UGA Fights Against Cancer

By Joe Willeford

On Friday, hundreds of people came together at the University of Georgia to unite as a community in the fight against cancer. Relay for Life, created by the American Cancer Society, is an annual event to raise money for cancer research, spread cancer awareness, celebrate the lives of survivors, and remember those who lost their lives to cancer.

This year, it took place at the UGA Track on Lumpkin Street. People of all ages, sexes and races came together in a display of solidarity.

“The power of community is truly amazing, and it is absolutely on display here tonight,” said Christine Santayana, a sophomore from Virginia.

This year’s Relay for Life was the biggest ever since its creation in 1999 - but this could not have been possible without the help of many individuals and groups throughout Athens.

Lo Asidro, a senior from LaGrange, Ga. is a member of the “spirit committee.” For an event like Relay that lasts all night, from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., it is a hard job keeping people motivated and spirits high. “Our aim is to make sure that everyone stays awake, stays excited,” said Asidro.

Groups such as Asidro’s spirit committee have been meeting for months to prepare for the overnight event. Fraternities, sororities, clubs, businesses, and other organizations throughout Athens donate money, assist with organizing the event and encourage others to join in their efforts.

There is definitely no lack of enthusiasm for Relay for Life at UGA.

Kevin Madsen, a freshman at Washington University in St. Louis, is a member of the American Cancer Society’s collegiate scout team. He visits and observes Relays across the nation to see what works especially well and what needs improvement. In his opinion, the Relay at UGA is one of the best in the nation.

“It amazes me the energy this campus has for Relay. Just being here, it’s really empowering.”

High levels of emotion were present everywhere Friday. Surrounding the track were candles, each representing a loved one who had lost the fight with cancer.

“The [candle] ceremony was a very powerful thing, to see all these people come together and honor those who have fought – and lost to – cancer,” reflected Madsen. The sheer number of candles surrounding the track at UGA was a small testament to the devastation cancer causes.

As Asidro said, “It’s rare to find someone who doesn’t know someone that has been affected by cancer.”

Having the support of family and friends is crucial to one’s fight against cancer, a point that was made throughout the night. Kaylea Notarthomas, a junior from Atlanta, spoke about her experience with thyroid cancer. “All the support I had on the journey far outweighed the negatives,” she said. “I couldn’t have done any of it without my support system.”

Melissa Baxter, a sophomore from Tipton, Ga., is also a cancer survivor. “Relay is a very special night for me and my family,” said Baxter. Her favorite part of the night is the survivor lap, when survivors of cancer walk a lap around the track, surrounded by cheering supporters.

“The survivor lap is a time when all the people who supported you for so long can come out and show you just how much your battle means to them.”

Libby Cordell, team leader for the sorority Alpha Delta Pi, saw the effects of cancer first-hand when one of her best friends, Caelyn Brady, was diagnosed with cancer their junior year of high school. “It opened my eyes,” said Cordell. “Caelyn doesn’t talk or complain much, but when she told me what she was going through, I felt like I needed to do something.”

In college, Cordell was immediately drawn to Relay for Life. At first, she didn’t know what to expect from the event, but quickly found out. “Once I was there, I loved it,” said Cordell. “It was such a great experience for me that it just made me want to do anything I could to make it better next year.”

With continued effort and participation, the sky is the limit for Relay for Life. This year’s event featured the most participants in its history – and also raised the most money with a little over $306,000. For more information on Relay for Life at UGA go to ugarelay.org

There's Just Something About Sport

“There’s just something about sport.” This line was the mantra of Dr. Richard Lapchick’s speech to a group of roughly 50 interested UGA students, professors, and fans Tuesday, April 20. The College of Education’s Department of Kinesiology welcomed Dr. Lapchick as part of the 2010 Clifford Lewis Scholar Lecture series. The audience sat at rapt attention as they listened to Dr. Lapchick, who has been nicknamed the “racial consciousness of sports”, discuss his experiences and lifelong efforts to combat racism within sports.

“My journey on the issue of race and sport started when I was five years old,” said Lapchick, the current Director of the University of Central Florida’s DeVos Sport Business Management Program and frequent ESPN contributing reporter. “There’s something about sports that makes us different.”

