The Red and Black

Insult leads to arrest of three: Fraternity taunt enrages (w/police report)

JACOB DEMMITT — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 04:35:28 +0000

From the A-O-Perfects to the Down Town Daddies, members of the greek community aren\u2019t strangers to nicknames. Although these puns are generally harmless, one such nickname landed two University students in jail early Saturday morning.

University students William Corey Wilkinson and Blake Roger Tillis were arrested and charged with fighting in public, underage possession of alcohol and possession of fake IDs near the journalism building at 3:08 a.m. on Feb. 6. Michael Joseph Stanhope, a visitor from another university, was also arrested and charged with underage possession of alcohol.

The fight leading to the arrests began when Wilkinson called Tillis and his friends, who he believed were members of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, \u201cPi Kappa Assholes,\u201d according to the University Police report.

However, this insult may have been misdirected.

Police Incident Report

From UGA Police

\u201cMr. Tillis is not a member of our chapter and has never been a member of our chapter,\u201d said Colin Fogarty, the president of Pi Kappa Alpha.

When asked if he identified himself to Wilkinson as a member of the fraternity, Tillis said, \u201cI might have. I\u2019m not sure.\u201d

Whether or not the insult was relevant, it eventually lead to an altercation.

\u201cI was walking home and a couple of us started fooling around with them,\u201d Wilkinson said. \u201cThen Mr. Tillis took it the wrong way and got in my face. We didn\u2019t really fight, it was more of a wrestling match. No punches were thrown at all.\u201d

According to the report, police approached the scene after hearing \u201cloud yelling and what sounded like a fight.\u201d When the officer arrived, Tillis and Wilkinson were fighting on the ground while Stanhope stood over them. They were told to stop, however both failed to comply with the officer\u2019s command. When Wilkinson attempted to gouge Tillis\u2019s eyes, the officer used pepper spray to break them up.

\u201cI never heard them say stop,\u201d Wilkinson said. \u201cAll I know is I looked up and got maced right in the face. I was done from there. I just laid on the ground.\u201d

However, police tell another story.

According to the report, after receiving his first dose of pepper spray, Wilkinson continued taunting Tillis and was subsequently sprayed again. When he still continued to fight, the arresting officer attempted to physically pull him back. Wilkinson then grabbed the officer\u2019s legs and began to fight him.

\u201cI would never fight a police officer,\u201d Wilkinson said. \u201cIt was three on one so I was expecting to get jumped by more people. Then I felt someone on my back, and I didn\u2019t know who it was.\u201d

When asked about the discrepancies in the two stories, Wilkinson said, \u201cIt\u2019s their word against mine. We\u2019ll find out in court.\u201d

Police eventually gained control of the situation and attempted to question Stanhope, who had watched the entire altercation. After making eye contact with an officer, Stanhope began to back away and attempted to flee the scene, running toward Baldwin Street. Stanhope was apprehended a short time later.

\u201cI wasn\u2019t a part of the fight,\u201d Stanhope said. \u201cI just came up later when the police arrived. I started backing up because I just didn\u2019t know what to do.\u201d

When the offenders were released the next morning, their interactions were much more civil.

\u201c[Tillis] gave me a ride home when I got bailed out,\u201d Wilkinson said, \u201cand I told him I was sorry. He didn\u2019t really recall what had happened. We exchanged numbers. I\u2019m sure we\u2019ll hang out sometime. The whole thing was just a big misunderstanding.\u201d

The right start for children

ALISON LOUGHMAN — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 04:08:45 +0000

At Right Start Academy,\xa0 University students have turned into teachers.

At the academy, an educational daycare program, University students help teach the children of people attending the Classic City Performance Learning Center to finish high school or get their GED.\xa0

Tiffany Smith, a University student from Bainbridge, and Michele Little, a University student from Suwanee, work at Right Start for class credit.

Smith said she was hesitant about teaching at Right Start at first but quickly appreciated what the program was trying to accomplish.

