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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 27, 1990)
r 2 6,ii l^xasAS-M— -- l* tie Battalion Associated Press Top 26? Ags a few votes short of Top 25, but Slocum’s not worried See Page 5 C 'ol. 90 No. 60 USPS 045360 6 Pages College Station, Texas Tuesday, November 27, 1990 rime minister f Poland resigns ieti thine," cks had se couldn'ij nt along," work attiis middle ofj WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Prime [inister Tadeusz Mazowiecki re signed Monday along with his gov- irnment a day after a political neo- jhyte dealt him a humiliating defeat fin presidential elections. ‘It is impossible for me to remain the prime minister,” Mazowiecki fsaid in an interview with state radio ;fore he announced he was step- [ping down. “Poland’s painful but necessary Iprogram of getting out of economic jcatastrophe can only be realized with [the understanding of the majority of I the nation,” Mazowiecki said. “So- jciety made its choice.” He had finished third in presi- Idential elections on Sunday, failing j to qualify for a runoff with Solidarity leader Lech Walesa, who finished [first. Mazowiecki was knocked out of [the race by Stanislaw Tyminski, a wealthy businessman who returned Ito Poland this fall after 21 years in ICanada and Peru. “I will win these elections,” [Tyminski told supporters and the curious at his Warsaw headquarters. |“I am not afraid of Walesa, I am not | afraid of anyone.” Mazowiecki, 63, the first non- I Communist prime minister in the East bloc, had said he would step down as prime minister if he lost the presidential race. He told state radio he and his gov ernment could not be responsible “for promises made by the other candidates.” Mazowicki said he will submit his government’s resignation formally to Parliament, but he and other Cab inet ministers will continue to fulfill their duties until a new government is formed. “Many promises without backing were made and the government and myself were attacked with many strong, often demagogical, accusa tions,” said Mazowiecki. News of Mazowiecki’s resignation drew an angry reaction from’ Wa lesa, who had tapped him for the post of prime minister, then split with him over the pace of reforms in the post-Commumst era. “That’s great responsibility,” Wa lesa said sarcastically, contacted at his home by the Associated Press. “Now, let the Poles see this responsi- blity, this patriotism and this democ racy of Mazowiecki.” Tyminski, 42, was not taken se riously by other candidates until polls indicated a late surge of sup port. n the last i began ather just ng leade: t to do by trwhelmed Baylor ire season, times for msas bad >n started tailback lal d get iali a burth quij bvious at tan be ven tricity is i 11 ng Miamif re’re golf, champion exas, on "Where thupitiAiS >f Miami MIKE C. MULVEY/The Battalion Stephen Biddle watches as Dr. Koldus, vice president of student services, lights the giant Christmas tree in the MSC flag room. MSC Hospitality committee schedules week of festivities 9 The spirit of Christmas at Texas A&M finally has arrived. The Christmas tree was lighted at noon Monday in the MSC Flagroom by Dr. John Koldus, vice president for student services. The ceremony was sponsored by the MSC Hospital ity committee. “This exemplifies the Aggie spirit of caring, giving and sharing ... and the greatest gift you can give is to share with others,” Koldus said. After the ceremony, Voices of Praise sang in the flagroom to begin the week’s festivities. Eric Trekell, Hospitality adviser, said the committee has scheduled a How close is close? ■ I j lii PHELAN M. EBENBACKThe Battalion Freshman Amos Gaige keeps a watchful set of eyes on the day afternoon. Amos was getting his hair cut extra short for the steady hands of Gene Wren at the North Gate Barber Shop Fri- Aggies’ final home game against TCU. Pollen provides information on drug origin Law enforcement might have another weapon in the war on drugs — ordinary pollen. Forensic palynology — identifying pollen grains trapped in shipments — can provide in formation on the origin of some illegal drugs, says Dr. Vaughn M. Bryant Jr., head of anthro pology at Texas A&M and a renowned palynolo- gist. By studying pollen “reference” slides under a microscope, palynologists can identify pollen at a crime scene or recovered from a drug shipment and help pinpoint its place of origin, Bryant says. It is also possible to relate the grains to other parts of the same or similar drug shipments. Pollen, while generally considered only a nui sance for the allergy-prone, is useful in oil and gas exploration and in recreating ancient cli mates. Pollen also is considered “nature’s finger prints” when assisting in criminal investigations, Bryant says. A&M is one of the leading centers in North America where this type of information can be generated. “This collection is unique,” says Bryant, who also heads the University’s pollen research labo ratory. “With it, we can do new types of research other labs