86222001-02-09February 9, 2001newsAndrewSantelli221News StaffCity ordinance abolishes '18 to party' nightsA new Atlanta law enacted on January 23 will prohibit patrons under 21 from entering nightclubs and bars, virtually eliminating Buckhead's College Night, a popular Thursday evening activity for students 18 and up. Thanks to a new ordinance recently passed by the Atlanta City Council, those under 21 will be looking for a new place to dance. The ordinance, which the Council approved unanimously on January 16 and Mayor Bill Campbell signed into effect on January 23, changes a previous law that allowed patrons above 18 but under 21 to enter bars, nightclubs, and other establishments, without drinking privileges. Under the new ordinance, one must be 21 to even enter such an establishment. However, enforcement and even knowledge of the new rule is not yet widespread among the owners of clubs popular with Atlanta's students. A representative from Fuel, a popular club on College Night, said that "there is a lot of confusion on if [the ordinance] is a law now." "We feel someone from the city should notify us," said the representative. A "'very unverified' three to five percent" of Fuel's business comes from patrons under 21. A manager from BAR Atlanta refused to comment further than saying that there may be ways to get around the ordinance, but no one from his establishment had looked into it yet. Some other club proprietors did not take the same attitude; they are already in compliance with the new law. The manager of Have a Nice Day Café, Trevor Elliott, stated that on previous College Nights, the number of under-21s was minimal, so his business would not be adversely affected by the change, but added that "in the long run, it will probably hurt most bars." Have a Nice Day will still admit underage patrons for private parties, such as fraternity and sorority functions, as these patrons are only prohibited during regular business hours, and not special events. John Lammerte, manager of Lulu's Bait Shack voiced similar sentiments; their business will not drop off because they never permitted underage patrons. Employees contacted at Masquerade on North Avenue had not heard about the ordinance. No manager or owner was available for comment. The ordinance was brought about after years of study on how to improve the underage drinking situation in Buckhead, said Atlanta City Councilwoman Julia Emmons, who sponsored the ordinance with backing from Buckhead business and community groups who have been trying to "clean up" Buckhead in recent years. "The social cost of underage drinking is greater than any economic impact," said Emmons. "It's gotten totally out of hand." Emmons feels that underage drinking is the agenda of students under 21 who frequent Buckhead bars. The Mayor's Office had no comment on the law but to say it became effective after the January 23 signing. The Buckhead Coalition, the community group in Buckhead which has been attempting to cure the disease of underage drinking, saw this ordinance as the next step in the process, which has included installing emergency phones, closing bars and clubs on Sundays, and requiring new establishments to have parking facilities. "The nightlife scene has been growing for years in numbers of bars, drinks, people, and problems," more specifically problems with under-21s 'cruising' and being 'hangers-on,'" said Sam Massell. Massell, president of the Coalition, saw this as an important step towards solving the underage drinking problem. Massell said the bar owners the Coalition organized agreed that something had to be done, because it is viewed as a larger problem. He pointed to South Beach in Miami as a community with the same problem as Buckhead. Another reason for the Coalition's endorsement was to buck the "trend of binge drinking common on college campuses these days." The Coalition has met with administrators at local colleges and universities, including those at Georgia Tech, to formulate a plan to curb underage drinking. When asked about the economic impact of this legislation, he said that there would definitely be an adverse effect, because those underage were still finding their way to alcohol and the clubs' sales would go down, but "you have to pay the price to have peace in the streets." Selling alcohol to minors "is just bad business," said Massell. "When you look at the bottom line, it's well worth it." Students who would be affected by the new ordinance, however, had a different opinion. Justin Steigerwalt, 18, an Aerospace Engineering freshman, found out about the new rule first hand. "I went to College Night at BAR before the ordinance passed and had a great time, but when I went back, I couldn't get in anywhere. It was kind of a shock." Chemical Engineering third year student Prasanna Neti, 20, shared the sentiment of disdain saying that she and her friends "just want to dance, we don't do anything bad. Now it will just make more people want fake IDs." Steigerwalt also commented that now the use of false identification could be more prevalent. "If you really want to get in, you'll have a fake ID and you'll have to use it. Unfortunately it will probably force more people to go in that direction." Neti and roommate Anita Satyaprakash, a CS sophomore, voiced hope that with the elimination of Buckhead as a viable Thursday night entertainment option, "there will be more parties and things to do on campus," as Satyaprakash said. Neti noted that there could be a rise in disturbances of the peace and loud noise if the number of on-campus parties goes up. For now, the consequences for those clubs (and patrons) who violate the ordinance remain unclear. Most clubs will take or have taken steps themselves using their own security staffs, but the Atlanta Police Department declined comment on punishment for disobeying the ordinance. So what will those under 21 do now to enjoy themselves on weekends? Steigerwalt said he'll "just have to find another form of legal entertainment."1083Daniel Uhlig / STUDENT PUBLICATIONSNisha Iyer, Anita Satyaprakash, and Prasanna Neti get ready to head out to Buckhead for College Night. The new city ordinance may destroy younger students' only night for dancing and clubbing.

86222001-02-09February 9, 2001newsMaryDeCamp165Senior News StaffCounseling Center provides students with help, optionsCollege, although commonly cited as the "time of your life," can be rife with pressure and stress. Lifestyle changes and challenges of being out on one's own for the first time, from bad eating habits and erratic sleeping behavior to experimentation with drugs and alcohol, can send students over the edge. Depression and other mental health issues are common at college campuses worldwide. Benefits of living on a college campus when feeling overwhelmed or depressed is that resources for mental health are nearby and available. "People experience many life changes during the college years. It has been said that the college experience is the best of times and the worst of times," said Rome Lester, a licensed marriage and family therapist who works at Tech's Counseling Center. "One can learn how to cope with transitions through the counseling process," she said. The Counseling Center is located in room 238 of the Student Services Building. Psychologists, licensed professional counselors, and marriage and family therapists make up the ten senior staff counselors. "In addition, we have a part time psychiatrist, a post doctoral fellow, and four practicum students from various universities in the Atlanta area," said Lester. On average, the staff members at the Counseling Center see over 275 students a week in individual as well as group therapy. "Our primary mission is to serve the students of Georgia Tech, and there is a high demand on our services," said Lester. "We are committed to do everything we can to see students in a timely manner, usually within seven to ten days." "However, if a student presents a mental health emergency we provide a same day crisis appointment during our 8:00 a.m. or noon time emergency hours." The Tech Counseling Center also has a 24-hour, seven day a week emergency hotline, for students who need to speak with a counselor immediately. The most common problems that students present to the counselors are things such as relationship issues, concerns about becoming an independent adult, depression and anxiety, and concerns about academics and career choices. The abundance of medications available these days to treat people with mental health problems also helps to make the stressful life of a college student more bearable. Some college students use Prozac and Zoloft, two of the most popular drugs, because they help to stabilize moods and lessen the amount of despair that students can tend to feel, especially after common college occurrences such as receiving a bad grade or fighting with a roommate. At Tech, like at other high-pressure universities, the desire to succeed and the sense of failure that comes when the desired success does not come can be too much for some people, even with all the help that is around. The suicide rate among college students in the United States has grown over the past decade. However, according to the Office of the Dean of Students, there are about two suicides per year at Tech, which is less than the national average. "The key, of course, is to educate people about suicide risk and to forthrightly discuss ways to identify and help those who might be at risk," said Lester. The best way to deal with depression and other mental health problems is to prevent them from occurring, if that is possible. "Maintain physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. That can be done by balancing academics with other life experiences," advised Lester. Sometimes mental health problems arise even under the best of conditions. According to the Counseling Center, some students are prone to depression and other mental health challenges, and theycan only hope to be able to deal with them when they appear. In this case, the best thing to do is get outside help as quickly as possible. "Don't be afraid to ask for help from friends, family, and professionals," said Lester.1084

