Protestors Have Small Victory With Highway I-69

It is the mantra of activists everywhere, “Deeds not words.”

It is the “deeds” or actions of several people in Indiana that led to the delay of the construction of I-69, the super-highway, approved by NAFTA to go from Canada through the United States, to Mexico. The construction of this highway would lead to the destruction of 7,000 acres of land and 400 homes. The driving force behind several protests of this super-highway was CARR, Citizens for Appropriate Rural Roads. The organization believes in peaceful protesting, such as the use of bumper stickers and yard signs.

The example of the I-69 protests is one of several examples that University of Georgia Geography Professor Nik Heynen used in his lecture on anarchists and social movements given on Friday, November 14, 2008 as part of the Friday Lecture Series sponsored by the Women’s Studies Department to a crowd of about 50 people.

“Many people see protesters as crazy people. Yet more often than not, these individuals are highly educated and very intelligent people. The problem is that they read a lot and speak in a way that it not very accessible to the average person. The majority of the time, the anarchists are indeed fighting for what most of the people want,” Heynen said. The fact that when polled 94 percent of the citizens of Indiana were opposed to construction of I-69 and the petition that CARR had signed by 140,000 individuals clearly illustrates this.

“Back in the day there was no system to work with; individuals could only protest and often times, protests took a long time to organize and coordinate.” Currently protestors can create a law or bill and find a senator or congressperson to back it. Also with the internet, advances with organizing protest have been made and “it is easy to do things [protests] very quickly.”

According to Heynen, “No one method works the best; it’s about a portfolio of tactics.” This use of “a portfolio of tactics” has proven successful with the delay of at least one year, to the construction of highway I-69, but it has not come without its cost. In fact, for letting the air out of the tires of a construction truck, the group was pinned with a $27,000 fine for property damage and many members were arrested. Heynen says that, “the definition of domestic terrorism was made to cover eco-terrorism. “The term eco-terrorism makes many individuals nervous but more often than not, the term refers to individuals participating in peaceful acts of protest, such as tree sits.”

Despite the obstacles faced, many activists have not given up and do not intend to anytime soon. When asked during the question and answer section following the lecture whether or not he personally thought that the construction of I-69 would proceed, Heynen said, “[They are] gearing up for more direct action [and there is a] good chance [the] highway will not take place.”

When addressed about the constant battle between the anarchists and the government, Heynen said that as he sees it, for now an “agreement to disagree has emerged.” Activists around the country may be making slow progress but it is the tiny victories that keep the protesting going; “even delays like pushing back construction for a year are seen as small but significant victories.”

Broad Encourages Post-Secondary Education

According to Molly Corbett Broad, 120 countries around the globe are growing notably faster than the United States. Put, candidly, the United States is currently falling behind.

Broad’s advice? Seek post-secondary education and higher. “Knowledge is the new currency in the global economy,” she said, yet attaining this higher education is not nearly as easy as it may seem.

Molly Corbett Broad, the current President of the American Council on Education, spoke on Friday, November 14, 2008 to a crowd of about 100 people, at the Louise McBee Lecture about the growing importance of attaining a post-secondary education.

One-third of the current workforce holds some type of college degree and this increase in people attaining higher education is leading to what Broad calls a “hollowing out of the middle class.” While in 1967, 70 percent of the workforce held only a high school diploma, nowadays having only a high school diploma will almost certainly place one in the lower class. In addition, without a higher education, the chances of being incarcerated or unemployed automatically increase. “If you want to get a job, keep a job, and not be unemployed, you need to get an education,” Broad said.

Broad said that coming from a wealthy family increases the likelihood that one will seek and attain a higher education. This statistic refers to an issue that was spoken of several times during the lecture as well as during the question and answer session following the lecture. The issue is helping students who want that higher education attain it. Often times, people assume that a student graduating from high school automatically possesses the tools and skills to do college-level work and unfortunately often times this is not the case. Many students desperately want to attend college and better themselves but have problems being accepted into schools.

