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PAGE 2 \VI PMSDAY, APRIL IK, 2007 Domestic abuse alive in Carroll County By Tracy Amnions Staff Writer tammonsl@niy.westga.edu Fart 1 of 2 “You start a relationship with someone, and they have a violent temper, and it doesn’t occur to you initially. And then the next thing you know, they’re telling you that you can go here and you can’t go there, and you can do this but you can’t do that, and rather than cause any trouble, you go along with it. And then, one day he’ll push you backwards. And you’re like well it didn't hurt, it didn’t bother me, it'll be alright. And then the next thing you know they’re busting your lip. And it just kind of evolves. It doesn’t happen all at once, and you just get used to it.” For the sake of privacy and security, the name of the woman who spoke these words shall remain anonymous. But forthe sake of awareness and prevention of domestic abuse, her story must be heard. In the back comer Apparitions and superstitions: UWG ghost hunters investigate By Angelica Campos Staff Writer mcamposl@my.westga.edu “I go ghost hunting just for rush of the things you sense in the dark!" says Ryan Hanson, sophomore at UWG. Ryan is one the UWG students who call themselves “Ghost Hunters”. Ryan says he got interested in ghost hunting after he and a few friends went to a“haunted” insane asylum, “that just sparked it”. Hanson was also the creator of West GA Ghost Hunters, a group on Facebook.com, where he and his friends share their I 1 1 8 Photo by Angelica Campos UWG student Ryann Hanson lays on a morgue slab In the haunted, abandoned asylum in Marietta. He considers himself, like a few others on campus, a ghost hunter. ®l|2 Utest CSenrijian The University of West Georgia University Community Center, Room 111 Carrollton, GA, 30118-0070 Editorial Line: (678) 839-6527 Advertising Manager: (678) 839-4783 Editorial E-mail: uwgpaper@westga.edu Advertising E-mail: paperads@westga.edu On the web at http://www.thewestgeorgian.com of a dim, smoky bar, this woman recalled four previous marriages filled with violence and abuse. She is now in her forties, and the painful memories are forever etched into her mind. Many would rather kxik the other way and deny that wife abuse is a serious problem in theircommunity. But this woman was bom in Carroll County, and she has spent all of her life here since age 13. Wife abuse has been a nationwide problem for years, and even though abuse rates have come down since the ‘7os, domestic abuse is still alive—and it hits right here at home. According to information from the Carroll County Office of Public Safety, every month in Carroll County, the Sheriff’s Department responds to approximately 230 calls that stem from domestic violence. Every month in Carroll County, the Carrollton Police Department responds to approximately 150 calls that deal with domestic ghost hunting pictures and ideas for the next ghost hunting activity. The West GA Ghost Hunters say they do it for the adrenaline rush. For them, haunted houses and ghosts are not just for Halloween. They don’t dress up in black, or call themselves “gothic”. They are regular students who like to visit eerie places. The West G AGhost hunters travel around Carrollton, and the surrounding areas in the search of paranormal activity. Unlike the Hollywood Ghostbusters, these students say they don’t violence. Every month in Carroll County, the Department of Family and Children Services receives about 130 calls, and 63 percent of these calls deal with violence in the home. Every month in Carroll County, it happens—women are shattered, tainted, and scarred with abuse, and it all goes on behind closed doors. It all started with her first husband, who she had her first daughter w ith. “He would choke me till I passed out and drop me in the floor because he didn’t like what I was doing,” she said. She tolerated this abuse for months. “I was young, and I didn’t know- I could do it on my own —back then I was only 19.” Finally, she left him. But her next husband became even worse. She had her second daughter with this man, as well as a second dose of abuse. “We had a cordless phone, and I dialed 911 and threw the phone underneath the couch, and it slid all the way back to the wall, because someone was gonna have to carry cool weapons nor wear cool outfits. Freya Cole, a senior Mass Communications student, says “we just go in a group with flashlights, but it is still a fun time!” W hat they do carry it is their cameras in the attempt to capture ghosts in a snap. After the West GA Ghost Hunters visit cemeteries or asylums, they arrive home and take a closer kx>k at their pictures, looking for phantom shadows or similar apparitions. Heath Yates, a senior Mass Communications student, says “what you may see in Jesse Duke, Editor-in-Chief Stephanie Smith, Advertising & Business Manager Larry Peel, News Editor Erik Waters, A&E Editor Josh Grubb, Photo Editor Rebecca Cheek, Copy Editor Lauren Lovvom, Webmaster Doug Vinson, Advisor Masthead Art by Jesse Duke come and help me, because I couldn’t make him stop,” she said. “Well he didn’t see me pick the phone up. They could hear me screaming, and they sent help. I sent the kids to the backyard because 1 absolutely thought he was gonna kill me—l mean literally kill me. I was bent backwards over the front of the car, with a double barrel shot gun pushed into my stomach so hard