Georgia State University - Rampway Yearbook (Atlanta, GA)

Page 33 text:

Richard elcher Alumni in the World of Broadcasting ichard Belcher is a graduate of Georgia State University where he received his BBA degree in mar- keting. Prior to joining TV5's news organization, he worked as a report- er for a year at WGST Radio, Atlan- ta, and two-and-a-half years at WXIA-TV, Atlanta. He is married to the former Stephanie Mewborn of Clarkesville, Georgia, and has two daughters. He enjoys tennis and basketball. Belcher is known to WAGA-TV5 viewers for a string of major stories that span a decade. Among them are breaking the story of wide- spread cheating on Atlanta police promotional examinations, which led seven months later to the firing of the public safety commissioner, coverage of the disappearance and murders of thirty Black youths in Atlanta and the subsequent two- month murder trial of Wayne Wil- liams, and investigative projects fo- cusing onthe National Guard, local anti-poverty and housing programs, and the failure of a local prosecutor to take action on drunk driving cases. A ten-year veteran of the WAGA- TV5 news staff, he is one of the South's leading reporters, having won every major journalism compe- tition in the state including a nation- al Radio and Television News Direc- tors Association Award for cover- age of the Atlanta Missing and Mur- dered Children tragedies, and nu- merous Sigma Delta Chi fprofes- sional journalism fraternityj awards in its annual thirteen state regional competition. ln addition to two Emmys for in- vestigative reporting, he has won nine awards for reporting excel- lence from the Georgia Associated Press Broadcasters Association, four from the Georgia Llnited Press Broadcasters Association, four Sil- ver Gavel Awards from the State Bar of Georgia, and numerous hon- ors from the Atlanta Bar Associ- ation and other organizations awarding journalists. WAGA-TV News Director Jack Frazier said, Belcher is probably the best investigative reporter in the South. What makes Belcher so effective, according to Frazier, is that Belcher has lived here all of his life, was educated here and his work reflects the genuine concern he feels for the community. Student l. fef29

Page 32 text:

native of Quitman, Georgia, Don Smith graduated from Georgia State University with a de- gree in English, he was also the originator for the Lyceum Film pro- Don Smith 8c Two of GSU's gram. His broadcasting career be- gan at WSFB Radio in Quitman, and, later, he joined WXIA-TV in At- lanta in the production Department as a film and drama critic. Subse- Most Distinguished quently, he was promoted to week- end news producer, li p.m. news producer, 6 p.m. news producer and executive news producer. He produced the pilot show for TV5's PM Magazine and was appointed executive program producer. ln addition to winning dozens of awards from Associated Press, United Press International, Sigma Delta Chi Journalism Fraternity, Re- ligion in Media, and the New York Film and Television Festival, Don has won fifteen Emmy's from the Atlanta Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. For Paradise Saved, a special about Cumberland lsland, he won the George Foster Peabody Award, broadcasting's most presti- gious honor. Don is a member of Sigma Delta Chi, and almost every museum that gives a discount to members. He's also president of the Atlanta Chap- ter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. 28fStude nt Life

Page 34 text:

Two Aces Beat The Gdd ii' if , Btn f id Qi lv' ' avg' . , l, V I -I i ' f Kevin Riggs Wins The Battle To Become A Leader 30fStude by Gayle C. Smith senior commercial music major, Kevin Riggs was the co- chairman for the committee for disabled students two years ago under then SGA President, Jon Shapiro, and was Chairman in 1985-86. Among the accomplishments of that committee is the installaion of the handicapped symbols at all of the school elevators. When this was first proposed, there was some off-campus opposition. It seems that some people thought that placing the symbol at the elevators would seem to be an indication that the handicapped students were getting special treatment. Kevin's response was, We need special treatment. When I asked Kevin what the disabled student of GSU need the most, he answered, We need for people to get comfortable with students who are handicapped. We need more awareness than just the ramps. Kevin agreed that the facilities at Georgia State are not ideal but feels that they are better than most. We have people who help do things that ramps and equipment can't do, things that we need a breathing human being to do. 'Dean Carole Pearson works with the University in terms of bringing programs to the handicapped students. She is also work- ing with the elevator situation in Kell Hall. There is an elevator in the building but because of the ramps, it only stops on half-floors. lt needs to stop on all floor levels. Getting a wheelchair up the ramp can be murder. Dean Pearson is our staff representative and always speaks up for us. She always listens and feels as we do, Photos By J Capelle nt Life that the best people who know how to equip this place for handicapped students are the handicapped students. There have been efforts made to provide services for disabled students at GSU for a long time, but the programs didn't really get started until August of 1973. lt was then that the ball really got rolling and some changes were made around the campus to make student life a little easier for the disabled. One of the most significant problems seems to be an ongoing situation. As everyone knows, that problem is access to the elevators in the General Classroom Building. lt seems that once students have been enrolled for a quarter or two, they begin to realize that the disabled have a special problem with getting an elevator and getting to class on time. However, entering freshmen are probably not as aware of the situation since they are strug- gling to adjust to a new environment as well as getting their academic workdone. There has been, unfortunately, a good deal of hostility concerning this issue. Unfortunately, some disabled students take the problem personally. When l asked Kevin about this, he said, People don't go around hating handicapped stu- dents, they just don't always think. Although some feel that life has given them a bum rap, Kevin doesn't see things that way. lt doesn't make life change when you feel so down about your- self that you can't like anyone else. Kevin has been a victim of Cerebral Palsy since he was one day old. His father was in the service and Kevin was born in Morocco. Somehow, he got turned face down in his crib and stopped breathing. The nurse found him and turned him over, but no one knows how much time elapsed between the time he stopped breathing and the time he was found. Some of the students at GSU were disabled in accidents, like automobile accidents, so that a portion of their lives were spent in normalcy. l asked Kevin if he thought that they would be more resentful of their disability than he since he had been disabled all of his life. Kevin's response was, To say that they're more resentful is stereotyping. Some handle their problems quite well. Everybody handles things in a different way. The support comes from family, friends, and faith . . . all in varying degrees. I went through a time when l wanted to quit. l was going to a special Cerebral Palsy school and they were trying to teach me to walk. lt was hard and l didn't want to. I got angry. Anger is a waste of time. lf you want something, you have to work for it. There were two things that brought Kevin around. One of them was serious and one was quite humorous. The first new surge of strength for Kevin came when he became a Christian. He is a Baptist and joined in an invitational during one of the church services that he and his family attended. He had been attending church for a long time, but it was the first time that he had joined in the invitational. God has gotten me through a lot, and l found the strength to keep trying. lt turned out to be a long-term commit- ment and a real reason to achieve what l could in spite of my handicap. I Went Through A Time When I Wanted To Quit . . . 1Butj Anger Is A Waste Of Time.