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Squirrels, birds on campus are cute, but rats? - 5
The Red & Black
An independent student newspaper serving the University of Georgia community
I
THURSDAY, MAY 14, 1992 • ATHENS, GEORGIA • VOLUME 99, ISSUE 137
INSIDE
The Black Theatrical
Ensemble performs
“The Man Who Killed
God.’
6
Weather Considerable'
clouds. Bet you never
considered them before.
Student believed to have meningitis
■ HOW MENINGITIS IS TRANSMITTED
• Sneezing
• Coughing
• Other oral secretions
• Sharing food
• Sharing liquids
Who to contact If you think
mwi may tart been omoood;
Gilbert Health Center 542-1162
Freshman’s diagnosis expected today
By DAVID TWIDDY
Staff Writer
Physicians at St. Mary’s Hospital will deter
mine today if a University student admitted
Tuesday night has bacterial meningitis.
Virginia Murray, a freshman from Griffin,
was in stable condition Wednesday, said
Lorraine Edwards, public relations director for
St. Mary’s.
University Health Services is giving the pre
ventive drug Rifampin to students who may
have come in contact with Murray recently,
including members of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fra
ternity where she attended a party over the
weekend, according to a prepared statement.
Gilbert Health Center has treated around 80
fraternity members and close friends of Murray.
Rifampin is given orally in two doses per day
for two days.
Jacquelyn Kinder, director of University
Health Services, said in the statement that the
disease takes five days to incubate and isn’t
highly contagious.
It can be transmitted by sneezing, coughing
or by sharing food or drink with an infected per
son, she said.
Dr. Clyde Thomas, a general practitioner in
Roswell, stressed that close contact is needed
for the disease to be spread.
“Not everyone who had a class with the per
son needs to worry," he said.
Two years ago, University student Stacy
Ware died from bacterial meningitis only hours
after showing symptoms.
Symptoms include fever, vomiting, severe
headaches, nausea and stiffness of the neck.
Meningitis, in either the viral or bacterial
form, attacks the meninges, the membrane that
surrounds the brain and spinal cord, and can be
fatal in a matter of days, Thomas said.
~The worse infections are those that are bac
terial,” Thomas said. “My own mother died of
meningitis that was caused by a pneumococcal
bacteria that infected her sinus and then her
brain tissue."
Bacteria] meningitis is caused by several dif
ferent types of bacteria, usually the meningo
coccal bacteria, while viral meningitis is caused
by a virus very similar to the one that causes
mononucleosis, he said.
Bacterial infections develop more rapidly,
Thomas said.
When the infection spreads to the spinal tis
sues, the disease is called spinal meningitis, he
said.
Murray’s parents could not be reached for
comment Wednesday.
New living will bill covers
comas, vegetative states
By AMY LYN MAULDIN
Staff Writer
Terminally ill patients in Georgia now have the
ability to discontinue life support - even if they are
in a coma and cannot speak for themselves - under
an updated living will bill written by state Rep. Jim
Martin (D-Atlanta) and Sen. Paul Broun (D-Athens).
The new bill, approved by Gov. Zell Miller April 16,
says that people can sign a will stating that they want
their life support discontinued in the event that they
cannot speak for themselves.
The new bill expressly covers comas and vegeta
tive states," said Eaton. “It also includes the possibil
ity that different kinds of life support that can be
taken away can include food and water."
‘The person for whom these
documents are designed is not the
person who is ill, but for the family
members who have to make the
choice of what to do if the patient
can’t speak for himself.’
- State Rep. Jim Martin
Co-writer of living will bill
The original living will bill was passed 10 years
ago, but University Law Professor Thomas Eaton
said the bill was passed in a different political cli
mate.
There was a lot of concern about whether funda
mentalists would have problems with it,” he said.
“Under the original bill, the patient specifically had
to be in a terminal condition, and terminal condition
was narrowly defined."
Eaton said if the person could be kept alive with
life support, the living will was declared void. He also
said there was a second limitation of the bill, which
did not authorize withdrawal of feeding tubes.
An amendment was passed on the original bill two
years ago.
