Newspaper Page Text
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VOL. 45 - NUMBER 22
SGA tries to give Greeks SSOO
BY KOBIN STACY
The West Georgia SGA has
thus far been unsuccessful in an
attempt to give SSOO from their
budget to the Inter-Fraternity
and Pan-Hellenic councils for
the annual Greek week
celebration on campus.
According to a usually
reliable source, SGA President
Tony Jones, a sophomore from
Lyerly and an active member of
Chi Phi fraternity, planned to
give the Greeks the money
without Senate approval. Jones,
after repeated attempts, could
not be reached for comments.
When Senator Cathy Stewart,
a senior from San Jose, brought
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Pete Russell, director of campus development and engineering,
has announced that his department will re-pave the gravel part of
Back Campus Drive within the next two weeks. The city paved all
but this portion in front of the library over spring break. Russell
said that the school would be in charge of paving the unfinished
part as well as black topping the gravel sidewalks in the immediate
area. Hie original pavement was removed fall quarter in order to
extend a six-inch water main from the Callaway Building to the
student center for quicker access to water in case of Are. A $27,000
allocation from the Board of Regents, in addition to state funds also
provided for curbing and improved drainage systems in addition to
an exit ramp from Back Campus Drive onto Brumbelow Drive.
Registrar replaced
Ths search for anew
registrar and co-ordinater for
alumni services is over with two
people from within the West
Georgia community having
been named to fill the positions.
Pending approval from the
Board of Regents, Dr. Gordon
Finnie presently assistant dean
of the graduate school, will
replace Tim Thomas as
registrar.
WEST GEORGIA COLLEGE, CARROLLTON, GA 30118
up the matter at an SGA
meeting, Jones “pitched a fit,”
the source said. The Senate
nevertheless passed the gift
unanimously.
When Jones approached
Director of Student Activities
Mel Caraway about making out
a check to the Greeks, Caraway
was opposed, citing numerous
objections.
Caraway, who says he has the
authority to block the ap
propriation, has refused to
release the money. “Right now,
1 will not approve the ex
penditure,” Caraway said.
“The most obvious objection,
I have to giving the Greeks the
Thomas has announced his
resignation effective June 30.
Replacing Dr. Georgia
Martin, who has announced her
retirement as coordinator for
alumni services, is Phyllis
Fountain, presently an
assistant professor of
elementary education also
pending approval from the
Regents.
money is the question of
whether the activities funded
will be open to all students,” he
said. “I don’t think the purpose
of the SGA is to help subsidize
the social functions of other
organizations.”
Caraway said the gift, from a
budget which “the SGA has
done a very good job of wat
ching,” would set a bad
precedent. “If you start doing
something like this, what will
stop other organizations from
asking the SGA for money?”
Caraway wondered.
Caraway said that the SGA,
with the budget it has, could do
many things “but they
See SGA GIFT, page 7
Gas price increases hit
gas station owners hard
BY ROBIN STACY
“Have you ever seen anything like it in your
life?” the man asked. He scratched his head.
“No, 1 don’t know what in hell I’m gonna do.
They’ve went up two and a half cents on the
last two loads, and they say they’re going up
two and a half cents on the next load. I
thought that last two and a half was gonna kill
me.
Service station owners and attendants
around the West Georgia area have been
wondering what to do recently as gasoline
prices have “headed straight on up to
heaven,” as one said.
“Well, at first I thought it was them A-Rabs
who was just trying to gouge us out of some
more money, but now I don’t know. It’s either
the (oil) companies, or Carter and the rest of
the government or the A-Rabs that are doing
it. But it don’t matter, it’s going up.”
Gasoline prices in this area have gone up by
10 to 20 cents a gallon in the last six months.
The impact of the increase has been felt by all
of the service stations in the area. Some have
not been able to cope, and have closed down.
“Well, I was about ready to retire,” said
one owner who locked the doors of his station
for the last time last Sunday. “And when they
told me that my next load was going to cost
me three more cents a gallon, I just told them
to keep it, I’d shut my doors before I’d pay
that. And I did.”
Unfortunately for the owners, they are the
most visible villians of the increase to their
customers.
“I had a man come in here last week,” one
said, “and he told me he was gonna whip my
ass, said I was taking food out of the mouths
of his family. What can I do? I’m making less
money now than I was before everything went
up, making four tenths of a cent less on every
gallon, and my volume’s been cut about 200
gallons a month. But that man just wouldn’t
understand that.”
One owner vowed that he wouldn’t let the
increase cut into his profits, but he was
beginning to waver.
“On my last two loads (truck loads of
gasoline) the price went up five cents a
gallon. I said then I wasn’t going to let it cut
into my profits. They (his oil company)
called me today and told me the next load
would be up another two and a half cents a
gallon. I’ve gotta stay competitive, so if the
other stations lower their gas, I guess I’ll
have to too.”
Some attendants try to cheer up their
customers when they are greeted with yet
i
SGA PRESIDENT TONY JONES
another increase. “I tell them that People’s
Bank is going to put a branch in the station to
loan folks money to pay for their gas. Not
many people laugh at that one anymore.”
Most owners try to find someone to blame
for the increases and develop enemies as a
result.
“It’s that goddam (Secretary of Energy
James) Schlesinger who’s behind all this. I
never have trusted him.”
One attendant attributed the increases to
otherworldly causes. “It’s the work of Satan,
as sure as I’m bom. The day of reckoning is
close at hand, and the devil is building his
forces. You know he’d want to control the oil
for the big war. The oil companies have sold
out to him.” ■
Another blamed it on just about everybody.
“It’s all of ’em,” he said. “There’s the
Congress, and Carter, and the Arabs, and the
Jews, and the communists, and the oil
companies and the international bankers. It’s
the biggest fucking conspiracy the world has
ever seen.”
In addition to the increases, gas shortages
have been plaguing the owners.
“They’ll only give us as much gas as we
sold last year. But this time last year it was a
lot colder, and people didn’t drive as much. I
think I’m gonna run out this month about a
week before May starts. I guess I’ll just shut
the doors and take a vacation.”
Independent stations are having an even
rougher time than those affiliated with oil
companies, as they cannot be assured of their
supply. “We close down now every night at
five o’clock, and we still don’t know if we’ll
make it through the month. This whole
business has been made up by the oil com
panies to put us out of business.”
The feelings of all the owners surveyed
were summed up best by one man, who saw
only dispair.
“What are you gonna do?” he wondered.
“I’ve spent my whole life since I got out of
school working in gas stations. Finally 10
years ago I saved up enough money to open
my own station, and I’ve spent the tune since
then building my business. Now this happens
and my customers blame me and go
somewhere else, where the prices are a cent
or two lower. I guess they figure I’m just
trying to make a buck oil them, but hell, I’m
making less money now than I was before.
What’s a man supposed to do? This isn’t
supposed to happen in America. Not in
America.” ~
FRIDAY, APRIL 20 1979