Friday, March 30, 2001 Oh no, we didn’t forget Tech’s baseball team continues TECHNIQUE that April 1 is on its way... to do well in the ACC as the “The South’s Liveliest College Newspaper” Check out the inside! season progresses. ONLINE http://cyberbuzz.gatech.edu/technique TECHLIQUE inside SPORTS back page Serving Georgia Tech since 1911 • Volume 86, Issue 28 • 36 pages This is the real stuff, so believe what’s in these four pages. You can take your chances on the rest. Opening stalled Kavanaugh, Watson by landslide for new deck The recently completed State Street parking deck will be fur- ther delayed in opening, accord- ing to a March 23 press release. An inspection of the deck has revealed cracks in the structural components, and to ensure safe- ty, the Georgia State Financing and Investment Commission has contracted with a consultant to conduct an independent review of the facility. The full extent of any prob- lems is unknown at this time, but opening will be delayed un- til the review of the facility is completed and “we are convinced that it is safe now and through- out the life of the structure,” ac- cording to the press release. By Chris Baucom / STUDENT PUBLICATIONS By Daniel Uhlig / STUDENT PUBLICATIONS Chris Kavanaugh hits the campaign trail on the Skiles Walkway with the help of a Kavanaugh reacts to the election results; bystanders offered Students pass cow and chicken who urge students to “Vot 4 Kavanaugh” for Undergrad President. their congratulations outside the student government office. graduation In field of five, Kavanaugh receives 57% of the vote referendum By Tony Kluemper the highest in the nation. “I would like to think that peo- vice-president. Watson was excited Students voted in a referen- Assistant News Editor This year’s election saw five stu- ple know that I have a genuine love that he would have the ability to dum to not delay graduation cer- dents vying for the position of un- for Georgia tech and the student voice the opinion of Tech student’s emonies for a week following After over two weeks of cam- dergraduate student body president, body,” Kavanaugh said. “And peo- next year in SGA. finals, but to instead receive dum- paigning, the SGA elections for both and in the end candidate Chris Ka- ple have confidence in my ability to “I feel I’m qualified because of my diplomas in a commence- the Undergraduate and Graduate vanaugh came out on top of the achieve what I set out achieve.” my passion for it,” Watson said. ment immediately after the offices came to an end on Wednes- vote with a landslide victory over “I’m serious about getting points “I’m passionate about what SGA conclusion of finals week. day, March 28 when the election the other four candidates. of my platform accomplished along can do for the students. I believe my The result of the referendum results for next year’s officers were “I am shocked that I won in the with listening to the Georgia Tech prior work with SGA allows me to resolved a debate over gradua- announced. Over 2000 students way that I won; winning 57% if the students,” he said. bring students back to the center, as tion scheduling and the Tech tra- voted from March 26 until March vote with five people running,” Ka- The other major election this the focus of SGA.” dition of presenting diplomas at 28 for numerous positions in both vanaugh said. “I never expected to year also ended in a landslide victo- Watson also commented on the ceremony that had been at the Undergraduate House of Rep- do that.” ry. UHR executive vice presidential where he wants to take SGA in the issue since the Academic Senate resentatives and Graduate Senate. Kavanaugh felt that his genuine candidate Nate Watson captured upcoming year. decided to stop senior exemp- Tech’s consistent voter turnout rate love for Tech helped him to capture 1280 of the 2050 votes cast to be- tion from final exams. of around 25% or more is among a majority of the vote. come Tech’s next undergraduate See Elections, page 3 GT SMART fights binge drinking Weekends at Tech Winter Buzz By Jennifer Hinkel News Editor “No matter what GT SMART has done in the past, we want GT SMART, or Students Man- aging Alcohol Risk at Tech, began students to bring ideas that are in 1998 after Tech received a grant attractive to students.” to address high-risk drinking on cam- pus. Sam Becknell “Primarily, GT SMART really GT SMART Project Coordinator is a coalition of faculty, students, and community people that are look- ing at ways to help reduce high risk eration of the program, has worked SMART’s community relations drinking on campuses,” said