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)L93 No. 7 (14 pages)
1893 — A Century of Service to Texas A&M — 1993
■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■
Tuesday, September 7,1993
Chicano activists High-tech security begins in Houston school
fight pesticide use
By Kevin Lindstrom
Thc Battalion
Leader of a Chicano activist group at Texas A&M University said
londay they want the University Food Services to stop serving Cali-
!mia table grapes on campus.
The Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA), a special
■lerest group that focuses on issues concerning the Chicano communi-
said A&M needs to look at all sides of the problem.
Gene Perez, president of MEChA, said, "Texas A&M University, be-
an agricultural university, has a responsibility to be concerned with
Jpofthe facets of agriculture, not only the business end of agriculture,
talsothe workers in the fields."
Perez said the organization also plans to promote awareness of Chi-
nioculture and work with the city of Bryan in the development of its
licano community.
Toxic farming is a recent phenomenon that is
necessary."
-Irwin Tang, spokesperson for the United Farm
Workers of America
Irwin Tang, a spokesperson for the United Farm Workers of America
j ad former student of Texas A&M, presented a film entitled "No
japes," which included appearances by Edward James Olmos, Lou
tonond Phillips and Martin Sheen.
The video claimed pesticides used in grape farming caused birth de
ads including cancer, deformities and numerous miscarriages among
:«farm workers that helped work and harvest these farms.
"Three hundred thousand people are poisoned every year from pes-
ades used in the production of grapes," the video states.
Tang said these pesticides are causing health problems across the
’sited States.
“These problems are not just in California," he said. "They are all
aoss the nation, including the Rio Grande Valley. Toxic farming is a
ientphenomenon that is not necessary."
Tang said organic farming is a successful alternative to using pesti-
:fc
“Organic farming, though only used in about 5 percent of farms to-
iy, is just as productive as toxic farming," he said. "The food is just as
falthy, just as pest free, but no pesticides are used."
Tang said both the University of Texas and Arizona State University
ne removed grapes from their food services.
r
Students from Italy
experience Aggie life
By Jacqueline Mason
The Battalion
Francesca Gallorini and
Francesca Tanti came to College
Station from Italy in late July to
experience what they heard was
a truly unique locale - Ag-
gieland.
They heard about Texas
A&M from Aggies who study at
Santa Chiara, a Texas A&M
University Study Center near
Arezzo, Italy.
Mona Rizk-Finne, director of
A&M's Study Abroad Pro
grams, said Gallorini and Tanti
wanted to come to College Sta
tion to learn more about Aggies.
"This was not an exchange
program," she said.
Gallorini and Tanti's visit
was a special arrangement in
which the two students applied
to the English Language Insti
tute and were invited to come
to A&M for the fall semester to
study English intensively, she
said.
They will also have the op
portunity to learn more about
the University.
The program involves im
proving student's English skills
through lessons in reading and
oral communication.
Students do not, however,
get to study subjects like science
and liberal arts while at A&M.
Jennifer Brooks, a peer coun
selor at the Study Abroad Of
fice, said, "These are the first
Italian students who have come
through [the program], and I
think it is because of the A&M
students who have gone over
there and who have talked to
them and convinced them that
it is a good thing to do.
"They were kind enough to
let us into their country and
their culture that we wanted to
share what ours was like," she
said.
Both students said they are
impressed with the facilities,
such as computers and labora
tories, that are available to Ag
gies.
Gallorini said Italian univer
sities do not provide many of
these facilities for students even
though the tuition at Italian
schools is lower.
Gallorini and Tanti also ex
pressed an interest in playing
sports and getting part-time
jobs.
Counselor Mimi Ribeiro said
the students should spend more
time interacting with other Ag
gies.
"As far as giving them ad
vice, it would be the same as
giving a new student advice:
try and get involved in the
things that are around you," she
said.
Peer counselors at A&M's
study abroad office try to in
volve Gallorini and Tanti in or
ganized activities with other ex
change students.
They plan social activities
like trips to midnight yell prac
tice and to the movies.
The Associated Press
HOUSTON — Security' has gone high-tech
at Worthing High School, where five real cam
eras and two fake ones are keeping an eye on
the campus and even the surrounding commu
nity.
"We've got to be in the preventive mode,"
said Principal Larry Alexander, himself a
graduate of the school.
The $15,000 system was installed nearly a
year ago soon after Alexander took charge of
the 1,100-student school, which has been an
easy target for outside troublemakers in the
past.
A retired coach is paid to monitor the sys
tem and report anything suspicious to the
principal or to the two police officers who pa
trol the campus on the city's south side.
The security system, coupled with a strict
dress code and an ever-vigilant staff checking
passes in the hallways, has curtailed problems
at the school.
Since the security system was installed,
school administrators said, only two student
fights have occurred.
Houston Independent School District police
reported only 19 incidents ranging from as
saults to trespassing last year — compared to
70 the year before.
"It would be a great piece of equipment in
all of our schools if we could come up with the
bucks," said Les Burton, director of security
for HISD.
The Worthing cameras watch the campus,
but they also are powerful enough to keep tabs
on the surrounding neighborhood.
