Death penalty: unpardonable when poorly executed

Troy Davis execution should spark national discourse on capital punishment

At 11:08 p.m. Sept. 21, the State of Georgia executed Troy Davis for the 1989 killing of Savannah police officer Mark MacPhail. This happened in the face of hundreds of thousands of people rallying against his execution because of Davis' possible innocence. Yet, just over three hours after his scheduled execution at 7 p.m., the United States Supreme Court officially denied Davis a stay of execution, and killed all hope that a man who was possibly innocent would be exonerated.

Davis' presumed innocence was fueled by the questionable circumstances surrounding his death-penalty conviction. The conviction was based primarily on the eyewitness testimonies of nine individuals, one of whom was implicated as the actual killer by four defense witnesses. One witness recanted his testimony during cross-examination by the defense, stating the police used strong-arm tactics to coerce him into pegging Davis as the killer. Two of the witnesses testified that Davis confessed to the killing during private conversation — hearsay evidence that should not have been admissible.

Death penalty: unpardonable when poorly executed

Troy Davis execution should spark national discourse on capital punishment

At 11:08 p.m. Sept. 21, the State of Georgia executed Troy Davis for the 1989 killing of Savannah police officer Mark MacPhail. This happened in the face of hundreds of thousands of people rallying against his execution because of Davis' possible innocence. Yet, just over three hours after his scheduled execution at 7 p.m., the United States Supreme Court officially denied Davis a stay of execution, and killed all hope that a man who was possibly innocent would be exonerated.

Davis' presumed innocence was fueled by the questionable circumstances surrounding his death-penalty conviction. The conviction was based primarily on the eyewitness testimonies of nine individuals, one of whom was implicated as the actual killer by four defense witnesses. One witness recanted his testimony during cross-examination by the defense, stating the police used strong-arm tactics to coerce him into pegging Davis as the killer. Two of the witnesses testified that Davis confessed to the killing during private conversation — hearsay evidence that should not have been admissible.

Worry about graduation tests now instead of later

Summer's over, but seniors should start sweating now. It's the end of September, and it's easy for them to feel like they have all the time left in the world to get ready for life after college.

A naive hope.

If a senior wants to move on to a higher degree, she'll need to start the process now. Before she looks at various universities and their possibilities, she needs to take a test: the GRE, the MCAT or the LSAT. These tests aren't easy. They are made to filter through students, so making one's self look good is easier said than done.

If a student expects to be in graduate school by this time next year, now is the time to buckle down. The deadlines for applications to graduate programs that begin in fall semester usually run between the preceding November and January, with a few that accept applicants later and earlier. While a few programs offer students the option of updating their applications once they receive scores, most programs require students provide their GRE, MCAT and LSAT upon application.

So, naturally, students must have scores by then, usually in October. It's recommended that they study for the tests.

Organization key to grade improvement

Chances are good that a large number of students feel overwhelmed by the amount of work expected of them in each of their classes. By this point in the semester it is not uncommon to feel this way because it seems that every other day there is a quiz, test or paper that must be turned in. The simplest way to dispel this feeling is to get organized.

The first step to getting organized is to get a day planner.

This may seem a little old-fashioned, but nearly every business professional uses this tried-and-true method as a means to prioritize their tasks on a day-to-day basis. When you go to get a day planner look for one that gives you ample room to make notes on each day's section and leads each month with an "at-a-glance" monthly calendar. There is a great planner available in the Armstrong bookstore that is as good as nearly any planner you could buy in a major office supplies retailer.

Once a planner has been purchased, it must be used to be effective. So the first thing you should do is pull out those syllabuses that you received on the first day of classes and transfer every assignment and due date into your new planner.

MCC makeover bolsters campus life

Two years ago the center of campus was the grassy quad between Gamble and Hawes halls. It was the choicest locale for large events like the annual Celebrate Armstrong festival, and Shearouse Plaza was the hottest spot for midday student organization meet-and-greets. Back then, Memorial College Center had it all – a pretty modest hangout with a coffee stand and Armstrong's cafeteria.

