Wycliffe Gordon, the world-renown and critically-acclaimed trombone player, captivated Augusta music lovers as he performed with the ASU Jazz Ensemble at Augusta State University.

The show entitled, “Jazz Under The Stars,” featured Gordon, who is an Augusta native, as the guest performer. The Jazz Ensemble made up the accompanying band and served as a solid support for Gordon mesmerizing solos. The show was held as a benefit concert for the Wycliffe Gordon Jazz Scholarship, which all ticket money and donations were given. The scholarship goes to students involved in the Augusta State Jazz Program.

“I consider Wycliffe Gordon the world’s greatest jazz trombonist,” said Rob Foster, a professor of music. “We are fortunate that he is from this area and that he’s been interested in helping further the cause of jazz in Augusta, particularly jazz education.”

The concert, which was directed Foster, began on time to a packed house. The amphitheatre was filled with smooth sounds hailing from trombones, trumpets, saxophones, guitars, drums, and peppy piano samba. The first song of the evening was “St. Louis Blues,” a number that set the tone of the evening with its jazzy rhythm and funky cadence.

Throughout the show, Gordon performed many solos, but never shied away from letting his fellow musicians shine. Each musician in the ensemble had a significant and impressive solo. Foster also said that because Augusta State students don’t have ample opportunities to perform with world-class jazz musicians, like Gordon, the “Jazz Under The Stars,” with the extraordinary musician, is a marvel.

“[Performing with Wycliffe] is a real honor,” said JoBen Rivera-Thompson, a sophomore and communications and Spanish major. “He’s one of the few so talented people on trombone, and it’s rare to see. He makes a trombone sound like a trumpet. Anytime you play with someone at that high of a level, it makes you want to play at that same level.”

As the crowd applauded and whistled after each song performance, Foster took the stage to remind onlookers of the scholarship’s benefits. At one point, Gordon took to the mic and expressed his love for Augusta and his musical vision for the city.

“The scholarship is just the first step,” Gordon said. “There are many things I would like to see happen here. To have a Jazz Studies program here, I’d love to see that happen. I know that has a lot of red tape with it, but no dream was ever realized without having started somewhere. I hope that you enjoy the concert, but know that what you are doing in terms of donating to the scholarship through ticket proceeds is going to a most worthy cause. I’d like to see [Augusta] on the world map, where people from Italy fly to see our festivals, where they fly from Australia to come to our festival, and it can happen.”

Later, Gordon was joined on stage by his sister, Karen Gordon. Their beautiful rendition of “Danny Boy” as a trombone-piano duet captivated the audience, and Gordon allowed his trombone to wail enchanting notes with a plunger as his muffler, reminiscent of heartfelt blues legends.

“He has total command of every note he plays,” said James Wilburn, a sophomore music major. “He knows what he’s going to play as it’s going in his head.”

As the show’s last song played its final notes, the audience applauded and gave Gordon and the Jazz Ensemble a standing ovation. Later, the trombonist signed autographs, took pictures, and spoke graciously to his fans. While Gordon said he currently lives in New York, he is planning to move back to Augusta and help initiate the jazz and music movement he has envisioned for his hometown.

“[Jazz] existed, developed and rose out of something bad in the US, but it’s a culmination and crossing of many cultures, which makes it great,” Gordon said. “It brings everyone together.”

April 27, 1667: Blind poet John Milton sold the copyright of his work “Paradise Lost” for a mere 10 pounds. Once written, the poem was hailed as a masterpiece of the English language.

April 28, 1945: Benito Mussolini and his Mistress Clara Petacci were shot and killed by Italian partisans as they attempted to flee Switzerland.

April 30, 1789: In New York City, George Washington was inaugurated as the first president of the United States. Washington served as a Military leader during the American Revolution, and was elected as president by 69 electors in February of that year.

March 1, 1941: Ground-breaking movie “Citizen Kane” was released into theaters. Although the movie is now hailed as a cinematic masterpiece, the film sparked a huge controversy when it was released because of its portrayal of the title character and the many parallels he had with real life newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst.