Lapchick is the son of the legendary Joe Lapchick, the Original Celtics center and later coach of the New York Knicks. Lapchick explained how his first exposure to the hate of racism centered on his father. Joe Lapchick, then the coach of the New York Knicks, signed the NBA’s first African-American, Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton, in 1950. Lapchick recalls his five0year-old self picking up the phone on numberous occasions only to hear “nigger lover, nigger lover” in reference to his father. But his passion for civil rights truly ignited after a visit to a German concentration camp as part of a European trip to the 1960 Olympic Games. “Seeing what people would do to each other for differences in race and religion made basketball seem a little less important for the rest of my life,” muses Lapchick. Yet, once he got to Rome for the Olympics, he remembers the exhilarating feeling of seeing people of all different races, religions, ethnicities, nationalities, and cultures coming together peacefully to participate in the international games. “Sports bring people together in ways other things don’t,” he said with a smile.

Lapchick’s passion for sports runs deeper than just love for the game or a rooted family history: it’s the colorblind unity of sports that breaks down discriminating barriers. He shared with his audience his favorite part of sports: the huddle. “In the huddle,” he said, “when you’re a member of the team, it doesn't matter if you’re white, black, Latino, Catholic, you can’t win if you don’t act like a team.” He went on to talk about the renewing power of sports through the scheduled baseball game on the first Friday after the Virigina Tech shootings of 2007. “[Initially] The president [of Virginia Tech] got a lot of criticism for that [allowing the game to go on] but he knew something,” said Lapchick, going on to explain how the usually modestly attended baseball game was packed with over 1,000 fans. Lapchick praised the event, and how sports had the power to unite and heal a damaged community. “When they got there, life suddenly had renewal.”

Lapchick went on to encourage students to pick up the torch left to them by past generations and continue to promote equality in sports and the nation as a whole. “This generation is partially in control of sports. Many [student athletes] athletes are very community and religiously centered and they’re giving back to their communities in a variety of ways. Athletes really rallied to help the city of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.”

“You never just change one person,” he says, a lesson to remember.

Something about sports.

“There is something about sports.” So went Richard Lapchick’s message to a group of over 100 people at the Georgia Center’s Master Hall on Tuesday, April 20. The words served as a sort of theme or motto for his lecture. “You can’t win if you don’t play as a team,” he said. “Imagine if you could project that concept of the huddle to [everything else].”

Richard Lapchick was tabbed to give the 2010 Clifford Lewis Scholar Lecture, an event sponsored by the UGA College of Education’s department of kinesiology. The lecture, in honor of the late associate dean and physical education professor Clifford Lewis, focused on two subjects of Lapchick’s expertise: race and sport.

From the segregation of basketball players in the mid-twentieth century to the current discrepancies of race in sports management, Lapchick, an author, professor, and racial pioneer, talked about how he has seen sports change in his lifetime. The son of former Boston Celtics basketball player and New York Knicks coach Joe Lapchick, the younger Lapchick spent his whole life immersed in sports and racial inequality.

As a child, Lapchick saw his father berated by racists for signing Nathaniel “Sweetwater” Clifton, the NBA’s first African American signee. Years later, Lapchick would face a public, racial fight of his own. In 1978, the civil rights activist helped to lead a sports boycott of South Africa. While protesting the country’s Davis Cup team’s scheduled game in Tennessee, Lapchick was severely beaten and cut for his cause.

22-year-old University of Georgia student Josh Patterson said it was easy to see why Lapchick was chosen to give this year’s Clifford Lewis Scholar Lecture: “I am excited to hear about what he has to say about sports being a common ground between races because I feel like athletes have potential to do a lot of good for race relations.”

Lapchick began his lecture, titled “Sport: A Bridge Across the Racial Divide,” by congratulating the University of Georgia for hiring the first African American athletic director in the Southeastern Conference, adding, “Hopefully that change is not reversible.”

His opening gave the audience an idea as to what the rest of Lapchick’s lecture would entail: a frank discussion of race, sports, responsibility, and accountability.

