The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, April 18, 1995, Image 1

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DEAN OF THE MOUND
Pitcher Dean Mitchell rebounds after a
rough start.
Sports, Page 9
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SHOOT DOWN EQUITY 2000
Hall: The plan will pave the way for more af
firmative action and quota systems.
Opinion, Page 13
ANIMAL KINGDOM
Students and professors
get rare glimpses of life.
Aggielife, Page 3
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)1. 101, No. 133 (14 pages)
“Serving Texas AdrM since 1893’
Tuesday • April 18, 1995
fEES to explore possibility of digital libraries at A&M
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jThe TEES center will work
vith the George Bush Presi-
ential Library to bring digi-
I libraries to students.
I Lisa Messer
ie Battalion
A new center in the Texas Engineer-
pg Experiment Station will explore the
tential of digital libraries at Texas
kM University.
The Center for the Study of Digital
braries was established by the A&M
)ard of Regents at its last regular
eeting.
The agenda item requesting the cen
ts establishment stated that the fed-
al government has identified digital
iraries as a national challenge.
“National challenges are fundamen
tal applications that have a broad and
direct impact on the nation’s competi
tiveness and the well-being of its citi
zens,” the agenda item stated. “A pri
mary goal of this program is to estab
lish better linkages between fundamen
tal science and technology development
which directly impacts national compet
itiveness and advancement.”
The Center will build on the work of
the Hypermedia Research Laboratory in
the Department of Computer Science.
Dr. Richard Furuta, director of the
Hypermedia Research Laboratory, said
digital libraries will bring together large
amounts of information in digital form.
“It includes traditional pieces of in
formation that you might expect, such
as text, documents, audio and movies,
but also information you might not
think of like representations of physical
objects,” Furuta said.
Dr. John Leggett, director of the
Center for the Study of Digital Li
braries, said the Center will serve the
global digital library community.
“I see the Center for the Study of
Digital Libraries providing expertise
and experience to help the Texas A&M
community transfer its collections of
books, journals, bugs, plants, animals
and so forth into useful digital li
braries,” Leggett said.
This work has been started with the
Flora of Texas project, the Tracey
Herbarium, the Texas Cooperative
Wildlife Collection and the Keck Cen
ter for Genome Informatics in the In
stitute of Biosciences and Technology,
Leggett said.
Furuta said digital libraries are chal
lenged with providing students infor
mation without the constraints of physi
cal libraries while ensuring the digital
libraries maintain the advantages of
traditional libraries.
“When you look up a book, for exam
ple, you won’t find out it’s stolen, ripped
up or highlight
ed,” Furuta said.
“Information will
also be accessible
when a physical
library is closed.
“The problem
is maintaining
the same ser
vices. Physical
libraries provide
reference desks and expert help. They
also serve the social aspect of providing
a place to meet and talk about projects.
Digital libraries need to retain those
services.”
Dr. Frank Shipman III, a TEES re-
Sk ' ■ Em.
AM
search scientist, said digital libraries
will play a crucial role with researchers
throughout the world.
“They will aid researchers in getting
access to information they might not
have otherwise,” Shipman said. “They
will also enable researchers to collabo
rate with each other across the world
much quicker than the usual print cycle.”
The Hypermedia Research Laborato
ry organized the first international re
search conference on digital libraries in
Summer 1994: The second conference
will be held in Austin in June.
The Center for the Study of Digital
Libraries will work with the George
Bush Presidential Library at A&M.
The library plans to have a multime
dia digital library system with more
than 40 million pages of documents,
two million photographs and 6,000
hours of video.
ocal police officers crack
lown on public intoxication
Officials say that pub
ic intoxication arrests
re intended to prevent
ieople from causing
|arm to themselves or
|thers.
ly Tracy Smith
(he Battalion
Arrests for public intoxication
re rising, and A&M students are
aving to deal with the effects.
