Newspaper Page Text
By ALLYN ROLAND
Copy editor
“Too many students and not enough
listings” has created a “tight” housing
situation in Athens, according to officials
in University Housing, Off-Campus Hous
ing, realty companies and the local
Chamber of Commerce.
University housing is full to the point of
overflow, said Dr Dwight Douglas,
director of housing, who added that extra
bunks have been set up in various
sections of the dorms as temporary
accomodations.
Off campus, the situation is just as full,
according to reports, and the overflow
' may spread into areas surrounding
Athens and Clarke County.
With the exception of Oglethorpe
'. House, most major apartment complexes
I in tuc city are filled up or expected to be
this week.
. |
HERMAN HATTON, of Smith-Boley-
Brown realtors, said that he had less
than 10 apartments in the city and three
homes in the Stonehenge subdivision open
• at present. “That is more than any other
realty company would have now,” he
said.
* At the Athens Chamber of Commerce.
Allen Stevens blamed the “tight mort
gage situation all over the country” as
one reason for the scarcity of available
housing.
“In Athens, this means that many
people who have come to town to begin
with are not moving into homes as they
would have done normally," Stevens
said, explaining that this leaves a
number of apartments occupied that in
years past would have become vacant.
According to Douglas. University Hous
ing’s physical improvements in the
dorms and the enlargement of its staff
and involvement of students in decision
making has encouraged more students to
live on campus.
TIIK CURRENT economic situation
has also played a part in a student's
choice to live in the residence halls, since
many cannot afford high rents off
campus, thus making the dorms more
economically attractive. Douglas added.
Likewise, the continuing bout of infla
tion has affected the off-campus housing
situation, according to the Off-Campus
Housing office.
Most students do not have the money to
meet high rents and utility bills, said an
Off-Campus Housing spokesman. Rents
will continue to rise because landlords
are afraid of not having leases and of
risks of damages, said the spokesman.
COMPARING THIS year’s University
Housing occupancy rate to that of last
year, Douglas said, "The fact that last
year was the first year that there was no
sophomore residency requirement and
the contract system was established had
an expected affect on dorm reservations.
Many students were free to live else
where and others were understandably
reluctant to sign the contract."
The problem this year, according to
Douglas, is that there was a lack of
response from students to letters sent out
this summer reminding them that hous
ing fees were due on Aug. 1. He said that
this negligence resulted from the policies
taken last year when the same situation
existed. Since there was empty space in
the dorms then, a large percentage of
students who did not meet the payment
deadline still got into the dorms.
As a result. Douglas said that many
students may have believed they could
still get a room this year even if they
ignored the deadline since they could last
year.
LAST WEEK, about 100 persons had
yet to pay their fees or cancel their dorm
reservations. Housing called these people
before the dorms opened to find out if
they planned to enroll at the University
this quarter, thereby making 10 to 12
more spaces available.
Douglas said that the fee payment and
cancellation deadlines will be enforced
next year.
A secretary in the Off-Campus Housing
office said that many students have come
to Athens with no place to live.
“IT USED to be that you could come in
two or three weeks before classes started
and find a place to live immediately.
It’s not like that anymore," Jerry
Studdard. director of Off-Campus Hous
ing.
“Students are not going to the trailers,
but they will have to," he continued
Studdard said that if students look,
"they will find housing, but they may
have to go to areas out of town like
Winterville or Watkinsville."
MANY APARTMENTS such as Calla
way Gardens. Cambridge, and all Mathis
Company apartments have been filled
By ROB MASSEY
Assistant news editor
Attorneys for both sides in the fresh
men residency requirement suit are in
the process of accumulating evidence to
be presented to U.S. District Court
sometime before December, according to
Brooks Franklin, attorney for the plain
tiffs.
The suit, filed bv six University
freshman last spring quarter, claims
“there is no educational value to living in
the dorms" Franklin said.
“We’ve been compiling evidence from
the records of the Housing department to
substantiate this,” Franklin said "It (the
freshmen residency requirement) is based
on monetary consideration of the Housing
department "
At present, Housing has several bonds
to pay for which were used to build the
high-rise dorms Housing is an indepen
dent arm of the University which is
since the* beginning ol August. Others had
only a few openings left last week with
more people coming in
In explaining the situation. Patton said
"what has taken place is that there are
more people who have maintained their
apartments from last year and students
have come back earlier to line up a place
to live."