See Security/Page 14
Trying to catch the coach's eye
Kyle Burnett /The Battalion
Texas A&M baseball Head coach Mark Johnson (right) and assis- hopeful's throw arrives there during the Aggies open tryouts Mon-
tant head coach Jim Lawler watch first base as an Aggie baseball day afternoon.
Committee sets decision date for proposed class
By Lisa Elliott
The Battalion
Caucus Leaders of the Academic Affairs Committee of the Faculty
Senate discussed with faculty members the proposed multiculturalism
courses during their meeting Monday.
Chairman of the committee Doug Slack said the final proposal for
the classes will be formally made at the next committee meeting Oct. 4.
Slack said it would not be wise to make a decision this earlv in the
Fall.
"This is happening at the worst time of the year for academics what
with people being out of town and the first week of classes," he said.
He said caucus members will attend the Faculty Senate meeting as
soon as the proposal is perfected to present it to the Senate.
Caucus Leaders said most of the faculty they talked to favor multi
cultural courses.
However, most members expressed concern about whether there
would be room for all the students in the courses and wanted to clarify
the reasoning for requiring the classes.
Slack said all the specifics will be ironed out by the next meeting.
Ben Dale, chairman of academic affairs of the Student Senate, pre
sented a rough draft of a proposal to the committee that will be made at
the Student Senate meeting on Wednesday.
The proposal would reduce the number of hours required to three
and delete the requirement that 33 percent of the course pertain to mi
norities or international issues.
Dale said all of the executive officers of the Student Senate believe
this is an important issue that should get recognition from the student
body.
"We want to work in conjunction with you," he said. "But the pro
posal will stand on its own."
Dale took suggestions from faculty members to improve the propos
al before it becomes final at Wednesday's meeting.
Administration to reshape federal bureaucracy
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Hoping to capitalize on
public outrage over government waste, the
White House is touching up plans administra
tion officials say will save $108 billion over
five years by reshaping the federal bureaucra
cy-
The leaner government envisioned by Vice
President A1 Gore also would include 252,000
fewer workers.
His upcoming report to President Clinton,
called the National Performance Review, rec
ommends buyouts and early retirements for
employees whose services are no longer need
ed, said White House officials who spoke Sun
day on condition of anonymity.
The administration wants to eliminate or
consolidate scores of wasteful programs, allow
the private sector to compete for government
business, cut red tape that saddles efficient
federal workers and expand the use of modem
office technologies such as computers to im
prove efficiency.
The report, scheduled to be unveiled Tues
day, is certain to draw opposition from federal
employees who may lose their jobs and from
lawmakers who oversee programs on Gore's
hit list.
But White House officials are betting that
the changes will be popular with the voters.
An Associated Press poll shows that 95 per
cent of Americans think government wastes
too much money.
The average American thinks 37 percent of
the $1.5 trillion federal budget could realisti-
See Government/Page 14
Silver Taps ceremony scheduled for tonight
At 10:30 tonight six buglers
and the Ross Volunteer Firing
Squad will pay tribute to six stu
dents who have died over the
Past five months as part of the
first Silver Taps ceremony of the
fall semester.
The ceremony honors those
Jtudents who have passed away
*n the previous month, but
tonight's ceremony will honor
toose who have died since Aggie
Muster last April.
The first Silver Taps was held
to 1898 to honor Lawrence Sulli-
¥ an Ross, founder and first presi
dent of the University. The cere-
toony is held in front of the Acad-
tonic Building on the first Tues
day of every month during the
school year.
The Albritton Tower bells will
ring at 10:15 p.m. as the lights
around campus are turned off
out of respect for those students
honored at the ceremony. The
Ross Volunteers march in at 10:30
p.m. and fire a 21-gun salute.
"Silver Taps" is played by six bu
glers to the north, south and
west.
The following people will be
honored at tonight's Silver Taps
ceremony:
-Willie Cannon, a junior eco
nomics major from Beaumont.
Carmon died on May 14 as the
result of an auto accident. He
was 21 years old.
- Ramesh Kumar Chennappan,
a senior accounting major from
Round Rock. Chennappan died
May 25 from asphyxiation.
- Timoteo Rodriquez Jr., a
sophomore biology major. Ro
driquez died on May 14 in a car
accident.
- Rick Edward Torres, a junior
computer engineering major.
Torres died on May 14 in a car ac
cident. He was 22 years old.
- Tabitha Michelle Williams, a
graduate student in business ad
ministration from Spring, Texas.
Williams died on June 12 as the
result of an auto accident.
- Zhenliang Xu, a graduate in
soil and crop sciences from Chi
na. Xu died on June 5.
Inside
Sports
►A&M volleyball faces Lamar
after taking 2nd place in
Fresno tournament
Page 7
•Clay: Baseball more
enjoyable than radio
Page 7
Opinion
►Magee: More to Aggie life
than football
Page 13
Weather
►Tuesday: mostly cloudy,
scattered showers
► Wednesday: partly
cloudy, no rain expected
•Extended forecast: partly
cloudy, chance of
thunderstorms