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According to the College Sta-
on Police Department, public in
dication arrests increased from
84 in 1993 to 560 in 1994.
Currently, the public intoxica-
ion statute deals with those com-
nitting an offense in a public
)lace while intoxicated to the de-
[ree that they may endanger
hemselves or another.
If arrested, they face a class C
nisdemeanor requiring them to
ither pay a fine or go to court to
;et the charge off their record.
Rick Powell, coordinator of le-
?al services for the Student Con-
lict and Resolution Center, said
;hat during the past few years,
Lore students have received pub-
See Editorial, Page 13
lie intoxication charges.
“We talk to students who re
ceived the charge because they
were unable to drive and decided
to walk home from the bar in
stead,” he said. “Others may have
been waiting for their friends to
come out of a bar and were arrest
ed while outside.”
While the charges have varied
greatly over the last few years,
Powell said his advice is basically
the same.
If students can raise any doubt
pertaining to the charge, he said,
they should go to court.
“It really helps if the person has
witnesses that can come to testify
on their behalf,” he said. “These
situations come down to your word
over the police officer’s word.”
Powell said the law was
changed in September 1994 so
that those facing public intoxica
tion violations can’t receive cita
tions, but can be arrested.
“The police officers do have other
options, such as to allow the person
to leave the premises in the care of
a person who has not been drink
ing,” Powell said. “But this is up to
the officer’s discretion.”
Lyn Sechelski, patrol lieu
tenant with the University Police
Department, said that in order to
arrest people for public
See Intoxication, Page 11
Bush visits A&M to
establish Associates of
Presidential Library
Former President George Bush was on
campus Monday for a luncheon establish
ing the Associates of the George Bush
Presidential Library.
“I’m grateful to all who are launching
the Associates,” Bush said. “You are help
ing me see a vision come to fruition.”
Members of the newly formed group
will lead the volunteer efforts for the Pres
idential Library by serving as hosts and
hostesses for special events at the library
and leading library tours.
The group will also help find funding
for the library’s projects.
Don Wilson, executive director of the
Bush Library, said he will start evaluat
ing bids for the construction of the library
beginning in June.
The library is scheduled for dedication
in Fall 1997.
“We’re right on schedule,” Wilson said.
After the luncheon. Bush lectured to a
political science class.
Bush said he plans to teach at A&M
once the Presidential Library opens.
“Barbara and I look forward to opportu
nities to teach and also to learn at this
great institution,” Bush said.
Bush also visited the Bloodcare blood
drive and signed several T-shirts, one of
which will be raffled off on Friday.
Anyone who donates blood will be eligi
ble to win the T-shirt.
Mark Smith/THE Battalion
Former U.S. President George Bush signs T-shirts for Alan Elias, blood care direc
tor, and Cindy Sweatman, blood drive consultant on Monday afternoon while visit
ing the Bloodcare blood drive.
Aggies Celebrate Earth 1995
Groups commemorate Earth Day’s 25th anniversary
□ Concerts, information booths,
films, and poetry readings are
part of the week-long schedule of
events for Earth Week.
By Brad Dressier
The Battalion
Earth Day Extravaganza 1995 continues
April 18 through 23 in celebration of the 25th
anniversary of the national Earth Day.
The week’s events, hosted by the Student
Government’s Environmental Issues Commit
tee, the Texas Environmental Action Coalition
and the City of College Station, include infor
mational booths, a film festival, poetry read
ings, live music performances and two concerts
at Wolf Pen Creek Ampitheatre.
Today EIC and TEAC will have tables in
the MSC to inform the public about the
week’s activities.
More than 20 organizations will have booths
covering a variety of environmental topics in
the Rudder Fountain area Wednesday through
Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The booths will
move to Wolf Pen Creek Saturday from 4 p.m.
to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The Aggie Wranglers will perform Wednes
day in the Rudder Fountain area for the Earth
Day celebration.
