www.redandblack.com Tuesday, February 1, 2011 Vol. 118, No. 80 | Athens, Georgia

An independent student newspaper serving the University of Georgia communityE S T A B L I S H E D 1 8 9 3 , I N D E P E N D E N T 1 9 8 0

Black&RedThe

p.m. showers. High 48| Low 46

Index

ON THE WEBThe University

has the only black fly colony

in the world. Page 2

News ........................ 2Opinions .................. 4

Variety ..................... 5Sports ...................... 5

Crossword ............... 2Sudoku .................... 5

FLYIN’ SOLOCheck out

variety online for an album review and

concert preview.

LA LA LA LAWe know you

have comments. So leave them on one of our four blogs on our website.

Where’s Mikey?

We haven’t received President Adams’ February calendar

yet from the Office of Public Affairs. If there’s a Mikey

sighting, send us a news tip.

FRANCES MICKLOW | The Red & Black

Lindsey Cheek displayed prowess in gymnastics as early as age 5, and she’s wanted to be a Gym Dog ever since. Now, she’s made her dream come true, becoming one of the nation’s top all-around gymnasts as a freshman.

HOPE’s future still unclear

By KATHRYN INGALLTHE RED & BLACK

In whatever way legisla-tors in Atlanta decide to cut HOPE, it doesn’t look like University students should worry about raising their GPAs.

“The standard for a col-lege student would remain a 3.0,” said state Rep. Len Walker (R-Loganville).

Though many uncertain-ties remain about the pro-posed cuts, they will likely be a combination of limiting the people eligible for the schol-arship as well as reducing the amount of tuition and fees HOPE will pay.

“ T h a t ’ s hard to say, but I would guess the elimination of books and fees, but also any HOPE funding for reme-dial classes,” Walker said. “But after that, it’s hard to say.”

He said options on the table vary from a straightfor-ward plan to divide lottery revenue equally among quali-fying students to a three-tier system of aid.

“A student who graduates with a very high GPA and SAT and who takes a rigor-ous curriculum would be eli-gible for a higher HOPE award,” he said, referencing the three-tier system. “It awards excellent academic achievement. We believe — many of us believe — that was the initial goal of HOPE.”

Allie McCullen, a senior and member the University chapter of Students for Public Higher Education, is concerned about the possible inclusion of

See HOPE, Page 3

ALLY WHITE | The Red & Black

A new access road is under construction on College Station Road. It will lead to a water facility and undeveloped University property.

ALLY WHITE | The Red & Black

Opening today, Pints and Paints puts an unusual spin on the typical ‘bar’ atmosphere — customers can come for their favorite drinks, then learn to paint a picture along side an instructor.

By ZACH DILLARD | THE RED & BLACK

Jay Clark remembers the day she walked into his gym, shy and intimidated.

She was just 5 years old, too young to compete on a team, and enrolled in one of his recreational classes at Classic City Gymnastics Academy. The little girl had never taken classes before, but something caught Clark’s eye that day, something that has proven to be true over and over again in the 13 years since.

That little girl had talent.Lindsey Cheek was a natural.“I plucked her out of classes and I pulled her parents

in and I said, ‘I don’t want her in classes,’” said Clark, Georgia’s second-year head coach who sold the club gym in 2005 to focus on the Gym Dogs and his family. “She was too young to compete, according to the rules, but I still wanted to put her on a team and let her train with one of our compulsory teams because she would have been wasting her time if she had taken a recreational class.”

Chris and Melinda Cheek might have been unaware of their daughter’s gifts that day, but she has been on the fast track in gymnastics ever since.

Clark immediately took to the 5-year-old during prac-tices, repeatedly using her as an example for his older

See CHEEK, Page 5

WALKER

By DREW HOOKSTHE RED & BLACK

The University and Athens-Clarke County are teaming up to build a multi-million dollar road — and right now, it goes nowhere.

The new access road under construc-tion off College Station Road is a joint project between the Athens-Clarke County Public Utility department and the University. It will give access to the county’s new water reclamation facility and undeveloped University property.

Sean Rogers, the University’s direc-tor of capital budgets, said the

University has committed a maximum of $2,187,500 for the project.

He said the project is funded by the UGA Real Estate Foundation, which is a University affiliate that has the ability to buy and sell property.

“When the city was building its waste water treatment center, we decided we should join in the project,” said Tom Jackson, the University’s vice president of public affairs.

He said the new access road will open up 72 acres of University land on the other side of the Athens perimeter. Jackson said the University will also gain the land that the old waste water treatment plant is built on after the plant is demolished.

Gary Duck, the utility director for

See PROJECT, Page 3

Millions spent on roadUniv. teams up with county for project

By TAYLOR MERCKFOR THE RED & BLACK

Abby Denham knows nothing about art.

A Washington, D.C., law-yer turned art-bar owner in just four months, Denham’s new project — Pints and Paints — opens today on Pulaski Street.

“I was probably what you think is the picture of suc-cess,” Denham said. “I was on that partnership track. I was kicking ass and taking names.”

A student at the University from fall 1996 to spring 1998, Denham, 32, transferred to the College of Charleston in South Carolina to take advantage of in-state tuition.

In just five years time, after graduating from George Mason University’s School of Law in 2003, she worked her way up to a large firm in Tyson’s Corner, Virginia, making six figures.

“I was so happy in the beginning. I loved practicing law,” Denham said. “I loved it because I was good at it and I enjoyed it. I looked forward to going to work, but I could never walk away from it. I always took my work home with me.”

Needless to say, work began to take over her life.

“I changed who I was as a person and I became some-one I didn’t like,” Denham said. “For someone who doesn’t have money, it’s easy to want money. For someone who does have money, it’s easy to say, ‘Oh, money isn’t everything. Money isn’t

everything. Money won’t buy you time.’”

After taking a leave of absence from her firm, Denham came back knowing that she was ready to move on.

She stumbled upon a similar art-bar experience in Summerville, S.C., and things started falling into place.

In the last few months, Denham has moved to Athens, found an apartment, rented a space for the Pints and Paints studio and has set up her new business and her new life.

“I stumbled upon [that] art class and I just haven’t been happier,” Denham said. “I’m happy because I thought I was stuck and I was trapped, and I thought that I had no power over my life anymore. I’m happy that I was able to pack up and go and start all over.”

See ART, Page 5

Former student trades law for paintingWhen: Tonight at 6:30Where: Pulaski Street Price: Two hour sessions: $35, three hour session: $45. Reservations are recommended.

PINTS AND PAINTS

PAGE 4 Editorial coverage of HOPE

It’s a cold, harsh world out there. Page 6

GREEK SPECIAL

Complete Tuxedo Rental* - $3995

It’s not too late for this weekend.

