative fuels.
Republicans just last
week passed the minimum
wage bill, only after an
estate tax cut for the 7,500
wealthiest families in
America was attached. It is
clear that the priorities of
the GOP congress are with
the wealthiest people in our
country.
Its time the people
took back control of
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"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
their government, not
the CEO’s and multi
millionaires thatcurrently
control Congress.
Under Washington
Republican leadership,
College assistance
programs have been now
been cut in half.
Effective July 1,
student loan interest rates
the Repubtican
controlled
Congress are
evident every
time you pass a
gas station.
will rise significantly
to just over six percent,
additionally putting a
bigger financial burden on
current college students,
and recent college
graduates who still may be
paying off student loans.
The average college
student in America now
graduates college $19,000
or more in debt, and under
the new six percent interest
rate hike that will now
additionally increases to
$20,520.
Furthermore, 25
percent of teachers that
graduate college cannot
afford to pay off loans on
a starting teacher salary
The Rant & Rave returns
to the paper next week!
“Are all classes cancelled
this Friday so we can go and
see Snakes on a Plane?”
If you have pressing
questions like the one
above, send them to us at
uwgpaper@westga.edu
Copyright Notice
The West Georgian, copyright 2006, is an official publication of the
University of West Georgia. Opinions expressed herein are those of the
newspaper staff or individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the
views of university faculty or staff.
Letter Submission Policy
The West Georgian welcomes letters to the editor. Letters may
be mailed to: Editor, The West Georgian, University of West
Georgia, Carrollton, GA, 30118. or sent via electronic mail to:
uwgpaper@westga.edu.
All letters must be signed and include a phone number and mailing ad
dress for verification purposes. Letters should not exceed 350 words and
should be submitted by 5 p.m. the Sunday prior to publication. Editors
reserve the right to edit for style, content, and length.
in our country, which
is chilling considering
the shortage of quality
teachers in America’s
classrooms.
Where is the
Republican priorities?
The answer is simple,
their priorities are in
tax cuts for the top
one percent wealthiest
Americans, and for the
big oil companies.
The war in Iraq
now costs the American
taxpayers S3OO million per
day.
That means that for
every week that goes by,
America could pay off
every student loan in the
country, and just after one
week could give almost
every child in America a
scholarship to college.
The war costs on
average SBO billion a
month, enough to come
close to ending hunger in
third world countries for a
few weeks.
America will no
longer take Bush’s “Stay
the Course” policy. After
over three and a half
years of failed policy, it
is obvious Bush’s and the
Republican course isn't
the course to victory.
Stand with me, and
hard working Americans
across the county, in
November by saying no
to the Republican culture
of corruption, and yes
to a “New Direction for
America.”
It is time to put
government back in
the hands of where it
should be, hard working
Americans. Democrats
will do just that.