March 2, 1933: The Loch Ness monster is sighted in Scotland by a local couple. Sightings of the beast date back to almost 1,500 years, and its reappearance on this date made it something of a media phenomenon.

A health care reform debate sponsored by the Department of Student Activities and mediated by James Tanner, the coordinator of leadership and Greek life, recently took place on campus. Guests at the event voiced their opinions as they enjoyed stir-fried tofu and chocolate pie. While everyone in attendance seemed to agree that the dinner was delicious, the ensuing debate proved that people on campus are as divided as ever regarding the current topic of health care in the U.S.. Below are a few comments from students and faculty members on both sides of the debate.

Pro Health Care Reform:

“We’re actually like No. 37 in the world on heath care, and people say ‘We have the greatest health care in the world!’ No, we’re way down the list, and part of the reason why is because so many people don’t have health care.” Marcus Smith, sophomore pre-physical therapy major

“I am pro health care reform. A collection of personal experiences have led me to this conclusion.” James Tanner, coordinator of leadership and Greek life.

Anti Health Care Reform:

“Yeah, individuals have a moral and ethical responsibility to take care of themselves because if they don’t take care of themselves, that means they’re just going to rely on someone else to take care of them. That just puts strain on other people and the goverrment. We’re not a communist nation. There’s no ‘Yay, motherland. ‘”
Zack Lagman, debate participant

“I totally agree that everybody has equal opportunity for misfortune, but my question is ‘Is it the responsibility of the government to then be the provider for people who have misfortunes?’ I feel like the government is reaching beyond its proper role by trying to be all things to everyone.” Melody Pitts, psychology graduate student

“I think that instead of focusing so much on heath care, they need to focus on education. Focus on educating people how to provide on their own. If you focus on education, what comes out of that is a job. It’s like a pyramid…..if you’re educated, you know how to find a job. And you know what comes with a job? Stability and security. You can take care of your own and you won’t need anyone else’s help.” Kiwanas Andrew, sophomore marketing major

We are already in the fourth month of the new year, and already Augusta, Ga. has been marked by a number of exciting events.

Up and coming country singer Natalie Stovall made a visit at the Augusta State University Amphitheater in February in celebration of homecoming On March 28, Bill Cosby did two stand-up performances at the Bell Auditorium.

In celebration of Master’s week, the Aiken Community Playhouse did a production of The Foursome, a comedy written by Canadian playwright Norm Foster, which tells the story of four friends who reconnect at their 20-year college reunion.

Actress Mo’Nique also brought her comedy tour Spread the Love to Augusta on April 10 at the Jame Brown Arena.

Yet with all those events that have already passed, there are a least a dozen others to look forward to.

On May 2, country singer, Carrie Underwood, will be playing at the James Brown Arena. Tickets started going on sale last December, and for those interested in the event, there are still some tickets available.

From May 7 – 16, Le Chat Noir will be hosting the show Lisa Sings Lee, in which Lisa Picone pays homage to the life and success of Peggy Lee by performing some of the songs she wrote, such as It’s a Good Day, and some of the songs she made famous, such as That All There Is? And Big Splendor.

On May 11 at the Maxwell Theater, the 17 Annual WJBF News Channel 6 Golden Apple Awards will take place. The Golden Apple Awards honor the people who celebrate teaching and who work to make the classroom a fun and safe place for learning.

Also, on June 11 – 20 , the Augusta Photo festival will be held at the Central Savannah River Area. The festival is open to people of all ages, and winners can win prize money up to $2,000.

The Blind Wilie McTell Blues Festival will feature the Nashville-born country singer Justin Townes Earle, who will be performing at Sky City Friday May 14. He will also be performing on May 15 at the MctTell fest in Thomson, Ga.

On July 14, comedian and ventriloquist Jeff Dunham will be performing in Augusta. This is his second performance near the Augusta area this year. He performed at the Colonial Life Area in Columbia, S.C. on March 26.

Students can now shop on campus.

