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PAGE 2 WEDNESDAY, N( )\ 1 MB! K 14. 2007 African Student Association hosts first annual African Night By Fontez Brooks Staff Writer fair idg 1 ® my.westga .edu The African Student Association hosted their first annual African Night, a showcasing of African culture through dance, art, and music. The performers shook it old school- really old school, exhibiting fashions and dances that trace their ancestry all the way back to Africa. The ASA is the first association of its kind on this campus. Making its debut this semester, the ASA encourages interaction between students of African origin and students interested in African affairs. ASA was by Chioma Okafor, who was inspired by the African dance routine during the annual spring International Night. After the dance, Okafor began brainstorming to figure out ways to show off African culture more than once a year. After gathering others interested in her idea, she founded the ASA with money from the office of minority affairs, headed by Dr. Jack Reverend Doctor Joseph Lowery speaks at NAACP banquet By: Johnathan Davis Staff Writer jdavis23@ my.westga .edu The Carroll County Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peoplehostedtheir34thAnnual Freedom Fund Banquet at the Campus Center Ballroom on Saturday. In attendance was Bill Chappell, newly elected Chairman of the Carroll County Commissioners, and Cisco Baldizon of the Latino Heritage Council, as well as many local pastors and ministers. The banquet hosted the Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery Students face registration woes By Kandace Williams Staff Writer Kwilli2o@my.westga .edit It’s time to register for next semester’s classes— and that means it’s time to stand in lines, get headaches, and send numerous e-mails to professors about class overrides. The University of West Georgia prides itself on having small classes, but will these small classes be enough to accommodate the growing campus? Many majors in the College of Arts and Sciences require that students take and complete foreign language classes all the way to 2002 levels, and it seems that the preferred language of choice for most students is Spanish. The majority of students begin taking Spanish classes at the 1001 level, making their foreign language last for two years. But often, those two years can turn into more. Each Spanish class holds roughly 25 students, but if there isn’t HJest (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: uwgpaper@westga.edu Advertising E-mail: paperads@westga.edu On the web at http://www.thewestgeorgian.com Photo h\ Kim Hahn ASA members perform a traditional and very thoroughly choreographed African dance at the first annual UWG African Night. The event was hosted by the African Student Association. Jenkias. African Night, which was the ASA's official introduction to the students at West Georgia, offered a visual interpretation of lifestyles in Africa. Using the story of an African teenager raised in America as its overall theme. the purpose of the event was to take the vision of Africa that most Americans share and replace those thoughts with a more idealized view of African culture. as the speaker of the event. Lowery was named by Ebony magazine as one of the nations 15 Greatest Black Preachers and the “consummate voice of biblical social relevancy.” He was awarded the NAACP lifetime achievement award, hailed as the “dean of the civil rights movement.” He delivered eulogies at the funerals of Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King, and he co-founded the SCLC with Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1957. Currently, Lowery is actively pursuing election reform and voter a chance to register early, the odds of getting in are slim. IIWG senior Jonathan Ashby knows about this first hand. “I couldn't get into Spanish 2002 because my registration date was always towards the end of registration- and even when I did get to register early, 1 still had to wait because the classes fill up so fast,” Ashby said. “I actually had to wait two semesters to finish, where as 1 wanted to take it earlier.” Spanish isn’t the only woe students face. Many students look forward to becoming a junior or senior so they can have an earlier registration date and a better chance at getting into their class of choice. “Registration is horrible,’ ’ psychology major Danelle Foster said. “I waited all this time, I did all these hours for me to register early, only for me to not be able to get any of the classes that’s in my major or minor.” Foster actually had an Judging by attendance, the night was a major success. A skit was split up and shown in separate purs between other acts during the evening, giving the night a more coherent feel. ASAmembersperfi Mined a traditional African dance that was very thoroughly chore* >gruphed. Some performers danced behind the audience while other dancers performed chi stage. empowerment, economic justice, and criminal justice refimn. He has called for a moratorium chi the death penalty and for more alternative sentencing. He is currently a very in-demand speaker, known ft >r his the night provoking sty le. “I’m neither Democrat or Republican. I'm Methodist." Lowery said. “One of them takes us for granted, the other just takes us.” He continued. "Our Foreign Policy has been nasty and wTong...beginning with slavery.” He went on