UWG Claims Another Cheerleading Championship

The UWG All-Girl cheerleading squad successfully defended its UCA Championship at the 2012 Nationals on Saturday afternoon, claiming a second-straight championship and fifth title since 2005. The Coed squad came close, falling to second after winning last year's title.

The win is the first for new head coach Nicole Wiltsie, who joined the UWG staff this past summer.

Both teams earned paid bids to this year's UCA Nationals in Orlando and were judged based on a number of categories, including partner stunts, choreography and basket tosses, among others. The All-Girl squad won going up against Pittsburg State, Columbus State and Northwest Missouri State, among others.

In the Coed championships, the Wolves fell to second place this season, going up against Alabama-Huntsville, Kutztown, Columbus State, Southern Indiana and champion Northwest Missouri, among others.

West Georgia's All-Girl squad will be in action at the men's basketball game at The Coliseum on Thursday, Jan. 19 at 7:30 p.m. against West Florida. The Coed team will be on the sidelines for the women's game at 5:30 p.m.

So You Want to Be a Screenwriter...

Most writers have a ton of unfinished novels and screenplays on a flash drive somewhere. Generally, it's because they lost the motivation to finish the project, hit a brick wall in the narrative or just don't know how to take that next step in the process.

Fortunately, there's an entertaining and helpful article - more like a book, really - that answers any questions a writer might have when it comes to screenwriting, including whether that idea might be better suited for a different format altogether.

Start reading Part 1 of "Screenwriting 101" here. Part 2 is here.

(Note: The article is written by an anonymous industry professional known as Film Crit Hulk. As such, he writes in ALL CAPS as part of the gimmick. If this proves too much for your eyes, try pasting the article into convertcase.net.)

UWG Speaker Discusses Relevance of MLK's Dream

While there can be no argument that the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has left behind an enormous legacy for generations to come, whether this legacy has brought about a permanent shift in societal behavior is still up for debate.

In the University of West Georgia’s third annual Martin Luther King celebration Thursday night, speakers alluded to the night’s theme, “There is Still Work to Do: Seize the Day,” and challenged the university’s students to realize a dream that is now nearly 50 years old.

Keynote speaker Judge Penny Brown Reynolds, a former trial judge, attorney general, and later television judge, set out to answer the question, “Is Dr. King’s dream still relevant?” before her audience, in what turned out to be not a speech, but a sermon.

“We believe that God transcends religion, God transcends anything,” Reynolds said. “[King] was a man that had a vision...they may have killed the messenger, but thank God, they could not destroy the message.”

Reynolds described herself as a beneficiary of Dr. King’s work, an example of a person’s ability to rise from the ranks and become something out of nothing.

She said that now there exists only two sorts of people, those that can rise above their conditions, and those that cannot. The problem, she said, is there is an ever-increasing number of people who cannot rise above inequality. While the poor get poorer, banks are bailed out.

Read more:Times-Georgian - UWG speaker discusses relevance of Dr King’s dream in today s society

Consensual Project Workshop at UWG

On Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 7:30 p.m., UWG’s Responsible Sexuality Committee will host Ben Privot and the Consensual Project as part of the spring program. Privot’s workshop works to bring students a fresh understanding of consent by empowering them to connect with each other and incorporate it in their daily lives. The program is free of charge. The workshop will be held in the Campus Center Ballroom RM 108. For more information about the project, please contact Dr. Carrie Pitzulo at cpitzulo@westga.edu.

UWG's Richards College of Business Praised by Accrediting Body

The Richards College of Business at the University of West Georgia has maintained its business and accounting accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Founded in 1916, AACSB International is the longest serving global accrediting body for business schools that offer bachelors, masters, and doctorate degrees in business and accounting.

Only 643 schools of business, or less than 5 percent worldwide, have earned this distinguished hallmark of excellence in management education. To maintain accreditation, a business or accounting program must undergo a rigorous internal review every five years, at which the program must demonstrate its continued commitment to the 21 quality standards relating to faculty qualification, strategic management of resources, interactions of faculty and students, as well as a commitment to continuous improvement and achievement of learning goals in degree programs.

