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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 20, 1997)
Thursday • February20, Supreme Court puts officer safety first SCONA WASHINGTON (AP) — Police can order all pas sengers — not just the driver — out of vehicles stopped for routine traffic offenses, the Supreme Court said Wednesday in a ruling that officers’ safety outweighs passengers’ privacy. “Regrettably, traffic stops may be dangerous en counters” for police, Chief Justice William H. Rehn- quist wrote in a decision hailed by police groups. The 7-2 decision in a Maryland case said ordering passengers not suspected of wrongdoing out of a car is only a “minimal” intrusion on their rights. “Danger to an officer from a traffic stop is likely to be greater when there are passengers in addition to the driver in the stopped car,” the chief justice added. He noted that 11 police officers were killed and more than 5,700 were assaulted during traffic stops in 1994. The two dissenters, Justices John Paul Stevens and Anthony M. Kennedy, said officers should be allowed to make passengers get out of a vehicle only when they actually suspect possible danger. “The Constitution should not be read to permit law enforcement officers to order innocent passen gers about simply because they have the misfortune to be seated in a car whose driver has committed a minor traffic offense,” Stevens wrote for the two. Continued from Page 1 Longfield said students do not un derstand such issues as the Hopwood case. She said affirmative action will af fect them when it is time to apply for graduate school in Texas or look for a job. “The biggest problem is that a lot of people perceive this (SCONA confer ence) to be for the people that want to be informed,” Longfield said. “It’s not. It affects everybody in our daily lives.” Twenty-three of the 130 delegates are from A&M. Each college at A&M selected representatives to attend the conference. “We try for a mix of 75 percent [from] other universities and 25 per cent [from] A&M,” Currie said. Christy Moon, vice-chair of foun dations and corporations and a junior political science major, said the SCONA committee is trying to attract more non-A&M delegates to have a wider range of opinions. “We’re trying to bring in as many people of diverse groups as we can,” Moon said. Martha Middleton, member of the public relations committee and a freshman biochemistry major, said she decided to join the SCONA committee after she picked up a brochure at the MSC Open House. ^ * 4 Wm ffsSnttmMnnnuaf | H Family Footwear The more you buy, the more you save! SAVE UP TO 33% MORE ANY SHOE PURCHASE OF $300 OR MORE Offer valid with this coupon Sunday, February 16 through Saturday, February 22, 1997. 'Excludes clearance shoes with 98< endings. 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She thought one of the most in; tant things she could do® learn from other people’sidra “It sounded like a good4 bringing in other people andtls press their views, not just Ait Middleton said. “I heard A&M a very' sheltered at times.” The C-Span network will airfij ton’s address on its Saturdays show “American Perspective 1 March. The SCONA conference have reports from the round tab!: cussions on its web page. Currie said this year'sconfen has more national recognitioa more non-A&M delegates years past. VISA HWY 6 BYPASS I HARVEY RD. + POST OAK ^ MALL COLLEGE STATION: Post Oak Mall, 696-0546 ■ Plus over 100 more stores nationwide. *We will meet any advertised price in town, just bring us the ad. (Offer good on identical items. Excludes firearms.) Regular and original prices are offering prices only and may or may not have resulted in sales. Savings taken from original prices. Intermediate markdowns may have been taken. Sorry, no mail, phone or special orders, timited quantities. Selection may vary. Guns, fishing, camo and camping available in selected stores. Research Continued from Pagel Foxworth said the rankin] a role when private companift cide what institutions to coi with for research. “Those companies really la Texas A&M whenever they wa work in agriculture, engine and biotechnology,” Foxw'ortli The majority of federal fin A&M receives for researchg from competition against oil's search institutions, he said. Sawtelle said A&M is comps in bidding for research fundk “The rankings indicate tin that we’ve won proposals,"sht| Foxworth said the research structure and size of A&Man nificant factors in thehighraii “You’ve got to have the ms and the facilities to do the resear- Foxworth said. “If you're physics, that’s big bucks. You’it ing to need many accelerators: things like that.” The highest A&M has fault® fifth, in the 1993 and 1994fiscali: In the last ten years, A&M const: ly has been ranked in the top tea Dr. David Allen, an aerospae gineering professor, researches strength of structures inairpl; and highways detecting crad: the st ructures of airplanes. Allen said oneThirdofal craft failures are related to tural failures. “If you can predict [the developing] in a structure,''lie “you can tell the designers! strengthen the structure." Allen said improving fc* ture of airplanes involves,*# riveting, bolting or weldin'. “If you go to D/FW [. you’ll see patches all planes,” he said. Along with safety benefits®! sengers, Allen said his res® could save airlines money. “The big payoff is thatifT make aircraft... last longer;itsf money,” he said. Other research being coii 1 ed at A&M includes investigai cancer cell growth, eliminatt childhood malnutritioninMes and removing carcinogens !i| | ground water. “Texas A&M, because of itsaf cultural and engineeringbasej ; erally works on pretty practical plications,” Foxworth said. Handball s the and Fiel< to the end son at the Champion there is on her would qualifying door Chan 7-8 in Indi on ■ Aggies A Cha TheAgg contributk this weekei ference Ch niors Anjai Danny Mc< eligible for have exhai igibility. Mi have comb American ( careers at 1 Juniors Michael M shirting thi to injuries, ner-up in t dies in 199 fracture in McCray, wl lean accok Continued from Pagel The A&M Handball Team won 11 championships in thef ; anci completed in various tout 1 ments this year. A&M placed second in C bined men’s and women’s competition and second ove women’s competition at tliena® al tournament last year. The top seed in the women’s!®: category is Priscilla Kojin of A&M Kojin, a senior marketing® 3 placed second in last year’s naP collegiate tournament. She hasp pared for this year’s competitit® practicing year-round and comp® in four other tournaments. Kojin said she likes havinghf# vantage and looks forward to the®; 1 “First seed is a lot ofpressu® cause I usually like to betheon f upset the favorite,” she said. Kojin also will compete women’s doubles. The top seed in men’s singl® Tyler Hammel of Portland, David Chapman, the I# Handball World Champion, will pear at the handball tournament will not compete because of a b®® foot. Chapman is a student at St® 1 ' west Missouri State University. Nikki Nelson, a junior wildlife fisheries sciences major, compete' A&M in women’s singles. She m^ f to the semifinals in the novice cate? ry last year. “I like being a part of the tea® Nelson said. “Handball isaf way to recreate.” Laze!! Payton, who works member services at the RecCen® said there is excitement at thed 1 ter about the meet. “The students have worked and have done a great job prep® 1 ' for it,” Lazell said. dent but si the outdoo Sophon the final St ence heptc last year, w end’s meet mitment tt Basketball Aggies A for Senior! ing the wa; the Aggies, qualifying ter hurdles A&M has p season. Th have qualil for the NG prior to th< Donyale C; the 55-met Adrian Sav jump and; Price in thi See College Station