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MONDAY, APRIL 20, 1992 « ATHENS, GEORGIA » VOLUME 99, ISSUE 118
Tolley: Nephew got Bishop’s overtime
Bishop arrested Friday, charged with felony theft
By LORI WIECHMAN
and KEITH ST1REWALT
Staff Writers
An attorney for a botany department employee arrested
Friday said he expects to prove in court that the department
attempted to compensate her for overtime work outside reg
ular payroll channels.
Attorney Ed Tolley said this was revealed in the
University’s internal investigation, which led University
police to arrest Katie Bishop, a botany office manager,
Friday morning on a charge of felony theft by deception. She
posted $5,000 bail that afternoon.
It was unclear Sunday when she would be arraigned.
Tolley on Saturday told the Athens Banner-Herald that
Bishop wasn’t guilty and that she “never took any unautho
rised money."
Tolley was unavailable for further comment during the
weekend.
Bishop and Botany department head Elizabeth Williams
also were unavailable for comment during the weekend.
Bishop, who has worked at the University for 19 years,
was suspended with pay from the department during a
month-long University-wide investigation.
The investigation, conducted by University police, began
after the University accounting office found a questionable
$5,559 consulting payment to Bishop’s nephew.
Bishop’s arrest warrant said she had falsified documents
to obtain the money for her nephew.
The accounting office discovered a $5,559 University
check issued by Bishop to her nephew for consulting work in
the botany department. On closer inspection, investigators
discovered the check was endorsed to Bishop’s bank account.
University Police Chief Chuck Horton said the penalty for
theft by deception is usually more than a year in jail.
The investigation of the botany department isn’t closed
and other leads are being investigated, Horton said.
University officials also said other irregularities may have
occurred in other offices at the University.
“We’ll follow leads wherever they take us,” Horton said.
University officials also will examine administrative pro
cedures to determine whether changes are needed, said
Bryndis Roberts, vice president for legal affairs.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
University’s
gift of excess
funds could
be violation
By KEITH STIREWALT
Staff Writer
Excess University grant money
earmarked for a private business
development corporation was
returned in February to the state
after sitting untouched in the cor
poration’s bank account for over a
year and a half.
Still, the University may have
violated the gratuity clause of the
state constitution by giving
$92,081 of leftover grant money to
a dormant corporation in July
1990, said Bryndis Roberts, vice
f iresident for Legal Affairs. The
aw forbids the University from
doling out state money unless they
get something in return.
“The gratuity clause basically
says you can’t get something for
nothing,” said Tom Jackson, direc
tor of Public Information.
The First State Small Business
Development Corp., became dor
mant in mid-1990 and the $92,081
grant money remaining in the
account was not returned to the
state. Instead, the University gave
the residual money to the private
corporation which was headed by
state Sen. Charles Walker (D-
Augusta). Walker was also chair
man of the Legislative Black
Caucus, which requested the legis
lation be brought up in the first
place.
The money was deposited into
an Augusta bank account under
Walker’s name in July 1990 and
remained there until Feb. 27 of this
year when it was finally returned
to the state.
Because the development corpo
ration never got off the ground, the
University gave the money without
any promise of receiving service in
return.
A Morris News Service pub
lished Saturday stated that
University officials who turned
over the money to the private com
pany said they were following legal
advice from their superiors in
Atlanta.
In 1989, the Georgia General
Assembly allocated $250,000 to the
University Small Business
Development Center for the 1990
fiscal year to help small minority
businesses, said Tom Daniel, vice
chancellor of the Board of Regents.
According to the Morris article,
a portion of the money totaling
$160,000 was used by the First
State Small Minorities Business
Development Corp. for travel,
office rental space, promotional
brochures and studies, but the cor
poration never got off the ground
and never secured any loan guar
antees.
Originally, the dormant compa
ny held onto the money in the
event it became active again, but
First State attorney Benjamin
Allen said the program could not go
forward without additional state
help and decided to repay the
money.
University President Charles
Knapp drafted a letter to Dean
Propst, chancellor of the Board of
Regents, asking that state
Attorney General Michael Bowers
be brought in for advice on how to
avoid a similar problem in the
future.
Propst said that a letter was
sent to Bowers’ office Friday after
noon asking for his help and legal
advice.
The Associated Press contribut
ed to this article.