“It takes a great deal of self-evaluation and determination to earn and maintain AACSB Accreditation,” said Jerry Trapnell, vice president and chief accreditation officer of AACSB International. “Schools not only must meet specific standards of excellence, but their deans, faculty, and staff must make a commitment to ongoing improvement to ensure continued delivery of high-quality education to students.”

“AACSB accreditation verifies the excellence of the Richards College of Business and is a testament to the commitment of the faculty and staff who lead the programs and initiatives,” said Dr. Faye McIntyre, dean of the RCOB. “Maintenance of accreditation is a signal of excellence of our faculty, staff, students, business partners, and programs. Our efforts have been recognized and rewarded with this accreditation decision.”

“I am delighted to receive confirmation that the Richards College of Business has had its accreditation for both its business and accounting degree programs renewed by the AACSB,” said UWG President Dr. Beheruz N. Sethna. “As a former business dean myself, I know how rigorous and demanding the process is -- I offer my sincere congratulations to Dean Faye McIntyre, the leadership team, the faculty, staff and students, and to the broader community of supporters.”

Memphis Artist's Exhibit Opens at Bobick Gallery

The University of West Georgia Department of Art’s Bobick Gallery is pleased to present Memphis-based artist, Cynthia Thompson’s exhibit, Forlorn.

Thompson uses the body as the site of personal investigation. She explores the physical manifestations of denial, shame and oppression by examining issues surrounding the female body. Her meticulously crafted work utilizes hand bookbinding, digital photography, screen-printing, letterpress and relief.

The exhibition opens on Jan. 12 and ends on Feb. 9. There will be an artist talk on Feb. 9 at 3:30 p.m. in room 203 of UWG’s Humanities building. A reception in the gallery will follow at 4:30 p.m. All events are free and open to the public.

Thompson’s work contains strong religious undertones and has often been described as “Catholic” in nature and aesthetic— clean, pure, and ordered. At the same time, many of the surfaces and materials used in her work simulate flesh to evoke the body, an alluring and seductive association of great significance.

In particular, Thompson shares her own experiences as a young woman raised in the religious South. In her newly produced body of work, she continues this investigation. But the focus has become of the aesthetic and the process— technique, pattern, place and content, and the historical made contemporary. She addresses her own concerns with beauty, desire, vulnerability, veiling, and body-centered guilt. In aligning herself with Hamlet’s drowning Ophelia, Thompson metaphorically succumbs to the cold blue waters breathlessly searching for redemption as the voice of her soul is silenced.

Thompson lives in Memphis, Tenn. She is the chair of the Fine Arts Department at Memphis College of Art and a professor of book and paper arts. Thompson has also been a visiting faculty member at University of Georgia’s study abroad program in Cortona, Italy. She was the recipient of the 2003 Tennessee State Arts Commission Fellowship Grant and has been awarded numerous residencies.

The Bobick Gallery is on the first floor of the Humanities building on the UWG campus. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and by appointment. The gallery is closed during university holidays. Parking is available in the visitor lot on West Georgia Drive, across from the Townsend Center for the Performing Arts or in the academic quad lot after 5:30 p.m.

For more information contact Stephanie Smith, the gallery director, at 678-839-4950 or 678-839-6521, slsmith@westga.edu, www.westga.edu/~artdept.

UWG Dominates Debate Contests

UWG students Damiyr Davis, Miguel Feliciano, Osayame Gaius and Vanova Robles weren't around campus on the first days of the spring semester. That's because they were representing the university in interscholastic competition at the Texas Two-Step, two debate tournaments held at the University of North Texas and the University of Texas-Dallas.

More than 80 teams and more than 160 debaters from across the nation competed against each other, with UWG's teams dominating like no other school.

The team of Robles and Gaius had a combined preliminary round record of 13-1, defeating teams from Boston College, Oklahoma, UT-Austin, Wake Forest, Trinity University, UT-San Antonio, UT-Dallas, Wayne State, and Wichita State. They reached the semifinals at both tournaments, losing close 2-1 decisions in each. Vanova, a sophomore from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., was awarded the 13th place individual speaker award at UNT and second speaker at UTD. Gaius, a junior from Miami, was sixth speaker at UTD.

