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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 6, 1993)
The Battalion 1893 — A Century of Service to Texas A&M — 1993 Tuesday, April 6,1993 A Year Of War In Sarajevo Today marks anniversary of Bosnia's drive for independence THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina — Marking the first anniversary of the war that has shattered their lives and their city, residents of Sarajevo waver between resig nation and disbelief. Grim and exhausted, they live day to day, struggling to survive amid the ruins with U.N. handouts and a belief that the Serb attackers will never take their city. Today is regarded as the first anniver sary of the war. Last April 6, the United Na tions recognized the Republic of Bosnia- Herzegovina, and Serbs who oppose the state's independence drive opened fire on peace demonstrators. The Bosnian government estimates that 8,250 Sarajevans have died and 14,500 have been wounded since then . Across the republic, more than 200,000 people are dead or missing, the government says. No official observances were planned, but on Monday President Alija Izetbegovic issued yet another appeal to the interna tional community to act. The Serbs have seized 70 percent of Bosnia's terri tory, and the east ern enclave of Srebrenica is on the verge of falling to the Serbs. "Please do something to save Srebrenica and to stop this tragedy, the greatest since World War II," Izetbegovic wrote to Presi dent Clinton in a letter read on Bosnian TV. Only the U.N. military command sched uled something special on Tuesday — a crucial negotiating session of the opposing army chiefs on the neutral grounds of Sara jevo's airport. Sarajevo's ordeal can be partially under stood in numbers: 2,500 children killed; 35,000 apartments damaged or destroyed; 75 percent of the city's old archi tecture in ruins; 54,000 tons of hu manitarian aid brought in to keep the city alive. But row upon row of wooden grave markers filling Lion Cemetery and the field of the nearby soccer stadium are much more poignant than numbers. "I didn't expect it to last this long, but I don't see the end of it even now," said Jad- ranka Stojkovic, a Hare Krishna member who spends her days caring for refugees. "It could easily last another year." The ugliness of war is everywhere: bul let-riddled cars, collapsed buildings, hill sides and parks denuded of trees cut down for fuel, uncollected garbage picked over by skinny cats and dogs. But a year of dodging sniper bullets, burying loved ones and struggling for es sentials — food, water and shelter — have toughened the city and its spirit. Most buses have been destroyed, and an open truck carries people around town. Neighbors share the last crumbs of their bread, and the daily newspaper Libeiation continues to publish, even though its offices were shattered. In one recent spontaneous demonstra tion of dark humor, several people boarded an idled streetcar while a crowd of pedestri ans pushed it — "just so they could say they were riding the tram," said journalist Mirjana Pobric. "I didn't expect it to last this long, but I don't see the end of it even now ... it could easily last anoth er year." -Jadranka Stojkovic, Hare Krishna member Campus runoff elections today, I.D. required Students can vote in today's campus runoff elections from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the MSC, Ster ling C. Evans Library, Blocker Building, Kleburg Center and Zachry Engineering Center. Voting is open to all stu dents including graduating se niors. Students need to bring their student I.D. with them to vote. The election results will be announced around 12:30 a.m. Wednesday outside the Stu dent Government offices in the Student Services Building. Runoff elections are being held for the following races: student body president. Resi dence Hall Association presi dent, Class of '95 treasurer. Class of '96 vice president and Class of '96 secretary. ap- di- Is Training for Fight Night '93 to SHERI COTTSCHALK/Special to The Battalion Bill Yarnell, a senior political science major from Memorial Scholarship Fund. There will be Texarkana, prepares for Fight Night. Sigma Phi approximately 70 fighters competing at Charlie's Epsilon has held Fight Night every year for the past on South Texas. Fight Night will begin Thursday 17 years to raise money for the Marcus J. Tyler and continue througn Saturday. Admission is $5. Through the looking glass . . . Professor disputes replacing of Academic Building windows JOHN BART RAM/Th c Battalion By CHERYL HELLER The Battalion Planned improvements to the Academic Building may take away from its historical authentic ity, architecture professor David Woodcock said Monday. The Texas A&M Physical Plant plans to replace the existing wooden windows on the Acade mic Building with dark, anodized aluminum windows. Although the original wooden windows are decayed and require a lot of maintenance. Woodcock said the aluminum windows will detract from the historic preserva tion of the building. Plant Director foe Sugg said the aluminum windows will maintain consistency with other buildings on campus, provide bet ter insulation, and require less maintenance than wooden win dows. "We've replaced windows in Sbisa Dining Hall, the Systems Building, and several other older buildings on campus with alu minum windows," he said. "Re placing the Academic Building windows will make the buildings appear more attractive as a group." Woodcock reported the win