86222001-02-09February 9, 2001newsTonyKluemper147Assistant News EditorBill could end sales tax on textbooksThe Undergraduate House of Representatives recently passed a resolution in support of a bill in the state legislature that could have an effect on every student attending Tech in the upcoming years. Undergraduate Student Body President J.R. Spriggle and Freshman Representative Nate Watson promoted the UHR resolution, which supports Georgia House Bill 67, a bill that would allow for tax exemption on college textbooks. Bill 67, which was proposed by Georgia State Representative Don Wix, would allow college students to buy tax exempt textbooks if they presented their college IDs to any bookstore in the state of Georgia. According to Spriggle, the item came to the attention of the Undergraduate House by pure accident. "Nate [Watson] found out about the [Bill 67] by chance," said Spriggle. "Once Nate heard about the bill through his job interning at the Capital, we got to work on it pretty quickly in order to voice our support of the issue." Not only did the resolution passed by the Undergraduate House give its support to House Bill 67, but it also spelled out the reasons why the resolution would benefit the Tech student. According to the resolution, "the price of college textbooks has been increasing steadily at nearly four percent per year" and "the average textbook expenditure in the state of Georgia for college students is $548 per year" and therefore "it is in the best interest of the state to aid college students and to take steps to encourage greater enrollment in college programs." After the Undergraduate House passed the resolution, Spriggle drafted a letter to send to Governor Barnes on Wednesday morning along with the resolution. In the letter, Spriggle showed even further support for the bill. "Knowing your dedication to the students of Georgia from kindergarten to post-doctorial, we would like to ask for your support of this bill [House Bill 67]," said Spriggle. "The passage of this bill will help college students greatly by reducing the financial burden of obtaining an education." In order to express Tech's support of the bill, Watson met with Governor Barnes and other Georgia State legislators on Wednesday morning to review the resolution passed by the Undergraduate House that supports Bill 67. Although the bill has been proposed in the House, according to Spriggle a specific timeline on the other process behind the bill have not yet been decided. "Overall, the purpose of our resolution was to express support for the House Bill," said Spriggle. "Hopefully this will help to get some further action in the near future." In addition, in his letter to Governor Barnes, Spriggle used his own personal experiences to show the effectiveness of House Bill 67. "Personally, I spend between $500 and $600 per semester on my Mechanical Engineering books," said Spriggle. "Passing this bill will save me over $280 throughout my term as a college student." "For undergraduate student, this $280 would go to further enhance our undergraduate experience. Additionally, this [bill] would help to alleviate the discrepancy between the HOPE book allowance and that which we [students] actually pay." Spriggle hopes that through the resolution passed by the Undergraduate House, the Georgia State House will realize how much of an impact this bill would have on Tech students. "Hopefully more students will show a lot of support for this bill, so that the House representatives will realize how important to the students of Georgia and therefore be more likely to take action in the near future," said Spriggle. 1085

86222001-02-09February 9, 2001newsNasirBarday212News StaffParking department addresses issues in town hall meetingThe Department of Parking and Transportation participated in a FOCUS Town Hall meeting on Tuesday, led by undergraduate representative Stephen Popick. The purposes of the meeting were to inform students about upcoming changes that parking is considering and to hear suggestions from students on how parking services could be improved. Allen Corry, Assistant Director of the department, and Saundra Nelson, Stinger and Alternative Transportation Coordinator, represented Parking at the meeting. Popick attended the meeting with a list of the most prominent suggestions students had requested during the FOCUS surveys. These included splitting the R01 area, which runs on East Campus along Techwood drive and through the fraternities to Tenth street. According to Popick, a large number of students had requested that R01 be split into two zones. One side would be designated for residents of East Campus dorms and another for fraternity members. "That's doable because of the rezoning," said Corry, referring to the elimination of parking zones that will take place in the next few years in accordance with the Master Plan. "Even though there will be a lot more spaces," said Corry, "we're losing zones because of green space." The Master Plan includes the construction of new decks, but also calls for the removal of all lots that fall within the perimeter of Ferst drive, according to Corry. This includes the A09 lot behind the Van Leer Electrical Engineering and College of Computing buildings. The B04 lot between the library and hightower is also slated to get the parking axe because of the planned Undergraduate Learning Center that will be built. This loss of parking spaces would seemingly be offset by the construction of new parking decks, including one near Bobby Dodd stadium and one being planned near SAC II. But according to Corry, "so many spaces are going away ... There might even be a net loss." Nelson offered an explanation for why this happened. "While there is a level of interdependence, [departments] work independently," she said, "to some degree, some of these problems could be resolved." Corry also acknowledged an internal communications problem within the school. Popick wants to eliminate this in a campaign for the various departments around Tech to give "State of the Department" addresses in which directors of each department would address students at the Campanile and provide updates on upcoming events and information on current initiatives. "Parking used to give a 'State of Parking' address," said Popick, "but after the Olympics they just stopped." Both Nelson and Corry were open to the idea of such an address for the Parking Department, but said they would have to clear the request through Rod Weis, Director of Parking and Transportation, who would give the address if it were approved. Both department executives were enthusiastic about improving public relations and customer service. Nelson cited Stinger service as an example. "You may have noticed that the Stinger staff has totally changed," pointed out Nelson, "I have been adamant about not tolerating rudeness and disrespect." When a complaint is received, Nelson said, "disciplinary action is almost always taken." When asked about the punctuality of Stingers, she pointed out that there was no official schedule by which to be "punctual." Although Stinger drivers have an schedule that they abide by, the schedule is not made public. She explained that most transportation services, including MARTA, don't publish exact schedules that customers can rely on. Parking and Transportation plans to publish an approximate schedule, but the department does not yet have information it needs in order to do this. "There wasn't enough data," said Nelson, explaining that information on ridership counts route timing had just recently been acquired; she was still performing statistical analysis on the current set of data. Customer service is also a priority of the department. "We will respond to any question within 48 hours," said Corry. "And it's usually earlier than that," added Nelson. The two parking officials pointed out other services that parking offers to students. "We will call a student before impounding his or her vehicle," Corry explained. The assistant director also pointed out the department's web-based ticket appeal system. "Most of the time, the ticket will be dismissed," said Corry. Popick wants to see Parking continue its current commitment to students and improve it was well. He will propose a bill with seven provisions in the Undergraduate House for Parking to continue its current customer services and will also introduce some new services. The first provision in the bill will direct the department to publish an approximate schedule for Stinger buses. The bill also provides for an e-mail to be sent to the respective student when a ticket is written, as opposed to the current practice of using standard campus mail. "It's cheaper and more effective," said Popick. The bill also calls for the department to use technology that will continuously track the position of Stinger shuttles and make this data available on the web, "so students, in the middle of playing Quake, can find out when the next Stinger bus will come to pick them up," said Popick, "I don't think it unreasonable to see this system by Fall 2002. The only problem I see is funding." Popick's parking bill will be voted on at Tuesday's UHR meeting. "We have room for improvement," Nelson said, "reliability and accountability is a priority."1086

86222001-02-09February 9, 2001newsMaryDeCamp165Senior News StaffUndergrads support tax free booksThe Undergraduate House of Representatives discussed and acted on several bills during its February 6 meeting. In his report, President J.R. Spriggle mentioned that Student Center Homecoming Committee applications are due Friday February 9 by 4:30 p.m., and anyone who would like to be in FASET must have attended an information session this week or attend one next week. Dean Gail DiSabatino mentioned that Women's Leadership Conference registration is available online. The Conference will be the evening of Friday, February 23 and all day Saturday, February 24. She also said that SAC will be starting a personal training program. This program will require additional fees for those who wish to participate and will teach participants how to use and get the most use out of the machines in SAC. Barbara Hall, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Services, spoke to the representatives about her office and fielded questions from the room. She mentioned that this year they have a greater number of applicants, but there are plans to make the freshman class smaller than it has been in the past. In response to a question, she also spoke of how the enrollment office puts slightly greater emphasis in recruiting females and ethnic minorities to come to Georgia Tech, as compared to white males; but Tech compares everyone to the same standards when deciding whom to admit. J.R. Spriggle and Nate Watson proposed a resolution that would support House Bill 67 in the Georgia Legislature. Bill 67 would remove sales tax on college textbook purchases. The resolution passed. It will go on to be presented before Governor Roy Barnes. Two resolutions that were presented dealt with acts of goodwill on behalf of UHR. The first resolution passed commended Landscaping Services Department and its employees with a plaque for all of the extremely hard and important work that they do. The second resolution sent condolences to families of Tech students that pass away during their time at Tech. This resolution specifically in recognized the recent death of student James Banger. J.R. Spriggle proposed a bill that would have Ankur Goel to fill a vacant spot for Junior Representative in the UHR. The bill passed. Another proposed bill made amendments to improve the Honors Recognition Program. This program allows students with certain leadership and academic qualifications to be eligible for priority housing and priority registration. The bill passed. The rest of Tuesday's bills dealt with allocating money to certain groups. The Campus Civitan Group presented a bill asking for money to fund its eighth Annual Conference. The bill passed. Representative Stephen Popick presented a bill asking for money to help fund advertising and paper supply expenses for the newly founded FOCUS. The bill passed. The Georgia Tech Speech and Debate Team asked for money for supplies for debates. The bill passed. The next bill was to allocate money to Christian Campus Fellowship for an upcoming retreat. The bill passed. Some women involved in the events for Women's Awareness Month 2001 asked for money to help pay for speaker and advertising fees. The bill passed. On March 1 at 8:00 p.m. in the Ferst Center the Second City Comedy Troupe will be performing for the third year in a row. A bill was brought forth asking for money to help fund this event. Proceeds from the tickets will go to charities. The bill passed. The next bill presented was for funding for the Naval ROTC band for its fees. Although the Joint Finance Committee failed this bill saying the Naval band serves the same purpose as the Georgia Tech band, it passed the UHR. Finally, J.R. proposed a bill asking for funding for various upcoming SGA retreats. The bill passed.1088Brian Oxford / STUDENT PUBLICATIONSUHR representatives engage in a casual discussion during Tuesday's meeting. One bill passed concerned sales taxes on student textbooks.

