Sports
A&M saws Varsity's horns 34-
10.
Page 7
MONDAY
November 7, 1994
Vol. 101, No. 51 (10 pages)
“Serving Texas A&M^since 1893"
3riefs Aggie bucks system races examination
lessor suspected
spreading AIDS
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) —
shayahu Demner was a respected
jineering professor described by
dents as a reserved, kindly man.
Now police suspect the 46-year-
bachelor led. a double life,
dicating the last year of his life to
eading the AIDS virus until he was
rdered last week.
Demner’s case has stunned
j^ael. Gay activists fear their
uggle for acceptance in a
nservative society has been set
ck years. Some lawmakers are
[essing for a crackdown against
ople with Acquired Immune
ficiency Syndrome.
The story broke when police,
irted by colleagues that Demner was
ssing for two days, burst into his
iifa apartment Monday to discover
naked body on the couch with
irks on his head from being struck.
Police said meticulous personal
cords found in the apartment
'ealed a dual identity.
Muslims, Jews protest
purity at tomb site
HEBRON, West Bank (AP) —
oth Muslims and Jews protested
sw Israeli security measures at the
omb of the Patriarchs, reopening
onday 8 1/2 months after a Jewish
idler machinegunned 29 Muslims as
ley knelt in prayer.
The measures would have
luslims and Jews pray separately,
hey also would have separate
athrooms and walkways outside the
hrine, which has been equipped with
retal detectors, electronic gates and
levision cameras.
“It is not a house of worship
nymore. It’s a house of politics,” said
kbdel Rauf al-Muthassib, who lives
across the street.
Israel's Cabinet voted
nanimously Sunday to test the new
ecurity measures by opening the
|omb for a few days this week,
farting Monday morning.
Clinton seeks trade
Agreement approval
WASHINGTON (AP) — To hear
ie White House tell it, President
is poised to score a triple
rade triumph over the next month
*bold new initiatives to tap into
-growing Asian and Latin
merican markets and win
Mgressional approval of a new
»rld trade agreement.
Free trade supporters are
Ifplauding the efforts as a welcome
face for an administration they
Sieved was veering dangerously
tee to protectionism, especially in a
filling but largely fruitless battle to
pen Japan’s markets.
But critics of the new, broader
ade approach warn that Clinton may
ad up with empty declarations in
apport of free trade that will do
aiding to cure the country's chronic
ade problems.
There is no dispute that something
eeds to be done. This year, the
auntry is headed for an expected
H7 billion deficit in merchandise
its second-worst performance
i history.
Water accident leaves
$purs fans drenched
SAN ANTpNIO (AP) — City
feals are hoping an Alamodome
ccident hasn’t doused San Antonio’s
dances of being selected the site of
'a 1996 Republican National
'apvention.
Two members of a committee
ansidering the new stadium for the
invention were courtside at the San
ntonio Spurs game Friday night
hen a fireworks show accidentally
at off a giant water cannon, spraying
ms with up to 2,900 gallons of water
minute.
"I just wanted the ground to open
nd swallow me up,” said Diane
|th, vice chairwoman of the
invention host committee.
The water cannon sprayed the
lame for four minutes, sending fans
lurrying for cover.
■
Way's B 4
classified
8
Campus
2
Opinion
11
Sports
7
foons
5
t:
Wiat'sUp 6"
Ruling by Attorney General may
expand or terminate debit system
By Amanda Fowle
The Battalion
Texas A&M’s Aggie Bucks system is fac
ing major changes, either termination or
expansion, depending on a ruling by the
Texas Attorney General.
Some local businesses may be allowed to
accept Aggie Bucks if the Attorney General
rules that Texas A&M University can con
tinue its debit card banking system known
as Aggie Bucks.
Or the Aggie Bucks system could be
closed entirely if the Attorney General
decides the system violates banking
regulations.
A representative from the Attorney
General’s office said officials there have
not yet begun looking into the situation,
and they cannot predict when a decision
will be reached.
Rick Floyd, associate vice president for
finance and administration, said that A&M
officials cannot predict what the outcome
will be either.
“Speculation does not serve us very well
until we have a decision from the Attorney
General,” he said.
Everette Jobe, general counsel for the
Texas Department of Banking, said
Catherine Ghiglieri, the Texas banking
commissioner, sent a letter to the Attor
ney General last April, asking the Attor
ney General to decide if the debit card
system used at some state universities
should be regulated.
Jobe said three state universities, Texas
A&M University, Stephen F. Austin State
University and Texas Tech University,
have established debit card systems.
“It is a very complicated issue,” Jobe
said. “If a university can have a debit card
system, can individuals? If there is no reg
ulation, anyone can do it and the person
collecting the money can do whatever they
want to with it.”
Jobe said the universities are also
profiting from the interest earned from
the money the students’ put into their
debit card accounts.
The letter also raises the issue of private
See Aggiebucks/Page 3
Stew Milne/THE Battalion
Winning isn’t everything
Two very spirited t.u. fans walk sadly after the Longhorns lost to A&M 34-10 on
across the Memorial Stadium football field Saturday afternoon.
TABC warns students
about use of false ID s
By Tracy Smith
The Battalion
Texas A&M students who have
considered using a fake identifica
tion card to purchase alcohol should
think again, an official from the
Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commis
sion (TABC) said.
