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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 19, 1989)
18,1! Thursday, October 19,1989 s from ij 5:04 n the Riel tear Holy San Fr f. San Franciscans search in rubble for living, dead id drug ie. Call from 9 'ream- miede- until? pm in 2Rud' leeting r more unliM d floor allZa- i. Call i.m. m SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Res cuers searched with dogs and sensi tive microphones Wednesday for any survivors , of the killer Bay Quake, as thousands of Californians picked their way through glass- strewn streets in search of a sem blance of normal life. Across San Francisco Bay in Oak land, hopes faded for finding any one alive within the tons of steel and concrete left when Tuesday’s earth quake brought one level of Interstate 880 down atop another. Approximately 250 people were feared entombed in that twisted wreckage, and at least 21 others were dead elsewhere in the quake area. Some 1,400 people were injured, state emergency services spokesman Tom Mullins said. “To the best of our knowledge now, there are not any people still al ive on this freeway,” Oakland Mayor Lionel Wilson said of the collapsed roadway. The figure of 250 dead was based on estimates of the number of cars trapped in the rubble, and that as sumed only one person per car. Searchers had been hindered by darkness and the condition of the wrecked freeway, which Acting Oak land City Manager Craig Kocian de scribed as “a house of cards” that could collapse further unless res cuers work carefully. After the quake/Page 15 The 1.25 miles of the Nimitz Free way that collapsed was one of the oldest in the area, built in the 1950s, and apparently was not included in a program to make spaps earthquake- proof, state Transportation Depart ment spokesman Kyle Nelson said. In just 15 seconds, the earthquake destroyed or damaged hundreds of buildings along 100 miles of the San Andreas Fault, collapsed a section of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and two spans near Santa Cruz, cracked roads, and severed gas and power lines, sparking fires. The temblor, the nation’s second- deadliest, surpassed only by the San Francisco quake of 1906, measured 6.9 on the Richter scale and was felt 350 miles away. Even as residents and officials tried to evaluate the damage, Presi dent Bush signed a disaster declara tion making federal funds available for recovery, and said “we will take every step and make every effort” to help. Bush directed an initial $273 mil lion to relief efforts and said he would inspect the area. The White House said the money will be from unallocated funds in a $1.1 billion appopriation for Hurri cane Hugo relief, and the presi dent’s trip probably would be Friday or Saturday. Vice President Dan Quayle and SeeS.F. Quake/Page 15 Panel discusses alternate ways to battle drugs in Brazos Valley By Todd Connelley Of The Battalion Staff The Aggielands are here! Robert Cajun Broussard, a senior engineering technology major from Houston, flips through his 1989 Aggieland \n search of his picture. All students who ordered 1989 Aggielands can pick them up at the English Annex from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Student I.D. cards must be pre Photo by Jay Janner sented to receive the book. Students who did not order a copy of the year book at registration will be able to buy one for $25 while supplies last. Checks should be made pay able to Student Publications and turned in to 230 Reed McDonald. A Wednesday panel on drug abuse and prevention sponsored by Republican Women of Brazos Valley brought America’s battle against drugs closer to home. The noon meeting featured Bryan-College Station panelists such as Ron Miller, sheriff of Brazos County; Mary Mattingly and Micki Boudoin of the Brazos Val ley Council on Alcohol and Substance Abuse; and Alice Brown of KBTX-TV. Miller outlined the problems local law enforcement officers have in fighting drugs on the street. “You.can either go after the major drug dealer or bust everyone you see on the street,” Miller said. “Since we have a manpower problem, when we go af ter the major dealer then the problem on the street swells because we run out of people to do street patrol,” he said. Miller told the audience of about 50 people that citi zens should begin educating children at an earlier age about the dangers of drug use. “I believe that education is the ultimate solution, so we should begin with our children at the kindergarten level,” he said. Mattingly discussed the goals of the Brazos Valley Council on Alcohol and Substance Abuse. “We worked with 2,500 youth last year,” she said. “The majority had some kind of dependency problem. on $350 a If we can save one kid, then I believe we have done our share of work.” Boudoin, a recovering alcohol and drug addict, de livered a speech on the harsh realities of someone who is chemically dependent. “It’s an obsession of the mind,” Boudoin said. “Eve rything you do is directed towards supporting your ha bit.” In 1980 Boudoin’s drug habit could be supported $10 a day. In 1986 she was spending as much as $35 day. “You got the money any way you could,” she said. “I saw people lie, steal and sell themselves, all for the sake of getting money for drugs.” Boudoin, who is training to be a drug counselor, said the key to recovery is intervention. “Family members must seek professional help for their loved one who is chemically dependent,” she said. “It is vital that the abuser is confronted by their family until they admit that they have a problem. It is a very succesful process when done by a professional.” Brown, who did a series on crack in Brazos County this summer, challenged the community to join forces in the war on drugs. “There are three very different groups working on the drug problem,” Brown said. “One believes rehabili tation is the key, one believes law enforcement to be the answer and the other thinks education will solve the problem. All three of these groups need to put their heads together and discuss the problem at length.” r Professor helps teachers ” utilize calculators