VOL. 3, ISSUE 1, FEBRUARY 6, 2015 Inside this Issue.. UNG athletes on pay for play
GTA’s spring shows
Hang on, Oconee: More space coming
Now landing behind the Nesbitt Building
Crime is low across UNG campuses, despite recent truck thefts in G’ville Sydney Motes News editor-Gainesville SLMOTE8986@ung.edu
24/7. Campus police would not respond to repeated attempts to contact them. Crime reports are low on all UNG campuses, compared to most other schools in the area. The Cumming campus so far has reported no crimes, for instance. Burglaries are the most-reported crimes on all the other UNG campuses. Forcible sex offences have been reported over the last four years at the Dahlonega campus, but none at the other campuses. All colleges and universities that get federal student aid are required to report crimes on campus to the OPE, under the Jeanne Clery Act. A listing of crimes reported for individual schools is available at ope.ed.gov/security.
On Jan. 8 and again on Jan. 22, two student vehicles were stolen from the S parking lot on the University of North Georgia’s Gainesville campus. The vehicles stolen are almost identical, both being black Chevy Silveradoes from the mid-1980s. There were no signs of forced entry on either truck, but believed that at least one of them was entered through the back sliding glass. When Emely Torres, a history major on the Gainesville campus, heard about the thefts, she was shocked. “I never really thought of our campus as being unsafe so it’s really shocking to On-campus crime at UNG hear that someone’s car was stolen like Source: U.S. Office of Postsecondary Education that,” Torres said. According to a press release sent out Dahlonega Gainesville Oconee after the car thefts, the UNG Department of Public Safety will be reinforcing patrols 2010 8 burglaries 0 crimes reported 0 crimes reported in all of the parking lots on campus, as 1 sex offence, forcible well as using additional means of patrol to 1 arson ensure higher visibility of the officers. Other methods are being taken as well, according to the press release. Due to the 2011 1 burglary 1 burglary 0 crimes reported school currently not having security cam1 sex offense, forcible eras around campus, the school is now 1 arson looking into camera placements and costs. Patrol officers will also be placing 2012 2 sex offenses, forcible 1 motor vehicle 3 burglaries business cards on high-risk vehicles with 1 aggravated assault theft a phone number to contact. 1 burglary The most noticeable way that UNG 1 arson is taking action to help guard against more theft is the installation of the “See 2013 2 sex offenses, forcible 3 burglaries 0 crimes reported something? Say something” signs around 2 burglaries campus with the phone number 706-8641500 that goes directly to the Communication Center in Dahlonega that is open
New courses come with a new bachelor’s in sociology Hailey Van Parys Staff writer-Gainesville HMVANP6360@ung.edu As of the fall 2014 semester, the Gainesville campus of the University of North Georgia is offering a bachelor’s program in sociology. Approximately 20 students are already a part of this program, due to the existing program on the Dahlonega campus, along with other students who are currently in the transitioning process. New courses include: Sociology of Race and Ethnicity (SOCI 3050), Sociology of Religion (SOCI 3510), Social Change (SOCI 3230), and Special Topics in Sociology (SOCI 4000). The Sociology of Race and Ethnicity course considers the importance of examining racial, cultural, and ethnic groups in the terms of sociology. Sociology of Religion offers students an extensive look into religion’s impact on society and the way that religion shapes the world we live in. Social Change provides students with the knowl-
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edge they need to know about the world around them, specially targeted toward specific social movements and nonviolence. Special Topics in Sociology looks at the topics of human trafficking and the HIV/AIDS pandemic through the lens of sociology. These courses were originally only offered on the Dahlonega campus, but are now available to students on both campuses. Pamela Elfenbein, a professor of Human Services of Sociology and the Department Head, was able to offer her advice for prospective students. “Make an appointment with me or our Associate Department Head, Dr. Michallene McDaniel, to learn more about our program and how it relates to your academic and career goals,” she said. Both professors are easily accessible through school email for appointment making. Students who are interested in the program can expect a wide variety of career options upon graduation. A sociology degree could potentially lead to a career in marketing, criminal justice, communications, and even
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business. Due to the flexibility of a sociology degree, graduates will be prepared to enter various fields. Specifically, someone who holds a sociology degree could work in fields such as advertising, child welfare, and non-profit organizations. UNG also offers an internship program for interested students. There is a minor requirement for this degree as well. “There are two minors that pair quite well with the sociology degree - the minors in Human Services Delivery and Administration and Psychology,” Elfenbein said. Any of the other bachelor’s program requirements can be found on the school’s website. Currently, there are no plans for the Oconee campus to offer the program. However, a student on the Oconee campus would have the opportunity to take online courses in sociology or commute to the Gainesville campus for classes which are not offered online.
