Newspaper Page Text
1
r
■ Apres Heures, or After Hours - 6
The Red & Black
An independent student newspaper serving the University of Georgia community
INSIDE
Georgia State
Employees Union
president works hard
for employees.
2
Weather: Hey, I only have
three lines here. Just look at
the story below.
FRIDAY. MAY 8. 1992 • ATHENS, GEORGIA • VOLUME 99, ISSUE 133
Professor implicated in school system fraud
Name used to deposit fraudulent funds; investigator says he was a pawn
By TRACI E POWELL
Campus Correspondent
Henry Adams, a research professor in
the department of psychology, said he now
understands how rape victims feel, after he
was implicated in a scheme to steal more
than $331,000 from the Athens-Clarke
County School System.
“My integrity has been questioned," he
•aid. "The more I try to explain it, the worse
I look."
Scott Berry, an investigator with the
Clarke County district attorney’s office, said
Adams’ name was used as a pawn to
defraud the school district.
“Mr. Adams had no knowledge nor did he
have anything to do with it. Evidence points
to the fact that Adams did know certain
school officials, but he is no way culpable for
this crime," he said.
Adams said Chester Strader, a former
school district consultant and a former
acquaintance of Adams, opened a
BankSouth account in Adams’ name to
deposit money paid by the school board for
consultations never performed.
“You really have to be careful who your
friends are,” Adams said. “My lawyer and I
confronted Strader after the bank informed
me of a bounced check with Strader’s sig
nature on it. He said he only deposited
$1,200, agreed to make full restitution, and
said he would close the account if we did not
go to the police," Adams said.
Adams said he agreed to the arrange
ment because he did not realize the extent
of Strader's thievery and because he did not
want to see Strader imprisoned.
Strader, charged with violating the
state’s racketeering, influence and corrupt
organization statute, pleaded guilty
Tuesday to a reduced charge of theft by tak
ing.
In addition, Bernie Stills, former person
nel director for the school district, was sen
tenced to 10 years, five in confinement and
the other five on probation, after pleading
guilty to charges of racketeering Tuesday,
Berry said.
Adams said he has rarely seen Benton
and Stills and has never met Carol Purvis,
former Clarke County school superinten
dent, who was also indicted in the case.
Purvis pleaded not guilty to racketeering
charges Tuesday.
“It has been terribly painful having my
name associated with that group of
thieves," Adams said. “It has been extreme
ly uncomfortable for me, in an academic set
ting where behavior it supposed to bt
beyond reproach, to have my name linked
to a bunch of ‘scuzzballs,’ " he said.
Adams, who works primarily with adults
and sexual disorders, said he believes his
name was used because he is a known psy
chologist throughout the community.
This type of confidence ‘con’ game is
something we’ve seen before. People take
names and information about other people
and open bank accounts. The people target
ed are usually respected in the community
- businessmen, people who are not and
have not been involved in any criminal
activity," Berry said.
The district attome/s office hopes to try
Purvis and John H. “Jack* Benton, former
director of district services, on racketeering
charges later this month.
CEO’s power to appoint questioned
i/ Ttw Std and Blaek
The Rev. Louis Logan speaks at Thursday's rally.
Groups urge students to fight
police brutality at Tate rally
By RUSS BYNUM
and JOHNATHAN BURNS
Staff Writers
Issues raised by the verdict in
the Rodney King beating trial a
week ago still hang heavily on the
minds of some University stu
dents.
Members of African American
Power, the Black Affairs Council
and the NAACP held a rally at the
Tate Student Center Plaza
Thursday encouraging students to
join the fight against police bru-
tality.
About 40 students gathered to
receive the groups’ message
despite the unusually cool 48-
degree weather.
This weather is very indica
tive of the way we feel," AAP
member Talitha Davis said. "It
will be a cold day in hell when we
forret what has happened, and it
will be an even colder day in hell
when we let it happen again.
The Rodney Ring beating is
very familiar to us, because police
brutality goes on in the United
States every day," Davis said.
“What kind of country do we live
in where we can see, in our living
rooms, black people being beaten
down?"
The Rev. Louis Logan, of the
African-American Interdenomi
national Ministry, said, “ ‘In God
we trust’ is written on American
money, but ‘a black man’s head we
bust’ is written on the American
mores."
AAP President Eric Wise said
the group plans to establish com
munications with Athens-Clarke
County and University police to
make them more aware of the
black community’s concerns.
