In the early 1900’s, women stayed home taking care of the children and their household duties. It was not uncommon for the husband to be going to work while the wife stayed home. Women made up less than 20 percent of the labor force in the U.S. In later years, both men and women would leave their homes and work full time careers, usually while raising children. In the past few years however, some women have become the bread winners for the family meaning that the husbands stay at home and take care of the kids.

Star Brown, a mother of two who also works full time, says that she enjoys taking care of her family. “I enjoy being able to take care of my family…I take pride in it.”

Her family feels that it is a little weird, only one person working and that person being the woman, but she said that they support her in her lifestyle. A survey done by CNN supports Brown’s feelings of accomplishment when it comes to taking care of her family stating that 85 percent of full-time working mothers are satisfied. “I get stressed out sometimes, all of the bills and the money is put on my shoulders, but I love providing for my family”.

In recent years, the women have made up over 50 percent of the work force in the United States. According to the U.S. Census for 2010, the number of women being the sole providers of households has hit an all-time high while the men are staying home and taking care of the family. The number of stay-at-home moms declined from 5.3 million in 2008 to 5.1 million in 2009. That was the lowest since 2001, which was also, in large part, due to the recession according to the Census for 2009.

The recession was said to have hit harder on men than on women. Most men lost their jobs in factories and offices and were forced to take odd jobs or stay at home while their wives went to work. Katherine Page, another woman who works full time to support her family and a mother on one, has a strong dislike for her situation.

“My family and I hate the situation that I am in. They feel that my husband should be working as well.” Her situation was more of circumstance rather than of choice unlike Browns. Brown made the decision to have her significant other stay home and take care of the kids when she discovered that she was making more than he was. “It saves us money on childcare, and I need someone to watch the children when I am not home.”

Page on the other hand was forced into this lifestyle shortly after giving birth to her daughter.

“My husband was laid off when our daughter was born. It worked out that he stayed home with the baby, then it just stayed that way. Over the years he hasn’t kept a job…I never thought that I would be the sole provider but I know I cannot depend on him.”

Over the past few years, plenty of websites and blogs have been dedicated to the phenomena and stresses of being a working mom with a stay at home dad.  Workingmomsagainstguilt.com is run entirely by working mothers who discuss their stresses and accomplishments of working full time and having children stating, “We’re moms. We work all day, bring home the bacon, and fry it in the pan. Oh and while we are at it, we’re raising young children…” There is also a site dedicated to stay at home fathers entitled stayathomedadblog.com that is run by one stay at home father who has been doing it for five years after deciding to quit his job, where he was making less than his wife, and take care of his five year old son.

The increase of women working while the men stay home however does little to affect the attitudes towards it. “I wish we could both be working…I feel taken advantage of” stated Page who feels that things would be a lot easier on her if there was an equal amount of effort and finance going into the home. Brown also feels that it would be less stressful if her husband worked as well. “Maybe when the kids get older he can get a part time job and help out with the bills. But for now it works out…he can take the kids where they need to be when I can’t be there. I am happy with the decision we made”.

“It is hard to watch, but this is something that is prominent on college campuses across the nation,” the show’s creator, Sherita Bolden, stated.

In previous episodes, “It’s Complicated” features student issues such as financial aid, relationships and maintaining a plausible reputation. These issues can have an affect on students. “It’s Complicated” undermines the common misconception that college life is about cliché parties.

“The problem is, students are unaware that these issues are common and they often feel alone in their struggles,” stated Bolden. “I wanted to expose this and urge people to seek help.”

The University of West Georgia has taken a stand to help students cope with their issues. The University provides on campus counseling and suicide prevention services. For more information on how to get help, visit www.westga.edu/UWGCares.

Five bands performing for one cause. That is what Greenway, a medical company who sponsors the Boys and Girls Club, had in mind when planning their very first benefit concert.

“They decided on putting on one event for the year. A group of them decided on a music festival and that’s how West Fest came about,” said Melissa Graves, an employee at Greenway. Greenway has helped the Boys and Girls Club in various ways, such as setting up a scholarship program.

The purpose of West Fest is to raise money for the local Boys and Girls Club. “The funds will help keep the club open and provide programs for the kids and the youth here,” said Ej Vereen, Director of the Boys and Girls Club.

The Boys and Girls Club provides children with the opportunity to learn and play in a safe and structured environment. The funds given to the club help provide equipment and pay bills, so that the children can have a place to call their own.

The benefit concert will be on April 21 from 3 p.m.-11 p.m. Tickets cost $20 for adults and $15 for children under 16. It features bands from a variety of genres, such as folk, rock, country, blues and much more. The list of performers will include Darrell Scott, Jackson Lawrence, Paris Luna, The Steed Brothers, and Homegrown.

