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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 28, 1993)
I State & Local Monday, Jum Page 2 The Battalion Monday, June 28,1 Singer Lovett marries actress Roberts THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW YORK (AP) - Actress Julia Roberts and singer Lyle Lovett were married Sunday at a hastily arranged marriage, her publicist said. Lovett, a Texas A&M graduate, and his band performed "Angel Eyes" in honor of Roberts during the small church ceremony in Marion, Ind., spokeswoman Nan cy Seltzer said. Roberts, 25, met Lovett, 35, when they filmed 1992's "The Player," Seltzer said. It was the first marriage for both. The wedding was planned Wedding planned in only two days in two days. Seltzer said. "It happened rapidly, very rapidly," said Lovett's manag er, Ken Levitan. "Lyle's extreme ly excited. He couldn't be hap pier." Lovett gradu ated from A&M in 1980 with a degree in jour Lovett nalism and later returned to study German. Roberts married Lovett during her three-day break from film ing John Gr 1 isham's "The Pelican Brief" in Washington, D.C., Seltzer said. Lovett is on a national tour and was to per form with his Large Band Sun- Roberts day night in Noblesville, Ind., an Indianapolis suburub. A reception for the 75 wedding guests was scheduled prior to the concert. Seltzer said. Actress Susan Sarandon and actor Tim Robbins were among the guests at St. James Lutheran Church, she said. Their 4-year-old son. Jack Henry, was the ring bearer, and actor Barry Tubb ac companied Roberts down the aisle. Robbins starred in "The Play er," and Lovett played a detective on his trail. Roberts and Sarandon had cameos. Many of the guests, including Seltzer, did not learn of the wed ding plans until late Thursday night. Island of Dominica offers cultural perspective Study Abroad allows Aggies to view rain forest, life from Third World island By JANET HOLDER The Battalion A group of Texas A&M students learned to be tolerant of different cultures during a Texas A&M Study Abroad trip to Dominica this month. The students visited the tropical rain forests in Dominica, an island in the Caribbean known for its large tropical rain forest, through the Study Abroad program. "I broadened my horizon," said Robert Donnelly, a senior biomedical science major. "Seeing the world through the U. S. is not a very good picture, but in the Third World you can see what goes on." Donnelly said he learned how far the Unit ed States has to go to become more culturally, racially and environmentally concerned. "In Dominica there was no racism," Don nelly said. "They accepted foreign people. We never felt like foreigners because they went out of the way to learn our names and get to know us on the personal level." Another student, Bruce Holdeman, a senior wildlife and fisheries sciences major, said he also saw other differences in culture. "In the U. S. people are more materialistic," Holdeman said. He said Americans are more uptight with their money and time. Some of the cultural outings the group was taken on include going to the Carib Indian Reservation and to a reggae concert. Students not only learned about the cul ture, but also about the environment of the rain forest. "You couldn't describe in a picture the rain forest. It gives you a sense of being overwhelmed." -Robert Donnelly, biomedical science major Dr. Douglas Slack, a wildlife and fisheries science professor, said the purpose of the three week trip was "to take the classroom to the field." This is done by exposing students to the way which nature interacts with itself to create an environment, he said. To achieve this purpose. Slack said the stu dents worked on group and individual pro jects. Some of the group projects included studying a fish species and prawns common in the streams, and plants that grow on trees. In dividual projects included studies on moths, lizards, medicinal plants used by women, and differences in humidity. Slack said to further expose students to Do minica's environment, the group went on hikes to water falls and to Boiling Lake, which is one the largest volcanically heated pools in the world. Most of the time, though, was spent in the rain forest. Slack said. Donnelly said, "You couldn't describe in a picture the rain forest. It gives you a sense of being overwhelmed. The atmosphere had constant noise and it smelled like a florist shop." While the students were in the rain forest they caught or observed many creatures such as boa constrictors, bats and opossums. Dr. Fred Smeins, a professor in rangeland ecology and management department said, "This is the kind of trip people look back and say, 'That was the highlight