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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 3, 1996)
ons. g down barriers,!! i he old Agstoacttj ^ ■ ■ concessions, :iass of ’97 3gree on plan vboy rger By Erica Roy The Bait align The University Conces- ns Committee granted 10 tra days for sales in the See Editorial, Page 13 maining days were granted, the class would reach its fund raising goal. She said although the blan ket exemption would have been ideal, she realizes the University can no longer offer it to class councils. She is also satisfied with the committee’s decision to add the two weeks. "I’m very pleased,” Allan said. “I feel the administration really reconfirmed their dedi cation to the students and their goal of raising mon ey for the class gift.” Mary Jo Powell, asso ciate director of public in formation for the University and a mem ber of the concessions committee, said the com mittee wanted to give extra sales days to the Class of ’97. “The committee is really convinced that this is exactly the type of sales we want go ing on in the MSC hallway,” Powell said. Powell said the committee encouraged the Class of ’97 to sell merchandise at other campus sites in order to reach students who may not fre quent the MSC. “Everybody on the com mittee was committed to working with students, so we can get the students the best possible deals they can have,” Powell said. “Every body showed a willingness to work together.” Allan said the Class of ’97 will place a stronger fo cus on marketing and pub lic relations to reach its $97,000 goal. She said it is essential to communicate to the students that the items sold by the class council will be sold on a limit ed basis only. modal Student Center to B Class of ’97 Council rinesday. K,C. Allan, Class of ’97 esident and a senior ac- unting major, appealed to commit- to grant ! class 24 piously nied days merchan- iing time, e commit- granted lylO days. Allan said spite the Actions, e Class of 11 still ach its $97,000 goal. The mey will be used for a class lor the University. “We’re going to have to irk harder to reach our goal raising $97,000,” Allan said, mvery confident we’ll be letodo it.” The class had originally rosen 73 days for which they rpested permission to sell lass of’97 merchandise on s. After Wednesday’s toon, all but 14 of the 73 is/lave been granted. Hie denial of 14 days stems iinthe University’s new acessions policy revisions. Previously, class councils re granted blanket ex- iptions from the “Five- Thirty” rule that allows ident organizations to llmerchandise on cam- sonly five days in a 30- f period. This year, the Class of ’97 s denied the blanket ex- iption. Allan’s appeal was based on projection that if the 24 re- “The committee is really convinced that this is exactly the type of sales we want going on in the MSC hallway.” Mary Jo Powell Concessions committee Rreshmen to vote in runoff By Marissa Alanis The Battalion Run-off elections will be held for all six class council positions for the Class of ’00. The Texas A&M Election Commission calculated that 1,562 freshmen voted in the general elections Tuesday. Jason Jaynes, election commissioner and a junior computer science major, said the freshman candi dates are doing well with their campaigns. “I think it’s a well-repre sented race,” Jaynes said. Jeremy Poland, a run-off vice presidential candidate and a freshman civil engi neering major, said he is hap py about his progress. “Since there was so many people running against me, I’m relieved just to be in a run-off,” Poland said. Campaigning for the run off elections began Wednes day morning after election results were announced in front of the Sul Ross statue in the Academic plaza. The campaign will end at mid night Oct. 7. There are campaign rules restricting the actions of run off candidates. Run-off candidates, for ex ample, may use only 33 per cent of the budget allowed in the general election. ' Brandy Stockton, a run-off secretarial candidate and a freshman business major, said the election commission allows ample time for cam paigning. “You control how much stuff you get done,” Stock- ton said. Poland said he was re stricted because he had to re move his campaign T-shirt before entering certain cam pus buildings. Julie Seibold, a run-off candidate for treasurer and a freshman business major, said candidates can find alternate ways of making themselves visible on campus. “You just have to use your creativity and come up with ways to get people to know who you are,” Seibold said. Stockton said talking to students on a personal basis and displaying fewer fliers will be her revised strategy for the run-off election. Poland said candidates are challenged to effectively lead the entire freshman class. "Some of the challenges will be to accurately repre sent every freshman,” Poland said. “It’s such a diverse class. It’ll be a challenge to please everybody.” The freshman class also elected seven senators Tues day to represent them on the Student Senate. They are Jared Benton, Alice Ann Freeman, Brandy Stockton, Sarah Wright, Cass Burton, Tania Fongemie and Lee William Doggett. and Chad Allen Vice President: Jeremy Poland and Tania Fongemie Secretary: Katie Hanselka and Brandy Stockton Treasurer: Heather Johnson and Julie Seibold Social Secretary: Heather Bowles and Lauren Gordon Historian: Alice Ann Free man and Sallie Turner 'ttied, leangimiiH ard & myo, ItM fo, andmonim choice of white, or wheat, bun, ' often, sof drink if ‘ Dmfi&fimhfr yge groups web* mi nos, Darts, M Shuffleboari C' Foosball Mass stresses gun caution By Laura Oliveira The Battalion lies Being held at gunpoint two ars ago sparked Scott Oman’s interest in taking a ncealed handgun course. Two men with a gun in arview approached Homan his car at an