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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1992 » ATHENS, GEORGIA » VOLUME 100, ISSUE 8
Black frats question Pi Kappa’s apology
Apology: flKO president, VP and national consultant deliver apology.
By RUSS BYNUM
Staff Writer
Members of the Pi Kappa Phi fraterni
ty came under heavy fire Tuesday from the
Black Greek Council, as BGC members
bombarded the local fraternity chapter’s
president, outraged over a pledge pam
phlet containing the phrase “no niggers.”
Pi Kappa Phi President James “Tripp”
Ackerman, III appeared before a meeting
of the BGC at 5 p.m. with the fraternity’s
vice president, Tom Parker, and a nation
al chapter Leadership Consultant Jason
Dodd, to apologize and answer questions.
At the beginning of the meeting
Ackerman read a statement written by the
pamphlet’s author, who apologized for the
offensive material and the uproar it has
caused.
"The offensive statement was not con
doned by the chapter president or the
brotherhood.
Also, I regret that this situation may
have caused others to form negative opin
ions about the Lambda chapter, the Greek
community or the University of Georgia
community as a whole," the statement
read.
“I regret that this incident has occurred
and I apologize for any inconvenience that
this has caused the University of Georgia."
The apologies of the writer and the fra
ternity’s officers were not accepted easily.
“I question your sincerity coming before
us and saying that you apologize, because
I do not believe that you feel the way you
say you do,” said BGC member Winston
Campbell. “If you felt that way, you would
not have put the derogatory statement in
your pamphlet in the first place.”
But Ackerman insisted the offensive
slur was the result of the fraternity’s igno
rance rather than viciousness, and that
they are working in conjunction with
Minority Services and Programs Director
Leslie Bates to better educate their mem
bers on racial sensitivity issues.
“This situation reflects a great amount
of ignorance on behalf of everyone in the
chapter, [ini that this was allowed to
remain in the manual,” Ackerman said. “I
hope that, through positive steps that we
are taking, especially with the office of
minority affairs, that we can lose this igno
rance that the chapter has.”
Although Pi Kappa Phi’s national chap
ter has already expelled the pamphlet's
author from the fraternity, BGC members
said they feel more severe punishment
should have been administered to the
entire chapter, especially since the frater
nity did not take action on the issue until
the pamphlet was discovered by
University officials two days later.
Ackerman said the fraternity members
knew the offensive slur had been printed
in the pamphlet during those two days.
“Just for the organization, our chapter
as a whole, there was a lot of sentiment in
the chapter about this being in the publi
cation," Ackerman said. “There were peo
ple who expressed negative opinion about
that to me. There was no time that we
could’ve gotten together to meet on that
agenda.”
But in a telephone interview earlier
Tuesday afternoon, the national fraternity
chapter’s assistant executive director,
Glenn Dickson, said the Athens chapter
members were not aware the offensive
statement had been printed in the pam
phlets until the University’s Greek Life
office became aware of it on Tuesday.
Also during the meeting, Student
Activities Director Bill Porter told the BGC
the incident has been referred to the stu
dent judiciary, which may bring charges
against the fraternity as a group for viola
tion of University policy.
“They are in the process now of gather
ing the information they need to decide
what steps to take next,” he said.
However, Porter said, justice in this
case may not be as swift as the BGC’s
members would like.
“I have never seen a case go to the stu
dent judiciary within a week,” Porter said
after the meeting. “It’s always a matter of
weeks rather than days "
Interfraternity Council President
Michael Burnett announced at the meeting
that, although the IFC has no jurisdiction
over the incident, other Greek organiza
tions are reacting to condemn it. The
University’s sororities, he said, have decid
ed not to participate in Pi Kappa Phi’s
annual philanthropic War of the Roses
football tournament this year.
“They decided not to participate in that
because they don’t want to in any way sup
port the chapter with this incident,"
Burnett said.
But BGC member and Alpha Phi Alpha
President Edward McMurty said he
believes the incident could .arguably fall
under the charge of hazing, an offense
punishable by the IFC.
“Hazing is anything that makes anyone
feel uncomfortable, and to say they can’t
associate with ‘niggers’, black people peri
od, that’s it,” McMurty said. “They could be
brought up on hazing charges because they
are prohibiting somebody.”
