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Dr. Christian Smit
BSU rallies at Memorial
for King, black solidarity
By NELSON d. ROSS
Staff writer
About 2<X) students marched peace
fully Tuesday from campus to the
courthouse to hear speeches, sing
songs and register to vote as part of a
celebration of the birthday of the late
Rev Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Speakers before the predominantly
black group continually called King’s
birthday a “people’s holiday" and
criticized the federal and state
governments and the University for
failing to make it an official holiday.
“I am told that the Congress has
failed to make it a federal holiday. I
am told the State legislature has failed
to make it a state holiday. I am told
dial Frtd Davison and the University
of Georgia administration have failed
to recognize it as a holiday But there
is a greater law a law that will force
the cold chill of winter to turn into the
refreshing warmth of spring.” said
black Athens attorney Michael
Thurmond
The rally sponsored by the Black
Affairs Council on campus—a group of
black organizations representing
everything from the Black Student
Union to the Journalism Association
for Minorities, was "The Second
Annual People's Holiday Celebration
in Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr ”
A proclamation read to the group
said the day honored "Martin Luther
King Jr and all other black leaders
who have given their lives” for the
cause of blacks.
BSU President Alfred King told the
group that King "brought the focus of
the nation, the world on the injustices
forced upon black people in this
country.”
"It is up to us to see that the efforts
of Dr. King and his colleagues were
not wasted." King said
“Have we taken the legacy of
activism and awareness left to us by
Dr. King and nurtured it and
developed it‘ > The answer, sadly, is no
You and I have been tricked into
believing that we have achieved
equality—that our struggles are
over,” King said.
Overt racism and discrimination
have been replaced by equal
opportunity and affirmative action,
according to King.
"All these trimmings are merely
ghosts, appearances with no sub
stance.” King said
The group assembled at noon at
Reed Quadrangle for a program which
included speeches, songs, poems and
prayer before marching to the
courthouse The speakers both at Reed
and at the courthouse repeatedly
returned to the theme of one of the
"old freedom songs” which they sang
"Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me
Around ”
On several occasions the chant was
changed to Ain't gonna let Fred
Davison turn me around, and Ain’t
gonna let Jimmy Carter turn me
around.“ reflecting the students’
desire for change locally and
nationally.
At the direction of Thurmond, the
chant also became at one point. "Ain’t
gonna let no peace march turn me
around.' an apparent reference to the
campus group SCOPE which held its
own rally
After hearing a passage from
Malcolm X read which referred to
"the ballot or the bullet” and being
told of the earlier reference to his
group. Michael Collins of SCOPE
responded strongly.
"Martin Luther King followed the
belief of non-violence and egalitari
anism Malcolm X. the Black
Panthers and the Watts riots were in
flagrant violation of the teachings of
King.” Collins said.
The most principle concern in the
1980s should be solidarity among all
people," Collins added
When asked later about the "black
solidarity" aspect of the rally, King
said blacks had to get themselves
together first
"We want to make sure that all
black people realize that we have to
work together; whether on campus or
anywhere else. We have to get
ourselves together first," King said.
Garren resigns rather than face firing
By STAC I KRAMKIt
Staff writer
While Agriculture Dean Henry Garren
denies being fired in a mee’ing with
University President Ered Davison and
other University officials on Monday, he
made it clear his only alternative was to
resign rather than be fired
"It's a little better to resign than to be
fired.” Garren said “It (a resignation)
looks better ."
