The Battalion
102, No. 147 (6 pages)
Serving Texas A drM University Since 1893
osa Jolivet has never let
success interfere with who
she really is. This is obvi
ous as rfie A&M Track Team's 100-
and 400-meter hurdles star pre
pares for the upcoming Olympic
Trials in Atlanta on June 14-23.
Gwendolyn Struve, The Battalion
Olympic hopeful Rosa Jolivet jumps hurdles at practice Tuesday afternoon.
As the pressure of competing in the biggest
event of her athletic career mounts, Jolivet
has maintained her trademark laid-back men
tality. Her even-keel demeanor on and off the
track is one of the secrets to her success.
“People describe me as a goofy person, al
ways cracking jokes,” Jolivet said. “That’s just
the way I am.”
One might expect a more competitive, tem
peramental personality from one of the best
track athletes in the history of Texas A&M.
But A&M Head Track Coach Ted Nelson
said this is just not the case.
“She is one of the most positive people I have
been around in a long time,” Nelson said. “She
has been positive for the whole team. She is
very supportive of her teammates, always en
couraging them and saying good things.”
As you open the 1996 A&M Track and Field
Media Guide, the first words you see under
Rosa Jolivet’s photo are the words “... expected
to have an immediate impact in the 100- and
400-meter hurdles, as well as both relays.”
This understatements her accomplish
ments on the track team in her first year at
Texas A&M.
Jolivet, one of the most unheralded athletic
talents on campus, came into this year with
much hope and promise. In just a few months,
she has been one of the finest track athletes in
the history of the school and promises to be one
of the country’s best hurdlers in years to come.
See SPORTS, Page 3
Wednesday • June 12, 1996
Physical Plant
cuts water use
Pat James, The Battaijon
The drought has caused the A&M Physical Plant to cut its water use. Here,
a faucet at the Horticulture Center on University drive drips.
By Christine S. Diamond
The Battalion
During one of the worst droughts
in Texas history, Texas A&M sprin
klers continue as usual. Fortunately,
Charles Sippial, assistant vice-presi
dent for Physical Plant, said College
Station has no water shortage.
“In essence, from ground water,
there is not a drought,” Sippial said.
“The only thing that has happened
to that aquifer is that the level has
been lowered. But we consider the
problem that has brought the
drought the lack of rainfall.”
The Palmer Drought Severity In
dex, taken in mid-May, indicated all
10 of Texas’ climatic zones were ex
periencing moderate to severe
droughts. The index examines hy
drologic factors such as precipita
tion, evaporation and soil moisture.
Because of the statewide problem,
officials have asked for voluntary
water conservation.
Texas A&M pumps its water
from wells located on the River
side Campus. The water comes
mainly from the Simsboro Sand
and Wilcox Aquifer.
To serve its roughly 50,000 users,
A&M pumps an average of 8 million
gallons of water a day. Landscape
maintenance uses 712,000 gallons a
day for irrigation.
Sippial said the Physical Plant
follows a water conservation and
drought contingency plan. The plan
sets procedures designed to reduce
water use.
Thomas Dew, superintendent for
landscape and pavements mainte
nance, said the department reduced
water use by 35 percent six weeks ago.
This week, Dew said, the department
cut back an additional 15 percent.
“We try to put down an inch to an
inch-and-a-half of water a week,”
Dew said. “If we can get a rain to
help that’s great,” Dew said.
Physical Plant officials said ap
proximately 25,000 sprinkler
heads water the A&M landscape.
Officials have taken steps to en
sure sprinklers do not water side
walks or roads instead of lawns
and flowerbeds.
“We are sensitive to that (faulty
sprinklers) and are going to make
sure every drop of water that goes
out of here goes to the right place,”
Sippial said. The Physical Plant
asks anyone aware of faulty sprin
kler heads to call 845-4311.
“As good citizens we should do
two things: conserve water and be
sensitive to the folks that are losing
their farms and losing their liveli
hood,” Sippial said.
Inimal shelter faces
vercrowding problem
Protas
wtalion
beginning of the summer
worst time of year for the
I -pulation. The Brazos Ani-
-talter hopes to alleviate
foblem by placing animals
>afe homes and owners.
% Bice, director of the
sAnimal Shelter, said ani-
'feding cycles are the main
of the overpopulation,
s is the time of the year
We see the biggest increase
finals,” Bice said. “The
«ng cycles cause all the
ipd cats to breed in the late
'and then they have pup-
■'d kittens in late May and
’Jane.”
