Sept. 9, 2014 - Vol. 57, Issue 2

GEORGIA REGENTS UNIVERSITY

www.grubellringer.com

VOLUME 57, ISSUE 2

Breaching the silence

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2014

IT office plans to improve

By Richard Adams editor-in-chief

MORGAN BARRY | CONTRIBUTOR

GRU student Morgan Barry’s painting depicts a girl whose struggle with depression lead to a tragic outcome.

Campus raises awareness to reduce suicides

By Taylor Mitchell staff writer September may be National Suicide Awareness month, but Georgia Regents University is making a name for itself in regard to lowering the number of suicides on campus and in the community all year long.

The topic of suicide is a subject that hits people close to home equally around the globe and takes the lives of 40,000 Americans every year, according to the Suicide Awareness Voices of Education website.

According to the Georgia Regents counseling services website, suicide prevention is an issue the university is readily available to help with.

Morgan Pitts, a junior political science major, said she experienced mixed emotions in regard to the suicide of a close friend.

“

At the same time I have to realize that (there) was stuff going on in his head that I didn’t understand and I couldn’t have done anything to fix it.

--Morgan Pitts

”

“At first I was really angry because that’s like the most selfish thing someone can do,” Pitts said. “I still get mad about it if I think about it long enough, but at the same time I have come to realize that (there) was stuff going on in his head that I didn’t understand and I couldn’t have done anything to fix it. (Even) his family couldn’t have done anything.”

Ginny Luke, assistant director for Georgia Regents’ counseling center and licensed professional counselor, specializes in assisting students coping with sexual abuse and assault, thoughts of suicide and other mental stress.

“We do things to get kids aware because suicide awareness is so very important,” she said “We participated in orien-

tations during the summer and there were some things in the orientation program that (focused) on suicide prevention.”

Through the office of the vice president of student affairs, students who are concerned about friends can go to the office and fill out care reports for those in need and who might otherwise suffer silently, Luke said. The center requests that students call the office and be evaluated by a Georgia Regents Care Team member.

“Any student who is considering or having thoughts about suicide, they need to speak out,” Luke said. “They need to let somebody know they are having these thoughts, they need to come to our ofsee SUICIDE on PAGE 3

Students gain nominations

By Ashley Trawick chief reporter Natalie Brody and Kim Buchanan were not expecting to be rewarded for their teaching efforts in Columbia County.

The two educators, who earned their master’s degrees at what was formerly Augusta State University, are among others nominated for the county-wide award for “Teacher of the Year.” “(It’s) quite surprising because there are so many good teachers, and not only in Columbia County, but in all counties,” Buchanan said. “But to be recognized as a finalist definitely is humbling because I feel like there are so many more teachers that will continue their careers without ever being noticed.”

Brody, who teaches middle school English and social sciences at the Columbia County Board of Education Alternative School, said the greatest com-

Nominees’ profiles •

Natalie Brody: middle school English and social sciences, CCBOE Alternative School, master’s degree in teaching

•

Kim Buchanan: AP language arts, Grovetown High School, master’s degree in teaching

pliment is to be recognized by her peers for her service to students.

Both Buchanan and Brody are current students at Georgia Regents University earning their education specialist degrees in curriculum and instruction.

Jeff Carney, the assistant superintendent of Columbia County Schools, said the process in choosing a teacher for

Day of Service Page 6

like us follow us on facebook @BellRinger_News

Volunteer event returns

this award is lengthy. In the spring, each school nominates a teacher and submits the name to him. Over the summer, he processes over 30 applications along with three judges and decides who will take home the award at the October banquet. “(The teachers will) tell you the gifts are nice but just the recognition of being the teacher selected, especially (because) we’re pretty proud of our teachers in Columbia County,” he said. “We have about 1700 of them. So to be the top teacher out of 1700, that’s quite an honor. Just that is enough, but they also get a business-sponsored, tailored BMW for a year free.

They get like $500 in gas (for) free. Kroger will give them a $500 gift certificate for anything they want at Kroger, so our businesses have chipped in to sort of sweeten the pot.”

Carney said this award has been given out in the county for see TEACHERS on PAGE 3

Internal changes resulting from Georgia Regents University’s 14-year $400 million contract with Cerner Corp. to handle its information technology needs will have positive effects on student life and employment, IT administrators said.

The intent of the multimillion dollar deal with the technology firm was ultimately to provide the university health system with innovative solutions to store and access more medical data more quickly and cheaply, said Charles Enicks,

vice president of Information and Technology Services and chief information officer for Georgia Regents.

According to the Augusta Chronicle, there will be approximately 15 percent savings in projected costs over the 14year run of the contract, roughly $70 million.

The deal, called the Jaguar Collaborative, will also make substantial changes to the university’s IT department and the way it provides services to students on both campuses.

“As part of this, we are realigning the university IT infrasee DEAL on PAGE 3

JESSICA SAGER | STAFF

Supporters of the cause stand holding signs and showing Jaguar pride by the Summerville campus fountain to film a new advertisement for IGRU.

IGRU rallies to fund future

By Jessica Sager copy editor This year’s fall fundraising campaign, entitled “I’m Giving Are You?” or better known as IGRU, reaches out to both campuses as well as the CSRA community.

Ashley White, assistant director of communications, said past fall fundraisers included “Stand Up Stand Out” at Medical College of Georgia and “A Day” for Augusta State University.

“So when we came together, we needed something that would resonate with everybody,” she said.

People can choose what part of Georgia Regents University or the health center they want to donate to, White said.

“So what makes this really special is that no matter what department you’re in, no matter what office you’re in, whatever resonates with you is what you can donate to,” she said.

Wesley Zamzow, director of special gifts, said that from Aug.12 to Sept.12 there is a campaign encouraging Georgia Regents faculty and staff mem-

First Friday Page 2

Tradition gets makeover

bers to give.

“This is something that we want everyone to be active in, and even if you’re giving a dollar, it doesn’t matter, because it helps the institution,” White said. “And we want people to be proud of where they work and be proud to give back.”

On Sept. 16, the total amount raised during that part of the campaign will be reported to the Augusta community, Zamzow said.

“So, the idea behind that is to let folks know that the people that work here, that they have invested,” Zamzow said. “You know, giving their salaries back, (giving) a portion of their dollars earned back.”

Marsha Loda, an associate professor from the Hull College of Business, participated in a video made by Atomic Studios to promote IGRU. “It’s important for the school because our state funding keeps getting smaller and smaller and we want to maintain the quality of instruction and programs and other incentives and fun things that we can see IGRU on PAGE 3

Rugby Club Page 11

Local team reaches out

PAGE 2

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2014

NEWS www.grubellringer.com

The voice of

Georgia Regents University EDITORIAL STAFF adviser MATTHEW BOSISIO mbosisio@gru.edu editor-in-chief RICHARD ADAMS radams99@gru.edu copy editor JESSICA SAGER jschucke@gru.edu news editor HALEY HARRIS hharris9@gru.edu arts & life editor AMY THORNE athorne@gru.edu sports editor ANTHONY GARCIA agarci11@gru.edu chief reporter ASHLEY TRAWICK atrawick@gru.edu production manager JORDAN BARRY jbarry3@gru.edu production assistant REBECCA PERBETSKY rperbets@gru.edu staff writers FATIMA FRASHER ffrasher@gru.edu STEPHANIE MCCRAY smccray1@gru.edu TAYLOR MITCHELL tmitch22@gru.edu JORDAN WILLIAMS jwill143@gru.edu

RICHARD ADAMS | STAFF

Denny Kotz (Left) plays his guitar, community volunteer Jessica Venable(Bottom right) makes bubbles and Ron Turner(Top right) paints a portrait streetside.

Artists take back Broad

By Richard Adams editor-in-chief The first Friday in September marked a seminal moment in the long tradition of downtown Augusta’s First Friday celebration: The artists have taken things over.

Brenda Durant, executive director of the Greater Augusta Arts Council, said she’s worked both with and peripheral to the event for so long it feels “like (she) grew up with First Friday.”

For almost a decade, she said,

the arts council has organized the monthly celebration.

She said it was important to the arts council that the event was “in super good shape.”

“We felt like when we did hand it over, and we looked for a partner that we could hand it over to, we were happy that it was the downtown group,” Durant said, concerning turning control of the event over to Artists’ Row, which is now under the direction of Syd Padgett.

Karen Gordon, director of

photographers SHELDONIA BESSENT sbessent@gru.edu REBECCA SIMANSKI rsimans1@gru.edu columnists NEIL DAVENPORT cdavenport3@gru.edu RICKEY JONES ricjones@gru.edu contributors MORGAN BARRY JEAN-PAUL CASSAGNOL SUDHA RATAN SHELLIE SMITLEY DAQUAN MIDDLETON LANDARIS MILLER advertising manager ASHLEY SHELTON ashelto9@gru.edu webmaster JACOB SCHARFF jscharff@gru.edu Direct advertising inquiries to: Ashley Shelton, Advertising Manager ashelto9@gru.edu Address all correspondence to: The Bell Ringer 2500 Walton Way Augusta, Ga 30904 706-737-1600 www.grubellringer.com

editorial policy

Letters to the editor must be accompanied by the author’s name, phone number and email address. All columns and letters to the editor are the opinion of the author. The views expressed in the Editorial section do not necessarily express those of The Bell Ringer, a designated public forum.

corrections policy

We strive to bring you accurately reported news. If you wish to report an error, please provide your name, phone number and a detailed description of the error and the necessary correction.

PRINTER Aiken Standard 326 Rutland Dr. NW P.O. Box 456 Aiken, SC. 29802

Garden City Jazz, has been part of the planning committee for the newly artist-controlled version of First Friday. She said one major change in the event will be the concentration of many of the artists within a smaller area.

“I think putting First Friday back into the hands of the artists and really going back to being a true art walk just provides for the individual artist more of a voice,” Gordon said. “It also provides an opportunity for the business owners to form rela-

tionships.”

Padgett said the change in the direction of First Friday will allow for a more focused event, whereas before the arts council had been unable to fully devote itself to First Friday.

“The board would talk about it probably maybe once a year,” Durant said. “But we didn’t ever want to just drop it without having someone who had hands out to take it. So, we had to wait for that moment.” radams99@gru.edu

Student wins state honors

By Ashley Trawick chief reporter

AMY THORNE | STAFF

Professor Chrisopher Botero directs a Spanish class on the language rules.

Professor receives honor for Spanish

By Amy Thorne arts & life editor

“It’s crazy to think there are people who are much further in their careers than I am that didn’t win,” he said. “I try to eliminate that self-doubt and just kind of be appreciative.”

Jana Sandarg, Department of English and Foreign Languages professor, nominated fellow AATSP member Botero for the award. She said he had only been teaching at Georgia Regents for three years.