86222001-02-09February 9, 2001newsAndrewSantelli221News StaffGraduates pass AASU allocationThe February 6 meeting of the Graduate Student Senate started on a shaky note when quorum was not reached until ten minutes after the hour. Apart from the senators, those present included Dean of Students Gail DiSabatino, Dean Stephanie Ray, Rich Steele, and several members of the African American Student Union (AASU). The AASU members came to support an allocation bill for Black History Month. Early in the meeting, senators discussed the UHR's FOCUS initiative and a possible review of student activity fees by the Student Affairs Committee. A constitutional change was made to include a paragraph on parliamentary procedure. Allocations for the Wrestling Club, represented by Shane Owens, and the Equestrian Team, represented by Allison Buckman, passed almost unanimously. The Wrestling Club had requested funds for travel and equipment; the Equestrian Team had requested registration fees for upcoming shows. The next bill for discussion was an allocation requested by the AASU to bring Rev. Al Sharpton to Georgia Tech as part of the campus-wide Black History Month celebration. The president of the AASU was on hand to answer questions about the bill, which originally asked for $5,000. The bill was amended to $2,500 after the Society of Black Engineers agreed to pick up half of the expenses. Senators' questions focused on supplemental funding from club members, whether or not there would be an admission charge to the Sharpton event, and the size of the venue for Sharpton's speech. Grant Jenman, Graduate Student Body President, informed the senate that supplemental funding from within AASU and admission charges for students and faculty would not apply in this case, as Black History Month is a campus-wide event administered by the AASU rather than a special event specific to the organization. Jenman reminded the senators not to vote based on ideology, but stated that he had prepared a presidential veto in the case that the allocation for the speaker's fee would be comparatively large. The senators expressed concern that the Alumni House, with a capacity of 200, would be too small to host the event and significantly limit the number of students who could attend the function. However, larger venues such as the Ferst Center and Student Center Ballroom were already booked. Steele was unable to shuffle events to free the ballroom. The bill passed 21-1-2, allocating $2,500 to the AASU for Black History Month. 1089Sharpton's speech is scheduled for February 15 in Tannenbaum. The GSS meets on Tuesdays at 11:00 a.m. in room 117 of Student Services.

86222001-02-09February 9, 2001opinionsDanielUhlig168STAFF EDITORIAL: Parking undeserving of bad reputation on campusComplainers need to remember how bad the situation once was, compare Tech parking to Atlanta parking prices, and realize how recent changes have improved transportationThe Parking and Transportation Department made it on to the top of the FOCUS results and this made me think about how parking has changed in my 3 years here. When I arrived at Tech, parking had many problems. I now see parking has greatly improved over the last three years and I wonder how FOCUS can still find so many problems with it. Getting a permit used to be an ordeal with long lines and annoyed students. Permits were sold at the parking office to students after waiting a couple of hours. Needless to say, this was a slow system and in 1998 the system imploded. Lines stretched to Center Street apartments and hours turned into day long waits. We wanted a new system and we got it. By fall 1999, permits were available by mail. You mailed in your application and they mailed you a permit. No lines, no rain-just a form to fill out and turn in. Then it went online. Each year the process became ever easier. We don't deal with lines and camping; instead we simply fill out an online form before bedtime and our permit shows up in our mailbox. Once you had the permit it was time to find a spot. It should have been easy since most people were still in line to get one. Not really, however, because people would park anywhere their brakes worked. Lots would be half-filled with people without permits, and people with permits had to look to other spots to park. This was possible because parking ticketed once in a blue moon. So large segments of the Tech population were bright enough to realize that parking might be cheaper and easier without a permit. Tickets were rare so there was little risk. Plus many people would just ignore tickets, and parking could not track them down and make them pay. This way of life led to many problems: no spots for paying students, no incentive for buying a permit, and lots so full that one could literally not leave. Now parking goes out and tickets and tows regularly. People without permits can't come and take spots from paying students without fear of tickets. Tickets can no longer just be dismissed and ignored. Fines will be mailed to your mailbox if you don't pay them quickly. If that does not work, holds will be placed on your records and registration if you do not pay your tickets. Now, people stick to their assigned lots and can find spots in their assigned lots. In HPS 1040, taught in the Instructional Center my second quarter at Tech, the professor told us not to take the stinger to get there. It would only make us late, he claimed, and the Stinger is not an acceptable excuse. This was very true. Waits for the stinger ran long and were unpredictable. Normally when one showed up there was another right behind it. It only ran the north campus loop-no south campus loop. A trip from east campus to the health center or physics building meant going all the way around campus. A west campus trip to the student center meant going by the football stadium. Students scratched their heads and wondered why the Stinger always seemed to run in pairs and why no one realized that there were two ways for it to run. Parking realized this and adopted a very effective system this year. I have one class in the Love building, which is quite a walk from east campus, and I have been successful in using the Stinger in getting to class every time I wanted to. The Stinger does a great job now in helping students get around campus. Now I can't say parking is perfect. There are not nearly enough spaces for the student body. Looking ahead, however, the parking office is anticipating adding a whole lot of spaces. Another common complaint is the $300-$400 cost per permit. Look at off campus parking: the cost varies from $40-$60 per month. Georgia Tech parking is expensive, but it is competitive with other places. As a long-time east campus resident, I can attest that trips to study and visit friends on west campus after dark are difficult. I don't want to walk back at 1:00 in morning, and Stingerette service is still slow. Driving is an option, but there is also a risk of a ticket. The opening up of "A" lots after hours a gives other people the chance to use the lots when they are not in use; this helps the problem in many ways. However, some type of short term parking for people with permits in east and west would help encourage cross-campus socialization and study groups. I have heard many complaints about customer service while talking to people about this editorial: Stinger drivers leaving people, closing doors on people, and parking lot attendants being rude and charging for driving into the lot to find the lot full. These are problems I hope parking will work to solve, and I think they will. As people continue to complain, I hope they realize that parking has come a long way from where it used to be. Every student who is reacting to ticketing, gates, and the like should remember that these systems were put in place to make parking better.1093Daniel Uhlig

86222001-02-09February 9, 2001opinionsJenniferHinkel42STAFF EDITORIAL: Nightclub ordinance an example of too many rulesI wonder what life was like before rules. When my parents were in college, the drinking age was 18. Now, a recent city ordinance has made the Atlanta "dancing age" 21. Not only is the new rule misguided and misdirected, but I doubt that it will achieve any real benefits. Cut down on underage drinking? Rather, this ordinance could do the opposite. By disallowing those between the ages of 18 and 20 to enjoy entertainment in a setting where they are not permitted to drink alcohol, more College Night patrons will be purchasing fake IDs so that they can enjoy dancing and local bands. After gaining entry to a venue with such identification, binge drinking can not be prevented. Therefore, this ordinance could promote the very same behavior councilwoman Julia Emmons is trying to prevent. Moreover, a club complete with responsible bouncers and bartenders is much better equipped to prevent underage alcohol consumption than a typical college party, devoid of adult presence and alcohol control. College Night in Buckhead gives those who don't drink a safe, fun place to spend their evening and provides those who are over 21 with a fairly controlled, responsible environment. I do not go to clubs on College Night to drink alcohol. In contrast, I'm usually the designated driver. Removing the privilege to enjoy socializing, dancing, and meeting other young adults in Atlanta makes the city as a lot less attractive to college students. I also worry about students above 21 who often rely on the younger set to drive them home from Buckhead. With public transportation ending long before last call, many more college students may be driving home drunk. I understand and support the efforts of Buckhead business owners and residents in "cleaning up" the area, but once again, I fail to see how this rule will achieve that. The last few times I have visited the Buckhead clubs, I saw binge drinking, mainly by the over 21 crowd. College Night has been an opportunity for my friends who are over 21 to socialize with those in our social circle who are not. I realize that Buckhead has problems with crowds, traffic, crime, and public drunkenness, but prohibiting a population that, according to the owner of one Buckhead club, accounts for only three to five percent of business will not significantly reduce these problems. Eliminating a few hundred non-drinkers on a weeknight who, for the most part, are students from Atlanta area colleges and universities can not "clean up" Buckhead any more than adding a few trash cans on the corners could. In all, the ordinance fails to present a convincing argument that it will achieve what council members intended. If Councilwoman Emmons thought that only Buckhead would be affected by the code or that students go to clubs solely to drink, rather than to enjoy music and dance, I am led to question if she understood the implications of the ordinance she sponsored. My fear is that this code will not only fail to achieve its intentions, but that it will hurt Atlanta businesses in the process. Clubs such as Masquerade on North Avenue, which allows patrons 18 and up every night, are far from the Buckhead scene. Masquerade, which has been popular in the past for swing dancing nights and small concerts, will undoubtedly lose a large number of patrons to the new law. Buckhead may also lose patrons who are 21 and up, as those over 21 can no longer bring their younger designated drivers, or even their younger friends with them. I'm not going to pretend that those under the age of 21 make up a large percentage of the Atlanta voting constituency, but for those of us who are "underage" and registered voters in Fulton County, such governmental action does nothing to encourage voter loyalty in the future. Instead, such a rule sparks resentment. I am old enough to drive, vote, and defend my country at war, but according to the Atlanta City Council, I am not old enough to dance. Already, social options for those under 21 are limited. Making laws that further reduce options only gives those under 21 more reason to resort to drinking as a form of entertainment. For those who are less responsible, recreational drinking can easily turn into binge drinking. If the Atlanta City Council truly wanted to reduce underage binge drinking, they would keep alcohol-free and alcohol-controlled environments and events in place for those who are not yet of age. Instead of cutting non-drinkers from Buckhead, I challenge the city to find ways to reduce binge drinking and drunk driving by those who comprise most of the Buckhead crowd and cause more of the area's problems-those over 21. If this legislation was affected simply because of close ties between Buckhead's business groups, the Buckhead Coalition, and the City Council, shame on our council members for creating such a blanket policy-it will not serve our city well. I hope that the council considers the many consequences this policy could have, including effects of increasing underage drinking, fake IDs, and drunk driving, and that further ordinances that so drastically and needlessly limit the freedoms of young adults are not haphazardly enacted in the future.1094Jennifer Hinkel

