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Fans finally cheer at Midnight Mad
The Red & Black
An independent student newspaper serving the University of Georgia Community
INSIDE
Editorial Cartoonist Mike
Moreu turns our TVs to
the world-wide game
show network for a look at
‘The Prize is Right.”
Weather: Ultraviolet or mauve?
Today, sunny, high in low 80s,
tonight, fair, low 50s, Wed.,
partly cloudy, 80s.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15,1990 • ATHENS, GEORGIA • VOLUME 98, ISSUE 17
Zoology moves as illnesses persist
By MICHAEL W. McLEOD
Staff Writer
The Zoology Department began its re
location Monday to another floor of the
Biological Sciences Complex after two
University employees became seriously
ill at work.
Zoology Office Manager Rosemary
Woodel was overcome with severe fatigue
and respiratory problems Friday and was
taken to the emergency room at St.
Mary's Hospital.
Zoology Professor Karen Porter also be
came ill and was sent home Monday
morning.
“I'm better now,” Woodel said. “Pm not
there. I’d been getting sicker and sicker
each day. Then what had been happening
to me in small doses happened all at once.
“My eyes started burning, my chest
was even tighter than usual and hurt
more. My heartbeat was irregular and I
had a monster headache.
'Then I had this extreme fatigue. Un
less you’ve ever experienced it, you don’t
know what it’s like. You don’t even want
to talk,” she said.
Woodel was found with her head in her
hands at her desk by Department Head
Judy Willis who took her to the emer
gency room.
She was released at 4:30 p.m. Friday
and advised not to return to her office
until it is moved to another location.
Porter, who was sent home after she
began experiencing headaches, weakness
and muscle spasms Monday morning,
said her doctor advised her not to return
to her office until the source of the
problem can be found and corrected.
Porter and Woodel both were instru
mental in alerting Environmental Safety
Services to the possible health problems
due to the air quality of the bio-sciences
complex. Woodel compiled a list in the
spring of more than 30 employees whose
illnesses might be related to the building.
Porter said her office on the third floor
and the zoology department offices on the
seventh floor have had a large number of
health complaints.
“It affects your short-term memory.
Everyone’s acting confused," Porter said.
‘The favorite joke up there is, *Where are
my keys?’ My favorite is, ‘I have an attack
of the vapors today.’ But it’s not a
laughing matter,” she said.
Porter’s office and the departmental of
fices are both located near poorly capped
obsolete drain pipes that may be re
leasing harmful toxins.
The bio-sciences complex was tested
Friday for methane by the Georgia Nat
ural Gas Co. An unidentified flammable
substance was found in a ceiling pipe on
the fourth floor, but no methane was
found, according to Shari Travers, the
University's laboratory safety officer.
The toxic solvent pyridine was found in
the same location Wednesday.
Results of a more complete test that
can identify smaller traces of methane
and other toxins should be available later
this week.
Zoology equipment and personnel were
moved to a sixth-floor office area once
used as a greenhouse. It operates on a
separate air-circulation system than the
rest of the complex.
Porter said 20 percent of the general
population has the genetic disposition to
become hypersen si ti zed to air pollutants.
Once exposed to chemicals or irritants for
a long period of time, these individuals
become so sensitive to irritants that even
low levels of exposure cause serious
health problems.
Seventy percent of that predisposed 20
percent are women, and she believes a
number of people in the bio-sciences com
plex, including herself, are now hypersen
sitive to irritants.
Both Porter and Woodel have filed
claims for workman’s compensation to
pay their medical bills. Woodel first filed
Sept. 7, when she was overcome by vapors
let off by a newly installed carpet in her
office. Porter filed for compensation
Monday.
Staff Benefits Counseler Phyllis Kiser
said between 10 and 20 employees have
filed for workman’s compensation due to
chemical exposure within the past year in
the bio-sciences complex
P«t*» Fr*y/The H«d and Black
A Bulldog in a China shop
Senior fullback Alphonso Ellis powers his way through Ole Mlsfe de
fenders toward a first down. However, Ellis and the Dogs continue to
be unable to put the ball In the end zone. The South's Top Dog anallzes
Saturday's loss and looks ahead to the Homecoming showdown with
Vanderbilt. For complete coverage, photos and an update from Mon
day’s practice, please turn to page 8.
