Newspaper Page Text
THE RED AND BLACK
An independent student newspaper serving the University of Georgia community
Athens, Ga. Vol. 92, No. 12 Wednesday, October 10,1984 News 543-1809 Advertising 543-1791
Coalition a partisan effort,
claims College Republican
By KIM HAYS
Krd and Blark vnwr Reporter
The Student Voter Registration
Coalition is a Democratic partisan
effort receiving Democratic funding for
its nationwide campus voter
registration drives. Sam Harben, the
state chairman of College Republicans,
said Tuesday
'The coalition is sponsored by the
Public Interest Research Groups that
supports left-wing ideology and is
associated with Ralph Nader." Harben
said
"It's definitely a partisan effort "
The coalition, a student organization
started last spring, is responsible for
various opportunities for students to
register to vote, including the in
stallation of a deputy registrar on
campus
The coalition was respoasible for a
drive Oct 4 that Mike McCauley, a
university coalition organizer, said is
the largest drive in Athens' history,
with 460 students registering to vote
before8p m
McCauley denied any charges of
Democratic influence in the voter
registration drive
“If there's any challenge that the
drive was a partisan effort, the
challenger would have no evidence that
we directed our registration efforts
toward specific groups, i.e Democrats,
in the University." McCauley said
McCauley said the coalition is a
member of The National Student
Campaign for Voter Registration,
which is sponsored by PIRGs, but
stressed that neither organization is
partisan in nature
"Ralph Nader established PIRGs as
a consumer activist group to involve
students in political activity," Mc
Cauley said
"It was always a nonpartisan group,
although the projects PIRGs was in
volved with were probably more liberal
than those of Harben’s or similar
people," McCauley said.
He said Harben was "totally out of
context" in identifying the coalition
with any sort of Demo< ratic leanings
McCauley said he asked both the
Young Democrats and the College
Republicans to assist in the registration
drive, but both groups declined the
offer.
"I don't think that by asking them to
participate that the drive would have
been a partisan effort," McCauley said.
He said that if the groups had par
ticipated on the day of the voter
registration drive, it would have been
as nonpartisan volunteers, referring
people to booths
"Roth groups had registration booths
at the Dean Tale Student Center and
were referring students to the
voter registration booths," McCauley
said.
Dot Barrett, vice chairwoman of the
Clarke County Board of Elections, said
she had no final numbers on Tuesday's
registration — the last day to register
for the Nov 6 election — but she
estimated that at least 500 people
registered at the Clarke County
Courthouse between 8a.m. and 5p.m
Harben said the large numbers of
new voters would benefit the
Republican party.
'.‘This quarter we surveyed 1,100
dorm residents and found that 870 of
them are Reaganites," Harben said.
He added that these figures were
rough estimates because the final
statistics had not been tabulated
“We have a listing of all people that
answered as Reagan supporters and
plan to call them before election day,”
Harben said
He said a survey taken at Valdosta
State College produced similar results
in favor of Republicans
Campus Deputy Voter Registrar
Gary Moore said his office hours for on-
campus registration did not coincide
with the registration deadline, so
students were referred to off-campus
locations Moore’s office is open
Wednesdays from 1 to 5 pm.
“We registered 25 to 30 students last
Wednesday," Moore said. He said his
office will be open for student
registration every Wednesday.
HerscheVs back
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. The same
axiom holds true for former Bulldog football stars. When
he's not promoting a new restaurant or butting heads with
other United States Football League players on the New
Jersey Generals’ home turf. Herschel Walker flexes his
meaty biceps in Athens. Walker worked out Tuesday at the
Athens Sports .Medicine Clinic at 125 King Ave. Also, the
1982 lleisman Trophy winner is working on his degree in
criminal science at the University by taking a full load of
courses this quarter. Walker rut his studies short in
February 1983 by signing a $16.5 million contract with the
Generals.
Chancellor interviews
productive, regents say
By JOE CAFIERO
Hrd 4nd Black Senior Reporter
Board of Regents Chairman Sidney
Smith said Tuesday that interviews
with University President Fred
Davison and University System Vice
Chancellor H Dean Propsl were
"constructive and productive.”
