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66 I feel a spirited energy to boldly point out the substantial flaws that exist in regard to minority student services and policy enforcement. l .aura Ciuerry Public Relations Officer, lambda UWG Graduating with grievances By I .aura Gucrry Guest Writer and i e tatorlaura® g until . com Graduation is just around the corner and I can hardly contain my urge to grab the diploma and run. Reflecting on my years here as a student, RA, and liber active student organization leader. I've realized how functionally incompetent UWG is. Since I’m out the door, 1 feel a spirited energy to boldly point out the substantial flaws that exist in regard to minority student services and policy enforcement. Look how long it took to get an operating, if it can be called that, Minority Affairs department. Dr. Jenkins, a man skilled in not answering a direct question, was rushed to appointment after several minority groups on campus planned an enormous press conference. The shared concern was over UWG policies and practices. This press conference was direct response to Dr. Sethna’s heated refusal last spring to provide a written guarantee that policies regarding the protection of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) students would be considered for imple mentation. Slamming his fists down on the table in response to a student request was clearly unprofessional. The press r . I M\ I RSI n Performing west* LIVE in Carrollton s on campus at the University of West Georgia Thursday, April 26 GOO GOO l /llWl/Hn' \>; ‘ ?k?I’Mn niV H S,ty iS 0 i k t ore ) i www.westga.edu/live | (behind McDonalds on Maple Street) J | kV# f I j All tickets are general admission, $35 + tax For more information: call 678-839-LIVE or go to http://www westqa.edu/live Sub-leaser WANTED: Female, 2 bedroom apartment with utilities included. Move-in May for the summer semester. Private bathroom, beautiful pool, and fully furnished. Please call 706-302-3494 The West Georgian is now accepting applications for the Editor-in-Chief position for 2007-2008. To apply, pick up application from the Mass Communications Office, Humanities Bldg. Rm. 152. conference was in the end cancelled because Josh Parham ptdled out the BSA support after they received their Black Cultural Center, which was to be shared as a Minority Center... but. who’s counting the lies and promises at this point? The push for GLBT protection policies is of inexpressible importance and a very minimal step in achieving the basic protections afforded to all other students on campus except those of differing sexual orientations. Please understand my frustration when Lambda members have been physically and verbally assaulted in three consecutive homecoming parades; when Public Safety refuses to label hate crimes so to keep the campus crime stats down, to which we have never received a satisfactory explanation; when staff and faculty, including N. Jane McCandless, step out of professional behavior and verbally bash students on the Day of Silence this past Tuesday. Since Lambda was founded in 1972, UWG has provided GLB students with absolutely no intuitional support over the years. And regarding transgender students- John Clower, who heads Residence Life, proclaimed to RAs this year that UWG has no transgender students so any policy for them isn't necessary to exist. Sorry John, but UWG does indeed have transgender students. On that topic, let me be very clear in stating the accuracy with which I hold John Clower responsible for failing time and time again to address any minority issues in residence halls. He has continually ignored complaints and recommendations from RAs and RLC staff for years and strangely enough, has not been held accountable. West Georgia has systematically ignored minority students during my four years here; GLBT students the most blatantly. I've pushed and gone through the “appropriate channels" as I have heard so often from the administration. The result, as stated by Dr. McClellan, is in Fall 2007: Lambda will have an undisclosed office somewhere (perhaps a closet would be suitable) and sexual orientation will be in the student handbook's non discrimination policy. I’m announcing this publicly so what has happened in the past thirty-plus years w ill end; the insinuated promises of progress, followed by endless ignored e mails, tunneling between different departments and overtly hostel attitudes. I will leave UWG changed, but not anywhere near w here it needs to be. Opinion tid Here comes the bride: Now flush your money down the toilet By Tracy Amnions Staff Writer tamiiKms I (wmxM'est^a.cdti Simply put, weddings are a flashy rip-off. People spend so much money on one day—the dress, the rings, the decorations, the photos, the food, the blah. blah, bloody blah. And they get so freaked out over petty details oh my god what color should the trim on the napkins be? And holy crap should we use bubbles or rice? And oh no I forgot the in v ita t ion s— shou Id we use white or cream colored envelopes? My jaw drops in amazement when I get around a bunch of yippie skippie woman ranting about their wedding plans. A napkin is a napkin. It's gonna end up in the trash at the end of the day anyway, so who cares what color it is? Call me a pessimist, but I just don't get it. And I'm not saying this without any perspective. I'm engaged—l've been engaged fora year and five months now, so I know that I have a wedding coming up. I haven't set * *> -* HOW DO YOU SOLVE A MURDER WHEN THE VICTIM IS YOU? , , i iir l : ' 1 m , * • ii •i : ; ■ i. 1* i !.'> ■. i ••, • - -i |-,, ir i hi i'ill T"* I •' ii I '(■i V* * I.t* >' ’. • i* ' i‘ 111 I Ii i Mil I II l|l I I ■ • 1 • i * ,-i: (•■ i*i . • " , • i 1 ft, IllOlUt'l fl< V** I * I ** M HAt I * *.* NVIi T s: LAHGUMit ... *VCWM tItHS thDinvisible-movie.com i< r *., ■< i.• IN THEATRES APRIL 27 a date yet, but I know- the day lingers somewhere in my future, and eventually I will have to get started on the dreaded planning. A lot of married woman I have talked to about their weddings told me they all spent way too much money. They said it was fun, but at the end of the day, they wish they would have put that money elsewhere say, toward a house. And a lot of them also said that the whole planning process was so stressful, and at times it was a royal hassle. I’ve attempted to plan. Seriously. I bought a few issues of those rip-off bridal magazines at the check out counter. I’ve checked some websites lor dresses. I've even looked into the napkins— a company that w ill make thousands of napkins just for you in whatever colors you want with the bride and groom's names on them and blah, blah. But I just can't get past the money part of it. I am just too intelligent as a consumer to waste money on that crap. It's a wort h less in vestment. And I want my wedding to be FUN. I don’t want to stress myself about planning petty crap and flushing money away on more petty crap. But I'm not trying to degrade marriage. I have much respect for the institution. But I am saying that traditional wedding ceremonies are just a stressful rip-off . So my solution? Elope! That's what I want to do. I want to go to the beach one summer—just me and my man —and get married right there on the coast. I would wear a white summer dress and have my bare feet in the sand—the salty breeze would graze my hair and the sunset would make the water glisten...it's a beautiful picture. There are tons of wedding packages that provide an intimate wedding for two at a reasonable price. It’s romantic, it's fun. and it's hassle free. From the beach to the mountains to Las Vegas—you can elope on a destination wedding. Then you can spend a hell of a lot more money on the honey moon.