of my life.'" Mail Continued from Page 1 ordinary. "If anyone gets a package they feel is awry, they should call University' Police," he said. A College Station bomb dis posal unit will be called to take care of any packages University Police representatives feel are dangerous, Wiatt said. Although neither of last week's incidents occurred at uni versities in Texas, Wiatt said all universities are potential targets. "I don't want to create a pan ic, but people should be aware that some crazy has placed uni versities in the cross hairs of his rifle," Wiatt said. Mary Jo Powell, associate di rector of University Relations, agreed employees should be watchful of suspicious packages. " When the FBI urges cau tion, we have to follow up on that," she said. "A place the size of A&M handles thousands of pieces of mail everyday. We're the size of a small town." Wiatt said the quantity of mail received by A&M makes this method of bombing ex tremely problematic. "We could create pandemo nium if everyone throws every suspicious package they get into the toilet," Wiatt said. According to Associated Press reports, the FBI linked these university incidents with a series of similar bombing that have occurred since 1978. After examining fragments from the two recent bombings, the FBI believes the attacks are tied to the "Unabom" case, which comes from the name "university bomber." These bombings have been mostly at universities and high- tech companies, and they have killed one person and injured 21 since 1978. According to University Re lations, employees should be on the lookout for packages with excessive postage, discoloration and stains, misspelled names and titles, badly typed or hand written address labels and no return address. Other suspicious characteris tics include packages with exces sive weight, odors, protruding wires or tinfoil, lopsided boxes or envelopes, rigid or bulky packag ing and foreign, express mail or special delivery items. MCAT Continued from Page 1 students really need a 29 on their MCAT and a 3.5 GPA," she said. "To be truly competitive, anything below the national average would not be an asset to getting into medical school." Nicholas said students are doing better on the MCAT because they are more prepared than in past years, and know what to expect. "I think students are aware that it really is tough to get into medical school, so they know how important the test is going to be for them," she said. "I would love for the office to be able to take some of the credit, but I don't necessarily believe that it makes anyone smarter. We just try our best to make sure people know the proper time to take the test and the amount of time they should be putting into studying." However, Carter said that the quality of students, professors and classes at A&M has resulted in the rise of MCAT scores. "Academically students are doing better," Carter said. "The quality of education they are getting at Texas A&M is high. " Billy Rankin, associate dean of Admissions and Student Affairs, said many factors could have influenced the rise in scores, and it does not nec essarily indicate a trend. "I think it is wonderful that Aggies' scores are up." he said. "But it would be mere speculation to predict why. There are many reasons why the scores could have risen. There is no point in making some thing out of it that it isn't." Patty Reece, manager of KAPLAN Educational Center Ltd., said of all the graduate tests, the MCAT is the longest, most involved and re quires the most studying. "The MCAT is probably the most grueling test," Reece said. "It is eight hours long. A test like that requires a great deal of preparation. Anyone taking the MCAT not only needs to study, but they must set themselves on a schedule. Taking the time to study is very important." Aggies over Texas MARY MACMANUS/The Battik Brian Epperson, class of '86, parachutes in with the American flag! before Saturday evening's race at the third annual Bryan Balloor! Classic. Murder poem spooks UH professors] The clash began in 1986 whe: | Vaksman was expelled fromtlKi doctoral program for not progress ing fast enough. He eventuall|[ won a four-year legal battle thii I cost the school roughly $500,000. I Vaksman then wrote a 50,(i l word poem in which a racist III student justifies murdering''sec | ond-rate UH academics" by say [ ing the slayings will wake up tie | country to a KGB-sponsored con- [ spiracy to lower U.S. intellectual i standards. "You could say that writing (the poem) was therapeutic, Vaksman told the Houston Chronicle. "Certainly, the process [ of writing it made me feel good.' i THE ASSOCIATED PRESS HOUSTON — A poem written by a University of Houston grad uate student that