240 N. Lumpkin St. / 706-546-4742

2.3 JazzChronic & Big SomethingChronic’s “Groocathon” CD

release party2.10 Dank Sinatra & DJ Triz

2.11 Tent City w/ Three Foot Swagger: Widespread

Panic After Party

2.24 Eddie & the Public Speakers & Newberry Jam

2.12 Bear Foot Hookers & Betsy Frank & Bare Knuckle Band

2.21 Lubriphonic2.22 Spiritual Rez

3.1 Simplified

PRIVATE PARTIES NOW AVAILABLEWE NOW HAVE TERRAPIN RYE, FULL MOON AND BLUE MOON

ON DRAFT • FREE POOL MONDAY & TUESDAY 4-7 PM

NO WHERE BAR6 pool tables • Live Music • 12 TVs • 3 dartboards

THE DAILY PUZZLE

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE® BY STEPHAN PASTIS

ACROSS 1 Gallop4 Kid9 Drug addict

13 Sitting upon15 Capital of

Vietnam16 Donated17 Fence open-

ing18 Up and about19 Elderly20 Grave marker22 Bookish fel-

low23 __ back;

return24 Spanish hero26 Chefs’ cloth-

ing protectors29 Marsh plants

with fuzzy tips

34 Tiny remain-ing amount

35 Shoe bot-toms

36 Kucinich or Pelosi: abbr.

37 Thin38 Johnny

Cash’s “A Boy __ Sue”

39 Shabby bar40 Most com-

mon conjunc-tion

41 Ascends

42 Biblical book 43 Window in

the roof 45 Suds 46 Word of dis-

gust 47 Variety 48 Unlocked 51 Temporary;

not settled 56 Paper towel

brand 57 Body of

water 58 West’s oppo-

site 60 Heroic tale 61 Entire 62 Ready to be

picked & eaten

63 Depend 64 Recluse

65 Caustic soap ingredient

DOWN 1 Cleaning

cloth 2 “Beehive

State” 3 Short letter 4 Deep divi-

sions 5 “__ makes

waste” 6 5 __ 10 is 2 7 Cut of pork 8 Supervised 9 Nation whose

capital is Kampala

10 Wise man 11 At any time 12 Late Mr. Foxx 14 Bird with an

elegant spread of tail feathers

21 Finished 25 “__ a Small

World” 26 Book of

maps 27 Practical joke 28 Country sing-

er __ Travis

29 Hale-Bopp, e.g.

30 Pub orders 31 From Dublin 32 Embankment 33 Asparagus

unit 35 Obi, for one 38 One who

stays up late 39 Wackier

41 Tractor-trailer 42 Male red

deer 44 Nuttiness 45 Car borrowed

from a repair shop

47 No longer fresh

48 Above 49 Hollow tube

50 Wicked 52 Resound 53 __ lights;

marquee rim 54 Colorado

resort 55 Catch sight

of 59 Peg for

Mickelson

Previous puzzle’s solution

2 | Tuesday, February 1, 2011 | The Red & Black NEWS

CORRECTIONSIn the photo

accompanying Monday’s story “Hillel, community celebrate gift of Torah,” the caption labels the two men as Wayne Silverman and Steve Levine. The men should be labeled as Joel Marcovitch and Rabbi Asa.

The head shot with Monday’s story “Dogs’ video system top in country” should be labeled Dave Van Halanger, not Joe Tereshinski.

The Red & Black is committed to journal-istic excellence and providing the most accurate news possi-ble. Contact us if you see an error, and we will do our best to correct it.

Editor-in-Chief: Mimi Ensley

(706) 433-3027editor@randb.com

Managing Editor:Rachel G. Bowers

(706) 433-3026me@randb.com

By DALLAS DUNCANTHE RED & BLACK

Tucked away on Riverbend Road is Riverbend Research Facility North, home to various science laborato-ries — and the world’s only black fly colony.

“It was started in 1981 at Cornell University and it operated at Cornell for a number of years,” Elmer Gray, an entomology research professional, said.

Gray said the colony was transferred to the University of Arizona, and in spring 1991 a branch was started at Clemson University. That is where he and Ray Noblet, now the entomology depart-ment head at the University, began their research.

When Noblet and Gray came to the University in 1999, the colony came too.

“Black flies are one of the top three in the world in terms of public health impacts,” Noblet said, add-ing black flies ranked among mosquitoes and ticks as pests.

Noblet said black flies can cause disease in birds, cattle, pigs and horses — and even humans.

“We’re studying effective ways to work with them more efficiently in the lab, and why they go to certain streams,” he said.

Gray said there are at least two million flies in the lab each week in various stages of development.

Joe Iburg, a graduate student from Marietta and a research assistant in the lab, said one of the pur-poses of having the lab was to run quality control bio-assays, or biological tests, on a larvicide.

The larvicide, which kills black fly larvae, is a natu-ral, soil-born bacteria called Bacillus thuringien-sis variety israelensis, or BTI, Gray said.

In order to research the

effects of the larvicide on black flies, the lab cycles through raising new gener-ations of animals and test-ing batches of BTI.

The cycle begins with nine “rearing tanks,” each of which is a simulated river environment, Iburg said.

“Each rearing is started by putting eggs on the run-way [in the tank],” Gray said. “Through days 18 through 20 we use larvae for our experiments in the laboratory. After that the larvae begin to pupate … around days 22 through 26 and we cover the tanks with these black hoods.”

Once the tanks are cov-ered, the flies — which are attracted to light — fly up into a glass tube to mate, he said. The adults are col-lected at the end of every day and placed in a refrig-erator to slow their metab-olism until it is time for oviposition, or egg-laying, for the next generation.

“It’s fairly expensive because the colony has to be maintained every day of

the year,” Gray said, add-ing there were at least eight people employed at the lab, which is primarily funded through grants.

Noblet said the colony is a very valuable resource for the University, and it thrives here because of lab space, climate and the abil-ity of the employees to maintain it. He said the lab is internationally known for its research.

“Some of the data from our lab used to be used by the World Health Organization,” Iburg said.

Iburg said additional research is done in the lab aside from BTI studies.

McGaha, for example, is working alongside the University of South Florida and Auburn University to create a pheromone trap to replace other black fly cap-turing methods used in South America and Africa.

“The flies would land on humans and they’d pick them off their skin. That’s how they would catch them,” he said. “We’re try-ing to create a trap that eliminates the human involvement.”

Noblet said the lab also works with other University departments, including the department of infectious diseases, to do research outside the routine bioas-says.

“Ultimately, if you con-trol black flies, you control the diseases,” Noblet said.

Univ. home to fly labWarrants issued for former employee

University Police issued warrants Th- ursday for a former University employee who was charged with 11 counts of mis-demeanor theft by deception, according to a University Police log.

Adelin John Semali had first been reported to police Dec. 3, 2010, accord-ing to a University Police report. The person who reported Semali said “she believed a known individual had engaged in fraudulent activity” relating to a University account, according to the document.

Semali falsified documentation on travel reimbursement forms, University Police Chief Jimmy Williamson said.

Williamson said Semali received

nearly $400 in illegitimate reimburse-ment.

Semali’s theft was discovered after the accounting office found “irregulari-ties” and contacted the police for fur-ther investigation, he said.

“We found that they were not valid entries,” Williamson said.

Semali is no longer employed by the University as of Dec. 27, 2010, said Cynthia Hoke, director of University News Service.

—Compiled by Adina Solomon

CRIME NOTEBOOKONLINE

Documents and Extended Crime Notebook

FRANCES MICKLOW | The Red & Black

University researchers study black flies to analyze the organisms’ affects on public health.

