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.
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The sec
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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.
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Call 846-0377 for Appointment
•Eye exam not incluaea
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^505 University Dr. East,
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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
▲
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Annex
UNIVERSITY DRIVE EAST
Scott & White Clinic, College Station
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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
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