:ember 7)
ports
Lior linebacker Antonio Armstrong selected to the
Associated Press All-American team.
Page 7 II
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rsday aftemoor.
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Dr. Brian K,
1427.
THE
Opinion
FRANK STANFORD: With finals around the corner, there's not
much time to think about parades. Or avenues. We're all
bustling about on the avenue of life, making lots of noise.
Page 9
Aggielife
An interview with Digable Planets
Page 3
-1100,
der Self Help
id confidential
ie who has been
ating disorder
m. in 145 MSC.
rtion call Jeans
>rs: Join us k
lip at 8:30 p.n!
7 or more infer
fer at 847-06dl
, 693-9573.
* a Battalion
its non-profit
iculty events
Items should
10 later than
dvance of the
ite. Applies-
and notices
ts and will
that’s Up. If
■ questions,
newsroom at
tier.
i deferred adju-
' probation that
ion will appear
he three-month
/ completed,
ges and indict-
esult of an on-
ition by the
id the FBI ink
ness practices
NEWS
RIEFS
liation: Free I
; lessons fronij
i 125 Academitj
ore information
hroust at 845-^ USS i an soldiers,
ft ins return from war
MOSCOW (AP) — Seven soldiers
id three coffins came home
jednesday from Chechnya, pawns in
issia’s clumsy covert war to oust the
iderof the rebel republic.
The men from an elite tank division
the army were recruited by the
rderal Counterintelligence Service,
lich has botched perhaps the most
ibitious operation of its short life.
Some compare the debacle to
[the disastrous Bay of Pigs of
(vasion. It has left soldiers and
lies at each others’ throats — and
liBwks and doves alike criticizing
resident Boris Yeltsin.
"Chechnya is an inalienable part of
itussia. But we are categorically
jainst using the fire and the sword,”
|said Yegor Gaidar, a longtime Yeltsin
|y and head of one of parliament’s
fgest blocs.
It still isn’t clear whether Yeltsin
lew what his secret agents were
[op to in the tiny, mostly Muslim
Jpublic of 1.2 million on Russia’s
liable southern flank.
tudy shows war on
loverly to continue
WASHINGTON (AP) — Most
Ahericans believe people on
lelfare collect more than they
tually do and think the poverty line
lould be higher than it is, a survey
icates. People seem to see
lelfare payments as “pouring water
ito a leaky bucket” but they want to
fix the bucket rather than stop
ppuring, says the survey’s sponsor.
The study, conducted for an
icoming PBS television documentary
i American poverty programs by the
dependent Center for the Study of
)licy Attitudes, found that 84 percent
jreed that society has a “moral
iligation” to help the poor, and that 80
ircent thought government should do
jmething about poverty.
The study found wide chasms
itween the way people view federal
Shti-poverty programs of the 1960s
I ar on Poverty, and what they think
ould be done about them.
t
Tapes entered into
trial against Cisneros
I SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Lawyers
for the former mistress of Housing
Secretary Henry Cisneros are
claiming in court documents that
transcripts of taped phone
conversations between the two
show Cisneros agreed to pay her
$4,000 a month.
I For the first time, transcripts of
the taped conversations were made
part of the record Tuesday in a
Lubbock County state district court,
where Linda Medlar is suing
Cisneros. The conversations took
place from March 1990 to
November 1993.
| Attorneys for Ms. Medlar, a
former Cisneros aide during his
tenure as San Antonio mayor,
contend the transcripts submitted
Tuesday support her claim that
Cisneros agreed to make $4,000 in
monthly payments until Ms.
Medlar’s teen-age daughter
graduates from college.
Mice breathe easier
ith new vaccine
w
^THURSDAY
December 8, 1994
Vol. 101, No. 72 (10 pages)
"Serving Texas AcrM since 1893"
VP denies reinstatement of employees
Former top food service employees
file against A&M over reassignments
I NEW YORK (AP) — A drop of
iyaccine in the nose made mice build
an extra line of defense against germs,
suggesting that nasal vaccines may
someday protect people against a host
of diseases.
I The possibilities include bacterial
pneumonia, food poisoning, urinary
fract infections and sexually transmitted
diseases including AIDS, said
[tesearcher Solomon Langermann.
|[ In his study, mice got a single drop
of an experimental Lyme disease
-vaccine inside the nose, and for the
pgst year and a half, have been
[protected against that disease.
I The nasal vaccine was designed to
I [alert anti-disease defenses in the lining
of the nose, in what amounts to an
pictra layer of protection compared to
lap injected vaccine.
