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THURSDAY
January 11, 2001
Vol. 108, No. 79 | Athens, Georgia
Partly cloudy.
High 56 I Low 37 I Friday 53
ONLINE: www.redafidblack.com
An independent student newspaper serving the University of Georgia community
ESTABLISHED 1893, INDEPENDENT 1980
>■ Five University students collab
orate to produce a video game in
the New Media Institute. RAGE 7
New center
to seek
cancer test
STEPHEN JONES | The Red * Black
▲ With his staff behind him, John McDonald holds aloft the biochip that he hopes will
help him determine the gene that causes ovarian cancer.
JUSTIN B. RUBNER
jrubner@randb.com
Expectations are high for the development of an
early-warning screening test for ovarian cancer,
thanks to a new institute at the University.
The Ovarian Cancer Institute, partnered by
Genetics Department Head John McDonald and Dr.
Benedict Benigno, an Atlanta gynecologic cancer
surgeon, will be housed in St. Joseph’s Hospital and
in the University’s genetic department.
Both Benigno and McDonald said they expect a
screening test for the disease to be developed with
in a couple of years.
Currently, the cancer can be diagnosed only in its
latter stages, leaving its victims with few choices of
treatment, according to Benigno.
But competition is high to be the first to create a
test, primarily because of recent developments in
computer chip technology and genetics.
“It’s going to be a race to get there first,”
McDonald said.
The shining star of the project is a new device
called a micro-array analyzer, which will temporarily
be housed at the University lab. The machine can
reveal information on 60,000 genes at a time in a
tumor, which McDonald said will help researchers
identify target genes and eventually lead them to a
screening test for ovarian cancer.
The University lab will be operational by early
February and will analyze cancerous tissue by com
paring it with healthy tissue, using the new device.
“The beauty with this machine is we can scan the
entire genome as opposed to just one gene at a
time,” McDonald said.
According to McDonald and Benigno, advance
ments in genetics such as the Human Genome
Project, which identified and mapped all genes in
the human DNA, can make this screening test a
reality.
Ovarian cancer strikes 27,000 women per year
and is the fifth-leading cause of death for women
as well, according to a recent University news
release.
And McDonald said because there is no early-
warning system of the disease, the survivor rate is
about 30 percent. But if the disease is detected
early, survivorship jumps to about 95 percent.
“It will empower women over their health care
issues,” Benigno said, referring to the screening.
Benigno said the disease tends to hit women in
their 40s, but he has seen ovarian cancer strike at
younger ages.
“I see them sometimes in their 20s now,” he said.
Benigno said he sees no risk factors in the dis
ease and there are no real preventative measures
other than the birth control pill, which diminishes
monthly trauma to the ovaries by preventing
ovulation.
The institute has received about $150,000 from
foundations and pharmaceutical companies. But
the micro-array analyzer alone costs about $200,000.
The institute can’t receive government money
until the project becomes fully operational. But
Benigno said he expects to receive some money
from recent tobacco company settlements. A -por
tion of the settlements have been mandated by the
federal government to fund cancer research.
“We need a little money to keep this going,”
Benigno said. “It’s a very worthy operation.”
By KERRIE MAYER
For The Red & Black
A group of concerned students says the
University has a “lack of earnest and aggressive
commitment to diversity,” and listed six demands
for reform Wednesday.
Just one day after the University celebrated the
40th anniversary of its integration, 10 students
announced at a Memorial Hall press conference
their dissatisfaction with the University’s current
diversity, citing its 6 percent black enrollment.
“The administration here does not address our
needs and concerns and does not make us feel wel
come,” said Jocelyn Warren, a senior from Stone
Mountain.
Among the six demands, also circulated at
Tuesday’s desegregation anniversary events, was
“establish (tag) an office with staff and infrastruc
ture devoted solely to recruit and retain minority
students.”
Other points included:
> appointing a vice president for institutional
diversity;
> upgrading Minority Services and Programs
and the African-American Culture Center;
>• increasing the budget and faculty for African-
American studies;
> increasing oversight of judicial affairs in rela
tion to diversity and equity; and
CAMERON SWARTZ | The Red « Black
▲ Seniors Bridgette Turner, left, and Lyn
Simmons walk together to the Tate Center
after the press conference.
> initiating a strategic planning process to
develop long-term plans toward these goals.
Renita Ward, a graduate student from Stone
Mountain, criticized a recent restructuring within
Student Affairs.
“The restructuring of Minority Affairs is just one
example of things that have come out of the
administration that exhibit a lack of communica
tion with minorities,” Ward told The Red & Black.
Vice President for Student Affairs Richard
Mullendore told The Red & Black the restructur
ing won’t jeopardize minority affairs at the
University.
“The only significant changes occurring are
titles,” he said.
Mullendore the timing of the student gathering
disappointed him.
“(It’s) really a shame to see anything detract
from what’s been happening on campus this week,”
he said.
Out of respect for the efforts of Charlayne
Hunter-Gault and Hamilton Holmes, the students
said they waited until Wednesday to reveal their
concerns, so as not to disrupt Tuesday’s
ceremonies.
The students were dressed in black, which they
said symbolized both respect for the desegregation
anniversary and dissatisfaction with the
University’s current commitment to diversity.
Although the University has no specific plans to
solve the issues addressed by the students, there
are plans for “an open forum with students,” in the
near future, Mullendore said.