Having paid for his cause in blood before, Lapchick provided the students and faculty on hand with a rare commitment towards both sports and race. From Eddie Robinson to the Virginia Tech campus shootings to the New Orleans Saints winning the recent Super Bowl, Lapchick touched on situation after situation in which sports helped to bring a community back together, despite differences in race, religion, gender, and socioeconomic class.

Lapchick, who started the nationally ranked DeVos Sport Business Management Program at the University of Central Florida, also spoke of the importance of leadership and standing up for justice, a principle he believed could slowly change the world.

“You never change just one person’s life. It’s a circle of growth… That’s the power we all have,” he said, pausing before adding, “If we use it.”

If he did nothing else in his lecture, Lapchick at least left his audience wondering one thing: “Maybe there really is something about sports.”

Speech at UGA Article

By: Brooke McMillan

“What will you have done to make people want to come say thank you?” asked Richard Lapchick who spoke to a combination of students and fans on April 20 at the 2010 Clifford Lewis Scholar Lecture. The lecture was sponsored by the College of Education's Department of Kinesiology at UGA. A crowd of about 60 sat and listened closely as Lapchick passionately spoke about his experiences and efforts to decrease racism specifically in the sports arena.

Lapchick received his Bachelor of Arts in 1967 from St. John’s University and his doctorate in international race relations from University of Denver in 1973. He is credited with writing more than 450 articles over the years and continues to write for companies such as ESPN. Lapchick has delivered more than 2700 speeches in his lifetime thus far. Many awards and honors have come his way over the years, and in 1994 he was specially invited to Nelson Mandela’s inauguration.

Throughout his captivating lecture, Lapchick constantly inserted the phrase “there’s something about sport,” stressing the great impact sports have on people. As the son of famous Celtic player and recognized basketball coach, Joe Lapchick, young Lapchick felt the expectation to grow up and play basketball. He attended basketball camp in Europe at the age of 14 where he experienced his first exposal to race and racism. Ever since, he has made large efforts to decrease racism.

Through his father, Lapchick learned that racism was a huge issue in sports. His father experienced non-integrated basketball teams, and learned about racism through watching sports. Once Richard Lapchick viewed racism in his generation, it was apparent that integration in the coaching position was very hard to achieve. Lapchick seemed very excited to deliver his speech at the University of Georgia boasting the fact that “Georgia had the guts to hire the first African American athletic director in the SEC.”

Lapchick focused largely on those who influenced his life, and those he has been exposed to while on his journey through life. He emphasized the great impact sports have on people’s life such as the Saints win after the devastation Louisiana experienced due to hurricane Katrina. Lapchick was raised to hate the New York Yankees. Even so, he rooted for the New York Yankees to win the World Series after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, destroyed much of the state and the hearts of many people.

The importance of change was expressed through the words of Lapchick. He is a man who adovocates change, and the belief that people have the capacity to influence those who continue hate crimes across the world. The audience nodded their heads in agreeance with Lapchick as he expressed the need for change. He said “the reason I wanted to be here today is because you can be difference makers,” leaving his listeners to think about how influential each person can be in the world.

Study of sports race relations leader speaks to University students

By Mitch Blomert

A national leader for the study of race relations in sports spoke at the University of Georgia Wednesday, encouraging students to be the difference-maker in the eradication of racism in the nation.

Dr. Richard Lapchick, director of the DeVos Sport Business Management Program at the University of Central Florida, discussed the history and solutions to racism in sports and in general life as part of the 2010 Clifford Lewis Lecture titled “Sport: A Bridge Across the Racial Divide,” at Masters Hall in the Georgia Center.

Lapchick, son of Boston Celtics center and former New York Knicks head coach Joe Lapchick, discussed the race issues his father faced as a National Basketball Association Coach, then the hatred he received himself when he became the American leader of a sports boycott in South Africa during apartheid.

Lapchick also explained how sports acted as a commonplace of people, where racism and hatred often subsided in favor of competition, as it did at a Virginia Tech baseball game following the shootings that killed 32 people on campus in 2007 and in February’s Super Bowl XLIV, which “elevated spirits like nothing else possibly could.”

“Something about sport makes it different,” Lapchick said.

Lapchick emphasized that the current generation of college students are tomorrow’s leaders, and can continue the stand against racism that Lapchick and his father started in sports.

