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Dayroom will crisp
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3
Weather: Fair and high.
Fairly high. Does that mean
mid-60s? Whatever, man.
TUESDAY, MARCH 9, 1993 • ATHENS, GEORGIA • VOLUME 100, ISSUE 92
INSIDE
u.
Two Swim Dogs are vying for
spots in an NCAA diving meet.
See page 6.
9 No Nonsense
School of Fish are no-nonsense,
big gun rock V rollers.
9 Sports
Alabama gets a little Red in the
face playing the Tennis Dogs.
Frat party erupts into brawl
More than 50 involved;
police officer injured
By KELLY DANIEL
and DAVID TWIDDY
Staff Writers
Metal chairs and punches were thrown in an early-
morning brawl at a fraternity-sponsored party in
Memorial Hall last weekend, leaving University officials
unsure of exactly what happened.
More than 50 members of the Omega Psi Phi and
Kappa Alpha Psi fraternities were involved in the fight,
which broke out around 12:50 a.m. Saturday and sent
one University police officer to the hospital with minor
injuries.
Police have made no arrests in the incident but the
fight is still under investigation, said University police
Lt. Jeff Whitfield.
Both University police and Ron Binder, adviser to
fraternities, said they didn’t know what prompted the
melee, which broke out in the middle of the dance floor
in the main ballroom of Memorial Hall.
“People were swinging (metal folding) chairs and
were hitting people with them,” Whitfield said.
Three University officers were hit with the chairs, but
only one, Rodney Deal, required staples (which are the
same as stitches) at St. Mary’s Hospital. Deal was treat
ed and released and is in good condition, Whitfield said.
Binder said alcohol did not play a part in the violence
because it’s not permitted at on-campus functions.
There were no reports of any student injuries in the
fray.
“You’d think there’d be more (injuries) than that with
people swinging chairs,” Whitfield said.
Binder said the University has yet to bring any
charges against either fraternity, pending investigation
by police.
The Omegas, who sponsored the party, are liable for
any damages to the ballroom or to the chairs, Binder
said.
The Omegas were reinstated to the University in
September 1992 following a 1991 suspension for hazing
violations and are still under a severe three-year proba
tion, Binder said.
“The Omegas have a lot to lose,” Binder said. “That’s
why we’re being very careful in looking at the organiza
tions’ roles (in the brawl).
“We’ve not had problems between these two (frater
nities) before,” Binder said. “This is the first time we’ve
had problems like this in a long time. You have to go
back many years before you find problems this serious.”
Students throwing chairs face felony aggravated
assault charges pending arrest, Whitfield said.
“They could’ve killed somebody — it’s as simple as
that when you start swinging metal chairs,” he said.
Other brawlers will face misdemeanor charges of
fighting in a public place.
In an unusual twist, around 200 members of the same
fraternity chapters were involved in a melee at West
Georgia College Saturday night, also at a step show
sponsored by the school’s Black Greek Council. Two for
mer WGC students were arrested in that brawl, which
involved Kappa Alpha Psis from Livingston University
in Livingston, Ala. and the WGC chapter of Omega Psi
Phi.
David Parkman, a WGC spokesman, said one student
told him the fight started when fraternity members
argued over which groups would dance next.
No injuries were reported in the WGC fight and only
minor damages to a private stereo system were found,
officials said.
Bruce Lyons, WGC’s dean of student services,
announced Monday that step shows would be banned
from campus facilities until June 1994. Lyons cited a
past history of problems with the step shows as the main
reason for the ban, which went into effect Monday after
noon.
The University is not expected to follow a similar
course of action, mainly because this event was not an
official step show, Binder said.
“We want these events to continue,” he said. “We feel
these are significant outlets for minorities on campus.
However, they must be safe. We will not have parties
that are unsafe.”
Life in McWhorter athletic dormitory
Resident Bernard Williams in his McWhorter room. Some athletes are given larger, single rooms as a reward for
making good grades. But the dorm's not all fun ... men and women are not allowed in each other’s rooms.
Athletes: Special benefits are not what it's about
By LORI WIECHMAN
Staff Writer
After University athletes fin
ish practices and classes, most
return home to McWhorter Hall
where they eat at the dorm din
ing hall and get help from
tutors in the study lounge.
