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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 12, 1990)
ns 1 tie Dattalion Vol. 90 No. 8 USPS 045360 12 Pages VO College Station, Texas Wednesday, September 12,1990 for Kids 1,1991 ) of Britaic 8 ing l>a in Nonvidi trict. Bradford jptemberl] WEST84W5H ia ping 11 Bookstore prepares to take Aggie Bucks By KATHERINE COFFEY Of The Battalion Staff Texas A&M students who have Aggie Bucks will be able to use them in the MSC Bookstore within a couple of weeks. Aggie Bucks, a credit-like meal plan, will not be validated for use m the bookstore until a computer program is tested to ensure proper operation, Lloyd H. Smith, director of food services, says. “The equipment we had was ten years old and not capable of being expanded,” he says. “The system needs to be repro- gramryed before it can be used in the bookstore.” Junior speech communications major Cynthis Bernan says this addition will be convenient when she wants to buy scantrons, pen cils and cards. "This will help buying last min ute things because I never carry cash on campus,” Bernan says. "This will be really nice to have.” Smith says the bookstore will check credit by telephone, similar to (he system used oy stores when checking credit cards. A proposal to implement Ag gie Bucks in the bookstore came up in early August. Since then work was done on the computers and new software was added. Smith says this will help pre vent occasional system malfunc tions, such as last week’s problem when students could not use their bucks at various locations. "We had problems with the readers in the different snack bars on campus, and students were not able to use their meal plans, but the problem was cleared up the first week of school,” Smith says. Col. James T. Moore, assistant director of food services, says the problem started Aug. 27 because so many students started using meal plans while the computers were being repaired. “The reason we’ve had prob lems is because there was a com puter malfunction, but terminals were repaired and students should not have any problems now,” says Moore. Another addition to the Aggie Bucks system this fall is Aggie Bucks 100. This allows students to buy Ag gie Bucks in increments. Students nave an extended termination date which is effective through the following semester. For example, if students add $50 to their accounts during the spring, credit is good during the spring, summer and following fall semester, Smith says. Bush claims 4 Saddam Hussein will fail’ in address to Congress WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush, re porting to Congress and the nation on the Per sian Gulf crisis, vowed Tuesday night that “Sad dam Hussein will fail” in his conquest of Kuwait. He said the Iraqi dictator could not persevere in the face of “a new partnership of nations.” Bush also acknowledged the U.S. military could be deployed in the Saudi Arabian desert indefinitely. “I cannot predict just how long it will take to convince Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait,” Bush said in a nationally broadcast address before a joint session of Congress. He said U.N.-approved sanctions would take time to squeeze Iraq and that the United States would continue reviewing options with allies. “But let it be clear: we will not let this aggression stand,” Bush said. Fresh from his summit with Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev, Bush said “a new part nership of nations” stands aligned against Iraq’s aggression and that the superpowers are working together on this crisis. “Clearly, no longer can a dictator count on East-West confrontation to stymie concerted U.N. action against aggression,” the president said. “The crisis in the Persian Gulf, as grave as it is, also offers a rare opportunity to move toward an historic period of cooperation,” Bush said. Bush said “a new world order” may emerge from the crisis in which the world is “freer from the threat of terror, stronger in the pursuit of justice and more secure in the quest for peace — an era in which the nations of the world, East and West, North and South, can prosper and live in harmony.” Bush offered no new initiatives to resolve the gulf crisis, and repeated many of his past declara tions condemning Saddam. But the point of the speech was to bring Amer icans up to date on the crisis, and to call for them to stand united as the stalemate lingers on. “If ever there was a time to put country before self and patriotism before party, that time is now,” Bush said. The president devoted a considerable portion of his speech to prodding Congress to finish work on a budget agreement. At the same time, the speech did not contain the sharp attack on Democrats, as had previous pronouncements. “Together we must act this very month — be fore the next fiscal year begins Oct. 1 — to get America’s fiscal house in order,” Bush said. Budget negotiators from the White House and Congress appeared to be making some progress toward an agreement to pare next year’s federal deficit by $50 billion, including higher premiums for better-off Medicare recipients. Participants in the talks said Tuesday that the two sides had agreed to increase taxes and fees by $25 billion next year and $130 billion over five years. “Most Americans are sick and tired of endless battles in the Congress and between the branches over budget matters,” Bush declared. “It is high time we pulled together — and get the job done right. It is up to us to straighten this out.” Bush told Congress there were high related costs of the showdown and declared, “conserva tion efforts are essential to keep our energy needs as low as possible.” A&M group targets Columbus’ships By TROY HALL Of The Battalion Staff 1. 