The Battalion
STATE & LOCAL
Wednesday, March 28,1990
-Census Bureau
adds help lines
I to assist public
WASHINGTON (AP) — The
Census Bureau is increasing the
number of telephone help lines,
after receiving nearly 50,000 calls
I over the weekend, the agency
said Tuesday.
The toll-free service for people
with questions about the census
opened Friday with 390 lines
available. The total is now being
increased to 460 lines.
“The volume of calls we’re re
ceiving means there is a high de
gree of awareness and support
for the census. But obviously we
don’t want people to get a busy
signal when they call and we’re
taking steps to make sure that
they don’t,” said census director
Barbara Everitt Bryant.
The assistance lines are staffed
from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., local time,
seven days a week.
The numbers are:
English: 1-800-999-1990.
Spanish: 1-800-283-6826.
Cambodian: 1-800-289-1960.
Chinese: 1-800-365-2101.
Korean: 1-800-444-6205.
Laotian: 1-800-888-3208.
Vietnamese: 1-800-937-1953.
Thai: 1-800-288-1984.
Hearing Impaired: 1-800-777-
0978.
Sigma Chi Derby Days
raises money for charity
By ISSELLE MCALLISTER
Special to the Battalion
It's that time of year again.
The |5th annual Sigma Chi Derby Days will hit
Texas A&M today through Saturday with a few
changes from previous years.
The charity event that raised $5,000 last year may
raise more money this year because the fraternity
will not have alcohol at the Derby Days activities,
Dave Wiener, president of Sigma Chi fraternity,
said.
The elimination of alcohol from Derby Days will
have two advantages, Wiener said. It will make the
event more acceptable to the community, the Uni*
versity and its participants, he said. Because the cost
of alcohol will he eliminated, the amount of money
going to charity should increase.
Another change this year is that proceeds will ben
efit local causes in addition to the Cleo Wallace Cen
ter, a home for underprivileged and handicapped
children in Rroomsfteld, Colo., which is usually the
main beneficiary of funds raised during Derby Days.
The Sterling C. Evans Library and Special Olym
pics will receive some of the money.
The Cleo Wallace Center has been adopted by
Sigma Chi chapters all over the United States and
Canada, but since the center is doing well financially
this year, Sigma Chi decided to focus its efforts on a
local level, Wiener said.
The decision to donate to the library was a logical
one, he said.
“The students at Texas A&M are the ones who are
doing all the work and raising all the money, so we
might as well give them the benefits,” Wiener said.
About one-third of the money comes from T-shirt
sales, but most of the money comes from the
sponsorship of the Derby Days magazine, he said.
About 1,300 women participate every year, he
said. Eleven sororities and one independent team
compete against each other in various games and
contests.
Derby Days will begin tonight at 8 during an open
house at Sneakers. A $2 donation gets patrons in to
see two comedians. Sorority members will also com
pete at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in a house decorating
contest.
Skit night is at 8 Friday, Wiener said. Teams will
perform original skits at La Fiesta Ballroom. The
public is welcome, and the cost of admission is a few
cans of food. Last year Sigma Chi collected 900
pounds of food for the Brazos Food Bank, and this
year they hope to top that, he said.
Derby Days will end Saturday with an all-day
game day and the presentation of the Derby Days
Queen, he said. Game day begins at 11 a.m.
The chairmen of Derby Days events started plan
ning in October, he said. They hope to raise $6,000
this year.
Making connections
Engineering Week activities offer students
fun opportunities to meet business contacts
By DAPHNE MILLER
Of The Battalion Staff
Texas A&M engineering majors
can try their hand at building sand-
castles and wooden bridges today as
part of Engineering Week activities.
Engineering Week, hosted by the
Student Engineering Council, is in
progress this week. All engineering
majors are encouraged to partici
pate.
Various events are scheduled
through Saturday.
Wednesday’s events include a 5
p.m. wooden bridge building contest
at the CE Materials Lab and a 7 p.m.
sandcastle building contest at Sneak
ers.
Thursday’s events begin at 5 p.m.
Fortran programming at the CVLB,
a paper competition at Zachry, a
domino “42” tournament and a vol
leyball tournament at Sneakers are
scheduled.
The volleyball tournament and
“42” tournament will continue at 2
p.m. Friday at Sneakers.
The tournaments will come to a
close at 10 p.m. Saturday at Sneak
ers. A fajita supper will be served
from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday. The sup
per is $5 per person, but students
can purchase tickets early for $1 at
an engineering booth in the lobby of
Zachry.
