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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 19, 1990)
845-3; ►rtl do the lab d $6.6millif/ : works? i financial ;)ther librarj Itlish a shuilit rary, (as oun ■ spendingil- 1 money intages of tracks that thetis :ular or se levels d the da% nt would i x>d, butnoi is but 'exas A&M; jnds. The Battalion STATE & LOCAL Thursday, April 19,1990 Local PTA sponsors TV-free week By BILLHETHCOCK Of The Battalion Staff Students and teachers in Bryan’s Crockett El ementary School are going to spend a week with out what often is considered a necessity in today’s world — the television set. The Crockett Parent-Teacher Association is sponsoring a program to encourage students and their families not to watch TV for one full week. The program, called “TV Turnoff Week,” will start Friday. The purpose is to show people involved in the program the role television plays in their lives, Nancy Simpson, a PTA TV turnoff committee member, said. Simpson said the idea for the week without TV came from a book she read by Marie Winn titled “Unplugging the Plug-In Drug.” Simpson presented the idea for the week-long turnoff to the PT A and to Crockett principal Er nest Johnson. Johnson liked the idea and decided to give it a try at the elementary school. Johnson said he hopes all 650 students at Crockett will give up television or at least cut back on the amount they watch during TV Turnoff Week. “The idea is to have fun with it,” Johnson said. “There is no penalty for watching TV this week. We’re just trying to discourage it and emphasize the fact that watching television is a choice we make. “Every time you turn on the TV, you are choosing not to do something else.” Simpson said she does not expect drastic long term changes in students’ viewing habits. She said, however, that hopefully the week will force people to consider how much time they spend watching television and evaluate what they watch more carefully. “It’s hard to predict whether this week will E-very tune you turn on the TV, you are choosing not to do something else.” — Ernest Johnson, school principal change how much TV people watch,” Simpson said. “I don’t think anyone will throw out the TV for good, but maybe they will think about what they’re doing before they turn it on.” Teachers and students have been brainstorm ing this week to come up with alternatives to tele vision viewing. Some ideas include reading, exer cising, cooking, playing board games, writing letters, camping and cleaning house. Community organizations and businesses have provided activities for students who sign a con tract saying they will not watch television this week. The Bryan Public Library, Brazos Valley Mu seum, Bryan Parks and Recreation, Texas A&M Athletic Department, local bowling alleys and Putt Putt Golf are giving Crockett students spe cial discounts or activities to fill their spare time. Jenny Hobson, a fourth grade student, said she doesn’t think giving up television for a week will be a problem. She plans to entertain herself by reading books. Monica Thomas, one of Hobson’s classmates, said she might have a hard time making it through the week because she’ll miss her favorite TV shows. Thomas said she enjoys “The Cosby Show,” but plans to skip it this week because of the pro- ject. Fourth-grader Travis Whipkey said he is going to cut his TV viewing down and only watch for 30 minutes on Saturday morning. Whipkey said the only show he plans to watch this week is his favorite cartoon. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Allen Pride, a Crockett third-grader, said he doesn’t expect any problems curtailing his heavy TV viewing for a week. “I usually watch about four hours of television a day,” Pride said. “But it won’t be that hard to live without it for a week. I will have to miss my cartoons, but I can think of other things to do.” Hightower converts vehicles to propane AUSTIN (AP) — Taking the wheel of a propane-powered pickup. Agriculture Commis sioner Jim Hightower said Wednesday his agency will con vert several vehicles to propane and urged other Texans to “get tanked up” on the cleaner-burn ing fuel. Using readily available liquid propane gas instead of gasoline is cheaper, more efficient and bet ter tor the environment, High tower said. One-third of the na tion’s propane supply is produced in Texas. “It’s a Texas tried-and-true fuel. A fuel that really looks good for the environment, for the con sumers of our state and for the economy in Texas,” he said. As part of the Earth Day envi ronmental awareness efforts, Hightower said his Texas Depart ment of Agriculture will convert 14 trucks to propane and study their use to see how much can be gained by using the alternative fuel. “Compared to gasoline, pro pane generates up to 50 percent less harmful hydrocarbons and 70 percent less carbon monoxide — two pollutants that contribute to the Greenhouse effect and jeopardize human health,” High tower said. Converting the new white TDA pickup truck he drove Wednesday cost between $1,000 and $1,500, Hightower said. That includes the costs of fuel lines, carburetor and a large propane tank. But propane costs less, at 44 cents per gallon, reduces mainte nance expenses and provides greater range, he said. “The investment is repaid by savings on fuel costs and savings on maintenance to the vehicle, as well as extended life of the vehi cle. In three years, you’ve paid off the investment you’ve made in this new fuel,” he said. ■ at A&M nous funds lo >r make ■ campus (lik .nderground money when into account,! 