Newspaper Page Text
Library suit definite; Title IX suit possible
Press sues University officials
By BOBBY BYRD
and JL'STIN GILLIS
A suit filed this week against the Board
of Regents and 12 University officials
seeks $3 million in damages and asks the
court to order the University to re-hire
the defendant for the 1979-80 academic
year
Richard L. Press, formerly an
assistant library director and now head
of the reading room at the University's
School of Veterinary Medicine, filed suit
in U S. District Court in Macon early this
week
Press, who was dismissed from his job
as assistant director last February
during a period of controversy surround
ing the library, alleges that University
officials violated his First Amendment
rights of freedom of speech and freedom
of association and his Fourteenth
Amendment right to due process of law
The suit names the Board of Regents.
University President Fred C. Davison.
Vice President for Academic Affairs
Virginia Trotter, and other officials as
defendants
Davison was not available for comment
on the lawsuit Trotter was out of town
and unavailable tor comment
Warren N Boes. former director of
libraries, is also named as a defendant in
the suit Boes could not be reached for
comment.
Press has been notified by the
University that he will not be re-hired
this summer. He has worked in the
veterinary medicine reading room since
last April, when he was assigned there by
Trotter
Trotter's responsibilities include over
seeing the operation of the University
libraries.
Press' lawsuit names as defendants all
members of a faculty committee set up
last year to review the situation in the
libraries.
The report of the committee, released
in March 1978. criticizes Press and
recommends his removal from adminis
trative responsibility
Press' suit requests the award of $1
million as compensation for “mental
anguish and damage to his professional
reputation." The suit asks for $2 million
as reward for punitive damages against
the defendants for their •willful and
wanton conduct." Press asks $1 in
nominal damages for violation of his
federal constitutional rights.
Contacted about the suit Tuesday.
Former Asst. Dir. Press
Press said he was hopeful that the
wrongs done him would be righted
"I think that I made a distinguished
contribution to the library and the
University." Press said ‘After one has
l»een maligned and defamed in public,
one tends to be somewhat sanguine about
his environment. However, hope springs
eternal."
UGA and HEW may settle disputes in court
By BILL KRUEGER
and CATHFR1NE RODRIGUE
The University may take the Department of Health. Eduea
tion. and Welfare to court over discrepancies in HEW’s Title IX
regulations, according to a University spokesman
The decision about taking the matter to court ‘depends on
how these things come out," University spokesman Barry Wood
said about the guidelines which are currently undergoing a
public-comment period until March 1
An investigative team from HEW visited the campus last
September to look into alleged violations of Title IX regulations
The University was the first major college to be investigated
for Title IX violations.
Title IX says that universities cannot discriminate in athletic
programs on the basis of sex
TIIE TEAM did not release findings before they left campus,
but instead held a meeting with administrators to discuss
"problem areas" they found at the University. The University
is currently awaiting word from HEW on their findings, which
have been delayed due to changing interpretations in the policy.
The University's basis for taking HEW to court would be that
"HEW did not have the authority to do what they did." Wood
said.
The University is questioning whether the federal agency
went "well bevnnH u*bnt Congress intended them to do " Wood
added
"We have not said we are taking them to court." Wood said,
"but we will if it comes down to that "
THE FINAL form of the guidelines "could well mean the
University would go to court." he said
In a report sent to HEW about proposed policy
interpretations, the University said the purpose ‘‘of our
comments is to object to an unauthorized power grab of
HEW -an intrusion into financial decisions which should be
made locally."
In a letter from University President Fred C. Davison to
David S Tatel. director of the Office for Civil Rights. Davison
said HEW “is acting beyond the scope of its legislative mandate
and pursuing a course in contravention of Congressional
intent "
There are two parts to HEW "s policy interpretation Part one
calls for equal per capita expenditure for each male and female
athlete, and “comparable benefits" in areas not directly
dependent on money, such as opportunity to compete and
practice
Part two of the policy interpretation is designed to eliminate
"over a reasonable period of time the discriminatory effect of
the historic emphasis on men’s sports "
See TITLE IX. p. 7
AT MARCH MEETING
New Senate
convenes for
first meeting
By PAM LELAND
Staff writer
Newly-elected student senators and
student government officers will be
sworn in at the first meeting of the
student Senate tonight in the Library
Auditorium at 7 p m
The senators will elect new senate
officers, and the body will consider a
motion to establish a credit union for
University students
Senator Lynn Johnson (A&St indicated
that she plans to run for president of the
senate Johnson said she thought Floyd
Buford (Bus.) would oppose her for the
office.
Harold Mulherin, newly elected student
body president, will address the Senate
on his plans for abolishing student
government Mulherin said he has no
definite proposal to submit, however
Mulherin said he wants to present a
referendum to students concerning the
future of SGA by early spring quarter
Mulherin ran for president on the
platform of abolishing SGA
The senate will consider a motion by
Gregg Jocoy (A&S) to expand the
married housing bus service If the
motion is passed, it will be sent to the
student services committee so that
senators can check into the actual
possibilities of expanding the route
Night work
The campus may sleep at night but Physical Plant and the people who run it
never stop as both man and machinery work together to provide power to the
microcosm we call the University Here, the structures of the plant stand out in
stark contrast to the stillness of the night
See SENATE p.3
Regents to
By CINDY JACKSON
Assistant campus editor
The name of the candidate for the
position of head of the University
libraries has been submitted to the Board
of Regents for approval and has been
placed on the agenda for the March 13th
meeting
Neither the University nor the
Chancellor’s office would release the
candidate's name until the candidate has
been offered the position after the
regents' approval
Two candidates. Susan Brynteson of
Indiana University and David Bishop of
the University of Chicago were selected
by a 20-member search committee and
interviewed by the University adminis
tration in early January.
