Monday, September 25, 2000
Whale of a lesson
Chancellor’s annual assessment focuses on anti-intellectualism
Football traffic management, tailgating and parking areas revised
Shedding light on buried treasures
Newsmakers
Administrative Changes
Sharpening up his skills

Campus Closeup
David Anderson
Disability Specialist
Disability Services

TIME IN CURRENT POSITION: Five months.

OTHER UGA EXPERIENCE: “In 1998 I received my undergraduate degree in social science education from the university, and this past spring I received my master’s of education in rehabilitation counseling.
“I worked while I was in school in disability services as a room accommodations specialist from 1996 until this past spring.”

JOB DESCRIPTION: “We act as advocates for students with disabilities, helping to provide them with accommodations to level the playing field--note takers, tutorial sessions, private testing rooms, things like that.
“If a student is having a problem with a professor, we try to smooth it out. I do a lot of networking, meeting with students and peers, which is a great part of the job.
“Another responsibility involves looking at the architecture of the campus to make sure it’s accessible.
“Our overall goal is to help students become advocates themselves, because we can’t be there for them in four or five years. Students learn that they are their own best advocates.”

MOST CHALLENGING ASPECT OF MY JOB: “Realizing that there are limitations; that there is only so much that you can do before having to pull back.”

MOST REWARDING ASPECT OF MY JOB: “Working with the students in such a variety of ways and capacities is incredible.
“This office is great. Most people work their whole lives for an office like this, and I’m lucky enough to work here for my first job. Everybody’s extremely helpful; it’s a real team environment.”

OFF-THE-JOB INTERESTS: “Right now, I spend a lot of time studying for the Certification for Rehabilitation Counseling test. I also do a lot of reading and listening to music.”

A BOOK I WOULD RECOMMEND TO OTHERS: “Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson.
“It’s a book about change and how people are unwilling to deal with it sometimes. There are four characters, one of whom you will identify with. It’s a great book.”

FAVORITE MUSIC: “Five-Eight, from here in Athens, is the best band that everybody’s missing. It’s not radio-friendly music--they sing about real issues in the world and how people deal with them.”

THE PERSON I MOST ADMIRE: “Outside of my family, I admire the late Steve Prefontaine, one of the best middle-distance runners in history.
“He didn’t just run in races to win; he held himself to a higher standard, not the standard of others. He didn’t just want to be the best and not do anything about it; he trained hard. That’s where I’m trying to get in my life.”

A PROBLEM THAT CONCERNS ME ABOUT TODAY’S SOCIETY: “How disconnected we are from ourselves, our family, and reality. People don’t talk to each other as much as they used to. We see these picture-perfect images and we try and live up to them, going elsewhere to find things that are inside each of us.
“People need to see how strong and powerful we are by ourselves; we don’t have to look like anybody else. We are our own best heroes.”
--Ryan Crowe
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