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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 16, 1996)
The Battalion olume 103 • Issue 33 • 12 Pages Wednesday, October 16, 1996 The Batt Online: http://bat-web.tamu.edu HA plans campus hotline Council debates ^cifon lights 698 ) appt. only Matrix Mon. - Fri. urs 8:30-5:30 Aggie Owned d Operated iniors! luncements! ds tnd Printing hi ready-to-mai louncements io than one week iave coupon . 11/29/96 By Wesley Poston and JoAnne Whittemore I The Battalion Irazos Valley Crimestoppers leeking a joint venture with ffexas A&M Residence Hall ociation (RHA) and Texas ies Making Changes (TAMC) increase campus safety ugh an on-campus hotline, azos Valley Crimestoppers (its first school-based hot- [at a College Station junior bin 1991. |hris Kirk, Crimestoppers [rdinator, said the program tso successful that the orga- ation wanted to target all ipuses within the area. ITexas A&M is like a commu- jwithin the community, so (figured it was about time we set up a hotline there,” haid. Kirk said the non-profit part of the students involved,” civilian organization assists law enforcement officials in fighting crime. “It’s strictly anonymous,” he said. “If informa tion is used, they (informant) can receive a reward up to $1,000.” Gene Zdziars- ki, assistant direc tor of student life and a member of the board of di rectors for Brazos Valley Crimestop pers, said an at tempt to start a hotline on cam pus was made be- fore, but failed because of a lack of manpower. “It really comes down to an THRIU Zdziarski said. “It seems RHA is ready and able to carry the ball.” Jesse Czelusta, RHA presi dent and a senior agricultural economics ma jor, said the pro gram can work if there is enough student interest. “I believe we can be successful, because we’re not taking on too big of a job,” he said. “We’re starting out small, and we are also getting great support.” Carl Baggett, Student body president and a senior accounting major, said RHA will receive help from if it materializes. Czelusta said RHA would set up a board of directors to pro mote the hotline and raise money for operation costs and reward money. Crimestoppers has pledged $1,000 to help start the program, but the committee would need to seek donations from the communi ty to continue service. Zdziarski said the on-campus program is still in the planning stage, but he hopes it will be in service by December. The community service al ready available to students at A&M focuses on felony offenses, he said. The campus hotline would look into lesser crimes. “The biggest problems on campus are bicycle and back pack theft,” Zdziarski said. safety resolution interest and dedication on the TAMC to promote the program See Hotline, Page 6 By Carla Renea Marsh The Battalion The Graduate Student Council re ferred a resolution on Wellborn Road safety to its Graduate Life Commit tee Tuesday night. The resolution would ask that Texas A&M take immediate action to prevent potential injuries and deaths presented by Wellborn Road and the adjacent railroad tracks. Amy Kardell, a GSC member and sociology graduate student, said the Wellborn Road safety issue is premature. “We don’t have facts to support our claims,” Kardell said. “We have no reason to say it’s a public safety issue if we have no proof.” The proposal would call for a drastic reduction of the speed limit on Wellborn Road, the installation of speed bumps and the placement of well-marked and well-lit pedes trian crosswalks. The council debated the issue and later agreed that it should be addressed by the Graduate Life Committee. The committee, which consists of four GSC members, objected to the motion being passed to them. Markus Wawzyniak, Academic Af fairs officer and a mechanical engi neering graduate student, opposed the motion to pass the resolution to the Graduate Life Committee. See Resolution, Page 6 Ifater analysis seeks solution licials re-examine lead levels in campus water supply »0 DS vtion : TO: 15% OFF Complete ( TintJobf By Marika Cook The Baitalion non-going water contamina- study has been taking place at isA&M since February, he Texas Natural Resources servation Committee notified University of large amounts of in the campus water supply, committee required A&M to students and faculty of the ir’s contaminants, hades A. Sippial Sr., assistant Ve are now analyzing te chemical form of plead. It's hard to , at this point, lere the problem is iginating.” Chris Meyer terim director, Environmental Health and Safety (president for the Physical It, said the levels were not high ligh to be a health risk, jlhe levels were only cited to rant a study, not to be of any per," Sippial said. “But, of course, e taking this study seriously.” he triggering point of lead is i milligrams per liter, which the campus water exceeded in the initial test. A re-test showed the water’s lead content was below the action level established by TNRCC and the Environmental Protection Agency. Chris Meyer, interim director of Environmental Health and Safety, said another follow-up test was re cently conducted. The earlier test indicated lead levels were sporadi cally high. An additional examina tion was needed, he said, to deter mine why the selected samples contained lead. “The follow-up testing is a rigor ous process in order to receive repre sentative lead levels,” Meyer said. “We are now analyzing the chemical form of the lead,” Meyer said. “It’s hard to tell, at this point, where the problem is originating.” Bryan, College Station and A&M have similar water supplies. All three systems get water from the Carrizo- Wilcox Simsboro Sands. The water in this area is naturally soft, which is more corrosive. Greg Wall, College Station se nior laboratory technician, said the lead is not from contamina tion of the water supply, but from corroded plumbing, especially in older pipes. A&M’s Physical Plant is conduct ing a co-sampling analysis with the Texas State Chemists. The split water samples should be able to identify the culprit of the lead infiltration. “This desktop corrosion control study, which the Physical Plant is currently working on, should give us some good information,” Sippi al said. TNRCC has required the Uni versity to initiate a public aware ness program to educate students and faculty on the effects of lead. The Physical Plant has issued a pamphlet and paid advertise ments to satisfy these require ments. The possible effects of lead are mostly a concern to pregnant women and young children. “Right now, our main focus is on the married student housing where children are living,” Meyer said. Dr. Donald