86222001-02-09February 9, 2001campus lifeHanChang195Buy a rose for the ladyAlpha Gamma Delta sponsors rose sale for Valentine's DayRoses and Valentine's Day have always gone hand in hand like love and chocolate. This Valentine's Day, the sisters of Alpha Gamma Delta providing the roses to that special person in your life while benefiting diabetes research at the same time. "In the name of nostalgia, we have recreated the old-school Valentine's Day trend-sending roses secret-admirer style," said Alpha Gamma Delta sister Jill Martell. The Alpha Gamma Delta Rose Sale began with sisters visiting each fraternity and sorority on campus to spread the word about the sale. "Because this is our first time to have a rose sale, we are testing it out on the Greeks here at Tech," said Laura Anderson, philanthropy coordinator for Alpha Gamma Delta. According to Anderson, over 600 roses have already been ordered. "This has far exceeded what we had hoped for when we first started out." Orders were coordinated through each chapter on campus, with the flowers scheduled to be delivered to the chapter houses on February 13. "We chose to target Greek housing for delivery because it is the easiest to deliver to without having to deal with the Department of Housing," explained public relations coordinator Courtney Stewart. Because of restrictions placed by Housing on admittance into the residence dorms, flowers to be delivered to non-Greeks can be picked up at the house. Although the rose sale began with sales to the Greek chapters, the sale is not limited to members of the Greek community. "We will also be selling roses at the Student Center February 13 and 14, so everyone will have a chance to help out our philanthropy," said chapter president Colleen Nee "The response so far has been great, and we hope to do as well at the Student Center as we have at the Greek houses." Although most of the remaining flowers will be sold at the Student Center, orders can be placed by contacting any sister. The proceeds from the sale will benefit the chapter's international philanthropy, the Alpha Gamma Delta Foundation. "Chapters from all over raise money through fund raisers and events to help support the foundation," explained Anderson. The main beneficiaries of the Foundation are organizations involved with diabetes research, treatment, and education, although it does support other charitable causes as well as funding certain educational, leadership, and philanthropic endeavors of Alpha Gamma Delta chapters. In the past, grants have gone to such recipients as the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, the American Diabetes Association, and diabetes researchers at St. Louis University. The rose sale is one of Alpha Gam's newest philanthropic events. According to Stewart, the hope is to make the rose sale into an annual event to be run by new members. Past fundraising events by the Georgia Tech chapter have included a car wash as well as Jail and Bail, where participants pay either to be bailed out of or to put another person into a homemade jail. "We are delighted and honored to have the opportunity to help out diabetic children and their families," said Anderson. "It's nice to know we can make a difference in someone's life." McHugh also expressed her enthusiasm and added, "It's great that our symbol, the rose, has come together with our foundation to benefit such a worthy cause as juvenile diabetes research and programs," referring to the fact that red and buff roses are the official flowers of Alpha Gamma Delta. "It's always great to help out those less fortunate than us," said student Rob Carroll. "I know I definitely intend to use it!" Another student, Gregory Pollux, expressed his thoughts on the rose sale. "Girls like flowers! So if you know a special girl, then buying flowers for her is a great way to get brownie points! Especially because the money goes to such a great cause." 1098 Kristi Odom / STUDENT PUBLICATIONSKate Politis, Jen Arce, and Rachel Daffer of Alpha Gamma Delta participate in their first annual rose sale to raise money for diabetes.

86222001-02-09February 9, 2001campus lifeSusanKucharzyk222Campus Life Newbie StaffFaces at Georgia Tech- Profile on Doug Armstrong-Today at Tech we all feel a certain attachment to our computers, but in the early 80's when Doug Armstrong, entrepreneur and CEO of AppForge, was here, he was the only one of he knew who had a computer in his dorm room. Now, years later, computers line every inch of the brightly colored offices of AppForge. Within these offices, complete with a "recreation" area that looks like an oversized dorm room, the company that Doug envisioned when he was a student at Georgia Tech has finally come to fruition. AppForge is venture funded and sells the only software in the world that allows applications for wireless technologies to be written in Visual Basic. AppForge announced this technology for the Palm Pilot in September of 2000 and began selling it that December. Although it has only been two months, they have already won several awards for their design. The idea for AppForge started when Doug was a sophomore here at Tech. Doug jokes that his desire to run a company started with a roommate who wanted to join a fraternity, " The problem with the fraternity thing" Doug said " Is that you always have to start out at the bottom" and Doug wanted to "be in charge right from the beginning." Encouraged by Bill Schaffer, now the Chair of the School of Economics, Doug started Contract Engineering and discovered he could make a lot of money doing this. He then received a full time job from a company he was contracting with. Doug soon realized that there were, as he said "a lot better ways to do the product development than the company I was working for, so I thought hey, I should start my own company to do this." So, with some friends from Tech, two who still work for him today, he started building his own company. Doug found that there were a lot of resources available at Tech to help them start the company. As the first student entrepreneur in the Advanced Technology Development Center, Doug admits that they were "a little dubious of the whole thing," questioning their funding and business plan, but Doug persisted, insisting that they had "a lot of cool ideas and had done a lot of work for ATDC companies." Today, the ATDC strongly encourages student companies. Doug and his friends started a company called Spectralogic in the ATDC, which later became Ratio Design Lab and then became focused on wireless technology. In 1997, they realized that there would be a "real need to graphically develop applications for wireless and portable devices" and that they had the technology "to take any one of the 6 million Visual Basic programmers out there and let them write wireless applications." So, with this new technology came the development of AppForge. Fifty three percent of the people who work at AppForge are Tech graduates, which Doug thinks is "pretty impressive." Out of the 15 or 16 people from Tech who work for Doug at least four are women. Doug said, "Tech is extremely well represented here I think, pretty much along the same demographics as a graduating class." Doug also continues involvement at Tech offering tuition for a semester to a student who wrote the best application using AppForge software. While starting his own company has been enormously successful for Doug, he stresses that it is not for everyone. In fact, Doug admits, half joking, half serious that "had I known what would be involved, I probably wouldn't have done this." Doug does, however, have some advice for Tech students who have hopes of entrepreneurship. The first advice Doug offers is to find a good role model. Doug found Ben Dyre, who was the CEO of a company he worked for while he was at Tech. Doug learned a lot from him about how to run a company by just by watching him and has been able to transfer that into being the CEO of his own company. Doug thinks that the dot com industries today have caused a lot of damage: "A lot of people who in a different economic environment would have not been successful right from the get go, got a lot of success, and are now becoming role models." Doug said the problem is that students won't be able to use advice they get from these role models because "their employees hate them, but they are worth a couple hundred million dollars, and that makes it kind of tough... It's the people that actually care that you should respect." So, to be successful Doug said, "You have to know about technology if you're doing technology, you have to know enough about business and I think the most challenging thing for Tech students is that you have to understand people." Doug admits that learning to understand people has been the most difficult thing for him. He says that crossing the boundary and learning to communicate with people who think differently than you "is the difference between brilliant Tech people who wind up in a laboratory and brilliant tech people who wind up in business." Most importantly Doug said you must have the drive to make it happen and "you have to see yourself in what you're doing." Doug sees that being young and being the leader "it is very hard to know whether or not the system that you have in place is good and working." But he concludes, "If you think you have all these things, then you probably have a shot at being able to start your own company." And, that "the truly entrepreneurial people will find a way to overcome the obstacles." Doug has been the Outstanding Young Man of the Year and holds several patents. His company has also received many awards for their product innovations and is very successful. Apart from the company Doug is married and has two children. He enjoys flying and says many of the rules of flying apply to the capitalist market. "I like to think of it like this," explains Doug, "You have a finite amount of time that you're in existence and even less amount of time that you are relatively unencumbered to do what you want. And everybody is given a fighter jet when you are born, and some people just sit around and look at it and wonder what it would be like to fly it, and other people actually go out and try and make something happen. Every now and then somebody wrecks one but at least they were out there trying to make something happen, so many people don't ever find out what their potential is and that to me is really the sad part." For Doug, it seems as though he has taken full control of his pilot seat and is flying high. 1099Jon Purvis/ STUDENT PUBLICATIONSEntrepeneur and Tech alumnus Doug Armstrong stands in front of a car bearing the logo of his software company, AppForge. Doug Armstrong will be speaking on campus on February 23, at 2:45 p.m. as part of the Dupree College of Management's Impact Series.

