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Vol.92 No. 181 (6 pages)
1893 - A Century of Service to Texas A&M - 1993
Wednesday, July 28,1993
Public reacts to National Service Initiative debates
By GENEEN PIPHER
Vie Battalion
Debate began not only in Congress but
also on the Texas A&M University cam
pus as lawmakers began last week con
sidering the National Service Trust Act, a
tey component of President Bill Clinton's
National Service Initiative (NSI).
The NSI consists of two bills. The first
kill, the National Service Trust Act would
provide a $5,000 education award to any
student agreeing to perform 1,700 hours
of approved national service. The stu
dents would also be paid a $7,200
stipend, as well as be provided health and
child care if necessary. The estimated to
tal cost to the federal government is
$15,000 to $20,000 per student.
The Student Loan Reform Act, the sec
ond of the two bills, would allow stu
dents to borrow money directly from
their college or university.
Those in support of the NSI say the
program will bring about an increased
sense of pride and service to others while
allowing students to finance their higher
education.
Dr. Bryan Jones, head of the depart
ment of political science, said he is in fa
vor of the National Service Trust Act.
"That act is the essence of his (Clin
ton's) community service program,"
Jones said. "I like that. I think it's a good
idea. I think we lack the old Kennedy
thing which was kind of a cliche then, but
I think its what we need now. What can
we do for our country?"
Jones said people need more ways to
serve their country.
"I think the National Service Trust Act is
aiming in the right direction by not just
limiting national service to military' service
which we don't really need right now," he
said. "This is something broader, housing
for the poor and things like that."
Dr. Norman Luttbeg, professor of po
litical science, said programs similar to
the NSI have been successful in the past.
"This program is like the old National
Defense Loan Program," Luttbeg said. "It
was a program that existed in the '60s and
early '70s. You could get college loans and
for each year taught in kindergarten
through 12th grade or at the university lev-r
el you got 10 percent of your loan discount
ed. This was community service in effect."
But opponents of the NSI say it will
create new programs at a time when ex
isting student loan programs are being
scaled down and cut back.
■Christy Strawman, legislative assis
tant to U.S. Rep. Jack Fields, R-Humble,
said Fields is opposed to the NSI in its
present form.
"He agrees with the right of every
American to have a higher education and
the right to be able to afford it," Straw-
man said. "But the way this bill is writ
ten, it covers very few students for an ex
tremely high price tag, and it's duplica
tive. It duplicates a lot of programs that
are already there."
Strawman said Fields believes current
student loan programs need to be funded
before considering new ones.
"He feels that right now we have short
falls in our Pell Grant program and other
financial aid programs that we can't seem
to find enough money for," she said.
"Some students have already been
promised awards that are going to be can
celed for lack of money, and at the same
See NSI/Page 6
Visiting firefighters
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Training school brings in $5.3 million
By STEPHANIE MARTIN
Vie Battalion
Firefighters visiting the Bryan-College Station area every summer to
attend Fire Training School bring about $5.3 million to the local econo
my, said Susan Gandy, the director of convention services at the Con
vention and Visitor Center.
"This event has a major positive impact on our community, and we
are very grateful that the A&M fire school continues to be successful
and that these people continue to come to our community," she said.
Approximately 4,500 participants attend the Fire Training School for
three weeks every summer, Gandy said.
"Because of the increase in number of people each week, the fire
school is one of the best tourist-type businesses, and one of the best eco
nomically," she said.
The firefighters spend their money on hotels, restaurants, gas sta
tions and entertainment, Gandy said.
Local businesses also advertise in the Convention and Visitor Bu
reau's Welcome Packets that are distributed to all of the visiting fire
fighters. These packets provide community information on special
events for the firefighters, as well as discount coupons for local busi
nesses.
Many establishments display signs welcoming firefighters to the
irea.
Binesh Patel, general manager for the Ramada Inn in College Station
aid, "We held a pool party out by the swimming pool to welcome the
hefighters."
There is definitely more business in the hotel restaurant during the
weeks that the firefighters are in town, he said.
Carol Hill, manager for La Quinta Inn, said the firefighters book
looms a year in advance and make reservations for the next year when
they check out.
Ty Hamsberry, assistant manager for Pelican's Wharf, said the two
hotels around the restaurant bring in many firefighters.
"We hand out free shrimp cocktail appetizers to the firefighters at
the two hotels, and they come to redeem those and usually decide to
fathere too," he said.
Hamsberry estimated Pelican's Wharf has seen a 20 to 25 percent in
crease in business since the firefighters have been in town.
Red Lobster, which also displays a welcome sign for the firefighters,
sees an increase of about a hundred customers a day during these three
weeks, said Mary Schroeder, the Dining Room Manager. The restaurant
prepares in advance for the extra business by supplementing about ten
more people to its regular staff.
Cooling it
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NICOLE ROHRMAN/The Battalion
John Collingwood, a senior aerospace engineering major from the sculpture outside the Engineering Physics building Tuesday
Houston, beats the heat with an ice cream cone while studying in afternoon.