When: Feb. 9 - 11Where: Georgia CenterCost: $109More information: http://www.georgiacenter.uga.edu/cch/register/ninth-annual-meeting-north-ameri-can-black-fly-association

BLACK FLY MEETING

Studies aid in world health

Tuesday Corner

lunch for two - $10

Also remember to check out 1/2 off tequila Tuesday & Wednesday Ladies Night

w/ student ID • Monday-Friday valid 11:30-3:00

Downtown on corner of Clayton & Hull | 706.227.4444 | casamiatapas@gmail.com

Affordable, stylish women’s shoes No shue over $35

Located in Mission Square across from the mall

Shue Clawset10 % OFF ON THURSDAYS

APPROXIMATELY 100 CREDIT COURSES ONLINE

For more information or to register:www.georgiacenter.uga.edu/randb

706-542-3243 1-800-877-3243See your academic advisor about applying

specific IDL courses to your program of study.

Suite 193 1197 South Lumpkin Street Athens, GA

The University of Georgia is committed to principles of equal opportunity and a!rmative action.

UGA Online Credit CoursesRegister Now for Spring Credit – (through Feb 5th)

catering@shanesathens.comLocated next to Best Western & Across from The Varsity!

196 N. Milledge Ave. Athens, GA 30601

(706) 548-4650 www.shanesribshack.com/athens.com

Tuesday and Sunday

Special!3 pc. Chicken Tender Special with Fries only $3.99! Expires 2-14-2011

PET FRIENDLY

(706)548-0580

Unique Student Community

www.deklerealty.com

Great 1 BR choices!

Wow! Great Prices & Close to Campus!

www.joinermanagement.com 706-353-6868

Lynn Rock Hillside White Columns Hall

NEWS The Red & Black | Tuesday, February 1, 2011 | 3

For many students, the HOPE scholarship pro-vides the opportunity to attend dream institutions.

For Stephanie Fraser, a sophomore from Peachtree City, this was the University.

“[The HOPE scholar-ship] has helped me tre-mendously,” Fraser said. “It has given me a chance to actually come here. If I didn’t have it, I wouldn’t be here because it’s so expensive.”

Fraser also said the HOPE scholarship has helped her and her family in other ways.

“It’s helped my parents save money too, and it’s created a drive for me to strive to do better, so I do have the HOPE and I can keep helping my parents out,” she said.

Fraser said without the scholarship, her family would suffer added pres-sure.

“It would put a huge strain on me and my family just because it’s that much more money to give up. We already have enough expenses, like housing, where our money needs to go to,” she said.

Fraser said she thought increasing the GPA neces-sary to maintain the HOPE scholarship would put too much pressure on students.

Nevertheless, Fraser also said she recognized the complexity of the HOPE dilemma.

“It’s a tough question,” she said. “I think limiting the amount of money peo-ple get can help out or maybe adding tougher restrictions to the number of hours it covers. I’m not sure. It’s really tough.”

Daniel Kern, a second-year student from Alpharetta, said the HOPE scholarship brought him back to Georgia. After attending the University of South Carolina, he decided it would be less expensive to come back.

“Yeah, it was about a total of 40 grand for every-thing — tuition, housing. Coming in state was defi-nitely a smarter decision especially because it saved my parents money,” he said. “It’s the same level of education kind of for free. I’m not really missing out or anything.”

Kern said he would be happy receiving any amount of money for aid.

“Anything is better than nothing. Even if they cut it down a bit, it’s still a good thing they provide,” he said.

So good in fact, that he said it was the only reason he, and many others like him, came back to Georgia after their first few years away in other states.

“If it weren’t for HOPE, I would have stayed at South Carolina. It’s the reason so many people came back to the state after leaving. I know a ton of people from high school that came back,” Kern said.

He said if HOPE were gone, his family members would have to make adjust-ments to their lifestyles.

“My family would have to cut back — not go out to dinner as much, things like that,” he said. “I won’t have to work, but it might delay retirement for my parents.”

— Compiled by Mariana Heredia

Decisions, decisions. Joey Sharp, a high school senior from Decatur, is reconsidering where he will be attending college.

Due to the dwindling HOPE Scholarship funds, the University was no lon-ger the obvious choice.

“If we lost HOPE, or if it was dramatically reduced, I would be more likely to go out of state, or at the very least think more about it, or apply for other scholarships at UGA or in-state schools because UGA would be on par price wise,” he said.

Sharp said without the scholarship, he would seri-ously consider colleges in the west such as the University of California, San Diego, or smaller schools such as Davidson College.

“With HOPE, I wouldn’t want to go there because I would be giving up a quali-ty education in state, but if it is comparable price wise there is no reason to stay in state,” he said. “I’ve always been one of those people who wanted to get away, but HOPE keeps me here.”

Sharp said the cuts being made to the scholar-ship are forcing him to look much further ahead in his career, and reconsider the option of a graduate degree.

“I know I’ll be paying for graduate school regard-less of where I go. The way I think about it is — go in state and get free under-grad and then go out of state when I know I’m going to be paying for it anyway,” he said. “It’s defi-nitely a big factor in con-sidering where I want to go.”

It has been about a year since Megan Chancey lost the HOPE scholarship. Since then, she has been trying to recover the aid, but it has proved difficult.

“It has been increasing-ly harder for each semester because A’s start carrying less weight in your overall GPA. It’s a lot harder to get it back than to lose it,” she said.

Chancey said the added pressure has affected near-ly everything in her life, such as shopping habits and her overall opinion of college.

“I’m more aware of money and how much things cost. I’ve had to cut back in spending and defi-nitely study harder,” she said. “I also take college that much more seriously. Before, missing class was no big deal. Now I’m stressing about being there every single day. I pay attention to what courses I’m taking and make sure I get good teachers.”

Chancey said if she had known she would eventu-ally lose the scholarship, she would still choose to attend the University.

“It’s different because I’ve always wanted to go to UGA, and getting the chance to go is incredible. It would be hard to have to leave,” she said.

However, she also added that without the scholar-ship, she has had to con-sider other, cheaper options for school.

“I’ve considered staying home and going to Georgia Gwinnett or going to Gainesville and living in Athens. It’s definitely a lot cheaper to do that,” Chancey said.

Student experiences varySTORIES OF HOPE

From Page 1

standardized testing into HOPE qualifications.

“With a Kaplan course, you can pay for a $1,000 course and buy a couple hundred points to bump you into the next tier,” she said.

The high school GPAs associated with possible tiers would be 3.8-4.0, 3.5-3.79 and 3.0-3.49. Legislators are researching what would be an equal SAT score.

“We encourage legislators to look at alternative revenue sources for HOPE so the GPA will not have to be raised,” McCullen said. “Or we also encourage an income cap, especially if it involves tiers of aid.”

Another program discussed would be a forgivable loan program where freshmen students receive their first year of tuition in loans which would be forgiven at the end of the year if they earn a 3.0 GPA.

If not, students would be respon-sible to pay back the loan.

Walker said he has been having weekly meetings with the Governor’s Office and the budget office, among others, although nothing has been decided.

Tim Connell, president of the Georgia Student Finance Commission, said the number of awards given to students has almost

doubled within the past 10 years.Now about 250,000 Georgians are

receiving some form of HOPE bene-fit.

Connell said increases in the cost of higher education have quickly sur-passed the lottery revenues which fund the scholarship.

“The budget cuts contribute to increases in tuition because the uni-versities and institutions must make up the difference somewhere,” Connell said.

Connell said by the end of this fis-cal year in June, the HOPE reserve fund will be in debt by $244 million and by an additional $317 million at the end of the next fiscal year.