“My father’s generation developed integration of basketball,” he said. “You can be the difference. That’s why I started to talk to student audiences—about passing the torch to you.”

Lapchick also recollected his time with long-time Grambling State University football coach Eddie Robinson, whom he co-wrote the book Never Before, Never Again with in 1999. He described Robinson and highly influential in integrating sports by display kind acts to his wife in front of his players.

“He always had dinner with his wife and held her hand, which he showed to his players,” Lapchick said.

When Lapchick isn’t speaking the colleges across the country or managing the DeVos Sport Business Management Program at Central Florida, he is also part of the Hope For Stanley Foundation, which promotes diversity and ethics in sports and releases an annual report card that tracks the long-term trends of diversity in coach and management.

Lapchick stated that current racial statistics among NCAA Division-I coaches is 91-percent white among men’s sports and 90-percent among women’s sports. However, he also noted that the Georgia is the first school to hire a black Athletic Director when they appointed Damon Evans to the position in 2003.

Lapchick, who received his Ph.D. in international race relations from the University of Denver in 1973, also founded the Center for the Study of Sport in Society at Northeastern University in 1984. He is also a frequent columnist for ESPN.com and the Orlando Sentinel, with over 500 columns published. He is also one of only 200 guests to former South African president Nelson Mandela’s inauguration in 1994.

There’s Something About Sports. - Holly Hess

Like any other dreary day in Athens, students walked about campus covered in rain coats and boasting their umbrellas. UGA’s Georgia Center was unusually crowded with students in the lobby, all drifting towards the tables of exquisitely prepared free food. Comments of approval could be heard pertaining to the teriyaki chicken and freshly made fruit punch. Students of all types gathered at 4 p.m. to hear a lecture titled: 'Sport: A Bridge Across the Racial Divide.’ As part of the Clifford Lewis Lecture series, Dr. Richard Lapchick came to share his expertise on sports issue sand racial inequalities within sports. Brendan Cosgrove, a junior broadcast news major commented on the issue at hand: “I’m fascinated by the racial dynamics in sports, especially the NBA. I’m interested to see what a professional’s take on the situation is.”
“Nigger lover, nigger lover” were some of the first words Lapchick heard describing his dad when he was only five years old. This was about the same time his love of basketball took hold. In 1950, Lapchick’s father, coach of the New York Knicks, signed three African -American players to his team making them the first team to sign athletes of color. After this incident, Lapchick moved with his mother and sister to Europe for a few years where they visited a Nazi concentration camp, a crucial point in his life. Somberly recalling that time, he mentioned, “I was never the same.” After seeing the cruelty of human kind, he went to Rome and saw how people from all over the world would join together because of one thing- sports. Lapchick quickly realized the avenue he needed to go through to bring all walks of life together. Instead of pursuing his love for basketball as a player, he became an expert on sports issues and a pioneer for racial equality through the use of sports.
“Everyone has a problem you don’t know about” is how he explained many of the tragedies mentioned. He took the audience back to a time in his daughter’s life when tragic incidents were happening daily. A close friend to the Lapchick’s family tied his own two kids to the car seat and waited to pull onto the interstate until a tractor-trailer came, ultimately killing himself and his own two children. Paired with this was a classmate’s suicide, a teacher’s death, an attempted murder, and a close friend’s father committing suicide into oncoming traffic. Not to mention the beginning of the week when his daughter was almost kidnapped by a naked man in a car. The crowd was heavy and somber after all of these horrible stories. But Lapchick’s point was simply this: there’s always going to be bad in the world. Everyone has power to influence, but how will we choose to use it?
Speaking as a writer for ESPN.com, creator of the DeVos Sport Business Management Program at the University of Central Florida and the founder of the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport, Lapchick provided the audience hard evidence of white dominance behind the African-American athletes in the NBA. An astounding 91 percent of Division 1 basketball coaches are Caucasian males. Dissecting the different percentages between Caucasian and African-American coaches as well as the male to female coaches was mind boggling. Lapchick’s passion for finding equality in all areas of life was obvious.
“There’s something about sports” was repeated many times by Lapchick. He also made it clear many good people out there are doing things to help the world, specifically with regards to racial equality. However, he charged the students with, “Will it end, how will it end, and if it’s gonna end, what are you gonna do to help it?” Upon concluding his insight and opinions about racial discrimination, the audience appeared supportive of Lapchick’s lecture by giving him a warm, closing applause.