Career Closet is a new event developed for students who are seeking employment after and during their educational journey. With the help of Suntrust Bank and other community members, students will find free suits and other professional outfits in the Career Center at Augusta State University.

Amanda Boland, the developer of Career Closet and an employee of the Career Center, received a call from Suntrust Bank. The bank offered to donate gently used clothing to the Career Center to aid students who are seeking employment and need a suit for an interview.

“We always talked about doing something for the students,” Boland said. “We were not aware of any thrift shops that only provided professional clothing. We thought that, for students, we would really like them to have an interview suit.”

This idea came around right before the Business Etiquette dinner, an event on campus that required attendees to wear professional clothing. Boland and the Career Center opened the closet March 16. The suits were picked up by the Career Center on March 13 and March 15.

The process moved very quickly according to Boland, which left them with a dilemma. They had to organize what was suitable for professional attire, make sure the clothing was clean, organize the clothing for distribution and find a way for the students to learn and take advantage of the program.

“One of the requirements was that you had to dress in professional attire to come to the etiquette banquet,” Boland said. “We thought that we should hurry up and get this done before Thursday night.”

There was very little advertising of the event because the Career Center was not sure how many articles of clothing they were going to receive. Only a few e-mails and fliers were posted. Regardless of the amount of advertising, there were some who have already found this program useful.

“I first heard about it from a bulletin board in the science building while I was waiting for the elevator,” said Karis Smith, junior chemistry major. “I was reminded about it through one of all the campus e-mails that was sent. I’m graduating in a year so I decided to take advantage of the opportunity, at least to see what professional business attire was supposed to look like.”

Boland said that the program will continue and that donations are still flowing in from the surrounding community. The only requirement of donators is that the clothing must be cleaned prior to donating. Other Campus Closet events are in the works, but dates have not yet been determined. Students will receive e-mails from the Career Center on the upcoming events.

“I was blessed not only to get to see the clothing that dominated the business world, but I also found an entire suit outfit,” Smith said. “It is piece of mind knowing that when the time does finally come for me to go to job interviews, I do not have to worry about how I look. I can focus on the more important things like what to actually say.”

Campus Closet will continue to keep its doors open, but until events are established, students may make an appointment with Boland on Wednesdays during office hours.

“Going to the Career Closet was a great experience,” Smith said. “The people working it and excited. I am thankful to all the local people who donated clothing were very helpful.”

Lung and nasal infections. Chest discomfort. Coughing. Mucus. Low birth-weight babies. Cancer.

Whether you want to acknowledge the above ailments and conditions or not, secondhand smoke is hazardous and will affect your health negatively. It can be as simple as a sinus infection, or as devastating as lung cancer, but cigarette smoking is an unhealthy habit that produces a myriad of health-related issues.

Until earlier this week, I assumed everyone knew and understood this information. However, I have been proven wrong and to be honest, I am still trying to wrap my head around the arguments many are presenting in favor of smoking on campus, in the spaces we ALL share, in the air that we ALL breathe.

Before I get started I will say one thing: I am not going to discuss policy. I am not concerned about policy. People have refuted a proposed smoking ban on campus because they say the policy could never be enforced, because it’s a policy and not a law. But I am not going to talk the inability, or really, the reluctance, of policy enforcement by the “powers-that-be.” That is not the issue at hand.

The issue at hand is simple: Smoking is not something people who do not smoke should be exposed to. It not only is a health hazard, as I stated before, but it’s disgusting. I hate smelling of smoke, having it linger on my hair and clothes, because I chose to sit outside the JSAC building while eating lunch, where you know, people aren’t actually supposed to smoke because of the existing 25-foot rule. However, many smokers do not pay attention to this rule and I can’t even put into words how rude and inconsiderate that is.

According to Curtis Fease, a student here at Augusta State University, secondhand smoke does not harm people unless it is “blown directly into someone’s face.” He argued that smoking outdoors should not be an issue for nonsmokers because apparently smoke just disappears into the air, never to be seen again.