Legislators will try to find a solu-

tion to the increasing HOPE debt by the end of the legislative session in April.

“In my opinion, what they should do is make the GPA for high school students higher,” said Hilary Butschek, a freshman from Cumming. “I don’t think they should decrease the amount given, just make us work harder to get it.”

McCullen said the Students for Public Higher Education held a meeting last week and will do so every Wednesday at 8 p.m. in room 247 of the Miller Learning Center.

“I think it’s not something that’s under the radar anymore,” McCullen said. “I think students are pretty aware, but a lot of people are still apathetic.”

Other students on campus stressed the importance of the schol-arship to their academic studies.

“I just think it’s a bad idea to cut it. If I didn’t have it, I don’t know how I would pay for school,” said senior Lauren O’Neill.

Even though O’Neill came to Georgia as an out-of-state student, she qualified for the HOPE scholar-ship after her first year.

“Education is so important, I don’t think they should even be consider-ing cutting the HOPE scholarship,” she said. “There are other things they could cut besides HOPE.”

HOPE: Despite meetings, no decisions yetHOPE OPTIONS

Daniel Kern, a soph-omore from Alpharetta came to the University because of HOPE.

Stephanie Fraser, a sophomore from Peachtree City, receives HOPE.

Joey Sharp, a high school senior from Decatur, is wavering on his college choice.

Megan Chancey, a sophomore from Buford, lost HOPE as a freshman.

From Page 1

Athens-Clarke County, said the project was initiated several years ago when the county decided on the site for the new water reclama-tion facility.

Duck said the county needed access to the land and did not want to have truck traffic through Bailey

Street, a residential neigh-borhood, so the county decided to connect to College Station Road.

“To get to College Station we had to go across UGA property,” Duck said.

He said this necessitat-ed a discussion with the University, where the deci-sion was made to join together on the project.

“They had property behind the old plant, and they needed access, so this was a win-win,” Duck said.

Duck said the project, estimated to be finished by this fall, has just completed its first phase, which involved the tie in at College Station Road, a bridge and 750 feet of road-way.

The total cost of phase one is $2.5 million.

The second phase will be the 1,000-foot roadway leading up to the new plant. Duck said this will not be completed until the old plant is demolished.

The cost of the second phase portion of the proj-ect has not been deter-mined.

PROJECT: Partnership stems from ‘win-win’ situation

4 | Tuesday, February 1, 2011 | The Red & Black

HOPE decisions need student input

It’s the end of an era.College attendance is up.Lottery spending is down.Since its foundation in 1993, the HOPE schol-

arship has kept Georgia’s brightest students in the state University system. With a 3.0 GPA or higher, these students received financial aid based on merit. This motivation has put more Georgians in college — and kept them there longer.

But now, Gov. Nathan Deal is cutting that which has kept scholars tuition-free and Georgia-bound. And he has his reasons.

The Georgia Lottery for Education Act pro-vides the funds for HOPE.

The projected spending rate for HOPE in 2012 is more than $1 billion. But the expected lottery deposits are just fewer than $900 mil-lion, according to the Georgia Student Finance Commission.

We can’t afford it anymore. Pretty soon, HOPE will run out. Those students with parental assistance will

go elsewhere. Those without it will enter the desperate realm of student loans.

So what are our options? Some people suggest making a transition

from a merit-based scholarship to a strictly need-based format. If your parents make too much money — you’re out of luck.

Others suggest raising the mandated GPA for college students from a 3.0 to 3.2. If you bomb that test — you’re out of luck.

The editorial board has a suggestion.You’re in luck.Why not increase alcohol excise taxes and

use the revenues to give us an education?Presently, the tax on beer per gallon is

$1.01. The tax on wine is $1.51. And the tax on liquor is a “hefty” $3.79, according to the Tax Foundation.

Not exactly millions of dollars spent.But it could be billions of dollars in untapped

revenue.The last year Georgia raised alcohol taxes? That would be 1967, according to the Center

for Science in the Public Interest. Our state has before its eyes the possibility

for HOPE’s salvation. Increasing alcohol excise taxes could be the

solution to budget woes. And with the possible repeal of Sunday blue

laws, alcohol sales would only increase. And so would money for us — the unlettered youthful masses.

Yes, certain members of the Republican leg-islature might fret about funding college educa-tion through a so-called “sin” tax.

They don’t want Georgia children receiving an alcohol-soaked diploma.

But in 1993 we saw the same argument used against HOPE itself. Gov. Zell Miller faced opposition to funding scholarships through the lottery — a form of gambling.

Yet, he prevailed — and created a program that has made college attendance soar in the state of Georgia.

We too must prevail. We must move beyond our reluctance to tie ourselves to alcohol-fueled education.

We must down that PBR and save HOPE. Athens is known for inebriated students. So just think of us as paying for our own edu-

cation.No, this does not mean we all need to head

downtown and drain the bars dry. It just means we can add a few million pen-

nies to the HOPE fund. And we can’t lose HOPE. Today, it’s served

more than 1.2 million students. It’s provided benefits stretching more than $5 billion.

HOPE is perhaps the greatest governmental contribution to Georgia education.

Think of all the people who can go to college because of this scholarship. Think of all the people who can leave school loan-free. Think of the HOPEmobiles.

Future Bulldogs everywhere are counting on the continuation of this educational program.

We must give them a chance. This could be the dawn of a new HOPE.

— Courtney Holbrook and Robert Carnes for the editorial board

Majority opinions of The Red & Black’s editorial board

Raise your glassThe HOPE scholarship is in danger and the editorial board offers a suggestion

Our Take

Mimi Ensley | Editor in Chief editor@randb.comRachel G. Bowers | Managing Editor me@randb.comCourtney Holbrook | Opinions Editor opinions@randb.com

Phone (706) 433-3002 | Fax (706) 433-3033

opinions@randb.com | www.redandblack.com

540 Baxter Street, Athens, Ga. 30605Opinions

Advice for the classroom Facebook stalker

Attending the University and Georgia Tech respectively, represents the fulfillment of

a lifelong dream for us. Unfortunately, it appears this dream may be deferred for thou-sands of Georgia’s college students if our State Legislature fails to act.

During the election season, we heard bluster from both sides of the aisle promising to finally make the HOPE Scholarship sustainable.

Nevertheless, as the ideas come forward, we have one adamant reminder — remember the original purpose of the HOPE scholarship.

HOPE exists to make a second-ary education accessible to every qualified Georgian.

So it is surprising to us when we hear proposals to increase GPA requirements and implement fund-ing caps, as this would not effec-tively and permanently cure the HOPE Scholarship’s ailments.

The students of both student government associations have some thoughts on how the state can address this problem.

We encourage our Governor and State Legislature to keep these points in mind:

1) The HOPE Scholarship pres-ently funds remedial courses, a socialized Pre-K program, a private college and university education and access to a technical school education.

It is incredibly difficult to justify that a student is qualified to

receive a merit-based scholarship if he or she is not adequately pre-pared for college. We also question whether funding private education was in the original intent of the HOPE Scholarship.

If college students must make concessions, the Pre-K program and the Technical System must make equitable concessions as well.

We must take a close look at where every penny of the scholar-ship is spent and contrast that expense with the original intent of the scholarship.