automatic- flier machine. One held a Into his head, the other ilfld a knife to his wife’s roat. The men ordered Homan to withdraw cash. Homan and his family were unprotected. “That sense of vulnerability is something I wish to never feel again,” Homan said. “Not that a weapon is an answer, but it is a tool.” Homan, an education hu man resource development graduate student, remedied his fear by taking the con cealed handgun course offered at Texas A&M. The course began in Sep tember 1995 after the state Legislature passed a law al lowing Texas citizens, 21 and over, to carry concealed hand guns. Jay Merkley, the course in structor and a health and kine siology professor, said most of his students take the class be cause they feel unsafe. “Most Americans are fed up with violent crimes and the in ability of the police to stem it,” Merkley said. “Carrying a gun may make them feel more safe.” See Guns, Page 5 ,nd fri ™|HE Battalion e in only. 102 Live College Stati® 11 694-8232 TODAY ggie Art mmie Bissett steps itoher Cinderella iach and meets her earns as an artist. Aggielife, Page 3 othift iff rinV 'aanifj Unioersitt /96 linking Upset )uisiana Tech Head )ach Gary Crowton is experience when comes to upsets. Sports, Page 9 ance fever ixter: Opening a gay ir would beat doing robics any day of eweek. Opinion, Page 13 Operators give students answers By Laura Oliveira The Battalion Local telephone information is not always the only wisdom sought from Texas A&M student locator operators. Geneva Johnston, telecom munications supervisor, said people sometimes call to ask strange questions. “People call asking for the words to the war hymn, how to get rid of fire ants, and the most popular is ‘what does A&M stand for?”’ she said. The operators said they do their best to answer the 127,000 phone calls they receive monthly. The day is divided into three shifts for the 20 operators, seven of which are student workers. The busiest time is from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Elizabeth Young, a centrax radio operator and a junior engineering major, said her personality fits the job description. “One of my favorite past times has always been talking on the phone,” she said. “This job requires constant talking on the phone, so it fits me perfectly.” Gwen Jerkins, a full time centrax radio op erator, said she enjoys assisting callers. "I really enjoy the job because you get to help people,” she said. “I especially try to help the freshmen because at the beginning, they are so clueless.” Operators said the job has its disadvantages. , Young, known to friends as “Locator Liz,” said occasionally, callers will give the physical ap pearance of a person they are trying to locate. “One time a guy called and said T met this girl at a bar last night. She has blond hair and blue eyes. I think her name is Wendy, but it might be Mary. Can you find her number for me?”’ Young said. Johnston said the job is tiring at times, but calls can be exciting. “Once a guy called asking what he should do about his fish, be cause it was floating belly up in his fish bowl,” she said. “I did not have the heart to tell him the fish was dead, so I gave him the fishery (Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences Department) extension.” Jerkins said Thursday night is referred to as “drunk night” in the office, because that is when stu dents tend to call for reasons other than to obtain phone numbers. “The craziest calls we get are mostly on Thursday,” she said. “I get invited to parties all the time. I play along and just tell them the operator is coming over!” Dave House, The Battalion Gwen jerkins, a full-time operator, enjoys helping students with information. Campus crime statistics show safety weaknesses By Brandon Hausenfluck The Battalion Fewer crimes were reported and more arrests were made on the Texas A&M campus last year than in 1994. An annual brochure, published by the University Police Department, states the number of reported crimes fell from 95 in 1994 to 78 in 1995. At least 342 arrests were made by University Police, up from 253 in 1994. The brochure stresses the impor tance of using campus safety re sources available to students, facul ty and staff. Bob Wiatt, director of the UPD, said people should pay attention to their surroundings. "You have to be aware that this campus is a microcosm of soci ety,” Wiatt said. “Bad things can happen here ... This isn’t ‘Alice in Wonderland.’” Wiatt said campus residents can avoid being crime victims by taking a few preventive steps. “Burglary happens when people are careless,” Wiatt said. “Don’t give that crimi nal the opportunity to make you that victim. “One of the worst things is when people leave their [residence hall] doors propped open for friends who don’t have access cards,” he said. “Then some scumbag preda tor can do whatever he wants.” The Corps of Cadets offers a nighttime es cort service on cam pus. Escorts are equipped with walkie- talkies to keep in contact with the Guard Room while walking through campus. Brandon LoPorto, Corps security officer and a senior industrial distri bution major, said the Corps has taken steps to improve the pro gram’s effectiveness. “Now that we have the walkie- talkies, we have more knowledge where they (escorts) are,” LoPorto said. “If we send someone out (and they finish one escort), we can di rect them to another location where someone might be waiting, without them (escorts) having to come all the way back to the Quadrangle.” LoPorto said escorting students to their residence halls from Evans Library is the most popular reason for calling the Guard Room. Ac companying students from the Commons to Northside, he said, is also a frequent task. Escorts may be obtained by call ing the Guard Room at 845-6789. See Crime, Page 5