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IwlC —
VOLUME 57 - ISSUE 12
Georgia drought brings water conservation efforts to campus
By Ellis Smith
News Editor
ellisthered@gmail.com
The drought covering
most of the southeastern
United States has gone
from a concern to a
crisis— a crisis that
students at the University
of West Georgia are only
now beginning to take
seriously.
The State of Georgia
has about three months
of water left, according
to experts. Lake Lanier,
the reservoir for Metro-
Atlanta and much of the
state, is at an all-time
low.
Gov. Sonny Purdue
issued an executive order
on Oct. 20, declaring a
state of emergency for 85
Georgia counties.
Experts are
considering contingency
plans, including piping in
water from the Savannah
River and installing
desalinization plants on
the coast of Georgia.
These are all expensive,
long-term projects.
In the meantime,
outdoor watering is
banned throughout the
state, and residents are
being asked to take shorter
showers and use economy
Halloween ride-along with UWG
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Photo by Kim Hahn
Officer Dorberth of the UWG police prepares to make his daily partrol
around the campus. With all the work campus police put in, Halloween is
always the busiest night for misconduct.
By Johnathan Davis
Staff Writer
jdavis23 @ my. westga. edu
The campus police
here at UWG have a
thousand stories to tell
of nights on patrol, but
one of the busiest nights
with the most stories is
Halloween.
Costumes, zany
behavior, and alcohol can
create a night of fun for
those who play it safe.
However, for those who
don?t, the night can be
scarier than any horror
film.
I rode along with
UWG police officers on
Halloween to see what
thbWest Georgian
UWG student Sarah Williams looks on at the lack of water in the fountain near the UCC. Due to
Georgia’s severe drought, students, faculty, and workers are working on new methods to conserve
water such as not running the popular fountain above.
settings on dishwashers
and laundry machines.
Bob Watkins, director
of facilities and grounds at
UWG, has been examining
water usage since 2000,
when Carrollton was
experiencing another, less
severe water crises.
"Water-saving
shower heads were
retrofitted in the existing
the night would be like
from inside the squad
car.
This wouldn?t be
my first time with UWG
police officers— on my
first night with them,
a DUI stop turned into
a cocaine arrest. I had
learned exactly how
much ground the UWG
Police cover, and 1 was
surprised at the size of
all that the university
includes. I was able to
see what tools the officers
have in their crime
fighting arsenal, and I met
many of the third shift
officers. Since I gained
an understanding of how
Disability Awareness
Day on campus
WWW 1 HEWESTGEORGIAN.COM
residence halls and
are installed in all new
residence facilities,”
Watkins said. “Training
sessions on common
sense use of water
have been conducted
with custodial and
maintenance personnel,
and our daily maintenance
of all facilities includes
inspection for proper
the police do things, 1 felt
I was prepared for what I
would see on Halloween.
I joined the police at
11:00 p.m., but anyone
who has gone to parties
on Halloween knows that
the parties don?t really
start until late, so when
I began my ride with
Officer Clinton Pichon,
we did some patrolling.
It wasn?t long, though,
before he stopped a guy
who ran a stop sign on
University Drive.
Not much, really, but
people running stop signs
on Halloween can still
hit pedestrians if they are
not careful. When pulled
Getting inked: confronting
errors in judgment
operation and immediate
repair where water loss
might occur.”
UWG personnel
conduct daily inspections
in the 64 buildings and
more than 300 rooms on
campus with plumbing
features.
The university has
also ceased outdoor
watering, washing
police: Alcohol, parties, and jail
over, the guy didn?t
have valid registered
insurance, nor was his
driver?s license valid.
We had to wait for
the Carrollton Police to
arrest him, as he had a
warrant for the CPD. But
once that was over with,
we got a call about a fight
at the Off Campus Bar.