Adams
todefiver
strategy
By PAUL FULTON Jr.
pfulton@randb.com
University President Michael Adams will elabo
rate on the Strategic Plan today at his State of
the University Address, according to University
officials.
The plan, passed by the
University Council in
November, assists in setting
priorities and directing the
University’s course for the next
decade.
“It articulates three strate
gic directions the University
needs to move in and has the
opportunity to move in effec
tively to become one of the
best public universities in
America over the next 10
years,” said Vice President for
Strategic Planning Don
Eastman. “Each of those directions has numerous
projects itemized under them to fulfill those
directions.”
Eastman said the University’s Strategic Plan
encompasses institutional plans from all 9 of the
University’s colleges and links those plans togeth
er under one initiative. The plan also takes into
account the direction of the University in both the
physical and programmatic senses, he said.
Chuck Toney, director for the University News
Service, said the plan was two years in the making
and had input from students, faculty and staff.
“It sets the stage for the first decade of the 21st
century,” he said.
Toney also said he expects the president to dis
cuss other accomplishments the University has
made during the course of the past year, including
new hires and appointments as well as hitting the
research Hind-raising milestone of $100 million in
one fiscal year.
The first two quarters of this fiscal year already
have seen a 35-percent increase over last year in
fund raising for research projects, he said.
Assistant to the President Matt Winston said
the address normally draws a good mix of stu
dents, faculty and staff, but he said students
should try to take the time to stop by and see
what the president has to say about their institu
tion of higher learning.
“Of course, class schedules can conflict with
who can come. But I hope a lot of students will
turn out, all of whom I’m hoping are interested in
the direction the University’s taking and the mes
sage the president has to deliver,” he said.
Toney also said he would like to see more stu
dents attend the annual event to see what Adams
has to say about the University.
“It’s the start of a new semester, but we would
love to see more students at the State of the
University,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to hear
from the highest level about where we’re going,
what-we’ve thought about over the last two years
and where this University can go.”
The Address will be held today at 3:30 p.m. at
the University Chapel on North Campus.
STATE OF THE UNIVERSITY ADDRESS
When: 3:30 p.m.
Where: University Chapel
ADAMS
Lady Dogs stay focused for Florida
By DARREN EPPS
depps@randb.com
When women’s basketball head coach
Andy Landers scheduled tough non-con
ference opponents such as Rutgers, UCLA
and Illinois in the month leading up to the
start of a brutal SEC schedule, he did it so
his squad wouldn’t get “bored.”
Little did he know his Lady Bulldogs
would go on to trounce the Scarlet
Knights by 29, beat UCLA by 34 and
Illinois by 41 en route to an 11-game win
ning streak in which Georgia’s margin of
victory is 32.4 points.
“It is a concern,” Landers said. “But the
big picture is this: We’ve got four ranked
teams in a row ahead of us. All of them are
conference teams that are contenders. I’m
counting on that right now to get their
attention.”
So with No. 14 Florida (13-1 overall, 2-0
SEC) visiting Stegeman Coliseum tonight
at 7:30 to take on the fourth-ranked
Lady Bulldogs (12-2, 1-0), Landers doesn’t
expect to see any yawning on his
bench.
“I told the team this could very well be
Florida’s best team, and they’ve had some,
good teams,” Landers said. “I didn’t say
IT’S A FACT
Georgia’s 11-game winning streak
has been anything but close:
Georgia Southern 85-57
Chattanooga 81-43
Rutgers (in Orlando) 82-53
Georgia Tech (in Marietta) 78-61
Houston 92-61
Dartmouth 110-73
at Virginia Commonwealth 77-63
at Georgia State 107-75
at UCLA 89-55
Illinois 100-59
Alabama 96-41
Average margin of victory: 32.4 points
that as a ploy to get our players motivat
ed. They know when I say something like
that they’re dealing with a truth.”
“And plus,” he said with a smile, “It’s
Florida.”
Members of the Lady Bulldogs, howev
er, said staying focused despite such lop
sided scores has not been a problem. The
team’s commitment is a factor, guard
Coco Miller said, that will help them
against Florida.
“We’ve learned to just stay aggressive
the entire game no matter what the score
is,” she said. “Our opponents usually keep
playing hard because they’re playing for
pride. So we just keep playing hard right
back.”
Miller, along with sister Kelly and fellow
guards Deanna Nolan and Kiesha Brown,
will have their hands full with the Lady
Gator backcourt tandem of Brandi
McCain and Tombi Bell. McCain is averag
ing 19.7 points a contest while Bell is
shooting 52 percent and dishing out 5.2
assists per game.
Florida’s improved guard play is a far
cry from previous versions of the Lady
Gators, whose forwards and centers
earned most of the team’s points.
“Usually, they’re a type of team that
runs a high-low offense,” Brown said. “But
now they have two quick guards that will
certainly put us at attention. Everyone on
the floor will have to help out if we’re going
to accomplish what we need to in order to
beat Florida.
“We’re the SEC champs and because of
that, we’re being targeted,” she said. “The
road from now on is going to be a lot
tougher.”
4 Lady Bulldog
Kelly Miller tears
the ball from the
hands of an
Alabama guard in
a game earlier
this season. In
the men’s game
Wednesday, the
Dogs beat Auburn
85-80 in over
time. For full
results, See Story
Page 8.
INSIDE TODAY | News: 3 | Opinions: 4 | Variety: 7 | Sports: 8 | Crossword: 5
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