She also said Botero proved himself a good choice for the

The Georgia chapter of the American Association of Teachers in Spanish and Portuguese recently named Christopher Botero, an assistant professor of Spanish and second language acquisition, the 2014 Professor of the Year.

Botero said he competed against professors from Georgia Southern University, Georgia Tech, the University of Georgia and others during the AATSP conference last April.

Incident

see BOTERO on PAGE 3

Liliana Cicinato-Carew never thought she could be honored as an outstanding student.

Earlier this year, the May graduate received the award of 2014 Outstanding University Student of the Year by the Georgia Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese. She was nominated by Department of English and Foreign Languages Professor Jana Sandarg and Christopher Botero, assistant professor with the same department.

“The decision wasn’t necessarily a hard one to do,” Botero said. “She was a student that, you know, when you turn around when you’re teaching and you look at your audience, she was very much in class in the moment.”

Sandarg said she nominated Cicinato-Carew because she was the prime example of an exceptional student.

“She always did extra things

LILIANA CINCINATO-CAREW | CONTRIBUTOR

Graduate Liliana Cincinato-Carew presents her outstanding university student of the year award for 2014.

above and beyond the call of duty with class assignments and stuff like that,” she said.

Cicinato-Carew said she was surprised to get nominated, much less win.

“It felt good because I did work really hard since I was pregnant and, you know, trying to finish up all the classes,” she said. “I was doing everything I could to finish on time.” atrawick@gru.edu

Date / Time

Date / Time

General

Reported

Occurred

Location

140269

09/01/14 – 08:36

09/01/14 – 08:36

Circle K at 15th Street and Laney Walker Blvd

Arrest

Trespassing on Campus

140270

09/02/14 – 09:22

09/02/14 – 09:22

GR Medical Center

Arrest

Criminal Trespass / Damage Property

140273

09/03/14 – 11:47

09/03/14 – 11:45

Active

140274

09/04/14 – 16:52

09/04/14 – 16:52

GRMC Parking Deck 15

(Classification) Disorderly Conduct

Public Drunk

Criminal Trespass Trespassing on Campus

Suspended License

Case Number

140271

09/02/14 – 18:09

09/02/14 – 18:09

GR Medical Center

15th Street & Central Ave

Disposition

Arrest

Arrest

THE BELL RINGER

PAGE 3

UV changes hands

by Richard Adams & Rebecca Perbetsky editor-in-chief production assistant Putting campus housing under the control of the university was an inevitable step in the journey toward consolidation, said Dale Hartenburg, director of Student Services.

The Bell Ringer reported in March the ceding of control of university housing to Georgia Regents University from Ambling, a private firm.

“Moving forward, the housing operation has been pretty much expanded,” Hartenburg said. “The concept had come up during consolidation, it’s just that there were so many moving parts to consolidation that we left Ambling in place. When it comes to student complaints,

the housing office has a fulltime setup there at University Village.”

Anna Katherine Wyllie, a sophomore in the pre-nursing program, said one particular decision enacted during the management transfer stands out.

While much of the housing staff was replaced with new employees or resident assistants, one group of employees had many members retained.

“We still have the maintenance men,” Wyllie said. “I knew them pretty well. I don’t really have to go to the front office much, so I don’t see the new workers.”

These workers “keep this place running,” Wyllie said.

William McBride, Georgia Regents University chief of police, said the new involvement of the campus physical plant

has helped not only with general maintenance but in terms of security as well.

“The thing that’s gotten better is the maintenance of the complex,” McBride said. “For example, if the gate arms break or if, you know, the cameras break or whatever, we as GRU didn’t really have any control over calling a crew to fix them. ” With the new influx of freshmen, Hartenburg said the university has to start looking forward to meet future needs.

“Now that we’re really becoming a campus where we’re beginning to see freshmen in one place and freshman in another place, it just solidifies the need to (provide for housing needs) under one umbrella,” Hartenburg said. radams99@gru.edu rperbets@gru.edu

RICHARD ADAMS | STAFF

Dale Hartenburg, director of student services, stands facing student houses.

Ice bucket challenge aims to educate Fatima Frasher staff writer The ALS ice bucket challenge has gone viral on the Internet and caught the attention of a wide swath of the population, ranging from students to celebrities to presidents. But what exactly does this phenomenon of dumping ice water on people prove?

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, often referred to as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease,” is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, according to the ALS Association website.

The past summer prompted a different way for people to stand together for a

Suicide CONTINUED from PAGE 1

fice or student health and they (need) to express that (they) are having these thoughts and feelings. Those we consider an emergency.”

Georgia is getting more involved in regard to the growing

cause that affects a number of people, according to the ALS association website.

“My friend challenged me to do (it),” said Brianne Hemingway, a senior accounting major. “I appreciate her doing that, because my uncle has ALS. And from reading about it recently, they have raised a whole bunch of awareness for ALS and what it is.”

Awareness and donations are the keys in helping find medicines and even a possible cure for this devastating disease, according to the ALS website.

Hemingway said that before the ice bucket challenge came along, her parents were doing everything they could do to raise money.

“My uncle has had it for about 12

suicide tragedy rate, according to the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities website. DBHDD, along with the nonprofit Suicide Prevention Action NetworkGeorgia, has created the Georgia Suicide Prevention Plan, assembling 15 suicide prevention coalitions and organizing “The Faces of Suicide” quilt project.

DHBDD suicide preven-

years,” Hemingway said. “It started out where he was unable to walk very steadily. He would get tremors, and it progressed on and on until now he can’t move anything by himself but his mouth, his eyes and his head. He can’t talk, can’t move his hands or anything, so he has to have special equipment to communicate with other people. It is now getting to where now he is unable to swallow certain things.”

This viral challenge’s purpose was not as talked about in the experience of junior criminal justice major Kraneshia Brown. She said she didn’t know what the disease was until she got challenged.

“My cousin challenged me one morning,” Brown said. “At first I didn’t

tion coordinator Sally vander Straetem said she works closely with SPAN-GA in order to communicate to the public that suicide is a growing problem.

She said according to current statistics, suicide is 10th leading cause of death in the United States.

“In 2007 we developed the Georgia Suicide Strategy Booklet (and) we’ve made great

IGRU

CONTINUED from PAGE 1

RICHARD ADAMS | STAFF

The student help desk at Summerville where senior math and computer science major Markis Piper works will be moving across the hall in December.

Deal

CONTINUED from PAGE 1

structure, or the IT staffing, so that it’s closer to the faculty, it’s more embedded into the colleges, so that ultimately it helps students in terms of better learning opportunities and fusing technology into the curriculum,” said Michael Casdorph, associate vice president for Information and Technology Services.

Enicks said these changes will become more evident beginning in December. This, he said, is when the university will start both internally and physically restructuring the way student IT needs are met.

“We’re consolidating (the IT Service Desk and Educational and Collaborative Technology office) together to form a new student service desk offering that is the best of both worlds,” Casdorph said. “And so they’ll be functioning as one team with expanded service, expanded service hours. So, a one-stop shop for students on the Summerville Campus, a one-stop shop for students on the Health Sciences

Campus.”

Another benefit for students, Enicks said, will be expanded hours in which students and faculty can contact an IT representative.

“The service desk, that’ll be in December, will cut over to 24/7,” he said. “So, a student could call at four in the morning and get somebody to help them solve a problem.”

Enicks said Cerner Corp., a company based in Kansas City, Mo., will route these calls through their offices; in turn, they will be contractually obligated to provide a particular level of service.

“When you call the service desk, we measure something called abandon rate,” Enicks said. “So, when the times that you call and nobody answers and you get frustrated and hang up, that number’s been too high for us lately because we’ve had a hard time keeping that fully staffed. Through this contract with Cerner, they’re contracted to keep that rate, I’d say, below industry standard – and much better than we’ve been able to perform here.” radams99@gru.edu

offer students, and that’s got to come from somewhere,” Loda said. “So, it comes from us. It comes from the community.

And it’s important to get people excited about that.”

Georgia Regents alumni are also included in the campaign. Director of Alumni Affairs Rhonda Banks said alumni will receive IGRU packets in the mail so they can make donations. On Oct. 10, the Alumni

Teachers CONTINUED from PAGE 1

at least 30 years.

“Our system keeps getting bigger, so now it’s getting (to be) a bigger thing to pull off,” he said.

For many majoring in education, they often develop their passion for teaching as a child or a teenager, said Buchanan, the AP Language Arts teacher at Grovetown High School. She

Botero

CONTINUED from PAGE 2

nomination.

“I was very pleased for him, because I think he really deserves it, and I’m very pleased for our institution because it sure makes us shine in the state of Georgia,” she said. “It also brings attention to foreign languages, which is always a plus.”

Botero said he doesn’t consider himself to have done any-

want to do it, because I didn’t know what it was for. Then I decided to research it.

I found out it was for ALS, a disease I was not too familiar with. I seen that I could donate money so that’s what I did first. And then I was like OK, let’s do the challenge.”

Lakeva Cancer, a senior accounting major, said that her own ice bucket challenge moment felt like a melted-down glacier had been poured on her.

“My friends left ice sitting in water for 30 minutes before they doused me with the iced water,” she said. “When it was over they kept asking me how did it feel? I told them that now I see how it feels to be an ice cube in water.”

ffrasher@gru.edu

strides in this based on this plan,” said vander Straetem.

“We are working throughout Georgia, kind of at the grassroots level, to help people set up suicide prevention efforts in their own community, because that’s where it’s going to be effective. That’s where all these things in the plan come to being.”

On a large scale, the state

of Georgia is moving forward in the direction of lowering the number of preventable tragedies, based on messages displayed on both the DHBDD and SPAN-GA websites.

On the smaller, community scale, according to its website, Georgia Regents offers centers, professionals and guidance to help students in need.

Barbeque and Celebration will be held on the Summerville campus.

“It’s been a tradition of the Alumni Association for many years; it wraps up the end of the campaign,” Banks said. “So at that, that night we will be releasing the total of what we raised.”

Another part of the fundraising campaign is the Jaguar Jaunt, she said.

“It’s a 5K that runs through the Summerville neighborhood and the Summerville campus,” Banks said. “You pay a registration to run the race, and what-

ever proceeds we make from the race goes back to the university.”

While not everyone can make a monetary donation, Zamzow said, people can get involved through a program called “Grub for GRU.” “We’re partnering with local restaurants from across the CSRA and they’re partnering with us to give 10 percent of all their sales that day back to the university or the health system,” he said. “And we know that everybody eats out.”

said it took her a while to find that love of teaching.

“I went to college at Clemson and thought I wanted to be a physical therapist,” she said.