I like Fease on a personal level, but I take issue with these above statements, because for starters they are not supported by all the data on secondhand smoke that is readily available out there, and also because I don’t appreciate a smoker telling me, a nonsmoker, what I should and should not have an issue with.

Let me make this clear: If you’re a smoker, you cannot possibly understand how frustrating it is to be around your smoke. You can’t possibly get how smelly cigarette smoke is, or how bothersome it can be for someone who has chosen to live a smoke-free life. I may not always make the healthiest choices, but I have chosen to not pick up a cigarette and how is it if fair for you to insist on blowing your choice of vice my way? Smokers claim that a smoking ban on campus would hurt their “rights,” and I guess, on some level I can understand their frustration. But seriously, where are my rights? Where is my right to breathe on my college campus without having to deal with the smoking habits of others? When does your rights become so great that they outweigh others?

That is what smokers are asking us to do: Let me keep my right to smoke, no matter how negatively it affects other people. It’s this sense of entitlement that kills me. Were you born with a cigarette in your mouth? No. Smoking is a choice, not a right, in my opinion.

I personally have enjoyed the arguments from smokers about how people eat fast food such as pizza on campus, and that’s unhealthy, but hasn’t been banned. Since when did wrecking my diet with a piece of greasy food bother anyone else? Does the grease from my pizza float over to my fellow student sitting next to me and stick to his hair, clothes and skin? Obviously, the answer is no. If smoking only harmed smokers, I could not care less how many cigarettes they smoked, but that’s not the issue. Someone else brought up the argument of drinking alcohol and how drinking and driving is dangerous to others. Well, yes, that is true, but again, since when did my drinking a beer cause someone else to reek of hops? With the exclusion of me spilling my beer, my choice of beverage will not in its very nature affect you. Also, I feel like this whole argument is moot because we do not allow alcohol consumption on campus.

However, for the time being, smoking will still be unavoidable at Augusta State because Maritess Banez, the SGA President that oversaw the smoking ban resolution, has vetoed it. The pro-smokers apparently brought more than 400 signatures to the Student Activities office in favor of overturning the ban. It worked guys! I do admire your tenacity. I guess it’s good to see students getting excited and involved in something, even if it is to keep an unhealthy habit on campus that has killed countless people in the world.

Cindy Burton, senior Spanish major, was raised in Lima, Peru and moved to Dallas at the age of 18. She attended the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos and planned only to visit the U.S. for three months to better learn English. Once she was in America, Burton’s aunt and uncle encouraged her to stay.

According to Burton her aunt wanted her to succeed in the English language so much that she discouraged Burton to have any conversations between friends or family members in Spanish, fully submerging herself in English language.

Because of her dedication and hard work, Burton became fluent in English. Burton married a fellow Spanish graduate from Texas Christian University. Due to her husband’s occupation, Burton was given the ability to travel around the country, before finally settling down in Augusta, Ga. Burton began attending Augusta State University in 2008 and is set to graduate in May.

While at Augusta State, Burton has twice won the superior ranking on the AATSP-GA University Composition Contest and is a new initiate of the Phi Kappa Phi, a national honor society. She has recently won the University Student of the Year Award. This award is given only to the top 10 percent of the senior graduating class. She was nominated by Jana Sandarg and Sara Griswold for her outstanding academic achievement in Spanish and community involvement. Her volunteer work includes interpreting at the Clinica Latina for Hispanic women, working at the Hispanic Festival and tutoring Augusta State students. Sandarg, a professor of Spanish, had Burton as a student in several of her classes.

“I give it to her, she is that A+ student that every professor hopes for,” Sandarg said. “She’s so thorough and complete- way better than I was as a student.”

Katrina Wright, a foreign langauge major, described Burton as very interactive in class and even expressed how great it was to have her around to study with for exams. Burton said that her love for Spanish stems from her desire to travel and learn about new cultures.

“I try to stretch myself,” Burton said. I am so interested in different Spanish cultures and dialects that I wouldn’t ever take my Spanish classes for granted. I am always excited to learn more about the Hispanic culture.”