86222001-02-09February 9, 2001campus lifeLeslieJackson196Black History Month CorrespondentAfrican Step Show kicks off the events planned for Black History MonthLast Saturday evening the Robert Ferst Center was full. Students from various colleges and universities filled its nearly 1,200 seats almost to capacity. Step 2001 was ready to commence. Step is a style of dance that uses rhythmic stomping to demonstrate unity, talent, and organizational pride. Step is most commonly associated with African American sororities and fraternities. The doors opened at 6:45 p.m. As the audience began to file in, participating fraternities and sororities were still arriving. The strong support of the black sororities and fraternities was evident. Everywhere one looked there were line jackets and other Greek paraphernalia. Ferst Center staff took tickets and stamped hands, while the seats quickly filled. Trenton Dunn (DJ Concept), a Georgia Tech Student, entertained the crowd with rap and hip hop hits until the show started. The laughter and smiles on the students' faces showed that they were ready to have a good time. Marcus Washington, a recent graduate, was the master of ceremonies for the night. He began the show by encouraging everyone to take their seats. The first act was the Alpha Rho Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. from Morehouse College. Before their act, they, and every organization that would follow, highlighted a member of their organization who has had historical significance to the African-American community. Then the show began. The Alphas set the standard for the rest of the night's performances. They were a hard act to beat. Next, the first sorority, the Duke chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., performed, resplendent in Zeta blue. After repeated requests from organizers for audience members to have a seat, the next act was underway. Georgia Tech's own Nu Beta Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. made it a true competition among the fraternities. Their act was full of style and sensuality. The evening hit a pinnacle when the Xi Alpha Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. from Georgia Tech took the stage. They began with a poem by Nikki Giovanni that truly set the tone for their performance. Their act was full of class and sass, which really made the crowd go wild. "There were so many Deltas there," said performer Ashley Askew. "We really had great support." The Nu Mu Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha made their presence known. Their performance was one of great skill and creativity. The last sorority to take the stage, Zeta Phi Beta of Fort Valley State University, was small, but truly a stepping powerhouse. As the show reached its end, it was time for the Phi Beta Sigmas from North Carolina to perform their routine. Their solid performance was marked by an unexpected gesture. At the conclusion of their routine, some members of the team chose to bare their chests. This was a decision that received mixed reviews from the audience. "I don't think taking your shirt off should win a step show," says Jackie Cox of the Office of Minority Education and Development at Georgia Tech. Upon conclusion of the scheduled routines, many in the audience began to leave. Little did they know that one act remained. Haz Mat recording artist Danger performed before a crowd anxious for the results of the contest. Eventually, the winners were announced. First place prizes were awarded to the Xi Alpha Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta and Alpha Rho Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha. Both organizations received $1,500 and a first place trophy. Second place trophies along with $500 awards, went to Zeta Phi Beta of Fort Valley State University and Phi Beta Sigma from North Carolina. Step 2001 is just one of the many events going on around campus in honor of the achievements and accomplishments of African American men and women, events that will continue for the rest of the month.1100Daniel Uhlig / STUDENT PUBLICATIONSA group from Dancers' Warehouse performed for Black History Month last week. More dance performances were also featured at the annual step show.

86222001-02-09February 9, 2001entertainmentAlanBack14Could fill an issue by himselfTime to add a new page to the cookbookOkay. The debate about when the new millennium would start-and what would happen when it did-is dead. Nothing melted down or blew up, and the Apocalypse didn't come. Things did get interesting once in a while, though, and for Soup, most of the second half of 2000 turned into a thrill ride. After four months off the Atlanta scene and two off the road, the five-man groove armada is ready to dish up some new goodies for the home crowd. In October, Soup hit Lakewood Amphitheatre for 99X's (WNNX-99.7 FM) Big Day Out. The event featured headliners such as Green Day, Stone Temple Pilots, and Everclear and also gave half a dozen local bands their own side stage. When an invitation landed in the bowl in late 1999, accordion/harmonica player Andrew Margolius and company figured that they couldn't pass it up. It all went down on the night of the Atlanta finals in Band to Band Combat that year. Sponsored by Lucky Strike cigarettes, this annual competition gives bands in several cities a chance to win cash and exposure in markets across the country. Soup won the $2,500 top prize and would go on to reel in another $5,000 at the national level, but that was just the beginning. "[99X DJ] Steve Craig came up to us and said he was MC'ing it," Margolius recalled. "He said, 'This might be an idiotic question, but would you guys be interested in playing Big Day Out?' We said, 'Of course!' It's great to do stuff with them; we try to do shows with them when they ask us to." Before the year was out, their music had made its way onto two sampler albums put together by the station. The first, released soon after the show, featured cuts from several bands that had played that day. And to think Soup's contribution sprang from a bout of ill health... "Kevin [Crow, guitar] wasn't feeling well, so we had to cancel a show that weekend. We just went to the studio instead and recorded 'Where Are You Now?' It came out really good, and they wanted to put it on the CD, which was very cool for us too," Margolius stated. Their take on "We Three Kings" ended up alongside the likes of Shawn Mullins, Kevn Kinney, and the Marvelous 3 on the 99Xmas Soundtrack and got quite a few spins on the air in December. "I have friends who would call me every time they played it: 'You're on the radio again!' Great feeling." Margolius, Crow, and guitarist Erik Rowen spiked the carol with tight vocal harmonies and layered melodic ideas. Beefed up by rhythm work from Bram Bessoff (drums) and Lee Adkins (bass), the end result would have made the hymn writers boogie in their graves. That's no small feat in itself, but it gets bigger when you consider the fact that three of the players weren't familiar with the song before they started rehearsing it. (They're Jewish.) "More by the title, we hadn't heard it, I guess," Margolius explained. "It's not 'Jingle Bells' or 'Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.' For me, at least, I consider it one of the more obscure Christmas songs. We don't go to church and sing those songs...But I hear the ones on the radio, and I've bought Christmas CDs before." He added, "What's funny about it is, there were a couple of times I heard them play it, and I think it was Steve Craig who said, 'Here's a Christmas song by a couple of Jewish guys!'" How many bands get a blurb like that? "Where Are You Now?" and "We Three Kings" have been about the only new offerings that Soup fans in Atlanta have been able to chew on for a while. Tonight's show at the Cotton Club is their first Atlanta gig since October and their first one anywhere after a two-month break, the longest in their six-year history. No time to kick back, though. They started putting together a home studio during the fall, and they just had to play with their new toys right away. "We originally had planned to tour through half of November; then we were going to take all of December off and start recording in January. But of course, none of us could wait that long!" Margolius laughed. He noted that the facility, assembled for roughly $15,000, allows them to tinker with the new material. Fine-tune things, figure out what works where, stuff in an electric guitar-hold it a minute. An electric guitar? In a band that built its reputation on acoustic grooves and jams? It's true. Crow first plugged in at the end of 1999 and has been switching back and forth ever since. "We didn't really phase it in until probably about four or five months ago. He just started having so much fun with it that it really became a part of us," Margolius said. "As good as he got on the acoustic guitar-he can take that to the electric and take it to a whole other level...It just adds so much, and it's definitely part of the evolution of Soup. Not to say we won't do some all-acoustic songs ever, but it just adds a lot to the songs." Longtime fans may be in for more surprises than that. Soup has done something bordering on the unbelievable: they've written songs that clock in at under four minutes! The crowd that showed up for the band's showcase at the Atlantis Music Conference last Augus ended up hearing a 45-minute set that consisted of more than five songs. This shift toward shorter forms grew out of the band's desire to do more than just tell stories in verse, as on audience favorites such as "Marvin Wright" and "Jefferson." "The stories are fun, and people do appreciate those," Margolius commented. "But people also like songs that they can really relate to. Then everybody can think, 'Yeah, I've felt like that before, I've been through that.' They've had the same emotions and feelings, and we're trying to capture some of that." Their most recent album, the double set A Tour of Two Cities, was released in February 2000 as a means of bottling up their stage show for the fans. "It's cool to have the live album because it captures our sound, but at the same time it's not necessarily new material. We need to get some of that out there. We need to feed the people more Soup!" They'll get a chance to do just that tonight in the Tabernacle basement. If your ears could use a good meal, drop in and find out what's been cooking since October. 1103Alan Back / STUDENT PUBLICATIONSKevin Crow, Erik Rowen, and Andrew Margolius gave hints of Soup's new musical direction during the Atlantis Music Conference last August. They'll go full steam ahead tonight at the Cotton Club.Soup will be performing with Film and Cornbread tonight at the Cotton Club. Call (404) 688-1993 for more information, or visit the band online at http://www.soupkitchen.com.

