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Vol. 90 No. 37 USPS 045360 10 Pages
College Station, Texas
Tuesday, October 23,1990
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Stacy Gills and Henrietta Wolf take a break as they wait for an af
ternoon train to pass on Wellborn Road so they can ride home.
Photo by Mike C. Mulvey
Although temperatures dropped to record-tying lows Monday
around Texas, the low for Bryan/College Station was 44 degrees.
Hussein agrees
to free captives
Associated Press
Saddam Hussein has agreed to re
lease some sick and elderly Ameri
can captives, the leader of the Iraqi-
American Foundation said today.
The Iraqi leader also asked his par
liament to consider letting all French
hostages leave.
American and Australian sailors,
meanwhile, halted and boarded an
Iraqi freighter in the Gulf of Oman
that over the weekend had ignored
warning shots and defied orders to
return to Iraq, a U.S. military
spokesman said.
The 5,200-ton Iraqi vessel was
stopped as it sailed toward the Ara
bian Sea. It had been shadowed dur
ing the night by U.S. and Italian
warships, Cmdr. J.D. Van Sickle, a
Navy spokesman, said.
The operation went smoothly
with “no shots fired, no resistance
met,” Van Sickle said.
The Pentagon later said the Iraqi
vessel was allowed to proceed after it
was found to be empty. The Penta-
g on said in a statement that the ship
ad probably dumped overboard
the cargo of steel pipes and plywood
that it was carrying to Yemen in vio
lation of the U.N. embargo.
The head of the Iraqi-American
Foundation, Salim Mansour, leads a
delegation that met with Saddam on
Sunday night. He said today that he
received a commitment from the
Iraqi leader to release Americans.
“We don’t want to talk about fig
ures or names at the moment, but
I’m happy to announce that some
good news will come up,” Mansour
said.
It was presumed Mansour spoke
about Americans held in Iraq and
Kuwait, which Saddam annexed af
ter his Aug. 2 invasion of the emi
rate. Saddam considers Kuwait
Iraq’s 19th province.
About 700 Americans are being
held in Kuwait, and more than 300
in Iraq, many at strategic sites to
“We don’t want to talk
about figures or
names at the moment,
but I’m happy to
announce that some
good news will come
up.”
— Salim Mansour,
Iraqi-American Foundation
leader
deter a possible attack by the multi
national forces arrayed against Iraq
in the Persian Gulf.
Western diplomatic sources said
on condition of anonymity they had
no independent confirmation of
Mansour’s claims, but added: “We
understand that what Mansour is
saying could turn out to be true.”
They said they understood that the
Americans released would be “sick
or elderly.”
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Food services ads
target faculty, staff
By JULIE HEOOERMAN
Of The Battalion Staff
Texais A&M’s Food Services hopes
a recent advertising campaign will
encourage faculty and staff mem
bers to take advantage of Aggie
Bucks.
Aggie Bucks, formerly known as
Point Plan, have been available to
faculty and staff for about three
years, Lloyd Smith, director of Food
Services, says.
His department, however, has not
advertised the service before to fac
ulty and staff.
Smith says Food Services also has
used Aggie Bucks for conferences
and groups visiting A&M.
“Wejust thought we would let the
rest of the folks know about it,” he
says.
Smith says Aggie Bucks first were
made available to faculty and staff
because many expressed interest in
using the service.
Two accounts are available to fac
ulty and staff — Aggie Buck 100s
and Aggie Express — which are sim
ilar to student accounts.
The Aggie Buck 100s plan must
be opened with $100 and can be in
creased in $50 increments. The Ag-
f ie Express account is set up with
275 and also can be increased in
$50 increments.
Aggie Bucks cards issued to fac
ulty and staff are similar to student
identification cards. Smith says.
The bucks are accepted at Sbisa,
the Commons and MSG dining cen
ters as well as at food court cafete
rias, snack bars and markets on cam
pus.
The A&M Bookstore and Billy
Mac’s restaurant and lounge at the
McKenzie Terminal of Easterwood
Airport also accept Aggie Bucks.
Even alcoholic drinks can be pur
chased at Billy Mac’s with Aggie
Bucks, Smith says, though identifica
tion is required.
Aggie Bucks can be purchased at
the MSG dining center, the Com
mon Market in the Commons com
plex or at the Food Services office in
the basement of Sbisa Dining Hall.
4 An all-out effort’
Sorority assembles care packages for soldiers stationed in Gulf
By BRIDGET HARROW
Of The Battalion Staff
Alpha Phi sorority is assem
bling care packages to send to
U.S. soldiers stationed in Saudi
Arabia.