Smith is chairman of the search
committee that interviews prospective
chancellor candidates.
Smith had no comment on when the
committee will name the new chan
cellor He did say, however, that the
six-member committee hopes to submit
a final list of names to the full Board of
Regents by its November or December
meetings
Smith also would not comment on
which candidate is most likely to be
offered the position
"We might submit any number of
names to the full board," Smith said.
He added that the committee would not
necessarily submit just one name or
even suggest one favored candidate on
a list of submitted names
“We are reporting to the full board on
a regular basis," Smith said, ex
plaining that all regents know the
names of all prospects for the chan
cellor position
Smith said he has tentative
arrangements to interview the other
chancellor candidates, but no definite
times have been set for the interviews
“A lot depends on the schedules of the
individuals involved,” Smith said
Four out-of-state prospects were
listed in a Sept 22 article in the Atlanta
Constitution They are George Bedell,
executive vice chancellor of the
university system of Florida; John
Duff, chancellor of higher education in
Massachusetts; Joab Thomas,
president of the University of Alabama
at Tuscaloosa, and Barbara Uehling,
chancellor of the University of Missouri
at Columbia
Dick Fuller — who served as
executive secretary on a 17 member
search and screen committee that
attempted to attract prospective
candidates for the job — said it is un
fortunate that the names of any can
didates for the chancellor position have
been publicized
"It was the worst thing that could
have happened in the whole process,”
Fuller said
He explained that the most desirable
candidates for the position are in
dividuals who already hold important
posts in educational administration and
that a breach of the confidentiality
promised by the regents to the can
didates caused one candidate to
withdraw from the race
Kenneth Shaw, chancellor of the
Southern Illinois university system,
withdrew from the race when the
Constitution article publicized his in
terest in the chancellor position
Barry Wood, vice president for
University relations and development
and official spokesman for University
President Fred Davison, said late
Tuesday afternoon that he hadn't heard
anything from Davison about his in
terview
"I would have to say that he’s a
strong and obvious candidate, but the
matter is entirely in the hands of the
regents,” Wood said.
V1 Start Tilt Red lad Blsrt
Students waiting at Bulldog Room
Handicapped struggle for education
By JOHN ALDEN
Krd ind Blark Senior Reporter
Although handicapped students at
the University take the same classes,
write the same papers and eat the
same dining hall food as other
students, they are quick to point out
that there is an aggravating dif
ference that separates the two groups
It's an entirely different campus
from a wheelchair, the students say
The streets that a mobility impaired
student negotiates are not the same,
the hills are defined by arm power,
the stairs are barriers
Kristine Groencnboom, a junior
majoring in German, knows these
difficulties well Suffering from a
congenital bone disease, she must
travel to class in a wheelchair
"If you're not in a wheelchair, or
don’t know anyone who is, you just
don't think of things like that,"
Groenenboom says
There are from 350 to 380 students
being assisted by the University's
Office of Handicapped Services Six
years ago. when the office was
founded, there were about 80 students,
says Gerrie Carter, director of the
office.
"That (number of students
currently receiving help) runs the full
gamut from mobility impaired to
hearing impaired to learning
disabilities and sight-impaired
students," Carter says.
She says the University's facilities
compare well to other universities of
its size.
"Arizona State, for example, has
100 percent accessibility in its
buildings, while we have 70 percent."
she said. "But that's misleading
because they have a new campus and
many of our old structures can't take
the changes necessary to put in an
elevator All of our newer buildings
are accessible "
The task of getting an education
becomes infinitely more complicated
for a student who faces difficulty
moving aroung campus
“They are in the same situation as
other students, only their problems
are more acute, because they don’t
have the same options," Carter says.
For Groenenboom. the problems
began at registration
Through the Handicapped Services
Office, impaired students are allowed
to register before other students to
help them find a class section in an
accessible building However, two of
Groenenboom's classes were in
buildings on North Campus, which is
closed to wheelchairs. The solution
was to transfer the locations of the
classes to buildings she could get to.
This is a regular policy of the
University The entire class is moved
to ensure its accessibility, and the
Handicapped Office acts as a
mediator between the students’ needs
and the generally cooiierative faculty.
