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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 30, 1990)
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HIGH: 76 LOW: 55 Friday, March 30,1990 Presidential candidates face runoff Health center fee increase claims landslide victory Photo by Steven M. Noreyko Ty Clevenger and Beth Ammons cheer as their names are announced for a student body presi dent runoff. By CHRIS VAUGHN Of The Battalion Staff Beth Ammons, Ty Clevenger, and the A.P. Beutel Health Center all received overwhelming yeses during the Texas A&M student elections held on a rainy Thurs day. Clevenger, who garnered 1,663 votes, and Ammons, who received 1,123 votes, outdistanced the other three candidates in the student body president race. Cle venger, a junior genetics major, will face Ammons, a ju nior political science major, in a runoff April 3. The student health center fees will increase from $15 to $25 next semester after 3,305 students voted yes, while only 709 voted against the increase. It will be the first health fee increase since 1973. Ammons, who has served as executive vice president and student senator, said she believes the students made a wise choice. Photo byJayJanner “I feel like the people responded to me not making promises that weren’t attainable,” Ammons said. “I think they looked at the experience of Ty and me and listened to what we had to say.” Clevenger, who has spent the last year as speaker of the Student Senate, said he is excited and relieved to have gotten into the runoff. “I feel fantastic,” he said. “It’s time to get back to work, though. I’m glad Beth is in the race. We’re great friends. I respect her a lot.” Russell K. Garrett finished third in the presidential race with 440 votes. Dan Gattis was fourth with 428 votes, followed by Craig Sandlin with 392. Clevenger said he wants to campaign hard over the next few days, especially with international and minority students. “I’ve got to hit a lot of organizations,” Clevenger said. “The Corps, international students and minority stu dents. I’ve tried and will continue to work with minorities on issues important to them.” Ammons said she will just continue to work hard to garner support before the runoffs. “I just got my second wind and I’m ready to go,” she said. Kevin B. Fitzgerald, Brant C. Ince and Craig Wey- nand received the lion’s share of the votes in the senior yell leader race, defeating three other men and Melissa Martin, the Jone woman yell leader candidate. Kerry Cox and Drew Davis were elected junior yell leaders in a race where four candidates received more than 1,000 votes. FJeanor Manson received 356 votes to win the Class of ! 91 presidential race, defeating Leslie Willingham and Leslie Frizzell. A runoff will be held for the Class of ’92 president be tween Jennifer A. Collins and Rod Garrett and the Class of’93 president between Bill Benker and Pat Seiber. Kyle Jacobson and Keith Powell, who both ran unop posed, were elected Residence Hall Association presi dent and Off-Campus Aggies president, respectively. The student elections were voted on by 4,216 stu dents, slightly more than 10 percent of the student body at A&M. The total number of voters was down from last year’s figures of 4,591. Perry Liston, election commissioner, partially blamed the turnout on the steady rain Thursday. “We set a goal of having 1,000 more voters than last year, but the rain shot that goal down,” Liston said. “A lot of people just stayed in the buildings. But we’re all pleased with the results and we’re looking forward to the runoffs.” The following is a list of all offices and percentages of votes received. STUDENT HEALTH CENTER REFER ENDUM: • Yes —3,305 • No —709 • Undecided — 202 STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT RUNOFF: • Beth Ammons, who received 28 percent of the vote • Ty Clevenger, who received 41 percent of the vote SENIOR YELL LEADER: • Kevin B. Fitzgerald, who received 25 percent of the vote • Brant C. Ince, who received 24 percent of the vote • Craig Weynand, who received 23 percent of the vote JUNIOR YELL LEADER: • Kerry Cox, who received 24 percent of the vote • Drew Davis, who received 26 percent of the vote LEGISLATIVE CHAIR OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS RUNOFF: • Angie Arrona, who received 48 percent of the vote • Dan Hargrove, who received 34 percent of the vote SENATE CHAIRMAN-EXTERNAL AFFAIRS: • John Ansbach, who was unopposed SENATE CHAIRMAN-FINANCE: • Chuck Keffer, who received 53 percent of the vote SENATE CHAIRMAN-STUDENT SERVICES RUNOFF: • Tiffiny Blaschke, who received 27 percent of the vote • David Shasteen, who received 49 percent of the vote CLASS OF’91 PRESIDENT: • Eleanor Manson, who received 50 percent of the vote CLASS OF’91 VICE PRESIDENT: • Patrick Foster, who received 55 percent of the vote CLASS OF ’91 SECRETARY: • Kathleen Ellen Smith, who was unopposed CLASS OF ’91 TREASURER: • Mike Freeman, who received 56 percent of the vote CLASS OF ’91 SOCIAL SECRETARY: • Darcey Smith, who was unopposed CLASS OF’91 HISTORIAN: • Gil Delgado, who was unopposed CLASS OF ’92 PRESIDENT RUNOFF: See Election/Page 6 Teaching assistant charged with harassment By CHRIS VAUGHN Of The Battalion Staff and ANTHONY TRANTHAM Special to the Battalion A Texas A&M teaching assistant who was suspended from his job in February was ar rested Wednesday on charges of harassing and threatening a student. Patrick Lee Holden, 38, 307 Ehlinger Unit B in Bryan, was arrested and charged with one count of harassment and one count of making a terroristic threat after he allegedly made a series of threatening phone calls and sent threatening letters to an A&M student, University Security Director Bob Wiatt said. He was released late Wednesday night af ter posting bond. The investigation by University and Col lege Station police departments began re cently when an A&M student told police he had been receiving threatening and obscene phone calls every day from a man who he be lieved was Holden. Holden, a biology teaching assistant and graduate student, was suspended with pay by the University in February for allegedly mak ing sexual advances