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Cardinale
Modem times
Julia Stavenhagen: Technological breakthroughs turn previously
feleased gadgets into attractive, very expensive doorstops.
gffP Hold the chile relleno
Center offers tips on avoiding fat and
sodium in Mexican restaurant food
Page 2
Oilers camp
Houston starts training in
calm contrast to last season
Page 3
TUESDAY
July 19,1994
Vol. 93, No. 175 (6 pages)
“Serving Texas A&M since 1893”
Memo defends A&M employees On Soup Ground
ByJD
It worn rot
Ml
Long-standing University practice disguised
purchases of alcohol, administrators say
cubic meters of
22,800 pounds of
effluents, 144,400
tnd 1,558,000 kilo-
electricity by us-
ts, he said,
rsity also saves
it doesn’t dispose
mdfill.
jh these statistics
pressive, it really
;es 65 percent of
recyclable paper,"
; numbers aren’t
as they could be.”
utto, assistant
A&M Custodial
i more could be
is to help the re-
'ecycling contain-
ipus,” he said. “If
d just put their
i the containers
wing it away, we
see an increased
materials.”
1 the A&M recy-
recycles several
and aluminum
50 pounds of alu-
lonth,” he said,
i also lower than
leed to get in-
dize the impor-
ding,” he said,
n learning to be
but if we don’t
ow it may never
held up their j
gh, to an ova-
labriel Moun-
minute of ex-
rom Cafu off I
lirrel to get to
at could have
ro Silva that
the goalpost,
id and patted
urning to the
:nee surgery,
re, stymying I
idly in the fi-
tout.
1970. Its fail-
jssure on the
fly Jan Higginbotham
[he Battalion
Texas A&M administrators spoke out last
reek in defense of the 10 A&M employees
iarged for tampering with government
words.
In a memo signed by A&M System chan-
llor Dr. William Mobley, A&M president
Or, Ray Bowen and 12 college deans, the
University accepted responsibility for its
practice of describing alcohol purchases as
id and beverages on state vouchers.
“Our purpose in sending this memo to all
members of Texas A&M faculty and staff is to
state, in a public way, our unwavering sup
port for all these employees,” the memo said.
The memo came in response to the indict
ments of four A&M employees, including
’s athletic director, who were charged
Warning
Americans
in Haiti
U.S. ready to evacuate
3,500 if invasion begins
WASHINGTON (AP) — The word could
come any moment for 3,500 Americans still
living in Haiti. If they are threatened or an
invasion begins, the State Department would
activate its “warden system” to get them out.
U.S. warships stand guard off the coast
of Haiti, with instructions to evacuate
Americans if needed. If the order is given
- and there’s no indication yet on when or
whether that might happen — the U.S.
Embassy would call its 60 “wardens” and
have them direct Americans to preset loca
tions to be removed from the country.
The system is standard for U.S. em
bassies worldwide, although trouble spots
such as Haiti and Rwanda require height
ened precautions. Gary Scheaffer,
spokesman for the State Department’s Bu
reau of Consular Affairs, said the system
was critical to getting Americans out of
Rwanda after ethnic violence flared into a
bloodbath in April.
In Rwanda, the embassy contacted all
258 Americans, and most traveled by con
voy to neighboring Burundi.
“When you have a situation like Haiti,
where there is the potential for real prob
lems that could affect Americans, the war
den system becomes more important, more
refined,” said Scheaffer.
Embassies designate contact individuals,
each responsible for contacting a specific
group of Americans. The contact could be
through a “telephone tree” system or
through radio contact, which may be more
appropriate in rural Haiti, officials said.
Because of growing tension, Ambassador
William Swing has held periodic meetings
with the American wardens in Haiti, most
recently on Friday.
According to embassy spokesman Stan
ley Schrager, Swing discussed the recent
expulsion of international human rights
monitors by Haiti’s ruling military, and the
upcoming suspension of flights by Air
Prance, the last airline serving the impov
erished nation.
last month with misdemeanor counts of tam
pering with government records.
Similar misdemeanor charges were filed
against four other employees who opted not
to go through the grand jury process.
