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■ Sibling duo ‘Wynn’-ers on Goff team — 5
The Red & Black
An independent student newspaper serving the University of Georgia Community
INSIDE
Eric LeLand will thump
on the bass when
Stonesouls bring their
brand of stone-edged rock
to Club Fred tonight.
8
Weather: Dogs to bask in sun.
Today, mostly sunny, 60s,
tonight, fair and cool. Sat., sunny,
high In the 70s.
* WEEKEND EDITION * FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1990 » ATHENS, GEORGIA » VOLUME 98, ISSUE 20
Acid explosion blasts chemistry lab
First aid: Paramedic Lamar Robinson sistro as Vinnie Turula, the lab's teaching
leans over and wraps burns of Armando Ta- assistant, looks on.
TA shuns
hero title
By DANA WHITE
Staff Writer
Imagine witnessing a flask of
concentrated sulfuric acid explode,
causing glass to fly through a
chemistry laboratory, then real
izing someone is hopping toward
you in need of help. Vinnie Turula
doesn't have to use his imagina
tion.
Turula, a first-year chemistry
teaching assistant, said Thursday
that as soon as he heard an explo
sion in the lab class he teaches he
realized that something was se
riously wrong.
Turula said he saw one of his
students hopping toward him on
one leg immediately after the ex
plosion. Then he realized the acid
was burning the student's leg.
Turula, as a first-year TA, is re
quired to attend sessions for sev
eral weeks on laboratory procedure
and safety. During the summer, he
was required to go to a one-day
overview of these same techniques.
During a lab experiment in
volving sulfuric acid, Armando Ta-
sistro, a graduate student in
agronomy, was pouring the acid
into a flask when it exploded,
sending glass flying through the
lab and splashing acid on his leg.
Turula knew he had to get water
on Tasistro’s wounds as quickly as
possible. “His pants were disinter
grating,'' he said.
Initially he was “spooked,” but
after shaking off this initial shock
hi8 instinct was to help Tasistro, he
said.
Turula said he was afraid Ta
sistro would slip on the acid-cov
ered floor while hopping to the
safety shower located in the lab. So
Turula ripped the injured student's
acid-saturated jeans off and helped
him to the sink where he began
splashing water on the bums.
Because of the overwhelming
fumes, Tasistro said the other stu
dents left the lab, except for Turula
who stayed behind splashing water
on Tasistro’s leg.
Tasistro said the burning from
the acid began very fast and it
wasn’t until later that he realized
blood was flowing from his other
injuries, which required stitches.
After tending to Tasistro, Turula
said, “I went to my research lab
and told my lab mates to call the
police.”
Tasistro said while Turula went
for help, Julie Walters, a senior sci
ence education major, stayed with
him and continued to splash water
on his leg.
Despite his immediate response
in helping Tasistro, Turula said,
“I’m no hero, not at all.”
Staff Writer Dan Pool contrib
uted to this story.
Officials still
search cause
By DAN POOL
Staff Writer
An explosion triggered by a stu
dent pouring concentrated sulfuric
acid into a flask as part of a routine
experiment injured five people in a
chemistry class Thursday.
Three students, Andrea Starr,
20, Scott Wagner, 22, and Ar
mando Tasistro, 38, were treated
at St. Mary’s Hospital for acid
bums and cuts caused by the ex
ploding flask.
They were released later that af
ternoon, according to hospital offi
cials.
The other two injured students
didn’t require hospital treatment.
Armando Tasistro, an agronomy
graduate student, said he was the
first student to begin an experi
ment from the Chemistry 280 lab
manual. As he poured the acid
from the 2-liter glass bottle into
the flask, the flask exploded,
sending glass flying everywhere,
he said.
Jon Amster, the class instructor,
said the reason the acid caused the
explosion isn’t known. Sulfuric
acid isn’t an explosive.
Tasistro was covered with acid
and received several cuts, but was
saved from more serious injuries
by teaching assistant Vinnie Tu
rula, who was able to neutralize
the aria using a sink hose in the
lab, said Robert Bridges, a senior
chemistry major.
Julie Walters, a senior science
education major, said, “I was
standing right beside (Tasistro)
and the top layer of his skin was
coming off.
Bloody clothing with holes
burned by acid and blood-speckled
shoes, removed from Tasistro, were
left lying on the ground as he was
taken to the hospital.