Speech at UGA article by Jonathan Shealy

“There’s something about sport.” This was a phrase continually reiterated by Richard Lapchick, the keynote speaker at the 2010 Clifford Lewis Scholar Lecture, sponsored by the Department of Kinesiology at UGA. It showed his passion for sports was almost as strong as his passion for trying to bring about racial equality. A mix of Sports Business and Journalism majors, as well as many other interested students came together on April 20 at the Georgia Center on a rainy afternoon to listen to one of the most influential voices on race issues in sports over the last few decades.

Lapchick is the creator of the DeVos Sport Business Management Program at the University of Central Florida, founder of the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport, and writer for ESPN.com. He has become well known for his efforts in promoting racial equality, especially in opposing the South African apartheid through a sports boycott. In a video shown as an introduction to the speech former Bengals Linebacker Reggie Williams said that Lapchick “put his life on the line for causes, that quite honestly, affect others more than himself.” This is literally true as he was once attacked by two masked men for opposing South Africa’s participation in the Davis Cup due to apartheid.

Lapchick’s lecture, entitled “Sport: a bridge across the Racial Divide”, began as he expressed his appreciation for Georgia and its athletic program, especially for hiring an African American athletic director, Damon Evans, which according to some statistics he would later read, is a rarity in the NCAA, where 93 percent of athletic directors in Division I are white.

“There’s something about sport that makes us different from others in regular life”, Lapchick mused. Lapchick, though white, experienced racial discrimination at an early age, as his father, then the coach of the New York Knicks, received criticism and threats for signing Nat Clifton, the first African American to sign an NBA contract. When he was older he attended a basketball camp where the one black player received so much racial hatred from one of the white players that Lapchick stood up for him and promptly got knocked out. That player was Lewis Alcindor, Jr, or as he is now more commonly known as Kareem Abdul-Jabaar, the NBA’s all time leading scorer.

Lapchick realized that the arena of sports was a great equalizer between races and provided a powerful avenue for making a statement. “In that huddle, you’re part of a team, it doesn’t matter if you’re white, black, protestant, muslim, catholic, young, old, gay, straight, male female, you can’t win if you don’t work together.”

The sports boycott of South Africa proved more effective than boycotts of oil or other goods because as Lapchick put it, “you can smuggle in oil and all that other stuff, but you can’t play sports in the dark”. Lapchick was one of a select number of people invited to Nelson Mandela’s inauguration for his efforts and he said that Mandela later told him that one of the reasons he was eager to come back was bring sports back to his country.

Lapchick’s main goal, however, was to motivate his audience to take a stand against racial injustice today. He said that while the players are now equal, those running and covering sports is still vastly skewed. Lapchick read some recent statistics that said that 95 percent of sports editors and 87 percent of reporters are white, as well as 91 percent of Division I coaches, and 9 percent of hate crimes occur on college campuses.

Lapchick said his focus has changed to passing the torch to a new generation, which is why he speaks to college students. He continued to speak on how even something as simple as just trying to see how those around us may be in need of help; “everybody has a problem that you don’t know about”. As he concluded he implored the new generation of students to rise up and take a stand: “the definition of a leader is someone who stands up for justice and doesn’t stand in its path.” He received a round of applause as he finished and everyone in the audience seemed supportive of his efforts.

Speech Story Nancy Hanger

“The government doesn’t care if you get high,” say High Times editor-in-chief Steve Hager, “half the country takes pills as it is. They do have a problem though, cause I if hand you a marijuana seed, I am handing you medicine for the rest of your life.”

“Any doctor that tells you to smoke something because it’s good for you is a damn fool!” retaliates Robert Stutman, a former Drug Enforcement Administration agent in the New York City office, in last night’s heated debate.

Yesterday evening, April 19, 2010, the University Union and the Ideas and Issues Committee at the University of Georgia sponsored the “Heads vs. Feds Debate: The Debate to Legalize Marijuana.”

