Volume 56, Issue 2

GEORGIA REGENTS UNIVERSITY

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VOLUME 56, ISSUE 2

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2013

College sets up success

SGA to engage students

By Megan Stewart arts & life editor

By Mindy Wadley copy editor

A new academic program is intending to grow within the school, reaching out to potential students and providing more educational opportunities.

The beginning of the new semester marked the start of a cooperative program between East Georgia State College and Georgia Regents University as a means to provide entry into the Summerville campus to a larger range of people.

With the beginning of the year starting off with roughly 100 students registered under East Georgia State, the interim president, Robert Boehmer, said he estimates a positive growth, in the future similar to the schools other branch institution.

In 1997, East Georgia State partnered with Georgia Southern University. Over the years, it has grown to achieve an enrollment surpassing 1,800 students. Alongside the positive results of their previous experience, Boehmer said that Augusta had a need for more options.

“There’s a real large base of students (and) our mission corresponds with the needs of those students in the greater Augusta area,” Boehmer said. “In other words, there are a lot of high school students who either can’t afford to (attend) or can’t meet the admission standards of a more selective institution. There are a lot of military personnel and there are also a lot of adults that have some college but not a college degree.”

Although many think that East Georgia State is only an option for those who can’t place into Georgia Regents, it isn’t necessarily the only factor if one wants to attend the college, said Jeff Edgens, the director of East Georgia State Augusta.

“There’s nothing that blocks a student from coming to East Georgia State College outright,” he said. “Certainly, a majority of our students are denials or referrals of GRU but we’ve got some who just heard we are here and because of the cost factor chose us.”

While there are plans of expansion through student enrollment, there are also ideas of variety in the courses offered.

“As the partnership matures over a period of years, we anticipate that it will be expanded to the point where students could actually complete their first two years and then get an associates degree, and all of those courses would then transfer over to Georgia Regents University,” Boehmer said. “But right now, for this first semester, they’re taking those core curriculum classes that will, in the first 30 hours, automatically transfer over to Georgia Regents University, assuming that they completed them successfully.”

The college has projected being two years out from offering associate degrees, Edgens said. Once

The Student Government Association met with Mark Poisel, the vice president for student affairs, at its meeting Friday to discuss ways of engaging the student population at Georgia Regents University.

Poisel announced the formation of a student advisory council to assist him with the goal of engaging more students and learning what students want from the university.

“We’ll try to get a group of about 10 students together, from undergrad to graduate and professional students,” Poisel said, “just to sit around once a month and for you all to tell me what’s happening, share your concerns and for us to have a dialogue about where we’re going, what we should be doing, what are some of the challenges and more importantly, help to begin to craft what things are going to look like.”

The advisory council will benefit both current and future students, Poisel said.

“I’m creating a strategic plan that’s going to focus on the moment, on today,” he said. “But it will also focus on where we’re going to be three, five years from now.”

Members of SGA interacted with Poisel to voice some of their current concerns about the newly merged university.

One concern was the high population of nontraditional students on the Georgia Regents campus and how to include them in the goal of engaging the student body.

“We have to look at, what are the kinds of things that would engage nontraditional students,” Poisel said. “You can’t really make assumptions. For example, you as a nontraditional student might want to be involved in student government or student activities, but you might not be.

You might want to be involved in service activities on a Saturday.

You might want to be involved in something that happens at night.

It’s hard to make those kinds of things, so we have to look at it from a programatic perspective of putting out multiple touchpoints.”

Poisel mentioned family-oriented activities as well as activities that take into consideration nontraditional students’ work schedules as possibilities for nontraditional student programming.

Another issue addressed was the calculation of student fees.

Poisel said a student activity fee committee is being created to evaluate the allocation of student activity fee funds.

SGA Vice President Brittany Matthews said the association is planning to host a forum for the discussion of student fees.

The forum will allow students to learn about the different types of fees assessed to students, where the money goes and why fees are necessary. She said the forum will also serve the purpose of allowing students to meet their senators and get to know who their representatives are.

“I think it’s an excellent idea,” said Kristin Greene, an atlarge senator and political science major. “I, for one, wasn’t aware that we had health benefits now.

So I think we need to get students involved.”

see COLLEGE on PAGE 3

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SOMETHING SOMETHING / STAFF

tudent on the Summervillecampus shields herself from the sun while waiting in line outside the Student Financial Aid Office.

NIKKI SKINNER | STAFF

Harold Doby, a senior forward for the GRU Augusta Jaguars, lifts weights in the Wellness Center on the Summerville campus Friday after making his comeback to the team following felony gun posession charges that were later dropped.

Doby returns

By Rebecca Perbetsky chief reporter

Georgia Regents University basketball forward Harold Doby is ready to make his comeback onto the Christenberry Fieldhouse court.

The head coach of the men’s basketball team, Darren ‘Dip’ Metress, said Doby is doing well, after being arrested last semester and suspended from the team on felony charges of possesing a firearm on university property after a loaded gun was discovered in his apartment at University Village. He was later cleared of the charges.

“He has done everything that we have asked him to,” Metress said. “He enrolled in summer classes and is currently enrolled in classes this semester.

He is also looking forward to playing out his senior year.”

Doby said despite life throwing its curveballs at him, he is doing well and feels welcomed back.

“I saw how life can change

in a split second, and it doesn’t even have to be your fault all the time,” Doby said. “I came to the conclusion not to put myself in those situations anymore. I am doing good in school. Everybody welcomed me back with open arms, and that made me feel good.”

“I don’t want to be the reason why we lose the game this year.”

-- Harold Doby Doby said his biggest worry before coming back was if people were going to treat him differently or the same.

“The team has been with me through the whole thing,” he said. “Even when I wasn’t actually on the team, I was still in touch with them. So far everyone else has been great, and it’s like I never left.”

Metress also said he thinks

Doby is putting too much pressure on himself to perform well this year.

“I think he is putting too much pressure on himself to make every shot and to play at a high level,” he said. “But that is a good problem to have, and Doby realizes that he wants to have a great season and looks forward to providing great leadership.”

Doby said he knows he can’t get it all back in one year, but he wants to make up for lost time.

“I don’t want to be the reason why we lose a game this year,” he said.

Metress isn’t the only one who’s seeing a change in Doby.

His teammates have also noticed a change in his leadership on the court.

“He takes initiative in practices and workouts,” said D’Angelo Boyce, a junior guard for the men’s basketball team.

“He is like the second voice of see DOBY on PAGE 3

Rental program guides students toward temporary book ownership

By Rebecca Perbetsky chief reporter The Georgia Regents University JagStore, located on the Summerville campus, introduced a new book rental program in the spring and is exploring more titles available to rent.

Karl Munschy, the director of Business Services, said the new trend of renting books has grown not only for Georgia Regents students but nationwide.

“About three years ago is when it really started and we wanted to jump into it,” Munschy said. “Our goal has always been to get the books to students as cheaply as possible.”

Munchsy said years ago, the staff and administration decided to expand the used book program, which would reduce the cost by 25 percent for students, as a way to attain the overall goal of the bookstore.

“We have been playing with the idea for several years,”

NEWS | PAGE 2

REBECCA PERBETSKY | STAFF

A new policy at the Georgia Regents University JagStore offers students an option to rent rather than buy their textbooks with the signing of a contract.

he said. “We did a pilot study about two years ago and we had a problem with the legacy institution, Augusta State University, where we couldn’t get the students to return books.”

Munschy said the staff and administration did studies during the testing period to find out what academic programs and what rentals made more sense to have available for the rental program.

The dean of Hull Business College speaks out against tobacco use.

“We finally figured it out,” he said. “What we have actually done is we are partnering with a vendor that will help us to do this. They will maintain the rental program, but it will be our books. They have installed a system that automatically emails students and things like that.”

The program has expanded see RENTALS on PAGE 3

ARTS & LIFE | PAGE 8

Assistant professor Craig Albert brings international focus to his classroom.

mindyawadley@gmail.com

SPORTS | PAGE 11

Schools increase focus on athletes’ diets by providing nutritional education.

PAGE 2

NEWS

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2013

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Dean supports tobacco ban

By Jordan Barry staff writer

The voice of

Georgia Regents University EDITORIAL STAFF adviser MATTHEW BOSISIO mbosisio@gru.edu editor-in-chief LEIGH BEESON kbeeson1@gru.edu copy editor MINDY WADLEY mindyawadley@gmail. com news editor ASHLEY TRAWICK atrawick@gru.edu arts & life editor MEGAN STEWART mstewar7@gru.edu sports editor JORDAN WILLIAMS jwill143@gru.edu chief reporter REBECCA PERBETSKY rperbets@gru.edu production manager JACQUELYN PABON jpabon@gru.edu production assistant NIKKI SKINNER nskinner@gru.edu photographer NEIL DAVENPORT dportneil@comcast.net staff writers RICHARD ADAMS JORDAN BARRY KEREYIA BUTLER MEREDITH DAY JACOB SCHARFF MAGGIE SMITH

Marc Miller, the dean of the Hull College of Business for Georgia Regents University, hosted a forum Aug. 29 to encourage smokers, faculty, staff and students to quit smoking for good.

Miller titled his forum “Why I Quit,” which, along with the new tobacco-free campus policy, got the campus buzzing.

He smoked for 28 years before he quit, and he now has become a leader for the tobacco-free campus initiative.

“We’re an institution of higher education in that we promote the healthy, well-rounded individual, and cigarette smoking is just simply inconsistent with that,” Miller said. “So, I think it’s high time that we implement a policy that restricts smoking on this campus.”

However, the student response to the new policy has varied greatly. There are nonsmokers who disagree with the ban, smokers who understand it and other smokers who are struggling to abide by the new rules.

Donnie Watson, a nonsmoker and a student at Georgia Regents, said he believes the new policy is over-stepping the boundaries of individual freedom.

“I think it’s a bit ridiculous, because you’re telling people not to do something that is perfectly legal,” Watson said. “I think it’d be a great thing for people to stop smoking. However, I think it’s their decision and not the school’s.”

