Newspaper Page Text
r
I
I
■ Volunteer readers record for blind —• 3
The Red & Black
An independent student newspaper serving the University of Georgia Community
INSIDE
Ralph Macchio, at age 27,
plays the kid of the hour
in “The Karate Kid III.”
Can he follow the success
of the previous endeavors?
6
Weather: Today will be p.c with a
50 percent chance of rain, high
90. Tonight less sun with a 30
percent chance of rain, 72. Friday
87 and a 40 percent rain chance.
THURSDAY JULY 13,1989 » ATHENS, GEORGIA • VOLUME 96, ISSUE 124
South Ga. may get two new universities
By NEAL CALLAHAN
Staff Writer
Dean Propst
The war between Georgia Southern College and Valdosta
State College may be ending in a tie.
The Board of Regents’ Planning and Oversight Com
mittee made recommendations in a report delivered by
System Chancellor H. Dean Propst, to create two regional
universities by July 1, 1992. This recommendation could
end a rivalry between the two southern Georgia colleges,
which were each hoping to be named ns the first regional
university in the state.
Regents spokesperson Michael Baxter said the board
unanimously voted to recommend the plan but put off final
approval until the full board meeting in September.
‘The board suggested some minor changes in the plan,
but most of them are editorial,” he said.
The plan would establish Georgia Southern College as
Georgin Southern University by July of next year and
would give Valdosta Stnte College university stntus by a
target date of July 1, 1992.
The Valdosta proposal depends on the college meeting
ce r tein eligibility and readiness requirements, Baxter said.
Hugh Bailey, president of Valdosta State, said the re
quirements include a higher freshman retention rate and a
higher four yeur graduation rate
While students and supporters of both schools felt the
proposal of a regional university meant the two schools
were in a competition for the regents' support, the adminis
trations at the two colleges said no such rivalry existed
Nicholas Henry, Georgia Southern College president
said, “There has been no perception of competion — we
have both been mutually concerned with the need for a re
gional institution and have worked together to establish
one.”
Bailey said he has tried to downplay the competition but
has sensed it at times
"With the football rivalries and the closeness of the
schools, I’m sure that some people have felt a competitive
nature in the regents’ selection, Henry said.
“I would like to have been chosen first," he said, “but I
feel our university status is imminent.”
Both presidents said they felt the regents’ proposal was a
g<x)d one, but that funding might be a problem.
Henry said, “I think the board is taking the right steps
and approaching this cautiously because it is a difficult pro
ject. The original plan estimated it would take $12 million
for five to six years in addition to our full budget to make
Georgia Southern a university.
“Any new university in Georgia should not come at the
Librarian hit by bus on Baldwin St.
By A.J. TAHTINEN
Staff Writer
ilovee
Transit System bus in the Sanford Drive and Baldwin
Street intersection noon Tuesday, according to Athens
Police reports.
This was the second accident in six months on
Baldwin Street involving an Athens Transit System
bus.
Librarian Nancy Van Cleve was hit by the bus
while she was crossing Baldwin Street going toward
the library. The bus was making a left turn from San
ford Drive onto Baldwin Street and knocked Van
Cleve down to the pavement police reports rend.
She WM transported to St Mary’s Hospital where
she was treated and released the same day.
Vun Cleve said Wednesday that she suffered some
cuts and bruises from the accident but “nothing wus
broken."
"I seem to be moving around; although I’m very sore
today,” she said.
In her opinion, she had the right of way, since she
wns on the crosswalk and had a green light when the
bus struck her, Van Cleve said
Tim Lett, Athens Transit System director, didn’t
want to comment on the accident because he “didn’t
have the details." But, he did say the driver involved
in this accident wasn’t the same as in the January 13
accident.
The bus driver in Tuesday’s accident, Charles
Elijah Gary, 43, of 200 Magnolia St., couldn’t be
reached for comment
Hilda Spratlin, Athens Police public information
assistant, said the accident is still under investiga
tion.
Baldwin Street has been the focus of safety con
cerns for some time. The street, which runs through
the University campus, isn’t owned by the University
but by the city.
The Athens City Council approved several safety
improvement measures for Baldwin Street at its
Tuesday meeting.
Pick-up banned on Baldwin
By JULIE GARDNER
Staff Writer
The Athens City Council ap
proved an ordinance that prohibits
the loading and unloading of pas
sengers on Baldwin Street,
Tuesday night.