Representing the Heads was Steve Hager, the editor-in-chief of High Times Magazine or as the introductory video named him “the most famous pot head.” He is also the founder of the Counterculture Hall of Fame and the celebrated Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam. Robert Stutman, a retired special agent for the DEA and a leading advocate in drug prevention and education, spoke for the Feds.

The doors to the Tate Student Theater opened at 7 p.m., but that was hardly enough time to file in the 500 plus students waiting and hoping for an available seat in the theater. As the clock slowly ticked toward the big debate, groups of students in tie-dye t-shirts with dreadlocks and beaded jewelry gathered at the back of the ticket line that had wrapped around the entire room.

There was a buzz of excitement in the air as college students decked out in Grateful Dead and Led Zeppelin t-shirts high-fived their friends as they met up in line.

Disappointment hit the huge crowd waiting in line when over 90 students were turned away due to lack of seating in the theater; the turnout was much bigger than expected.

Every single seat in the theater was occupied as the last lucky students marched in to the sound of Bob Marley’s “Exodus.” Two or three students walked up and down the aisles passing out marijuana leaf stickers to the crowd they had brought from home for the much-anticipated occasion.

Hager began the debate with five big reasons to legalize this important part of his culture. He explained that “culture isn’t something you buy in a box or watch on TV, culture is actually the ceremonies you and your tribe create.”

“We must stop funding corruption,” says Hager. “We have built the biggest prison system here in America, the land of the free.” He argues that we are spending billions of dollars putting our youth in cages for something they shouldn’t have been imprisoned for in the first place. “There is a difference between people who use substances and people who abuse. And those people belong in treatment.”

“I mean please people, can we get a little bit of religious freedom?” Hager asks the crowd as a roar of applause and cheers erupts from the admiring students.

Stutman responds, “Most people in favor of marijuana want it legal because it’s their drug of choice and don’t want cops interfering.”

“Marijuana causes dependence. Many people go from having marijuana as part of their life to marijuana becoming their life,” states Stutman, who is aware that almost the entire theater is in favor of legalization. The crowd listens to his arguments and respectfully remains silent for their prominent guest.

Stutman’s most important objection was “if we legalize it, we will have far more users, and then far more alcohol users. They go up together.”

He then challenged the audience that if the entire country agrees and votes for the legalization of cannabis, then it should be legal. “But right now 59% of the American public is against it…. and that is tyranny by majority.”

Throughout the debate, it was clear that both of these speakers had completely opposite views with different backgrounds and experiences. Hager even lightly joked to the audience that the Stutman means well, he just doesn’t understand because he’s never tried it.

The debate eventually boiled down to a question of medicine and a battle of scientific studies collected by each of the speakers.

“Nobody knows anybody who got cancer from marijuana,” claims Hager much to the pleasure of the audience.

While Stutman refers back to his basic rule of litigation, “If the facts are on your side, argue the facts. If the law is on your side, argue the law. And if nothing is on your side, just keep arguing.”

Alison Grimes Speech Story: Heads v. Feds

The day before the commonly known “national smoke weed day” the University of Georgia held a more than entertaining debate about the legalization of marijuana between Robert Stutman, 25-year veteran of the Drug Enforcement Agency, and Steve Hager, editor-in-chief of High Times Magazine.

The debate was properly named “Heads v. Feds,” and the student center theatre was filled with just about 500 tye-dyed-t-shirted frat boys, young gypsies and dread heads. Of course there were also the ever so threatening university police standing outside the entrance just to ensure no supporter or protestor brought an illegal material to demonstrate their stance.

Each speaker was introduced by a short film, which revealed the polarizing opposites the two men posed on this debate. Stutman, an east coast native, explained how he originally planned to study physics, but ended up getting interviewed by the CIA. This later lead him to his position on in the Drug Enforcement Agency and his heavy contribution to the war on drugs; also dubbing him the title of “the most famous nark in America“.

The film also dove into Hager’s background demonstrating how he was a raised in a small town and his California college experience created his foundation of his “own culture.” This self proclaimed culture that Hager has formed is what dubbed him the title of the “most famous pot head in the world.”

In his loose button up purple shirt, his shaggy hair and his baseball cap Hager had the crowd nodding their head and clapping with each claim. Hager’s five reasons for the legalization of marijuana were: 1) It is good medicine 2) Hemp is good for the environment 3) We have built the biggest prison system in the world during his fifty-five year lifetime 4) We have got to stop funding corruption 5) It is part of his culture.