Though no one was at the forum to pose this opinion to Miller, he addressed it in his

JORDAN BARRY | STAFF

A tobacco-free sign sits on top of a table outside of the anti-smoking forum led by Dean Marc Miller, of the Hull College of Business, in University Hall.

presentation.

“Smokers, for mostly good reasons, are kind of being ostracized a little bit, but you have a choice,” he said. “You can either go someplace else, or you can quit smoking, or you can bear not to smoke while you’re here, and hopefully that’ll get you to the point where you can say, ‘Gosh. I can quit. I can do it.’”

Miller said he sees the new policy as a very positive thing, and he thinks most smokers will understand. That does not stop smokers like Jonathan Warthen from feeling the pain of the restriction, though.

“It kind of pulls me down because I’m usually smoking throughout the day,” Warthen said. “Like last semester, I was able to, after class, get my smoke in to relax and get my thoughts and stuff together. This

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Health center opens doors to Summerville students after merger

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semester is kind of hard.”

Warthen has been smoking for 24 years. That is only four years short of the time that Miller smoked before he finally kicked the habit. Both men started smoking for the same reason -- they thought it was cool.

“When I started, it was something to do to be cool, and I got hooked,” Warthen said.

“So, I’ve just been smoking ever since.”

Miller primarily cited health reasons as his incentive to kick the habit. He said he wanted to be around longer for his family, and he wanted to feel healthier and be active.

“It is a killer,” he said. “It gives you heart disease, lung cancer, bladder cancer and it also ages you prematurely.”

Miller, who has been smoke-free for more than 1,400 days, said he has also come to

realize an economic advantage of not smoking.

“It’s not only expensive from just your daily output of having to buy the cigarettes, but it also limits your job opportunities,” he said. “Many companies today simply won’t hire you if you smoke cigarettes.”

Miller also said because smokers get sick more often, they have to pay more for health care insurance. He said from a purely economic standpoint, smoking costs too much money to be worth it.

For students who were unable to attend the forum, Miller has some advice for student smokers like Warthen.

“The longer you wait, the harder it becomes,” he said.

“Just quit. Just do it now before it becomes even more so difficult to do later on.”

Having been a smoker for 28 years, Miller said most smokers want to quit and know they need to, but it is just hard.

Miller said he wants faculty and staff to know that Georgia Regents is offering free tobacco cessation support and medication discounts on the Health Sciences campus.

Miller said he remains optimistic about the new policy. He said he believes most students who smoke understand the policy, and he is proud of them for adhering to the new rule without the need for negative reinforcement.

“I wish more people were here, but I think this is, again, a positive sign that this is just a non-issue,” Miller said. “I mean it just is.”

NIKKI SKINNER | STAFF

Harold Doby, a communications major, is excited to return to the team after his arrest in January, which forced him off the court and out of the classroom.

Doby

CONTINUED from PAGE 1

the coach.”

With his comeback, Doby also hopes to give guidance and lead by example to the freshman players this year.

“It is their first experience with college ball,” he said.

“They don’t really know, so I want to help them through college on and off the court, from situations off the court to situations on the court. I just want to play hard and show them if you play hard, everything else will take care of itself.”

He added if players slack off on the court, then that would affect their performance off the court as well.

“No one has an on and off switch,” Doby said. “You got to work as hard as you do on the court (as well as) off the court.”

Metress said because the incident Doby was involved in was so highly publicized, he had to be upfront with parents of new players.

“When he was able to come back to school, I would discuss with the parents what happened,” he said. “By the end of the day, the parents would have no idea who it was after meeting everybody on the team.”

As basketball season approaches, Metress said it’s hard to tell if Doby would start in the first game of the season.

The Student Health Center, located on the Health Sciences campus, is a new acquisition for students on the Summerville campus as a result of the merger.

While the Student Health Center isn’t a new facility, big changes are being made to accommodate the extra students the center anticipates with fall and flu season fast approaching.

“We have serviced 2,000 students over the past 20 years,” said Chad Asplund, the medical director of Student Health Services. “Now we have taken on about 7,000 more.”

Leslie Wilcher, the outreach coordinator of Student Health Services, has been working on spreading the news that the center exists and is eas-

ily accessible to students. She visited freshman orientations, and she will be visiting Summerville campus classrooms as well. “(In the future) we will be on the Summerville campus holding events surrounding Alcohol Awareness Month,” Wilcher said. “And then again ... to hold flu shot clinics.”

There is also a Student Health Services bulletin board posted in the Jaguar Student Activities Center. Tables will be filled with information about the benefits and services as well as optional health insurance that students can obtain if they are currently without it.

Wilcher and the center’s staff also plan to hold various educational programs to make sure students know how to be proactive with their health. see CLINIC on PAGE 3

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PAGE 3

Clinic CONTINUED from PAGE 2

MEGAN STEWART | STAFF

Professor Andrew Bigham lectures his class while his students focus in the first biology course offered by East Georgia State College located in Galloway Hall classrooms on the Georgia Regents University Summerville campus.

College CONTINUED from PAGE 1

the resources are in place to assure students that the college can deliver the credits, then they will move forward.

Among the 31 institutions in the university system governed by the Georgia Board of Regents, Boehmer said that East Georgia State holds the lowest tuition rate because of their mission statement.

The goal for East Georgia State is to be the point of access for students not ready to or unable to attend Georgia Regents.

Alongside the significant difference in tuition, they also hold lower acceptance standards and an understanding in regard to a slower completion rate.

“We’re going to have some students who are working while they’re going to college, we’re going to have students that are military personnel and we’re going to have more traditional-entry, college-aged students, and our real goal is to work with those students to define an academic load that will enable them to be successful,” he said.

“I think for most students at East Georgia State College, the likely load will be in the 12-15 (hour) area, but really, the goal is getting those students successfully transferred onto Georgia Regents University, and for some of them it might be two semesters, and for others it might take more semesters.”

On top of building more opportunities for students to gain

Rentals CONTINUED from PAGE 1

since spring semester, and Munschy said this semester is when they really got into the program.

“They have several hundred titles available now,” he said. “It’s not always the best thing though. If you are needing a book in your major, then you probably should buy it and keep it, but if you’re taking a course outside your major, then that would be a good candidate for a rental.”

TJ Flakes, a student assistant at the bookstore, said as a student, the rental program isn’t really worth it because most college students don’t have a lot of money.

“I am a poor college student, so I try to figure out what is the best way for me,” Flakes said. “To me, if you’re not pocketing any money or you’re coming out on the negative side of things, then renting a book isn’t going to do you any good.”

Helen Thomas-Pope, the textbook manager of the JagStore, said the refund policy for the rental program is very similar to that of the policy for buying textbooks. You have a refund date at the beginning of the term and then a return date at the end of the term.

“The refunds are given during the first week after classes begin,” ThomasPope said. “At that point, if a student rents a book and they want a refund, they just bring it back and they can get a full refund, but if it is after that time they are locked into that rental. They can return the book at any time, but no money is given back because it is after the refund period.”

If a student rents a book and likes it enough to want to purchase the book, Thomas-Pope said the student would simply ignore the return date and keep the book, and then the students’ credit card would be automatically charged for the book.

Flakes said he doesn’t use the rental program, but he does see the more positive aspects of the rental program. He said to an extent, the program does have advantages depending on the price of the books.

“I know that on some of the books there is only a small difference in price,” he said. “When you rent, you don’t get any money back as opposed to buying it and being able to sell it back and get some money back from it. So there are pros and cons to it, but it really just depends on what students prefer.” rperbets@gru.edu

easier access to Georgia Regents, East Georgia State has also helped some former staff members to gain more opportunities, said Linden Blount, an instructor who previously taught learning support for Augusta State University.

“There’s a lot of room for me to move here,” Blount said. “The department that I was in, in learning support, I could not get tenured. I could not really move up.

Here, there are goals set for me.

At three years you can become an assistant professor five years after that you can become an associate professor. There’s all these, sort of, carrots dangling, which inspires me more and makes me want to do more things, more professional development stuff.” mstewar7@gru.edu

“The programs will focus (on) all subjects ranging from stress to sexual health and drug and alcohol use, so that students can participate in their own health,” Asplund said. “We are just waiting for the flood gates to open. Our goal is to keep students healthy and in class.”

The flu shot clinic will include the Student Health Center and the JSAC and may also branch off to include University Village. To prepare for the flu shot clinics, the center has been remodeled, and the staff has doubled. It has increased in exam space to include nine exam rooms in order to accommodate everyone. The center will also see student athletes with a physical therapy program and, as part of the new psychiatric program beginning Nov. 1, will see any students having trouble with their mental health.

“We want to make it as easy as possible for students to get medical care,” said Diane Norris, the operational director of Student Health Services.

“Eight months ago we started Student Health Online, (which) makes it real easy to schedule an appointment at 11 (p.m.). We have free parking right in front of the facility, and the shuttle drops off about 100 yards away.

We don’t want parking or cost to get in the way.”

Norris said 20 percent of

A Day for GRU

By Jordan Williams sports editor Georgia Regents University is asking for its faculty, staff and community to invest in their institution for

a greater tomorrow.

For this purpose, a campaign titled A Day for GRU was created and is expected to run through the end of September, according to a press release.

The first of multiple events

hosted by A Day for GRU began Aug. 27 with the First Day Summerville kickoff in the Summerville Grove. The event ran from noon to 2 p.m. with a complimentary lunch served to GRU faculty and staff who donated $25 or more.

The earnings gained from A Day for GRU will

Summerville students do not have health insurance, and she does not want cost to be a deterrent for students seeking medical attention. The Student Health Center offers most of its services at no cost to the student, since they are included as part of the student fees. It operates similarly to any other health clinic and a student can expect to get a referral if needed.

Did you know?

•

Students at the Summerville campus can now receive medical assistance at the Student Health Services Clinic.

•

The variety of services includes immunization, physical therapy and travel consults.

•

The optional insurance plan provides inpatient and outpatient benefits both on and off campus.

•

Disclosures and records are confidential.

