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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 11, 1997)
Texas A Si M University Today Tomorrow See extended forecast, Page 2. flume 103 • Issue 146 • 6 Pages College Station, TX — tsmm i Wednesday, June 11, EWS Briefs ipirmer student Jins Peace Corps ptrick Field, Class of ‘91, ac- a position with the Peace hs and will leave the United Jss today to begin training for a iear stint in Bulgaria, leld, who received a degree in Ration, park and tourism ices from Texas A&M, will serve Ian environmental management piteerfor Peace Corps efforts in faria, where he will focus on the Jaklishment and management of munity-based parks programs. Iturrently, about 6,300 Peace ins volunteers help give assis- l«in education, agriculture, health linutrition and small-business de- ■pentin 91 nations worldwide. iry awards woman pO/OOO in lawsuit jMLLAS (AP) — A woman who [W her truck in Dallas-Fort Worth Lational Airport and lay pinned in lane for almost three days has MOO,000 in court. Jlamie Peavy had sued the airport ilheconstruction companies that pworking on a new runway. Iniejury's verdict, announced Mon- pthecourt of state District Judge liillHartman, divided blame for laccident between the airport and puction companies TJ. Lam- pt Construction Inc. and the jlpli Parsons Co. ■Another company, H.B. Zachry, Isabsolved of responsibility. Ilurors said the airport and the ppaniesfound responsible should Iwliadadequate signs on the road ItaeMs. Peavy crashed in 1994. I toorsalso found Ms. Peavy part- fpi At least two believed the toss argument that she was I Wgand not wearing a seat belt. Ijdospora outbreak pitinues to grow WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food HDrug Administration warned I bay that people suffering from di- reawhohave recently eaten fresh berries should have a doctor di- fcsewhether they were infected in lowing outbreak of cyclospora. lie parasitic infection has struck Pst seven states — California, Bland, Nebraska, Nevada, New m, Rhode Island and Texas — Ite mid-April. lie Centers for Disease Control IPrevention counts 110 labora- If-confirmed cyclospora cases, (isaid doctors have diagnosed hundred more patients, al- Ijghthe CDC would not give final iters Tuesday. toi OPINION fsoey’s remake i cartoon pssic con futes to prob- i of animal Monment. See Page 5 SPORTS ONLINE Np://bat-webTamu.edu fok for | e Batt’s Nsified Ads ^ Fewer minorities apply for fall key: The expansion of He Field is not only (cessary but about time. See Page 3 By Michelle Newman The Battalion Minority applications to Texas A&M University decreased between Fall 1996 and Fall 1997, and some in the education Field suggest the de cline is tied to the Hopwood decision outlawing race-based scholarships. James Ashlock, executive direc tor of University Relations, said the number of black students who ap plied dropped 13 percent, and the number of Hispanic students who applied dropped nine percent. Of the 15,832 applicants for Fall 1997 admission received by A&M, 742 were black and 1,846 were His panic, down from 855 black appli cants and 2,018 Hispanic applicants for Fall 1996. Jim Dallas, a high school coun selor at Elsik High School in Houston, said he sees such declines as a direct effect of the Hopwood decision. “A revolving-door admissions ef fort does not help these students,” Dallas said. “If the student is admit ted and is not offered Financial aid, they cannot attend the university.” Mary Jo Powell, associate direc tor of University Relations, agrees the lack of racially based scholar ships will affect minority enroll ment at A&M. “It’s about the loss of scholar ships,” Powell said. “If a school can offer students the money, they will go where the money is.” Keryl Douglas, executive director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in Houston, said Texas universities are losing minority students to histori cally black colleges and universities offering racially based financial aid. Douglas said this is a positive effect of Hopwood. "[Hopwood] will probably tran scend the number of black students seeking degrees at historically black universities,” Douglas said. Black Freshmen Applied Admitted Hispanic Freshmen Applied Admitted Total Freshmen Applied Admitted s Fallout? Figures For Black & Hispanic Freshmen Applicants Fall 96 Fall 97 2018 1846 Applications by black students for Fall 97 have declined 13% from Fall 96. Applications by Hispanic students for Fall ’97 have declined 9% from Fail 96. Source: University Relations 15918 15832 10271 10856 Graphic: Tim Moog A&M has little difficulty finding minority students who fit the ad mission criteria, Ashlock said. The problem lies in finding funding for the students, he said. “If Hopwood would have regu lated admissions, we would have no problem,” Ashlock said. “But when the scholarships were taken away, that’s what hurt us.” Prior to the Hopwood decision, A&M offered a wide range of schol arships and financial aid to students of minority ethnicities. The Presi dent’s Achievement Award Scholar ships, the Collegiate Achievement Award Scholarships, and the Distin guished Achievement Award Schol arships were offered only to black, Hispanic and other minority stu dents, but the Hopwood decision dissolved the race requirements. The scholarships are still available, but are open to students of all races. Diversity among the student body at A&M may become more limited because of Hopwood, Dou glas suggested. The ruling was meant to consolidate minority and majority classes, yet some, like Dou glas, fear it has done the opposite. "Hopwood results have been misapplied,” Douglas said. “It has had an adverse effect on di versity at universities with few er minorities.” GOP struggles to write new disaster bill WASHINGTON (AP) — Confronted with fresh at tacks from the White House on one hand