86222001-02-09February 9, 2001entertainmentVivianVakili223Oldie but newbieWREK, Tech Talk have your hook-upExactly how long does it take to get a date at this school? Well, with publicity provided by a local radio station, the assistance of five people, and the ability to offer the potential date a ticket to see one of America's foremost comedians, about 45 minutes. Last Thursday, Tech's WREK 91.1 FM gave out four tickets to see Carrot Top, a comedian known for his quirky skits with props, perform February 3 at the Tabernacle. Earning the tickets, however, was conditional upon being able to get a datefor the event. During the evening Tech Talk show, several attempts were made by the hosts to make the so-called "hook-up" between Tech guys and Tech girls. The radio station set up right outside of Under the Couch, so many passers-by stopped to see what was going on and attempted to win these tickets. But how exactly did this rare event of obtaining a date occur? The first person to attempt the feat was David, a Tech male. He pulled over many girls and even grabbed the attention of a few of them long enough to ask them out to the Carrot Top show. Unfortunately, all of them declined. At one point, David even resorted to asking one of the people involved with Tech Talk out on a date. Again, he was turned down. Sound rather pathetic? Well, just keep in mind that David's horrible luck continued for about 45 minutes before he finally gave up.1104Daniel Uhlig / STUDENT PUBLICATIONSThe crew of WREK 91.1's Tech Talk show escaped this studio last Thursday and headed across campus to broadcast from Under the Couch.

86222001-02-09February 9, 2001entertainmentLisaHaley224The State HornetNicholas Sparks gives readers Valentine treat with 'Rescue'(U-WIRE) California State University, Sacramento-Nicholas Sparks, author of Message in a Bottle and A Walk to Remember, charms his way into many readers' hearts with his latest novel, The Rescue. Sparks's storytelling is the kind that will make you smile, make you cry, and all the while make you yearn for the romance that he describes. All of Sparks's novels seem to include the same trademark elements: a love-challenged individual, a soul awakening, and an unexpected tragedy, all in the comforts of quiet South Carolina. Luckily, Sparks' tragedies usually end in a way that will warm the heart. In The Rescue, we find the story of a man and a woman struggling to make one of life's biggest commitments-to love each other forever. Taylor McAden is a volunteer fire-fighter in Edenton, N.C. He is a small town hero who has fearlessly saved many lives, including that of single-mother Denise Holton, after a near fatal car crash. When Taylor unselfishly saves the lives of Denise and her disabled son, Kyle, he has no idea that his brave actions will lead to a special bond with the small North Carolina family. Romance immediately flourishes between Taylor and Denise, and for a while, they seem like they are a match made in heaven. Soon, their love becomes too deep and serious for Taylor, and our hero shies away from the relationship. The reader learns that Taylor must rescue himself from a buried past before he can ever truly accept love for what it is. Nicholas Sparks knows how to romance his readers without all the smut found in traditional romance novels. Instead, he tells his story by describing the characters' feelings and emotions; rarely does his story give you anything to blush about. Not only does Sparks have class when it comes to writing, but his novel is written so simply that only the story is told. He doesn't try to confuse the reader with prestigious language; Sparks writes for a common audience interested in reading for pleasure. Although Sparks seems to write primarily for a female audience, most men could find pleasure in his latest novel. There are enough fire-fighting and rescue segments throughout the novel to keep a desire for action andsuspense fulfilled. The Rescue is a delightful read that will make a nice Valentine's Day surprise for any book lover.1105

86222001-02-09February 9, 2001entertainmentRebekahBardwell137GTCN CorrespondantNow on GTCNThis week Phat Videos gives you some lovin' in honor of Valentine's Day. Kara treks around Georgia Tech in search of love stories and confessions. Find out what lovers plan to do on this special day. Phat Videos airs Sundays at 7:00 p.m. and Mondays at 7:30 p.m. on Channel 21. Flava 101 stops by the AASU step show. Watch greeks from around Atlanta stomp to some of your favorite old-skool and new-skool beats. Guest appearances by the ladies of Zeta Phi Beta and Delta Sigma Theta and the men of Phi Beta Sigma highlight the show. Flava 101 airs Sundays and Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. If you haven't decided on a menu for your Valentine's Day dinner, you'll want to watch The Latest Dish. Chef Eric and Matt prepare a three-course meal including lobster and chocolate covered strawberries while watching the horror flick, 15 minutes. To find out more about these shows or employment opportunities with the Georgia Tech Cable Network, visit http://www.gtcn.gatech.edu.1107

86222001-02-09February 9, 2001entertainmentJasonWehrend102Missed staff meeting for a new DVDSlight audio problems don't ruin 'Mohicans'Many of you are familiar with director Michael Mann-not too long ago, he was up for a number of awards for The Insider. Mann has always been very good with films that involve the way characters interact with each other. In 1992, Mann tackled the classic The Last of the Mohicans. Having never read the book, I really couldn't tell you how accurate the movie really is. Frankly, I don't care, because the movie floored me. I was expecting a sappy romance set in pre-Revolutionary War America; I got an epic about revenge and escape. Movie: Set during the heart of the French and Indian Wars, the story follows three Mohican trappers and the daughters of a British colonel. Daniel Day-Lewis plays Hawkeye, the adopted son of the remaining Mohicans. When he saves Cora Munro (Madeleine Stowe) and her sister during a Huron Indian attack, he and his adopted family start to take a more active role in the war. The villain is a deceptive Huron named Magua, who is intent on killing Colonel Munro and all of his offspring. The war does not go well for the British and retreat leads to an ambush as the movie culminates in a stirring rescue sequence. One of the things I have always loved about DVD is its ability to let directors finally show the film as they intended. Michael Mann takes this opportunity, and this release features the "director's expanded edition" of the movie. After 15 additions, changes, and deletions, the length of the movie increases by about 4 minutes. It may not seem like all that much, but for a movie it can mean a big difference. It's been a number of years since I last saw this movie, so if you want to know what changed, I suggest you check online at http://www.imdb.com. They have a great listing of the changes under the alternate versions link. Video: Filmed in the amazingly lush forests of North Carolina, this disc has some truly breath-taking shots. It seems that these very nice panoramic nature shots were destined to be filmed in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio. When I found out this was filmed in North Carolina I couldn't believe it-I didn't think America had any big forests left. I was astonished by the clarity of the image throughout the film. Colors were natural, from the beautiful greens of the forest to the vibrant red of the British troops' uniforms. Movies nearly a decade old usually look a little washed out and are plagued by black specs, but not here. You would not believe how hard I looked for even the smallest nick-they were none to be found. One thing that hampered the first release of this disc was that the new scenes weren't restored to the degree that the rest of the film was. In fact, the first DVD release came with a disclaimer explaining that they new scenes may look much worse than the rest of the movie. Thankfully that problem seems to have been resolved for this new release. I only found one scene where I could tell it was slightly less than perfect. Other than that, good flesh tones, perfect blacks, and crystal clarity make this a nice reference disc to show off to your friends. Audio: One of the new things touted for this release was the new DTS sound mix. Considering the fact that the movie was originally released with just a standard stereo mix, this extra effort is well appreciated. So how did it sound? As much as I'd like to say it was perfect just like the image, it did have some problems. Throughout much of the movie I had difficulty hearing some of the characters as they spoke. Then, in contrast to the original problem, the sound would get brittle and static-ridden whenever certain characters yelled. Some allowances have to be made for the fact there was usually something else going on in the background that made it more difficult to hear the characters, but you should still always be able to catch important conversation. Fortunately, everything else about the mix was dead on. The "nature" sounds you would expect in the forest are very convincing as they play around in the rear speakers. The score was the definite winner from this new mix. The theme blasts out of all the speakers with heavy support from the LFE track. Fight scenes were particularly good. Gunfire pours out of the rear surrounds, followed by the screams of the fighters. During the siege on the fort, the cannon blasts pound out the subwoofer. I really enjoyed listening to audio track on this disc. The bass surprised me over and over again. You can't experience the power of the score without the full surround sound. Other than the dialogue trouble, this disc really delivers. It sounds better than it ever did while in theaters. Extras: Ah, disappointment. At a request from Michael Mann himself, no extras were included with this disc. Not even a trailer. I guess a cast listing is sort of an extra but I wouldn't get excited over it. I'd be willing to be the reason the film was restored and given a spiffy new soundtrack was to boost sales on this basically bare-bones release. I would have been very happy with a making of documentary, trailers, or a picture gallery. At least I can comfort myself with a wonderfully clean transfer and a rocking audio track.1108

