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WEDNESDAY
January 9, 2002
Vol. 109, No. 80 | Athens, Georgia
Sunny.
High 60 | Low 40 | Thursday 64
ONLINE: www.redandblack.com
An independent student newspaper serving the University of Georgia community
ESTABLISHED 1893, INDEPENDENT 1980
THE BIG SCREEN
'W
>• A look at films that
mil be shoum at the Tate
Theater this semester.
PAGE 5
Students
impressed
with dorm’s
new look
By MELANIE HORTON
mhorton@randb.com
A model of the new East Campus
dorm rooms has received positive feed
back from students, according to
University Housing officials.
While touring the full-scale, fur
nished model in the Brumby Hall
Rotunda some students said the size of
the rooms impressed them.
“Just the bedroom is the size of the
room I share (in Brumby Hall) with my
roommate,” said Angela Aifah, a
freshman from Atlanta. “I’m excited
and I can’t wait (for the dorm to open).”
Ben George, University Housing
Department program specialist, said
when many students entered the dorm
room model, they did not realize the
bedrooms were just for one person.
The East Campus dorms, set to be
completed by fall 2003, will feature four
buildings with space for about 1,200
students.
The complex will be located across
from the Ramsey Center in the area
currently occupied by Parking Services,
George said.
Each suite-style room will feature a
common room, private bedrooms, a
kitchen and bathroom.
Of the 1,200 spaces available, about
300 beds will be set aside for two-bed
room suites, while the rest will be four-
bedroom suites.
Also, as part of the East Campus
dorm complex, an 800-car parking deck
and a new dining hall will be built,
George said.
The common areas of the suites fea
ture a kitchen with a sink, a full-size
refrigerator, a dining room table and
chairs and a carpeted living room with
PHOTOS BY MONIRA AL-HAROUN I The Red . Buck
▲ Kelly Brannen, a freshman from Alpharetta, gasps as she walks
into the bedroom of a residence hall suite model set up in the
Brumby Hall Rotunda. East Campus dorms featuring these furnished
suites, which will include a kitchen with full-size refrigerator and
microwave, are scheduled for completion in 2003.
end tables and a couch.
Each private bedroom will have a
double bed, closet space, a dresser and
a desk.
“It’s dorm life without all the typical
dorm stuff,” said Gina Jones, a fresh
man from Atlanta.
The monthly per person rent for
each suite style is $385 for four bed
rooms and two baths, $405 for two bed
rooms and one bath and $430 for two
bedrooms and two baths, according to
a University Real Estate Foundation
news release.
The suites will be rented to students
on a 12-month basis, with 10-month
leases available at a higher cost.
University Housing staff member
Darrell Ray, who gave tours of the
model suite on Monday and Tuesday,
said the proposed rent cost includes all
utilities — heating and cooling, water,
cable television and HBO, high-speed
data lines and local telephone service.
Ashley Shinault, a freshman from
Snellville, said she likes that utilities are
included and that the dorm looks like
an apartment.
“My parents would go for this,” she
said. “They would like this more than
an apartment that might be more
expensive.”
Jennifer Loo, a freshman from
Lilbum, agreed.
“My parents would be more open to
this because of security reasons and its
closeness to campus,” she said.
George said he thinks the cost of the
new dorms is comparable to many of
the apartment complexes around the
University while still meeting student’s
needs.
“It meets the students’ desire to
have a bigger space and more privacy,”
he said. “It also pleases parents (who
like) the academic support and
increased security available on
campus.”
Break-ins
reported at
Woodsong
Apartment residents: Dekle
Realty ‘hasn’t been helpful’
By RACHEL VOTTA
rvotta@randb.com
Residents of Woodsong
apartment complex have
voiced their concerns over a
recent string of 10 break-ins.
The thieves took various
items over break from the
apartments, which are locat
ed off of Barnett Shoals Road,
including stereo equipment,
speakers, DVD players, cash,
CDs, movies and a
guitar.
“They also trashed the
places,” said Brad Waite, a
junior from Alpharetta and
Woodsong resident. “We
weren’t hit very bad ... other
people had their whole stereo
systems taken.”
Waite and other residents
have reported the incidents
to Athens-Clarke County
police, but have heard little or
no information regarding the
cases.
