Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 19, 1995)
T A M U i n X A y\ ;v[ u N V R T Y CORNHUSKERS SHUCKED I An EASY ANSWER Bryn Blalack scores both of the Aggie goals in A&M's win over Nebraska. Sports, Page 9 X-» SJE EntitfeTTOnts~-are-— not the answer to the Social Security dilemma. Opinion, Page 13 New approach Uptmor: The Jesus and Mary Chain have changed for the better. Aggielife, Page 4 jgsy Battalion rol. 102, No. 39 (14 pages) Established in 1893 Thursday • October 19, 1995 tudent Senate tables cultures bill Groff addresses □ The status of the 1993 multiculturalism bill is In limbo. Revisions to le proposal will be iggested before the Jov. 1 Senate meeting. |y Lori Young She Battalion After hours of heated debate, le Student Senate tabled a mea sure that would repeal the Sen ate’s 1993 multiculturalism bill. The Senate first voted 33 for passing and 20 against the Truth in Representation bill, but then voted to reconsider the decision. The bill states that the “Stu dent Senate would rather have no stated opinion on record than an opinion that does not reflect the opinion of the student body.” Introduced by senators Jason Ross, T. J. Williams, Amy Big- bee, Tracey McAllister and Jesse Czelusta, the bill seeks to repeal the existing American Cultures International Elective Bill that proposed three hours of Ameri can cultures courses. The representation bill would also provide the Senate the op portunity to conduct further re search and “develop legislation that reflects the current student body’s opinion.” 1993 Student Body President Brian Walker said that year the Senate originally tried to find out what the student body would endorse and design a bill that represented those wants. Czelusta, an on-campus northside senator and a senior agricultural economics major, said the Truth in Representation Bill allows the Senate to accu rately and fairly represent the student body. The American Cultures Inter national Elective Bill calls for a three-hour multiculturalism requirement instead of the six- hour requirement proposed by the Faculty Senate. Several senators and stu dents, however, criticized the See Cultures, Page 6 Kyle concerns By Lori Young The Battalion Wally Groff, Texas A&M Athletic Director, addressed student concerns about the proposed Kyle Field expansion at Wednesday’s Student Sen ate meeting. Groff emphasized that stu dents will not have to bear the cost of this three-part expansion. Phase one of the project deals with the conversion of Kyle Field to natural grass; phase two provides for the building of new varsity tennis facilities; and phase three deals See Groff, Page 6 : fill#! ■-A-r; Sv] ' : : ' ' . ' ' ■ : ' 'S 'A < T-: O : Amy Browning, The Battalion Open wide Allen Byrd, a fourth year veterinary student, looks at Martie's teeth. Martie is a small cat that was brought to the small animal clinic for a check-up. Forensic evidence presented in trial □ A DNA expert testified that Lori Ann Baker's blood was on the gun Shamburger turned in to the police, as well as on his arm and clothing. By Wes Swift The Battalion Jurors in the capital murder trial of Ron Scott Shamburger heard more testimony Wednes day, including the youth minis ter who helped the defendant surrender to police and two forensic specialists. Shamburger is charged with the capital murder of Lori Ann Baker, a Texas A&M accounting major. If convicted, he could face the death penalty. The defense began its case with Steven Biles, a youth, min ister with the Hillcrest Baptist Church in Bryan. Biles said he received a phone call from Sham burger during the early hours of Sept. 30, 1994, the morning of the murder. Shamburger asked Biles to pick him up at the Exxon gas station at Highway 6 and Harvey Road. Shamburger described his sit uation as “a matter of life and death,” Biles said. Once he picked up Shamburg er, Biles said, the two drove around town and Shamburger talked about an incident that happened earlier that morning. Biles said Shamburger was not frenzied while he talked. “When he first go into the car [his speech] was just kind of wound up,” he said. “Then as we talked, it was kind of reflective.” Biles told the court that Shamburger jumped to several different subjects while talking and gave the minister “bits and pieces” of what had happened. Finally, Shamburger told Biles that he had shot someone earlier that morning, and requested that he be taken to the College Station Police Department so he could turn himself in. Upon cross- examination, Brazos County District Attor ney Bill Turner questioned Biles about the defendant’s re morse over the incident. Earlier, Biles testified that he asked Shamburger in July 1994 to stop participating in the church’s youth