“It is a great resource for only $90, (and) that’s already a part of tuition and fees anyway,” Diane said. “It’s hard to see a doctor right away or students end up in the emergency room, which can be really expensive. If you’re really sick, you’re going to be seen.”

benefit the entire university and assist a great number of programs, said Wes Zamzow, the director of Annual Giving. The money donated will reflect in places such as the hospitals, scholarships, faculty development and even athletics. jwill143@gru.edu

•

PAGE 4

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2013

opinion www.asubellringer.com

editorial Is four years for you?

Georgia Regents University wants you to graduate in four years.

Maybe you’ve seen the numerous flags and posters around the Summerville campus touting the new initiative, called 4 Years 4 U. The goal of the program is to increase “student success,” said Carol Rychly, the vice president for Academic Affairs. In more blatant terms, this means the university is trying to improve and increase its graduation rates. Having learned that students who take 15 credit hours per semester – the key to graduating in four years – are generally more likely to complete their college degrees, the administration has decided to push all students to enroll in at least 15 hours every semester, thereby increasing the odds that more students will graduate.

Other reasons the administration is pushing for students to “finish in four”? It saves students money on tuition and fees and enables them to enter the workforce sooner than peers who take fewer than 15 hours each semester.

This push began innocently enough with Advisement and Career Services emailing students who were not registered for a 15-hour course load for Fall 2013, gently reminding them that failing to register for 15 hours means they are “not maximizing (their) tuition investment.”

Changing one’s major, taking jobs to support burgeoning families and caring for sick relatives aren’t necessarily indications of poor planning on students’ parts.

Then during the summer, university staff called those students who, even after the emails, chose not to up their course loads to ask why they refused to up their hours.

Although a bit excessive, the motivation behind the emails and phone calls seemed rather genuine: The university wants us to save money and graduate faster.

But now freshmen “will sign an agreement to participate” in the program, according to the second issue of the EM Update, the quarterly journal of enrollment management at Georgia Regents. This kind of sounds like forced participation to us, even if there are currently no punishments for choosing to opt out of the initiative.

If students want to participate, then by all means, sign right up!

But is it really a good idea to commit freshmen to taking 15 hours? The

Growing up is a hard thing to do

By Meredith Day staff writer mday4@gru.edu Being 23 is scary.

I get on Facebook and every week I see more of my friends who are getting married, having kids, purchasing houses and starting careers. Then there’s me. I’m living at home, working one part-time job and trying to finish school. My Saturdays still revolve around playing video games and watching cartoons in my pajamas. I’m desperately trying to hold onto my final moments of adolescence, and it’s becoming increasingly obvious that my childhood has come to an end.

I think the problem that I’m having is that the entire idea of acting like an adult came so abruptly. It couldn’t have been more than a year ago that my friends and I would spend our weekends acting like irresponsible drunks, having movie marathons and making blanket forts in their living rooms. We all looked like adults, but really we were just tall children. Then, they graduated. They moved across the country and pursued their futures, and I was left behind. It was terrifying because I realized that I was next and that adulthood was coming quicker than I wanted.

Honestly, this isn’t really a new problem for me. I can remember back to the final days of fifth grade and looking at the middle school located next door. My friends were all excited because they saw it as an opportunity to take on more responsibilities and to be treated more maturely. All I could see was that we had a playground and they didn’t.

Graduation from high school wasn’t much different.

While I was excited to finish school, I spent many weeks in a state of remorse for the loss of friends who were moving and in fear of the unknown that college presented.

I guess I’ve never really been a fan of change.

Now that I’m in my final year of college, I find myself experiencing similar anxieties. I know that I need to start thinking more seriously about where I plan to work after I finish school, which is terrifying in and of itself. I worry that I won’t be able to find a job anywhere or if I do I’ll hate it.

But then there’s the rational part of me. That’s the part that realizes that graduating college and growing up isn’t something to fear, but something to embrace.

Like many students at Georgia Regents University, I decided to stay at home during college in order to save money and focus on school. Therefore, starting a career means I’ll finally be making enough money to get my own place.

Then there’s the less pessimistic possibility that instead of my eventual job being a place I go to for the sole purpose of providing an income, I could find a job that I will absolutely love and look forward to every day.

Also, because I don’t plan on getting married or having kids anytime soon, there’s the bonus that all of the money that I make will be mine to spend however I like. This means I will finally be able to travel the world, buy expensive clothes and, if I want, blow an entire check on video games.

Actually, the more I write, the more appealing growing up becomes. Because the truth is that taking on more responsibilities doesn’t mean the end to my fun. I’ll still be allowed to watch cartoons, play games and act like a goof. I’ll still go to concerts and wake up way too hung over Sunday mornings.

The only difference is that, as an adult, I won’t be as broke because of it.

transition from high school to college is already a tricky one. Students have to adjust to more reading and writing assignments, more heavily weighted papers and tests that are fewer in number, and the significantly higher, acrossthe-board expectations of professors.

Furthermore, many freshmen are living on their own for the first time in their lives and having to get accustomed to the everyday duties that come with being a full-fledged adult.

And if Georgia Regents’s first official freshman class is anything like the Augusta State University students who came before them, they will be juggling their academic requirements with part- or full-time jobs, familial obligations and active social lives.

The 4 Years 4 U initiative website says there are several reasons for not completing degree requirements in four

years, including “inadequate planning” and “not exploring major and career interests early in (one’s) academic experience.”

What it neglects to mention is that sometimes life gets in the way of graduating in a so-called timely manner.

But changing one’s major, taking jobs to support burgeoning families and caring for sick relatives aren’t necessarily indications of poor planning on students’ parts.

Additionally, some question whether incoming students might find 15 hours too overwhelming. Unfortunately, if this is the case and the student chooses to withdraw, that student has to make sure to keep the total number of withdrawals less than five because of a new policy that academically penalizes students with too many withdrawals.

So, despite the good intentions, maybe the administration should encourage individual students who are deemed capable and responsible enough for a larger course load to take 15 hours and not make blanket recommendations for entire classes.

After all, the goal of the initiative is increasing student success, isn’t it?

School colors: Show GRU pride

By Maggie Smith staff writer msmith91@gru.edu All over campus, it’s pretty clear that our students are passionate about their sports teams.

In commute between my classes, I’ve noticed T-shirts that represent the wide variety of teams that are loved. From the University of Georgia, to the University of Florida, to even the University of Texas, it’s pretty clear that many students are proud of their teams.

However, the passion doesn’t stop there. All over our parking lots there are cars plastered with decals and small flags from their windows. With the return of football season, these sports-shrine vehicles are becoming more and more present.

As a person who lives, breathes and eats college sports, I must admit that I am one of these diehard fans. My car is not only the main color of my favorite sports team but also represents this team all the way down to having its logo printed on the caps of my tires. Also, to show my sense of pride from the players winning a game, a part of me feels the need to dress in the team’s colors the following day after a big victory.

Even though every region in the United States has its share of these crazed fans, it seems

they are higher in abundance in the South. With so many different rivalries present, it’s hard for some fans to not fight the urge to boast after big wins or show their undying love.

After observing the amount of different team logos in various forms all over campus, I can’t help but wonder why is that pride not present with our own school’s teams? Why do we take the time and the effort to brag about other schools but not our own?

Why do we take the time and the effort to brag about other schools but not our own?

Our school has had many accomplishments throughout the years. Our basketball teams continue to make it to the playoffs, and our golf team has won national titles two years in a row.

We also have other victories with our baseball, softball and volleyball teams. Why aren’t more students boasting about these accomplishments?

Many people might say that it has to do with the merger or our school’s recent name change. I cannot help but disagree with this. Throughout the four years I have been present on this campus, I have attended several different sporting events.

I may not have gone to as many as I should; however, I have tried to make an effort to go to

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as many as I possibly can.

The common theme that I see at these different events is that there is a small portion of students who devote their time and energy to be present. These students take the time to make up chants to show school pride and even dress in school colors, but this group is very small. Instead of packing out the student sections like we should, most of our campus’s students show a lack of school spirit at all.

With all of the big changes that our school has undergone I feel like now is the best time for our student body to change its act. Instead of making those plans to go to the movies, why not go cheer on your school’s teams?

We should take the initiative to not only take the time to go but also get our friends to join as well. Not only should we be present at big games, such as Homecoming, but as a student body our presence should be known at any event. It could bring more pride to our students and be encouraging to our hardworking athletes.

Why not make the most out of our college experiences and enjoy every aspect that our campus offers. For my senior year, I plan to make the most of it and show off my school pride for an institution I have studied at. I hope as a student body, not only can we show off our favorite sports team’s colors, but we can also show off our own school’s as well.

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PAGE 5

Power trip: Egotism is annoying

By Ashley Trawick news editor atrawick@gru.edu

The way some people treat others while in certain positions in the workplace, organizations or clubs, even if they’re just working in a group for a class project, simply stuns me sometimes.

There is absolutely no need to continue to remind others about current achievements, who you know or past accomplishments before getting where you are today, especially if you’ve said it a million times or if they knew previously. All the name dropping, arrogance and constant reminders aren’t necessary to gain appreciation. All you want is the wrong kind of attention. It’s important to stay humble, patient, virtuous and

most importantly, reputable when working with others, especially when your group members, associates or staff are doing a good job.

I’ve always been an observer. I’ve always tried to be fair and levelheaded, especially when it comes to dealing with others because I know I wouldn’t want to be treated any differently. Over the years, I’ve noticed in casual conversation, some people would state unnecessary facts about themselves or focus the conversation on themselves, but it’s not necessary for me to do that. It’s important for me to gain someone’s respect with my skills and work ethic and, most importantly, my personality.

You have to give respect to receive it. No one should be allowed to speak to or answer staff, associates, group members, etc., any kind of way.

There is only so much people can take before “letting others have it.” I’m not condoning

Manners still speak louder than words

By Rebecca Perbetsky chief reporter rperbets@gru.edu

There are some things about people in society that really annoy me.

I think my No. 1 concern is with people who are my age and younger and their lack of manners. I say this because, overall, in today’s society, people remember you for the use of manners and not the other way around, and to me, this is a phenomenon that I completely do not understand especially since I grew up in the South for most of my life.