For this issue Broad suggests providing a test of college readiness, that will be graded and will identify the student’s problem areas and provide tips of what he or she needs to do to be ready for college. Broad also suggests a GED with honors programs, but said that this issue can really only be solved at the federal level and that she is doing her best to make people aware of it.

As indicated by Broad, “America is at a crossroads.” With many individuals of the baby boomer generation approaching retirement, the United States is facing a tipping point, in which for the first time ever the level of education and success attained by previous generations will exceed that of the younger generations. The only way to prevent this is to encourage higher education. With countries all over the world, including Singapore and Saudi Arabia currently making huge investments in building universities, the United States is doing all it can to keep up.

The current state of the economy is not making this easy. Families and students are constantly thinking about the growing cost of tuition amounts and institutions are constantly thinking about salaries. Yet despite all this, many colleges have protected student financial aid. In fact, despite numerous budget-cuts facing universities all over the country, the one area that is statistically shown to have the largest increase was student financial aid.

“America is at a crossroads,” Broad said. “We must continue to stand tall and remain adaptable and resourceful without losing values.”

“Challenging Trends Facing Higher Education”

ATHENS, GA--“Your level of educational attainment has a dramatic and positive effect on your socioeconomic status. The U.S. is the only place in the world where the currency for the economy is knowledge. This means we must invest in higher education,” said Molly Corbett Broad, the president of the American Council on Education.

Broad was the distinguished speaker at The University of Georgia’s Louise McBee Lecture on Friday, Nov. 14. A crowd of over 125 people listened to Broad speak about the challenging trends facing higher education—the global economy, demographic and educational disparities, nontraditional students, revenue expenditures and the public goodwill.

Broad began discussing how global economies are changing—some countries faster then others. China has the largest economy in the world and it is predicted to have twice the GDP of North and South American combined in the next 30 years.

Whole industries and economies are being transformed because of technology. Broad described this change as the “hallowing out of the middle class.” She believes that individual’s financial access to college is the greatest differentiator of their future income. She noted that in 1967, 70 percent of people in the middle class only had a high school education, now only 50 percent have a high school education. The other 20 percent dropped into the lower income bracket.

Broad believes as a college education becomes a greater financial burden, people are trickling down from the middle to lower class and jobs for lower skilled workers are becoming scarce. In 1973, 65 percent of jobs were for lower skilled workers, but in 2007, 65 percent of jobs were for higher skilled workers who all have high educational degrees.

“We need to do what I call a “Stealth Attack” on policy and standards for high education. We need to effectively provide a vehicle that helps students get ready, both academically and financially, for a post secondary education,” said Broad.

The educational disparities, along with other demographic factors, are also influencing higher education. Broad believes that there is a “browning and graying of the U.S.” taking place. The “graying” is the increase in elderly and decrease both the amount of people supporting them, and their financial status. The “browning” is the increase in different ethnicities in the U.S. schools and the need to appropriately adjust to the new eclectic influences.

Other ethnicities, as well as returning veterans, immigrants and those who need financial assistance, are nontraditional types of students universities need to be willing to help.

“The U.S. is number one in the world in education for people 55 and older, but number ten for people ages 18-24. We need to do more to help all young people, even the non-traditional type of students, receive a higher education,” said Broad.

According to Broad, college students are paying more then ever to attend college and university’s revenue expenditures need to be changed to help them. This change would need to be smaller class sizes, more professors, more money going to each student, and an increase in financial aid programs.

Even with the increase in costs, the U.S. public trust in universities is extremely high. Broad stressed the importance of having the public’s goodwill on the university’s side, and that they should do whatever it takes to keep it.

“Universities need to maintain goodwill with the public. We need to focus on teaching, valuing, and mentoring our students. We will challenge leaders, remain adaptable, and remain resourceful, to keep our trust with the people,” said Broad.

Weather it is maintaining the goodwill, or dealing with demographic influences, no matter the challenging trend facing higher education, Broad promised that she, as well as the rest of the American Council on Education, would attack it and find solutions.

