Augusta focus. ([Augusta, Ga.) 198?-current, May 04, 1995, Image 1

Augusta focus., May 04, 1995, Image 1

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Newspaper Page TextJ.B.’s Star-Studded Birthday ; ; Y R ' } L - «* IR TORR S (SRR A SRS pink slips have some seeing red M Officials deny reports of vio lence in wake of layoff notices; security officers instructed to be sensitive to affected workers. By Rhonda Y. Maree AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer AUGUSTA The climate at Savannah River Site has been volatile for months as employees fear losing their jobs. Despite denials from site spokespersons, there are reports of violence triggered by the stressful conditions. According to officers with Wackenhut Security, an employee struck his supervisor last week after being told he would soon receive a pink slip. “The supervisor was trying to cushion the blow (of being laid off),” the security officer said. A similar situation occurred the same week, re sulting in a physical fight between a supervisor and his subordinate, according to another Wackenhut officer. Another report cites a woman who had to be restrained and taken away from her work area ona stretcher when notified that she would lose her job. . “This is totally untrue; there is no credence to it,” :Carl Nandrasy, public affairs officer for Wackenhut, ‘said of the fights. ¢ According to Mr. Nandrasy, there is no official ‘record of Wackenhut responding to such incidences. . Andrea Wood, a Wackenhut communicator, ac ‘knowledged that a Westinghouse Savannah River !; . A B . : ! ‘? | & ) The Hon. Willie L. Brown .Jr., Speaker of the Assembly of California. INSIDE 1 Ededßoot || set ] lé i :"" ] 1 ',E‘Q,‘ | P v LN y 8 ’ /"" , : ¥4 . 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AUGUSTA Paine College will conduct its 113th Baccalaureate and Commencement Convocation on Sunday, May 7,1995 at 3:00 p.m. in the Gilbert-Lambuth Memorial Chapel on the Paine College campus. The Commencement speaker is The Honorable Willie L. Brown, Jr., Speaker of the Assembly of the State of California. Mr. Brown, nation ally and internationally recognized for his achievements, has been reelected to the California 13th Assembly District every term since 1964. He was elected Speaker of the Assembly in 1988. Mr. Brown will also receive an honorary degree from Paine College. Alumni registration will begin at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, May sth in the Alumni House on Laney-Walker Boule | May 4 - 10, 1995 VOL. XIV NO. 698 | 5 ‘ el e o R at ‘.‘ t‘ﬁ‘ % ég'i vk TR '?,is'l“t’.;j" * YR i N 5 B : i Wt BT RN f‘ “;«.“' A ; RN P 5 ¥ ,u": #n ’ avaasese: A s k) g e B . i T | Metro Augusta's Finest Weekly Newspaper | Company employee became “disoriented” last week, but did not confirm that it was linked to lay-off notification. Site management received memorandums early last week advising them of how to han dle distressed employees, a site secretary said. A copy of an article on workplace violence was | b anomrr 00l CR i - . | 4 . o i ‘ R 4 {«W i"A “‘ ] v .o/ e \ - \ s ) . — e \ LT s T ‘ i ' _d \ 2 ;;\v i 3 : W ﬁ F H M i e FOWL PLAY was the order of the day at Monday nights's Augusta Green Jacket contest at Lake Olmsted Stadium. The CHICKEN came to town and proceeded so hatch the usual ruckus among fans and players. Photo by Jimmy Carter RACE MATTERS Good health, religious life correlated among Blacks M Blacks are more religious as a group than whites, Purdue University study indicates. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) African-Americans who regularly pray and attend reli gious services are more likely tobe healthier than blacks who are not religiously active, a Purdue University professor says. In a study based on inter views with 3,617 black adults nationwide, Purdue sociology professor Kenneth Ferraro found that religiously minded blacks experienced fewer health problems than those who did not routinely pray or take part in religious services. The results of the study, co authored by Texas Tech Uni versity sociologistJJerome Koch, are featured in the current is sue of the Journal for the Sci- vard. For additional information on Alumni Reunion Weekend 95, contact the Office of Alumni Affairs at (706) 821-8247. ‘ A p e ok U e VNG R B inie O ikl v /{, ?J.:,..\.,T,:J,: "; .‘. j ‘ | G RAT EY i,if";'j.(.