E. Clark, a chemical and biological safety officer, said the Physical Plant will hopefully find a way to decrease the lead ab sorbency of the water. In addition to high lead-ab sorbancy levels, the soft water also causes some students to doubt the water quality. Soft water can make it more difficult to rinse off soap, leaving a residue. Because many students are not accustomed to this, they complain of being left with “greasy feeling” skin. Despite complaints about the area’s water, Charlie O’Riley of the College Station Wastewater Treat ment Plant said College Station re cently won an award for the quali ty of its water. “The award is equivalent to winning the Super Bowl of water quality,” O’Riley said. :udent injured in fall from balcony By Erica Roy The Battalion feryar Zabihi, a freshman com- (r engineering major from Cy- |s, fell from the seventh floor Jtmy of the University Tower at (a.m. Saturday. I Scott McCollum of the Col- (Slation Police Department said hi fell off the balcony through Plexiglas roof into the inside (area. When the police arrived at Uni versity Tower at the intersection of Texas Avenue and University Drive, they found the A&M student lying against a concrete support pillar. Cheryl Kappel, a registered nurse at Columbia Medical Center, said the patient is in stable condi tion, but would not comment on his injuries. McCollum said Zabihi had been playing next to the bannister and jumped onto the balcony. He lost his balance and fell off. McCollum said there was no foul play involved in the accident. Police said Zabihi was drinking before the accident but they did not know if he was intoxicated. Fred Bayliss, a University Tower employee, said the Plexiglas roof and a banana tree broke Zabihi’s fall. Bayliss also said Zabihi is not a resident of the University Tower and the cement wall of the balcony he fell from is chest high. Ride On Dave House, The Battalion John Fisher, an eight-year veteran of the University Police Department, is one of four full-time bicycle officers. He responds to calls and cites minor offenses, such as bicycle violations. ie Battalion TODAY stract Love xas A&M professor ents self-directed written Fragments Pirate Trilogy. Aggielife, Page 3 3* (skin Tuneup lowing a mediocre ing at Iowa State, A&M offense is ang for an outburst. Sports, Page 7 Jessie ul Play custom^ npercusto 0,# iter: In the field of thing, foul lan- can spice up ss lectures. Opinion, Page 11 ► Debate anticipation Citizens question election issues WASHINGTON (AP) — Give Americans the chance and they’d ask Bill Clinton about his ethics. They’d ask Bob Dole about how the country can af ford his proposed tax cut. They’d ask where the jobs are going to come from for people taken off welfare. And how about a tax break for parents whose adult kids come home to roost? And will the candidates ever stop bickering and start working together for the common good? Riley Rahodes, leaning over an old pickup truck at his Oklahoma City service station, said he knew exactly what he’d ask: “What has gone wrong with America?” Across America on Tues day, people were asked by Associated Press reporters what questions they would pose if they had seats at Wednesday’s town hall-style presidential debate in San Diego. The actual questions will come from 120 Califor nians, picked by the Gallup Organization. Welfare, tax relief and the president’s ethics were recurring themes in the street corner interviews. Dole Sandi Otoshi, a tourist visit ing Boston, would ask about foreign policy: “How far does the United States have to go to protect other nations? I know we’re the world leader, but how responsible are we?” Out-of-work truck driver Reggie Harrell said he’d ask Clinton: “Why are taxes the highest they’ve been in the whole history of the world?” He said he’d vote for Ross Perot. “Why do so many people think you’re a sleaze ball and accuse your administration of being unethical?,” Davis Morin, a Con cord, N.H., psychologist said he’d ask Clinton. He was one of a number of people expressing discom fort with Clinton’s personal standards. From Rando Karvo, a trash collector in Bismarck, N.D.: “Why can’t Clinton tell the truth? He’s always backtracking.” “I’d like to know if we’re ever going to know the full story behind Whitewater,” said Todd Corey, 32, a loan offi cer from Higganum, Conn., who still said he plans to vote for Clinton. Clinton CRs recruit new voters By Meredith Stewart The Battalion More than 1,500 new voters registered at the two-week-long registration drive sponsored by the College Republicans. Jeff Livingston, president of College Republicans and a senior electrical en gineering major, said the drive was held to get more students involved in the election process. “We wanted to encourage students to get registered,” he said. Livingston said they are trying to in crease the number of students that are registered to vote so students will have an opportunity to make themselves heard. “The politicians won’t listen to us if we’re not registered,” Livingston said. Janina Besa, a sophomore physics major, said voting gives students a say in their future. “If you’re in college, you obviously care about your future,” Besa said. “Therefore, it’s important to vote, be cause the people who are elected make decisions affecting our future.” James Powell, a freshman business fi nance major, said students have no right to complain about the government if they do not vote. “Students should vote to be able to say they participated,” Powell said. “If they didn’t, it’s pointless to argue about anything (done by elected officials).” The drive lasted two weeks and invit ed all campus organizations to partic ipate by encouraging its members to vote. An anonymous donor offered a prize to the organization turning in the highest number of new registered voters. “(The donor) wanted to see students participate in the electoral process,” Liv ingston said. About 10 organizations participated, with Residence Hall Association win ning the $1,000 prize. In addition to the grand prize, all orga nizations turning in more than 50 new voters will be entered in a drawing for $200. The drawing helped encourage smaller organizations, unable to reach a large number of people, to participate. College Republicans attempted to reg ister students in other ways besides the drive. The members went door-to-door in residence halls and apartments, setting up information tables and visiting classes. “We’ve been working on that (regis tering voters) since school started,” Liv ingston said. The College Republicans registered between 6,000 and 7,000 new voters this semester.