“Thank God someone is thinking about all these issues facing the educational system today. The trends she identified were extremely relevant and she hit the nail on the head saying the future of higher education really depends on preparing and finding ways for young adults to go to college,” said Athens Clark County local resident, Heather Cummings.

Governor Hopeful Gives Advice on Rebuilding the Republican Party

When Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential candidate, won the popular vote for the controversial U.S. presidential election on Nov. 4, John Oxendine wasn’t surprised. In fact, he expected it.

Oxendine, a Republican serving his fourth term as the Georgia insurance and safety fire commissioner, told a small group of about 15 University students Wednesday night that the Republican Party needs a candidate with a genuine sense of duty in order to unite the country and gain office.

The commissioner, who is running for the Republican gubernatorial nomination for the state of Georgia in the next election, knew exactly why Obama won the popular vote for the presidency and told students in his speech sponsored by the University’s Law Republicans, a campus organization for University law students, that future Republican candidates can learn from Obama’s campaign.

“They didn’t just win, they were supposed to win,” Oxendine said. “They won because of their message.”

According to Oxendine, Obama’s message was all about change, and, unlike the Republican candidate John McCain, he offered millions a new state of mind and hope for the future. Oxendine said that the Republican Party failed to unite and bring anything new to the election.

“We need someone with some vision,” Oxendine said. “We need someone who knows how to connect to the American people.”

The Republican Party needs a candidate that can reach across party lines and get the support of all people, said Oxendine, who believes that the Democratic Party in Georgia is very much alive. He emphasized his belief that the Republicans can’t just offer fancy rhetoric to the people and rely on their family values to win an election.

According to Oxendine, it takes hard work and a genuine desire to serve others in order to get elected and become a good leader.

“I believe that we are nothing more than public servants in government,” Oxendine said. “One thing that I would like to do is change the way we address problems and say ‘let’s come up with a long term solution.’”

According to Oxendine, politicians oftentimes create short term solutions for long term problems so that future candidates will not benefit from their work. Oxendine, however, believes that the country, and especially the state, needs a candidate that works for the people and does not follow a strict political agenda that benefits the politician more than the people he serves.

Oxendine explained that there is a difference between a statesman and politician. A statesman works for the good of the people, regardless of whether it costs him votes or not, while a politician works to further his own political success.

“That’s what politicians do everyday,” Oxendine said. “They give the illusion of fixing the problem. They put a nice Band-Aid on it, but they don’t fix it.”

Oxendine said that he wants to be the candidate that does the work and lays the foundation for future politicians and, hopefully, statesmen.

With hopes of becoming politicians in the future, many University law students attended the event to ask the commissioner about his positions on various political issues.

“I think it’s important to bridge the gap between those who are elected and those who will be elected,” Timothy Dewberry, second year law student and member of the University’s Law Republicans, said.

Steven Lee, the president of the University’s Law Republicans, said that he decided to bring the commissioner to campus because he’s a very strong candidate and has served the state for a very long time.

The students that attended the event had many questions about Oxendine’s career and policies, but the commissioner had to leave before he had time to discuss the national election in depth.

Philip Henderson, a second year law student and the state and local chairman of the University’s Law Republicans, said that he just wished there was more time to speak with the commissioner.

“The national election is the sexy issue,” Henderson said. “That’s what’s going to grab the headlines.”

He was appreciative of what Oxendine had to say, however, and was glad that the commissioner took the effort to speak with the people he represents.

“Our local officials are closer to us, and, in the long run, they can do more for us,” Henderson said.

Oxendine urges change for Republican Party

By David Mitchell

John Oxendine may seem like every other American politician. He flashes a million-dollar smile. He shakes hands and greets everyone in much the same fashion (“John Oxendine, good to see ya”). But according to him, he’s a statesman, and that makes all the difference.

“A politician’s thinking about the next election,” Oxendine said. “That’s what politicians do everyday. They give the illusion of fixing the problem. They put a nice Band-Aid on it. But they don’t fix it…A statesman serves the people.”