‘; . - e aaa D ¥ R G /z’ 5 W;@fé} md perceptions of God are not the issue. entific Study of Religion. “We found the denomination does not matter and differences in doctrine or perceptions of God are not the issue,” Ferraro said. “What seems to matter is how active one is in one’s religion, how often one prays.” The study bolsters other re cent scientific research that sug gests that prayer. like medita tion, has a soothing, calming ef fect on the body that may help improve overall health, Ferraro said. Although blacks are at high er risk for poor health—includ included with the memorandum, she said. Westinghousé spokesman Chris Caldwell said managers were trained to understand “the emotional roller coaster” employees are on and how to handle it. See LAYOFFS, page 5 ing some cancers, diabetes and high blood pressure — than oth er ethnic groups, participationin religious life can help close the gap, he said. Ferraro said his research also shows that religion affects blacks and whites differently because the church or mosque remains a strong social force for blacks. White Protestants congregations, ontheother hand, havelost clout and members in recent years, he said. “Blacks are more religious as agroup than whites,” he said. “In terms of religious identity and practice and the consolation or comfort they receive from reli gion, blacks score higher than whites.” Ferraro said that religious teachings that encourage mod eration, prayer and rest on the Sabbath could explain why reli giously-minded blacks were like ly to be healthier than non-reli gious members of the same eth nic group. ' MR. 808 HENNEBERGER GEORGIA NEWSPAPER BULK RATS UNIVERSITY OF GA | i| usS. POSTAGE ATHENS GA 30602 12/31/99 Ng‘.",%z w 0 ‘ L “; € ) © ne i 4 : £ . ig R 21T 1o the TERIONAIT See oortstocs S v - LEYy—yee Sporisrocus City panel axes ‘secret’ salary hikes Employees feel move was unfair, insensitive By Rhonda Y. Maree AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer AUGUSTA Augusta City employees who have enjoyed salary increases for as long as six months recently had them snatched away, leaving them victims of the city’s financial fiasco, they said. Increases were granted to four employees in October 1994 and to a fifth employee inJanuary without the coun cil Finance Committee’s ap proval. “I don’t feel we should be punished this way for some thing we’re not responsible for,” Andrew L. Passmore, director of Augusta Port Authority and acting direc tor of Augusta Canal Au thority. Mr. Passmore, whose sal ary was boosted from $19,570 to $22,000, said his raise was justified even if Mayor Charles A. DeVaney did not follow proper proce dures in granting it. “When I was hired, I start ‘ed at a very low salary, but I was told that I would get a raise within the next six months to compensate for it,” Mr. Passmore said. Hired initially only to di rect the Port, he shortly af terward took on new respon sibilities that were not “part of the deal.” Barbara L. Sasser, project Do we really need the SAT? B The standard ized test is no longer a reliable predictor of college performance, local counselor says. By Rhonda Jones AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer AUGUSTA On May 6, and again on June 3, highschool students will report for their shot at the Scholastic Aptitude Test and, if history repeats itself in Richmond County, they won'’t do very well. But not all school officials are wor ried about this trend. Carol Roundtree, director of guidance and testing, said that, although the drop in scores may be cause for “con cern” it is not necessarily cause for “alarm.” “No — students aren’t do ing any worse, it’s just that morestudents are takingthe test.” Many of these students score low, she said, because they have not had the col lege preparatory courses T , , - BT - 4's W | have a " il what I've done. Margaret Armstrong City Council member director of the Old Govern ment House who received an increase from $29,784 to $31,917, also said she was unfairly punished. “I'mavictim of the whole entire thing, and it makes me sick,” she said. Employed by the city for seven years, Ms. Sasser said Mr. DeVaney prom ised her an increase upon the completion of addition al projects he assigned her. “l understand they (council) have a job to do, and they have to be led by their conscience,” she said. “But I wasn’t aware of the law;ldidn’t know (that the raises needed the Finance Committee’s approval ).” Ms. Sasser added that the raise of Ron T. Rogers, her assistant, was actually an increase to match a change in job description. In addition to assisting Ms. Sasser, Mr. Rogers took on janitorial duties and was granted an in- See RAISES, page 3 required to do well on the SAT. According to Evelyn Brown, guidance counse lor at Lucy C. Laney High School, even taking those courses is no great help, because they don’t provide the students with the “higher-order thinking skills” that the SAT stress es. But the purpose of the SATitselfhas changed over the years, she said, and is no longer a reliable predic tor of how a student will do in college. When asked if the test is outdated, shereplied, “Yes, I would say it is.” According to Brenda Johnson, admissionsinfor mation specialist at Augus ta College, the scoring sys tem for the SAT was re cently judged “unfair,” and replaced with a new scale, effective since April 1. Ac cording to the old scale, prospective AC students were supposed to have scored at least 350 on both sections of the SAT. The See SAT, page 3