Tntic- DDCC7C \An~A->v Nr.v TO 1QCI7 11 WEATHER IODAY! v. K'UL high 60 R It TUESDAY: Showers, high 54°F, low 32°F. WEDNESDAY: Partly Soccer slams Penn State cloudy, high 53°F, low 33°F. See Sports page 29 JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY MONDAY Nov 10. 1997 VOL. 75. NO. 20 Gas costs plummet in station price war "huge company in Winston-Salem [North Carolina], by Julia Filz and they make all the decisions." senior writer Wilco didn't start the price war but was instruct- Students and Harrisonburg residents alike are ed to join in when she called management in running to get cheap gasoline as Sheetz, Wilco and Winston-Salem, informing them of Sheetz and , Coastal gas stations have drastically lowered prices Coastal's actions. in an apparent price war. "I have no idea [why Sheetz and Coastal dropped Regular gas prices at Sheetz dropped to about 67 their prices]," King said. cents per gallon, said Rhoda King, manager of But even with the price war, some other gas sta- Wilco. Wilco's gas prices are regularly around $1.09 tions have reported only a small drop in business per gallon. Exxon's and Texaco's remain at $1.09. and some reported no drop at all. Employees at both the South Main Street and "I thought we would [have a drop in business] University Boulevard Sheetz ^^^^^^^^^^^^ but we haven't," Darlene Volanth, an employee at the locations declined comment " on the price war and their When VOU Sell that far Port Republic Road Exxon prices. * + station, which wasn't Some other gas providers pelOW COSt, VOU 'rejUSt trj- involved in the price war. not involved in the price war * "* "We've had a very active did comment on Sheetz and [no fO rUYl the Smaller DeO~ weekend." Coastal's war. " Volanth credits her Mike Davis, a manage- n/^ QUt ofbuSlYieSS UnleSS stores steady business to ment training employee for * J two factors. "People don't Cline Energy, the company you *fjg {ft Qyi extremely getl- know it,s 8oing on'" she which services Exxon, said J >y said- "They're travelers he was surprised the gas sta- QYOMS YYlOOd. coming off the interstate. tions were selling at such I've also heard people corn- low prices. Mike Davis mS ta say &*? ^ow about "When they're selling at Cline Energy employee Sheetz' low prices but say 67 cents, they're about 20 they don't trust the gaso- cents below actual cost," line.' Davis said. Davis said some of his stations had reported a "When you sell that far below cost, you're just "little of a drop, but not too bad. It's not as signifi- trying to run the smaller people out of business — cant as we thought [it would be]." unless you're in an extremely generous mood," he While no one knows how long the gas war will said. continue, Davis said he hopes people don't start Davis said gas costs around 90 cents per gallon, expecting such low prices. including a 36 cents tax on every gallon. Davis esti- "This is a huge gimmick," Davis said. "People mated Sheetz, if it continues to sell that far below should not set any standards by this." cost, would lose about $5,000 to $6,000 dollars a day. Senior Richard Padilla purchased gas at Sheetz on Since Friday, the University Boulevard Sheetz South Main Street Thursday night at 11:30 p.m. location has gone back up to 99 cents a gallon. "My friends had been driving up and down Wilco gas station was briefly involved in the con- South Main when they went to Burger King," he ED DYEKJassisiani photo editor test but did not lower its prices as far as Sheetz or said. "It was 78 cents [per gallon] and when they Coastal. came back it was 74 [cents]. By.the time I went to get Sheetz closed the weekend with gas at 73 cents, up from its week King said the station went down to 74 cents a gal- low of 67 cents. Battling gas stations also include Coastal and Wilco. lon and has held there. She said Wilco is owned by a see GAS page 2 SMAD faculty meet to discuss ABC agent on the prowl shutdown of major and minor Officer patrols Harrisonburg for alcohol policy violators ment officer, the ABC agent has by Kate Springer by Kate Springer and discuss ABC issues and vio- contributing writer contributing writer clearance to enforce any laws in lations. the Commonwealth of Virginia," Alan MacNutt, director of School of Media Arts and Design faculty gathered Friday to discuss An Alcoholic Beverage Toth said. public safety, said Meador is not the shutdown of the SMAD major and minor and what to do about Control agent is assigned to Meador was unavailable for affiliated with JMU either, but students who want to become SMAD