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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 28, 1993)
* State & Local Page 2 The Battalion Wednesday, July 28,1993 SFA battles charges of misappropriations THE ASSOCIATED PRESS AUSTIN — The president of Stephen F. Austin State University on Tuesday defended his school in the wake of a state audit that said the college had spent money on athletics while academics were under-funded. "'We're not doing anything that's inappropriate," said Stephen F. Austin President Dan Angel. "We are going to concentrate on solving the problems, not witch-hunting and blaming things on athletics." In addition to the athletic expenses, the audit questioned the school's bidding practices, a mobile telephone system used by uni versity police, and payments for championship athletic rings. "Stephen F. Austin State University should establish priorities which are in alignment with its primary mission to serve as an edu cational, intellectual, and cultural resource for the people of Texas," the audit said. The school, located in Nacogdoches, has an enrollment of nearly 13,000. The school has hired Angel and a new vice president for fiscal af fairs, auditors noted, saying that the newcomers would have a chance to change the institution's priorities. Angel said he did not think the university's athletics budget was too high. But he added, "1 do think the state auditor had a very good point that we had not been spending an adequate amount of money on classroom equipment over the last few years." Angel said the school spent $4 million on classroom equipment between 1981 and 1991, but that this year it will spend $2.2 million. House calls for deferment of NAFTA for health care issue THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Super collider funding under debate Opposers fight for votes to end project THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON - Opponents of the super collider predicted Tuesday they'd be able to muster the votes necessary to kill the con troversial $10 billion project in the Senate in two months. But the Senate's foremost col lider critic told reporters at a Capitol news conference that he hasn't begun counting votes. Sen. Dale Bumpers, D-Ark., also de clined to name the senators who are switching their positions and opposing the Texas-based project. "I am firmly convinced we are going to get the votes this year," said Bumpers, who has sought for five years to pull the plug on col lider funding. To date, almost $1.6 billion in federal money has been spent. Tunnelling the 54-mile-cir- cumference main ring passed the 20 percent mark this weekend. Supporters also have suggest ed they have the votes necessary to prevail. "It is really too early to tell at this point, but I am quite hopeful," the Senate's lead ing supporter, Louisiana Democ rat Bennett Johnston, said earlier this week. "All I ask is that we look at this project on its merits and if we do that, I am confident it will pass." Bumpers said he intends to ensure the debate is squarely fo cused on the economics of what he called "a totally mismanaged program, a program with costs out of control, a program that slurps money" from other sci ence. The discussion leading up to the House's vote last month to ax the collider also focused on whether the nation can afford a project branded by some as eso teric science in a time of deficits. "All those people who spoke about spending cuts are now go ing to have an opportunity to ful fill their commitments," Bumpers said at a news conference orga nized by OOPS!, Organizations Opposed to the SSC. Added Sen. John Warner, R- Va.: "The fiscal future of this country is dependent on one thing and that is whether or not the members of the Congress have the guts to vote against spending on programs." Boy had 'dragon inside him/ mother says Woman charged with murder for drowning son THE ASSOCIATED PRESS CORPUS CHRISTI — A woman was charged with murder Tuesday after telling in vestigators she drowned her 4-year-old son be cause he had a dragon inside of him. Authorities said the woman's 5-year-old daughter reported that her mother drowned the boy and then told her that he wasn't real — he was a robot. The woman's 3-year-old girl also was at the drowning scene. But Nueces County sheriff's investigator Lt. Mike Lowrance said Tuesday that authorities believe the 5-year-old was the only witness who watched Adam Shook die. Justice of the Peace Ben Garza Jr. set bond for the 37-year-old mother, Elaine Shook, at $100,000. She remained under guard Tuesday at the psychiatric unit at Memorial Medical Center. "The only reason she's given us is that God talked to her and He told her to do it," Lowrance said. Authorities revealed Monday that she had previous psychiatric problems and had not been taking prescribed medication when the drowning occurred. Lowrance said investiga tors were studying her mental records. "She made several references to killing the dragon, that she was getting rid of the drag on," he said. Shook was arrested Sunday morning after fishermen discovered Adam's body carefully arranged in the back of a pickup, surrounded by family memorabilia. Clad in a T-shirt and underwear. Shook ap proached a fisherman at Oso Creek and told him, "I've just killed my son," authorities said. The body was wrapped in a sheet with two teddy bears, one of them holding a little red heart stating: "I love you." Next to the boy was a portrait of his parents and a New World translation of the Bible. Nearby, investigators found a scrap wood al tar and a second sort of memorial made of blankets, a pillow and a refrigerator shelf, topped with a wreath of shrubbery. Nueces County Medical Examiner Lloyd White, who interviewed the mother at the scene, said she described the drowning to him. "She told me that she put him in the water on his back and sat on him and held him un der the water until he stopped fighting,'' White said. WASHINGTON — President Clinton was asked Tuesday by 110 congressional Democrats to put on hold the North American Free Trade Agreement until Congress has dealt with another hot potato: health care reform. "The debate over NAFTA will be difficult and divisive. It will de tract from our efforts to build a broad coalition of support for health care reform," the 103 House members and seven senators said in letters to Clinton. House Majority Whip David Bonior, who drafted the letter, said Tuesday at a Capitol news conference that the free trade debate will be divisive and cannot be allowed to impede health care reform. "If we fail to act on health care reform, over the next two years one out of every four Americans — 63 million people — will lose their health care coverage for some period," the Michigan Democrat said. "We cannot afford to delay. We cannot afford to get tangled in side issues," said Bonior, a leading opponent of the trade pact. The calls for postponement were rejected by the White House. "NAFTA and health care are proceeding on separate tracks," White House press secretary Dee Dee Myers said. "There's been no change in our timetable on NAFTA. The president still feels we can conclude it by the end of this year." Principal: year-round school improves scores THE ASSOCIATED PRESS DALLAS — Charles Mc- Casland has heard all the com plaints about year-round educa tion: It deprives kids of a summer vacation. Parents can get stuck with kids on both traditional and year-round schedules. It's a plot to destroy the family. But for the Plano principal, putting Carlisle Elementary School on a year-round schedule was the best thing that ever hap pened to him as an educator. "I've never done anything that felt so right before. ... It sure makes a difference in the whole atmosphere of the school," he said Tuesday. Carlisle is one of several cam puses across Texas that started a year-round schedule Monday. The Plano campus is entering its third year on the alternative schedule. McCasland, past presi dent of the Tekas chapter of the National Association for Year- Round Education, said Carlisle parents voted to go year-round to improve academic achievement. Since then, Carlisle pupil and teacher attendance has improved. as have standardized test scores. "This was a high-performing school to begin with and we've been able to improve even on that," he said. Pat Pringle, TEA's acting asso ciate commissioner for field ser vices, said 45 districts across Texas, involving 65,000 students, used some form of year-round ed ucation in 1992-93. About 50 dis tricts are involved in 1993-94, but he could not estimate the number of students. Joey Lozano, a spokesman for the Texas Education Agency, said none of the districts has every one of its campuses on the schedule. Districts move toward year- round education as a way to alle viate overcrowding, delay con struction of new buildings and better use their existing facilities, Lozano said. Year-round schedules can be on a singfe. piuck, \yhere all pupils are in school and on break at the same time; or multitrack, where students are on