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Student leader Latham Saddler is accustomed
to being in the campus spotlight lately. When Latham, a junior
economics major, was crowned 2003 Homecoming King at the UGA-UAB
game, he was on center stage. But when the camera turned back
to the football game, there was a scene on the sidelines that
wasn't played on the stadium's Jumbotron screen.
Latham walked over to his twin brother Ashby and handed over
his crown, returning a solemn gesture from eighteen months
earlier when Ashby won homecoming king at his North Carolina
high school.
Latham recalls, "Ashby put his crown on my head and said,
'This is for you.' "
Twins winning a similar honor is pretty incredible, but even
more remarkable is that Ashby has Down syndrome. This rare
genetic disorder effects 1 in 800 to 1,000 births, but it
is even more rare in twins according to statistics.
Latham attributes many of his accomplishments to his close
relationship with his brother. In addition to homecoming king,
Latham is Student Government Association president, Interfraternity
Council (IFC) President, a Leonard Leadership Scholar in the
Terry College of Business, and member of the Dean's Student
Cabinet on Diversity.
"They say twins learn a lot from each other," said
Latham, "but I have learned so much more from him than
he has from me. Ashby doesn't worry about all the heavy stuff.
He's kept me grounded and positive, and open-minded to people
with differences."
This philosophy carries over into Latham's campus involvement.
In a setting where diversity is generally thought of in terms
of skin tone, cultural preferences, or religious affiliation,
Latham brings a unique perspective to the Dean's Cabinet on
Diversity. Those with different abilities, including physical
handicaps, learning disabilities or hearing and visual impairments,
make up a significant part of our campus. According to Dr.
Karen Kalivoda, director of DRC (disability resource center),
there are 1,200 students served by her department. In addition,
students receive services from the Learning Disability Center
in Milledge Hall.
Ashby continues to be a part of Latham's life, in spite of
the fact that he and his parents recently moved to Chicago.
When Latham spoke at freshman orientation this summer, Ashby
led the crowd in a Bulldog cheer. Ashby's also been known
to make an appearance at his brother's fraternity parties
a time or two. Latham just steps aside and lets the spotlight
shine on the person he considers the bigger man on campus.
Building the New Learning Environment
The new learning environment is a place where the best of
Georgia’s students and their peers from across the nation
and around the world come to challenge themselves academically.
At the University of Georgia, the new learning environment
is taking shape in facilities such as the Student Learning
Center, the 200,000-square-foot electronic library and classroom
facility at the heart of campus, designed to operate around
the clock and to function for the way today’s students
learn, with fully wired study carrels and plenty of group
study rooms, plus a coffee shop. It is taking shape with the
East Campus Village and dining commons, the first residence
halls at UGA in 30 years, located adjacent to the Ramsey Center,
one of America’s best student activity centers.
But more importantly, the new learning environment is an academic
and intellectual community on the campus of the University of
Georgia which hums with the vibrancy of the true college experience—bright
and talented students working with brilliant faculty formally
in the classroom and informally over a cup of coffee or lounging
in the greenspace which stretches from one end of campus to
the other. It is a place which recognizes that new information
technologies are transforming traditional academic disciplines
and embraces those opportunities.
As a residential university, UGA is maximizing the unique and
beautiful physical campus in the manner outlined in the newly
adopted physical master plan to promote the creation of a true
community of scholars. The historic buildings of North Campus—Meigs
Hall, Moore College, Demosthenian Hall—are being renovated,
restored to their glory yet functioning in the 21st century.
We are integrating in-class and out-of-class experiences by
placing academic advisors in residence halls, creating classroom
space in both existing and new residence halls, updating campus
computer networks and bringing cultural experiences into residential
areas.
Through the quality of facilities, the caliber of faculty
and the credentials of the student body, the University of
Georgia will continue its rise into the upper echelon of American
public universities.
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