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The Battalion
IVol. 102, No. 157 (6 pages)
Serving Texas A dr At University Since 1893 THE BATT ON-LINE: http://bat-web.tamu.edu
Monday • July 1, 1996
Karadzic turns
over powers
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herze-
govina (AP) — Radovan
Karadzic, the Bosnian Serb
leader indicted for war crimes,
bowed to international pres
sure to step aside Sunday,
handing his powers to an
equally nationalist deputy.
Karadzic’s move eased the
immediate threat of new inter
national sanctions against the
Bosnian Serbs and their former
patrons in Serbia, but left up in
the air the question of who
speaks for Bosnian Serbs.
International officials insist
ed Karadzic was out. But the
hard-line deputy who assumed
his powers, Biljana Plavsic, said
Karadzic remained president —
just without his powers.
The prime minister of
Bosnia’s Muslim-led govern
ment, Karadzic’s enemy in the
3 1/2-year war, called the
move a trick.
Karadzic is regarded as a
major impediment to Sept. 14
elections that international of
ficials see as a key step in
their effort to stitch Bosnia
back together.
It was clear that the inter
national community has hard
work ahead to finally crack
the flamboyant psychiatrist’s
power and force him to answer
war crimes charges before a
U.N. tribunal.
“As of today, Mr. Karadzic
cannot exercise any public func
tions or public powers as presi
dent of Republika Srpska,” the
Serbs’ self-proclaimed state, said
in a statement from Carl Bildt,
the top international civilian
See Bosnia, Page 6
Limited class availability
causes student setbacks
By Heather R. Rosenfeld
The Battalion
While the Modern and Classical Lan
guages Department maintains it is putting
forth maximum effort to remedy the prob
lem, Texas A&M liberal arts students re
main frustrated with the unavailability of
Spanish classes.
Dr. Steven Oberhelman, head of the mod
ern and classical languages department,
said, “I have done everything I can think of
... [The department] has been as proactive as
possible in trying to lessen the demand for
language classes.”
Oberhelman said he credits the lack of
courses to deficient departmental funding.
“My budget has not changed in ten years,”
he said. “The budget we are receiving isn’t
adequate for the amount of students because
the demand is far greater than the supply.”
Oberhelman receives his budget from
the dean, who in turn obtains the alloca
tions from the provost. He said students
should voice their frustrations to those able
to institute a change.
“The students should keep fire under the
central administration to continue the com
mitment he (the provost) has shown,”
Oberhelman said.
" ... [The department] has been as
proactive as possible in trying to lessen
the demand for language classes."
— DR. STEVE OBERHELMAN
head of the modem and classical languages department
Ronald Douglas, Texas A&M executive
vice president and provost, said the budget
will not allow for accommodation of every
student’s needs.
“We certainly do take student demand in
account, but the problem might be Spanish
this year and next year it might be some
thing else,” Douglas said. “The University
can’t respond directly because that (Spanish)
isn’t the only consideration we have in re
gards to budget.”
Douglas said the issue will be further in
vestigated in the fall.
“We probably need to do more for the Col
lege of Liberal Arts,” Douglas said. “The
question is: How fast can we do that, and
what will the budget be in the upcoming leg
islative session?”
For some students a future budget change
will come too late.
Justin Mitchell, a senior speech communi
cations major, faced the difficulty of finding
the necessary class.
“I couldn’t register for a Spanish class
that I needed, so it put me back a semester,”
Mitchell said. “I ended up at Blinn.”
Carolyn Hoyle, assistant division chair for
humanities for Blinn, said Mitchell’s case is
all too familiar.
“There is a sizable amount of students
who come here to Blinn because they can’t
See Classes, Page 6
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DOG DAYS OF SUMMER
Brian Diaz, a junior history major, chows down on a hot dog at a Southside barbecue Sunday evening.
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
gimraycep
Team redesigns, rebuilds vehicle
22 yrs.
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“ress
By Brandon Hausenfluck
The Battalion
In the summer of 1997, the Texas A&M Univer
sity Sunraycer team will compete for the second
time at the biannual Sunrayce Solar Vehicle Chal
lenge. Students from all over the country will par
ticipate in the 1,200-mile cross-country race from
Indianapolis to Colorado Springs.
To compete with the best schools in the na
tion, members of the Aggie Sunraycer team are
eompletely redesigning and rebuilding their ve-
i tiicle, the Mach V.