can only dream of.” Mobil Oil recently donated a large number of pollen reference slides. This collection, valued at more than $175,000, includes 7,000 reference slides of key pollen types from modern plant Spe cies worldwide. The lab housing the Mobil collection already maintains samples of more than 300 types of seed from the Western and Southwestern United States — 3,500 types of modern pollen mostly from North America; 1,500 other floral and raw pollen samples; 2,000 fossil coprolites; 6,500 other slides and samples from pioneering copro- lite work; collections of fossil and modern spores; as well as charcoal and wood samples. “The key to forensic palynology — recreating a picture of the past through pollen samples — is having a good reference collection of key pollen groups,” Bryant says. “With the Mobil collection, we have one of the best pollen reference collections in the country. With it we can do the kinds of forensic palyno logy we may be called on to perform.” He says the donation has an especially good representation of pollen from tropical regions of the world, which already has helped one grad uate student constructing the first record of the prehistoric environment of Belize, an ancient center of Mayan culture. Before the Mobil collection arrived, the stu dent was stymied by more than 50 pollen types he could not identify. Since the collection arrived last summer, he has cut the number to seven. “There are millions of species of pollen- and spore-producing plants in the world,” Bryant ex plains. “No one palynologist can become an au thority on all, and it is rare for a palynologist to have a working knowledge of pollen flora found in more than a few regions of the world.” Police stress safety, moderation at bonfire site week of activities in conjunction with the Christmas tree lighting, which has been going on since the commit tee was formed in 1970. Trekell said the committee also has had a trade show for 20 years where merchants display items, such as crafts and other Christmas gifts. Groups which will perform in the flagroom include the following: the bell choir from the First Baptist Church in Bryan; a theater presen tation by the Stage Center; the Ag- gonizers, a quartet from the Singing Cadets; and CAMAC, which will perform a dance and various solo singers. By ISSELLE MCALLISTER Of The Battalion Staff College Station and Texas A&M University police departments sent a clear message during a press confer ence Monday that they are stressing safety and moderation at bonfire. For the second year in a row, po lice officers will concentrate on alco hol offenses because drinking is not permitted at bonfire. “No booze will be permitted,” said Bob Wiatt, director of A&M security and University police. Officers will patrol bonfire site — Duncan Field — and Northgate, and citations will be issued to minors con suming alcohol. Adults providing al cohol to minors will be arrested, he said. CSPD will have its “war wagon” on hand to transport drunken individu als to jail. A judge will be on call for immediate arraignment. Local police also are gearing up for safety in residence areas near bonfire. Streets between George Bush Drive and Park Place, just south of bonfire, will be closed at 6:45 p.m. Thursday to those not living in the area. CSPD’s Lt. Mike Patterson said parking restrictions along George Bush Drive will be enforced strongly for safety reasons. Campus streets also will be re stricted throughout the day, he said. Six A&M shuttle buses will run from the normal shuttle bus stops from 6:45 until 11 p.m., said Sherry Wine, assistant manager for A&M bus operations. Because of the limited number of University shuttle buses that will be available, Margie Lucas, marketing manager of the Interurban Transit System, encourages bonfire atten dees to use city trolleys. Trolleys will pick up patrons at South wood Athletic Complex, Bra zos Inn, Roadway Inn, The Oaks Apartments, Manor East Mall and at the intersection of Wellborn Road and Southwest Parkway at 6:10 and 6:30 p.m. and take them directly to bonfire site. The trolley system also will pro vide a park-and-ride option from Manor East Mall at the corners of Texas Avenue and Villa Maria Road; from the Post Oak Mall near Sears; and from the Southwood Ath letic Complex. Trips returning from bonfire will begin as soon as patrons fill the trol leys around 8:15 p.m. The service costs 50 cents each way. Exact change is required be- By ISSELLE MCALLISTER Of The Battalion Staff The College Station Fire De partment will concentrate on high-risk areas in neighborhoods near bonfire Thursday night, a member of the fire department said. Bland Ellen, deputy fiye marshal, said residents can take extra precautions to keep their homes safe from fires that could be caused by flying embers from bonfire. Ellen spoke Monday during a press conference with Texas A&M University and College Sta tion police departments. A pamphlet distributed during the conference provides the fol lowing tips: • Remove all leaves, sticks and other