Georgia Girls create

controversy

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) - They are known as the Georgia Girls, a group of some 70 "vivacious" female students who spend their winter weekends taking high school football recruits to dinner.

The program has been around at least 20 years, and is an important part of attracting some of the country's best players to the University of Georgia.

Some say the program is nothing more than a university-sponsored escort service.

"Just the fact that these hospitality teams are all female and the football players are all male sets up the expectation that what is being given out is sex appeal," said Victoria Davion, who teaches a feminist philosophy class. "They're selling sex appeal as an enticement to come."

Not so, says Dominique Holloman, a sophomore Georgia Girl.

"We're like hostesses," she said. "You could think of it as a tour guide."

Last season, Tennessee fans taunted Georgia Girls at a game, insinuating that they used sex to sign players.

The Georgia Girls look for young women who are "vivacious, outgoing and informative," said Audra Towson, the 22-year-old president of the group.

Recruits notice their looks. Bulldog linebacker Adrian Hollingshed said recruits often talk about which school has the prettiest escorts.

The Georgia Girls acknowledge they flirt with some recruits but say it never goes beyond that.

Not that there are rules against it.

Many universities say they would not approve of an all-female group because it would give the impression that the school endorsed relationships between the group members and recruits.

"We don't have that, and we won't," said Bob Chamiel, Notre Dame's coordinator of football operations. "I think everybody has their own way of recruiting."

02-03-99

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