Alpha Phi also has been giving
yellow ribbons to other sororities
to put on their cars and houses to
show support for the soldiers.
“The yellow ribbons symbolize
that we are continuously thinking
about the American soldiers and
their safety while they are in
Saudi Arabia,” says Brandi Smith,
Alpha Phi member coordinating
the care package program.
“We are trying to make an all-
out effort, not just within our so
rority, but within the entire
Greek system and other organiza
tions Chat may be interested,” she
says.
Smith says other sororities
have been receptive to the pro
gram and the ribbon-displaying
ideas.
One sorority. Pi Beta Phi, has
put up yellow ribbons on its so
rority house, she says.
Smith says she had the idea be
cause several community organi
zations in her hometown Mexia
also sent care packages to sol
diers.
“In my hometown we had a lot
of boys and girls that went over to
Saudi Arabia,” she says. “And you
do not realize the impact of it all
until some of your friends and
family leave. It really touches ho
me.”
The care packages will be sent
to different outfits stationed in
Saudi Arabia. The packages will
not be sent at one certain time,
but at different times through
Christmas, Smith says.
“Everyone was excited about
making pen pals and sending
care packages when the soldiers
first arrived in Saudi Arabia, but
we want to make sure the soldiers
know they are not forgotten,”
Smith says. “That is why we want
to send care packages periodical-
1 y”
The care packages will include
basic items like razors, soap,
shampoo, stationery and combs.
Smith also says many people for
get to include items like hair clips
and makeup for female soldiers.
Smith says a special recipe
must be used for cookies to stay
fresh when shipped to the sol
diers.
She says they also will make a
banner and try to get many signa
tures on it to show support to the
soldiers and their efforts.
Alpha Phi encourages every
one to show support for U.S. sol
diers in Saudi Arabia whether it is
giving time or money to the care
package program or just display
ing yellow ribbons on cars, Smith
says.
If yellow ribbons cannot be
found, Smith says they encourage
using red, white and blue rib
bons.
“We want it to be a good ges
ture overall and try to get as
many people as possible invol
ved,” she says. “We want the sol
diers to know we’re behind them,
and we want to see their safe re
turn home.”
Those interested in sending
care packages to soldiers in Saudi
Arabia can contact Smith at the
Alpha Phi sorority house at 693-
8775.
Rainforest week raises awareness
of rare environment’s destruction
By SEAN FRERKING
Of The Battalion Staff
Students and environmental groups around the
world are trying to raise funds and awareness this week
to save one of the Earth’s richest and rarest environ
ments.
International Rainforest Week, which has been an
annual event for more than 15 years, focuses on what
some environmentalists consider the world’s biggest
man-made problem — the clearing of tropical rainfo
rests.
According to the Encyclopedia Brittanica, more than
G Rainforest Week events/Page 5
5,000 animal and plant life species typically fill these
natural climates and are home to more than 5 million
people.
Major rainforests are found in the Philippines, Cen
tral America, Brazil and Central Africa.
Many rainforests, however, are destroyed by govern
ments and companies looking for cheap natural re
sources.
J.D. Haber, co-chairman for the Texas Environmen
tal Action Coalition’s forest committee, says he is op
posed to rampant logging and land clearings that de
stroy rainforests.
“Once you destroy these rainforests, you can never
replace them,” Haber says. “People need to start think
ing about what is going on.”
He says Texas A&M students and organizations have
joined other groups to help prevent the destruction of
some of the Earth’s most precious resources and to pro
mote their natural beauty.
“Rainforests are an area of incredible biodiversity,”
Haber says. “If you destroy them, you kill thousands of
animals, not to mention the tremendous variety of plant
life.”
International Rainforest Week events began Satur
day with a “Run for the Rainforests.”
Haber says about 80 people showed up at 9 a.m. to
run five kilometers (3.1 miles) to promote preservation
of the dwindling tropical environments.
Haber says contestants received a free T-shirt for
contributions to help save rainforests.
Another member of TEAC also says International
Rainforest Week plays an important part in saving rain
forests.
Chris Carter, TEAC’s media representative, says
other events are planned this week to inform the public,
and especially A&M students, about deforestation.
“These events hopefully will add to the understand
ing people have for this horrible problem,” Carter says.
“We are having International Rainforest Week here to
inform people about which companies and nations are
destroying one of our most important natural re
sources.”
Carter also says TEAC will sponsor several events
throughout the week to educate and entertain students.
