The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, December 01, 1993, Image 1

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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