2) Revenues from the HOPE Scholarship are solely based on the lottery system.

Our lawmakers need to work with the Lottery Corporation either to ensure our state’s appropria-tions are in line with the national average or to explore alternative means of revenue for the scholar-ship, such as Sunday alcohol sales or video lottery terminals.

3) The HOPE Scholarship must always fund 100 percent of tuition costs. We must meet the original intent of the merit scholarship.

Students who are deserving of HOPE in Georgia should not have to go into debt in order to cover tuition costs. Every dime matters to Georgia students with the dream for a college education.

However, we are not unmindful of the fact concessions must be made on both sides.

Nevertheless, we — the college students — expect to be engaged in the process.

Limiting the total amount awarded to an arbitrary cap dispro-portionately harms the state’s research universities with higher tuition rates.

Solving this issue will not be easy. But we did not send our law-makers to the Capitol to make easy decisions.

We sent them to make the right ones — and failing to acknowledge the original intent of the HOPE Scholarship is the wrong choice.

We welcome a seat at the table throughout the process.

— Joshua Delaney is the student body president of the University

Student Government Association

— Corey T. Boone is the student body president of the Student

Government Association at the Georgia Institute of Technology

JOSHUA DELANEY

COREY T. BOONE

I’m looking at you.Not you, guy play-

ing Angry Birds on your iPhone. Or you, girl failing miserably at today’s Sudoku puzzle. You distract me, but I can tolerate you.

I’m looking at YOU — Facebookers in class-rooms everywhere.

So is everyone sitting behind you.

Professors go on and on about how distracting Internet usage is to other students in class. They might make laptop users sit elsewhere to protect the attention spans of others.

But let’s face it. If there’s an open,

powered computer in front of a student, chanc-es are someone’s on Facebook — regardless of the computer-use policy outlined in the syllabus.

What’s more, chances are that person is Facebook stalking.

Of course, the term “stalking” can be used lightly. It doesn’t take much activity on the beloved ‘Book to make a person look a bit too interested in another’s weekend shenanigans.

That curiosity doesn’t make someone restrain-ing order-level creepy, per

se. But it does grant them a level of creepiness so intense it lingers in the souls of those seated behind the active brows-er.

I’ve noticed many breeds of Facebook creeps — with a variety of different strategies. And I’ve come to a few conclu-sions.

If someone is searching for a specific non-friend and combing through their available informa-tion — he’s a resourceful Facebook creep.

If a girl is reading the entire wall-to-wall between some frat star and another girl — she’s probably a stage-5-clinger Facebook creep.

If a fellow student hap-pens to look through all 56 default pictures of someone I know — he’s a six-degrees-of-Kevin-Ba-con Facebook creep. And no, his secret is not safe with me.

It’s not that I try to judge every person who logs into the website that is the bane of interper-

sonal communication as we know it.

I — along with many others — simply get sucked into whatever “research” the person in front of me is doing. I’m invading their privacy. And yet, I’m uncomfort-ably interested in the user whose profile beck-ons my attention.

But as much as I ridi-cule public Facestalkers, I still want to help them mend their ways.

I’ve been there.And during the lowest

of my public creeping lows, I had an epiphany: using this site is a sci-ence. But I think I’ve almost mastered it.

Allow me to offer you some helpful steps to avoid creepiness.

Step one — the mini-feed is all you need. Staying on the homepage and doing your recon from there keeps you within the boundaries of people you already know.

Step two — dim your screen and tilt it back a bit.

Step three — your body position is key. Hover over your laptop. That way, you’re boxing out the potential voyeurs — while doing the looking yourself.

With these steps, you’ll be safe.

I know I am.So yeah, I’m that

Quasimodo-positioned ginger with the dim Macbook Pro — but at least I’m not that red-headed girl from your journalism class who opened your roommates’ friendship page right before your eyes.

That seems like a fair trade to me.

It’s important to set the creeping standard to a minimum. I’ve been moderately successful thus far, and I sincerely hope fellow students heed my advice.

But if the general need to openly Facebook stalk persists, I suppose I wouldn’t mind students choosing my profile as a scapegoat.

They could read my publicly advertised blog at their own convenience. I could definitely use the Social Network-ing celeb-rity.

Oh, right… I mean… scratch that. Ignore me. Pay attention in class!

— Melissa Buckman is a senior from Alpharetta majoring in publication

management and film studies

MELISSA BUCKMAN

Letters must include name, year in school, hometown,

phone number, major or job title or other appropriate identi-

fication. Letters are edited.

LETTERS POLICY

NEWS: 706-433-3002News Editor: Rachel BunnAssociate News Editor: Polina MarinovaSports Editor: Nick ParkerVariety Editor: Joe WilliamsPhoto Editor: Sara CaldwellDesign Editors: Amanda Jones, Haley TempleCopy Editors: Becky Atkinson, Megan Holley, Beth PollakOnline Editor: Jessica RobertsEditorial Cartoonist: Sarah QuinnEditorial Adviser: Ed Morales

Editorial Assistant: Sarah Jean Dover Recruitment Editor: Katie ValentineSenior Reporter: Dallas DuncanStaff Writers: Umarah Ali, Jason Axlerod, Ryan Black, Mitch Blomert, Kelsey Byrd, Adam Carlson, Melissa Cohen, Lindsey Cook, Kelly Corbett, Jacob Demmitt, Christopher Desantis, Zach Dillard, F.Tyler Elrod, Briana Gerdeman, Sarah Giarratana, Emily Grant, Mariana Heredia, Drew Hooks, Kathryn Ingall, Emily Karol, Elaine Kelch, Edward Kim, Heather Kinney, Alex Laughlin, Christopher Miller, Cody Nichelson, Tunde Ogunsakin, Robbie Ottley, Michael Prochaska, Travis Ragsdale,

Aspen Smith, Adina Soloman, Tiffany Stevens, Zachary Taylor, Eva Vasquez, Erinn Waldo, Mary WalkerChief Photographer: Frances Micklow Photographers: Michael Barone, Avery Draut, Michael Harris, Emily Karol, Meagan Kelley, AJ Reynolds, Julianne Upchurch, Ally White, Dina ZolanPage Designers: Abbey Boehmer, Jan-Michael Cart, Becky Justice, Ana Kabakova, Christopher Miller, Charlee Russell

ADVERTISING: 706-433-3001Advertising Director: Natalie McClure

Student Ad Manager: Sarah CarltonInside Sales Manager: Haley WintherAccount Executives: Carolyn Evers, Nick Henner, Andrew Love, Sarah Overstreet, Rebecca TonneSales Associates: Ally Macatee, Marisa Negri, Zach Smith, Sharanya Vijaykumar, Kennan WoodAdvertising Assistants: Laurel HollandClassifieds Representatives: Sarah Oldaker, Jenna VinesCirculation Manager: Blake MolinaCreative Assistant: Olivia ScarboroughAssistant Production Manager: Joshua Trey Barnett

Production Assistants: Nicollette Childs, Jenni Chiu, Elaine Kelch, Elizabeth StewartProduction Manager: Sam PittardPublisher: Harry MontevideoOffice Manager: Erin BeasleyAssistant Office Manager: Megan Yue

Cleaning Person: Mary Jones

The Red & Black is published Monday through Friday fall and spring semesters and each Thursday summer semester, except holidays and exam periods, by The Red & Black Publishing Company Inc., a non-profit campus newspaper not affiliated with the University of Georgia. Subscription rate: $195 per year.

