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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 13, 1988)
Wednesday, July 13, 1988/The Battalion/Page 3 World and Nation Latest victim of Texas floods raises toll to 6 HUNT (AP) — Floods this week claimed the lives of six people, with the body of the latest drowning vic tim recovered Tuesday in Central Texas. The body of Richard Tellez, a 36- year-old scout master, was found in the receding waters of the Guada lupe River about 11:15 a.m., one mile downstream from the low water crossing where he and his brother were knocked into the river, Kerr County deputy Bobby Love said. Boy scout Frank Tellez, 13, was found dead in the river Monday af ternoon, police said. The river had almost receded to its normal flow by midday, Love said. “It’s almost back to normal and probably will be back to normal in another two to three hours,” Love said. The brothers were in a stalled pickup truck Monday at a low-water crossing with Dan Knight, director of the nearby Bear Creek Boy Scout camp, authorities said. Knight said he and the two broth ers were holding hands to walk to shore when a tree knocked them down. Student sexual disease rate increases Doctor: Lack of knowledge, multiple partners cause hike By Jackie Feldman Reporter Although a 1984 government study shows the incidence of sex ually-transmitted diseases has de clined, doctors believe the incidence among college students has in creased. Dr. W. Paul Roquet of CarePlus Medical Center in College Station es timates that one of every 10 college students who visit the center has an STD. Although the high rate can be at tributed to multiple sex partners and a lack of knowledge about STDs, Ro quet believes STDs’ image is one of being a “bad person’s disease.” He said this misconception causes stu dents and others at risk to believe they aren’t at risk. Students know they are in a risk group, Roquet said, but when a stu dent personalizes an STD, he may not think he is at risk because he is not a “bad person.” “A student may say,‘I am a nice person, and I am with a nice person; therefore, 1 should not be at-risk,’ Roquet said, “but this is not true. STDs are equal-opportunity dis eases.” Condoms can reduce the chance of contracting an STD, especially if a person or his partner is not monogo- mous. “Most students don’t like to use condoms,” said Dr. John Moore, act ing associate director for A.P. Beutal Health Center. “After a student has been drinking, he is not as careful and more likely to lose his inhibi tions.” Chlamydia, genital warts, gonor rhea, genital herpes and syphilis are the most common STDs in the U.S. Among college students, chlamydia is the most prevalent STD. Chlamydia is serious because it can cause sterility if it is not treated with antibiotics, Moore said, but usually there are no symptoms to alert the person he has the disease. The person unknowingly can spread the disease to others and this can create a vicious cycle, he said. If symptoms do occur they are mild, such as itchiness in the genital area, discharge or discomfort when urinating. The number of chlamydia cases treated by the Brazos County Health Department has dramatically in creased in the last few years, records show. In 1986, the Brazos County Health Department diagnosed two people with chlamydia; in 1987, it diagnosed 58 cases. So far this year, 65 people have been diagnosed with chlamydia by the department. Gonorrhea’s symptoms are similar to chlamydia’s, but are more acute. Thick discharge and swelling of gen itals occurs. Penicillin will cure the disease, Moore said, but untreated gonorrhea can destroy a person’s re productive organs. The number of people in the area being diagnosed with gonorrhea is decreasing. In 1986, 232 people were diag nosed to have gonorrhea by the health department. In 1987 that number dropped to 166, with 42 di agnosed by the department to have the disease so far this year. Syphilis, genital warts and genital herpes produce lesions in or around the genital area. Syphilis lesions are hard, slightly raised bumps with a firm edge. They heal quickly, but the virus remains in the body’s system. Without penicillin treatment, syphilis is fatal. The number of people diagnosed by the health department with syphi lis is dropping. In 1986, 29 people were diagnosed with syphilis. In 1987, 13 people were diagnosed with the disease and 13 people have been diagnosed with it so far this year. Genital herpes produce fever blis ters that are very sensitive. This STD virus remains in a person’s system for the rest of his life, but a new drug, zovirax, can reduce the out break frequency. Genital herpes is a disease that ap parently is not prevalent in the B-CS area. The health department diag nosed one person with syphilis in both 1986 and 1987. Two people have been diagnosed with the dis ease so far this year. Genital warts can be flat, raised, rough or smooth, and can be found in clusters or isolated. Three types of treatment are available: deep freez ing the warts, electrocuting the warts, and applying an ointment which burns off the warts. Reoccur- ances are common for three to six months after the first treatment. Six people were diagnosed by the health department with genital warts in both 1986 and 1987, but 10 peo ple have been diagnosed with them so far this year. Of the 236 people in the B-CS area diagnosed by the health depart ment with STDs in 1986, 48 — 20 percent — were from College Sta tion. In 1987, 224 people in the B- CS area were diagnosed with 29.5 