About The Red and Black (Athens, Ga.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 6, 1994)
■ SPORTS I ■ ENTERTAINMENT I ■ TOMORROW The recruiting saga rages on.... I Briefly, 1 Pelican’ gets a C 5 I So, the snowball fight was and on ....and on 7 I TV Afterhours.. 6 I cancelled. Ideas for winter fun. The Red & Black An independent student newspaper serving the University of Georgia community Weather — ] J2SteY Tomorrow . "V. High - SS Low - 45 §i Low • 46 THURSDAY. JANUARY 6, 1994 • ATHENS, GEORGIA • VOLUME 101, ISSUE 52 Budget surplus may allow salary increase RAISES IN THE 90S FY 95 FY 94 FY 93 FY 92 FY9I FY 90 ♦ 2% allocated by Regents . University allowed to add additional funding of up to .66% to employees making mure than $35.000'year and up fo 1.66% to employees making less than $35.000'year, not to exceed 4% increase oer employee. * * 1.5% allocated for faculty, 0% for all others. SOURCE: Office of Public in<orma’ o By KATHLEEN RAGAN Staff Writer Thanks to a surplua of money in this year’s budget and a hjghTy successful state lottery employees of the Universi^ JS^tem of Georgia may see their largest salary increase since 1987. Gov. Zell Miller’s budget won’t be announced to the state legislature until Jan. 11 and 13. However, in December Miller said he would recommend 5 percent raises for University System personnel. This would use about $200 million of the proposed state budget. The governor also sent a letter last month to the Teachers Retirement System of Georgia, requesting a reduction in employee contributions from 6 to 5 percent. That 1 percent savings would technically raise the proposed salary increase to 6 per cent by adding that 1 percent to employees’ take home pay. Tom Jackson, University spokesperson, said the Teachers Retirement System deduction is required of all employees and is used to fund pensions. University President Charles Knapp said he is pleased with the governor’s plan. “It’s a very big step forward if we can move that through the general assembly, and I applaud the governor for proposing that,” Knapp said at a press conference Tuesday. “I’ve said several times that’s the key issue for the University right now. You cannot attract and retain the very best fac ulty and staff unless we pay competitive salaries, and right now we are not." Knapp also said he hopes the University System will be flexible when deciding how to distribute raises to University employ ees. “We would like to have the 6 percent appropriated to the University, which would allow us to make the determination about how best to award that to our employ ees," Knapp said. “In some ways it’s easier for the legislature to say, ‘Everyone gets 6 percent.’ But I think it’s critical that we have some flexibility to reward people who are doing well with above average increas es.” Jackson said all University System rais es are based on merit - employees won’t receive an automatic 6 percent raise. “In my department, we would get 6 per cent of our total salaries to use for raises,” he said. “Supervisors recommend a raise based on an employee’s job performance.” The governor’s recommendations should also meet the approval of the Board of Regents, who last August requested a 4 per cent raise for all University System employ ees in their budget proposal for fiscal year 1995, said Kay Miller, regents spokesper son. “The Board hasn’t met since the announcement, but I’m sure they’re delight ed,” she said. Since the proposal has yet to be approved, some administrators are cau tious. Carlton James, associate vice president of human resources, said he’s waiting to see how the legislature will react to the propos al. “But I’m pleased that the proposal is higher than it has been in the past,” he said. Premiere showing of Indian icons at Georgia Museum “Shiva Destroying the Elephant Demon" is on display at the Georgia Museum of Art through Jan. 16. Katey Brown, curator of education, described the sculpture of Shiva, saying. "His pose is often one of triumph. Shiva destroys an elephant and uses its skin to make the universe." By JANELL HOBSON Staff Writer The Georgia Museum of Art will wow the Athens community this quarter with a never-before-seen exhibit, “Arts of India,” which fea tures prolific art covering 18 cen turies of Indian culture. The exhibit runs through Jan. 16 in the North Campus museum. “These works are showing for the first time to an audience,” said Karen Coker, a public relations person. “They are the oldest works we’ve ever exhibited here at the museum. Most of them date back to the eighteenth century.” The exhibit, which was curated by Indian art expert Roy C. Craven at the University of Florida’s Samuel P. Ham Museum of Art, showcases 65 