Wise said members of the
University’s black organizations
will meet Tuesday to draft a letter
denouncing the King verdict,
which will be sent to the
Department of Justice.
To help prevent incidents of
police brutality from occurring,
Wise suggested students refrain
from going out alone, especially at
night. If an incident should occur,
Wise said, one should get the offi
cers name and badge number and
report the incident to the police
immediately.
The Tate Center was also the
sight of a vigil, where candles, not
buildings, burned Wednes day
night, as more than 60 students,
faculty and community members
focused on ways to voice their dis
approval of the Los Angeles ver
dict.
"At the beginning of this meet
ing, everybody’s candle was lit,"
Anando Dawson, a junior minori
ty assistant said, stressing the
need for cohesion. “We could have
put them all together and had a
nice fire. But we each held our
own little fire and didn’t think
about anyone else’s fire. And now
all our candles are out.”
The crowd of both blacks and
whites called for a boycott of prod
ucts from California and a total
revamping of the judiciary sys
tem.
The racial composition of this
group should not be overlooked,"
Robert Pratt, acting director of
the Institute of African-American
Studies, said. “Look around. We
are the future here."
By PAUL COX
Staff Writer
Commissioners began discussions this week
to change the Athens-Clarke County charter
that would eliminate the Chief Elected Officer’s
ability to appoint a manager every other year.
At a Tuesday work session, most members of
the Athens-Clarke County Commission over
whelmingly supported the change that some
believe will greatly reduce the CEO’s power.
The charter’s amendment would provide the
manager, who is responsible for appointing
heads of government departments, an extended
contract renewable upon approval by the com
mission.
The current charter states that the manager,
Russ Crider, serves a term of two years. After
completion of the term, the CEO has the power
to nominate a new person for the position.
Many commissioners, however, argued that
such a short term detracts from the govern
ment’s ability to recruit quality managers.
“My concern is that in a charter that says a
manager should serve a term of two years, if
anything should happen to the manager, all we
could do is have a replacement for the term,"
said 7th District Commissioner Cardee
Kilpatrick.
Fourth District Commissioner John Barrow
remained among the few commissioners who
were steadfastly against the move.
Barrow said to change the charter would
eliminate one of the CEO’s essential functions.
“It’s a matter of taking away power of the
CEO," he said.
Barrow said in a telephone interview
Thursday that if this move is approved, the
commission would assume too much power. He
said this form of government would be contrary
to that agreed upon by the citizens when the
city and county were unified.
“What we are talking about is repudiating
that form of government before it has a chance
to work," he said. The one thing that everybody
said (when the governments were combined) is
that we don’t want a powerful commission form
of government."
While the debate continues, 10th District
Commissioner Tal Duvall said the commission
needs to remember the real concern with chang
ing the charter involves maintaining the
integrity of the government.
“I think the issue here is the continuity of the
government," he said.
“We want a good, professionally managed
government," Duvall said. “I shudder to think
when this government will be searching for a
good manager."
CEO Gwen O’Looney said the changes the
commission is considering would greatly reduce
her abilities in relation to the manager’s. Such
a change, she said, must be considered very
carefully in order to preserve the government
Athens-Clarke County residents approved in
January 1991.
Campus Transit now supervises
transport of temporarily disabled
By JENNIFER PETERSON
Staff Writer
Larry Hornsby gets curbside ser
vice every morning after breakfast
at Oglethorpe dining hall from the
Disabled Student Transport van.
He’s not in a wheelchair, but has
been leaning on crutches since he
broke his leg over spring break. His
brother accidentally hit him with
the family car.
“Tfiey had me get a doctor’s note,"
said Hornsby, a sophomore from
Augusta. “I was like, ‘Well look, it’s
broken.’
They said I had to go over there
to get a reauest form and I thought,
‘I can’t walk and I can’t drive, he
said. "So I just got someone to take
me over there."
After the initial process of getting
permission from Campus Transit to
use the transport service, Hornsby
said he’s been very pleased with it.
But students with permanent
disabilities said they feel students
with temporary disabilities should
consider other options before calling
the van.
“I see people who are on crutches
and it’s killing them," said Peggy
Polonus, a graduate student in
speech pathology from Augusta,
who uses a wheelchair. "Crutches
are painful, but I have mixed feel
ings.
“A lot of people who have broken
legs are pnysically able to get
around; the other parts of their bod
ies are strong."
She said these students could try
to get rides with friends.
