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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 14, 1996)
slovemberl The Battalion ume 103 • Issue 54 • 16 Pages Thursday, November 14, 1996 The Batt Online: http://bat-web.tamu.edu .S. offers troops to Zaire (T Airport ' % ■ T/VASIIINGTON (AP) — President Lake) iiiton is prepared to send about Kw ol() ground troops and several nT^olisand more support forces to Vii al Africa for a proposed multi- itii nal operation to feed and pro- ctj more than a million destitute 1 RWAKft 1 ! ees in Zaire. ^■residential spokesman Mike angugu flurry said Wednesday that Clin- n made the decision after consul- BURUNDI tions with Prime Minister Jean Kamanyoia Rtien of Canada, which will play ^ffl|j!4e|lead role in the international About a dozen other countries e t spected to participate. ' ':‘Blie U.S. forces, numbering be- ^ecm 3,000 and 4,000 all told, ^1 IKp^omld remain about four months serve at all times under U.S. ■ , , Dmmand. The thousand ground |OT|yto»ps are red-bereted airborne as- • ^4 11 Tlgt troops based in Vincenza, Italy. ■he U.S. forces, which could be- le Colombia.' n arriving as early as next week, J. action or . ans feel b|K—— es and ham ited States,t ffickers. •cretary-Ge di in M ed the rela; uuket. and allow (lit "face up to i*a and ... co: ilicy of otrict: the sale, pc aring, impor f such weap Colombian a boost Iasi ipan, where I underworld J with smui 'capons, the resoli ling the ex| nd pledgei it financially VRA coun ;ing membe lo malic mi T initiative, ing some I t said. IRA would efore the! ;s thus fat' is and acadi atative in| i the U.S,| ce in theli® ivolve them# ilems?” Grad i telephoneifl y’re showing ed in the in® [dies heavily it also reed n gun ma ng in the ass Limited relief for refugees Canada said Tuesday it would lead an international force to protect aid and aid workers in Zaire. The force is expected to include troops from France, Spain, the United States would provide security at an air field in the eastern Zaire city of Goma, a principal delivery point for humanitarian supplies. Current ly, the airport is under the control of Zairean rebels. The United States also would airlift forces from other countries to the region and would provide se curity along a three-mile corri- " dor from Goma to the Rwandan border. The U.S. forces also would seek the voluntary repatriation of refugees, mostly Rwandan Hutu, now in eastern Zaire. McCurry listed several conditions before Clinton would agree to com mit troops. The United States, he Proposed Forces Location: Central Africa, serving under U.S. command Troops: 3,000-4,000 total U.S. forces with 1,000 ground troops based in Italy Duration: Forces will remain for about four months Mission: Protect more than a million destitute refugees said, wants assurances that the envi ronment in the area will be reason ably peaceful and that properly trained and equipped forces from other coun tries will be avail able. Also required is the cooperation of the countries in the region, most importantly Zaire and Rwanda. The administra tion also wants participation by some African states in the multina tional forces. The costs of the overall mission, McCurry said, should be borne by the participating states. For months, the administration had ruled out use of ground troops in Central Africa but gradually dropped its opposition as the hu manitarian crisis in the region con tinued to worsen, with predictions that tens of thousands could perish. A cholera outbreak has aggravated the situation. Clinton has come under heavy in ternational pressure in recent days to commit U.S. forces, but officials repeatedly expressed determination not to be stampeded into a situation that could end in chaos — with the potential significant loss of U.S. lives. Throughout the debate, officials were haunted by memories of So malia, where what started as a hu manitarian mission was curtailed after 18 U.S. soldiers were killed in a firelight in 1993. In Central Africa, the mostly Rwandan Hutu refugees have been threatened with starvation after be ing forced to flee U.N. camps in east ern Zaire following an outbreak of fighting involving regular and guerril la forces from Zaire and Rwanda. and several African nations. As many as half of the 700,000 refugees from five Goma- area camps may now be at a new camp west of Mugunga. Others have moved into neighboring Uganda, are wandering in northeastern Zaire or have gone as far west as Kisangani. The United Nations has made an agreement with the Tutsi rebels to allow aid shipments into some refugee camps near Goma, Zaire, The agency hopes to extend the relief effort south to include Ihe cities of Bukavu and Uvira. | CENTRAL AFRICAN /" V ?: REPUBLIC J {/ I "V3 V CONGO p Zaire (Congo) GABON ' B,V * ,r B Refugee camp 10 km X Brazzavilli czaville ZAIRE RWANDA ^.Cyangugu .