Jim Griffin, Sunraycer team member and a ju-
! nior mechanical engineering major, said the team
18 taking a new approach toward the project.
“The biggest change is an entire new approach,”
tie said. “We’re actually redesigning it (the car) in
stead of adapting the old one and this makes it
e ven more expensive.
“The car will run on batteries, which are
charged by the sun. While the car is running, the
batteries will be regulated by the sun like a car al
ternator keeps a car battery charged.”
A big concern for the team is raising enough
money to finance the venture.
Dr. Dennis Waugaman, Sunraycer team adviser
and associate professor of engineering technology,
said although progress is being made, the team’s
main concern is fiscal.
“We’ve progressed with the design and we have
a better idea how it’s going to be built,” he said.
“But the most important thing now is fund raising
... We need to raise more money.”
The team is trying to raise $300,000 in the form
of cash and equipment — a far cry from last year’s
budget of $35,000.
“We’re targeting former students who are ex
ecutives of companies,” Waugaman said. “Texas
Instruments has donated $25,000 so far, and we
See Sunraycer, Page 6
University alerts students,
faculty to high lead levels
By Amy Protas
The Battalion
Last February, the Texas Natural Resources
Conservation Commission (TNRCC) informed
Texas A&M of abnormally high amounts of lead in
on-campus water. Today, the University will alert
students and faculty to the problem by posting no
tices on all major bulletin boards and campus
newspapers and newsletters.
Margaret Canty, a member of the TNRCC lead
and copper monitoring group in public drinking
water, said the high amounts of lead in A&M’s wa
ter required the TNRCC to notify the University.
“A&M has had 10 percent or more of their wa
ter samples exceed more than 15 parts per billion,”
Canty said. “That is the value set by the federal
government for this particular program.”
Although levels of lead are high enough for the
University to notify students and faculty, officials
emphasize that the levels are not high enough to
be of any danger.
Charles A. Sippial Sr., assistant vice president
for the Physical Plant, said he does not want stu
dents to be alarmed.
“With the levels we have today, there are no
health risks,” Sippial said. “The action level is sim
ply an indication to look at the water and find
sources of lead.”
Sippial said after the original water samples
were retested for lead content, they came back be
low the 15 parts per billion action level.
“After receiving the notification. Physical Plant
contracted with an independent lab to retest the
original 30 areas plus an additional 30 areas,” Sip
pial said. “The retest showed that all areas were
below the action level established by the TNRCC
See Lead, Page 6
Stew Milne, The Battalion
The TNRCC informed A&M of abnormally high
amounts of lead in on-campus water.
j
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3
Reveille’s health problems
possibly result of inbreeding ;
By Tauma Wiggins
The Battalion
Reveille serves as a symbol
of Aggie tradition, honor and
pride to many Texas A&M
students, but to some she rep
resents a form of animal cru
elty — pure-breeding.
Christine Trinidad, a senior
biochemistry and genetics major,
said she considers purebred ani
mals such as Reveille a product
of cruelty because genetic side
effects often result.
Trinidad said many purebred
pets carry weakened genetic
traits passed down from in-
breeding, such as poor eyesight,
blindness, deafness, and a
propensity for hair loss.
Collies such as Reveille are
known for their fine quality
coats and loyalty to humans, but
they often experience trouble
with arthritis, eye trouble, he
mophilia — a disease that pre
vents an animal’s blood from
clotting properly — and hip-dys
plasia, which causes bone deteri
oration and limping.
Trinidad said she appreciates
Reveille as a symbol of A&M but
strongly disagrees with the in-
breeding of animals.
“I think she (Reveille) is a
good mascot, but since I’m a ge
netics major I know what hap
pens because of inbreeding,” she
said. “I wouldn’t want a rough
collie. It’s like, why hurt?’”
Kellie Sins, a doctor of veteri
nary medicine in Bryan-College
Station, said the rate of genetic
problems is much higher in
purebreds, but it has not de
terred her from owning several
of them herself.
“I wouldn’t hesitate to get a
purebred,” Sins said. “I’ve had
several dogs and never had any
problems. Definitely, I see more
complex problems in purebred
dogs, but it’s not necessarily a 1 1
problem with inbreeding. Obvi- l
ously, small dogs will have dif- 5 i
ferent problems than large c 1
dogs. You can have healthy N |
purebreds, but unfortunately c ^
some do have problems.” .
Sins said collies like Reveille 1
have been bred for many years |
See Dogs, Page 6