Then the Student Union opened its doors last fall and changed the dynamic of campus life. The nondescript cafeteria of old was replaced with the lavish Galley, the meager old bookstore on Shearouse was abandoned for an expansive retail space next to the Galley, and even the coffee stand jumped ship for the Student Union. Shearouse Plaza and the first floor of MCC, once strongholds of campus life, became akin to ghost towns.

But now that's changing. Armstrong is breathing new life into the MCC this week, and with it, campus life takes another step forward.

Now a chic dining and lounge area, the renovated MCC is home to a World of Wings and a Quizno's. At long last, there's an alternative to the Galley. The all-you-can-eat, pay-at-the-door trough has never really made financial sense for anyone without a meal plan. It's a timely development, too, considering the Galley is nixing to-go meals – apparently putting all you can eat in a to-go box for extra money is abuse of the all-you-can-eat policy.

Student follows veteran father through Vietnam

Growing up the son of a Marine, without any military experience of my own, there was always a bit of disconnect between my father and me. My father served in Vietnam in 1972, six years before I was born. He served for two years and that was all I knew. Those who know people who served in war they know it is something not spoken of lightly, if at all. For perhaps 10 years my father and I always tossed around the idea about going to Vietnam together one day and revisiting some of the places that he saw. I have traveled extensively through Asia but always kept the pact that I would not go to Vietnam without him. I fully recognized the possibility that the trip might be an emotional roller coaster or, like any father-and-son trip, somebody might push the other from a moving train. However, I knew I would have an experience in Vietnam that I never had or will ever have again – witnessing my father, a veteran, return.    

Reflecting on 9/11

The terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 changed the course of history. The world watched as thousands of lives were lost. The attacks had a lasting effect on the American psyche and acted as catalysts for changes in government and the media landscape, and two ongoing wars in which thousands more lives – military and civilian alike – have been lost. It was a day that everyone able remembers, but it was an event that meant different things for different people. Below three Armstrong students of different ages recount what 9/11 meant to them.

Be heard daily — exercise your ‘dollar vote’

Most people believe that the only time they are able to be heard under our political system is in November of every even year. Many people don't even exercise their opportunity to vote when it comes around. But I believe that we vote every single day. The minimum wage is not $7.25 an hour, it is seven and a quarter votes every hour.  The American public goes about their lives without ever considering that the true power of voting — the true opportunity to be heard — is in the "dollar vote." Americans are known for complaining and being critical of companies that operate by focusing on the bottom line rather than what is in the best interest of their customers. And yet Americans continue to vote for these same companies by continuing to support them as customers.

Politics and religion can mix

An election year is just around the corner, and right on schedule we're witnessing the return of the liberal obsession with conservative politicians' religious beliefs.

Every time a Republican candidate for high office surfaces who is also a dedicated Christian, the left warns in apocalyptic tones that if you vote for him, America will sink into a "theocracy." Long ago these fear-mongers warned us about Ronald Reagan. Then it was George W. Bush, and after that, Sarah Palin. Now it's Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry. Elect Perry or Bachmann, this year's warnings go, and make way for "Jesusland" — a country in which adulterers will be stoned, creationism taught in the schools and gay people sent to reorientation therapy.

In a recent New Yorker profile of Bachmann, Ryan Lizza characterized the Minnesota congresswoman as "a politician with a history of pushing sectarian religious beliefs in government." Around the same time, Salon's Alex Pareene accused Perry of "purposefully evoking some of the most radical far-right movements and ideas of the last 200 years." A few days later, Michelle Goldberg, who in 2006 wrote a theocrats-under-the-bed book titled "Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism," warned in the Daily Beast that both Bachmann, a Lutheran, and Perry, a lifelong Methodist who currently worships at an evangelical megachurch, "are deeply associated with a theocratic strain of Christian fundamentalism known as Dominionism."