1’s willingness posals suchi lition. nior electrial inuously es about > million here are April, so Manet to > iy office diploma oma is a that the jie” wal- nne that ,anted it 1 will be 1 steal a v-as used re read- e the di- ti mental iff reserves (lintain the nted. Each me number to Campus on Jr. Speaker advises women to seek opportunities By PAM MOOMAN Of The Battalion Staff Change always brings problems, but it brings opportunities as well. This was the message of Zanna Stepanek, the first speaker in MSC Great Issues Women’s Issues Sym posium. Stepanek, director of the Manage ment Information Bureau for the Houston Police Department, talked about ways of handling discrimina tion in the workplace. “Thirty years ago, if someone had a symposium for women, I would have attended it,” Stepanek said. But 30 years ago there was no such op portunity, she said. When she took her first job at IBM as a computer programmer, it Symposium looks at conditions in business world was legal to discriminate openly against women, she said. Employers could pay a woman less for the same job as a man, limit promotional op portunities based on sex, and refuse to allow women to use sick leave for pregnancy. Women were told how to dress and were asked personal questions, including the kind of family plan ning they were doing, she said. “The good news is we have come a long way and hopefully will never see anything like this again,” she said. But she said to keep in mind that women only have a few civil rights rulings to turn to now. An equal rights amendment is the only thing that will give women long-term con stitutional protection, she said. Handling discrimination in the workplace is difficult, but it can be maturely done. “One of the best ways to handle discrimination in the workplace is to avoid it,” Stepanek said. To do this, a woman needs to re search the field or company she is in terested in, she said, and look for op portunities. “Pick a field that’s new and grow ing rapidly,” she said. Some exam ples of these fields today are tele communication, genetics and environmental sciences, she said. Also, a woman needs to keep her options open, Stepanek said. She needs to know the organization she works for and the environment she is working in. “At some point in your career, it will probably be good for you to move,” she said. It is good if moves can be kept within the same com pany, but if conditions aren’t satisfy ing, don’t be afraid to look for the door, she said. Women can do certain things to invite or deter discrimination, Stepa nek said. First of all, people don’t hassle a woman who looks like she can’t be hassled, she said. Stand up straight, she said, and because height helps, act tall and eventually everyone will consider you tall. Another thing a woman can do is lower her voice by talking slowly from the diaphragm, she said. “Little girl voices don’t play well,” she said. Other tips Stepanek had were to dress appropriately and profession ally, meaning no high-fashion or sexy dressing at the office. Also, women should be careful to keep their personal and work lives sepa rate. But women should not hide be hind discrimination to cover up their shortcomings, she said. “Be honest with yourself,” she said. She said not to assume that being passed over for a promotion or get ting reprimanded is discrimination. Stepanek identified certain types of people in the business world that women should be aware of. Big Brother, or Bubba, considers women capable, but never loses sight of the fact that they are women and wants to protect them, she said. The Autocrat usually is an older See Women/Page 7 2 Day Video “Where Video Is Fun ” "Two lltumbs Up." -SISKEL&EBERT "Totally delightful." - Dixie Whatley, AT THE MOVIES "The stork has delivered a boundng baby hit." - Joel Siegel, GOOD MORNING AMERICA Columbia Picture* HOME VIDEO NOW AVAILABLE ON VIDEOCASSETTE AND ON LASER VIDEODISC. PG-13 © 1990 Layout and Dettgn RCA/Columtx* Picturas Home Video All Righis Reserved A Tri-Star Release. 11989 TRI-STAR PICTURES. INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. mTtTTT* Life from a baby's-eye-vievv, with John Travolta, Kirstie Alley, and Bruce Willis as the voice of baby Mikey. 1800 Texas Ave. S., College Station, Tx. 693-6677