Oxendine, the Georgia Insurance and Safetey Fire Commissioner in his fourth term, spoke Wednesday to a group of about fifteen, the majority of which were members of the University’s Law Republicans, the organization that sponsored the event.

According to Oxendine, the Republican Party has lost touch with the American people and has not offered an alternative to the politics as usual that has lost it favor in recent elections.

“What happened this last election? Did we really offer anything different?” Oxendine asked the room. “No we didn’t.”

Despite his support for the Republicans, Oxendine said he was not surprised by the results in this year’s Nov. 4 elections.

“I wasn’t surprised,” Oxendine said. “There was nothing that happened last week that surprised me.”

According to Oxendine, who is running for the Republican nomination in the 2010 Georgia gubernatorial election, the Democrats did not see such success because of their popularity, but rather because the Republican candidates failed to offer viable solutions to the country’s problems.

“The Republican Party has to go back to saying: ‘We’ve got a solution.’” Oxendine said. “We’ve got to come up with a solution.”

He also offered some positive words about the campaign that won Illinois senator Barack Obama the presidential election.

“There were a lot of reasons why he shouldn’t be elected,” he said. “But do you know why he was? He offered hope. He offered change. He offered a new idea.”

He said that the Republicans need to reciprocate or else they will be in trouble for future elections as well.

“We need someone that can connect with the American people,” Oxendine said. “If we don’t, we will lose the elections in 2010—and 2012. We need to take the playbook and tear it up.”

According to Oxendine, the Republicans need to revert back to a system that gave it much success in the 1994 midterm elections, a year in which the Republican candidates had the “crazy idea” of serving the American people rather than the other way around.

“Isn’t that being American?” he asked. “Isn’t that what government service is all about?”

Philip Henderson, a second-year law student as well as the state and local chair of the Law Republicans, believes this should especially be the attitude toward service for local officials.

“Everyone’s looking to Washington to solve our problems,” Henderson said, “and what’s really interesting is that local officials are closer to us and can really solve our problems.”

Timothy Dewberry, also a second-year law student, agreed.

“All national problems are local problems,” Dewberry said.

Closing his speech, Oxendine summed up his views on how government must change to better serve the American citizens.

“We’ve got to break through the bureaucracy and we’ve got to run government like we run our own households,” Oxendine said. “We’re gonna run it as stewards for the people.”

Speaker Says Depression, Addiction, and Suicide are 'Issues of Humanity'

It started with two words: “f--- up."

She thought they were a perfect representation of who she was.

Renee Yohe, a depressed cocaine addict who self injured to numb the pain, carved them into her arm the night she met the man who would save her life. Jamie Tworkowski was that man.

Tworkowski, founder of To Write Love On Her Arms, spent Friday night at Green Acres Baptist Church in Athens telling Yohe’s story, which gave birth to a cause that has touched the lives of over 80,000 people.

His talk was given to an audience of over 50, and relayed his belief that depression is treatable, no one is alone in their struggles, and that, above all, everyone was created to be loved.

To Write Love On Her Arms is an organization that was created to support and find treatment for people battling depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide.

So far, the organization has responded to over 80,000 messages in over 40 different countries.

“Some of the people who write to us seek help,” said Tworkowski, “others seek help for their friends and family battling pain. Some of the people I’ve talked to said they’ve never told anyone their story before.”

The foundation for the organization was laid in 2006, when Tworkowski wrote a two-page story about the struggles of 19-year-old Renee Yohe, who was battling cocaine addiction and suicidal thoughts. 

Tworkowski’s story called “To Write Love On Her Arms,” documents the five days he and his friends spent with Yohe before she was admitted for treatment.

In his story, Tworkowski wrote, “For the next five days, she is ours to love. We become her hospital and the possibility of healing fills our living room with life. It is unspoken and there are only a few of us, but we will be her church, the body of Christ coming alive to meet her needs, to write love on her arms.”

Tworkowski said his mission was to replace those words she had cut into her arm with love. He wanted to change her perception of herself.

After she was admitted into rehab, Tworkowski wrote her story and made t-shirts with the title printed on them to raise money for her treatment.

