Newspaper Page Text
THE RED AND BLACK
An independent student newspaper serving the University of Georgia community
Athens, Ga. Vol. 91, No. 121 Friday, July 6, 1984 News 543-1809 Advertising 543-1791
O’Malley’s closes
to make renovations
ByJOfct'AFlERO
Rwt and Mark Senior Reporter
July 5th cookout
No one nan injured in this 3:30 p.m. blare in the I’niverslty
parking lot on Jackson Street Thursday. Lt. Walter Morrow
and Wendell Wilson of Alhens-C'larke County Fire Depart
ment said they didn't know the cause of the fire that started
in the engine of Joe Thorton's car. The fire, which destroyed
the engine of the parked car. went unnoticed for several
minutes until passersbye tried to extinguish the blaze with a
hand-held fire extinguisher. The firemen came to the scene
moments later and put out the burning car.
Court ruling denies aid
to men not slated for draft
Prom Staff and Wire Kl-ports
Although the U S Supreme Court
ruled Thursday (hat the federal
government may deny financial aid to
male college students who don't
register for the draft, the University's
financial aid director said the ruling
will have little effect at the University
University Financial Aid Director
Ray Tripp said the 6-2 ruling that
disqualifies non-registrants from
receiving aid will affect few University
students
"The number of non-registrants here
is miniscule Last year we had only two
out of 8.000 aid recipients who refused
to register for the draft." he said
The Supreme Court's ruling upholds
the Reagan administration-hacked 1983
law that seeks to punish draft evaders
Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren
E Burger, writing for the court, said
the law is designed to coax students into
registering with the Selective Service
system and isn’t an unconstitutional
form of punishment
"Conditioning receipt of aid on
registration is plainly a rational means
to improve compliance with the
registration requirement." he said
'Hie law "also furthers a fair
allocation of scarce federal resources
by limiting aid to those who are willing
to meet their responsibilities to the
United States by registering with tin*
Selective Service when required to do
so," the ruling read
Since the law took effect last October,
more than 300.000 students who
previously had failed to sign up have
done so
Federal financial aid recipients now
are required to declare on their aid
applications whether or not they are
registered for the draft
Tripp said the University's method
was simply an honor system
"There is no requirement that an
institution verify the student's
response," he said
Tripp added that there is no
mechanism at present by which the
University can verify if aid recipients
have registered
Tripp said recipients will have until
the fall of 1985 before they have to show
proof of their registration upon
receiving their aid
"When the law was passed, there
were no registration cards," he said
"Young men got letters, but they were
never told to keep them."
Tripp said it is up to the director of
the selective service, not the Univer
sity. to come up with a method of
verification for draft registrants
Kay Tripp
Draft registration — but not the draft
— was reinstated in 1980 under a law
signed by then-President Carter.
Nationally, some II million young men,
about 98 percent of those eligible, have
registered since then
O'Malley's Tavern and the adjoining
Old Mill Center will look completely dif
ferent after renovations on the two
structures are completed, Lee Roberts,
the president of the corporation that
owns the property said Thursday.
O'Malley's closed Wednesday for up
to 60 days, and Roberts' corporation,
the Athens Factory Partnership Ltd.,
will compensate O'Malley's for the
business it loses while closed and for
the expense of the renovations, Roberts
said
"The whole place will be totally
renovated," he said "Any place there's
any question of structural stability,
we’ll be adding a lot of steel reinforce
ment. People won t recognize the place
when we re finished with the work."
O'Malley's owner Ken Fulghum said
the situation has changed markedly
from several months ago when Athens
Factory Partnership was suing
Fulghum and O'Malley's to close and
pay for contractors to renovate the bar.
The most important of the renovation
work dircctlv concerning (I'Malley's in
volves replacing the concrete pillars
supporting the waterway under the bar.
Fulghum said Tuesday he thinks
Roberts' fears that the building is in im
minent danger of collapse are unfound
ed
"We've never been aware of a pro
blem that we thought endangered the
public," he said. "If there is such a
strong contention that the building will
fall, then why wasn't the building con
demned by the city?"
City building inspector Brice Bishop
said the city of Athens had nothing to do
with O’Malley’s temporary closing.
"The decision to close the bar is bet
ween the owner of the building and the
business (O'Malley's),” Bishop said.
“The city's only Involvement will be in
issuing the usual building permits re
quired for performing any sort of
renovations."
The agreement between O’Malley's
and Athens Factory Partnership was
reached out of court after Roberts' cor
poration sued Fulghum and O’Malley's
for access to the building in order to
perform repairs, and Fulghum counter-
sued for contractual violations
Fulghum said it would be very
beneficial for Roberts to gel rid of
O'Malley's as a tenant.