The man with the fans
Herschel Walker signs an autograph for a fan before the G-Day game on Saturday. Walker was there sign
ing autographs for fans along with Kevin Butler, Bill Payne and Charlie Trippi, among others, for Fan Day.
‘Dangerous’ Tiger Mosquito
to sink its teeth into Georgia
By RUSS BYNUM
Staff Writer
The Yellow Fever Mosquito is on its way out of
Georgia, but it’s being replaced by a nastier breed of
bug with an even nastier bite - the Asian Tiger
Mosquito.
Burton Evans, a professor of entomology at the
University, said the Tiger Mosquito’s presence in
Georgia may not be a welcome one.
“We’re moving out a native for one that’s more
aggressive,” Evans said.
“It’s a very aggressive biter. It bites in the daytime,
which is very unusual for a mosquito."
The Tiger Mosquito, one of approximately 50
species in Georgia, is easy to identify by its markings,
Evans said. “It’s a small, dark black mosquito with a
silver stripe down the back behind its head."
The Tiger’s ability to transmit viral diseases, cou
pled with its affinity for biting humans, makes it even
more dangerous than the Yellow Fever Mosquito.
“It’s just about got all the good characteristics you’d
want to build into a good vector mosouito,” said Arden
Lea, entomology department head. Lea said a vector
is an insect which contracts pathogens from the blood
of its victims and transmits them to another through
its saliva.
Yellow fever, California encephalitis, Eastern
equine encephalitis and dengue are among the dis
eases carried by the Tiger Mosquito, Evans said.
Dengue, a disease not present in the United States
but commonly found in the Caribbean, is commonly
known as break bone fever, Lea said.
“You ache so much, you feel as though your bones
are breaking,” he said. “You don’t die from dengue
usually, but you may wish you did.”
Evans said the Tiger Mosquito first came to the
United States from its native Japan in 1985, entering
port cities in Texas. Entomologists speculate the
mosquito was carried over in a shipment of used tires,
where the insect commonly lays its eggs.
Evans said the Tiger Mosquito spread rapidly
throughout the South as shipments of tires made their
way through Louisiana, Florida and Georgia.
The Tiger first appeared in Fulton and Chatham
counties in 1986 and was discovered in Clarke County
in 1987. Last year, Evans said, the mosquito was
found in 22 counties in Georgia and is now likely to be
in every county in the state.
One reason for the Tiger Mosquito’s rapid expan
sion, Evans said, is that the tires in which they lay
their eggs are not biodegradable
“It’s a difficult problem," Evans said, “because what
do you do with tires? You could put insecticide in
them, but you have to do that in each and every tire.”
Also, unlike the Yellow Fever Mosquito, the Tiger
can breed in the wild by laying its eggs in holes found
in trees and is resistant to cold. Due to this resistance,
the Tiger can be found as far north as Indiana, Illinois
and Ohio, Evans said.
“It’s pretty well established,” I^ea said, “and we
probably wouldn’t be able to eliminate it.”
Lea said the Tiger Mosquito is not a health hazard
“as long as they’re not carrying these viral pathogens,
but there’s no way that you can know that."
Therefore, he said, the Public Health Authority
must monitor people coming into the country for
dengue and other diseases, so there will be little
chance for the Tiger to spread them in the United
States.
East meets West
in Indian festivities
By JEFFREY SISK
Contributing Writer
East met West Saturday night
amid bright native costumes and
authentic cuisine during the India
Nite 1992 celebration at Clarke
Central High School.
More than 300 people, many
dressed in colorful Indian clothing,
attended the festivities, which
included an authentic Indian din
ner and several musical presenta
tions that showcased the cultural
diversity of the country.
Anurag Bairathi, a member of
the Indian Student Association
that sponsored the event, said the
purpose of the evening was to give
non-Indians a look at the culture of
his people.
“Many people don’t have a good
idea about India,” Bairathi said.
“It’s an eye-opener to those people."
Anuj Sinha, president of the
Indian Student Association and
organizer of the dinner, said, “We
want to bring the Indian communi
ty of Athens together for an
evening and expose others to the
food and culture of our country.”
‘Many people don’t
have a good idea
about India. It’s an
eye-opener to those
people.'
- Anurag Bairathi
Member, Indian
Student Association
The dinner, which was privately
catered by some families in the
community, featured a variety of
native cuisine. The menu included
chicken curry, pulao fried rice and
gulab jamun, a rich dessert made of
balls of cream cheese soaked in
syrup.
