Friday, OctoberNEWS 26, 2001 Technique • Friday, October 26, 2001 • 1 Economic downturn causes Tech volleyball serves up a win TECHNIQUE lack of employer turnout at over Clemson after their ACC “The South’s Liveliest College Newspaper” recent career fair. loss to second-place Duke. ONLINE http://cyberbuzz.gatech.edu/technique FOCUS page 13 SPORTS page 32 Serving Georgia Tech since 1911 • Volume 87, Issue 13 • 32 pages Opinions␣ 6 · Focus␣ 13 · Entertainment␣ 19 · Comics␣ 26 · Sports␣ 32 Team Buzz set Anthrax scare evacuates Skiles for Sat. launch By Nasir Barday dling the situation. “The mail Tech’s annual community Senior Staff Writer was opened in one of [LCC’s] service day, Team Buzz, kicks administrative office areas and off this Saturday at 8 a.m. at Part of the Skiles Building was well-contained within that the Campanile. Participants was evacuated last Wednesday office area, but that office area will serve the Atlanta when an employee within the and those on that hallway were community in a variety of school of Literature, Commu- evacuated,” said Vickery. locations throughout the city nications and Culture noticed “There was nothing threat- and return for a post-service an “unidentified powder on her ening or suspicious about the celebration at 1:30 p.m. at clothing,” said Jack Vickery, letters, which were normal busi- Peter’s Parking Deck. Chief of the Georgia Tech Po- ness correspondence,” said Vick- This year is the fourth for lice Department. ery. Team Buzz, which usually The LCC employee’s call to “The unidentified powder draws 2,000 participants. the Georgia Tech Police Depart- could have possibly come from ment prompted a hazardous ma- the gloves the employee had been terials response, which has been wearing.” ‘RockToberfest’ in place for three years, said Bob But in light of recent anthrax Harty, Executive Director of In- scares from around the nation, tomorrow night stitute Communications and the Institute took no chances. SR71 will play a free, Public Affairs. “In situations like this, it is al- campus-wide concert According to Harty, the emer- ways better to be safe than sor- tomorrow night near the gency plan is usually activated ry,” said Harty. Campanile and Skiles with a call to Georgia Tech Po- Georgia Tech has issued new walkway area. The event, lice. “That’s the most common guidelines for employees receiv- which is sponsored by the place people call when some- ing mail. Plastic gloves are now Interfraternity Council and thing happens,” said Harty. available to university workers a number of other campus “When the plan is activated, all and student assistants who deal organizations, will begin with information about the situation with mail, though they are not an opening band at 9:00. All channels through myself, Gail required. Since the initial an- Tech students may attend. DiSabatino [Dean of Students], thrax mailings were reported in and Jack Vickery.” Florida the campus police de- Among other steps, the plan partment has responded to a to- Clocks ‘fall’ called for contact of the Haz- tal of five calls related to suspicious ardous Materials Unit of the mail. Three of the calls involved back Sunday Atlanta Fire Department, which mail that the receiving depart- handled the affected pieces of ments felt uncomfortable open- Daylight savings time mail for delivery to the FBI, where ing. An officer from GTPD begins Sunday morning. Students are reminded to set the samples were tested. removed these letters and opened By Andrew Saulters / STUDENT PUBLICATIONS Vickery indicated that extra Atlanta officials emerge from Skiles Wednesday after responding to the report of their clocks back one hour precaution was taken in han- See Anthrax, page 2 an unidentified powder. The powder may have been cornstarch from latex gloves. on Sunday morning at 2 a.m. State hiring freeze Students attack Maryland band members By Ty Gailey edly abused Maryland band nity houses,” said Alford. member had taken the man to extended to faculty Staff Writer members and left them with dam- At least three people tried to the ground. Two or three more By Sriram Narasimhan aged instruments and uniforms “disrupt the band” by walking men approached the band, and Contributing Writer Members of the University and a bad taste in their mouths through the middle of their group the situation deteriorated into of Maryland Marching Band and about Georgia Tech. alleges Alford. At one point Al- somewhat of a dog pile,” said Recognizing signs of a troubled econo- University of Maryland Admin- In a statement to Georgia ford’s attempt to calm down one Alford. my and its impact on Georgia’s budget, istrators filed formal complaints Tech Police, Maryland trombone angry Tech fan resulted in a scuf- Another altercation occurred Governor Roy Barnes