“Then I got to Clemson and realized that chemistry wasn’t for me, and so I changed to financial management. So I actually have a degree from Clemson in financial management. I liked what I was doing. I liked the people I worked with but ... I thought it would be really neat to be a teacher.”

Brody said advice she’d

give those who want to teach is to be passionate about what they teach. She said current and future teachers should challenge themselves to have a meaningful teaching career.

“I think it’s OK to try things and it’s OK to move (and) it’s OK to challenge yourself until you find the niche in which every day you get up and you love coming to work,” she said. “I think I’ve been fortunate to do that. I love alternative education. I love being where I am.”

thing special to gain the recognition he is receiving.

“I didn’t really think of it as an award,” he said. “I’m into linguistics. I have a job where I get to talk to a group of students.

What would beat that?”

Botero said the work ethic of his students at Georgia Regents motivates him to work hard in his own field.

John Hooven, a junior double majoring in political science and Spanish, said he has enjoyed having Botero as a professor because of his enthusiasm.

“He’s just a phenomenal Spanish teacher,” he said. “You can tell he’s extremely passionate about what he does. He loves what he studies. When people hear a name like linguistics, I expected it to be a very dull topic, but Dr. Botero does a very good job of making it interesting and making you feel interested in the topic itself.”

Hooven also said he has learned more Spanish in Botero’s classes than in the 7 years he had prior to taking them.

tmitch22@gru.edu

jschucke@gru.edu

atrawick@gru.edu

athorne@gru.edu

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2014

PAGE 4

OPINION www.grubellringer.com

editorial

Communication suffers A

re we communicating? Can you hear me? These are questions we ask one another each day in one form or another.

When it is easier to talk with anyone anywhere more quickly than ever before, society still finds itself asking these questions. Can all this noise really be considered communicating?

Despite the vast potential of high-speed communication at our fingertips, how often are these ubiquitous but wonderful innovations abused and neglected? How often do we use these various technologies as excuses not to communicate and instead insulate ourselves

with them?

For the Bell Ringer staff, these questions are our stock and trade.

When investigating a story or interviewing an individual, we sometimes find our questions unanswered or merely vaguely acknowledged and then evaded. When this happens, it is often necessary to reframe the question.

We have to ask ourselves, “What can I do to communicate better? What can help this person hear me? What questions may I not be asking and why?”

Because we at the Bell Ringer pride ourselves on being “the voice of Georgia Regents University,” it is essential that first we become the best listen-

ers possible. When we persist in a line of questioning, we are making sure that the unheard part of a story is not left silent.

This is where you, the reader, step in.

It is our feeling here that there have been stories that have gone by the wayside over the past year, lost opportunities that we should seek to recover if possible.

So tell us, what have we missed?

If you know of an issue you don’t see being addressed in the pages of the Bell Ringer, we encourage you to let your voice be heard. We are available on Facebook and Twitter, as well maintaining our own site at www.grubellringer.com.

Not sure your concerns will have the same power in writing as they would in person? Most days of the week, you can find it to be quite busy in the Bell Ringer office, room 237 on the second floor of the JSAC, right next to the JagCard office.

There’s a good chance there will be someone there willing

to sit down and listen to any concerns you might have about the university, the student body or whatever unanswered questions might be occupying your thoughts.

Feel free to contact the Bell Ringer and start a campus conversation on subjects important to you. It’s what we’re here for.

editorial policy Letters to the editor must be accompanied by the author’s email address. All columns and letters to the editor are the opinion of the author. The views expressed in the opinion section do not necessarily express those of The Bell Ringer, a designated public forum.

Anything submitted to The Bell Ringer is open to be edited or rejected. However, The Bell Ringer staff gives all opinions a fair chance to be heard. All letters will be edited for grammar and style.

If you would like to contribute a column or a letter to the editor, send an email to: bellringerproduction@gmail.com

A requiem for what has been lost a long time

By Sudha Ratan contributor

A

ANTHONY GARCIA | STAFF

If you’re not careful with managing your online security, anyone from anywhere can gain access and cause damage.

Apple’s iCloud rains on privacy M

y friend, Jesse, thinks I’m too paranoid about how I share my digital information, but if the recent iCloud hack is any indication, we should be more cautious than ever on how Anthony Garcia we handle sports editor our digital shadow.

The truth is the Internet is the Vegas of your digital life; whatever happens online, stays online. The difference is, Vegas gets only a handful of stories, which are forgettable. Whatever happens online, stays online.

Forever.

It has to be known that as soon as you create an online account or social profile, or upload your files of information onto the Cloud, anywhere on the Internet, you lose all manner of privacy. From that moment on, you’re no longer an individual, but a statistic.

Anything you post about yourself or the people you know is no longer yours. It’s theirs, and you most likely won’t know who “they” are.

I won’t get into the reasons behind why A-list celebrities like Jennifer Lawrence and Kate Upton would take those scandalous photos; everyone does stupid stuff, once in a while. The difference between

“

Anything you post about yourself or the people you know is no longer yours. It’s theirs, and you most likely won’t know who ‘they’ are.

--Anthony Garcia

taking those photos with a basic camera and a connected smartphone is what determines just how stupid you’ll look when the inevitable happens.

With a basic point-andshoot camera, your photography, however tame or deadly it is, can remain on its storage device for as long as you want it.

With a smartphone, already registered with one of numerous networking corporations, traceable with integrated GPS mapping, and barely “protected” by a few characters, anyone can make up as so-called “passwords,” and then any kind of secret you may hold won’t be a secret for very long at all.

Hackers aren’t becoming the norm of this generation; they practically own this generation. You can be as global as Anonymous, or as professional and “trust-worthy” as the NSA. Back in the day, a “hacker” was a cheeky term for nerds and computer geeks. Now, you give any modern hacker even the smallest path to your digital doorway, be it linked accounts or similar passwords, and your future can be destroyed by a few megabytes in an instant.

”

This caution doesn’t just come from photos on the Internet. Just a few days after the leak, celebrity Cee Lo Green posted on his Twitter that “people who have really been raped remember.” Immediately after his controversial tweet, he deactivated his social media accounts. The day after, television network TBS announced it dropped its plans to renew his show, “The Good Life.” Green is back on Twitter and apologized for his online remarks, but the damage had been done, and his career could be in danger.

It’s difficult to say how Jennifer Lawrence will put this investigation behind her, but if her career can be jeopardized this way, who’s to say what can happen to yours? Our lives online can be very blissful, and can bring people together in ways we couldn’t have imagined years before. But just like entering a security code to enter a big building, remember what it is you’re getting yourself into, and how dangerous it can be if you’re not careful. Sin City holds many tales; anything online is forever.

agarci11@gru.edu

s we approach the thirteenth anniversary of 9/11 it is humbling to look at the consequences wrought by that event. The war on terror which merged into Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom-Afghanistan and a number of other smaller interventions in places like the Philippines (against Jamaah Islamiya), the Horn of Africa and Trans-Sahara (against Al Qaeda affiliates) have helped destabilize a large swath of territory in the Middle East and South West Asia.

In Afghanistan where the Bush Administration first launched the attack on the Taliban and Al Qaeda the results of the US intervention are dismal.

Today, the Taliban and the Haqqani network are emerging as major players in significant parts of the country and civilian casualties are up 24 percent.

US troop reductions in recent months have taken levels down from 100,000 to about 35,000 with a complete drawdown scheduled for the end of this year. This is at a time when the US still does not have a bilateral security agreement with the country since the new Afghan president is yet to be decided and he was supposed to sign the agreement.

The instability in Afghanistan is further complicated by its relations with neighboring Pakistan which plays host to the Taliban and other radical groups who take refuge in the largely autonomous north west part of the country. Al Qaeda is a minor player in these countries. In fact, the announcement this week by Al Qaeda that it is opening up a front in India is a clear indication that the group sees its future in a different part of the region.

In Iraq the recent seizing of major Iraqi cities like Mosul by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the beheading of two US journalists, James Foley and Steven Sotloff is the result of forces unleashed in the region in the aftermath of the US intervention. The toppling of Saddam Hussein destabilized Iraq and

led to a wave of sectarian violence between Sunni and Shia groups. Sunni groups like Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) which was the forerunner of ISIL were incensed by Western support for the Maliki government which cracked down on opponents and discriminated against Sunnis in government and in the military.

The problem was compounded in 2011 by events in Syria where Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar (all US allies) contributed to the rise of ISIL by arming and funding extremist Sunni groups in response to Assad’s repressive policies.

The costs of intervention in Afghanistan and Iraq for the United States have been significant: 2343 soldiers have died in Operation Enduring Freedom – Afghanistan while 4486 US soldiers were killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Over 1700 members of the Armed Forces have suffered amputations and of the 2.4 million armed forces personnel who have served in these two wars, 250,000 have been treated for mental health conditions and 253,330 have a confirmed traumatic brain injury diagnosis. Iraqi and Afghan civilian casualties are of course much higher with estimates for Iraq of 85,000 to 94,000 dead and for Afghanistan of over 115,000 lives lost to military action.

The financial costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan according to the Congressional Research Service total over $1.5 trillion through FY 2013.

It is safe to say that the investment in lives and money we have made in these two countries will almost certainly influence our policies in the region for years to come. The Obama Administration is currently reevaluating policy towards Iraq and given the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan it may have to do the same in that country. Unfortunately, US relations with Iran and Russia two influential players in the region are not conducive to an improvement in conditions in the area any time soon.

The 2977 lives lost on 9/11 have now been joined by over a million others by some estimates and it looks like there is no end in sight. sratan@gru.edu

PAGE 5

THE BELL RINGER

Bell Ringer staff remembers 9/11 They sent us home early from school. The minute we walked in the door, my stepmom turned on the TV and switched it to the news. She stared at the images, her hand over her mouth in disbelief. We watched the second tower crumble. I was dumbJordan Barry founded. I alproduction ways thought manager of the United States of America as an impenetrable fortress. In my childish mind, if I was in America, I was safe.

For a while, I was afraid to go to school. I don’t know why I thought that my elementary school would ever be the target of a terrorist attack, but honestly the events of 9/11 really shook me. At 9 years old, I was already leaving my self-centered view of the world behind.

I was nine years old and at school when a woman I didn’t know came into the classroom and pulled my teacher out of the room. When she returned I didn’t understand why she looked so distraught.

She told us to read silently and then turned on the TV to Haley Harris the news. news editor I thought it was a loud action movie with lots of bombs and fire. It wasn’t until I heard the older kids in the hall talking about how people are blowing up America that I understood something really must be happening and I got scared. I seen people jumping from the windows of the trade centers and if that wasn’t a movie then what did I just witness. I was young but the fear is still vivid. Was another attack coming? Here?

jbarry3@gru.edu

Mrs. Rosario’s class, 3rd grade at Antilles Elementary in Ft. Buchanan, Puerto Rico.

