Georgia State University - Rampway Yearbook (Atlanta, GA)

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The Women Blue ho are the people who wear the uniform of the Georgia State University Police Department? Most of us don't know. We know the officer who stands in the middle of Courtland Street to make sure that members of the GSU population get across the street safely. Some of us know the officers who escort us to our cars or to the MARTA station. But we really don't know too much about them. We don't know if they are married, have children, or what they do in their off-hours. To push the point further, we know even less about the women who are officers. We see them occasionally, but like the men in the department, they become faceless entities who only come to mind when we need them for something. The police department at Georgia State is made up of officers who take the same academy training as the Atlanta Police Department members and perform the same duties. Although their district only extends 500 yards beyond the campus boundaries, the rules are the same. Unfortunately, this also means that although these officers function in the same manner as any other Atlanta officer, they don't always get the same respect. However, when the campus police write tickets for moving and parking violations, these tick- ets go to the Atlanta Traffic Court. Most students don't realize that. Besides the cadets, there are nine women in the depart- ment and they are well-trained, dependable officers. In com- petition with all members of the force, Sergeant Becky Bur- kett won the sharpshooter award this year. She has been a 4 STL DENIT l IFE . . -- , X. 5, S!! ,Z member of the department for 11 years. Officer Charlotte York won the trophy for the most improved on the range. These women know what they are doing. Their interests range from water skiing to church work and they all got into the department for different reasons. Officer Melissa Diehl always wanted to be a cop and is the only female of the department qualified to ride the motorcycle. Sergeant Burkett and Officer Phyllis Arthur are both married to police officers. ln fact, Officer Arthur's husband, Abraham, used to be a member of the GSU force. He is now with MARTA. He was the officer who got the slasher, she said. The slasher she refers to is the man who is accused of brutally assaulting jane Davis at the Civic Center MARTA station. Officer Charlotte York rose from the ranks of the cadets and was graduated from GSU in June with a degree in Criminal justice. She is headed for law school, and although she says that most of the people she meets are nice, she admits that, every once in a while, you run into someone who thinks that because you are a woman, you can't do anything. These women are bright, interesting, progressive and re- sponsible. We trust them with our lives. Some have mas- ter's degrees, some raise families and all of them have the interests of GSU students at heart. We are proud of them and grateful that they are here, at Georgia State.

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The C offee Genera tion Java Man Woman ts lure possessed Ms. Olsun to visit house to house on television for its taste and aroma. Its appeal even led John Sabastian Bach to write contatas in honor of it. A miracle against drowsiness and proponent of insomnia, coffee through the centuries has been consumed the world over. Even today coffee remains as the only elixir for those heavy sleepers to face a new day. For students at Georgia State, it is the welcome relief found percolating between classes during the 10:00 break. Despite its dull familiarity in today's world, the coffee bean can be traced for over a thousand years from an Abyssian legend. The legend tells of a goatherd who noticed his goats dancing after eating the beans from a coffee tree grown in the wild. The bean is green in color and about the size of a pistachio. Although the Arabians obtained beans from Ethiopia in the 15th century, the Dutch would later sneak plants from Arabia which led to the arrival of coffee in France. There the plants were secured in the royal greenhouse by none other than King Louis XIV. America's love affair with coffee grew out of our obvious dislike of tea during the American Revolution. Through the adventures of Francisoco de Milo Palheta, the coffee bean found its way to Brazil, currently the world's largest grower of coffee beans. Palheta's diplomatic mission to French Guiana allowed him to secretly procure the coveted beans by a clever ploy on behalf of the French governor's wife, a bouquet presented to him stashed with hidden beans and stems. A trip to a coffee specialty store introduces you to coffee beans from over 40 countries, each with its own unique color, flavor, and character. One particular store in Atlanta boasts 40 to 50 different varieties of coffee beans including varieties of decaffeinated. The big sellers, of course, or the premium Columbian beans which are flavored with distinct tastes. Expresso has started the newest fad in kitchen appliances to further clutter your kitchen counter. Although coffee drinking has become routine, especially in the morning, numerous studies have been performed on caffeine's effect on the central nervous system, which include high blood pressure, increased heart rate, and nervousness. Further research has linked caffeine with heart disease, cancer, and birth defects. I-Iowever, doctors have also concluded that your reaction to caffeine is up to your own individual metabolism. While some can drink more than others, reactions can range from a mild case of coffee jitters to more serious cases of heart palpitations, headaches, heartburns, and insomnia. Still, larger amounts of coffee, for example, nine or more cups daily, can attribute to arrhythmaia, a condition of irregular body rhythm. Despite the negatives, coffee does heighten your awareness and is acclaimed for increasing intellectual power. Yet anxiety over caffeine has allowed decaffeinated brands to gain ZZWZ1 of the overall market, regardless of the higher price for decaffeinated beans. For those who are nutritional conscious, some research has revealed that coffee is capable of prohibiting both iron and thiamine - vitamin B. In fact, the newest coffee villain responsible for this problem is chlorogenic acid. Coffee continues to be a firmly held commodity accounting for over SOWZJ of the national export earnings for countries like Columbia, Burundi, and El Salvador. This demand for coffee explains the aggressive advertising on behalf of the industry. Due to television, Juan Valdez has become somewhat of a coffee celebrity. I suppose this sort of advertising strengthens coffee's reputation a bit by informing us that coffee is without class discriminations. However, I doubt any creative genius from Madison Avenue will change what is already an American institution. So, the next time you are beckoned by your Mr. Coffee machine or enticed to some java in the B8:D Cafeteria, take some time to appreciate what's gone into that cup of coffee. The ten o'clock break at GSU is a tradition. Originally intended as a time for interaction between professors and students, it has become a social hour transcending academic distinctions. It is a time when many university organizations hold meetings and some students get advisement. Whatever the event, coffee plays a major role in receptions, meetings or informal gatherings in the BSLD. This is evidenced by the fact that the BSLD sells over 18,000 cups of coffee a week. STUDENT LIFEZ5

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