World events
shape report
By PATRICK FLANIGAN
Staff Writer
Recent historical events made
the Eighth Annual Report of the
Secretaries of State held at the
University significant, Political
Science Professor Loch Johnson
said Monday.
For instance, he said Friday’s re
port was the first since the fall of
the Berlin Wall, the collapse of
Communism and the immmediate
reality of a possible war with Iraq.
Johnson, who teaches classes on
U.S. foreign policy, said he has
used topes of prior reports as tea
ching aides in the past.
“I think they are a great ex
ample of oral history," he said.
Newsman Edwin Newman mod
erated the dialogue between
former Secretaries Dean Rusk,
William Rogers, Cyrus Vance, Ed
mund Muskie, Alexander Haig and
George Shultz.
The lead issue of the discussion,
held in the fine arts building, was
the crisis in the Persian Gulf and
the possibilty of war.
The statesmen agreed that a
war is the least desirable option,
but their opinions differed when
they discussed a time limit on a
peaceful resolution.
Vance, who served under Presi
dent Carter from 1977 to 1980,
said sanctions should be given
every chance to affect Saddam
Hussein’s decisions. He said it isn’t
clear how our European allies
would react to a military attack.
If the ITnited States went ahead
with a military attack, he said,
“we’d find ourselves in a very
lonely situation.”
Haig, who served under Presi
dent Reagan from 1981 to 1982,
took a more hawkish stand.
'There is a time limit,” he said.
“We shouldn’t kid ourselves with
these sanctions.”
He said the only thing worse
than losing Europe’s support
would be to lose in the Middle East
to Hussein.
Rogers, who served under Presi
dent Nixon from 1969 to 1973,
pulled back the reins of the dis
cussion when he said the
statesmen had a responsibility to
be careful with their words and the
effects they could hove on public
opinion.
He said the current policy is
working well and the government
has an obligation to let the sanc
tions work.
“I think there are a lot of things
the government knows about that
we don’t,” he said.
Haig replied, “I hear some se
rious undertones in that."
Vance stated, “It would be fool
hardy for the six of us to sit around
this table and speculate.”
Please See REPORT. Page 3
Dry rush violators
not facing judiciary
IFC rules
more severe
By STACEY MclNTOSH
Staff Writer
Two University fraternities
found guilty of violating dry rush
regulations Friday by the Interfra
ternity Council’s judicial board
won’t face the Student Judiciary,
Ron Binder, adviser to fraternities,
said Monday.
“IFC goes beyond the Univer
sity’s rules concerning dry rush, so
this will remain in the IFC’s juris
diction,” Binder said.
University rules state that
Greek organization members can’t
supply alcohol to people under age
21 auring rush, he said. IFC rules
are more restrictive because they
prohibit fraternity and sorority
members from supplying alcohol to
anyone of any age during rush.
Alpha Tau Omega and Alpha
Epsilon Pi fraternities were fined
$10 per University chapter
member and were restricted from
block seating at University football
games for possessing alcohol in the
presence of minors, Binder said.
They were also found guilty of
failing to register a social event
with IFC, he said. They will receive
an oral reprimand and pay fines
amounting to $1,000 per frater
nity.
Judicial Programs Director Bill
Bracewell said the IFC was looking
for violations of its own rush regu
lations, which are more stringent
than University conduct regula
tions. If a University rule also was
violated in the process, he would
expect the case to come before the
Office of Judicial Programs.
For instance, a 21-year-old
found guilty of alcohol possession
during rush by the IFC hasn’t
broken any University regulations,
but both IFC and University rules
forbid the serving of alcohol to mi
nors.
“My expectation is that if there’s
evidence to show a rule was vio
lated, he (Binder), like any other
respectable staff member, would
report it to Roger Lee (of Judicial
Programs),” Bracewell said.
Alpha Epsilon Pi President
Reece Cohen said Monday his fra
ternity appeared before the IFC ju
diciary Wednesday in a closed
hearing for an incident that oc
curred during the second week of
September.