My mother picked me up from the bus stop near the local market, where the owner shouted in Spanish to her that “a war is happening in New York.”

We took the long walk home, Anthony Garcia and turned sports editor on the TV. It was tuned to CNN, the image of two burning buildings under a blue sky. A recap of the day’s events.

The next day, Mrs. Rosario gathered us together in the classroom, and asked us what happened yesterday.

agarci11@gru.edu

hharris9@gru.edu

I remember saying the pledge of allegiance with Mom after we saw the news; her voice was strong but trembled.

We went on with our homeschool lesson, even though it was very solemn.

That was the first time I realized there Jessica Sager was pride copy editor in going on with life, that you couldn’t just hide under the bed. Later, after the shooting in a theater in Aurora, I still went to the movies with a friend.

jschucke@gru.edu

On August 29, 2001, I turned 20 years old and thought I knew most things worth knowing.

Richard Adams When editor-in-chief the world seemed to stop thirteen days later, on a Tuesday, I was suddenly confronted with the reality of my youth.

Until that day, I had not a clue how little I actually knew about the world around me.

These last thirteen years, I’ve been trying to play catch-up.

radams99@gru.edu

When my third-grade ears first heard about the attack, the gravity of the situation didn’t mean much to me. Thankfully, I wasn’t one of the thousands directly affected by the tragedy, but in some ways, I feel I will never truly have anything Amy Thorne arts & life editor other than an adopted attitude toward the situation. In my mind, Sept. 11 will always be my grandmother’s birthday.

I was in eighth grade. I remember that day like it was yesterday.

I think what stands out the most is seeing it through the innocent eyes of my sisters.

They were in Kindergarten.

In the weekend following the horrific Rebecca Perbetsky attack, I production remember assistant my mother having to sit and explain to them why reenacting what they had seen on TV was bad.

As time proceeds, the realization of seeing two young children grow up in an instance will never escape my mind along with the events of that day.

rperbets@gru.edu

athorne@gru.edu

9/11: How one day can change your life

M

y experience of 9/11 is probably similar to a lot of others. I was a freshman attending Greenwood High School at the time, and if my memory is accurate it was a teacher who broke the news to us as to what had just taken place. Being a young Landaris Miller kid with contributer no international travel experience and few friends of non-US origin at that time, the knowledge that I had of the “Middle East” or Islam as a religion was received through the mediums of television and radio news. With that being said, my vision of the “Middle East” was a barren land full of violence and turmoil inhabited by an extreme religious group who believed in war for the sake of righteous justice. Still, I didn’t have enough knowledge of our political endeavors to really understand the full significance of 9/11. The only thing I understood was that a lot of people lost their lives, and a lot more were injured physically and mentally. By the time I was a senior in high school I had made a commitment to join the United States Navy immediately after graduation as a hospital corpsman, or combat medic. It was a decision made out of a

compilation of things, and chief among them was the aspiration to be an essential member of my society and a strong desire to explore the world that was beyond my own.

As promised, by July of 2004 I was on my bunk in Great Lakes, Ill., thinking I had made the worst mistake of my life by joining the United States Navy. I later found out that was a common thought among recruits. I was the furthest away from South Carolina I had ever been in my life with no means of support from anyone I knew besides letters. However, I was among 40 other young men who were also away from their homes striking out on new paths, and we soon came to learn that the support we thought we lacked could be fostered amongst ourselves.

This was my first real taste of diversity, being that “boot camp,” as we call it, or recruit drill training, was an assortment of people from all walks of nationality, language, religion, height, weight, opinion, you name it. On top of that you all eat together, shower together, as weird as that is, and train together. So naturally you become familiar with people who otherwise you may have never spoken to. Innately, as I became familiar with different people, I realized just how similar we were in so many ways. By the time I made it to my duty station, Camp Lejeune North Carolina Marine Base,

I had lost my “fear of the unknown,” and had no problem becoming conversant with anyone, but was shocked to find that the culture here wasn’t as I expected. The United States Marines is a branch of service that prides itself for its combat expertise and efficiency, hence their austere discipline and ranking structure. Being a combat medic attached to an infantry unit involved in Operation Iraqi Freedom following the tragedy of 9/11, I found that the discipline of the day was kill all “Hodgies,” as they called the Iraqi people. Hodgy being intended as a derogatory term for Iraqis and all Muslims, in general. Propaganda on the base was rampant, and the little understanding I thought I had of the “Middle East” went from religious extremist to that of a downright savage bent on world domination.

September 2005, my first journey out of the United States was to Fallujah, Iraq, which was at this time the hot zone of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Nervous as you can imagine, being only 18, the only comforts I had were the horror stories about this place I saw on television and tales I heard from others.

Contrary to my belief my first experience of the country was quite the opposite of anything horrifying. The city itself was a booming metropolis with a skyline, and commodities that rivaled my own town, but the people were the most beautiful

LANDARIS MILLER | CONTRIBUTOR

Landaris Miller(left) talk to a US Navy recruiter in S.C. and signs his papers.

thing around. In the country side of Al-Anbar province we often went to question and inquire with locals at to what the conflict situation was in their community. To my surprise, the citizens of Iraq were just as confused as to the motives of the 9/11 highjackers as we were. Through our interpreter, Q., a deeper understanding of the “Middle Eastern” culture became clear as they, just like us, do have different levels of religious interpretation and devoutness - but violent coercion is not an article of faith according to anyone I talked to.

Hospitality was at its utmost among the people of Iraq, as were hot tea and Habis or fresh baked bread being served to us at almost every doorstep, even when oftentimes we came with more serious intent. Out of my ignorance came a different picture of these savages I once heard of who lived under

a cactus in the desert, and a bigger picture developed as a whole. 9/11 thirteen years later, I think about the opportunities that arose out of that tragedy and the tragedies that keep us from opportunities. When we choose to be comfortable with what we know, that is a tragedy.

A tragedy that keeps us from benefitting from the talents and goodness of others at home and abroad. Every new person you meet is an opportunity to gain insight from a new vantage point, and when we choose to pass on those opportunities we pass on chances for growth.

It took the tragedy of 9/11 to change my beliefs of certain things. Let’s make this opportunity the motive for change, not tragedy.

Dedicated to all of the victims, service members, and everyone who was affected by 9/11.

lmille25@gru.edu

PAGE 6

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2014

ARTS & LIFE www.grubellringer.com

Community service event grows in size

By Stephanie McCray staff writer

STEPHANIE MCCRAY | STAFF

Mother and daughter volunteers organize and separate items in preparation for a yard sale at the CSRA Humane Society for the annual Day of Service.

The Day of Service, a Georgia Regents University event that involves volunteer work at various charities, nonprofit organizations and community outreach programs, kicked off its third year on Sept. 6.

“It is a way for us to partner with the community,” said Karyn Nixon, a government relations and community affairs specialist for Georgia Regents and this year’s Day of Service director. “The university does a lot of sponsorships ... but this is our way as volunteers to get out there.”

Since the event’s inauguration on May 21, 2011, students, faculty, staff and their families have joined together on Day of Service to give back to and positively impact the community.

This year, the event had

new additions and a substantial amount of volunteers, Nixon said. Over 20 different organizations and 450 volunteers were involved. Some of the organizations included The Family Y, Golden Harvest Food Bank, Ronald McDonald House of Augusta, Boys and Girls Club, CSRA Humane Society and Heritage Academy.

Activities ranged from organizing books at GoodBooks Bookstore and Cafe to walking dogs and playing with cats at the Aiken County Animal Shelter.

Volunteers also helped at the Georgia Regents University Literacy Center, according to the event page on the university’s website.

The Miracle League hosted a baseball game in which volunteers assisted disabled children and adults with playing the game. Nursing students from Georgia Regents’ Health Sci-

Artist speaks on animal cruelty in slaughterhouse

By Amy Thorne arts & life editor English-born sociopolitical artist Sue Coe recently brought images of animal slaughter to Georgia Regents University as part of a new art exhibit in conjunction with the Artist Talk series.

Coe said she wanted to give the audience firsthand documentation of animal abuse in the different slaughterhouses in which she has drawn.

Her mission, she said, was to promote animal rights, veganism and the abolition of animal product use and change how people view animals as food.

“Well, animals aren’t food,” Coe said. “I mean, animal agriculture is the No. 1 one cause of climate change. We need to move away from animal agriculture to plant-based agriculture, which can feed all the human beings.”

She said her reportage connects and establishes her as an artist, reporter and human.

“We need to stop (eating meat),” she said. “We need to stop it today. This can’t be a twenty-year plan. It’s got to be the next dinner you have, make it vegan. It’s reaching a point where kids your age, you’re in deep trouble, and it’s our fault.”

Lisalott Johnson, director of the Mary S. Byrd Gallery of Art, said the “Artist Activist” exhibition at the gallery demonstrates how artists can provoke change through their art.

Coe said she believes artists alone cannot resolve life’s contradictions, only reveal them. Ultimately, she said, the viewer decides what is to be considered art.

Johnson said Coe fit the Artist Talk series’

mission to bring culture to campus.

“I selected Coe because she (is) not only very good at what she’s doing as a world-renowned artist, but she also has honed in (on) her activism,” Johnson said. “She has a capacity of speaking about her activism, you know … in a strong way and in a clear way.”

Coe said she works with mass media as a means of reaching a variety of people and, in turn, having them reach her.

“It’s not just what I can tell people, it’s what they can tell me,” she said. “When you do figurative art you’re opening up a dialog. It’s not abstract art where you’re just showing people something.

It’s opening up a dialog where people can discuss these issues, and then I learn from that.”

Baillie Conway, sophomore art major and gallery assistant, said he attended the lecture.

“It was very eye-opening,” Conway said.

“I’m not a fan of the movies where they go into the slaughterhouses and show everything, but it was good to actually see it. It’s good to be confronted by it.”

He said the event demonstrated how people do not typically consider how companies treat the animals they sell for food. “(The lecture) was about raising awareness for the cruelty to animals that happens when you go to the market and go and buy meat and all that stuff because there’s always this history behind it,” Conway said. “You don’t see it, you just go to the store to buy a couple burgers.”

Overall, he said he doesn’t think he will be eating McDonald’s anytime soon. athorne@gru.edu

ences campus also joined the event by providing health assessments and screenings during the game, Nixon said.

“My expectations were for the community to see us as a part of (it),” said Kerry Cartledge, business manager for neurology and neurosurgery at Georgia Regents. “We want to get out there and let people know that we live here too and want to make it better.”

Dental students chose to volunteer there in memory of Connie Drisko, former dean of the College of Dental Medicine at Georgia Regents, said Cartledge.

