Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY
December 9,1998
Vol. 106, No. 74 | Athens, Georgia
Mostly cloudy.
High GO | Low 54 | Thursday 58
ONLINE: wwwredandbiadLcofn
An independent student newspaper serving the University of Georgia community
ESTABLISHED 189 3, INDEPENDENT 1980
► Josh Massey’s renew of the
classic film's remake. PAGE 8
don’t oxpoct the ume
ticket chaos they found
Aug. 24 when Peach
Bowl tickets go on sale.
Peach
Bowl
tickets
on sale
By MARK MATHIS
The Red a Black
University football fans
who want to see the Bulldogs
play In the Dec. 31 Peach
Bowl will have to stand In line
one more time this year.
Tickets go on sale this
morning fcr the 19th-ranked
Bulldogs' matchup against
the No 13 Virginia Cavaliers
Each will cost $40. cash only,
with a valid UOACard.
Freddy Jones, student tick
et manager, said 1,700 tickets
will be available at Stegeman
Coliseum, and more will be
brought over from the ticket
offices If demand warrants.
"We’re going to try and
take care of everyone who Is
there," Jones said
Tickets that aren't sold
today will become available
through the ticket office for
the same price.
For some students, howev
er, the price of the ticket does
not seem worth It.
Brian Strickland, a season
ticket-holder this year, said he
doesn't plan to attend a non-
New Year's Day bowl that Is
held a Uttle over an hour from
campus In Atlanta.
”1 was just kind of disap
pointed In the bowl selec
tion." Strickland said. “I
thought we'd be going to
Tampa for the Outback
Bowl"
With the chaos that sur
rounded season ticket sales
Aug 24 still on the minds of
many people, keeping order In
the ticket lines Is still a con
cern.
University police chief
Chuck Horton told The Red
& Black early Tuesday after
noon that he wasn't planning
extra police presence.
But Jones said the season
ticket situation was different
and that the ticket office Is
more prepared now
"I don't think this Is the
same situation, but we're
going to be ready," Jones said
“This Is nothing like the mag
nitude of season tickets."
In addition to expecting a
smaller crowd. Jones said
extra booths will be open In
the event of a laige number of
students.
Some students, like James
Edwards, have chosen to
avoid any possibility of long
lines by purchasing tickets
through Ticketmaster
“It was essentially conve
nience." Edwards, a senior
from Atlanta, said “1 didn't
want to stand In line and It
was only a $3 service charge
extra."
PEACH BOWL TICKETS
► Or isle today. 8:30 a m.-4 p m..
Sttflaman Coliseum
► Students can uee one UGACard.
buy up to two tickets
>• $40 case - also available at (4041
586-T1XX,
Despite student opposition,
closing time sails through
THOMAS HCTTMC FkiRidaBia.r
▲ More than 150 people crowded City Hall to debate the mandatory closing time.
Ordinance to
start Dec. 31
By ANDREW DeMILLO
The Rep a Black
Athens-Clarke commissioners
voted Tuesday to impose a
mandatory closing time for bars
and clubs — but not without
some strong words from business
owners and students.
“I’ll be back when one of my
customers dies because of you,”
Boneshakers owner Oreg Martin
shouted after commissioners
voted 8-0 to require all bars and
clubs to close by 2:45 a m. — 45
minutes alter they cut off alcohol
sales
The vote came alter more than
two dozen people spoke out — at
times emotionally — against the
ordinance. More than 150 people
attended the meeting.
Opponents of the bill included
several bar owners and members
of the Student Government
Association.
"While this ordinance may be
good for my business, it's not a
good thing for the Athens com
munity as a whole,” said Jeff
Weinberg, owner of The Grill.
"Crime Is going to happen earlier.
It's not going to go away."
The closing time, which will
take effect Dec. 31, will affect four
clubs — The 5th Quarter,
Boneshakers, Georgia Theatre
and 40 Watt Club.
Late-night dancing at these
clubs keeps patrons from driving
drunk, said Chris Hoofhagle,
SQA's external affairs chair.
"This is just going to make
things worse,” Hoofhagle said.
"They're not going to have time
to sober up.”
The closing time was sug
gested by A-C Police Chief Jack
Lumpkin after a series of vio
lent incidents downtown,
including a shooting in
November.
Supporters of the proposal
included several parents of high-
school and middle-school chil
dren Late-night dancing acts as
a magnet for children, parents
argued.
Virginia Walker, a parent,
argued that the commission
should keep the interests of A-C
residents, not University stu
dents, in mind.
"What they need to realize is
that this is our town. They're here
for four or five years. We're here
for-good,” Walker said. “We are a
family community and we need to
keep it that way.”
Police and commissioners have
said the majority of problems
have occurred in front of The 5th
Quarter, a predominantly black
club. Some people said the clos
ing time is racially motivated.
"This proposal is blatantly
racist," said Tiffanl Weaver, a
senior from Marietta “It shows
that there are some erroneous
assumptions being made about
(The 5th Quarter’s) patrons.”
Alternatives from bar owners
and patrons Included imposing a
no-cruising zone and stricter
enforcement of loitering and cur
few laws.
Commissioners said they saw
the proposal as the best way to
combat the problem. Mayor-elect
Doc Eldridge said he thinks the
ordinance will have a "chilling
effect" on downtown violence.
“There is not an easy answer to
this problem," Eldridge said. "We
have to deal with this as an entire
community"
Several business owners had
encouraged their patrons to
speak out against the proposal.
Last week, Martin sent commis
sioners an inch-thick packet of
letters from Boneshakers
patrons.
Regina Quick, the club's attor
ney, said she was considering a
possible lawsuit against the clos
ing time, which she said could be
considered unconstitutional.
