UGA ASAP and UMADD Candlelight Vigil

As the audience stood shivering, 22-year-old Alene Batchelor of Decatur, spoke of her involvement in a July 2001 car accident that fatally injured her younger brother. The speech was the primary focus of a candlelight vigil held in the University of Georgia Tate Center Plaza on Wednesday, March 4, 2009, in Athens, GA.
Batchelor provided a second by second description of the crash. The Ford Explorer was traveling on I-285 in Atlanta with four other members of her family and was clipped from behind by an intoxicated driver. The vehicle spun out of control, flipping the vehicle onto its top. After unbuckling her seatbelt, she recalled falling to the roof of the overturned car and trying to account for each passenger. When all but one was accounted for, she removed herself from the wreckage and saw her brother lying on the pavement in a pool of blood.
“I dropped to my knees and started praying,” she said quietly. “Selfishly I said, ‘God I don’t care if he lives as a vegetable, just as long as he lives.’”
She was told the news of his death after being taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
“This spring he would’ve gone to his senior prom, but he won’t all because someone decided to drive drunk” she said.
Batchelor has been sharing her as a supporter and promoter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving and UMADD, who teamed up with representatives from Advocating Safe Alternatives for Peers, ASAP, to hold the vigil in memory of all of those who had been negatively affected by drunk driving or other alcohol related events. Batchelor has traveled with MADD to help educate others since graduating from Agnes Scott College in 2008.
MADD was created in 1980 to stop drunk driving, support the victims of drunk driving and prevent underage drinking. UMADD includes campus-based groups that spread awareness of the dangers of getting behind the wheel while under the influence.
According to MADD’s website, alcohol related traffic accidents resulted in an estimated 12,998 deaths in 2007, constituting 31.7 percent of the 41,059 traffic deaths that year. This was a 3.7 percent decline from 2006, as reported by the National Center for Statistics and Analysis.
Just over 10 people were in attendance at the vigil, including UGA students and ASAP representatives Joey Marmorato and Deepi Kaur. Marmorato took the stage to explain the group’s efforts in providing low risk alternatives to alcohol and drug use and to increase awareness of the consequences of irresponsible drinking.
Deepi Kaur, a fourth year from Augusta who manages the financial grants for ASAP, explained the 0-1-3 guideline to making low risk choices: zero drinks if one is driving, pregnant, taking medication or under the legal drinking age; otherwise only one drink only per hour and no more than three drinks daily or on one specific occasion.
“We are not a prohibitionist group,” said Kaur. “We are just making people aware of the consequences of drinking.”
Stephanie Kootsikas, the Youth Program Specialist for MADD Georgia, spoke of her support for the organizations’ endeavors and thanked Batchelor for her courage and candor.
As candles burned dimly, people flipped through ASAP pamphlets and shared thoughts and personal experiences. UMADD and ASAP are always looking for new members. For more information on these organizations, visit their websites at http://www.madd.org/, http://www.umadd.org/ and www.uga.edu/asap/.

Interview with Franklin Senator Candidate Renee Fuller

Here is a brief interview with a Franklin Senator candidate Renee Fuller.

The Boundaries of Conflicting Interests

In Dr. Martin's Public Affairs Reporting class, we have recently been discussing the uncertainty and lack of clarity at times in the boundaries of professional journalism; when conflicting interests can occur if a journalist uses a source with whom they have a pre-existing relationship. I encountered this very issue last week at the University of Georgia H.E.R.O. Date Auction at the Georgia Theater in which I received much feedback about the turnout of the auction, the atmosphere of the night and the success of the organization overall. One University student with which I had a conversation is a friend of mine, who I know well through the sorority in which we are both members. Though multiple sorority and fraternity members were participants in the auction, the event was not sponsered by and did not cater to any particular greek organization. My friend gave me some interesting quotes, many that would have worked well in my article about the event, but I was concerned about crossing the boundary of bias if I were to utilize a source with whom I am previously connected. I decided for this particular article to avoid using her quotes; I was able to acquire many more throughout the night. However I am almost positive this issue will arise again as I am covering the Student Affairs beat.

UGA H.E.R.O. Date Auction

Glitter-rimmed glasses, green silk robes and blinking leprechaun hats decorated members of the high-spirited crowd at the Georgia Theater on Tuesday March 17, 2009, in Athens, GA. More than 300 students came together to celebrate St. Patty’s Day and support UGA H.E.R.O’s Date Auction fundraiser.
Hearts Everywhere Reaching Out is a nonprofit student organization that helps some of more than 12,000 children in Georgia who are infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. The UGA chapter, H.E.R.O. for Children, Inc. was founded by UGA graduates, Ryan Gembala and Garrett Gravesen. According to the UGA H.E.R.O. website, http://ugaheros.org/, H.E.R.O. for Children, Inc. is currently the only organization designed to improve the life quality of those it distresses.
Many took the stage Tuesday to strut their stuff for bids, beginning with two H.E.R.O Executive Board members dressed as Rhianna and Chris Brown lookalikes, resulting in bids totaling $550. Dates with fraternity and sorority representatives and athletes were also auctioned. Some took the stage with timidity while others gave energetic performances, eliciting cheers and laughter from the crowd. Alan Pryor, representing Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, choreographed a dance for the occasion that resulted in a massive uproar and a shirtless Pryor.
Spirits were high among participants and onlookers alike. Emily Doyle, a fourth year student of Atlanta, GA, commended the efforts of H.E.R.O. and acknowledged the heavy turnout of the evening, as she was in attendance to support the participants and the cause.
“H.E.R.O. is such a great organization,” Doyle said. “I have been in a sorority for the past four years and we have heavily supported it.”
H.E.R.O. Promotions and Marketing Chair Kate Larson introduced each participant with a brief summary of their hobbies, likes and dislikes, and frequently gave away prizes such as gift certificates to Papa John’s Pizza and Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream. Bids often had to happen twice as hands continually raised in the dimly lit theater.
“The energy in the Theater was awesome the entire night and I could feel it all the way on the stage,” Larson said. “All the money is going to help provide quality of life care for children in Georgia who are affected with or infected by HIV/AIDs and it was great seeing college students get so pumped about such an amazing cause.”
Bidding escalated throughout the auction as Delta Zeta member Lisa Donachie raised $1,300 and Kappa Alpha Theta member Caroline Willis raised $1,400. Altogether, the auction accumulated over $7,000 in funds raised for donation to H.E.R.O. for the Children, Inc.
As the last auctionee was escorted off stage, a warm thank you was spoken for the overwhelming support of H.E.R.O. The green-wearing audience gave a quick round of applause before heading right to the bar to resume their St. Patty’s Day celebration.

This is a brief clip of an interview with UGA forth year, Emily Doyle, 22, who was in attendance at the UGA H.E.R.O. Date Auction at the Georgia Theater in downtown Athens, Ga. on Tuesday, March 17, 2009. The auction was held to raise money for the organization, H.E.R.O., which strives to improve the life quality of children infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.