Donna Bellino, communications manager for the College of Dental Medicine, said the Day of Service is a great event for the community to participate in, but that it shouldn’t be where the giving back starts and ends. smccray1@gru.edu

ASHLEY TRAWICK | STAFF

Local jazz musicians Joel Cruz and Karen Gordon perform live music during the “Jazz on the G” series at the Douglas Bernard Amphitheatre, Saturday.

Jazz musicians school students on old genre

By Ashley Trawick chief reporter “A lot of people have their own preconceived notion of what jazz is but I think this is going to be mind-expanding out of respect, because it covers so many different styles or influences within that one genre title.”

That’s what Drew Dawson, the station manager of the local affiliate for Georgia Public Broadcasting, WACG-FM 90.7, said about the music series “Jazz on the G,” which hosts a number of jazz concerts throughout the semester on the Summerville

campus at Georgia Regents University.

The six-part concert series will feature jazz music members of the local jazz community and more acts that include The JAMP Masters, The Tandem and Joel Cruz featuring Karen Gordon, according to the official university website.

Dawson said, along with Karen Gordon, the director of Garden City Jazz, Robert Foster, a professor for the Department of Music and a host of others, the idea was something he didn’t think had been done in see Jazz on PAGE 8

Minor seeks to help educate students on preserving history

By Jessica Sager copy editor

Georgia Regents University has teamed up with the Morris Museum of Art to create a new minor for art majors.

Michelle Schulte, curator of education at the Morris Museum, said the minor officially began in fall 2013 after almost two years of developing the curriculum.

The art department and Morris Museum have always had a good relationship and do many programs together, Schulte said.

“So, we thought there might be a need there to go ahead and educate the students with some course work, and from that we got the idea that maybe it would be a good minor,” Schulte said.

“It’s just an added layer of experience that you can tack on when

you graduate to help you get a job in the arts.”

According to Georgia Regents’ website, the minor requires 18 credit hours, which consist of two art history courses, Curatorship and Education, Business of Museums and two internships.

Alan MacTaggart, chair of the art department, said the minor is not open to non-art majors.

MacTaggart, who is also on the Morris Museum’s board of directors, said the minor gives students the opportunity to be able to “make an honest day’s wages” while still following their love of art.

MacTaggart said that people don’t always know where they’re going to live and what opportunities will turn up. For example, they might get married or need to take care of a family

member. He also said most large American cities have good art museums.

There are several functions a museum must serve, Schulte said.

“We have to collect, objects or ideas,” she said. “We have to conserve that collection and that means we have to store it, keep it safe and make sure that it lasts for eternity for future generations.”

Rohma Usman, a senior art major, signed up for the minor after doing an internship at the Morris Museum.

“I just needed some extra credit hours and the internship at the Morris Museum had very flexible hours,” she said. “It was literally just (an) arrangeit-around-your-schedule kind of class ... And I really, really enjoyed that, so I went and signed up for the minor.”

JESSICA SAGER | STAFF

Mindy Gales speaks to Alexandra Haag and other students now minoring in museum studies in the Morris Museum of Art activities room on Wednesday.

Alexandra Haag, a junior art major, said she is in the minor because she wanted to do something that could apply more directly to a career.

“I like that it’s a lot (of), like, applied knowledge directly to a career you could go into versus just being like abstract knowledge,” she said. “It’s very much like this is what you would be doing if you had this job.”

There are three or four students in the art minor, MacTag-

gart said.

“I’ve been an arts administrator for many, many years and it’s a question that comes up again and again and again when you get hard-headed parents, and they come around with their child and they say, ‘Well, what can they do with a degree in art?’” MacTaggart said. “And it’s nice to be able to point out there are all these other things they can do.” jschucke@gru.edu

PAGE 7

THE BELL RINGER

‘Guardians’ a light take on Marvel hero films

Fashion is my creed

By Neil Davenport columnist

I

am not a die-hard fan of Marvel. I’m a lover of film.

Unfortunately, I have a theory that too much of a good thing is unhealthy. I don’t wish for any such occurrence, but Marvel is someday going to produce a film woven within the “Avenger” web that is not going to reach my expectations.

Fortunately, I can say that so far my theory has proven false. Along with “Iron Man,” “Captain America 2,” and “The Avengers,” “Guardians of the Galaxy” is one of Marvel’s best films yet!

Now I’m a lover of film, so here’s a list of things I didn’t like: Information Overload: Marvel edited the film the way they did to establish the characters. However, amongst the first 15 minutes of introducing the first nine characters and their motives and their background, it was a bit much for a nonfanboy to handle.

Montage of Planets: This “Star Wars” copy is a bit of an information overload.

Post-Credit Scene: I believe I speak for most confused audience members when I say I’m a tad disappointed in the post-credit scene. Not only with Cosmo licking The Collector’s face, but when Howard the Duck appeared instead of an Avenger it kind of saddened me.

There is an “I” in team:

Rickey Jones

Columnist COURTESY OF MARVEL STUDIOS

When Nova Prime briefly told Peter he was only half human, which was the only logical reason for him to wield the Power Gem (instead of the team’s goodness overcoming the destructive nature of the stone), it basically said that being human is not enough to be a hero.

Now since I am a lover of film, here’s a list of things I enjoyed: Rocket’s Logic: Even though he is probably the rudest and greediest Guardian of them all, Rocket was the only one with common sense. For example, in the scene where Groot pulls Drax out of the pool of yellow brain fluid, Rocket lectures on two no-pity points: 1.) If you want to kill someone, it is stupid of you to risk the lives of others and 2.)

Stop complaining about your losses in life because everyone has lost something.

The Music and the Color Palette: The music was fantastic in setting the mood for a fun ride and the color palette was wonderfully filled. Too many superhero films recently have been dull and dark.

Drax, the un-metaphorical side of us all: I, as well as a number of people, suffer from not being able to say what I would like to say 100 percent of the time. Drax’s “literal” dialog

was, I feel, along the level of Groot, one of the strongest character traits for the comedic relief.

There is no “I” in team: In the final scene, when the team of misfit toys all hold the Power Gem and share the pain to destroy Ronan, it is at that moment the team truly becomes Guardians. By them banding together and absorbing the stone’s energy used for good, the essence of their selflessness is seen to be a greater source of power that can triumph over any evil.

As an overview, “Guardians” was a blast of fun! To me, it was the ultimate underdog story that was a complete spoof of how a superhero is to be portrayed. The film was like “The Avengers,” but turned on its head, proving that even a clan of disorderly cons whose only motivation is either greed or vengeance can join forces and defeat a recognizable evil greater than themselves.

Though the film was a bit predictable, “Guardians” was an exceptional story that featured not only depth and character growth, but also summarized the idea of there being goodness within even an outlaw, an assassin, a destroyer, a tree and a raccoon. cdavenp3@gru.edu

Stylishly staying on top

S

ince this is my second year of college, I feel obligated to outdo myself from last year.

To be frank, it really shouldn’t be too hard because last year I didn’t try. This year, I realize that I need to be not just socially successful. School, however, can be boring, so I have some tips to stylishly stay on top of my semester!

1.) Get a planner: I love a good planner! My planner helps me stay on top of everything that I do! I am the proud owner of a “Set The Stage” planner from Kate Spade! I got my planner from my fabulous friend Rachel (Instagram: @apreppystateofmind) who works at The White Crane gift shop in Augusta. I carry it everywhere, so that means I’m always prepared to pencil something in. The White Crane is off Monte Sano Avenue and within walking distance of campus. The amazing staff there are more than ready to help you with all your planner needs!

2.) Plan a study group: People say that study groups don’t work. I disagree! If everyone has a common goal and is focused on achieving that goal, study groups can be a great tool for success. How do you add style to a study group? Well, if you make it fun by serving hors d’oeuvres or even making it a snack potluck, you can help keep the group focused and alert. When you have great friends, great food and great stories, studying is much less taxing!

3.) Create a great relationship with your advisors and professors: Your relationship with your advisors and professors truly makes an impact on your post-college experiences. Sending an email to check up on them or writing a thank-you note after a meeting is a great way to show your appreciation.

I hope these tips help you stylishly stay on top of your semester.

Fashionably Yours, Rickey

ricjones@gru.edu

PAGE 8

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2014

Market brings tasty changes

By Haley Harris news editor

There is a new destination downtown for Augustans to stop at for a quick snack or a dine-in experience.

The Metro Market opened Aug. 19, in downtown Augusta on Broad Street and has already attracted a crowd within the first few weeks of business, said chef Ben Lucky.

In an interview with channel NBC 26 news, the owner Andy Jones said the idea for the Metro Market was inspired by a multitude of places. The market is a combination of items people find in a convenience store as well as prepared meals handmade to order.

“I got excited the moment I seen people working on the building,” said Jamie Trebler, a downtown home owner. “I’m always walking Broad Street, always stopping in my favorite cafes and restaurants at pretty much all times of the day, so it’s wonderful that there’s now this unique place that offers things no one else really does.”

Trebler has lived in Old Town at the end of Broad Street for more than five years and remembers passing the abandoned building numerous times.

“I mean it was a creepy looking place,” Trebler said. “I

RICHARD ADAMS | STAFF

Among the many items for sale at the Metro Market, there is a wide selection of wines and flavors of frozen yogurt.

Also available, from the kitchen, are made to order specialties featuring foods from other countries around the world.

remember noticing it particularly during Arts in the Heart every year and wondering what it was at one time and thinking that it would add so much to the area if someone renovated it and, bam, that’s what’s happened and it looks fantastic.”

Metro Market is open from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. every day, though hours may vary during weekends and events, according to the business’s Facebook page.

It sells snacks and appetizers, soups, salads, baked potatoes,

hotdogs, sandwiches, quesadillas, flatbreads, desserts and an assortment of beverages.

The Metro Market’s Facebook page also said customers can pick up something from the multiple refrigerators, such as pre-made sandwiches or fruit, or grab chips from the stands or order meals and wait to pick them up. The Market also offers deals and sales on multiple items, including their wine assortment.

“I went in for coffee the second day it opened,” said Tyler

The Loti Phi chapter of Alpha Mu Gamma hosted an evening of salsa dancing Aug. 28 in the JSAC Ballroom.

Georgia Regents University student Sarah Carter is a junior majoring in English.

She is also president of The Loti Phi chapter of Alpha Mu Gamma and a teacher trainee at The Ballroom Dance Center.

The objective for the event was to have a quick lesson, do some general dancing and clarify questions that students might have, she said.

“It’s just a night to have fun,” Carter said.

“We will just get people moving.”

Carter partnered with fellow dance instructor trainee Will Crews to give the students a lesson of basic moves.

Salsa is a dance where there is freedom, Crews said.

Crews and Carter gave the students an

opportunity to personalize the moves.

Shawna Underwood, a junior computer science major, said though she is not a member of Alpha Mu Gamma, her Spanish teacher offered extra credit to attend the event.