About 24 kids are on the list for enrollment at Right Start, but the number of children in a class on a given day varies.

Janie Voss, the lead teacher at Right Start, began teaching at the academy three years ago when she transferred from teaching Pre-K at Gaines Elementary School.\xa0

The children at Right Start range in age from 4 months to 4 years. Though the age range in the classroom seems daunting, she believes it has turned out to be one of the advantages of the program.

\u201cAt first we were like, \u2018Oh my goodness,\u2019 but we\u2019ve really learned to love it,\u201d said Voss. \u201cMy parapro does more babies, and I do the older ones. It\u2019s like that\u2019s your bag, and this is mine, and that works really well.\u201d

Smith said the age range could even be beneficial.

\u201cIt seems like the younger ones can learn from the older ones,\u201d Smith said.

\xa0And the children aren\u2019t just there to play.\xa0

Parents consistently give positive feedback, and Voss sees this as directly related to the academy\u2019s emphasis on learning.

\u201cTheir favorite things are that we\u2019re based as an educational setting,\u201d Voss said. \u201cWith the \u20181-2-3 Read\u2019 program that we do, our own standards, and the Georgia Early Learning Standards, they realize that the kids aren\u2019t here to just hang out.\u201d

All of the kids at Right Start are eligible for free or reduced lunch, which they receive from a nearby school.\xa0

The food includes such items as sandwiches, nachos and chicken wings, which the teachers have to cut up to make easier for the children.\xa0

Students at Classic City have to provide their own lunches by packing their own, going off-campus or purchasing something from the in-house Jittery Joe\u2019s. Students run the coffee shop for credit in a class on entrepreneurship.

Smith and Little mentioned the importance of the in-class \u201cfoster grandparents,\u201d mostly retirees who receive a stipend for helping out in the classroom through the Georgia Council on Aging.\xa0

Maxine Love, who participates in the program and ran her own daycare for four years, said her experience with children could contribute to the Right Start classroom.

\u201cI am a grandmother, so I thought that I could come out and make myself active and helpful,\u201d Love said.

At the end of the day the children participate in fun activities.

Little turned on the CD player and the kids danced to Michael Jackson\u2019s \u201cBillie Jean.\u201d They jumped around, spun in circles and kicked their feet out to the music. Voss and Smith brought over two girls from their classroom across the hall to join in, and despite a few arguments over a toy microphone, they all seemed to have a good time.

\u201cStudents with young parents, they don\u2019t get the opportunity to interact with peers,\u201d said Smith. \u201cThey get to encounter more education when they come here, and I can see that this interaction really helps them a lot.\u201d

Man on the Street: Palin for President?

CAITLYN SEARLES — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 03:55:46 +0000

Former governor of Alaska and 2008 vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin is at it again. The self-declared \u201crogue\u201d Republican can now add grassroots political advocate to her r\xe9sum\xe9.

On Saturday, Palin delivered the keynote speech at the populist-conservative National Tea Party Convention in Nashville, Tenn. Although Palin has not announced plans to run for President in 2012, the audience made their opinions clear by chanting \u201crun, Sarah, run\u201d throughout her campaign-style speech.

The Red & Black asked several students their opinions of Sarah Palin and her possible candidacy in 2012.

Ackall

ANDREW ACKALL

freshman biology major from Atlanta

\u201cHer motives are sly.\u201d

Conner

SARAH CONNER

senior microbiology and Spanish major from Norcross

\u201cI admire her as a woman for balancing her job and her family, but I don\u2019t think she should be president.\u201d

Clark

JESSI CLARK

freshman political science major from Johns Creek

\u201cI think her ideas for the country are ideas that would work.\u201d

O'Brien

MALLORY O\u2019BRIEN

junior telecommunications major from Marietta

\u201cThe only thing I like about Sarah Palin is the fact she brought Tina Fey back to Saturday Night Live.\u201d

PAY DAY: Eighteen of the 20 highest-paid Univ. employees received raises in 2009 (w/graphic)

BRIANA GERDEMAN — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 03:49:29 +0000

At the University, being president pays. But in terms of raises, being a member of the faculty pays even more.

