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caine and heroin
misdemeanor
is a concealed
The Battalion
5I. 102, No. 174 (6 pages)
Serving Texas AdrM University Since 1893
THE BATT ON-LINE: http://bat-web.tamu.edu
Wednesday • July 31, 1996
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Coalition charged
with illegally aiding
COP candidates
'■ Wy
ASHINGTON (AP) — In a
awsuit raising questions about
;he mixing of religion and politics,
;he government on Tuesday
:harged the Christian Coalition
arith improperly aiding Republi-
:an candidates through its voter
guides and other activities.
■The group spent thousands of
lollars to promote the candida-
:i|s of figures such as former
President Bush, Sen, Jesse
Helms, Senate candidate Oliver
Nbrth and House Speaker Newt
■ngrich, the Federal Election
Commission charged in a civil
suit filed in U.S. District Court.
■ Any action on the lawsuit like
ly v. ill come too late to directly af
fect this year’s elections. But
some coalition critics said the
government's action could dis
courage churches from distribut
ing the group’s voter guides in
November. Churches can lose
their tax exemption if they en
gage in partisan activity..
“The evidence shows everyone
that this group is a hardball polit
ical operation that has been
cloaking itself in religion,” said
Barry Lynn, director of Ameri
cans United for Separation of
Church and State. “Now the cloak
is starting to unravel.”
Coalition Executive Director
Ralph Reed called the suit “totally
baseless” and said he was confi
dent the courts “will affirm that
people of faith have every right to
See Coalition, Page 6
Olympic bomb investigation
focuses on security guard
ATLANTA (AP) — A security guard who
was hailed as a hero for finding the bomb in
Centennial Olympic Park before it exploded
has become a focus of the investigation, a fed
eral law enforcement source said Tuesday.
FBI agents are studying hours of profes
sional and home video to see if Richard
Jewell, 33, can be spotted placing the knap
sack containing the bomb, and investiga
tors are checking to see if his voice matches
that of the 911 caller who warned of the at
tack, according to The Atlanta Journal-
Constitution, which first reported that
Jewell had emerged as a suspect.
The bomb killed one person and injured
more than 100 people at a rock concert early
Saturday as security officers were clearing
away bystanders from around the suspicious-
looking knapsack near a sound and light tower.
Jewell was working for a Los Angeles
firm that was hired by AT&T to provide se
curity at its pavilion in the park. He
claimed to have spotted the knapsack after
a rowdy crowd of people left the area.
As a result of interviews Tuesday, inves-
tigators have put Jewell at the top of their
list of suspects and potential suspects, the
law enforcement official in Washington
said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“He looks good now, but there have been
no arrests and the investigation is still con
tinuing,” the official said. “Now that his
name is out, let’s hope he’s not like the Jor
danian man initially identified in the Okla
homa City bombing who turned out to have
nothing to do with it.”
The official said investigators are still in
terested in two men with no obvious affilia
tion to any group and no connection to Jewell.
Jewell became a celebrity after the bomb
ing, appearing on the “Today” show Tuesday
and giving numerous interviews. The Jour
nal-Constitution said he contacted the news
paper, seeking publicity for his actions.
In an interview with the Journal-Consti
tution on Monday, Jewell said:
‘T’m feeling bad about the victims that did
occur. If I had one wish, it would be that all the
people who were victims were not victims.”
“I’ve got a pit in my stomach because after
everything law enforcement, ACOG and pri
vate security did to protect people, someone did
this, not knowing how many would be hurt,” he
told the newspaper. “It’s like heartburn. It will
be there until that person’s caught.”
Jewell had received bomb training while
working as a deputy sheriff in northeastern
Georgia, The Constitution-Journal report
ed. He resigned that job recently and until
May 21 had worked as an officer at Pied
mont College in Demorest, Ga.
The Constitution-Journal said three
undercover law enforcement cars were
parked outside Jewell’s mother’s apart
ment this afternoon.
This morning, thousands flocked to a
reopened Centennial Olympic Park, re
claiming the festive heart of the Sum
mer Games even as the FBI pressed
ahead with its hunt for the bomber.
With a burst of water from a five-ringed
Olympic fountain, the crowd cheered as digni
taries rededicated the 21-acre park that was
closed after the attack. Security was tight,
and some visitors’ packages were searched.
atro
Students find quick access
:o campaign information
By Tauma Wiggins
The Battalion
■B^^id you know finding out a
Br y presidential candidate’s politi-
cal standpoint on any issue is
Wy as easy as a click of a mouse?
IQuick! Even if you’re not a comput-
■whiz, hurry to your nearest on-
ampus computer lab and find out, be-
ause the November first elections are
1st around the comer!
pVith the free Internet service read-
| available at Texas A&M computer
lbs, students have access to a wealth
political information just waiting to
I tapped into.
Here’s an example of what to do.
Simply click on to Netscape from
iy on-campus computer, then click on
t Search, and type the name of the
[pdidate you wish to read about.
Students clicking on to the “Republican
e Page: Dole,” will first see an auto-
phed picture of a smiling Dole con-
ited by a sea of waving American flags.
Tom this point students can click on
Jpful information about anything from
le’s stance on abortion, to his views on
fare, to related sites like “Clinton,
I” where they can obtain the White
e’s address, phone, and fax number,
ell as finance information from Clin-
[s ’92 campaign.
Similarly, students can access “Clin
ton, Yes,” or the “Clinton-Core Official
’96 Site,” where they will first view a
colorful graphic of Clinton and Gore, side
by side, looking proudly towards a wav
ing red, white and blue American flag.
A few clicks later, students can ac
cess information to the president’s his
tory, or links to “Making Mountains
out of Molehills,” containing articles
with titles like “Is Hillary Really Com
muning With Ghosts and Holding
Seances?” or “Is Big Government Real
ly the Problem?”