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College drug use rises; remains same at A&M
By JANET HOLDER
Vie Battalion
Although a University of Michi
gan survey found national college
drug use not decreasing as it has in
past years, but increasing by 1.4
percent, a Texas A&M survey
shows Aggies have maintained the
same level of illicit drug use.
Dr. Dennis Reardon, coordina
tor for the A&M Center for Drug
Prevention and Education, said
less than 10 percent of the A&M
student population uses illicit
drugs. Alcohol remains the main
Problem, with more than 80 per
cent of all students in a 1991 sur
vey using it.
Sgt. Mark Ricketson, team
leader of the Street Crime Appre
hension Team (SCAT) for the
Bryan Police Department said,
"We've seen every social econom
ic group using crack cocaine from
the lowest poor and unemployed
to the very educated professional
people and college students."
Reardon said, "The largest
group of drug users in the country
are white. They are the white
middle class, which breaks the
myth of the socio-ethnic group, of
minorities being the main group
using drugs."
Drug use at A&M does not
match up to national statistics.
"Drug use at A&M is not as
high at universities of equal size,"
Reardon said.
He said the reason may be in
part because A&M is "a conserv
ative University in a conservative
state."
The small amount of drug
users also may be because of the
drug busts made by' the police in
the last six years, he said.
Ricketson said the general de
crease in the amount of drug use
in the past 18 months is partially
because of the effectiveness of the
tactics used by the SCAT.
"In the last 18 months the
SCAT team has made 480 arrests
with the SCAT's five team mem
bers and one drug dog," Ricket
son said. "We started the 18
months in October 1991 by identi
fying 21 major street dealing loca
tions. Now there is only 8, so
there is not near the volume (of
drugs) as before."
"Because of the decrease in
drug locations, students wanting
drugs will have to look harder
See Drug/Page 6
Sports
•Aaron Wallace looks to help
Raiders surpass 1990 season
•Column: Rush- San Diego
making all the wrong moves
Page 3
Opinion
'Editorial: A&l deserves a say
in name change decision
'Column: Stanford - schools
must teach sex education
Wednesday: morning
cloudiness, highs in the
90s to near 100
Forecast for Thursday:
partly cloudy, highs in the
90s to near 100. Hot!!
■Your Battalion extended
forecast: Same old stuff,
partly cloudy, highs in the
100s, lows in the 70s
DPS uses volunteers to test
alcohol's effects on driving
By JAMES BERNSEN
Vie Battalion
Volunteers at Texas A&M University are driving under the influence
of alcohol as part of a program by the Department of Public Safety
(DPS) to test the effects of driving while intoxicated.
The health and safety division of the health and kinesiology depart
ment is promoting DWI education in cooperation with the DPS.
Dr. Maurice Dennis, coordinator of safety education programs in the
department of kinesiology, said the program is attempting to determine
the effects of alcohol on drivers.
In the program, volunteers are trained in a variety of maneuvers and
then are tested performing them under the influence of alcohol.
Dennis said that at .03 Blood Alcohol Content (BAC), drivers per
form 9 percent worse than sober, and at .11 BAC, just above the legal
level of intoxication, they' are 26 percent worse.
See Volunteers/Page 6
Campus dorm rates
increase 4 percent
By JAMES BERNSEN
The Battalion
Students living on campus at Texas A&M will be paying 4 per
cent more for their dormitory room beginning this fall.
The increase was suggested by the Housing Office and approved
by the Board of Regents at their meeting in June.
Bill Kibler, assistant director of student affairs, said this increase is
the first in four years. The Housing Office has tried to meet rising
costs, but Kibler said there is a point at which the rates must be raised.
"It's our desire not to raise the rent until it's necessary," he said.
"Across the history of our residence halls, we've seen the need peri
odically to increase the rent."
Tim McGinty, Residence Hall Association (RHA) vice president
for student development, said the increase will not amount to
much.
"It's just a 4 percent increase," he said. "That's not that signifi
cant, especially when you think about inflation."
McGinty said RHA is trying to get legislation passed that will
mandate a percentage of further increases to go to each residence
hall's budget.
The room rents are the only source of funds for the Housing Of
fice and are applied to utilities and bonded indebtedness, or paying
for the building and maintenance costs.
Kibler said the 4 percent increase is not a result of the construc
tion of any new facilities or renovations.
Two new computer labs, one for the northside and one for the
southside were approved last summer, but have not been begun be
cause of space problems.
But Kibler said these projects are taken into account when yearly
budgets are made, as are maintenance and improvements.
Repairs are currently being made to several halls as part of a five-
year maintenance and renovation plan.
Rates for Modular Style rooms will now be $992 a semester.
Commons Style will be $962, Legget and Balcony Style will be
$708, Corridor Style will be $645 and Non-Air Conditioning Style
will be $399. .
Because the residence halls are currently over assigned, students
wishing to cancel their housing contract will be allowed to do so and
will be refunded their entire $200 housing deposit.
Tomorrow in
A look at:
The Alabama-Coushatta
Indian Reservation in
Livingston, Texas
• MSC Dinner
Theater’s production of
“Cotton Patch Gosper
&
• New albums by UB40
and George Thorogood
• “Poetic Justice, ” and
the poetry contributed by
writer Maya Angelou