From fiscal year 2008 to fiscal year 2009, the University\u2019s highest-paid faculty received an average raise of about $13,250, or 5.31 percent. The top administrators, including some vice presidents, deans and University President Michael Adams, received an average pay increase of about $12,300, or 4.55 percent.

\u201cOur very best, top-flight research faculty … make salaries that are at or above the vice presidents and deans,\u201d said Tom Jackson, vice president for public affairs. \u201cPeople often make the assumption that the deans and the vice presidents are the highest paid people at the University, and they\u2019re not.\u201d

The majority of the highest paid professors come from the Terry College of Business. Only two \u2014 Henry Schaefer from the chemistry department and Susan Wessler from plant biology \u2014 are Terry outsiders.

The salary of any University employee is determined by the person\u2019s direct superior. Professors report directly to the department heads and deans of the different colleges. Deans report to the provost, as do four of the vice presidents. The three senior vice presidents report directly to the president.

Adams, who earns the highest salary at the University, is considered an employee of the Board of Regents rather than the University. So the regents decide his salary \u2014 more than $600,000 in fiscal year 2009, a 2 percent increase from fiscal year 2008.

Most, but not all, of the University\u2019s administrators and top faculty got raises in fiscal year 2009. Schaefer and Annette Poulsen, head of the department of banking and finance, took pay cuts last year.

But Robert Sumichrast, dean of the Terry College of Business, explained that a change in salary might not be the result of a pay cut or raise but of a faculty member taking on more or less responsibility. For example, a professor might choose to teach summer classes one year, but only teach during the academic year the next.

This principle also works the other way. Stephen Baginski, an accounting professor, received an increase of slightly more than 26 percent between fiscal years 2008 and 2009.

\u201cSometimes faculty will teach additional courses. It\u2019s not their base salary that\u2019s changed,\u201d Sumichrast said. \u201cFor those additional activities … they could get paid extra.\u201d

In general, he said, faculty and department heads are evaluated on their teaching, awards, publications, research and service when salaries are considered.

\u201cRaises are all based on merit,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s not just where because you\u2019ve been here for another year, you get a pay raise.\u201d

Tim Burgess, senior vice president for finance and administration, pointed out there are a number of reasons some employees don\u2019t receive raises.

\u201cAcross the University, there are employees that get no increase because of their job evaluation,\u201d he said.

There were no pay raises at all this year, fiscal year 2010. But in most years, the Georgia legislature and the Board of Regents appropriate a lump sum of money to the University to be used specifically for pay raises.

\u201cIf the University had decided we\u2019re not going to give any pay raises, I think the legislature would have taken that money back,\u201d Burgess said.

Pass/fail may not make the grade

RACHEL BUNN — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 03:41:51 +0000

Overachieving might become easier if policy changes from the University Council\u2019s Educational Affairs Committee are approved.

Dorfman

\xa0

More students will be able to take advantage of the University\u2019s undergraduate pass/fail course option, which allows students to enroll in courses outside their majors on a pass/fail basis.

Only about 10 students per semester participate in the pass/fail course option, but the changes proposed at the committee\u2019s Monday meeting will work to increase that number.

Ann Crowther, associate vice president for instruction, said the point of the option is to encourage students to take challenging courses outside of their academic areas.

However, the policy does not allow some groups of students to participate.

\u201cThe current policy, as it stands, bans every part-time student from taking part in this policy \u2014 I take offense to that,\u201d said Jeffrey Dorfman, co-chair of the committee. \u201cThe current policy, as it stands, bans every freshman from taking part \u2014 I take offense to that, too.\u201d

The initial policy states the pass/fail option is available to students with second year status and at least 30 credit hours toward graduation during the preceding academic year.

