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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 9, 1992)
> t What has the Student Senate done . . . that has had any meaningful effects on our lives? — Stacy Feducia Page 11 A&M sophomore utilizes swimming , <—>> experience to coach Bryan youths Page 7 Memories of ‘89 Texas returns to Olsen field and a legendary series Page 3 The Battalion Vol. 91 No. 127 College Station, Texas ‘Serving Texas A&M since 1893’ 12 Pages Thursday, April 9, 1992 !rime rates increase in spring, summer months, expert says By Alysia Woods The Battalion A Texas A&M sociology professor said there is a definite relationship between crime rates and different times of year, /ith an increase in sexual assault during he spring and summer. Dr. Ben Crouch, who teaches criminol- bgy and delinquency corrections courses, laid the number of sexual assaults nation- dde peak in the warmer times of the year for a variety of reasons. "The reasons are fairly straightfor ward," Crouch said. "More folks are out and about when the weather begins to warm up." Another reason for the increase is be cause people — especially women — wear less clothing in the spring and sum mer, Crouch said. "A young man's fantasy will turn into 'fill-in-the-blank' during springtime," he said. Linda Castoria, executive director for the Brazos County Rape Crisis Center, said her staff of volunteers does not stress the springtime theories and statistics in their work. " The FBI did say that all crimes are ac celerated in the spring months," Castoria said, "because windows are left open and a lot of people are outside." Castoria said, however, that more re cent statistics show that rapes occur year- round, and volunteers for the center try not to focus on a particular time period. "The scary thing is that too many peo ple will adhere to statistics when they need to be careful all the time," she said. Increases in all crimes are occurring, which Castoria said is unfortunate. These increases are shown in national statistics. Crouch said rapes begin to increase in May and August, the months with the highest number of sexual assaults. Robberies are the lowest in the spring and highest in the late fall around Christ mas. Murders, however, are evenly dis tributed throughout the year. Crouch said. "Aggravated sexual assaults and sexu al assaults are the two violent crimes that follow what we (sociologists) call the ther mal law of crime," he said. Crouch said, however, that sociologists are concerned with collective national patterns and reported assaults which, for a number of reasons, do increase around the spring season. "There is some basis for those pat terns," he said. "You don't have to have a Ph.D. to know this." laza ers RANT m EE , entree ot d Dillard's OODI' c STATION r a l-Martoi name brar- icated (cars wi ill also f ieck will t ucks to l|l TEK ' 693 »uiers Ef enms pro eveals he as AIDS NEW YORK (AP) - Tennis reat Arthur Ashe announced re luctantly and emotionally Vednesday that he has AIDS but ieclared, "I am not sick. I can jnction very well.'' Ashe, the first black man to win ithe Wimbledon tournament, said de contracted the virus during a 1983 heart operation and learned lof that fact in 1988. He said he was forced to go public now because a Inewspaper had inquired about his Ihealtn. □ related column/ Page 3 "I have AIDS," he said. "I am sorry that I have been forced to make this revelation now, at this time." "Sadly, there is really no good reason for this to happen now. But it has happened, and I will adjust and go forward," he said. Ashe, 48, said he has toxoplas mosis, a parasitic infection of the brain that is considered a marker for AIDS. Toxoplasmosis is one of many diseases that attack people whose immune systems are weak ened by AIDS. In November, former Los An geles Lakers basketball star Earvin K Magic" Johnson announced he was carrying the AIDS virus. John son has not developed the disease Itself. Johnson's agent, Lon Rosen, said in Los Angeles that Johnson is arranging to speak with Ashe. "Earvin wants very much to peak to Arthur," Rosen said. In a statement, Johnson extend- id his support and prayers to Ashe and his family. "It takes great courage and strength to make such an an nouncement," Johnson said. "I'm See Tennis /Page 6 ;es •0. Tint! oo Taking a stand Sara Wikse of the Texas A&M chapter of Amnesty International speaks to a small crowd Wednesday in front of Rudder Fountain on the human rights violations the organization claims are occurring in Haiti. Students gathered to protest the U.S. government’s treatment of Haitian refugees who currently are being sent back to the DARRIN HILL/The Battalion embattled island nation. “Not surprisingly, in the climate of fear and. real danger that exists there, many people have attempted to leave Haiti,” Wikse said. “Article 33 of the United Nations Convention on the Status of Refugees says, ‘No one should be forced to return to a country where they list serious human rights violations.’” Pushing for Perot Petitioners attempt to force candidate on November ballot By Melody Dunne The Battalion If you did not vote in the Democratic or Republican primaries. Aggies For Perot want your signature on their petitions. Texas billionare H. Ross Perot must have 55,000 signatures on petitions by the first week of May in order to be on the state ballot for the November presidential election, said Lou Zaeske, a region coordinator for Texas Perot efforts. Every state has different requirements to place a candidate on their ballot, he said. In some states ( it is a monetary fee. Perot supporters gathered around a camper and tables in front of the vacant