Hager defined his hemp friendly environmental focused culture true American and ended his argument with “Were as American as apple pie and baseball. Can I please get a little freedom of religion?’

“Damn, he is good. I shouldn’t even try,” jokes Stutman as he takes the stand. Stutman takes the mic more than aware the majority of the crowd is opposed to his view, but that did not deter his confidence one bit.

Stutman goes on to attack each of Hager’s claim from the American history aspects that Hager used to show the benefits of hemp to the argument tactic that Hager took. “I bet you never thought you would be clapping for the nark, did ya?” Stutman joked with the crowd.

The former DEA agent got in good with the crowd when he continuously made a point to note that he had many similar views with Hager. One in particular was they both did not agree with the idea of incarcerating people for drugs.

“There are extreme zealots on both sides of this debate. But I will say that I agree with my friend Steve that it is a stupid idea to send people to jail over drug use. For ANY kind of drug use, not just marijuana. It does not help anyone,” preached Stutman.

Stutman did go on to say that, “Claiming that marijuana is part of your religion does not make it right. Do it in the name of religion does not make it right.” Stutman continued his argument with numerous medical claims.

After the two men went back and forth the debate at ended at a clear point that both sides had completely opposite views and they really wanted to prove it was okay to disagree without personally attacking one another. The debate did make it clear that this controversial issue is going to be around for a while.

Atheens Cover it Live Event: Talking Sexuality 2:30 p.m. April 14, 2010

Speech Story by Natalee Cooper

On March 31, 2010 in room 245 of the University of Georgia’s Miller Learning Center a small gathering of students dedicated to the welfare of animals listened with keen interest as Peer Nutrition Educators Priya Patel and Brittany Cox spoke about the alternative for healthy vegan and vegetarian diets and what it means for those who choose that lifestyle, particularly the reduction in the risk for cancer, cardiovascular diseases, obesity, gastrointestinal disorders and diabetes. All of the guests in attendance belong to UGA’s organization Speak Out for Species, an animal advocacy group dedicated to defending animals from cruelty and exploitation.

Peer Nutrition Educators Patel and Cox joined the University of Georgia’s Peer Nutrition Educator Program in the summer of 2010. Like many of the other speeches they’ve conducted since joining, their speech to SOS members focuses on the aspects most vital to a healthy and balanced lifestyle but it is tailored to those who call themselves vegetarian or vegan. SOS faculty advisor Eric Griffin said of their guest speakers, “I think it’s important not only for people to see that being vegetarian and vegan is a healthy option but to also be informed as to how to manage those diets properly and that is why we asked Brittany and Priya here today.”

Cox and Patel’s speech begins with a question not all too unfamiliar to vegetarians and vegans, “How many of you are routinely asked ‘Where do you get your protein?’ Or ‘Don’t you worry about calcium deficiency?’?” Fifteen out of fifteen hands vigorously shoot up, accompanied by eye-rolling and chuckles. “Sadly this is not surprising. We want to help equip you with the correct information about your diets so you can dispel these myths” Patel remarks.

Cox and Patel do address the fact that meatless diets result in the loss of certain vital vitamins and minerals such as vitamin B12, which is almost exclusively found in animal products, but they also explore the alternative means for acquiring those things necessary to a balanced diet. Cox emphasizes, “There are things such as protein and calcium which can be obtained in healthy amounts from sources such as plants but other vitamins and minerals such as B12 and iron can prove more difficult but it is not impossible to find these in sources other than animal products.”

An important fact that the Nutrition Educators relay is that when certain food pairs are consumed together, they will contain the same amino acids, protein, and vitamins found in animals. Patel illustrates this point, “For example, eating beans and rice together will make a complete protein…another item that is not required to be paired with other food sources is nutritional yeast, commonly labeled as Vegetarian Support Formula, which is a source of B12.”Cox and Patel also revealed tips about ways to maintain a diverse meatless diet that will supplement all one’s nutritional needs. Some of those things include eating spaghetti squash instead of refined pasta, consuming whole grains for fiber, eating squash instead of potatoes, and eating lots of leafy green vegetables for calcium.