For Michelle Taylor, the evening
was an opportunity to eat her
favorite food and spend time with
her Indian friends.
“Indian food is my absolute
favorite,” the senior from Atlanta
said. “I have visited the country
and it is nice to see (the communi
ty spirit) again."
Following the dinner, the audi
ence was treated to a dozen perfor
mances of song and dance from var
ious regions of India. The perfor
mances included the Kathak, a
North Indian classical dance, a
Rashmi Mehta performs
the Kathak Dance Saturday
at India Nite 1992.
Bengali folk song and the
Bharatnatyam, a dance from South
India.
The best received dance perfor
mance of the evening was the Koli
Dance, performed by local Indian
children. As the children per
formed, the enthusiastic crowd
shouted, whistled and clapped in
short bursts. When the youngsters
were finished, they received two
hearty ovations.
Himanshu Desai, one of the
approximately 50 volunteer work
ers, said he hoped the night would
dispel myths about the country.
“Through the dances and song,
people can understand India,”
Desai said. “It’s not only what you
see on the news, it is a very rich cul
ture."
Aditi Dutt, a doctoral student in
ecology, and the 1991 winner of the
International Services Depart
ment’s Best International Student
award, said the event serves as a
teaching tool.
“There is so much more to the
country than what the media
shows,” she said. “Most people
think we have cows walking
through the streets and that we eat
monkey eyeballs or something.
That is not the case."
Sinha said the Indian popula
tion of Athens, which is approxi
mately 350, is a strong community
that many Athens residents are
unaware of.
“These events spread the com
munity feeling," he said. “It also
shows that we want to be recog
nized by the people here in Athens."
Big-time bar scene quenches drinkers’ thirst for nightlife
By JOHNATHAN BURNS
Staff Writer
For senior Jon Pollard, the perfect weekend in Athens
begins Thursday when he starts bar-hopping - a trek which
leads him to around five bars a night - and doesn’t end until
4-30 a.m. Sunday morning.
A night out with Pollard is like traveling with Norm from
the TV show “Cheers,” his friends say, because most bar
tenders and bouncers know him by name.
And it’s that aspect of Athens nightlife, a small-town atmo
sphere with big-time bars, that attracts many students down
town.
But for some, that may be changing.
There are some stray people downtown that make you kind
of nervous," said Frank Gaertner, a graduate student from
North Carolina, “and if you go past BankSouth on Thomas
Street, there’s always some grungy characters yelling at you."
Gaertner, who attended UNC as an undergrad, has legiti
mate concerns.
For example, one raucous brawl, described by restaurant
owner Herbie Abroms as “animal-like,” threatened to close
Herbie’s All-Night in the winter.
Stabbings on downtown streets also increased, as alcohol-
related crimes rose 41.7 percent and aggravated assault rose 9
percent, according to an Athens-Clarke County police study.
“It seems like there isn’t a big priority on cleaning up down-
Revelers enjoy Col. Bruce Hampton & the
Aquarium Rescue Unit at the Georgia Theatre.
town," Gaertner said
Many fault the high incidence of violence on the now-
defunct open container ordinance and an excessive amount of
underage drinking.
There is a definite problem with underage drinking," said
Patrick Wall, a senior from St. Mary’s High School.
“Uncontrolled consumption leads to uncontrolled behavior.”
Bars, on the other hand, are pretty lenient, Pollard said. “I
don’t ever see anybody thrown out of bars for it."
Big events held in Athens and at the University cause prob
lems with underage drinking and, many students feel a dou
ble standard in the way laws are enforced.
But other students don’t seem to mind the leniency, espe
cially on football game days.
“Actually, I don’t mind it," said Guri Bath, a sophomore
from Augusta. “It means they won’t arrest alumni for drink
ing, so they can’t enforce the law for students. I'll take it when
I can get it.”
Bars also received praise for not strictly checking IDs.
“Hey, they need to make money and I need to drink," said
a junior from Marietta, who requested anonymity for fear that
his fake ID would be spotted. “I’ve gone to bars where they
don’t even ask for ID. So, yeah, I’d say underage drinking is
pretty bad.”
But for students like Pollard, who said he loves Athens, the
only mtyor concerns about a night out in Athens are where to
find the best drink specials and how to recover in time for
morning classes.
“($4.25) is good for a pitcher, but $4.75 is too much," said
Pollard. “I try to schedule mv classes so that I don’t have one
before 10 a.m. I allow myself time to sober up."