I had an imprint. I sent them to the backyard so that if he did kill me, they wouldn’t have to watch.” “Here I was, about 27 years old, with a gun to my stomach, the kids in the backyard hiding, and I didn’t tell the cops. I don’t know why, I just wanted to leave. So I went inside and got some of my clothes and 1 went to the shelter with the kids.” She spent about six weeks at the Carroll County Domestic Violence Shelter with her two daughters. "If a woman is in or has been in a violent situation, she can come to the shelter— or if she needs immediate those pictures is not alway s a ghost. It is important to pay respect to the death and never try to make fun or disrespect the ghosts in any way”, he added that he once "went ghost hunting w ith a couple of friends at a cemetery. I told everyone to be respectful and every thing. This one friend name Jason did not listen and he danced around the entrance of the cemetery. I told everyone we were leaving and we need to leave now, so everyone loaded up. When I was pulling out something banged against the side of the car where Jason was sitting. I look back and his window was up. so 1 knew he couldn’t have done it. Also, I opened the door to see if I ran over a branch that could have hit my car. There was nothing. I kind of drove a little faster away from the investigation after that little incident.” Yates, shares proudly his passion for the paranormal since he was a young boy. Like Heath, Freya, and Ryan there are many students who now share the same intrigue for spooky places to explore. safety,” said Martha Boyce, director of the shelter. The shelter provides women and their children with food, clothing, limited transportation, and counseling. “There are support groups, child programs, parenting programs, life skills programs, and interventions,” Boyce said. “We do everything we can to reestablish them, to help them find another place to live.” The length of time a woman can stay at the shelter varies. “We look at her individual case history according to her safety needs,” Boyce said. But the shelter is never empty. "On any given day of the year, we will have seven to nine women and 15 to IX children at the shelter,” Boyce said. Though it may seem like a drastic step, coming to the shelter is the right thing to do, not only for the woman, but also for the children. “Especially if there are children—never overkxik the effects of domestic violence on a Relay for res life By Cathy RobertvCooper Coordinator of First Year atul Academic Support Programs Pies will be flying... into the face of a good cause. Tomorrow, on April 19th some of the Residence Life professional staff will be taking whipped cream pies to the face in exchange for donations to Relay For Life. The fundraising booth will be a component of the Spring Fling event that is taking place in Love Valley. This is the first year that the Department of Residence Life is organizing a team for Carroll County’s Relay For Life, which will take place on April 27th & 2Xth. The team is comprised of students living on campus and staff who have come together to help find a cure for cancer. Any student currently living on campus is eligible to join the UWG Res Life team. With the annual walk a little over a week away, the team hopes to raise at least SI,OOO through a variety of fundraisers. Team members in Gunn Hall have raised over SIOO through Penny Wars; Arbor 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: uwgpaper® westga.edu 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 THE WEST GEORGIAN child, because it becomes a learned behavior,” Boyce said. “If you want an emotionally strong child, don’t bring them up in domestic violence.” Back at the bar, she light up another cigarette and reflected on more painful memories. She went back to her second husband after her time at the shelter. "I felt obligated to keep the family together. Eventually, you get low self-esteem, where you don’t think you're worth anything, you think you deserve it, or you can't see the way out. You convince yourself that it’s acceptable.” One night her husband invited a male friend to the house. The friend snuck into her daughter’s room and molested her—a seven year-old girl. Her husband knew about the incident, yet did nothing. That was the last straw—so she t<x>k her kids and left him for g(xxl. As time passes on she enters two more relationships where abuse corrodes the home. Her story will continue in the next issue. View’’s Hall Council has raised over SIOO through their step show and through a raffle drawing for the Residence Life Coordinator's parking space. All members of the UWG Res Life team are currently selling SI.OO raffle tickets for a 50/50 drawing. The person with the winning ticket will receive half the proceeds while the remaining money will be donated to Relay For Life. A bake sale will also be conducted during the Spring Fling event. And then there will be pies. For a minimum donation of $2.00 anyone can select a Residence Life staff member to test his or her throw ing arm on by taking aim with a whipped cream pie. A donation of $5.00 will get you a little closer to your mark. Some people may think the pies are a little much, but when it comes to curing cancer, the Residence Life team doesn’t like to take any chances. For more information on UWG Res Life’s efforts to raise money or to join the team, contact Cathy Roberts-Cooper at 678-839-6426.