in class sefoi ill Die ip.m. By Bob Krenek Of The Battalion Staff Convincing public school adminis trators and teachers that calculators can be of value as a teaching tool and planning the implementation of cal- 'M ’pub- /hat's sioas y will East German leader resigns amid unrest 3ER IES ! E 19 < it BERLIN (AP) — Hard-line East German leader Erich Honecker, who oversaw the building of the Ber lin Wall, stepped down Wednesday and was replaced by a younger Com munist Party loyalist amid growing unrest and calls for democratic re form. ' ' Two other ruling Politburo mem bers also lost their jobs in a shake-up during a meeting of the Communist Party Central Committee, but changes from Honecker’s course were unlikely. Communist Party leaders have made clear they will resist pro-de mocracy movements. Tens of thousands of East Ger mans have fled the country in recent months and thousands of citizens have staged massive demonstrations in recent weeks. Honecker’s replacement, 52-year- old Egon Krenz, has a reputation as a hard-liner opposed to the growing pro-democracy movement. The state-run news agency ADN said Krenz will take over as Communist Party chief, head of state and head of the military, replacing his mentor in all three roles. The 77-year-old Honecker, who "as reported ill following a gall blad der operation in August, said he was resigning for health reasons. /■ culators into the curriculum is a pet project of Texas A&M professor Dr. Clarence Dockweiler. “We are trying to convince Texas and the world that the calculator has made the scene and it can be a big help in teaching,” Dockweiler said. Dockweiler, the project leader at A&M, writes training modules to as sist teachers with the implementa tion of calculators and tries to per suade public school officials that calculators can help, rather than hin der, students learning math in el ementary and junior high schools, he said. As part of this effort, Dockweiler will meet Friday with administrators and school board members to try to get their support, he said. “It’s a long and ongoing process,” Dockweieler said. “There is still a lot of resistance to calculators.” The project, he said, is four years old and began in response to con cerns raised and suggestions made about improving math education in Texas. The project was begun by the Texas Education Association and uses state and federal funds, Dock weiler said. Most people think calculators will hurt students’ ability to learn math, but research has shown just the op posite, Dockweiler said. “We are not going to suggest it will replace teaching,” he saief “but when it gets to the point where a stu dent can symbolize numbers, there is no reason for not using calculators.” “There is a lot happening in mathematical education now, and this program is only part of it,” Dockweiler said. “We are trying to set standards for Texas and incorpo rate this program into a larger plan hoping to prepare the students for the future.” Mock trial illustrates who is liable when groups serve alcoholic drinks By Andrea Warrenburg Of The Battalion Staff About 100 people attended a mock trial Wednesday night staged to show where the liability may lie when the irresponsible use of alco hol at a group-sponsored event causes someone to get hurt. “The Anatomy of a Court Case” was part of the National Collegiate Alconol Awareness Week activities and was sponsored by the Texas A&M Office of Students’ Attorney, Sigma Nu Fraternity, Student Judi cial Affairs and the Interfraternity Council. “It is not only the person who drives drunk who is at risk of liabili ty,” Ann Coombes, assistant coordi nator for the Center for Drug Pre vention and Education said. “We focused on Greeks, but there are risks when anyone hosts an event where there is alcohol.” The trial was based on a similar incident that occurred at another university involving a fraternity party. The social chairman of the fic titious fraternity, Delta Epsilon Chi, had organized a “Hurricane Party” by IFC standards, providing food and alternative beverages, checking IDs to make sure the individuals consuming alcohol were of age and providing designated drivers and a place to sleep if someone became too intoxicated to drive home. In “Mongetta v. Delta Epsilon Chi Fraternity,” three pledges were too drunk to drive home and stayed the night at the fraternity house. The next morning, as they were leaving the house, pledge David Mongetta fell down the front steps, hit his head on the concrete, and died within an hour of internal bleeding and a blood clot in the brain. The parents of Mongetta brought suit against many individuals and groups including Texas A&M and the fraternity’s social chairman and alumni advisor. The suit was based on negligence on the part of the fra ternity for serving the pledge until he was intoxicated and for not re pairing the front steps which were cracked and had a shaky railing. Dr. Malon Southerland, assistant vice-president of Student Services was the presiding judge, Bryan As sistant City Attorney Alex Walter was the prosecutor and Rick Powell of the Office of Students’ Attorney was the defense attorney. After hearing the facts and testi mony by witnesses including the Di rector of Beutal Health Center Dr. Kenneth Dirks, the all-student jury found the defendants not guilty. The scenario was fictitious, but cases such as this are being tried all across the country, Coombes said. Harish Chintapalli, a participant in the mock trial and historian for Sigma Nu said, “We want students to be more aware of the chances they take if they serve alcohol to anyone and do not provide a safe ride home or safe place to stay for your guests. Liability is toward any parties, in cluding apartment parties and dorm parties.” Sigma Nu is the only fraternity whose national policy is to abstain from serving alcohol at parties. Coombes said all student organi zations should take precautions to make sure such a situation such as this one does not occur. “To fail to plan is to plan to be sued,” Coombes said. Photo by Fredrick D. Joe Chad Fowler and Chrissy Johnson play grieving parents in the mock trial.