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Should college athletes get paid for participating in sports?
Photo by Rebecca Kerlin
Pay for play: UNG athletes’ opinions Ethan Austin-Keating Staff writer-Gainesville epaust0162@ung.edu In the past few decades, there has been an increasing amount of talk about college athletes being paid in return for what they do to produce money for their respective schools. This time 30 years ago, the football team at Southern Methodist University was in the middle of an NCAA investigation which ultimately shut down their program for two years. The crime they committed: paying their student athletes a salary. More recently, University of Georgia running back and then Heisman Trophy front-runner Todd Gurley was suspended for four games in October because he made money by selling autographs. All around college athletics, these cases keep coming up, and every time the question is asked: should the NCAA and its universities pay their athletes, should the athletes be allowed to sell their own names in endorsement or autograph deals, or should these 18 to 22-year-olds remain strictly as amateur athletes? That conversation only seems to hang around major college athletics, what about the athletes attending the division II and III schools. The University of North Georgia currently competes on
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the division II level and, as expected, the athletes here have their own opinions on the issue. The assumption most people have is that these athletes live pretty hard lives away from their sport and classes. Get clarification on what this means then clean up. “I do not struggle to make ends meet as a student athlete,” Kaylee Akin, a sophomore guard on the women’s basketball team, said. “We receive a refund check at the beginning of each semester and we as student athletes use that for our everyday spending, for example groceries and basic living expenses.” She does, however, see the positive effects of getting some other type of financial compensation and the arguments for it. “Paying for play would be a benefit to us as student athletes,” Akin said. “Largely due to the fact that we have no time for a job, making it difficult for us to have extra money to spend on ourselves.” Junior guard Rebecca Webster is on the other end of that argument. “I do not think we should be paid by our school for play,” Webster said. “The school already does so much for us. For example, scholarships.” “Paying for play would take away from the whole reason the student athletes are here, the sport itself,” Jordan Livesay, a sophomore guard, said. “We all have a drive. I don’t think it’s ever been about the money; it’s for the love of the game.”
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GTA spring lineup brings three big titles to the stage James Couey Staff Writer-Gainesville SJCOUE7398@ung.edu Tickets are now on sale for Gainesville Theatre Alliance’s spring season, which provides both well-loved and new titles, and a classical and contemporary fare for theatre-goers in north Georgia. GTA is a 35-year-old, nationally acclaimed collab-
The Great Gatsby Adapted for the stage by Simon Levy based on the classic novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald at UNG-Gainesville’s Ed Cabell Theatre, 3850 Mundy Mill Road, Oakwood FREE Stage Tour (a peek behind the scenes): 6p.m., Mar. 24, 2015 Performances: 7:30 p.m., April 7-11 and 14-18, 2015; 2:30p.m., April 12 & 18, 2015 Free advance tickets for UNG and Brenau faculty, staff & students for performances on Apr. 6, 8, 9, 14 & 15, 2015, with ID while supplies last (free tickets are available two weeks before Opening Night) Tickets are $18-20 for adults, $16-18 for seniors and $12-14 for students, depending on seat location. Select your own seats online at www.gainesvilleTHEATREalliance.org or by calling the Box Office at 678.717.3624.
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oration of the University of North Georgia, Brenau University, theatre professionals and the northeast Georgia community. It has yielded state and national awards. Over 25,000 patrons attended GTA shows last season, enjoying 156 performances, with enthusiasts remarking on the dazzling production values made possible by this hybrid professional company/theatre training program.
The upcoming season promises nothing less, with theatre professionals directing, acting, and designing alongside GTA’s talented college theatre students. Discounted package subscriptions and individual tickets to GTA performances can be purchased at www.gainesvilleTHEATREalliance.org, where patrons can select their own seats, or by calling the Box Office, 678-717-3624.
In The Heights
Antigone Based on the Greek tragedy written by Sophocles. at UNG-Gainesville’s Ed Cabell Theatre, 3850 Mundy Mill Road, Oakwood FREE Stage Tour (a peek behind the scenes): 6p.m., Jan. 30, 2015 Performances: 7:30 pm, Feb 13 &15 and 17-21, 2015; 2:30p.m., Feb. 14, 2015 Free advance tickets for UNG and Brenau faculty, staff & students for performances on Feb. 12, 17 & 18 with ID while supplies last (free tickets are available two weeks before Opening Night) Tickets are $18-20 for adults, $16-18 for seniors and $12-14 for students, depending on seat location. Select your own seats online at www. gainesvilleTHEATREalliance.org or by calling the Box Office at 678.717.3624.