\u201cOur original thought was: get here, get established, then explore,\u201d Crowther said.

Under the new policy, second year status will no longer be required and the 30 credit hour requirement will be reduced to 15 hours.

The policy now in place also states students must take a minimum of 12 hours of A-F based courses during the same semester in order to enroll in a pass/fail course.

Crowther and Gayle Andrews, the committee\u2019s other co-chair, said these requirements were unfair to part-time students.

However they wanted to make clear the pass/fail option should not be used to allow students to get around withdrawal deadlines.

The new policy removes the 12 hour requirement, adding that only one pass/fail course may be taken per semester.\xa0

Only three pass/fail courses will be counted toward an undergraduate degree.

Many parts of the old policy will remain the same in the new policy.\xa0

Students wishing to take a pass/fail course must have a minimum GPA of 2.0.\xa0

Pass/fail courses may only be taken as general electives. Core courses, major or minor requirements and college or institutional requirements may not be taken on a pass/fail basis.

Dorfman said the changes to the policy will give more students incentives to take harder classes outside their majors.

\u201cThe whole point of coming to the University of Georgia is there are uncountable classes at the University,\u201d Dorfman said.

The new policy will be sent to the University Council\u2019s executive committee for approval but will not take effect until summer 2011.

University innovative in parking (w/graphic)

POLINA MARINOVA — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 03:40:16 +0000

At the University, the phrase \u201cI\u2019ve been waitlisted\u201d can only mean one thing \u2014 parking.

The University has spent millions of dollars on new parking decks in order to increase the amount of parking spaces on campus. There are now about 21,000 parking spaces on campus \u2014 of which 19,317 are for students \u2014 including those designated as scooters, motorcycles and disability spots.

Parking Service\u2019s priority system limits the number of permits sold, which leaves some on waiting lists but also prevents traffic jams. Photo by: Jackie Reedy.

Students who do not receive permits are placed on a waiting list and are eligible for parking when a spot becomes available.

Don Walter, Parking Services manager, said the University prides itself on providing parking for such a large number of students. He emphasized\xa0 although there are waiting lists for some lots, there are readily available permits in East Campus lots.

\u201cAt other schools, people hunt for spaces,\u201d Walter said. \u201cWe think we\u2019re leading the pack.\u201d

Louisiana State University has more than 23,000 parking spots, of which 18,500 are for students. But LSU\u2019s 25,215 students do not have to hunt for spaces. There is no waiting list and the school even has extra spaces.

\u201cWe are able to accommodate everybody with what we have and still have a few thousand [spots] left over,\u201d said Gary Graham, LSU director of parking.

Unlike the University, which has a constant demand for parking which led to the construction of two new decks last year, Graham said LSU does not need to expand parking to make room for more cars.

\u201cIt\u2019s been pretty static over the last two years,\u201d Graham said. \u201cThe resident areas can get a little tight, but other than that, we are able to accommodate everybody.\u201d

The University of Florida, with a total of 19,440 on-campus spots, distributes 10,973 student parking decals among its 49,679 student population.

Ed Poppell, UF vice president of Business Affairs, said any large university is bound to face some kinds of parking problems.

However, he said the city of Gainesville has a very successful transit system with over 9 million passengers per year.

\u201cParking is one of the biggest problems on most any large university campus,\u201d Poppell said. \u201cOn our campus we say, \u2018We have enough spaces, but just not in the right places.\u2019\u201d

The saying is a result of one of UF\u2019s initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and congestion on campus by enforcing certain regulations, such as the university\u2019s \u201cauto-free interior campus,\u201d where only buses and service vehicles are allowed on the interior of campus from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

\u201cWe have significant policies on our campus limiting what students can do and where they can park,\u201d Poppell said. \u201cWe have also continuously increased the price of our decals, encouraging people to find alternative means of transportation.\u201d

At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the parking is highly selective. With 16,000 total parking spaces on campus, the school allows only 3,900 of its 28,136 students to park on campus. Unlike the University, UNC does not offer parking to incoming freshmen.