According to this amendment, a patient could sign
the durable power of attorney contract, a bill passed
by Martin. This bill allowed a person who was ter
minally ill to designate an agent to make a decision
on whether or not life support should be discontinued
if the patient was in a coma or vegetative state and
could not make a personal decision.
“The old living will bill was narrow compared to
that," said Martin. “It didn’t cover a person in a coma
or a vegetative state. If they couldn’t speak for them
selves, their living will could not operate."
He said people were questioning the durable
power of attorney bill, however, because most people
wanted to be able to make this type of decision them
selves and not have to rely on another person.
Eaton said the original bill did not apply to preg
nant women. The new bill states that a woman can
decide if she wants the will carried out even if she is
pregnant, as long as the fetus is not viable.
“This was considered progress by many pro-choice
groups,” said Martin. “Even though it’s not an abor
tion issue, it allows a woman to make decisions about
her body.”
He said this eliminates the need to continue
expensive life support treatment and the pain and
stress of having to keep a woman alive just so she
can be an incubator for her baby.
He said this was a controversial bill in the House
and the Senate.
“The votes were very close,” Martin said. “But this
bill is very popular with senior citizens and with
people who are familiar with the pain and suffering
of people who are terminally ill.
“The person for whom these documents are
designed is not the person who is ill, but for the fam
ily members who have to make the choice of what to
do if the patient can’t speak for himself,” he said. “It
avoids a lot of emotional strain and controversy with
in the family.”
The croaker croaked
Audra Mack, of Augusta, dissects a frog in biology lab
Wednesday.
Phi Kappas, Demosthenians
to debate science vs. religion
By RUSS BYNUM
Staff Writer
A 170-year-old rivalry adds
another chapter to its history of
conflict tonight as members of the
Demosthenian and Phi Kappa
debate societies carry on their
annual tradition of formal debate.
The clash of rhetoricians
begins at 8:30 p.m. in the Moot
Courtroom at the School of Law.
It is free and open to the public.
Tfie debate topic is “What has
contributed more to society - sci
ence or religion?"
The history behind the two
organizations’ competition dates
back to 1820, when Phi Kappa
was founded at the University by
John Henry Lumpkin, Phi Kappa
President Russell Hicks said.
Demosthenian President Mark
Glidewell said his organization
was founded in 1803 and is the
oldest student organization at the
University, as well as the oldest
debate society in the South.
Tonight’s debate will be the
second between the two organiza
tions since Phi Kappa reformed in
October 1990. Hicks said the
organization folded in 1978 due to
a decrease in membership and
lack of financial support.
Although the Phi Kappas and
the Demosthenians have tradi
tionally held their rancorous
debates at the Chapel, Hicks said
both organizations decided to
move the location to the School of
Law’s Moot Courtroom for last
year’s debate.
Glidewell said since this year’s
debate topic was chosen by the
Demosthenians, Phi Kappa had
the option of choosing which side
to defend. Glidewell said he feels
Phi Kappa has the initial advan
tage in the debate, since they
chose to defend science.
“I think it’s going to be close,"
Glidewell said, “but science - it’s
going to be easier to support
that.
There are four debate mem
bers on each team.
Even though he refrained from
making bold claims about how his
team will perform, Hicks said he
agreed with Glidewell that Phi
Kappa’s position does give them a
will be more factual support for
our side because it won’t be so
esoteric."
Although both Glidewell and
Hicks said debate helps improve
communication skills, they both
admitted there is more to it than
learning how to organize and
articulate an argument.
“A certain arrogance goes
along with it,” Glidewell said.
“Youre defending what you
believe is right. There’s a certain
excitement that goes along with
succeeding and a certain pressure
that goes along with failure."
“I get a rush through the art of
asking the perfect question,”
Hicks said. “It’s kind of a little
power trip to waste someone with
a question.”
slight advantage.
“I think he Y s probably right
Hicks said. “I just feel like thei
Un-Koos-tomary game being
test-marketed in tournament
Albany senior Tom Shay and Macon senior Sayer Malone
play the 1,000-year-old game of Koos.
By CATHLEEN EGAN
Staff Writer
A game believed to be invented
several thousand years ago by the
Bakhatiari Tribe of Southwest
Persia is making inroads at the
University, thanks to the efforts of
several students.