“I have friends who would be
happy to give me a ride, but getting
my wheelchair in the car is an
impossibility,” Polonus said.
Students like Hornsby are
allowed to use the transport service
until their doctors gives them per
mission to return to normal activi
. hmU •*«/ ThS'Wa
The Disabled Student Service van transports permanent
ly disabled students.
ties.
The transport service has been
operating for 14 years and has three
vans specifically for the service.
“We first try to accommodate peo
ple on the buses because our space
is so limited on the vans,” said
Campus Transit Director Ron
Hamlin, referring to temporarily
disabled students. “But when it’s a
broken leg or a surgery that would
cause theleg to stick out in the aisle,
we try to get them off the buses and
onto the vans so they’ll be more com
fortable."
Until winter quarter this year,
Disability Services screened both
permanently and temporarily dis
abled students. Campus Transit
handles temporarily disabled stu
dents now.
"We’re relatively new at screen
ing people ourselves,” Hamlin said.
“More people are being accommo
dated as part of our learning."
They carry an nverage of 40 to 50
students per day, he said.
Karen Kalivoda, director of
Disability Services, said the decision
doesn’t mean temporary disability
isn’t taken seriously.
“I’m not saying that temporary
disabilities aren’t legitimate because
they do face legitimate transporta
tion problems,” she said. “We felt it
would be more efficient to handle
them directly through (Campus
Transit)."
TTie students fill out a schedule of
the times and places they need the
transport service during the day,
Hamlin said.
“We try to schedule them as far
in advance as possible, but we try to
accommodate their last minute
needs, too," he said. “We try to
accommodate them on an on-call
basis as well as a scheduled basis.”
Senior dies after lifelong battle with cystic fibrosis
By JEFF COEN
Staff Writer
Lauren Kelly, a University senior called “inspirational'' by
friend* and relatives, died Wednesday night at Emory
University Hospital in Atlanta alter a lifelong battle with cys
tic fibrosis.
Funeral services for Kelly will be Saturday at 2 p.m. at
Sandy Springs Methodist Church.
The 21-year-old member of Delta Gamma sorority and
Golden Key Honor Society was named one of the top 10 female
sophomores at the University in 1990 and was named an out
standing senior leader for 1992. Kelly, a child development
major from Greenville, S.C., was studying to be a child life spe
cialist.
“She was an incredible person," said Rusty Ramsey, a fel
low senior and friend of Kelly. “She had the biggest heart of
anyone I’ve known.’
Nancy Marcuz, Kelly’s mother, said her daughter believed
she had the very mat in life.
'Since the time she was conscious of her cystic fibrosis, she
had three prayers,’ Marcut said. The first was for a curs; the
second was that she could live as normally and hilly as possi
ble; and the third was that when her time came she would go
quickly.
“She didn't want to be sick for a long time. I can say she had
all her prayers answered except for the first one.’
Cystic fibrosis is a fatal genetic defect that leads to respi
ratory and digestive problems and chronic infections. People
who suffer from the ailment are on constant medication.
“She never cried about her condition,* Marcuz said. “She
believed she had the very best. She told me that if she had it
to do all over again, she wouldn’t change a thing. She wanted
her funeral to be a celebration of her life.’
Sherry Green, Delta Gamma president, said Kelly was an
inspiration to the chapter.
l She did all the thingd that anyone else did, and she did
them better,’ Green said -Hie things she accomplished in her
short life were incredible. She was a true inspiration.
“We realized her ftiturs, but you can never be prepared for
this. We're all just numb around here.’
Green said Delta Gamma is planning a memorial service in
addition to the one scheduled for Saturday.
David Fletcher, assistant to the vice president for Student
Affairs, said the University is also I
planning a local service.
“She was a brave young lady,’
Fletcher said. “She had been a
counselor at Blue Ridge Camp, a
camp for cystic fibrosis to help oth
ers like herself. From what I
understand, she was quite a per
son."
Kelly is survived by her father,
Gerald W. Kelly of Decatur, Ala.;
her mother and stepfather, Lou
and Nancy Marcuz; her brother
Scott, a second-year law student 1 ^
at the University; and her fiancee, Lauren Kelly
Andrew Netcher. 1
“She had a tremendous spirit,"
Mrs. Marcuz said. “She struggled from birth, but she didn’t feel
like she struggled. She knew of many people she felt had lees
than her. And she was very happy to have met and fallen in
love with her fiance, Andrew. I can tell you she’ll really be
missed’