Burton explained, just as English teachers have to learn the aspects of the English language, she too has to learn the Hispanic culture, grammar and linguistics so that she can properly teach it to others.
Burton expressed that after graduating from college she would love to pursue a career in teaching Spanish. It is this desire that continues to propel Burton into the future and career of her dreams.

Smoking is unhealthy. That’s a fact that cannot be refuted or denied by anyone. However, this fact alone has lead many people to believe that just because they are personally opposed to smoking that they can be treated any way at all with impunity.

The SGA’s proposed ban that would have eliminated smoking on campus is a prime example of how a small number of people in positions of “authority” think that they can and should be able to control the lives of individuals from a portion of society that they do not agree with. Although the SGA’s proposal doesn’t amount to the “nazism” that some smokers have branded the ban as being, whenever governing bodies start to interject in the lives of others based solely on there opinions, society begins to make its way down the slippery slope of tyranny.

One of the most problematic elements of the smoking ban that members of the SGA seem to have overlooked when they proposed legislation is how such a rule would actually be implemented. In the words of President Andrew Jackson, “They have made their law, now let them enforce it.”

Enforcing such a rule would require some entity on campus to be placed in charge of making sure nobody smokes. The group that would most likely be charged with this responsibility would be the Public Safety department. However, the chief of Public Safety, Jasper Cooke, said that he wouldn’t be required to enforce the ban if it was passed because the ban would be a school policy, not an actual law.

“I’m not the smoking police or the policy police,” Cooke said. “I am the criminal police.”

If Public Safety was required to enforce a ban on smoking, the time they would spend hunting down smokers would be just one more additional duty that would detract from the vast amount of responsibilities that they are already required to carry out.

My question for the SGA is this: “Why would we want to jeopardize the immediate safety of people on campus in order to protect them from the long-term risks of being exposed to cigarette smoke?”

Instead of creating policies for our school that will only benefit their own individual agendas, members of the SGA should focus their attention on trying to propose policies that will benefit everyone as a whole. Not having smoking on campus would make some people happy, but it would also create a logistical dilemma that would cause the policy to either not be enforced or for enforcement of the policy to create far worse problems than those caused by cigarette smoking.

Creating rules and laws to control the behavior of individuals is an ineffective way to prevent people from engaging in certain activities. After all, just look at all of problems caused by laws designed to curb drug use. Although illicit drugs are bad enough all by themselves, government prohibition of them has created even more problems that are oftentimes more detrimental than the drugs themselves. Gangs, murder and violence are all the result of a drug trade that has been made profitable solely because drugs are illegal.

If people want to reduce the negative impact of smoking on campus, they must act on their own to make a difference. If you’re a nonsmoker, try to distance yourself from large groups of people that are smoking. If you are a smoker yourself, exercise common courtesy and don’t smoke in areas that people have to walk by, including the doors to campus buildings and the back part of Allgood Hall. Once we realize that we are personally responsible for the welfare of campus life, we will all be better off.

Smoking is unhealthy. That’s a fact that cannot be refuted or denied by anyone. However, this fact alone has lead many people to believe that just because they are personally opposed to smoking that they can be treated any way at all with impunity.

The SGA’s proposed ban that would have eliminated smoking on campus is a prime example of how a small number of people in positions of “authority” think that they can and should be able to control the lives of individuals from a portion of society that they do not agree with. Although the SGA’s proposal doesn’t amount to the “nazism” that some smokers have branded the ban as being, whenever governing bodies start to interject in the lives of others based solely on there opinions, society begins to make its way down the slippery slope of tyranny.

One of the most problematic elements of the smoking ban that members of the SGA seem to have overlooked when they proposed legislation is how such a rule would actually be implemented. In the words of President Andrew Jackson, “They have made their law, now let them enforce it.”

Enforcing such a rule would require some entity on campus to be placed in charge of making sure nobody smokes. The group that would most likely be charged with this responsibility would be the Public Safety department. However, the chief of Public Safety, Jasper Cooke, said that he wouldn’t be required to enforce the ban if it was passed because the ban would be a school policy, not an actual law.