The William Mills advertising
agency hired three interns from
campus to promote a new board
game called Koos.
Marketing fraternity Pi Sigma
Epsilon sponsored a tournament at
the Tate Student Center Tuesday
to plug the two-player game.
Donations were made throughout
the day, with proceeds going to the
Athens Area Homeless Shelter.
While Koos is no Monopoly or
Parcheesi, intern Sultana Shabazz
said it combines aspects of chess,
backgammon and checkers to give
the players an easy learning chal
lenge all packaged in a compact
suitcase.
“When people first come by they
are hesitant t>y the way it looks,
but once they play, they don’t want
to lose," she said recalling the cut
throat games she and her mother
played.
The object of the game is to
eliminate all the opponent’s pieces
first.
Shabazz said the agency’s objec
tive is to work with a condensed
area, such as Athens, and then
move to larger markets like
Atlanta.
The whole point is they don’t
want Atlanta to know about it," the
senior from Atlanta said. They are
trying to concentrate (Koos) by
using local advertisers, and once
they get results from the small
market, then they’ll target the big
market."
Senior Robin Turner said she
recommended to take the project to
Pi Sigma Epsilon, of which she is a
member.
“We’re test-marketing in
Athens," she said. “We’re doing
this through exposure by the tour
nament and advertising, which is
mainly in radio "
Tracey Weatherford, tourna
ment winner, said although the
game is easy to learn and fun to
play, Koos’ survival in the board
game market is uncertain.
The game could be great if peo
ple could play it because they
would like it,” the senior from
Thomas ton said. “But it could be
one of those that aren’t noticed
because one thing the/ll think is
that it’s too hard before they play
it"
Sophomore John Thomason,
who came in second place behind
Weatherford, said he came out to
play for more than just sheer plea
sure.
“I like doing this because it’s for
the homeless people," he said. “It
gives me a chance to help people in
the community."
Perry to chair
Regents Student
Advisory Council
By LORI WIECHMAN
Staff Writer
The Uni
versity Sys
tem Board of
Regents
announced
Wednesday
that William
Perry, a
senior from
Chamblee,
has been
selected as
chair of the
Student Ad
visory Council. Perry will repre
sent the 191,832 students in the
University System.
The council includes representa
tives from the 34 University
System institutions and meets
quarterly to develop ideas to
improve student life in colleges
around Georgia. During winter
quarter, the council presents their
proposals to the Board.
“I mainly want to expand the
Student Advisory Council - it acts
as a liaison between the students
and the chancellor, the Board of
Regents, the public and the legis
lature," Perry said.
“If we combined all our efforts
between student government asso
ciations, SAC could be an influen
tial group in the budget and give
teachers higher pay."
Perry said he didn’t know of any
specific issues he wanted the Board
to look at next year, but said the
SAC will meet in the summer to
discuss possible ideas.
Perry said he is not intimidated
by the prospect of bringing ideas to
the Regents, since he has served on
the council in the past and because
the Board is generally receptive to
their proposals
The Regents take into account
what we say,” he said. “We’re the
only group the chancellor invites to
his house for dinner every year.
For the chancellor to let about 150
kids come into his house, he must
really support us."
In other action, the Board con
tinued discussion of a policy for
free tuition for University System
employees, but gave no definite
response on the outcome of the pro
posal.
The policy, developed by the 34
University System presidents, will
allow full-time University System
employees to register without fees
for two credit courses per academ
ic term, if class space is available.
The discussion concerned allow
ing state employees to register for
class without tuition and a possible
reduction in tuition instead of
allowing free tuition.
The reason why tuition remis
sion wouldn’t extend to state
employees is because it would be a
fringe benefit for system employ
ees," said James Cofer, Regents’
treasurer.
Other Board members ques
tioned the amount of time an
employee would have to work to be
given the benefit and whether
senior citizens, who are allowed
tuition remission, would be able to
take the class before employees if
space was limited.
This was the first time to bring
it up to the Board," said Cofer. “It
wasn’t a negative response, but
we’ll have to bring it up to them a
couple of times."
Cofer said he didn’t know when
the policy would be brought up for
Board approval.