N Schwarm, a volunteer
o shelter and a graduate
'tin chemical engineering.
Jet owners can help with
f overcrowding.
)e main problems are
M by people who don’t
!or neuter their pets,”
tfm said. “It’s actually
I ■humane because they
have the urges they can’t
(idling about.”
Tn the animals are
ht into the shelter, they
Gained to see if they qual-
’ Adoption.
■ose from Brazos County
duated to see if they are a
abandoned or an owner-
Jder,” Bice said. “If they
Wner-surrender or aban-
Uhey are evaluated for
ion. If they are lost or
then they stay 72 hours
; we can evaluate them,
hves owners time to miss
did come get them.”
he pets are approved, they
adopted for $65. Bice said
Stew Milne, The Battalion
One of the many kittens at the Brazos Animal Shelter waits to be
adopted. Breeding cycles have caused overcrowding at the shelter.
the price includes other benefits.
“All our adoptions are $65,
which includes an adoption
package of over $150 worth of
benefits,” Bice said. “You get
their first shots, worming, spay
ing or neutering and a two-week
health warranty. If you adopt a
cat, you get a cat-carrying box
and a leash for a dog. There are
coupons from all local businesses
that support pet ownership, such
as grooming, pet sitting, train
ing, supplies and food.”
Pets can be adopted at either
the shelter or at mobile pet
adoptions around town.
Schwarm said mobile pet
adoptions are a convenient way
for people to adopt a pet.
“A mobile pet adoption is
where we take several animals
and bring them to a public
place,” Schwarm said. “People
can adopt them right there and
they don’t have to wait. In the
past we’ve gone to the Messina
Hof Winery, the Hollywood 16
movie theater, Sam’s Club and
St. Joseph’s Hospital.”
Bice said if adoptees’ other
animals are up-to-date on their
records and their landlord allows
pets, they can adopt a pet from
the shelter.
Scott Neeman, a senior math
major, said adopting his cat, Ra
mona, from the shelter was easy.
He said he would encourage any
one to consider adoption.
See Shelter, Page 6
Provisional admission
has high success rate
By Brandon Hausenfluck
The Battalion
Approximately 230 freshmen students who
would have otherwise been denied admission to
Texas A&M are taking part in a provisional en
rollment program offered through the Depart
ment of General Academics.
Applicants who do not meet early admission
criteria by not having the necessary SAT scores
and class rank are selected through a review
process. The admission board then considers all
contributing factors to the student’s perfor
mance in high school, such as extracurricular
activities and extenuating circumstances which
might have affected his or her performance. If
these students can prove to the board there is
more to be considered, they will be given the op
portunity to demonstrate their true abilities.
Kriss Boyd, director of General Academics,
says the program is important for students who
have issues which could have affected their per
formance in high school.
See Provisional, Page 6
License plates stolen over weekend
By Melissa Nunnery
The Battalion
Twelve license plates were
stolen from vehicles at College
Station hotels last weekend.
Lt. Scott McCollum of the Col
lege Station Police Department
said most of the stolen plates
were from out-of-state vehicles.
Some of the stolen plates came
from tax-exempt city- or state-
owned vehicles.
He said reasons to steal the
plates are purely speculative,
but said “it could be that the per
son stealing them is a collector.”
“It is highly probable that the
same person stole all of the
plates,” McCollum said.
McCollum said someone who
is going to use stolen plates for
criminal purposes might put
them on a different vehicle to
mislead witnesses.
McCollum said there is usual
ly no need to worry about license
plates being stolen, but there are
specialty stores that sell fasten
ers for plates.
With these fasteners, a spe
cial adapter is needed to re
move the plates.
The police are checking several
leads. McCollum said, normally,
someone parks a car in the
evening and goes out in the morn
ing to find the plates are missing.
“It doesn’t take long to re
move a license plate,” McCol
lum said, explaining why there
are not witnesses to the crimes.
A spokesman for the Ramada
Inn in College Station said the hotel
has regular security which checks
the property every half-hour.
Bob Wiatt, director of Univer
sity Police Department, said no li
cense plates have been reported
stolen on campus.
He said there has been no ac
tivity, but officers patrol parking
lots regularly and are aware that
anything can happen to a car.
“We’re on the alert,” Wiatt
said, “but luckily we’ve had no
similar problems.”