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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 25, 1997)
leii Texas A&M University S Today Tomorrow See extended forecast, Page 2. hyj olume 103 • Issue 154 • 6 Pages Ilk- College Station, TX mm lay, June 2S, 1997 tews Briefs on a® SPORTS [thletic Director Wally Groff |as remained loyal to Texas for over 30 years. Loans help battle tuition woes l nl9 eronautical society Ihertu y wards A&M prof Dr. L.S. “Skip” Fletcher, the ry Jmas A. Dietz Professor of Me- di anical Engineering at Texas A&M iversity, has been elected a Fellow Itie Royal Aeronautical Society of [Jellnited Kingdom. Fletcher, the first member of the rasA&M faculty to be given this e tlfl nor, was cited for his research in »j nce “(modynamics and his contribu- ( y a ljjl os and leadership in the field of |j ona j raspace engineering. Fellow is the highest grade award- Itythe Royal Aeronautical Society, 18,000-member professional or- ition dedicated to the worldwide pace community, other engineering news, stA. Baetz Jr., Class of '48, en- d a $20,000 scholarship to Lindsay Scholars Program for imical engineering students and a $5,000 gift to the engineer- Faculty Fellows Program. Baetz also has established a Pres- it’s Endowed Scholarship in hon- Jolhis parents. feport: No abuse in like s Asian factories ATLANTA (AP) — Former U.N. Am- issador Andrew Young, hired by ieto evaluate its labor practices, in a report Tuesday that he saw widespread abuse of workers at company's shoe factories in Asia. Young, who made a 15-day visit to niesinthe Far East, said they were .well-lighted and didn’t resemble tiatAmericans would call sweatshops. the world’s No. 1 athletic [toe manufacturer, has been ac- iused by human rights groups of bru- wrk conditions and meager pay. tie report said supervisors groped ngwomen as they worked. He said the concept of workers’ its is poorly understood in the itoriesand Nike’s code of conduct isnot prominently displayed. He factory workers need a better INemfor filing complaints and get- 'gt/iem investigated. tudy finds involved «ople get fewer colds CHICAGO (AP) — Not only is vari- Hte spice of life, it could protect nfrom the common cold. People involved in a variety of ac ts such as work, church, family, ccerand barber shop quartets get Scolds than those who are ex- W to the same number of people Aliave only a few things to occupy 6in, according to a study. The findings, published in today’s is- eofThe Journal of the American Med- ilAssociation, bolster the notion that sntal well-being affects physical health. One of the researchers, Dr. David loner at the University of Pitts- ugh,speculated that being happy id involved keeps a person’s im- system strong. By Joey Jeanette Schlueter The Battalion Students at Texas A&M University who worry they will not have the money to pay their tuition by the deadline have other options to help prevent them from being dropped from classes. Donald L. Gardner, associate registrar for Admissions and Records, said that at the beginning of this summer session, 1,000 students were dropped from enrollment because they did not make the necessary payments on time. Students can prevent this by taking an emergency tuition and fees loan from the Texas A&M Department of Financial Aid. Bob Piwonka, manager of student financial services, said 673 emergency tuition and fee loans totaling over $450,000 were giv en out at the beginning of the first summer session. Students have three months to repay fees for the fall and spring semesters and have until the end of Session II for summer fees. “Sometimes due dates fall before payday for students,” Pi wonka said. “This (a loan) offers them a quick fix so they will not get dropped.” Gardner said students need to realize that if they do not pay their tuition on time, they will be dropped. “We just want students to stay enrolled and not have to go through a difficult process of being dropped and then rein stated,” he said. The enrollment for Summer Session I is 16,332. In the second summer session, Gardner said, fewer students are enrolled; there fore, the number of students dropped also will be lower. Summer Session II enrollment statistics will be available after the fourth day of the session. Students who receive financial aid for the summer will not be dropped. Mark Cangelose, senior staff accountant for the Fiscal De partment, said this is the first year the department has been involved with the New Student Conferences. He said the de partment is able to inform freshmen about deadlines and the importance of paying fees on time. Cangelose said most students pay for their tuition by check. There is not a serious problem with checks bouncing, he said, but every semester some students wait until the last minute to pay. “There are always unpredictable things that happen,” Can gelose said. “Students just need to be aware of deadlines.” Please see Tuition on Page 2. V m if Graphic: Brad Graeber Making a difference Student honored for MDA contributions * Mk; - Trail Rider Photograph: Robert McKay Paul Bickerton, a senior construction science major, hones his rid ing skills at Lake Bryan Tuesday afternoon. By Robert Smith The Battalion Angela Wrigglesworth, a junior elementary education major at Texas A&M, has been making a positive difference in peoples’ lives for years. She recently was awarded for her contributions and volunteer achievements by the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The MDA announced last month that Wrigglesworth has received its 1997 Per sonal Achievement Award for Texas. The national award series recognizes the accomplishments and community service of people with disabilities result ing from neuromuscular diseases. Wrig glesworth was recognized for her contri butions to the MDA, her work for physically disabled students at A&M and her community service. Wrigglesworth, 19, has been affected since infancy by spinal muscular atrophy, a neuromuscular disorder that severely weakens muscles. She uses an electric wheelchair for mobility. Robert Ross, senior vice president and executive director of the MDA, said he is happy to honor Wrigglesworth. “We’re honored to count such an ac complished individual as Angela Wrig glesworth among MDA’s friends and lead ers in Texas,” Ross said. “She’s using her outstanding abilities to make important contributions to her community.” Wrigglesworth, a 1995 graduate of Klein Forest High School in Houston, has taken many leadership roles in the MDA. She has appeared on the local broadcast of the Jer ry Lewis MDA Telethon since 1983. “I’ve been involved with the MDA since I was 6,” Wrigglesworth said. “I was very nervous the first time I went on TV because I was shy when I was younger. But as I got older, I got comfortable with it. It’s really fun.” Wrigglesworth has demonstrated lead ership qualities throughout her life. At Klein Forest, she was senior class treasurer and junior class president. Wrigglesworth has attended MDA sum mer camp each year and* personally has raised more than $40,000 for the MDA. ^ ^ We’re honored to count such an accomplished individual... among MDA’s friends and leaders in Texas.” Robert Ross Senior vice president and executive director of the MDA “The camp is indescribable,” Wrig glesworth said. “Every year, I come back and tell my mom, ‘This was the best year ever.’ We hang out together and we swim, play sports and do arts and crafts.” Wrigglesworth also was chosen as the Texas MDA Poster Child in 1985 and 1986, the first person to receive the hon or in consecutive years. As the MDA Poster Child, Wrigglesworth traveled with the MDA making speeches. Please see Wrigglesworth on Page 6. Canyon Lake tourism suffers because of flooding CANYON LAKE (AP) — Flooding has raised the level of Canyon Lake nearly to its spillway and will shut down tubing on the nearby Guadalupe River for a month, potentially caus ing millions of dollars in losses. “The recreation business for Canyon Lake is over for most of the summer,” reservoir manag er Jerry Brite was quoted as saying in Tuesday’s San Antonio Express-News. Most public picnic shelters, campgrounds and restrooms are under water and boat ramps are closed. The Canyon Lake Marina and Papa Docks Restaurant are now on an island, cut off from shore by 12 feet of water. Downstream, on a popular stretch of the Guadalupe River near New Braunfels, business will be difficult for river outfitters until the lake stops releasing floodwater, Brite said. Teased by an exceptional Memorial Day weekend, outfitters who rent inner tubes and other water equipment were looking forward to this summer, particularly after last year’s drought kept the river level low. It is unclear how badly the flooding will hurt river outfitters, but many say they do half of their annual business from the last week of June through the first week of August, especially around the July Fourth weekend. Tourism in Comal County creates 7,000 summer jobs and has a $220 million economic impact, in cluding $140 million from water-oriented tourism, according to the Chamber of Commerce. The near-record Canyon Lake level means water will have to be discharged from the reser voir for weeks at 5,500 cubic feet per second — a rate too high for tubing on the Guadalupe Riv er downstream. “We’ll be blowing out 5,500 cubic feet of water per second, and that will be too much for everyone but the very experienced raft guides,” Brite said. The good news is white-water rafting can be done on the Guadalupe River at a level not usu ally experienced in Texas, said Paul Rich owner of Mountain Breeze Camp. And the calmer Co mal River remains open for tubing. OKLA. ARK. AP See Page 3. OPINION ater: Infant deaths in ^erica reveal parental 'Sglect, murderous intentions. See Page 5. ONLINE Teen charged with murder Woman is accused of strangling baby after giving birth at prom ^tp://bat"Web.tamii.edu •ook for ^chived 'lories niine. m FREEHOLD, N.J. (AP) — A teen-ager who gave birth at her prom and then returned to the dance floor was charged with murder Tuesday after an autopsy concluded the baby was stran gled and left in a plastic bag taken from the san itary-napkin receptacle in the bathroom. See Related Column, Page 5 Prosecutors said 18-year-old Melissa Drexler may have even used the sharp edge of the recep tacle to cut the umbilical cord before dumping the body of the newborn boy in a trash can June 6. “Go tell the boys we’ll be right out,” Drexler yelled to a friend in the bathroom before coming out of the stall, accordingto prosecutor John Kaye. He said she put her loose-fitting black gown back on and went back to the prom dance floor, leav ing the bathroom splattered with blood. A grim-looking Drexler, wearing a flowered skirt and a blue denim top with matching nail polish, surrendered with her parents and stood before a judge Tuesday to face the charges of murder and endangering the welfare of a child. If convicted, Drexler could get life in prison. Prose cutors said they do not plan to seek the death penalty. Her attorney entered a plea of innocent on her behalf. She spoke only to answer “yes” to questions from Superior Court Judge John A. Ricciardi. About an hour later, after posting $50,000 bail, Drexler emerged from the courthouse and walked into a sea of reporters, photographers and cameramen. She got into a black Chevy Blazer and appeared on the verge of tears. “She’s not very happy,” attorney Steven Secare said after Drexler had left. “She’s very nervous.” Drexler’s 19-year-old prom date has said that he believes he was the father but that he was unaware she was pregnant. Air Force denies UFO rumors Government claims ‘aliens’ were life-size dummies WASHINGTON (AP) — The Air Force is sticking to its story. Those weren’t alien bod ies secretly recovered from a UFO crash site in New Mexico half a century ago. They were dummies. “Case closed,” the Air Force insists in a 231 -page report released Tuesday on the so- called Roswell “incident.” Not so fast, say believers. “If you’ve seen an alien, you would know the difference between that and a stupid crash dummy,” said Barb Sauerman, the switchboard operator at the mayor’s office. And Deon Crosby, director of the In ternational UFO Museum and Research Center in Roswell, said the report raised more questions than it answered — and certainly was not sufficient to let the Air Force wash its hands of the controversy. “It’s not going to do that at all,” she said. The most likely explanation for the un verified alien reports made in July 1947, the Air Force said, relates to life-size dummies dropped from the skies during a series of ex periments in the 1950s. What is not fully ex plained is how people could have confused events that happened a decade apart. “If you find that people talk about things over a period of time, they begin to lose ex actly when the date was,” said Col. John Haynes, an Air Force declassification officer who presented the report at a Pentagon news conference. “I have no other explanation.” Please see UFO on Page 6.