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Vol. 92 No. 5 (12 pages) “Serving Texas A&M Since 1893” Friday, September 4, 1992
Officials concerned about high-speed rail
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — Railroad Commissioner
Bob Krueger said Thursday that the state
should quickly "pull the plug" on the
high-speed rail project if it can't be shown
to work properly and pay for itself.
"I think very often the charitable thing,
if somebody is really in a terminal situa
tion — and I had it with my own mother
- the charitable thing is finally to pull
the plug," Krueger said.
He serves on the Texas High Speed
Rail Authority, which oversees the pro
posed "buller train franchise awarded to
a group of French and American in
vestors.
Rep. Ed Kuempel, R-Seguin, said he's
ready to take such action and suggested
that the Legislature be given a second
chance to look at the project during the
1993 session before the authority takes
any further action.
"If indeed we have a problem, before
we have a bigger problem, I would cer
tainly like for the Texas House of Repre
sentatives and the Texas Senate to look at
this to make sure that we don't have a fi
asco on our
hands," Kuem
pel told the
House High-
Speed Rail Sub
committee.
A number of
lawmakers believed the project would
follow existing railroad routes more
closely than it apparently will, Kuempel
said.
The proposed 200 mph train would
link major Texas cities. Rural residents
have complained about the land being
carved up for the fenced-in rail lines.
Although current Texas law forbids
state money from being spent on the
train, several lawmakers said they fear
they may be asked to step in and finish
the project if it gets started but private
funding stalls.
Lawmakers noted there's been talk
that franchise holders will ask for an ex
tension of the Dec. 31 deadline for coming
up with $170 million of the estimated $6
billion-plus project cost.
Glenn Biggs, chairman of the corpora
tion awarded the franchise, acknowl
edged that odds are against meeting that
deadline but noted it has not asked for an
extension.
Biggs said a ridership study started lat
er than scheduled. The company, called
the Texas High Speed Rail Corp., won't
have enough time to review the study
with investment bankers before the fi
nancing deadline, he said. The study is
not expected to be
ready until mid-
November.
Krueger, who
opposes an exten
sion, said the cor
poration hasn't
shown it can meet its financial commit
ment.
But another authority member. Fort
Worth lawyer Hershel Payne, said he'd
see no problem with a small delay.
Rep. Parker McCollough, D-George-
town, said, "Many of us are seeing this as
just a whole series of broken promises
and lies and misrepresentations regard
ing this project."
Payne said he wouldn't call an exten
sion a broken promise, noting that it is
common in law to amend contracts and
that it's important to get results of the rid
ership study.
Biggs said the project won't go for
ward unless private investors can be con
vinced of its worth.
"There was a time when everybody
said, 'Let's don't have cable television/ ...
And yet, cable television is an integral
part of the communications system to
day," he said.
"What we have got to show to the peo
ple is that this is going to work, and if it
doesn't work, I agree with Bob Krueger:
Cancel the deal. But my God, give it a
chance."
"What we have to show to the people is that this is going to work, and
if it doesn't work, I agree with Bob Krueger: Cancel the deal. But my
God, give it a chance."
-Glenn Biggs, corporation chairman
Lawmakers unveil plans
to reduce gang activities
Subcommittee
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — State lawmakers
Thursday unveiled recommenda
tions to eliminate gangs, but they
rejected an earlier proposal to tax
bullets and use the revenue to
help children at risk of joining
gangs.
Rep. Eddie de la Garza said the
bullet tax idea was met with stiff
opposition from the public and
the National Rifle Association.
"It doesn't appear to be one
that has much support
statewide," de la Garza, D-Edin-
burg, said of the bullet-tax.
But his legislative subcommit
tee is pushing some 30 ways to re
duce gang activity.
The recommendations range
from increasing penalties for dri
ve-by shooting to establishing
drug-free and weapon-free zones
around schools.
He said the subcommittee re
port, which will be considered by
the House Criminal Jurisprudence
Committee next week, would
have a "major impact" on reduc
ing crime.
The cost of the plan has not
oses 30 measures to
been determined, but providing a
couple of the recommendations
would be about $40 million, de la
Garza said.
He said many of the programs
could be funded through fees on
persons convicted of crimes and
diverting 25 percent of money for
feited by criminals to a special
fund to reduce gangs.
