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The Red & Black
An independent student newspaper serving the University of Georgia community
M TOMORROW
Who will be the new SGA
president?
TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 1994 • ATHENS, GEORGIA • VOLUME 101, ISSUE 122
MacDonald, Taranto face off in polls
expected in third SGA
runoff since 1979
Low turnout
presidential
By ANN MARIE QUILL
Staff Writer
Students will elect a new Student
Government Association president and
vice president today in a runoff election
between Scott Taranto and Scott
MacDonald.
Polling will be at the Tate Center
Plaza between 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Neither of the top two candidates
received the 40 percent of votes necessary
to win the April 19 election, making a
runoff necessary.
Taranto and running mate Amy
Hogan were the leaders with 35 percent
of exactly 1,600 votes cast, while
MacDonald and running mate Marc
Jackson grasped 29 percent.
Taranto and Hogan’s campaign
focused on completion of a course review
handbook and improved senator-con
stituent relations. MacDonald and
Jackson, if elected, wish to improve
school spirit and unity.
In the runoff election, the winner must
win by a majority vote rather than a cer
tain percentage, according to Telvis Rich,
current SGA president.
Last year, Rich won by 33 votes in a
runoff election when he defeated candi
date James Burroughs, current elections
subcommittee chairman.
Rich said he expects a low turnout for
the runoff, because not as many people
vote when senatorial candidates aren’t on
the ballot.
During last week’s election, 1,767
votes were cast for senators, 167 more
votes than were cast for president.
Rich said getting students to vote a
second time will be difficult because
“SGA is not seen as influential as it can
be.”
The only other time an SGA runoff
was necessary in the last 15 years was in
1979 when Harold Mulherin won with a
promise to abolish the student govern
ment if he was elected. SGA was subse
quently disbanded until 1988.
Three Dogs
drafted by
NFL teams
By TED KIAN
Staff Writer
After being told that his draft
rating had slipped due to a poor
showing at the NFL scouting com
bine in Indianapolis, Georgia
senior Bernard Williams became
the first offensive lineman select
ed during the draft.
The Philadelphia Eagles
selected him with the 14th pick in
the first round on Sunday.
“Everything is cool,” Williams
said Monday when reached from
his Memphis home.
“I guess, I didn’t really expect
to get picked by the Eagles. I
wasn’t sure where I would go, but
I’m very happy.”
Williams’ selection started a
run on offensive lineman as
Auburn tackle Wayne Gandy and
Notre Dame Outland Trophy win
ner Aaron Taylor were picked
directly after him.
“I was hoping I would be the
first offensive lineman taken,”
Williams said. “But it wouldn’t
have made that much of a differ
ence had I not been.”
The Atlanta Falcons made
Georgia linebacker Mitch Davis
their fourth-round pick on
Monday, the 118th overall selec
tion.
“This gives me an opportunity
to do something that I’ve always
wanted, and that’s play pro foot
ball,” Davis said.
“It also gives me a chance to
make a lot of money, so I can take
care of my mother, which I’ve
wanted to do for a long time, and
will mean a lot to me.”
Georgia fullback Frank Harvey
was a surprise seventh-round
pick, the 204th overall, by the
Arizona Cardinals.
Tight end Shannon Mitchell
and defensive back Greg Tremble
were not selected through the
seven-round draft.
JIL REISTER/Th« Red end Black
The wheels on the bus go ’round and ’round
Children in the McPhaul Children and Family Development Center's full daily program took over the Milledge bus
Monday afternoon. They were on their way back from Emporium Beauty downtown where they watched one of their
teachers, Beth Jotwald, get a haircut.
Campus encouraged
to wear black for
multiculturalism
By ERIC RAYBURN
Staff Writer
The forecast for Wednesday is black.
Despite memories of last year’s controversy, the cam
pus chapter of the NAACP is forging ahead with “Black
Wednesday” as part of Unity Week, a week to promote
multicultural awareness and acceptance.
“We are urging all people to wear black to promote
unity amongst the campus as a whole,” said Veronica
Waddell, president-elect of the University chapter of the
National Association for the Advancement of Colored
People. “It will be hot, but if you believe in it youTl do it
anyway.”
Last year’s event was marred by a counter-protest,
when posters were hung in Creswell Hall by a group plan
ning a “White Unity Day.”
But Waddell said the protest was made by people who
didn’t understand the meaning of the day.
“Any counter-attack to this day will surprise me,” she
said. “The day is for all races. It’s about unity.”
Waddell said the day also will hopefully show the
administration there is support for a major in multicul
tural education. She said the major would include all cul
tures, not just African-American.
“They want to show pride in the color black," said
Dexter Fischer, the chapter’s adviser. “Black is usually
portrayed as being negative, but we hope to show the color
as strength and positive.”
But Scott Jones, a senior from Sandy Springs, said he
can understand the frustration felt by some whites.
“Fm all for multicultural education, but how can you
promote unity by emphasizing one culture?” he said. “Why
don’t we promote Southern heritage?”
The Black Wednesday promotion is a prelude to an
AIDS awareness program Wednesday night in the Russell
Hall lounge.
Earth Fest designed to educate, entertain
Local bands line up to
inform through music
By ANDY BATTAGLIA
Staff Writer
Pack a picnic, grab a blanket
and open your mind this after
noon as the Students for
Environmental Awareness pre
sent the Athens Earth Fest at
Legion Field. This free event fea
tures a number of outstanding
local bands along with exhibits,
booths and speakers from local
environmental groups.
“We have a lot of different
types of booths and speakers, so
you can learn about what you
want,” said Tricia Grertfham, a
member of S.E.A. “There will be
all kinds of information for differ
ent things and we’re going to try
to get the bike lane paiition
signed.