Our StaffOpinions expressed in The Red & Black are the opinions of the writers and not necessarily those of The Red and Black Publishing Company Inc. All rights reserved. Reprints by permission of the editors.

Editorial board members include Mimi Ensley, Rachel G. Bowers, Robert Carnes, Courtney Holbrook, Robbie Ottley and Joe Williams.

The Red & Black publishes daily during each semester according to theUniversity schedule. Ads may be placed Monday - Friday 9 a.m. 5 p.m. in ouroffice at 540 Baxter St. or call 433-3011 and charge it to your MasterCard, VISA,or American Express. Prepayment is required. Ads can also be faxed via form to433-3033 or e-mailed to classifieds@randb.com . Classifieds

PRIVATE PARTY RATE(Applies to individual persons only)

(0-25 words)1st Day/Skip days.....................................................$6.003 Consecutive Days.................................................$10.005 Consecutive Days.................................................$15.0010 Consecutive Days...............................................$20.00

HOUSING ANDEMPLOYMENT RATE

(0-25 words)1st Day/Skip days.....................................................$9.003 Consecutive Days.................................................$25.005 Consecutive Days.................................................$35.0010 Consecutive Days...............................................$65.00

BUSINESS RATE(All commercial other than housing and employment)

(0-25 words)1st Day/Skip days.....................................................$7.003 Consecutive Days.................................................$19.005 Consecutive Days.................................................$31.0010 Consecutive Days...............................................$61.00

THE RED & BLACKis now accepting applications for a

Spring Semester Business Intern

Great opportunity to gainreal world business skills

while working in a fun environment. Must beavailable MWF 1:30 to 3:30. Visit our website:

www.redandblack.com for more information and

an application.

SPECIALS on S. Milledge Ave!

Pre-leasing for summer and fall

Hunter’s Run 2br/2ba $7203br/2ba $8004br/4ba $1200

W/D, alarm system, pets welcome

hancockpropertiesinc.com706-552-3500

1BR APTS W/ 1 MONTHFREE & NO PET FEE!Close to Campus & Down-town from $380-$425 NOSD w/ acceptable credit.That’s only $350-$390 w/special. www.ambroseprop-erties.postlets.com. 706-549-2500

1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 BR. Awe-some close to campus.Houses for Fall! Historicalhouses, modern amenities.Porches, yards. Petfriendly. $350-$1850 mo.luckydawg96@hotmail.com

2BR 2.5BA CONDO$890/mo. Nice, just offcampus walk to class ortake UGA bus. Aples clos-ets & storage, deck, mi-crowave, W/D, DW, 2 carspaces. hojogaaz@yahoo.com. 404-429-3794.

2BR 2BA DUPLEX $650.w/ 1 MONTH FREE! NOPET FEE! NO SD w/ ac-ceptable credit! Under $600w/ current special. 2 milesfrom downtown. Unitcomes with W/D, DW, mi-crowave. Includes sec sysmonitoring, lawn mainte-nance, & pest control. SDof $400 fully refundable.Owner/Agent www.ambroseproperties.-postlets.com 706-549-2500

3BR 2BA DUPLEX $750W/ 1 MONTH FREE! NOPET FEE! NO SD w/ ac-ceptable credit! Under $700w/ current special. 2 milesfrom downtown. Unitcomes with W/D, dw, mi-crowave. Includes sec sysmonitoring, lawn mainte-nance, & pest control. SDof $450 fully refundable.Owner/Agent 706-549-2500www.ambroseproperties.-postlets.com

2BR APTS $550- $650 w/ 1MONTH FREE! NO PETFEE! NO SD w/ goodcredit! Blocks to campus &downtown. W/D included.Only $505-$596 w/ currentspecial. www.ambroseprop-erties.postlets.com 706-549-2500

3 & 4 BR new houses avail8/1! Great dwntn location,LG BRs, tile, HW flrs, secu-rity & sound sys. 706-713-0626. www.newagepropertiesa-thens.com

4/5BR WINDSOR PLACECONDO COMPLETELYREMODELEDAll new flooring, cabinets,granite countertops, plumb& elec fixtures,appliances, & HVAC. Avail-able 8/1. $1400-$1650.Owner/Agent. AmbroseProperties706-549-2500.

5 PTS. 2BR 1BA. Great lo-cation. Great for grad stu-dent. Walk to campus.W/D, CHAC, nice patio.Pets ok. $650-$700/mo.Avail 8/1. Call 706-369-2908.

ADORABLE 3BR 2BA,close to campus. New mas-ter BA w/ double sink. HWflrs, fenced back yd. W/D,DW, CHAC. Avail 8/1.$1250/mo. 706-369-2908.

4BR 4BA TOWNHOUSESCLOSE TO CAMPUS. 2LARGE LRS, LARGE UTIL-ITY ROOM, W/D, DW,GARBAGE DISPOSAL,LARGE DECK, ALARMSYSTEM. 2500 SQFT.$1300/MO. 706-549-2500.

CLOSE TO CAMPUS anddowntown. 4BR 3BAhouse. W/D, DW, CHAC.Deck off back. $850/mo.706-549-2500.

FALL PRELEASES.BEST rentals in Athens!1-5BR houses, apts, con-dos, In the heart ofUGA/Dwntn/5pts. AvailAug! Call 706-369-2908for more info.

GREAT 4BR 4BA house.1/2 mi from campus. Frontporch, back deck, nice yd,DW, W/D, CHAC. Pets ok.Avail 8/1. Special!$1500/mo. 706-369-2908.

LOVELY NEW HOUSE. 4BR 3BA. Half mile tocampus. Big rooms, hard-wood floors. DW, W/D,CHAC, pets okay. Avail.8/1. $1750/mo. Call 706-369-2908

NOW PRE-LEASING forFall 2011. 4BR 2BA prop-erties available very closeto campus. CityBlockProperties. 706-296-9546. www.cityblock.biz

! BARTENDING! UP to$250/day. No experiencenecessary. Training avail-able. Become a bartender.1-800-965-6520 ext 106.

CAMP COUNSELORS,MALE/FEMALE, neededfor overnight camps in PA.mountains. Have fun whileworking with children out-doors. Teach/assist withA&C, aquatics, media, mu-sic, outdoor rec, tennis &more. Apply on-line at www.pineforestcamp.com

NOW SUBLEASING! 1 per-son for 5 BR/BA house.New house, less than 1 mifrom campus. $400/mo.Other roommates are maleUGA students. Reid at 770-486-0595.

ESL CLASSES NATIVEspeaker. Twelve years ex-perience. $40 for one houror $100 for 3 hours. Con-tact Noah 330-631-6854 oremail noahpunp@hotmail.com.

CLASSIFIEDS DISCLAIMER

The Red & Black does notverify, investigate, or en-dorse any classified ad.Readers are urged to

use caution when responding to an ad.

OUTSIDE GOLF OPERA-TIONS personnel neededby Athens Country Club.Part time hours includingnights and weekends. Ap-ply in person, Tuesthrough Thurs at the ACCGolf Shop and ask forBrandon. 706-354-7111.

DO YOU WANT to teachabroad? We are looking forteachers to teach English inKorea. Please email yourresume to ezhumanresources@hot-mail.com. 678-200-3776.