The freshmen team of Davis and Feliciano compiled an 11-3 preliminary record over similar competition, reaching the quarterfinals of the UNT tournament, where they bowed out to the higher seeded team of Gaius-Robles. Davis was named third best individual speaker.

The frosh topped their UNT performance by going undefeated at UTD, winning the tournament with a perfect 7-0 preliminary record, and overall dominating ballot count of 21-1, including unanimous 3-0 decisions in the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals. Davis was named the top speaker and Feliciano was recognized as the seventh-place individual speaker. Winning a national tournament and being named top speaker is highly unusual for a first-year college debater. These two freshmen from New York City have clearly put themselves on the map of intercollegiate debate. They also both made dean's list first semester.

UWG Shines at International Economics Convention

The University of West Georgia was among 11 institutions that competed at the 19th International Economics Convention in Mumbai, India, last month. Among the institutions, nine were from India and two were from the United States (UWG and Kennesaw State).

The theme of this year’s convention was “It’s time for Africa,” with each school being assigned an African nation, performing analysis and making recommendations to improve the nation’s economy.

The UWG team consisted of five students (Justin Ennis, Osayame Gaius, Quencina Gardner, Catherine Mazhandu and Jannah Singletary), two faculty sponsors (Dr. Michael Hester and Dr. John Upson) and UWG President Dr. Beheruz N. Sethna. The team was sponsored by the Richards College of Business and the Honors College.

The students’ presentation, “From Commonwealth to Common Wealth: Indo-Nigerian Economic Cooperation” was very well received and was the only presentation to include empirical analysis. Gaius brought home the Best Presenter award. In presenting him the honor, the speaker rightfully acknowledged that “he basically stole the show.”

The UWG team has been invited back for next year’s conference.

Pictured above are faculty and team members (L to R) Jannah Singletary, Dr. Michael Hester, Quencina Gardner, Dr. John Upson, Justin Ennis, and Osa Gaius.

UWG Bracing for Life on the Road

The University of West Georgia women's basketball team has played Delta State before, but this year the games will count toward its Gulf South Conference record instead of being played as conference crossover contests.

The Wolves begin their two-game road trip tonight in Cleveland, Miss., this evening at 7 p.m.

"We've actually played decent on the road. We won a couple tough road games at Montevallo and Augusta State. We're looking forward to playing both Delta and Christian Brothers," UWG women's coach Scott Groninger said. "Delta State, as usual, is very good. We're in good health and spirits and up to the task."

West Georgia (6-7, 1-1 GSC) split its conference openers at home last week and will look to improve its conference standing against the Lady Statesmen, who have won four of their last five ball games.

UWG senior Krystal Delph earned GSC Conference Player of the Week honors with her performance in last week's games. The senior captain averaged 16 points and eight rebounds, while playing 39.5 minutes as the Wolves went 1-1 to open conference play. Delph is the first Wolf to be honored since Ashley Huff in February of 2009.

Read more:Times-Georgian - UWG bracing for life on the road

President Sethna Honored as Distinguished Alumnus of IIMA

University of West Georgia President Dr. Beheruz N. Sethna, a graduate of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, was recently honored by the institution as it celebrated its 50th anniversary. IIMA, as part of marking its milestone, awarded the designation of distinguished alumnus to 40 alumni recipients, including Sethna. Founded with active collaboration from Harvard Business School, the Indian Institute of Management is considered to be the best business school in India and is also considered to be one of the most respected schools in the Asia-Pacific region. His fellow award recipients include Ashok Alexander, India Country Director of the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation and Ajay Banga, president and CEO of MasterCard Worldwide.

While this honor is historic it is not the first of its kind bestowed upon Sethna. Prior to this award, Sethna has also been honored with the title of distinguished alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. IITB is India’s premier engineering school. This places Sethna as being a distinguished alumnus from both of the best undergraduate and graduate institutions in India.