Newspaper Page Text
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THE RED AND BLACK
An independent student newspaper serving the University of Georgia community
Athens, Ga., VoL 92, No. 102 Tuesday, May 7, 1985 News 543-1809 Advertising 543-1791
Gty might limit roommates per house
By JOHN ALDKN
Krd and Black Srnior Krporlrr
Pressed by Athens residents against the encroachment of
University students and their parking and noise problems,
the city may be preparing a knockout punch for students who
live in houses
Assistant Planning Director Ken Suddreth said the Athens-
Clarke County Planning staff is proposing that houses in all
single-family neighborhoods, about one-third of the city, be
limited to no more than two unrelated people. The present
limit is four
Apartments will be left with a limit of four, he said.
Suddreth said the proposed action results from a Midtown
Neighborhood Association request. The group says the
proposal would cut down on noise and traffic problems,
Suddreth said.
The Midtown Neighborhood Association represents the
general area in and around Five Points. If enacted, however,
the proposal would be effective city wide.
"What we're suggesting is that, in single-family neigh
borhoods, that number can be reduced," said Athens Zoning
Director John Sanders “There are several court cases that
legally allow us to do that
Suddreth said the proposal is still in preliminary stages,
but the Planning Commission will consider it in June. If the
City Council passes it, the reduction could be policy as soon
as August, Suddreth said.
In that case, Suddreth said, students arriving in Athens fall
quarter would be prohibited from living with more than one
unrelated person
If. however, the proposal isn't passed until after students
arrive, existing leases will be honored.
"If the kids are already in place, we're not going to boot
them out," Suddreth said. However, all new leases and
renewals would be subject to the proposal
Katherine Hoard, who was chairman of the committee that
drafted the request for the Midtown Group, said the area's
residents are asking the city to devise a new system to en
force the code prohibiting the packing of houses.
"The problem has been that absentee landlords will rent a
house to four people, and then eight will show up," Hoard
said She said parking problems and noise problems resulted
Councilman Jerry Nicholson, who represents the Midtown
constituents, said the proposal is on the agenda for tonight's
meeting at 7:30 in City Hall, but the council doesn’t plan to
act on the proposal yet
He said the proposal has a great deal of support among
non-student residents of the neighborhoods closest to the
campus.
"1 think it's going to get some support among people in the
area, such that the council will give it some very serious
consideration,” Nicholson said
But Brice Bishop, the city's chief building inspector, said
the reduction would make it harder instead of easier to en
force
"Three would be harder to enforce than four, so I would
have to suppose that two would be even harder to enforce
than three." Bishop said. He said the council has asked him
to study the feasibility of the proposal.
He said he gets many complaints of overloading and noise
that result from guests who spend a weekend or a few days
and aren't permanent residents
"Obviously, if we make the determination that the people
are guests, then the answer is to leave them alone,” Bishop
said. “If, on the other hand, they’re residents, we'll take
appropriate action "
Stiirn ,
The Annual Human Rights Festival drew record crowds this
weekend on College Square, as several human interest groups
distributed information promoting their causes. Afrikan Dreamland
and the Squalls provided much of the entertainment, and Brian
Thomas (right) dances with the rest of the crowd Saturday night to
Banned 37.
VI Klatr/TW Krd and Black
Rights Festival sets attendance mark
By SCOTT GRUBBS
and Stark Suit Wrtur
For the first time in its seven-year history, the
Athens Human Rights Festival broke even finan
cially with its largest attendance ever on College
Square Saturday and Sunday
"It was an economic, political and cultural suc
cess,” said Michael Collins, a member of Athens
Progressive Resource Center, the organization
responsible for the festival
Collins said the purpose of the festival wasn't to
raise funds for world causes, but "to raise the
consciousness of the Athens residents ' ’
"We're bringing together like-minded people who
want to change things, not only in Athens, but on a
state, national and world level as well," he said “We
came together to deal with timely issues "
At the festival, speakers representing various
human interest groups dealt with a variety of issues
concerning human rights and human rights
violations
The keynote speakers included Buren Baston from
the Georgia chapter of the American Civil Liberties
Union and Michael Thurmond, an Athens attorney
noted for his involvement in human rights
Men in Trees, Doo Blan Tant and the theatrical
group “The Nuclear Snack Bar Players” provided
entertainment.
More than 1,000 people attended the Sunday night
Afrikan Dreamland performance and more than 500
people attended the Saturday night Squalls per
formance. Collins said.
Although the festival was held under the auspicies
of the Progressive Resouce Center, "the festival was
a knitting together of many disparate groups," said
Chris DeBarr, festival emcee
Groups participating in the event included the
Georgia Mobilization for Animals, Vietnam
Veterans Against the War, Performing Artists for
Nuclear Disarmament, Athens Gay/Lesbian
Alliance and Bread for the World
Collins said the festival had its beginnings on the
University campus
“The first of these festivals was actually a
Students' Rights festival that took place on Legion
field in 1979," Collins said “The festival became the
Human Rights Festival in 1980, but it was held at
Legion until 1982 "
Newspapers to file
motion seeking
UGA documents
i mJt /s
:vm
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By BETII PATH
Hrd and Mark .Senior Hrportrr
The two newspaper groups involved
in a dispute with the University about
documents relating to the University's
men's basketball program plan to file a
court motion today to gain the papers,
lawyers for the corporations said
Monday
Morris Communications Corp , which
owns the Athens Banner-Herald and
Daily News, and Cox Enterprises,
which owns the Atlanta Journal and
Constitution, will file a motion today in
Clarke County Superior Court
requesting the court to order the
University to release the documents,
said Pat McKee, assistant to the state
attorney general.
