Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 16, 1994)
>. 1994 Hayman on Limbaugh: "Does a 'ditto' chant each night before bed fulfill our duty as citizens of a democracy? Probably not." Rage 5 THE Weather Mostly cloudy with scattered thunderstorms today; for the weekend, isolated showers with lows in the 70s, highs in the 90s — National Weather Service & Aggielife Clinton's proposed cigarette tax has students and local politicians smokin' Page 3 THURSDAY June 16, 1994 Vol. 93, No. 158 (6 pages) “Serving Texas AdrMsince 1893” NEWS tate begins audit f A&M system The State Auditor’s Office began i audit of the Texas A&M University ystem this week. Included in the jdit are the System Administrative id General Offices and Texas A&M niversity. The audit will concentrate on arious aspects of operations eluding finance management and ogram performance. Construction blocks igronomy Road Construction on the West Campus ogeneration Project will enter a new lase Sunday. Agronomy Road will closed for two weeks as work to tend the pipeline network across it 3gins. Parking Area 36, which is on the lad, will remain accessible via aymond Stotzer Parkway. Buildings on Agronomy Road can >e accessed from F&B Road. Intra-campus shuttle bus service pm the “Howdy” route will be modified to discontinue stops on the road. Civil Engineering |o host conference The Civil Engineering Department $ hosting the Settlement ‘94 ’conference this weekend for the otechnical division of the American [ociety of Civil Engineers. The 250 researchers from the nited States, France, Taiwan, Italy Jnd other nations will discuss the settling of large structures like bridges and dams. I One of the issues to be discussed is the Leaning Tower of Pisa, which is ^becoming dangerous as it begins to lean more and more. Conference ||arfjcipahts will discuss ways of iciher ^ reventin 9 from leaning further. ~S CGH' eets to [Researchers falsify Thenr 1 " 638 * cancer data JD TT7TFEE REES Ban El GO/ 1 ' I s staff :oming ting, a and iplace South- iasket- i have le who ing to T 'I I I I i ‘I WASHINGTON (AP) — At least 11 institutions falsified data, failed to enroll patients properly or misplaced jjkey data in a national breast cancer research project, officials told - Congress Wednesday. A re-examination of clinical trial Jecords at 120 of the 500 institutions participating in the National Surgical Adjuvent Breast and Bowel Project lave found what one official called Iserious problems” at two sites in Pittsburgh, two in California, two in bntreal, two in New Orleans, one in hicago and one in New York. The ame of one institution was not isclosed. Audit records of the other istitutions are still being examined, officials said. Testimony about the troubled, $9 tillion research project came at a learing before a House ubcommittee on oversight and ivestigations and included the first ublic testimony by Dr. Bernard isher, who until March directed the reject. He took responsibility for vhat he called administrative errors. South Korea tense Jnder threat of war SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — For he past year, South Koreans have hrugged off concern that the dispute >ver North Korea’s nuclear program ; ould set off conflict on the divided >eninsula. No more. South Koreans are buying up food, mptying shelves of gas masks and withdrawing cash from savings 'ccounts. The stock market has umbled for two straight days. “The people should not believe terth Korea’s threat that sanctions nean war,” presidential spokesman -hoo Don-shik said after a meeting of senior officials Wednesday. That was in reference to the North’s repeated warning that nternational sanctions against it would provoke war. The United States, South Korea and Japan are lushing for punitive steps to try to orce North Korea to accept nuclear 4 | nspections. 1 Today's Baii Aggielife 3 1 Campus 2 I Classifieds 4 | Comics 6 1 Opinion 5 ' Police Beat 6 Athlete graduation rate onthe rise A&M, national averages still below non-athletes' percentage By Amanda Fowle The Battalion Since the NCAA’s introduction of acad emic requirements for incoming athletes, graduation rates have risen but are still below the national average. Proposition 48, introduced in 1986, set academic requirements for incoming freshmen athletes. Athletes must have graduated from high school and main tained a 2.0 grade point average for 11 of the high school core courses and made a 700 on the SAT. The NCAA began monitoring the graduation rates of universities after the proposition was passed. Wally Groff, Texas A&M athletic direc tor, said graduation rates for Aggie