ay • February 15
8
The Battalion
lume 103 • Issue 97 • 10 Pages
The Balt Online: http://bat web.tamu.edu
Thursday, February 20, 1997
CONA conference kicks off today
e theme of the three-day
nference is social
agmentation in America.
Marissa Alanis
The Battalion
ternational delegates will discuss so-
fiivisions in American society and their
ications for the future at the 42nd an-
Student Conference on National Af-
irs it Texas A&M.
■venty-seven universities from eight
frarent countries will be represented at
the three-day conference, which begins to
day and runs through Saturday.
The focus of the conference is ‘Social
Fragmentation: The Future of America?’
and the effects of the fragmentation in
Americans’ daily lives.
Herb Currie, staff adviser for SCONA,
said the purpose of each conference is to
bring college students together to examine
a topic of current national interest.
“We selected this one (theme) because
social fragmentation is on everyone’s mind
right now,” Currie said, "and it is probably
one of the top issues in the country.”
Scheduled speakers are James Pinker
ton, lecturer at the Graduate School of Po
litical Management at George Washington
University; Roger Wilkins, professor of his
tory and American culture at George Mason
University; and Maxine Waters, a U.S. Rep
resentative from California.
All speaker presentations are open to
the public.
Amy Longfield, SCONA chair and a senior
wildlife and fisheries sciences and political
science major, said Waters’ speech, ‘Race &
Fragmentation: What is the Solution?’ is just
one issue relevant to A&M students..
Longfield used Monday’s article in The
Battalion on interracial dating as an exam
ple of Waters’ topic. She said the issue has
great interest to students.
“These issues just don’t affect the whole
world,” Longfield said. “They affect us here.
We may be in our little microcosm here
(A&M), but they’re still important.”
Subtopics on social fragmentation will
be discussed at the conference during
round table meetings held by the delegates.
The discussions allow attendants to delib
erate and exchange views on the issues.
Each table will be headed by a discussion
leader who will facilitate the meeting.
Social aspects within the college cam
pus, the workplace, churches, schools and
politics are some of the subtopics delegates
will analyze. Reports on solutions to these
problems will be presented at the closing
banquet Saturday.
Currie said the tables will discuss how na
tional institutions affect the fragmentation now.
“For instance, in the schools — how well
are they doing?” Currie said. “The justice
system — what effect does the justice sys
tem have on that (social fragmentation)?”
Longfield said the round table topics
are relevant to everyone, even if they do
not realize it.
“Everyday we go through life making de
cisions based on what we perceive to be the
norm, but that norm is being shattered,”
Longfield said.
See SCONA, Page 6
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Ryan Rogers, The Battalion
Amy Hamilton and Sandra Lafferty, first-year veteri
nary medicine students, study the nervous and vascular sys
tems of a horse leg in a gross anatomy class Wednesday.
► 1997 National Collegiate Handball Tournament
AStM hosts '97 competition
By Joey Jeanette Schlueter
The Battalion
Competition starts today in the
1997 National Collegiate Handball
Tournament at the Student Recre
ation Center.
This is Texas A&M's first year to
host the handball tournament,
which runs through Sunday.
One-hundred ninety-four college
students from Ireland, Canada, the
United States and several other
countries will compete for singles
and doubles play titles in men’s and
women’s divisions.
Lance Lowy, Texas A&M Handball
Coach, said the tournament will be a great
experience for the A&M Handball Team.
“Our team will be competitive,”
Lowy Said, “and I expect us to finish
in the top three.”
He said there are 40 A&M com
petitors in the tournament. The top
six team members’ accumulated
points will count toward their final
score in the team competition.
See Handball, Page 6
Dave House, The Battalion
Priscilla Kojin, a member of the A&M Handball Team and a senior market
ing major, practices for the tournament.
A&M's research expenditures
ranks among
► The National Science Foundation
ranked the University sixth.
By Benjamin Cheng
The Battalion
Research expenditures at Texas A&M ranked
among the top ten in the nation for the 1995 fiscal year
in a report by the National Science Foundation.
The rankings placed A&M sixth nationwide with
$362.54 million spent on research for the 1995 fiscal year.
A&M’s ranking dropped from last year, when it placed
fifth with $355.6 million in expenditures. The rankings for
the 1996 fiscal year will be published in October.
Nancy Sawtelle, director of communications for the
Office of the Vice President for Research and Associate
Provost for Graduate Studies, said the foundation
arranges rankings by measuring the expenditures of re
search institutions.
“This is the standardized test for evaluating research
programs,” Sawtelle said.
Greg Foxworth, director of the Office of Sponsored
nation's best
Total Research and Development
expenditures at universities and colleges
fiscal year 1995 (in millions)
1. Johns Hopkins $788.69
2. University of Michigan $443.07
3. University of Wisconsin — Madison $403.54
4. University of Washington $389.16
5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology $370.80
6. Texas A&M University $362,54
7. University of California — San Diego $357.33
8. Cornell University $343.79
9. University of Minnesota $336.52
10. Pennsylvania State University $330.88
Source: National Science Foundation
Projects, said the rankings are used by research institu
tions, academics, industry and government.