\u201cThere are a lot of folks who prefer to utilize the transit system,\u201d said Randy Young, spokesman for the UNC Department of Safety. \u201cWe\u2019ve gone to inordinate measures to make sure that the congestion and dependence on single-occupancy vehicles are attended to here on campus. We have 6,000 people on the Commuter Alternative Program.\u201d

The program offers students an incentive to walk, ride bikes or use transit on campus by rewarding them with prizes and merchant discounts.

The University has a similar program called the Alternative Transportation Program, with a student participation of 1,200.

The program allows students who walk or take the bus to receive 22 days of free parking per year in specified parking locations.

The University also instituted the priority system, which guarantees all permit holders a parking space on campus.

The system was put into place in 2002. Before the system, permits were sold to anyone who wanted to purchase one, but there was no guarantee that there would be an available space. This resulted in traffic jams and overcrowded lots.

The priority system tries to solve that problem.

\u201cI can tell you that there are some things that are completely unique to Georgia,\u201d Walter said. \u201cI think we\u2019re the only ones in the country to have the priority system, where students get a chance to compete for all the spots on campus. They don\u2019t do that at other campuses because it\u2019s so difficult to manage.\u201d

Crimewatch Feb. 2-8

Staff reports — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 03:06:29 +0000

The following were reported by the University Police:\xa0

Zachary Joseph Gardner was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana, a fake ID and drug related objects on Feb. 5. He was arrested in Russell Hall at 6:06 p.m.\xa0

Sara Elizabeth Dover was arrested and charged with underage possession of alcohol and giving false information on Feb. 6. She was arrested in New College at 1:26 a.m.\xa0

Chad Hallmark was arrested and charged with underage possession of alcohol and criminal trespass on Feb. 6. He was arrested in an academic building at 1:54 a.m.\xa0

William Corey Wilkinson and Blake Roger Tillis were arrested and charged with underage possession of alcohol, possession of a fake ID and fighting in public on Feb. 6 after police came across the two students fighting near the journalism building. The fight allegedly began after Wilkinson referred to Tillis and his friends as \u201cPi Kappa Assholes.\u201d The arresting officer was forced to use pepper spray before both students were arrested at 3:08 a.m.\xa0

Nancy Hutanu was arrested and charged with underage possession of alcohol on Feb. 8. She was arrested in Payne Hall at 4:02 a.m.\xa0

Jonae Alexandria Perrin was arrested and charged with underage possession of alcohol on Feb. 5 at 4:50 p.m.

Beatrice Ruth Pollard was arrested and charged with underage possession of alcohol on Feb. 5 at 4:50 p.m.

Kacee Copelan, Grace Yim and Laura Braswell were arrested and charged with possession of marijuana on Feb. 5. They were arrested in the West Deck parking garage at 2:35 a.m.

Natacha Patricia Denis was arrested and charged with underage possession of alcohol on Feb. 5. She was arrested in the Hull Street parking deck at 3:12 a.m.

Anya Marcele Javadi was arrested and charged with duty upon striking an unattended vehicle on Feb. 4 at 1:30 p.m.

Christopher Markel was arrested and charged with DUI and failure to obey a traffic control device on Feb. 4. He was arrested at the intersection of Cedar Street and East Campus Road at 1:42 a.m.

Andrew Michael Haber was arrested and charged with driving without headlights and possession of a fake ID on Feb. 4. He was arrested at the intersection of Baxter Street and Lumpkin Street at 4:34 a.m.

