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The Battalion
The Battalion
Vol. 93 No. 76 (8 pages)
1893 - A Century of Service to Texas A&M — 1993
Wednesday, January 19,1994
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Food Service employee grievances under review
By Kim McGuire
The Battalion
University officials are reviewing
grievances filed against Texas A&M by
three former administrators of the De
partment of Food Services.
Lloyd Smith, former director, George
Nedbalek, former business manager and
Col. James Moore, assistant director, were
reassigned in September to different posi
tions within the University.
Gaines West, attorney for the three
men, said the grievances, filed January 10,
specifically oppose the reassignments.
"The main thing they want is their jobs
back," West said. "We want to give A&M
the opportunity to do the right thing."
In an October interview with the Asso
ciated Press, Moore said the reassign
ments were a result of their opposition to
Robert Smith, vice president of Finance
and Administration, and his original plan
to privatize the Sbisa Underground Food
Court.
"All I want is my job back," Moore
said. "I like working with kids, and we
are good at it. Right now they have me
stuffed in an office where I have to ask
permission to leave the office."
Genevieve Stubbs, associate general
counsel for the A&M System, said the
counsel's office received the grievances
last week.
However, the grievances caused an
"unusual" situation for the University,
she said.
"Typically the vice president (Robert
Smith) would review the grievances, but
since he's involved in it, it will be passed
along to another vice president," Stubbs
said.
"It would be like a judge hearing a
case against himself in his own court
room."
Stubbs said the grievances were for
warded to Dr. Benton Coconaugher, in
terim senior vice president and provost,
for review. She speculated Coconaugher
would complete the review by the end of
February, although there is no specific
deadline for compliance.
"I don't think they want to drag this
out any longer," Stubbs said.
Scott Kelly, assistant general counsel,
said the process could continue, however.
"If the grievant is happy with the deci
sion, that's the end of it," Kelly said. "But
if they're not, and they have cause action,
they might file a lawsuit."
West said Smith, Moore and Nedbalek
have been advised not to speak about the
matter.
"However, they look forward to telling
their side of the story and will have the
opportunity to do so soon," West said.
Lloyd Smith was reassigned as special
assistant to Robert Smith and Nedbalek
was reassigned to a position in the Fiscal
Office.
Dr. Rick Floyd, interim director of
Food Services, in a previous interview
with The Battalion, said Col. Moore was
still assistant director of the department
but had been assigned new duties and
had been placed in a new office.
West said Moore's responsibilities are
different than they were, and he wants
his previous responsibilities back.
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Inman declines nomination
Defense secretary
nominee from
Texas steps down
The Associated Press
AUSTIN - Bobby Ray Inman,
a Texas businessman who held
top national security jobs in both
Republican and Democratic ad
ministrations, today announced
he was stepping aside as Presi
dent Clinton's nominee for de
fense secretary.
Inman, 62, said his decision
was prompted by what he per
ceived as a Republican-led parti
san attack and negative reports on
his business dealings.
At a news conference at the
Hyatt Regency hotel, he said,
"This was not a decision that I
reached easily, but it's one I have
thought through and I'm comfort
able with.”
In a letter to Clinton, Inman
said he feared "distortions of my
record, my character and my rep
utation” during the nomination
process.
Inman's withdrawal was ac
cepted by Clinton with regret.
And it sent Clinton searching
anew for a successor to Defense
Secretary, Les Aspin, who was
forced to resign.
Gov. Ann Richards said she
was stunned by Inman's decision.
"I think it's a great loss. I think
Bob Inman is terrific and would
have been a great defense secre
tary. "
She said losing the prospect of
having a Texan in charge of de
fense could be significant in state
defense contracts.
In a letter to Clinton dated Jan.
8, Inman said the "precipitating
event" behind his decision was
what he claimed was a partisan
attack on him led by Senate Re
publican Leader Bob Dole of
Kansas.
During the news conference,
Inman also cited critical news re
ports of him, and the general
treatment public officials receive
in Washington.
"I don't wish or intend to sub
ject myself to that on a daily basis
as a cost of trying to produce
change," he said.
Dole, in South Carolina for a
speech, was not immediately
available for comment. His
spokesman, Clarkson Hine, said
he didn't know why Inman sin
gled out the minority leader for
criticism. "All Sen. Dole said was
that Adm. Inman would receive
tough questioning, just like any
other nominee," Hine said.
Last month when Clinton
See Inman/Page 8
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Faculty Senate members approve
Women's Week for late March
By Angela Weaves
The Battalion
The Texas A&M Faculty Senate approved a res
olution during their meeting Tuesday declaring
March 27-April 2 "Women's Week" at the Univer
sity.
Karen Watson, assistant dean of Engineering,
said faculty and students have been very support
ive of having a Women's Week.
The theme of Women's Week is "Celebrating
Women in Texas." Plans for Women's Week in
clude seminars, speakers, award presentations, art
displays and cultural presentations.
The timing of Women's Week is in recognition
of National Women's History Month which will
take place in March.
Sen. Tom Johnson, a professor of Geosciences at
Texas A&M University in Galveston, said
Women's Week is much needed at the University.
"In the 30 years my university has existed, and
the 21 years it has been part of the Texas A&M
University System, not one woman has ever been
tenured or advanced to associate professor," John
son said. "That's a pretty despicable record."
