Newspaper Page Text
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WIPNISDAY, \PRII l r >, 2007
Domestic abuse alive in Carroll County, Part 2
By Tracy Ammons
Staff Writer
tanmums I @my. westga.edu
Part 2 of 2
In the last issue, a
resident of Carroll County
told her story about her
experiences with domestic
abuse and the battered
women's shelter. She went
through two marriages that
ended in abuse. Today, her
story continues with two
more relationships.
After she divorced
her second husband, time
went on and she met
another man, who later
became her third husband.
Substance abuse became
a serious problem in
their marriage, and abuse
surged to the forefront.
“I can remember
climbing underneath the
front porch and sleeping
on the ground, so he
wouldn't hurt me. I'd take
a pillow and a blanket and
climb underneath the front
porch because he couldn't
get in there —it was too
small for him to get into
it. And I'd sleep all night
on the ground. I was 30
No obstacle too big for Kurt Shifflett as goals reached
By Matt Blair
Guest Writer
With graduation less
than one month away. West
Georgia is about to say
gixxlbye to one of the most
inspiring students to ever
cross its campus.
Inspiration comes in
many forms, but perhaps
nothing strikes more to
the core of the human race
than those who overcome.
To persevere is "to persist
in a state, enterprise, or
undertaking in spite of counter
influences, opposition, or
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®lje West (Gmnjtau
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something years old.”
One day she drove
Bremen to check on
her daughter, who was
babysitting. Her husband
did not want her to go, but
she went anyway. When
she returned to the house,
things got ugly.
“I was the only
one at the house. All the
sudden, the back door rips
off the wall. And I started
running, and he grabbed a
hold of me. I probably had
about 60 bruises on me.
My clothes were ripped.
Every piece of furniture
in the house was flipped
over. All the lamps were
broken. There w as food on
the ceiling. He ran outside
and pulled the spark plug
wires out of my car and
threw them on top of the
house so 1 couldn't leave.
So I would run, and he
would chase me down the
road, and pick me up and
carry me back and throw
me into the wall.”
She finally contacted
the police, and they
arrested him —he did 28
months in prison. "The
next day when I came
to work I had bruises
discouragement.” At least this
is the definition according to
Meiriitm-Webster dictionary .
But definitions do not
inspire, examples do. At West
Georgia there are several
examples of perseverance
shining brightly, but perhaps
none light this campus more
than the one from Kurt
Shifflett.
Shifflett, who turns
25 this week, will soon be
graduating with a degree in
international economical
finance. Six months after
his birth Shifflett was given
a routine polio vaccination.
from my shoulders to my
hips—and all up and down
my arms. There’s nothing
I could say —my husband
beat the hell out of me,
and now he’s in prison.”
She divorced her third
husband while he was in
jail. Later, she met a man
who would become her
fourth husband. After a
few months of happiness,
abuse crept into the
home.
"It got so bad that
the cops were at the
house three or four times
a week. And there’s no
satisfying a man that
does that, it just doesn't
matter. He would send
me to my room because
he didn’t like what I did.
And rather than cause any
trouble because the kids
were there, I would go to
my room. So Em in there
reading, and I don't even
care. He comes around in
the trailer and busts the
window out on top of me.
The whole window. And it
landed down on my chest.
He did it because I didn’t
care —he punished me and
I was happy with it. So I
cleaned up the glass and
However, things were far
from routine. The vaccine
caused him to stop breathing
and subsequently caused him
to develop cerebral palsy.
When he outgrew his baby
stroller, he moved straight to
a wheelchair. Sounds grim,
right? Sounds unbearable
right? Wrong!
I asked Kurt how he feels
about his lot in life, and he said
nothing about his condition.
Instead he stated, "I feel lucky
to be bom in America and to
be given an opportunity to be
something.” 1 asked Kurt if
he could change one thing
about his life what it would
be and why. He once again
impressed me by saying,
"Nothing. If you change one
thing, you change the whole
person.”
Shifflett is well
respected. “Everyone loves
him,” said Jason Walton,
campus minister at Christian
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we went on.”
She lived with this
man for 2 years, and they
fell into a routine. “We
would get anew place and
start over. And everything
would go good for about
2 or 3 weeks,” she said.
“And then something
would snap and it would
go right back to how it
was. And I put up with
it for 3 or 4 months and
I packed the kids up and
left. And then he would
apologize and we would
move somewhere else and
try again.”