staggered sched ules and only a portion of the population is in school at once. Proponents say the frequent breaks help students retain more of what they learn. Police Beat The following incidents were reported to University Police De partment between July 16-23. Driving While Intoxicated Wellborn Road- Two intoxi cated motorists were arrested and incarcerated in the Brazos County Jail. George Bush Drive- An intoxi cated motorist was arrested and charged with driving while in toxicated. The passenger was ar rested for public intoxication. George Bush Drive- An intoxi cated motorist was arrested and taken to jail. Burglary of Motor Vehicle Parking Area 27- An Impact, Model 305, airway suction unit was stolen from the right rear compartment of an ambulance. Public Intoxication Southside Parking Garage- An intoxicated pedestrian attempt ing to wave down vehicles on South Bizzell was arrested. Altered Driver's License George Bush Drive- A citation was issued to a motorist who displayed an altered driver's li cense. Burglary of Coin-Operated Machine Blocker Building- The front glass of a snack vending machine was broken in a failed attempt to remove the coin receptacle. Sev eral food items were removed from the machine. Burglary of Habitation Krueger Hall- Two fourth floor rooms were burglarized, and $20 in cash was removed from one and five dollar in cash from the other. Criminal Trespass/Assault Wells Hall- Two juveniles were released to the custody of the Brazos County Juvenile De tention Center following their apprehension. They had con fronted a resident in the hallway and touched her in an inappro priate manner. Misdemeanor Theft Sterling C. Evans Library- A Hewlett-Packard, Model S-14 cal culator, a Visa credit card, dri ver's license and checkbook were stolen from the victim's back pack. Student Services Building- Someone stole an AT&T, Model 732, double line answering ma chine. Grounds Maintenance North- A Stihl Model 0252, chain saw was removed. Zachry Engineering Center- A dark green Trek 18-speed bicycle was stolen. Sterling C. Evans Library- A red Sears 15-speed bicycle was stolen. Judge's smiley-face signature on documents bears criticism THE ASSOCIATED PRESS HOUSTON — Visiting State District Judge Charles J. Hearn has put a happy face on his signature for as long as he can remember with hopes of brightening someone's day. His driver's license is signed with a grin and he writes cheery checks to pay household bills. The 62-year-old jurist said he has even used the beaming emblem on court documents for years. That's why Hearn doesn't understand the outcry over his order set ting an Oct. 15 execution date for convicted killer Robert Nelson Drew. The message, of course, came with a smile. "It's terribly insensitive. It's like someone laughing at a funeral," Drew's New York attorney, William Kunstler, said Tuesday. "I'm sure he (Drew) was shocked by it. Who would not be shocked?" Hearn on Tuesday said he mean no irony by adding a happy touch to the grim notice. "I don't mean any disrespect," Hearn said. "It's kind of amusing in some sense of the word that someone would want to make something bad out of it. It's just a signature like yours is or anyone else's is. My signature is my signature and there's not any importance as far as I'm concerned." IM Al TANNING "EARLY" BACK - TO - SCHOOL SPECIALS $ 10.00 OFF PERMS (Hair cut included) MON. & TUES. ONLY Offer good with Stephanie, Dina, or Barbara No Double Discounts. Expires 08-24-93 FREE MATRIX Trial Size Biolage Shampoo & Conditoner & $2. 00 off Cut/Blow Dry MON. & TUES. ONLY Otter good with Stephanie, Dina, or Barbara Expires 08-24-93 Study A braid Pro?, rims 1 fit Bis/cll / /</// West 845-0544 696-8700 ...yourself in Italy for a semester, busking in the center of u culture suffused with masterful works of art and architecture from all periods of recorded time...then imagine getting J&Jt. credit for this Spring adventure ••• 1 i For more info: 251 Bizzell Hall West Thurs. July 29 2:00-3:15 ARTS 350 Art History LBAR331 Renaissance Italy u . HIST489 History of Christianity lt (BAR 333 Italy in American Literature ENGL 394 History 0 f the Modern Song FI»BRIGHT Grants for > Graduate Students and Graduating Seniors |=IJ W:** If you're a U.S. citizen, you can perform research abroad in the country of your choice. To find out more, come to our Informational Meeting (listed below), or come by or call the Study Abroad Program Office at 161 Bizzell Hall West (845-0544). Wed. July 28, from 2:00-3:00 251 Bizzell Hall West