Shelley Nash, EIC’s chair of Earth Day, said
the week’s activities will educate the public
about various environmental issues.
“I hope the week’s activities will open the
general public’s eyes to the scope of environ
mental problems that people face everyday,”
she said. “We also will do our part to educate
the public and motivate everyone to do what
they can do to make a difference. We all need
to do our part for the planet.”
A celebration called “Greenhouse: In Cele
bration of the Earth” will be held Wednesday
at 8 p.m. at Dead Lazio’s on Northgate. The
celebration will include poetry readings, live
music, an open microphone and a special pre
sentation of Dr. Suess’ “The Lorax.”
A free presentation of “Free Willy” will be
shown Wednesday in the Langford Architec
ture Building, Room 110-C.
“A Decade of Destmction: In the Ashes of
the Forest” will be shown Thursday in Lang
ford 105-C and a guest speaker will discuss the
state of the rainforests after the film.
Founded in 1970 as a national holiday.
Earth Day has been celebrated across the coun
try throughout the past years.
In 1990, on the 20th anniversary of Earth
Day, a large-scale festival was held at Research
Park. For Earth Day 1993, EIC and TEAC
founded the local Earth Day Extravaganza.
Carrie Thompson, TEAC chair of Earth Day,
said this year’s Earth Day Extravaganza is
somewhat different in scale and scope.
“This year we have a more diverse, larger-
scale schedule of activities for the Earth Day
Extravaganza,” she said. “In addition to an en
tire week’s activities, we are working with the
national Earth Day organization’s movement
on the Free the Planet campaign, which out
lines 25 important environmental areas for
Congress to address.”
On Earth Day, Saturday April 22, a free
Dah-veed Garza concert will be held at 3 p.m.
in Wolf Pen Creek Ampitheatre.
Sunday there will be a Willie Nelson concert at
7 p.m. in Wolf Pen Creek. Tickets are S20 in ad
vance, S25 the day of the concert, with proceeds
going to campus recycling and beautification.
Earth Week Activities
Tuesday, April 18
Informational tables in MSC from 1 0 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Wednesday, April 19
Organization booths in Rudder Fountain Area from
1 0 a.m. to 4 p.m. — Aggie Wranglers perform
Free showing of "Free Willy" — 7 p.m. —
Langford Architecture Building 1 1 0-C
"Greenhouse: In Celebration of the Earth" — 8
p.m. — Dead Lazio's, Northgate
Thursday, April 20
Organization booths in Rudder Fountain Area from
1 0 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Special showing of "A Decade of Destruction: In
the Ashes of the Forest" with guest speaker — 7
p.m. — Langford Architecture Building 105-C
Friday, April 21
Organization booths in Rudder Fountain Area from
1 0 a.m. to 4 p.m.
EARTH DAY — Saturday, April 22
Free Dah-veed Garza concert — 3 p.m. — Wolf
Pen Creek Ampitheatre
Organization booths at Wolf Pen Creek
Ampitheatre from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Sunday, April 23
Willie Nelson concert — 7 p.m. — Wolf Pen
Creek Ampitheatre
Bart Mitchell/THE Battalion
Betty Rogers from the Texas Natural Resources
Conservation Commission talks about environmen
tal issues during Monday night’s Earth Day forum.
Panel discusses future of
environmental movement
By Wes Swift
The Battalion
The environmental movement should return to
the grass roots level and emphasize its link with
spirituality in order to successfully progress into
the next century, a four-member panel told stu
dents at Rudder Theater Monday night.
The lecture and discussion kicked off Earth Week
1995 and the 25th anniversary of Earth Day.
Dr. Thomas Dunlap, a Texas A&M history
professor, began the forum by discussing the his
tory of the environmental movement and some of
its future challenges.
Dunlap said that one of environmentalism’s ob
stacles is its complicated nature.
“The simplicity of the movement is gone,” Dun
lap said. “Now it’s far more complex, much larger
See Panel, Page 11