Newspaper Page Text
•Sports banquet honors
football, cheerleading
-See Page 2B Inside
Serving Peach
County Since
1888
Vol. No. 111, Issue 5
No special
FVSU audits
By Jerry Murtagh
A Vicky Whitehead
The Leader-Tribune
After months of media specu¬
lation, the administration of
Fort Valley State University
would like people to know the
rest of the story.
Linda Hall, Vice-President for
Institutional Advancement at
FVSU, notes that although the
media has suggested that FVSU
was the subject of a ‘special’
audit, this was not the case.
Larry Whitaker, associate
director of the state auditor’s
AC
St
Retired Educators -
Georgia Retired Educators
will meet on Monday, Feb. 7
at St. Peter AME Church at
2 p.m. All retired educators
are invited.
Valentine Dance- The
H.A. Hunt High class of
1960 will sponsor a Valen¬
tine dance beginning at 9:00
p.m. at Camp John Hope.
Saturday, February 12, 2000.
Tickets may be purchased
from any class member.
i Tickets will also be available
at the door at no additional
cost. Dress is semi-formal.
I Jazz Concert - There
will be a Valentine’s Day
Jazz Concert featuring the
Spelman College Jazz
Ensemble on Sunday, Febru¬
ary 13 at 6 p.m. in the Petti¬
i grew Auditorium on the
I campus of FVSU. Tickets
may be purchased at the fol¬
lowing locations: Fort Valley
Chamber of Commerce,
FVSU bookstore, Aska’s
Beauty Supply, and Commu¬
nity Plaza. For more infor¬
mation call 825-8544.
Musical Auditions •
: Auditions for the annual
AKA/PACT Spring musical
! will be held on Sunday,
February 6 at 4 p.m. and
Monday, February 7 at 6
p.m. For more information,
please call 825-8544.
Hunt Book Fair - The
| students at Hunt Primary
School are going on Safari
with the Scholastic Book
Fair, February 7-11, 2000.
j The students and faculty
invite you to join them for
this reading adventure dur
j ing family night, February
' 10, 2000, from 6:00 p.m -
8:00 p.m. In addition to a
wide selection of books for all
ages, there will be facepaint¬
ing, hotdogs, drinks, deli¬
cious desserts, and much
more. Come be a part of the
fun and excitement at the
Scholastic “Book Fair
Safari.”
r
rhiy rt *
Wednesday, February 2, 2000
®he Heaber -tribune
2 Sections, 16 Pages
office agreed.
Whitaker explained that the
state auditor’s office does a rou¬
tine annual audit at Fort Valley
State University and all other
universities in the system. The
audit includes all aspects of the
university.
He added that at no point did
the state conduct or request a
special audit or review.
The last audit of FVSU was
con ducted in the fall of 1998,
according to Whitaker. The
focus of that audit was fiscal
year July 1, 1997 through June
30th 1998.
Some recommendations with
respect to financial aid were
included in the *98 audit.
What was reported in some
places as a special audit ordered
by the Board of Regent’s was
actually a review ordered and
paid for by President Oscar
Prater of Fbrt VaUey Statf Uni¬
versity. Hall noted the compre¬
hensive review and program
analysis cost the university
$10,000.
Vernetta Fairley, Director of
Standards of Excellence for the
National Association of Student
Financial Aid Administrators
(NASFAA) said that, “President
Oscar Prater requested the NAS¬
FAA review April 22,1999."
The (NASFAA) review became
the basis for the development of
an action plan to respond to
problems identified in die finan¬
cial aid office.
Prater presented a summary
of the university’s action plan
to the Board of Regents’ earlier
this month.
Some of the points addressed
in Prater’s plan include:
• The employment of a new
director of financial aid, Beatri
da King, who has been employed
by the University System of
Georgia for 26 years and has had
13 years of experience in finan¬
cial aid and veterans’ affairs.
• The employment of the
Wesley Peachtree Group con¬
sulting firm who will review
student financial aid records
and correct problems to insure
compliance with federal regula¬
tions.
• The replacement of six of
the original eight staff members
in the financial aid office. New
employees will be trained by
King in correct processes and
procedures.
• Tne implementation of a
monitoring system to track the
university’s progress in achiev¬
ing its goals.
“Auditors’ results are not the
final word,” according to Hall,
“institutions may take exception
to auditor findings. The U.S.
Department of Education has
the final word.
Fort Valley State has taken
great exception to the auditor’s
interpretation of certain regula¬
tions and contends that it has
always operated within the reg¬
ulations as prescribed by federal
law"
Hall added that, “Many of the
auditors’ findings appear to
involve personal preferences
and have no regulatory basis.
For example: there is not now,
nor haa there ever been a regu¬
lation that requires a financial
aid director to receive approval
(See FVSU, Page 2A)
Mayor’s Prayer
Breakfast
Rescheduled for
March 31st
Peach County’s source of loca over 100 years...
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1
Using imagination
Students having a snow day
from school, naturally
expect it to snow. When
no real snow appeared on
the scene Layla Carter
(standing) and Renee
Childree put their
imaginations to work.
They made this “snow II
man out of sand.