to talk about, "Our smart bombs sent on dumb missions.” early registration date. She was able to register on Nov. 5, the first day for juniors— but the majority of the classes she wanted were almost full. “I think the main problem is that everyone gets to register first,” Foster said. "Resident assistants, people with disabilities, the Honor's College,and learning communities all get to register first. So even though I think I have an early registration date. 1 actually don’t.” To avoid dealing with registration stress, always have back up classes lined up. A lot of classes do fill up fast, so in the instance that a class does fill up, an alternate plan will be available. Remember that advisors are there to talk and plan with. An advisor can give students better insight on what to do just in case they become stuck with undesirable classes or worse, no classes at all. And always remember to keep an eye on the ever-changing Banweb class listings, especially in the early morning hours. 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, Pnoto Editor Tracy Ammons, Copy Editor Lauren Lovvorn, Webmaster Chris Graydon, Distribution Manager Doug Vinson, Advisor Masthead Art by Jesse Duke There were also three mini-fashion shows, containing garments representative of dress styles of the African countries Nigeria, Ethiopia, Gambia, Sierra Leone and Cameroon. One designer is a member of ASA. Nesie Abdulai. Other outfits in the show were made by Rebel Wear and Afrokicks, stores that cater to those seeking Africanized fashions. While Lowery did spend time discussing politics and foreign affairs, the focus of the speech was “Unity through Diversity.” "Seldom do we stop and think about the soul of America.” Lowery said. He rebuffed those w ho talk about African-Americans returning to Africa, "Go back to Africa. How in the hell can they go back, they ’ve never been? ’ Lowery closed with a call for unity in America. “Americans need to learn to turn to each other instead of on each other.” He told the audience. “Get up. and save America." UWG Young Democrats hold first meeting JR* V Photo by Terence Rushin UWG Young Democrats President Skyler Akins speaks with student Ashley Lynch. By Johnathan Davis Staff Writer jdavis23@my.westga .edit With numbers comparable to the College Republicans, the UWG chapter of Young Democrats met on Wednesday to organize its efforts to reach out to the student body. The meeting was originally set to meet in the Political Science lounge at Pafford Hall, but the large turnout forced the Young Democrats to move to a larger room. “This is probably the most exciting time in nil WIST (,K )K(,IA\ \T\VS Most of the fashions used loose materials with the colors yellow, green and red, with tight black leggings. The event oiganizers attempted to serve ftxxl that reflected what someone living in Africa would eat. The menu for the night consisted of regular white rice, Jallof rice, plantains, puff-puff (fried donut wholes), baked chicken, Sanbusa, and fish. Okafor has much more i r |v* * •i- rfmtoAm Photo courtesy of www .google .com The Reverend Dr. Joseph E. Lowery recently spoke at the NAACP Freedom Fund banquet hosted by UWG. America to be a Young Democrat,” UWG Young Democrats President Skyler Akins said. “We currently control the US House and Senate, and will be taking back the White House in 2008. The Congress is, for the first time in modem American history, fighting for young people, and America’s children.” The main order of business was for the like minded students to get together and discuss the recent election, as well as plans for upcoming elections. Akins noted Copyright Notice The West Georgian, copyright 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. in store for UWG students next semester. “We plan to have several more fundraisers as well as African week, which will be a week of events, including a soccer event, which is the biggest sport in Africa. We re basically try ing to raise awareness about Africa,” she said. Notably absent from the event was any mention of the conflicts, deprivation, starvation, genocide, tribal wars, desertificatitMi, and diseases— especially AIDS —that are ravaging the continent, although Okafor did admit that there will be an upcoming speaker addressing the Darf ur conflict next year. Okafor wants students to know, “It’s not always about, like, racial stuff. Basically we’re just trying to get our culture out there. It’s fun, we’re just trying to educate people, we’re not trying to like, separate or whatever. Africa is a very diverse continent. We have all different kinds of cultures there.” that college students overwhelmingly vote Demcxratic during major federal elections, but he said that more effort needs to be placed on the state and local-level elections, as these elections have a more immediate impact on students’ daily lives. “We will be involved in trying to regain control of our state legislature, and making sure that Democrats are elected throughout Carroll County,” Akins said. “We will also be using social networking and media outlets such as Facebook and the West Georgian to alert students of our meetings, and events.” The next meeting for the UWG Young Democrats is scheduled for Nov. 28, and all are welcome. Those interested in more information can e-mail Skyler Akins at skylerakins@gmail.com or join the group “College Democrats” on the West Georgia network of Facebook.