Carter says.
I don't think it’s an inconvenience to
students," Carter says
The office provides a vart to tran
sport the students to class and to their
residence halls Some students don’t
use the van, Groenenboom said, but
the alternative is a large, hilly
campus that defies safe tran
sportation, or a fight over the
reserved handicapped parking
spaces
The bottom line is that we try to do
everything that needs to be done to
provide equal access to every facility,
which is different for every student,”
Carter says.
"Disabled students must be able to
participate in any activity that any
other students can participate in,"
she added
But it’s not that easy. Groenenboom
is a German major, and the fact
remains that Meigs Hall, the German
building, is inaccessible to
wheelchairs. She says she may
transfer in the next few years
"It’s for personal reasons I love my
classes, but I’ve always been the sort
of person who values my freedom,”
she says. "I don’t like to rely on
people, and relying on the van sort of
rubs me the wrong way But that's
just me
"It's not anybody's fault, and
there’s nothing that can be done about
it.”
Of about 150 buildings on campus,
barely one-half are even partially
accessible to students with mobility
impairments. Only 31 buildings are
entirely accessible to a student in a
wheelchair Russell Hall is the only
residence hall that is accessible on all
floors.
“I think we've done a remarkable
job considering what we’re up
against. It's not just the facilities, it’s
the terrain," Carter says.
David Fletcher, assistant to the vice
president for student affairs,
says,"The law says that you should
have access to programs, not
Student Colt McDonald gets off University van
necessarily to all buildings.”
The University, during the past four
years has sunk more than *250,000 into
improving the buildings that could be
improved As for the rest, Fletcher
says, not much can be done
"Most are old. historic buildings on
North Campus that, for structural
reasons, can’t be improved," Carter
says.
"The University currently has full-
program accessibility—the best they
can—100 percent," she added.
Groenenboom said, "I came here
with a negative attitude and I’ve
gotten a positive attitude since I've
been here ”
Bulldog Room’s design interfering with service
By TOMMY TOMLINSON
KfS aaS Start ftatart Krorttar
The Bulldog Room in the Dean Tate Student Center
is experiencing both overcrowding and design
problems that University officials said Tuesday were
interfering' with the facility’s ability to serve
students during peak hours
"It gets crowded from about 10:30 a m. to 1:00
p m ,” Alma Matthews, a Bulldog Room worker, said
Tuesday. "About half of them tstudents) have to sit
outside then "
Kathy Stafford, another Bulldog Room employee,
said, "it gets really bad sometimes ’’ She added that
the worst time for her area, the salad bar. is from
10:30a.m. toll:30am and noon to 1 p.m.
However, neither Food Services Head Glen Gerrett
nor Bulldog Room Manager Art Melson said they felt
the facility is overcrowded
"We’ve been experiencing some problems on
football game weekends, but other than that there
haven’t been any problems," Gerrett said
Melson said, "During book rush week ithe first
week of each quarter), we had some problems with
overcrowding
Dave Lunde, director of campus planning, said
there are some overcrowding problems, but they
can't be helped
"You just can’t build a facility for the maximum
number of people," he said, explaining that con
structing a building for maximum numbers of
students wastes time, space and money at times
when the room is not filled
Even so. Lunde said, the new Bulldog Room is a
vast improvement over the old Bulldog Room in
Memorial Hall
"It's much more efficient than anything we've ever
had before," he said. T think (the overcrowding) is a
happy situation compared to the old Bulldog Room,
where they didn't have any customers "
Both Melson and Gerrett complained about the lack
of service area in the 390-person building. They said
the lack of space made work difficult for employees
"The dining area itself is fine, but the serving areas
area little small," Gerrett said
Melson said, "I think the design and the looks of the
room are terrific, but functionally it’s not designed to
give top performance."
He added, "Let’s put it this way — I could design it
better."
Lunde said the problems are caused by a lack of
familiarity with the facilities, and that glitches will
be smoothed out in time.
"There’s a happy medium somewhere, but
sometimes we just have too many people to operate
the place," Lunde said.