I have noticed just by holding doors open for peo-

Being polite is not just saying please and thank you or yes ma’am and no sir. It’s also the way we interact with people. ple that it is not only people my age and younger, but it is also parents who forget to use manners while in front of their children, which sends the wrong message to those children. Then they grow up seeing this happen over and over again and the child learns this behavior and is inadvertently taught that it is OK to not use manners.

This happens more and more, and it concerns me. Recently, I witnessed this very scenario play out. While my friend and I went out to eat ,she held the door open for a family, and not one person in that family said a simple thank you to her. But if she hadn’t held the door open, others who were waiting to be seated would have labeled her rude.

This does not just happen when you hold doors open for people. People have also somehow forgotten how to say, not only the simple thank

you, but they have also forgotten how to say please as well.

Some people do say ma’am and sir, but those people are few and far between it seems these days.

It just seems like here in the South that form of southern hospitality has lost its meaning, and we are forgetting what is important because our lives are filled with bad examples and raunchiness like videos of Miley Cyrus twerking. I think it is time that society gets back to the fundamentals of social interaction, and to do so, we need to go back and relearn the basics of manners and how to be polite.

Now being polite is not just saying please and thank you or yes ma’am and no sir being polite is also the way in which we interact with people and body language. I know my mother has always told me that actions and body language speak much louder than words do, so simply smiling more at others is a good start at trying to conquer the battle against those people who are rude to others.

It is time we put a stop to the lack of manners with others and we help them to learn what is right and what is wrong. So next time you hold a door open for someone and they do not say thank you, simply smile and say you are welcome in a bright and cheerful voice so that they hear what is the proper way to acknowledge that a person has done a nice gesture for them, especially if it is a family or a person with a child.

Now is the time to help others learn without them really knowing that they are being helped. We need to change the stereotype because if society keeps going in the direction I believe it is going right now then the world will be full of unhappy rude people, and I know I would much rather be in a world that is happy and polite. Think about it: Would you rather be known as the person who is never polite or would you want to be known as the person who is polite and always uses manners?

cursing them out or trashing their office or home, but you should probably take them to the side or make arrangements to meet with them in person to try to straighten things out before it goes too far.

Let me just say, I don’t expect everyone in the workplace or in class to be polite and reasonable like myself. I just wish others would take the time to notice how they treat others while being in charge or being a part of an organization or group. If you’re being a jerk, how do you expect others to want to work with you? You ask “What?” when someone asks you a question or when speaking to another adult. You say, “Well, change this or that; let’s go with my idea” when an idea or solution to a problem, other than yours, was pretty decent in the first place. Unless there is no other choice or compromise say, “Hey, I really like your idea or your topic, but let’s tweak it a little bit.”

There is going to be a day when you come into contact with the wrong person at the wrong time, and they’re going to give you a taste of your own medicine. While you’re

I wish others would take the time to notice how they treat others while part of an organization or group.

flaunting you know this person or you did this a few years ago or you think your idea is the best one and it’s not, that person is going to let you know when enough is enough.

Some people just get fed up and I don’t blame them. Your ego is huge and that’s not admirable at all. You may have, indeed, probably worked really hard to get where you are but letting others know relent-

lessly is extremely excessive.

I can see if you were telling your background to someone and you’re being modest about it, or it’s something that they’re interested in and you inform them about your experience with it, but if no one asks you, no one cares. As you continue to do this, you show signs of insecurity. You’re looking for validation when, really, it’s not up to others to validate you. You can be proud of what you’ve done, what you’ve accomplished and who all you know unpretentiously.

If anything, tell your story to inspire someone else, not to make that person feel bad about himself or to make him think his ideas are bad. If you want anything to be proud of, be proud that someone may look up to you more than you know or staying positive when things are looking bleak at work or wherever. You want respect but you have to earn it, fair and square.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

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A Warped Tour survival guide

By Jamie Lowe webmaster jlowe12@gru.edu I went to Warped Tour this summer, and it was awesome.

I noticed a few things that I figure are worth sharing for any music festival, especially Warped Tour. Warped Tour was a blast! Even though we got free tickets, I would definitely say it’s worth the $45 general admission price.

First, bag check was a joke. All that meticulous planning I did wasn’t, quite, for naught. The security guard opened my bag, peeked inside at my whole-wheat sandwich for all of 7 seconds and handed the bag back to me, clearing me to enter the festival. I guess whole wheat isn’t really that suspicious. Or people who bring whole-wheat sandwiches to music festivals, for that matter.

The next thing I realized is that you’re not allowed to leave the festival once you enter. OK, hear me out – this is probably on the Warped Tour website SOMEWHERE. But that being said, I didn’t find it until we walked up to the gate. This was pretty offputting because I had handpicked a bathing suit, clothing and a towel that I left in the car to be retrieved when

we were ready to use the slipand-slide. Not cool, Warped Tour - understandable, but not cool.

It’s really, really hot. I mean damn. It is so hot. I know weather in the summer, especially in Georgia, is going to be hot, but dear Lord Jesus, it was hot. They mean it – drink lots of water, wear sunscreen and don’t be afraid to sit if you need to. There were at least 5 really hot girls (who were also super attractive) who ended up passing out one day. Don’t forget to eat, too, for the exact same reason!

The least amount of clothes you’re comfortable wearing is the right amount of clothes. In the name of looking put-together I wore a vintage Beatles T-shirt and black athletic shorts with a pair of black Chaco’s. The shirt was a little thicker than your normal T-shirt, but I wore it anyway. Wrong. There were girls who walked around in bikini tops and opened daisy dukes.

There were girls who walked around in bathing suits. There were guys shirtless (large and small). This is the EXACTLY RIGHT idea. Dear, sweet baby Jesus it’s hot.

The biggest deal was not to forget the sunscreen.

There was a kid with a really pale complexion with a terrible black hair dye job.

He was shirtless with black body paint (in the style of the Black Veil Bride band members). My niece oooh’ed and ahhh’ed over him around noon in one of the public walkabout

spaces before the BVB show.

We saw the same kid around 5 p.m., and some of his body paint had flaked off to show a gnarly, deep-red sunburn where his skin hadn’t been painted. Don’t be that kid.

The worst realization was that if you like money, don’t plan on eating or drinking beer. One 12-oz draft craft beer was $12. That’s all I have to say about that.

A really awesome tip is to make use of the water station.

There’s usually a long line at the water bottle refill station, but the line moves quickly and the water’s cold. If you’re sneaky, like I am, when the attendant isn’t looking you can squirt the magical cold water that flows out of moveable spigots at your festival partner. This should only be used in extreme cases, like your partner getting ready to pass out from heat exhaustion, as mine was.

My last piece of advice would be to buy a map. For us, it was only $2 at the Atlanta festival, and it was very worth it to orient ourselves with the layout of the festival and plan out which shows we’d see.

There was also a copy of the show times on all stages that came with our map.

Either way, music festivals are awesome, and you should go to at least one this year. You get to discover lots of cool bands and meet people who like the same music you do.

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2013

ARTS & LIFE www.asubellringer.com

Couple’s hobby turns lucrative

Theatre aims for comeback

By Jordan Barry staff writer

T

(Top Left) Congressman John Barrow visits the Buona Caffe as part of Trading Places, an initative he set into place to take on the role of employees in his congressional district. (Top and Bottom Right) Barrow and John Curry, one of the cafe’s owners, brew coffee in the shop in front of a local news crew.

Coffee shop brings a change in definition of freshly brewed

By Ashley Trawick news editor

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uona Caffe Artisan Roasted Coffee is a new coffee and espresso bar filled with the aroma of freshly roasted coffee and baked goods.

The shop has been open since June 12, and the response has been rewarding. Before John and Pat Curry opened their business, however, they roasted coffee at home just for themselves in Athens, Ga., as a hobby.

John Curry said the reason the coffee was ground at home was because he thought storebought coffee loses its freshness as soon as it’s done roasting.

“Mainly, the reason why it is fresh (is because) coffee you buy at the store was good six to nine months ago,” he said.

The Currys initially started their business in their home with a one-pound roaster. They both wanted it to be a legal business so they rented a building in the fall of 2010, but they knew they wouldn’t stay in business with a small-size roaster. After a few months in the space, they received a bigger roaster, and now they have a lot of wholesale customers.

Their coffee is sold at different restaurants and is custommade around the Augusta, Ga., area. The Currys have earned awards and special recognition for their coffee, the most recent being named the best coffee by Augusta Magazine and being the official coffee for the Symphony Orchestra Augusta.

Their fresh and predominantly organic baked goods are also made locally, Pat Curry

PHOTOS BY NEIL DAVENPORT | PHOTOGRAPHER

said. They are known for supporting charities, particularly Children’s Safe Drinking Water. For every bag of coffee they sell, 50 cents of the proceeds go toward providing children in developing countries with clean water.

When they’re not roasting coffee or conducting business, one of the biggest ways they like to interact with current and attract more customers is through the use of social media.

For different days of the week, they promote current specials

and they’re currently discussing providing care packages for a variety of people.

A fourth-year student on the Health Sciences campus and a first-time customer, Erika Uribe, said she enjoyed the convenience of the location.

“There aren’t any coffee shops up near the Hill where I live, and I’m a student so I love to find a quiet place where I could work and the coffee is really good,” Uribe said. atrawick@gru.edu

he Dirty Dozen Brass Band will take the stage at the Imperial Theatre in downtown Augusta, Ga., as part of a benefit concert for two non-profit organizations.

Friends with Benefits Fund will host the event Monday at 6 p.m. to raise money for the Imperial Theatre and the JB Academy of Musik Peoples.

The chief financial officer and co-founder of FWB, Peter Menk, said he is pumped for the event and he expects it to be a sell out.

“They’re first-come firstserve, no reserved seating,” he said. “So if you want to dance, you can go up front. If you want to chill, you can go in the balcony.”

The line-up for the night consists of JAMP, Funk You and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, which is on its 35th anniversary tour.

Menk and his business partner George Claussen have been putting on benefit concerts since the Masters tournament of 2012.

They have hosted events at many different venues around Augusta, but this is their first show at a theatre. Menk and Claussen said they are hoping to make a statement about their future shows to come.