But men aren’t allowed in
women’s rooms, nor are women
allowed in men’s. And non-resi
dents aren’t allowed at the
dorm after 11:30 p.m. on week
days.
Freshman volleyball player
Hadli Anstine said visitation
rules are a drawback of living
there.
“It would be better if we had
visitation, because all the dorms
have it,” she said, adding that
McWhorter sometimes feols like
a “prison.”
“It’s fun being with the ath
letes and getting to know every
body,” Anstine said. “But it’s not
better than living anywhere
else.”
But Anstine said most non
athletes she knows have never
told her directly that they think
she lives in a special dorm.
“The most I’ve heard are
comments that we get special
food,” she said. “And we defi
nitely don’t.”
Last quarter 203 students
lived in the dorm, the majority
of those being football players.
There are also five resident
assistants.
Every athlete on scholarship
at the University is required to
live in McWhorter for at least
one year. After that, individual
coaches determine how many
additional years athletes must
stay in the dorm.
But after a senior athlete fin
ishes eligibility, the student can
choose to move out of
McWhorter, and there’s no limit
to the number of years that an
athlete can live in the dorm.
Anstine, who is on an athlet
ic scholarship, is moving into an
apartment after spring quarter.
“It’s not bad, but it isn’t as
fun as I thought,” said Anstine,
one of only two volleyball play
ers who live in McWhorter.
Many athletes say they like
living in McWhorter because of
the convenient location to class
es, the dining hall, the study
lounge and tutors provided by
the Athletic Association.
Sophomore golfer Brian
Slevin said his friends realize
that athletes have tight sched
ules and need accessible things,
such as the dining hall and
study lounges.
“They realize how busy we
are and that we need close
things,” he said.
But to them, the best thing
about McWhorter is not having
to worry about parking for
classes. The residents can park
in the lot near the indoor tennis
courts and Coliseum.
“And you don’t have to worry
about tickets," Slevin said.
Charlie Whittemore, a for
mer University football player
and director of McWhorter, said
the intent of the weekday cur
few was to restrict non-athletes
from being at the dorm late at
night.
“People hang out around the
football players, get gambling
tips and sell tickets,” he said.
“We call the police if they don’t
leave.”
Earl Parker, a senior football
player, has lived in McWhorter
for three years on an athletic
scholarship. He has a larger sin
gle room because he made good
grades last year.
He and Slevin agreed with
Anstine that the rule keeping
women out of men’s rooms defi
nitely is hard to deal with. But
Parker conceded that athletes
just have to learn to live with it.
“I see why they do it, and to
get the benefits, you have to
give up something,” he said.
But most athletes said they
don’t receive any special living
benefits.
“I think everyone thinks
McWhorter’s some nice hotel, or
condo, but we work three times
as hard with practice," Parker
said.
Lady Bulldogs fall 78-64,
but NCAA hopes still alive
By CHIP SIECZKO
Staff Writer
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The
Georgia Women’s basketball team came
up short in its bid to defeat two number-
one teams in three days, as it lost the
1993 SEC Women’s Basketball
Tournament to lst-ranked Vanderbilt
(27-2), by a final score of 78-64 Monday
night.
The 23rd-ranked Bulldogs (20-12,7-
8 SEC) needed the win to assure them
selves of an NCAA Tournament bid, via
the automatic invitation the SEC cham
pion receives. However, Georgia coach
Andy Landers feels that the dogs should
stillget a strong look.
“That question looms out over us,”
Landers said. “I have no idea if (our
record is) good enough. I think we were
victims of a grave injustice a year ago.
The team we have this year is better
than that team...for whatever that’s
worth...We should be considered very,
very strongly.”
Georgia, which is now 3-3 in SEC
Championship Games, got off to a quick
start, courtesy of the inside tandem of
junior Deborah Reese - who was named
to the SEC Ruby Tuesday ALL-
Toumament Team - and senior Medina
Turner - who led the team with 18
points. The two combined for 13 first-
half points and helped the Bulldogs to a
nine-point lead of 23-14 with 8:21 min
utes left in the first half.
However, Vandy, which was playing
in its first SEC Championship Game,
came right back, thanks to Tournament
MVP sophomore Mara Cunningham
and her career-high of 20 points.
