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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 25, 1996)
Page The Battalion bl. 102, No. 171 (6 pages) Serving Texas AdrM University Since 1893 THE BATT ON-LINE: http://bat-web.tamu.edu Thursday • July 25, 1996 earn iy choice, but ight the men's s competition iok precedence ht 1-0 Astros ime Sports, ed the Ameri i anticipation •ning a bronze t sadly, they 5th place. But — we just pat he back like gue mothers hem we love st in Olympic 1 during the ditions. Nor- network that showing ice he 1994 Win-1 glued to the v’ancy Kerrig- ind on the ice utz!” ably have a and I would md sleep to black boxes found Student access to AST MORICHES, N.Y. P) — Divers searching the wreckage-of TWA Flight 800 ound the flight data and cock- jit voice recorders Wednesday. Bl'he boxes were found shortly jefore midnight by a robotic ve- ucle probing the largest concen- Btion of wreckage on the ocean Bor, said Robert Francis, the i/ice chairman of the National Bmsportation Safety Board. ■Divers were bringing the box- 3S to a Navy search vessel on the surface, and Francis said they tvould be flown immediately to Washington for examination. He did not say exactly where in the Beckage the boxes were found Of their condition. The recovery, coming one Bek after the crash, represent- B a major breakthrough in the fliest to find out what caused the second-worst airline disas ter in U.S. history. Investigators expect the so- called black boxes — which are actually orange — to provide crucial evidence as to what caused the 747 to explode in a fireball and plunge into the At lantic Ocean July 17, killing all 230 aboard. The voice recorder picks up cockpit conversations and could indicate whether the crew knew if there was a problem before the crash and what action, if any, was taken to try to avoid the crash. The flight data recorder picks up such information as a plane’s altitude, speed and var ious equipment functions. It could help determine whether a mechanical problem brought the plane down. But A1 Dickinson, the NTS- B’s lead investigator, cautioned the boxes may not hold all the answers. “I think this is going to add to our information, but it’s not going to be a solving of everything, un fortunately,” Dickinson said. Until the discovery, the sal vage effort was most notable for what it had not found. The FBI has not determined whether the jetliner was downed by a bomb, a missile or mechanical failure. Victims’ relatives have been complaining bitterly about the pace of the search, and the White House said President Clinton would fly to New York on Thursday to meet them. “This is a political thing,” complained Michel Olivier, one of several relatives of French victims who urged the French government to send technical assistance. That offer was made, and turned down, said France’s counsel in New York, Patrick Gautrat. Meantime, three more bodies were brought ashore earlier Wednesday. Of the 230 people who were killed, 116 bodies were still missing. Of the bod ies recovered, 95 have been identified by the Suffolk Coun ty Medical Examiner’s office. Divers also believe they have spotted seven more bodies in the wreckage, Francis said. Working about 100 feet down Wednesday on a sandy ocean floor that puffs up silt when stepped on, about 75 Navy divers negotiated their way through wires and cables that hang over the wreckage like a spider web. proposed public clinic under fire By Brandon Hausenfluck The Battalion Texas A&M students will have no access to a public health center if certain mem bers of the City Council get their way. The Brazos Valley Communi ty Action Agency (BVCAA) oper ates a consolidated health cen ter at the main station of the Brazos Valley Transit Company (BVTC). The clinic is for lower income families who need med ical assistance but have no means of transportation. People who need to see a doctor but can’t afford to pay a private practitioner can board a BVTC bus and within minutes be at the clinic. Some City Council members feel Texas A&M should be re sponsible for part of the funding if students choose to use the clinic rather than Beutel. Dr. David Hickson, College Station city councilman, said at the meeting BryaryGollege Sta tion residents should have pref erence over students. See Clinic, Page 6 3 doing well. Id be consid- since he at-j iy hero now fcott White cutting ties with Columbia Medical By Heather R. Rosenfeld he Battalion America, ill adamant- r alumnus len he runs eeter than| lised to “The as Ameri- he top of the i flowers in ials around i their eyes. ■ the diverse together as t period, we s aside and our national | g the medal A recent decision requiring all Scott & .,^.