This is a note to
anyone who rides with
the police: Don?t overeat
beforehand. Feeling
yourself jarred back into
your seat as the engine
kicks and those blue lights
go on can do a number on
your digestive tract. It?s
certainly not for those
without true intestinal
fortitude.
By the time we
arrived at the bar, there
was no real fighting
underway, but tempers
were still flaring.
After this, there was
more patrolling. The
night shift is mostly about
security, and the task is
a serious one, requiring
lots of foot patrolling. If
I did this every night, I?d
probably lose about 25
pounds.
Shortly after making
sure one of the dorms
was secure, a call came
over from the Chi Phi
house. Upon arriving,
two officers had already
stopped the car and
everyone had gotten out;
all eight of them, from a
four-passenger car.
In Sports - Page 5
Wolves volleyball prep
for GSC tourney
vehicles, running the
fountains, and irrigating
the grass. Even the Z
-6 has cut back on the
number of hours spent
washing dishes.
But most students
haven’t got the message
yet. According to reports
from knowledgeable
sources, girls in Bowdon
hall continue to take 30
While I?m sure the
officers appreciated that
the brothers of Chi Phi had
arranged for a designated
driver, generally it?s a
good idea to have only one
per three or four, unless
he?s driving a van or
something. One per eight
is pushing it. There were
three who were underage
in the group, and one had
a previous citation for
underage consumption; in
fact. he?d just spoken to
the judge the day before.
When people are
drunk, it?s generally a bit
funny. People are acting
a little dumb and dull,
and spirits are generally
high. So, while some of
these involved in the stop
were being a little goofy,
it was hard to laugh as 1
watched three people get
ready to go to jail.
On the ride to the jail,
two of them sat behind
me. I couldn?t help but
try to reassure them that
things will work out; of
course, it was to no avail.
As far as they could
see, things were as bad
as they could get. Once
to the jail, their mood got
just a bit better, but only
because it seemed like
things were moving.
After leaving the
jail, another call came
in from Strozier Hall. A
girl had consumed too
much alcohol, and after
we arrived, we learned
she was underage as well.
In A&E - Page 7
’The Shape of Things?
shaping up
WEDNESDAY. NOVEMBER 7. 2007
minute showers. In fact,
water usage statistics
point to students using
more water, not less. For
example, in Tyus Hall,
water usage has gone up
from 3,624 gallons/month
to 4,104 gallons/month.
Carolyn Lang,
resident director of
Watson Hall, and her
resident assistants have
begun to educate students
about conserving water
in innovative ways. Lang
instituted a program called
“Models Need Water Too"
that involved watching
“America’s Next Top
Model" and discussing
ways to conserve water
during the commercial
breaks.
Lang has also placed
timers in the showers to
encourage students to take
showers in four minutes
or less. The floor that
takes the shortest showers
wins a pizza party.
The RA.’s have posted
information about ways
to conserve water around
the building on bulletin
boards. Some of their
suggestions are: shower
in 4 minutes or less, brush
teeth in the shower, do
only full loads of laundry,
and use towels more than
once.
She was having a hard
time staying lucid.
Her roommates had
cared enough to call for
help, and upon arriving,
Sgt. Ned Watson called an
ambulance to make sure
she would get the care
she needed. He would
issue a citation for the
underage consumption,
but that was a problem
to be solved later; her
health was the immediate
concern. As the firemen
and paramedics arrived,
1 left with Pichon to end
my night.
As I stepped out of
the car to head into my
apartment, another call
came in. It was another
alcohol-related situation
at Watson. I considered,
for a second, jumping
back in and going with
him to check it out, but
I?d had enough. I decided
to head in and think back
on everything I had seen.
I?d seen the
seriousness of the
decisions students at
West Georgia make on
Halloween, or rather,
every single night. I?d
seen the professionalism
of the UWG Police
in carrying out their
mission of protecting
students, sometimes from
themselves. Finally. I saw
the enormity of their task,
its delicate nature, and
how they had performed
it as best as humanly
possible.