After the meeting adjourned, BGC
President Frank McMurty said he felt it
would have gone better if the pamphlet’s
author, who remains anonymous, had been
present.
Natural Resources under fire
By LORI WIECHMAN and THERESA WALSH
Staff Writers
After two hours of discussion Tuesday, the University Council's
Executive Committee finally decided... not to decide.
The committee declined to shut down the University’s Institute of
Natural Resources, and instead sent the termination request to the
Curriculum Committee of the University Council.
That committee has until the November meeting of the council to
examine the institute and see if it should be dissolved. As a rule, any
time an institution is dissolved or created it must go through the cur
riculum committee of the council.
The executive committee was given the appeal to terminate the 28-
year-old institute after Vice President for Research Joe Key recom
mended it to University President Charles Knapp in August. Key’s rec
ommendation was based on a negative review of the institute, handled
by the Office of Research earlier this year.
But Ron North, director of the institute, which has nine faculty-staff
members, claims he wasn’t informed of the possible termination of the
institute until after Key talked with Knapp.
“In six years with Dr. Key, he’s never given me an evaluation, or
discussed my performance. So I thought things were going great,”
North said.
At the meeting, North spoke in defense of his department.
There is absolutely no way it can be done effectively,” North said,
referring to Key’s suggestion that the functions of the institute be
divided into different departments at the University.
“There is no sense of any lack of interest in the area of natural
resources,” said Michael Moriarty, associate vice president in the Office
of Research. “There is the need to have the area of natural resources
present at the University,” he said, but added that the current admis-
trative arrangement of the Institute doesn’t fill that need.
In other actions, the committee asked Vice President for
Development and University Relations Don Eastman to address the
Oct. 22 University Council meeting concerning fund-raising and the
faculty’s possible role in the Third Century Campaign.
The Third Century Campaign is a University campaign to raise
$150 million to fund the University well into the 21st century.
Tfie committee also approved a proposal for a specialty in Student
Affairs Administration in the University’s College of Education. It also
elected comparative literature professor Betty Jean Craige as chair of
the Executive Committee to succeed Peter Dress.
Cleland urges students to register, vote
‘No more excuses’
says Ga. Secretary
By KELLY DANIEL
Staff Writer
A group of about 200 students listened to an
enthusiastic Secretary of State Max Cleland at
the Tate Center Plaza Tuesday.
Cleland was one of nine speakers at the Vote
’92 rally designed to increase voter registration
among students.
“Isn’t this great?” Cleland said to an aide as
he arrived at the rally and saw the students
surrounding the voter registration tables.
Cleland, members from the state and local
election boards and Athens CEO Gwen
O’Looney spoke for nearly an hour about the
importance of the youth vote, as the year-long
registration drive heads into its final week.
“Next week at this time, it’ll be too late to
register to vote,” Cleland said. “We want to
make sure that anybody on this campus who
wants to register to vote can.”
The rally is the highlight of a week-long
voter registration drive by the Student
Government Association, which is seeking to
add 1,500 new voters to the Georgia polls.
William Perry, senior SGA senator and coordi
nator of the University’s drive, said SGA regis
tered 201 students Monday and 271 students
Tuesday.
O’Looney reminded the students that their
vote is important and can make a difference.
“We want you to know that you’re wanted in
this community as a full citizen, a full repre
sentative of what democracy means to Athens,
to Georgia and to the United States,” she said.
During the rally, lines of students waiting to
register reached three to four wide as workers
filled out card after card. Response from the
crowd, boosted by the student activity fair, was
Free pizza and beer: Secretary of
State Max Cleland joked that free
pizza and beer might boost voter
registration among students, adding
“but that’s against the law.”
largely positive, although many continued to
mill about the booths while the dignitaries were
speaking.
Jamsey Collins, a sophomore from Vidalia,
was one student giving the rally his full atten
tion.
“It was interesting,” he said. “It (the rally!
got people together and made them think about
what is really going on.”
Collins said he had just finished registering
to vote because, “I want to be heard.”
Carl Wood law, also a sophomore from
Vidalia, said he was impressed by the rally, and
especially by Cleland’s visit.
“It made me feel more comfortable to be here
at the University,” VVoodlaw said. Students
should “definitely” register and take advantage
of the drive, he added.
The secretary of state’s office began the
bipartisan effort to register young voters in
January, culminating this week with rallies at
the University, Georgia Tech, Fort Valley State
College and Macon College.