Homegrown, a local country band from Carrollton has become a standout over the course of a year.

“We cut our teeth playing in churches all over West Georgia and East Alabama for half a decade,” said Craig Brannon, lead singer of Homegrown.

Things started to change for the band in 2011, such as the addition of two new band members. Since 2011, a new album was released and their feature song “This Ole Truck” has been played twice on 94.9 The Bull. The benefit concert is a way for the band members to perform and give back to the community.

“It’s just a wonderful opportunity. We get to work with some of the greatest talent around as well as Greenway Medical Technologies, a company we know to be a pillar of our hometown.” said Jason Cole, drummer of Homegrown. “We hope everyone who can will come out, have a good time, and give back to one of Carrollton’s most positive influences”

All of the bands can be viewed on the West Fest website or Facebook.

Greenway and the Boys and Girls Club plan to partner together for more music festivals in the future.

“Our hopes and our plans are to make this an annual event. This will be our signature event for the Boys and Girls Club in Carroll County,” said Vereen.

For more information on the Boys and Girls Club, go to http://www.bgcma.org/club/carroll.

You probably have wondered what was downstairs in the Ingram Library behind the glass doors. Walking past it, you probably have pondered on what is the replica of an office. Well it’s the Tom Murphy’s Exhibit.

Murphy was a long time Georgia House Speaker and Bremen native. Murphy served as a speaker for the House of Representatives in the Georgia General Assembly for 29 years. He passed away in 2007 and a year later, the Georgia General Assembly allocated funds for a replica of Murphy’s State Capitol office to be included in the renovation of UWG’s Irvine Sullivan Ingram Library.

Murphy continuously served as speaker of the House longer than any other individual in the nation’s recorded history. Murphy was very innovative in terms of transforming Georgia from a rural image to one that would attract millions to the Centennial Olympic Games and two Super Bowls.

Some of UWG’s professors, graduate students, and library personnel started on this project right away.  They collaborated with Avient Museum Services, an Atlanta exhibit design firm, to assist with capturing and developing panels and computer kiosks that would exemplify Speaker Murphy’s life and career.

“It is clear to me that Tom Murphy changed Georgia because he understood the past and what should be kept and what left behind; he had the intelligence and political skill to make his vision happen,” said Catherine Hendricks, library personnel.

Curators have searched through 93 boxes of artifacts, which was actually 1,495 items. Using the state-of-the-art museum software, University staff spent six months photographing and cataloging the objects.

“We have a team composed of three curators, three assistant curators and an exhibit designer who have not put only their skills, but their hearts, into conceptualizing this exhibit and making it happen.  I couldn’t have asked for a better team or experience,” said Hendricks.

The contributors to this project include Dr. Keith Hebert, a UWG history professor, and history graduate students: Marina Rakitova, Sara Berry, Matt Harris, Jessica West, and Kathryn Dixon, the exhibit designer.

The Murphy Exhibit consist of three parts; the replication of the office, the ten exhibit panels that will surround it, and the two computer kiosks that will go into detail about the life, legacy, and career of Murphy.

“I helped align the exhibit with the eighth grade Georgia Studies performance standards so that the exhibit can be a service to our region’s social studies teachers,” says Dr. Herbert.

Recognizing and embracing Murphy’s accomplishments, the office dedication will be held on April 19at 2 p.m. at the Campus Center Ballroom followed by tours of the exhibit at 3:30 p.m.  This ceremony will mark the opening of the exhibits and tons of his colleagues and dignities are expected to be in attendance.  Students will have the opportunity to learn about Murphy and to view a replica of his office.

“This event is both a dedication of this exhibit that will become a permanent part of the Ingram Library and a first step in the direction of using what Tom Murphy gave us to teach and inform our students,” says Hendricks.

Javaris Hall preserved and won the appeal of the majority of the student body when he was chosen as this year’s president for the Student Government Association at the University of West Georgia.

It has been a long and passionate campaigning trail for UWG’s 2012 SGA elections and Hall has many desires for his upcoming term as president.  Hall discussed his objectives at an interview on Tuesday.

As far as Hall’s short term goals are concerned, he would like to work on the communication between SGA, the student body and student organizations. He would also like to mitigate the parking issues on campus.  Hall’s long terms goals include analyzing the Carrollton community and how it will support UWG in the future.

These desired changes are soon to be met according to Hall. Hall has expressed great concern for UWG students and what information they have to offer about possible improvements to the UWG environment. At the end of each SGA meeting, there is a ten minute segment that is allotted to students that are not members of SGA to voice their opinions about how to better improve the UWG experience. Students may propose ideas for programs or events for the UWG student body to partake in. SGA will review the ideas for quality and determine which proposed activities will best incorporate and appeal to as many of UWG’s student population as possible.