Samuel Lane Strozzo was arrested and charged with underage possession of alcohol on Feb. 3. He was arrested on Baldwin Street near the Fine Arts building.\xa0

The following was reported by the Athens-Clarke County Police:

\xa0Lauren Victoria Akin, 20, was arrested and charged with possession of a fake ID, underage possession of alcohol and disorderly conduct after she climbed through a McDonalds drive-thru window. She was arrested at the McDonalds located on West Broad Street at 2:57 a.m.

Transfers serve as crucial components in Georgia\u2019s success

ZACH DILLARD — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:35:30 +0000

Pieces to an elaborately planned puzzle have arrived in Athens.

Georgia track and field welcomed eight transfers for the 2010 season. Clockwise from the left: Allen Brandon (Ohio State), Alesha Asijie (Red Mountain), Nikola Lomnicka (Clemson), Aaron Evans (Memphis), LaTroya Darrell (Central Arizona) and Cory Holman (Rend Lake). Photo by JON-MICHAEL SULLIVAN

The different pieces were delivered from various locations all across the country \u2014 from South Carolina out to Arizona. Their arrival marks the ongoing commitment to one distinct purpose \u2014 winning a championship.

Georgia track and field received a large influx of talented transfers this past offseason, which has translated into immediate effect during the early stages of this indoor season. One promise drove each of these accomplished athletes to Georgia\u2019s doorstep \u2014 the promise of more.

\u201cFor me, I wanted to be in a better conference and the SEC is by far one of the best conferences in the nation,\u201d said sophomore Aaron Evans, a transfer from the University of Memphis. \u201cNow I\u2019m running against better people, with better coaches, and in better facilities since the resources here at Georgia are just endless.\u201d

In addition to Evans, who won the 800-meter dash at the Kentucky Invitational in his debut, two other new Bulldogs left NCAA programs to compete in Athens.

Sophomores Nikola Lomnicka (Clemson) and Allen Brandon (Ohio State) also transferred from programs of high athletic pedigree.

BEN DAVIES

Lomnicka kick-started her Bulldog career with NCAA provisional qualifying marks in the weight throw in the season\u2019s first three meets.

Her personal-best mark (65 feet, 10.25 inches) came at the Virginia Tech Elite meet and launched her into the No. 3 spot in the all-time Georgia record books.

Former Buckeye Brandon has delivered positive results at every meet as well, notching the fifth-best mark in the pole vault in school history en route to three top-five finishes.

Junior college standouts LaTroya Darrell (Central Arizona) and Cory Holman (Rend Lake) add even more weight to a bulky transfer class. Holman burst onto the heptathlon scene at the Razorback Invitational by scoring 5,527 points to place himself at No. 2 in the school record books behind teammate Tommy Barrineau. Similarly, Darrell earned a NCAA provisional qualifying mark in the triple jump at the Hokie Invitational, one week after winning the event in Lexington, Ky.

MICHAEL AYERS

Along with Holman and Darrell from the junior college ranks came transfer Alesha Asijie out of Red Mountain in Mesa, Ariz., where Asijie claimed the 2009 NJCAA hammer throw title. Since coming to Athens, the junior placed second in the weight throw (60, 3.25) at the Hokie Invitational.

Exemplified by their placement at the highly competitive meets, as well as in the school record books, these fresh faces came in ready-made packages and looked to contribute the moment they set foot on campus.

\u201cThose [transfer] kids, it\u2019s just a little bit easier to coach immediately,\u201d said assistant coach Petros Kyprianou, who serves as the Bulldogs proficient recruiting coordinator. \u201cYou can basically speak the same language with them because they have been through all this for at least one year. It is definitely huge for us.\u201d

Even more worrisome for Georgia\u2019s opponents is that the best may be yet to come.

Highly touted transfers Michael Ayers and Ben Davies will not be able to compete this season due to league rules. With Ayers and Davies transferring from Tennessee and Florida, respectively, rules state that athletes switching schools within the SEC conference must sit out for one year.

Ayers was a two-time All-American in the decathlon for the Volunteers, while Davies was rated as the No. 1 decathlete in the nation coming out of high school.