Council member Mac Coile,
Public Snfety Committee chair,
suid he didn’t know if the new ordi
nance would prevent accidents on
Baldwin Street, but the council
would “give it a shot."
If this ordinance doesn’t work,
he said they would have to try
something else.
The Athens Police Department
will enforce the ordinance, Coile
said People who are cited for vio
lating the ordinance will have to
appear in court, and the fine will be
set at the judge’s discretion.
Additional safety improvements
for Baldwin Street that were ap
proved by the council include re
marking existing crosswalks and
People who are cited
for violating the
ordinance will have to
appear in court, and
the fine will be set at
the judge's discretion.
adding two crosswalks at the jour
nalism building and the fine arts
building on Baldwin Street.
Time clock controlled flashing
lights and speed advisory plates
will be installed nt the crosswalks
in addition to “Cross Only At
Crosswalk” signs. Coile said it
would resemble a school zone.
The council also approved a mo
tion by which the council, the
Clarke County Board of Commis
sioners, and the quality growth
task force will jointly create a com
mission to discuss u plan for the
consolidation of Athens' and
Clarke County governments.
City Clerk Jean Spratlin said
the commission will make a recom
mendation for the reorganization
of the government and will imple
ment necessary legislation to be in
troduced nt the 1990 Session of the
Georgin General Assembly.
The council also approved the
motion to hold the studies of the
Milledge Avenue and Baxter Street
intersection and the bus pick up-
/drop off lanes on Milledge Avenue.
Coile said the Public Works
Committee wunted to hold the
studies until they received more in
formation from the traffic and en
gineering department.
He said he expected the study of
the Milledge Avenue and Baxter
Street intersection to be brought
up again nt the next committee
meeting.
‘This dog is number one’
[university orientation leaders, Kelly Curran, right, and Trent Taylor,
I left, explain the importance of the University's mascot in front of
I Memorial Hall to a group of up-coming freshmen in Athens for
1 summer orientation. Curran. 21. is a public relations major, and
I Taytor, 22, is a political science major.
County discusses vehicular liquor law
Jewel John
By PERVIN LAKDAWALLA
Contributing Writer
Mothers Against Drunk Driving would like
Clarke County to adopt a county-wide ordi
nance against open alcoholic beverage con
tainers in moving vehicles.
The ordinance would prohibit the consump
tion of alcoholic beverages by the driver or pas
senger, said David Alper, legislative liaison for
MADD’s Athens chapter. Prohibiting posses
sion of alcoholic beverages by passengers would
prevent the driver from passing his drink to u
passenger to avoid prosecution
At its Tuesday night meeting, the Clarke
County Board of Commissioners discussed
adopting a resolution at its next monthly
meeting to endorse the legislation on open con
tainers currently in the state legislature.
House Bill 537 would make it unlawful for a
person to operate a vehicle with an open con
tainer of an alcoholic beverage in the possession
of the driver or any of the passengers
“I would prefer to do it (the ordinance) on a
state level,” Commissioner Jewel John said. “It
would be easier to enforce it statewide.”
Even if adopted, House Bill 537 allows coun
ties to impose harsher limits on open container
laws than stated in the bill.
County Commission Chairman James Hoi
land requested the Commission’s staff to check
on the enforceability of a county ordinance by
Summer enrollment up from 1988
Summer enrollment increases
By ELIZABETH GRADDY
Staff Writer
If campus seems a little more crowded this
summer to you than last, you’re right It is.
According to preliminary figures, this summer’s
enrollment is 11,169 students, up by 725 from 10,-
444 last summer, Associate Registrar Gory Moore
said Wednesday
Of the 725, there are 655 undergraduates and
158 professional students.
‘That’s a pretty good increase,” Moore said
But it isn’t too much for the University to
handle, he said.
Moore tries to find ns many seats as students
need he said And he has never been in a position
of turning students away .
He has no idea what the limit is, he said.
The only prior indication of what summer enroll
ment will be comes from pre-registration, he said
But that gives only a vague idea.
About 11 percent of students who are pre-regis-
tered for summer cancel their classes by non-pay
ment of fees, Moore said. In the regular year, only 5
percent fail to pay, thus losing their classes
Charles Jumes, College of Arts and Sciences as
sociate dean, said the University prepares for in
creased enrollment in two ways.
• Trends indicating increases or decreases are
tracked from year to year. This allows administra
tors to anticipate how many instructors they must
contract to teach for upcoming summers
• After a quarter begins, additional sections of a
course may be added and instuctors hired.