“I would like to know what hap
pened and what was the reason for
the explosion,” Tasistro said.
He received about 10 stitches in
his chest and was treated for
bums.
Starr, a junior chemistry m^jor,
said the explosion startled and
deafened her as it sprayed glass
and acid into her face.
“All of a sudden there was blood
coming out of my face and I was
freaking out and there was acid all
over my face,” she said.
Doctors told her later that if she
hadn’t been wearing safety goggles
she would have been blinded. She
received three stitches on her neck
and was treated for burns.
Wagner, a senior chemistry
Please See Explosion. Page 3
Stadium policies
under microscope
By MICHAEL W. McLEOD
Staff Writer
Georgia football is rich in tra
dition, but after a fight broke out
in Sanford Stadium on Saturday,
University officals want to work
with student leaders to end some
game-day traditions and replace
them with new ones.
“We want to turn this into a
positive thing,” said Assistant
Athletic Director Greg McGarity,
who manages the stadium on
game day.
The fight involved more than
20 students and took 15 police of
ficers to break up.
Officials from University po
lice, Student Affairs, the athletic
department and University
Housing met with the presidents
of the Residence Hall Associa
tion, the Interfratemity Council,
Student Government Association
and other student leaders
Thursday to discuss ways to
avoid another incident.
“What we’ve noticed most of all
is the tardiness,” McGarity said.
Less than half of the 12,000 or
13,000 University students who
attend the games are in Sanford
Stadium by kick-off, McGarity
said. The tardiness trend began
last fall and has continued this
football season.
That tardiness is hard on the
staff working the student gate
and could create a safety hazard,
said Student Gate Manager Jerry
Studdard.
“They start coming in one big
drove of 5,000 to 6,000 and keep
coming in droves until halftime; I
don’t understand it,” he said.
The lateness is related to a
greater consumption of alcohol,
University Police Chief Chuck
Horton said, and that makes
crowd control in the stadium
more difficult.
‘The bottom line is the student
abuse of alcohol. This is the worst
student support in 18 years.
There seems to be more support
for Jack Daniels and Jim Bean,”
Horton said.
IFC President Cale Conley and
RHA President Marc Cromie
both said a 1 p.m. kick-off time
didn’t offer students enough time
to get ready for the game after
Friday night.
“I know it would take an act of
Congress, but a 2 p.m. kick-off
might be an idea,” Conley said.
One new proposal will take ef
fect this Saturday: Gates two and
five will be open to students, Mc
Garity said.
Record number coughing and sniffling
By STACEY MclNTOSH
Staff Writer
University Health Services has
treated more students this fall
than in the past five fall quarters,
Director Jacqueline Kinder said.
“Students are having a lot of
health problems,” she said
Wednesday. “I really don’t know
why. There are no unusual prob
lems. Just more of everything.”
Most students are suffering from
upper respiratory, urinary tract
and gastrointestinal infections, she
said.
Since fall quarter began, Univer
sity clinicians have seen about 500
students a day, an 11.6 percent in
crease or about 100 more students
than last fall, she said.
Because of the increase, the
center is seeing only students who
are seriously ill and need imme
diate treatment, Kinder said.
Although students who call for
appointments in the medical
clinics are usually treated the
same day or within the next two
days, many have had to schedule
appointments for a week later, she
said.
Kinder said the lag is also due to
a temporary shortage of clinicians.
One retired and several others left
to attend a medical meeting.
‘This is only a temporary situa
tion. No one is being turned away.
We will see everyone who needs
treatment," she said.
Normally, Health Services expe
riences a greater influx of students
during winter quarter at the onset
of flu season, Kinder said.
However, she said only a small
portion of the University s faculty,
staff and students have had vacci
nations at the flu-shot clinic.
‘There has been limited activity
there. It’s discouraging, because
influenza is coming in November,"
she said.
She also said the increase in stu
dent visits to center clinics may be
due in part to the University’s
higher enrollment, but state
budget cuts aren’t affecting the
center.
“Actually, we’ve added a physi
cian’s assistant in the women’s
clinic," she said. “But there have
been no cutbacks in funding at the
health center.”
In addition, visits to all center
clinics have skyrocketed, she said.
Students’ visits to the women’s
clinic have gone up 33 percent,
Kinder said. The medical clinics
have seen a 9 percent increase in
patients; the treatment rcxim for
muscular skeletal injuries has ex
perienced a 17 percent increase
since it began taking patient over
flow from the medical clinics, she
said.