Academic success determined by study habits

Part one of a four-part series on grade-improvement strategies

I failed out of my first college. Perhaps I wasn't ready to attend college in the first place. Perhaps I didn't realize how much different college was than high school. But there's one thing I'm certain of — I didn't know how to make good grades. I spent five years in the work force selling cars, working in restaurants, selling jewelry and doing various other jobs to pay  rent. Looking back, I'm surprised it took me so long to realize the only way I would ever get ahead was to go back to school. Now, after three-and-a-half years at Armstrong, I am about to graduate with an institutional GPA of 4.0. I have no doubt that my transferring GPA of 1.8 gave me a chip on my shoulder when I entered my fist semester of Armstrong. I had to prove to myself that I had the capacity and the drive to excel. But, regardless of how I came to attend Armstrong, I'm no different than anyone else starting his or her college career. Whether fresh out of high school or returning after 20 years, we all have something to prove. This column is for everyone who feels that they can earn better grades but may not know how. I have five simple steps to performing at your highest potential, and if you consciously implement these strategies into your school life, I guarantee you will see better grades on your transcript after this semester.

Keeping ahead makes tests less nightmarish

Part two of a four-part series on grade-improvement strategies

Perhaps the biggest pressure cooker for college students is exam week. I realize that dreaded week of cumulative exams is still 15 weeks away, but there is a secret to turning that traditionally awful time into a week of low-pressure relaxation. OK, maybe it won't be relaxing, but working hard during the first half of the semester will go a long way toward taking the pressure off of you during the last few weeks of the semester. Ten years ago, during my first college experience, I can remember needing to get score a 93 on a final exam to pass the class. Not only did this make for a nearly impossible goal, it added an enormous amount of pressure to an already stressful week of exams.   Last semester, I went into one of my math exams needing to score a 67 on my final exam to keep an "A" in the course. The secret? I worked tirelessly to get high grades on the much easier regular semester exams.  

Key to writing papers: don’t wait until eleventh hour

Part three in a four-part series on grade-improvement strategies

One of the most difficult aspects of any upper-level class is the final research paper. Chances are that you will be faced with at least one, and perhaps multiple research papers that will be a large part of your final grades for the classes you are taking. These are not something to take lightly. Too many times students wait until the last minute to start a research paper, and as a rule, the higher the course level, the more detailed and lengthy they will have to be. But, just as I mentioned in my article on taking tests, there is an easy solution to taking pressure off of yourself: start early. If the research paper is due at the end of the semester, as is usually the case, one of the best things you can do is to pick a topic early. Within the next few weeks, you should have a good idea of what each course will be covering during the semester. After you get an idea of the topics that will be covered in the course, start brainstorming ideas for paper topics. This very important step is often overlooked, but if this step is properly approached, the rest of the paper should be substantially less overwhelming.

Campus development builds student life

Armstrong's Student Union is the most important public building completed in Savannah in the last few years. I don't make that boast lightly. For more than a decade, I've been studying Savannah's public spaces and writing about them in my columns in the Savannah Morning News. I've spent countless hours observing the ways in which public spaces encourage — or discourage — human interaction. The main lobby of the Student Union has become the informal hub of campus life. Light streams through the large windows facing the dorms, and a steady flow of students and employees come and go throughout the day. Despite its sheer mass, the building seems to embrace rather than dominate the plaza at its doorstep and the residence halls beyond. As the years pass and the trees grow, students will linger in that plaza rather than just walk through it. For all its positive impact, the building is not without its flaws.

Time to embrace ‘smart’ tech in class

Every passing year students' bags and satchels are becoming increasingly lighter. Ubiquitous technological devices such as e-readers, smartphones and tablet computers enable people to carry an enormous amount of information in a small  space. Not only do these devices make schoolwork easier, they also provide a more cost efficient way to purchase class required materials. Introduction of new technology often creates cultural lags as the public learns how to adapt them efficiently into their lives. This is especially apparent in the classroom, as many teachers are resistant to allow the use of smart devices. E-readers are a great resource to access electronic versions of textbooks and other assigned reading material. E-books are extremely practical for students, such as English majors, who may be assigned several books to read over the course of a semester. Not only are electronic textbooks much cheaper than the hard copy, they often have extra features such as study guides and video lectures that can't be incorporated in the hard text.  

Knowing is half the battle

Ignorance and terrorism make bad bedfellows

Last week, on a segment of CBS' "What's Trending," rapper Lupe Fiasco shocked many viewers when he said, "To me, the biggest terrorist is Obama, in the United States. I'm trying to fight the terrorism that's actually causing the other forms of terrorism. You know, the root cause of terrorism is the stuff the U.S. government allows to happen — the foreign policies that we have in place in different countries that inspire people to become terrorists." By the next morning, nearly every celebrity gossip site on the Internet had commented on the segment, and user comments quickly denounced Fiasco as a traitor and urged him to "leave the country if he hates America so much."