“It’s basically getting our generation involved in the Imperial Theatre because they just took out a big renovation loan,” Claussen said. “They’re (going see THEATRE on PAGE 8

Students pack their bags full of education

By Megan Stewart arts & life editor

T

he idea of cultural awareness through first-hand experience has made the Department of Study Abroad popular to many students and professors.

Pursuing educational opportunities in states or even countries other than one’s own has been known for many years to not only widen one’s understanding of diversity in different places but to also help one’s resumé gain that extra shine in order to set one apart from others.

On Sept. 18, many professors will fill the Jaguar Student Activities Center breezeway with tables specifically aimed at the study abroad trips they are hosting this academic year. During this event, students will be able to ask questions, look at itineraries and have an idea of what study abroad has to offer them.

The fair has been a part of the Department of Study Abroad for many years, and the participation has only been growing, Director Maria Darley said.

“It just seems like on any college campus, this is one of the fastest-growing departments of colleges, just because there’s now more of a global awareness, and there’s means for people to be doing this,” she said.

Although being globally conscious has led other campuses’ study abroad departments to expand in the amount of involvement because of the importance placed on growing resumés, Georgia Regents University’s study abroad department attributes a lot of its growth to the increased opportunities to help with funding of the trips.

Alongside scholarships that can go toward the price, the department offers two major fundraisers specifically developed for the students to earn money.

“We do a big Yankee Candle fundraiser that starts in September … and they’re guaranteed to get 40 percent of what they sell,” Darley said. “The other big one is the big raffle-ticket fundraiser, and we run that in November, (where students can earn 100 percent of what they sell).”

With word of mouth being the strongest component to teach students about the trips available, the Study Abroad Fair aims to achieve a high recruitment rate.

One of the biggest pushes for the department is to have underclassmen become more aware so they can utilize their time in college to explore as many programs as possible.

“I always encourage freshmen and sophomores to get involved because they always think they have to wait until their junior or senior years, but if they do it early – we always get repeat users,” Darley said. “They find out how easy it is to do some of the fundraisers, how easy it is to (manage the funding of) these trips.”

Because of the desire to have more people becoming involved with studying abroad earlier in the college career, the department has initiated a program for firstyear students to receive credit for the class COMS 1020, one of the core curriculum courses for all students.

Elizabeth Huggins, the director of First Year Experience, partnered with Karen Aubrey, a frequent study abroad professor, and Adam Wyatt, the director of Planning and Academic Affairs, to partake in her first study abroad excursion.

“This is our first, first-year experience course, and when I was talking to Adam Wyatt, I said, ‘Let’s take a trip that there are no uncertainties; let’s just make this a very smoothly-run trip,’” Huggins said.

“He suggested Coasta Rica because University of Georgia has been doing this for 20 years and it’s just a very well-oiled machine. With the cost factor involved, see ABROAD on PAGE 8

MEREDITH DAY | STAFF

Ruth Mead, an employee of the Southeast Natural Sciences Academy, answers questions for students at the Student Organization and Activities Fair at the Health Sciences campus.

Activity fair showcases opportunities for students

By Meredith Day staff writer

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tudents at Georgia Regents University were invited to meet organizations from around town and campus.

The fifth annual Student Organization and Activities Fair Aug. 29 was held at the Health Sciences campus. The event had booths showcasing the 40 different organizations present. Representatives from each organization were available to discuss what they do and how students could get involved. Students attending were also able to win prizes, and lunch was provided for the first 150 to arrive.

The president of the Jaguar Production Crew, Alexis Perry, said this event is similiar to ClubFest, which is held during Week of Welcome.

“Instead of having one ClubFest, we just have two,” she said. “We had one last week that was geared toward our undergraduate students, and we also (had this one) on the Health Sciences campus that (was) geared towards our graduate students.”

This is an especially important event for the Health Sciences campus since several of their students are from other countries, and this helps them to become better acquainted with the area, said Danielle Schleifer, the coordinator for student involvement.

“They’re coming over here, and it may be their first time in the U.S.,” she said. “And so it’s good for them to be able to see what’s available.”

This is a chance for the students on the Health Sciences campus to learn more about the organizations available to them on the Summerville campus as well, Schleifer said.

One of these organizations at the event, which has been attending for some years now, was the Southeastern Natural Sciences Academy. The development and marketing director, Rebecca Wallace, said this event helps them to be able to recruit volunteers, promote their facility and do research on the knowledge people have about the resources in the water in the community. mday4@aug.edu

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THE BELL RINGER

Art festival grows its village

By Maggie Smith staff writer

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ood, arts, crafts and other festivities from different cultures will make their way back into Augusta, Ga., for the annual Arts in the Heart but with a little twist this time.

This year the Greater Augusta Arts Council will host its 33rd annual Arts in the Heart event. Sticking true to its traditional form, the event will consist of different artists and their artwork along with booths from other countries.

The executive director of the Greater Augusta Arts Council, Brenda Durant, said there would actually be 150 artists lining the streets to participate in the event

and show off their artistic abilities.

“We have a great group of artists coming this year,” Durant said.

However, there has been an assortment of changes added to this event this year. There have been additional countries added to the Global Village, which is a section dedicated to booths that represent different countries around the world. This year, there will be 30 countries that will be represented.

Gay Tom, the president of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, said this was the biggest amount of participation that Arts in the Heart has ever had.

“We’re so proud of how this event has continued to grow ev-

NIKKI SKINNER | STAFF

The Purple Cow in Augusta, Ga., mixes froyo and coffee for locals’ enjoyment.

Nursery rhyme inspires local frozen yogurt shop

By Kereyia Butler staff writer

A

brand new familyowned coffee and yogurt shop with a unique name has made its way to the neighborhood.

The Purple Cow is catering to everyone from kids to adults and is serving up pastries, coffee, espressos, cappuccinos, lattes and six selfserve varieties of frozen yogurt with numerous toppings to choose from, all in a quaint little spot on Monte Sano Avenue in Augusta, Ga. Nick Gladd, the owner of The Purple Cow, said it wasn’t until his three little girls took him into a selfserve frozen yogurt shop that he got the idea to open one of his own.

“It started with frozen yogurt,” Gladd said. “(My wife and I have) three young daughters, and they like to frequent the self-serve yogurt places, and they took me once a few months ago and it was all self-serve frozen yogurt (where) you put all the toppings that you wanted. So, they introduced me to it, and I thought maybe we could do the same thing. I am a huge coffee fanatic and thought, if I’m going to do anything, it’s going to have to include coffee too.”

Gladd’s 3-year-old, Grace, basically gave him the inspiration he needed to come up with a different name for the shop. “(Grace’s) favorite color is purple and she loves cows,” he said. “It was one of a dozen names I came up with, and that was the one that sounded the best with us, and then looking it up and maybe it was just subconscious that I had heard it before, but it does really come from a nursery rhyme back in the 1890s about a purple cow,and we’ve got

that posted on the wall in the store.”

With all the new frozen yogurt shops popping up around the area, Gladd said his shop stands out because it is not a franchise like many others around the area, and it’s an original.

“This is something we came up with and we found the perfect location and dressed it up the way we wanted to, setting the right mood and atmosphere, striking a good balance between kid-friendly and coffee shop adult, and it’s worked really well,” Gladd said.

Rachael Carroll, a barista at The Purple Cow, thinks the shop is situated in a great place because there’s nothing like it in the area.

“We have (another restaurant) down the street, but that’s really the only food thing we have around,” Carroll said. “There’s no yogurt shop in the downtown Augusta area, so it’s really convenient for the church people and the school and the neighborhood around here. So, they don’t have to go out of their way to get coffee or pastries or yogurt.”

Business comes in waves, Carroll said. Especially the after-school rush from the children right across the street at Saint Mary on the Hill Catholic School after church, and now that Georgia Regents University has begun its fall semester, the college kids have been rolling in too, providing even more business for the shop.

Both Gladd and Carroll said that the Italian coffee, Illy, which is served in The Purple Cow, has been a huge hit for many of the customers, including Tim Wright, a frequent customer at The Purple Cow. kbutler7@gru.edu

ery year,” Tom said. “This year, the Global Village is going to fill up the entire area of the Augusta Commons. There is not even room for one more booth. I’m not sure what we are going to do about space in the future.”

For the first time, Bulgaria, Trinidad and France will be a part of the Global Village alongside many other countries represented that have been at Arts in the Heart before.

“Out of all of the countries that will be present, half of them have been a part of this event for at least 10 years or more,” Tom said. “We’re excited to have them back.”

The Global Village will consist of an assortment of food booths and booths that will contain artwork from the cultures

of these countries. There will be 19 different food booths in the Global Village that will have homemade food to represent the country’s culture, Tom said. The volunteers at the stands will also be dressed in traditional clothing from that particular culture.

Along with the changes in the Global Village, several changes have been added to the children’s area of the event. This year, McDonald’s will be one of the sponsors and will set up a food booth. Georgia Lottery will also sponsor and will have a sketch artist at their booth where they have an artist to draw portraits for the kids dressed as what they want to be when they grow up. There will also be an area for the kids to set up their own booths and be able to sell their

own crafts for one-hour time periods.

There is a surprise planned for the first night of the event.

Just as it’s done in the past, the event will be starting off with a parade Friday night. Durant said the parade will have a lineup of the different cultures from the Global Village and that this year’s parade will be a little different because of a surprise ending.

“I cannot give away what the surprise will be,” Durant said.“But I promise it’s going to be really awesome.”

The event will be held during the weekend of Sept. 20-22 and the times vary from day to day. msmith91@gru.edu

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2013

Student becomes a teacher

Around Town

Lessons from a “Con man”

By Jacob Scharff staff writer

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NEIL DAVENPORT | PHOTOGRAPHER

Craig Albert, an expert on Chechnya and a member of Georgia Regents University’s political science faculty, studies a book on the culture of the republic.

Expertise gets assistant professor nationally known

By Ashley Trawick news editor

A

n assistant political science professor is bringsing energy and passion to the classroom.