“I was very interested in learning salsa,” said Underwood. “(My husband and I) have three children, so it was a night out.”

Pedro Hoyos-Salcedo, an associate professor of Spanish and advisor of the Georgia Regents chapter of Alpha Mu Gamma, said the events it hosts are typically free to all Georgia Regents students.

“It’s good to have things like this that kind of show a different aspect of the culture that we live in,” said Kenneth Holley, a senior majoring in kinesiology. “I think it is cool.”

Kinesiology sophomore Jordan Mann said he was surprised to find out that Salsa originated in dance clubs.

“Salsa is the main

Jazz

CONTINUED from PAGE 6

recent years on this scale on campus.

“It was the opportunity to do something which seemed like it had a wide and unique appeal,” Dawson said. “And most importantly, we’re trying to do this in a way that involves people that have connections to the university, as far as the performers are concerned, and also because it offers an opportunity for us as a university community to invite our neighbors in the CSRA to

hharris9@gru.edu

Student soldier makes a mark

Salsa serves up a side of Spanish flare

By Shellie Smitley contributor

Bryans, a regular visitor to the downtown area. “It was pretty good. And then I had to see the patio cafe everyone kept talking about, so I had a Mac Daddy Hotdog. It was freaking good.

Then I had to get dessert and got a banana Nutella crepe and I got super angry with myself eating it, because I knew I would be here probably every week now.”

Apart from one-on-one cashier service, Metro Market also offers a new kind of ordering device, customer Amanda Brown

said. Brown lives in North Augusta but is willing to make the drive to the market to support it.

“I was able to place my order on the computer and then look around at the other snacks and beer they offer,” Brown said. “There are these signs above the computers that tell you how it goes. You can pick something like a Hawaiian flatbread from the menu and then you can edit and customize it by getting it without barbecue sauce or something. It’s really fast and really good and really perfect.”

The Metro Market offers indoor and outdoor seating, according to the Facebook page, and the tables outside are in the front of the store and are visible from the street. There are two entrances, one in the front and another one on the side facing the Augusta Commons.

“What I’ve been doing lately is bringing my dog,” Trebler said. “We will go on our morning walk on Riverwalk and then end it on Broad Street. I’ll tie her to one of the posts on the commons because, sadly, it isn’t pet friendly, and then I’ll go in and get a snack and drink. I really do think it’ll last because I know so many people that have wished for a safe, easy store to show up on Broad.”

By Stephanie McCray staff writer

AMY THORNE| STAFF

Mikki Soler and Georgia Latremouille learn the salsa.

rhythm of the Caribbean zone,” HoyosSalcedo said. “Because of salsa’s popularity, Hispanic culture has spread all over the world.”

Hoyos-Salcedo said that attending events like Salsa Night is a good way to network.

Georgia Latremouille, an undeclared freshman, said she had fun but also was able to meet a lot of new people during the event.

According to the Ballroom Dance Center’s website, dance instruction is offered through certified instructors for both the social and the competitive dancer. Located in

come to the campus and to join in (with us during) the campus event.”

Gordon said she thought it was time to do a jazz event on campus because it would have a community outreach component. But when it came to actually planning it, she initially wanted to wait until next year to host the event.

“I was completely prepared to start this in 2015 (or) 2016, and then Drew just said, ‘Oh no, we can do this now,’” she said.

“He said this is not hard. This is very possible for us to do. …

All the people who were capable of saying yes (during the first

Evans, the center has been in operation since 1992.

Carter said she hopes to be certified to teach in September.

“It has been a long process, but that is the end goal,” Carter said.

“I will be taking my professional certification in two weeks.”

Alpha Mu Gamma is the first foreign language honor society established in the United States, according to an organization’s pamphlet. Membership is open to students who have achieved a grade of A in college language courses in one foreign language. sbarb@gru.edu

meeting) were in the room and so we said ‘yes’ and that’s how it started.”

Jazz is not as widespread as it could be because it isn’t as readily available like more popular music, Dawson said.

He thinks more students and community members should attend the events because what people do not realize is bits and pieces of other genres, like rock and roll and R&B, are founded from jazz.

Foster said the D. Douglas Bernard, Jr. Amphitheatre is a great place to have the series because it’s underutilized. atrawick@gru.edu

Revellee McNeill is a senior at Georgia Regents University, where she is majoring in political science with a concentration in public administration.

Before enrolling at Georgia Regents, McNeill served as an Arabic linguist with the Navy for six years. She is currently in the Navy Reserve and said she believes the Navy helped cultivate her passion for politics and political science.

“I joined when I was 17, right out of high school,” she said. “I’m glad I did it in that order, because I definitely was not ready for college. I grew up so much and figured out who I am and what things interest me.

Now, I’m not messing around.”

During her collegiate career at Georgia Regents, McNeill has maintained an active role in the

political science department, said Craig Albert, an assistant professor of political science.

McNeill is currently the president of the Political Science Club.

Some of her responsibilities include different philanthropy ideas, putting together different academic events on campus that center around political science and politics and the production of the political science newsletter she is working to bring back this year.

On top of everything, Albert said, she is also a wife and mother with one son and a daughter on the way.

She is currently working on organizing two forums and a community panel sponsored by the political science department, said Sudha Ratan, department chair for the political science department. smccray1@gru.edu

Lets go out Sept. 11

Angie Aparo, Levi Lowery and Will McCranie perform at Sky City at 8p.m.

Sept. 12

Sept. 17 GRU Idol located at the Maxwell Theater at 7p.m.

Sept. 18

Moonlight Music Cruise on the Augusta Canal at 6:30 p.m. at the Augusta Canal Interpretive Center

Pokemon X & Y Tournament located in Washington Hall at 4 p.m.

Sept. 12

Sept. 19-21

Partridge Inn hosts Classic Jazz Night with Vince Notin at 9 p.m. at the Partridge Inn

Arts in the Heart Festival located at the Augusta Commons (All day event)

Sept. 13

Sept. 20

Kiss Family Reunion located at the Evans Town Center Park at 2 p.m.

Rosewood Club Day for Kids located at the Boys and Girls Club site at 8 a.m.

THE BELL RINGER

PAGE 9

comics

All that Jazz

Down:(1 down) Fitzgerald, (2 down) Joplin, (3 down) Eldridge, (4 down) Hymns, (6 down) New Orleans, (8 down) Brown, (10 down) Bottom, (11 down) Vote, (13 down) Armstrong, (14 down) Jazzbo, (17 down) Ragtime. Across: (4 across) Hip, (5 across) Depression, (7 across) Clarence, (9 across) Lou, (12 across) Manouche, (15 across) Vanguard, (16 across) Fornicate, (18 across) Society.

Down 1. F. Scott __________’s book the “Great Gatsby” is based on the

Jazz Age.

Across

2. Scott ______ is considered the King of Ragtime Jazz.

5. The Jazz Age is the period between the end of World War I and the Great __________.

4. The words “cool” and “___” were originally Jazz terms.

3. The first black musician in a white big band was Roy ________.

7. ________ Williams was the first songwriter to use the word Jazz in a song.

4. The foundation of Jazz is “the blues” which evolved from _____ and work songs.

9. The first jazz player to play with a full orchestra was Mary ___ Williams.

6. Jazz music was born around 1895 in ___ _______.

8. The “Six _____ Brothers” were the first Saxophone recording stars.

10. Jazz dances include the Charleston, Black ______, Tango, Shimmies and the Trot.

11. Women at this period finally had the right to ____.

13. Louis _________ is known as the Ambassador of Jazz.

14. A ______ was a lover of the ladies while a jazz baby was an

easy woman.

17. Jazz music is a combination of _______, marching band music and blues.

12. Gypsy Jazz is known as “Jazz ________” in France.

15. The oldest remaining jazz club is “The Village ________” in New York City, which opened in 1935.

16. In its earlier days, “to jazz” meant to _________.

18. The first fully integrated jazz venue was called “Cafe _______.”

Volume 57, Issue 1 Crossword Answers Across: 3 - Netflix, 5- Cosby, 7- Athletic, 9 - Academy, 10- Nine, 11- Immy, 14 - Kelsey, 15 - Wings, 16 -Washington

Down: 1- Lead, 2- Nominations, 4- Frasier, 6- Hector, 8- Hairstyling 12- McManus, 13- Alda, 16- West

COURTSEY OF DAQUAN MIDDLETON

PAGE 10

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2014

sports www.grubellringer.com

The Rookie Report Anthony Garcia sports editor

ANTHONY GARCIA | STAFF

Ethan Case about to flip Pulse Champion Ken Lee while Seth Delay struggles during the first match of Redemption.

Taking on the fight

Flatline fights The W Rapture and loses

By Anthony Garcia sports editor The Rapture took over the wrestling scene in Grovetown, Ga., when Flatline Pro Wrestling held its monthly show Saturday.

The September show, Redemption, featured another attempt at taking Pulse champion Ken Lee’s belt, this time by wrestler Seth Delay, while the United States and Canada faced off with Oz Knight, taking on Wade Adams and Mike Gulino in a handicap match. The evening led up to the final event, a War Games match in a 15-foot steel cage between Team Flatline and The Rapture.

James Kitchens, executive assistant for Flatline, said The Rapture, a group of four masked wrestlers, has been interrupting and attacking matches over the last few months. This show, he said, would be the end-all to determine who will ultimately run the Flatline scene.

“This is sort of the boiling point of this rivalry that’s been going back and forth the last couple of months,” Kitchens said.

According to the storyline developed by Flatline, The Rapture consists of rogue wrestlers, including: Anthony Henry, Damon Rashad, Scott Mason, and Kitchens himself, performing as David Yale.

The purpose of the team,

ANTHONY GARCIA | STAFF

Knight runs the gauntlet after winning his match against Adams and Gulino.

Henry said, was to wipe away the former show-runners of Flatline, and create a new atmosphere for the Grovetown wrestling community. Team Flatline, led by Flatline champion Da Fireman, consisted of Brandon Parker, Jacoby Boykins and Shane Hexxon.

Outside the main event, singles matches were held between David Coleman and J.C. Walker, along with C.B. Suave and Billy Brash. Suave defeated Brash, while Walker put Coleman in a headlock to win the match.

Coleman said that despite the loss, he has his own trusted ritual in preparing for a match.

“It’s more of a mind set for me,” Coleman said. “I like to find a quiet place and just focus myself.”

Meanwhile, Knight said he would win for America in his handicap match against Canadian Wade Adams, and Pulse

Champion Ken Lee held on to his championship belt after taking on Delay.

Next month’s show on Oct. 4 will have a special purpose beyond entertainment, Kitchens said. Flatline has partnered with the Lydia Project for a special charity event where 100 percent of the proceeds from that show is going to go to the cancer foundation.