paintings, drawings and sculptures of an ancient and religious nature. “I think the exhibit is very edu cational about India and its reli gions,” Coker said. “Most of the sculptures are representations of a deity. And a deity can be an animal or a being. I like to see these (sculp tures), especially the goddesses.” “I’m really excited about this," she added. "Some of these pieces have not been seen anywhere else. Some have not been seen even in India, where they were found and preserved." The sculptures in the exhibit mostly represent divinities of the Hindu religion - from Shiva the “Destroyer” and Vishnu the “Preserver" to Ganesha the “ele phant-headed god.” They all pos sess an awesome presence, com plete with multi-limbed, androgy nous forms. But the goddesses are easily recognized by their volup tuous breasts. “What you’re seeing in Indian art is a long, continuous tradition of iconology,” said Katey Brown, curator of education. “Their art is very detailed with costumes, jew elry, animals and with objects that (sculptures of divinities) hold in their hands.” Brown also said that the sculp tures and paintings often tell an ancient, mythological story. “Shiva the Destroyer is also the Lord of the Dance,” she said. “He has exactly 108 different poses which are part of the same cosmic dance.” In addition to gods and god desses, the erect and ornamented sculptures of the “Votive Horses" are on display. These objects were usually placed on the outskirts of communities so the community gods could ride them and chase out evil spirits, Brown said. “This exhibit also includes other religions in India, other than Hinduism," Brown added, referring to a twelfth-century manuscript of Buddhist calligra phy and a twentieth-century Christian painting of St. Peter. “This is my favorite exhibit at the art museum," she said. “It gives us an opportunity to discuss non-Western traditions dealing with religion, history and world cultures.” This weekend, the art museum will feature “Shadows of India,” a shadow puppet show for a family day event on Saturday, Jan. 8. Films on India will be shown at 12 p.m. Jan. 12-14 in conjunction with the exhibition. Insured employees to see cheaper premiums By WYLIE SCHWARTZ Staff Wnter For the next six months, University employees with family health coverage will pay only $1 a month for their premium - $82.60 less than before. The decrease came after the state Board of Regents combined the separate health care reserve funds of the University, the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta College and a fourth fund covering all other University System employees. The University’s fund, with an estimated $17 million, contains significantly more money than the others. The Regents voted to return $3.5 million to University employees by means of a premium reduction. Carlton James, associate vice president of human resources, said the Regents will vote in April to decide how the premiums will change after six months. Some University employees said the premiums are expected to increase above the previous $83.60 monthly cost when the six-month period ends. “I’m not sure what will happen in July, but it is rumored that the premium will rise about 9 percent from what it was before," said Staff Council Chair Linda Dudley. That could mean a $7.52 increase, total ing $91.12 per month - approxi mately what the rest of the University System is paying. The University has its own healthcare plan and very few claims were filed - thereby putting money back into the school. However, most other schools in the system were covered under one large plan making it difficult to create a supply of money. Dudley said the Staff Council requested to the Regents for the money to be returned to employ ees. “It’s a significant accomplish ment and I’m pleased because the alternative was to get nothing back,” she said. Cindy Clark, photography lab supervisor and member of the Staff Council, said she is extreme ly excited about the refund. “At first the Board of Regents was refusing to give us back any money, but the Staff Council said they wouldn’t have it any other way,” she said. “I’m not sure how fair it is for people who have been working here for longer periods of time than others, but it’s definite ly nice to get something back." James said employees covered by other insurance plans won’t be allowed to switch to the University’s plan during the six months. “Normally most insurance plans have a time of ‘open enroll ment’ where you can move in or out of that particular plan," he said. “We will not be having an open enrollment period during the six months, so we will not have a situation of employees and spouses moving over to our health plan to take advantage