ath letes are inching closer to those for the re mainder of the student body, but there is still need for improvement. A&M non-athletes had a 66 percent graduation rate for the latest six-year peri od, while the athletes’ rate was 53 percent. “We are proud of what we’re doing, but that 53 percent is still low,” Groff said. “We’d like to catch up with the student body’s graduation rate.” Some athletes leave the University for a few years to play professional sports and later return to complete their degrees. “There aren’t many students who take a few years off to play pro ball,” Groff said. “In a way, our athletes who leave to play professional ball are being penalized.” Dr. Karl Mooney, associate athletic di rector for academic affairs, said athletes who graduate after the six-year period are not considered in these statistics. “When you take into consideration the athletes who complete their degrees in more than six years, 70 percent of A&M Please see Athletes/Page 6 Jose Luis de Juan/THE Baitauon Darrin HHI/The Battalion The Aggie Wranglers-do the “hip dip,” a part of the this Friday during halftime of the first World Cup country and western dance routine they will perform match in Dallas. A&M dancers step out for World Cup By Sara Israwi The Battalion X he world will get its first glimpse of the Ag gie Wranglers Friday night when they per form at the opening game of The World Cup in Dallas. Texas A&M’s country and western dance team was invited in April to entertain at the international soc cer championships after Barbara Rice of World Cup USA saw them perform on The Nashville Network. The Wranglers started practice for Friday’s three- song performance over a month ago. They will perform at halftime with Tanya Tucker and the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. They will be the feature attraction during “God Bless Texas,” the second song that will be played. Jack Gibbs, a member of Aggie Wranglers, said this opportunity will help improve A&M’s image. “The goal of our group is to spread Aggie spirit through country and western dance,” he said. “We feel honored to be invited.” Dallas is the headquarters for World Cup ‘94, which will span a full month and nine U.S. cities. The Aggie Wranglers practiced Sunday at the Cot ton Bowl for seven hours with other performers in cluding the Kilgore Rangerettes and the Lake High lands Wildcat Wranglers. Russell Graham, president of Aggie Wranglers, said the Wranglers showed their spirit during prac tice in Dallas. “It shows how proud we are of our school,” he said. “We probably spread through all the practices how excited we are.” Graham thinks this will be a great way to kick off the Wranglers’ 10th anniversary. The Wranglers have been on campus since Spring 1984 and Graham said they are looking forward to celebrating their 10th anniversary. The Aggie Wranglers recently returned from their year-end performance in Costa Rica. They have performed in Disneyland, Opryland, Sea World and the Fur and Muskrat Festival in Cre ole, Louisiana. The non-profit organization has taught Mikhail Baryshnikov how to two-step, danced for Clint Black and Lisa Hartman in Operation Heartland and raised money for the Jason Hensen foundation. Friday’s game in Dallas, between Spain and South Korea, starts at 6:30 p.m. and can be seen on EBU satellite world-wide. ESPN will split coverage between the Chicago Open and the Dallas World Cup. Blood matches condo samples, paper says Rockets fall in Game 4 Knicks' victory ties series 2-2 NEW YORK (AP) — With a big start, a huge finish and a gigantic fourth quarter from Charles Oakley and John Starks, the New York Knicks tied the NBA Finals 2-2 Wednesday night. Their 91-82 victory over the Houston Rockets means the best-of-7 series, which resumes here Fri day night, must return to Houston for Game 6 Sun day night. After Houston went ahead 70-69, New York, which started the game with a 17-2 run, held off numerous comebacks. In the final quarter, Oakley had seven points and nine rebounds; while Starks scored 11 points. The Knicks overcame a brilliant performance by Hakeem Olajuwon, who finished with 32 points. He had 14 of those in the final quarter after making just two of 11 field goals in the fourth period of the three previous games. Derek Harper led the Knicks with 21 points, Starks had 20 and Oakley had 16 points and 20 re bounds Patrick Ewing had 16 points and 15 rebounds before fouling with 1:13 to play. Starks scored the Knicks’ last seven points after a three-point play by Carl Herrera had cut the lead to 82-78 with 2:50 remaining. Starks began with a 3-pointer, but Olajuwon’s