Among those individuals were A&M’s vice
president of student affairs and an assistant
to the president.
Two A&M System Board of Regents secre
taries were also indicted in February on
felony charges of disguising alcohol purchas
es with an intent to deceive A&M’s fiscal de
partment.
The memo explained how a wide-spread
institutional practice had developed over the
years in which vouchers listing alcohol pur
chases would not be paid by the fiscal office.
A common practice evolved, in which alco
hol purchases were listed as soft drinks,
food, beverages, catering, cups and ice on
vouchers to ensure payment.
“Both practices were the result of our fail
ure to conduct a long needed review of the
institution’s policy on how we vouchered and
paid for appropriate purchases of alcohol,”
the memo said. “The University’s "business
as usual’ approach resulted in a failure to
address this issue in a proper manner.”
Dr. Don Hellriegel, a professor of manage
ment and one of the employees charged with
tampering, said he was pleased with the let
ter from the administration.
“I was delighted at two levels,” he said.
“First, I was delighted at a personal level.
But maybe I was more delighted for all those
people working hard within the University.
“This is a tragic set of circumstances that
never should have occurred. I’m not sure
(the district attorney) understood that there
was a long-standing informal practice within
the University.”
Hellriegel said because the memo was
signed by all of the top administrators, it
Please see Memo, Page 6
A&M alumnus Halbouty continues
life of contributions to geosciences
Stew Milne/ Thf Battai ion
Cup of joe
Velia Smith-Munyon, a graduate student
in kinesiology from Cypress, throws pot
tery in the MSG craft center on Monday.
She is making an oversized coffee mug.
Halbouty
By Sara israwi
The Battalion
Michel T. Halbouty has
earned respect and prestige at
A&M and elsewhere for his
contributions to geosciences.
Halbouty, Class of ‘30, grad
uated from A&M with bache
lor’s degrees in geology and pe
troleum engineering. The Geo
science/Geophysics Building
was named in honor of him.
Halbouty
said he is
pleased that
A&M has a
building
named after
him.
“It is the
most beauti
ful building
on campus,
and I am
proud,” he
said. “The
building was named after me,
and it is going to be there for
ever. I have done a lot for
A&M over the years, and I feel
this is a payback.”
In 1931 Halbouty returned
for his master’s degree in pe-
troleuny'geological engineering.
Halbouty said he has tried
to show his support by endow
ing scholarships for Texas
A&M students, which he has
done for almost 50 years.
His loyalty to Texas A&M
has remained strong since he
graduated. He presently
serves on the Geosciences and
Earth Resources Advisory
Council at A&M.
Halbouty said it is impor
tant that all students are
aware of A&M’s camaraderie.
“Texas A&M University is
still the greatest university in
the world,” he said. “Students
graduating from Texas A&M
have a better attitude and a
better feeling for themselves,
and they do better.”
George Mitchell, Class of ’40
and a close friend of Halbouty,
said Halbouty is dynamic in his
ways and a wonderful person.
“He has made contributions
to Texas A&M for a number of
years,” he said. “He is an out
standing alumnus. He is pa
tient with people, and he
knows how to make things
happen.”
Halbouty has been head of
several U.S. government pro
jects and has been instrumen
tal in oil and gas exploration.
A&M System Regent Bill
Clayton said Halbouty is prop
erly recognized for his contri
butions to Texas A&M.
“He always contributed and
is very helpful in the Petrole
um Engineering department,”
he said. “Not only with a large
amount of money, but with
time and talent.”
Clayton said Halbouty is ac
tive with Texas A&M and is
around the university fre
quently.
“He has always been a very
active, feisty type - not hesi
tant about saying what he
thinks,” he said. “He has been
an energetic oil and gas opera
tor for many years because of
his dedication to that particu
lar area and contribution.”
Halbouty was appointed to
the A&M Board of Regents by
Gov. Bill Clements but was re
moved when Gov. Mark White
decided to bring in a new
Board.
