Scholarly pursuits did not end there, but the historical society hosted a variety of panel discussions, on topics like "The Folklore of Slush," and "Slush and Technology."

Fate would not let these cheery celebrants revel in the melting mush of snow, however, as the festival encountered more seasonably sunny weather. GEORGIA

Georgia Prez Walks

Following in Herschel Walker's footsteps, the president of the University of Georgia has fueled a controversy by deciding to leave the school before his term has expired.

Fred C. Davidson, who has presided over the Athens, Ga., campus for the past 19 years, resigned last Thursday after blasting the university's the wake of a scandal over the preferential academic treatment for student athletes.

Davidson's resignation, effective July 1, comes a month after a federal court in Atlanta awarded former Georgia instructor Jan Kemp $2.57 million in damages in her suit against two university officials. Kemp had charged that she was fired for speaking out against preferential treatment of student athletes in Georgia's remedial Developmental Studies Program.

Davidson, who favors the remedial program, came under increasing criticism after the verdict in the Kemp case. When the regents put his contract renewal on hold, the president resigned because of what he termed "a personal and professional insult."

But Regents Chairman Arthur Gignilliat Jr. said that during Davison's tenure "there have been abuses that could affect the accreditation of the institution."

Kemp said Davidson's resignation was "the best birthday present I've ever had."

"I hope they'll put someone in who will rule with integrity, who will restore the constitutional rights of faculty, and who will put an end to the exploitation of athletes," she said.

Georgia football Coach Vince Dooley said he was "shocked and saddened" by Davidson's resignation. SUNY OSWEGO

What About Room Service?

The "Gold Coast" hotels on Mount Auburn Street were long ago converted into student dormitories. But at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Oswego, they're doing the opposite.

At the upstate campus, a prominent dormitory building will begin to be converted into a Best Western Hotel and conference center as early as this April.

The conversion of 73 year-old Sheldon Hall--which was recently recognized by the National Register of Historical Places as a significant building--had been postponed during the fall of 1984 due to a controversial bidding procedure as well as "just a lot of unnecessary red tape," President Virginia Radley told The Oswegonian, the campus newspaper.

Unused since the fall of 1983 because of an overabundance of building space, Sheldon Hall had been financially burdensome to the college, costing an estimated $75,000 annually in heating bills.

University officials at the upstate campus will begin the scheduled 10-month conversion which will produce a hotel and conference center with 122 rooms and six to eight suites. Tentative plans also include installing a cocktail lounge, a banquet room and an indoor swimming pool.

However, William King, a developer and lifetime Oswego resident who lives opposite Sheldon Hall, believes there are better uses for the building, such as apartments for older or married students. "I don't believe the administration served the best interests of the college or the community," he said.