IRISH PUB SEEKING fun,highly motivated, hard work-ing bartenders and doorstaff. Apply at Cutters Pub.120 E Clayton Street.

TENNIS INSTRUCTORNEEDED for local recre-ation department begin-ning March. Teaching ex-perience required. www.tennisforlife.net,click on staff, applicationform. Call 706-613-3592.

PLAY SPORTS! HAVEFUN! SAVE MONEY! Maine camp needs fun lov-ing counselors to teach Allland, adventure & watersports. Great summer! Call888-844-8080, apply: www.campcedar.com

STUDENTPAYOUTS.COMPAID Survey TakersNeeded In Athens.

100% FREE To Join. Click On Surveys.

NOW PRE-LEASING forFall! Houses, condos &townhomes 1 to 5 bed-rooms. Five Points, Down-town & Eastside. Great lo-cations at unbeatable rates.Aaron 706-207-2957.

8 1 6 9 4 2 7 5 3

2 3 7 1 5 8 4 6 9

9 4 5 6 3 7 8 1 2

4 7 2 3 8 1 5 9 6

1 5 8 2 6 9 3 7 4

3 6 9 5 7 4 1 2 8

5 8 1 4 2 6 9 3 7

7 2 3 8 9 5 6 4 1

6 9 4 7 1 3 2 8 5

8 1 6 9 4 2 7 5 3

2 3 7 1 5 8 4 6 9

9 4 5 6 3 7 8 1 2

4 7 2 3 8 1 5 9 6

1 5 8 2 6 9 3 7 4

3 6 9 5 7 4 1 2 8

5 8 1 4 2 6 9 3 7

7 2 3 8 9 5 6 4 1

6 9 4 7 1 3 2 8 5

1 7 3 8 4 5 9 2 6

2 5 8 3 6 9 4 7 1

6 9 4 2 1 7 5 3 8

3 8 9 4 7 6 1 5 2

4 1 5 9 2 3 6 8 7

7 6 2 5 8 1 3 9 4

8 3 7 1 5 4 2 6 9

5 4 6 7 9 2 8 1 3

9 2 1 6 3 8 7 4 5

8 1 6 9 4 2 7 5 3

2 3 7 1 5 8 4 6 9

9 4 5 6 3 7 8 1 2

4 7 2 3 8 1 5 9 6

1 5 8 2 6 9 3 7 4

3 6 9 5 7 4 1 2 8

5 8 1 4 2 6 9 3 7

7 2 3 8 9 5 6 4 1

6 9 4 7 1 3 2 8 5

8 1 6 9 4 2 7 5 3

2 3 7 1 5 8 4 6 9

9 4 5 6 3 7 8 1 2

4 7 2 3 8 1 5 9 6

1 5 8 2 6 9 3 7 4

3 6 9 5 7 4 1 2 8

5 8 1 4 2 6 9 3 7

7 2 3 8 9 5 6 4 1

6 9 4 7 1 3 2 8 5

The Japanese puzzle Sudoku relies on reason-ing and logic.

To solve it, fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3 by 3 box contains the digits 1 through 9.

Nothing has to add up to anything else.

Previous puzzle’s solution

SPORTS & VARIETY The Red & Black | Tuesday, February 1, 2011 | 5

CHEEK: Freshman ‘a mental rock’ for Gym DogsFrom Page 1

gymnasts. When he planned to demonstrate a new lesson, Clark would simply say to him-self, “I guarantee Lindsey can do it.”

And she often could, to her coach’s delight.

But their relationship was far from flaw-less.

“When I was little, he was this big ol’ man and I was terrified of him,” Cheek said with a laugh.

Standing about 6-foot-2, Clark’s coaching personality can be as dynamic as they come. He can often be seen pacing during the Gym Dog meets, arms folded, visibly frustrated or exhilarated, depending on his team’s perfor-mance. A successful routine receives an ener-getic fist pump and an immediate hug. A fall or stumble receives a less-than-pleased jolt of the head and an immediate coaching oppor-tunity.

The practice gym, according to the Gym Dogs, is different — he’s even more intense.

“It was interesting in the gym from time to time, because she was a little intimidated, she was young. And I can be a fairly intense guy from time to time,” Clark said. “And so young kids sometimes get a little bit intimi-dated by that. But over the years, our rela-tionship … she understood it. She under-stands the intensity and the volume.”

Cheek came to understand her coach so well that when it came time to decide where to commit her gymnastics talents in college, there was only one person she wanted to compete for.

There was never any doubt in the Watkinsville native’s mind.

“I haven’t been a fan of any other gymnas-tics team. It has always been the Gym Dogs,” she said. “Even before I can remember, my parents told me they took me to meets. And I love Jay … over the years, I’ve come to love him and I couldn’t see myself doing gymnas-tics anywhere else because I just wouldn’t have been happy without him coaching me.”

***

“She is a mental rock,” senior teammate and roommate Cassidy McComb likes to say, and it’s a common description, one that encompasses Cheek’s mental toughness and her reputation among teammates as an unflappable competitor.

“You can just tell nothing bothers her whatsoever,” McComb said. “She’s just solid.”

In her first month of collegiate competi-tion, Cheek has appeared able to make a run at All-American honors. She has won the vault event in four of Georgia’s five meets thus far, and her individual all-around title against No. 17 Auburn is tied for the highest score in the country.

After graduating early from Oconee County High School in December, the hometown girl enrolled at Georgia to be immediately avail-able for competition. Her instantaneous suc-cess has not come as a complete shock, for coaches and teammates never questioned Cheek’s talent and work ethic. The only ques-tion: Could she handle the psychological pressures of being thrown into the fire for the country’s premier collegiate gymnastics pro-gram?

So far, so good.“Honestly, by the time you come to college

now, you know what to do. You’ve been tech-nically told what to do. It’s all up between the ears,” said McComb, who earned All-American honors as a freshman in 2008. “And like I said, she is so steady. It’s really amazing that she’s gonna keep growing and she’s gonna be even more of a rock than she already is.”

There are those rocks again, those steady rocks.

But there are times when the rock can fall victim to adrenaline.

Cheek is a self-proclaimed “performer,” but in practices leading up to a competition,

the calm demeanor she projects to team-mates often disguises a nervous energy.

“She can get a little bit geeked up some-times and make mistakes in the gym,” Clark said. “I think most of her nervousness and stuff is the anticipation of competition versus when she actually gets there. Typically, though, once the competition lights come on — I don’t know if it’s adrenaline or if she just gets a different level of focus that comes over her — she’s been a very successful competi-tor in a meet situation and a pressure spot.”

Her coaches label it a pre-meet anxiety, but it could just as well be hereditary.

Though her daughter continues to shine, Melinda Cheek still has a tough time dealing with the tension.

“My mom is nervous. Somebody told me the first meet that when I was doing beam, she’s over there all nervous and shaking and stuff and couldn’t watch,” Cheek said. “I don’t know if she’ll ever calm down because in club gymnastics she couldn’t watch me compete beam.”

Some things never change, and Melinda’s demeanor during competition is one of them.

“I don’t remember her mom ever watching meets. She was always in the building, but nobody really knew where she was. But that’s not the only mom that’s been that way. Patty Kupets was that way, too,” Clark said, refer-encing the mother of Courtney Kupets, argu-ably the greatest collegiate gymnast of all time. “Patty Kupets would leave the build-ing.”