Sgt. Laban Toscano of the TABC
in Bryan said it has increased the
number of undercover officers in
convenience stores, so they are now
able to catch more minors with fake
IDs.
“Students may not know what
they are getting into when they try
to buy alcohol with a fake ID,”
Toscano said. “A six-pack of beer
could turn into $3,000 in fines.”
Toscano said if a minor goes into
a store and successfully buys alco
hol using a fake ID, but gets caught
by a TABC officer upon leaving the
store, the minor is looking at four
separate citations. First, the minor
misrepresented their age to a store
clerk, possessed alcohol, failed to
identify themself and possessed a
fictitious identification card.
“This can add up to some very
expensive beer,” he said. “Besides
the money, they may also be look
ing at around one year of communi
ty service.”
Toscano said there are four dif
ferent types of false identification
charges. These include possessing
an altered driver’s license, present
ing another driver’s license as one’s
own, misrepresentation of age and
possession of a false identification.
These charges range from a class A
to class C misdemeanor, with a
class C not exceeding $500 and a
class A being up to $4,000 and pos
sibly one year jail time.
“I know very few students who
would agree that a night on the
town would be worth the price for
getting caught breaking the law,”
he said.
What many students are not
aware of is that according to 1993
Texas statutes, a mere attempt to
buy alcohol is a crime.
“It doesn’t matter if the minor
was successful or not, but only that
they tried,” Toscano said.
He also said that depending on
the offense, students could be look
ing at more than just fines, with
many requiring an alcoholic aware
ness class and community service.
“We are not trying to blind-side
the students by issuing them four
citations at one time,” he said. “We
want to educate students so that
See Fake IDs/Page 10
Committee to monitor
spending of student fees
By Melissa Jacobs Therivel said when the $99 stu-
The Battalion
The Student Service Fee Alloca
tions Committee has improved com
munication within the committee
so members can make better deci
sions about how the $99 tacked
onto student’s tuition fee slips each
semester will be used.
Laurent Therivel, Student Ser
vice Fee Allocations Chairman, said
last year there was a problem be
cause there wasn’t enough commu
nication within the committee.
“The problem was that each of
the committee members wasn’t well
enough informed about each de
partment,” he said. “You can’t get
the student body’s opinion through
only one or two people.”
Therivel said changes were
made within the committee so
each member is involved with
each department.
“All students will have basic
knowledge of each department,”
he said.
dent service fee is multiplied by
how many students are at this uni
versity, the allocation of $8.2 mil
lion is decided by the committe.
“We’re in charge of deciding how
that money will be used,” he said.
“That figure is apportioned to about
24 university departments.”
Brad Britton, student service
fee allocations committee mem
ber, said he thinks the change
will be effective.
“I’ve been on Student Senate for
two years and when a student
stands up and defends a depart
ment, people tend to agree with
him,” he said. “Now everyone on
the committee will understand
what is going on in each depart
ment. It just ties it all together.”
Chuck Sulak, Student Service
Fee Allocations Committee sub
chairman, said the change will
•make the committee a more effi
cient group.
See Service Fees/Page 10
Hundreds mourn deaths
of boys killed by mother
UNION, S.C. (AP) — A sin
gle white coffin stacked with
yellow roses held the bodies of
two young brothers, “precious
jewels” whose drowning was
mourned by hundreds crowded
into a small country church on
Sunday.
David Smith, with bowed
shoulders and a handkerchief
stifling his sobs, followed as the
coffin holding his sons, 3-year-
old Michael and 14-month-old
Alex, was wheeled from the
church to a cemetery.
The boys’ mother, Susan
Smith, was absent — behind
bars and charged with killing
her sons by strapping them into
their car safety-seats and send
ing the car rolling into a lake.
About 300 people crowded
into the Buffalo United
Methodist Church for the 45-
minute service, where ministers
assured mourners that the chil
dren were in better hands.
“Sometimes God takes from
us the most precious jewels in
life so he can give them back to
us in eternity,” the Rev. Joe
Bridges said.
Outside, the gray sky hang
ing over the nearby Bogansville
United Methodist Church ceme
tery matched the mood of this
textile town of about 10,000 in
northwest South Carolina.
Campaign ‘94
Celebrities play role in Texas governor's race
DALLAS (AP) — “I got it!” shouted the woman,
giddily showing off the new prized autograph she
obtained at a weekend rally for
George W. Bush.
“That’s the Texas ranger,” an
other man murmured approv
ingly.
But the excitement and not-
so-subtle glances weren’t for the
GOP gubernatorial candidate,
who also is part owner of the
Texas Rangers baseball team.
These Bush supporters were
gushing over the other Texas
ranger — martial arts master Norris
Chuck Norris, who stars in the
CBS series “Walker, Texas Ranger.”
“Now I’ve got to go get George Bush,” said the
gratified woman with Norris’ autograph in hand.
With Tuesday’s election creeping closer, Bush
and Democratic incumbent Ann Richards brought
out the big guns — well, in this case big stars — at
weekend rallies across the state.
But the roles celebrities have played in the
Texas gubernatorial race have spanned the length
of the campaign and ranged from financial contri
butions and appearances with the candidates to
commercials.
Richards — the movie buff and celebrity in her
own right with appearances on nationally televised
talk shows — is backed by some of Hollywood’s
most powerful players. Producer/director Steven
Spielberg is the eighth largest contributor to
Richards’ re-election effort, giving $90,000.