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VIKI “ Volume 57 - issuf 4 University of West Georgia enrollment growing more diverse By Tracy Ammons Copy Editor tammons I @ west go .edit The University of West Georgia has seen a recent increase in enrollment of African- American and Hispanic students, adding to the overall diversity of the student body. In fall of 1999, UWG enrollment data showed 76 percent of students were white, while only 20 percent were African-American; less than one percent was Hispanic. However, according to last years’ enrollment figures, 69 percent of the student population was w'hite and 24 percent were African-American. The Hispanic population was up to two percent. These figures almost represent racial demographics in the entire state— figures from Georgia’s population last year show' 66 percent white and 30 percent UWG Chemistry professor receives dual awards for excellence in teaching By Carlos Sellers Staff Writer csellerl @my.westga .edit Dr. Shamiistha Basu- Dutt. associate professor of chemistry, will receive two highly celebrated awards this month for her excellence in teaching: The Board of Regents' 2007 Teaching Excellence Award and the Excel Centers’ First-Year Student Advocate Award. “Mama Dutt” (The nickname given to her by the 1999-2000 Learning Community after the birth of her daughter that fall), gives credit for these two awards to her students and valued colleagues, whose letters made her an outstanding candidate for this award. Both awards have their own distinctions, but they are both based on one thing— developing and expanding students’ horizons The Teaching Excellence Award is given out by a panel of department chairs and faculty members from across the University System of Georgia; while the First-Year Student Advocate Award is based on the choice of the students and faculty of the Excel Center. A mentor at the Excel Center, Basu-Dutt gives her students valuable guidance and support on becoming flourishing students and future leaders in their field of study. UWG graduate Marc Baumgardner has benefited from her advice. thbWest Georgian African-American; yet the Hispanic state population last year was seven percent, which is far more than the university’s two percent Hispanic population. The Center for African-American Male Research Success and Leadership helps student diversity survive. CAAMRSL is an organization on campus devoted to helping African-American men succeed in academia. The group aims to address everyday challenges faced by African-American males in postsecondary institutions, including civic responsibility, promoting integrity, developing brother hood, and promoting academic excellence. CAAMRSL director Dr. Said Sewell said in a statement, “We’re creating this kind of renaissance man that can now be a role model for African American males, to young boys, to “Much of my success in both the academic and non-academic areas 1 attribute to the mentorship, guidance, instruction, and friendship of Dr. Basu- Dutt." Baumgardner said. Basu-Dutt’s main priority is finding ways 66 T 69 Photo courtesy ofwww.westga.edu to connect to a diverse student population so that they can leant concepts and techniques that will open doors of opportunity for them throughout their lives. She pays special attention to creating a nurturing learning environment that incorporates social, cultural, physical and psychological experiences. “I strive to look beyond the traditional methods of teaching to expand my students’ horizons,” Basu- Dutt said. “Teaching isn’t only about motivating students to learn—it’s teaching them how to learn.” As director of the engineering studies program, Basu-Dutt has mentored, counseled, and In News Shuttle buses proven essential to students. VVVVVV I HI VVKSTC.tOKOIAN.COM help show that you can go to college— not only go. but you can finish.” Gender is another important diversity factor, but the gender gap at UWG continues to remain about the same. Last year’s enrollment records showed 63 percent white females and 69 percent African- American females. Sewell thinks the gender gap may be explained just by American culture itself. Men may not attend college because of the desire to get rich quick; they may not see the benefits of a college education if they can land a decent paying contruction job, for example, when they graduate high school. Thanks goes to the Times-Georgian for enrollment figures found in their Sept. 3 issue. followed over S(X) students throughout their college educations, and even their careers. One of her biggest achievements at UWG is coordinating learning communities for pre engineering students since 1997. “My focus in this leamingcommunityistohelp freshmen develop academic and non-academic skills to cope with transitioning to college and choosing a career for themselves,” Basu-Dutt said. Having coordinated several interdisciplinary projects in the field of engineering with students and professors, she sees these advances as a way to expose teachers to new strategies that will allow students to “do science, not view science.” Her heart for science does not limit her to just helping UWG students. In the last two years she has helped elementary school teachers (from Carrollton In Opinion * w r* Analyzing the Dead Man’s Hand 1 mP p v ■pv,. j wgm If W i Wwt ~ f * 1 IF W ■ f* vH l W**~ ' ; . . • ■ ■ ' • - • •' - - .. u, *-• ■>. w ir- " ‘ 4 ' ’ j Photo by Kimberly Hahn City. Carroll County, Douglas County, and Coweta County) to teach in a way that will help them inspire young kids to develop a passion for science. Basu-Dutt and the College of Education faculty have developed courses that blend optimal amounts of science content and pedagogical strategies. “Together, we have received funding from the Teacher Quality Higher Education Program to develop professional development workshops to guide K-5 teachers in a series of investigations across the sciences to properly conceive inquiry experiences in science teaching and learning," Basu-Dutt said. Basu-Dutt has made a promising career choice in aiding the students of UWG. Not many students have had the opportunity to have Basu-Dutt as a teacher, but she would be more than happy to offer guidance and leadership to any students— even those not in her classes. When asked where she sees herself in 10 years, she clearly stated, “The best part of my job is the immense amount of opportunity I have to touch the lives of my students in ways that are above and beyond the normal teaching responsibilities. This is my passion and this is what I want to do for the rest of my professional career.” In Sports UWG soccer suffer stinging loss. The Princeton Review recognizes UWG By Ellis Smith News Editor ellisthered@gmail.com The University of West Georgia is once again the recipient of Princeton Review's Best Southeastern College Award for the year 2008. Winning the award for the fifth year in a row is a great honor, according to Bobby Johnson, director of the Office of Admissions. “To continue to be identified as one of the top colleges and universities in the Southeastern region since the guide’s inception is quite an achievement,” Johnson said. UWG shares the honor this year with schools such as Emory University, Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, and the University of Georgia. According to UWG students surveyed by the Princeton Review, the student body sees the typical undergraduate as a very well-rounded individual. The surveyed students said the typical student is “friendly, is an academically average student, is in their early / twenties, likes to party,\ works part-time at a mall or restaurant, and probably lives in an In Entertainment No shock that BioShock rocks. Wednesday, sept ember 12. 2007 off-campus apartment in Carrollton. Everyone seems to get along pretty well here.” The Princeton Review also found that "the southern hospitality thing is pretty widespread.” Surveyors were impressed by UWG’s “efforts to get international students here and help them fit into our community.” On the other hand, the magazine reported that “you don't see a lot of mingling” between black and white students. While business and education majors make up around half of UWG’s student body, the Princeton Review noted that the university also has very well-regarded music, biology, nursing, and psychology programs. Also singled out for special mention was the Advanced Academy of Georgia, a UWG program designed for hardworking high school juniors and seniors to get an early start on earning college credit. /The Princeton