***

Kim Arenas was just another mother in the crowd back in 2005.

Arenas attended practices at Classic City Gymnastics in Watkinsville as her two young daughters trained.

But one of their teammates continued to grab her attention.

The young gymnast had the strongest work ethic in the gym, but every routine seemed to come with ease.

Lindsey Cheek was a natural.“She catches your eye right away,” Arenas

said. “My main memories are just sitting here as a parent and just thinking, ‘That kid is good.’”

Arenas and her husband, Pete, eventually bought the gym in 2006 and renamed it Georgia Elite Gymnastics. She knew from her days as a parent in the crowd what type of gymnast she was inheriting in Cheek, and Cheek certainly knew the pedigree of Kim Arenas.

After all, their roles were once reversed. It

was Cheek who used to sit in the crowd watching Arenas — back when Arenas was a Gym Dog.

Kim Arnold Arenas would finish her career as a 12-time All-American and as the 1997 and 1998 NCAA all-around champion.

But to Cheek, she was simply someone to look up to, a hero. In many ways, she still is.

“She really helped me during the fall after I committed to Georgia, and if I had any questions or was nervous about anything she was there to like tell me about it and let me know,” Cheek said. “[She told me] about run-ning out through the tunnel, just how I was so nervous talking about it before I even came here. But she was like, ‘It’s like no other feeling in the world having the crowd there cheering for you.’”

And Cheek’s cheering section is a bol-stered one, filled with family, friends and even past teammates.

Her parents are in attendance at every home meet, but the largest portion of her fan base often goes unseen, unheard. With its meet season overlapping with the Gym Dogs’, Georgia Elite often can not be in the stands. But Cheek’s old teammates are always watch-ing.

“Every time it’s on, we always — even if we’re at practice or away — we watch it live through georgiadogs.com,” Arenas said. “Like last Friday, we were having practice at our gym and every time Lindsey went up we’d stop practice and all the girls would run over and watch her on the computer … we can’t be more proud of her.”

It has been 13 years in the making, and Lindsey Cheek is finally getting to where she always wanted to be.

Somewhere in between, she transitioned from that little girl in the stands watching Kim Arnold to the next hero for Georgia gymnastics — at least to her former club teammates. Now, in addition to her usual pre-meet nerves, she carries with her the admiration of teams of young girls at Georgia Elite Gymnastics, all of them longing to be the next Lindsey Cheek.

“She was always a very good example for the kids in the gym,” Arenas said. “So even before she went on to be a Gym Dog she still had a lot of kids looking up to her. It’s even more now, she’s a little celebrity now.”

Of anyone, Jay Clark should know. “The kid loves it when the lights come on

and the crowd’s in the stands,” Clark said. “I’m not saying she’s perfect, but she sure as heck is a competitor. And she’s got a ways to go, but over the long haul that kid could be a star.”

A rock star, perhaps.

SARA CALDWELL | The Red & Black

Freshman Lindsey Cheek recalls being a young fan in the crowd watching the Gym Dogs, but now she has become the center of many fans’ attention.

From Page 1

Denham did not move to Athens without any doubts.

“I didn’t even know if this would work,” she said.

Despite leaving behind job security and a hefty pay-check, Denham said she can’t imagine being any-where else but in Athens with Pints and Paints.

“I just can’t believe that I’m here. I’m so risk-adverse,” she said. “For me to have gone through my savings and money from family, I don’t even care if I make a dime.”

So what is Denham’s vision for Pints and Paints?

“I want [Pints and Paints] to be an experience,” Denham said. “I started it wanting it to be the exact same experience I had, and I realized that just because my experience was quitting my job and packing up and moving, you know, 500 miles back to my college town where I didn’t know anyone, that’s probably not realistic on what the experience will be for people.”

With a simple strategy — combining a relaxed, fun place to hang out with friends while enjoying drinks and painting — Denham said she hopes to make her mark in Athens.

“I want people to have a place where they can go and reinvent themselves,” Denham said. “They can make themselves better. They can be anybody they want for a two or three hour window of time.”

Athens’ first art bar is open to individuals, small groups and large parties. All are welcome to create their own mindless masterpieces of art following the artist-on-duty’s instructions.

“[People] can have a place to escape. Escape to be themselves or somebody new,” Denham said. “A place to go that’s kind of like your ‘Cheers’. Where somebody always knows your name and the lights are always on. There is someone always there.”

What Denham said she has realized through her experiences as a workaholic lawyer and a new business owner is that money isn’t everything.

“It’s what makes up the world,” Denham said. “People not business. I didn’t get that for a long time. I’m 32 and I can look back and be like, ‘I’ve done some really cool things and I’ve met some really cool people and I have no regrets,’” Denham said.

ART: New bar mixes relaxation, painting

6 | Tuesday, February 1, 2011 | The Red & Black VARIETY

Courtesy Jeff Lane

A junior majoring in biology and geology, Jeff Lane will stress in the winter clinic the proper gear to use on trips, along with safety precautions.

By KELLY CORBETTTHE RED & BLACK

Body heat is not the only way to stay warm in the winter.

The Georgia Outdoor Recreation Program is offering its first winter skills course to teach the proper tools and tech-niques for camping and backpacking in cold weather.

“I firmly believe that outdoor recreation has the reputation for being a high-risk thing to do, but if you prepare or do some-

thing about it you are going to be safe and like to do it,” said Jennifer Stewart, associate director for programs.

If interest is shown in the course, then GORP may plan a trip to go along with it next winter, Stewart said.

“The original intention was to do the clinic and do a winter camping trip, but the schedule didn’t allow

it,” said instructor Jeff Lane.

Lane is a junior at the University majoring in biol-ogy and geology, and received the Eagle Scout honor in 1997.

He participated in a 30-day mountaineering course in Wyoming in 2008 and also backpacked 18,000 feet of Mount McKinley in Alaska and summited Mount Rainier in Washington during summer 2009.

At the skills clinic, Lane will be showing examples of gear and teaching how to dress appropriately for the cold.

“I’ll bring different lay-ers of stuff and show the proper way to layer,” Lane said.

Safety precautions are also an important compo-nent to the course.

Since getting lost in the harsh, cold weather is a major concern for beginner and talented climbers alike, Lane will also dis-cuss how to find emergen-cy shelters.

“There are different medical situations that arise in the snow — hypo-thermia and frost bite,” Lane said.

For those less interest-ed in braving extreme mountain conditions, basic tips for camping and sight seeing, such as “Leave No Trace” will also be taught, Lane said.

“GORP is geared to offer introductory opportu-nities for students to learn basic outdoor skills,” Stewart said.

Normally, GORP back-packing trips include small groups of six to eight people, plus the instructors.

Students are able to participate in activities at a cheaper cost than they would have to pay in the real world since GORP is subsidized by the student activity fee, Stewart said.

The Outdoor Recreation Program offers daily rentals of equipment for a small fee, including backpacks, sleeping bags and tents. “I’m not looking for people to spend a ton of money to just go out with us,” Stewart said.

High risk, high rewardClinic teaches safety skills When: Wednesday at 6 p.m.

Where: Ramsey Student Center, room 224Price: $10 for students,the deadline for registration is today.

WINTER SKILLS