*11 ( ■ ■.X BURUNDI 1 * Kamanyoia m Area of detail @ TANZANIA mM 200 miles 200 km UHljil I fr» Ed Rony Angkriwan, The Battalion Stephanie Lopez, a senior anthropology major, and her partner Jack McCullough, a senior animal science major, just completed a test with their yearling horse Ed at the Horse Center on Wednesday afternoon. Panhellenic selects finalists By Carla Renea Marsh The Battalion Three national women’s fraterni ties were selected Wednesday to make presentations to the Texas A&M Panhellenic Council in Decem ber. One of these sororities will then be chosen to add a chapter to A&M’s Greek System in the spring. Gamma Phi Beta, Delta Gamma, and Kappa Delta are the three final ists chosen. Danielle Napolio, Panhellenic del egate for Alpha Gamma Delta and a senior environmental design major, said each sorority in Panhellenic Council has the same goal in mind. “The vote was almost unani mous,” Napolio said. “It’s to improve our Greek system.” The council will decide Dec. 15 which one of the three sororities will establish a chapter at A&M. In the past five years, female en rollment and Panhellenic rush par ticipation at A&M has increased. Amanda Hancock, extension co chair for Panhellenic Council and a senior elementary educa tion major, said the council has the re sources, enthusiasm and ability to sup port a new chapter. “We decided that our system is nearing capacity,” she said. In October, the council sent informa tional letters to the 15 national Panhellenic “We will offer them the opportunity to be a part of a high-profile Greek system.” Lanita Hanson Assistant director of student activities women’s fraternities that do not currently have chapters at A&M. Of the nine respondents, the council chose the three most qualified sororities, based on their history, new chapter development procedure and alumni support. Lanita Hanson, assistant director of student activities, said Panhellenic is looking for a soror ity with a strong rep utation, a well- trained local advisory board, goals parallel to A&M’s goals and a sorority that can bring new energy to campus. “We will offer them the opportunity to be a part of a high- profile Greek system,” Hanson said. “We have a committed ad visory staff and plen ty of interested students and Greeks who are supportive.” See Panhellenic, Page 14 Campus groups strive for unity Student Government, MSC pool resources to benefit campus By Wesley Poston The Battalion Campus organizations have en tered an era of cooperation and unity because of co-programming and working together, student leaders say. Will Hurd, executive assistant to the student body president and a sophomore computer science and in ternational studies major, said coop eration between student organiza tions has increased this semester. ^’Before, there was a rivalry be tween Student Government and MSC (Council),” he said. “I think when Carl (Baggett, student body president) came in, he brought a new air to campus.” Student Government, MSC and other organizations pooled their re sources for the benefit of the campus, Hurd said. “Together we can make a bigger impact on campus,” he said. Jami Duke, executive vice presi dent for MSC programming and a se nior business analysis major, said co operation between on-campus orga nizations has grown. “This year everybody has made a real effort to reach out to other orga nizations on campus,” she said. Duke said the increased affiliation stems from a greater awareness of the programs and activities that other or ganizations offer. “We lived within our own organi zations and weren’t looking at our role in the University community,” she said. Jill Jackson, an off-campus senator and senior international studies ma jor, said the unity is prevalent at more than just the upper levels of Student Government and the MSC. “There’s been a big effort not only from the leadership but also from the membership,” he said. This has been an ongoing trend, Jackson said, ever since Brooke Leslie was student body president in 1994-95. “It’s (the relationship) really open ing up and being more representative of the students,” Jackson said. Kyle Sparkman, Corps of Cadets public relations sergeant and a junior biomedical science major, said the Corps has had a role in the inter orga nizational unity. “I know that in the Corps in the past, we’ve been very inclusive,” he said. Sparkman said cadets are encour aged to get involved on campus. “Anytime we do that (become more involved) stereotypes are bro ken down,” he said. “The Corps es pecially struggles with this because we’re easy to stereotype and easy to misunderstand.” Suzannah Taylor, chair of the MSC OPAS student committee and a senior speech communications major, said co-programming with other organizations has become a valuable asset for committees. “It doubles your resources, it dou bles your audience, and it doubles your fun,” she said. T [e Battalion TODAY m the Wall eoff Jennings, a inior anthropology lajor, defies gravity ibis living room. Aggielife, Page 3 i Harming Up l J typical first game, 1 Men's Basketball »m won its home discounts inhibition opener. J Sports, Page 9 -8, M-fj- mi,,,,,", |nger Ready? ’ icl son: Before regis- : B 11 ?’ students need Bisk themselves a evv questions. ^ Opinion, Page 15 ► Texas Tuition Assistance Grant Students ask state to increase funds By Marika Cook The Battalion . Legislative Relations, a branch of Student Government, is asking the state Legislature for increased fund ing for the Texas Tuition Assistance Grant, also known as T-TAG. The grant, approved in 1991, will be funded for the first time in 1997. T-TAG, which is a merit-based grant, will provide tuition to high school graduates with a 2.5 grade- point ratio who completed their high school degree in four years. Ap plicants must come from low- to middle-income families and main tain upstanding citizenship (no felony convictions). Students who receive other financial assistance for tuition are ineligible for T-TAG. The Texas Higher Education Leg islative Forum sought to pursue ad ditional funding for T-TAG last Friday at Texas A&M. Representatives from the University of Texas, the Universi ty of Houston, Texas Tech University, Tarleton State and Texas A&M-Cor- pus Christi attended the forum. Alicia Esslinger, research sub chair for Legislative Relations and a sophomore finance and manage ment major, said the group will write a position paper to take to Austin when the Legislature con venes in January. “We’re trying to get support from Gov. Bush and the Legislature be cause, even though it’s already in the books, we feel it hasn’t been given the monetary attention it deserves,” she said. Esslinger said she is optimistic about the collaborated effort of the schools. “It’s something that we really be lieve in,” she said. “All the schools will unite on one position and advo cate it on the legislative level.” Nikki Obenhaus, chair of Legisla tive Relations and a senior chemical engineering major, said T-TAG needs to serve more students. “The grant money is not nearly enough for everyone who deserves one,” she said. Obenhaus said she hopes to have a representative from each school at the legislative session every day. “We are working on T-TAG to gether because it’s a worthy pro gram,” Obenhaus said. “We have voices all across the state. Texas has a $2 billion surplus to use for pro grams like this. Students can always use more financial aid.” T-TAG has been allocated $98,720 for 1997, but the Texas Higher Edu cation Coordinating Board estimates $23,752,000 would have to be allo cated to assist all eligible students. Texas A&M-College Station will re ceive $13,000, which is enough to pay tuition for 14 students. T-TAG was established in the hopes of enabling more people to at tend institutions of higher learning. The grant is modeled after the Hope Scholarship in Georgia, sup ported by the state’s lottery. The scholarship pays for tuition and fees and provides a book allowance. Chris Reed, speaker of the Stu dent Senate and a senior finance major, believes T-TAG will benefit not only the students who qualify, but the state as a whole. “This grant has the ability to bol ster the state’s economic interest,” he said. “This is probably the most important legislative thrust that A&M Student Government has had in our history.” Legality of parking citation questioned By Brandon Hausenfluck The Battalion A Texas A&M student is ques tioning the legality of a warning citation he re ceived from the Depart ment of Parking, Traffic and Transportation for parking his truck in a van-accessible handi cap space, even though his valid handicap parking permit was dis played at the time he received the warning. L.J. Miller, a senior me chanical engineering major, has a recognized disability as the result of an knee injury he sus tained while training for Desert Storm at the U.S. Naval Acade my in Annapolis, Md. Miller said the citation was “erroneously” issued because it did not comply with the Ameri cans with Disabilities Act of 1991. The warning also violates the Texas Transportation Code, the U.S. Department of Justice Regulations and “all applicable local, state, and federal laws, he said. “This is more of a matter of principle rather than col lecting damages,” Miller said. People who receive arking citations have the option to appeal. To file an ap peal, the person must first pay the ticket. It is then reviewed by a PTTS employee who handles appeals. If the em ployee cannot reach a deci sion, the PTTS appeal board, composed of students and faculty, evaluates it. See Citation, Page 14