Jane Smith, adviser to the Student
E* gineering Council, said all events
are sponsored by corporations that
are sending representatives to par
ticipate in the events. Participating
in events is a good way for students
to make connections, Smith said.
Sponsors include Exxon Corpora
tion, Dow Chemical Company, Frito
Lay, Du Pont and E Systems, she
said.
Smith said Engineering Week is
an annual event that usually includes
about 300 student participants.
She said this year more partici
pants are expected because of in
creased activities and the additional
planning and work.
Alpha Phi Alpha prides itself on serving community’s needs
By JULIETTE RIZZO
Of The Battalion Staff
PART 5 OF A 6-PART SERIES
“First of all, servants of all, we shall tran
scend all.”
Members of the Texas A&M chapter of
Alpha Phi Alpha, the first predominantly
black college fraternity, pride themselves
on living up to their founders’ motto to
serve all and all the needs of the commu
nity.
Terris Burton, A&M chapter president,
said members constantly strive to uphold
what they consider their responsibility to
promote excellence in education and social
progress in communities nationwide.
Through numerous service projects, the
members of Alpha Phi Alpha in Bryan-Col-
lege Station, who call themselves Alphas,
are doing their part to help the community.
Their national Adopt-A-School program
has been implemented in the community to
help educate children and maintain school
retention rates. Once a week the brothers of
Alpha Phi Alpha tutor, play games with and
serve as role models to students at South-
wood Valley Elementary School.
Michael A. Brown, alumnus of the A&M
chapter, said the Alphas believe children
are the key to the future of many commu
nities.
“By all means, education in the commu
nity is important to us,” Brown said. “We
AOA
believe strength comes from the mind and
that through educating people, strength
will come to them.”
And from strength comes perserverance
of all races, Brown said.
The Alphas also co-sponsor Project Al
pha, a national project to teach youngsters
about the importance of sex education and
the responsibilities and risks involved in the
act.
Other Alpha projects include Adopt-A-
Highway, Alpha Academy (the members
teach courses to youth in school settings),
voter registration drives and the Go-to-
High School/Go-to-College movement to
increase retention rates at nationwide high
schools.
The Alphas also sponsor programs to ed
ucate non-blacks about the African-Ameri
can culture.
Burton said that on the first Monday of
the spring semester the fraternity also
sponsors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day to
promote education and foster the dream of
King, who was an Alpha.
Roland S. Martin, chapter historian, said
the fraternity definitely stresses scholarly
achievement and involvement in the com
munity.
Like the sphinx, the fraternity’s symbol
of strength, the Alphas stand for excel
lence, perserverance and control, Martin
said.
Brown said these are the traits the Al
phas want to instill in the children of today.
“We want all children, the underprivi
leged especially, to realize there is a better
world waiting for them if they become edu
cated,” Brown said. “We want kids to realize
the number of opportunities available to
them today that were not available to all
those who came before them. We want
them to take advantage of as many as they
can, because today there is no limit.”
GCJ)
TEX
STUDENT
V E TNMENT
S A&M UNIVERSITY
Everyone Counts!
One out of six of von tihd
naire on March 23 f ^ u 111 re ceive a detailed census question-
will be required to list m ^ Bureau of the Census. If you do, you
held in strictest confid^^ incorne f° r 1989. Your answers will be
poses. Here i s how A used onl y for census P ur "
^Sgies should fill out the income section:
1989.
H „,i »» • '»*•' U “
the doYlar bonu— or Up«
c ^^ nount before deducUoo.
Qn«»wtion 32a: .
Income from jobs should Include:
• Some fellowships.
• Assistantships.
• Scholarships.
• Work study.
• Student worker positions.
o ’fee ->
O No
u ^
Xr^TamoutvV - Do\\ar«_
O Yes
O No ~ _
Annual amount - DoJli
Question 32h-
Income from other sources ^ r ^
regular contributions from no Uld lnclude
In your household such as. P rSOns not li ving
• State and federal grants
• Parental support /
• Scholarships for which no work is requhS
**>D° not include withdrawls from savings of any
kind, any type of loan or payment in kind
(food, free rent).
It is important that you fill in the other sections of Question
32 and the rest of the questionnaire correctly too. If you nee e p
or have any questions, contact the Census Bureau at 846-
C’mon Ags, Stand Up and
Be Counted !
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