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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 1993)
V/ 'K (flO< The Battalion Vol. 93 No. 66 (10 pages) 1893 — A Century of Service to Texas A&M — 1993 Wednesday, December 1,1993 Amtrak collision with tractor-trailer injures 70 The Associated Press INTERCESSION CITY, Fla. - An Amtrak passenger train smashed into a stalled tractor-trailer Tuesday as frantic state troopers tried to flag it down. About 70 people were injured. The oversized truck carrying a 150- ton generator got stuck at a train cross ing several minutes before the collision, said Chris Gent, a spokesman for the Kissimmee Utility Authority, which owns the generator. A train dispatcher was notified about the stalled truck and told utility officials that that the train was not due at the crossing until 1 p.m., said Gent, who witnessed the accident. CSX Transportation says it didn't re ceive any phone call prior to the acci dent. The train struck at 12:45 p.m., Amtrak spokeswoman Sue Martin said. "The signal crossing arm came down on top of the cab. I didn't know what was happening. Then I saw the train," Gent said. "Then it hit.... I heard the scraping and the screeching of the steel all along the track." Four of the eight cars on the Tampa- to-New York Silver Meteor derailed. The first sleeping car overturned when it jumped the tracks. Rescue workers had to pry off some windows to rescue trapped passengers. CSX Donna Rohrer said no record was found of a phone call before the accident advising them of a problem at the crossing. See Amtrak/Page 4 'Tis the season ... Tommy Huynh/The. Battalion Susan McDaniel, the music instructor at jones Elementary School afternoon. The MSC Flagroom will be the site of many holiday in Bryan, leads the fifth grade choir in the MSC Flagroom Tuesday events throughout the week. TAMU-Koriyama faces possible closing Political friction creates financial problems for Japanese campus By Cheryl Heller The Battalion Texas A&M University may be forced to shut down its Koriyama campus because of financial and political problems in Koriyama, an A&M official said Tuesday. John Norris, director of the TAMU-Koriyama support office and interim director of the Koriya ma campus in 1991, said he feels the Japanese campus is facing a fi nancial crisis resulting largely from political friction in Koriyama. The city of Koriyama owes $500,000 of a $1 million payment that was due Aug. 31. "I believe the financial trouble in Koriyama is being caused by poli tics, not because there is a lack of funds in Koriyama," Norris said. Lisa Larson, who worked in the library of the Koriyama campus from September 1991 to September 1992, said the mayor of Koriyama at the time the school was estab lished didn't have high standing in the polls but supported the univer- sity. Koriyama's current governor belongs to a different political fac tion, she said, and doesn't have the same support for the school. Although Texas A&M Universi ty wants the Koriyama campus to remain open, it cannot use its own resources to help the Koriyama campus with its financial problems, Norris said. The school is funded entirely by the city of Koriyama and private Japanese sources. "By law, we cannot put any money into the Koriyama cam pus," he said. "Texas A&M is a state institute, and any money allo cated to Texas A&M from the state has to remain in Texas to be used to run the campus here." If the campus is closed, Norris said, those students who are acade mically eligible will be allowed to relocate to College Station to attend Texas A&M University. "Some would go into the ELI (English Learning Institute), which is designed to teach English to for eign students, and some may be able to attend regular classes, based on their level of English," he said. Faculty members at the Koriya ma campus, who consist almost entirely of former Texas A&M professors, would be able to re turn to the College Station cam pus, Norris said. See Koriyama/Page 7 False alarm causes library evacuation of 2,000 people I By Jennifer Smith The Battalion Two thousand people were evacuated from Sterling C. Evans Library at 11 a.m. Tuesday after a fire alarm was pulled by a student who could not find a way out of the building. Bob Wiatt, director of University Police Department, said an interna- I tional student on the third floor of the library could not get out of the I south middle stairwell of the building. "She couldn't get the door open, and she pulled the alarm in a pan- [ ic," Wiatt said. Wiatt said no charges were made against the individual because the student did not intentionally pull the fire alarm. Wiatt said University Police, the College Station Fire Department and ; the Physical Plant responded to the fire alarm. The evacuation lasted for about 15 minutes, and students and library I staff were then allowed back into the building. John B. Rarer, head of access services at the library, said it is standard [ procedure for authorities to be called and for the