students. Harrisonburg to enforce laws comments despite repeated Meador has full jurisdiction over Without faculty input, George Johnson, director of the School of dealing with the Virginia alcohol attempts to reach him. the state of Virginia, including Media Arts and Design, closed SMAD's doors Nov. 3 to all students policy. Lt. Don Claytor of the Harrisonburg and JMU. who aren't already majors or minors. Stanley Meador, the ABC Harrisonburg Police Department "He can go into any party that "We were so swamped last week with minors, it reached crisis pro- agent, enforces laws such as the said Meador works for the is open to the public," MacNutt portion," Johnson said in Thursday's issue of The Breeze. "I didn't have sale of alcohol to underage or Commonwealth of Virginia said. "He doesn't need to notify the time to convene the faculty, but a decision needed to be made intoxicated persons. The agent through ABC and is not affiliated us or let us know that he is here." quickly." has the power to arrest offenders, with Harrisonburg Police Meador/s jurisdiction includes At Friday's meeting, faculty members analyzed the problem but ABC spokesperson Jennifer Torn Department. But HPD meets fraternity parties. said. with the ABC agent on a regular" see SMAD page 2 "As a fully sworn law enforce- basis to exchange information see ABC page 2 2 Monday, Nov 10,1997 TtiE BfcEkZE continuedGas. from page 1 gas, it was 67 [cents]." Padilla said he was surprised "To the press alone, chequered as Sheetz was so crowded at that it is with abuses, the world is time of night. indebted for all the triumphs which have been gained by reason and humanity over error "I saw a gentle- and oppression." man filling up — James Madison Editor Kristen HetM three or four of Managing editor Laura L Wade Tedindogy manager Brian Hi£g)ns those two-gallon Ads manager Erin M. Calaghan n News editor Courtney A. C rowte y barrels: Neios editor Rob Spain Asst. news editor Andl Metzter Richard Padilla Opinion editor Keitey Blassineame senior Style editor Jim 'Vegas' Terp Focus editor Chris Klbnak "At 11:30 every single pump Asst. sfyfeflbcus editor Julian Walker Had a line two to three [cars] Sports editor Steven M. Trout deep" he said. "I saw a gentle- Asst. sports editor Seth Burton man filling up three or four of Copy editor Lisa Fox those two-gallon barrels, the kind Photoeditor Jennifer Baker you fill your lawn-mower up ^ssf. photoeditor Ed Dyer with, after he filled his car." Graphics editor Thomas Scala "I never get gas there," Padilla Advisers Rip De Luca, said. "But at 67 cents [a gallon], I THOMAS SCALAJgrophics editor Alan Neckowto, couldn't pass it up." DavM WendeNuNi ABC SMAD continued from page 1 continued from page 1 SMAD major can concentrate in Junior John Milisitz, a member The Breeze is published Monday didn't decide about what to do to jumped from about 420 last aca- and Thursday mornings and solve overcrowding in the school. demic year to 690 this fall, one of several areas and some of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, a social distributed throughout James They will meet again Friday to Johnson said. concentrations are more popular fraternity, said he is aware of Madison University and the local further discuss the situation, Based on listings in the Spring than others. The student-to-facul- Meador's presence in Harrisonburg community. ty ratio in the multimedia con- Harrisonburg but thinks fraterni- Comments and complaints should decide what the next course of 1998 Course Catalog, the student- be addressed to Kristen Heiss, edi- action will be and what they will to-faculty ratio in SMAD for centration is 40:1. The ratio in ty parties should be left to them- tor. do about students who still wish spring 1998 is 24:1. Nineteen full- media writing is 15:1, Johnson selves. MaMr« address: to declare a SMAD major or time faculty members will teach said. "With a frat party, if every- The Breeze Following the meeting, thing is going on in a controlled Gl Anthony-Seeger Hall minor. 45 classes spring semester with. MSC6805 The SMAD student-to-faculty An additional 10 faculty from Johnson said faculty members manner, they should be lenient as James Madison University ratio was 16.4:1 last year, accord- other departments are teaching analyzed what concentrations are to underage drinking," Milisitz Harrisonburg, Virginia 22807 ing to the 1996-'97 JMU Statistical 12 SMAD classes. most heavily taxed in the depart- said. "People who are underage Summary. But the number of According to the 1997-'98 ment.