The force of this dynamic recruiting class may not be fully felt until 2011, which happens to fit right into a farsighted plan set by Georgia\u2019s coaches.

\u201cOur ultimate goal is to showcase all of these kids next year when we host the SEC Championships,\u201d said Kyprianou. \u201cThis has been a long process, it has been three years that this coaching staff has been putting this team together so that we can present our best possible team at home.\u201d

As for the present, the effects of each of Georgia track and field\u2019s newest Bulldogs should offer plenty in 2010.

Success is not out of the question for a team with such talent, and the current squad believes the improvements will mirror results.

\u201cWe can score at the SEC [Championships] and all of the other meets coming up this year, so we are going to be pretty good,\u201d Lomnicka said.

An ample amount of time \u2014 and luck \u2014 was put into collecting all of these necessary parts, now the only objective left is to piece it all together.

As with all good puzzles, some assembly is required.

Online social media stirs furor for football recruiting

NICK PARKER — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:34:23 +0000

In the days leading up to National Signing Day, Bulldog Nation was sent into a furor \u2014 with a picture put on Facebook.

That\u2019s right, Facebook.

The picture was one of Georgia\u2019s top prospects, Da\u2019Rick Rogers, kissing Tennessee\u2019s 1998 national championship trophy.

Social media has changed the way coaches recruit players, adding more value to what prospects post on Facebook and Twitter. Photo illustration by Rachel G. Bowers

That photo led Georgia fans to correctly assume that Rogers would be switching his commitment from Georgia to Tennessee.

Sadly, that picture represents the changing face of the college football recruiting landscape.

Gone are the days where fans would find out who signed where on National Signing Day, while assuming the coaches of their respective favorite signed top prospects.

Instead, it is a day and age where prospects are under constant scrutiny \u2014 even their Facebooks \u2014 and grown men anxiously follow a prospect\u2019s latest Tweet, posting comments in hopes of swaying prospects toward their favorite team.

After all, who doesn\u2019t care what strangers say about a decision that affects the rest of their life?

\u201cI know you\u2019ve got to embrace some of these things, but my job is already encompassing enough,\u201d recruiting coordinator Rodney Garner said of the world of social media. \u201cI\u2019m not going down certain roads right now until I have to.\u201d

That\u2019s not to say that the Internet superhighway doesn\u2019t play into coaches\u2019 recruiting strategies.

The different avenues allow committed prospects to exert their influence on prospects who have yet to declare their future to commit to the same college team.

\u201cMost of the stuff they put on there are the actual person writing it on there, and recruiting also gets done through that,\u201d said Jakar Hamilton, who enrolled at Georgia in January. \u201cI\u2019d hit a player up, get in touch with them and tell them, \u201cHey, coach is trying to get in touch with you. We need you, such and such, so Facebook really helps a lot if you\u2019re trying to reach out to a player.\u2019\u201d

As much as coaches may be unwilling to embrace the various social media outlets themselves, the influence of the Internet on recruiting is undeniable.

Information can be found in a nanosecond, and prospects\u2019 highlight videos litter YouTube and fan sites.

\u201cI think the Internet has made things more visible to you as far as these highlight tapes and things like that. You get a little bit more focus on guys, so I think that things are a little more acceptable to you than they were in the past,\u201d defensive coordinator Todd Grantham said. \u201cI think there\u2019s also more stuff out there that could be true or not be true, but I think you have to take all that with a grain of salt and get to know the players. I would say that obviously the internet has really expanded recruiting.\u201d

Recruits are being vilified and rhapsodized earlier and earlier \u2014 all before even touching a college campus \u2014 and as a result, verbal commitments have become reservations, rather than commitments to uphold.

Georgia, for example, had four commitments renege before putting ink to paper.

One changed his mind in favor of Georgia after a prior commitment.