Casey Anthony: Justice or failed system?

In July 2008 the world watched as the hunt began for missing toddler Caylee Anthony. Her mother, Casey Anthony, became the prime suspect in the child's death, and after Casey was arrested the world stayed glued to shows such as "Nancy Grace" in hopes that the child would be found safe and alive.

Sadly, on Dec. 11, 2008, Caylee's remains were found in black trash bags in a shallow grave near the Anthony home.

Casey was charged with first-degree murder, and the prosecutor's office in Orlando, Fla., began to build a case for her conviction. But three years later Casey walked free — found not guilty of the murder of her daughter — after serving a little more than three years for lying to police.

What happened?

Citizens, politicians need civics education

Last February, Mary Osborne, an alderwoman on the Savannah city council, claimed water damages on her personal residence, which lies in a flood-prone neighborhood in midtown.

City Council awarded Osborne $50,373 in flood damages. The council discussed the issue behind closed doors. Working behind closed doors is a course of action that recently sparked the interest of Georgia's attorney general, Sam Olens. Olens already gave the council a slap on the wrist for holding illegal closed-door meetings concerning the hiring of the new city manager. Olens accosted the council for the meetings — and little besides some Kumbayaing is going to come out of it — so little disciplinary action is likely to result.

Campus community need to do the green thing

For the past few semesters, Armstrong has tried to relabel itself with an environmentally friendly slogan, "Makin' Maroon Green." This go-green initiative has seen some positive results in informing students of green alternatives to common student activities. However, there have also been many failures when Armstrong does not follow its own green advice.

Campus should stay sober in the summertime

It's in the dog-day stretch of summer, and it's the perfect time to kick back with a cold daiquiri. So much so that Savannah, Pooler, Thunderbolt, Tybee Island and many other municipalities in Georgia are taking advantage the state's Senate Bill 10, which was passed in April. The bill gives local governments the ability to decide whether or not to allow Sunday alcohol sales. For generations, Georgia has restricted the sale of alcohol on Sundays. Now, the last of the blue laws goes the way of its no-going-to-the-movies-on-Sunday brethren. Assuming this measure passes in our communities — and with a town like Savannah, why wouldn't it? — there will be plenty of students taking advantage of this at their off-campus apartments.  

Campus foliage privileges students

Students at all of Georgia's public universities enjoy the warm weather and an environment of plants and landscaping special to their homes.

Sure, Georgia Southern has a campus of sprawling oak trees and pristinely manicured lawns.

Savannah State is beside a rolling tributary of the Herb River. Sure, they've got a river.

What does Armstrong have to offer?

Sleep debt costs you more than you realize

The clock is shining 9 p.m. and you've yet to open your biology textbook to study for tomorrow's exam. Pulling an all-nighter may seem like a smart move, but studying up on the consequences of a night without sleep might make you rethink that belief.

Along with the common effects we're all used to, like delayed mental and physical responses and general crankiness, a study by the Stanford University Center of Excellence for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Sleep Disorders explains that any missed sleep yields an accumulated sleep debt. Just like student loan debt, it can be deferred — but it will eventually have to be paid.

Women push for military combat jobs

The longstanding policy that keeps women from being allowed to hold direct combat positions in the military may be approaching its end. For years, women have worked for equal rights in all career fields, and the rule limiting military career choices and promotion possibilities is one of the remaining challenges facing women's rights advocates.

Of course, valid arguments exist in the matter for either position. Some traditionalists argue that women shouldn't fight their homemaking nature or neglect their roles in the family unit to risk their lives in combat. Many feminists argue that by restricting the combatant military force to men alone, the military may be missing out on unique intelligence and strategy only women could offer.

The gulf one year later: Still waiting for love

A year after the Gulf oil disaster, Sue Galliano doesn't want our pity. She just wants us to act like grown-ups. Especially Congress, which still hasn't allocated a dime to restoring the Southeast's natural storm buffers. Those wetland barriers protect places, but they also cradle a uniquely American way of life that has mixed gumbo and oil for generations.

