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jPW SHI JMBB First copy free Volume 55 lssue 5 Branham reflects on 12 years as campus minister By Bobby Moore Editor-in-Chief rmoore 7 @ my. westga.edu Next month. Baptist Campus Ministries minister Tony Branham will celebrate his 12th anniversary as the campus minister at the University of West Georgia. Branham has been involved in campus ministries for 20 years, including the time he spent at Young Harris and Truett-McConnell. In that time, he has not wavered from his main objective as a minister. “My goal is to meet students where they are and to hopefully lead them closer to Christ,” Branham said. The BCM is more than just a social group. It is a ministry, as well. “When 1 think of social 1 think circus. I want to be a community,” Branham said. Baptist Campus Ministries reaches a lot of UWG students on a weekly basis with its various ministries, but the label “Baptist” does make some students weary of the group. “It (the ‘Baptist’ label) does turn people off. There are students who will never come into this building or be involved because of the term ‘Baptist’,” Branham said. In spite of that barrier, Branham hopes that students know that all denominations are welcome and the BCM focuses on the essentials and stays away from dogmatic beliefs. “Hopefully, when you look at me you see a person and not a Baptist,” he said. Just browsin' trSHKL** —T73T T _, * •* H "* *** ■’? ; i f r ’’^^'* t , ?)''*’' . f ' ,;> i* 4* v *^ r 1* *ss•, */ * jV ' ' r # </£ ~-o Photo by Bobby Moore UWG students Sade Winsor, left and Monte Addis, right, glance at movie posters last Thursday in front of the University Community Center. The company that were selling the posters was called Beyond the Wall Poster Sales. (StyK “The Student Voice at the University of West Georgia since 1934” The BCM has a lot of options for students during the week, which helps accommodate the schedules of students. But that is not their only objective. “We are not trying to accommodate people as much as they are trying to offer a holistic ministry. Intramurals, Shoe House and other things may bring in students who would not participate otherwise,” Branham said. A majority of those events are student led; with Branham making sure those student leaders are properly equipped to share the Gospel. Branham is very pleased with the BC'M's current group of student leaders, saying, “We have a good group of leaders right now and we have a good group of Freshmen coming in.” Freshmen are often sought out by the BCM, w hich often has programs designed to benefit freshmen and is also known to help incoming students move into their dorm rooms. Branham believes that typical freshmen set the routine for the rest of their college career in their first three weeks on campus, so it is important to him that incoming students are reached. Branham is also mindful of non traditional students and transfer students, who often have trouble adjusting to campus life. “We offer small-group Bible studies to accommodate those people that are not used to big groups,” he said. Over the years at West Georgia, s MINISTER ,page 2 www.thewestgeorgian.com 1 u mm ♦ , j# 1 v ; -w m Jmm Photo h\ Bobby Moore Tony Branham works in his office at The Baptist Student Center. He has been the Baptist campus minister for 12 years and is very impressed with the current student leaders. Facebook causes uproar By Miranda Byrd Stuff Writer miruntlajbxrd@xuhoo.com Since its beginning at West Georgia in the spring of 20()5, Facebook has become a powerful communication tool in the college experience for its frequent users. An online social network that connects college and high school students throughout the nation, Facebook is a website that allows users to have photo albums, a private message system, an event calendar, and a way to keep up with current and old friends. This week Facebook became much more than just a social network. Students were shocked at what appeared when they signed on to Facebook last Wednesday. On each user’s home page, there were feeds that showed a detailed script of their friends’ activities on the networking site. Some of these included who had become friends with whom, who had added pictures to their profile, who had joined groups, and many more private details that were visible to anyone on H ■ § Bill Wednesday, September 13, 2006 the site. Traditionally the privacy settings protected students’ information by allowing only their friends and others at their school to acquire information about them. The latest addition to Facebook was the News Feed, sharing information about students not only to their friends but to their friends’ friends as well. One feature of this included students being able to see who their friends had recently become friends with, exposing members to a potential vulnerability in their privacy. Many members created groups protesting the News Feed. Others created groups making fun of the new Facebook, such as “I am a stalker so the new Facebook makes my life so much easier” and “Hey Facebook, where’s my GPS tracker?” Still there were others that enjoyed the new features Facebook added this week. UWG student Zack Hamilton said of the changes, “It’s useful because you can keep up with your friends; it tells w hat they recently changed on their profiles.” He added that he also believed the News Feed to be “a little creepy” at first. The massive response to the “new’ Facebook” demonstrated students coming together to take action not only at UWG but at schools across the nation. Last Friday Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg issued a statement explaining the new portion of its website and apologizing for any concern for privacy it may have created. Zuckerberg provided details about the News Feed and assured all members that measures had been taken to ensure privacy. Ironically enough, it was the News Feed that brought the concerns to the attention of Zuckerberg, prompting him to take action on the issue. Facebook recently added new features such as Notes, which serves as a mini weblog w here students can share their thoughts. Other new sections allowed users to type in their religious beliefs, and allowed them to list the issues and candidates they will support in the upcoming election.