“I’m not the smoking police or the policy police,” Cooke said. “I am the criminal police.”

If Public Safety was required to enforce a ban on smoking, the time they would spend hunting down smokers would be just one more additional duty that would detract from the vast amount of responsibilities that they are already required to carry out.

My question for the SGA is this: “Why would we want to jeopardize the immediate safety of people on campus in order to protect them from the long-term risks of being exposed to cigarette smoke?”

Instead of creating policies for our school that will only benefit their own individual agendas, members of the SGA should focus their attention on trying to propose policies that will benefit everyone as a whole. Not having smoking on campus would make some people happy, but it would also create a logistical dilemma that would cause the policy to either not be enforced or for enforcement of the policy to create far worse problems than those caused by cigarette smoking.

Creating rules and laws to control the behavior of individuals is an ineffective way to prevent people from engaging in certain activities. After all, just look at all of problems caused by laws designed to curb drug use. Although illicit drugs are bad enough all by themselves, government prohibition of them has created even more problems that are oftentimes more detrimental than the drugs themselves. Gangs, murder and violence are all the result of a drug trade that has been made profitable solely because drugs are illegal.

If people want to reduce the negative impact of smoking on campus, they must act on their own to make a difference. If you’re a nonsmoker, try to distance yourself from large groups of people that are smoking. If you are a smoker yourself, exercise common courtesy and don’t smoke in areas that people have to walk by, including the doors to campus buildings and the back part of Allgood Hall. Once we realize that we are personally responsible for the welfare of campus life, we will all be better off.

No matter how well professional athletes of any sport perform on the field or court, it does not give them the right to physically or sexually impose themselves on women.

The culture of the American pro athlete is not complete without the throngs of adoring female fans, commonly called ‘groupies.’ It could even be said that the bevy of beauties ‘comes with the territory’ or is just another of the ‘fringe benefits’ enjoyed by those who are employed in the sports world. No matter what tag they are labeled with, it is not okay for them to be taken advantage of.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has dominated offseason headlines with his recent misconduct in a bar in Milledgeville, GA. The details and statements from witnesses paint a picture of a quarterback who felt that with his 6 foot 5, 260 pound frame, he was entitled to something that didn’t belong to him. His actions, as described in the police statements, also included buying alcohol for underage females.

It is unfortunate that the alleged victim in this case refused to press charges, essentially setting Roethlisberger free to offend again. Allowing him to go unpunished by the court system sends the wrong message to professional athletes. It is a message that says it’s okay to buy young women alcohol in order to get them intoxicated and take advantage of them. To the victims, the message is that these professional athletes are entitled, even empowered, to have their way with you; and you have no legal recourse because no one will believe you.

In most rape cases involving professional athletes, it’s common to hear that the females are out for a big pay day or digging for gold. This thought process is not only flawed but it casts a shroud of guilt on alleged victims. It wrongly convicts a female for wanting to not be raped or assaulted. It also objectifies female sexuality as a ‘most valuable player’ trophy to be taken with no regard to her well-being or wishes. Professional athletes seem content to hide behind this mantra along with their high-priced attorneys and the leagues that employ them.

Even more despicable than professional athletes who are sexual offenders are the leagues, teams, owners and coaches who shield them. It is so deplorable to see them to stand behind a podium and say things like “we support so-and-so,” or “he is a great football player.” Again, the messages are dead wrong. To the players, it says, that they still have a job when things blow over. To the females it says that these athletes are so talented and gifted that no matter how disgusting their sexual misdeeds are, they are still employable. Not only are they employable, they are also likely to receive millions of dollars hitting, passing or catching a ball.

It is a shame that there will have to be more women raped by professional athletes before the system and culture can change. With all the wrong messages being sent, it is imperative that America send a very clear message to professional athletes that says no matter how many homeruns you hit, baskets you score or touchdown passes you throw, it is not okay to sexually assault young women.