imposed a limiting with Georgia Tech administra- player Ronald Alford, who was fle. along Fowler Street when more hiring freeze on all state-funded agencies tors and the campus police con- on the front line of the forma- “He was gesturing wildly, so unidentified Tech fans attempted last May, including the University System cerning the behavior of Tech tion, says harassment came from I assumed he was trying to start to walk through the middle of of Georgia, of which Tech is a member. fans following the October 11 all around. a fight. Keeping my voice level I the band’s formation. Senior One of the conditions of the freeze allowed football game. Maryland band “I saw at least two cars driv- said ‘calm down sir,’” said Al- marcher Dustin Doyle’s attempt for a number of state and non-state-funded members found themselves on a ing erratically in the path of the ford. to restrain a man escalated into positions within the Institute to be filled hazardous march from Bobby band. Many people shouted ob- The man shoved Alford, caus- a brawl. normally, while all others could only be Dodd Stadium to their buses on scenities from their car windows, ing him to drop his glasses. “By filled after an extensive application pro- Fourth Street. Tech fans alleg- from the street, and from frater- the time I turned around, a band See Band, page 2 cess. Earlier this month, however, the State Office of Planning and Budget (OPD) ex- Rules change leaves students, teams stranded panded the conditions of this freeze to only allow positions funded by non-state re- By Tony Kluemper a decision was made by the DOAS sources, temporary and student positions Assistant News Editor to only cover Institute employ- to be filled under normal business proce- ees with the states liability in- dures. All other vacancies which were orig- Almost every Tech student surance. “I was attending a DOAS inally exempt from the hiring freeze, has at one time or another been conference during the week of including instructional faculty, Public Safety transported using the 15 pas- October 3 and the decision was Officers, Facilities, Operations and Main- senger vans that student organi- officially announced at that con- tenance personnel and hourly positions, zations from ORGT to the ference,” said Everett. are now subject to the same appeal and Student Center Programs Board The problem that many stu- application process if a particular depart- use on a regular basis. However dent organizations now face is ment wishes to fill them. at a Department of Administra- that they often depend on stu- “The common sense thing is that all of tive Services (DOAS) conference dent volunteers to drive the vans. the individual institutions and other places held earlier this month an an- However, these drivers would look to these same kinds of strategies as a nouncement was made that has no longer be covered, and there- solution to a downturn in the economy. greatly affected the usage of these fore they are no longer allowed vans by campus organizations. to drive the Institute vans. By Scott King / STUDENT PUBLICATIONS See Freeze, page 4 According to Georgia Tech Student organizations that used to rely on the rental of Tech vans Risk Manager Freddie Everett, See Vans, page 5 for transportation will need alternatives under a new set of rules. 2 • Friday, October 26, 2001 • Technique NEWS be considered a potential hazard,” Anthrax from page 1 said Vickery. “It is important for us all to be vigilant and take common- them in safer conditions. Two en- sense precautions.” velopes arrived without return ad- “None of us live or work in a dresses, one of which was labeled sterile environment,” Vickery con- with block printing similar to that tinued. “The guidelines provided of the other anthrax mailings. Each to the public and the emergency case turned out to be normal mail. response protocols are intended to Vickery noted that no threats or help make that assessment when other unusual circumstances have folks are unable to make that judg- occurred at Tech. ment for themselves, and each inci- “Given current events, under- dent has to be evaluated [in the standably, the unknown will at times context] of specific circumstances.” Band from page 1 surd considering we had similar prob- lems when we went to Georgia Tech “I stepped up and politely moved two years ago,” said Hoffman. In him to the side of the street safely fact, only one police officer was able away from the group. The student to respond to the scene according resisted and began to struggle with to Graduate Band Assistant Brett me. Smelling the alcohol coming Taylor, who claims he was also hit from the student, I held him firmly in the face with a strap. with the intention to let the band “There was one police officer in pass safely,” said Doyle.