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The Battalion
Vol. 92 No. 27 (10 pages)
‘Serving Texas A&M Since 1893’
Tuesday, October 6, 1992
Students react to disabilities act at forum
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By CHERYL HELLER
Reporter of THE BATTALION
An open forum to help identi
fy issues with the Americans
with Disabilities Act (ADA) was
held Monday in the Student Ser
vices Building.
The forum gave concerned in
dividuals a chance to voice their
opinions and discuss the changes
that must be made at Texas A&M
University in order for it to com
ply with the ADA.
The ADA, which became effec
tive last January, prohibits dis
crimination against the disabled
in employment and in their ac
cess to public phces. It applies to
colleges, universities and other
educational institutions.
The forum began with an in
troduction by Vice President for
Finance and Administration
Robert Smith, who explained the
purpose for meeting and the
changes that must be made at
Texas A&M.
"This forum is a visible mani
festation of our commitment,"
Smith said, "and is being held to
determine what our priorities
are."
Ben Wolf, a visually impaired
Texas A&M graduate student
who attended the forum, said he
believes A&M has a lot to offer in
the area of physical access.
"The physical accessibility at
Texas A&M is second to none,"
Wolf said. "Except for some
problems with steep wheelchair
ramps, narrow doors, and a lack
of bicycle regulation enforce
ment, I feel that A&M is doing a
good job in making the facilities
accessible for the disabled.
"There is some discrimination
in classes as far as the teachers
are concerned," he said. "The
professors aren't willing to ac
commodate students with dis
abilities because it will inconve
nience them."
Tom Strganac, an associate
professor in the Department of
Aerospace Engineering who is
confined to a wheelchair, agrees
the problem of discrimination
among the faculty needs to be ad
dressed.
"The System doesn't allow the
faculty to be very sensitive to stu
dents," Strganac said. "It's easy
for a faculty member to discour
age a student from taking a class
because it's more convenient to
him."
Strganac agrees with Wolf that
there are some architectural prob
lems at A&M that need to be
smoothed out, but general acces
sibility is good.
"There are a few problems,
such as bathrooms that aren't
easily wheelchair accessible," Str
ganac said. "Just because there's
a handicapped sign on the door
doesn't mean that they're easy for
us to use."
Lisa Larson, an Evans Library
employee who attended the fo
rum, was diagnosed with Carpal
Tunnel Syndrome as a direct re
sult of poor working conditions
at the library.
"I was diagnosed with this
condition about two years ago,"
Larson said, "and since then little
has been done to improve work
ing conditions here."
Experts have visited offices
and made recommendations, Lar
son said, but the University has
rejected them because of cost.
"As our campus becomes
more automated, more and more
people will be disabled on poor
work stations," Larson said. "I
hope the University realizes this
and that changes can be made be
fore more people are injured."
Others attending the forum
commented on the fact that there
is no set procedure for fire drills,
causing confusion for the dis
abled who must get out of the
building quickly. The creation of
a mandatory workshop to teach
staff members sensitivity in deal
ing with disabled students was
also mentioned.
Smith has appointed an ADA
Steering Committee to identify
policy and procedure changes
that are needed at Texas A&M in
order for the University to be in
compliance with the ADA within
three years.
The committee is in the
process of performing a self-eval
uation required by the ADA to
focus on the areas of physical fa
cilities, transportation and hu
man resources.
A Disability Access Advisory
Committee of disabled and non
disabled faculty, staff and stu
dents has also been formed to
function as a sound board and as
a funnel for questions and com
ments.
The committee makes recom
mendations to the ADA Steering
Committee regarding the issues
that arise.
Joe Sugg, director of the Physi
cal Plant, believes that the infor
mation gained in Monday's fo
rum will help the committees de
cide the changes that need to be
made to gain university compli
ance.
"We'll take this input and use
it to help us gain a better under
standing in dealing with ADA is
sues," Sugg said. "The forum will
go a long way in directing our
limited resources to the areas that
need improvement."
RAILEEN TWAMLEY/Special to The Battalion
Jeff Klouda, a computer science major from Kingwood, goes up a ramp outside the Teague
Building. Klouda said the Teague Building entrance is one of the worst on campus because the
ramp is steep with a narrow corner.
Congress
overrides
Bush's veto
of cable bill
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON - Congress
overrode President Bush's veto
Monday and enacted legislation
designed to regulate the cable
television industry and curb ris
ing rates. It was the first time the
House and Senate had thwarted
Bush's veto during his presiden
cy.