This quarter, sections of Spanish, French and
English were added
12000
10000
11 1 £Q
10.444
11,107
8000
6000
4000
2000
1JM
expense of th« established universities, but there is a need
to provide opportunities for the citizens of this region," he
said.
The regents’ report said Georgia Southern is ready for
university status and would work with Savannah State and
Armstrong State colleges as affiliates in the university’s
graduate studies and research work.
Baxter said the two affiliate schools will maintain their
undergraduate autonomy and still offer degrees through
their colleges, but will give graduate degrees through
Georgin Southern University The schools will also remain
units of the University System of Georgia
The regional universities will be the first in a new type of
educational institution in Georgia, Baxter said
‘There are now three* types of institutions in the state,”
he said. The universities, senior colleges and junior col
leges. The universities are divided among comprehensive
institutions that serve the general needs of the state such
as The University of Georgia and Georgia State University,
and special types that serve special needs such as 'Georgia
Institute of Technology) and the Medical College of
Georgia."
Baxter said the new regional universities will be dif
ferent because they will have u different mission They will
not serve the entire state, only their immediate regions.
Governor
calls for
special
session
The Associated Press
ATLANTA — Gov. Joe Frank
Harris and the leadership of both
houses of the Georgia Legislature
reuched an agreement Wednesday
to call a special session in Sep
tember to deal with a court deci
sion requiring state pensioners to
pay income tax.
Rusty Sewell, legal aide to
Harris, said the governor will defi
nitely call the five-day special ses
sion for 10 a.m. on Sept. 11 to
consider the bill, which has the
support of House Speaker Tom
Murphy and Lt. Gov. Zell Miller.
They came to a consensus on
what the leadership in the House
and Senate could support,” Sewell
said “The governor said if they
could come to a consensus he would
call the special session."
The session is necessary to deal
with a U S. Supreme Court ruling
in a Michigan case which said that
a state could not tax federal pen
sions while exempting state pen
sions. Georgia has exempted state
employee and teacher pensions
from income tax since 1949
Officials with the State Em
ployees Retirement System und
the Teachers Retirement System of
Georgia have indicated there are
about 14,300 retired state em
ployees and 27,000 retired tea
chers.
Under the agreement reached
Wednesday, Sewell said, the state
retirees would no longer be exempt
from the taxes, beginning with the
current tax year At the same time,
nil retirees over 62 years of age in
Georgia would see their individual
income tax exemption double —
from $4,000 at present to $8,000.
Sewell said ending the exemp
tion on state employees would
bring in about $13 million, but
raising the individual exemption
would cost the state about the
same amount.
"You’d have a wash as far as the
money coming in is concerned," he
said.
Beginning Jan. 1, 1990, Sewell
said, the exemption for all retirees
would nse to $12,000 under the
agreement.
The proposal emerged after duy-
long meetings Wednesday between
Murphy, Miller and the committee
chairmen of both the House and
Sennte. Late in the day, Sewell
said. Murphy and Miller met with
the governor and the agreement
was sealed.
On Tuesday, many lawmakers
said a higher exemption for ev
eryone would be preferable to ex
tending the tax-free status
currently enjoyed by state retirees
to federal retirees and not to pri
vate sector, municipal and county
retirees
Sen Culver Kidd, D-Milledge-
ville, said that he favors giving a
$15,000 exemption to everyone
over age 65, but acknowledged that
most legislative leaders seem to
favor a smaller exemption at age
62.
A number of federal retirees
have filed lawsuits seeking taxes
they paid back to 1980, but none of
the lawsuits has come close to trial.
Sewell said the Legislature would
not try to address any possible ad
verse decision arising from those
lawsuits.
SUcy ttertman/Tht Red end 9w
investigating counties that alreudy have such
ordinances in effect.
The county ordinance would focus on open
containers of alcoholic beverages in moving ve
hicles, Alper said
In Clarke County most of the drunk driving
fatality victims have been underage, Alper
said. Most of the fatalities also have been
caused by underage drivers
The point of possible citation for empty con
tainers in vehicles was addressed A blocid test
or breathalizer will be more important thnn
counting containers, Linda Turman, vice presi
dent of MADD, said A blood test or bn
liter would be able to tell if six empty cans had
been consumed then or six days ago, she said
Mowa«u Tore Reo md Black
