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Fhe Battalion
iVol. 88 No. 78 USPS 045360 12 pages
College Station, Texas
VVednesday, Januaiy^tB, 1989
Co-ed housing comes to campus
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By Juliette Rizzo
Stuff Writer
Students living on campus in Fall 1989
will have the option of living in a residence
hall shared by the opposite sex.
Shortly before Christmas, Texas A&M
President William H. Mobley passed a bill
that will establish two co-ed modular resi
dence halls on the south side of campus.
“Co-ed housing is not new in terms of
concept, but never before has it been imple
mented into mainstream housing,” Tom
Murray, assistant director of student af
fairs, said.
Presently, males and females in the
Corps of Cadets are living in the same dor
mitories, and males and females always
have lived in co-ed residence halls during
summer sessions.
In 1972, Krueger Hall also was operated,
for economic reasons, in such a manner be
cause there were not enough women to fill
the hall.
The possibility of co-ed housing surfaced
again in 1987, because of the renovation of
women’s Corps-style halls Briggs, Spence
and Gainer.
“We were losing three women’s halls and
we found ourselves with a shortage of wom
an’s housing,” Murray said. “Since the main
on-campus demand for housing falls in the
■ category of af fordable housing for women,
Iwe found the need to suggest co-ed hou-
Ising.”
The request, however, was denied by for-
Imer A&M President Frank E. Vandiver.
In the fall of 1987, the Residence Hall
I Association’s Co-ed Housing Ad Hoc Corn-
Imittee, chaired by 1987-88 RHA President
David McDowell, decided to prepare and
resubmit a proposal to the president’s of fice
for the establishment of co-ed halls.
To see if there was an interest in co-ed
housing on campus, several surveys were
dispersed by Student Government, Student
Affairs and RHA. Over the past three
years, the percentage of those interested in
creased steadily from 65 percent to more
than 70 percent. The latest survey, taken in
Spring 1987, revealed that 75 percent of
the student body was in favor of the propo
sition.
McDowell said, “With a number that
high, the University couldn’t possibly turn
its eyes from the students.”
The survey was targeted at getting feed
back from those students who were likely to
move off campus the follow ing semester.
“By merely having the option to live in a
co-ed hall, we found that approximately
2,000 students would be more motivated to
remain on campus,” McDowell said. “Even
though A&M is a conservative school and
we’re trying to maintain that image, the sur
veys showed a definite interest.”
McDowell said the committee also sur
veyed 25 other schools in the Southwest in
cluding those in Arkansas, Louisiana and
Oklahoma.
“Studies show that housing professionals
advocate co-ed housing,” he said. “On a na
tionwide basis, it appears that men and
women are a lot safer living in a co-ed envi
ronment and, given the heightened safety
awareness on campus, this is simply an ad
vantage you don’t gel in a single-sex hall.”
The studies also showed that vandalism
in such halls is decreased by almost 100 per
cent, and the hall programming tends to be
Students react to new co-ed dorms
By J uliette Rizzo
Staff Writer
Sophomores, juniors and seniors
will be able to apply for residence in
new co-ed halls for the first time in
Texas A&M’s history starting in the
fall of 1989.
Co-ed housing, recently approved
by Texas A&M President William H.
Mobley, will be an option for stu
dents that is favored by some and
opposed by others.
Some students support the op
tion, because it enhances social inter
action between males and females.
“I’ve been at other universities
where they have co-ed housing, and
I think it’s good,” said Javier Fernan
dez, junior journalism major. “It’s a
great way to meet people if you do
not know too many people on cam
pus. You could even meet a member
of the opposite sex while doing your
laundry.”
Christi Schultz, a junior elemen
tary education major, also favors co
ed housing.
“I’m for it unless they have co-ed
bathrooms,” she said.
Another student feels it is a nota
ble advancement for the University.
“Co-ed housing is awesome,’’Deb
bie Quintero, a freshman general
studies major and longtime resident
of Bryan said. “What took so long?
We finally broke the conservative
cloud that has lingered above A&M
for a long time.”
The conservative image, though,
is one that some do not want lifted
from A&M.
Deana Calmes, a senior account
ing major, said, “I’m against it ba
sically for religious reasons, I just
don’t agree with it. I don’t think it
will be good for A&M.”
of greater quality with greater hall unity
and spirit.
Trey Jacobsen, 1988-89 RHA president,
said that since there will be males and fe
males in the halls, it will allow for co-ed hall
programming on campus. The halls will in
tegrate their programming with other halls
and co-ed hall councils will be imple
mented.
The co-ed facilities will not be open to
freshmen.
Jacobsen said staffing of the halls will be
left up to Student Affairs.