“We don’t want to lecture or
preach. This event is just a fun
way to show people how easy it
really is to protect the environ
ment and do your part.”
Along with speakers and vari
ous experts, a number of local
musicians are lending their sup
port to the cause.
“I thought it was neat that a
student organization is trying to
get something together," said
Jake Mowrer, a member of the
folk band Athens Grass. “I don’t
think this event is entirely about
the bands. We’re just out there to
create an atmosphere of fun. This
whole event was designed to get
people motivated.”
The Earth Fest lineup also fea
tures one of Athens’ fastest grow
ing musical entities, Asa Nisi
Masa.
Please see EARTH, page 3.
Athens Earth Fest '94
SchedtfeofBtents FteeAtu&onFkM
4:00 - The Earthworms
4:35 - Chaotic Past
5:15 - Strange Attractors
5:55 - Athens Grass
6:30 - Daddy Upright
7:05 - Asa Nisi Masa ( /]
7:40 - The Warblers L Jb;
► 8:20 - Joyce & Jacque
Genetics professor recognized for research
Harassment clause in student handbook
is under scrutiny by University Council
Faculty member specializes
in evolutionary genetics
By LARA CREASY
Staff Writer
Genetics professor John Avise’s office,
with a computer, posters of birds and fish
he studies and scholarly journals, is simi
lar to any other research professor’s office,
with one exception - a certificate naming
him to the National Academy of Science.
Soon another certificate will claim a
place on Avise’s wall, as he was named
this month to the American Academy of
Arts and Sciences.
Both academies are limited to about
1,300 peer-elected members, with little
overlap, said Sidney Kushner, genetics
department head.
“For a scientist, it’s the highest recog
nition of your work to be elected to the
National Academy of Science,” Kushner
said.
Kushner said the American Academy of
Arts and Sciences is the same honor to the
humanities, and “to have been named to
both is quite unusual, especially for some
one as young as (Avise) is."
Avise, who was named to the NAS in
1991, said he isn’t as familiar yet with the
duties of the AAAS since he is only newly
elected, but the duties of the NAS include
acting as an advisory board to the govern
ment.
“The National Research Council (of the
Academy) responds to requests from
Congress on topics of national concern,”
Avise said.
Kushner said Avise is one of the top sci
entists nationally in his field of evolution
ary genetics and one of the highest-profile
faculty members at the University.
Avise credits an accumulation of
research projects with his academy nomi
nations, among them his work in following
the DNA of females to trace the lineage of
species.
“We reconstruct the genetic histories of
organisms,” Avise said. “It’s become a
boom industry, a preoccupation of genetic
biologists.”
Bill Nelson, Avise’s lab technician, said
he loves his work with Avise and the crea
tures they work on.
“If it moves, we’ve probably worked on
it,” Nelson said.
Avise recently received an offer to
teach at Stanford but decided to stay at
the University for personal and profes
sional reasons.
Currently, he is becoming more
involved in conservation genetics, which
tackles issues such as the decline in bio
diversity and the extinction of species.
Avise is organizing a symposium on the
topic, to be held in Athens this summer,
and editing a book'with Jim Hamrick of
the biology department to which speakers
at the symposium will contribute chap
ters.
4
111 RdSTCH/nw Art and Bud
Genetics professor John Avise
researches many different vertabrate
groups, including all seven species of
marine turtles, all of which are threat
ened or endangered.
“The earth is succumbing to the over
whelming impact of human population
numbers,” Avise said, adding that he
wants to do something with his research
to solve these problems.
\
By WYLIE SCHWARTZ
Staff Writer
The University’s policy on harassment -
as worded in the student handbook - may
be unconstitutional, according to some
University employees.
The Student Affairs Committee of
University Council will meet today to dis
cuss the possibility of changing the wording
of the harassment clause.
Adam Goldstein, student committee
member, said today’s meeting will examine
whether or not the clause could be inter
preted as being unconstitutional.
The student handbook states, “No stu
dent shall intentionally harass another
person. Harassment includes, but is not
limited to, threatening, intimidating, ver
bally abusing, impeding, telephoning, fol
lowing or persistently bothering or annoy
ing. Harassment may represent but is not
limited to acts based on sex, race, religion,
national origin, handicap or sexual orien
tation."
“I think the (wording of the) student
conduct code draws seveial similarities to
the (previous) speech code policy, and if so,
it warrants discussion,” he said.
The speech code issue was brought up in
response to a proposed hate speech clause,
voted down last winter quarter, in the
University’s speech policy.
According to committee member Jere
Morehead, “TTie students at the (April 8)
meeting proposed that we take up modify
ing the regulation because the wording is
so broad that it could also have an impact
on freedom of speech.”
William Lee, professor of mass commu
nication law, said he thinks the regulation
in the handbook is completely unnecessary,
and he has prepared an analysis of it to
present to the committee.
“I went through the criminal codes of
the state of Georgia and found several state
statutes which cover the same types of
codes as the ones in the handbook,” Lee
said. “We don’t have a University regula
tion concerning murder, then why is stu
dent judiciary involved in these issues
which raise such sensitive constitutional
questions and are already covered by state
law?"
According to the minutes from the last
University Council meeting, the Office of
Student Affairs was asked to prepare infor
mation to present to tomorrow’s committee
meeting.
Dwight Douglas, vice president for stu
dent affairs, said Monclay, “We haven't”
(prepared anything) at the present tirt*fc/
but we still have until tomorrow." -
The committee is scheduled rrvset
today at 2:30 p.m. in Room ^$j7_ofitoe
Academic Building.
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