activities. Shamburger was visibly upset, almost break ing into tears. But when Turner asked about Shamburger’s reaction while in the car and the police station on the night of Baker’s death. Biles said he did not recall the defen dant coming to tears. That answer corresponded to the testimony of another wit ness, Donnie Andreski, a CSPD See TRIAL, Page 6 Shamburger A&M makes plans to expand library □ The study complex, to be completed in 1998, will provide students with 24-hour computer access and study space. By Tara Wilkinson The Battalion Sterling C. Evans Library adminis trators and Texas A&M’s Department of Facilities, Planning and Construc tion continue to develop plans for a Library, Computing and Study Com plex, a parking garage and remodel ing of Cushing Library. Dr. Jerry Gaston, interim vice president for finance and administra tion, said additions and renovations will bring Evans library up to nation al recommendations of how large a li brary should be relative to the size of the student body. “Evans is too small,” Gaston said. ]| “That’s the main reason for expansion.” Changes made to Evans Library J will be implemented in two phases. The first phase includes construction of a Library, Computing and Study Complex, a parking garage and re modeling of Cushing Library. The sec ond phase will include additional im provements to Evans Library, such as the addition of safety sprinklers. Battalion File Photo The expansion of Sterling C. Evans Li brary is expected to be completed by June 1 999. Plans include the construc tion of a study complex and a parking garage. Joe Williams, architect in the facil ities, planning and construction, said acceptance of bids for the first phase of construction will begin Dec. 12. The project is expected to cost S25 million. Construction will begin March 1, Williams said, and should be finished about two years later. Second-phase renovations are scheduled to begin January 1998 and end June 1999. The Library, Computing and Study complex, which will be built on Parking Area 34, between the Pavilion and the Peterson Building, will be divided into two sections, a two-story student com puting center and a four-story library. A skywalk will connect the fourth floor of the' new library to the fourth floor of Evans library. Joyce Thornton, executive assistant to the dean and director of Evans li brary, said that although the library and the student computing center will be housed in the same building, they will be accessed through different doors. “You can’t go through the computing center to get to the library,” Thornton said. “They will be separate.” The computing center will provide students 24-hour access to computers and study space. The library section will contain 60 group-study rooms and general study areas. Reserved-reading rooms and the learning resource center will be relocated from Evans library to the new complex. Dr. Fred Heath, Evans Library dean and director, said that although some books will be moved from Evans Library to the new library, the Evans Library book collection will not be expanded. “Because of the way we see the world heading toward electronics, the book collection is a pretty static col lection,” Heath said. “We’ll be leaning more heavily on electronic databases.” To make room for a 650-space parking garage, the old creamery, lo cated between the Heep Building and the Pavilion, will be demolished. “People will be able to park closer to the Library,” Heath said. “They See Library, Page 6 Ticketing Troubles PTTS reminds students of parking regulations □ New signs put up on West Campus remind students that parking is only allowed in designated areas. By Kristen Homyk The Battalion Texas A&M students who park their cars on West Campus grassy areas without knowing they were parked ille gally, now have a reminder — two new “No Parking” signs. Many students who parked in the grass behind the medical building re turned to find tickets for illegal parking or find their cars had been towed. Confusion over the legality of park ing in the area left some students ques tioning parking regulations and PTTS officers. An unidentified student informed an officer at the site that her previous parking tickets for the area had been revoked, since no signs were posted prohibiting parking there. Shane Elkins, Thl Battalion PTTS has placed two new "No Parking" signs on West Campus grassy areas. As she spoke, tow trucks removed of fending cars from the site. Thomas Williams, director of Parking, Transit and Traffic Services, said stu dents park in any unmarked area on campus at their own risk. “If you’re parked illegally, then you’re subject to be towed at any time,” Williams said. “If we write warning See Tickets, Rage 6