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t-web.tamu.edu
j)k up with state,
lional and world news
ough the AP Wire, a
[hour Internet news
Ivice.
By Rachel George
Staff Writer
College Station can add a virtual shopping
center to its list of attractions.
Holly Hess, a WebRight Inc. sales represen
tative and Class of ’97, helped create a website
featuring such Northgate businesses as the
Dixie Chicken and CD Warehouse.
Browsers can choose from one of the four
categories on the site: “Night Life,” “Commu
nity,” “Shopping” and “Eating.”
These links offer drink and lunch specials,
sales at Northgate and special events in the
community. Each category has other links that
browsers can visit.
Other features on the site include “Aggie
Trivia,” a “T-Sip Joke of the Day” and an elec
tronic post office where browsers can send
postcards via e-mail. There is also a coupon
Getting it together
96
96
TODAY
TOMORROW
COLLEGE STATION* IX
See extended forecast. Page 2.
FRIDAY • AUGUST 29 • 1997
Northgate offers Internet shopping
page and a registration center for prizes from
the businesses.
The site also is equipped with a map of the
area, with highlighted areas designating avail
able parking spaces.
Hess said the website will highlight all as
pects of the Northgate area, not just the nightlife.
"After I left A&M and began working for We
bRight, an idea came up for a virtual shopping
center, and I thought of Northgate,” she said.
“Northgate is an important part of the College
Station community, and unfortunately the dif
ferent shops, except for the bars, are often
overlooked.”
The Northgate Merchants Association,
along with WebRight Inc., is responsible for
contacting shop owners and soliciting their
business. WebRight Inc. charges the business
es an advertising fee.
Todd McDaniel, the Northgate Coordina
tor, said that the site will improve business
along Northgate.
“It is a commercial activity, but at the same
time, from a public standpoint, it introduces
newcomers to the area,” he said.
Juanita Galindo, manager of Campus Pho
to, said she hopes the site will be beneficial to
the store.
“Our main expectation [of the site] was to let
students know where we are located,” she said.
“We want students to keep coming back to us,
and it looks like everyone has access to the ‘net.”
The address for the virtual shopping center
is www.aggieland.com.
Browsers can post their opinions and sug
gestions on the site.
The site has 15 businesses on it. Mer
chants who are interested in adding their
business to the site can contact WebRight at
(713) 461-3919.
BRIEFS
e destroys
cant building
fire engulfed an unoccupied
ilus building behind the Texas
I Veterinary School Wednesday
moon.
he College Station Fire Depart-
itarrived at the fire around 4 p.m.
the fire was under control within
ninutes.
i the cause of the fire has
been confirmed, the fire depart-
Hsaid the blaze may have start-
asa grass fire.
jries were reported and
; are unknown.
■University officials said a 911 call
rniade, but fire fighters had trou-
locating the area because the
;did not have a phone or an
ress. Officials said the University
Hiking with 911 to help prevent
problem in the future,
he building was one of four in a
(age to be sold for salvage next
k by Texas A&M.
heCSFD is investigating the fire,
ultswill be known later next week.
udents attend
igie 1-Camp
rooming international students
ned about Texas A&M and its tra
ms at the 4th annual Internation-
amp Aug. 23 in the MSC.
tore than 150 students from the
East, Europe, Mexico, Asia
South America attended the
fenuela Vasquez-Ani, an 1-Camp
aselorand a senior international
lies major, said that for some stu-
ts 1-Camp is their first experience
)e United States.
This was the first time to [come
[fierica for most,” Vasquez-Ani
L“But since most countries teach
languages, many of the students
[akand understand English.”
iandra Medina, the communica-
'S coordinator for the A&M De
ment of Multicultural Services,
ffhe camp helps international
tents adjust to A&M’s unique
tire.
Any student new to A&M from
ther country must adjust not
to the United States, but to our
ipus as well,” she said. “That is
International Camp is so irri
tant."
lie Traditions Council introduced
tents to Aggie traditions such as
er Taps, Midnight Yell, Aggie
iter and A&M senior rings.
ogram receives
adership award
lie Association of Leadership Ed-
tors awarded the Texas A&M
fihower Leadership Development
[ram the Outstanding Leadership
[ram Award.
Tie program received the award
its accomplishments in helping
tents to develop leadership and
tern-solving skills.
Tie Eisenhower program was es-
tehed by Congress in 1992 and is
'Ported
Ateie Colleges of Liberal Arts, Busi-
S 'Agriculture and Engineering.
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BRANDON BOLLOM/The Battalion
Ttacy Younggren (left) and Andy Wheeler, junior biomedical science majors, construct a loft Thursday adternoon for their dorm room in
A-Battery of the corps.
A&M employees begin charity campaign
By Marissa Alanis
Staff writer
Texas A&M and Texas A&M University Sys
tem employees kicked off the 4th annual State
Employee Charitable Campaign (SECC) Tues
day morning at a breakfast in the Clayton W.
Williams Jr. Alumni Center with expectations
to exceed last year’s contributions of$178,373.
During the campaign, which runs from
Sept. 1 to Oct. 31, employees can make contri
butions to one of 276 charitable agencies that
address issues such as the environment, the
sick and needy, animal welfare, world hunger
and spiritual needs.
Texas A&M and System employees want to
raise about $300,000 in pledges.
Bob Fleischer, local SECC campaign man
ager and executive director of the United Way,
said this year’s donations should surpass last
year’s campaign totals.
“I’ve seen some real enthusiasm [for the
campaign) that I think will be contagious as
well,” Fleischer said.
In the past, United Way, along with the 20
agencies affiliated with it, received about two-
thirds of the money contributed to the cam
paign, making it the largest recipient group of
the campaign.
