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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 5, 1991)
State & Local Thursday, September 5, 1991 The Battalion Page S Inspectors fight contractor fraud By Susan Maguire The Battalion Bryan and College Station building inspectors are trying to make B-CS residents more aware of the problem of "quack repair men," said Cread McCollom, building inspector for Bryan. "We are just now getting to the point where the public is aware of the problem," he said. Most quack contractors ask for payment up front and then do poor repair work or no repairs at all, McCollom said. Any type of work that requires a permit can be subject to fraud, from electrical work to plumbing to home improvements such as roofing and driveway repair. All plumbers and mechanical contractors are required to have valid state licenses. Electricians must have a valid city license in Bryan and College Station. Builders are not required to have licenses. Coy Perry, building inspector for College Station, said the prob lem of quack repairmen is worse during the summer because rains cause driveway and roofing prob lems. Perry said no case has been re ported in College Station in the last six months, though many cas es go unreported. McCollom said about 10 cases have been reported in Bryan in the last six months, adding that many more are not brought to his atten tion. He said many times poor work is not discovered until up to a year later, because homeowners do not get the work inspected after it is finished. "When we ask the owner for the name of the contractor after the problem is discovered, they ei ther don't know or won't say," Perry said. McCollom said most of the fake repairmen are not caught. The cities do take action when the "quack" repairmen are caught. Those who do bad plumbing, elec trical or mechanical work are tak en to court. Perry said. Those who do poor building work are given a warning, he said, and if they con tinue their work, are taken to court. The City of Bryan Inspection Services Division has compiled a checklist for residents to consider, before hiring someone to make re pairs. Before hiring a contractor, get more than one estimate. Also, make sure that the person has all of the necessary licenses, bonds and permits for the job and ask for references. The list suggests caution when approached for unsolicited offers for repair work or when the price quoted seems too good to be real. Also, be careful if a contractor asks for payment up front or is hesitant about producing a li cense. The checklist also advises people to be wary of contractors without a local office or local phone number. IN ADVANCE Who's Who Among Students Applications for Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Col leges will be available from boxes at eight different campus locations Monday from 8 a.m. through 5:00 p.m. Sept. 27. To be eligible for applications to Who's Who, a student must ful fill the following requirements: 1. Undergraduate and profes sional students must have 95 cred it hours as of September 1991, at least 30 of which have been taken at Texas A&M. A professional student is one enrolled in either the College of Veterinary Medicine or the Col lege of Medicine. . , . 2. Undergraduate and those in professional schools (Veterinary Medicine and Medicine) must have an overall grade point ration of 2.5 or better based on the 4.0 system. 3. A graduate student must have completed one semester at Texas A&M during which he has completed a minimum of 12 credit hours for which he receives grade points. This excludes hours for 681 and 691 courses since those courses do not earn grade points. Graduate students must have a grade point ratio of 3.5 or better based on the 4.0 system. 4. The student must be active in campus and/or community ac tivities and show qualities of leadership as indicated by posi tions held in student /community organizations. 5. A student may be selected to the Who's Who roll one year only. 6. Applicants must not be on any kind of probation as of Aug. 31. 7. Selectees are responsible for remaining eligible throughout their tenure as students at Texas A& M. Applications can be obtained from boxes in the Commandant's office. Student Programs Office (MSC), Student Activities Office (Pavilion), Blocker Building (first floor), Biochemistry/Biophysics Building (Reference Reading Room), Evans Library, Veterinary Medicine (Dean's Office) and Of fice of the Vice President for Stu dent Services. Completed application may then be returned to these boxes or turned in to secretaries in any of the departments within the Divi sion of Student Services: the of fices of the Commandant, Health Services, Recreational Sports, Memorial Student Center, Student Counseling Service, Student Ac tivities, Student Affairs, Multicul tural Services, and Student Finan cial Aid. From the qualified applicants, 