One day she finally
decided to end it. “I was
in the bedroom, and 1
decided I had enough,”
she began. “But I couldn't
get out of the bedroom
to leave. And I couldn’t
figure out how to get the
kids. They were in the
living room playing. So I
climbed out the bedroom
window. 1 had a bunch of
car keys made—because
he took the keys away so
I couldn't leave. 1 had 16
sets of keys made. And I
went around the trailer and
got in the car. And when
I cranked the car up he
Campus Eellowship (CCF).
"He could have all these
excuses, but doesn't use tiny
of them, and w e use all of our
excuses when we don't really
have any.” Walton also says
of Kurt, "He is one of the most
impacting students I’ve been
around. He loves people,
even if they ’re different.”
Shifflett is also a very
motivated student. He
attends his classes regularly,
even when there are so many
excuses he could use to miss
class. However, Shifflett
doesn't seem to be able to use
an excuse.
Dr. Bashu Dutt, of
the economics department
says of Kurt. “I was very
impressed with his tenacity.”
Dr. David Boldt. the chair of
the economics department
has had Kurt for several
classes and had this to say,
"Despite his adverities, he
stays positive.”
Shifflett doesn’t just
leave his motivation in the
classroom. He is an active
member of Baptist Collegiate
Ministries (BCM), and fulfills
not one, but two leadership
roles. Shifflett is the
evangelism coordinator and
president at one of the hugest,
if not the laigest, religious
organizations on campus.
And the role fits him. Kurt
says that Jesus is his hero,
“because without Him life
will have no purpose.” He
also said that his favorite thing
to do is to evangelize and he
also feels that it is his greatest
talent. He’s well respected
within the BCM as well. “1
came to the door raising
hell —and I squealed off
and left. And I called
911 and told them that I
needed some help getting
my kids out of the house
cause my husband was
beating me up. So they
sent a policeman to come
and get me. And they sent
four cars of cops w ith me
to go get my kids out of
the house.”
Her husband was
arrested for multiple
offenses for driving under
the influence, and she left
him.
"When you get out of
it, and then you look back,
then you can see it,” she
said. "But until you get
out of it, you don't realize
how bad it is. Looking
back, and because I’ve
been in so many violent
relationships, there’s not
even a timeline in my
mind that I can keep a
hold of.”
Now she is out of
harms way. Her children
are grown, and they have
their own children. But
the cycle of abuse is still
there. She witnessed it as
she was growing up; both
Photo hx Oln ia Chilako
think Kurt is highly motivated
for achievement,” said Tony
Branham, campus minister
at the BCM. "He was on
course for graduation in three
years, but he slowed down
so that he could do more
ministry.” Branham also
said, "he literally can talk to
anybody, and isn't afraid to.”
Kurt loves people, according
to Branham, “He’s a hugger,
he loves to get his hugs.”
So what makes Shifflett
so special / What makes him
able to completely disregard
his own “disabilities?”
Perhaps it's because of his love
for others! Sean Thornton, the
campus intern at the BCM,
had this to say, “1 'd say Kurt is
concerned about other people,
not just outside but inside,
because one of his main goals
Copyright Notice
The West Georgian, copyright 2007, is an official publication of the
Univ ersity 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:
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dress for verification purposes Letters should not exceed 350 words and
should be submitted by 5 p m the Sunday prior to publication Editors
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Till; WIST (,IQK(,IA\
her daughters witnessed it
while they were growing
up. “Because you grew
up in it, you accept it,”
she said. “And when it
happens, you think —well,
my mother put up with
this, it’s just the way it
is.”
But the cycle can be
broken. The only way
domestic violence will
stop is if those who have
grown up in abusive
environments, those who
are batterers, those who
have the tendencies—
will break the cycle. And
it can be done. Help is
out there—counseling
services, church groups,
support groups—they can
help break the cycle.
If you or someone
you know is involved
in a domestic violence
situation, call 911 for
immediate danger, or for
the shelter and resources,
call 770-834-1141. “If
you’ve been abused,
it’s not your fault.” said
Martha Boyce, director
of the women’s shelter.
“Women are overcoming
abuse in their lives
everyday.”
is to see people right with
God.” Thornton also added.
“He’s compassionate to other
people, a spiritual
compassion.”
Kurt Shifflett is a man
who is hard to overlook.
He never complains. He's
active across die board on
this campus. He’s involved
in two ministries and a
fraternity. Delta Chi, find he’s
an excellent student. He does
more than most of as with
full use of our bodies. He
loves and cares about others
unabashedly. He’s a lover
and a fighter. He’s a Christian
and a friend. He's a student
and a leader. But perhaps the
dearest thing about this man
among men is that through it
all he still takes the time to be,
"a hugger.”