four free throws made it 85-82. Starks hit two free throws with 52 seconds left and two more with 31 seconds to go to make it 89-82. Sam Cassell, whose 3-pointer had put Houston ahead for good with 32 seconds left in Game 3, then missed a 3 and New York finished the scoring with two free throws by Harper with 23 seconds left. In a series of shifting fortunes, Houston won the opener then lost Game 2, both at home. In New York, the Rockets regained the momentum Sunday night. Knicks coach Pat Riley talked of how his team had to crank up its intensity. His players listened. Please see Rockets/Page 6 Regents’ secretaries face pretrial hearing Two secretaries for the Texas A&M System Board of Regents will have their first day in court tomorrow during a pretrial hearing in the 85th Dis trict Court. Vickie Running, Board of Regents secretary, and Sasha Walters, Board of Regents administrative aide, were indicted in February on felony charges of record tampering. Running was indicted on eight counts of falsify ing government documents by misrepresenting alco hol purchased on state vouchers as purchases of food and soft drinks. Walters was charged with the same conduct in a seven-count indictment. Bill Turner, Brazos County district attorney, said Friday’s hearing will be routine procedure. “Motions will be presented by both sides,” Turner said. “We will present a motion to consolidate the two cases into one trial.” Simpson hires new attorney amid rumors of imminent arrest LOS ANGELES (AP) — O.J. Simpson’s blood type matches that of blood found outside his ex-wife’s con dominium, where she and a friend were stabbed to death, the Los Ange les Times reported today. A more exact DNA test to deter mine whether the blood is in fact Simpson’s has not been concluded, the newspaper said, citing unidenti fied sources. Such tests can take two months or more. Blood types are shared by many people. A lawyer for the 46-year-old for mer football star said Simpson was at home waiting for a limousine to the airport when Nicole Brown Simp son and Ronald Goldman were killed Sunday night. But a police source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The As sociated Press on Monday that Simp son would be arrested in the slay ings, perhaps within days. Mrs. Simpson’s throat was slashed, and Goldman’s wounds in dicate he put up a fierce struggle before he died, investigators said. The Times previously reported that Simpson had scratches on his body when police questioned him Mon day. Police were also reported to have found bloodstains in his driveway and his vehicle, and a bloody glove at his mansion and another at the crime scene. But tests on the blood on the gloves have not been complet ed, the newspaper said. Simpson’s attorney, Robert L. Shapiro, did not immediately return a call for comment early today. On Wednesday, Simpson slipped past reporters ringing his house to attend a private visitation service at a funeral home Wednesday for Mrs. Simpson. Her family was said to have treated him cordially. “It was all friendly,” Denise Brown, Mrs. Simpson’s sister, told the Daily News of Los Angeles. Earlier in the day, Shapiro told re porters that the former NFL star was at home in the city’s Brentwood section at the time of the slaying two miles away. “O.J. was at home waiting to get into a limousine to take him to the airport on a trip that had been planned well in advance for a promo tional event in Chicago,” Shapiro said. Detectives questioned the limou sine driver and searched the car, KABC-TV reported. In Chicago, TV stations reported that Los Angeles police were in Chicago and planned to meet with investigators there to day. Funerals were planned today for Mrs. Simpson, 35, and Goldman, 25, a waiter and friend. Suffocated baby case to go before grand jury The Brazos County District Attorney’s office will go to the grand jury Monday in the case of a 21- year-old Texas A&M student whose newborn baby was discovered in a garbage chute in Mosher Hall March 25. Results of an autopsy by the Bexar County Forensic Science Center in San Antonio showed the infant died of suffocation. Bob Wiatt, director of the University Police De partment, said the woman had said she was not the mother, and had never been pregnant. Doctors who treated the woman at St. Joseph Hospital in Bryan determined otherwise. Bill Turner, Brazos County district attorney, said in a previous interview with The Battalion that a va riety of charges will be presented to the grand jury. “We will go through the whole range of charges, from homicide to injury to a child to even murder or capital murder,” he said.