Tworkowski also made a Myspace page for the fundraiser and asked some of his friends who were band members to wear the shirts to raise awareness.

Over the next few weeks, Tworkowski and friends were flooded with messages and comments from people all over the world who said Yohe’s story was their story.

“It was then that I realized that addiction, pain, and depression were not white issues or emo issues,” said Tworkowski, “They are issues of humanity."

It was the Myspace page and the thousands of cries for help that inspired Tworkowski to create the organization.

“I do my best to give encouragement,” said Tworkowski, “I want the people who write me to know they are loved, more than they will ever know, and that their stories matter. I want them to know their life is worth fighting for.” 

By Miranda Stancil

Somehow You Can Make It In The Entertainment Industry

ATHENS, GA--

Somehow.

One word, but (somehow) endless possibilities--Just get your foot in the door.


These simple words were firmly declared by Paradigm Agency’s celebrity agent, Norman Aladjem. Aladjem casually spoke to University of Georgia students about his personal experiences and recommendations to make it in the entertainment industry.


Assembled in a customary law school classroom, an audience member asked the simple question “How do you make it into the entertainment industry?” Aladjem responded, without hesitation, “Somehow.” He is confident that “if you get your foot in the door, you will make it somehow.” Aladjem aimed to alter the minds of skeptical students while he briefly held an open door to his life as a well-respected agent.


Aladjem grew up in Cleveland, Ohio having zero connections to the entertainment industry. He actually didn’t realize his calling in Hollywood until he tested and worked in other areas. He explained how he failed as a comedian during Law School at UCLA, but used the experience to succeed in gaining friendships that would jump start his future career. Aladjem tried the comedic route once more when he joked to his audience “I had 15 clients before I even passed the bar.” Needless to say, these clients included actor and fellow comedian Robin Williams and television series creator Larry David.


Aladjem stressed the necessity of acquiring experience in your dream career, even if it begins as being the “gopher that is constantly getting coffee and doing laundry for the people above you.” In Aladjem’s expert opinion, it is more beneficial to seek prospective employees who possess a quality of tenacity. He advised his audience to listen during an interview instead of thinking ahead about how to respond and to research a company before the interview. “You need to be a student of the industry you want to be in” he encouraged. A master’s degree and expertise in circumlocution won’t guarantee you the job.


“I don’t hire these people. What I really want to know is that they’ll do what it takes to get the job done” Aladjem said. Companies large and small alike seek individuals who will work hard at the job they receive, regardless if it is the job that lasts them their entire life.

“I won’t take it personal if the assistant or employee I had works for me and then figures out that he or she rather make films. If anything, I get credit because I can say I taught them everything they know” Aladjem confessed.


Aladjem also conveyed to his audience that he personally didn’t grow up dreaming of being an agent. He stated how his previous career trials and tribulations allowed him to “connect the dots” and obtain the CEO job he has now. After seven years of practicing law, Aladjem began to produce a film he co-wrote. With the lack of success accompanied by a loss of interest, he then decided to start a personal management company with a friend. This experience landed him a spot on the national advance team for future president Bill Clinton in 1992. He worked with Clinton’s campaign through the inauguration in January 1993 when he was offered another opportunity. Aladjem’s skills in networking were continuously paying off and he earned a job to control and lead the marketing development for the World Cup. His extensive array of careers helped him prove to the audience that job opportunities wait in all areas outside of the classroom and it is up to the student actively seek them.


“Everything is one big scavenger hunt- your job is to connect the dots” Aladjem repetitively stated as he provoked his audience to take action and follow a personalized path.


The underlying theme of Aladjem’s speech was straightforward in letting University students in attendance (spanning majors from law to magazines) that a dream job can be attainable. If you’re willing to work hard, you can do it.


“Making it is brutally hard, yet it happens every day. The real formula is there is no formula” Aladjem stated with ease. Although Norman Aladjem didn’t know where his future would take him and struggled in the career world for a few years, he somehow made it big and now encourages students to follow his redundant, yet realistic, words and do the same (somehow).