library to be evacuated I when a fire alarm is pulled or a smoke detector goes off. I Rarer said the circulation desk of the library has an emergency panel that alerts library personnel when a fire alarm is pulled or a smoke de- | tector is activated. Officials from the University Police are then called to I investigate the building. "But most are usually false alarms whenever this happens," Rarer 4 said. Rarer said the building is usually evacuated once or twice a month I because a fire alarm has been pulled. Regents approve street renovations Pedestrian malls to replace several areas of campus congestion By Shelley Steagall Special to The Battalion T wo of the most congested areas on cam pus, Lubbock and Ross streets, are be ing considered for pedestrian malls by Texas A&M University officials. Associate Director for Engineering and Design Services David Godbey said the Board of Regents has already approved the building of the Lubbock Street Mall, which is set for completion by August 1994. But, he said, construction may be delayed until the Evans Library extension has been completed. Thomas Williams, director of Parking, Transit, and Traffic Services, said the creation of the Lubbock Street Mall will require clos ing the street to automobile traffic. The pedestrian mall will have a park atmosphere with sidewalks, benches, and more open ar eas, he said. "The final design of the Lubbock Street Mall has not been completed, but it is expect ed that the students will have some input," Williams said. Godbey said in order to allow students to have some contribution to the mall layout, a focus group comprised of students will be se lected to review plans for the mall and pro vide feedback to University officials. Williams said the Lubbock Street Mall will expand the central campus area and make it more accessible to students. By eliminating part of the congestion, students will benefit from a safer and more timely route to and from classes, he said. The heavy uses of both Ross and Lubbock streets has caused concern by University offi cials regarding the area's safety, Williams said. This problem is not new, he said, it has just grown in size. A pedestrian mall around Ross Street has not yet been proposed, he said, but the idea is being considered and the traffic flow in that vicinity is being studied. The intersections along Ross Street are being filmed as part of the study, he said. See Pedestrian/Page 7 Spence St. Ross St. © IPE j i i Quad Commons Angel Kan/Tm Battalion Inside :■■■ : . .■.• • • v.-.v.-.v. Sports •Lady Aggies beat Texas Southern: 87-49 •Winder: Rocket-watching is frustrating Page 5 Opinion •Megliola: Good news is no news in today's media Page 9 Southerland interviews for Koldus' position By Michele Brinkmann The Battalion "Texas A&M University is my life," Dr. Malon Southerland, inter im vice president for student ser vices, said Tuesday as he complet ed his interview for the vice presi dent for student services position. Southerland, Class of '65, is the final candidate being interviewed to replace Dr. John Koldus, who re tired in August. He has received all three of his degrees from A&M and has worked here for 25 years. He worked with with Koldus for 20 years and has held 14 different po sitions on campus. "I am capable and have had magnificent experience here," he said. "People always ask me why I have stayed at A&M, but I tell them that A&M has been a lot of universities." Texas A&M is not the same every year and it has changed in many ways through the years, he said. Southerland said he loves the in teraction he has with the people at Texas A&M. "This job is a lifestyle, and I feel very comfortable with it," he said. "I know who and what to ask," he said. "As Texas goes through these budget woes, we want to maintain quality programs, so we need to explain to students why they pay the money they do, and to know how to identify extra re sources. "We need to work on strengthening cooperation and collabora tion of the fac ulty, staff, and academic pro grams, and maybe give it a new look." Southerland said he would like to place "information centers" in buildings around campus so students will know where to turn if they have questions. "We at least need to have the in formation more accessible" he said. "Although students are pretty well informed, for our size, we need stu dents to want to ask questions, ba sically we need communication." Southerland said his most im portant job is being ready and be ing a resource to everyone. "Whether it be the president. The Battalion, the students or whomever, we need to be accessi ble," he said. A&M takes a lot of pride in the "other education" (student devel opment programs), he said. "I think students should have a quality education available and a solid foundation to allow you to change your mind," he said. "If you have a new direction you want to go, you can do it more easily See Southerland/Page 7 Southerland Tomorrow in Feature: Benefit concert by soprano Emily Pulley & 'I'MeMi.il