86222001-02-09February 9, 2001sportsTerrenceJones211Georgia BestTech inks solid recruiting classGeorgia Tech signed a much-heralded class of 24 student athletes to national letters of intent Wednesday morning, announced head coach George O'Leary. Three stellar out-of-state quarterbacks highlight the class, along with 11 linemen and the Georgia division 5-A high school player of the year. Tech filled needs at almost every position, and stockpiled at others, including the quarterback position, with highly touted Damarius Bilbo of Moss Point, Miss., Dawan Landry of Ama, La., and Rahshan Johnson of Middleburg Heights, Ohio. The needs on both the offensive and defensive lines were helped by the addition of studs Nathan Dorsey of New Orleans, La., and Kyle Wallace of Collins Hill High School in Suwanee, Ga. Rounding out the class of exceptional recruits was Georgia division 5-A high school player of the year Reuben Houston of Star's Mill High School in Peachtree City, Ga. Tech also picked up commitments from two of the best linebackers in the nation in Gerris Bowers-Wilkinson of Oakland, Calif. and Tabugbo Anyansi (pronounced tie-Boo-bo on-Yon-zee) of Pebblebrook High School in Austell, Ga. "When you look at this class overall, I think athleticism and academics, it has been the best class since I have been at Georgia Tech," said O'Leary. "We've helped our football team in many areas, and every one of these players is academically qualified, so I'm very happy with this class and I'm anxious to see what they can do." "We brought in six offensive linemen and five defensive linemen, so that was the thrust of the class." Indeed, lineman accounted for nearly half of the 24 recruits taken by Tech. And the news only gets better for the Jackets as two of the offensive linemen, Garren Findlay of North Logan, Utah, and Gavin Tarquinio of Wheeler High School in Marietta, Ga. are already enrolled at Tech and will be participating in spring practices. The position of most surprise for Tech had to be the quarterback position. With the Jackets returning three scholarship quarterbacks for next season and another on the way in Tennessee transfer A.J. Suggs, most would have thought the Jackets to be pretty well set at that position. O'Leary, however, couldn't resist the allure of the three extremely athletic and talented signal callers that landed on the Flats. "We brought in three very talented quarterbacks," said O'Leary. "I hope that the quarterbacks we have here will have a good spring, because if not, I'll be looking at the freshmen behind George Godsey. I think they are that talented. All three are outstanding players and are very similar in what they can do as far as running and throwing the football." Not to be overlooked are the many challenges that were presented to coach O'Leary and his staff in the recruiting process, including the loss of offensive coordinator and Broyles Award winner Ralph Friedgen to Maryland, as well as the negative shadow cast by a disappointing loss to LSU in the Peach Bowl. Remarkably, O'Leary and his staff took the setbacks in stride and went on to finish with another stellar, nationally ranked class. "When you look at the talent level and the grades of the class, I think the assistant coaches did an outstanding job," said O'Leary. "We covered 11 states, so they really scoured the country to find the right guys." Tech signed a total of seven players from Georgia, five from Florida, three from Louisiana, two from California, and one each from Colorado, Mississippi, New Jersey, Texas, Ohio, Minnesota, and Utah, leading some to speculate that Tech took on a bit of 'national' recruiting stance this year. O'Leary responded to the speculation by saying, "We have always been a big in-state team. I think you need to recruit your state very well to succeed. Once you address certain areas you have to go out of state. We have recruited in California and Texas and were received very well." Tech has now put together a string of three or four very solid recruiting classes and has begun to emerge as one of the leading recruiting powers in the nation, typically seen as precursor for success on a national scale, as in national championship. If the Jackets keep pulling in classes of the caliber seen this year and of years past, glory days most certainly await. For information on contributing email sports@technique.gatech.edu 1110

86222001-02-09February 9, 2001sportsDerekHaynes185Assistant Sports EditorJacket giant-killers top No. 13 TerrapinsSaturday Night Live big man Chris Farley was great, but he was best when he was with the annoying David Spade. The two most different in size on SNL were the perfect complements - one playful and childlike, the other sarcastic and mean. Tuesday night against Maryland (15-7, 7-4 ACC), Tech found the perfect unlikely tandem, a tandem that led Tech to its third win against a top-25 team. 5-11 junior point guard Tony Akins scored a career high 28 points, including a crucial three pointer with 1:09 remaining, and senior center Alvin Jones had 11 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 blocks as the Jackets(13-8, 5-5 ACC) knocked off 13th ranked Maryland 72-62 in front of 8,802 at the Coliseum. Akins, who was 8-for-11 from the field and 3-for-3 from the three point line, had several clutch plays in the Tuesday night contest. None was bigger than his shot with 1:09 left in the game. Tech, hanging to a 64-62 lead, was unable to get any sort of rhythm going on the offensive end in arguably their most crucial possession of the game. As the shot clock wound down to zero, Akins launched a three from NBA range just to the right of the top of the key. Nothing but net. "I just took what they gave me," said Akins. Akins and Jones were two of the only players playing February quality basketball. The teams combined for 43 turnovers, Maryland with 23 and Tech with 20. "It wasn't a pretty one," said head coach Paul Hewitt, "We're definitely not going to send this one to Springfield." Tech, a tournament bubble team, is not going to be discriminatory about the quality of their wins. The Jackets held the bigger Terps to a season-low 62 points, well below their scoring average of 88.6. As usual, center Alvin Jones was the dominant factor on defense. "He's selective in his blocks. He makes it tough to score. Basically, he controls the lane," said Maryland coach Gary Williams. Jones forced Maryland Center Lonny Baxter into early foul trouble, and allowed Baxter only 3 points on 1-5 shooting. All-American candidate Terence Morris was held to 4-17 shooting thanks to Jones' inside presence and the collective effort from forwards Halston Lane, Jon Babul, and Michael Isenhour. The only Maryland players who had any success were the shooting guards. Juan Dixon, Maryland's leading scorer, had 18 and reserve Drew Nicholas added 15. Nicholas and Dixon led Maryland to a 40-34 halftime lead, a lead that was created in the absence of one man, Alvin Jones. With Tech leading 29-21, and Jones in foul trouble Hewitt knew the big man needed a breather. At 5:48 remaining in the first, Tech held a eight point lead. A little more than two minutes later, the Terps had a 30-29 lead that would be pushed to 40-34 heading into the half. "If anybody doubted his [Alvin Jones] value to our ballclub, when he picked up the second foul, we were up 29-21. I took him out and we went into the locker room down six," said Hewitt. Maryland would cling to the lead until 7:08 remaining when Tech took a 55-53 lead. The Jackets, who shot 50 percent in the second half, would never trail again. "We have to be hungry," says Terps coach Gary Williams, "We did not show the same intensity to start the second half." The Terps were outscored 38-22 in the second and shot only 37 percent on the half. The bulk of the Terps 23 turnovers came in the second half, but Williams didn't feel Tech's press deserved the credit for the defensive presence. "It was not the Georgia Tech press that caused us trouble. We are the ones that created the turnovers," said Williams. Tech's strong defense was aided by freshman Marvin Lewis who had five rebounds, but he left his mark beyond the arc. The small forward was 3-4 in three point range and finished with 12 points. Tech faces their third top 25 team in a row Sunday at 1:30 p.m. in the Coliseum against sixth-ranked Virginia. 1111Daniel Uhlig / STUDENT PUBLICATIONSDarryl LaBarrie scores on a fast break in Tech's Tuesday contest with No. 13 Maryland. LaBarrie has been a regular coming off the bench for Tech.

