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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 27, 1992)
A Ia y. April 24, i iatiou ?velop: misms Should the federal government opt out of enforcing equal education? -Battalion Pro-Con Page 7 CREAM OF THE A&M CROP Aggie foursome selected on first day of NFL draft. Page 5 SCAFFOLD SITTING Fraternity sponsors event to benefit national charity organization Page 2 promise, biot ( . ;1 ' a ma gic re m . Because thepr* 11 8 microbes |) - 0 ’l, it is onlye(. n situations. 1 8 s are necessan to work," Hal® 'source,whichj __ lts ', an d enzyme u. '8 s ' grow faster m ;,e most effecfoi 3 I. 91 No. 139 The Battalion College Station, Texas “Serving Texas A&M since 1893" 8 Pages Monday, April 27, 1992 ’oor accessibility, have been sc it we just 5 million apartment of develop a at will use ation to i nerve gas," U’S Bonner of Ik -ivil Engineer^ Oepartnwil al cleanup anil :s can't be used,' will be excelta ;ed soil around , in marshes and ition will nevei ither forms ol ise each case has ions that may« orable for organ- ton ner said. i the open ocean icularly difficult in is ms to breat Perot focuses criticism on Bush DALLAS (AP) — Ross Perot says he harbors no ill will to ward either party. But the Texas billionaire has been aim ing his shar pest barbs at President Bush while sometimes seeming to go out of his way to praise Democrat Bill Clinton. Perot's Perot blunt rhetoric may reflect what many longtime Perot-watchers say is a deep- seated enmity toward Bush, rais ing the question of whether win ning or driving Bush from office may be uppermost in the fellow Texan's mind. Recent polls suggest Perot draws support about equally from Democrats and Republi cans. But his victory in certain key states like Texas could pose a substantial obstacle to Bush's re- election. Perot has a history of difficult dealings with Bush over the years, culminating in the Dallas businessman's all-out opposition to Bush's conduct of the Persian Gulf War. Perot denies bad blood and says he does not consider his prospective independent candi dacy a grudge match with Bush. But his words and actions speak differently. Even though he has spread several hundred thousand dol lars in political contributions over the past 15 years to Demo cratic and Republican candidates alike, much of it to Texans, he has given nothing to Bush, who lived in Texas for 20 years and represented the state in Congress. And in a gesture that must ir ritate the president's family, Per ot volunteers are operating a busy drive-in petition-signing booth in north Dallas just a few blocks from the home of the president's eldest son, George W. Bush. Perot's rhetorical venom against Bush has intensified the closer Perot gets to formally an nouncing an independent candi dacy. See Perot/Page 3 Mexican officials fault Pemex Authorities cite city leaders, oil monopoly for negligence GUADALAJARA, Mexico (AP) — Authorities blamed city leaders and the powerful Pemex state oil monopoly on Sunday for sewer blasts that killed at least 191 people last week. Charges could include negligent homicide. The nation's attorney general said officials were negligent for not evacuating the area after residents reported strong gasoline fumes coming from sewers. He also said they should have acting quickly to re pair the problem. Pemex has denied a broken gasoline pipeline caused Wednesday's explosions, claiming the pipes were ruptured by the blasts. The company, however, promised $32.8 million to help with reconstruction efforts to try to "mitigate the disgrace." It also pledged to increase security at all its facilities. •The attorney general, Ignacio Morales Lechuga, said nine public and Pemex officials and two private citizens he did not identify faced various charges re lated to the deaths, injuries to 1,470 people and prop erty damage. No formal charges were filed on Sun day. Mexicans, who repeatedly have suffered environ mental and natural disasters in recent years, have harshly criticized officials for the disaster and blamed both Pemex and lax government precautions. Friday, when the last known victim was removed from the rubble of Guadalajara's Reforma district, the dead child's father, a policeman, screamed: "It's the fault of Pemex!" Morales Lechuga said the leaked gasoline mixed with other volatile chefnicals in the sewers, especially the strong industrial chemical hexane, to produce the disaster. He said three cooking-oil companies that use hexane in the manufacturing process would be investigated to determine if they were the source of the hexane. He said the blasts damaged 1,422 homes, 450 busi nesses and 600 vehicles and gouged trenches in five miles of streets. State officials said half of those killed were children, many of whom were at home during the two-week Easter school holiday. Speaking at a news conference, the attorney gener al said unleaded gasoline flowed into the sewer sys tem after a leaky water main corroded a hole in an adjacent underground Pemex pipeline carrying the fuel from a refinery 130 miles away. He displayed pictures of the faulty pipes. .’m with spills in i is that the tap in order to breal irbons," he said ie ocean currents as involved,Ie 'ay, the nutrients d the oil goes an l-soaked bead, ogistics are rigb nts and bugsl) break downtk aid. "There'snet r process dial is le for suck a A long shot BILLY MORAN/The Battalion Coley Howell of Copperas Cove videotapes his son in the Corps 1. This was Howell’s fourth time to attend Parents’ Weekend, and of Cadets review and