The final decision was to be made by
University President Fred C. Davison
and was submitted "a couple of weeks
ago" to the chancellor's office, according
to Dr. Louise McBee, associate vice
president of academic affairs.
Brynteson is assistant director for
technical services for Indiana University
libraries and is a member of the
American Library Association.
Bishop has been the assistant director
for technical services for the University
of Chicago libraries since 1975.
Although Bishop has kept in contact
with the University, he has heard
"nothing final.” he said in a telephone
interview Tuesday.
"I am certainly still interested in the
position," he stated
"I have had discussions with other
More than six years pass...penpals finally meet
By PAM WILLIAMS
Staff writer
After writing for more than six years to someone on Miami. Fla . freshman Beverlv
Jones finally met her pen pal. Dianne Galli. face to face last Thursday at the Atlanta
* airport.
Though Jones was somewhat delayed in arriving at the airport to meet Galli. she had
no trouble recognizing her pen pal
"1 took two friends with me." she said. "One of them spotted someone just walking
around and asked me if that was her." 1 immediatlev recognized Dianne and screamed
out her name," she said
A little concerned that her steady writing companion had forgotten about her. Galli
began to wonder if she really existed "She was about two hours late in picking me up
at the airport," Galli said
/ Photo by SHAWN JARRETT
Beverly Jones writes her pen pal
THERE W \s one other time that the two girls had tried to get together Jones was in
St Pete for a convention, hut somehow things didn’t work out and she never got to see
Galli
The two girls starting writing to each other while they attended junior high school in
1972 Galli sent her name and address to a comic book for publication in the "pen pals
wanted" column
Jones from Dublin. C»a . just happened to pick up one of these Archie comic books,
chose Galli's name out of the list and wrote to her
i had tried writing to someone in Korea and someone in Alaska Neither of them
wrote hack." Jones said "So I decided to write to someone closer to home hoping that
tnaybe they would write back, she said
•• \T ONE time I had nine pen pals Now I’ve only got three and Dianne's the main
one." she said
Galli said that she had other pen pals, too; one in England and one in Japan
i used to write every week." Galli said "And I used to get three or four letters from
Dianne before I had a chance to answer one." Jones said
Recalling some of their more memorable letters. Jones said, "Dianne can write
books Once I got a 15 page letter from her Fifteen pages front and back' "
In earlier days, the girls reminisced, letters centered around guys, school, parents,
life everything but a lot about guys They would write to each other and tell about
each other's dates
WHEN JONES was 14 and Galli 15. they got in an argument in their letters about
dating Galli. who now regrets it. accused Jones’ mother of "being a drag" in one
letter
Beverly got real upset." she said, "and we almost broke up
They send birthday and Christmas cards to each other "I wrote Beverly a birthday
poem once." Galli said
Galli. who said she loves to write letters, said. "When I’m depressed I write to her "
The two girls felt that they could really trust each other because they were so far apart
So. they said, we told each other a lot
JONES SAID. “All my letters are like a diary to Dianne Information in the letters
is understood by both to be held in the strictest confidence
Each of the faithful letter writers has kept every letter she has received "I have a
big bag full of Dianne s letters." Jones said
As they talked about the past, the girls remembered that they started writing when
the postage was eight cents and they could afford to send whole envelopes full of
pictures When the stamps went up to 13 cents, we wanted to cut down on writing,"
Jones said
“But they the letters* actually increased We’ve spent a lot of money on each other."
Galli said
"And it takes a lot of paper Jones added
approve library position
institutions, but 1 have not had any other
formal job offers." he continued
Brynteson was out of town and could
not be reached for comment.
Warren N Boes. former library
director, was relieved of his responsibil
ities last spring, and replaced by interim
director Ralph McCoy.
Boes removal from the library followed
a report prepared by a committee of five
faculty members on personnel and
management problems in the library
Put a song in your heart
The Morehouse College Glee Club will give a special performance tonight at 8
p m in the Memorial Hall Ballroom The group will perform songs ranging
from gospc! to contemporary, written by American composers The 43 member
glee club will perform under the direction of Wendel' Whalum and David
Morrow The program will last approximately one hour with a short
intermission
Heads up
Be good to your locks Find out
consumer ideas on hair care and
where to go in Athens to take care of
your hair in today's Satisfaction
Guaranteed column on page 7
Centerpiece tomorrow
Find out how the handicapped are
adjusting to campus life in tomorrow's
Centerpiece. Campus and city educa
tional and rehahilitational facilities
will be featured
What a sell out
For those folks lucky enough to obtain tickets. Harry Chapin will
perform tonight in the Fine Arts Auditorium Shows are scheduled for 7:00
and 10:00 p m
Official invitation
If you want to meet your new SGA
officers, here s your chance The new
officers will be available to discuss
issues and plans this afternoon from
2 20-3:10 p m in room 406 of Memorial
Hall All campus leaders and
interested students are invited to
attend
See you in court
Flan ahead to attend the University
Law SchoolN Moot Court, which will
be in session March 2-3. The legal
rights of third world governments to
seize property owned by foreign
corporations will be debated Round 1
arguments begin Friday at 130
Try it you'll like it
Shakespeare's classic. "As You Like
It." will air tonight on channel 8 at
9 00 pm Romantic complications are
the source of humor in this comedy set
in the enchanted forest of Arden
Another point of interest—"As You
Like It" was filmed in Scotland