Office ‘diligent’ in RIAA case

I read your article in the Nov. 9 issue of The Red & Black concerning the student fined for online sharing. In that article, you quoted Rayid Tartir who claimed the two-week delay in notification to the students was a result of his waiting for word from the Office of Legal Affairs. The attorney in our office who handled this matter was Ms. Kimberly Ballard-Washington. Ms. Ballard-Washington recently accepted a new position with the Board of Regents and was not available when your reporter called last Thursday.

In fact, when the notices were received by Mr. Tartir, he was told by Ms. Ballard-Washington to immediately send the notifications out to the students.

Any delay was created by Mr. Tartir’s inaction. It was only after numerous directives from the Office of Legal Affairs that the notices were sent.

After we learned the notice letters went out too late, our office contacted RIAA and obtained an extension to Nov. 16 for all named students to respond to the notices. I want your readers to know the Office of Legal Affairs did not create a delay in this situation. We diligently serve the entire University community and did so in this case as well.

STEPHEN M. SHEWMAKER
Executive Director for Legal Affairs

Beer, glass not meant for flight

This weekend had to be one of the most awesome athletic moments University students have been able to share in 20 years, but unfortunately some decided to ruin that moment.

To those people who have seats in the upper deck in the student section, you aren’t Matt Stafford, so stop throwing things. Nearly every great moment during the game went sour because projectiles came flying over your portion of the stands.

Just in case you morons don’t know who sits below – it’s your fellow students. If you think it’s funny to cover people with soda and liquor or hit someone with an empty Jack bottle, it isn’t.

My friend’s sister, a University graduate, spent the majority of the game with paramedics as one bottle caught her wrist and caused a hairline fracture.

Paramedics were helping others during the game in the bottom of the student section, and I doubt that is how they wanted to spend their Saturday. Sure, get drunk and rowdy for the game – the noise was the best in Sanford all year – but don’t ruin people’s games by being an idiot.

JOSEPH OLENDER
Junior, Marietta
Political Science