SGA provides up to $200 to support any student (or other campus organizations) programs that have been reviewed by SGA and determined to be enriching programs for all UWG students.

Statistics shows that 14 percent of UWG students do not graduate within four or five years. Hall would like to improve the retention rate of UWG students. Hall discussed that findings show that students who are involved in campus organizations are more likely to graduate on time. Hall is striving to witness a day when all students who enter UWG will be able to graduate UWG on-schedule.

Whether evident or not, community life also effects the lives of UWG students. Hall discusses other major Georgia universities such as the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech. These schools have an amazing amount of clout when it comes to matters of the community. The communities of Athens and Atlanta really support these institutions and are highly involved in the promotion of these colleges. However, UWG does not reap the same benefits. Not to infer that the surrounding Carrollton community does not care about UWG students, but it is obvious that they are not as involved as the communities of other colleges within the state.

“When the community backs up the university and they get a return on their investment [then] they are going to invest more into the university. The campus can become that much closer to the goal of becoming the ‘destination campus,’” Hall said.

Junior may be dirt-poor, awkward, the target of relentless bullying with a loving but alcoholic father, and stuck on the Spokane Indian reservation, but his hope for something better are rich, powerful, and relentless. Such is the premise of “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie.

Arnold Sprit Junior, or Junior as we come to know him, was born with water on the brain – literally. He came into the world with a multitude of defects and yet somehow survives to find himself living with his tender but severely dysfunctional family on a poverty-stricken Indian reservation. The theme of triumph over adversity threads all the touching, poignant elements of this novel together.

Aside from having impairments like a lisp, a stutter, and a head too big on a body too small, Junior draws. He interprets and makes sense of the world around him through his cartoons; they literally save his life. He says, “I think the world is a series of broken dams and floods, and my cartoons are tiny little lifeboats.”

In the entirety of Junior’s small world, he has only one friend – Rowdy. Rowdy and Junior grew up together and Rowdy acts as Junior’s protector from everyone else on the reservation who tries to use him as a punching bag. But Rowdy’s life is hard; he lives with his abusive, belligerently drunk alcoholic dad and can often be found sporting gruesome bruises. Alexie writes of a night where Rowdy’s father got angry with him for not listening well enough and Rowdy shows up at Junior’s house the next day with a bandage over his left ear: “Dad said I wasn’t listening…so he got all drunk and tried to make my ear a little bigger.” The abuse has made Rowdy a mean person as well, always picking fights, always angry, but in the way only boys can do, he truly cares about Junior. And as the story goes on, you see their friendship endure the trials of separation.

Early on in the story, you can tell that Junior’s hope for a better future for himself will take him out of the reservation. And it does-right to the white side of town. Junior decides in an act of bravery to leave the reservation and go to the better quality, richer white school. The act shocks his parents and makes all the other Indians treat him as a traitor. Rowdy is so hurt and terrified that he decides he hates Junior and stops talking to him. And it’s during his school year at Reardan that Junior finally realizes his life can be more than living and dying poor on his reservation.

The things that Junior endures are tragic but a very small window into the rampant alcoholism, depression, and suicide still afflicting Native Americans today.

Junior is so genuine and touching, his relationships so honest, that it was impossible to not fall in love with him.  Sherman Alexie not only brought to light the struggles of a poor Indian teenager, but also the socio-economic struggles Native Americans are still facing today. They aren’t a group of people that spend much time in the news or occupy most people’s consciousness, but they should. Their struggles are real and harrowing.

The most common reported crime was rape at The University of West Georgia according to UWG campus police. Four rapes have occurred in the past two years with two rapes committed last semester.

Living on a campus which has a history of rapes, robbery, and aggravated assault can be overwhelming for many if they do not know how to defend themselves. UWG’s crime rate has been low for the past four semesters; but campus police officers would like students to be aware of crime and be knowledgeable on self-defense.

“There are four physical crimes we have to report each year; those being rape, murder, robbery and aggravated assault. Although there are no murders reported within the past two years, there have been two robberies and one case of aggravated assault,” said UWG Chief of Police, Thomas Mackel.

Here at UWG, there are many protection steps taken to ensure the safety of the students. There are women self-defense classes offered called “R.A.D” or Rape Aggression Defense Basic Personal Defense System.