of the one dollar.” OLYMPICS 1996 The horror, the horror Athens 96 celebrates successful soccer bid despite other difficulties By CHRIS STANFORD Stall Writer The city of Athens is throwing the party of the month, and you're invited. On Jan. 18, the president of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games will make merry in Athens dur ing a festival celebrating the city's suc cessful bid to host the soccer finals of the 1996 Summer Olympics. Athens 96, the city's Olympic coor dinating group, agreed Tuesday that ACOG President Billy Payne will be the guest of honor at the event, which will tentatively take place downtown during the afternoon. The event will be open to the public, and the official Olympic logo for the city of Athens will be unveiled during the festivities. Additional entertainment plans, which may include a band, are still undecid ed. Although Tuesday’s meeting was characterized by a sense of victory, the group members had to address finan cial difficulties and minority represen tation on the committee. Athens 96 Chairman Dink NeSmith said the group received an initial con tribution of $1,000 each from the University, Athens-Clarke County and the Chamber of Commerce, but progress will be hindered if new funds can’t be found. The group discussed potential fund-raising activities, specifically the sale of a limited num ber of autographed art prints com memorating Athens’ part in the Olympics. NeSmith also read a letter written by Athens attorney Ken Dious on behalf of various area minority organi zations. In the letter, Dious requested the appointment of three new minority members to the committee. Currently the group has two black members, but in a telephone interview, Dious said they had been appointed by the University, the city government and the Chamber of Commerce, rather than area minority groups. However, members of Athens 96 said they have no power to increase their membership since they are an appointed body, and therefore declined to vote on the issue. NeSmith said he is willing to create a task force on minority involvement with the Olympics but insisted he can not appoint new committee members. Athens 96, formed last April, is composed of five appointed representa tives each from the University, the ACC government and the Chamber of Commerce. Drop/Add further complicated by downed computer Shannon Byrne, (I), discusses the dreaded yellow slip with assistant registrar Jack Meyer at Memorial Hall Wednesday. By NEILL LARMORE and BARBARA WIELAND Stall Writers A ghost in the machine haunted the com puters in Memorial Hall Tuesday night, delaying Drop/Add registration for up to five hours on Wednesday. “There was a problem with the program that runs the class rolls," said Associate Registrar Bill Marshall. “We lost some valu able computing tjme." Marshall estimated that 3,400 students went through Drop/Add on Wednesday - about the same number as winter quarter last year. But many students were held up by the computer’s delay Wednesday. “At 8 o’clock yesterday morning only half of the departments had their class rolls,” he said. “We had good help. The UGA Custodial Department bent over backwards to help us get that first half out to them." The rest of the departments got their rolls sometime between 8 and 10 a.m., Marshall said. Some departments such as journalism didn’t start handing out Drop/Add forms until the afternoon. “We got the class rolls between 9:30 and 10 a.m. But we had to go through every class roll. We didn’t start until 12:30,” said LaVonda Cheek, senior secretary at the journalism school. Except for the short delay, Drop/Add went as usual. Some lucky students had no prob lems at all. “I woke up at (noon) and had no problem getting my classes," said Dan Dooley, a junior from North Babylon, NY. However, other students weren’t as fortu nate as Dooley. Some either could not get the classes they wanted or had to wait hours to get them. "I waited for six and a half hours to change the time of my history class," said Mary-Lamont Roberts, a sophomore from Athens. ‘I am now a pro at nagging and negotiating with people for times at Drop/Add." Another student waiting for a history class said the whole Drop/Add process is “ridiculous." “They tell you to get permission from a teacher, and then you can’t find them," said Hassan Zakaria, a freshman from Riverdale. “I looked for one teacher for two hours.” Some students who have gone through Drop/Add at other schools said the process there was easier. For example, Georgia State University uses a telephone system. "You use the pound sign to drop, the asterisk to add,” said Mandy McGouirk, a pre-journalism major from Stockbridge. "It only took five minutes." V * k
