irch 4,1992
ent
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“If the election commission
provided ... beer at all
polling places, college
students would vote.”
- columnist Stacy Feducia
Page 9
Dr. Robert Webb
fulfills boyhood
dream of being a
scientist
Page 3
A&M
upsets
Texas Tech
58-56
Page 7
The Battalion
Vol. 91 No. 107 College Station, Texas
“Serving Texas A&M since 1893
10 Pages Thursday, March 5, 1992
IOW
also present-
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F.nthusiastii
jceived til!
Computer virus draws near
A&M professor offers tips to innoculate machines
A&M Exec-
st Dr. jenj
ie Epprighl
)nal Student
ajan, a grad-
iltural engi-
) presented
munity Vol-
dlmark, di-
;anizationof
) volunteei
s of interna-
to American
sts
By Gina Howard
The Battalion
A virus that has the potential
to completely destroy computer
hard disk memories world-wide
on Friday can be avoided, local
computer, experts said.
Dr. Bart Childs, professor of
computer science, said PC and
IBM-compatible computers are
the systems at greatest risk, but
most Texas A&M systems have a
high enough level of protection
to be safe from this particular
virus.
"Most A&M systems have ex
tensive protection," Childs said.
"There is a good chance it won't
bother us here. In general, we
should not have a problem, but
individual PC users are at risk."
The virus, known as the
Michelangelo virus because it is
expected to activate on the
artist's birthday - March 6 - will
erase all information stored in
the computer's hard drive if the
computer has been exposed to
the virus.
Childs said one way to avoid
the effects of the virus is to
change the internal clock in the
computer to March 7, since the
trigger to set off the virus is the
date of March 6. When the clock
says March 8, users should set
the clocks back a day.
While that method will dodge
the virus this year, he said it will
not cure the virus permanently.
"Changing the date is a sim
ple fix to avoid the virus, but
users would have to remember,
to change it every year," Childs
said. " March 6 will always trig
ger it."
John Flynn, owner of Com
puter Access in College Station,
said most people who have com
puters with the virus are com-
See Computer/Page 8
Racial composition of major
Texas universities
1990 to 1991
1990 1991 %Change
UT-Austin Black
3.7 %
3.6%
-2.77%
White
71.2
69.8
-1.79
Hispanic 10.8
11.2
+3.57
Texas A&M B
3.0
2.8
-7.14
W
80.4
79.3
-1.39
H
7.5
7.8
+3.85
U. of Houston B
8.0
8.1
+1.23
W
67.2
65.2
-3.07
H
9.3
10.0
+7 00
U. of N. Texas B
5.9
5.8
-1.72
W
82 2
82.0
-0.24
H
4.1
4.3
+4.65
Texas Tech B
2.7
2.7
0.00
W
84.9
84.1
-0.95
H
7.6
8.0
+5.00
STEPHEN TREXLER/The Battalion
A&M fosters increase
of minority students
By Jayme Blaschke
The Battalion
The racial makeup of the Texas
A&M student body is predomi
nantly white, but the Office of
School Relations is working to in
crease the representation of mi
norities on campus.
The effort A&M commits to re
cruiting minority students has in
creased dramatically over the past
decade, said Stephanie Dunlap,
associate director of the Minority
Student Recruitment Administra
tion.
"A&M has statewide represen
tatives who visit all potential stu
dents, but focus special attention
on underrepresented groups to let
them know A&M is interested in
them," Dunlap said. "It takes spe
cial effort because the link of com
munication with them is not as
strong."
Betty James, assistant commi-
sioner for educational opportunity
planning for the Texas Higher Ed
ucation Coordinating Board, said
A&M has made impressive strides
in minority recruitment despite
the fact the University population
does not reflect that of the state.
"If Texas' five largest universities
are compared, A&M and the Uni
versity of Houston are the only
two in the state to hold steady or
increase the number of minorities
enrolled," James said. "The
See Minority/Page 6
imb
my
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the depart-
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least, all re-
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in the Mid-
report was
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and other
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one reason
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increased
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had risen
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Clevenger
calls for
inspection
Student Senate seeks
outcome of income
By John Lose
The Battalion
The Texas A&M Student Senate
Wednesday night approved a res
olution calling for an independent
analysis of certain actions of the
Department of Business Services.
The inquiry, which would be
conducted by an outside firm,
would determine if any indiscre
tions exist in how money is raised
on campus by Business Services,
and how it is spent by the Admin
istration.
Senator Ty Clevenger, who in
troduced the resolution, said mon
ey from the state is earmarked for
specific uses by the University.
But money generated from oth
er sources may be spent in any
way, with little or no accountabili
ty by the Administration, he said.
This money includes funds from
bookstore sales, as well as from
vending machines on campus.
"The University receives $2
million per year in revenue from
the bookstore, which amounts to a
cash cow for them," Clevenger
said. "I don't blame it on privati
zation, though, which can work in
our favor if done properly and is
accountable."
A recent student government
task force appointed to consider
the issue of pricing was told by
Robert Smith, the vice president >
See Student/Page 6
HUY NGUYENTTha Battalion
A&M basketball player Corey Henderson celebrates the Aggies* first SWC home win in two years.
A&M wins first SWC home game in 2 years
By Scott Wudel
The Battalion
J ust three weeks ago, the Texas A&M basketball
team defeated Texas Southern University in G.
RolUe White Coliseum and ended its 12-game
losing streak. The A&M players were excited
and relieved, but the celebration was one of mere
handshakes and pats on the back.
Wednesday night, the Aggies had cause for celebra
tion. Texas Tech's Will Flemons' shot hit the front of
the rim and bounced off as the final buzzer sounded.