302 ly MIKE LUMAN )(The Battalion Staff HI epublican official finds onservatism on campus The student chairman of the CoT :ge Republican National Commit- ee in Washington, D.C., said Texas \&M students appeared over whelmingly conservative during a isit Tuesday. Tony Zagotta, on a tour of col- eges and universities that have stu- lent chapters, estimated 80 percent >f A&M students who vote are Re- jublicans. “Thats a number I don’t think we an match anywhere in the country,” ie said. He said he reached his conclusion tartly from walking around campus ind seeing no visible support for the Democrats. He said the average campus isually voted about 60 percent Re- ber 13 845# publican. The goal of A&M’s College Re publicans is to register as many vot ers as possible, he said. The chapter registered 18,000 voters in 1988. “The organizational ability of the College Republicans at A&:M is what interests me about this campus,” he said. “That’s a phenomenal number for one campus.” He said College Republicans also campaigned for candidates. The trend of Republicans in the White House will probably continue, Zagotta said. “I think leadership values are seen (by students) in presidents Reagan and Bush,” he said. “Students can strongly identify with the Republi can party.” The National Committee has 1,000 chapters with a total of 100,000 members. A group from Texas A&M will leave for Jamaica next month to be gin an expedition to locate remains of Spanish ships abandoned by Christopher Columbus in the early 16th century. The group of archaeologists, geo archaeologists and geophysicists will leave A&M in early October. The two ships, known as caravels, intentionally were beached side-to- side by Columbus after worms ate away wood on the caravels. This caused water to inundate the caravels and almost cover the decks, says James Parrent, project director for the Columbus Caravel Archaeo logical Project. “We do not know exactly how car avels were constructed and have little information to go on,” says Par- rent, who also is an associate re search scientist for the Institute of Nautical Archaeology at A&M. He said if the keel and a few planks from the vessels are found, they should be able to reconstruct and determine the vessels’ sizes and shapes. “Individuals and organizations have excavated several old shipw recks in the New World, but they have never been sure they were cara vels,” Parrent says. “From the information we get, we may be able to start saying other sites (contain) caravels because the pro ject will give us a good data base.” But learning about types of vessels early explorers sailed in is only one important part of the project. While beached in St. Ann’s Bay, Columbus and his crew of 115 men and boys anchored the two caravels together and built cabins on the decks while waiting to be rescued. Columbus and his crew lived on the caravels for more than one year before being rescued. The Spaniards had to barter be longings such as beads, knives and combs to receive food from the Indi ans. “Since these ships were aban doned in 1504, the local Indians fed these men for a year and five days, so the food and pottery remains should reflect period subsistence of the Indians,” Parrent says. “This is an excavation of one small time frame, unlike the excavating of a nearby Arawak Indian site on land that may represent a few hundred or even a thousand years.” The two caravels served as a makeshift home for the sick, hungry and worried men. See Caravels/Page 7 01IC- Graphic by Eric Wong Attorney general candidate airs views By JULIE MYERS Of The Battalion Staff Republican J.E. “Buster” Brown said he will fight to end early parole of Texas Depart ment of Corrections inmates if he is elected to the attorney general’s office. Brown, who faces Democrat Dan Morales in the Nov. 6 elec tion, spoke to the College Repub licans Tuesday night. Military-style boot camps are the answer to the early release problem and the vacancies brought on by the decreasing de fense budget, Brown said. . Brown, a state senator from Lake Jackson since 1980, said At torney General Jim Mattox’s handling of recent lawsuits against the state are a good exam ple of what not to do as attorney general. During the public school fi nance lawsuit, Brown said Mattox realized many of his supporters were the ones suing and he thought the other side should win so he argued weakly for the state and lost the case. When the state system is chal lenged in a court of law, the attor ney general should do his job for the state and not let politics inter fere with conducting the business of the state, Brown said. Funding for Texas public edu- :qi needed to be modified within the system. Brown said, either legis latively or by threat of a court or der, but federal judges should not impose their will on the peo ple of Texas by ordering action. Brown has criticized Morales’ endorsement from the Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus, but said he only meant to inform voters of the issues that are important to the race. Because Morales was en dorsed by