dow replacement to the Texas Historical Commission in Austin, but as an advisory board, the commission can only offer sug gestions to the University. "The Academic Building is the oldest original building and cen tral focal point on campus," he said. "It's home to many Texas A&M traditions, and I'm disap pointed that the University seems to be moving closer to destroying it." See Academic Building/Page 4 Domestic dispute ends in violence THE ASSOCIATED PRESS DALLAS — A fired employee walked into an Avis car rental agency Monday, wounding an ex girlfriend and the office manager before shooting himself with a semiautomatic handgun, police said. Tracy Gilbert, 25, of Dallas was under police guard at Parkland Memorial Hospital, where he was reported in critical condition with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the abdomen. Also in critical condition was Cindy Sparatore, 31, of Irving, a receptionist, who was shot three times in the abdomen. Kerry Honeycutt, 47, was listed in fair condition with gunshot wounds to the abdomen and chest, said Esther Bauer, a hospital spokeswoman. Avis officials said Gilbert was fired on Friday af ter he and Sparatore got into an office quarrel that ended with several angry shoves. "My understanding is that it was a domestic dis pute, the breaking up of their relationship," Dallas police Sgt. Jim Chandler said. Monday morning, Gilbert returned to the car rental agency a few hundred yards south of Dallas Love Field airport. "From what I saw and heard, someone came in and just started shooting," said Trisha Martin, an employee of Thrifty Car Rental, located adjacent to the Avis building near Dallas Love Field. "There were three shots that I heard." Chandler said Gilbert walked into the door of the Avis office about 9:20 a.m. Monday, strode to the front of the office where Sparatore sat at her desk, and shot her several times. Chandler said the suspect next shot Honeycutt, who was standing nearby, then returned to the rear of the office, looking for Sparatore, who had fled af ter the initial flurry of shots. A co-worker hid her inside a restroom and told the assailant she didn't know her whereabouts. Chandler said. "As a result of her quick action, the victim's life was probably saved," he said. Chandler said the gunman then shot himself. A .380-caliber semiautomatic handgun was found on the floor. More than six shots had been fired from the weapon, he said. "We are shocked and deeply saddened by this tragic event," said Linda Childs, chief operating offi cer of Hayes Leasing Corp., the Avis licensee for Dal las, Fort Worth, San Antonio and Austin. Inside Lifestyles •Journalism professor to adopt Romanian child Page 3 Sports •33 - 3 Aggie baseball travels to UTA Wednesday •Plumer's baseball predictions Page 7 Opinion •Editorial: Doctor-assisted suicide for the terminally ill •Column: Polston learns lessons from stress Page 9 UT health center to open institute for research of incurable diseases THE ASSOCIATED PRESS HOUSTON — The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston on Monday unveiled plans for a $40 million Institute of Molecular Medi cine that physicians said would work to find root causes of many diseases now considered incurable. "The institute is going to be the centerpiece of a very broad effort to look at the causes of many com mon diseases, determine what those causes are and hopefully and eventually prevent them," said Dr. C. David Low, president of the school's Health Science Center. The institute, to be part of the famed Texas Med ical Center, is to be made up of 10 research centers, each focusing on disease areas like cardiovascular medicine, infectious diseases, kidney problems, neu- rosciences and pulmonary diseases. One or two of the centers are to open each year beginning next January, with the entire institute like ly to be running in four or five years. "Imagine a world without debilitating disease, disease that claims lives prematurely and disease that limits productivity of people far earlier than should occur," said Dr. James Willerson, chairman of the school's Department of Internal Medicine. "This is a dream many of us have but it's a reach able dream based on the developments in molecular biology an immunology," he said. Willerson, who will direct the institute's Scientific Advisory Board, said he knew of no other similar center dedicated so specifically to diseases and how to prevent them. "Its main purpose is to identify the basic cellular and subcellular mechanisms responsible for human disease with the expectation that will allow us to predict disease well before they occur, cure them and prevent their progression and ultimately pre vent them/' he said. "By developing gene therapies and giving needed genes or gene products to patients, we will treat, then cure," he said. Silver Taps tonight The following people will be honored in tonight's Silver Taps ceremony at 10:30 in front of the Academic Building: •Lauren Elizabeth Brandt, a freshman psychology major from Spring, Texas. Brandt, 19 years old, died in a car accident during spring break. •Daniel Wayne Peters, a senior forestry major from Chester, Texas. Peters, 22 years old, was killed in a car accident last month in Waco. •Jose J. Sanchez, 22 years old. Sanchez, a senior psychology ma jor from Laredo, was killed in a car accident during spring break. • Ashley Randolph Turner, a sophomore chemical engineering major from Kingwood. Turner, 19 years old, was killed March 13 in a car accident.