For more helpful information Cox and Patel suggest sites such as veganhealth.org, vegweb.com, or vegetariantimes.com. To those UGA students who utilize the meal plan they also emphasized contacting Food Services dietitian Katherine Ingerson for any questions about vegetarian and vegan friendly foods included in the meal plan. Another tip Cox and Patel give is to buy local. Patel says, “It is important to support sustainable resources. You can do this by going to the Athens Farmers Market at Bishop Park on Saturdays, the International Farmers Market in Doraville, or by dining at local restaurants that you know buy local.”

SOS co-president Suzie Fatkin says she’s impressed with the wealth of information Cox and Patel have to offer students but she is discouraged by UGA’s lack of vegetarian and vegan dining options. Fatkin explains,” That’s one thing I was really hoping to discuss with our Peer Nutrition Educators, that talking about balanced nutrition isn’t enough. There needs to be a bigger push for vegan and vegetarian options in the university system and unfortunately UGA keeps dropping the ball.”

Karen Handel for Georgia State Governor by Christina Dailey

“Bring It On!” is not only Republican candidate for Georgia State Governor Karen Handel's (http://www.karenhandel.com/site/c.nmL0KhN0LxH/b.5131835/k.5597/Karen_Handel_for_Governor_of_Georgia.htm) campaign slogan, but also her approach at life.

Speaking yesterday evening, April 12, at (http://mlc.uga.edu/) the University of Georgia Zell B. Miller Learning Center to an accommodating crowd of approximately 75 students, Handel gave an informative and intriguing speech on her campaign goals and her background in politics.

After introducing herself and shaking hands with the majority of the room, Handel began her speech with a personal look at her adolescence. Handel’s home life growing up was anything but supportive. She left home at 17 to escape the hostile environment. After staying with friends and graduating from high school, Handel supported herself through night classes at college and entered the job market. Against all odds, Handel worked for some of the most prestigious companies including CIBA Vision (http://www.cibavision.com/favicon.ico) and the accounting firm KPMG (http://www.kpmg.com/favicon.ico).

Through her struggles, she has made creating opportunities to succeed one of her top priorities in her campaign mainly through education. Handel stated that education “needs to be driving our thinking.” She also stated that the teacher to administration ratio needs to be less to include more teachers and have less administration. According to a campaign flier, Handel also wishes to expand the number of charter schools, expand virtual learning, and “embracing our teachers as partners in solving the issues.”

“Furlows (http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_a_furlow_day_in_the_work_place) have to stop,” exclaimed Handel. She feels that they waste money, and reducing is her key stance for the Georgia government. This means a reduction in the state budget. Through the reduction of administrative services and other areas, she plans on saving Georgia taxpayers millions of dollars. “We need to fundamentally change what we’re doing and how we’re doing it.”

Handel claims that she was always a business person first before a politician. Even today, she values the lessons learned and acquired while working at such companies. When she worked as Chairman of the Fulton County Commission, she was well under represented as a Republican. But as she stated before with her “can do” attitude, she rarely lets things get in her way. As former Georgia Secretary of State, she discovered that the finance investor was embezzling copious amounts of money, but managed to keep the organization out of bankruptcy and back on track in a brief 2 years through campaigns and fundraising. Handel was also the CEO of North Fulton Chamber of Commerce. Her involvement in these positions has led many to agree that she is “a strong, passionate, experienced candidate for bettering our state,” according to Matt Baker, the introductory speaker at the event.

Handel would describe her governing style as “extremely open-door.” She stated that being honest and candid are key while the worst in being disingenuous. Communication is also a vital factor in efficient governing. When asked about her leadership style, Handel responded saying, “We have lost sight of problem solving in the state.” She claimed that Georgia needs to change considerably to ensure progress and modification, and she plans to lead the state in doing so.

“The next governor is going to have significant challenges,” proclaimed Handel. She included that Georgia needs a governor “with rock-solid principles” who is “a real leader and a tenacious problem solver.” So, in the words of Republican candidate for Georgia State Governor, “Bring it on!”

Background Behind Yusuf Bey IV

You can't kill a story

McGill Roundtable Introduction