Visits to the allergy clinic are up
21 percent and dental clinic visits
have increased by 53 percent,
Kinder said.
“We see this as a positive sign
that students are using their
health center," she said.
Inerease in Health Services
usage since fall 1911!)
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Stephen Moioekl/The Red and Black
Athens author will take top honor
By AL DIXON
Staff Wnter
University faculty member Philip Lee Williams was
informed this week that he will be named Georgia Au
thor of the Year by the Georgia Council of Authors
and Journalists Tuesday.
Williams, who is program coordinator for the Uni
versity’s Agricultural Communications Department,
will be presented the award by Gov. Joe Frank Harris
in Atlanta for his novel, ‘The Song of Daniel.”
“I just learned of the award Monday,” Williams
said. “Needless to say I am extremely pleased it is
particularly gratifying that I won for “The Song of
Daniel,” which I think hadn’t been getting the atten
tion it deserved.”
His award-winning book is set in Athens and con
cerns the fictional romance between a woman who
works in the University’s English department and a
man who works in the Oconee Hill Cemetery, Wil
liams said.
*The Song of Daniel” is Williams’ fourth published
novel. His first novel, ‘The Heart of a Distant Forest,”
was published in 1984. “All the Western Stars” and
“Slow Dance in Autumn” were published in 1988.
In 1985, Williams won the Townsend Prize, given
out biannually for the best Georgian work of fiction,
for “Heart of a Distant Forest." He recently sold the
movie rights for “All the Western Stars” to MGM Stu
dios for an undisclosed amount.
The movie will be directed by Richard Vanuck, who
directed “Driving Miss Daisy.”
Williams, who grew up in Madison, Ga., has lived in
Athens since 1978. He attended the University and
graduated with a journalism degree in 1972.
He worked for various newspapers until he came to
work for the University in 1985.
Williams’ writing career began when he started
publishing some of his poetry in high school. He also
composed music, an interest he still pursues today.
He found, however, that novel-writing was a much
more time-consuming effort.
“I ran into problems trying to be editor of a news
paper and write novels at the same time,” Williams
said. “I would get up around five in the morning and
write before I went to work.”
Williams published one book while working as a
journalist. Since coming to the University, he has
published three books. His latest novel, “Perfect
Timing,” will be published in the spring.
Williams will be at the Athens Regional Library
Tuesday after he receives his award to give a lecture
titled “On Being a Novelist."
He will address what it takes to be a writer and his
love of books, he said. He also will answer questions
about his novels, although he doesn’t plan to do any
readings from them.
William’s lecture is sponsored by the Friends of the
Clarke County Library, a support organization of the
library system.
Julie White, assistant director of the Athens Re
gional Library, said the lecture will be held in the
Athens library auditorium at 8 p.m. and will be open
to the public free of charge.
Williams’ novels will be on sale at the library
Tuesday, and he will be available for autographs.
Philip Lee Williams:
Pleased with recognition
Release of findings
awaits legal sanction
By PATRICK FLANIGAN
Staff Writer
The University is awaiting
counsel from the state attorney
general before it will release the
results of research conducted by
the School of Veterinary Medi
cine to WSB Channel 2 News in
Atlanta.
WSB requested results Sept. 5
from research conducted on pet
food.
Peter Canfield, an attorney for
WSB, said, “The channel re
quested records pursuant to the
open records act and wns initially
denied access.”
Canfield has been informed by
the University’s Legal Affairs Di
vision that the University will
seek advice from State Attorney
General Michael Bowers in re
sponse to the request. Bowers
hasn’t returned a decision.
Bower’s office was contacted
Oct. 1.
Under the Georgia Open Re
cords Law, information held by a
public office or agency, such as a
state University, is public record,
Canfield said.
He said the research was fi
nanced by Ralston-Purina Co. on
the grounds of confidentiality.
"Whether a private company
pays money I don’t think changes
the status,” he said.
He said WSB hasn’t decided
whether legul action will be
taken if the attorney general ad
vises the University not to re
lease the information.
Mary Anne Locantro, adminis
trative coordinator of Legal Af
fairs, said until the attorney
general makes a decision she
doesn't know if the information
will be released
She said there are certain
exemptions in the open records
act which deal with trade secrets
and proprietary information
which could mean the Univeraity
wouldn't be required to release
the results.