PHOTOS BY MARC ROBINSON
Peach crop tickled with cold
By Jerry Murtagb - The Leader-Tribune
Sometimes cold and wet is just what the
doctor ordered
The recent cold spell has been good for the
peach crop, according to Peach County
extension agent, Marc Collier.
“We were running a little low on cool
weather with the mild winter so far," Col
lier said, “but the recent cold spell is good
for us and has probably got us back on
trade.”
Collier explained that moisture in the soil
Police dog earning his keep
By Victor Kulkoaky - The Leader-Tribune
Give the dog a bone.
Fort Valley’s new police dog, Hero, earned
keep after his well-trained nose found
suspected crack in the trunk of a car.
As happens often, the drug find began as
a simple traffic stop, this one at 7:30 p.m.
on Jan.22.
Officer Sidney Andrews stopped Dannie
Lockett at Ptear Street and State University
drive for not wearing a seatbelt and not
using his left turn signal,
Lockett was unsteady, had bloodshot eyes,
and smelled of alcohol. He failed a field aobri
ety test. He was also “acting nervous end
could not stand still,” Andrews reported
After Andrews told him he was under
arrest for DUI, Lockett ran off down State
University Drive. Sgt. Strickland and Offl-
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this time of year is good for the row crops
and noted that the ground is pretty well
saturated,
“We could use more moisture deep in the
soil in the long run,” he added, “to keep the
ground water from running off later in the
season.
It was an extremely good year for pecans.
Collier noted, and it was a good quality
crop.
With any luck, local farmers will be say¬
ing that about Peaches and row crops as
their season comes to a close.
cer Terry Ware gave chase but the suspect
got away.
Sgt. Kevin Weigand then arrived with
Hero, who sniffed something suspicious in
the trunk of LockettV W Cadillac Eldora¬
do. Inside the trunk, police found a match¬
box containing suspected crack .
Lockett s passenger. Johnnie Mae Thomas,
told police that after taking her to Food
max, he had stopped on Maple Street
because he told her he needed to see his
uncle a moment.
The car was impounded
Thomas was not charged and released to
family at the scene.
Lockett is a 36-year-old black man, 6* 3"
and 275 pounds His address is listed at
1406 Willow Lake He’s wanted for
sion of a controlled substance and obstruct
ing an officer
•Camellia Festival
Massee Lane Gardens
iary4-12
Screening
project set
for PRMC
By Victor Kulkoaky - The Leader-Tribune
Y2K is shaping up to be Peach County’s
Year of Prostate Cancer Screening.
At the regular meeting of the Peach
County Hospital Authority, board member
Steve Prince said that the Chamber of
Commerce would be happy to put together
a prostate cancer screening program.
“We feel an urgent need to do some¬
thing,” said Prince, who is also president of
the chamber. He noted that prostate can¬
cer is a major killer of African-American
men.
Prince, and Nancy Peed, administrator
at Peach Regional Medical Center, dis¬
cussed bringing Fbrt Valley State Univer¬
sity and local ministerial groups involved
in the program.
“The university is a resource we haven't
developed yet," Peed said.
The board also appointed a nominating
committee to replace Jeff Blair. Blair
resigned from the board reluctantly due to
reorganization at his employer, Citizens
Bank & Trust, according to Chairman
Chuck Stembridge.
Larry Collins will chair the committee.
Other members are Steve Prince and Lilv
Ward.
Peed announced that the hospital has
received a $10,000 grant from drug com¬
pany Bristol Meyers Squibb to provide
hypertension screening and treatment at
reduced cost
PRMC will also benefit from a $150,000
grant from the Medcen Foundation of die
Medical College of Georgia.
The hospital will be part of seven-county
network that will provide medical care to
the uninsured, with the money shared
among the counties. Peed said.
Peed also gave the finance committee
report.
December tends to be a slow month due
to people traveling and many local doctors
offices closed. Peed said.
Net revenue for the month was $360,870
with a loss of $196,727.
Revenue for the fiscal year, which began
in November, was $905, 985, with a loss of
$143,103 for the year. The hospital started
the year with a profit.
Fifty-eight patients were admitted in
December. There were 929 emergency
room visits, and 635 outpatient visits.
Dr. Dinakara B. Shetty the new Chief of
Staff, offered seven appointments, all
accepted by the board.
Three doctors were reappointed from
associate to courtesy staff with privileges
in gynecology for two years: Dr. G.V.
Raghu, Dr. Manoj H. Shah, and Dr.
Ham ant Patel.
Dr. Ghularo M. Jarwar was reappointed
to active staff with privileges in pediatrics
for two years.
Dr. Julius O. Ajavi received a one-year
provisional appointment to the emergency
room staff.
Dr. Michael S. Zinmeister received a one
year provisional appointment to the con¬
sulting staff with privileges in radiology
Tammy Simpson, CRN A, received a ooe
year provisional appointment with clini cal
privileges in anesthesia as an Allied
Health Professional.
The board also accepted the recommen¬
dation of staff member Karen Lane and
board member Palmer as people
authorised to ail
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FOITVAUTV M
50c Per Copy
IN CUSTODY
James Owens III,
•Iso known as C. J.,
wfio escaped last
gerous, turned
himself In to the
Fort Valley Police
Department