In a letter dated Jan 15 and written at
6:30 a m.. Garren asked Davison to
relieve him of his duties as dean and
coordinator of the College of Agriculture
He also accepted Davison's offer of a
six-month sabbatical with pay
Garren had said Monday he had no
intention of resigning even though
Davison asked him to resign over a week
ago
"Mv interpretation of our conversation
<on Jan 7) was that I was asked to
resign I have no intentions of resigning
at the present time 1 believe my
accomplishments of the past 12 years
speak for themselves. Garren said
Monday
In a reply to Garren's letter of
resignation Davison said. 1 want to
extend my personal thanks to you for the
job you have done as Dean and
Coordinator of the College of Agriculture
You have served the University and
agriculture in Georgia in worthwhile and
lasting ways 1 know that you will
continue to make a substantial contri
bution to both ”
Davison asked Dr Christian Smit. head
of food science, late Monday afternoon to
serve as acting agriculture dean He did
not receive Garren's resignation until
early Tuesday morning
Garren said Davison's remarks at a
meeting of agriculture school officials
and high-ranking University officials Jan
14 left no doubt Davison wanted new
leadership in the agriculture school
Garren's job first appeared in jeopardy
when reports of the Jan. 7 meeting
surfaced last Wednesday and when
Davison talked about Garren’s status
during a called meeting of agriculture
faculty Friday afternoon
After the president made his
announcement Friday, it was clear that a
change 'in deans' would be made." said
Barry Wood, spokesman for Davison
Davison told the faculty Garren was
bored with his job and wanted something
else to do
"Henry and I have not come to an
agreement but we will in the immediate
future simply because the college must
have the kind of leadership that indeed
drives it over the next horizon." Davison
added
Those present at the Jan 14 meeting in
the president's office included Vice
President for Academic Affairs Virginia
Gear skies
may turn
to showers
The early spring that seemed to have
arrived on campus Tuesday caught many
people by surprise as they wound up
having to carry rather than wear their
coats between classes
Many took advantage of the pleasant
weather to sit outside and read or just
watch the crowds go by
Regional television forecasters pre
dicted the clear skies and mild
temperatures would continue on through
the weekend But a spokesman for the
National Weather Service said the Athens
vicinity could expect cloudier skies
tonight and possibly showers on
Thursday.
The spokesman predicted the mercury
would peak in the low 60s this afternoon
and fall to the mid 40s tonight.
Highs Thursday should be in the mid
50s
Trotter. Assistant to the President James
Kenney and Public Relations Director
Barry Wood
The agriculture school was represented
by Director of Resident Instruction
Robert Wheeler and several other
administrators who could not be reached
for comment
The meeting was held in executive
session by the agreement of the 10 or so
in attendance. Wood said
Wheeler expressed surprise at the
dean's request "I was very surprised
and I'm distressed that this has
happened My reaction is the same as
perhaps 90 percent of the ag faculty and
students.” he said.
“Dr Smit is a very capable person and
a good administrator It was a very good
choice." Wheeler added
Former graduate Dean Hardy Edwards
who is appealing his October reassign
2 ent to a faculty position said he'd heard
Monday night that he’d (Garren; been
fired, but that he couldn’t really
comment on the situation.
Wheeler was the only agriculture
director who could be reached for
comment Trotter and Kenney would not
comment
Smit said Garren had given good
administrative support to his department
(food science) and had been most
satisfactory as dean
Only four of Garren's fellow deans
would comment on his resignation,
Journalism Dean Scott Cutlip, Forestry
Resources Dean Allyn Herrick Law-
School Dean Ralph Beaird and Social
Work Dean Charles Stewart
"Well. 1 wasn’t overly surprised or
shocked or anything I had heard rumors
for some time I suspect he was asked to
resign." Herrick said
"1 have no comment He resigned, he’s
been talking about resigning for a long
time," Cutlip said.
Beaird referred reporters to Davison’s
letter to Garren as his only comment on
the situation
"Well, as a colleague and a friend, I
hope Dean Garren has a stimulating
future," Stewart said
l Staff writer Tom Lee also contributed
to this story).