Sam to develop a Geographical Infor- committee for 2 years. Becknell, Project Coordinator for mation System (GIS) map of areas The mapping system identifies the program. surrounding campus, including the “potential hot spots,” said Brandon, Housed in the office of Student residential areas of Home Park, Ber- such as areas of high student popu- Affairs, GT SMART spends more kely Park, Underwood Hills, and lation density, alcohol distribution than two thirds of its budget on Virginia Highlands as one of the points, and incorporates crime and personnel salaries, in comparison program’s main projects. incident data into the geographical with the sixth of the budget is spent “We don’t really create new pro- information. on “other direct costs,” including grams,” said Becknell. “We only look “We want to see if there’s a cor- advertisements such as those recently at the systems within the university relation with alcohol and crime in- seen in the Technique, which run system and see where we can make cidence,” said Brandon. “It’s also a from $550 to $700. Another sixth an impact.” concern for student safety.” of the budget is spent on outside “The focus of the GIS mapping Once completed, the GIS map consultants. project is that it fits into the inci- will be available on the Internet. The initiative has spent over a dent management process by pro- “The ultimate purpose of [the year developing a brochure pub- viding us with a visual representation GIS mapping project] is to give us a lished this week, including basic in- of key factors that we think need to benchmark so as we move forward formation on the program and a be considered in order to establish a with the full-fledged incident man- By Andrew Santelli / STUDENT PUBLICATIONS sign up form for those wishing to strategic response to incident man- agement process, we can see if the Students joined in a conga line at the Biltmore Hotel last Friday become involved. agement,” said Mike Brandon, who evening for the annual campus-wide semiformal, Winter Buzz. Becknell, who oversees the op- has served as co-chair of GT See SMART, page 2 2 • Friday, March 30, 2001 • Technique REAL NEWS markers on cars; out-of-state plates, for extending the code of behavior “If there’s no ability to enforce SMART from page 1 duplex or multi-unit dwellings, only as much as makes sense, to [off-campus conduct], where do you multiple electric meters, and multi- protect the rights and the safety of go?” said Brandon. “You have to go number of incidents is decreasing,” tool to help neighborhoods see what’s ple Herbie Curbies” were among people living off campus as well as to law enforcement… if you go to said Brandon. going on.” the indicators listed. The team of those living on campus. law enforcement, the potential im- Some students have raised con- Along with using tax records, surveyors then snapped pictures of “If something happens, if there’s pact is going to be worse. It can also cerns about the privacy of off-cam- GT SMART also scheduled walk- various parts of the neighborhood, a situation where something’s out lead to more confrontational situa- pus living; GT SMART’s methods throughs of Home Park. On Satur- including both commercial estab- of control, I would like for the com- tions that are totally outside the con- for identifying student residences day, October 21 from 10 a.m. to 1 lishments and residences where signs munity members to be able to call trol of the campus, which can affect have not appealed directly to stu- p.m., the group was to meet, break of alcohol use were observed. Georgia Tech, and Georgia Tech the safety of students.” dents. into teams, “and survey Home Park Along with analyzation of geo- Most recently, GT SMART has “Georgia Tech currently does not graphical data, GT SMART has been been collecting data from students have a good set of information of involved with attempting to identi- to compile a list of non-alcohol re- where students are living who live fy specific dates as “potential prob- lated activities and entertainment. off campus… so we have to go be- “For the most vocal of lem dates where there could be “Our hope is to “There was a question about yond that, we have to go to the the communities, it’s increased party activity in the com- discuss behaviors. whether GT SMART was effective,” communities,” said Brandon. munity,” according to minutes from said Becknell. “No matter what GT “For Home Park, Berkely Park, easy to identify the the same October meeting. Some What impact do those SMART has done in the past, we and Underwood Hills, which are ‘hot spots’..