The Texas Faculty Association is charging the
Galveston school with having "an abysmal record"
in the tenure and promotion of females, Johnson
said.
In other business, faculty members expressed
concerns about A&M's tarnished reputation.
Sen. R. Douglas Slack, professor and associate
department head of the Wildlife Science Depart
ment, said he was worried about how the NCAA
Infractions Committee rulings would reflect on the
University.
"We have been constantly embarrassed through
the years by actions of someone or somebody at
sometime," Slack said. The faculty must say that
the embarrassment must be stopped," he said.
Sen. Donald R. Deere, associate professor of eco
nomics, objected to Slack's statement, saying ath
letics should not be singled out as A&M's source of
embarrassment, citing the research activity of Dr.
John Bockris and his attempts to turn mercury into
gold. Sen. Ben Aguirre, professor of sociology, said
the faculty should try to meet with members of the
athletic department and the 12th Man Foundation.
"If we are going to discuss them, I request that
we extend them the courtesy of addressing us,"
Aguirre said.
Still waiting ...
Amy Browning/THE Battalion
Students fill the MSC Bookstore Tuesday as they supplies. The wait can quickly consume the few
wait in long lines to pay for books and school free moments left in already full schedules.
California earthquake trips engineers' attempts to strengthen highways
The Associated Press
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LOS ANGELES - When eight
freeway overpasses collapsed in
Monday's earthquake, highway
officials lost a race against nature
they had undertaken 23 years ago.
Earthquakes in 1971 and again
in 1989 had revealed dangerous
weaknesses in the soaring ramps
and support pillars that are famil
iar sights on the area's vast net
work of freeways. Engineers set
about reinforcing them before the
next major quake.
The work proceeded slowly, in
part because of California's bud
get crisis and the overwhelming
task of deciding which of 12,000
highway bridges and overpasses
to fix first.
Two sites of major destruction
from Monday's earthquake were
slated to be strengthened as part of
a $1.5 billion reconstruction plan.
1
99
Inside
Campus
►Officials pleased with final
stages of Bush Library
Page 2
Sports
•Basketball: Lady Aggies to
face Lady Cougars
Page 5
Opinion
•Editorial: Mascot madness
Page 7
Now, the agonizing prospect of
years of traffic jams underscores
the frustration of engineers who
knew what to do, but lacked the
money and time to do it.
"There have been a lot of ad
vances in research, but there is a
tendency not to make changes un
til you get a knock on the head,"
said George Housner, professor
emeritus of engineering at the
California Institute of Technology
and chairman of a 1989 inquiry
into earthquake preparedness.
Monday's earthquake disabled
the Los Angeles freeway system
with military precision.
See Related Story, Page 3
The Santa Monica Freeway,
which ferries 290,000 cars east-
west through central Los Angeles,
was cut in three places by col
lapsed columns and buckled over
passes. The 30-year-old highway,
the nation's busiest, was built be
fore new developments in earth
quake-proof construction.
In the San Fernando Valley, a
key link between Los Angeles and
its northern suburbs, was de
stroyed when one road collapsed
on the other. Both roads handle a
combined flow of well over
300,000 cars a day.
Seven other interstates or state
highways sustained damage.
Interstate 10, the Santa Monica
Freeway, was one month away
from the start of retrofitting; the
Golden State-Antelope inter
change was also on the list for
construction.
As of Tuesday, 300 of 860
bridges in the reconstruction plan
had been retrofitted, said engi
neers with the California Trans
portation Department. Another
200 are under contract for work;
the rest are still under study.
Population growth, reasearch spur B-CS economic activity
By Angela Neaves
The Battalion
The economic future of Bryan-College Sta
tion looks a little brighter after a recent growth
in the local job market.
Frank Murphy, economic developer for the
Bryan-College Station Economic Development
Corporation, said 3,000 jobs were generated
from the openings of stores such as Target,
Sam's Wholesale Club, Randall's Food and
Drug Store, Wal-Mart's Superstore, Albertsons
and three H.E.B Pantry Foods. Murphy said
most of these jobs, however are not full-time.
The recet openings of two factories also
added to the growth. The opening of Babcock-
Wilcox, an oil pipe facility. Drought 20 jobs to
the area, and the opening of a local tire recycling
plant brought 15 jobs.
Murphy said the next several years will see a
further increase in the job market with:
•the opening of American Transit, a bus
manufacturing plant.
• the Substance Abuse Treatment Prison.
• the George Bush Presidential Library.
The prison will bring 400 permanent posi
tions, and the library will bring visitors from
throughout the nation.
Yusuf Mansur, assistant professor of Eco
nomics, said the new prison will have many
positive effects on the community.
"Bryan-College Station has one of the lowest
unemployment rates in the nation," Mansur
said. "With the arrival of the prison, the econo
my will continue to strive."
Mansur said the prison will also bring a rise
in real estate value, and an increase in the de
mand for goods and services.
The Bush Library will bring both employ
ment and tourism to Bryan-College Station,
See Economy/Page 2
Raun Nohavit:a/The Battalion
The Enclave, a new apartment complex be
hind the H.E.B. on Holleman, is under con
struction by the Godfrey Development Co.