Tracey Brong, TEAC vice chairwoman for public re
lations, says the events also will emphasize the beauty of
rainforests.
“We are trying to show A&M students how wonder
ful the rainforests really are,” Brong says. “Once people
realize what they are losing, they won’t want anyone to
destroy the rainforests.”
Haber says A&M’s TEAC chapter requests all the
money made at A&M during International Rainforest
Week go toward a special goal.
“We’re requesting that the money we make this week
go to environmentalist groups in Hawaii,” Haber says.
“We think we should try to save the rainforest on the
big island of Hawaii along with the other rainforests.”
Haber says a proposed geothermal plant would de
stroy the Wao Kele O Puna rainforest and kill thou
sands of rare plant and animal species.
He says besides the loss of life, many scientific and
medical discoveries could be lost because of rainforest
destruction.
“You never know, a cure for AIDS could be found,”
he countinues. “Cures for malaria and forms of birth
control have been found in some rainforests.
“It would be disastrous to continue the deforestation
of these areas.”
FACES eases transition
Service assigns mentors
to minority freshmen
Clean-air bill
meets approval
WASHINGTON (AP) —
House and Senate negotiators ap
proved a clean-air bill Monday
that is expected to eventually cost
the economy $22 billion a year
and affect most of American so
ciety by toughening pollution
controls on automobiles, factories
andpower plants. n
The bargainers worked out the
final details before dawn, ending
more than a year of bargaining
between the two chambers. Late
Monday afternoon, the confer
ence committee gave the measure
formal endorsement, with only
Rep. William Dannemeyer, R-
Calif., opposing it.
Under the legislation, there
would be drastic reductions in
emissions of acid rain pollutants
and toxic industrial chemicals. In
addition, more than 100 cities
would be given five to 15 years to
bring their air quality up to fed
eral standards, mainly by control
ling pollutants that cause smog.
Final approval from both
chambers is expected by week’s
end.
Bush, meanwhile, noted that
tougher clean-air legislation “has
been 13 years in coming” and said
that “no American should have to
wait another day for clean air.”
But White House press secre
tary Marlin Fitzwater said the ad
ministration still opposes a pro
gram to retrain displaced workers
and was continuing to make its
opposition known on Capitol
Hill.
Yet, he added that the adminis
tration “has not signaled a veto.”
By ELIZABETH TISCH
Of The Battalion Staff
The Office of Student Devel
opment and the Multicultural Serv
ices Center joined forces to design a
new student service called Freshman
Adjusting to College Experiences
(FACES) targeted toward minority
freshmen.
“We want to provide mentors to
help you adjust to your freshman
year and to stay, here past your
freshman year,” Pam Osby, chairwo
man for FACES, said to a group of
freshmen at the first meeting Mon
day night.
Co-chairman for FACES recruit
ment Jose Martinez said that he
wishes he had this service opportu
nity when he was a freshman mi
nority student.
“I came from San Antonio, and I
didn’t feel like a minority,” he said.
“But when I came here to Texas
A&M, it was a culture shock. It
would have been nice to talk to
somebody about that.”
Because of the newness of this
program, the committee decided to
target minorities living only on cam
pus. Osby said, however, that if
FACES is a success, the service will
be offered to all minority freshmen.
According to the official enroll
ment figures, the 1990 fall semester
holds the record for the highest mi
nority enrollment. Out of the 41,171
registered students at Texas A&M,
the two largest minority groups con
sist of 1,202 African-American stu
dents and 3,078 Hispanic students.
There are 394 minorities living on
campus this fall.
Cartell Cross, a junior FACES
mentor, said freshmen interested in
the program do not have to be a mi
nority.
“All freshmen should have a men
tor that they can look up to so they
can stay in the University,” he said.
“We put out so much money here to
bring in students; we need a pro
gram to keep them here and help
them out socially and academically.”
Dr. John Koldus, vice president
for student services, was the guest
speaker. He urged the freshmen to
take advantage of the services be
cause if they did not, they would be
doing themselves a misdeed.
“All of the people in this program
are going to be here to help all of
you, and you need to call upon
them,” he said. “They are here to
help you to be successful and get a
degree from Texas A&M and hope
fully to have a great future.”
The FACES committee is still
asking for applications for interested
mentors. The applications are due
Tuesday at 5 p.m. The applications
can be obtained in the Office of Stu
dent Development in the A-2
Lounge. Freshmen interested in the
program must also complete an ap
plication to be turned in Tuesday at
5 p.m.