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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 11, 1991)
;e Station 3n I.S.D. Head Huebonnet tl Auxiliary; res; h Mental ’ ot Brazos Drunk Driving Association of :al & Health ssion Inc. idividual Give Five J up at the Give ik Mall. ck is ior journalism Fhe Battal- animals in nals to the then is the d GREED, search re- linly from eges, non- and tech- ?s have to ir facilities i. His col- of animal elevant to testing on verything i. scientists eryone at ig in jeop- $ht know- and even think our t directly using ani- ihow that le is very are alter- it would ;h to cure :ted from sting be- "here are ;ts and it ectively. d out be- arch can j Nito IK?... State and local 3 Monday, February 11, 1991 The Battalion njoying the sun Kim Dillon, a sophomore education major, takes advantage of the sunny weather on Sunday afternoon to play Frisbee at the Texas KARL STOLLEIS/The Battalion A&M Research Park, with a little help from a new canine ac quaintance. Tuesday is expected to be partly cloudy. Rig survival training expands to include Houston, Gulf Coast HOUSTON (AP) — A Louisiana woman who pioneered survival training for offshore oil rig workers has expanded her service area to in clude Houston and other Gulf Coast cities. Margaret McMillan offers the training in alliance with the Univer sity of Southwestern Louisiana and scores of petroleum companies eager to train their employees. “Margaret really started water survival training in the United States,” said Gerald L. Lund, direc tor of USL’s Marine Survival Train ing Center in Lafayette, La. “She got the industry to thinking about it.” When the university established its survival training operation last year, “it was always intended that she would be part of the center. She’s at the point now where she’s ready to retire, but she didn’t want to leave the business completely,” he said. The USL operation recently merged with McMillan Offshore Survival Technology in Lafayette, which has provided survival training to workers in the petroleum and maritime industries since 1973. “We can now take the training to the industry — everything but the survival craft,” Lund said. The center in Lafayette is the first public facility in the country to train offshore workers in the actual launch of escape craft from plat forms and rigs. It was established as a joint project between the university and about 64 companies that spent four years raising more than $1.6 million in funds and finding more than $500,000 in equipment for the program. “The industry decided that those old methods were just not applica ble,” Lund said of traditional safety measures. “It decided to set up our center. Nobody has ever offered anything like this in the country.” Since beginning its full range of courses in January 1990, the center has trained 2,300 workers from 50 companies throughout the Gull Coast area in water survival and the use of survival craft. But now the training can be done outside the school’s 60-acre lake site in Lafayette. In Houston, the center began training workers at a YWCA near downtown last month. “The whole idea was to control the training atmosphere at the cen ter and keep it as safe as possible,” Lund said. “We did all of the train ing in Lafayette and McMillan han dled all of the training outside of La fayette for about a year. “But in the last six months, we’ve been talking about bringing it all to gether.” Minorities seek greater clout HOUSTON (AP) — Hispanic and Asian leaders in Houston hope to capitalize on significant population gams over the last decade by forging a coalition to gain greater political representation during the next five years. Officials from the t\vo minority communities have beeH meeting pri vately during the past few weeks to explore ways Hispanics and Asians can help each other, The Houston Post reported Sunday. “These are quiet people, working behind the scenes, low-profile types, low-key individuals who are working to bring the two groups together for the long run,” said Glenda Joe, founder of the Council of Asian American Organizations. The 1990 census figures released last week showed dramatic increases for the city’s Hispanic and Asian populations since 1980. The number of Hispanics rose 60 percent to more than 450,000 — just 10,000 fewer than the number of African-Ameri cans, the city’s largest minority group, which grew only 4 percent for the decade to 460,000. And the Asian population jumped 104 per cent to just over 67,000. The Anglo population, mean while, decreased 12 percent to about 650,000 residents. Overall, the Anglo population represents 40 percent of the city’s 1.6 million residents. African-Amer icans and Hispanics each comprise 28 percent, while Asians account for 4 percent of the population. On Friday, Mayor Kathy Whit mire asked the City Council to study the possibility of changing the gov erning body’s ethnic and racial makeup to be more reflective of the city’s new demographics. Currently there are nine whites, five African-Americans and one His panic on the 15-member board. Whitmire asked the council’s Hu man Relations Committee to submit recommendations by April 17 for re structuring the body. Similarly, Hispanics like City Councilman Ben Reyes are fighting for a Hispanic seat during congres sional redistricting this year. But Hispanics and Asians say neither group can succeed without regis tered voters and an education pub lic. “Redistricting is not going to do anything for us in Harris County if Hispanics are not registered to vote,” said Henry de la Garza, a Houston-based media consultant and a member of the Greater Hous ton Partnership board. “The consensus seems to be that