“Nobody has heard any
thing,” he said.
A-C police spokeswoman
Hilda Sorrow said the investi
gation is ongoing.
“I am not sure of any spe
cific evidence as of yet, such
as fingerprints,” she said.
“Once police uncover some,
they can proceed.”
Drew Hermann, a junior
from Alpharetta and
Woodsong resident, said he
and his roommate recently
spoke to police investigators
as officers searched for evi
dence and dusted for finger
prints at their apartment.
“They found a flashlight at
our place, and I heard they
found a sweatshirt some
where else,” Hermann said.
“But I haven’t heard anything
else.”
Some residents also are
voicing complaints about
Shane Dekle, owner of Dekle
Realty, which rents the
property.
“I haven’t heard from
(Dekle),” Waite said. “We’ve
been trying to call, and he’s
had our window fixed, but
otherwise he hasn’t been
helpful.”
Hermann said Dekle has
yet to fix the damage to his
home.
“Our door was broken and
he (Dekle) said he needs to
order one before he can
replace it,” he said. “I expect
ed a letter to the residents or
something.”
“People should be aware
when they sign leases here,”
Waite said. “Dekle hasn’t
done a damn thing for
anybody.”
Dekle was unavailable for
comment as of press time
Tuesday evening.
Sorrow said to prevent
burglaries, students can take
their valuables home with
them over long vacations or
have another friend house-sit
or periodically check their
residence while away.
However, she said burglar
ies are difficult crimes for
renters to prevent.
Going Pro
BROOKE MORRIS | The Red * Buck
A Top Dogs Charles Grant, above, and Randy
McMichael are heading for the NFL. Story, Page 8
Insomnia now serves alcohol, shuts doors at 2 a.m.
MONIRA AL-HAROUN The Red * Buck
A Jersey’s bartender Tiffany pours a beer Tuesday
afternoon. Jerseys and Insomnia have common
ownership and will be more closely associated
since Insomnia now is serving alcohol.
By GREG BLUESTEIN
gbluestei@randb.com
Downtown Athens’ embattled
Insomnia will no longer be an alcohol-
free club, owner Dwayne Gardner said.
The club opened last year and was
allowed to keep its doors open until 5
a.m. — long after other Athens clubs and
bars had closed.
Gardner said the clvo was the ideal
place for intoxicated partiers to sober
up.
“I felt (Insomnia) was a unique idea,”
he said. “There are enough bars in
Athens. At 2 a.m., no one wants to go
home.”
On May 1, 2000, the Athens-Clarke
County Commission enacted a county
ordinance prohibiting any public facility
to provide entertainment between the
hours of 2:45 and 7 a.m. Police issued
Gardner a citation eight days later.
“If (the A-C Commission) is going to
do something, they’re going to do it,”
Gardner said. “When they want some
thing done, they hit you in the stomach.”
One of the main reasons this ordi
nance was enacted was to reduce and
prevent potential violence that could
arise from Insomnia club-goers return
ing home in the early morning hours, A-
C representatives said in court last
August.
“The word is spreading (that) you can
come here and party longer,” Assistant
A-C Police Chief Mark Wallace told
Judge Ethelyn Simpson, according to
staff reports. “It will have another nega
tive impact, as it has in the past.”
Lt. L.H. McCrary, an A-C officer in the
downtown precinct, said he believes the
club’s earlier closing time will prevent
increased violence.
“If one place stays open longer than
every other place in town, then everyone
goes there,” McCrary said. “All the prob
lems end up there.”
He said the fact that Insomnia was
alcohol-free didn’t justify a later closing
time.
“In my opinion, the service of alcohol
wasn’t a big deal,” he said. “Some of the
people who went there were already
intoxicated.”
Gardner said Insomnia will have a
cover charge and will serve as an exten
sion to Jersey’s Bar and Grill, also
owned by the Gardner family.
He said Insomnia “started doing real
ly well” before getting tangled in court
cases.
But he said he was disappointed his
club could not serve a specific niche he
felt Athens needed.
“I wanted to do a service,” Gardner
said. “I didn’t want to have to sell alco
hol. I thought (a non-alcohol club) was a
need.”
INSIDE TODAY | News: 2 | Opinions: 4 | Vc iety: 5 | Sports: 6 | Crossword: 5