86222001-02-09February 9, 2001sportsDerekHaynes185Assistant Sports EditorClub Sport Spotlight: Ice Hockey team ranked No. 1 in Div. IIIBaseball is not the only sport ranked number one in the country-the club hockey team is also alone at the top. The Jackets (18-4-0, 12-1 CHS) are ranked number one in club hockey's division III and are in sole possession of first place in College Hockey South. Head Coach Greg Stathis believes the team has the potential to claim the championship. "This is the best team we've had in my nine years," said Stathis. "They have a lot of character, are very quick, and are very disciplined." The Jackets are led by junior Shawn Montague, who was selected as one of the top 50 players in the country as a high school senior. He leads the Jackets in goals (17) and assists (15), good for 32 points. The Jackets, who lost in the ACHA final last year, lost only one player while picking up goalie Roland Sperlich, a graduate student who played Division I hockey. Defensively, the Jackets are led by sophomore Jamie Ledyard, who has supplied rare offensive firepower from the blue line with 5 goals and 4 assists. The Jackets, who play their home games at the Cooler, face off against the Georgia Bulldogs at Philips Arena Saturday night following the Atlanta Thrashers vs. Florida Panthers game. Tickets can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster. "I'm really looking forward to the game, it will give us a lot of exposure," said Montague. Hockey is one of Tech's most successful club sports. They routinely draw between 500-1000 people a game, and drew over 10,000 in Savannah for their Thrasher Cup victory. The success of the club could prompt a jump to Division II next season. "It costs more money because of traveling expenses, but we are ready competitively," said coach Stathis. The ACHA National Championship is being held at the Cooler March 1-4. Tech received an automatic bid to the tournament, and joins South Florida and Florida in representing College Hockey South. 1112Kristi Odom / STUDENT PUBLICATIONSGoalies Roland Sperlich and Chris Channer have helped solidify the Jackets between the pipes. The team will represent Tech against the Georgia Bulldogs Saturday night at Philips Arena after the Thrashers-Panthers game. For more information on the Georgia Tech Ice Hockey Club team visit their webpage at http://www.gthockey.com

86222001-02-09February 9, 2001sportsTerrenceJones211My Computer CrashedTar Heels streak by Yellow Jackets in ACC contestComing off of a huge win over No. 2 Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium, No. 4 North Carolina was poised for a letdown against Georgia Tech, the Yellow Jackets having a week of preparation for the game compared to just two days of preparation for the Tar Heels. None of that mattered. The Tar Heels overwhelmed the Yellow Jackets with superior size and talent coupled with frenzied support from the home crowd in Chapel Hill, NC. Joseph Forte scored 23 points and pulled down nine rebounds to lead the surging Tar Heels past the surprised Yellow Jackets, 82-69. North Carolina (19-2, 9-0) won its 16th consecutive game and upped its record to a perfect 9-0 in the ACC for the first time since the 1986-87 season. "It wasn't an easy day to play on the heels of our game Thursday," North Carolina coach Matt Doherty said. "I was worried about our emotional state and our concentration. I knew we'd want to have a good effort, but there's sometimes a difference between wanting to have a good effort and actually playing with a good effort." The Tar Heels started out slow, then quickly turned the game into a rout with a 27-2 run midway through the first half, including a streak of 23 straight points. The Yellow Jackets (12-8, 4-5) went on a seven-minute scoring drought, eventually put to rest by a Tony Akins three-pointer with 6:44 left in the first half. The Yellow Jackets shot just 36 percent (13-for-36) in the first half, including 25 percent (3-for-12) from beyond the arc. "That run was obviously a back-breaker," Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt said. "I was just hoping we would get a basket." It was another great defensive game for North Carolina who held the Yellow Jackets to just 35 percent (27-for-77) shooting, marking the ninth time in the last 10 games the Tar Heels have held an opponent to 40 percent or less from the field. Georgia Tech center Alvin Jones, last weeks ACC co-player of the week, scored 16 points and pulled down 18 rebounds, but was overmatched against the talented and deep UNC front court that combined to score 47 of UNC's 82 points. Tony Akins added 18 points and 5 assists for the Yellow Jackets, who kept the game close in the second half, but still fell short of the outcome Paul Hewitt expected from his club. "It's February and morale victories don't mean a whole lot right now. We're in a stretch drive where we're trying to put together some wins and make our case to the selection committee," said Hewitt. The loss drops the Yellow Jackets to 4-5 in the ACC, likely needing at least eight, possibly nine, conference wins to qualify for the NCAA tournament in March.1113Robert Hill / STUDENT PUBLICATIONSCenter Alvin Jones on the inside against the Maryland Terrapins. Jones plays was essential to the Yellow Jackets 76-62 win last Saturday.

86222001-02-09February 9, 2001sportsMattBryan25Sports EditorTech squad tops baseball alumni in Saturday exhibition; Teixeira 3-for-4 with two doublesLast Saturday the Baseball Team defeated their alumni in an exhibition game by a score of 8-5 at Russ Chandler Stadium. The Alumni struck first making it 1-0 in the top of the third with a Kevin Gergel single and a Rick Lockwood sacrifice fly. Tech took it back to 2-1 with an RBI double by Mark Teixeira, who went 3-for-4 with two doubles, and a Bryan Prince sacrifice fly. Only to have the alumni tie it up in the next frame with a double by Jason Atha, who scored on Mike Yancey's RBI single. It took till the Jackets second time around to grab the lead, posting a Boggs run on a Prince RBI double and Teixeira on a Victor Menocal RBI single to make it 4-2. The Jackets continued to build their lead in the sixth bringing the score to 7-2 on a Matt Murton RBI single and a two-run double by Teixeira. The Alumni refused to give into their successors cutting the lead to 7-5 in the top of the eighth capitalizing on a Tech error and a Mike Yancey RBI groundout. Tech made the last blow to bring the final to 8-5 on a Chris Goodman sacrifice fly. Despite the win, the team walked away a little disappointed with such a close contest. Last year, the team beat their alums by 16 points in a 17-1 blowout. "It's hard to judge [the team's ability] when you're playing against your alumni," Head Coach Danny Hall said with respect to the performance and the Jackets' No. 1 ranking Stanford transfer Brian Sager picked up the win with a couple of runs and four hits in the six innings he spent on the field. "I don't think he threw as well today as I've seen him throw all spring," said Hall. "He's going to be a very good pitcher for us, though he had a hard time getting the ball down in the strike zone today." Returning to the field for Tech was Matthew Boggs, who was out for the majority of last season with injuries, which still hindered him Saturday. "He's nursing a little bit of a hamstring right now," Hall said, "but he was on base...and it's nice to see him back." Although the alumni game isn't a factor in Tech's ranking, the Jackets' upcoming weekend is. Tech will travel to the Rice Invitational in Houston, Texas for their first regular season games. With contests on Friday against Lamar, Saturday against Rice, and Sunday with Nebraska, the Jackets have a difficult road trip ahead. Jerry Wible contributed to this story.1114

86222001-02-09February 9, 2001sportsJohnRafferty95Special to the 'Nique Guest speaker Peter Gammons praises national pastime; Coach Hall praises staff and stresses challenge of team's preseason No. 1 ranking.After being ranked as the top college baseball team in the country following a 50-16 year in 2000, the Yellow Jacket baseball team starts the season today. The Jackets were congratulated on their pre-season rating by Peter Gammons, the guest speaker at the Jackets' baseball banquet last Friday at the Hilton Hotel. Gammons discussed how baseball is and will continue to be the nation's pastime, due to a strong history of picking up the nation in times of need. The Yellow Jackets saw an attendance of over 300 people at the fundraiser, including current major league baseball players Kevin Brown, Jason Varitek, and Jim Poole. All three starred as Tech players, and gave back to the program by donating items for the charity auction. Varitek, who in 1994 won the Golden Spikes award as the best player in college baseball, donated his jersey from that season when he played for the Team USA summer team. Also auctioned off during the evening were Nomar Garciaparra's 1994 College World Series jersey, a Mark Teixeira game-worn jersey from the 2000 season, and tickets to the Jackets game against the Braves during Spring Training this year. Those items sold for $900, $600 and $55 respectively. The evening raised over $17,000 for the baseball program at Tech. Head Coach Danny Hall introduced the coaches, and outlined the goals for the team. He announced that Assistant Coach Mike Trapasso was named as Baseball America's choice for the top assistant coach in the nation, and was also proud of the work that Coach Guy did for the offensive production of the team last year. He also stated how important that Strength and Conditioning Coach Steve Tamborra was in getting the team in game shape. Hall also stressed that the top pre-season ranking is more of a challenge than a curse. He said that the last time that Tech was ranked No. 1 in the country going into the season was 1994, when Garciaparra and Varitek led the Yellow Jackets into the College World Series Championship game in Omaha. The goals for the team this year are to do the same thing. Returning all position players from a team that batted .342 last season, and adding redshirted leadoff man Matthew Boggs, the Yellow Jackets look to be the most talented team in the ACC this season and hope to repeat as ACC Champions. Hall also relayed to the crowd that the post-season stadium renovation will take place, and the same architect that has worked with Enron Park, and the new Camden Yards park will be the architect for the new Russ Chandler Stadium. Coach Hall also stressed the importance of crowd support, saying that it was important in both the play of the current team and also in recruiting top stars to play at Tech in the future. He also said that the new ballpark, which will cost around $10 million to build, will help Tech secure future NCAA Regionals, an important aspect of advancing on to Nebraska for the College World Series. This weekend is an important first step in reaching that goal, as Tech plays two top-rated teams in Rice and Nebraska in the Rice Invitational. The games can be heard in town on WREK Radio 91.1 or over the web at http://www.wrek.org.1115