to a female student and verbally abusing other students. Holden was suspended from his teaching assistant position after several students in a microbiology class, including the one who re ceived the threatening phone calls, sent a let ter to biology department superiors com plaining about his conduct in class. A student said that during one class, Holden asked a woman if she would like to go to Mexico with him. She declined, the student said, arid Holden thert made a derogatory sexual comment about her. The student also said Holden cursed and verbally abused students and cut a class pe riod short when students were taking a test. Wiatt confirmed the reports by the stu dent. Wiatt said the criminal investigation is continuing. He said he wouldn’t rule out ad ditional charges against Holden in connection with incidents involving other students, but more students have to become involved. “Some students who may have received phone calls have decided not to come for ward,” he said. Holden was suspended without pay from the University and banned from the campus Wednesday following his arrest. Wiatt said if Holden appears on campus without permission from UPD, he can be ar rested and charged with criminal trespass. Both charges are Class B misdemeanors, unishable by up to six months in jail and/or a 1,000 fine. Student leaders discuss campus issues at forum By JULIE MYERS Of The Battalion Staff Texas A&M’s multiple mission, campus security and ethnic diversity were among the problems discussed by eight student leaders Wednesday night at the final meeting of FOCIS, Forum on Campus Issues,a two day forum co-sponsored by the Grad uate Student Council and Student Government. Kevin Buchman, student body president and senior speech commu nications major, said the teaching and research missions at A&M should not occupy adversarial roles. “Sometimes they are adversarial, but they shouldn’t be,” Buchman said. “In my personal opinion, the pendulum has swung too far to wards research.” Dan Vrundy, industrial education See Forum/Page 4 Students need to fill out census By JILL BUTLER Of The Battalion Staff Students have their chance this month to stand up and get counted by the U.S. Bureau of the Census. Census forms were mailed Saturday and should be returned by Sunday. Bill Donaldson, manager of the Census’ Bryan-Col- lege Station district office, said it is especially important for A&M students to return the census. “It is very important for college students in Bryan- College Station to return the census because (the area) has such a large student population,” Donaldson said. The national census count is used to allocate federal • Workers count homeless/Page 3 money to individual cities and determine the number of congressional representatives for each state. Donaldson said if Bryan-College Station does not get an accurate count of the student population, federal money could be lost. “If we miss a count by 3 percent, we’ve missed out on a lot of federal appropriations,” Donaldson said. Students are being counted at their Bryan-College See Census/Page 6 Set clocks forward Go to bed early Saturday night be cause, unfortunately, everyone will lose an hour of sleep in observance of daylight-saving time. Clocks should be moved ahead one hour before you go to bed Sat urday night or Sunday morning. In the spring, daylight-saving time “springs forward,” while in the fall, time “falls back” to preserve daylight. Three-car collision Photos by Mike C. Mulvey A major accident involving three vehicles at the intersec tion of University Drive and MaCarthur Street in College Station occurred Thursday at 10:45 a.m. Left: A fireman called to the scene looks on as the owner of a white Ford Mustang hits its torn hood. Right: Daniel Ross, 5, was treated for nausea and taken to Humana Hospital. A&M student charged with campus fires By JULIE MYERS Of The Battalion Staff A Texas A&M student charged with arson Wednesday will be ar raigned today by a local district judge in connection with four fires that caused damage in excess of $20,000 on campus in November. Bob Wiatt, A&M director of secu rity, said 20-year-old George From- ing, a sophomore business adminis tration major, was a suspect from the start of an investigation about the early morning Nov. 11 fires. Froming was arrested Wednesday morning by University Police De partment officers. UPD officers responded at 2:06 a.m. Nov. 11 to a trash bin fire in Parking Area 30 on the west side of Davis-Gary Hall. Court documents state that a witness later identified two men who were at the scene, one of whom was seen with a lighter and a bottle of lighter fluid, Officers were called to another trash bin fire 90 minutes later in Parking Area 2 on the north side of Schumacher Hall, and then to a fire in a breezeway in Mclnnis Hall. The officer on the scene said the fire was set deliberately with a flam mable liquid. A fourth fire was reported at 4:46 a.m. in the A-3 lounge of Davis-Gary Hall. Wiatt said the fire started in a trash can and spread to a nearby couch, up the wall and onto ceiling panels. The fire caused about $20,000 in damage to the lounge, most of which was due to smoke and water, Wiatt said. The court report stated the inves tigation into the fire revealed it had been set deliberately and had burned for about 30 minutes before being reported. After the fire was extinguished, officers followed an ash and soot trail to a room in Moses Hall where they questioned two men, Wiatt said. Wiatt said although the fires caused no injuries, the fire could have burned out of control. The A-3 lounge since has been renovated. Brent Paterson, assistant director of student affairs, said Froming, like any student charged with a Univer sity violation, will receive a hearing so appropriate actions can be taken. Froming was released from Bra zos County Jail Wednesday night on $5,000 bond. Arson is a second-degree felony, punishable by two to 20 years in prison or a $ 10,000 fine. Wiatt said the other man seen with Froming at the scene of the first fire has been identified, but the dis trict attorney did not want to press charges since the man was not the one who actually set the fires.