\u201cWell, I think it\u2019s just indicative of society, period,\u201d Garner said of the rising rate of decommitments. \u201cI think you\u2019re going to have more indecision than what you used to have in the \u201980s or early \u201990s. That\u2019s just our culture, and whether you like it or not, it\u2019s just part of it. You win some and you lose some, and that\u2019s part of the process.\u201d

Added Hamilton: \u201cIt happens a lot, and in the SEC, you\u2019re going to get hit regardless.\u201d

Club fights sexual slavery with education

SOPHIE LOGHMAN — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:23:09 +0000

School, work and fun nights downtown consume most students\u2019 time. But one new student group is advocating that everyone take a minute to think about sexual slavery in other countries instead of last night\u2019s \u201cSex and the City\u201d in hopes of igniting students to action. \xa0

Sarah May

\xa0

Organizer Sarah May, a junior from Atlanta, first realized she wanted to fight against the sex slave trade after she read the book \u201cHalf the Sky\u201d by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Nicholas Kristof and his wife, Sheryl WuDunn.\xa0

Her friend happened to pick the book up after seeing something about it in Oprah and told May that this was a must-read.\xa0

After feeling empowered by the book about her ability to make a difference to young girls, May decided to make a University-approved club to raise awareness.

She came up with EGGS, which stands for Educating Girls to Guarantee Survival.\xa0

Since she closed the back cover on the book, she has organized the group, planned fundraisers and gotten a group\xa0 of early members together to help raise money to build a school in Cambodia.

\u201cThis book is interesting because they write it from the perspective that we can do something to help,\u201d May said. \u201cThey talk about the best ways to make a difference. We were inspired by that.\u201d

According to May, EGGS has been in direct contact with the chair for American Assistance for Cambodia, and the group plans to raise $19,000 to build a school for children so that they can avoid situations like sexual slavery.

\u201cWe set that goal for the end of next spring,\u201d May said.

\u201cI think the most important things EGGS will do is establish a school that will serve not just as a place for education, but also a safe place for children to go during the day, reducing their vulnerability to sex traffickers and kidnappers,\u201d said Lily Feinberg, an EGGS\u2019 group member . \u201cKnowing that I could hypothetically be changing girls\u2019 lives through EGGS is a good feeling.\u201d

The group believes that families in extreme poverty are sometimes forced to put their children on the streets to earn what money they can.

\xa0EGGS strives to eliminate this sad reality and let families know they have other options.

Once the $19,000 mark has been hit, EGGS plans to continue to raise money for the Girls be Ambitious Program.\xa0

The program, which is run through American Assistance for Cambodia, provides incentives for families to keep their young girls and for the girls to attend school.\xa0

The organization pays monthly stipends of $10 a month to children who attend school and $120 a year if they have perfect attendance.

\u201cA lot of times the girls will be promised a job far away, and they accept it because the family needs money,\u201d May said.\xa0

\u201cThen these girls are kidnapped and chained and forced to work against their will, and their parents don\u2019t hear from them.\u201d

The monthly stipends are designed to allow for these families to have a steady income while allowing their children to continue with their education.

\u201cWomen who are more educated are more likely to stand up for themselves in these cases,\u201d May said. \u201cAnd if they set their goal for going to school, they won\u2019t feel like they have to take this certain job that they know nothing about.\u201d

Sonia Chopra, a junior at UGA, recently joined the group because she said the cause is very important to her.

\u201cThere are so many horrible things going on in the world right now that so few people know about, and I believe that child trafficking and the sex-slave industry are two of the worst,\u201d Chopra said.

\u201cAdvocacy and raising awareness are such important parts of any organization involved in social justice, which is why it\u2019s great to see a group like EGGS on campus. It\u2019s a group that can get people involved to make a difference in girls\u2019 lives.\u201d

What: EGGS first meeting

When: 7:30 tonight

Where: Tate room 481

More Information: Email the group at eggsuga@gmail.com

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