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should be considered by every student, regardless of
their major.**
- Bobby Moore
The adventures of Stan Squirrel: Stan vs. Bambi
The View
From My Front Porch
With Larry L. Peel
larry@ioncinema.com
Well before the cold
snap hit and made me
second-guess even taking
my son to the bus stop every
morning,! had beenenjoying
my time on my favorite
green chair on my porch. As
1 have mentioned before, my
house sits on a large area of
wild land. Critters abound,
from squirrels like Stan, to
chipmunks, a large number
of wild geese and more than
a few deer. It was the latter
that gave me quite a show a
couple of weeks ago.
Being the non-radical
wildlife supporter that I
am, 1 often place various
feeders around the edge
of my property to help my
critter friends. Among the
more prominent vestiges
that 1 have is a few deer
com poles. For those of you
city folk out there, a deer
com pole is pretty much
just what it sounds like.
Each fall, when the gardens
are finishing up, I buy a few
bushels or so of com and
set it out on my back porch
to dry. My dogs decided a
long time ago that raw com
was not exactly the food of
A lesson learned in the importance of interning
By Bobby Moore
Guest Writer
rmoore 7 @ my.westga .edu
After several weeks
away from campus and
several weeks working for
a professional newspaper,
I now have time to reflect
back and consider the
things I wish I had known
two months ago.
I was published
numerous times while in
college, so I just knew I
was ready to enter the job
force. I was wrong.
A combination of
my experience with the
West Georgian and my
mass communications
classes taught me how
to be a decent writer, but
they didn’t teach me what
it is like to work for a
newspaper.
Doug Vinson did a
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<Ebe West (Benrgum
The University of West Georgia
University Community Center, Room 111
Carrollton, GA, 30118-0070
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choice for them.
Afterthey dry out,l keep
then in an old burlap sack (I
don’t even remember where
1 got it-just been around
forever), and keep it until
the weather turns very cold
and most of the vegetation
has gone. Along the tree
lines of my front yard I have
3 long aluminum poles that
I have cemented into the
ground, and sharpened the
tips of. After the first frost,
I go out and place an ear of
com on each pole, shoving
it hard through the base of
the cob. I have had hours
of enjoyment sitting on the
porch and watching the deer
shyly approach and eat the
dried com. I have learned
the ones who come often,
and year after year. I also
know that the land past the
rear of my property is prime
hunting area, so when 1
suddenly stop seeing one
of my regulars, my heart
naturally breaks a bit.
Very rarely do I have
anything more interesting
than the deer eating until
either my kids or the
neighborhood kids make
good job teaching me how
to find news and write
about it, but in no way
was sitting in a computer
lab comparable to being
in a newsroom.
As editor-in-chief
of the West Georgian, I
imagined professional
journalists as overworked
and disrespected. I was
wrong about that, too.
In reality, I work
40 hours per week. I get
sick days and two weeks’
vacation. That’s not quite
the same as giving up
every weekend for my
college newspaper.
Also, I have already
gotten a nice thank you
card, and I have gotten
several kind emails,
including one for Casey
Cagle’s office.
Do I regret taking my
Mass Communications
them skittish. However, 1
had not foreseen Stan.
During the spring and
summer, Stan does what all
squirrels do for a little treat.
He raids my bird feeder.
Then one afternoon, I was
sitting on my porch, reading
a little Shakespeare for Dr.
Doyle’s class, and I saw
Stan. He was bouncing and
dancing on my empty bird
feeder, getting more and
more agitated. Finally he
looked at me, shook his tail,
and jumped off. He headed
straight for the deer com. Of
course by this point he had
my attention so I put down
the play and watched. Stan
easily climbed the pole and
began munching. No sooner
had he started eating than
one of my regular young
bucks came up to snack as
well. At first Stan wouldn’t
move. It was as if he was
frozen. The buck, which
my son calls Bambi, stared
at Stan. Stan spun around
the com, his misshapen tail
fluffing wildly. The buck
huffed. Stan stood nose
down on the com, fluffed
his tail as much as he could,
and shook it in Bambi's
face. The buck huffed again.
Not to be easily defeated,
Stan climbed to the top of
the com, balanced in that
funny little way that only
squirrels seem to be able
to do, and tried the trick
classes? Of course 1 don’t.
That Media Law class that
so many students dread
certainly comes in handy
on a daily basis.
I am also glad I
was part of the West
Georgian. Without going
into too much detail, 1
would not have had any
of the connections that
led to my job without the
relationships I built while
I was sports editor.
Also, being editor
in-chief taught me what
to do (and what not to do)
in quite a few situations.
Looking back, I wish
I had found an internship.
Even if I had just spent
a few hours in a news
room, I would have been
more prepared than I was
when I stopped being a
full-time student.
Internships should
be considered by every
student, regardless of
their major. If you do
get an internship, at least
some valuable knowledge
can be gained on the job
experience and if you do
a good job as an intern, it
might even lead to a real
job.
Jesse Duke, Editor-in-Chief
Stephanie Smith, Advertising & Business Manager
Larry Peel, News Editor
Elizabeth Bounds, A&E Editor
Josh Grubb, Photo Editor
Rebecca Cheek, Copy Editor
Yen Nguyen, Distribution Manager
Erik Waters, Webmaster
Doug Vinson, Advisor
Opinion
that worked to scare off my
dogs. Stan stood straight up,
pulled his arms to his chest,
and began chattering for all
he was worth. Apparently,
Bambi had grown tired of
all the drama and simply
leaned over, tilted his head,
and bumped the com.
Stan fell gracelessly to the
ground, saw two of his
friends staring at him from
a nearby tree trunk and set
off to chase them. I guess
they were laughing at him
as much as I was.
The Student Activity Fee Budget Allocation Committee
(SAFBA is seeking budget proposals for the fiscal
year 2008 which begins July 2007. If you would like
to submit a budget proposal you can obtain the forms
at the Campus Center Administration Office room
202 in the Campus Center or by e mailing Linda
Picklesimer ( Committee Chair) at lindap@westga.
edu and requesting one. The deadline for submittals is
February 23, 2007 at spm.
Job Expo 21
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Bank of America I?, $ V(enriia Merit Sj stem
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fnlcrprisr Rent V(;tr \ fltihnjMarshall law School
kforce Staffing \cney first llivcslnrs Corporation
Internal Res emir Service Roofin'* A Insulation Supply
kids Brace (enters of (IV l .S ( ustonis A, Border Patrol
Becker Professional Rev iew Social Security Wl min is trillion
I win Cedars noth Sen ices Wokcleys North \rncr. Division
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Service Pine Valley
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Presented r.s.
Career Services
Thin sclav
February 13, 200"
11:00 rt.iu.—3:oo p.iu.
Campus Center Ballroom
Dress profession ally and bring
lots of copies of your resume!
Speak up!
Surely the student body has
something to complain about. The
West Georgian wants to hear your
thoughts on anything and everything
happening on campus.
Send comments with title “Rant and
Rave” to uwgpaper.westga.edu
Copyright Notice
The West Georgian, copyright 2007, 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:
u wgpaperiS) 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.