“It’s the only number people use interchangeably every
where,” he said.
See Research, Page 6
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By Graham Harvey
The Battalion
firefighting will be emphasized tonight
fcrazos County citizens and Bryan fire-
jiters kick off the fourth annual Bryan
Department’s Citizen’s Fire Academy,
he 10-week course will meet Thursday
its and and on two Saturday mornings
e Bryan Municipal Building,
oe Brown, Public Information Officer
he City of Bryan, said the academy will
er the basics of modern firefighting.
Along with classroom instruction, slu
ts also receive ‘hands-on’ training, in-
ing the chance to fight an actual fire at
Texas A&M Fire Training School,”
'Wn said.
ryan Fire Chief Jim Bland said the
pose of the academy is to educate
participants.
'During the academy, they’ll learn
ut our EMS operations, fire investi-
ion, fire prevention and the many
er services our department pro-
es,” Bland said.
tudents also will ride with firefighters
actual calls.
he academy, which was initiated as
epartment project in 1994, offers
two sessions a year. One session was
held for the first two years, but when
popularity increased, two sessions
were needed for 1996.
Bland said the session beginning
tonight, open to Brazos County residents
18 years old and older, is the first of two
sessions held this year.
The classes attract a diverse mix of par
ticipants. Texas A&M students, elderly and
minority citizens, spouses of firefighters
and graduates of the three local citizens’
police academies are among the partici
pants in the class, Bland said.
Since the academy began, about six
A&M students have attended the fire fight
ing school, he said.
Graduates of the Citizen’s Fire Academy
receive a certificate of knowledge and
membership in the academy’s alumni as
sociation, which promotes fire prevention
education and fund raising programs
throughout Brazos County.
Bland emphasized that, contrary to
popular belief, the academy is not actual
firefighter training.
“Our goal is to give our students a feel of
what it takes to be a firefighter as well as
educate them about what our department
does on a daily basis,” Bland said.
State senator arrested in prostitution sting
► Sen. Drew Nixon was
charged with a Class B
misdemeanor.
AUSTIN (AP)—State Sen. Drew Nixon spent
the night in j ail after his arrest in front of a small
church for soliciting an undercover police offi
cer for sex, Austin police said Wednesday.
Nixon, R-Carthage, was arrested Tuesday
night in a prostitution sting.
The East Texas lawmaker was charged
with a Class B misdemeanor that carries a
maximum punishment of up to 180 days
in jail and a $2,000 fine. He posted a per
sonal bond Wednesday and is scheduled
to appear in Travis County District Court
on March 19.
Nixon, 37, has served in the state Senate
since 1995. He declined to comment in a
brief interview outside police headquarters.
A spokesman, John Doner, later said the
senator had no plans to resign.
Fellow Republican Gov. George W. Bush,
said he was troubled by the incident.
“I think Sen. Nixon deserves his day in
court, but if what I heard is true, my heart
goes out to his family,” Bush said.
“I’m very troubled — troubled because
he’s got a place of public trust and this is go
ing to send a mixed signal that is one I don’t
respect or appreciate,” Bush said.
In an affidavit, undercover officer Chris
tine Shelton said Nixon offered her $35 to
perform oral sex.
Shelton also said Nixon had a 9-mm
handgun in his car at the time of his arrest.
Municipal Judge Kenneth Vitucci re
jected an attempt to charge Nixon with il
legal possession of a firearm. Police
spokesman Mike Burgess said the depart
ment was still investigating.
Nixon did not attend Wednesday’s Sen
ate session and was not in his Capitol office.
It is the second time Nixon’s name has
been linked to prostitution.
According to Dallas police records, Nixon
had three prostitutes in his car when he was
stopped by officers in East Dallas in 1993.
At the time, Nixon denied knowing the
women were prostitutes. Police said all
three were known prostitutes. Nixon plead
ed no contest to a related weapons charge
after a handgun was found in the car.
Bush said he had not talked to Nixon and
Nixop had not approached the governor’s
office. The governor said he would advise
the lawmaker “to get help.”
Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock, who presides
over the Senate, said he had talked with
Nixon Wednesday.
“He is entitled to his day in court.... I pray
for him. He is my friend. My thoughts and
prayers are with him at this time and with
his family,” Bullock said.
Bill White, executive director of the Texas
Democratic Party, called for Nixon’s resig
nation from the Senate.
“We expect our public servants to con
duct themselves in a manner that is wor
thy of the public’s trust,” White said.
“Drew Nixon ought to resign and let the
people of East Texas choose a senator
worthy of their trust.”
Aides in Nixon’s Austin office said the
senator planned to issue a statement
Wednesday. But as of late afternoon, noth
ing had been released.
Nixon’s capitol office was closed after 5 p.m.
HALF-PERCENTER: Shot
putter Mike Lowrance came
to A&M for an education not
the ambiance.
Aggielife
Toons
Opinion
The Battalion
INSIDETODAY
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