„hite Health Plan members to receive hospi- neda.l sw ™'| Hi care at St. Joseph Regional Health Center Bs caused some Texas A&M employees and Ihers to question the settlement. I Deny Radefeld, executive director of the Rott & White Health Plan, said the deci sion applies in all medical situations ex cept emergencies. I “Our health plan members can go to any fa- ■ity if there is an emergency,” Radefeld said. H Wayne L. Ogbum, chief executive officer ol Columbia Medical Center, said the deci- lon not only eliminates the health plan Hember’s ability to choose Columbia Medical Center as their hospital of choice, but also p ohibits Scott & White physicians from pj acticing at Columbia. I Radefeld said the decision, effective Sept. 1.1996, was difficult to make. “Both hospitals are excellent facilities,’ llpadefeld said. “They both put forth excellent superficial ||jroposals, but unfortunately only one could a nation, ||be the winner.” his time to atriotic fer- ountry. Ogburn said Scott & White’s actions will Ultimately cause Columbia to suffer. “We have had an excellent relationship with Scott & White for 10 years and they Were an important part of this hospital,” Og- lum said. “We will miss the physicians per- |onally and the patients financially.” A former Scott & White physician, who wished to remain anonymous, said the quali ty of services rendered was not the deciding factor in Scott & White’s choice. “The whole move was predicated by who gave them fScott & White] the best deal,” the physician said. “This would be OK if it affected premiums, but the savings don’t seem like they are going to be passed on to the consumer.” Radefeld said Texas A&M employees are not limited in their choice of health plans. “A&M has made an effort to make sure employees have a number of choices in their health plan,” he said. “This allows for the em ployee and their family to decide which par ticular package will best suit their needs.” Ellen Linder, employee benefits manager in the systems office, said although A&M does provide other options, Scott & White’s is chosen most frequently. “There are four packages that an A&M employee can choose from,” Linder said. “However, the vast majority — approximate ly 9,000 — are under Scott & White’s plan.” Radefeld said Scott & White acted in di rect response to its members’ wishes. “We surveyed Scott & White’s membership to see if they had a preference between the two (hospitals), and the objection to a change turned out to be minimum,” Radefeld said. Angie Mitchell, Scott & White Health Plan member and secretary for the political sci ence department, said she is upset her choic es in health care have been limited. See Policy, Page 2 Stew Milne, The Battalion SPECIAL DELIVERY Jennifer Phillips, a senior sociology major, distributes mail Wednesday afternoon in the Commons mail room. Prof sets sights on 2000 Olympics 8y Erica Roy The Battalion Many know him as Professor Pingpong or Forrest Gump, but Dr. Ron Finke, an associ ate professor of psychology, doesn’t just play table tennis for fun. “I’d like to work up to the Olympic trials in a few years. I’m quite serious about table ten nis,” Finke said. Although Finke started playing pingpong as a hobby for fun, he plans to train for the 2000 Olympics. Victor Subonj, Finke’s coach at the Houston Table Tennis Center, is currently teaching liim basic attack strategies and spin tech niques. Finke has not yet started to train for the Olympics. Finke is a well-known figure among stu dents at Texas A&M. He once spent his evenings playing pingpong in the Commons Lobby, but he has now moved to the Student Recreation Center. “I enjoyed playing at the Commons,” Finke said. “I preferred the lighting and the room, hut the tables were in bad shape. The wooden tables there are damaged.” Finke said the tables at the Rec Center are professional-quality, but poorly lit and often crowded. Finke said he usually plays table tennis three to four hours each afternoon. “Your reflexes improve by playing every day. ... If you stop, you can tell the differ ence,” Finke said. “He’s here every time I come,” Mark White, a senior business analysis major, said. “I like