Currently there are about
13,000 gang members in the
state's eight largest cities, law
makers said.
Gang activity has also spread
to many suburban and rural areas,
according to state Rep. Parker Mc
Collough, chairman of the Crimi
nal Jurisprudence Committee.
McCollough said he was not
worried that increasing penalties
for gang activity would further
burden the overcrowded prison
system.
But, he said, increasing the
penalty for a drive-by shooting
from a misdemeanor to a felony
"sends a strong signal that if
you're going to participate in this
and you are apprehended, and
convicted, the punishment is go
ing to be a serious punishment."
eliminate violence
Other recommenda
tions by the subcom
mittee include:
•Setting up alternative
schools for expelled stu
dents.
•Making gang areas eli
gible for enterprise zones.
•Dispersing grants for
programs such as mentor
ing, recreation, job training,
parenting skills classes,
and educational needs.
•increasing communica
tion between police, courts,
and schools concerning vi
olent juveniles.
•Allowing violent juvenile
offenders’ criminal records
to follow him into adult
hood.
•Purchasing a national
computerized gang tracking
data base.
•Starting a long term
study of the juvenile justice
system.
Poverty increases during recession
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — The tightening recession
dumped more than 2 million Americans into poverty
in 1991, the Census Bureau said Thursday. The num
ber of Americans officially categorized by the gov
ernment as poor reached a 27-year high.
Last year, during the depths of the recession, 35.7
million Americans were listed as poor. In 1991, poor
Americans comprised 14.2 percent of the population,
up from 13.5 percent the year before.
The governments counts people as poor if their
income falls below the national poverty line. Last
year a family of four earning $13,924 was poor. So
was an individual earning $6,932 or less.
Americans in general earned less in 1991 than the
year before. The government said median household
income declined by 3.5 percent, to $30,126, after ad
justing for inflation.
The poverty numbers immediately became am
munition in the presidential campaigns.
The Republican Bush administration defended its
record.
"Certainly I think we have to expect that the re
cession would have a significant and serious impact
on income and on poverty levels," said White House
press secretary Marlin Fitzwater. "We have tried to
target a number of programs in the last couple of
years particularly to those problems, knowing that
the recession would have a deleterious effect."
Democratic presidential nominee Bill Clinton at
tacked.
"Today's poverty figures are yet another terrible
indication of the devastation of 12 years of Republi
can rule," said Clinton spokesman George
Stephanopoulos. "Working Americans are becoming
poorer because George Bush is doing nothing for
them."
Your chances of being poor increased if you:
•Were black or Hispanic.
•Hadn't yet celebrated your 18th birthday.
•Lived outside the subbrbs.
•Hailed from the South.
• Lived alone.
Graduating from high school was the surest way
to avoid poverty, said Daniel Weinberg, the Census
Bureau's housing and household economics chief.
"Additional education seems to have the biggest im
pact on their later earnings. The second thing is to
get married and have the spouse work. And if you
do those two things, you'll be okay."
Two poor Americans out of five age 15 and older
worked. But fewer than one in 10 held a full-time,
year-round job.
DARRIN HILL/The Battalion
Juan Galino, a sophomore marketing/finance major from El Salvador, shows his bus pass to “Ol
Sarge” bus driver Lynn Selzer on Thursday.
Bus services offers students
on- and off-campus routes
By MONIQUE LUNSFORD
Reporter of THE BATTALION
C onvenient on- and off-campus bus ser
vices are offered at a number of locations
on the A&M campus and throughout the
Bryan-College Station area.
For many students, finding a bus at just the
right time can make the difference between having
a smooth ride or an energy-draining walk across
the tracks or to any other distant location on or
around the University.
The main on-campus bus routes run from 7 a.m.
to 6 p.m. on regular class days with stops ranging
from academic buildings to well-defined bus stops.
These on-campus bus services are free at the ex
act time of use, but according to Tom Williams, di
rector of the Department of Parking, Transit and
Traffic Services, funding of the transportation is
provided through student service fees and parking
revenues.
From one student's perspective, A&M bus ser
vices can be a campus traveler's relief.