By CHI C K CATLETT
Two campus fraternities are in an uproar over the lack of
parking facilities, but according to Manager of Traffic Safety
Jim Tardy, the options he had last year to help these
organizations are now gone
The 33-space parking lot behind the Tau Epsilon Phi and
Sigma Chi fraternity houses, located at the corner ot Lumpkin
and Baxter streets, was converted to a staff-faculty zone this
year The lot previously a "G” zone, was once used by
members of the two fraternities for parking
Since the lot has been converted to a faculty zone, the
students may no longer utilize the spaces, creating a
tremendous parking problem for the two houses, according to
Steven Odrezin. president of Tau Epsilon Phi
We are double parked all th«* was up our driveway and even
in our yard Odrezin said "If we had a fire, there is no way a
firetruck could get in here to put it out
the zene was changed because of the construction of the law
school annex in the Candler parking lot All of the faculty
parking spaces in that lot are now blocked off and Traffic
Safety has to give the faculty and staff priority on parking.
Tardy said
"If a student can't get to class because he can't get a parking
space, he can get someone rise's notes If a faculty member
cannot get to rla>s it may affect 200 students ' he added
The major complaint of the fraternities is the lot is not
adequately used "The lot is never even half full." said Doug
P»*rr> of Sigma Chi
1 don't know where the people that were once using the old
faculty sp;u • - are parking. Tardy said, "but I have to reserve
spaces for them."
Tardy ‘.ai«) he is taking a hard look at the situation We
patrol that area everyday counting spaces ." he said "but right
now my hands are tied '
Due to the work on the law school and the planned
construction of the student center, the options I had last year to
let the group use the spaces behind their houses are no longer
there. Tardy said
While SCOPE
gathers in Quad
By SAI.YNN BOYLES
Assistant city editor
A student group rallied in Memorial Plaza at noon Tuesday to
"promote the cause of peace," emphasize the contributions of
slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., and call for the
return of student activism
About 20 people gathered on the plaza, just around the corner
from the Black Student Union and the Black American Law
Students Association sponsored rallies in honor of King's 51st
birthday
After trying to generate interest among the lunchtime crowd
in front of Memorial, rally organizers led the 20 people through
campus downtown to city hall.
See SCOPE, p. 3
r •
» * • ■
Staff photft - S*ll> Kr<vttnh#
Former G-ione parking lot at 9 a m last Friday morning
Two frats disgruntled
with Traffic Safety’s
parking lot changes
VGA Toda
Wamke speaks on SALT
Former chief SALT negotiator and
Arms Control and Disarmament
Agency director Paul C Warnke will
speak tonight at 7 pm in the Law
School Auditorium The topic is SALT
11: Implications for Foreign Policy
and Defense, and the speech is free
and open to all.
All together now...
University music students will present two one-act operas as part of a
dinner-theatre program at 8 p m tonight thru Saturday in Snelling Hall "Sweet
Betsy From Pike" and "Gallantry" will be the selections performed and tickets
are $6 at the ticket office of Memorial Hall
Sign-ups now
Diabetes screening clinic
The Zeta Psi chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority in conjunction with the
University Health Services will sponsor a Diabetes Screening Clinic Wednesday,
Jan IB from 9am until 4 p m in Brumby Rotunda There will be films,
handouts, a nutritionist and screenings to detect diabetes traits
Dean Rusk speaks
Dean Rusk will give a presentation
tonight in the Memorial Hall Ballroom
beginning at 8 pm Admission is free
for students and $1 for general There
is no set topic and Dean Rusk will
field questions from the audience
Evervone is invited to attend
m
Bible talks begin
A senes of Bible talks will begin
tonight at 7:30 pm in room 404
Memorial Hall John Deniker and Ray
Miller will be the speakers tonight and
the talks will continue on Wednesday
evenings throughout January and
February All are urged to attend
Self-Study Hearings
The Student Discipline Sub
committee ot the University Self Study
will conduct an open hearing on
Friday. Jan 1», at 3 p m in Room D
of the Law School. All persons
interested in presenting comments to
the committee are welcome
tfi)
Sign-up is now going on for
Counseling and Testing winter pro
grams and workshops at Clark Howell
Hall Among the choices are
Assertiveness Training. Coping at
UGA. and Managing Depression For
more info call 542 3183
SUfl pnnto Larry CWchaTI
Group joins in chant “Ain’t gonna let nobody turn me around”