Newspaper Page Text
CONTACT US AT P.O. BOX 1027, ATHENS, GA 30603, LETTERS@FLAGPOLE.COM
OR VIA THE “TALK BACK TO US” LINK AT FLAGPOLE.COM
WHERE’S THE PRESS?
Pete, I read with interest your coverage of
Michael Adams' recent budget update at UGA
(Pub Notes, May 26 ). In general, I have been
disappointed by the lack of interest the local
press has shown in the budget dealings at
UGA. The tepid press presence at this particu
lar budget briefing and your shoulder shrug
ging, head shaking response in Pub Notes
are symptomatic of the reasons Adams has
been able to get away with so much during
his tenure at UGA. I attended that briefing.
You did not even take the time to accurately
note or report what the questions were, nor
did you accurately report Adams' responses.
During his speech, Adams repeatedly spoke
about the importance of retaining and adding
faculty. (No one on campus would argue this
point. We desperately need faculty.) Given
this fact, and the fact that administrators are
never cut at UGA (they make the decisions on
who is cut and, surprise, surprise, never seem
to choose themselves), it appeared to me and
to others present that the layoffs Adams men
tioned would primarily effect UGA staff. One
questioner who identified herself as an advisor
told Adams that she inferred from his speech
that staff members would bear the brunt of
the cuts. (In Pub Notes you briefly mentioned
someone asking if advising would be cut.
This was not her question.) He gave a non
response by saying he hadn't said any such
thing and was placing responsibility for cuts
on Deans and Department Heads. She then
asked when those being cut would be notified.
(For all you reporters out there, this is impor
tant information for those of us potentially
facing layoffs.) He replied that the cuts would
be completed by September or October. There
are thousands of staff members on campus,
everyone from custodians to secretaries to IT
specialists to nurses at the health center. We
work advising students, admitting them to
the university, keeping track of their records
in the registrar's office and answering ques
tions in departmental offices. We make sure
students graduate. We serve them meals in the
dining halls. In short, we are the people who
keep the university operating on a day-to
day basis. We ;,re also members of the Athens
community; we live, work, worship and shop
here. We are members of Bike Athens. We go
the the farmers market at Bishop Park. You are
right that close to 40 million dollars in new
cuts will be devastating for UGA to bear, and I
suspect that staff will be feeling the brunt of
the pain. But, where were you while the meet
ing was going on? I sat there after Adams'
speech waiting for someone from the press to
ask a question. Who decides how much money
deans and department heads are given? Will
any particular college have their budget cut
more than the others? How will the cuts be
allocated? Do the construction firms oversee
ing the massive and never-ending building
projects on campus have any personal ties to
the regents or to state legislators? There are
many probing ques
tions that a good
journalist could have
asked. So, where were
you guys? Was the
Banner-Herald even
there? Only the Red
and Black made an
appearance. Michael
Adams is not some
witch doctor weaving
spells over everyone.
Those of us who work at UGA are simply not in
a good position to ask him the hard questions .
that need to be asked, given that UGA is look
ing for people to fire right now. We depend
on the press to step up, to ask the questions
we want to but cannot for fear of our jobs. I
don't accept your excuse that Adams is just
that good. He isn't. Sadly, neither is the local
press, Flagpole included.
Name Withheld
Athens
AN OPEN LETTER
To the Athens-Clarke County Mayor and
Commission: I am writing this letter to make
it clear to you that the Athens Farmers Market
has not ever considered the need to lea/e
Bishop Park for any reason except that we
may be displaced by construction of a new
tennis center. I am making this letter an open
letter, because some incorrect assumptions
have already resulted in misinformation being
spread to your constituents. Perhaps an open
letter will dispel these incorrect assumptions
about our intent.
First, let me express the gratitude of the
Board and Members of the Athens Farmers
Market to ACC Leisure Services for their coop
eration in letting us rent space for our market
at Bishop Park. We are in our third season
now, and our success is largely attributable
to this great location near Athens in-town
neighborhoods and in a beautiful, friendly
park setting.
Some have said that the Athens Farmers
Market is obviously growing and needs to find
a bigger space. This is often said in the con
text of the planning
process for the tennis
center. This implies
that we are intent on
moving, so plans for
changing Bishop Park
have no effect on the
farmers market. That
is not so.
We are able to
manage our growth
in several ways that
do not including moving our Saturday location
and intend to stay at Bishop Park for the fore
seeable future, unless forced to leave.
We are operating at capacity, simply
because we are able to fill space not used by
growers by recruiting local artisans, crafts
persons and purveyors of prepared foods. This
year we have 20 growers of produce, meats,
eggs and dairy products. We fill the remaining
27 spaces with purveyors of prepared food,
crafts and art.
During our application period, we have not
turned down a single local grower's applica
tion for space, if they meet our high standards
of sustainable farming and proper preparation
of harvest for sale at the market. As more local
growers choose to increase their production,
convert to sustainable farming and meet the
standards of the Athens Farmers Market, we
will be able to accommodate them at Bishop
Park, our new downtown market or at some
future expansion of our market locations.
Bishop Park is the best location for the
farmers market for several reasons: the basket
ball courts are relatively sheltered from wind
and sun; the location is walkable from several
neighborhoods; the neighborhoods have a
growing number of households that understand
the value of naturally grown food; the park is
accessible to a large population of individuals
and families who benefit from our USDA EBT
program; parking and traffic at Bishop Park
are minimally affected on UGA football game
days; the park provides a destination offering
amenities beyond the market and is not simply
a place to buy their groceries.
Please know that Athens Farmers Market,
LLC, is a not-for-profit limited liability com
pany managed by a board of directors, serving
with no compensation. All decisions concern
ing policy, operations and planning are made
by that board, of which lama member as a
community representative.
Jerry NeSmith
Athens
BP="BILLIONAIRE POLLUTERS"
Legally, oil companies face unlimited liabil
ity for the cleanup costs of an offshore spill,,
but their liability for economic damages to
affected communities is capped at S75 mil
lion. The cap needs to be raised to "unlimited
liability." BP needs to be held accountable for
the economic devastation they have caused to
Gulf residents and to any future devastation
to other coastal areas. Sen. Inhofe, R-OK, has
vowed to filibuster the Senate's attempt to
raise this cap. Sen. Murkowski, R-AK, has pre
viously blocked an attempt. Sen. McConnell
R-KY, refused to support eliminating the
liability cap but also warned of "the danger
of taking the cap too high," opposing even
moderately reducing the size of the bailouts
that the cap creates. Reckless "Billionaire
Polluters" needs to be held accountable for
this disaster, not the American people. Exxon
Valdez victims were forced to fight in court for
20 years to receive compensation.
Carol Lavinder
Athens
BUMPERSTICKER OF THE WEEK:
GOP Faith-Based Health Care Plan:
Pray You Don’t Get Sick
Thanks, Barry. Send your sticker sightings to
letters@flagpole.com.
4 FLAGPOlE.COM ■ JUNE 9,2010
IUIU > UiVU . V, IV *.
JEWELRY • ART
A great gift for a great dad.
William Henry
125 E. CLAYTON ST. • DOWNTOWN • 706-5464826
. 2010
3, ATHENS
<:
ARKET
local and sustainable
8am-Noon
EVERY SATURDAY
at BiSllOP Park (70S Sunset Drive)
4-7pm
EVERY TUESDAY
at Uttte Kings Dow um,
NOW lOOirfiNO EBT CNBOS!