He is currently CEO of
Michel T. Halbouty Energy Co
in Houston. ' :
Biggest fragments yet
streak toward Jupiter
GREENBELT, Md. (AP) — The comet train struck Jupiter Mon
day with an explosion several times more powerful than all of the
world’s nuclear weapons, leaving black scars the size of Earth.
A Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet fragment called G slammed into the
gas bag-like planet and set off a fireball that was briefly brighter in
some wavelengths than the whole planet. Some observing instru
ments watching from Earth 480 million miles away were momen
tarily blinded.
Fragment G was followed by an equally large fragment H, and
at least two more of the 21 fragments of Shoemaker-Levy 9 are of
similar size.
By Monday afternoon, nine fragments had smashed into Jupiter
since the bombardment started on Saturday. The last fragment, W,
is expected to hit the planet Friday.
Upcoming is a triple whammy. Beginning Wednesday, three
fragments will slam into the planet’s upper atmosphere at about
the same spot over a 20-hour period.
“You’ll have three — boom, boom, boom,” Heidi Hammel of the
Space Telescope Science Institute said Monday. ‘You are going to
have one heck of a mess.”
The first of the three fragments, Q, is expected to hit just before
4 a.m. EDT on Wednesday. R follows 10 hours later and S will be 10
hours after that. The Jovian rotation is 10 hours, which means the
fragments will hit at nearly the same spot on the planet.
Comet fragment G, the largest in the comet train, hit the planet
early Monday with the biggest explosion yet - estimated at the ener
gy equivalent of 6 million megatons.
iggled early,
ded Baggio’s
decided on any-
the advisory
not meet until
‘ fall,” he said,
igly agree that
e need for this
and sixth grade
;et the children
about highway
on will be the
ement and es-
am, Kline said,
• it to become a
ducation Pro-
pioneered the
:t, a successful
'ogram for sec-
graders. The
ct is now used
ools statewide.
Bringing the country club to the country
Pebble Creek expands, builds clubhouse, swimming pool
By Christ! Erwin
I The Battalion
Few people realize that a new
country club and subdivision are
opening in College Station off Greens
Prairie Road.
Pebble Creek offers 1500 home-
sites, an 18-hole golf course, and will
soon feature a 40,000-square-foot
clubhouse.
Pebble Creek, said the clubhouse will
open in late December 1994 or early
Today's Baxi
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Classifieds
4
Comics
6
State & Local
2
Opinion
5
Sports
3
“ —
January 1995.
She said the two-story building
will provide casual and formal dining
facilities, conference rooms, a golf pro
shop, an exercise room, locker rooms
and cart storage to members.
The backside of the clubhouse will
be constructed entirely of windows to
offer a view of the tee box of the 1st
hole and the green of the 18th hole,
she said.
An intercollegiate swimming pool
with a diving well and wading pool,
seven tennis courts and a tennis pro
shop will be adjacent to the club
house.
Young said Pebble Creek will ap
peal to a wide variety of people be
cause it offers a little for everybody
and has a casual atmosphere.
“Pebble Creek will not be the typi
cal country club where everyone has
to be dressed just so,” she said. “It
will be comfortable, casual and wel
coming to different age groups.”
Although the clubhouse is not yet
open, the golf course has been open
since July of 1992.
Bobby Lane, head golf professional
at Pebble Creek, said the course is
currently open to the public, but will
become private when it reaches its
cap level of 550 members.
Now Pebble Creek has 410 to 420
members, he said.
“We have a cap level because that
is the maximum number of golfers an
18-hole golf course can accommo
date,” he said.
Lane said the course attracts peo
ple within a one hundred mile radius.
“In addition to College Station we
get a lot of people from Houston and
Austin and the surrounding small
towns,” he said.
People enjoy playing at Pebble
Creek because it has a natural, wood
ed setting and is challenging for
every level of golfer, he said.
“We have four sets of tees on every
hole.” he said. “We can accomodate
six or seven levels of golfers.”
Lane said Pebble Creek is differ-
Please see Pebble Creek, Page 2
Stew Milne/ The Battalion
The Pebble Creek clubhouse and pool are under construction off Greens Prairie Road.