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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 13, 1996)
The Battalion 4102, No. 148 (6 pages) Serving Texas AdrM University Since 1893 Thursday • June 13, 1996 Emilies benefit rom apartment’s ax credit program I Melissa Nunnery : Battalion in apartment complex in College Sta ll provides affordable housing for low- (ome families. Windsor Pointe may be ♦•income housing, but it is not a gov- oment subsidy. The residents pay sir full rent. Rent at Windsor Pointe is $428 per rath for a two-bedroom apartment, JS493 a month for a three bedroom iirtment. The owners charge lower rates with /benefit of a tax credit. Jo Carroll, Administrator of Commu- !)■ Development in College Station, dtax credit is a federal tax program. The federal government allocates sdits to states,” Carroll said. “The Ite of Texas administers the credits augh the Department of Housing and inmunity Affairs, which sets the poli- jrhow credits are distributed.” Carroll said a construction subsidy lies in the form of a rebate to the iperty owners. Once owners lease the jiperty to low-income families, they re- fecredit applied to their taxes. Rony Angkriwan, The Battalion Windsor Pointe apartments in College Station receive tax credits for providing low-rent housing to families. Dan Mueller, assistant manager of Windsor Pointe, said the state approves an application based on the need for low-income housing in a particular area. Carroll said applicants who want to build in areas where development is ex pensive and the population has a low in come get extra points in the application See Housing, Page 2 rogram increases liversity awareness IggieCuIture' will be presented Inew student conferences Pamela Benson Battalion Voughout the summer, future Ag- and parents will gather in Rudder ‘Ctorfum to learn about a special in dent in Aggieland. SgieCulture, a program designed to 'iliten awareness of the many differ- fs among stu- ! son campus, gives students *nnation on K ing involved various orga- Itions. leNew Student station and 'station Confer- ______ ihas restruc- i the program viewed through the eyes of students, the past, the program was read by iff person from a script and lacked perspective. ie students presenting the program rientation leaders, selected through implication process. layla Jeter, a sophomore elemen- education major, said Texas A&M is one of the most diverse gatherings of people one could ever find. “I think new students should realize that there are cultural differences here, and if they are exposed to those differ ences now, then they’ll be one step ahead,” Jeter said. The program not only introduces eth nic differences, but also touches on reli gious beliefs, so cioeconomic status, sexual orientation and physical dis abilities. The structure of the program is inter active, and audience participation is strongly encouraged. The activities are designed to make the audience comfortable and help them to become aware of the many di verse groups represented in the room. In addition to the activities, new stu dents watch a video about campus diver sity narrated by Brook Leslie, former student body president. See Diversity, Page 2 How are you? Rony Angkriwan, The Battalion Robert Wright, a graduate genetics student, secures his bike on West Campus Tuesday night. By Jeffrey Cranor and April Towery The Battalion I t is easy to feel safe in the small community of Bryan- College Station. A small com munity, however, does not make a safe community. A University Police Department re port indicates that not everyone sub scribes to the Aggie Code of Honor. There were 1,876 total offenses re ported on campus in fiscal year 1995 compared to 1,741 in 1992. UPD Lt. Bert Kretzschmar said measures are being taken by ASM to deter an increase in campus crime. These measures include new light ing, more blue phones and access to crime prevention information. "Aggies do not lie cheat or steal." Kretzschmar said with so many students coming in for orientation this summer, the biggest problem is theft. “The most common type of theft is what we call opportu nity theft,” Kretzschmar said. “You’re playing racquetball and leave your wallets outside or leave your belongings in the library while you walk around for an hour.” Kretzschmar said theft can be prevented with a pro gram called Operation ID. Operation ID involves writing down the serial num bers of cameras, bicycles and VCRs; the numbers are then entered into a nationwide computer. “People also need to take an electrical engraver or marker and mark property with their driver license num ber,” Kretzschmar said. “If your bike is stolen and you see someone riding it on campus, you can go to the police department and say, Tiey, that’s my bike.’ The police department will say, ‘Prove it,’” he said. “If you have your driver license number engraved, it just takes a minute to prove that it belongs to you.” Similar to other college campuses, textbook theft is a problem at A&M toward the end of each semester. Kretzschmar said students can write their initials on the first page or on the side of a book. Kretzschmar said these preventative measures should be taken because only 20 percent of the property stolen on campus was recovered. See AGGIELIFE, Page 3 L iEATIN' THE HEAT Re Smith, 11, and her sister Katie Smith, 5, sell lemonade from their stand on Southwest Parkway Nnesday afternoon. They are going to split the profits. Alumni magazine shuns spotlight By Heather R. Rosenfeld The Battalion Former students may not be getting their full dosage of authenticity when the inocula- tor is Texas Aggie, the alumni magazine of Texas A&M. Jerry Cooper, editor of Texas Aggie, said he tries not to offend his readers. “Issues have people on both sides and we are very careful to try and not do things to antago nize the constituents,” Cooper said. This concept is the problem, according to Anne Diffily, editor of the Brown Alumni Monthly. “A magazine that contains nothing that dis turbs or even offends anyone is printed Cream of Wheat — bland mush,” Diffily told the magazine Linguafranca, a review of academic life. Deputy Director of University Relations Lane Stephenson disagreed with the accusation. “I don’t think the Aggie sees its role as writ ing exposes or covering every controversy on this campus,” Stephenson said. “We leave the contro versy to publications like The Battalion.” Marc Wortman, writer for Linguafranca, com mented on the balancing act editors of alumni magazines must understand between being a journalist and being a public relations person. “They (editors) know full well that the more applause they get from their peers, the more trouble they might have with their employers,” Wortman said. “Indeed, a reputation for putting out an independent, hard-hitting magazine can cost an editor his job.” Cooper said he agrees that the juxtaposition of the two jobs is a difficult task to accomplish, but he knows where his paycheck comes from. “I’d like to consider myself a journalist, but I’m really a public relations man,” Cooper said. “ ... I’m not concerned about my job, because I know who I work for.” According to Wortman, both the Stanford Magazine and the Pennsylvania Gazette’s edi tors lost their jobs last year as a result of produc ing, “independent, hard-hitting” magazines. However, both editors received the Robert Sibley Magazine of the Year Award. The award, the top honor for an alumni magazine, has never been given to the Texas Aggie. Cooper attributed the oversight to the Aggie’s conservative style. “Our stories are stories that don’t get those outside the Aggie family really excit ed,” he said. “Why would 300 different meetings around the world in April catch the attention of anyone outside (the University) ... we try and preserve traditions.” Stephenson defended A&M’s style in ap proaching the magazine. “Rice’s magazine ... has a reputation just like its marching band, irreverent and sassy,” he said. “That is just not the forte of the Texas Aggie.” Cooper said the strength of Texas Aggie is not controversy, but instead, lies in the hands of what former students and donors to the University want. “We are trying to work for the promotion of A&M ... we are in the fund raising business,” Cooper said. “The magazine shouldn’t take stands on controversial issues.” Alec Horn, Texas Aggie subscriber and class of ’83 agent, realizes he does not receive all cur rent issues through the Aggie, but said he is very pleased with the publication. “I have found the Texas Aggie to be an in valuable resource to keep in touch with what’s going on in the University,” Horn said.