awards ceremony Sunday at Kyle Field. His he says he has plans to attend two more since his daughter is still son is John-Louis Howell, a senior and commander of Squadron a sophomore at A&M. Aftershocks hit California Pair of quakes on 'Lost Coast' cause fires, bring total number injured to 50 SCOTIA, Calif. (AP) - A pair of powerful aftershocks followed a major earthquake along Northern California's "Lost Coast," touch ing off fires and fear Sunday of more seismic shaking. The National Guard trucked in drinking water to four communi ties hardest hit by the quakes in this rugged region, where red woods outnumber people and mountains drop straight to the sea. About 50 people were injured in the string of quakes that began Saturday with one that registered 6.9 on the Richter scale, centered about 270 miles north of San Fran cisco. Two strong aftershocks early Sunday touched off a fire that rav aged a strip shopping center, de stroying a lumber yard, a pharma cy, a coffee shop and a grocery store. Flames shot 100 feet into the air and explosions were heard. The first serious aftershock struck at 12:41 a.m. and measured 6.0 on the Richter scale. A second, at 4:18 a.m., measured 6.5. They were among thousands of after shocks in this remote area known for lots of seismic activity. People as far away as Fresno, 460 miles south, felt the after shocks. RACHEL HYMEL/The Battalion A bridge connecting Scotia, a dairy town of 1,200 people, with Rio Dell was closed Sunday while officials looked for damage. Another bridge near Rio Dell showed gaps in concrete from the first aftershock, but was not closed. The epicenters of both after shocks were in the area of the first quake, centered just onshore near Rio Dell, a town of about 3,000 people. "The typical pattern with a big quake is to see a couple of fairly large aftershocks and then smaller ones with decreasing frequency," said John Minsch of the U.S. Geo logical Survey in Golden, Colo. International students Take An Aggie Home' Program urges sharing cultural experience By Robin Roach The Battalion International students at Texas A&M may be bringing home more than just a suitcase when they re turn to their native countries at the end of the semester. The Take An Aggie Home pro gram is looking for international students willing share their cultur al experiences by hosting Ameri can students in their home coun try. Department of Student Activi ties is introducing this unique pro gram in an effort to broaden inter national awareness among the American students at A&M. International students partici pating in the program will take an American student to their home country and provide insight on the different lifestyles in other na tions. Dr. Carolyn Adair, director of student activities department, said the program is not an educational program, but is based solely on in creasing the cultural knowledge of American students. "American students can learn culture by someone who knows their country well — not as a tourist," Adair said. The international students, who would like to host an American student, are asked to fill out spe cific information about their fami lies and home country. The American students choose which country and student they wish to travel with from the infor mation they are given, and the ar rangements are made by the two students. Together, the students decide when they will travel together and for how long, whether it be a week or a month. "The plans are strictly between the two students," Adair said. "The American students make a copy of the information card and contact the international student themselves." Adair said all of the interna tional students who are willing to See Residents/Page 3 Parents of the Year Battalion photo Thelma (seated), Woody, and Mary Beth Isenhart Recipients of 1992-93 award take part as students as well as parents By Julie Polston The Battalion The new Aggie Parents of the Year are not just involved in their children's activi ties at Texas A&M — they are also enrolled as students at the University. William and Thelma Isenhart received this year's award at the All-University Awards Ceremony Sunday morning at Rudder Auditorium. Thelma Isenhart, Class of '93, is a politi cal science major and her husband William is majoring in speech communications and will graduate from A&M this August. The award was established to recognize those parents who have been actively in volved in their community and family, as well as the University. "It is a wonderful honor," Mrs. Isenhart said. "For an Aggie parent, it's the highest honor here. I hope we can live up to the past parents of the year." Their daughter, Mary Beth Isenhart, Class of '93, described her parents as a "best friend" to her and her two brothers Brad and Joe, Class of '89 and '87. About 150 A&M students were also rec ognized for academic excellence and extra curricular activities at the awards ceremo- ny. Numerous Corps of Cadets awards were given, including awards for outstand ing academic cadets, outstanding ROTC cadets and outstanding faculty adviser. Swords, medals and plaques were among the awards received by about 100 cadets. About 30 students received the Thomas S. Gathright Academic Excellence Award, named after the first president of Texas A&M. This award honors the sophomore, junior and senior with the highest grade point ratio from each college. "It just feels good to get recognition for grades," said Lucy Fuhrmann, a College of Agriculture and Life Sciences recipient. "I am glad to represent my department and See Parents/Page 3