Newspaper Page Text
4
I
f
FRIDAY
September 25,1998
Vol. 106, No. 24 | Athens, Georgia
Partly cloudy and cooler.
Low 56 | Saturday's high 84
ONUNLwwMucdanttack.com
An independent student newspaper serving the University of Georgia community
ESTABLISHED 1893, INDEPENDENT 1980
NOTEWORTHY
>• Atlanta Symphony Orchestra to
play in Athens tonight. RAGE 5
STANDOFF ENDS PEACEFULLY
THOMAS MOTHS | Tax Bu, . Biach
▲ Chris Sutton, an Athens resident who lives on Barrow Street, was involved in a three-hour standoff with
police. Sutton pointed a gun at police on the scene as a result of a bad reaction to pain medicine, according
to WNGC-FM. Three streets were closed off to traffic in the area during the standoff. Sutton was shackled
and token away in an ambulance. He was charged with aggravated assault by Athens-Clarke police.
Safety chief can’t
I explain arrest drop
By ANDREA JONES
The Red * Buck
The University's public safety direc
tor said Thursday he didn't “have a clue"
whether a huge drop in University police
arrests is the result of a reprimand of the
department for being “overzealous.”
Asa Boynton, who oversees the
University’s police and environmental
departments, said he couldn't explain
the drop — from 60 arrests last
September to one so far this month.
“I don’t have a clue why the numbers
are so low,” he said. “Statistics have to
be looked at and investigated. Until we
can get a grip on the statistics, we just
don't know.”
University President Michael Adams
has ordered a review of public safety and
has said officers should use better judg
ment dealing with students.
Meanwhile, statistics released to The
Red & Black by Athens-Clarke police
show student DUI arrests have nearly
tripled this September compared to last
year.
Last September, five University stu
dents were arrested by A-C police for
DUI, compared to 14 so far this month.
University police have made no alco
hol-related arrests so far this school
year.
Mayor Owen O'Looney said she
wasn’t sure what caused the dramatic
drop in University police arrests, but
said she was aware of increased enforce
ment by A-C police.
“I can't explain the University slow
down, but (Athens-Clarke) has been
more aggressive in our efforts and
enforcement,” O’Looney said at a press
conference Thursday.
Nancy Zechella, director of Safe
Campuses Now, said A-C police have
stepped up enforcement downtown.
“With the downtown area being such
a mecca of alcohol establishments cater
ing to students, we feel (A-C Police)
Chief (Jack) Lumpkin has demonstrated
a concerted effort to curtail the under
age drinking,” she said in a statement.
Boynton said University police arrest
statistics will be reviewed at the end of
the month.
In a letter to The Red & Black
Thursday, Adams shifted emphasis to
the students, saying they, too, should
use better judgment.
He said the drop in arrests shouldn't
be seen as evidence University police are
turning away from law-breakers.
“If the full system of community safe
ty is to perform as we desire, it will take
cooperation, restraint and self-gover
nance by both students and the police,”
Adams wrote.
Adams said he looks to students to
regulate their own behavior and urges
them not to take advantage of police.
“One should not expect the officer to
look the other way so as to endanger the
safety of the student, the officer or oth
ers in the community,” he wrote.
Greenway and Heritage Trail will provide walking, bike path
By LOUIS ROLFES
The Red a Black
Walking or cycling along the North Oconee River
would relieve Athens' reliance on cars, members of
the Greenway Commission say.
At a public information meeting Wednesday
night, students and residents were given a presenta
tion about the North Oconee River Greenway and
Heritage Trail, a 3.7-mile bike and walking path
The 10-foot-wide paved trail will run from Sandy
Creek Nature Center on U S. 441 to College Station
Road at a cost of $5.25 million.
Despite approval from Athens voters, commis
sioners were met with heavy opposition from resi
dents living near the river.
Norman Polansky, an Athens resident of 34 years,
said he was concerned the area would be frequented
by criminals.
"We are concerned-this thing wiH be~put' ln-OMr—
neighborhood and not policed,” Polansky said.
Dick Field, chairman of the Greenway
Commission, said Athens-Clarke police would be
responsible for patrolling the trail.
Vanessa Arbogast. a graduate student from
Boulder, Colo., said she has used other greenways
and doesn’t think the new one would become a
haven for criminals.
“From what I experienced, it was exactly the
opposite," Arbogast said. “The local people used it
— there weren’t any drug dealers or anything like
that.”
Arbogast said the greenway in Boulder provided
students with good access to the river for boating
and offered an altemathne tensing cars.
Rob Fisher of the consulting Arm Robinson
Fisher and Associates told residents the trail will
include historical markers and informative environ
mental displays. The project also win include park
ing, restrooms and a canoe launch into the river.
Officials said the trail will be handicap-accessible.
The trail won’t be lighted from North Avenue to
Sandy Creek because it travels through rural areas
of A-C, Fisher said.
Construction is set to begin in May 1999.
intown
■North Oconee Green way and Hentofle Trail,
— University section of trail
Benefit to promote
Tibetan awareness
By JONATHAN REED
The Red a Black
When Lawrence Ryeffeld
transferred to the University
after serving time in the Air
Force, he was already accus
tomed to witnessing human
rights abuses firsthand. He had
been to Bosnia and
Rwanda and saw
things he said he
"can't even put into
words."
Then he had the
chance to attend the
Tibetan Freedom
Concert and devel
oped the idea for
forming a group
after he had served
his time
“When I decided
to start the organi
zation, I was sur
prised to find that
there wasn't already
one (here at the University),"
Ryeffeld said. Since Students for
a Free Tibet's formal organiza
tion at the University last March,
the group lias reached member
ship of around 40 people, and the
numbers are growing.