"So far, I like riding the bus because I park
across the tracks on the west side of campus, and
it's a lot easier to park over there and catch the bus
over here than to try to find a place on campus,"
Cher Sanderman, a sophomore elementary educa
tion major said.
According to Trey Poage, a sophomore science
major, there is room for improvement with the stu
dent bus services.
"I think it's just way too congested. The bus ser
vice just needs to open up a little bit. You can't
count on the buses for anything like getting to class
oh time. You just have to try to wing it."
Dial-A-Ride, an on- or off-campus bus service,
is available for students who have to travel in the
evenings or late at night. This service services cam
pus locations between 6:30 p.m. and 2 a.m. Sunday
through Thursda}', and between 6:30 p.m. and 10
p.m. on Fridays.
The off-campus Dial-A-Ride schedule is a regu
lar late night service from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., but on
Fridays, the bus runs from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The off-campus shuttle buses operate until 10
p.m. Monday through Thursday, but they have
fewer routes available after 6:30 p.m.
For students who need to purchase bus passes,
the fee is $110 for both the fall and spring semes
ters, but this charge is prorated each month
throughout the year. The bus fee for the summer is
$55.
Students can obtain detailed bus schedules and
information at the Department of Parking Traffic
and Transit Services.
1
President, counsel warn Corps about harassment
"Everyone of us at this University is an
Aggie. Everyone has the right to be
here and the right to succeed."
-President William Mobley
By MARK EVANS
Staff Writer of THE BATTALION
The Texas A&M Corps of
Cadets had the law laid down be
fore them Thursday evening as
President William Mobley and an
attorney for the Texas A&M Uni
versity System told cadets that
hazing and harassment will not be
tolerated at Texas A&M.
"There can be no tolerance for
hazing or harassment. You cannot
afford, the Corps cannot afford,
this University cannot afford any
aberrations of this," Mobley told
the cadets.
"Everyone of us at this Univer
sity is an Aggie. Everyone has the
right to be here and the right to
succeed."
Genevieve Stubbs, first assis
tant general counsel for the Sys
tem, expressed dissatisfaction
with the hazing and harassment
incidents over the past few
years.
"It's (Corps) very existence is
threatened because of a few indi
viduals, a small minority, who
think that their interpretation of
what is right is better than that of
the legislature, the courts and the
Congress," she said.
To survive, the Corps must op
erate within the confines of the
law, Stubbs said. The hazing law
in the Texas Education Code pro
hibits any knowing or reckless act,
directed against a student, which
endangers the physical or mental
health of that person for the pur
pose of initiation into an organiza
tion.
Stubbs recounted the hazing
death of Bruce Goodrich several
years ago. Cadet Goodrich died
on the floor of a shower after col
lapsing following a "training" ac
tivity at 3 a.m.
"I'm afraid you guys have for
gotten about Cadet Goodrich,"
she said. "When it happened,
when I was in the middle of it, I
was hoping you never would (for
get)."
Membership in the Corps
grants no special privileges,
Stubbs said. Cadets are not im
mune from the law.
"If you want to be the law unto
yourself, you are headed for trou
ble, and we would just as soon
that you not take the Corps and
our University down with you."
Cadets live under a micro
scope, she said. Their mistakes are
seen by everyone.
"Your actions and words are
being watched by friends and foes
alike," Stubbs said. "It's not fair,
but you've got to be better than
best."
Mobley reminded the cadets of
the responsibilities that come with
being a member of the Corps. As
leaders on the A&M campus and
representatives of the University,
it is up to the members of the
Corps to conduct themselves with
the pride and professionalism
which A&M symbolizes, Mobley
said.
"The fact that the Corps is so
visible heightens your responsibil
ity," he told them, "because
everyone on this campus looks to
the Corps for leadership and ex
pects the highest standards."
The world is made up of di
verse groups of people, Mobley
said. Women and minorities play
significant roles in society. Those
people who can best work with
diverse people will benefit the
most after graduation. The Corps
has the influence to set this tone
for the entire campus.
"There's a lot riding on the
choices you're going to make this
year," Stubbs told the cadets.
"Please Ags, make the right ones."
"It would be one of the saddest
days in the history of Texas for the
Corps to disappear because some
of its members figured that they
knew more about what was best
for the Corps than the University
— and it turned out that they
were wrong," Stubbs said.