percent from College Station. Men seem to be more susceptible to STDs in the B-CS area according to health department numbers. In 1986, the health department diagnosed 294 people from the'Bra zos Valley area with STDs, 72 per cent men. In 1987, 265 people were diagnosed with the same percentage of men. STDs also appear to be diseases of the young, with a majority of those diagnosed being college-aged. Of the men in 1986, 64 percent of those diagnosed were under the age of 22. In the same year, 59 percent of the women diagnosed were aged 18-21. In 1987, people 18-21 made up 62 percent of those diagnosed with STDs. Clements supports new school financing system AUSTIN (AP) — Gov. Bill Clements, ac knowledging there are inequities in the state’s school financing system, Tuesday told school superintendents he will work hard for a con stitutional amendment to allow' lawmakers — not judges — to make adjustments for those problems. “There are inequities in our public schools, and they need to be corrected,” Clements told a conference of the Texas Association of School Administrators. “But they need to be corrected by the Legislature, not by a state court.” District Judge Harley Clark of Austin ear lier ruled that the Texas school finance sys tem was not effective and was, in turn, an un constitutional system. In a lawsuit filed by property-poor dis tricts, Clark said the state’s system denied equal access to state funds for all districts. The case is being appealed. Clements said Texans have suffered bad experiences with court control of other state institutions, such as the prison system. Clem ents also said that he wants judges to keep their hands off of local school districts in the state. “The people of Texas have had expensive and painful experiences with federal court in tervention in the state’s prison system,” he said. “But Texans will not stand for interven tion by a state court in the education of their children.” The governor said he is not arguing that all school problems have been solved in the state, and he said there is no question that no money must be pumped into public educa tion and public schools. “Funding, additional funding, is part of the solution,” he said, adding that he expects recommendations from his Select Committee on Education to address the problem. Clements said he will make it a top priority during the 1989 Legislature to place on the ballot a constitutional amendment to guar antee that school funding issues stay in the Legislature. “To ensure that Judge Clark’s court, or any court for that matter, stays out of the legis lative process, I support a constitutional amendment reaffirming the responsibility of legislators and local school districts to provide for public education in Texas,” he said. “Some people believe that defenders of lo cal control and of the concept of the indepen dent school district want only to ratify the sta tus quo or freeze funding or even perpetuate the inequities. That is simply not so. The sta tus quo is not acceptable.” In an interview after his speech, the gover nor said he had no doubt that voters would approve such an amendment if it is on the ballot. “They are absolutely in concrete that they want to maintain local control,” Clements forcefully said. “That’s what the whole issue will be about.” Correction An article in last Friday’s Bat talion gave an incorrect starting date for the National Cholestrol Education Program diet screen- 1 ing. Preliminary screening for the study will be from 7 a.m. until 11 a.m. today through Friday in 145 MSC, and from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday. Susan Clay, project coordina tor, said the study will be the first to use the National Cholesterol Education Program diet in a clini cal trial. The phone number for infor mation also was listed incorrectly. Contact Clay or project director Dr. Joanne Lupton at 845-0955. The Battalion regrets the er rors and any inconvience they might have caused. Summer Special $65 7 ,r.VT P -M: IWf \\ mrft Aerofit , 7 L indoor swimming pool • raquetball • vollyball basketball • weight machines • free weights < • aerobics •tanning bed • lounge • COUPON ONE WEEK TRIAL MEMBERSHIP (Limited to First 100 applicants) OR $10 OFF summer membership (last day to sign-up is July 31) 823-0971 Aerofit Vw ■ ■ Club and Activity Center 1900 West Villa Maria • Bryan, TX 77801 What do Mark Twain and Roger Miller have in common? One "Big River!" If Mark Twain had been a songwriter, he'd have to have been Roger Miller. That's how well Miller's songs blend with Twain's tale of Huckleberry Finn to create the musical "Big River And the fit was good enough to win seven Tony Awards, including "Best Musical." Come along down the Mississippi with Muck Finn and runaway Jim to a lifetime of adventure. With a song around every bend and a rousing good time every minute. "Big River" is just one of six fabulous Broadway performances MSC OPAS 16 is bringing for the 1988-89 season Theatre Series. Season tickets are now on sale for the Theatre Series and for the Music Series, which will present seven international performances including ballet legend Rudolf Hureyev. Tickets will go quickly for this super season. Don't gamble on single tickets later. The only way to guarantee tickets for "Big River" is to order season tickets today. Tickets on sale at the MSC Box Office, Rudder Center, Credit card order by phone 845-1234. TUis season we bring you the world. MSC Opera and Performing Arts Society • Memorial Student Center of Texas A&M University