Whacked by Katrina, hammered by Gustav and nearly drowned by Ike, Louisiana's Grand Isle is the spit of sand and wetlands that President Obama used as a backdrop for his Gulf photo ops last year. With the country in a budget-cutting mood, there's somewhere between $5 billion and $20 billion in found money that can be used to restore the gulf found because BP owes America for what it broke.

It’s your taxes, your business

Quite often, candidates will run for office with "open government" as one of their battle cries. And then when they get elected, the battle cry ceases to be.

U.S. should hope for best, prepare for worst

Although it may take months to understand fully the devastating impact of the earthquakes, tsunamis and radiation leaks that have plagued Japan, it is not too soon for U.S. officials at every level to consider what steps can be taken to minimize the impact of such a disaster in this country.

Campus groups, not just class work, prepare students for post-college life

As cliche as it sounds, college is a very expensive opportunity. Students pay a lot of money -- and many acquire a lot of debt -- so they can improve their lives and accrue specialized skills. My own college experience was the final countdown to the termination of my adolescence. I became a Pirate and at the end of it all, found the bounty for which I was searching.

Smart phones make stupid drivers

When ‘LOL’ becomes ‘OMG’

On Feb. 10, the Franklin County, Ohio, Grand Jury indicted a man in the country's first case of vehicular homicide while texting. A few days shy of taking his driving exam, Dalton Ludwig was taking his routine driving class with his instructor, Floyd Evans, on Interstate 270. Daniel Jacobs, 56, lost control of his vehicle while texting, resulting in the car crash that killed 16-year-old Ludwig.

Terrorism can affect anyone

Letter to the editor

Spring break starts soon. Most of us cannot wait to take a break from school, and perhaps travel or take advantage of the beautiful weather Savannah has been enjoying.

But a pall has been thrown over my semester. On Feb. 27, I found out that the Taliban was holding a good friend of mine, Colin Rutherford, captive. He isn't military. He is a Canadian who went to Afghanistan in hopes of learning about the culture and peoples of Afghanistan firsthand. He went not only to learn, but also as a humanitarian.

According to his captors, Colin is a spy.

Students need to stay safe during spring break

With great celebration comes great responsibility

Spring break is arriving. Many of us are busy setting up plans for Savannah's annual St. Patrick's Day festival, which often includes procuring and imbibing alcohol.

Most students with visions of shamrocks and green ale will tell you it's a no-brainer not to drink and drive. However, Savannah residents continue to make poor decisions behind the wheel.

In the last two years, 31 percent of traffic fatalities in Georgia have been due to driving while intoxicated.

While the other fatal accidents may be attributed to conditions such as the weather, distractions, or failing to wear a seatbelt, we contend that 31 percent is too great a number for something as senseless as driving under the influence.

Think twice before pressing ‘send’

Letter to the editor

Due to a rising percentage of cyber bullying dealing with teenagers, I would like to set an example for those who might think of making a huge mistake.

I've made some bad choices in my life, but none as bad as a prank I pulled in college. What should have been an inside joke turned into a huge disaster. Please watch what you send in your text messages. What might be a joke to you could hurt or even destroy another person's life.

The consequences aren't even worth the laugh.

Obama has bold plans, but are they feasible?

If a presidency was a university program, President Barack Obama would be kicking off his junior year right now. And while he hasn't quite switched majors, his State of the Union address showed he is shifting emphasis.

Although often lacking in detail, his address was moving and hopeful. As he noted: "That's how we win the future. ... We do big things."

But will Obama's proposals actually lead us forward? Here's how we graded him.

A poster child for fair use

Most Americans are familiar with the ubiquitous poster by Los Angeles-based street artist Shepard Fairey of then-candidate Barack Obama looking off into the distance, pensive yet resolute, with the word "Hope" emblazoned across his chest. No image more clearly captured the excitement and expectations of that historic race.

What Americans were not aware of when the posters were first plastered up across the country is that the image was drawn from an Associated Press photograph of Obama at a National Press Club event in 2006. Fairey found the photo on Google, traced Obama from the original shot by Mannie Garcia and filled it in beige, white and blue.