September 1998: Vol. 77, No. 4

Women's gymnastics and basketball nearing break-even point, Adams tells radio audience

President Michael Adams was a recent guest on WRFC's afternoon sports talk show. In a wide-ranging discussion of UGA and intercollegiate athletics with host David Johnston (ABJ '90), Adams made the following comments about the importance and future of women's sports at UGA:

"The biggest issue in women's sports today, frankly, relates to revenues. We only have, right now, two sports that make money out of the 19 or 20 that we have intercollegiately--and that's men's football and men's basketball. I really would encourage people to support women's sports. The women's basketball players sometimes play better fundamentally than the men do. I think they are exciting to watch and well-coached. We didn't do as well this year in women's softball as we had hoped, but we're building a program there. We went to the NCAAs in women's soccer. And then you think about this spring, at one time, we had seven teams in the top 10: men's and women's golf, men's and women's swimming, men's and women's tennis, and women's gymnastics. That shows, I think, a pretty strong record of commitment across the board to women's sports. I'm beyond the debate about whether or not we ought to do it. That took place 15 years ago. We're going to compete in the SEC at a very high level in women's sports.

"This year, athletics at the University of Georgia is about a $27 million enterprise. Were it not for the media contracts and the visibility of men's football and men's basketball, we would not be able to compete across the board at the high level that we do. I think we could live, in the near term, to see women's basketball and women's gymnastics move closer to the break-even point. You don't have to be a brain surgeon to understand that when you've got two winners and 17 losers, economically, that it can get very tough. Let's also remember that we play sports for reasons other than just winning or, certainly, the money involved. We provide wonderful scholarship opportunities for about 400 student-athletes a year. We think a great deal of good comes from the women's sports program."

Debbie is No. 1!

She may be from the Bahamas, but UGA track star Debbie Ferguson is No. 1 in America after winning both the 100-/200-meter NCAA dash titles. Other collegiate champs during the 1997-98 school year: swimmer Kristy Kowal (100-/200-yard breastroke) and gymnasts Kim Arnold (All-Around, beam) Jenni Beathard (beam), and Karin Lichey (floor). UGA also won a team championship in gymnastics. And thanks to stellar years in both men's and women's sports, we ranked No. 7--our highest ever!--in Sears Cup standings, which measure the overall performance of collegiate athletic programs.

Rainbow-colored roaches raced around the track, and the bright blue one was the Secretariat of the bunch. Entomology student Juan Luis was in charge of the roach races, which drew a crowd of young spectators whenever the starting gate was lifted. Roach races at Botanical Garden's Insect-ival! If it has six legs, three body parts, and wings, it probably made an appearance at the Botanical Garden's annual Insect-ival, an insect extravaganza sponsored by the entomology department and the Lund Student Club. A host of creepy-crawly bugs temporarily set up housekeeping at the State Botanical Garden, where the wonderful world of insects was presented to Athens families. Insect-ival featured roach races, reading bugs, cricket pizza, and plenty of opportunities for people to learn that insects are much more than just a crunch underfoot. Festival organizers wanted people to have fun--but they also wanted to stress the biological importance of bugs. UGA students talked about amazing insects, their activities, and the important function they carry out on the planet. And yes, there was even an insect chef on site to prepare all sorts of insect snacks (see p. 14). Stacy Brock, an undergraduate who works in an entomology lab, was in charge of a termite learning station. "These creatures actually detect chemicals in the ink on paper and follow the ink trail," said Brock. "It's pretty weird," said Dana Krementz, 6, of Athens. "I never knew termites could read!"

$30,000 gift helps UGA Habitat build 2nd house

Habitat for Humanity is an organization of giving, and a silent benefactor captured that spirit by donating $30,000 to help fund the UGA chapter's second home. Contributions from Harbin Lumber and Home Depot also helped make the project possible.

More than 800 student volunteers labored on the second home, which is located in a neighborhood close to campus known as Henderson Extension. Volunteers did everything from framing to roofing to building porches. They also cleared out a large area of concrete to make a grassy backyard for the new residents.

"Habitat would not exist without caring people, corporations, and institutions that give of their time and money," says Bronson Lee, president of the campus chapter. "We always stress that it is not only building skills that are needed in Habitat. We depend on the creativity and skill of builders and artists, dreamers and doers, organizers and talkers."

UGA Habitat is attempting to give a facelift to the Henderson Extension neighborhood by concentrating all of its home-building efforts there, an area where there haven't been many new homes built lately. A local community center contributes to the area's potential

"I feel like the people who worked on this house are a part of my family," says Benita Thomas, a lifetime resident of Athens who will live in the new home with her two daughters, Shimeka, 10, and Tameka, 7.

UGA Habitat completed its first home last spring and is planning to build two more homes in the Henderson Extension neighborhood next year. One of the homes is targeted to become a student-sponsored house, with the $40,000 equity needed to build it coming entirely from fundraising by campus organizations.

"A Habitat home is an incredible commitment to the community we live in," says faculty adviser Sandra Whitney. "It counters all the negative publicity students get on partying and says they have a broader understanding of giving in the community. It's a tangible expression of caring."

To find out how to donate time or money to UGA Habitat, e-mail Sandra Whitney at swhitney@arches.uga.edu or call her at 706/542-3240.

Yahoo! survey shows Internet access on rise

The Information Superhighway is making its way into UGA's classrooms, according to a recent survey conducted by the University on behalf of the Web search engine Yahoo!

The survey showed that 25 percent of undergraduate courses have study materials posted on the Internet, and 15 percent of undergraduate courses assign homework that requires using the Internet.

"We're looking forward to increased use of computers in our educational environment to enhance traditional classroom instruction," says Bert De-Simone, an information analyst who helped tabulate the survey results.

To help pave the way for the additional use of computers in classes, University Computing and Networking Services is in the process of implementing a pilot program in Myers Hall that will provide selected students with Internet access in their dorm rooms. If the program is successful, Internet ports could be provided in other residence halls on campus.

UGA is constantly trying to keep pace with evolving technologies, says Walter McRae, associate vice president for computing and networking. "I want to grow the number of personal computer seats available to students any way I can," says McRae, who points out that 10 percent of the University's computers were purchased within the last year, and 60 percent were purchased within the last three years. In the future, UCNS hopes to provide students with an even more modern infrastructure.

Additional survey results include the following:

• The ratio of Internet ports in residence halls to undergraduate resident students is 1:70.
• PCs make up 75 percent of UGA's computer population. Macs represent 20 percent and 5 percent are Unix terminals.
• Half of UGA's undergraduates own their own computers.
• 10 percent of undergraduates have their own Web pages.
• Undergraduates have to wait for Internet terminal access no more than twice a week--and then only for 15 to 30 minutes.
• Students who need the Internet for academic purposes have priority over those wanting access for social reasons.
• Undergraduates can see what courses are available, register, and do drop-and-add online

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