The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, October 19, 1995, Image 1

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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
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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
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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