* The mice developed defenses not
ly in the bloodstream, but also in the
lls that line the mouth, nose, gut and
her body passageways.
Ibday / s Bat
ijliil
Aggielife
3
Classified
8
Opinion
9
Sports
7
Toons
4
/Veather
4
By Michele Brinkmann
The Battalion
A Texas A&M administrator
denied an appeal Wednesday that
was filed against the University
in January by three former top
Texas A&M food services employ
ees who say they were reassigned
with no explanation.
The three employees, Lloyd
Smith, former food services di
rector, Col. Jim Moore, former
assistant director, and George
Nedbalek, former business
manager, had filed grievances
to be reinstated in their previ
ous positions.
The three men have said
their former boss, Robert
Smith, former vice president for
finance and administration, did
not tell them why they were re
assigned and they believed the
reassignments were due to
their opposition to his original
plan to privatize food services.
Dr. J. Malon Southerland,
vice president of student affairs,
was assigned by A&M President
Ray Bowen in September to rule
on the grievances.
Southerland told the former
employees’ attorney, Wayne
Rife, the men may meet with
Dr. Jerry Gaston, interim vice
president for finance and ad
ministration, about the basis of
their reassignments.
“While the University always
retains the right to reassign
employees as needed, I conclud
ed that none of these three em
ployees were provided with full
information concerning the ba
sis for their reassignment,”
Southerland said.
Moore said Southerland sent
the three employees’ attorney a
confusing answer to their griev
ances, which Moore nor his at
torney clearly understands.
“I’ll just have to wait until
Dr. Gaston meets with us to get
an answer to our question,”
Moore said. “I’m disappointed
in the ruling, but it is obvious
the University did not follow its
own rules and regulations in
the way they reassigned us. I
can determine that it didn’t fol
low procedures at all.”
Moore said he did not want
to sue the University but would
go along with Smith and Ned
balek if it is determined by the
three employees that they were
wronged by A&M.
Moore said the letter stated
that the University had the
right to reassign him although
the University did not correctly
handle the situation.
“I want to meet with Dr.
Gaston to find out why I was re
assigned,” Moore said.
Although he was not happy
with the ruling, Moore said he
was happy that after almost a
year of waiting he is finally be
ginning to get some answers.
“I thought we would have
more information by now,”
Moore said. “I’m glad we are fi
nally to this stage of the game.”
Rife said he was disappoint
ed in Southerland’s decision.
“They will meet with Dr.
See Employees/ Page 2
Hellriegel trial to begin
closing arguments today
By Michele Brinkmann
The Battalion
A Brazos County jury is expected to
decide today the fate of a Texas A&M
professor accused of disguising alcohol
purchases as purchases of food and
soft drinks.
Dr. Don Hellriegel, a management pro
fessor, was the first of eight employees
charged or indicted in June on a Class A
misdemeanor charge of tampering with
government documents to go to trial.
The defense rested its case late
Wednesday and closing arguments will
begin at 9 a.m. today. Judge Claude
Davis told the jury it should expect to
begin deliberating by noon.
If convicted, Hellriegel faces up to a
year in jail and a $3,000 fine.
Hellriegel’s attorney Sam Rowland
has maintained throughout the trial
that Hellriegel was a victim of an un
written policy that has been followed by
the University for years.
Among the $403.11 of alcohol pur
chases Hellriegel is accused of authoriz
ing, were purchases for a Christmas
party and a reception, which were both
held at Hellriegel’s home in 1992.
Marilyn Maynard, an assistant con
troller for A&M’s fiscal department
since 1983, testified Wednesday that a
1991 memo was sent out by the Univer
sity stating alcohol could not be bought
with any Texas A&M account. She said
alcohol was one of the strictly prohibited
purchases during that time.
Maynard said she has seen several
Ruffino Catering invoices come
through her department but did not
know the catering company did not ex
ist until the investigation into A&M
business dealings began.
Maynard said her department depend
ed on people within A&M departments to
turn in accurate and truthful vouchers.
She also said it is not possible for the
fiscal department to call and verify every
purchase because of the large number of
vouchers they approve each day.
Dr. Michael Hitt, a management pro
fessor and former department head, said
he was irritated when he first heard of
A&M’s alcohol policy because he could
not list alcohol on vouchers but could
use the word “beverages” and the
See Trial/ Page 2
Students benefit from new policy
for on campus housing this spring
Amy Browning/THE Battalion
Oh, Christmas tree
This tree was obviously hung from the window with care. Corps of Cadets
Dorm 5 has taken time to decorate the Quad for Christmas.