redistricting is not the immediate so lution (for underrepresentation). TREK USA One of the largest inventories of Trek Bicycles in Texas! Hundreds and Hundreds of Ciose-Out Models Save $50-$200 Coalition building and recruiting candidates who can appeal to non- Hispanics, ‘crossover’ candidates people can put their trust in, that’s going to give us immediate results.” “Our thinking is that if we’re going to run someone in the next five years for City Council, it’s going to have to be someone who’s Ameri can-born with good English skills and a lot of savvy dealing with the political structure here,” Joe said. “Right now, American-born Asians are a minority. Fully 85 percent of the 200,000 Asians who nave come here since 1985 are lacking fluency in English and the ability to stand toe-to-toe with the political entities (in place).” Houston’s African-American po litical community has built a strong organization with 13 elected officials in city, county and area offices. Be sides the five council seats — three of which are elected city wide — Afri can-Americans also hold one seat on the Harris County Commissioner Court, one state senatorship, five state representative slots and one congressional seat. Mother challenges military, changes ‘friendly fire’ ruling HOUSTON (AP) — The families of so-called “friendly fire” victims may have little comfort in knowing their loved ones were killed by Allied gunfire in the Persian Gulf War. But living with lies is much worse, according to 73-year-old Peg Mullen of Brownsville who fought the military 20 years ago after she was misled about her son’s death in the Vietnam War. Mullen’s investigation into the matter of friendly fire, following the death of her son, Michael, has dramatically changed the way the military looks at such deaths. Because Michael was killed in his sleep by “friendly fire,” he was not classified as dying in combat. “It was just like Michael never was, like he was never in the Army,” Mrs. Mullen told the Houston Chronicle for its Sunday editions. Mrs. Mullen moved to Brownsville from La Port City, Iowa, in 1976 be cause of her husband’s failing health. He later died, but she carries on the fight for peace. When notified of Michael’s death, Mrs. Mullen was first told he was killed by the allied Vietnamese. Only after pushing the government for more information was she told that Michael was killed by U.S. Army gun fire and therefore his death was not considered a war casualty. Ironically, Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, commander of troops in the Persian Gulf War, was her son’s battalion commander in Vietnam. During this war, however, family members are being told immediately if their relatives were killed by their by allied gunfire. And the deaths are considered war casualties. That still offers little comfort to Mrs. Mullen, a peace activist, who con siders such deaths senseless. “It just makes me want to vomit,” Mrs. Mullen said. “It’s really not nec essary.” In 1976, Mrs. Mullen’s quest became the subject of a book and later a television niovie starring Carol Burnett. Mrs. Mullen has continued to march and speak out against war for two decades. Most recently, she attended a protest march in Washington, lead ing 35 neighbors on the long bus ride to the nation’s Capitol. 764-2000 f 4 J 3122 S. Texas CYCLJEEFTY We have a Trek Bike and Price that's right for you! ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ J PAID ADVERTISEMENT * }SUPPORT BASKETBALL!} Dear Students, Facuity, Staff, and Friends of Texas A&M, 4 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * I am extremely proud of the great university A&M has become over the last 25 years since my graduation. Our school has grown by "leeps and bounds" in the number and quality of students. It gives me a tremendous "high” to visit the campus and see the fantastic group of young men and women who attend A&M today. The future of our school is truly in good hands. I must be honest, though, when I say the A&M community has totally "dropped the ball" in support of our basketball programs (both men and women). It is embarrassing to see attendance figures after we play at G. Rollie of 1900, 2100, 2200, etc. There were 8500 students when I attended A&M (1961-1965) and we routinely had sellouts. It is impossible for me to believe with 41,000 students there is so much apathy towards basketball. There ought to literally be fights just to see a game. 1 know this is not 1965, but you folks are better than that. It will take Kermit Davis (we are lucky to have Lynn Hickey also) time to correct 10 years of neglect. We may not be competitive now, but we will be soon. Regardless of whether we win any games or whether we are playing Texas College or Arkansas, G. Rollie White should be full with fans that care about their school. A&M does not need "sock" promotionals like S.M.U. to get a few fans- we only need Aggies to be Aggies- there are three home games left (S.M.U., Arkansas, and Rice) and I challenge the A&M community to "fill up" G. Rollie. In mv opinion nothing short of sellouts will do. Thanks, P.S. Our women athletes earned and deserve the same exact support! Ed Beckcom Ft. Worth, Texas PAID ADVERTISEMENT * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * if * * Get Yourself Together and Come To A Whole New World of Visual Images! ITlonday - Tuesday, February 11-12 Thursday - Saturday, February H - 16 First Floor m.S.C.- fleross from the Post Office 10:00-5:00 MANY POSTERS $6 and under a/*o tin* gsuvry poster* ■ moat undur S30 SECOND SEMESTER CLEARANCE SALE : 10 - 5096 DISCOUNTS ON SPECIALLY TAGGED PRINTS!! LARGE SELECTION OF SALE ITEMS!!! 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