the caucus, voters should know that Morales is lib eral, Brown said. The Texas State Rifle Associa tion, which is affiliated with the National Rifle Association, has endorsed Brown. The TSRA op poses a ban on semi-automatic weapons. The answer to the question of gun control is providing swift, sure punishment for people who use guns in connection with crim inal acts, Brown said. Poll shows student opinions Responses to residence hall questions differ By SEAN FRERKING Of The Battalion Staff On-campus students at Texas A&M overwhelmingly favor 24-hour room visitation rights in their resi dence halls but are slightly opposed to the conversion of McFadden Hall into an honors dormitory next fall. According to the Batt Poll con ducted last night, 342 students said they would be in favor of 24-hour room visitation rights in their resi dence hall while 49 dormitory resi dents were opposed with 10 students responding with no opinion. In answer to the second question of the poll, 88 people said they fa vored the conversion of McFadden Hall into an honors dormitory while 167 students opposed the change with 146 of those responding having no opinion. Should the dorms have 24-hour Should McFadden be converted visitation? into an honors dorm? NO OPINION 36 Residents of Eppright Hall, a coed hall, voted 220-1 in favor of the 24- hour room visitation rule. The change, which went into effect on Sept 6. in the visitation policy, began with the decision that residents of the two south-side coed dormitories were responsible adults who could respect and manage extended visita- See Poll/Page 7 /T 'resident Mobley’s trial recycling program calls for campus-wide effort By MIKE LUMAN (The Battalion Staff Texas A&M must balance recycling, aste reduction, landfill use and incinera- )n to develop a campus-wide solid waste anagement system, a waste management specialist said Tuesday. li Dr. Roy Hartman, an associate professor in the Engineering Technology Depart ment, spoke Tuesday to A&M’s Association of Professional Support Staff. I Hartman is among A&M faculty mem bers working on a trial recycling program Jivolving six campus buildings. The pro- am was initiated by University President pilliam Mobley. | “Hopefully we will go to a full-scale, cam pus-wide program,” Hartman said. He said the program should be full scale iyecause Environmental Protection Agency regulations will make landfill space too ex pensive to continue dumping recyclable material. Ground water pollution also is a concern. Every person in the United States dis cards one ton of trash a year, he said. “We’re all part of the problem, and need to be part of the solution,” Hartman said. He said “myths” exist about solving the situation. “Getting everyone involved in a little bit of recycling will fix it, or engineers will come up with a silver bullet solution,” he said. “It’s not going to happen. “We need to look at a balanced system that involves all of us.” ippe and ideal use of them involves careful selec tion of what is buried and recycled. “It’s absolutely dependent on markets,” he said. “You can’t collect a bunch of paper and cans and have no market.” Waste for recycling must remain pure for markets and mills — that means re-sort ing if someone throws trash in the wrong bin, he said. Paper accounts for 42 percent of solid waste nationwide. Yard waste makes up about 23 percent of U.S. garbage. People should compost leaves and grass clippings instead of bagging them, Hartman said. Nationally, aluminum and glass account for about 10 percent each. Incineration, an other waste disposal technique, requires both be absent before burning. Hartman said incineration is an accepta ble means of waste disposal when done properly. Concerns have been raised about poisons being released by the process, but he said incineration could be safe while producing electricity as a by-product. Hartman advised creating a larger mar ket for recyclable material by buying goods made from recycled waste. Some examples of recycled goods are notebooks, egg cartons, carpet and plastic lumber. Most are marked as recycled. Plastic lumber is a construction material made from waste such as plastic bottlecaps. Recycled carpet, which looks like any other carpet, is made from two-liter soft drink bottles. A&M went from poor to better with recy cling, but is far from the best it can be, Hartman said. He credited the Texas Envi ronmental Action Coalition with playing a key role in recycling efforts. The following is a partial list of recycling centers in Bryan-College Station: • Brazos Animal Shelter, 775-5755, 2207 Pinfeather Road — Bundled newspa per or computer paper can be dropped off 24 hours. Newspaper and white paper should be sorted separately. • Brazos Beverages, 775-6322, 505 North FM 2818 — Aluminum cans bought from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays. • Bruegging Paper Stock, 822-2473, 1919 FM 2818 — Plastic, paper, glass bot- des and aluminum. Call for information on acceptable types. • Bryan Iron and Metal, 775-7171, 2011 Highway 21 West — Glass sorted by color and most metal, but not aluminum cans. • Cafe Eccell, 846-7908, 101 Church Ave. — 24-hour drop off for glass sorted by color. •The Deluxe, 846-7466, 203 University Drive — 24-hour drop off for sorted glass, aluminum cans and newspaper. •La Taqueria, 846-0228, 102 Church Ave. — 24-hour drop off for sorted glass, aluminum cans and newspaper.