For the first time in more than two years of home
Southwest Conference games, the scoreboard favored
the Aggies.
A&M players rushed to the sidelines, and the crowd
of 2,545 enthusiastically greeted them. The Aggies had
just defeated the Red Raiders, 58-56, and sent the Coli
seum faithful home with relieved expectations of Tony
Barone and his young, hustl ing program.
The first-year coach said the victory was a credibili
ty boost for the A&M basketball program.
"You always tike to win your last home game,"
Barone said, fresh from a run of high-fives across the
Coliseum floor. "You like to reward the fans who have
been really loyal.
"The rap that the student body is apathetic — that
rap is really unfair. These kids have been very sup
portive."
See Basketball/Page 10
Flash floods
hit Houston,
swamp roads
Forecasters warn of storms
forming over central Texas
HOUSTON (AP) — Up to 8 inches of rain hit parts of Hous
ton Wednesday, pushing bayous over their banks, leaving some
freeways under water and making normally clogged traffic even
worse.
Four handicapped children and the driver of their school bus
escaped serious injury when their small bus went into rain-
swollen White Oak Bayou near downtown. Police said the
frightened bus riders were alert and conscious as they were put
into ambulances and taken to a hospital by police dive team
members.
Forecasters said the rains were caused by a line of storms that
hovered over the area for several hours.
"The thunderstorms just stalled out on us," Bill Evans,
spokesman of the Harris County Flood Control District, said.
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch for
all of southeast Texas, where the ground has been saturated by
heavy rains since Christmas.
Rain totals Wednesday averaged from 3 to 6 inches with iso
lated areas reporting more.
Although the weather was expected to clear by nightfall, a
new line of storms was developing across central Texas in the
late afternoon and moving east. Forecasters said those rains
could aggravate the already serious flooding problem.
Several major bayous that drain rains from Houston were re
ported at or above their banks, including Buffalo, White Oak
and Braes bayous. Evans said Greens Bayou north of the city
was also an area of concern.
Along the Interstate 10 freeway at the White Oak Bayou,
dozens of cars were stranded in door-handle-high water.
"It's the first time I've seen it like this," Ken Baugh, who has
lived in Houston since 1984, said while waiting out the flooding
on a bank along the bayou. "I'm not going to be a statistic. I'm
going to stand right here, drink beer and watch it."
Steve Wilson, a manager at the Fiesta Supermarket next to In
terstate 10 in west Houston, said traffic was at a standstill in
both directions.
Professor recommends
capitalism vs. handouts
By Sharon Gilmore
The Battalion
The United States can help the
former communist nations of East
ern Europe by pressuring them to
change their system instead of giv
ing them aid, a Texas A&M pro
fessor and University of Belgrade
graduate said Wednesday.
Dr. Svetozar Pejovich, the Rex
B. Grey Professor of Economics,
said despite rejection of the com
munist system, people in Eastern
Europe still are unsure of a capi
talist economy.
"People 45 years and older are
afraid personally of the change,
afraid a free market will take take
away all they have," he said.
Pejovich, who also served as di
rector of the A&M Center of Free
Enterprise for 11 years and as
dean of the University of Dallas
School of Management, said the
older people of Eastern Europe
think capitalism is a quick way to
get rich, while the young people
favor it.
Nationalism and strength will
affect the nature of U.S. involve
ment, whatever the future holds
for Eastern Europe, he said.
Pejovich also said Eastern Euro
pean countries have no incentives
to reconstruct their economies
and make them more efficient if
they continue to receive outside
aid.
"I believe it would be wrong to
give aid to the former Soviet
Union and other Eastern Euro
pean countries," he said. "Har
vests in the former Soviet Union
did not disappear, but their value
has increased with the inflation,
and they did not reach state
stores. They should open their
goods to private investment."
Pejovich said he still feels un
sure about the future of the for-
See Writer/Page 6
Recycling Plus
Local group lends helping hand
to community's disabled, jobless
By Ursula J. Burrell
The Battalion
A local non-profit organiza
tion known mainly for its recy
cling efforts also is helping to in
tegrate disabled individuals into
the job market.
Junction Five-O-Five, located
at 4410 College Main in Bryan,
opened its new recycling facility
on Feb. 18. The organization,
however, does more than just
collect old newspapers and alu
minum cans.
"The center is more than a re
cycling center," director Paul Fa
gan said. "We also maintain six
county and roadside parks, and
we find jobs in the community
for people with disabilities."
The parks, located between
Temple and Hempstead and be
tween Roans Prairie and Cald
well, are cleaned twice a week.
"We hope that through em
ployment, people with disabili
ties will become more indepen
dent, productive and integrated
into the community," Fagan said.
The center also provides sup
ported employment, placing
handicapped persons with em
ployers and then training them.
"We have found that people
with disabilities work better
when they are placed with an
employer and then trained," Fa
gan said. "When they are trained
outside of their place of employ
ment they have a hard time ad
justing because they expect their
jobs to be exactly the way it was
when they train for it."
Junction Five-O-Five was orig-
ORTRUN GINGERICH/The Battalion
Junction Five-O-Five recycling center finds jobs for the disabled.
inally two different non-profit
organizations for the handi
capped.
After the state reduced the
amount of money it gave Gerani
um Junction, the organization
merged with Five-O-Five Person
nel Services to form Junction
Five-O-Five.
The organization — which
does not earn enough money
from recycling to pay the wages
of its employees — welcomes do
nations and volunteers, he said.
Donators or volunteers may
contact Paul Fagan at 846-3670 or
Junction Five-O-Five; P.O. Box
4566; Bryan, TX 77805.