By Amanda Fowle
The Battalion
Housing vacancies on campus and in
the community have created a buyer’s
market for students looking for hous
ing, but may pose a problem for those
trying to sublease their homes.
Allison Smith, a coordinator in the
Office of Student Life Programs
(OSLP), said with so many vacancies
on campus and off campus and so many
students wanting to sublease their
apartments, students who are looking
for housing should not have a problem.
“The market is definitely in favor of
those students who are looking for
spring housing,” she said.
In an effort to fill the housing vacan
cies on campus, the housing office is al
lowing students enrolled in at least
three hours of classes to live on campus
during the spring semester.
Normally, students must be enrolled
in at least nine hours in order to live on
campus. The housing office will revert
to this policy after the spring semester.
Tammy Schniederjan, a student as
sistant in the housing office, said despite
allowing part-time students to live on
campus, some residence halls will still
have vacancies.
“We are not going to be completely
full for the spring, but we normally have
vacancies in the spring,” she said.
In the past, students have been al
lowed to have private rooms during the
spring to fill these vacancies.
In another effort to fill these vacan
cies, students were offered private
rooms this fall.
More students canceled their housing
See Housing/ Page 2
A&M second crime rate among Texas universities
By Lisa Messer
The Battalion
Texas A&M claimed the sec
ond highest property crime rate
among Texas universities in
1993, rising seven percent from
the number reported in 1992.
A&M had 714 property
crimes, which include burglaries,
larceny thefts and motor vehicle
thefts, in 1993, according to the
latest FBI Crime Survey.
The University of Texas had
the highest property crime rate
with 767 crimes reported.
The University of Houston re
ported 560 property crimes in
1993, ranking third among
Texas schools.
Bob Wiatt, director of the Uni
versity Police Department, said
the top three universities’ crime
rates are understandable because
of the size of their enrollments.
“Take all the statistics for all
the universities, colleges and in
stitutions,” Wiatt said. “UT is
University crime increased seven percent from
1 992, still less than the University of Texas
number one in size, and it is num
ber one in property crimes. A&M
is second in size and, consequent
ly, second in property crimes.
“If you have thousands more
people, you’ll have thousands
more crimes. We have a great
number of people so it stands to
reason we’ll have a good number
of crimes.”
Wiatt said the high number of
property crimes at A&M results
mainly from people’s carelessness.
“People leave backpacks unat
tended, rooms unlocked and
doors propped open,” Wiatt said.
“They’re inviting the opportunity
for someone to come and take
advantage of them.”
A&M ranks below most other
Texas universities in the num
ber of violent crimes committed
on campus.
Violent crimes include mur
ders, rapes, robberies and ag
gravated assaults.
The FBI reported that, in
1993, A&M had seven violent
crimes, which was the same
number A&M reported in 1992.
Texas Southern University
ranked number one in violent
crimes, reporting 36.
However, Wiatt said that as
of Oct. 31, 12 violent crimes
had been reported on the A&M
campus.
Wiatt said one murder, which
was the first murder committed
at A&M, two rapes, which were
both date rapes, two robberies
and seven aggravated assaults
have been committed this year.
Wiatt said that although a
more strict definition of aggra
vated assault is used this year.
that change is not the cause of
the increasing numbers of the
crime on the A&M campus.
“The meaning of aggravated
assault has been watered down
from past years,” Wiatt said.
“You had to commit a more se
rious injury in the past than
you do now.
“That’s not why there are so
many cases, though. People are
just more violent in their alterca
tions now. This year, we’ve had
people pull guns on other people,
and we’ve had people threaten to
kill someone with a knife.”
Gene Zdziarski, coordinator for
the Student Conflict Resolution
Center, said the majority of situa
tions that occur at A&M still end
without becoming violent.
“We’re obviously always going
to have disagreements between
people on campus,” Zdziarski
said, “but one of our hopes is to
get away from the reactive.
There should be an alternative
to resolving a problem in a rea
sonable way, instead of in a vio
lent manner.”
Zdziarski said students
should face situations with the
same caution at A&M as they do
anywhere else.
“Regardless of whether you’re
in Bryan-College Station or
downtown Houston,” Zdziarski
said, “you should be aware of vi
olent situations occurring. We
have a microcosm of society
here. We’re our own little city.”
Wiatt said that the FBI Crime
Survey’s numbers should not
alarm A&M students or faculty.
“This campus is not rampant
with crime,” Wiatt said. “In fact,
we have a rather non-violent
campus for having 42,000 stu
dents and 10,000 members of the
faculty and staff. The numbers
are not shocking.”