According to Chief Mackel, “R.A.D. is a national program of realistic self-defense tactics and techniques taught for women only. All courses are taught by nationally certified R.A.D. instructors. The goal of R.A.D. is to provide realistic self-defense options to women, regardless of their level of physical conditioning. Students at all levels of ability, age, experience, and strength will be provided with techniques and information that can be effectively used from the first day of class.”

Female students are encouraged to take part in these classes. Students can obtain more information about these classes at (www.westga.edu/police/index_359.php).

The best way to stay safe is to never walk alone at night. When it is unavoidable, you can turn to the Wolf Watch. This is a team of nightly patrol students who ride around campus from 7 p.m. to midnight. They are there to assist with jump starts or to be your personal escort in the night time hours. They serve as the extra “eyes and ears” of UWG police.

“I have never assisted with an arrest; but might have to help find a suspect or car. The thing that I like most about my job is the learning experience and being able to be there when people want or need help. Even though I am petite, I do feel I contribute to keeping West Georgia safe,” states Joi Williams, a Wolf Guard second-year patrol.

The UWG Police Dept. advises students to stay in lighted areas, always walk with a friend and to report anything you feel is suspicious. If you take basic safety persuasions, you will lower your chances of being victimized.

“Amazing things happen when you ‘Go West’ ”. This is the motto that brands the face of the “Go West” campaign at The University of West Georgia. Moreover, the authenticity of the campaign is what UWG wants to get across to the public.

When most people think of this campaign they think of the geographic aspect that UWG is located West, however, there is more than just location to this brand. This campaign has been in the works for several years and after its launch in 2010 it has taken college branding to the next level.

Many students ask exactly what is the Go West Campaign? The campaign is more than just a way to boost admission rates, instead the Go West campaign figuratively represents going west to explore, express, and embody freedom while obtaining an excellent education.

West Georgia prides itself on being the right fit for every student with its vibrant campus, faculty and staff, students, and alumni.

“We want to give students something to rally around. This Go West campaign as a brand will also give students something to be proud of,” said Assistant Vice President of University Communications and Marketing Jami Bower.

The ‘Go West’ campaign has seen great success in recent years with record breaking numbers at Preview Day, growth in admission levels and transfer students and an increase in activity on the website and social media activity. Additionally, students, media and professionals also perceive the campaign well.

Although the ‘Go West’ campaign has seen a huge success rate, plans to expand the campaign are still in the works. Bower explained how the campaign is still on a local level even with its expansion to the Metro Atlanta area. She also describes that the campaigns long-range goals are to develop a footprint nationally.

The latest successes of the ‘Go West’ campaign are the numerous awards that the campaign has won. Amongst these awards include: The Improvement in Design award for the Townsend Center for the Performing Arts Season Brochure, and a Grand Award for the work on the Go West website at www.gowestgeoriga.com

Overall, the success of the campaign has been seen by students and the community alike. In addition to incoming students being excited about the message of the campaign, the campaign’s success has become contagious here on campus.

“I have seen a transformation since coming here my freshmen year and I think a lot of the change can be attributed to the ‘Go West’ campaign. Students are a lot more involved on campus and, speaking for myself, I am a lot prouder to represent my school when I go out, “ said sophomore Christyn Ramsey.

            Sophomore pitcher Cody Skinner shined in the first round of play, pitching a complete game shutout and allowing only five hits.  The Wolves began putting runs on the board in the second inning as Keith Borger hit an RBI single to drive home Adam Whitlock for the first run.  UWG lit up the scoreboard in the fourth inning, putting up four runs on four hits and taking advantage of some errors by the Lions. 

            The Wolves continued to score in the next two innings, but the Lions could only leave runners stranded on the bases.  Seniors Stewart Drew and Garrett May each had two hits a piece along with junior Galen Smith who also had a pair of hits in the first matchup.  Tanner Drennen, Borger and May each racked up two RBI’s in the first game as well. 

            After a two scoreless innings in the second game, the Wolves came through in the final four innings to post a 4-2 victory over the Lions.  Junior Evan Hester posted the first run for UWG after he smashed a home-run early in the third inning.  The Wolves almost had another pitcher with a complete game for the day.  Junior Chase Riemer took the mound to start but was relieved during the final inning of play. 

            Riemer gave up only two hits to the Lions and impressed the crowd at Cole field, stricking out ten of the Paine College batters during the second game.  Max Aeschilmann relieved Riemer in the sixth inning to close the game out for the Wolves and sweep Lions.  Hester led the UWG batters as he went 2 for 3 with a home-run and two RBI’s. 

            The wins bring the Wolves’ record to 21-17 for the season, a pleasing sight for UWG fans after a dismal 2011 season.  The Wolves will face the Reinhardt University Eagles in an away game for their next matchup on Wednesday April 18.