Both Republican and Democratic
party web pages offer “virtual” elec
tions in which students can “vote” and
view a non-official total of the presiden
tial race thus far.
Lesley Balido, a senior political sci
ence major, said she finds the Internet
extremely helpful, particularly in light
of the upcoming national election.
She said she has been using the In
ternet to leam about political facts and
figures since her sophomore year.
“It’s really neat — they (politicians)
each have their own home page,” she
said. “You can look into what they stand
for, biographical information, or pictures.”
Balido said the Internet offers updat
ed information on House and Senate is
sues, and how each legislature voted.
“It’s helpful to find out how your sen
ator has voted on an issue,” she said.
“You just type in the name of the sena
tor and it will tell you how they voted.”
But while some students said they
find it rewarding to surf the Net for po
litical information, an A&M professor
said he views political web pages as just
one more political advertisement.
Gary Halter, a political science profes
sor, said he does find political informa
tion on the Internet beneficial, excluding
web pages promoting political parties.
See Politics, Page 6
Stew Milne, The Battalion
TRY ONE ON FOR SIZE
Tricia Kapavik, a senior food science and technology major, tries on ring sizes
while ordering her senior ring Tuesday.
D
D
►
J
Officials hope to increase
uollege voter turnout
^Brandon Hausenfluck
He Battalion
Although getting involved with the
Immunity is encouraged at Texas
&M, low student turnout is the norm
local elections.
Less than one percent of students
gistered to vote in Brazos County ac-
lally participate in government elec-
ons. In 1995, for example, approxi-
ately 28,000 people in College Station
>ted and only 20 were students.
Many students do not vote in local
actions because they think their vote
ill not matter.
Dr. Gary Halter, a professor of polit-
al science, said inconvenient times
^tribute to low student turnout.
“There are only three dates provided
ir elections to be held in Texas, and
tese dates are not good for students,”
e said. “May elections are held during
Hals, August elections are between
second summer session and the be-
‘■ming of the fall (semester), and Jan-
ary elections are held when we’re not
v en in school.”
Halter„also said students do not
j'itik it is important to vote because
jay feel they do not have a stake in
^ system.
“Students living on campus are less
'■'pacted (by the city elections),” he
said. “Off-campus students are more in
volved, but their perception is they
don’t have a say so in the elections.”
Connie Hooks, College Station city
secretary, said voter turnout remains
low despite efforts made by the city of
College Station to increase it.
“I don’t know if they (students) un
derstand they are able to vote,” she
said. “We (city of College Station) have
actually paid people to sit in the MSC
to try to get student votes.”
Hooks said the city of College Sta
tion has also used the A&M Methodist
Church and other places around cam
pus as polling places.
Jeff Livingston, president of the
Texas A&M College Republicans and a
senior electrical engineering major,
said students should become more ac
tive in local elections because they are
a large part of the community.
“The city council elections have a
lower turnout because there is a huge
disincentive for students to be in
volved,” he said. “We (students) are se
riously under represented because we
make up a large percentage of the pop
ulation yet hardly any students vote.”
Livingston said the solution is simple.
“Students need to become more ac
tive,” he said.
See Turnout, Page 6
A&M expands classrooms
through distance learning
By Amy Protas
The Bati align
The future in education has arrived
at Texas A&M. Through distance
learning, students from around the
state can take classes at A&M without
having to set foot in College Station.
The Trans-Texas Video Network
(TTVN) was started in the late ’80s,
enabling Texas students to benefit
from an A&M education.
Kim Dooley, distance education co
ordinator for the agricultural program,
said the program has expanded in the
past few years.
“We’re going to have 64 sites across
the state,” Dooley said. “One is located
in Mexico City. It was originally de
signed so administrators wouldn’t have
to travel all over the state. A lot of peo
ple decided it would be a good way to
teach classes and hold programs.”
TTVN is done through compressed
video with several telephone lines al
lowing video, audio and data to be
transferred through the telephone
lines. The classes are held at the
KAMU television station.
The video allows students and lec
turers to interact with one another.
Dwayne Suter, a professor of agricul
tural engineering and food science tech
nology who taught a distance learning
class, said the class was an adjustment
from the normal learning environment.
“It was certainly different than hav
ing everyone in the classroom with
me,” Suter said. “I could see the stu
dents and they could see me and we
can talk to each other. The materials
have to be very well-prepared because
people at the distance site can turn off
the program anytime they want.”
By extending the A&M classroom
around the state, students can take
popular classes that traditionally
would not have been available.
“I think we’ll be doing more and more
of this type of education because of en
rollment at A&M,” Dooley said. “We will
be able to reach students at other Sys
tem schools. Profs could teach courses
that Eire really hard to get into and stu
dents could take them at home.”
Students taking distance classes
have to register at the System school
where the course is offered. J. Benton
Storey, a professor of horticulture who
teaches a distance class, said this is
one of the problems in attracting stu
dents to distance courses.
“This is one of the holdbacks in get
ting students to register for the class
es,” Storey said. “The people in the reg
istrar’s office are doing the best they
See Distance, Page 6
1996 OLYMPIC
TELEVISION
SCHEDULE
WEDNESDAY
JULY 31
09 a.m.- noon
Track & Field
Diving-Women’s springboard
semifinal
Canoeing
6:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Track & Field-Finals, including:
-Mten’s 800m
-Women’s 100m hurdles
-Decathlon, day 1
Diving-Women’s springboard final
Cycling-Men’s road race
Volleyball-Men’s quarterfinal
Wrestling-Freestyle finals
11:41 a.m.-1:11 a.m.
Volleyball-Men’s quarterfinal
Boxing-quarterfinals
Basketball-Women’s quarterfinal