Assistant Professor Craig Albert started out as an undergraduate at the former Augusta State University and earned his masters degree and Ph.D. at the University of Connecticut. After graduating, he said, he wanted to return to Augusta, Ga., to be close to family and applied for an open teaching position.

“I really loved this school when I was here,” Albert said.

“It helped me get a Ph.D., and I was never the brightest student, so it worked and I was like, ‘I want to do that for students. I want to do it there.’ That’s how I got back here.”

Aside from teaching, Albert is also an expert on the Russian region of Chechnya. Albert received national recognition for his expertise when the bombings at the Boston Marathon occurred in April. Both of the bombers were Chechen. He was invited to speak in Washington, D.C., before Congress to discuss threats and terrorism. He said a simple research paper piqued

his interest into Chechnya.

“I actually took … a couple of classes where I was able to do some research into war,” Albert said. “It was a post-Soviet politics class. I wasn’t quite sure of what to do my research paper on.

It was my first (or) second year of college, maybe, and I wasn’t a good student and didn’t know research that well. I said, ‘Well, can I just do it on some war that Russia had been involved with?’ and the professor said yeah. So I did some research and found out Russia was currently, at that time, at war with a republic called Chechnya. … (I) saw how terrible the fight was on both sides … and realized how many hundreds of thousands of people had been maimed and killed and total towns destroyed, and it was kind of the first thing that really spoke to me, as a person, of tragedy.”

Albert said he went on to get an A on the research paper, kept researching and eventually wrote his honors thesis on the topic and did well.

When he’s not conducting research or in the classroom, Albert conducts Model U.N. trips to New York, and a few years ago, he took a class to Russia.

Maria Darley, the director

of Study Abroad, said Albert is really popular.

“He’s got a lot of energy and passion,” Darley said. “To me, the way I know him … he’s a powerful recruiter for Study Abroad and Study Away, so his trips always get a lot of students to sign up.”

Darley said she knows students like him if they want to go on trips with him, and they usually become repeat users for

After taking classes and writing about war, the history of Chechnya spoke to Craig Albert.

Study Abroad because they sign up to go on another trip with him or they end up signing up for other trips because he’s recruited them. Darley also said it was awesome to have him get recognized for his knowledge of Chechnya.

Although popular, he gets nervous before class, Darley said, but there’s good reason for it.

“I think it’s because he’s so passionate about what he teaches that he wants his students to

Theatre

CONTINUED from PAGE 6

MEGAN STEWART | STAFF

Student assistant Sarah Ozturk prepares leaflets for the Study Abroad Fair.

Abroad

CONTINUED from PAGE 6

freshmen are just starting to think about the cost of fees and books, tuition and living expenses (and) you don’t want to add to that, but you still want them to have the experience of a study abroad trip.”

The idea of pitching a trip to freshmen is more than just a tactic to sprout repeat attendees, but also an effort to push students to bond with each other and get to know more people on campus, Huggins said.

With more than 20 different trips being offered this year, not all trips will be led in the same manner. Some teachers offer a couple of meetings before and after the trip to do small assignments, and some, like Robert Ness, a sociology professor, teach the class during the regu-

lar semester and set the trip during spring break.

“I’m offering a course called World Studies: South Africa, and that course will begin in January, just like a spring course,” Ness said. “So a student could take that course and then during Masters Week, when you normally have a break – you’re actually going to go to the country we’ve been studying about.”

Rather than having students do a final research paper for the class, Ness lets their trip substitute that grade.

For various reasons, teachers collaborate together to present study abroad trips and ways of teaching them. With one thing in common, these teachers want to show the students their passion, Darley said. mstewar7@gru.edu

start generating money there to pay that loan and to continue to do more and more renovations.”

FWB selected the headlining band Dirty Dozen very carefully in order to draw in people of all races and ages. The organizers want to make an impact and bring the community together in order to set a precedent for future concerts that they hope to host at the Imperial.

“It’s a great, great venue,” Menk said. “We want to see it become like a House of Blues. It’s just got a tremendous amount of potential and we (want to) showcase it.”

The executive director of the Imperial Theatre, Charles Scavullo, said he was not aware that FWB was hosting the fundraiser to help the theatre, but it was a pleasant surprise.

“The mission of the Imperial Community Theatre Non-Profit is to maintain the building for use as an entertainment venue for the community,” Scavullo said. “And so, the different renovations that we’ve done and all of the things that we do have to do with improving the building’s infrastructure.”

The upcoming renovations will include different things to improve the infrastructure and electrical systems in the theatre.

“The nature of 95-year-old

be just as passionate,” she said.

“He loves what he does and people might not know that. He’s just infectious. You know, when he talks about something, you just want to learn more about what he’s talking about.”

Julianne Harper, a senior political science major, has had him as a professor and went on Study Abroad trips with him.

“He pushes us to be the best that we can,” Harper said. “He gives us a copy of his teaching philosophy … He says clearly that he believes in pushing yourself in order to become the best version of yourself.”

Harper said that in his classes discussions are held all the time, and he plays the devil’s advocate, which students may or may not like, but it’s his way of getting students to learn more.

“I’ve had some of my favorite discussions I’ve had in college in his class,” she said. “I’ve learned a lot from him and a lot in his class about politics, and in turn, it’s made me learn a lot about myself as a political science major. I think he’s a great person and he’s not afraid to be honest about what he believes.” atrawick@gru.edu buildings is that they require a lot of maintenance and tender loving care,” he said. “So what we’re trying to do is just kind of repair and improve a lot of the things that require improvement such as paint and plaster. And then we will also need to improve the restrooms and hopefully expand or improve the design of the front of the house.”

Menk and Claussen hope to help breathe some new life into downtown by hosting more concerts at the Imperial.

On top of helping out the Imperial, FWB will also be donating funds to JAMP, which is a group of students from CH Terrell Academy that plays James Brown music.

“It’s kind of a non-conventional method of learning,” Menk said. “When I went down there I saw (that) they had a Marine that was running all the kids around the block, but he’s also their art teacher. So, kind of some cool stuff going on down there.”

Overall, all parties involved in this said they are excited for the show.

“I’ve seen some of Dirty Dozen Brass Band’s YouTube videos and they look like they’re outrageous,” Scavullo said. “That should be a great concert. I’ve seen JAMP play as well. I’ve heard a lot of great things about Funk You, but I have not had an opportunity to see them perform, so I’m excited about that.” jbarry3@aug.edu

or three of the past four years, I have spent my Labor Day holidays in Atlanta, Ga., at Dragon Con. Dragon Con is a science fiction and fantasy convention. It is the world’s biggest, and it’s been held in Atlanta every year since 1987. Recent years have seen attendance climb with some events on Thursday night and Monday morning and afternoon.

Dragon Con also plays host to a multitude of celebrities from the world of television, movies, gaming, comics, costuming and more. This year alone, I was able to meet John Glover and Allison Mack, who played Lionel Luthor and Chloe Sullivan respectively on the hit show Smallville; Manu Bennett, who plays Slade Wilson on Arrow; Keegan Connor Tracy, the blue fairy from Once Upon A Time; and Jason David Frank, the first Green Ranger.

I get star struck every time I go and meet these fantastic people who take time out of their busy schedules to give us even a brief moment of their time.

Most people who go to Dragon Con cosplay, which means they dress up as characters from the many worlds that Dragon Con encompasses.

One of the best things about Dragon Con is the tracks and the panels that exist within those tracks. Tracks are just the broad topics covered by the panels within the track. There are scifi, British and American, anime, gaming, literature and even a film-festival track that lets attendees watch short fan-made films. I make a concerted effort to attend at least a few panels each year. This year I ended up going to two, one a question-andanswer session with Jason David Frank and the other a conversation with cast members from the Syfy reality show Face Off. Aside from the panels, Dragon Con has some big events like the annual parade and the Night at the Georgia Aquarium.

The parade takes place on Saturday morning, and the route winds through the streets around four host hotels. It features a few celebrities and a lot of cosplayers, used to show off some of the various tracks at the con and even just certain upcoming things. The Night at the Georgia Aquarium event takes place late Saturday evening and allows attendees to go to the aquarium in costume for a special price at a special time and take in the exhibits.

Even though they’ve been few, my years at Dragon Con have taught me much. First, if there’s a panel you want to go to, show up at least 30 minutes early because the lines, especially for the bigger panels, can start to wrap around buildings and wind through sky bridges very fast.

Also, make sure to stay hydrated.

Whether or not you’re in costume, the sheer body heat of the 50,000 people moving around you can make it feel very hot, even in an air-conditioned space.

Food at Dragon Con is expensive if it’s not from a preestablished place. We’re talking $5.00 for one slice of pizza, and if you go to the mall that the con connects to, there’s almost never a proper place to sit down unless you get lucky. If you decide you want a hotel room, aim to get one at one of the four host hotels so you can drop things off as needed. It’s not easy to go to the bathroom in a costume when you also have to figure out where to put that giant plush Pokémon you just bought while making sure nothing happens to it.

Finally, bring lots of money.

Autographs can cost between $30 and $50, as can pictures, and if you go to the dealers and exhibitors, you’re guaranteed to find something that will make you lighten your wallet.

Dragon Con isn’t just for the nerd. It appeals to every person because of the range of topics it covers. jscharff@gru.edu

PAGE 9

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Trivia Night Crossword Puzzle

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Rowdy rival revelry

PHOTOS BY REBECCA PERBETSKY I STAFF

(Above) Cheerleaders of both football teams, University of South Carolina (left) and University of Georgia (right), pump up the crowd at Border Bash in Augusta, Ga., on the eve of the rivals’ game.

(Below) The mascots of both teams, Cocky (left) and Hairy Dawg (right), dance alongside their team’s cheerleaders to amp up the crowd in the Augusta Common along with music, cheers and food.

Bash celebrates team spirit

By Rebecca Perbetsky chief reporter Football is about rivalries, and each school has its rival.

Border Bash is an event put on every year to celebrate one of college football’s most notorious rivalries between the Georgia Bulldogs and the South Carolina Gamecocks, and this year the event celebrated its 20th anniversary.

Martha Kathryn, an Aiken, S.C., resident and volunteer at the event, said Joe Stevenson has been in charge of putting on this event for five years now.