combustables from roof gutters. • Wet down roof with water just before dark. • Mow and rake yard or grassy areas. •. Move all flammable liquids and highly combustable items to a safe place. • Keep a water hose con nected to an outside faucet to ex tinguish small fires. • Close garage doors to keep out flying embers. The following streets will be closed Thursday to all in-bound traffic between 6 p.m. and mid night: • Fairview from George Bush Drive to Park Place • Park Place from Fairview to Timber • Lee from Park Place to George Bush Drive • George Bush Drive from Lee to Fairview • Park Place from Dexter to Hereford Dexter from Park Place to Thomas will be one way for south-bound traffic only. The fire department requests all vehicles in these areas be moved from streets to appropri ate parking places to provide ac cess for emergency vehicles. cause drivers do not handle the fare. No food or drinks will be allowed on the trolleys. Professor says minorities still suffer from racial harassment PART 1 OF A 4-PART SERIES ing By SEAN FRERKING Of The Battalion Staff Racism has entered a new phase of overt expression which reflects present social atti tudes in the United States, says a Texas A&M faculty member and editor of “U.S. Race Relations in the 1980s and 1990s.” Dr. Gail Thomas, an A&M sociology pro fessor, says she bases her opinions on years of personal research and the work of other professionals which has indicated that mi norities still suffer from racial harassment. “Black and Hispanic students and faculty have continued to fight against the same problem of racism that has plagued them since school desegregation began,” Thomas says. “It’s the same old problem. It’s only more open now.” She says she believes the nation’s conser vative political climate is one of the main reasons many acts of racial harassment are more blatant. “First and foremost, the political climate of the nation quite frankly tolerates more overt expression of racism,” Thomas says. “It (the more open racist expression) is not surprising, but I find it is rather discoura ging” Thomas says she believes the Reagan ad ministration’s lack of involvement in race relations, a policy she says the Bush admin istration has continued, has hampered ihe nation’s civil rights movement. She also says withdrawn support for sev eral federal programs has slowed achieve ments of many minority groups. “You can see a strong correlation be tween the softening of support for pro grams like affirmative action and a decline of minority progress,” she says. “Without a certain amount of strong leadership this problem will continue.” Economic conditions also can affect ra- “The international human rights movement will help the push for civil rights in our country — Gail Thomas, A&M sociology professor cial attitudes, Thomas says. More racial in cidents occur during times of economic du ress than in prosperous times, she says. “During times of economic strain, pro grams like affirmative action are the first to go,” Thomas says, “During these hard times, people become more conservative and begin to look out for themselves. “Too often they misunderstand that if one group gains the other group loses something,” she continues. “That’s simply wrong and unfortunate.” She says the benefits of minority pro grams often go unnoticed. Many people, and not only minorities, have gained from these federal programs, Thomas says. “White women and men have also been helped by these programs,” she says. “What people don’t understand, and what we need to change, is the fact that discrimination and racism are extremely costly to our so ciety and our nation.” Although some individuals might abuse the system, many programs have opened new options for talented people who never would have had the chance to succeed, she says. “There is no doubt that without some of these programs many minority students would never have had the opportunity to attend college,” Thomas says. “It takes more than ability to succeed sometimes. With these federal programs, many of these people can reach their goals.” Thomas also says the positive aspects of these federal programs can be seen at A&M. “Minorities have brought A&M a diver sity that is important for a university set ting, ” she says. “The diversity of perspec tive and ideology these minorities represent has enhanced the quality of scholarship and students at this University.” Even with these gains, Thomas says she believes more time is needed before societal attitudes change and racial equality is possi ble in the United States. However, she says she is optimistic about the future of civil rights in the United States. “The international human rights movement will help the push for civil rights in our country,” she says. “My hope is that we as Americans can learn to fight for and respect human rights. If we can, minorities will have even more success. “I think if we continue this work there will be a time where all of this will not be neccessary. I do believe that one day we can live free from racism.”