Music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda; book by Quiara Alegría Hudes. at Brenau’s Hosch Theatre in the John S. Burd Center, 429 Academy St., Gainesville FREE Stage Tour (a peek behind the scenes): 6p.m., Jan. 28, 2015 Performances: 7:30p.m., Feb. 10-14 and 17-21, 2015; 2:30p.m., Feb. 15 & 21, 2015 Free advance tickets for UNG and Brenau faculty, staff & students for performances on Feb. 9, 11, 12, 17 & 18 with ID while supplies last (free tickets are available two weeks before Opening Night) Tickets are $22-24 for adults, $20-22 for seniors and $12-14 for students, depending on seat location. Select your own seats online at www.gainesvilleTHEATREalliance.org or by calling the Box Office at 678.717.3624.
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Crowds, layovers, lots of luggage: How is G’ville campus like flying? Nicole Bader Staff writer-Gainesville NFBADE3320@ung.edu
and Thursdays during my three hour break, you can find me at the coffee bar behind my computer pretending like I’m doing homework, when actually I’m trying not to blatantly stare at the under- and over-caffeinated students talking way This semester I transitioned from the Unitoo loud about what they did last weekend. Cool versity of North Georgia’s Dahlonega campus to story, bro. Gainesville. I was going from the little college 3. Parking in another zip code. Who can I talk town in the mountains to this campus, filled with to about getting one of those shuttle buses to expectations. Positive or negative, I will neither start picking students up and dropping them off confirm nor deny. at their building? I mean, especially the girls with However, there are a few things I do know luggage. How does my teacher expect me to get about the UNG Gainesville campus. The consolidation was no headache at all for anyone. It made to class on time in freezing temperatures when I carry my book bag, my lunch, the pillow for my teachers’ and students’ lives so much easier. We midafternoon nap, and my purse all while trying are just one big happy family now. I also know not to spill my necessary basic white girl Starthe commute I make every morning is exactly 43 bucks coffee? Help a Nighthawk out, UNG. minutes from my door to the parking spot five 4. Much like an airport, people are always miles away from campus. arriving and departing from all over the world. I know that Gainesville is 100 percent comThere is a very diverse crowd coming through on muters. There is nothing wrong with that. a daily basis. We have It has helped me home-grown country come to some major, boys to Chinese foreign news-breaking realizaHow does my teacher exchange students, all in tions. Or I just have too expect me to get to class one place. This campus much time in between is diverse because the my classes to sit around. on time in freezing students who commute During this time, I temperatures when I carry from all over come have realized that this here to take classes. campus could double as my book bag, my lunch, Unlike a traditional an airport, but without the pillow for my midafter- college campus, we the planes and stuff. Just have moms, dads, high hear me out, okay? noon nap, and my purse school students taking Here are five ways all while trying not to spill college classes early, the UNG Gainesville the sleep deprived campus like an airport: my necessary basic white and 20-somethings as well. 1. It’s not uncommon girl Starbucks coffee? Help 5. We don’t have a to see someone (probaTSA or security check to bly a freshman) running a Nighthawk out, UNG. go through, but we do to class because they are have the parking serlate and don’t want to vices to deal with every miss class (their flight). day. So, that is practically the same thing. Kind of like the scene in Home Alone when the We don’t have airplanes, but we have classes McCallisters are running through the airport. to catch, people to watch, and sub-par choices of Since students are here the whole day, they have food to eat on campus. All to say, I probably just at least four bags to carry with them, but maybe have too much free time to sit around in between that’s just the girls. class and come up with these things. How much 2. Like with an airport, the people-watching longer until May? material around here is on point. On Tuesdays
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Humans for Humane Society Haley Hamblen Guest Writer HRHAMB1426@UNG.edu
The Athens Area Humane Society staff and volunteers are excited about the growing interest in adopting, fostering, and volunteering among the community’s college students. “Student volunteers and adoptees are a vital asset to the operation,” Shelter Manager Jed Kaylor said. The Athens Area Humane Society is located at 1718 Mars Hill Rd. in Watkinsville and is open from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Services offered include in-house adoption, humane education, and affordable veterinary services to the public. The non-profit organization relies solely on adoption fees, veterinary fees, and donations to fund the rescue of ill-fated animals. “Around sixty percent of our adop-
tions are to college kids,” Kaylor said. Adoptions start at $80 dollars, and those interested must be 18 years of age or older to be eligible. “Adopting my dog, Cash, [from Athens Area Humane Society] was the best idea,” pet owner Shaun Bennett said. Screening for eligibility is required to host a single or group of pets while they await adoption. Arianna Mantas, a three-time fosterer, claims that the process of taking care of the pets and having a say in who adopts them is rewarding. “My first time, I fostered a litter of five kittens in my downtown apartment, and had a blast,” Mantas said. Kennel volunteers help with feeding, bathing, and socializing the animals one on one. The humane society has also partnered with Terrapin Brewing Company and Creature Comforts Brewing Company to create some new, exciting fund raising projects with many volunteering opportunities.