Daniel Mayne co-owns Flatline, and said that this partnership was an opportune time to support the cancer foundation.

“We thought that this would be a good opportunity to give back to the community.” Mayne said. “We’re just continuing with the strong stride that we’ve been doing, maintaining consistency being a big part and ensuring that the product never plateaus.” agarci11@gru.edu

ith this year’s Ultimate Fighting Championship fights a quarter of the way from ending, I figured it’d be best to shed light on the sport of the fight.

In my first column for the Rookie Report this semester, I mentioned how one of the first sports was “the fight.” Compared to other sports around the world, fighting is a universal pastime carried on since the dawn of humanity. Compared to sports with physical objects and stat-tracking, mixed martial arts require only your body and your mental attention. And with that, the abilities and flexibilities of fighters in the cage have and continue to evolve with the sport, causing years of regulations and mannerisms to follow with the UFC over the decades since its inception in 1993. The core essence, however, has never changed: You fight, and you either win or lose.

Compared to sports where you grow up with them or carry them through tradition, there’s no explaining the act of physical combat. It’s almost like an instinct, just like what my father told me when I was a kid getting my butt kicked in the playground: If they hit you, you hit them back.

I didn’t grow up taking karate lessons, and I’ve been in only a handful of fights.

In most cases, I didn’t have many opportunities or the eagerness to want to fight.

It’s just not me; I don’t think of myself as an aggressive person. Growing up, I would often try my best to avoid fights.

That said, I’ve always been fascinated by the fight.

Next to automotive racing, it’s the one sport that’s easiest to pick up on. Ever since I took on lifting weights routinely last summer, I’ve had more of an energetic and enthusiastic drive for fighting.

My best days working out came from the mixed martial arts routines I followed.

The pastime that is fighting goes as back as far as Ancient Greece, but modern mixed martial arts didn’t grow into what it is today until a few fights in with the UFC. During its first fights, UFC competitions mixed different fighting disciplines with their respective athletes.

Over time, fighters from around the world fought with their own techniques, and over time, combat styles blended together with other styles to make it what it is today.

The culture of mixed martial arts isn’t far from home, either. Augusta has its own share of boxing and martial arts studios for people to join and partake in, young and old. Seigler’s Karate Center and Greubel’s MMA have decades’ worth of history in the area, while ATA Martial Arts and North Augusta Martial Arts got their starts just a few years ago. The opportunities are out there for those in the CSRA. I am interested in studying martial arts at some point. I may not qualify to the standards of the UFC, but much like when I release stress and energy through driving, there’s a kind of glory in overpowering your opponent, a glory that I’m both thankful and regretful I missed out on growing up.

Maybe I should’ve thrown those one or two punches back in sixth grade.

Yeah - one punch to the face and I would’ve dropped dead, I imagine. But at least I would’ve lived and learned in some way or another.

Look for our cover story on Greubel’s MMA facility in our next issue of the Bell Ringer, hitting stands Sept.

23.

agarci11@gru.edu

Cross Country preps for Peach Belt run

By Richard Adams editor-in-chief Audiences this fall have not one but two opportunities to see the GRU Augusta 2013 Peach Belt Conference Championship cross-country team in action this fall.

Head Coach Adam Ward said the lending of Barton Field at Fort Gordon for two races this year is a chance to show off the No. 1-ranked team at “a very spectator-friendly venue.”

“It’s nice to be able to host two meets in the same season, conference and pre-conference, our home meet and conference,” Ward said. “It does give folks, instead of just one chance, gives them two shots to see us compete.”

He said the first local race will be the Jaguar XC Invitational at Barton Field at 8:10 a.m. to be held Sept. 20.

Because the course for the Jaguar Invitational will be a lev-

el race, as compared to the hills and hard climbs of other crosscountry courses, Ward said he expects more conference-level teams to come out to participate.

“Not everybody, but a good number, of PBC teams will be coming,” Ward said. “I know of maybe two that won’t be coming.”

The allure of a flat running surface, Assistant Coach Pardon Ndhlovu said, is that it contributes to “a faster kind of race.”

The next race will be a major one, said Clint Bryant, Georgia Regents University director of athletics. Set for Nov. 8 at 9 a.m., the Peach Belt Conference Championships will draw in a considerable crowd.

“Unlike big-time Division I schools where you might have national presence, I mean you can be a Georgia fan and live in Seattle, or an Oklahoma fan and live in Florida, or a Syracuse fan and live in Southern California, you know, they have national

RICHARD ADAMS | STAFF

Team represents championship title.

kind of branding and exposures, a lot of us at Division II institutions… we have a local or regional imprint,” Bryant said.

“We’re just very pleased that we were chosen to be the place to be a national model.”

He said this is just a part of a much bigger national effort encouraging participation between Division II schools and local military bases. “(It is) part of our Jaguar

Military Alliance with Fort Gordon,” Bryant said. “This is due to the fact that Georgia Regents University and Fort Gordon have been chosen by the NCAA as part of a Division II military pilot program.”

The base will be working out arrangements for visitors with the Peach Belt Conference and Bryant said he doesn’t expect people will have any trouble getting on and off the base.

“They have an exceptional place out there, great facilities and it’s going to get a lot of exposure and people from all over the country are going to come and (we’re) just going to see how that goes,” Bryant said.

Synching together the twin opportunities of hosting a conference championship and getting to host it at Barton Field, Bryant said, was an instance where “the stars were just aligned.”

In the end, Ward said it is a great opportunity to initiate

people to the world of crosscountry, a sport many people don’t immediately notice.

“Being at a cross-country event, a cross-country meet is so different in terms of just the way fans interact with the athletes and how the fans almost participate in the event,” Ward said. “Fans can get so close to the athletes that your emotion and feeling comes out in a very raw and real sense. As a coach, I’ve felt this myself many times, you feel like you’re just as much a part of what’s going on as anything else.”

Another possible draw to the race is the fact that a community run is taking place on the same day.

“Not only will the Peach Belt Conference tournament be out there, it will be a run for the community as well because Fort Gordon will be having a 5K race out there the same day,” Bryant said. radams99@gru.edu

THE BELL RINGER

PAGE 11

Rugby looks to build players

By Anthony Garcia & Jean-Paul Cassagnol sports editor contributor

The Augusta Rugby Club Maddogs would like to share their rugby spirit with Georgia Regents University.

The Maddogs are enthusiastic about the opportunity to grow this sport and would love to help develop a collegiate program on campus, said Eric Rogers, social chair for the Maddogs.

“In general, here in the States, the basic way for someone to understand it is that it’s a cross between football and soccer,” said Rogers, pointing out the link between rugby and other sports. “Actually, football was developed out of rugby to slow the game down and make it easier for the fan to follow.”

Rogers said the history behind rugby comes from a bizarre confrontation with a soccer player in 19th century Europe.

“It all got started in 1823 when a guy over in England was playing soccer and got frustrated, so he picked up the ball with his hand and started running with it,” he said. “People got frustrated, so they started to tackle him, and so him and a few of his friends thought it was fun, so they developed a game out of it and it started to take off.”

When it comes to the rugby community around the Augusta area, Rogers said there aren’t many opportunities for those who play or are interested in transitioning to the professional level.

“We used to have a high school program around here,” said Rogers. “Now we’ve lost so much interest with a few of the younger kids, because they don’t have college opportunities post-high school to play anymore unless they come to a men’s league. It is really a rough transition for a boy to be thrown into a

game of men.”

Being such a physically demanding sport, it is hard to go straight to the professional level of competition from high school. Rogers said that a campus like Georgia Regents would be an ideal place to transition for someone interested in starting a rugby career or building on skills they had begun to acquire from high school.

“It doesn’t matter if someone wants to play, or if they just want to just come and hang out and help us work out,” Rogers said. “We’re not going to haze you.

We’re not going to make you earn a right of passage. If you want to be around us, we want you to be around us.”

The Maddogs are committed to the highest standards of sportsmanship, teamwork and comradery, as are their female counterparts, the Augusta Furies, he said. The Furies and Maddogs participate in many projects together, including helping keep clean Larry Bray Memorial Pitch, also known as “the Pitch.” Genevieve Coe, a senior chemistry major, appreciates, most of all, the team aspect both the Furies and Maddogs share.

“On a team, you have people here to back you up, and you work here together and it’s for a goal: To win, but also to play the game,” Coe said. “I also like the discipline that it gives you. It’s a lot of hard work, but it really pays off in the end.”

Rogers said being a part of this team sport will help players grow physically, mentally and socially. Practices are usually held twice a week at the Pitch, located on Wood Street in Augusta, and home matches are free to spectators who come out to support the team.

Ruby Munoz has been president of the Furies for more than two years and said that her experience with the sport has been one of discovery.

JEAN-PAUL CASSAGNOL | CONTRIBUTOR

Both the Maddogs and Furies rugby club teams play in Larry Bray Memorial Pitch field Aug. 27.

“Can you get hit over and over again and get back up? That metaphor for life is what you see out here,” Munoz said.

“It is pretty much like trying to learn a foreign language and being in a boxing match at the same time. You’re learning

Volleyball team preps for upcoming season

By Jordan Williams staff writer The Peach Belt Conference preseason poll has the GRU Augusta volleyball team predicted to finish last in the league, but the Jaguars aren’t buying it.

After a disappointing 8-25 (2-16 PBC) season in 2013, the Jaguars have returned seven starters. The young team will lean heavy on its two senior outside hitters, Maggie Darling and preseason All-Conference player Kristen Koch, for help in returning to the conference tournament after missing the cut for the first time in five years last season.

In 2013, Koch topped the PBC in kills (406), finished third in assists (24) and fifth in blocks (30). Darling led the squad in aces with 24 and had a team best 427 digs the previous year, according to team statistics.

Head Coach Sharon Quarles said she and her players haven’t dwelt on last year’s shortcomings but still remember the key lessons learned.

“When you’re going through those tough times you learn a lot about yourself and you learn a lot about each other, but at the end of the day when the last few matches were being played (my players) were still battling,” Quarles said. “We just had some holes we needed to fill with this year’s squad, (and) the recruiting actually helped that.”

One of the weak spots Quarles said she addressed was stabilizing the setter position.

JORDAN WILLIAMS | STAFF

Alyssa Latham, server, preparing to receive the ball during practice Aug. 27.

As a part of the 2014 recruiting class, the team signed freshman Sadie Thurston, from Ponte Verde, Fla., and junior transfer Alyssa Latham, from the State College of Florida, to tag along with sophomore setter McKenna Heath.

“The setter is like the quarterback of the team,” Quarles said. “They set the tempo of the offense. They control the pace and speed of the game and, basically, they’re the floor leaders.”

To fill out the team, the Jaguars brought in five new players, and Quarles said all of them have shown promise.