Rock- yano's Pizza at 1037 Texas Ave. on Wednes day. Jeffrey Ellis, a student organizer of Aggies For Perot, said there will be ballots available at the Rockyano's location until the beginning of May for anyone who would like to sign one. KARL A. STOLLEIS/The Battalion Rod Hawkins (far left) mans petition table across from eastgate. "Many college students didn't vote in the primaries because they were registered in their hometown," Ellis said. "We expect some of them to sign the petitions." Dan Eason, a junior economics major from Uvalde, said he supports Perot because he motivates and appeals to both Republican and Democratic voters. Eason said Aggies Fof Perot is an extreme ly new organization and the group is trying to become unified and organized in order to garner support for their candidate. Robert Ray, a senior from Longview, said many people will sup port Perot because they are dissatisfied with the present choice of candi dates. Ray said that, in the past, independent can didates have not had enough monetary sup port to finish a cam paign. "Perot has the kind of money to be competi tive," he said. Perot is a self-made billionaire who founded Electronic Data Systems in Dallas. Perot has pledged that he will spend up to $100 million of his personal money if he is on the ballot in all 50 states. Zaeske said that the campaign for Perot is not a third-party effort. "It's a network of independent voters here in Texas," he said. He said he is confident there are plenty of registered voters who will sign the petitions to meet the necessary amount of 55,000. Records show warning hours before explosion Computers indicated problem at 4 a.m. By Reagon Clamon The Battalion BRENHAM — Officials are in vestigating a computer record in dicating a possible valve malfunc tion that occurred hours before an explosion shook Southeast Texas Tuesday morning. George Mocharko, a spokes man for the National Transporta tion Safety Board, said Wednes day night that workers knew of a change in the valve's status three hours before the blast. The valve is operated by Coast line Gas Pipeline Co. and connects Coastline's pipeline to the Bren- ham Storage Salt Dome facility owned by Seminole Pipeline Co. NTSB officials have been inves tigating the accident since the team took over the job from the Texas Railroad Commission Tues- . day afternoon. Mocharko said Coastline opera tion records tipped investigators off to the possible cause of the ex plosion. At 4 a.m. Tuesday, a sensor sta tion recorded a shift in the status of the valve, which could have been caused by the valve shifting position or malfunctioning, he said. "They received a reading at their station, according to the records," Mocharko said. "At the time, however, they had their line closed and were not planning on delivering any product." Officials, however, strongly cautioned that this possible expla nation is far from being con- See Officials/Page 6 State denies disaster aid to blast area By Reagon Clamon The Battalion BRENHAM - The gover nor's office Wednesday re fused to declare the site of Tuesday's gas explosion an official disaster area. Ed Laundy of the Texas State Emergency Manage ment Team said he denied aid because of the localization of the damage and the fact that the majority of the residents affected had their own insur ance. The explosion, which oc curred near a petroleum stor age facility seven miles south of Brenham, devastated an area three miles across and damaged more than 40 homes near the blast. The Federal Emergency Management Agency gives aid to communities that have been declared disaster areas, but the aid must be recom mended by the governor. Dorothy Morgan, a Wash ington County judge serving as liaison to the governor's of- See State/Page 6 Panel discusses social intolerance on campus By Matari Jones The Battalion Student organizations that re late only to themselves develop an intolerance to other groups on campus, said students participat ing in a panel discussion on social intolerance Wednesday night. "(Minority) groups feel like they are not wanted by not being invited (to other organization's functions)," said Reggie Broaddus, a student participant in the panel. The discussion was sponsored by the Texas A&M chapter of Sig ma Gamma Rho Sorority. Repre sentatives of the Pan-Hellenic Council, Interfraternity Council, Gay and Lesbian Student Services and the Corps of Cadets expressed their views on social bias. Individuals need motivation to learn about other people's experi ences, said Glenda Clausell, vice president of Sigma Gamma Rho. Clausell said people lack growth when they relate only to their own kind, and as a result they are not prepared to deal with minorities in the real world. One panelist said it's hard for some people to come in and make themselves a part of A&M, and minorities have to make a person al effort to relate. "Lack of communication is the biggest problem," said Corey Red mond, a female member of the Corps of Cadets. "Ninety-nine percent of the guys in the Corps don't know what fraternities are about," he said. The panel of students listed in teraction with other groups, sensi tivity and an increase in communi cation as solutions to the problem of social intolerance. Clausell said not everyone likes to go and drink at the Dixie Chicken every Thurs day night. "Student orientation programs are not geared toward minorities," Clausell said. Another panelist said it is up to individuals to begin making an ef fort toward tolerance. "Change starts with one per son," said Wash Jones, panelist moderator and area coordinator for residence halls. "I am sure someone can influence somebody to reach out and make some changes."