“This year his band is opening,” Kathryn said. “They are playing two gigs before Blackberry Smoke comes on, so this is the first year he is playing, which is cool because he produces all of this.”

Border Bash brings about large crowds each year, Kathryn said.

“There are about 8,000 people,” she said. “You will have families and younger kids coming in from 4 p.m. till about 8 p.m. and then some will stay and others will leave.

Then more people will come in, but then there is a turnover, but it is usually around 8,000 to 9,000 people.”

Not only does Border Bash bring in live music, but there are also vendors who come.

Kathryn said that the vendors range from food to apparel and things of that nature. One of those vendors was Marie Mullender of Columbia, S.C. “It is our first time here,” Mullender said. “I am hoping to make lots of money and I am hoping that we will be one of the only Carolina vendors here, so I’m hoping to sell lots of stuff while listening to good music. This is our trial run so we will see how it goes, but we brought a bunch of different stuff. We have stuff for kids, die-hard fans and stuff for the

game.”

Along with first-time vendors, the event also has returning vendors like the Sports Mania tent, which was located by the front gate.

Virginia Cason, a Florida native and worker for Sports Mania, said it’s been a fabulous event and that they love coming back because the sports fans here are wonderful.

“We love bringing our stuff back,” Cason said. “It’s worth it to come back every year.”

Cason also said, even though she is from Florida, she still is a big Georgia fan.

Along with live music and vendors, the Border Bash held tailgating games where fans of both the Bulldogs and Gamecocks played a friendly rivalry game of cornhole. The event also brought the return of the cheerleaders and mascots from both universities. rperbets@gru.edu

South Carolina 30 - Georgia 41

Runner strives for perfect team score Conway hopes to create a bigger impact on team in 2013

By Richard Adams staff writer In cross-country there is no star player, only the team.

GRU Augusta men’s crosscountry head coach Adam Ward explained the point is for the team to be continually moving toward a lower overall score.

Every day for the past two years, junior Bryce Conway has been helping his team achieve that.

As he discussed individual team members, Ward framed each runner’s strengths and potential within the unifying context of the team. He said an underlying goal drives the team dynamic: the perfect score. It is what each team strives for.

The perfect score, as defined

by Ward, cannot be achieved due to the work of a single individual, but by the combined efforts of the entire team. While each match will inevitably have an individual winner, the most desired outcome for the team is to place five runners in all of the top five spots.

When Conway first came to Georgia Regents University, he was an unsigned freshman with an undeclared major. This did not mean he did not have a goal in mind. Conway said running

is why he came to Georgia Regents.

“I looked to see if (the school) had a cross-country program because I knew I wanted to run in college … I love to run,” he said. “The more I run, the happier I am.”

This determination and drive, Ward said, is something he noticed very early on. Last year, Ward named Conway the team’s most improved player and presented him with an award during the Spring 2013 Athletic Awards Banquet. “(He is) a solid runner and a hard worker,” Ward said.

“He didn’t have a lot of mileage coming in … He started (with his time) in the mid- to upper-60s, and he was down to between 45 and 50 last season.

He continues to prove himself every year.”

Although Conway said his own record has much room for improvement, referring to the low scores other teammates are regularly putting down, his willingness to work harder and longer became attributes Ward has sought to implement in building the team.

“Don’t compete against one another; learn to compete together,” Ward said during a team huddle. “When one of you are

RICHARD ADAMS | STAFF

Bryce Conway, a junior men’s cross-country runner, bolts across the field while practicing sprints at Blanchard Woods Park in Evans, Ga., in preparation for The Remembrance Run, which was held Saturday in Americus, Ga.

not feeling it, the other’s grabbing you by the arm.”

Conway’s junior year began at a place of conspicuous improvement. This year, Conway said he has set goals for himself, hoping to break 28 minutes in the 8K (4.97 miles).

Many of the team members agreed there is a learning process many runners go through when transitioning between high school and college. Jesse Campbell, a freshman kinesiology major, finds himself now in

the position Conway was in two years ago.

“I’ve been running for a while now, but this is an entirely new level so it feels like I’m starting over,” Campbell said.

Campbell characterized Conway as very dedicated, in regard to the example he set for the team.

Ward places junior and senior runners in semi-leadership roles to help the freshmen build on their endurance and to build, what several freshman runners called, a sense of community

not found on high school teams.

Senior Adam Aldridge, currently on a pre-occupational therapy track, said the team has a strong shared group ethic.

“You naturally don’t really talk during the race,” Aldridge said. “But when you’re falling off, you see these guys that you run with every day and you know that you can catch up to them. You get that kind of positivity from these everyday runs together.” radams99@gru.edu

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PAGE 11

Ballin’ hard on and off the field

By Jordan Williams sports editor The Division 2 Athletics Directors Association named 15 student-athletes as recipients of 2012-13 Academic Achievement Awards.

In order to be recognized for this academic accomplishment, an athlete must have maintained a grade point average of 3.5 or higher, attended a minimum of two years of college, been an active member of an intercollegiate team during his last academic year and demonstrate time management skills.

Men’s cross-country runner Jaiden Brandt was among the list of recipients and gave credit to good planning for being able to excel at a high level on the course and in the classroom.

Brandt is in his senior year and said his field of interest is pre-occupational therapy.

Some of the tips he uses for staying on top of his responsibilities are remaining very organized, and setting out a schedule and sticking to it. It is important to focus all energy on the task at hand for whatever set amount of time, he said, whether it is going to practice or just relaxing.

Ryan Khan, a senior and catcher for the baseball team, also gave credit for his strong grades to good time management. Khan said that outlining days ahead of time can al-

JORDAN WILLIAMS | STAFF

Ryan Khan, a catcher for the GRU Augusta Jaguars baseball team, balances sports and academics with the competitive intensity to be the best in every aspect after being awarded the 2012-13 Academic Achievement Award.

low athletes to juggle school, sports and friends.

“If I have a test on Monday and I start studying today, then I’ll be ahead of the game because I have practice Thursday, Friday and Saturday even,” he said. “So you know you have to use your time when you can.”

Although time management is critical to being a successful student-athlete, it does not eliminate stress, Khan said.

When multiple tests pop up in one week and there is practice

all week long, it can be a grind trying to keep the tasks in perspective.

To avoid feeling overwhelmed by his duties, Khan said he remains calm and simply puts in a lot of effort.

“If you work hard, you can always have a little bit of fun,” he said. “If you work hard, get the job done and beat that stress, then it’s always better to sit and watch a game when you know that you don’t have to have that stress.”

The discipline it takes to

Weekend Recap volleyball Sept. 6 - L, 3-1 vs.

Erskine; L, 0-3 vs. North Ala. (Savannah, Ga. (Pirate Classic)) Sept. 7 – L, 0-3 vs.

Shorter; L, 1-3 vs. Lincoln Memorial (Savannah, Ga. (Pirate Classic))

men’s cross-country Sept. 7 – 1st place, The Remembrance Run (Southland Academy Course, Americus, Ga.)

women’s crosscountry Sept. 7 – 3rd place, The Remembrance Run (Southland Academy Course, Americus, Ga.)

be a student-athlete can actually encourage good grades, Brandt said. Students who are not involved in extra-curricular activities have more free time and that could allow room for procrastination, but athletes may start their homework sooner because practice and games allow them a smaller window of opportunity.

Director of Athletics Clint Bryant gave praise to his coaching staff for the high number of recipients.

“It’s all about the coaches-

-I mean that’s what coaches do,” he said. “They go recruit the best that they could possibly recruit, and in order to do it you have to be able to recruit pretty good students.”

Bryant said the ultimate goal for the athletics department is for its athletes to graduate, and having that type of mentality is how the Jaguars sustain success in academic accomplishments among the players.

With the cross-country team, Brandt said that head coach Adam Ward stresses to the entire team that books are the first priority and running comes second.

“Getting your education is what you’re here for,” Brandt said. “I’m not going to be able to run my whole life, but with education, that’s going to continue for my future.”

A common stereotype for student-athletes is that they think school is stupid or a waste of time. However, Khan said it’s really the exact opposite, because in order to remain eligible it is vital for athletes to pass their classes.

The fuel that drives Khan toward a 3.5 GPA or higher is his competitive nature, he said.

Classmates are treated like opponents on the baseball diamond, and Khan simply wants to out-perform them.

“If I get a B, I’m upset with myself because that’s not the best I can do,” he said. jwill143@gru.edu

The sideline report Jaguar basketball embraces the competition Jordan Williams sports editor jwill143@gru.edu

Athletes focus on health

NIKKI SKINNER | STAFF

Universities across the country are emphasizing the importance of healthy, balanced diets and touting their positive effects on athletic performance.

By Megan Stewart arts & life editor Practice isn’t the only thing that makes perfect.

With the knowledge of nutrition and its effects on athletes increasing, many teams have started to take initiative for their players to be better nourished, said Karen Wish, an assistant professor for the Kinesiology and Health Science Department.

“Eating a healthy diet won’t guarantee improved performance,” Wish said. “But eating badly will very likely bring on poor performance.”

Different factors come into play when athletes have a poor diet, said Harold Doby, a senior

While many other universities across the country have dieticians on their athletic staffs, GRU Augusta’s athletic department does not officially monitor athletes’ diets.

majoring in communications and a basketball player. “(Poor diets) show in different ways,” Doby said. “Some show in gaining weight. Some just get tired quicker.”

Although one would think that nutritional boundaries are something that players are aware of, Wish said she has encountered many athletes who don’t know what they ought to be eating or avoid eating to build their stamina.

“I worked with some Olympic training pentathletes when I was in the Army, and there was one athlete who wouldn’t eat until all of his events were over,” Wish said. “One of the events could start at 8 o’clock in the morning and he wasn’t finished until 5 o’clock in the afternoon, and he was barely conscious when he finished.”

However, many of the students who are unaware of, or ignore, the dietary recommendations they need to follow suffer from a lack of nutritional education prior to college. High schools offer a health course to all students to take before they can graduate, but they aren’t always specific to one’s particular needs.