ONE APARTMENT complex has also
contributed to the crowdedness by not
meeting its full completion date, bui they
are making efforts to make up any
inconveniences caused to students.
Rivermill apartments, under construc
tion across from the Psychology-Journal
ism complex, had leased 140 apartments
to be occupied by Sept 15. But halfway
through the summer they realized that
they would not be able to finish by that
date because of difficulties in getting
appliances and other materials, accord
ing to an apartment spokesman.
One-hundred and four of the apart
ments are to be completed by today, but
35 are not, said the spokesman. Students
were notified and given an opportunity to
cancel their contracts. Nine or 10
students cancelled, others have moved
into motels with Rivermill paying the
Evidence sought
in residency suit
Staffers
needed
A meeting tor all persons inter
ested in working on The Red and
Black this quarter will be held
Sunday, Sept. 22, at 8 p m. in the
newspaper office, 130 Journalism.
Writers, copy readers, photogra
phers, and those interested in
working in production or circula
tion are needed.
IlHitn bv DAVID BRESI.AUEK
CONSTRUCTION CONTINUES ON THE UNFINISHED HIYEliMII.I. APARTMENTS
Crowded housing conditions create difficulties for students
difference.
All of the apartments should be ready
by Oct. 15 with 42 more available
between Oct. 20 and Dec 31, said the
spokesman.
SGA treasurer
resigns position
By THOMAS R. FRANKLIN
Assistant news editor
Bobby Tankersley, treasurer of the
student senate, has resigned his position,
effective yesterday.
In a letter addressed to Senate Presi
dent Patty Lowe Tankersley cited his
acceptance of a full time job as his
reason for resignation.
"As you know I have not been in school
summer quarter 1974," wrote Tankersley
“While out I have accepted full time
employment and will not return as a
full-time student fall quarter 1974 I
hereby submit my resignation as trea
surer of the student senate effective the
1st day of fall quarter 1974 "
Tankersley's resignation quickly
brought about a controversey over selec
tion of a replacement to the treasurer's
post.
According to Coalition co-chairperson
Buck Pennington, Tankersley’s replace
ment will almost certainly be a Coalition
senator since, according to the student
body constitution, the treasurer "must
have served at least one term in the
senate," and ONWARD does not have a
senator meeting that qualification
Student Government President J Rivers
totally self-supporting and can receive no
state funds
During Winter quarter last year, the
University Council voted (or the abolition
of the freshmen residency requirement
However, the Council reversed itself
during the spring and voted for the
retention of the requirement
Dr Leon Hargraves, chairperson (or
the Faculty Committee of the University
Council, said the reasons for the reversal
were the monetary obligations of the
bonds, and "some very strong evidence
that there is educational value to living in
the dorms"
Those two reasons are the basis of th
defense of the requirement said Assistant
Ally. Gen Alfred Evans "There's a lot
of education that's not confined to the
classroom." he explained, "and the
personal interaction is diluted if you live
off-campus "
Evans could see only two other
solutions to pay the bonds outstanding the
dorms "The debt has to be paid
somehow , so do we just raise tuitions or
just raise freshmen's tuition he said
"If I were Jimmy the Greek. I d say
out- chances of success are 60-40 our
way,” Evans said. "They (the plaintiffs)
have the heavy burden of proof." he said
"The plaintiffs have to show by a
preponderance of the evidence that there
is no reasonable basis of the require
ment," Evans said
Earlier in the year, the defense made
motions to dismiss the case on the basis
that the plaintiff's argument was "wholly
unsubstantiated and not worth the court s
time," Evans said. "But the court said
there were enough merits to at least hear
the question ”
"The whole thing seems like a tempest
in a teapot," Evans said
Hassle begins
Hundreds of students jammed the University Bookstore yesterday in the usual first
of the quarter rush Lines to bus textbooks and supplies often reached to the
back to the store in spite of the fact that the bookstore set up additional cash
registers to accomodate tin- expected onslaught
Judiciary studied
Walsh and Student Senate President
Patty Lowe, both ONWARD party mem
bers. disagreed and said ONWARD does
have several senators eligible to run for
treasurer.
Lowe said several ONWARD senators
were appointed last fall quarter and had
therefore served a full term, but Penning
ton argued that judicial precedent
required a senator to serve a full term
from election to election in order to be
eligible.