and inter nal divisions on the other, congressional Republi cans struggled Tuesday to produce an alternative to a vetoed $8.6 billion disaster-aid bill. Senate Democrats launched an all-night series of media appearances in a Capitol suite just off the Sen ate floor to dramatize the urgency of the issue. “I’m ready, I’m willing and I want to work with you,” Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott told De mocrats, indicating he was prepared to pass a less costly measure that included “urgent disaster relief” for Midwestern flood victims without the provisions that sparked President Clinton’s veto. On the other side of the Capi tol, though, the House GOP leadership met without deciding their next step. Rep. John Boehn- er, R-Ohio, told reporters there would be “discussions with the White House” to see what com promise was possible.” Clinton vetoed the bill Monday and demanded Republicans drop ex traneous provisions. One is designed to avert a government shut down this fall regardless of whether Clinton and Congress reach agreement on regular spending bills. Republicans say the provision is necessary to avoid a repetition of the shutdowns of two winters ago, but Clinton said it would cut $18 billion from the amount envisioned in the bal anced-budget agreement recently reached with the GOP leadership. The second provision would ban the use of sam pling in the nation’s census in 2000, a step designed to correct for an expected undercount that tradi tionally falls heavily on minorities. Republicans argue that sampling is of dubious constitutionality, and they say they are willing to pro vide enough money to physically count everyone. Beyond that, Republicans fear that if sampling is used, their majority in the House could be in jeop ardy when legislative district lines are redrawn in sev eral states before the 2002 elections. Whatever the outcome, the issue produced a quarrelsome Senate session during the day in which Democrats made good on their vow to block all busi ness unrelated to the disaster-aid measure. In an attempt at embarrassment, Lott sought to force consideration of a bill to attack birth defects, but Democrats objected to that proposal, as well as numerous others. Clinton Northgate revitalization Business owners express concerns about relocation ■> Bll® ■ S'' r s ’ mmeiX: mm Photograph.- Robert McKay As part of the Northgate revitalization project, the lot where Burger Boy now stands will be replaced by a 150-space parking lot. By Robert Smith The Battalion Northgate will bear a new look when renovations ap proved by the College Station City Council are completed, but not all area business own ers favor the changes. One controversy surround ing the Northgate project in volves Burger Boy owner George Sopasakis. The Patricia Street build ing where Burger Boy is locat ed is targeted for replacement by part of a 150-space parking lot now under construction. But Sopasakis, who has re fused to vacate the building, said the city has not given him a fair offer to relocate his business to a new location. “The city offered to relocate us in another building in North- gate,” Sopasakis said, “but the rent of the building is double what we are paying now.” Sopasakis said the amount College Station proposed for relocation expenses would not cover the costs of renovating another building. Skip Noe, College Station city manager, would not com ment on details of negotia tions with Sopasakis, but did say the city made Sopasakis a fair offer. Noe said College Station has been working with Sopasakis for 21 months to reach an agree ment on relocation. “The parking lot is now under construction, and we are hoping to have it completed by the start of this school year,” Noe said. The new paid-parking lot will cover part of Patricia Street, which will be closed, and the area where Burger Boy now stands. Todd McDaniel, Northgate project coordinator, said a promenade will be built in the area next to the parking lot to attract tourists visiting the forthcoming George Bush Presidential Library. The Northgate area includes the land between South College Avenue and Wellborn Road and between University Drive and the College Station city limits. Some Northgate business owners have voiced concerns and complaints in response to the city’s revitalization plans. Please see Plans on Page 6. Poll: Races differ in attitudes on relations WASHINGTON (AP) — Black people see a problem. Whites don’t. The gulf in American perceptions of national race relations is laid out starkly in a comprehensive survey of attitudes re leased Tuesday by the Gallup Organization. Blacks are far more pessimistic about how the races get along and how they are treated than whites, accord ing to the survey. Whites see little to be concerned about when it comes to opportunities for blacks in jobs, edu cation and housing. Just 34 percent of whites feel the government should make greater efforts to support minorities, while 59 per cent of blacks see a need for greater governmental reme dies for inequality. “White Americans don’t see a major problem,” said Frank Newport, vice president of the Gallup Organization. “Ergo, they don’t see a need for governmental intervention.” The survey’s results illustrate the challenge President Clinton faces as he steps up efforts to promote racial harmony. He plans to open a dialogue on race Saturday in a commencement speech at the University of California at San Diego. Clinton also is scheduled to name a seven-member mul tiracial panel to encourage Americans of all races and ethnici ties to talk frankly about race. The panel also is expected to de velop actions that the president, individuals and corporations can take to achieve greater racial understanding. Newport said the different perceptions of blacks and whites in assessing race relations is part of the challenge. Please see Poll on Page 6.