“I think it defies logic to pass
this ordinance just because the
chief said so," Quick said.
After the vote, Lumpkin said
the ordinance is a part of a series
of steps that the police are
proposing to deal with underage
drinking and violence.
“We're going to continue to col
laborate with the business own
ers and the community about
ways to improve our community,”
Lumpkin said. "This is a move in
the right direction for this city.”
i
:
:
t
I
i
< Students
taking
Chemistry
7500L have
a different
kind of lab
experience.
Each week
the class
practices
the art of
glass
blowing,
which
teaches
them how
to repair
any equip
ment that
might break
in the
laboratory.
Glass class
Chemistry students have unique lab
By NATHAN SOLHEIM
The Red a Black
Amid the constant hum of hand
torches burning natural glass. Walter
Michael took what looked like a long,
slow drag off of a glass cigar.
The graduate student from South
Amherst, Ohio, Is enrolled In a course
called Basics of Scientific Glass Blowing.
As he fills the tube of glass with air
from his lungs, the end suddenly bursts
into a scattering of small glass shards.
“That happens," says Bob Ketch, the
instructor.
"Yeah, it's hard to regulate air with
your lungs well enough to avoid that all
the time," Michael says.
Welcome to Chemistry 7500L, where
Michael and four others spend an hour
and 15 minutes every Tuesday bending,
sealing, blowing and cutting Pyrex glass
They heat glass with blue and orange
flames until the glass glows. It can be
stretched or molded into whatever stu
dents are trying to make.
Ketch said the students learn things
like fabricating minor glasswares, repair
ing test tubes and making ampules
(glass containers for holding objects in a
vacuum).
Actually, the course is offered as part
of research services as opposed to the
chemistry department. But Rick
Harrison, manager of the glass blowing
shop, said the students become more
aware of what glass can do.
"They can learn something they can
use in their research-lab to make their
own repairs on glassware," Harrison
said. “It all might be handy in their
research."
The class, which returned to the
University's course book after a 25-year
absence, is open only to graduate stu
dents The one-credlt-hour course spe
cializes in the fundamentals of scientific
glass blowing, so these students won’t
be making drinking glasses any time
soon.
“Hopefully it's something that will
take off,” Ketch said.
But students do leam to modify or fix
lab items such as beakers and test
tubes. Harrison said the students mostly
deal with Pyrex glass, because of its
durability under heat.
“Normal soft glass used in houseware
might shatter," Harrison said of the
virtues of Pyrex.
But it is the students who spoke on
the virtues of the class.
"It’s a more useful skill, as far as prac
ticality. than other things you might
leant in another class,fl said Debrah
Greelish. a graduate student from
Littleton. Mass. "I like the hands-on
things.”
Fall break could be
in the works soon
Change could arrive for 2000-01 calendar
By KATE DOUGLAS
The Red a Black
Some students say semesters are too
long — but at least there's hope for a fall
break.
The “error" with the current calendar is
there’s no break in the middle of fall
semester, said former University registrar
Bruce Shutt.
A break could have been Included if the
semester had started a few days earlier, he
said.
Although next year's calendar already
has been decided, the registrar's office Is
trying to create a fall break for the 2000-01
within a 75-day semester, said Registrar
Gary Moore.
The break would give students a
Thursday and Friday off. That way, it
wouldn't disadvantage
Monday-Wednesday-Friday
classes, Moore said.
The ideal time for such a
break would be the weekend
before the Georgia-Florida
game, said Jim Whitney, a
geology professor.
But Moore said the game
won’t be a consideration.
“We will not schedule an
academic calendar around an
athletic event," Moore said.
Working a fall break into
the calendar has been difficult
because the University has an
unusually long semester,
Shutt said.
The chancellor's office —
which oversees the Board of
Regents — rejected University
Council's original recommen
dations for the semester cal
endar. saying it wasn't long
enough.
The calendar was rejected because the
Regents decided each semester should
have 75 class days, said Whitney, who
headed a committee on policy change for
the semester conversion.
“I felt that 75 days per semester was too
long because it was a couple of days longer
than any other school we could find in the
country," said Whitney, who looked at aca
demic calendars from at least 100 schools
SEC SEMESTER CALENDARS
compared to UGA
Car
/ 1
Fall start
Aug 24
Aug 27
Aug 25
End
Dec 10
Dec 11
Dec 10
Fall Breaks
none
Oct. 23-25
none
Spring start
Jan 7
Jan. 14
Jan 6
End
Apr. 29
May 4
Apr 22
Spring
Breaks
Mar 6-14
Apr 10,
Mar 23-26
Mar 6-14
Source: schools' Web sites
r
across the country.
Shutt agreed 75 days is too long.
"We originally wanted only 74 days; 73
would've been better," Shutt said. “I think
that was a hard, rigid rule that was adopt
ed without a lot of thought. I'm not aware
of any (schools) that have
75 days either."
Whitney said most
schools have 73 days.
Shutt said the Regents’
decision was an attempt to
keep the same number of
class days in both systems.
On the quarter system,
each of the three quarters
had to be 50 days —
adding up to 150. Two
semesters also equal 150
days
But, the old system
allowed more flexibility, he
said.
"We tried to stick to a
50-day calendar, but there
were many quarters when
we had 48 or 49 days,”
Shutt said. “We were told
It was a goal, but some
times we couldn’t work it in.”
Third in a
seven-part series
MORE INSIDE
>■ In Pari 4 ol our series, see how semesters influ
ence professors and administrators. S
COMING THURSDAY
► How the semester system has changed business
in Athens — and how students spend their money.
INSIDE TODAY | News: 2 | Opinions: 4 | Variety: 8 | Sports: 10 | Crossword: 7