60 students will be selected to Who's Who by a committee com posed of faculty, staff and stu dents appointed by the Vice Presi dent for Student Services and the Student Body President. Chosen students will be noti fied of their selection by the Vice President for Student Services and will be contacted by the National Who's Who office for biographical data for the 1991-1992 edition of Who's Who Among Students in American Universites and Col leges. The awards will be presented at a Who's Who reception in con junction with Parent's Day Week end on April 24. A framed certifi cate will be presented to each re cipient in a special ceremony. Questions concerning Who's Who should be directed to Sandy Briers, Department of Student Ac tivities, in Room 208 of the Pavil ion, or at 845-1133. Business association comes to campus ACE invisions future By Troy Hall The Battalion Gaining the edge in a free mar ket economy requires motivation, hard work and creative insight and a group of Texas A&M stu dents can help sharpen these en trepreneurial skills by joining the new Association of Collegiate En trepreneurs (ACE). "ACE is an international orga nization dedicated to the develop ment of students aspiring to create the job market rather than just work in it," said Christian Reza- pour, ACE vice president of pro grams and a senior business anal ysis major from Houston. . Founded in 1983, ACE chap ters are active on 150 university campuses in more than 30 coun tries, including the Soviet Union, China and Australia. The A&M chapter of ACE is open to all A&M students. Any one interested in business are en couraged to become members of the organization. "It helps us as an organization to have members from all majors," Rezapour said. "Anyone could want to own their own business' and the more diverse the member ship the more we can learn from each other." ACE President Tony Martellot- to, a senior marketing and finance major from Dallas, said that by joining the organization students can learn real life opportunities that will be useful to their future. "In the past, students did not have an outlet for developing en See Entrepreneur/Page 16 AK'F NATIONAL PROFESSIONAL BUSINESS FRATERNITY "‘TOO MUCM gooT) ToTioig" FALL RUSH 1991 September 9 7:30-10:00 MSC 325-Casual September 11 7:30-9:30 Clayton Williams Alumni Center Lecture Room A Business Attire OPEN TO ALL BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS MAJORS The Battalion is accepting applications for clerk reporter assistant city editor assistant opinion page editor copy editor cartoonist reviewer/feature writer computer graphic artist photographer to work during the fall semester. Applications are available in 013 Reed McDonald and are due by 5 p.m. Monday, Sept. 9. All majors welcome. No experience necessary. STUDENT GOVERNMENT INFORMATIONAL MEETING TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10th 7-3:30pm RUDDER THEATRE Come and 11 V US OUT!* 1 You will have the opportunity to speak to representatives of the following committees: TTUDENT NMENT UNIVERSITY BIG EVENT BLOOD DRIVE Census 4 Research CONFERENCE ON STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATIONS (COSGA) ELECTION COMMISSION Freshman programs HIGH SCHOOL PUBLIC RELATIONS AND RECRUITMENT (HSPR 2 ) LEGISLATIVE STUDY GROUP (LSG) MUSTER PARENTS’ WEEKEND PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE (PIO) TRADITIONS COUNCIL UNITED WAY AND many other SGA COMMITTEES tri-state SPORTING GOODS Your Sports Headquarters for: •Athletic Shoes •Baseball •Basketball •Baseball Cards •Exercise Equip. •Billiard Equip. •Football •Golf •Re-gripping •Handball •Raquetball •Re-Stringing •Running •Ski. Wear •Snorkling •Soccer •Softball •Team Uniforms •Volleyball •Weight Lifting 3600 Old College Road across from Chicken Oil Co. 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Subject to availability. 9 4 DEFENSIVE J DRIVING PLUS 1808 D Brothers Blvd. College Station (Behind Walmart) 693-6062 •Ticket Dismissal •Insurance Discount •Commercial D.L. Prep A State Approved Driving Safety Course Sponsored By Gulf Coast Driving School, Inc. $2.00 Off With This Coupon Mobile Technologies 696-2693 VallcyView behind K-mart Mobile Technologies in conjunction with the March of Dimes presents the College Station Auto Expo & Central Texas Sound Challenge Sept. 7th & 8th at the Texas World Speedway CONTACT LENSES % ONLY QUALITY NAME BRANDS (Bausch & Lomb, Ciba, Barnes-Hinds-Hydrocurve) $ 138 00 TOTAL COST | ...INCLUDES EYE EXAM, FREE CARE KIT, STD. DAILY WEAR, EXTENDED WEAR OR TINTED LENSES. YOUR CHOICE of Std. Daily Wear, Extended Wear or Tinted Soft Lenses SAME DAY DELIVERY ON MOST LENSES. Offer ends August-30r 1991 Extended thru September 27, 1991 Call 696-3754 for Appointment Charles C. Schroeppel, O.D., P.C. Doctor of Optometry 707 S. Texas Ave.-Suite 101D 1 Blk. 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