The House voted 308-114; the
Senate 74-25. Both were comfort
ably over the necessary two-
thirds majority.
Bush had successfully vetoed
35 other bills.
"Good for the House, good
for the Senate, good for the Re
publicans who voted to over
ride," Democratic nominee Bill
Clinton said on CNN's "Larry
I King Live."
• 'This was a bill that was in
the interests of the ordinary, av
erage Americans, the kind of
people who have been left out of
the policies of this administra
tion," said Clinton, who was in
terviewed in Ocala, Fla., with
running mate Sen. A1 Gore.
The cable TV bill would re
quire the Federal Communica
tions Commission to set rates for
basic cable service in communi-
i ties where cable companies oper
ate as monopolies. It also is de
signed to enhance competition
from other companies that can
provide expanded programming
; similar to cable.
And in a concession to the
broadcast industry, it requires
cable companies to negotiate
with local broadcasters before
carrying their signals,
r "The president says competi
tion will not increase with this
bill," said Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-
Hawaii. "He is wrong. If we do
not pass this bill, there will never
be competition to cable."
Republican Sen. John Dan-
[ forth of Missouri, a coauthor of
| the bill, cautioned Democrats not
to characterize the vote as a
Weakening of the president.
"I know a lot of weight has
gone on the president's perfect
j record on vetoes," said Danforth.
"A lot of presidents have had ve
toes overridden and they have
been very strong presidents."
AIRBORNE
Candidates actions
BILLY MORAN/Thc Battalion
An AH-1 Cobra helicopter flies over the Rudder Theater Complex Monday as part of a recruiting
drive of the Army National Guard. Based in Waco, A Troop, 1/124 Cavalry was the representing
unit.
face public scrutiny
Opponents' pasts arise during campaign
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON - Bill Clinton
never seems to foreclose an option
while George Bush stakes out un
qualified stands
that sometimes
come back to
haunt him.
Clinton's
hedged support
of the Mexican
trade treaty was
a classic example
of his style:
weigh all factors,
split the differ
ences and satisfy
everyone a little.
"You must look at the other side of
the coin," he said.
Bush faces a day of reckoning on
what came perilously close to a re
newed no-new-taxes pledge earlier
this campaign season. Congress is
about to send him a bill that con
tains many of the tax breaks he
wants.
"They pack it up with some of
the good things the country needs,
and then load in some things like
higher taxes, and I'm going to have
difficulty there," the president said
Monday on ABC's "Good Morning
America."
Bush has been known to fudge
and Clinton has been known to do
180-degree turnarounds. Usually
it's the other way around. The rap
against Bush is that he flip-flops
and the knock against Clinton is
that he waffles.
Clinton's positions usually come
with qualifiers and conditions. To
supporters, that's shading and nu
ance; to detractors, it's slick or eva
sive.
Republicans have had a field day
with Clinton's ever-changing ac
counts of how and why he avoided
military' service during the Vietnam
War.
His position
on the Persian
Gulf War has
also provided
fodder for the
GOP. Clinton
says now that he
supported the
Persian Gulf
War.
He said at the
time he would
Clinton have voted with
the Senate ma
jority that authorized the war if it
were a close vote.
He also said then, "I agree with
the arguments of the people in the
minority on the resolution."
On Sunday, Clinton endorsed
the Mexican trade treaty negotiated
by Bush.
He also pledged to seek supple
mental agreements to protect U.S.
jobs and markets.
And while Clinton supports le- >
gal abortion, he also told Readers
Digest this month that he doesn't
oppose a 24-hour waiting period
"as long as it is not an undue bur
den on low-income people who
travel long distances in states where
abortions are performed only in one
or two places."
He supports laws that require
young girls to notify their parents
or a judge that they're having an
abortion.
And while abortions for poor
women would be subsidized under
his national health-care reform
plan, Arkansas has not paid for
them during his tenure as governor.
Bush
Advance
No September SUver Taps
There will not be a Silver Taps ceremony tonight because no
Texas A&M students have died during the month of September, said
Sherry Nesbitt, coordinator for Silver Taps.
The last time there was not a ceremony was April of this year.
Julian Jelinek, Ross Volunteer, said there will not be an alternative
ceremony to take the place of Silver Taps. The reason for Silver Taps
is to honor Aggies that have passed away so there is no need for a
ceremony this month, he said.
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