The Commodores took a six point
half time lead, at 40-34 and never
looked back.
Georgia couldn’t get their shots to
fall in the second half, evidenced by
their 34.2 percent shooting performance
in the half. Combine that with Vand/s
game-shooting percentage of 52.6
(Georgia’s was a paltry 37.5 percent)
and Vanderbilt senior Misty Lamb’s
game high 22 points and it was a long
night for Georgia.
“It seemed like every shot they made
went in,” offered Reese.
For five minutes, midway through
the second half, Vandy maintained an
8-10 point lead over Georgia, frustrating
the Dogs to the point of no return.
According to Landers, this frustration
rendered his team unable to mount
Camille Lowe shoots a free*
throw from the charity stripe.
another charge.
“We got frustrated...and our frustra
tion cost us the game," explained
Landers.
After the game, Vanderbilt coach Jim
Foster expressed his views on the Dogs’
post-season hopes.
“At this stage, yes (they’re a
Tournament team)," Foster said. “But a
lot of factors go into that decision. (Win)
Number 20 was significant"
Georgia will find out its post-season
fate at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, when the
NCAA Selection Show is broadcast live
on ESPN. However, Landers did help
clarify the situation, when he said that,
like last year, Georgia would refuse and
NIT bid if they are snubbed by the
NCAA.
“That’s not what our program is
about,” Landers said.
Clinton’s economic package 'insignificant’
By TRAVIS RICE
Staff Writer
If President Bill Clinton’s current eco
nomic program is enacted, the long-term
effect on the state of Georgia will be “sta
tistically insignificant," said the director
of the Georgia Economic Forecasting
Project.
Director Jeffrey Humphreys said the
pros and cons of Clinton’s proposal would
balance out over the course of several
years, resulting in little change in the
direction of the Georgia economy.
Humphreys’ assertion was reinforced
by a recent national report issued by the
Regional Financial Associates, a consult
ing firm based in Pennsylvania. The firm
ranked the 50 states in terms of benefit
from the Clinton program. Rankings
showed Clinton’s native Arkansas to be
the state gaining the most from his pro
gram and Alaska being the state hardest
hit. Georgia ranked 23rd, with no eco
nomic change in the state resulting from
the administration’s package.
Humphreys said the zero figure repre
sents only the change the Clinton plan
would bring, not the overall growth of the
state, which is actually above most states.
“Georgia is doing relatively well and
has sustained a recovery for over 16
months," he said. “And it has nothing to
do with Clinton or Bush. It’s the natural
resiliency of the economy."
Humphreys said the Clinton plan
would neither deter nor assist the overall
growth of the Georgia economy, but he
warned that some key Georgia industries
would see losses.
“Since Georgia, particularly Atlanta, is
a regional transportation center, the pro
posed energy tax would hurt the state,” he
said. “Deeper defense cuts will also slow
the state economy some.”
However, Humphreys said most of
these losses would be offset by the lower
interest rates caused by deficit reduction.
“If the plan is passed, we’d probably see
a positive effect in *93, negative effects in
*94 and *95 when the taxes kick in, and
then positive effects in ’96 and *97 as a
result of deficit reduction and lower inter
est rates," Humphreys said.
The ambivalent nature of these num
bers offers no clear mandate to Georgia’s
congressional delegation to support or
oppose Clinton’s budget, leaving members
free to pursue their own budgetary agen
das.
Georgia's senior senator, Democrat
Sam Nunns initially applauded the presi
dent’s efforts at deficit reduction. But last
Friday, the chairman of the Senate
Defense Committee gave a fiery speech
before the Senate claiming Clinton’s plan
excessively cuts military spending.
Defense spending accounts for 4.1 per
cent of Georgia’s gross state product.
Paul Coverdell, Georgia's freshman
Republican senator, has solidly aligned
himself with the minority party’s leader
ship, calling for more spending cuts and
fewer tax increases.
Don Johnson, Georgia’s 10th District
congressman, said he is happy to see an
activist president but that he agrees with
many Republicans and Southern
Democrats that more attention should be
placed on spending cuts in order to make
real progress on the deficit.
Johnson’s office said he is waiting to
see the final plan before deciding how he
will vote.
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