“The human rights aspect is
Just huge," Ryefleld said about
the growing interest in the
Tibetan freedom campaign. "If
you have compassion in you,
then that makes it appealing
Not many people have experi
enced atrocities like this (Native
Americans excepted) ... not in
our lifetimes."
After forming, the group
decided to stage a benefit of its
own. Group Vice President Jinny
Dietrich began working on find
ing bands, thinking the event
would be a one-night event with
maybe three or four bands.
That was until R.E.M. front
man Michael Stipe got involved
At a photo show for an SFT
member, Dietrich met Stipe,
resulting in an extensive amount
of help in both organizing and
making connections to make the
event happen.
Apparently, it paid off. The
concert evolved into
a massive two-night
benefit, with Adam
Yauch of the Beastie
Boys, who organized
the three national
Tibetan Freedom
Concerts, coming in
to offer advice. The
local response was
overwhelming.
When Dietrich
approached Velena
Vego, booking agent
for the 40 Watt Club,
the offer was accept
ed enthusiastically.
“I said I would
love to have it here," Vego said,
adding that the club has been
known in recent years as a place
for charity events, such as the
Mental Health Benefit.
Finding bands to play was also
a simple matter. Through e-rnail
and telephone calls, Dietrich
found overwhelming support for
her endeavor.
> See Tibet Cage 6
TIBETAN FREEDOM BENEFIT
When A where: 7 p.re Friday and
Saturday at the 40 Watt
Banda scheduled to perform: Slackdaddy.
Painted Thin, Plnelop 7, Trinket, Creekwater
Sound. Blue Condition. Wunderkind. Urban
Grind, Posh Toner, Corey Glover (formerly of
Living Color) and
pnffiruf special guefte
Tickets: $12 per night at the door
Information: S49-7871
Panic to get key to city
—rrr
b Rre a But™
▲ Athens’ own Widespread Panic will be presented
the key to the city by Mayor Gwen O’Looney today.
Athens gave local band
Widespread Panic downtown for a
day April 18. Today the band gets
the key to the whole city.
The Athens-based band will be
presented the key today at 1 p.m. at
The Brown Cat, the band's Foundry
Street office.
Mayor Gwen O’Looney contact
ed the band’s representatives
Thursday and expressed interest in
giving the band the key to the city.
Paula Donner of Capricorn
Records, the band’s label, said the
announcement was a surprise.
The band will receive the key in
recognition of last April's show cele
brating Widespread's new album
"Light F\ise Get Away," according to
a Thursday media release. In addi
tion to the concert, the ceremony
celebrates Widespread's contribu
tion to the Athens music scene.
Mary Armstrong, a representa
tive from The Brown Cat office, said
they would like to keep the presen
tation low-key — certainly calmer
than the downtown show.
“We don’t want 100,000 people
showing up," Armstrong said.
Last spring's show drew about
100,000 people to Athens — the
largest CD release party ever.
— Will Kiser
Women’s soccer takes on LSU today
By LINDSAY RIDDELL
The Red a Black
The homefield advantage might be what
the No. 23 Georgia women's soccer team
needs to kick the SEC monkey off its back.
This weekend the Bulldogs (4-2, 0-2 SEC)
face two SEC West opponents, Louisiana
State on Friday at 4 p.m. and Arkansas at 2
p.m on Sunday after the team field is finally
dedicated at 1:45 p.m.
“We feel comfortable at home," sopho
more defender Stephanie Bertcher said.
"And our fans make a huge difference.”
lb reward those fans, the team Is spon
soring a drawing on Friday that will award
free tuition to the winner, and is giving away
free t-shirts to the first 500 fans who show up
for Sunday's match.
Georgia owns a 5-0 home advantage
against SEC West division teams
The Bulldogs also have only lost twice at
home and tied once in 20 home matches
against the West division.
Two days after learning of leading scorer
Stephanie Yhrem’s foot stress fracture, the
Bulldogs took g kite out of Auburn on Sept.
18, scoring more goals (4) in a single game
than they had since an 8-1 win over Stetson
on Sept. 19 of the 1997 season.
A combination of six players were credited
with the four goals, a phenomenon head
coach Bill Barker attributes to the Bulldogs’
style of play.
He said that although Yhrem’s presence
on the field often intimidated opponents, and
her presence In the air was heavily relied on,
the Bulldogs handled her absence well —
especially because of Yarem's replacement,
Kirsta (Kye) VanOudenallen.
“We Just plugged In another player and the
machine kept going," Barker said.
The LSU Tigers (4-1-2, 1-1 SEC) take on
Georgia today for their first conference
match since a 2-1 victory over Mississippi
State on Sept. 11.
The two teams have not met since 1998
when Georgia lifted a 3-1 victory from the
Tigers in Baton Rouge.
Georgia has only given up five goals in six
games.
Arkansas and Georgia, which will play
Sunday at 2 p.m., have met twice, both times
in 1996. Georgia stretched out a 4-2 win In
overtime during the regular season, before
losing to the Wildcats 3-1 In the SEC tourna
ment.
The Bulldogs haven’t lost at home yet this
season and are eager to avenge their subpar
SEC record.
▲ Senior midfielder Jen Lewie gets
ready to croae the bail during a game.
GEORGIA SOCCER
Fridsy: LSU, Friday 4 p.m. at Women's Athletic Complex
Students can register to win free tuition.
Sunday: Arkansas. Sunday. 2 p.m. at
Women's Athletic Complex
First 500 fans receive a free l-ahirt.
INSIDE TODAY | Sports: 2 | News: 3 | Opinions: 4 | Variety: 5 | Crossword: 5