Photo by Oconee Staff
There will be more room at the Oconee campus soon.
Student Resource Center to be expanded in Oconee Benjamin Tankersley Assistant Managing Editor-Oconee BATANK4736@ung.edu
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On March 1, a seven-month construction process to add on to the UNG Oconee Student Resource Center will officially begin. The construction is expected to be finished by October. Prior to the groundbreaking date, the area in which the construction will take place will be made off-limits to students, and a fence will be set up to show that boundary, according to Eric Skipper, CEO of the Oconee Campus. Other than that, students should not expect any other impact during the construction of the extension. Even though the original design has changed since the idea of the extension first came about, the overall shape of the project is the same. “The footprint is the same, but adjustments are being made constantly,” Skipper said. Most of those adjustments come
from what will be inside the extension. Right now, the new extension is set to add a multi-purpose science lab to be used for chemistry and biology classes, three classrooms, a foreign language lab, 10 faculty offices and a large conference room designed to hold about 16 people with video conference capabilities. The current design also shows a new learning commons for students. “It’s going to be a space for tutoring services, supplemental student instruction and student group study space,” Skipper said. Skipper also said that the building is designed to have wide corridors, so that the students will have plenty of room to hang out. With the added classrooms, the enrollment is not expected to increase, but Skipper explained that there will be a different variety of classes offered. Because enrollment is not expected to increase, there are no plans to add additional parking.
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Are third parties needed in today’s U.S. politics? Benjamin Tankersley Assistant Managing Editor-Oconee BATANK4736@ung.edu
During the election last semester, I came across a problem: I didn’t know who to vote for, specifically for Senator. I could vote for the big businessman David Perdue or for the Obama stamp Michelle Nunn. Honestly, I didn’t feel I would be well-represented by either candidate. That brought a question to my mind: How many other people feel this same way? To answer this question, I went to Facebook and asked various friends “how well-represented do you feel by your current politicians at the local, state and national levels?” I got some pretty interesting answers. Most people who responded felt well-represented on the local level. “I’d say I am represented well by local and state representatives,” one response said. “I feel that state and local politics are less afflicted by the partisanship we see on the national level.” But that was not the case on the national level. Former keyboardist for the band Becoming the Archetype, Seth Hecox, was very vocal about the issue. “Our two-party system has created large factions of people who now embrace the vast majority of the platforms of their preferred parties,” Hecox said. “That’s a very dangerous position in which to find yourself, because the people giving you ‘news’ are really just spin doctors, whether that be talk radio or TV news or websites or newspapers.” I like my friends, and a lot of them know what they’re talking to when it comes to politics, but I wanted to get the opinions of people with whom I am not acquainted, so I went to find a relevant Gallup poll. What I found was pretty eye-opening. For this poll, people were asked whether
they had a favorable or unfavorable opinion of each political party. According to this poll, while the Republican Party seems more favorable than the Democratic, both polls received under 50 percent favorable ratings. Clearly, Americans do not feel represented by the two current political parties. So, what’s the answer? Third party politicians. What is truly telling about the poll below is not that 58 percent of those polled think that a third party is needed, but that only 35 percent believe that the current parties do an adequate job. “The possibility of a viable third party options in political races would help incentivize voters,” Hecox said. “The currently disenfranchised citizens would be able
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to vote for someone they knew more about and actually liked rather than having to go down the sad route that South Park so hilariously sketched of choosing between a giant douche and a turd sandwich.” A lot of people hear about third party politicians and automatically think that a vote for them is a vote wasted. And in a sense, those people are right. “You can have a third party candidate that can articulate perfectly well whatever his or her stance is on an issue,” one responder to my Facebook post said, “but what’s missing is inspiring the voters and getting them to vote.” That brings up an interesting point. Would third party candidates be able to rally up enough support with all the non-voters, red dog Republicans and yellow dog Democrats not voting for them?
It’s been clearly established that people are not happy with the current political parties and there is a desire for third parties, so why don’t we have them? I believe that it is because of the mindset of most Americans. They believe that a third party politician simply cannot win any major elections, and therefore a vote for one is simply a wasted vote. If everybody walks around with the mindset that a vote for a third-party politician is a wasted vote, then almost nobody will vote for them, and in essence, those who do vote for them essentially waste their votes. But what people need to realize is this: third parties can work. People just need to actually be educated about the goings on of the world and determine who is best-equipped to handle these things.
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