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Page 2 Wednesday, August 30, 2006 NEWS IN A IHJIIKY Freshmen learn civility The University of West Georgia is welcoming its freshman class this year with a schedule that includes a study in civility. The UWG Civility Project is an innovative approach to bringing a spirit of cooperation and understanding to students and the campus. The project centers on the book. Choosing Civility:Twenty-Hve Rules of Considerate Conduct. Written by P.M. Fomi, professor and cofounder of The John Hopkins Civility Project at John Hopkins University, the text is required reading for freshmen and will be used by teachers as a resource to emphasize the tenants of thoughtful behavior, communication skills, common respect and decency. How students present themselves, their interaction with others and what sort of expectations they bring to their new environment are all helped through a better understanding of civility, said Dr. Jane Hill, professor and chair of the Department of English. Hill is chairing the UWG Civility Project. “From my perspective, the program allows both faculty and students to have clearer expectations of how we The Rant & Rave! “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 Sudan prepares for peace amid conflict By Tim Sowers Staff Writer tsowersl @my.westga.edu Sudan has been getting much attention in the news on and off for some time. The crisis there has many people concerned becauseofthedisplacement of many people and the mass killings and rapes that have occurred. This May, a peace agreement between the Sudan government and the largest of the rebel groups, the Sudan Liberation Army, made many hope for a reduction in tensions. Two major rebel groups have yet to sign the Darfur Peace Agreement. The agreement has not eliminated all violence however as this past month has seen 200 rapes in should negotiate the many complicated interchanges we have among ourselves each and every day,” said Hill. “By having incoming students exposed to a text that raises questions about how humans can most successfully participate in a community, we have automatically created first year students more prepared for our environment than ever before.” Fomi wrote the book to gently persuade the average citizen that “good manners aren’t just good for others—they are good for us, too.” Messages and rules such as “think twice before asking for favors,” “refrain from idle complaints” and “respect one another’s space” head chapters filled with advice, wisdom and common sense. The book is not a required text in any of the freshman classes but will be available more as a tool for faculty in the classroom. Choosing Civility teaches students how to negotiate the tricky terrain of the transition from high school to college. Fomi w ill be visiting the UWG campus in March as a guest lecturer on civility. For more information on the UWG project and Choosing Civility, go to http://www.westga.edu/ -bigbook. Faculty shows off art work The Department of Art at the University of West Georgia is hosting a faculty exhibit this month in two galleries in the Humanities refugee camps and at least 10 killed from groups in Sudan to offer aide. Jendayi Frazer, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, has said that a U.N. force will be needed to prevent a renewed outbreak of violence. Violence in Sudan started three years ago between ethnic African groups and an Arab controlled government. Since then, the central government has been accused of supporting militias called Janjaweed which have been reported to have committed the numerous atrocities. Many in the international community have leveled charges of genocide against the Sudanese government. Building. The show will close with a reception from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 31, in the Main Gallery. Faculty members exhibiting their work are Kevin Shunn, interim chair and associate professor of art; Dr. David Webster, Debrah Santini, Perry Kirk, Ozzie Lee Binion and David Collins, associate professors of art; Sangwon Sohn, Clint Samples and Eilis Crean, assistant professors of art; Stephanie Smith, gallery coordinator and temporary assistant professor; Angela Turbeville, temporary assistant professor of art; and Kevin Rutherford, a temporary' instructor. The exhibit is a free event. For more information, call (678) 839-6521. Observatory set to open The University of West Georgia’s observatory will open its doors to the public for a viewing of the celestial skies at 9:30 p.m., Monday. Aug. 28. The West Georgia Observatory, located off Plant Op Drive on the UWG campus, will be open to the public once a month through May when the skies are clear. The observatory features a Cassegrain reflecting telescope with a mirror whose diameter is 14 inches. Stargazers will be treated to spectacular views of stars, moons and However, it is believed that both sides have committed atrocities. Frazer is scheduled to make a trip to Sudan in an effort to help reduce violence and open the way for international involvement in the region to maintain peace. The African Union has already sent 7,000 troops to the region of Darfur in hopes of stopping the violence but has had little success so far. Frazer hopes that by the end of the month a U.N. resolution will be in place to send in U.N peacekeepers. Frazer also hopes that there will be a possibility to integrate some 5,000 African Union soldiers into a joint U.N.