When asked what he thought could be done
to increase turnout among younger voters,
Cleland laughingly said, “Free pizza and beer,
but thut’s against the law.”
Turning serious, he added, “Now I think all
of us, especially college students, are realizing,
‘Hey, politics affects my life. Hey, if l don’t have
good politics in America, I don’t have a good
economy, therefore I can’t get a job when I grad
uate.’ I think also students tend to want to go
for change. They want positive improvement in
politics.”
The economy, fears of not finding post-grad
uation jobs and a desire for change are the moti
vating factors behind student registration, the
secretary of state said.
One of Cleland’s aides said the secretary of
state is predicting a 70 percent voter turnout in
November, a large portion of which will come
from young voters.
Nationally, 78 percent of registered voters
ages 18 to 2-1 vote. However, this age group also
has the lowest percentage of registered voters
and, in Georgia, makes up the least represent
ed age group.
Legislation changes in 1991 made the cam
pus registration drive possible, because college
presidents can now be deputized registrars.
“No more barriers, no more reasons, no more
excuses not to register and go vote Nov. 3,”
Cleland said.
Currently, students can register at Tate
Student Center or at the board of elections office
in the courthouse. Monday, Oct. 5 is the regis
tration deadline for people wishing to vote in
the Nov. 3 general elections.
A wild card in the presidential race
Call me, Perot asks supporters
By TRAVIS RICE
Staff Writer
Potential presidential candidate Ross Perot
called upon his volunteers to make up his mind for
him Monday night, asking them whether he should
activate his suspended campaign.
But as far as University political science profes
sor Charles Bullock is concerned, the possibility of
Perot winning the White House is “not at all con
ceivable.”
If Perot were to run, it is unsure how he would
affect the race
“Perot will help Clinton in the South by taking
away some of Bush’s white conservative base,” said
Bullock. “But there are some regions where Perot
could steal some of Clinton’s anti-Bush vote.”
On CNN’s Larry King Live, Perot asked his vol
unteers to call an 800 number if they thought he
should renew his bid for the presidency. The calls
are answered by a recording, with every call being
added to the total number.
“If everything goes as scheduled we should make
an announcement on Thursday." Perot said.
However, he would not comment on how many
phone calls were needed to prompt him to re-enter
the race.
Even with Perot’s theatrical come back, Bullock
said he was unsure how much of the electorate the
Texas billionaire would win.
“People might still vote for Perot as a protest
vote," he said. “The negative ratings for both of the
other candidates are remarkably high."
Augusta Sophomore Brandon Reese said not only
does he question why anyone would vote for Perot,
but he doesn’t know why Perot is even considering
running.
“I think he knows he can’t win. Entering the
race now is contrary to the statement he made when
he dropped out, which was that he didn’t want to
disrupt the process,” he snid.
However, sophomore Gregg Denzin from
Jonesboro was glad to hear of Perot’s possible re
entry.
“The competition is not that great,” said Denzin.
“I had second thoughts about Perot because he
dropped out, but he has proven through business
that he can be successful.”
Kendall Dunson, a senior from LaGrange who
had considered Perot but now leans toward Clinton,
thinks that Perot shouldn’t even be a factor.
‘The media is giving him too much
attention for him to not be a real
candidate. I might have voted for
him if he hadn’t dropped out.’
- Kendall Dunson
University senior from LaGrange
Even though she won’t be voting for him, Michelle
McDonald, a junior from Manchester, said she sees a
positive result if Perot re-activates his campaign.
“Maybe if he gets back in the race, it will get
Clinton and Bush on the ball, make them do wfiat they
say they’re going to do,"McDonald said.
The number Perot gave to support his campaign re-
entry is (800) 925-1300.
Atlanta singer Liz Spraggins sings
“America the Beautiful" Tuesday,
as part of the festivities for the
student voter registration drive
being held all this week at the
Tate Center Plaza. Prospective
voters should bring picture identi
fication and proof of address (a
postmarked utility bill, or other
official document mailed to the
voter's address) to register to
vote. The registration drive will
continue until Monday, Oct. 5, the
last day to register to vote in the
November presidential elections.
Out-of-town voters may also regis
ter to vote as an absentee.
For purple
mountains'
majesty...