Fleischer said the United Way receives such
a large part of the contribution because most
people identify closely with the 20 agencies
under the United Way umbrella in the Bryan-
College Station area.
“The logic of it is that most people prefer that
their contribution be kept at home,” he said.
Contributions can be made by cash, check,
bank draft or the payroll deduction method.
“I think the real competition is how
well we can support agencies that
provide human services.”
BOB FLEISCHER
LOCAL SE0C CAMPAIGN MANAGER
Jan Winniford, associate vice president for
student affairs, said there has been an increase
in participation and money since the intro
duction of the payroll deduction method a few
years ago.
Mary Miller, associate vice president for ad
ministration and the SECC employee commit
tee chair for Bryan-College Station, said the
payroll deduction method makes it easier to
give money to the campaign.
“You can have as little as $2 a month de
ducted,” Miller said. “But over a year, that
translates to $24, which is a nice gift to give.”
During last year’s SECC campaign, Texas
Tech and its Health Center combined to raise
the highest amount of pledges, totaling
$306,299. A&M and the System, along with
pledges received from the Association of For
mer Students, the 12th Man Foundation and
the Texas A&M Foundation, followed closely
with $239,772 in pledges raised.
Fleischer said higher campaign participa
tion could allow A&M to surpass Texas Tech’s
totals, but that SECC should not become a
competitive race between institutions.
“It’s not a competitive situation at all,” Fleis
cher said. “I think the real competition is how
well we can support agencies that provide hu
man services. That’s the bottom line.”
Winniford said there is a value of care and
enhanced awareness for fellow human beings
in the A&M community, which help explain
the success of the campaign.
“I like to think there’s something special
about A&M that brings out the willingness in
people to give back to our communities to
those who are less fortunate,” she said.
Thousands march in protest of Proposition 209
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Thousands of people protesting Proposi
tion 209 marched across the Golden Gate Bridge today as the anti-af
firmative action initiative took effect in California.
“I don’t think we’ve undone the negative effects of slavery,” said Jean
Mont-Eton, 68, who had to ask her daughter for “the day off” from baby
sitting two grandchildren so she could march. “I still think we need af
firmative action.”
Earl Annecston, a 72-year-old official with the San Mateo Central La
bor Council, agreed. “I don’t think we’re ready to get rid of affirmative
action,” he said. “I don’t like the ‘good old boys’ network.”
The demonstrators, led by Mayor Willie Brown, marched four and
five abreast along a walkway on the bridge.
The march was peaceful and traffic on the bridge wasn’t affected.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, who organized the march, appeared at the
bridge after the march began.
Proposition 209, which passed with 54 percent of the vote last No
vember, bans race or gender preferences in public hiring, contracting
and education.
The measure had been tied up in the courts. But on Tuesday, the 9th
U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused to further block implementation
of the measure while it is appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
“I feel like we as black people will not have representation,” said Etna
Goshay, 56, who traveled all night with a church group from Moreno Val
ley in Southern California. “I feel like nothing has been accomplished.”
Proposition 209 has no legal effect in the private sector, so businesses
can continue to recruit and train minorities and women.
BRAD GRAEBER/The Battalion
Scientists
grow hybrid
bluebonnet
By Joey Jeanette Schlueter
Staff writer
To some Texans, the bluebonnet is
the beloved state flower that grows
wild in the spring along highways and
in backyards. But Texans may see it a
little differently now.
The Texas Agriculture Experiment
Station (TAES) created a long
stemmed bluebonnet that was patent
ed July 15.
The flower, nicknamed “Texas Sap
phire,” was displayed this week at a
U.S. Patent Office news conference to
commemorate the issuance of the
10,000th plant patent.
Dr. Tim Davis and Dr. Wayne Mack-
ay, the TAES horticulturists who creat
ed the flower, said they thought of the
idea for the long-stemmed bluebon
net when they saw large bluebonnets
in the Big Bend area several years ago.
Mackay said experiments with the
state flower include producing longer
stems and changing its color. TAES sci
entists have developed long-stemmed
white bonnets called “Texas Ice” and
long-stemmed pink bonnets called
“Texas Sunsets.”
“There is no telling what will hap
pen next,” Mackay said. “These flow
ers are just the beginning.”
Davis said the bluebonnets offer a
special variety of flowers that can be
commercialized.
“These bluebonnets have florist
quality,” Davis said, “because there are
practically no blue flowers available in
the cut-flower market.”
The horticulturists used seeds col
lected from large bluebonnets found
in the Big Bend area and bred them
with a variety of other flower seeds to
produce a long-stemmed version for
commercial use that can withstand
shipping and handling.
The University System began li
censing nurseries for greenhouse pro
duction of the flowers so the long
stemmed flowers can be made
available to florists.
A trial collection of the bonnets was
displayed at the 1997 Rose Bowl Pa
rade.
Davis, the director of the A&M Re
search and Extension Center in Dallas,
said he hopes Texas bluebonnets will
become popular beyond the state’s
boundaries.
“As the flower gains some accep
tance, it will pick up in markets in
many other places, especially the blue,
because it is unique,” he said.
Texas Land Commissioner Gary
Mauro said at a July news conference
in Austin that the long-stemmed blue
bonnet was a new venture for the
Texas floral market.
“The flower itself represents the
very spirit of Texas,” Mauro said. “It
was developed in this state, promoted
in this state and will certainly flourish
in this state.”
Kathleen Davis, a communications
specialist in A&M’s Department of
Agriculture, said, “Move over, yellow
rose — the way to a Texas heart may
soon be a bouquet of long-stemmed
bluebonnets.”
The University System will grant
non-exclusive licenses to Texas nurs
eries for greenhouse production. Roy
alties to Texas A&M will be based on
the number of flowers sold.
The System wants to control the
movement of the bluebonnet seeds to
protect the flowers from international
competition.