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Wednesday
November 15,
2006
Student assistance will be needed in January
The View
From My Front Porch
With Larry Peel
larry@ioncinema.com
Well folks, as they
say in Hollywood: “That’s
a wrap!”
The end of the
semester is only days
away, the holidays are in
their full commercial glory
already and this is the last
issue of the paper for the
semester and under the
current leadership.
It has been a fun
ride this semester, with
Centennial celebrations,
elections, biting
commentary and grand
sporting events.
Bobby Moore and his
editors have done a fine
job with the paper and as
they move on to the world
of the big leagues, 1 for
one wish them all luck.
Where does that leave
Be mindful during Breast
Cancer Awareness Month
The Editor’s Box
With Bobby Moore
nnoore7@niy.westga.edu
Since this is Breast
Cancer Awareness Month,
we need to all take the
time to consider how
much affect this horrible
disease has on the world.
Even though men
can get it too, it is
mainly women who are
diagnosed with breast
cancer. It is the second
most diagnosed form of
cancer among women
behind skin cancer.
The campus has done
a good job recognizing the
significance of this month.
FromTyus Hall, where
one of the lobby’s walls is
adorned with breast cancer
facts, to the recent benefit
for a food service worker, I
feel like our university has
done a lot to raise breast
cancer awareness.
The scary thing is,
though, that a lot of us are
already aware.
When I was very
young, my aunt had breast
cancer, went through breast
cancer treatments and was
then deemed cancer free.
While I was too young
to know what was going
on, I did know that my
granny was sad because
I spent a lot of time with
Sflfe West Georgian
The University of West Georgia
University Community Center, Room 111
Carrollton, GA, 30118-0070
Editorial Line: (678) 839-6527
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Editorial E-mail: uwgpaper@westga.edu
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On the web at http://www.thewestgeorgian.com
Opinion
all of us who remain, you
may ask. Well as for me,
I shall spend my semester
break with my kids, writing
for the magazine (www.
ioncinema.com - shameless
plug) and gathering
whimsical tales for your
enjoyment when 1 come out
of hibernation on January
17 and boldly step back out
onto my Front Porch.
Stan the Squirrel will
likely be hibernating - if
I can get him away from
his ceramic girlfriend
long enough -and my
daughter will be getting
her license a few weeks
after our first edition. You
have been warned.
Even though the mid
term elections are finally
over, it does not mean
her back then.
Years later, my favorite
high school teacher, and the
sole reason that I became a
writer, was diagnosed with
cancer. That was the first
time I was really shook
up by something like that,
since I found this out over
Christmas break.
In two years, she only
missed one day of work in
spite of having a weakened
immune system.
People like that are
more heroic than any
football player or movie
star, and I will never
forget about how her
dedication to students
like me was bigger than
any pain or disease.
That same woman
handed me my diploma in
2001, and is still alive today.
She is no longer teaching,
but she has grandchildren
to occupy her time.
Once I was in college,
life was good. I was
writing for a newspaper,
meeting new people and I
had a job I enjoyed.
That was shaken up
when I found out that
my mother had been
diagnosed with breast
cancer.
that there is nothing worth
talking about anymore.
We at the University
of West Georgia are a
community within a
community. We rely on the
people of Carrollton and
the surrounding area as
much as they rely on us.
If we will all stop and
look around us, we will see
numerous opportunities
for personal growth and
community enhancement
both on and off campus.
It is the responsibility
of each of us as community
members to support each
other and those whom we
share our lives with.
It is the responsibility
of this newspaper to
enlighten, encourage and
represent the university in
its endeavors both on and
off campus.
Why am I going on
like this, you ask?
The answer is
multifaceted actually. I
have been a recurring
thorn in the side of the
editorial staff of this
The first finals week
that 1 went through in
college was the same week
my mother had surgery .
That May, I only
w orked weekends because
my mother had difficulty
doing routine things like
ironing.
She was eventually
cancer free, but I still
remember how scary life
was for several months.
I’m not trying to scare
anyone with these stories. I
am only trying to show that
cancer is likely to affect us all
in some way in our lifetime.
One out of every 217
women over the age of
40 will be diagnosed with
cancer this year, so it could
be any of us dealing with
this disease in the future.
I want to believe there
will be a cure for cancer
someday just so future
generations won’t have to
tell the same story.
If you find a way to
help the fight against breast
cancer, please pitch in.
Donations and
participation in fundraisers
are a great way that we
as citizens can help raise
awareness.
If you or someone you
are close to is diagnosed
with breast cancer,
please be as supportive
as you can, because it is
becoming more and more
beatable thanks to modern
medicine.
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
Robert Madden, Distribution Manager
Erik Waters, Webmaster
Doug Vinson, Advisor
"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
paper for the past two
years and have watched
as this paper suffered the
same woes as the entire
newspaper industry has
seen in recent years.
There is less revenue,
more competition and
fewer resources.
Here at The West
Georgian, we have seen
an incredible decline in
student participation with
the publication; to the point
that the only news item that
was not strictly a UWG
press release was written
by the Editor-in-Chief.
What happened to all
the Mass Communication
majors? What about my
comrades in the English
Department? Are we
expected to believe that no
one in either department
knows how to write? I
doubt it.
1 have heard that most
Mass Communication
majors want to either be in
the broadcast spectrum or
the public relations field.
Well guess what guys...both
The Rant & Rave
Why dont the express buses run
later than they do? The people
that wish to ride the buses back
and forth for night classes have to
sit around and wait for either the
red or the blue route. What if it
was a situation where the person
would have to rush to class?
To whoever made fun of Georgia
last week, I went to their game
this weekend. Well, actuallyitwas
more of a burial than a game.
More people should get involved
on campus. Going home every
weekend can’t be that fun (or
cheap).
I hope everyone comes out and
supports our basketball teams.
If you have pressing questions
or comments like the ones above, send
them to us at uwgpaper@westga.edu.
of those can be served well
with us here at the paper.
If you want to report
for CNN, Fox or even
local radio and television
stations, you will need
practice in interviewing
and putting together a
story on a deadline.
If you want to be in
the public relations field,
you are going to have to
learn how to put together
the information needed
for the media agencies
that will be hounding you
for tidbits.
If you have been on
the opposite end of those
informational digs, you
can more fully appreciate
what it is they are looking
for, and be more adept at
putting the proper spin
on the situation - not that
corporate America ever
misleads the public.
As I said, there is
more than one reason I
take my last column of
the semester to discuss the
needs of this paper.
Effective Spring
Copyright Notice
The West Georgian , copyright 2006, is an official publication of the
University of West Georgia. Opinions expressed herein are those ot 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(a> westga ed u.
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.
2007, Jesse Duke will be
taking over, as Editor-In-
Chief and I will step into
the role of News Editor.
I have worked for news
organizations before. In
fact, I am a news editor
now for the aforementioned
magazine, so I know what
I am up against.
You folks out there
who are in the Greek
organizations, the campus
groups or just want to speak
up about something - we
want you; if not to write
your own stories, at least to
get your story to us.
There are events every
day here, and most go
unnoticed by all but those
directly involved.
That is such a waste
when the resource is here.
So plan now, because I
want us flooded with ideas
for next semester.
There is no reason w hy
a group should go unheard
except that they want to be.
Oh, and if you write
the story, we will pay you.
How’s that for incentive?