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g down barriers,!! i
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■ concessions,
:iass of ’97
3gree on plan
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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
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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