-African Union force. planets, but rumors of Mars having another close encounter with the earth are not true, according to Dr. Bob Powell, director of the observatory and professor and chair of the Department of Physics. “Both Mars and the Earth orbit the Sun in elliptical orbits,” said Powell. “They are relatively close to each other when Mars is at its closest point to the sun, which occurs about every two years. This month. Mars will be more distant from the earth than the sun. But, everyone is invited to come to the observatory’ to enjoy other celestial objects.” The community is invited to the viewings, which are free and scheduled on the following dates: Aug. 28, 9:30 to 10:30 p.m.. Sept. 25, 9 p.m. to 10 p.m., Oct. 30, 7 p.m.to 8 p.m., Nov. 27, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., Dec. 11,7 p.m. to 8 p.m., Jan. 22, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., Feb. 26, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., March 12, 8 p.m. to 9 p.m., April 23, 9 p.m. to 10 p.m.. May 1,9 p.m. to 10 p.m. For more information or to schedule a special viewing for a group or organization, call Powell (678) 839-4095 or send an email to bpowell@westga.edu. Earth day raises energy awareness Earth Day 2006 at the University of West Georgia raised energy conservation awareness and a donation to the Ferst Foundation for INTIBTftIMR continued from page 7 own worst critic or you think you're too good.” Before he started his own shows, Daniels competed in Elvis competitions. He has gotten to perform in many places. In Vegas, he performed with Elvis Presley’s original backup singers. The Jordanaires. From international competitions out of Vegas and Memphis, he placed fourth out of 200 people. He holds the Georgia state title as well. Daniels does not compete anymore because he wanted to do his own Elvis shows. He says that competing in shows got expensive and it is also hard work. It is hard work because to perform in the Elvis competitions, one has to have a good voice. Daniels had to record himself over and over to listen for Haws. He listened for mistakes that he might not have noticed before. Accuracy was an important part of the competitions. The hair had to be just right as well as the uniform. The posture of the body had to be perfect as well. The judges listened for vocal range and would look to see if the sideburns were too long or too short on someone. For the first year of competing, Daniels was not winning anything. He said that he learned from each of his competitions and straightened up his details. After two years of competing, he starting winning a lot. He has enjoyed his winnings, but he likes doing his own Elvis shows now as well as hosting karaoke. At the present time, Daniels’ weekly schedule keeps him busy because he does karaoke, for which he goes by the name of DJ Rice. On Mondays, he is at Island Flavas in Douglasville. Tuesdays, one can find him at Gipsons, which is located in Douglasville as well. Wednesdays, he is in Carrollton at Childhood Literacy. A can recycling competition at the UWG Earth Day event raised $ 148 for the Ferst Foundation. The foundation delivers a hardbound book each month to children from birth to five-years-old at no cost to the families. Participants in the Earth Day check presentation included Tracy Stallings, a consultant to Southwire, an Earth Day sponsor; Lauren Kania, UWG Earth Day 2006 coordinator and UWG student; Wesley Kirkbride, Delta Chi president at UWG; Martha Ann Saunders, a Carroll County Community Action Team (CAT) member; and Dr. Ron Reigner, UWG professor of curriculum and instruction and CAT member. Last year, the foundation delivered free books to more than 13,000 children in Georgia Head of tech institutes visits UWG The University of West Georgia received visitors from the National Kinmen Institute of Technology in Taiwan. Chung-JuFan,assistant professor, and Chin-Cheng Lee, president of KMIT, visited with acting UWG President Thomas J. Hynes and toured the campus. Hynes accepted several gifts from Lee on behalf of the university including a hand painted ceramic vase. An agreement was signed to continue diplomatic and academic communications between UWG and the institute. Mellow Mushroom on Maple Street. On Thursdays, he is at Taco Mac in Douglasville. He can be found at Lake Billiards, in Woodstock, on Fridays and Saturdays. Sundays are his only days off to rest. He also attends school in Lithonia and is pursuing a degree in Theology. Daniels has also had his “15 minutes of fame” so to speak, in the film industry, doing a couple of Elvis related documentaries. He was also an extra in the television miniseries, “Andersonviile," which aired on TBS. When asked why he decided to move down to Georgia to work in the entertainment business instead of doing it in California, his reply was that “there were more lucrative opportunities in living conditions, and it was easier to get started.” Daniels might seem like a busy man but he is never too busy for his three children. Laurent, 10, Shacora, 7 and Rondell, 4, all are an important part of Daniels’ life. Laurent can usually be seen at karaoke in Carrollton on Wednesdays. Who knows, maybe Laurent w ill follow in his fathers footsteps. This past semester, Daniels worked with Residence Life at the University of West Georgia to host an end of the year celebration with the University Suites and Watson resident halls. Many students came for food and to sing some karaoke. It was easily the best event of the year because it was a great turn out. Daniels agreed to work with the school even after being asked a week in advance. It seems that Daniels has done it all. He said that it has been great so far because of the places he has been and the people he has met. “It has been a fun adventure so far and I look forward to many more.” If you are interested in having Daniels host a karaoke event, call (404) 281-5050. (Fife Ifleat tfn'urqiuu Lambda meets tonight Lambda will hold a meeting tonight in Pafford Room 302 at 7 p.m. Everyone is invited to attend. Lambda is UWG’s only GLBT group on campus. In the summer, the group wen to Atlanta to participate in the Gay Pride march. The group also holds events to raise awareness of issues in the gay community. International scoop begins its run Beginning this issue The West Georgian will help create Cultural Awareness by sharing stories of international studuents with the UWG community. They will talk about adjustments to the American life, their cultures, special skills that they possess and lots more. It is a big effort on their part to come forward and help us w'ith this endeavor and we would like to thank them for their contributions. If you have traveled or studied abroad and have similar or different experiences, funny or overwhelming stories to share please feel free to come forward and share your experiences with us. If you are interested in sharing your experiences with the newspaper, contact Mariam Abuhaideri at mabuhaideri@yahoo.com.