Cohen wouldn’t release specific
details surrounding the incident.
Alpha Tau Omega President
Rick Sirmans said there was con
cern among fraternity members
about the guilty verdict, but he de
clined to elaborate further.
Binder said an anonymous caller
used the dry-rush hotline to inform
the rush enforcement committee
that fraternity members were
drinking alcohol in the presence of
rushees off campus.
“Somebody called and told them
where to go, and they went there
and found the guys," he said.
Binder said the second incident
was brought to his attention by a
member of the community who saw
fraternity members drinking in the
presence of rushees.
Binder said that although the
dry-rush hotline has only been in
use two years, it has proven to be
an asset to the IFC.
“It’s been a real useful tool. We
do get some bogus calls, but two
were real enough," he said. “We
want to make sure that everyone
knows we are serious about dry
rush here."
Staff Writer Lance Helms con
tributed to this story.
Game-day fight may alter seating policy
By DAN POOL
Staff Writer
Alpha Tau Omega and
Lambda Chi Alpha fraternities
won’t be able to sit as groups at
the remaining two home football
games because of a brawl in their
block-seating area at the Ole
Miss game.
Athletic Director Vince Dooley
announced the penalty Monday
after reviewing reports of the
fight Saturday which involved
about 20 people and took more
than 15 police officers to break
up.
“Our primary concern is the
safety of all our fans attending
the game," Dooley said. “Student
involvement at our games is a
tremendous motivating factor for
our football team and we want to
accommodate our student body in
every way possible. However, be
havior unbecoming of University
of Georgia attendance standards
will not be tolerated at any ath
letic event."
In addition to the Georgia Ath
letic Association, the Student Ju
diciary and University President
Charles Knapp will review the
incident and University policies
on student seating at football
games.
Changes may be made before
the homecoming game against
Vanderbilt University this Sat
urday, Public Information Di
rector Tom Jackson said.
Knapp, whose private box for
football games overlooks section
111 where the fight occurred,
asked Dwight Douglas, vice pres
ident for Student Affairs, to make
a report on what happened.
Knapp said Monday he sup
ports Dooley’s decision.
"We don’t want to create a po
lice state at the games, but we
aren’t going to tolerate this type
of behavior," he said.
Dougins said he would submit
a report to Knapp sometime
today but wouldn’t comment on
its content until after Knapp sees
it.
Please See FIGHT, Pago 3
Student dies after year-long leukemia battle
By SANDRA STEPHENS
Staff Writer
Elisa Benitez, 37, a University graduate edu
cational psychology and research student, died
early Sunday morning at Emory University
Hospital in Atlanta after a year-long battle
with leukemia.
Benitez, of 1907 S. Milledge Ave., was a na
tive of the Philippines. She received an hon
orary doctoral degree in educational psychology
and research from the University in July. She
had a master’s degree from North Texas State
University. She was also a member of the Uni
versity Catholic Student Center.
Carmelita Banan, Benitez’s younger sister,
said she was very intelligent, friendly and
helpful.
■There’s no dull moment with her,” she said.
Erlinda Reyes, Benitez’s older sister and a
professor at the University of Wisconsin, said
Benitez made the doctors and interns laugh be
cause she would tell jokes without cracking a
smile.
'The doctors loved her because of her Bense of
humor,” Reyes said.
Reyes said in August she bought Benitez a
shirt that said “Heaven doesn’t want me and
hell is afraid 1 may take over.”
“She was a fighter," she said.
The Rev. Steven Pavignano, director of the
Catholic Student Center, said Benitez was very
vivacious and openly talked about her death as
it approached.
“Sne was not embittered that her life was
being taken away so soon by the disease,” he
said. “She was at peace.”
Benitez is survived by her mother, Rosario
dePaz Banan; her husband, Conrad Benitez-
two sisters, Carmelita Banan and Erlinda
Reyes; three brothers, Ernesto Banan, Emma
nuel Banan and Jun Banan. Services will be
held tonight at 7:30 at the Lord and Stephens
Funeral Home chapel at 4356 Lexington Rd.