Both factions cited precedents in the
student judiciary in support of their
argument.
"We will take them to the judiciary if
they think they will violate the constitu
tion in that way," said Pennington. "We
will not stand for that The precedent
requires a senator to serve from election
to election."
Walsh, however countered saying, "Ac
cording to the precedent set in the
judiciary, these people (ONWARD sena
tors) would be eligible to run for the
position."
Members of both political parties will
meet within the next week to discuss the
situation and possible nominees to fill the
Treasurer’s post.
By NANCY BLACK
Assistant news editor
Earlier reports that the Business school
is considering establishing an indepen
dent judiciary have been termed "prema
ture" by a business school spokesman
although a study of the situation is
underway.
According to Dr. Edward B Selby Jr .
associate professor of business administra
tion, a study of the business school’s
relationship to the student judiciary is
being conducted.
"Right now we are gathering the facts
and figures concerning the cases we have
sent to the judiciary in the past," Selby
said
Selby indicated that the study was
begun because of the "dissatisfaction of
many faculty members with the way the
student judiciary had handled cases
brought by the business school."
A GRADUATE student who assisted
Selby with the study is expected to make
recommendations about possible courses
of action the business school could take,
Selby said "Right now he is interviewing
faculty members who have had cases
heard by the judiciary to get their
reaction to the situation," Selby explain-
IFC PRESIDENT
ed.
Freemont Shull, chairperson of a.eonjm
'ittee within the business school Ogpt
fecchtly heard two student appeals' of
judiciary decisions, said that the “idea
for an independent judiciary came about
partly as an outgrowth of his committee’s
discussions." although the committee
was not established for that purpose
“Earlier there was a taint of dissatis
faction with the student judiciary." Shull
said "Now, however, the faculty seems
willing to wait and see what changes the
student judiciary makes this fall
THE INITIAL discussion of a student
judiciary within the business school was
not aimed at invalidating the present
student judiciary," according to Shull
Rather, many faculty members see it
as a preliminary, a way to localize
problems within the school." he said
Selby indicated that the recommenda
lions and the study would “most likely by
presented to the business faculty for their
consideration."
Shull said “that if an independent
judiciary is set up. the initiative would
most likely come from the business
administration’s dean’s office."
The study, with its recommendations,
is expected to be completed this week
Case bound over
Interfraternity Council President Kelly
Browning, who was charged with crimi
nal trespass this summer by a University
professor, has been bound over to
Superior Court
After a preliminary hearing Sept 3,
Browning was bound over for the
November term of the Clarke County
Superior Court The trial date has not
been set
BROWNING and another student. J
Michael Hammond, were apprehended by
two business graduate students on March
7 while allegedly attempting to break in
to the office of William J Kelly, assistant
professor of economics
Kelly said the pair was discovered
“around 11:30 the night before an exam "
When the case went before the Student
Judiciary earlier this year. Browning
was found guilty and received a written
reprimand Kelly termed the reprimand
a “light penalty" and swore out a
warrant June 10 charging criminal
trespass
According to Dean Emeritus William
Tate, some of the business school faculty
were also disturbed by the judiciary’s
action
A COMMITTEE within the school is
looking into the possibility of establishing
an independent judiciary, according to
Bill Bracewell, advisor to the judiciary .
Bract-well said that the faculty in the
business school was "discontented” with
some judiciary action, and that he felt
their “general concern was a legitimate
one
"They want to know if the judiciary is
serving their needs." he said
Capsule news
Positions open
Positions are open on the Student Judiciary Students wanting to serve on the
courts can pick up applications at the Student Government offices in Memorial. No
deadline for applications has been announced yet.
LSAT deadline
Today is the last day for seniors to apply to take the October Law School
Aptitude Test (LSAT) Those interested should contact Dr Lief Carter, Carrel P.
New College, for applications.
a /
,3/5
THE RED AND BLACK
WEATHER
Fair and mild today and
tomorrow, with highs in
the mid-KO's, the lows
should be near HO.
VOLUME 81. NUMBER 10
Georgia's only collegiate daily newspaper
THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA. ATHENS. GEORGIA 30602
THURSDAY. SEPTEMBER 19, 1974
Local housing situation
called tight by officials