The residence halls chosen for the co-ed
living arrangement will be two of the five
new residence halls being completed on
campus. One of the halls will be designated
as the primary hall to be filled first.
The halls, both modular dorms on
Southside, are conducive for co-ed living,
because they are self-contained and similar
to apartment living off-campus.
Students will be assigned by floors, with
two floors for males and two for females.
Separate floors will be accessible only by key
after visitation hours.
With one exception, all University and
housing regulations will apply to the new
halls. The television lounge, the laundry
room and the stairwells will be open on a
24-hour basis to all hall residents and their
guests.
The halls together have a capacity of 478
residents. If the demand is greater than the
space available, a lottery system will go into
effect.
The halls will be monitored on a one-
year trial basis by various oversight commit
tees.
McDowell said, “The students will be un
der a microscope. Whether it works, is up to
them.
Murray said, “The co-ed housing option
is not going to be for everybody, but we
think it will be for a specific number of stu
dents.
“If it looks like it is very popular and w ill
be positive and productive. We may think
of expanding it to other halls in the future.”
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Dana Miller, a sophomore elementary education major, stands by
Wednesday as Mike Ruesink, an employee of A-l Wrecker Service,
examines the damage to her car after it was hit by a Union Pacific
freight train. Miller’s car was stuck in the gravel near the tracks
alongside Wellborn Road. The gravel was wet because of rains
Wednesday morning.
Miami riots continue into day 3,
officials attempt to quell violence
MIAMI (AP) — Sporadic gunfire and rock
i throwing broke out again in two black neighbor-
| hoods Wednesday and spread to a third, but as
1 night fell police said the city’s riot-torn areas
1 seemed calmer than on the two previous nights.
City commissioners, meeting in emergency
I session, appointed a panel to investigate the po-
1 lice shooting of a black motorcyclist that sparked
I two days of racial violence. And, a sister of the
1 motorcyclist’s passenger, who died after the vehi-
| cle crashed, made a televised plea for an end to
| the violence.
“It’s the quietest night so far,” Deputy Police
I Chief Walter Martinez said at 8 p.m. “We’ve got
I 250 men out,” including field forces, which are
I small groups of officers equipped with riot gear
I that move in quickly to quell specific distur-
I bances.
“We hope we can normalize and go back to
I routine patrolling,” Martinez said. “We don’t like
> || being out here 12 hours and being shot at.”
^" I City commissioners unanimously approved
I the special panel amid warnings f rom black lead-
| ers that there will be more disturbances if author-
| ities do not act quickly to ease tensions.
JI The rioting that followed the fatal shooting of
a 23-year-old, unarmed black motorcylist by a
Hispanic policeman has left one person dead,
eight shot, about 20 buildings burned and nu
merous others looted in the black neighborhoods
of Overtown and Liberty City.
The violence interrupted the city’s prepara
tions for a gala celebration as it plays host to Sun
day’s Super Bowl.
It was quiet Wednesday until late afternoon,
when shots were fired at police in the Overtown
section and rock throwing was reported in Lib
erty City, Miami police spokesman David Rivero
said. Authorities again cordoned off Overtown.
“We had a few shots fired at us, but fortuna
tely no one was hurt,” Rivero said. Scores of Mi
ami police squad cars and a state SWAT team
went to the spot in a show of force aimed at head
ing off more violence.
Police spokesman Stephanie Gibbs said shots
were also fired and rocks and bottles were being
thrown in black sections of Coconut Grove, a
neighborhood south of downtown that pre
viously had not been affected seriously by the ri
oting.
In her televised appeal, Claudia Lubrin, the
sister of the motorcycle driver, said, “I would like
to plead to the Overtown people that they stop
the riots. Put down your weapons — I do not
want my brother to be remembered with the ri
ots.” Her brother, Allen Blanchard, died in a
hospital Tuesday.
Black leaders warned Mayor Xavier Suarez be
fore the commission meeting that their commu
nity would no longer accept empty promises and
business as usual.
“The word is out that there will be more dis
turbance,” The Rev. William Washington said.
“Now we’ve got to act and act quick.”
City commissioners agreed Wednesday to cre
ate an independent panel to investigate the death
of Clement Lloyd, shot in the head Monday night
as he and Blanchard sped through Overtown.
After discussions, the commissioners ap
proved a suggestion by Miller Dawkins, the lone
black on the five-member commission, who
wanted a board consisting of five policemen and
five Overtown residents, with the mayor as chair
man. The commission will have the power to sub
poena witnesses.
Dawkins said the board will not satisfy the
young people throwing rocks and bottles, and he
appealed to them for time.