"It would be advantageous for him to
get me out of here,” Fulghum said,
“Our rent is about half the market
rate.”
Local environmentalists unhappy
about Reagan appointing Burford
By DEAN LOONEY
Rr* >n4 HI.. . suit Wrf.rt
Some local environmentalists
describe President Reagan's selection
of Anne M Burford as chairman of the
National Advisory Committee on
Oceans and Atmosphere as “a terrible
appointment "
"The appointment is a real slap in the
face to every environmentalist in this
country," said James L Cooley, ex
ecutive director of the University's In
stitute of Ecology
Burford, former head of the En
vironmental Protection Agency, now
will head the committee that makes
policy recommendations to the presi
dent. Congress and secretary of com
merce on issues such as offshore waste
dumping and coastal management
Burford. a Colorado lawyer, resigned
from her EPA post on March 9, 1983.
amid Congressional investigations into
charges of mismanagement of the
EPA's toxic waste cleanup program
and political favoritism.
Local environmental groups are
angry about the presidential appoint
ment
"I think it shows President Reagan's
callous disregard for the environ
ment," said Bill Walsh, chairman of the
Athens chapter of the Georgia Sierra
Club “Those people in Washington
right now think that God is going to
come save them, so that they don't have
to worry about the natural resources of
the earth."
Many local environmentalists say
they feel the appointment is a setback
in Reagan's environmental record
Reagan sought to improve his record by
inviting the leaders of five national en
vironmental groups to a White House
luncheon this week
University Social Science Professor
Robert Saveland, an active member of
the Georgia Conservancy, said he feels
the appointment is a grave error
"1 think the least that can be said is
that the appointment was indeed un
fortunate." he said
Fulghum said he had the O’Malley’s
rent substantially reduced by the pro
perty’s former owner, the Phenix
Federal Savings and l,oan Association,
in compensation for repair work he did
on the O'Malley's deck last August.
It had been (he bank's contractual
obligation to keep the O'Malley's
premises in good repair, and Fulghum
sued when the hank was not willing to
perform necessary repairs on the
building The rent reduction was part of
an out-of-court settlement
Fulghum said he was "well-satisfied
with the settlement." He said he usual
ly closes for a while in the summer to
perform basic repairs
"We wanted to keep O'Malley’s in the
building, and we explored a lot of dif
ferent avenues before reaching a settle
ment,” Roberts said.
He said the exact wording of Ihe set
tlement still is being drawn up. but add
ed that the two parties have reached an
agreement in principle
"That's the way these corporate en
tities are," Fulghum said “They try to
bulldog you all they can, and then
they're willing to settle on the court
house steps."
The renovations are to take no longer
than 60 days, according to the settle
ment,
Roberts said he expects to have
several new nationally recognized
tenants in the O'Malley's complex
within I50davs.
Anti-nuclear activists: encampment
will become a peaceful ‘think-tank’
The controversy surrounding Burford
first arose in December 1983 when,
under orders from Reagan, she
withheld documents relating to the
management of the tl.6 billion hazar
dous waste cleanup program from a
House subcommittee.
By KIM HAYS
Krd and Mark Hrnlar Reporter
Anti-nuclear activists have en
camped near the Savannah River
Plant, an Aiken. S.C. facility which pro
duces enriched plutonium for nuclear
weapons, for a summer-long “think-
tank” designed to inform the public
about the dangers of nuclear weapons
The encampment, which began July
1, will try "to develop a rapport with
plant workers." Jonathan Lang, an en
campment participant, said in a phone
interview Thursday.
