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VOLUME 56 ISSUE 9
Photo h\ Josh Grubb
Nina Lappebakken is just one of the hundredes
of students on this campus alone who regularly
enjoy digital music via MP3 player. While not
all MP3's are illegally downloaded, universities
across the country are still under pressure from
the RIAA to crack down on this controversial
issue.
University absent
from recent RIAA
file sharing report
By Miranda Byrd
Staff Writer
miramlajbyrd@yahoo.com
Peer-to-peer. MP3, Lime Wire. Sound
familiar? These twenty-first century terms
are now being paired with the existing terms
piracy, copyright and lawsuit. Reality is
setting in for many college students across
the country who now find themselves tangled
in the legalities of sharing music without
permission.
In 2000, the rock group Metallica
spoke out against the tile-sharing program
Napster and its users, blaming the MP3
service for acting as a conduit for copyright
infringement.
This campaign turned into a movement
within the recording industry to stop peer-to
peer file sharing of music. The Recording
Industry Association of America has filed
suits against individuals, and since 2003 over
18,000 people have been taken to court for
illegal downloading.
Seven years after the initial uproar,
the crack down continues on music pirates.
Last week the RIAA began sending letters
to college students at over three times the
previous amount.
According to RIAA Chairman and CEO
Mitch Bainwol, “The theft of music remains
unacceptably high and undermines the
industry’s ability to invest in new music. This
is especially the case on college campuses...
We recognize that the nature of online music
theft is changing, and we need to adjust our
strategies accordingly.”
As part of the battle against music piracy,
RIAA released anew list of universities with
the highest occurrence of illegal downloads.
UWG was not on the list.
“Our work with college administrators
has yielded real progress, and we're grateful
for the help of those who have worked closely
with us,” says Bainwol.
UWG has implemented network security
to make it more difficult for students within
the network to share music with one another.
Programs like iTunes allow students to listen
to other students’ music libraries, but prevent
permanent file-swapping.
How difficult is it to get caught stealing
music? Not very, thanks to the cooperation
of colleges across the country. For more
information on UWG’s network security
policies, visit the Information Technology
Services website at www.westga.edu/~its.
the West Georgian
Public Safety office moves to larger space
By Lauren Kania
Staff Writer
uwg24@yahoft.com
Do you know where to
go when you have to pay a
parking ticket? Most students
are unaware that Public
Safety is no longer located
over by the football practice
field on Back Campus Drive.
The department, which was
located there for almost ten
years, has moved and is now
located in Row Hall.
Row Hall was a
residence hall up until a year
ago. Since the development
of Arbor View and the
Suites, students no longer
occupied the building.
Public Safety had grown
over the years and was in
need of more space, which
is why the move occurred.
They now share the building
with the department of
Physical Education, with
Public Safety located on
the right when students
enter through the front. The
building accommodates
the department of Public
Safety very well with more
office space for the officers
and staff. The on campus
investigators, which are
currently located in Aycock
Hall, will now be moved
into Row to be closer to
Public Safety, which will
improve inter-department
communication.
Plwlo h\ Tracy Ammons
Two students enjoy the arcade phenomenon Dance, Dance Revolution, one of the many
activities available at last Friday’s Midterm Madness.
Midterm
weekend
By Tracy Amnions
Stuff Writer
tamnionsl@nty.westga.edu
We have reached that
time of the semester yet
again—those dreaded,
flabbergasted midterms.
Some of us are flat out sick
of studying—if we see
another flashcard or read
one more page we are going
to hurl. The Campus Center
feels our pain, so they
hosted Midterm Madness
Friday night, March 9,
where students could relax.
In News
Company turns death into
diamonds.
WWW. I Ml WI'STCiFORCiIAN.COM
Madness brings
fun, games, Bond
unwind, and have some fun
w ith friends.
Students gathered in the
Campus Center Ballroom
and surrounding rooms
from 6-10 p.m. to enjoy free
food, entertainment, and
games. Games included a
Texas Hold’em tournament,
a nine ball pool tournament,
a Madden tournament, and
two arcade style Dance,
Dance Revolution pads.
“My favorite activity
at the event was the dance
machine,” said UWG
student Danielle Woods. “I
In Entertainment
Dark Adam ti ß and Sudoku!
After 10 years on Back Campus Drive, the Public Safety office has relocated to a more centralized
location in Row Hall.
The area where Public
Safety was previously located
w ill be torn down for the new
Health and Wellness Center
Tom Mackel. chief of Public-
Safety at the University of
West Georgia, feels that
the move is beneficial for
students, “We're located in
the center of campus and it's
much easier for students to
access”, he said.
Chief Mackel also
explained that anew system
would be in place for
In Sports
Wolves baseball goes l-3
last week.
receiving hangtags in the
beginning of next school
year. For the past two years,
students have been required
to come to Public Safety to
get their hangtags the first
week ol school. This often
meant long lines in the
August heat. The new system
w ill allow students to register
online for their hangtags and
will then receive them in the
mail by the time they come
back to UWG. UWG junior
Lindsey Flexer likes the
saw other students enjoying
it, so I decided to give it a
try. Surprisingly, it was very
fun.”
There was also a group
trivia game, equipped with
game show style podiums
and a buzzer system,
w here students tested their
knowledge.
1 n addition to the variety
of games, the Campus
Center hosted a screening of
the movie “Casino Royale,”
which has not yet been
See Madness P‘W 2
In Opinion
Solutions for a useless
smoking ordinance.
Wednesday, makch it 2007
idea, “I like the new system
because when we come back
in the fall, we will already
have our tags and won’t
have to worry about getting
tickets.”
Public Safety will be
working to create more
metered parking around
their new location for
students who need to come
in for short amounts of
time. For more information
about Public Safety, contact
678-839-6000.
West Georgia
proves its got talent
By Abby Bass
Guest Writer
Abh\V2 l4@aol.com
“Come one, come all. and show off
your talents!” This was the call out to UWG
students, faculty, and staff a few weeks
ago w hen the Third Annual Variety Show,
hosted by the Student Activities Council,
was announced. Many people answered the
call and auditioned, leading to the selection
of nine talented performances. The Variety
Show nx>k place Tuesday. March 7th at 7
p.m. in the Campus Center Ballroom w ith
overwhelming success.
The show began w ith the introduction of
the MC and famous comedian, Dan Ahdoot.
Ahdoot was a finalist on Comedy Central's
‘Last Comic Standing,’ and also writes
for the hit show ‘Crank Yankers.’ When
the performers were not entertaining the
audience, they were certainly given a laugh
by Ahdoot’s funny antics and comedy.
The full house was given a treat when
the performances were led off by the only
faculty/staff member to compete, Ed
See Variety page 2
HL__
Photo by Abby Boss
First place winner Brandon Duffie wins with
the song “Love” by Music Soul Child.