Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 27, 1997)
INews Page 5 Thursday • February 27, 1997 esignate a Bus services stop fhuttle program looks for funding and to make improvements By Rebecca Torrellas The Battalion The Designate a Bus Transit little bus program stopped its jrvices this semester to find fund- Vlig for the fall semester. IMvlatthew Kenyon, a former stu dent of Texas A&M who now lives 1 Houston, began DAB last fall as inon-profit venture to reduce the lumber of accidents caused by jnken driving. Ian Soares, a DAB system vol unteer with Kenyon and owner of SOS Defensive Driving, said DAB was an experiment last semester and went above and beyond what was expected. He said other universities in the Big 12 want to get DAB at their schools. “It was very successful,” Soares said. “Over 700 people used the bus. It did what it was supposed to do.” Soares said he and Kenyon want DAB to have its own funding to pay for its drivers instead of relying on vol unteer drivers from Brazos Transit. Soares said they also want to get more buses. Last fall, there were only three buses, with a fourth added later as a “demand response” bus. Soares said he hopes to have at least 10 buses for the fall semester. Clint Amy, a senior animal science major, said DAB needs improvement. “The buses took too long to come around and some people didn’t feel like waiting for them,” Amy said. Jesse Bryant, a freshman gener al studies major, knew DAB was running, but never had to use it. “I’m usually [the] designated driver and [I] drive my friends home,” Bryant said. “There wasn’t a need to use it.” Soares said the improvements are not final because they must be approved by the city of Col lege Station. He wants students to realize DAB is doing everything possible to improve the program. “We want people to realize we’re still here,” Soares said. balanced budget proposal voted down |UK’■WASHINGTON (AP-) — In an all It fatal blow, Sen. Robert Torri celli announced opposition [dnesday to the Republican- jfted balanced budget amend ment to the Constitution. He said j. the proposal could hamstring fu- Lturr generations confronting a military crisis, recession or a need for federal construction. l"We write not for our time but or all times,” said Torricelli, D- J.J., who has supported similar constitutional amendments in the [last. When it comes to making a change in the 210-year-old Con- titution, he added, “good is not t good enough.” |■Elected to the Senate last No- Ivember, the New Jersey Democrat is became the 34th Democrat to jipose the measure, enough to en- re its defeat. I Republicans rushed to attack Torricelli for breaking a campaign HBomise. “He has thumbed his nose pBthe people of New Jersey once j/Tand for all,” charged Senate Major- iw Leader Trent Lott. I At the same time, Torricelli’s de cision confronted Lott with a choice between offering conces- ■ jsions in hopes of gaining the elu- | sive 67th vote in support of the measure — or watching it go down to the narrowest of defeats next week and trying to pin the blame on the Democrats. The White House issued a state ment in which President Clinton said he was pleased with Torricelli’s decision. He added it was now “time to get down to the hard work of bal ancing the budget.” The proposal, a cornerstone of the Republican congressional agenda, would require a balanced budget by 2002, with a three-fifths vote of the House and Senate to run a deficit there after. It cleared the House two years ago, when the Republican revolution was in full flower, but fell one vote shy of passage in the Senate. This time, it bogged down in the House, where some Republi cans flinched in the face of De mocratic charges that it could threaten Social Security benefits. That prompted the GOP leader ship to try to push it through the Senate first. Republicans argued the measure was needed to instill fiscal discipline “We write not for our time but for all times. ” Sen. Robert Torricelli D-NJ. in a government that has run deficits for nearly three decades. To drama tize their point, they stacked budget books several feet high on desks in the front row of the Senate, one thick volume for each of the years the budget has been unbalanced. Within the new Senate, where all 55 Republicans support the mea sure, it quickly became clear that the swing votes were held by four newly elected Democratic senators. Two of them, Max Cleland of Georgia and Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, an nounced their reluc tant support over the past several days. Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota de clared his opposition last week, even though he, like Torri celli, had supported a similar amendment only two years ago. And shortly after Torricelli’s an nouncement, the Republican Na tional Committee disclosed it would begin airing radio commercials in South Dakota on Thursday saying Johnson “broke his promise.” Landrieu’s announcement on Monday left Torricelli squarely in the spotlight — a position clearly welcomed by a newcomer who has moved forcefully to establish his presence within his party and the Senate. He conferred privately with se nior Democratic colleagues on Tuesday, spoke by telephone with Clinton, delivered a formal maiden speech in the Senate at dinner time and met with Senate Judiciary Com mittee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R- Utah, in a room behind a darkened chamber immediately afterwards. The New Jersey Democrat voted for similar amendments twice be fore, most recently in 1995 in the House when he was preparing for his Senate candidacy. He told re porters that he had done so to get the attention of Presidents Bush and Clinton at a time when deficits were approaching $300 billion. In the interim, he said, the deficit is closer to $100 billion, and added, “I could no longer claim that I was us ing this to make a point.” At a news conference held short ly after the New Jersey Democrat spoke, Hatch stepped before the same microphones and read aloud from last year’s campaign state ments in which Torricelli stressed his support for an amendment. Torricelli dribbled his decision out slowly during the day. FDA wants simpler labels on drugstore remedies WASHINGTON (AP) — Ameri- 1 cans confused about which over- | e the-counter medicine is their most I 01 ; potent but safest choice are getting some relief: Simpler labels on non- prescription drugs. j| The Food and Drug Administra- / tion proposed an order Wednesday I that would have drugstore remedies bear the same simplified labels that ’ foods do. It’s an effort to turn the •' jhaffling medical jargon now lt |rammed onto bottles into advice asily comprehended by laymen. J The labels were designed so consumers could tell at a glance the proper use of an over-the- ounter drug, its side effects and when to see a doctor. Take Rite-Aid brand Tri-A- Phen, a drugstore brand antihista mine and nasal decongestant for cold or allergy sufferers. Today, consumers must wade through lines of tiny print to learn the drug is dangerous when taken with cer tain antidepressants. The FDA put a sample label on the bottle that says up-front and in larger print, color-coded to catch consumers’ attention: “Do Not Use” if you also take those antidepres sants and “Ask a Doctor Before Use” if you have heart disease, high blood pressure and a list of other diseases the drug could impact. Until now, this labeling has been done voluntarily by a small number of companies in the $18 billion nonprescription drug in dustry. Those who used the more consumer-friendly labeling felt it helped their marketing. Thompson Medical Co. led the way in 1995 when it relabeled He- morid hemorrhoid medication to highlight a health warning — don’t use Hemorid if you also take blood pressure medicine or antidepres sants — previously buried in fine print. The heartburn medicine Pep cid AC went an extra step, offering an illustrated insert explaining just what heartburn is and five ways to avoid it without drugs — informa tion patients would get if they went to a doctor instead of opting for over-the-counter relief. The FDA said getting clearer in formation on all nonprescription drugs is important because con sumers try treating health problems themselves four times as often as they consult a doctor. The agency is giving the public four months to comment on the proposal. If the rule then becomes final, over-the-counter drug man ufacturers would be allowed two years to use up their old packaging and put the new labels on all of their products. jViolent juveniles may be forced to watch autopsies J * Juvenile and county J authorities say that this mishment may curtail irther criminal acts by he adolescents. EL PASO, Texas (AP) —Violent jtiveniles and young repeat of fenders soon will be forced to con front the consequences of vio lence in a graphic way that officials hope will discourage further crim inal acts. Within two months, juvenile and county authorities will require certain offenders to watch hour- long autopsies. They want to jolt young minds with images of the damage