Keegan Federal, an attorney for Cox,
said Monday he was confident that if
filing the motion didn't result in the
release of the documents, a judge's
order would.
McKee said ClarkrCounty Superior
Court Judge James Barrow will hear
the motion Wednesday morning
The two corporations requested the
documents April 26. Under the Georgia
open records act, the University had
until May 1 to release the documents.
The University has refused to release
the documents until the NCAA -fh-
fractions Committee reaches a decision
on the 27 allegations against the
basketball program NCAA officials
have said the investigation might last
several weeks A
"The investigation isn't over until a V
decision has been reached,” said Law
School Dean J Ralph Beaird. "We will
wait until the decision to release the
documents.”
He said he had expected court action
from the newspaper publishers.
University officials and lawyers met
with the Infractions Committee in
Kansas City, Kan., April 27 to answer
the allegations
Bus driver absolved
in Baxter St. accident
By MICHAEL KOENIG
Hed and Black Senior Krporter
University police have absolved the
driver of a campus bus involved in an
accident Thursday, and a University
police official said Monday a
mechanical defect in the bus might
have caused the accident.
Maj. Ernest Nix said the official
police report shows police could find no
driver error in the accident, in which a
University bus driven by Todd Ponder
at the i
Regents to discuss degree proposal in education
By SUZANNE WOOD
K-J •». Hurt Srmtmr KrpmUr
The Board of Regents will discuss a
new degree proposal by the Univer
sity's College of Education as it takes
its monthly meetings on the road to
Augusta College today and Wednesday
At the meetings, the regents will also
discuss a budget adjustment for a
proposed addition to the University
Bookstore and tenuring of University
professors
Louise McBee. associate vice
president for Academic Affairs, said
the College of Education’s proposal for
a master's degree of education in
computer-based education got to the
regents desk by way of the University
Council's Academic Affairs Com
mittee
Vickie Fair, public relations
specialist for the Board of Regents, said
the degree program would prepare
students for management, instructional
and developmental positions through
the use of computer technology
"The program would also involve the
use of TV, video disc and telecom
munications facilities." Fair said
She said the proposal came in
response to requests for such training
by private industry and students She
said about 25 students are expected to
enroll the first year
The University also will request
additional funding for the University
Bookstore addition. Fair said
Dave Lunde. director of Campus
Planning, said the reason for the
request was that none of the con
tractors bidding for the construction
met the original budget allocations
Regents agenda:
• Discussion of the University-proposed master's degree in computer based
education for the College of Education.
• Discussion of a budget increase of about 1650,000 for the Bookstore addi
tion.
o Announcement of regents' scholarship and grant winners.
• Announcement of University System professors that have gained tenure
Fair said the proposed increase in
funding is about 1650.000 from *1,784,7*0
to $2,428,903
She said the regents also will an
nounce those professors in the
University System who will receive
tenure this year, as well as the regents'
scholarships and grants recipients She
said the scholarship money adds up to
$200,000 for the entire system, while
money allocated for grants totals
$12S,000 for the University alone
hit a telephone pole at the intersection
of Lumpkin and Baxter streets
Nix said police could find no
mechanical defects in the bus, but he
said tests on the bus showed the front
brakes tended to lock before the rear
brakes, not in synchronization, which
could cause the bus to skid
Ponder still must undergo an Ac
cident Review Committee hearing
This committee, which is routine in
bus accidents, comprises represen
tatives of a number of University
departments, including Physical Plant,
Public Safety and Bus Services
Ponder was unavailable for com
ment Monday
Physical Plan Director Ken Jordan
said the bus passed its most recent
inspection on April 24 Physical Plant
employees inspect University buses
every 30 days, with a more in-depth
inspection every 90 days, Jordan said
The most recent 90-day inspection was
March 21, he said
Mechanics look buses over each
morning before they leave the garage,
said Auxiliary Services Manager Chet
Malanoski The driver also calls in to
Ken Jordan
the dispatcher by radio if he is having
problems with the bus, he said.
Malanoski said the system sends out
18 buses daily, and buses travel about
430.000 miles a year
While campus buses are inspected on
a regular schedule. Athens city buses
are inspected according to a specific
mileage schedule, in addition to a 10- to
15-minute inspection for mechanical
damages each morning.
Inspections are scheduled every 3,000
miles, said Athens Transit system
Director Jeff Mooney
On some routes, the 3.000-mile
inspections could come no more than a
week apart, he said
The inspections are more thorough as
the bus accumulates more miles, with
the most rigorous at 38,000 miles.