Despite playing sports since he was 7 years old, Doby said he

didn’t learn more in depth about the information he needed to have in order to maintain his performance and health levels until after he graduated high school.

“In high school and middle school you really have no dietary (advice given),” he said. “So you really don’t know the importance of what to eat. When you get into college you have people that go over your diets with you, trainers, and you get more details on how you should eat. You know that eating is a big part of being in shape when you’re in sports as well.”

Even though Georgia Regents University doesn’t require the student athletes to take a nutrition class, Doby said, at the beginning of the year there is a meeting that all athletes have to attend where they’re provided details about proper diets.

For some schools, providing the students with the adequate information is taken to the next level by having a paid staff dedicated to monitoring and advising the students on their intake of food.

“What is encouraging is that several of the professional teams have hired sport nutritionists (or) sport dietitians as either consultants or on a full-time basis,” Wish said. “Now some of the Division I schools actually have training tables – dining rooms – that are designed specifically for athletes, and so they have people on staff who are trained in sports nutrition so they know to provide certain types of foods for these athletes because of the need to have good, healthy food choices.”

During games, the coaches try to encourage the players to snack on things that will not weigh them down, said Melissa Mullins, the women’s softball coach. see DIETS on PAGE 12

GRU Augusta men and women’s basketball programs have their courses set for the 2013-14 season.

On Aug. 21, the men’s basketball team revealed its schedule and road to a national title.

Last year the Jags finished an average overall record of 14-13, and made it as far as the quarterfinals in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament before losing to Montevallo.

This year the Jags return four starters and seven lettermen, who should be eager to remind their competition why their team is the winningest program in the state of Georgia among all divisions. The first slate of games before the new year consist of seven home-court matchups, as opposed to last year when the team played seven of its first nine games on the road.

Basketball teams build reputations with tougher schedules.

Over a span of seven seasons the Jags have earned a record of 93-10 at Christenberry Fieldhouse and will play 16 total games at home this year. However, the schedule is still not a cake walk because there are difficult opponents at every turn. Of the eight non-conference opponents, six of them experienced winning seasons last year.

All of the out-of-conference games will take place in the 2013 portion of the season. Some of the toughest matchups include games against Bowie State, Shaw and Mount Olive. All eight nonleague adversaries combined for a record of 129-91 last season.

After the holidays, the Jags

will have reached the heart of their schedule beginning the day after New Year’s with a game against Francis Marion. The most critical part of the season will begin February 8 with five out of the seven final games at home to end the regular season.

The Lady Jags will enter the 2013-14 season coming off one of the most successful years in the program’s history. Last year, the women’s team finished with an overall record of 21-6, the Peach Belt Conference East Division title and a head coach who was named PBC coach of the year.

This year, the Lady Jags will have very high expectations and will be tested by each team on the schedule. Nate Teymer and his squad intend to dive headfirst into the new season with a tough regular season opener on Nov. 16 against Limestone in Gaffney, S.C. Limestone was a team that finished 27-4 last season and made it to the NCAA Southeast Regional, where they lost to Clayton State. Other non-conference opponents will include Benedict, Paine, West Ga. and Coker. Out of the five non-conference opponents, four of them had winning records last season.

Similar to the men’s team, the Lady Jags will play all 17 games against conference opponents in the 2014 portion of the schedule. While the men’s team will attempt to re-establish itself, the ladies are determined to prove that last year was no fluke.

Both programs will play a very difficult schedule and will have to rely heavy on their veteran leadership in order to make it through. As mentioned before, the men’s team will come back with four returning starters, while the women’s side is loaded with six seniors this season.

PAGE 12

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2013

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Swimming, biking, running Triathletes tear up West Dam Park

By Jordan Williams and Kereyia Butler sports editor, staff writer Competitors from all over the region had their chance to place in the Hot Dam Olympic and Sprint Triathlon event held at West Dam Park in Evans, Ga., Saturday and Sunday.

The triathlon Saturday featured a 1,500-meter swim, 40K bike ride and a 10K run all throughout Clarks Hills Lake and the surrounding area. The weekend-long event will conclude the 2013 Georgia Triathlon Series.

Crisp McDonald, the race director for the Hot Dam Olympic Triathlon, said the idea of the race came about when he was contacted by the TriAugusta Triathlon Club.

“They were hoping to get a triathlon so they could have more triathlons in the greater Augusta area,” McDonald said. “So I scouted locations and found West Dam Park to be a suitable location to hold an event.”

The only requirement for athletes to enter the race was an age limit, McDonald said.

“It’s open to the public,” he said. “There are no qualifying standards and things like that. We have students, we have teachers … you know, we have civic leaders, business owners, city workers, professional athletes and coaches out there. So, it’s just a broad spectrum of athletes.”

McDonald said the triathlon is a great way for all the athletes to fine-tune their training, test their speed and make sure that their training is where it needs to be, especially if they have other

(Above) Heidi Hatteberg, a newcomer to the triathlon scene, heads to shore after finishing the 1,500-meter swimming portion of the event in 22 minutes, 8 seconds. (Right) Swimmers complete the first portion of the triathlon, quickly rushing toward the biking phase of the event.

upcoming events that they want to compete in.

Julia Bryan, an Evans resident, said she became hooked on competing in triathlons several years ago and now races whenever she can. The components that make triathlon competitions unique are the multiple elements the event combines together.

Therefore, instead of constantly training for a specific sport, the triathlons allow athletes like Bryan to compete in swimming, cycling and running.

The benefits of participating in these extreme endurance competitions are both mental and physical. Bryan said she has gained confidence in both the work environment and classroom as a result of the intense training she had to undergo.

“Knowing you have to push your body through something like this helps push your mind through difficult times too,” she

Season wrap

said.

As a graduate student and member of the triathlon club at Georgia Tech, Heidi Hatteberg centered the majority of her training on aerobics. She said the races could last as long as 2.5 hours, so it’s important to have a good cardio base.

“I’m on like a three-day rotation where I swim, bike and run,” Hatteberg said. “Then I lift two times a week to keep my strength up so it’s not all strictly cardio, and on Sundays you’ll do what’s called bricks, in which you do two of the three events, or all three, just to work on your transitions and to know the following, because when you transition from biking to running, your legs feel like Jell-O.” Hatteberg said she recently began competing in triathlons this year, and the Hot Dam Olympics was her second race.

But, she was a part of the swim

By Jordan Williams sports editor

GreenJackets clinch division title, fall short of playoff victory •

•

82-55 overall record placed the Green Jackets atop the South Atlantic League Southern after starting the month of August 5.5 games out of first place 2.06 was the ERA for starting pitcher Martin Agosta and the lowest ERA in a standout bullpen

•

11 consecutive game-winning streak this season marked the second-longest streak in franchise history

•

67 home runs blasted out of Lake Olmstead Stadium

•

.307 batting average was a team best by shortshop Matt Duffy, who also had 45 walks and 22 stolen bases

team during her undergraduate years at Georgia Tech. In fact, the 750-meter swim was Hatteberg’s favorite feature in the event, and she was the first one out of the water Saturday.

Among females, Julia Bryan placed first in the top three with a time of 2:27:29, followed by Carrie Smith at 2:31:05 as runner up

and Heidi Hatteberg at 2:32:58 as second runner up Saturday.

For the men, Dan McMahon placed first with a time of 2:07:30, Stepan Paul came in second at 2:17:02 and Bob Rentz was third at 2:18:20 Saturday. jwill143@gru.edu kbutler7@gru.edu

Athletics website sports new logo

CONTRIBUTED BY JOEY WARREN

LEIGH BEESON | STAFF

PHOTOS BY JORDAN WILLIAMS | STAFF

On Sept. 6 at exactly 2 p.m., GRU Augusta Athletics released a revamped website.

The improved jaguarsroar. com now sports the current colors of the Athletic Department and is accommodated with eyegrabbing graphics.

Behind the vision of ath-

Diets CONTINUED from PAGE 11

“When we’re on the road, before games we try to eat Subway or something like that so that it’s somewhat light and you don’t want to eat a lot of fiber before you go play games,” Mullins said.

“Then when we have snacks … we’re buying granola bars, apples, bananas, strawberries, grapes and some kind of cracker with something salty on it.”

Although nutrition in terms of eating the right carbohydrates, fruits and more can weigh heavy on one’s health, supplements can

letic media relations director Joey Warren and his assistant, Taylor Lamb, the webmasters from Presto Sports were able to make the new site user-friendly, but still artistic.

“You give design people a lot of ideas to try to make them understand what you’re seeing conceptually and what you want it to look like, and for the most part I think it’s pretty much spoton with what we were looking for,” Warren said.

An important part of the vision, Warren said, was for the new logo to be the centerpiece of the website. When the home page pops up the Jaguar head is noticed immediately, because it anchors the page from the back-

ground.

“When people ask about consolidation and the name change and everything and how it pertains to athletics, you know, we have a new brand,” he said. “That’s our new brand, is the Jaguar head. That’s GRU Augusta Athletics.”

One of the new features for the website will include more emphasis on video posts. Warren said they have only scratched the surface on the video aspect of the website, mainly due to a lack of resources, but after posting more than half a dozen videos last school year, the department hopes to achieve more.

ultimately affect an athlete’s nutrition as well.

“From the supplement industry’s side, they want to sell the product, so they’re going to be making recommendations that will have the individual use more of their products so they can sell more,” Wish said. “They may not necessarily need that much (and) without having a nutrient analysis done of their normal dietary intake, they may be getting adequate amounts of those nutrients anyway. Getting too much of certain things can have a negative return on their performance, so we want them to be smart about what they’re taking in and realize

that, right now, it’s a fairly loosely monitored industry.”

The coaches try to encourage the students to stay away from taking these supplements and make sure that they maintain a natural diet, Mullins said.

“If they feel the need or want to take a multivitamin, have at it,” she said. “But to take all this extra stuff, like protein or to take mass amounts of amino acids – it’s just not beneficial, not if you eat properly. I mean, God designed food in the perfect state. If we’ll eat the way food is designed to be … then we should be getting what we need.”

jwill143@gru.edu

mstewar7@gru.edu