By Richard Tijerina
Staff Writer
A Texas A&M student’s car w'as
hit by a Union Pacific train about 10
a.m. Wednesday on the railroad
tracks across from Kyle Field.
The car, a 1985 Buick Regal, was
stuck in wet gravel less than a foot
from the train tracks.
There were no injuries in the col
lision.
Dana Miller, a sophomore el
ementary education major, had
parked in an unauthorized space be
tween Wellborn Road and the train
tracks. Miller was attempting to
leave when her car became stuck in
the wet gravel.
Miller said she got out of the car
and walked to the University Police
Headquarters, where a dispatcher
called A-l Wrecker Service to tow
the car away from the tracks.
However, a train ran into the rear
end of the car before the wrecker ar
rived at the scene.
Bob Wiatt, Director of Security
and University Police, said Miller
had initially gone to the station and
asked for help, and the University
Police had to call a tow truck. On her
way to meet the wrecker at the scene,
she saw the train coming from a dis
tance and ran back to the station.
However, Wiatt said it was too late
to stop the collision by the time she
told the dispatcher about the ap
proaching train.
“She gave no impression to our
dispatcher (the initial time) that the
car was that close to the tracks,” he
said. “If there had (been any sense of
urgency), we would have asked A-l
to get out there right away, or we
would have called the railroad and
told them there was a car on the
tracks and to stop it.”
Miller said the dispatcher told her
to hurry to the scene to meet the
wrecker before the train arrived.
“I saw the train and started get
ting hysterical,” Miller said. “I told
the dispatcher the train was coming
and she said ‘Hurry.’ It was raining
outside and I had to run the whole
way. By the time I got up to cross the
street, I saw the trunk fly up. All my
worldly possessions were in the
trunk.”
Miller said all her belongings were
in the car because she had not
moved into a dormitory room yet.
She said she had been planning to
move into a room later in the day af
ter her classes.
Miller said there was extensive
damage to the rear of the car, but
that it was still driveable. A worker at
A-l Wrecker Service said she drove
the car back to a friend’s apartment.
Miller said the conductor of the
train told her the railroad company
might be able to-pay for any damage
that occurred, but The Battalion was
unable to reach Union Pacific Rail
road for comment.
Wiatt said the space where Miller’s
car was parked is reserved for cars of
construction workers only, and that
University Police have had problems
in the past with students parking in
the unauthorized area.
“There’s a sign that says ‘Con
struction Workers Only’,” Wiatt said.
“I know a lot of students slip in
there. Because of the other prob
lems on lots in campus, we don’t
have the manpower to make sure it’s
a student or a construction worker.
We don’t get out there on the as
sumption it’s all construction work
ers unless we get a complaint.”
Children return to
scene of tragedy
STOCKTON, Calif. (AP) — Chil
dren returned to class to confront
their fears with help from psycholo
gists Wednesday, just one day after a
gunman fascinated by toy soldiers
killed five youngsters at the school
he attended as a boy.
Blood was washed from the pave
ment overnight and bullet holes
were patched at Cleveland Elemen-
“Why he did this we may
never know. ”
— Dennis Perry,
police captain
tary School, where experts said it
was important that pupils, mostly
children of Southeast Asian refu
gees, deal with the trauma immedi
ately.
“I still feel upset, but I have to
bring my kid to see the teacher to let
the teacher know my kid’s all right,”
Brom Lee said in broken English.
, His daughter, 7-year-old Nary,
said she was scared to return be
cause, “I saw blood.” Holding tightly
to her father’s hand, she pointed to
her leg and said, “I saw somebody
get shot right here.”
Police said Patrick Edward Purdy,
wearing an olive-drab shirt bearing
the Iranian battle cry “Death to the
Great Satin,” on Tuesday sprayed
more than 100 shots from an assault
rifle, killing five youngsters ages 6 to
9 and wounding 30 other people.
A drifter who police said was ei
ther 24 or 26, Purdy killed himself
with a pistol shot to the head after
the mute, methodical attack during
recess.
“Why he did this we may never
know,” said Capt. Dennis Perry. “We
can only assume that some problem
came up in this guy that made him
do it. Obviously, he had a military
hangup.”
Carved into the stock of Purdy’s
rifle was the word Hezbollah, Ira
nian for Party of God. Hezbollah is
the name of a Shiite Moslem faction
in Lebanon. Also carved into the ri
fle were the words “freedom” and
“victory.”
Perry said the man, in the days
leading up to the bloodbath, lived in
a motel room where officers found a
broken rifle, about 100 toy soldiers
scattered about and an olive drab
cloth on which were drawn “three
snarling-type faces.”
Records indicate that a Patrick
Edward Purdy attended Cleveland
Elementary through third grade.