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Black voting forum turns into political debate
By Kristal Dixon
News Editor
kristaldi.xon@gmail.com
The Political Action
Committee of the NAACP
held a forum on why
blacks vote consistently
for the Democratic Party
last Tuesday.
The program was
designed to start a dialogue
on the history of voting
patterns among blacks, and
to discuss whether or not
this pattern will continue.
However, the audience
was treated to a forum in
which local representatives
of both political parties
traded jabs over various
issues such as the federal
government's response to
Hurricane Katrina to the
war in Iraq.
Panelists for the event
included Skyler Akins,
president of the Young
Democrats, Cameron
Gibson of the Omega Psi
Phi fraternity and Terry
Agnes and Bill Dees of the
Carroll County Republican
Party.
The event started out
innocent enough, when
Kasim Ortiz, head of
the NAACP’s PAC went
UTV ready to go on air
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Photo by Terrance Rushin
Daphne Burden, a freshman and pre-Mass Communicatons major, receives help from James Paul, UTV’s senior
production coordinator. The television station started airing some programs this week. Free Verse aired Monday
night at 11 p.m.
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“The Student Voice at the University of West Georgia since 1934”
through the short history
of African-American
participation in American
politics.
He recounted
presidential reaction
and inaction on the
issue of racism,
disenfranchisement, and
discrimination against
African-Americans.
When Ortiz finished
the short presentation, the
floor opened for questions
to be asked for the
panelist and for audience
participation.
The burning question
of the night, why do blacks
vote Democrat, did not
escape the thoughts of
each of the panelists.
“Politics change
everyday and reasons
for why blacks vote
Democrat can change,”
said Cameron Gibson, one
of the panelists.
Skyler Akins of the
Young Democrats had
another explanation.
"The Democratic
Party led the fight to pass
Civil Rights legislation.”
Representatives from
the Republican Party
did not let that piece of
information slide without
www.thewestgeorgian.com
some critique.
"We had both elements
of parties fighting for the
legislation as well, so I
don't believe that one
party can take full credit
for getting it [Civil Rights
legislation] passed,"
said Terry Agne of the
Republican Party.
Many audience
members were more
vocal about people being
educated on who they
are voting for rather than
assigning allegiance to one
party over another.
"A lot of people aren’t
educated in politics, so that
is why it’s important to
know who you're voting
for,” said Jonathan Ashby,
a UWG student.
Another question
that was posed was one
of how students get their
information. Somestudents
said they watched debates
between candidates,
read the newspaper, and
watched different network
and public stations.
While the forum was
designed to specifically
address the voting patterns
of African-Americans,
See POLITICAL, page 3
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Photo by Kristal Dixon
Terry Agne and Bill Dees of the Carroll County Republican Party answer questions from
audience members at the forum hosted by the NAACP.
/
ASH
UWG works to
retain freshmen
By Miranda Byrd
Staff Writer
m i randajbyrd @y ahoo.com
With four-year
graduation rates as low as
11 percent, along with a2O
percent rate of freshman
students on academic
probation after their first
semester of college, UWG
has developed some new'
initiatives to encourage
the success of its students
from the beginning of their
college experience.
With programs such
as UWG 40, FYRST,
Learning Communities,
and the EXCEL Center
already in existence,
freshmen have many
opportunities to learn
what it takes to succeed
at UWG.
UWG 40 is a program
that exposes freshmen
students to various
activities and academic
guidance in the first 40
days of the fall semester
each year.
UWG sports, success
seminars and volunteer
opportunities are among
many events on the UWG
40 calendar.
According to Dr. Scott
Lingrell, associate vice
Wednesday, October 4, 2006
president for enrollment
management, studies show
that students who become
involved on campus within
their first few weeks are
more likely to be successful
as students.
Freshmen who
participate in at least
20 of the events during
the 40 days, and who
have kept a log of events
attended in their UWG 40
Passports, are eligible for
a drawing at the end of
the program.
UWG 40 ends on
October 7. For more
information visit the Office
of Student Activities in the
Campus Center.
FYRST, or First Year
Residents Succeeding
Together, is a program
through the Department
of Residence Life that
helps freshmen transition
to college within a
residential setting.
Each student in the
FYRST program meets
with a Student Academic
Mentor throughout the year
to ask questions and receive
advice about college.
Along with FYRST,
Learning Communities
See FRESHMEN, pa^e .?