inflicted by gang mem bers and criminals. “We want to take them through the process and show them the af termath of their violent activities, and actually, how they might end up one day if they continue to play in those violent activities,” said Tim Byrne, administrator of the El Paso County medical exam iner’s office. The plan is to have the viewings available as an option to judges when sentencing juveniles. The viewings are a “scared- straight” approach to dealing with violent criminals similar to pro grams in California, Byrne said. In Texas, a Houston judge ordered a teen-ager last year to watch an au topsy as part of a probated sentence. El Paso police Lt. James Chesshire, a gang unit investiga tor, said he thinks the autopsy program will have an impact on some youngsters. “These kids see so much vio lence, whether it’s on TV or around the family, that when they go out and shoot at somebody, they don’t really think about the conse quences,” Chesshire said. “Perhaps seeing an autopsy might be just what they need to wake them up.” People going through a similar program in Los Angeles often show a change in attitude and demeanor, said Craig Harvey, chief of the Med ical Examiner’s Operations bureau in Los Angeles. “I think they finally realize that they are not as invulnerable — that bad things can happen to them,” Harvey said. But two self-described El Paso gang members said the program won’t necessarily affect everyone. “A very violent person, even if they give him the autopsy presenta tion, will continue to do what he wants,” said Junior Gandara. “If they are hard-core, they aren’t going to be affected,” added Tommy, who declined to give his last name. After a major fire last December FATBURGER 725 University Drive College Station is now OPEN Reopening Special One Week Only 2/24/97 thru 2/28/97 'V. 1/4 lb. Burger w/purchase of Fries & Drink (Dine-in only). (No coupon necessary). (College Station Location Only). 60ANTUAA COW TUTORING :260-COWS Univ. Dr. next to CD Warehouse. 2-1 Opm Sun-Thu. $3.50/hr for 4 reviews/test! mv. ui. ireju tu wu Trargnuuse. i-ivpm oun-mu. »o.;>u/nr mr * reviews/wsu Web page:www2.cy-net.net/~bpc7162/qcow.html | ORGANIC 222/227/228 & BIOLOGY 113 REVIEWSs 222 227 228 113 Tue 3/4 & Wed 3/5 8-10pm Quiz 3 Reviews, Parts 1 & 2 Mon 3/3 4-6pm & Thu 3/6 8-10pm Quiz Review, Crow Mon 3/3 4-6pm & Thu 3/6 8-10pm Quiz Review, Crow Sun 3/2 & Mon 3/3 8-10pm & Tue 3/4 10pm-12 Parts 1-3 ORGANIC REACTION PACKETS! CHEmsaTRY ioi Mirx«ya : 6-8pm Mon.-Wed. DON’T WANT TO WRITE THAT TERM PAPER? CALL US! STUDY PACKETS' LAB PACKETS' BOPS' GRE Computer Countdown Corr»P ute ^ phobic - Only a few more chances to take the GRE on Paper. Classes for the LSAT written exam start now! Class Begins REC 702 (SatAVed) 3/01/97 REC 703 (Sun/Tue) 3/16/97 Call today to enroll. KAPLAN 1 - 800-KAP-TEST www.kaplan.com E-mail: GRE@kaplan.com America Online: keyword “kaplan” *GRE is the registered trademark of Educational Testing Service. Take it no I Tour scores w J3ood for 5 yet Pirty Politics: BUSINESS AS USUAL.? A look at some of the most influential presidential commercials with Dr. Norman Luttbeg March 4, 1997# 7 p.m. #MSC 292 B http://pf.tamu.edu video provided by OU Political Communication Center The views expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of MSC Political Forum, the MSC, or Texas A&M University. Persons with disabilities please call 845-1515 to inform us of your special needs. We request notification three (3) working days prior to the event to enable us to assist you to the best of our abilities. J Turning your degree into a door opener." Reception Tuesday, March 4 8:30 pm - 10:00 pm Rudder, Room 504 Interviews Wednesday, March 5 Koldus Building, Suite 209 Pursuing a career deserves maximum attention. We'd like to give you ours. We're First USA, the nation's third-largest provider of credit card services, and we're opening our doors to the country's best and brightest. If you are an. outstanding individual interested in learning about earning the maximum in opportunities, rewards and experience, we would like to invite you to participate in our informal information session. First USA has career opportunities focusing on financial services as well as technology-based studies. In addition, we have a variety of internships available. If you are unable to attend, please contact us for more information at: First USA, Human Resources; 1601 Elm Street, 14th Floor; Dallas, TX 75201. Fax: 214-849-2015. First USA. There's a FIRST for everything. Equal Opportunity Employer