“We had a very good recruiting class,” she said. “Any one of those kids can definitely step in and fit the bill. The good thing is they’re all stepping up and everyday they’re battling, so it should be interesting to see who is in the starting lineup come next week.”

The Jaguars are not only competing hard in practice for playing time but are also de-

Paralympic CONTINUED from PAGE 12

hemorrhaging money to stay on the national team ... You can’t hold a job when you’re training eight hours a day. That is your job.”

Lamback said he is currently a lifeguard for the county. He also works at

veloping team chemistry, Koch said.

“We’re working really well together,” she said. “We’re starting to build trust, (learn) how each other plays and when somebody gets down, what to do to build them back up.”

Koch said she feels pressure to perform at a high level after being selected as a part of the preseason All-Conference team.

However, the outside hitter said she plays best under pressure.

Before running off to go warm up with front court partner Koch, Darling said the Jaguars have made big improvements in their game over the offseason, and that the Peach Belt is underestimating them.

The Jaguars took two tournament wins at the Queens Invitational in Charlotte, N.C., Sept.

5 to 6. According to the GRU Athletics website, the team won against both the Catawba College Indians, 3-1, and the Queens University Royals, 3-0.

Advance Auto Parts and attends classes part-time at Georgia Regents, but said he will always live with both the injuries and the memories from his past.

“I’ve been around the world twice, talked to everybody once,” he said. “My entire life is on Google. It’s unreal.”

Lamback said there are positives to competing on an international level.

“The people you get to meet is cool,” he said. “I’ve met everybody from Presi-

jwill143@gru.edu

something foreign, and you’re getting hit. The sooner they can get that up and running, the better. If they’re winning, we’re winning; if we’re winning, they’re winning and vice versa.” agarci11@gru.edu

Tourney CONTINUED from PAGE 12

training a lot and playing a lot more tournaments.”

Mary-Frances Pidgeon, Mary-Jo Pidgeon’s mother, said her daughter was homeschooled until this fall.

Mary-Jo Pidgeon is a freshman in high school now, and the first few weeks of school have already taken a toll on her tennis training, said both mother and daughter.

“Over the summer, I trained five hours a day, five days a week,” Mary-Jo Pidgeon said.

“But now I started school, so I only train two hours every day.”

Though Mary-Jo Pidgeon’s time on the court has decreased, her mother said she is really enjoying high school so far. MaryFrances Pidgeon said if her daughter starts missing her extra tennis training, she could still go back to homeschooling.

“For our family, even though she’s a fantastic athlete, academics is still first,” she said.

“We have promoted that through all of this. We told her, if you don’t keep straight A’s, then the sport is the first thing to go.”

Her daughter, she said, is very self-driven in everything she does, from academics to sports.

“We’re very proud of her,” Mary-Frances Pidgeon said.

“It’s an accomplishment she did all by herself. We’re proud of her drive, and we hope she keeps it up in whatever she does in the future.”

Alan Smith, father of Kelsey Smith, a 12-year-old who played in the 14-year-olds division this weekend, said his daughter started playing tennis at the age of four.

dent Bush, to Obama, to Michael Phelps and Shawn Johnson. I’ve seen the world.

I’ve done what most athletes want to do.”

Joseph Ham, a senior creative writing major, said he first met Lamback while taking a humanities class with him during the spring semester.

“I’ve seen his medal, and he was just really stoked about it, and he likes to brag about it a lot,” Ham said. “I think his accomplishments weigh heavy on him,

Alan Smith grew up playing tennis through college, and now he has that same goal for his daughter. Smith said he trained her until she was 10, but then he decided it was better to focus on their father-daughter relationship.

“So, now I still coach her, but I’m not a full-time coach,” Smith said. “I let him do all the discipline and do all the dirty work, and I just stay positive and reinforce what he’s telling her.”

Smith said he has high hopes for his daughter, however.

Even though she is 12, he plans to only play her in the 18-yearolds division from now on.

“She’s got the game of a professional, but a mind of a 12-year-old,” Smith said.

Hatfield said these are only two out of the 260 people that played in GeorgiaLina this weekend.

“The difference between No. 1000 and No. 1 in the world is how well they stay focused,” Hatfield said. “Most all of them have the skills, but the difference may be how well they stay focused and how much they’re willing to train.” jbarry3@gru.edu

JORDAN BARRY | STAFF

Mary-Jo Pidgeaon hitting the ball back during the 16s youth division.

and he’s very, like, down to earth. He’s a hard-working guy.”

Lamback said if he could encourage those interested in competing, he would tell them to make sure they do it for the right reasons.

“I had my five minutes of the sun,” Lamback said. “Everybody can have it.

It’s there for everybody. You just have to find what you excel at.” hharris9@gru.edu

PAGE 12

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2014

sports www.grubellringer.com

ANTHONY GARCIA | STAFF

Female lifter Kimberly Inglett smiles for judges after completing her first snatch, lifting 43 kg, for the Augusta Barbell Club’s non-USAW meet where more than 23 lifters competed in a mock trial.

Barbell Club weighs in

By Anthony Garcia sports editor The Augusta Barbell Club held its first mock weightlifting meet Saturday at CrossFit 4 Everyone.

Stuart Prather is the president of the Augusta Barbell Club, and said the two-monthold club is the first of its kind for the Augusta area: A weightlifting club affiliated with USA Weightlifting. The non-USAWsanctioned meet gave athletes from around the CSRA an opportunity at competitive weightlifting at CrossFit 4 Everyone, a local Martinez gym.

The origins for the club came from the lack of a lifting group around the area, Prather said, giving him and his coorganizers, including CrossFit coach Jordan Collier and club rep Jerry Morrow, a chance to introduce it to the area.

“We’re all friends, and we just wanted to get together and start lifting, really is how it started,” Prather said. “We’ve been meeting for the past three or four months, once a month, and we try and coach people, if they want coaching, or just give them a place where they can hang out and lift. Really, our main goal is to promote weightlifting in Au-

gusta. The CSRA has never had a barbell club or any sort of really true Olympic weightlifting gym.”

Morrow said the meeting was a preview of how USAWsanctioned lifts are operated.

“You’ll have three judges, and they’ll light you if you do good or bad,” Morrow said.

“If you make the list, you get a white light; if you miss the list, you get a red light, and the three judges have to agree. You basically only get three attempts to make your heaviest match, and three attempts to make your heaviest clean and jerks.”

Attendance for the mock

meet was strong, Collier said, with more than 23 lifters competing. Tony Rivera, a 77 kg lifter, posted highest overall.

“He was lifting against guys that were 60 pounds heavier,” Collier said. “I’ve seen him lift before, and I’ve coached him some.”

For the female lifters, Collier said that Megan Battle and Rivera’s sister, Christina Rivera, performed the best in lifting. “(Megan’s) actually pregnant, but she’s so early on that I don’t think it really matters that she lifts weights,” he said.

“She’s probably the best female lifter in the area. (Rivera)

jumped in at the last second, no preparation, and I think she did really good.”

Looking into the future, Prather said he hopes to grow the Augusta Barbell Club with more coaches and lifters.

“We want to host some big events and hold some official meets, and in between that, we want to coach some people and have some really good lifters in the CSRA, because Augusta is such a big city,” Prather said.

“There are smaller cities that are doing this that have really successful lifters. There’s no reason that we shouldn’t.” agarci11@gru.edu

Paralympic athlete swims for success

By Haley Harris news editor

JORDAN BARRY | STAFF

Mary-Jo Pidgeon, 14, retrieving the ball during the 16s youth division play.

GeorgiaLina tennis tourney serves juniors

By Jordan Barry production manager The Southern heat did not melt the spirits of young tennis players from all over Georgia and South Carolina this weekend.

The Newman Tennis Center hosted GeorgiaLina, a United States Tennis Association youth tennis tournament, on Saturday and Sunday. Dick Hatfield, the director of the center, said they have been hosting the tournament for all 25 years that he has worked there.

“Back in its early days, it was the tournament here in the Southeast,” he said. “It was one of those you made sure you

played. College teams from all over would come and play in their divisions.”

The tournament used to include college and junior age divisions, Hatfield said. Now GeorgiaLina is only for junior divisions, or 18 and under.

Mary-Jo Pidgeon, a 14-year-old who played in the 16-year-olds’ division this weekend, said she is No. 5 in the state, No. 31 in the South and No. 218 in the US. “I was seven when I started and it was just for PE at first, just to get out of the house more,” she said. “I found out I really loved it, and I started see TOURNEY on PAGE 11

Competitive sports pose their difficulties for any athlete, but for this 28-year-old Paralympic medalist and college student, training and living with a disability was just a part of life.

Lantz Lamback, an undeclared student who has been attending Georgia Regents University on and off since 2006, said he was born with cerebral palsy, but never let it keep him from doing what he enjoyed.

He went on to become a professional competitive swimmer, competing internationally three times at the Paralympic level. “(Cerebral palsy is) technically a stroke,” Lamback said.

“A blood vessel in your brain bursts and damages a sector of the brain and affects certain parts depending on the hemisphere. That’s life, man, and you deal with it.”

Lamback said he has always enjoyed water activities, and it was in 2001 when he went to a disabled swim meet. When the idea of Paralympic competition came about, he said it just kind of happened.

“It just kind of snowballed from there,” Lamback said.

“You went from that small meet to a junior nationals, to a nationals meet, to a world team selection, right into Paralympic trials in 2004.”

He won two medals in Athens in 2004, four medals in Beijing in 2008 and then two medals in London in 2012, he said.

“I went to Athens, won two medals, and then, you know, said, alright I’ll hang out and go another four years,” Lamback said. “In late 2006, I tore a muscle in (my) shoulder and went out to Colorado Springs for rehab for 11 months, and went to Beijing, won four medals. Then I had a bit of a breakdown after that and hit a snag in my life and laid low for a while, got to talking about making a comeback for London and won two more medals there.”

Jamie McLaughlin of Augusta said she recalls his appearance at the London Olympics while watching it live.

“I’ve always been a fan of the Special Olympics and Paralympics,” McLaughlin said.

“Lantz was for America, so, of course, I paid more attention to that team, and when I seen him excel with that kind of condition, I was seriously moved and impressed.”

After the 2012 Summer

LANTZ LAMBACK | CONTRIBUTOR

Swimming has taken athlete Lantz Lamback to many different places.

Paralympics in London, Lamback signed his inactive papers and said he was ready for something else.

“I just kind of, you know, had had enough,” he said. “I was done. For a long time, you can’t hold a job. You can’t have a steady relationship. You belong to the government. People always think just because you go to the Olympics and you win these medals, you’ve got all this money, and it’s not like that.

The money you win goes into paying bills because three out of the four years you’re steadily see LAMBACK on PAGE 11