December 1998: Vol. 78, No. 1December 1998: Vol. 78, No. 1 | |||
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Jandi Brent, a senior from Union City, moves into her dorm room after spending a month at the Holiday Inn while renovations at Reed Hall were being completed.
Sitting in a chair in the corner of her Holiday Inn executive suite, Alicia Stenson glances nonchalantly at her deluxe surroundings: a neatly made king-size bed, dark oak tables, a private bath with freshly laundered towels.
At first glance, Stenson could pass for a businesswoman winding down after a long day of work. Only her backpack hints at the truth.
"The room is really nice. But when I first got here, I felt like I was on a vacation and I couldn't get into the swing of classes," says Stenson, who was among 80 UGA students who were forced to start fall semester at the Holiday Inn because of contractor delays at Reed Hall. The 45-year-old residence was closed in 1996 for a full-scale renovation project.
University Housing began reserving motel rooms for Reed residents after realizing that contractors wouldn't be finished with the $10.4 million facelift. Two failed fire inspections the week before classes began had workers scrambling to get the building up to code. The fire marshal approved the first, second, and third floor rooms for occupancy just three days before school started. Ground floor residents moved in 10 days later, while fourth floor residents had to wait until Sept. 16, almost a month after classes began.
Despite the delays, most students displaced by the renovations were pleased with University Housing's handling of the situation. "I feel sorry for [Director of Housing] Jim Day," says Stenson. "He's catching a lot of flack about Reed, but he's done a lot to try and make us comfortable." Day and other University Housing employees gave out their home phone numbers so residents could reach them anytime. They even stored students' belongings in their garages.
Senior Joselyn Erves expressed no sadness at leaving the luxury of the motel for her digs at Reed. "I'm not really going to miss anything about the motel, because the room I have here at Reed equals it," says Erves. "I'm just relieved to finally be in my own room."
Jennifer Hanson
Going the distance
It's nothing new for college students to go the extra mile--but 3,254 of them? That's how far UGA junior Nick Evans rode his bike this summer to persuade his mom to quit smoking. Evans, a participant in the 48-day GTE Big Ride from Seattle to Washington, D.C., also helped raise more than $6,000 for the American Lung Association.
After training for more than three months, Evans rode about 80 miles each day during the steamy summer months. When the going got tough, he thought of his mother's and sister's asthma and his grandfather's emphysema, which claimed his life during Evans' months of training.
Evans' mother, Joanne Gossman, agreed to quit smoking if Evans participated in the ride. "It was a huge commitment for me to train for this ride," says Evans. "But hers is a lifetime commitment."
First Asian American fraternity in Southeast
There's a new frat in town, but you won't find the brothers tossing a football in front of a chapter house on Lumpkin Street.
Instead, the members of Xi Kappa, the Southeast's first Asian-interest fraternity, conduct meetings in members' apartments, discussing weighty issues like the lack of cohesion among Asian students and their desire to increase understanding of Asian heritage at UGA.
"I think the best way to learn about a culture is not to have someone teach you about it, but to learn from your peers," says fraternity president Jason Dunn.
UGA's Office of Greek Life won't recognize Xi Kappa until it has at least five chapters. To that end, the founders hope the fraternity will spread to Georgia Tech and Emory, and eventually become national. Members are mostly of Asian descent, but non-Asian students have joined and are welcome.
In the meantime, the fraternity plans to expand the role of the 800 Asian American students at UGA, and become more involved in campus events.
"I think Asians used to be almost invisible on this campus, other than being recognized for getting academic honors," says Christian de Guzman, Xi Kappa vice president.
Lofty goals aside, Xi Kappa is also a social fraternity. Says member Trung Pham:
"Like any other fraternity, we're going to party!"
Jennifer Hanson
NCAA gym champions feted at White House
 Karin Lichey shakes hands with the president during the Gym Dogs' visit to the White House. It was the first such visit by a UGA women's athletic team.  |
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After winning the 1998 NCAA championship this April, the Gym Dogs became the first UGA women's athletic team invited to the White House.
"We never thought we'd get the chance to go, since sometimes women's teams don't get as much publicity as men's teams," says NCAA floor exercise co-champion Karin Lichey. The last UGA team to visit the White House was the 1990 baseball team, which won the College World Series that year.
After the president congratulated the team on their high collective GPA, the Gym Dogs gave the president a UGA golf shirt which he promised to wear to play golf the next day.
Jennifer Hanson
"We call it the Screwmaster Switch. Teachers are thinking that more time equals more work--'Oh! Here's the chance to throw in that extra book I never get to assign'--instead of more time equals the same amount of work, spread out. And since classes meet less frequently, if you miss one class, you're so out of the loop."
"In my major, the semester system lets us do a lot more projects because there's more time--I've got six going right now. Projects are great when you're applying for jobs because they really show what you're capable of doing."
"I'm not going to be able to go home to India for Christmas Break. With only two and a half weeks, it's just not worth it."