describes the methodical murder of professors has scared the school into offering bulletproof vests and hiring a pri vate detective and an armed po lice officer. But author Fabian Vaksman calls the reaction "stupid." "It's fiction," said Vaksman, a 40-year-old Soviet emigrant and son of Holocaust survivors who has squabbled with the universi ty since arriving in 1982 as a doc toral student. JV Boxii wins ATLAl Evander boxing e with a vie but a trim The fo] pion sco round de in a mate from the i Center. "I tho good figh ing for tb the title t( 13. Holyfi take Stev him in si fought wi it seemed do was as field's vi champ die Maga A&M Texas team is th< to win the according zine write The m chose A<! the othei Texas. The me All-SWC t The firs Aggies: G asin, Greg England, Aaron Gle The sec tional Agg Correction On Tuesday, June 22 The Battalion ran a story about the Conditional Grant Program sponsored by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). Program participants are required to work for TxDOT after graduation in a salaried position. The Battalion incorrectly reported that of the first seven students to receive the grants this year, one is a current Texas A&M student. Thir ty-seven students received grants and 12 are current A&M students. Also incorrectly reported was the statement that Raymond Navarro of Falfurrias completed his studies while working in the district office. Navarro worked in the district office after his graduation. The Battal ion regrets the errors. CONTACT LENSES ONLY QUALITY NAME BRANDS (Bausch & Lomb, Ciba, Sola/Barnes-Hind) Disposable Contact Lenses Available $ 79 00 ★ For Standard Clear or Tinted FLEXIBLE WEAR Soft Contact Lenses (Can be worn as daily or extended wear) *+ FREE SPARE PAIR SAME DAY DELIVERY ON MOST LENSES. ASK ABOUT OUR “BUY MORE PAY LESS” PRICING Call 846-0377 for Appointment •Eye exam not incluaea Charles C. Schroeppel, O.D., P.C. Doctor of Optometry ^505 University Dr. East, Suite 101 College Station, Texas 77840 4 Blocks East of Texas Ave. & University Dr. Intersection SCOTT & WHITE CLINIC, COLLEGE STATION Announcing Weekend Clinic Hours for Urgent Care 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Scott & White Clinic, College Station, is now offering weekend Clinic hours for urgent care by appointment \ only! The Weekend Clinic is conducted from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the Clinic Annex building located across the street (Glenhaven Dr.) from the main clinic. By Appointment Only (409) 268-3663 ▲ Scott & White Annex UNIVERSITY DRIVE EAST Scott & White Clinic, College Station 1600 University Drive East The Battalion JASON LOUGHMAN, Editor in chief MARK EVANS, Managing editor STEPHANIE PATTILLO, City editor DAVE THOMAS, Night News editor ANAS BEN-MUSA, Aggielife editor MACK HARRISON, Morning News editor KYLE BURNETT, Sports editor BILLY MORAN, Photo editor SUSAN OWEN, Sports editor Staff Members City desk — Jennifer Smith, James Bernsen, Michele Brinkmann, Reagan Clamon, Jason Cox, Lisa Elliott, Laura Haley, Janet Holder, Carrie Miura, and Geneen Pipher News desk — Lisa Borrego, Joe Holan, and Denise Wick Photographers - Richard Dixon, Mary Macmanus, Nick Pena and Stacy Ryan Aggielife - Jacqueline Ayotte, John Bayless, Margaret Claughton and Jennifer Salce Sports writers - Roy Clay, Matt Rush, Mark Smith and Tom Sullivan Opinion desk - Shashi Nanjundaiah, Matt Dickerson, Tracey Jones, Frank Stanford and Robert Vasquez Cartoonists — Boomer Cardinale, George Nasr, Joe Reyes, Sergio Rosas and Paul Stroud Graphic Artist - Angel Kan P 1 l Clerks- Grant Austgen, Alishia Holtam and Lisa White The Battalion (USPS 045-360) is published daily, Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters^ Monday through Thursday during the summer session (except University holidays and exam periods), at Texas A&M University. Second class postage paid at College Station, TX 77840. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Battalion, 230 Reed McDonald Building, Texas A&M University- College Station, TX 77843. News: The Battalion news department is managed by students at Texas A&M University in the Division of Publications, a unit of the Department of Journalism. Editorial offices are in 013 Reed McDonald Builds Newsroom phone number is 845-3313. Fax: 845-2647. Advertising: For campus, local and national display advertising, call 845-2696. For classified advertising, ^ 845-0569. Advertising offices are in 015 Reed McDonald and office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday tfircw 1 Friday. Fax: 845-5408. Subscriptions: Mail subscriptions are $20 per semester, $40 per school year and $50 per full year. To charged VISA or MasterCard, call 845-2611.