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I'.V ,12 WEDNESDAY. OCT( >BI-.R 5, 2007 Newt Gingrich presents Solutions Day Workshop By Fontez Brooks Staff Writer Falridg 1 @ my.west go .edit “Today is the day for real change.” That was the dominating phrase at the Solutions Day Workshop Saturday afternoon at the University of West Georgia, generating discussions on topics such as conservation, citizenship. The Fair Tax, space, and much more. The Solutions Day Workshop was paid for by American Solutions, a non-partisan organization founded by Newt Gingrich. The group presented the idea that change is in the hands of everyday citizens. American Solutions is an organization Campus crime statistics updated: Burglary on the rise By Tracy Ammons Copy Editor tamnions I @my.westga .edit Incidents of burglary at the University of West Georgia more than doubled between 2005 and 2006, and underage drinking and entering autos have also increased, according to recently released statistics. However, driving under the influence and drug violations have slightly decreased. The U WG Department of Public Safety is required to release crime statistics and security policies each year in accordance with the Federal Clery Act. The act is named after Jeanne Ann Clery, a 19-year old freshman at Lehigh University, Penn., who was raped and murdered while asleep in her residence hall in 1986. The data reported 83 incidents of burglary on campus in 2006, compared to 35 incidents in 2005. Sixty-six of the 83 burglaries occurred in residence halls, compared to 25 residence hall burglaries in 2005. UWG Lt. Investigator Laura Bennett said that most burglaries on campus result from students leaving their dorm rooms West Georgia's A DAY helps students achieve dreams By Carlos Sellers Staff Writer csellerl @my.westga .edit When logging on to the University of West Georgia Web site, there is one quote that describes what this school is about— “Educational Excellence in a Personal Environment.” At UWG, the ullje West (Georgian 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: uwgpaperra westga.edu Advertising E-mail: paperads@westga.edu On the web at http://www.thewestgeorgian.com for those looking to make real change and a serious difference, not just in their local communities, but on a national scale as well. Solutions Day consisted of four time slots, 1:30 to 2:30, 2:45 to 3:45 and 4:00 to 5:00, including an opening and closing by Gingrich. Each time slot contained anywhere from five to seven individual workshops on a given topic. The workshops were all given by esteemed speakers, who ranged from former Congressman Bob Walker to former CIA Director Peter Gross. The workshops lasted about an hour each, with a question and answer session immediately following. unlocked. She said the students aren’t being careless, but they are “too trusting.” UWG Director of Public Safety Tom Mackel mentioned an organized group of student burglars Photo courtesy of w ww.google.com who stole items from dorm rooms in the middle of the day. “These are students who are able to walk around unnoticed,” Mackel said. "We arrested one, but he wouldn’t tell us who he was working with.” Mackelalsomentioned an increase in electronic success of its students is the sole ambition for the school’s existence. From being successful in the classroom to accomplishments on the athletic Held, UWG’s faculty and staff are here to help students succeed and excel. UWG’s Alumni DAY helps students achieve their dreams of a college Questions jumped from health care to Georgia’s cigarette bans. Fair-Tax workshop was given by author Neal Boortz and congressmen and radio talk show host, John Linder. Even with the Flat- Tax workshop going on upstairs at the exact same time, the Fair- Tax workshop pushed maximum capacity as spectators were crunched to standing room only. In the opening remarks about the workshops, Gingrich explained that American Solutions did n< contain any political agenda,nor was race or social ranking a factor. Gingrich also announced that he would not be running theft- items such as iPods, laptop computers, and Xbox gaming systems are prime objects for reported burglaries. Mackel said he encourages students and parents at orientation sessions to record all the serial numbers on their electronics, because in the event of theft, the serial number can be tracked on state and national crime computer networks. He recommends that students purchase tracking software for their laptops. Costing about SIOO. the three-year-protect ion education; The largest percentage of A DAY funds are used to support student scholarships. A DAY was started in 1983 under the direction of Bob Stone, Dean Brown, and many others. It has been a flourishing event for more than 20 years, not only because of the many contributions from individuals,families Erik Waters, Editor-in-Chief Stephanie Smith, Advertising & Business Manager Ellis Smith, News Editor Jesse Duke, A&E Editor Steven A. Gilley, Sports Editor Terence Rushin, Photo Editor Tracy Ammons, Copy Editor Lauren Lovvom, Webmaster Chris Graydon, Distribution Manager Doug Vinson, Advisor Masthead Art by Jesse Duke for the Republican nomination in the upcoming 2008 presidential election. Because of the McCain- Feingold law, passed by Congress in 2002, Gingrich could not lead American Solutions and simultanously run as a presidential nominee. Gingrich said he is devoted to the organization, and he is not willing to abandon American Solutions,especially since the group is in its early stages. Every workshop from Saturday’s event will be available to for public viewing on www. amerieansolutions. com software traces the location of the laptop every time the user gets on the Internet. “Earlier this summer we tracked down a stolen laptop and relocated it to its owner,” he said. “Somebody had bought it at a flea market.” Mackel said that in 2006, University Suites and Strozier Hall were the two targeted residence halls for burglary. Incidents of entering autos slightly increased from 48 in 2005 to 59 in 2006. "That’s one of the biggest crimes that we and corporations, but also because of time donations from many volunteers from Carroll County and beyond. This year marks the 25th year of A DAY, and the support of the students, faculty, and staff are greatly needed. Help us celebrate this thrilling community fundraising experience Tin WIST (,i:OR(,IA\ M vvs i r ’■i f v Photo />v Tcrcm e Hushin have on campus,” Mackel said. “Some students have car stereos worth more than what the car is worth.” Incidents of underage drinking on campus have increased from 136 in 20()5 to 166 in 2006. “There’s been a lot of arrests for consumption underage this year; we’ve seen that drastically,” Bennett said. "When we respond to a consumption underage, they're tested on a portable breathalyzer.lf they register 0.1 or higher, they go to jail. Below that, they’re released wdth a by volunteering as much as you possibly can. One annual A Day event is the Run for A Day, which will take place this Thursday evening, Oct. 4. Runners pay a fee to participate in either a one mile walk/ run or a 5K road race; all the money goes to the A Day fund. The race is sponsored Copyright Notice The West Georgian , copy right 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 citation - there’s usually a fine and community service with that.” Mackel said the increase in underage drinking citations may be explained by the increased public safety personnel who bike-patrol the residence halls on a regular basis. The bike patrol was temporarily removed during budget cuts in 2004 -and recorded underage drinking citations dropped to 40 that year. DUIs decreased slightly from 36 in 2005 to 30 in 2006, while drug violations decreased from 30 in 2005 to 10 in 2006. "We actually had 40 calls for drug violations in 2006, but only 10 were arrested, because in the other 30 cases, there wasn’t sufficient evidence to arrest,” Mackel said. “There would be the heavy smell of marijuana smoke in the room, but we couldn’t prove anything.” No reported crimes were listed on the UWG Newnan campus. Since the Newnan facilities are much smaller and there are no residence halls, crime doesn’t seem to be an issue. “I don’t recall any crime going on through there,” Bennett said. by First National Bank of Georgia, formerly West Georgia National Bank. Students can enter the race Thursday for $7 with a student ID; a race t-shirt is included. If you are interested in being one of hundreds of volunteers or supporting the annual fund, contact Frank Pritchett at frankp@westga.edu.