to watch him. He’s pretty good.” A red, white and blue cycling shirt is Finke’s uniform when playing pingpong. He said the shirt is comfortable and has conve nient pockets on the sides for pingpong balls. “It’s kind of a lucky shirt,” Finke said. Good table tennis paddles typically cost Pat James, The Battalion See Finke, Page 2 Dr. Ron Finke plays pingpong at the Student Recreation Center. —Atlanta ’96 Irish swimmer wins three gold medals ATLANTA (AP) — Luck of the Irish? Swimmer Michelle Smith, Atlanta’s first and least likely triple gold medalist, already has it. America’s favorite swimmer, Janet Evans, and its new sweetheart, gymnast Kerri Strug, are hoping for a bit of it, too. Smith, who’s won Ireland’s first, second and third swimming golds ever in a head turning performance, topped the list of Wednesday winners at the Summer Games with her victory in the women’s 200-meter individual medley. She wasn’t alone. Barcelona gymnastics star Vitaly Scherbo took an inspirational bronze, Russian swimmer Denis Pankratov set a world record in the 100-meter butterfly, America’s swimmers collected their eighth gold medal, and the U.S. baseball and soft- ball teams romped. Smith, whose sudden surge from obscurity has prompted allegations of drug use, was asked about that Wednesday. “No,” she replied. “I have never used performance-en hancing drugs.” Then she smiled. Meanwhile, much of the attention focused on two who waited and wished: Evans, com peting in her last Olympics, and Strug, whose courageous performance still resonat ed a day later. Evans, the four-time gold medalist, quali fied for the finals of the 800-meter freestyle, but won’t compete for another Atlanta Games gold until Thursday. If she wins, she ties Bonnie Blair’s mark of five gold medals for a U.S. woman Olympian. Evans failed to qualify in Monday’s 400-me ter freestyle, forcing her to wait two days for the 800-meter heats. Evans, with four golds and one silver in two previous Olympics, fin ished sixth overall to make the 800. “I’ll swim again tomorrow, which I’m hap py about,” said Evans. “But if it had been the end of my career this morning that would have been fine, too.” It’s not clear when the 18-year-old Sting will be back. Her valiant vault on an injured ankle made her an instant hero and helped earn an unprecedented U.S. gymnastics team gold, but she said two torn ligaments would See Olympics, Page 2 Weekend Olympic Television Schedule THURSDAY JULY 25 09 a.m. - Noon Swimming-Qualifying heats Rowing-Semifinals Cycling-Final 6:30 pm-11:00 pm. Gymnastics-Women’s individual all-around final Swimming-Finals -Women's 800m freestyle -Men’s 50m freestyle -Women’s 200m backstroke -Men's 200m individual medley -Women's 4x200m freestyle relay Equestrian-Three-day cross country, individual 11:41 am-1:11 am. Volleyball-U.S. men's game Boxing Basketball-U.S. women vs. Zaire FRIDAY JULY 26 09 a.m. - Noon Track & Field Swimming-Qualifying heats Equestrian-Three-day jumping, individual Rowing-Semifinals Cycling-Final 6:30 pm-11:00 pm Track & Field Swimming-Finals -Women's 200m butterfly -Men's 200m backstroke -Women’s 50m freestyle -Men's 1500m freestyle -Men's 4x100m medley relay BasketbalMJ.S. men vs. China Diving-Women’s platform VolleybaIMJ.S. women's game Canoeing-Whitewater training 11:41 am-1:11 am. Volleyball-U.S. women's game Boxing Water polo-Quarterfmals Cycling Weightlifting-Light heavyweight final SATURDAY JULY 27 11:00 am-4:30 p.m. Track & Field Cycling-Final Rowing-Finals Volleyball-Beach final, women -Beach semifinals, men Boxing Tennis 5:30 pm. -11:00 pm. Track & Field-Finals, including. -Men’s and women's 100m finals -Men's tnple jump final Diving-women's platform final Canoeing-Whitewater finals Cycling-Final 11:30 am-1 am Volleyball-U.S. men’s game Water polo-Semifinals Weightllfting-Middie heavyweight final Basketball-U.S. women vs. Australia SUNDAY JULY 28 06 a.m. - 09 am. Track & Field-Women’s marathon 11:00 p.m.-5 pm. Track & Field Canoeing-Whitewater final Water polo-Gold and bronze medal games Cycling-Track finals Rowing-finals Boxing Volleybali-Beach final, men Weightlifting-First heavyweight final Tennis BasebalMJ S. vs. Cuba 6 pm-11:00 pm. Gymnastics-Men's and women's individual event finals Track & Field-Finals include: -Men's high jump -Heptathlon, final day Basketball-U.S. men vs. Croatia Diving-Men’s springboard Canoeing-Whitewater final 11:30 a.m.-1 am. VolleybaIMJ.S. women s game