Lang said he wants the encampment
to demonstrate that the nuclear
weapons industry is "an evil institu
tion”, and that there are alternatives to
working at the Savannah River Plant
“It's going to be like any other think-
tank," Lang said "You don’t come into
it with pre-designed notions. You need a
willingness to work with people
Encampment organizer and partici
pant Liza Buckley said 20 to 30 people
were there during the weekend, and
said five to six plan to stay there during
week
"The rest (of the people) have to
return to their jobs and homes during
Bar owners prepare for the worst
Please see related »tory on Page 2
By ( INDY GEORGE and MIKE TIDWELL
R*S aaS Bla't Staff Sinrn
A number of Athens bar and restaurant owners,
faced with the potentially devastating effects of a na
tional minimum drinking age of 21 recently man
dated by Congress, are seeking ways to adjust to the
inevitable
Tom Muia. the president of the local chapter of the
Georgia Hospitality and Travel Association, said his
organization will lobby the General Assembly to
phase in the drinking-age hike during a two-year
period The gradual switch, Muia said, would give
bar owners who cater to younger market time to
reorient their strategies to attract older drinkers
"We’re going to have a lot of businesses go under no
matter what is done at the Capitol," Muia said. "But
if we’re given the necessary time to make changes. I
think it would save more than a few jobs ”
Muia said local GHTA members also will lobby the
Athens City Council to extend legal dnnkng hours
beyond the current deadlines of 1 a m on weekdays
and midnight on Saturday Longer serving hours
would help compensate for at least some of the lost
revenue that will result from the age hike. Muia said
Under bills passed by both houses of Congress last
week, states that don't have a minimum drinking age
of 21 by October 1986 will lose 5 percent of their
federal highway construction funds
The GHTA, which represents more than 1,000
liquor-license holders throughout the state, will try to
persuade the General Assembly to take full ad
vantage of the Congressional deadline, according to
state GHTA president Bob King
For example. King said, the state could choose to
raise the drinking age to 20 by October 198S and then
21 a year later when the alloted time runs out
“If Ihe General Assembly immediately raises the
age to 21 in January, a lot of bar, restaurant and hotel
owners are going to lose a lot of money or just go out
of business, "he said.
Georgia House Speaker Tom Murphy said Tuesday
thal. although he has no definite stance on the issue
yet. phasing in the drinking age requirement may be
an appealing option when the legislature takes up the
issue during its next session in January
"It seems to me that as long as we’re just bowing to
the will of Congres anyway, we might as well take it
slow," Murphy said “By phasing it (the drinking
age) in. we could give people a chance to get used to
It.”
Barbara Morgan, the press secretary for Gov Joe
Frank Harris, said Tuesday the governor hasn't been
approached by King or any other GHTA members
concerning a proposal to raise the drinking age
gradually
However. Harris has said he will sponsor or sup
port legislation raising the drinking age to 21 to comp
ly with federal demands. Morgan said
"It's a dollar and cents issue to him,” Morgan said
"The governor will do whatever is necessary to bring
the state in compliance with the federal ruling "
Because ol the large number of jobs that would be
lost if the state immediately raises the drinking age
to 21, King said he is optimistic that representatives
will agree to phase in the requirement
Muia added that a number of the local GHTA
members are planning to visit the Capitol and do
whatever is necessary to get the full age requirement
delayed.
Meanwhile, city council member and Holiday Inn
Manager Lewis Shropshire said he is unsure whether
the council will consider extending the city’s drinking
hours
"I don't think that in a town with such a heavy con
centration of 18- to 20-year-olds, it (later serving
hours) will in any way make up for the financial
loss," Shropshire said "It's a very difficult situation
that will probably put some people out of business
There's probably no alternative."
A number of local bar owners say they agree with
Shropshire's assessment, and are scrambling to
develop new marketing schemes to attract older
drinkers
Ed Fulghum, the manager of O'Malley's Tavern,
said bar owners will “just have to back up. regroup
and see what we have to do to entertain the older
crowd.”
O'Malley's, which has in the past attracted 18 to 20-
year-old patrons, may switch to a restaurant-bar for
mat to create an atmosphere more attractive to older
drinkers, Fulgham said.
the week,' ’ Buckley said
Lang said he plans to devote the
weeks during the encampment to
"direct action" concerning the dangers
of the Savannah River Plant
"We ll observe the plant and wait for
transporters (of nuclear waste and/or
enriched plutonium) to leave I'll follow
the vehicle and use a CB to talk with
other people on the highway about the
dangers of plutonium." Lang said.
Other "direct action" activities for
the encampment include "canvassing
the surrounding residents to discuss the
dangers of the Savannah River Plant,"
Lang said.
Lang said the participants will use
weekends for speeches and presenta
tions from national and southeastern
nuclear production and management
authorities, including leading
physicists and former employees of
nuclear plants
Lang stressed that as far as he
knows, the encampment will remain
within legal boundaries of a peaceful
demonstration
Last year's blockade of the Savannah
River Plant led to the arrest of 78 pro
testers, including 12 Athenians.
The Athens protesters practiced civil
disobedience by sitting on the highway
leading to the plant, forcing police to
carry them off on stretchers
l.ang said encampment participants
have no plans for a blockade. Buckley
said she knew of no plans for a
blockade, but added, "anything is
possible "
He said the residents and county law
enforcement haven’t bothered the pro
testers
"They trust us not to blocksde," Lang
said, "Even the Aiken paper has
reported fairly and neutrally on us.”
The Northeast Georgia Freeze Com
mittee and the North Carolina Freeze
Committee are helping fund the en
campment. Buckley said
Lang said private donors and
organizations are sponsoring the en
campment, but he wouldn't give
